Legendary German hard rock band SCORPIONS was honored at the European Culture Prize (Europäischer Kulturpreis) gala this past Saturday, August 28 at Bonn Opera House in Bonn, Germany. The event, which was held in the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven, was dedicated to the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth.

SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine and guitarist Rudolf Schenker accepted the award in person. They later shared a couple of photos from the event on social media and wrote in an accompanying caption: "What an honour to receive the wonderful EUROPEAN CULTURE AWARD 2021 in Bonn / Germany … Thank you so much …it was truly a Night to remember".

The European Culture Prize is awarded to personalities, initiatives, artists, politicians or institutions for outstanding services and achievements about Europe and its people. The ceremony is held annually in different European cultural cities, and the prize sponsor is the European Cultural Forum in Dresden.

SCORPIONS recently completed work on their new album for a tentative early 2022 release. The LP was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

SCORPIONS' new album will mark their first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of new and classic material.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

SCORPIONS' last full-length collection of new recordings was the aforementioned "Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.
























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Following the huge success of BABYMETAL's inaugural NFT trading cards drop, the Japanese pop-metal act has revealed details of a new exclusive set and two packs.

Commemorating the "10 Babymetal Budokan", this new NFT collection consists of 20 digital trading cards, split over three rarity levels, featuring photos from the unforgettable Nippon Budokan shows earlier this year.

"BABYMETAL's approach to NFTs is as innovative as its music, and our team celebrates the arrival of their divine inspiration on WAX," commented Lee Jenkins, production manager at WAX.

There will be 24,200 "Common" cards minted over ten different designs, making up 88% of the total cards. An additional 2,750 "Rare" cards of eight different designs will make up 10% of the cards, with the remaining, 2% consisting of a split pair of 550 "Super Rare" cards.

Dropping on September 9 at 8:00 a.m. PDT/4:00 p.m. GMT, the NFTs will be available in two packages at babymetal.cards. A digital-only five-card randomized pack set will be available for $35 and limited to 2,500 packs, with 1000 exclusive, limited-edition Mechapack bundles including a 15-card pack plus the "10 Babymetal Budokan" live album on exclusive gold vinyl available for $125. "10 Babymetal Budokan" features the live audio of the final performance from BABYMETAL's series of 10 performances at the Nippon Budokan which unfolded from January to April 2021. The live album contains a total of 13 songs that will allow you to relive the unforgettable experience at the Budokan.

As with the original "10 Babymetal Years" NFTs — which sold out in a matter of minutes — the "10 Babymetal Budokan" digital trading cards will be issued as NFTs on the WAX blockchain. Transactions will happen via credit card or PayPal, but a WAX wallet will be required to purchase and receive the NFTs.

The pre-minted packs will be distributed on September 14 and can be opened starting at 10 a.m. PDT/6 p.m. BST by connecting your WAX wallet here.

Packs will be pre-minted and will be distributed based on order date and time.

The first person to order gets the #1 mint!

"10 Babymetal Budokan" live album will be released digitally on September 29 via Babymetal Records, with CD out October 15 and 2LP vinyl to follow in December.

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

The Worldwide Asset eXchange (WAX), known as the King of NFTs, is the world's leading entertainment NFT network. Cofounded in 2017 by William E. Quigley and Jonathan Yantis, WAX delivers the safest and most convenient way to create, buy, sell, and trade virtual items and physical products (NFTs and vIRLsTM) to anyone, anywhere in the world. WAX has facilitated the trade of more than 100 million digital items of collections, including Blockchain Heroes, Topps GPK, Deadmau5 and Capcom's Street Fighter.

The Worldwide Asset eXchange is certified carbon neutral. Not only has WAX solved the environmental issues presented by NFTs minted on Ethereum, but also has an environmental mindset and is taking action to erase their carbon footprint. Working as a Proof of Stake system, creating carbon offset NFTs, and partnering with Climate Care, WAX has made huge strides in building a sustainable future.

Long-running German thrashers Hate Squad have recently shared a sad news in regards of the passing of their long-time bassist Bauke de Groot. Bauke joined the band back in 1995.

Statement from Hate Squad as follows: "It is with a heavy heart that we have to inform you that our long-time bass player, friend and brother Bauke de Groot has unexpectedly passed away. We cannot even believe what just happened, we simply lack the words.

"Bauke was an integral part of the band Hate Squad since 1995 and has also made a well known name through his own labels Swell Creek Records and Violent Creek Records in the HC/Indie and Thrash Metal area and will also leave a big gap there especially through his commitments in the promotion of newcomer bands.

"Bauke was the type of person where you say: "Too bad that there are not more people like that. People who always have an open ear, are always willing to help, are committed to others and simply love what they do."

"Our thoughts and hearts are with Bauke's wife Joni and with his family and all his friends in this difficult hour. Bauke, we miss you terribly."

Canadian metal legends ANVIL have finished recording their 19th album at a studio in Germany. Earlier today (Monday, August 30), the band's guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow tweeted: "Officially completed the recording process for the new album!! Songs all kick major ass!! Growth is more than evident!!!"

ANVIL released its latest album, "Legal At Last", in February 2020 via AFM Records as a digipak, on digital, black vinyl and some limited colored vinyl. In an interview with the "Music Mania" podcast, Lips stated about the effort: "Some people feel that it's the best record we've ever done. To tell you the truth, that's what's actually going on out there. I'm not surprised in a certain way, because it's the momentum like I was talking about has never been this intense. I think there's a certain truth to it. Probably the best album we've ever done."

ANVIL recorded "Legal At Last" at Soundlodge studios in Rhauderfehn in the northwest of Germany. Speaking about the LP's musical direction, drummer Robb Reiner told The Metal Voice: "It's just a continuation of what we've been doing for the last four or five years, really. Some very powerful riffs. It's gonna be more smashing, crushing ANVIL."

Added Kudlow: "Of course, it's all fresh and new, but the roots are still very much ourselves. Everybody who liked us before is gonna like us still, and people who didn't like us are still not gonna like us. Ultimately, that's where it's gonna sit, 'cause I am not gonna tailor my music and my songs to the people that don't like us and hope that they will. I'm gonna do the exact opposite. The people that love us, they wanna hear specific kind of tempos and riffs, and I look for those things, 'cause it's really my vocabulary, and I'm gonna continue with that — with new subjects and new things to sing about."

He continued: "I think that this album has some of the best slow pounders and some of the best fast stuff that we've ever done. You're trying to be different 'cause you don't want it to be exactly the same, 'cause then you're just repeating yourself — you're not being creative."

Regarding the "Legal At Last" title, Reiner said: "'Legal At Last' is mainly about two things. We celebrate the legalization of the ANVIL bong because Canada changed its marijuana laws last year, which means we no longer sail close to the wind all the time. That's why the album title announces that ANVIL are legal at last. Our fans have always known that, but the public at large treated us like criminals for a long time." Kudlow added: "'Legal At Last' is our way of telling the public: 'It's okay, ANVIL are okay, you're allowed to like us at last!'"

ANVIL, a Toronto-based group, was formed in 1978 by childhood friends, Kudlow and Reiner. Both came from Jewish families and had been playing music together since their teens. ANVIL is considered to have been an influence on many metal bands, including METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX.

Though initially a four-piece band, ANVIL's current lineup includes Kudlow, Reiner and bassist Chris Robertson.

ANVIL gained popularity and new fans since the 2008 theatrical documentary, "Anvil: The Story Of Anvil", which is currently available on Netflix.




Officially completed the recording process for the new album!! Songs all kick major ass!! Growth is more than evident!!!

— LIPS ANVIL (@LIPSANVIL) August 30, 2021

Slovene deathcore collective Within Destruction have confirmed a departure of guitar player Francesco Filigoi who was part of the group since 2019.

Within Destruction commented: "Unfortunately we've decided to part ways with Francesco. We know you wanna hear drama but there is literally none. It ultimately came down to our plans for 2022 and we realized we wouldn't be able to walk the same path at the same pace.

"We remain good friends and we would like to thank him for all the hard work and effort he's put in the past two years and wish him all the best with his career."

Filigoi stated: "It may come as a surprise to most of you, but I've decided to part ways with Within Destruction. I'm extremely grateful for the journey we've shared in the last couple years - Touring the world with the boys and creating the album Yōkai has been one of the best experiences in my life. Our team work has been incredible and it made me grow a lot, both professionally and as a human being. At the same time, my priorities in music and life have changed, and now more than ever I feel the need to start a new chapter.

"Earlier this year I suffered a wrist injury that prevented me to do anything guitar-related for a couple months. I was able to recover and play some shows with WD but I'm still not 100% and would not be able to do any extensive touring, so I'll be taking the next months to get my overall health back on track. Because of this, I want to prioritize more stable work, and avoid conflicts with the band's plans and touring schedule. This means lots of new videos, new solo music, and yes, new Abiogenesis.

"I may or may not be involved on future WD music as well - What I can tell you for now, is that the new album is gonna be next level, and I cannot wait for the new evolution of the band to conquer the world.

"I can't put into words how much your support means to me, even the smallest interaction or message. I hope I left a positive trace on you through Within Destruction, and will continue to deliver the best music I can make. Thanks for sticking around, much love."

In a new interview with "The Metal Hammer Podcast", former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted discussed how his need to play other styles of music eventually led to his exit from the band more than 20 years ago.

"By the time the tour [for the 'Black Album'] was done and we had some money to count and some bass to rest, I went in a totally different direction," Jason said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "I liked playing the songs and I can raise myself up to perform the songs for the people and give it all I've got, but 'Enter Sandman' for the three thousandth time in a certain amount of days, it fucking wears on you.

"I've got dozens of new songs we're working on [with Jason's long-running project THE CHOPHOUSE BAND] — all the time, of all different instrumentation and shit," he continued. "And if I've gotta sit on one for too long now, I'd go fucking crazy. [I'd be, like] 'We've gotta move on, guys. We have 45 minutes. Let's move on.' And I'm ready to perform again and everything like that, but I can't do that thing anymore — I can't just do that Broadway show where it's the same, same, same, same, same. And that's what I thought was my advantage and my being able to harness and manage the balance.

"I wanted to be that person that I knew myself to be on and off the stage with METALLICA. When people saw me, they knew they were getting everything I had left — every fucking ounce of sweat on the stage every time. The way I was able to continue to do that was by playing the wacky music with my friends. It kept me cleansed, it kept me strong, it kept me interested in music. If I only had that one-dimensional part of music, I would have called it a long, long time ago. But I kept myself healthy by playing with all kinds of people, like I still do to this day, and like I will tonight and tomorrow. I know that I'm not alone in that, and there's so many people that are my heroes that do the same thing — Neil Young, still to this day; Thom Yorke… any of 'em. [They're] still seeking out other things.

"I know I can play the metal. I climbed that mountain — the tallest one. I can do that shit. Tell me what time you want me to throw down. I can throw down that stuff anytime. But I'm not satisfied with just that, and I haven't been for a long, long time."

The 58-year-old musician left METALLICA in 2001 after a 15-year run with the group. His exit was documented in the band's 2004 documentary, "Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster", which followed the members of the group through the three most turbulent years of their long career, during which they battled through addiction, lineup changes, fan backlash, personal turmoil and the near-disintegration of the group while making their "St. Anger" album.

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

Jason spoke in detail about the reason he left METALLICA in a 2013 interview with Scuzz TV. Newsted said that his eventual split with the group was over the way his then-side band, ECHOBRAIN, was handled. Newsted explained: "The management of METALLICA was very, very excited about ECHOBRAIN, wanted to take it out for me, wanted me to do ECHOBRAIN also, with METALLICA. They felt ECHOBRAIN was that good, the singer was that good, and it didn't affect METALLICA because it was a totally different kind of thing, and I was in METALLICA; that would give it its pedigree already."

Newsted continued: "They had told me, pretty convincingly, 'This is a great record, we've been playing it around the office, that's all I’ve been hearing, it's fantastic, this kid has a great voice. Let's do something with this.' That's what they told me, and then James heard about it and was not happy. He was, I think, pretty much out to put the kibosh on the whole thing because it would somehow affect METALLICA in his eyes, because now the managers were interested in something I was doing that had nothing to do with him."

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

Newsted added, "The people that I had counted on for 15 years to help me with my career, help METALLICA, take care of my money, do all of those things, told me, 'Your new project is fantastic, we'd like to help you with it.' James heard about it, the manager calls me back a couple of days later — 'Sorry we're not going to be able to help you with that ECHOBRAIN thing.'"

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CANDLEBOX frontman Kevin Martin spoke to Sofa King Cool about what it has been like for him and his bandmates to tour during the pandemic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Our fans aren't happy about it, but we're not doing meet-and-greets, we're not doing VIPs, we're not any backstage, there's no comp tickets — which is the first time in my career that I've ever had to do that. We just can't afford it. I can't afford for someone in my band to get COVID, or for me to get COVID, and have to shut this tour down for 10 days to quarantine.

"We were in Wichita on this last run we did, and there were two tour buses parked next to ours in the morning, and it was THE AVETT BROTHERS who had to cancel two shows because someone either on their crew or the venues they were going to tested positive," he continued. "And that's two days of sitting in Wichita [with] two tour buses at a thousand dollars a day, not to mention what you have to pay your crew members per day — all those types of things. It's heavy, heavy duty.

"So, we wear masks everywhere," he explained. "We don't interact with any of the crew at the venues, which is unfortunate, because I know a lot of these guys at these venues we're playing. And we don't go out. We play the show, we hang out at the dressing room, shower, clean up, whatever, and we go straight to the bus and head to the next town. So we're being as overly cautious as we can.

"Frankly, we've had a couple of instances of people yelling at our crew guys onstage, 'Take your fucking mask off. You don't need to be fucking masking,' which is rude. I haven't worked in fucking 18 months. Can I have a moment to make some money, please?"

Last week, CANDLEBOX released "All Down Hill From Here", a new single from its upcoming album "Wolves". Martin co-wrote the song with Christopher Thorne of BLIND MELON. The inspiration behind the song came from the two longtime friends musing on the fleeting nature of fame.

CANDLEBOX's seventh studio album, "Wolves" drops worldwide on September 17 on Pavement Entertainment. The album will be available on all formats (CD, vinyl, and through digital outlets). "Wolves" embraces a fresh modernity in terms of sound and explores new territory.

Two other songs from "Wolves", "Let Me Down Easy" and "My Weakness", are available to stream now. "Let Me Down Easy" is an aggro, blues-based rocker with a booming bass and edgy guitar riffing, co-written with old Seattle pal Peter Cornell, Chris Cornell's older brother. "My Weakness" is a love song that melds the honesty of Bryan Adams's "Summer Of 69" and passion of Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run".

Ted Nugent has repeated the baseless conspiracy theory that the riot at the U.S. Capitol was orchestrated by Antifa and Black Lives Matter.

On January 6, supporters of former president Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, vandalized the building and assaulted police officers. Five people died, including a Capitol police officer and a woman shot by police.

Many top political figures have accused Trump of personally inciting the attack by repeatedly intimating that his followers should take action in order to demand legislators address his baseless claims of voter fraud. At a rally preceding the riot, Trump gave an inflammatory speech, urging the crowd to go to the Capitol, "show strength" and "fight much harder."

In the wake of the attack, Twitter permanently suspended Trump's account, citing "the risk of further incitement of violence."

Nugent discussed the 2020 presidential election and the Capitol riot fallout during an April 12 appearance at the Seed To Table grocery store in Naples, Florida. The outspoken conservative rocker said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Joe Biden didn't win. Not only did he not win literally, he didn't even win figuratively… He didn't win in any shape or form. Pansy Republicans didn't fight hard enough. The election was stolen. I saw the footage. I heard the testimony. Joe Biden couldn't win a kennel shit-shoveling contest against an armless man. The guy is searching for syllables, and even when he finds 'em, they're stupid.

"Here's what you ask your liberal friends, and here's one for our liberal friends," he continued. "Get me some footage, get me any footage of Joe Biden saying anything at any time during his criminal career, and then stop, take a deep breath and tell me how that's good. Tell me how you support anything this man represents. Pure evil. He's a Marxist, he's a mindless, braindead puppet of the worst humans that has ever slithered into the Capitol. And January 6th were not Trump supporters; that was BLM and Antifa wearing Trump shirts."

Nugent previously made a similar claim during the January 11 episode of his Internet show "Spirit Campfire". At the time, the outspoken conservative rocker said about the events of January 6: "I think everybody knows that every possible deception was applied to the recent election, and Donald Trump wanted Americans who believe that, witnessed that and know that to make a peaceful protest out of the First Amendment. And I am convinced equally to those statements I just made that Antifa and Black Lives Matter terrorists infiltrated that peaceful protest, and they are the ones who initiated the violence.

"Did some overzealous Trumpsters get out of hand? I don't believe they hurt anyone; I don't believe they damaged anything. And if they did, and if I see evidence to that end, I will admit it. Nobody's pure; nobody's soul is incapable of mistakes."

According to The Washington Post, FBI director Christopher A. Wray testified repeatedly to the Senate Judiciary Committee that there was no evidence that Antifa, anarchists or provocateurs who didn't support Trump were involved in the Capitol siege.

More than a third of the military veterans charged so far in the Capitol riot have reported ties to domestic extremist organizations, according to a new report from extremism researchers at George Washington University and West Point. 43 out of 357 individuals charged in the Capitol riot as of March 31 had military experience.

Leading up to the 2020 presidential election, Nugent teamed up with Donald Trump Jr. on the campaign trail.

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

Nugent has repeatedly expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of face masks during the pandemic and has mocked those who wear them, despite that both the CDC and World Health Organization have urged their universal use.

In December, Nugent said that he would refuse to be vaccinated against the new coronavirus and he railed against pharmaceutical companies and their development of the vaccine.

Gene Simmons has once again apologized to David Lee Roth for implying in a recent interview that the VAN HALEN frontman was past his prime.

Roth performed as the opening act for the February/March 2020 North American leg of KISS's farewell tour, but is not making any appearances on the rescheduled KISS shows which kicked off on August 18 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Simmons explained Roth's absence from the trek by telling Rolling Stone: "[Roth] took being a frontman way beyond anything. And then, I don't know what happened to him … something. And you get modern-day Dave. I prefer to remember Elvis Presley in his prime. Sneering lips, back in Memphis, you know, doing all that. I don't want to think of bloated naked Elvis on the bathroom floor."

Apparently irked at Gene's comments, Dave took to Instagram last weekend to share an image of a young boy wearing shades and extending the middle finger to the camera along with the words "Roth to Simmons:" Dave posted the image 18 times.

Now Simmons has once again clarified his original statement, telling Marci Wiser of the 95.5 KLOS radio station that his words were misconstrued.

"It doesn't matter if somebody misunderstood what I meant; it only matters if I hurt somebody," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "So I'm deeply sorry I hurt Dave's feelings. Obviously, that was not my intention, because privately and publicly I've always said nobody touched David in his prime — not [Mick] Jagger, not Robert Plant. Nobody. He changed what a modern frontman was. And then the subject went onward to other subjects, and Elvis came up.

"The point was if a truck runs you over, it doesn't matter if the guy says, 'I'm sorry I ran you over,' because what's the difference? You've been run over. So Dave's feelings were hurt. I'm profoundly sorry I hurt his feelings. That was certainly not my intention."

Asked if he has been in contact with Roth in the past week in an effort to smooth things over, Simmons said: "I haven't. I've tried to reach out. I haven't been able… I never had Dave's contact info, but historically speaking, I'm the guy that put the band originally on the map — signed them to my deal, produced a 24-track demo. And with that I'm told how that's how they got their deal with Warners. I never asked for a dime. That was out of my pocket, and I forgave them whatever they owed me contractually. I just tore up the contract and said, 'God bless.'"

As for whether it was David that bowed out of the KISS tour or it was KISS that dismissed him from the latest run of shows, Gene said: "Neither. The tour ended because of COVID — we all went home — and then we all made different plans. We didn't know when we were gonna go out on tour [again], and so we decided this time to go back out with [David] Garibaldi, who's a painter."

In a January 2020 interview with Eric Blair of "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show", Paul Stanley was asked what the best part was of having Roth opening for KISS. Stanley said: "Well, Dave's got so many great songs. All the VAN HALEN catalog is terrific, and that's what he's doing. So, people get to hear all those great songs, and it was something that really appealed to us."

Simmons has repeatedly taken credit for "discovering" VAN HALEN and flying the band to New York to record demo at Electric Lady Studios, with Gene at the production helm. But he ended up not working with the group after his KISS bandmates and manager, Bill Aucoin, expressed little interest in his demos.

In March 2020, Roth postponed the final six shows of his Las Vegas residency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen has shared anothercover video, this time performing "Agape" from Kadawatha, written by Daniel Anura Gunnarsson. 


Floor: "This cover might be a bit of a surprise for all of you as it is not one that has been requested, but one I felt like I wanted to do!" 





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On July 15th, Jansen performed a solo show at Het Zomertheater in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. Her setlist featured songs from Nightwish, her former bands After Forever and ReVamp, her Northward project, and some covers. Fan-filmed video is available below.


The setlist was as follows:


Set 1:


"Ever Dream" (Nightwish) 
"Euphoria" (Loreen cover) 
"Storm In A Glass" (Northward) 
"Nemo" (Nightwish) 
"Mama" (Samantha Steenwijk cover) 
"Sweet Curse" (ReVamp song - with Henk Poort) 
"Dangerous Game" (from Jekyll & Hyde - with Henk Poort) 
"Face Your Demons" (After Forever) 
"Winner" (Tim Akkerman cover)


Set 2:


"Slow, Love, Slow" (Nightwish) 
"Shallow" (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper cover) 
"Strong" (After Forever) 
"Élan" (Nightwish) 
"Energize Me" (After Forever) 
"Let It Go" (from Frozen) 
"Bridle Passion" (Northward) 
"Our Decades In The Sun" (Nightwish) 
"Wolf And Dog" (ReVamp) 
"The Phantom Of The Opera" (Andrew Lloyd Webber cover - with Henk Poort)

















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Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen has checked in with an update on the forthcoming Star One album:


 "Dear Ayreonauts, the new Star One album is almost finished and the ‘guessing games’ will start next week here on my official Facebook page! Let the teasing begin..."





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In an October 2020 interview with BraveWords, Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen revealed he was planning on returning to his Star One project, saying "each album I do is a reaction to the previous one, so I want to do a heavy album after Transitus. I want to do a colder album now (laughs). I think the last Star One album was 10 years ago, so I think it's time for a new one."


Lucassen recently unveiled some finished artwork for record, revealing it is "a reference is to Back To The Future; the clock tower was struck by lightning at 10:04. The album is PROGressing nicely, more updates following!"





Below is an update on the album's progress, with Lucassen revealing the concept for the record.





Lucassen launched Star One in 2002 with the debut album, Space Metal, and followed it up in 2010 with Victims Of The Modern Age. The line-up included Lucassen, Russell Allen (Symphony X), Floor Jansen (Nightwish), Dan Swanö (Edge Of Sanity), Damian Wilson (Threshold), Ed Warby (Gorefest), Peter Vink (HDK) and keyboardist Joost van den Broek.


Star One toured for Space Metal in 2002, recording filming their show in Rijssen, Netherlands for the live album / DVD release, Live On Earth.











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The clip below features Alex Skolnick (Testament), Rody Walker (Protest The Hero, Tanner Wayne (In Flames), Emily Lee (Shearwater), Devin Shidaker (The Acacia Strain), Samantha Mobley (Frozen Soul) and Jordan Olds aka Gwarsenio Hall shredding their way through the Toto classic "Hold The Line".


"Hold The Line" is taken from Toto's 1978 eponymous debut studio album. It was released as the band's debut single and became a huge hit, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on the UK Singles Chart.


Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro once described the song as follows:


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"'Hold the Line' was a perfect example of what people will describe as your heavy metal chord guitar licks, your great triplet A-notes on the piano, your 'Sly'-hot-fun-in-the-summertime groove, all mishmashed together with a boy from New Orleans singing... and it really crossed over a lot of lines."








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Coming off their sophomore album, Emerald Seas, Seven Spires are set to return with their third, and by far, most ambitious album to date, Gods Of Debauchery, on September 10.


Today, the band has released another new single and video, "TheUnforgotten Name" featuring John Pyres.. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Gods Of Debauchery on CD/LP/Digital here.


On the album, the band says: "There is a ton of influence from video games, films, and TV soundtracks such as Skyrim, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Lucifer, Pirates of the Caribbean, Marvel films, and many more, plus our love for classic Kamelot, Dimmu Borgir, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and Late Romantic Classical Music. The most important part of making art is staying true to yourself, and we unapologetically did exactly that, which meant exploring every corner of what we love about music, and constantly pushing the technical limits of our own musicianship."


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After the release of Emerald Seas in February of 2020, the band had multiple amazing support slots lined up to promote the record on the road. They were geared up and in fighting form, ready to bring their music to the masses and show the world what they are all about. Plans were quickly changed weeks after the album' release due to the coronavirus pandemic though and soon it became obvious that touring would be ground to a halt for a while. So, the band took the opportunity to commence work on their follow-up album, which wound up becoming the mammoth 70+ minute masterpiece that is Gods Of Debauchery. This album, epic in scope and reach, shows progression well beyond their years.





Tracklisting:


"Wanderer’s Prayer"
"Gods Of Debauchery"
"The Cursed Muse"
"Ghost Of Yesterday"
"Lightbringer"
"Echoes Of Eternity"
"Shadow On An Endless Sea"
"Dare To Live"
"In Sickness, In Health"
"This God Is Dead"
"Oceans Of Time"
"The Unforgotten Name"
"Gods Amongst Men"
"Dreamchaser"
"Through Lifetimes"
"Fall With Me"


"The Unforgotten Name":





"Gods Of Debauchery" video:





Lineup:


Adrienne Cowan - Vocals and Orchestration
Chris Dovas - Drums
Jack Kosto - Guitars
Peter de Reyna – Bass
Chris Dovas - Drums





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Texas coldest upcoming death metal force Frozen Soul have announced the reissue of their 2020 Demo EP Encased In Ice that will be officially released on October 29 via Century Media. Besides the original demo tracks this record also includes two cover songs, a rare bonus track as well as the demo version of “Crypt Of Ice”. Fans can already check out “Mandatory Suicide” originally written and performed by thrash metal legends Slayer on all streaming platforms.


The band comments: “With this reissue we wanted to give everyone a fresh look at how it started and how it led up to Crypt of Ice! Encased in ice was a journey for us to get to where we are now and we couldn’t have done it without everyone’s support!”


The reissue will be released as a 180-gram black LP including an A2 poster as well as on all digital platforms. Preorder the EP and listen to “Mandatory Suicide” here.


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Tracklisting:


“Encased In Ice”
“Hand Of Vengeance”
“Witches Coven”
“Merciless”
“Tormented By Time”
“Mandatory Suicide”
“Morbid Devourment”
“Crypt Of Ice”





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On January 24, 2020, more than a decade after its predecessor The Darkness, Finnish death and gothic doom metal icon Tuomas Saukkonen returned with Waves, his sophomore solo-album under the flag of Dawn Of Solace. Praised by fans and critics alike as one of the best albums of the year, the release and the band's resurrection raised high hopes that it won't be another 14 long years until a new full-length is out. Today, the composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer announced the release of Flames Of Perdition, the third studio album by Dawn Of Solace, out on November 12 via German label Noble Demon. Pre-save the album here.


On Flames Of Perdition, Dawn Of Solace takes listeners on a memorable journey full of electrifying melancholy that evokes profound sadness, a musical trip of incomparable emotion and despair. More news and tunes to follow in the weeks ahead.


Watch the music video for "White Noise", featuring Mikko Heikkilä of Kaunis Kuolematon on vocals, below.


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"'White Noise' was the first song that I wrote for 'Flames Of Perdition' and it was like floodgates were opened and rest of the album just followed like a dark stream. 'White Noise' carries and reflects the mood of the entire album and gives a meaning to terms melancholic, sombre and heavy and the lyrical concept of solitude and loneliness has been given a stronger meaning during the past 1.5 years," Tuomas Saukkonen states.


Flames Of Perdition is now available for pre-order digitally, in different vinyl colors, as digipak CD or in various merch bundles on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“White Noise”
“Erase”
“Flames Of Perdition”
“Dying Light”
“Event Horizon”
“Black Shores”
“Skyline”
“Serenity”
“Lead Wings” (Bonus Track)
“Dead Air” (Bonus Track)


"White Noise" video:








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The Indian old school metal institution Kryptos returns with the sixth studio album, Force Of Danger, out October 1 via AFM Records. New rager, "Hot Wired", is streaming below. Preorder at the AFM webshop.


"It's time to burn rubber! City lights and neon nights is the name of the game, so get into cruise control and blaze through the streets with ‘Hot Wired’' - the third single off Force Of Danger," Kryptos frontman Nolan Lewis comments.


"Check out the scorching new Kryptos video for ‘Hot Wired’ that brings back killer memories from when we were ripping it up on the road in Europe and burning through the countryside spreading righteous heavy metal in our wake. Nothing beats touring and partying with all you amazing headbangers, so this goes out to metalheads everywhere - keep the fire burning!"


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Kryptos stay true to their roots in old school metal: It's old school or no school. Prepare for termination because this metal juggernaut is coming in for the kill.





Tracklisting:


“Raging Steel”
“Hot Wired”
“Dawnbreakers”
“Thunderchild”
“Nighthawk”
“Omega Point”
“Force Of Danger”
“Shadowmancer”


"Hot Wired" video:





"Raging Steel" video:





“Force Of Danger” video:








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During a chat with EMP at this month's Bloodstock Open Air festival, NAPALM DEATH frontman Mark "Barney" Greenway spoke about his adoption of a vegan diet. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've been a vegetarian since I was 14 years old. So 38 years I'm a vegetarian. Vegan for just over 10 years now. To be honest, I was pretty much always vegan. There was just a couple of things in my diet, but then I was just, like, 'Why do I need to eat these things?' So I cut it out.

"Obviously, principally, I did it for humane purposes, but I'm also into that health side of it as well," he continued. "The humane side is always my start point, but I think the health side of it, for me, is also really important. So I incorporate that into physical exercise and stuff. I have no reason to ever revert at all."

Barney went on to suggest that more and more people are replacing meat and other animal-based foods with plant-based options as a way to lean into a healthier, more humane and sustainable way of eating.

"Everybody finds their own way," he said. "But the bigger point to it is that I think now people have more of an intergral understanding of basically preserving the environment — the very environment that we live in. Intensive farming is not sustainable; it can't continue. So I know the whole planet is gonna have to adapt to a more plant-based diet."

The vegan diet means eliminating all animal products from your diet — as in meat, fish, poultry, dairy and eggs.

According to Vox, 2020 sales figures showed that plant-based food retail sales grew much faster (27 percent) than the total U.S. retail food market (15 percent).

Plant-based meat sales grew by 45 percent and plant-based milk sales were up 20 percent from 2019.

This past spring, NAPALM DEATH signed a new deal with Century Media Records, extending the long-running co-operation between the parties once more.

NAPALM DEATH released its latest studio album, "Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism", in September 2020 via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2015's "Apex Predator - Easy Meat" was again recorded with longtime producer Russ Russell and features artwork by Frode Sylthe.

MEGADETH played its seventh show with bassist James LoMenzo in nearly 12 years this past Sunday night (August 29) in Phoenix, Arizona. "The Metal Tour Of The Year" concert at the the Arizona Federal Theatre saw MEGADETH share the stage with co-headliners LAMB OF GOD, along with TRIVIUM and HATEBREED.

MEGADETH's setlist was as follows:

01. Hangar 18

02. Take No Prisoners

03. She-Wolf

04. The Conjuring

05. A Tout Le Monde

06. Trust

07. Conquer Or Die!

08. Dystopia

09. Tornado Of Souls

10. Symphony Of Destruction

11. Peace Sells

Encore:

12. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user Billy AZConcertGuy).

Produced by Live Nation, the rescheduled trek will hit a further 22 cities before wrapping in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada on Saturday, October 2.

LoMenzo joined MEGADETH in 2006 and appeared on two of the group's studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame". He was fired from the band in 2010 and replaced with returning original MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson.

In addition to MEGADETH, LoMenzo has played with Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde and WHITE LION. For the past eight years, LoMenzo has been performing with iconic rocker John Fogerty.

Mustaine has yet to reveal who played bass on the band's new album after Ellefson's tracks were removed from the LP following his dismissal from the group in late May.

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

In July, 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.

In early May, on the same day that sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving Ellefson were posted on Twitter, 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 Ellefson 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.) The 56-year-old 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.

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 departure.












Posted by Harry Austin Weldon on Sunday, August 29, 2021

Former GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell has urged everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19, saying "it's no big deal."

Russell — who exited GREAT WHITE in December 2011 after he was unable to tour with the group due a series of injuries, including a perforated bowel and a shattered pelvis — offered his opinion on the hot-button topic in a new interview with Michael's Record Collection.

Asked if he has been able to return to the road with his current band, JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE, in the months since the U.S. began easing restrictions on large concerts and sports events, Jack said: "Yeah, we have, actually. We're getting ready to go out this weekend again. We've done a handful of shows — we've done about 15 shows so far — and we're on our way to be working most weekends. That's what I want. So it's getting there. They're starting to come in. I think the more people realize the band is actually out and doing shows, the more people are coming to the table. So it's a good thing. More bands are playing.

"I'm just concerned about — and I know I'm gonna ruffle some feathers right now — but there are so many people that are anti-vaxxers, and what's gonna happen is when the cold and flu season comes around again this fall, we're gonna have another episode of COVID, and it's gonna put everybody right back to square one," he continued. "The restaurants are gonna close, the venues are gonna close, 'cause [people are gonna be] getting sick again.

"Get your vaccines, man. C'mon, people. It's no big deal. It's a no-brainer. You're not gonna die. It's not gonna kill you. They're not putting radio tracking devices in you. Just get your vaccines, man. And let's get back to normal here."

Russell went on to criticize people who question the CDC recommendation that vaccinated people remain masked in indoor public spaces to help stop viral transmission.

"People don't understand that," he said. "And they say, 'Okay, well, you have to wear a mask if you're out in public if you're not vaccinated.' Now, c'mon — anti-vaxxers haven't worn masks from the get-go. Why are they gonna put masks on now?

"Just get your vaccinations," he reiterated. "It's not a big deal. I got mine as soon as I could… It took me a while to find a place [to get vaccinated]. I had to drive four hours each way — twice. But I did it. It was, like, hey, this is how important it was to me."

When Russell split with GREAT WHITE a decade ago, he largely blamed his injuries on his alcohol and painkiller addictions as well as the prednisone drug he was prescribed.

Russell sued his onetime bandmates in 2012 over their continued use of the GREAT WHITE name after Jack had taken a leave of absence from the band for medical reasons. A short time later, Russell was countersued by guitarist Mark Kendall, rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Michael Lardie and drummer Audie Desbrow, claiming the vocalist's self-destructive behavior was damaging the GREAT WHITE name (they also alleged he was charging promoters less for his own touring version of GREAT WHITE). The parties settled in July 2013 without going to trial, with Russell now performing as JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE while the others are continuing as GREAT WHITE.

More than three years ago, GREAT WHITE announced the addition of new singer Mitch Malloy to the group's ranks. He replaced Terry Ilous, who was fired from the band in July 2018.

Russell, who celebrated the fifth anniversary of his getting sober in September 2020, had been living on a 45-foot boat in Redondo Beach, California for nearly a decade before recently moving to Colorado with his wife.