“Decryptor” is the second single off the upcoming album “Metemtechnosis” from Canada’s The Design Abstract. The album is a continuation of the sojourn into the epic sci-fi world the band has created, explored by their deeply narrative songs. This single is the band's magnum opus; they state that everything that is present in this album and the last - Technotheism (2021) can be found in this track. They explain further: 


“Decryptor is quite simply the cumulation of our sound to this point: every key element of this album, as well as Technotheism, are on display here. The chorus is a massive and crushing display of rhythm, while almost every other section of the track is exploring melody and technicality in different ways. If you liked the orchestral parts of past releases, you won’t be disappointed; if you liked the industrial or electronic elements, they’re there as well. If you liked the crushing low vocals or the sparkly clean ones, it’s all in this track! Compositionally we pushed ourselves in every way we could, and I think the result speaks for itself.”


Overall, The Design Abstract can be summed up as devastating blast beats merged into breakdowns which giveaway to detailed orchestral work, and synth layering. Crushing guttural lows, contrasted with crisp clean vocals, and of course riff after riff of technical-yet-memorable guitar work. 


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The single tells the story of the saviour of Aberration Omega: the fabled Decryptor. Described as “an angel of digital reckoning” and “the archfiend of machines”, the Decryptor character is the key to the rebellion breaking through the walls of the oppressive temple, and discovering the secrets which will be uncovered in the next album.


Impeccable storytelling and songwriting are the primary focuses of The Design Abstract's music, and this upc

Death Metal force Sanguisugabogg – Ohio´s infamous upcoming masters of gore and brutality – will re-release their rare and fan-hailed debut EP Pornographic Seizures on 180-gram vinyl. Including two exclusive and previously unreleased B-sides as well as an A2 sized poster and reworked artwork this vinyl reissue makes the Death-Metal-fanheart beat faster.


“We’re very psyched to have Pornographic Seizures back out to our die hard day 1 fans. The first time we had this out on vinyl they went so quickly so we’re happy more people get a chance to own a copy now” 


The reissue will be released as a black LP incl. an A2 poster as well as on all digital platforms. The album will also be released exclusively in the U.S. in the following formats:


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-Black LP & poster
-Purple Smoke LP & poster (500 units – band exclusive)

Swedish death metal wizards In Mourning have released a new single entitled "At The Behest Of Night", which is taken off from the band's upcoming release, The Bleeding Veil, considered by the band to be their darkest album to date.





“The Bleeding Veil is our most personal album,” comments guitarist Tim Nedergård. “We have taken a de

Texas doom metal outfit Glassing have released a new single from their upcoming studio album, Twin Dream. The new track, titled "Absolute Virtue", is out now on major streaming/digital platforms.





Speaking about the new single, the band comments: "This track is about humanity's slow burn to extinction. The question of where do we find the will to persist as things just get worse? The title 'Absolute Virtue' describes this very crucial, hidden spiritedness that guides our self-preservation."


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Glassing's third full-length studio offering, Twin Dream, will see a November 5, 2021 release via Brutal Panda Records. The album is a sonic mirror of our modern era, and nothing short of immense; ranging from grim to hopeful to destructive to cathartic, and oftentimes all within a single song. Throughout Twin Dream, G

Red Reign is back with a new, powerful and emotion-evoking single, "Yesterday", dropping Friday, October 8. A lyric video for the song can be found below. The unique and compelling Richmond, VA. quartet is known for creating music that is hard-driving, but melodic and has a way of always staying with you.


Red Reign is Carlton "Bubba" McMichael (vocals/guitar), Sammy Lee (drums), Larry Moore (bass) and Stevie Shred (guitar). They all teamed up in the summer of 2013, joining forces to break out of the local music scene and jump onto the national stage.


Lee says, '"Yesterday" is  about a guy that finds out his wife has been lying about their relationship the whole time they were together and he is at end of his rope. Even though he still has feelings for her, he knows that staying in this relationship would eventually come to an end as he could never forgive her for what she has done. So, even though it breaks his heart, he ends the relationship and moves on, trying not to look back on, "Yesterday"."

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.


Today, fans can get their first taste of music from the band with the release of the single and video, "Fortune And Fame". Watch the video 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.


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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 t

Californian rockers BUCKCHERRY have released the music video for the track "Gun", taken from their latest album, "Hellbound", which came out in June via Round Hill Records. This is the fourth clip from "Hellbound", following videos for "So Hott", "Hellbound" and "Wasting No More Time".

"Gun" is an homage to the exploits of the legendary 1930s bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde. The video, edited by Stephen Wiggins, features live band performance footage shot at this year's Summerfest in Milwaukee, as well as historical newsreel footage of Bonnie and Clyde shot in the 1930s.

The follow-up to 2019's "Warpaint", "Hellbound" 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.

BUCKCHERRY singer Josh Todd told "The Roman Show" about "Hellbound": "Whenever there's a lot of adversity, this band really writes its best records, I have to say. 'Hellbound', our new record, it's gotta be the best BC record, and I'm not saying that just 'cause [it's new]. It's really amazing. We worked really hard on it. We just channeled all that energy into writing songs. Yeah, we wrote a lot of songs. We wrote about almost 30 songs for a 10-song record. So it just goes to show you how thorough we were, and it really paid off."

As for what will happen to the remaining 20 or so songs that didn't make the cut this time around, Todd said: "I think some of 'em are good enough to make a record — maybe two or three. Sometimes songs, they never get to that point where they're good enough to be on a record. That's why you've gotta write a lot of them. We don't wanna put out just filler. That's really important to us. So that's why we write a lot of songs."

Regarding how he and his bandmates go about deciding which songs to put on an album, Josh said: "You kind of know. The cream rises to the top. We create a little playlist — we'll have password-protected playlists while we're writing demos — and it only goes out to the band and our manager and our producer. And then we just continue to write and add songs and write and add songs. And before you know it, when it gets closer and we feel like we've exhausted the songwriting process, there's usually always eight songs that are undeniable, or seven, and then you've kind of gotta start really finetuning the last three or four. That's kind of how we do it. We know when we've got it.

"On BUCKCHERRY records, you wanna have a lot of dynamics — you don't wanna have just all rock songs; you don't wanna have all just super-fast-tempo songs; you don't wanna have all ballads; you don't wanna have all midtempo songs," he explained. "So when you're writing songs, sometimes you'll have five midtempo songs, and you only want one or two for the record. And then you'll have a few slow songs, and you only want one for the record. And then you'll have a bunch of rockers. Like I said, there'll be good ones and then there'll be mediocre songs; maybe it's a good chorus, but the rest of the song isn't good. Stuff like that. Sometimes you go back and rewrite stuff.

"We just were in a zone on this record," he added. "We co-wrote a lot of songs with Marti Frederkisen as well, the guy who produced the record. We'd written songs with him in the past. He's a really talented guy. And five of those songs made the record. So it just goes to show you how good that was. We wrote with him for a week. We wrote six songs in five days, and five of 'em made the record. And then we took five of the remaining 22 that [guitarist] Stevie [Dacanay, a.k.a. Stevie D.] and I had written prior to getting in a room with Marti. And there you have 'Hellbound', the record. And it's amazing."

In the summer of 2020, BUCKCHERRY recruited JETBOY's Billy Rowe as its new guitarist. He joined the group as the replacement for Kevin Roentgen, who left BUCKCHERRY in July of that year.

In 2019, BUCKCHERRY recruited Francis Ruiz as its new drummer. He joined the group as the replacement for Sean Winchester, who exited BUCKCHERRY after laying down the drum tracks on "Warpaint".

BUCKCHERRY is currently performing in Canada as part of its 110-show 2021 "Hellbound" tour. The North American dates end November 13 and the band will close out 2021 with 11 shows in the U.K.

THE THREE TREMORS, the project featuring acclaimed heavy metal singers Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin (JAG PANZER) and Sean "The Hell Destroyer" Peck (CAGE, DEATH DEALER, DENNER/SHERMANN), will release its second album, "Guardians Of The Void", on November 5 via Steel Cartel Records. The video for single "Bone Breaker" can be seen below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

There will be three different versions of the double gatefold vinyl of "Guardians Of The Void": the original version, the 1-in-5 variant version and the virgin cover version. The 1-in-5 variant version has completely different cover art (again by Sasso) on the front and back and will be limited to one copy for every five standard versions that are produced. The virgin cover version has the original Sasso artwork without band logos or album titles.

Catch the THREE TREMORS on tour in the United States this November.

THE OFFSPRING has unveiled the video for "The Opioid Diaries". The song, which appears on the band's acclaimed, chart-topping tenth studio album "Let The Bad Times Roll", is part cautionary tale and part admonition, and takes aim squarely at the source of the opioid crisis that has devastated communities around the world for more than 20 years: Big Pharma.

As lead singer Dexter Holland notes: "I wrote this OFFSPRING song about addiction. While drug addiction is certainly not a new issue, the opioid epidemic in America is different. It's different because it was created by, and driven by, Big Pharma — and I wrote this song to say that the pharmaceutical industry should be held accountable for its consequences."

Directed by Daveed Benito, the video offers an unflinching look at the ravages of opioid addiction through its use of hallucinatory images, time-lapse photography, and somber statistics that encapsulate the collective trauma caused by the epidemic.

"Producing this video was tough," says Benito. "Addiction is a heavy subject to take on, but it's important to bring awareness to this crisis. My hope is that these visual metaphors shed more light onto this epidemic — an epidemic that does not discriminate with regard to race, wealth, or age."

"'The Opioid Diaries' is a song written from a personal point of view, to show the very personal toll that opiate addiction has taken on our friends and families," says Holland. He asserts: "This opioid crisis is different because people who might not normally have been looking for drugs were unwittingly prescribed these opiates for pain, not knowing how addictive they were. There are countless stories of regular folks with short term pain issues — a blue collar factory worker, or a high school athlete, for example — who were given these drugs and became hopelessly addicted in a short period of time. When the prescription ran out, they had no choice but to start taking illegal street drugs like heroin and fentanyl. And the results, of course, have been deadly."

In Holland's view, it's essential to reframe the narrative around opioid addiction in order to effectively address it. "And yet the larger problem still remains." He reflects: "What should we do to fight drug addiction? I say that until we stop treating drug addiction as a criminal issue, and start treating it as a medical issue, we'll stay stuck in this vicious cycle of pain and suffering. I've never seen a social ill assuaged by punishment, but always and only by compassion."

He further contends: "The right approach is not to jail people with addiction issues, but to get them the medical help that they need.

"We wouldn't put our kids in a jail cell if they had cancer…and we shouldn't put them there for addiction."

THE OFFSPRING has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, won countless awards, and have toured consistently, playing more than 500 shows in the last decade alone. Their music has had a lasting impact across film, television, and video games, and their latest album "Let The Bad Times Roll" has been a huge global success, hitting career-high chart debuts with seven Top 5 and ten Top 10 international debuts and nine Top 10 debuts in the U.S. The album peaked at No. 3 on the U.K. chart and hit No. 1 on the Alternative Albums chart in the U.S.

Dream Theater's new album, A View From The Top Of The World, is set for release on October 22. Watch a new video trailer below:





A View From The Top Of The World can be pre-ordered in various configurations including a limited Deluxe Box incl. Gatefold 2LP (180g bright gold vinyl) with exclusive alternate cover, limited deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook with exclusive alternate cover, Zoetrope Slipmat, Beanie, Enamel Keychain, 8 x Artcards, Poster, Hand-Numbered Certificate of Authenticity in a Lift-off Lid Box.


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The album is also available in a limited Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook, Special Edition CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD+LP-booklet. The Blu-ray contains a 5.1 surround sound mix with full album animations, plus ‘Digging For A Spark - A View From Inside DTHQ’, a specially filmed documentary that gives a glimpse behind the scenes of the band’s new home-base and the making of the new album.


The album is also available for pre-order digitally and fans that pre-order the digital version will receive an instant download of “The Alien” and "Invisible Monster".


A View From The Top Of The World was produced by John Petrucci, engineered and additional production by James “Jimmy T” Meslin and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap and is available for pre-order here.


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


“We just love to play our instruments,” observes Petrucci. “That never goes away. I love to be creative, write, and exercise that part of my mind. We’ve been able to do this for a long time, and we don’t take it for granted. Whenever we get together, we know we can’t disappoint ourselves or our fans, so we manage to try even harder.”


“We approach every album like it’s our first,” adds LaBrie. “It’s been such a great ride, but we’re not going to stop.”





A View From The Top Of The World tracklisting:


"The Alien" (9:32)
"Answering The Call" (7:35)
"Invisible Monster" (6:31)
"Sleeping Giant" (10:05)
"Transcending Time" (6:25)
"Awaken The Master" (9:47)
"A View From The Top Of The World" (20:24)


"Invisible Monster" video:





“The Alien” video:





Deluxe Box Set trailer:





A View From The Top Of The World DTHQ interview clips:








Dream Theater have made the difficult decision to move their October-December 2021 North American tour dates to early 2022.    


Says the band: "In light of current instabilities to touring that remain due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we feel confident that this is the right decision. Know that we are as disappointed as you are that we will have to wait a little longer to bring Dream Theater music to you live. We miss performing for you all and can’t wait until we can be on stage bringing our new album and fan-favorites to you.


"This was an extraordinarily challenging decision to make but needed to be done after taking into consideration the varying local mandates across North America. In an effort to present the absolute most complete and engaging Dream Theater experience that our fans around the globe have come to expect, we feel we are all best se

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


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

During an appearance earlier today (Friday, October 1) on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was asked what it has been like for him and his bandmates to return to the road for their first live shows since late 2019. "Very emotional on every level," he responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "Obviously, it's invigorating and it's inspiring and it's just great to get back out there.

"I think it was just about two years, maybe a little over two years, since we stepped off stage at 'S&M[2]' in San Francisco. And, obviously, we did the drive-in thing last summer, we did an All Within My Hands virtual event and a couple of TV appearances, but in terms of live shows with live audiences and that real deal, it had been over two years. So I believe that in the six hundred years METALLICA's been going that that's been the longest absence from the live stage we've ever had.

"When we stepped on stage at The Independent in San Francisco about two weeks ago now, [we were] definitely nervous," Lars admitted. "[It was] a little daunting. 'How do we do this again? We hope the muscle memory will come back.' And, obviously, we'd been rehearsing and prepping and staying in shape, but you never know.

"So we had a great show in San Francisco. A week later, we had a great show in Chicago back at the Metro, which is where we played on the 'Kill 'Em All' tour. This was the infamous show where — I think it's in the 'Cliff 'Em All' video, and it's definitely made the rounds — where James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] is holding up the 'Kill 'Em All' album that had just been released, I think, within a week or two of when we were playing there. I think it's in 'Metal Militia'; we were doing a breakdown, sing-along thing, and he holds 'Kill 'Em All' up, and somebody in the audience snags it or jumps up and grabs it. So, lots of memories there. And full circle back, I guess, 38 years later. So, [it was] so much fun to be back there.

"That show was crazy fucking hot," Ulrich added. "They were having a September heatwave; I think it was, like, 95 [degrees Fahrenheit] every day in Chicago. And up on stage at the Metro there, which is up on the second floor, it was about 195 degrees; [we were] definitely gasping for air for some of that show. But those two were great. And then, [we went] down to Lousville a couple of days later and playing the Friday and the Sunday of the Louder Than Life festival, two completely different sets — no repeats [of songs], which I'm super proud of. Outside, Friday night, it's 60 degrees, I got a little elbow room up on stage. I have to tell you the muscle memory came back, actually, quicker on those bigger shows than on the smaller ones.

"But I was so happy to be back out there, so grateful to feel the energy of the fans and their patience through all this shitstorm of the last year and a half with COVID, and so happy to reconnect with the fellows and my brothers in the band and play music and share that experience once again with a live audience and being in the moment and just feeling it.

"I would say that all is very well in METALLICA in the fall of '21, but, fuck, I hope for the rest of our career that there's not another two-year absence from the live stage.

"So, it's been definitely a bit of a whirlwind — lots of emotions," Lars said. "But we're happy to be back out there and, like I said, happy to be connecting with everybody again. Obviously, [it's been] a little odd. We really have taken the COVID seriously and put ourselves in a bubble and not seen anybody.

"And you're at a festival like Louder Than Life, and your friends in JUDAS PRIEST are in the dressing room next door, and our friends in GOJIRA and our friends in VOLBEAT and our friends in DISTURBED and all our friends in all the different bands that we've had so many experiences with for decades are all over the place, and we wanna go hang out with them and engage. So it's been a little weird to not be able to do any of that and not do the meet-and-greets and see the fans — the fan-club meet-and-greets and all that signing stuff at the hotel — but we've taken the COVID stuff super seriously. And the flipside of that has been that our touring party, which, I guess, is — I don't know; what are we? 12, 14, 15 [people] — we've been having dinner together every night and we've been going to some movie theaters and hanging out, and it's actually brought the touring party super close. Because we've just been hanging and socializing with each other rather than running off in four different directions like a pack of marbles. So, it's been great. But, man, I'm so happy to be back at it again."

METALLICA will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a pair of hometown shows for its fan club members on December 17 and December 19 at San Francisco's Chase Center.

METALLICA will play two more U.S. festivals this fall in partnership with promoter Danny Wimmer Presents: Aftershock and Welcome To Rockville

JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner says that he suffered an "aortic aneurysm and complete aortic dissection" during the band's performance at the Louder Than Life festival.

On September 27, one day after PRIEST's appearance in Lousville, Kentucky, the British heavy metal legends announced that they were postponing the remainder of their U.S. tour so that Faulkner could be treated for a heart condition. The following day, his girlfriend Mariah Lynch, daughter of former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch, said that Richie was "stable and resting" after undergoing "major emergency heart surgery."

Earlier today, Faulkner shared the following update with BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding his condition: "Maniacs… I've always been grateful for the opportunities I've been presented with. I've always considered myself THE most fortunate man ever — to be able to play my favorite music, with my favourite band, to my favorite people around the world…

"Today just being able to type this to you all is the biggest gift of all…

"As I watch footage from the Louder Than Life festival in Kentucky, I can see in my face the confusion and anguish I was feeling whilst playing 'Painkiller' as my aorta ruptured and started to spill blood into my chest cavity… I was having what my doctor called an aortic aneurysm and complete aortic dissection. From what I've been told by my surgeon, people with this don't usually make it to the hospital alive…

"I was taken to nearby Rudd Heart & Lung Center and quickly went into what turned out to be a 10 ½ hour emergency open heart surgery. Five parts of my chest were replaced with mechanical components…..I'm literally made of metal now….

"It could have all ended so differently — we only had an hour's set that night due to METALLICA's performance after us — and it does cross my mind if it was a full set, would I have played until total collapse…? If it hadn't happened in such a high adrenaline situation, would my body have been able to keep going long enough to reach the hospital…? The amazing Heart & Lung Center was 4 miles away from the gig site — if it had been further away…

"We can always drive ourselves crazy with these things but I'm still alive thankfully. Whatever the circumstances, when watching that footage, the truth is, knowing what I know now, I see a dying man…

"I've been moved to tears and humbled by friends, family, my fantastic band, crew and management and also you guys sending me videos and messages of love and support during the last week — I thank you all so much and although I have a recovery road ahead of me, as soon as I'm able to get up and running again, you'll be the first to know and we'll get back out there delivering the goods for you all….!

"One last thing maniacs, this came totally out of the blue for me — no history of a bad heart, no clogged arteries etc…my point is I don't even have high cholesterol and this could've been the end for me. If you can get yourselves checked — do it for me please……

"Lots of love and see you down the front again soon…"

Produced by Live Nation, the rescheduled "50 Heavy Metal Years" trek kicked off on September 8 in Reading, Pennsylvania and was slated to run through October before concluding on November 5 in Hamilton, Ontario.

Faulkner joined PRIEST in 2011 as the replacement for original guitarist K.K. Downing.

Richie was once the guitarist in the backing group for Lauren Harris, daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris.

A number of Faulkner's other colleagues also sent their well-wishes his way, including Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE), Joe Bonamassa, Gary Holt (EXODUS, SLAYER) and Paul Stanley (KISS).

"Get well soon Richie," wrote Bonamassa. "One of the nicest, most talented and genuine people I have met in this business."

Former WHITESNAKE and DIO guitarist Doug Aldrich wrote: "Just heard our brother Richie fell ill and is in the hospital… Prayers for a speedy recovery."

Holt wrote: "Here's wishing Richie a speedy recovery, get well soon brother, one of the greatest guitarists walking this earth, and nicest guy too."

Faulkner and Lynch welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Daisy Mae, in July 2020.

Japanese symphonic metal group Cross Vein has released new single “Black Fairytale”.





The single is a sequel to previous track, “Eternal Dream”, featured on their 2015 album Royal Eternity.


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Frontiers Music Srl welcomes the new Italian symphonic metal band, Agarthic, to the label's roster. The Inner Side, the band's debut album which was recorded under the direction of producer Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Archon Angel, Timo Tolkki’s Avalon, etc.), will be released on December 10.


Today, the band has released the new single and video, "A Journey To The End Of The World". See the clip below, and pre-order/save The Inner Side here.


Based in Northern Italy, Agarthic was founded in 2019 by composer and bassist Mattia Gosetti and vocalist Valeriano De Zordo. The two musicians, tied by a strong friendship, had already worked together several times over the past years, but mostly just some shows and theatrical performances and never a proper band.


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"As a big fan of rock and metal music, I've always followed with great enthusiasm the release of albums by labels. I remember reading album booklets when I was just a kid, dreaming to see my name printed on one of those one day... who would have ever imagined that happening with one of the most important labels of today?" says vocalist Valeriano De Zordo. "For several years, I've been really interested in knowing all the ancient legends and mysteries about the forgotten history of our planet, especially the theories about the hollow earth. I've always been fascinated by it. And when this chance to make an album was offered, the task was quite easy....all I had to do was to combine my two major passions and turn all these themes finally into music!" continues De Zordo.


Adds composer and bassist Mattia Gosetti, "My greatest passion is to write musical stories, to create soundtracks for romantic adventures and fascinating places. I am really proud to have been noticed by a successful label like Frontiers Music, in whose roster there are many of the most famous bands in the world. The enthusiasm for the signing of the contract and the collaboration with Aldo Lonobile, an artist that I have always esteemed and admired, has been fundamental for the realization of this symphonic metal concept. I am experiencing an artistic growth that I would have never hoped for and I will never be grateful enough for all this.”


Valeriano has been active in several bands in the area of Belluno, singing both covers and original music, which brought him recognition thanks to his melodic timbre and great ability as a performer.


Mattia is a symphonic rock composer, with his works mostly dedicated to the history of land located on the Alps, musical tales that he often presents in theater settings. His deep passion for symphonic rock has always been apparent, but in particular when he and his wife won the "Elan Cover Contest”, an international competition organized by Nightwish.


The band's line up is rounded out by two other talented Italian musicians, Jesai Fiabane on guitar and Denis Novello on drums.


Agarthic's music is strongly inspired by the nature that surrounds them, in particular by the Dolomites, a mountain range in Italy. Their compositions tell stories of fantasy and myste

Frontiers Music Srl will release Swedish rock band Cap Outrun's new album, High On Deception, on December 10. High On Deception is a distinctive record filled with playful odd time signatures and interesting harmonies, but it never loses its core of strong melodies and an exceptional groove.


Today, the band has released the single and video for the album's title track. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save High On Deception here.


”It feels great to work with Frontiers on this release and I’m anxious to hear what the label’s followers will say about it. Ever since Mr. Big, who’s one of my all time favorite bands, released their What If record, I’ve been following the label’s awesome releases and I’m both impressed and grateful for what they’re doing for the rock music scene today. I’m thrilled about joining them with Cap Outrun and everybody in the band is very excited about this!” says guitarist Andrée Theander.


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The writing and production process for the album was a very successful collaboration between founding members Andrée Theander and Erik Gafvelin Wiss. Although Erik is still involved in Cap Outrun, he has decided to take a step back as the main keyboardist to focus on his production work. His spot has been given to the very talented session player André Egbo. Vocalist Chandler Mogel (Double Vision, Outloud), bassist Linus ”Mr. Gul” Abrahamson (Andromeda, Constanica), and drummer Johan Ludvig Rask round out the line-up.


Musical influences are everything from Swedish progressive rock bands Kaipa and Karmakanic to legendary American bands like Toto and Boston. Some of Andrée’s and Erik’s friends have even mentioned Dirty Loops when they’ve dropped around Erik’s studio in Stockholm while the album was still in the making. [Who knows, maybe it could have something to do with bass player Linus’ close collaboration with the Dirty Loops members Henrik Linder and Aron Mellergård for their newly released bass and drum transcription books?]


Cap Outrun formed in Sweden in 2007 when Andrée Theander and Erik Gafvelin Wiss met at a Swedish university for music production and started to make music together. The two youngsters wrote and recorded a lot of songs and with a little help from a bunch of friends, six of the songs ended up on the very first Cap Outrun release, Influence Grind (2008). The music was somewhat complex with odd time signatures and unexpected song structures, but still contained memorable melodies and pop-flavored choruses. This perfect blend of rock, metal, and jazz made them fairly well-known within the underground world of prog rock lovers for a period of time. Andrée and Erik graduated from university and they decided to go their separate musical ways. Since then, they have stayed good friends, but were working on their own careers: Andrée as a session player, guitar teacher and with his own AOR/Westcoast project Theander Expression, while Erik started to build his own studio and mainly focus

Season Of Mist will release Death On A Pale Horse, the sophomore album from epic horror metal act, Opera Diabolicus, on November 26. A lyric video for the song "Siren's Call" can be found below.


The album features appearances from Mats Levén (Candlemass, Therion, Skyblood, etc.), Snowy Shaw (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Therion, Notre Dame, etc.), Andy La Rocque (King Diamond) and Michael Denner (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate).


You can pre-order the new album here.


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With Death On A Pale Horse, the Swedes bring you the epic tale witchcraft, the black death and revenge. Artwork by Gyula Ha

Genocide Pact return with their new, self-titled album on December 3. An overdose of gut-wrenching death metal, Genocide Pact is heavy, engrossing, and undoubtedly brutal. Watch the new “Perverse Dominion” music video (directed by Brian Boeckman) below.


Vocalist/Guitarist Tim Mullaney comments on the new song: “Lyrically, this song is about how, as humans, our greatest strength is our mind - and in a world of people stepping over each other to get ahead, the mind is the first thing targeted by powerful people trying to keep you below them. Every day we are manipulated by corporations and politicians that think we are idiots - make their jobs harder and don’t be one.”


"This album reflects on the feeling of watching the world crumble while dealing with personal tragedy," says Mullaney.


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True to his word - every track on Genocide Pact is a sonic assault brimming with palpable malaise. From the guttural screams in the album's opener "Led To Extinction", to the driving double bass that carries "Perverse Dominion", and a head rattling low end on "Deprive Degrade" - Genocide Pact is wholly negative death metal.


The fury behind Genocide Pact captures the band's collective frustrations and personal journeys through these turbulent times.


"You turn on the news and see mass shootings, a global pandemic, endless war, and corporations and politicians trying to sell you bullshit. You pick up your phone and another friend or family member has died. On top of that, you’re broke as fuck and work endlessly for a boss that doesn’t even know your name. You find yourself paranoid, pissed

Extreme death metal act Necronemesis, featuring Rick Rozz of Death / Massacre, have released a video for "They Live In The Attic", featured on the band's new album, Some Things Should Stay Underground, released back in June on CD and digital formats via Horror Pain Gore Death Productions. Watch the clip below.


Hailing from Puerto Rico, Necronemesis have been a consistent presence in the PR underground metal scene throughout the bands eighteen year existence. Some Things Should Stay Underground features legendary guitarist Rick Rozz (Death / Massacre), and further expands the bands signature extreme death metal style to the next level... prepare for sheer brutality! A pulverizing old school metal attack for fans of Belphegor, Broken Hope, Cannibal Corpse, Death, Dying Fetus, Immolation, Massacre, Mortician, Suffocation and Vader.


Order links below:


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conta

RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson, who recently completed an album's worth of material with former CONEY HATCH singer/bassist Andy Curran, was asked in the new issue of Guitar Player magazine if he has any plans to play live in the near future. He responded: "I'm not really thinking about that. It's challenging enough to try to get this album out first.

"To be honest with you, I don't think I have it in me to go on the road," he continued. "I mean, if it was a handful of shows, that might be kind of fun, but anything beyond that... After 40 years of sitting in hotel rooms, I'm not interested. I've had quite enough of that. I do love my home life.

"I thought I would miss being onstage a lot more, but I don't really. I've done a couple of things here and there. Small things — usually it's a charity event or something like that. It's kind of fun getting up and playing with other people, but the whole production — the big, giant machine — it doesn't really hold much appeal to me now."

Four months ago, Lifeson spoke in more detail about his collaboration with Curran, tentatively dubbed ENVY OF NONE, in an interview with Sweetwater. At the time, he said: "Andy approached me about four years ago, shortly after the last RUSH tour, about just adding some guitar on some of the things that he was doing. And I did that. A few months later, he sent another one, and did that. And then we started getting more serious. And then we found a great singer, Maiah Wynne, from Portland, Oregon — just a fabulous, fabulous voice and a really smart songwriter and vocal performer. So we've basically done an album's worth of material that we hope to release sometime soon. I'm really excited about that."

Asked about a possible timeline for the release of his collaboration with Curran and Wynne, Alex said: "We're just working on that part of it. All the music is recorded. We are mixing currently. We're in a good place, but it's very challenging. The industry is so, so very different than it was certainly 10 years ago, never mind last year. We'll see. Hopefully late summer, early fall we might have something. But we are very, very excited about it. It's pretty cool stuff, I think."

Lifeson previously collaborated with Wynne on her 2019 solo single called "Fearless Girl", which featured Alex and the Portland Cello Project. Wynne also laid down vocals on a May 2019 collaboration between multi-instrumentalist Marco Minnemann and Lifeson titled "Lovers Calling".

RUSH drummer Neil Peart died in January 2020 in Santa Monica, California after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 67 years old.

RUSH's final show took place at the Forum in Los Angeles on August 1, 2015. Peart indicated at the time that he wanted to retire while he was still able to play well, along with a desire to spend more time at home with his young daughter.

Lifeson and bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee have repeatedly said that RUSH will never do a show unless all three musicians agree to take part. They haven't performed as RUSH without Peart since he joined the band in 1974.

THE LUCID, the four-piece hard rock band featuring bassist David Ellefson (ex-MEGADETH), vocalist Vinnie Dombroski (SPONGE), guitarist Drew Fortier and drummer Mike Heller (RAVEN, FEAR FACTORY), has released its third single, "Hair". The song is taken from THE LUCID's self-titled debut album, which is due on October 15 via SpoilerHead Records. The LP's final cover artwork, which was created by Alex Sarabia, can be seen below.

"The Lucid" was produced by Heller and mixed/mastered by Lasse Lammert.

Track listing:

01. Maggot Wind

02. Deaths Of Despair

03. Spoiler Head

04. Hair

05. Maskronaut

06. Damned

07. Breech Boy

08. Pigs And Sons

09. Parade Of Spit

Ellefson states: "It's been a real blast making a record with these guys and I must say that it’s refreshing to explore some new musical avenues… to step out a bit from what each of us have done stylistically in our own careers. There was an effortless synergy that came with creating these songs together which is always amazing when working with new people. I'm looking forward to everyone checking it out!"

During a November 2020 appearance on "The Chuck Schute Podcast", Ellefson stated about how he got involved with THE LUCID: "Drew sent me a track and said, 'Hey, can you throw a bass on here?' And I was writing a new ELLEFSON solo record at the time, so my studio ears were on. I was plugged in and ready to go. He sent it over and I was, like, 'Yeah, this is freaking cool, man.' I'd seen Drew play, I know his BANG TANGO history and the other stuff he's done. But this was really cool stuff that spoke to me. And then he called me up and he said, 'Hey, Vinnie is gonna come in and write some vocals and lyrics and lay down some tracks.' And it turned into a thing."

"I love [Vinnie]. I love SPONGE," David continued. "He's such a rock star. He's just a cool guy. And he writes such great lyrics — very trippy lyrics. He's the type of lyricist I'd never worked with before, so it's fun with that. And Drew is a great guitar player. Mike Heller — he's good friends with [MEGADETH drummer] Dirk Verbeuren. And Dirk's, like, 'Mike's awesome.' They're good friends. We all met in L.A. We got the songs together and we all met in L.A. in mid-July. I plugged in and banged out 10 songs in two days. And it was fun. Mike was very good in the studio; he really knows his way around."

As for THE LUCID's musical direction, Ellefson said: "It's cool stuff, and it's very different. It's, obviously, not thrash metal, hence the name LUCID. [The name] kind of feels like what the music sounds like."

Ellefson and Fortier have also announced the pre-order for their award-winning found-footage horror film "Dwellers", which will be released October 12 on Blu-ray and digital streaming services and is available now in various limited edition pre-order bundles at www.dwellersfilm.com.

Ellefson and Fortier will promote the film at the following events:

* Dead Conventions, Fort Wayne, IN – Oct. 15-17

* Chiller Theater, Parsippany, NJ – Oct. 29-31

Ellefson was dismissed from MEGADETH in late May, just days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving him were posted on Twitter. A short time later, he 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.

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Tharasa DiMeo

DEEP PURPLE's next studio effort will be an album of covers titled "Turning To Crime". Due on November 26 via earMUSIC, the LP will contain DEEP PURPLE's versions of great rock classics and musical jewels — including songs originally recorded by Bob Dylan, FLEETWOOD MAC, Bob Seger, CREAM and THE YARDBIRDS — carefully chosen by each member of the band.

Produced by Bob Ezrin, "Turning To Crime" arrives only 15 months after "Whoosh!", DEEP PURPLE's 21st studio album, which received acclaim by critics who praised the creative strength of a band that continues evolving with every release, and prestigious chart achievements (third consecutive No. 1 in Germany, No. 4 in the U.K., and topped the U.S. Independent Album and Hard Music Albums charts).

The first single, "7 And 7 Is", can be streamed below.

"Turning To Crime" track listing, according to FNAC:

01. 7 And 7 Is (LOVE)

02. Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu (Huey "Piano" Smith)

03. Oh Well (FLEETWOOD MAC)

04. Jenny Take A Ride! (MITCH RYDER & THE DETROIT WHEELS)

05. Watching The River Flow (Bob Dylan)

06. Let The Good Times Roll (Ray Charles & Quincy Jones)

07. Dixie Chicken (LITTLE FEAT)

08. Shapes Of Things (THE YARDBIRDS)

09. The Battle Of New Orleans (Lonnie Donegan/Johnny Horton)

10. Lucifer (BOB SEGER SYSTEM)

11. White Room (CREAM)

12. Caught In The Act [Medley: Going Down / Green Onions / Hot 'Lanta / Dazed And Confused / Gimme Some Lovin']

Last December, DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover revealed during a virtual meet-and-greet with Finnish fan Anssi Herkkola that the band was planning to enter the studio in 2021 to begin work on another album. Speaking about how he and the other members of PURPLE have been spending their coronavirus downtime, Roger said: "All this COVID situation has meant that we can't tour. We're twiddling our thumbs, really, for over a year, and the idea was to possibly go back in and do another album. And so we're just working towards that. It's so quick after we'd done the last album, [and] maybe that will spoil things, but we're gonna try and do another album at some point next year. We're experimenting with stuff."

DEEP PURPLE's latest album, "Whoosh!", was released in August 2020 via earMUSIC. The LP was once again helmed by Canadian producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, PINK FLOYD, ALICE COOPER), who also worked on the band's previous two studio albums, 2017's "Infinite" and 2013's "Now What?!"

Glover told Den Of Geek about the PURPLE songwriting process: "All our songs come from jamming. We don't actually write songs, they just evolve as we play. The first writing session is usually a lot of fun. We just explore different rhythms and riffs and whatever, and then take a break to listen to them, and figure out which ones we really want to work on, and that's the second writing session. And then we go to the studio and record them, but at this point, we rarely have finished vocals or lyrics. It's usually when the album has been all recorded instrumentally that [singer] Ian Gillan and I go off on our own somewhere for a couple of weeks and we write the words. Sometimes he writes on his own, sometimes I write my own. Sometimes we write together. And that's how it comes out.

He added: "You don't go to a PURPLE session with anything like a finished song. You go with an idea, and we all work on it together. It's got to be a collective. That's the point of the band — it's a collective. So, one person couldn't write a DEEP PURPLE song. It takes five of us.

"We've always done it that way. It's a strange way to write songs, I know. Most people write the songs before they go in the studio, we write them after we've been in the studio. But it was like that in '69 when I joined the band. It's been the same ever since."

In the Den Of Geek interview, Glover also said that DEEP PURPLE has "always" been a democratic group. "It was right from when I first joined the band," he explained. "We decided that whoever writes any particular idea, we all share, because we all contribute. The way we play is almost as much a part of the writing process as what the riff or the lyrics are. So we all shared everything. It didn't last that way. When I left the band, and Gillan left the band, it changed. It changed up until when Steve Morse joined. When Steve Morse joined, we said, 'Right, let's share everything.' It takes away stress, it takes away ego, it takes away jealousy, it takes away bad vibes. And I think we all share and we all write for it. We all work our bits. So that's the way we do it, and it is a democratic band."

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello was the guest on the debut episode of the "Tuna On Toast With Stryker" podcast. During his appearance, Morello offered up some high praise for JANE'S ADDICTION, declaring that the Perry Farrell-fronted group "redeemed hard rock and metal music."

Morello first discovered JANE'S ADDICTION in the late 1980s. "They had made 'Nothing's Shocking', but 'Nothing's Shocking' hadn't come out," Morello recalled. "And I snuck into a JANE'S rehearsal and I was a big fan of them."

The future RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE rocker was floored by what JANE'S ADDICTION brought to the table. "They were it," he declared. "Because what they did — along with a couple other bands, I'd credit SOUNDGARDEN and LIVING COLOUR on sort of a short list — is they redeemed hard rock and metal music. All of us who loved hard rock music but were somewhat embarrassed by the devil stuff and the groupie stuff and that, all of a sudden there were bands that were kicking my ass just as hard, just as hard as [BLACK] SABBATH and AC/DC and LED ZEPPELIN, but there was like an artistic and intellectual content and a poetic content to it. And so I was all in on JANE'S."

Morello later recalled an instance when he and his previous band, LOCK UP, impersonated JANE'S ADDICTION at a JANE'S ADDICTION concert.

"The lights go down, the crowd roars, and out on stage comes me in a Dave Navarro wig," Morello explained. His band would get though roughly half a song before the real JANE'S ADDICTION came out.

"I remember the feeling. I'd been to a lot of shows, but I remember the feeling that I got from the crowd," he said. "There are bands that people like, there are bands that people love, and then there are bands that people believe in. And the intensity off of that crowd — it wasn't for me, I was an imposter! But I felt that kind of, almost like religious intensity."

"Tuna On Toast" is the brand new podcast launched by radio host Ted Stryker, best known for his 20-plus years on KROQ in Los Angeles. Every week, Stryker will be welcoming some of rock's biggest names into his home for conversations about their life and career. Upcoming episodes will feature Mike Shinoda (LINKIN PARK), M. Shadows (AVENGED SEVENFOLD) and Finneas (solo artist/producer for Billie Eilish).

Photo credit: Eitan Miskevich

The new Wett Cherry album entitled The High And The Divine is slated for release on November 4 via Dragon City Demo. 





The new single "I Met The Devil" was recorded at Soundhouse Studios in New York.


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Fan-filmed video footage of KORN's October 1 concert at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts can be seen below.

As previously reported, guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer, who sat out some of KORN's shows after being diagnosed with COVID-19, rejoined his bandmates on stage on September 18 at Germania Insurance Amphitheater in Del Valle (a southwest Austin suburb), Texas.

Shaffer was temporarily replaced by J.R. Bareis, who is also in the band LOVE AND DEATH with KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch. Bareis previously stepped in for Shaffer in August 2019 when Munky was forced to miss several KORN shows due to the impending birth of his child.

Shaffer was second member of KORN in a month to test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. In early August, singer Jonathan Davis contracted the virus, forcing the postponement of six dates and cancelation of two on KORN's current U.S. tour.

At some of KORN's shows, Davis had been taking a seat on a custom throne near the drum riser due to lingering effects of his bout with COVID-19. In video footage of KORN's August 27 concert in Tinley Park, Illinois — his first gig back after revealing his positive diagnosis — Davis could be seen walking slowly around the stage, coughing and appearing to take a minute to catch his breath. According to TMZ, Davis also took occasional hits from an oxygen tank set up near this throne.

Bareis was not the only session musician to play with KORN on the current tour. Bassist Roberto "Ra" Díaz (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) is filling in for Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu after Fieldy announced in June that he would sit out the trek in order to "heal" after "falling back" on some of his "bad habits."

Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick has told Rolling Stone that there is a chance he will come out and play with the band at the final show of the "End Of The Road" world tour. "That's always been kind of what they've shared publicly," he said. "I'll be honest, It's not like I have the plan or, like, Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley] said to me, 'This is how we want to do it. These are the songs.' I don't have the details. [My wife] Lisa and I chat about it because people ask. I do know I'll be at least able to capture [KISS manager] Doc [McGhee] on the boat for a little bit and go, 'What's the plan?' I don't want to dance around the questions. I have some ideas of how this could be. 'Tell me what you're thinking?'

"There was a big pause button on their schedule," he continued. "They would have ended their tour this summer if COVID never happened. They had a venue booked. It was a stadium in New York. That was going to be the end. Now I don't know when it would be, if it's in 2022. I don't know. I hope I'm there. I hope I get to play a couple songs with them.

"The fans are expecting something special, and it should be. Everyone alive should be there. I'm not going to tell them that Vinnie [Vincent] should be there if they don't want to see Vinnie. I do hope Ace [Frehley] and Peter [Criss] are going to be a part of it as well."

Asked if he believes that this is KISS's last tour, Kulick said: "I do think they will stop touring in a traditional sense. Would they manage and present other KISS-related things? You know, they have this idea that KISS will never die. They could have a KISS-themed show they aren't in. … Could they pull that off successfully? Absolutely. KISS is a brand like Coca-Cola.

"I do think Gene and Paul will retire from touring. I know Gene well enough. They won't carry on with what you know as a big touring KISS show forever. They just can't. They don't want to do it. How about Gene in a 40-pound outfit performing a two-hour show? No way. Paul's had hip surgeries. You can't sustain that. It's harder and harder the older you get.

"They're going to do some great business and some great shows. But they're going to wrap it up in a year or so. I think they will."

Kulick joined KISS in 1984 and remained with the band until the group's original lineup reunited in 1996. He joined GRAND FUNK RAILROAD in 2000 and continues to perform with the group to this

Eddie Van Halen Park and Edward Van Halen Memorial Park are among the names being considered for a new park which will soon be under construction in the legendary VAN HALEN guitarist's former hometown of Pasadena, California.

The park, located at 701 East Union Street (between El Molino Avenue and Oak Knoll Avenue), will have open space for informal recreation, relaxation, and community gatherings; children’s playground with shade structures; public restrooms; a 48-space parking plaza; and a dog run.

Now through Friday, September 24 at 4:00 p.m., Pasadena city officials are asking the community to review the all names that are being considered and vote for their preferred choice.

Votes will be tallied and presented to the Recreation and Parks Commission for discussion and, subsequently, a recommendation of the park's official name will be presented to City Council for its consideration.

Park naming criteria: Pasadena will adopt a name for the new park that meets at least one of the criteria established in the City's Public Park and Recreation Facility Naming Policy. The criteria are as follows:

* Geographical location of the park of facility;

* Natural or geological features proximate to the park or facility;

* Cultural or historical significance to the City or surrounding neighborhood;

* Name of an individual who has made a significant contribution to the community, country, state, or field of parks and recreation.

Last October, a City Council meeting was held in Pasadena where a memorial honoring Eddie was discussed.

City manager Steve Mermell was directed to come up with ideas for how to best honor the musician, who died earlier that same month at the age of 65.

In the first three weeks after Eddie's death, the city was bombarded with requests to pay tribute to the guitarist "to recognize both his local connection to Pasadena, as well as the impact that his artistry had on music," Mermell wrote in a report.

"Recognizing Van Halen the band and/or individual members should be considered," according to the report. "With his passing, Eddie Van Halen's international recognition as a musical artist is noted for the significant impact he had on the Rock & Roll genre and his legacy is a source of hometown pride for the city."

Following Eddie's death after a long battle with cancer, fans left flowers at his childhood home on Las Lunas Street in Pasadena. Additional flowers, candles and fan mementos were placed on Allen Avenue where Eddie and Alex scratched their band's name into the wet cement of a sidewalk when they were teenagers.

VAN HALEN was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked Eddie Van Halen No. 8 in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists.

The park in Pasadena's Playhouse District is pictured below in a rendering provided by city officials.

John Corabi, the Nashville, TN-based frontman, recently released his new single, “Cosi Bella (So Beautiful)”. The song is available now on all digital platforms here. A video for the song can be viewed below.


“Cosi Bella (So Beautiful)” was produced and co-written in Nashville, TN, with Marti Frederiksen (Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne). “Cosi Bella (So Beautiful)” is the first of several new singles coming.


In a new interview with Sonic Perspectives, Corabi was asked if he'll have any special guests in high places appearing any on the tracks, since he lives in Nashville, the new epicenter for musicians.


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Says John: "Dude, I’m in Nashville, so all my friends are in low places [laughing]. Honestly, I would like to. I recently ran into Billy Gibbons at a Guitar Center before Dusty‘s passing, and I reminded him that we met several times. I told him I wrote and recorded a blues tune and asked him if he would do the guitar solo. He said to send him the track. I’ve met Brian May a few times in the past and sent him an email asking what he would charge to do the to a solo. I’m sure he will get around to answering it in a few years from now [laughing]. I thought Brian would have killed it on 'Cosi Bella' and far better than what I did. I tried to get a Brian May tone right after the first chorus going into the second verse. I had this plug-in on Protools called “1 May,” not “Brian May.” [Laughing] I put the plug-in on the solo I had recorded and was like, “Oh my God, there is his tone!” but ended up using it on that one part. I didn’t want to be too obvious with it."


Read the full interview at Sonic Perspectives





“Cosi Bella’ came

In a new interview with RadioactiveMike Z, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire", former SEPULTURA and current SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera spoke about his love of METALLICA, in particular the "Black Album," which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When I was a kid, I had long hair, and my cousin was trying to get me to go straight, to be a 'normal' citizen. So he wanted me to cut my hair. So he offered to buy me any imported record I wanted if I cut my hair. So I picked 'Ride The Lightning'. So I cut my hair, I got 'Ride The Lightning', the hair grew back and I scored an amazing record.

"Yeah, I love METALLICA," he continued. "It was a big influence on the early SEPULTURA records. You can hear the '…And Justice For All', 'Garage Days' influence.

"I remember when I first heard the 'Black Album.' The first thing that jumps out is the production — it's an amazing, well-produced record," Max added. "There's really amazing songs in it. It's a controversial record for a lot of people, but I love it, man. I think there's some great songs in it. It's a bit different from the early stuff, but that's part of life. All of us musicians, we have to understand it's part of growth when bands do that. And I think they did it in a really killer way."

Max and his SOULFLY bandmates have spent the last few months working on the follow-up to 2018's "Ritual"album at Platinum Underground in Phoenix, Arizona with producer Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, POWER TRIP and CODE ORANGE.

Last month, SOULFLY parted ways with longtime guitarist Marc Rizzo due to personal differences. A permanent replacement guitarist has yet to be announced. FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares is playing guitar for SOULFLY on the current U.S. tour. The 33-date trek will conclude in Tempe, Arizona on September 25.