METALLICA's Lars Ulrich has paid tribute to THE ROLLING STONES drummer Charlie Watts, who died on Tuesday (August 24) at the age of 80. Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine, Ulrich said: "It hits hard on many levels. Obviously, as a STONES fan, it's sort of the end of at least an era within that band, because he was the only drummer that ever recorded with them. He was such a significant part of their sound, and an underrated part of their sound. In a band where the spotlight would go to especially Mick [Jagger] and Keith [Richards], a lot of people truly didn't understand how valuable he was. And from that side, as a STONES fan, it's a great loss."

Ulrich went on to call Watts the "driving force" behind THE ROLLING STONES. "He could kick these songs and make them swing, make them swagger, still make them have that attitude, that pocket," he said. "Seeing him do that way deep into his seventies has been such a life-affirming thing. [METALLICA are] a good 20, 25 years behind, but it's given me a lot of faith in the possibilities of what it can continue to be — music, concerts, connecting to fans, connecting to each other as a band. There's nobody above them on that pyramid, and there's nobody above Charlie on that pyramid. Of course, there are a couple of incredible jazz drummers who played into their eighties, but there's been nobody above Charlie in the rock and roll pyramid in terms of being out there and doing it."

Watts's publicist said that he "passed away peacefully in a London hospital surrounded by his family."

Charlie's death came just weeks after THE ROLLING STONES announced that Watts would be missing several U.S. tour dates while he was recovering from an unspecified medical procedure.

Although Watts wasn't a founding member of THE STONES, he had been with the band since January 1963.

He battled throat cancer in 2004 but got the all clear after undergoing two operati

Legendary guitarist George Lynch recently spoke to Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio about what it has been like to play select shows around the country with his newly christened touring entity GEORGE LYNCH & THE ELECTRIC FREEDOM. He said: "It's liberating, actually, to be quite honest with you. To have a new band and a new name and a name that — I mean, just the power of the name, 'cause with the new name, which is GEORGE LYNCH'S ELECTRIC FREEDOM, it really is electric freedom. I didn't even think of it that way, but [ELECTRIC FREEDOM bassist] Michael Devin and I were were talking the other day on the way home, and we were, like, 'This really defines the band.' And it really does. Because we're plugged in, we do a lot of kind of just off-the-cuff improvisation during our show, which you don't see very much in rock and roll anymore — not since the '70s. And we're big fans of that; that's what we were raised on. So it's, I think, more alive and vital than your kind of average thing where you go see a band and they're playing songs they wrote 35 years ago. And sure, it's great — you wanna hear the songs, and that's all good. But these guys have been flogging these songs for decades. I've been doing that too. And that's not what I'm about. I mean, I can do it. But I like to bring the audience another perspective and another dimension to what can happen onstage, and that is the creative moment in real time — experiencing that and witnessing that, and for me to play that and the band to play that... And I think the crowd appreciates that. And not just at the moment, but more in retrospect, when they think about it. They think, 'Wow, actually, that was pretty cool.' Every time you come see my band, it's gonna be different. It's gonna be different members [and] we're gonna play different material."

Asked if there are plans to work on new music with GEORGE LYNCH & THE ELECTRIC FREEDOM, George said: "It's not on the way in the sense that's we're working on it, but we have discussed the idea of doing an EP. We wanna go a little more old school and do something that's pretty easy for us to make instead of taking on a whole album project with a new band. Let's just do four songs, and let's hand one out to the fans for free and just get people into it and put a lot of work into those four songs and make it easy, so it's not this big giant burden for us. And if the EP blows up, which I think it will, then we'll do — when we've been together a little longer, we'll do a real record. But I definitely believe we need to document what this band is, 'cause it's very, very cool. It's a power trio. Michael Devin singing and playing bass, and Jason Sutter is on drums. He's been in a lot of bands — he's currently in Cher and he's been in FOREIGNER and a bunch of other bands. He's a monster and a sweet guy. And it's such a cool dynamic with the three of us. It's just easy. There's no big-headed egos going on, and it's not complicated. It's just the three of us. Everybody's smart, everybody's kind, everybody works hard, we're all very capable, and we're all shooting for the same thing. So it's pretty bulletproof. And we also know, on the other hand, it's not gonna last forever. When Cher calls Jason up to go back on the road, I can't really compete with that. It's always gonna be a bit of a revolving door, and it's unfortunate in some ways, but I've learned to accept that and kind of actually just work with that. It's inevitable, so why not accept it and make it a feature."

Seven months ago, Lynch offered a lengthy explanation for why he was ending LYNCH MOB during an interview with George Dionne of Metal Express Radio. Addressing questions about why it took him three decades to call it quits with LYNCH MOB, George said: "When we first formed the band in '89, the name had sort of already been around. While I was in DOKKEN, it's what I called our little group of guitar fans — I had picks made; it was kind of a little subculture within DOKKEN. When we started working on developing and building the band after DOKKEN broke up, that was just the name that we always thought we'd use, 'cause it was a perfect fit — it's my name, and it describes it pretty well. And, of course, the negative connotations were always there, and I was aware of 'em, but not as aware as I probably should have been. [Laughs]

"I had made numerous attempts over the decades to kind of let that name go and had walked that back for multiple reasons — usually because of business considerations," he continued. "For instance, if you try to go out on a tour and not use the name, promoters aren't gonna be happy with you changing it. People aren't gonna know who you are. They're not gonna show up, because what's THE GEORGE LYNCH EXPERIENCE, or whatever you call it. Or record labels are not interested, because it's a brand that they can count on and sell a certain many albums or whatever.

"For instance, the LYNCH MOB record 'Smoke This' that came out, I think, in '99 or 2000, that was not supposed to be a LYNCH MOB record; that really wasn't anything to do with LYNCH MOB. At the end of the day, after the record was done and we were delivering it to the label, they insisted on using that name as insurance. And if I hadn't agreed to that, we wouldn't have had a record. That's the kind of pressure I'm talking about.

"But then, with the onset of everything that's happened in the last year, I didn't have that kind of pressure anymore," George added. "I could take it or leave it at this point. And I didn't really feel comfortable with it; I didn't feel comfortable with the name. 'Cause I'm a very progressive person politically, and it just so flies in the face of everything I believe in, and it makes it hard. It makes it hard to have relationships with people and explain yourself, and I got tired of rationalizing it. I think the music is bigger than that, and it's had a great run.

"Another reason, too, is the band fell apart again. The band has fallen apart so many times, I can't even count. And it was just, like, 'No more Oni [Logan, vocals], no more Brian Tichy [drums], no more this guy, no more that guy. Oh, great. Now what do I do?' It's, like, 'Okay, build another band from scratch, call it LYNCH MOB?' No. How about just build something new? It gives me a lot more freedom to basically play anything I want live… I can go out and play everything from my catalog — new, old, covers, jams, you name it, and go deep and have fun and change it up every night."

Oni first hooked up with LYNCH MOB in 1990, but exited the group after the release of its first album, only to rejoin the outfit in the late 2000s.

Logan is featured on five of LYNCH MOB's eight albums, including 1990's "Wicked Sensation", as well as 2009's "Smoke And Mirrors", 2014's "Sun Red Sun", 2015's "Rebel" and 2017's "The Brotherhood".

In August 2020, LYNCH MOB celebrated the 30th anniversary of "Wicked Sensation" with a special limited print/deluxe edition of the album. "Wicked Sensation Reimagined" features re-worked and re-recorded versions of the LP's classic songs, and was made available via Rat Pak Records.

Joe Bonamassa has announced the upcoming release of his brand-new studio album, "Time Clocks", due out on October 29. "Time Clocks" is a testament to his credentials and a toast to his longtime fans. His new sound has a raw and vital flavor, combined with a resolute skill that can only be gained through years of perseverance and unyielding dedication. It's Joe Bonamassa at his finest, ready to rock. "What started out with the intentions of being a trio record turned into probably my most adventurous and involved record to date," explains Bonamassa. His longtime producer Kevin Shirley adds, "I think Joe Bonamassa has made an album that is truly transitional. From a blues musician to a superstar artist, [and] I'm so thrilled to be along for the ride." Joe and Kevin brought on the legendary Bob Clearmountain to mix the epic tracks, and Bob declares that "This is one of the best albums I've mixed in years. Joe is not only one of the finest blues and rock guitarists of our time, he's also a brilliant songwriter, [which is] impressively apparent on this record."

Recorded in New York City, the album rediscovers Bonamassa at a newfound peak with heartfelt songwriting and an unparalleled blues rock prowess. "Time Clocks" follows Joe's constant evolution as he continues to forge ahead, bending genres, breaking down walls and defying the odds of the music industry. He's known as "the man in the suit", loved by many as the ultimate guitar hero, cited by critics as "the world's biggest blues guitarist" (Guitar World), and now the music mastermind has found yet another layer of immense new artistry to share with his fans. As one of today's most in-demand touring acts the road has been long and winding, but the rough journey has molded his craft into gold.

For the album, Bonamassa hit the studio with longtime collaborators Kevin Shirley as producer and manager/business partner Roy Weisman as executive producer. The album was recorded in New York City at Germano Studios/The Hit Factory and mixed by Bob Clearmountain (BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, THE ROLLING STONES, TOTO, BON JOVI). The band members include Steve Mackey (bass), Lachy Doley (piano), Bunna Lawrie (didgeridoo), Bobby Summerfield (percussion), and "Late Night With David Letterman"'s Anton Fig (drums and percussion), along with Mahalia Barnes, Juanita Tippins and Prinnie Stevens on backing vocals. The fantastic artwork on the album was created by famous graphic artist Hugh Syme (RUSH, AEROSMITH, WHITESNAKE). "Time Clocks" will be available on CD, vinyl and digital and released on Bonamassa's own record label, J&R Adventures.

Recently Bonamassa dropped hints of the new album with his reeling anthem "Notches", and with today's exciting news he's revealed the next blues-heavy single "The Heart That Never Waits", another instant classic that takes a tale of heartbreak and turns it around into an undeniable showstopper meant for the stadiums. Joe sings compassionately with an air of independence, in a voice that's only gotten better with time — a rarity for an artist with such longevity in their career. These songs are a collection of stories that shed new light on Joe's life as a journeyman, constantly creating and always on the run.

Looking back on recording during COVID-19 and the original intention behind the album, Bonamassa reflects, "Twenty years ago, I recorded a record of covers that eventually was called 'Blues Deluxe'. It was recorded at Bobby Nathan's studio in Manhattan. It captured an energy and purpose that always stuck with me as an artist. I lived in New York City at the time and times were pretty tough. My weekly routine was a combination of hustling sessions, gigs, and opportunities that seemed few and far between. I was hungry. Literally and figuratively. The music business is tough, very tough. Especially back in those days when major labels pulled all the strings and, in my case, all the punches. I subsisted on a basic diet of peanut butter and jelly and ramen noodles, purchased at the bodega on the corner of 83rd and Columbus Avenue. Cut to 2019 and I find myself back in New York and inspired by the city again. My living conditions had changed dramatically in the subsequent 20 years, but the energy that makes New York City great still remained.

"In February 2021, we found ourselves at Germano Studios, cutting music as a trio (but not trio music) and having to invent ways of making records when your lifelong producer is stuck in Australia due to travel restrictions. Kevin Shirley came up with a way of linking continents and consoles to where we had literally zero latency. Add Steve Mackey and Anton Fig to the mix, a few masks and curse words and we have the 'New York Record' a.k.a. 'Time Clocks'."

Now, with an even bolder energy than ever before, Bonamassa holds the power of controlling both his artistry and his business in both hands. With 24 No. 1 albums, yearly sold-out tours worldwide and custom annual cruises, he's a hard act to beat. Joe knows his worth, and albeit humble, he plans to continue to beat the odds and exceed the expectations of naysayers. "Time Clocks" will also be Bonamassa's first album mixed to utilize spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and available for fans on Apple Music. Bob Clearmountain adds, "the Atmos version is simply breathtaking."

In releasing new music that's destined for the loudspeakers, Joe is elated to get back to the stage. Recently completing a short summer tour in the U.S., he'll be back on tour for the fall season with shows across the country before taking the stage at sea for his sold-out Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea VII cruise, sailing from Miami, Florida to Ocho Rios, Jamaica on February 21-25, 2022, by way of the Norwegian Pearl.

Photo by Eleanor Jane

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, IRON MAIDEN's Nicko McBrain shared his thoughts on the recent death of Charlie Watts, drummer and core member of THE ROLLING STONES for the past six decades, as well as the tragic passing of former SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison. Asked if Watts was an early influence on his playing, McBrain said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, absolutely. Charlie was such a phenomenal timekeeper — a great player. There's a saying — I've said it a couple of times before — it's not about the notes; it's about the space in between, in taking the music generality of it. And that's what Charlie did — he had this incredible feel on the backside of the groove.

"When I started playing, it was Ringo [Starr] and Charlie — literally Ringo and Charlie were the two influences that I learned from, that I based my style of playing at that time on," he continued. "And then the wonderful Keith Moon came along, and John Bonham. So those four guys were my primary influences.

"But certainly Charlie is a sad loss to the music world and the drumming fraternity across the table. He will influence all these drummers that are getting into that music from THE STONES. He's a jazz drummer — he came from a jazz background. He played traditional grip; he played orthodox as well. Matched grip as well, but that was his main style. Just a wonderful, wonderful player.

"And Joey, of course… You turn eight chapters down the line, and you've got this guy who's playing these incredible kind of bar speeds [with a] beautiful, beautiful bass-drum technique," Nicko added. "I'm a single bass-drum player, but I can always really appreciate these guys that bring something else to the table. So having lost the pair of them, it's really a great loss to us all. And he'll be sorely missed, both of them."

Watts's publicist said that he "passed away peacefully" on August 24 "in a London hospital surrounded by his family."

Charlie's death came just weeks after THE ROLLING STONES announced that Watts would be missing several U.S. tour dates while he was recovering from an unspecified medical procedure.

The 12-date "No Filter" tour will reportedly take place as scheduled, with Steve Jordan taking Watts's place.

Although Watts wasn't a founding member of THE STONES, he had been with the band since January 1963.

He battled throat cancer in 2004 but got the all clear after undergoing two operations.

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

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

The same year that he exited SLIPKNOT, Jordison launched the band SCAR THE MARTYR and later, VIMIC. He also collaborated with former DRAGONFORCE and current KREATOR bassist Frédéric Leclercq in SINSAENUM.

IRON MAIDEN's 17th studio album, "Senjutsu", will be released on September 3 via BMG. It was recorded in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris.

"Senjutsu" marks MAIDEN's sixth album to be produced by Shirley, who has worked with MAIDEN for the past two decades.

California hard rock band SMILE EMPTY SOUL has announced plans to cancel "a couple" of its previously booked shows because the concert venues in question are requiring a COVID-19 vaccine for fans. A number of bars and clubs have adopted the new protocol because the owners say the music industry and the artists demand a safe environment to perform.

On Wednesday (August 25), SMILE EMPTY SOUL guitarist and lead singer Sean Danielsen released the following statement via social media: "Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that we will be canceling a couple of shows here and there moving forward due to vaccine requirement rules.

"I stand 100% for freedom, and medical freedom is especially important to me. I believe that you should get the vaccine if you want it, but should not have to if you don't want it.

"I don't think for a second that my tiny little band can make a difference in these weird times, but I don't want to be the reason that even 1 person gets a medical procedure they don't feel comfortable with....... especially when the accepted science says that the vaccine doesn't prevent transmission of the virus, and it even appears vaccinated people are carrying a higher viral load than those that are not.

"Why punish a particular demographic of the population when there's not even a health benefit from doing so?....... it's unamerican in more ways than I can count, and people that get off on punishing others just because they don't believe the same things need to take a long hard look in the mirror.

"I'm sorry to anyone disappointed by one of these cancelations..... it's not what we want, and definitely not something we can afford doing, but some things matter more than money, and I am not the type to sell out what I believe in for a buck.

"I'm sure I will get a bunch of weird hate from cyber bullies everywhere for this post, but I feel like a lot of you are too wrapped up in fear to see that freedoms are being removed from our society right now, and once freedom goes, it's gone for good.

"I want more than anything for my daughter to grow up with the same freedoms that I've enjoyed, and the world is changing rapidly in a way that doesn't look good for us, or the next generations.

"I encourage all of you, vaccinated or not, to realize that the right of the individual to choose what happens to their own body, is something much bigger than this one situation....... and the things that happen now will set a precedent for the future moving forward. Give tyrants the ability to take power during an emergency, and they will create emergencies to take power. I encourage everyone out there to stand for freedom above all else, no matter where you are on the issue of this vaccine.

"I will not be engaging in any argumentative comments left on this post as I have said what I needed to say, and am not looking for conflict.

"I keep my opinions to myself on here almost 100% of the time because of how confrontational people are these days, but I wanted to explain why some of these shows will be dropping off our schedule in the future. So far there are only a couple shows in Oct that are effected, but I expect more of our fall shows to follow....... we shall see, and I will keep you updated".

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

Earlier in the month, Live Nation Entertainment, one of the country's largest concert and ticketing companies, announced that it will require all artists and concertgoers to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test starting in early October.

Live Nation's announcement came one day after AEG Presents said that it will be requiring proof of vaccination for entry into its owned and operated clubs, theaters and festivals. The decision was made on the heels of the dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases as the delta variant spreads throughout the United States.

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

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

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

A recent study found that people who contract the delta variant of COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated carry a similar amount of the coronavirus as those who catch the disease and have not been inoculated. But the researchers stressed that vaccination still offers good protection against catching the disease in the first place, and protects against getting seriously ill with it.


Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that we will be canceling a couple of shows here and there moving forward due to...

Posted by Smile Empty Soul on Wednesday, August 25, 2021

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson says that he "can pretty much do anything" on his new titanium hip following his surgery late last year.

The 63-year-old musician, who also previously revealed that he suffered an Achilles tendon rupture, discussed his recent health issues in a new interview with Revolver.

Asked how his Achilles is feeling these days, Dickinson said: "Ha! The Achilles is fine. At the end of April [2019], just about 10 days before I finished all the vocals [for the upcoming MAIDEN album 'Senjutsu'], I was fencing and all of a sudden it just felt like someone had given me an electric shock in the back of my right leg. I was on the floor, and I looked at my leg and my foot was kind of not really connected to the rest of my leg. I was, like, 'Well, that's kind of weird.' [Laughs] Thirty-six hours later, they stitched it back together in the morning, and I walked out in the afternoon on the boot, which I wore while doing the rest of my vocals. And then after I did the tour, I was still doing rehab on my calf, and all of a sudden, my opposite hip was really hurting, 'Everybody said, 'Oh, that's because you were compensating for your Achilles, and yada yada yada,' but when I went to the hip doctor and told him, 'Hey look, this is really bugging me,' he went, 'Ah yes — that's because you've got no cartilage left.' I said, 'Do I need a new hip?' and he said, 'Yeah, you will do.' So I did two or three more months like that and said, 'Can we just swap it out?' Because we were all on lockdown, and it wasn't like I had anything else to do for the next two or three months. So last October, I had five and a half inches of titanium hammered into my femur, and now I'm back fencing, training, doing everything. My physio says I can pretty much do anything on it, so I am really looking forward to getting back to the States as soon as I possibly can, and then you can see me leaping from tree to tree and monitor to monitor."

Six years ago, Dickinson had surgery to remove a cancerous lump on his throat. The rocker, who had a golf gall-size tumor on his tongue and another in the lymph node on the right side of his neck, got the all-clear in May 2015 after radiation and nine weeks of chemotherapy.

Bruce previously told iNews that he wanted to cover his cancer battle in his 2017 autobiography, "What Does This Button Do?", to raise awareness of the condition, which affects people who often have no or minimal history of tobacco or alcohol abuse. The individuals with HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer who undergo treatment have a disease-free survival rate of 85 to 90 percent over five years.

Dickinson also expressed disdain for some of the media outlets that suggested he may have gotten tongue cancer from performing oral sex on women.

IRON MAIDEN's 17th studio album, "Senjutsu", will be released on September 3 via BMG. The band's first LP in six years was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris

Corey Taylor believes that he was infected with the coronavirus by one of the fans that came to see him perform on his recent solo tour.

The 47-year-old SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR singer, who is fully vaccinated, was forced to call off his appearance at a Michigan pop culture convention a week ago after testing positive for the coronavirus. Taylor first shared the news in a video posted on August 20 on the Facebook page for Astronomicon, the event where he was scheduled to appear last weekend.

Taylor, who spent the last few days quarantining at a Denver hotel after his diagnosis, discussed his COVID-19 battle while chatting with fans virtually as part of this year's GalaxyCon.

Speaking about how he contracted the virus, Corey said: "It's crazy, man. You go in… I try to keep my mask up the entire time. You try to trust that people are vaccinated or they're masking up and social distancing and at least testing negative before they go to something like that. And sometimes you just run into those selfish people that don't care about that. I think that's what happened to me — somebody came to one of my shows and was in the audience sick and probably got several people sick, man."

This past Thursday (August 26), Corey's wife Alicia Taylor, took to her Twitter to say that Corey had been "testing negative for two days. Had he not been vaxxed, this would have lasted much longer and been exponentially worse," she added.

Last Monday, Corey offered an update on his condition in a video shared on social media. At the time, he said he was still positive, but no longer grappling with COVID symptoms like aches and a high fever. "It shouldn't be too much longer before I test negative, so that's great," Taylor said." Like his wife, he credited the COVID-19 vaccine with helping him fight the virus, and encouraged people to get it if they haven't. "I also want to say, because I was vaccinated, I truly believe that is what helped me get over the brink," he said. "This is the worst I've ever been sick in my life. Had I not been vaccinated, I shudder to think how bad it would've been. But because I had that extra little bit of protection, it definitely helped me get through it. So go, go, go. If you're still on the fence, I'm telling you right now, it's the best thing you can do for yourself."

Taylor completed the latest leg of his solo tour in support of his 2020 album "CMFT" on August 19 in Denver.

In a video interview promoting his just-released homage to Italian spaghetti westerns and classic vampire films, "Death Rider In The House Of Vampires", Glenn Danzig was asked if fans can expect to see a sequel at some point in the future. He responded: "That's something I've been asked already informally. But yes. Of course, if the movie is successful, there will be a sequel. For sure, [actress] Kim [Director; 'Blair Witch 2', 'The Deuce'] and I will come back, and that's all I can tell you. The others may or may not come back. If we do the sequel, you'll have to see it to see who doesn't come back and who comes back."

"Death Rider In The House Of Vampires" was written and directed by Danzig, with Glenn also acting as the executive producer, along with James Cullen Bresack. The cinematography is by Danzig and Pedja Radenkovic. The film follows the Death Rider, who travels to the desert Vampire Sanctuary, ruled by Count Holliday. The price of admission… one untouched virgin.

"Death Rider In The House Of Vampires" stars Devon Sawa as the Death Rider, Julian Sands as Count Holliday and Kim Director as Carmilla Joe. Joining them are Eli Roth as Drac Cassidy, Ashley Wisdom as Mina Belle, Victor DiMattia as Kid Vlad, Danny Trejo as Bela Latigo, and Danzig himself as the vampire gunslinger Bad Bathory.

Glenn told Rolling Stone about "Death Rider In The House Of Vampires": "It's an homage to classic vampire movies and, of course, classic Italian spaghetti Westerns. I just mixed the two genres. I didn't think anyone would have done it before. Basically [the character] Death Rider travels to the vampire sanctuary out in the middle of the desert, and then it all goes crazy after that.

Asked if he wrote the Bad Bathory character for himself, Danzig said: "I started writing the script, and I had all these characters. And then eventually I was, like, 'You know what? I could do this, and we won't have to look for somebody and we get out of it cheap.' So I didn't originally intend for me to be that character, but then I just started thinking about him, like, 'I'll just do this one. It's not a big part. It'd be easy. I could still do the directing.'

"With directing, at least for me, you're involved in everything. People come to you with wardrobe, sets, casting; pre-production is insane. The director's got the hardest job. I just want to make sure I'm, like, a real director and not like one of these Hollywood directors where somebody else will start the movie and then they take credit. [Laughs]."

"Death Rider In The House Of Vampires" opened across the U.S. at select theaters on Friday, August 27.

Great events are often foreshadowed: Following their 2020 lead track ‘Sünder’, supported by an atmospherically sinister lyric video, and the lead single ‘Gottmaschine’ in May 2021 (also supported by a spectacular clip) – both releases highly popular on the Internet for weeks – Göttingen’s NDH act STAHLMANN is set to announce the release of its latest single „Krähen der Nacht“. The new single drops incl. music video and starts parallel to album pre-sale of „QUARTZ“.

“Our fans may look forward to a thoroughly accomplished release with every NDH fan getting their money`s worth,” promises frontman Mart.

Band members Mart (vocals, programming), Mario (guitar), Emu (bass) and Tacki (drums) have recorded ten new songs.

QUARZ was produced by Martin Soer and mixed and mastered by renowned sound engineer Frank Gryner (Rob Zombie, Andrew W.K., A Perfect Circle) at his God Complex production studio in Ontario, Canada. Referring to the stylistic direction of Stahlmann’s latest offering, Mart has already revealed: “We’ve deliberately returned to our roots this time to revive the old-school NDH directives of our first three albums. Naturally, these influences have been combined with current, contemporary ideas. The result is a balanced, well-rounded album, catchy but still with all the raw edges Stahlmann is known for.”

Pre-Sale: https://shop.afm-records.de/stahlmann/

According to TMZ, longtime IRON BUTTERFLY drummer Ron Bushy has died at the age of 79. The only member of IRON BUTTERFLY to appear on all six of the band's albums, he passed away this morning at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles after a battle with esophageal cancer.

IRON BUTTERFLY is the American psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", which features a punishing heavy drum solo from Bushy at its core.

In July of 1968, IRON BUTTERFLY released its debut LP, "Heavy", and went on the road with the likes of THE DOORS, CREAM and THE WHO, while the album stayed on the Billboard chart for nearly a year. Their second release in July 1968 was the monumental "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". The 17-minute title track helped the album sell more than 30 million copies, and a three-minute version of the song became a Top 40 hit.

Back in 2012, guitarist Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt, who was in IRON BUTTERFLY during the 1970s and 1980s, died. Later that year, Lee Dorman, who played bass on their seminal records, also passed away.

Bushy is survived by his wife, Nancy, their three daughters and six grandchildren.

"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" was famously covered by SLAYER on the "Less Than Zero" soundtrack.

Fan-filmed video footage of SOULFLY performing a cover of FEAR FACTORY's "Replica" (after the intro to "Body Hammer") on August 26 at Red Flag in St Louis, Missouri can be seen below.

FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares is playing guitar for SOULFLY on the Max Cavalera-fronted band's current U.S. tour which kicked off on August 20 at Launchpad in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 33-date trek will make additional stops in New York, Chicago and Austin before concluding in Tempe, Arizona on September 25. The final date will be a family celebration as it will include performances by INCITE, GO AHEAD AND DIE and HEALING MAGIC. Joining the band for select dates are NIVIANE and SUICIDE PUPPETS.

Max recently told Heavy New York about Dino's addition to SOULFLY's touring lineup: "I'm hugely inspired and excited and happy that Dino is doing this with us. Dino is an old friend. Our friendship goes back to the early days of SEPULTURA coming to America. I believe we met on the 'Beneath The Remains' tour. For sure by the 'Arise' tour we were friends. He tells the story better, but he had to wrestle me [over] the [FEAR FACTORY] demo tape that had 'Big God' on it. I loved it. I was listening to it on his Walkman. I didn't wanna give it back to him. And it was his only copy. And we had to wrestle. He finally got it out of me. But I ended up bugging [then-Roadrunner Records A&R executive] Monte Conner at that time and saying, 'You're a fool if you don't sign this band.' I think I even called them 'the future of metal' at that time. I was, like, 'This is the future of metal.' If you pass on it, you're a fool. And then Monte signed them, and the rest is history, as they say."

He continued: "That's why this link, this possibility, the situation that happened and we needed somebody to fill in, I couldn't think of a better person than Dino — musically and as a friend. 'Cause we're still very hurt, mostly from the stuff that [former SOULFLY guitarist Marc] Rizzo has been saying [in the press] — it hurts us a lot. And it's good to have a friend that you could talk about it. And then musically I think it's insane. To think of songs, especially the songs that have crunchy guitars, I close my eyes and I imagine Dino's sound on some of those songs, like 'Downstroy' and 'Babylon'… 'Cause there's a lot of chugging — SOULFLY always had chugging. But Dino is a whole another level of chugging. [Laughs]"

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

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

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

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

Earlier in the month, Max told Metal Kaoz that Marc has been spewing out "lies and bullshit" in some of his recent interviews regarding his exit from SOULFLY. "All these accusations — it hurts," he said. "It hurts to hear. After everything that we did for him, which was a lot — we put him on all the records and always took really good care of him, always really, really gave good treatment to him. To hear him backstabbing us like that, it's just not nice. He's obviously trying to get fans to be against me and make him the victim… It just sucks to hear all that. It definitely hurts me when I hear all these accusations that I know are lies and bullshit; it's all fabricated by his crazy mind. I don't know. It's a strange situation."

He added: "I don't want to turn this into an ugly thing. I don't wanna talk bad about him; I really don't. Of course I don't like those accusations, and it's bullshit, but he has the right to say whatever. But I think we treated him really good through all those years. We put him on the map pretty much. When he joined the band, not many people knew him. Just a little bit of gratitude would have been nice. Because even on 'Max Trax' [Cavalera's a twice-weekly Internet video series in which he discusses the inspiration for many of the songs spanning his nearly 40-year music career], when I mentioned that I fired him, I thanked him for the 18 years of SOULFLY, and I said good luck on his projects. I'm not bitter. I don't wanna be a bitter guy."

Reckless Love signs with AFM Records.

The official statement:

We are pleased to announce the signing of Finnish sleaze hard rock band RECKLESS LOVE to a worldwide deal. The group, which debuted with their self-titled album in 2011, has been awarded with multiple gold records in their home country and also build a respectable following in markets such as the UK, Scandinavia and Japan.
Before RECKLESS LOVE will release a new studio album in 2022, AFM at first is re-issuing the band’s 2013 release, „Spirit“ – a modern classic of Scandinavian hard rock - which for the first time comes with 3 bonus tracks (CD version; already available). In addition, the album will see its release on Vinyl format for the first time on December 17th (ltd. editions pink, blue and yellow Vinyl). Pre-order options can be found here:
👉 https://fanlink.to/RecklessLove 👈

RECKLESS LOVE were awarded with gold awards for the "Spirit" album last weekend, receiving their accolades by none other than metal legend Zachary Hietala (Tarot) (see picture below).
But RECKLESS LOVE fans have even more to look forward to, as brand new music is about to drop soon as well: the new single, titled „Outrun“! Pre-save here: https://backl.ink/148167660

MEGADETH played its fifth show with bassist James LoMenzo in nearly 12 years this past Wednesday night (August 22) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. "The Metal Tour Of The Year" concert at the the Isleta Amphitheater 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. The Threat Is Real

03. The Conjuring

04. She-Wolf

05. Sweating Bullets

06. Trust

07. Conquer Or Die!

08. Dystopia

09. Symphony Of Destruction

10. Peace Sells

Encore:

11. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

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

Produced by Live Nation, the rescheduled trek will hit a further 23 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.

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.

Virtuoso cellist Tina Guo has unleashed her full-length album, "Dies Irae", via Sony Music Masterworks. Leading up to today's album drop, Tina has previously released tracks "Moonlight Sonata", "Toccata And Fugue" and "Adagio" by Albinoni. In celebration of "Dies Irae", Tina has also released the dreamily futuristic music video for her original track "Moonhearts In Space", featuring vocals from none other than the inimitable musician, songwriter, producer, and political activist Serj Tankian of SYSTEM OF A DOWN.

Speaking on today's release, Guo shares: "I am SO excited for the 'Dies Irae' album release after three years in the making, and to share the 'Moonhearts In Space' song and video with everyone!

"I have been a huge fan of Serj for so many years and it really was a dream come true to be able to collaborate together. A huge preemptive thank you to everyone for taking the time out of your day to listen and watch, the amazing support and positivity over the years has been an incredible blessing and I'm so grateful for you!"

Tankian commented: "I really enjoyed working with Tina on 'Moonhearts In Space'. Her ability to take classical and destroy it with rock and metal is really enjoyable. At a time when we are already traveling to space, it's imperative to realize the intention with which we travel inwardly or out."

Furthermore, metal fans can also spot Tina in SABATON's latest music video, "Steel Commanders". The clip was released in tandem for the "Spirit Of War" in-game event in World Of Tanks.

Guo has reimagined and reinvigorated classical music as a cellist, composer, artist, and performer. The Grammy Award-nominated and BRIT Female "Artist Of The Year" Award-nominated cellist stands out as the rare talent who can bring an outdoor festival crowd to its feet or ignite the score of a record-breaking blockbuster. As a soloist, her cello courses through the soundtracks for "Wonder Woman", "The Lion King", "Inception", "Dunkirk", "Pirates Of The Caribbean 5", "X-Men Dark Phoenix", "Iron Man 2", "Cyberpunk 2077", "Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2, 3, & 4", "League Of Legends, "Assassin's Creed Syndicate", "CSI: NY", "The Vikings", and most recently the sci-fi blockbuster "Dune", to name a few.

She has accompanied Hans Zimmer, Steven Tyler, Skrillex, Joe Bonamassa, FOO FIGHTERS, Al Di Meola, and Carlos Santana on stage and John Legend, Ciara and many more on tape. She thrived in the spotlight on Cirque Du Soleil's Michael Jackson "The Immortal" world tour, which entertained 3.7 million-plus concertgoers in packed arenas and became one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. Not to mention, she lit up the sold-out League Of Legends world championship at the Staples Center streamed over 33 million times. Along the way, she also picked up 53 million YouTube views, 374,000 subscribers, and 40 million Spotify streams to date.

Last night (Friday, August 27), GUNS N' ROSES played the first-ever rock concert at Las Vegas's Allegiant Stadium, a 65,000-seat venue which is run by the Las Vegas Raiders. The show was part of the band's U.S. tour, which kicked off on July 31 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Support on the trek is coming from Wolfgang Van Halen's MAMMOTH WVH.

Prior to the Allegiant concert, the most recent GUNS N' ROSES show in Las Vegas was the band's appearance at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in November 2019, a three-hour performance which closed its "Not In This Lifetime" tour.

When GUNS N' ROSES' concert at Allegiant was first announced, Kurt Melien of Live Nation, which produced the gig, said in a statement: "As the largest concert promoter and headline resident promoter in Las Vegas, we had to go big for our first show at Allegiant Stadium. GUNS N' ROSES and the Raiders go all the way back to the '80s when the band was just starting out in L.A., so to be able to bring them to the team's new home and to have such incredible support from the Raiders is a real honor."

Dubbed "We're F'N Back!", GUNS N' ROSES' current tour comes on the heels of the "Not In This Lifetime" run that began in April 2016 and became the No. 3 highest-grossing tour in the history of Billboard Boxscore.

As was the case with "Not In This Lifetime", the current GUNS N' ROSES tour features classic-lineup members Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Axl Rose (vocals) backed by guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

The massive touring production will wrap up with two shows in Hollywood, Florida, at the Hard Rock Live Arena on October 2 and 3, 2021.

On August 6, GUNS N' ROSES officially released a new song called "Absurd" across all digital music providers. The studio version of "Absurd" — which is a reworked version of a previously unreleased GN'R track called "Silkworms" — arrived three days after the band performed the tune live for the first time during its concert at Boston's Fenway Park.

GUNS launched its long-rumored and long-awaited reunion tour with an April 2016 club show in Hollywood and appearances in Las Vegas and at California's Coachella festival.

The band is now reportedly working on a new studio album — the first under the GUNS banner since 2008's "Chinese Democracy" and the first to feature Rose, Slash and McKagan since 1993.

SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith has confirmed that the first single from the band's seventh studio album will arrive in January 2022. The follow-up to 2018's "Attention Attention" is being recorded at a new studio in Charleston, South Carolina spearheaded by the group's bassist and producer Eric Bass.

Smith discussed a possible timeline for the release of new SHINEDOWN material in an interview with New Jersey's WSOU 89.5 FM radio station. Asked when fans can expect to hear music from the band, Smith said: "I can tell you right now the first single, you're gonna hear it in the first month of 2022. And then hopefully a couple of months later, there'll be a [full-length] record out."

Last September, Smith told the KLOS radio show "Whiplash" that he and Bass were looking to make a more organic-sounding album this time around. "We've kind of proven that we can make these very large records, these very cinematic, orchestrated records with this wall of sound," he said. "What we wanna try to do with this album is we do want to hone it back down to drums, bass, guitar and vocals and the best songs that we can write and the freshest songs we can write with the most tenacity and the most ferociousness that we can express. So I don't think this time around we're going to necessarily look at the handbook of, 'Let's layer this record like we've layered other records, and let's keep adding to it so that it grows.' I think more the idea of big mono on this album, it's more about stereo and putting all of the sonics down the middle. But you don't have a hundred tracks on a song; you don't take a 22-piece orchestra and bring it in there. We've done that, and we've done those kinds of records, and we love those records, and we love that sound, but I think what we wanna do with this next record is we really want to focus on being a four-piece band, and let's see if we can peel the paint off of the walls with just the fury of the four of us in a room."

SHINEDOWN's film "Attention Attention", a cinematic experience of the band's 2018 studio album of the same name, will premiere worldwide on Friday, September 3. Available on digital and cable VOD via Gravitas Ventures, "Attention Attention" is a visual journey that brings to life the story of SHINEDOWN's acclaimed chart-topping album, their sixth full-length, which has accumulated more than 622 million global streams, debuted Top 5 on the Billboard 200, simultaneously hit No. 1 on Billboard's Alternative, Top Rock and Hard Rock Albums charts, and led to five iHeartRadio Music Award nominations. This sonic and visual work of art was directed by Bill Yukich (BEYONCÉ, METALLICA, WIZ KHALIFA) and features theatrical performances from the band, Melora Walters ("Magnolia", "Big Love", "PEN15"), and Francesca Eastwood ("Old", "Twin Peaks", "Fargo"), among others.

A new four-minute video in which IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson discusses the making of the band's upcoming 17th studio album, "Senjutsu" can be seen below.

"It was just under two years ago when we finished this album," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "How nuts is that?

"The album itself… Steve [Harris, bass] came up with a lot of stuff that he was… He buried himself away and then would say, 'This is about that. Here's the song.' Adrian [Smith, guitar] and I wrote a couple of things — three things, actually — one of which turned out to be the first track, for which there is the video, obviously. And we wrote those sort of the way we normally wrote them, except instead of writing them in somebody's bathroom or at somebody's house, we were just in the studio, on our own, him with a guitar, me singing away, trying out some melodies and me going, 'Hmm, I think I can see what this might be all about.'"

Dickinson also spoke in more detail about the songwriting process, saying: "Actually, the love for creating things is the only thing that gets me in the studio. I basically don't like studios. They're nice to sit around and drink coffee, but unless there's something creative going on, they're sort of dead. It's the creativity that brings everything in the studio to life, and then it's animating the creativity and recording it. So that's the bit that gets me. Now, the bit that I really love is when you hear something that inspires you — a guitar riff, whatever it is — it suggests a melody, and from that melody we then write a verse and a bridge, and suddenly we're searching for what you might call a chorus, what you might call a hook — whatever — and it arrives. Bingo. 'Woah! Yeah, yeah, yeah.' And that, for me, is the 'come to Jesus' moment — it's, like, 'Yes!' And I love those moments. There's nuggets like that in every aspect of anything creative — whether it's doing a movie, whether it's doing a video, whatever it is — there's something in there, there's a moment where you go, 'Brilliant. This is what makes it different. This is what makes it work.'"

Regarding the overall musical direction of MAIDEN's new LP, Bruce said: "So I listened to it after it'd been mastered and then got a copy on my laptop so I could listen to it at home. And I thought, 'This is really bloody good.' And there's some stuff on it that is gonna absolutely blow people's minds. I mean, there's stuff on there that you go, 'Hang on a minute. Is that THE MOODY BLUES suddenly crashing into an IRON MAIDEN album.' Honestly, there's some really, really cool bits. So I don't think MAIDEN fans are gonna be disappointed. And even people who are not MAIDEN fans might be surprised by one or two things they might like. I really think it's a cool album. And Nicko's [McBrain] drums on it are sensational, actually, as well, I have to say."

BMG will release "Senjutsu", IRON MAIDEN's first album in six years, on September 3. It was recorded in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Harris. It was preceded on July 15 by an already highly acclaimed animated video for the first single "The Writing On The Wall" made by BlinkInk based on a concept by Dickinson with two former Pixar executives. It followed a month-long teaser campaign and global "treasure hunt" for clues about the track title and concept.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris. With a running time of a little under 82 minutes, "Senjutsu", like their previous record "The Book Of Souls", will be a double CD/Triple vinyl album.

IRON MAIDEN hadn't released any fresh music since 2015's "The Book Of Souls" LP, which was recorded in late 2014 in Paris, France with Shirley.

"The Book Of Souls" was the longest MAIDEN album, clocking in at 92 minutes, with lyrics heavily based in the themes of death, reincarnation, the soul and mortality.

"Senjutsu" marks MAIDEN's sixth album to be produced by Shirley, who has worked with MAIDEN for the past two decades.

In addition to MAIDEN, Shirley has collaborated with dozens of notable acts, including Joe Bonamassa, JOURNEY, DREAM THEATER and LED ZEPPELIN.

During the making of "The Book Of Souls", Dickinson was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor at the back of his tongue. He recorded all the vocals for the album with the tumor before undergoing treatment and making a full recovery in time for the LP's release in September 2015.

KISS is rescheduling its concert in Raleigh, North Carolina after frontman Paul Stanley tested positive for COVID-19.

Saturday's (August 28) performance at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek is the second KISS show to be postponed after Stanley's diagnosis.

A makeup date for the Raleigh concert has not yet been announced, but all tickets will be honored for the new date once it is confirmed, the venue said on Twitter.

KISS called off its show on Thursday in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania while fans were waiting for the gates to open.

"I had been sick with flu-like symptoms and was tested repeatedly and was negative," Stanley tweeted Thursday. "As of late this afternoon I tested positive. The crew, staff and band have all tested negative once again."

This afternoon, Paul once again took to his Twitter to write: "Some really rough days behind and hopefully just a few more ahead. Then... I'M COMIN' OUT THERE TO SEE YOU!!!!"

In a social media post, KISS said the whole band and the crew members who are traveling with them on the tour are fully vaccinated.

Members of KISS "and their crew have operated in a bubble independently to safeguard everyone as much as possible at each show and in between shows," the band wrote in the statement.

"The tour also has a COVID safety protocol officer on staff full-time that is ensuring everyone is closely following all CDC guidelines," the statement continued.

Earlier today, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons told "TMZ Live" that Paul is "gonna be great because he got vaccinated. He's gonna be fine… Yesterday he started feeling like his voice wasn't up to it and he started feeling a little fatigued. So we always take precautions. And we sent a doctor over, and he said, 'Okay, you may be coming down with something. You guys better just stop.' And that's exactly what we did. And at the right time, as soon as we heard from the doctor, we had paramedics come in from a local hospital and tested the entire crew — the truck drivers, our backstage lineup, the band and everything. Everybody tested negative; Paul tested positive. Now we're quarantining ourselves — all of us; the band, the crew and everybody — for at least five days, just to make sure that we're not carrying it even though we're not experiencing anything. I feel great. We can do shows. My voice is great. Paul is not feeling great. And to be safe for everybody else, we're making sure."

KISS kicked off the summer 2021 leg of its "End Of The Road" farewell tour on August 18 at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The concert marked the band's first full-length live appearance in front of an audience since March 2020.

KISS's farewell trek was launched in January 2019 and was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but is now expected to last well into 2022.

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Stanley and Simmons, alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, Peter Criss (drums) and Ace Frehley (guitar), KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.




Some really rough days behind and hopefully just a few more ahead. Then... I'M COMIN' OUT THERE TO SEE YOU!!!! pic.twitter.com/jTCV5DZop6

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) August 27, 2021








Tomorrow's Raleigh #KISS show is being rescheduled. Stay tuned for updated info soon. https://t.co/u6rMPsMnVw

— KISS (@kiss) August 27, 2021

Earlier today (Friday, August 27), KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons joined "TMZ Live" to talk about the cancelation of the band's Thursday night show in Pennsylvania after frontman Paul Stanley tested positive for COVID-19.

"It is true that Paul caught COVID because this delta variant is very catchy," Gene said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "Please send him your best wishes. But I just talked with Paul. We are sequestered, we are quarantined in a hotel. He's gonna be great because he got vaccinated. He's gonna be fine. The nature of this vaccine is that it protects you from going and having tubes down your throat and possibly dying. So you can still get it.

"Everybody, wear your masks, please, especially in public, and please get your Pfizer vaccine," he continued. "The rest of it is not as important as our health. We're all doing fine. We're gonna get back there on the road. But the rest of you, get yourself vaccinated. Please wear your masks. Wash your hands. Do all the right stuff."

Asked if Paul is experiencing any symptoms right now, Gene said: "Yesterday he started feeling like his voice wasn't up to it and he started feeling a little fatigued. So we always take precautions. And we sent a doctor over, and he said, 'Okay, you may be coming down with something. You guys better just stop.' And that's exactly what we did. And at the right time, as soon as we heard from the doctor, we had paramedics come in from a local hospital and tested the entire crew — the truck drivers, our backstage lineup, the band and everything. Everybody tested negative; Paul tested positive. Now we're quarantining ourselves — all of us; the band, the crew and everybody — for at least five days, just to make sure that we're not carrying it even though we're not experiencing anything. I feel great. We can do shows. My voice is great. Paul is not feeling great. And to be safe for everybody else, we're making sure."

As for whether Paul will have to quarantine for at least 10 days, thereby forcing the cancelation of more KISS shows, Gene said: "You know what? I won't comment on it because I don't know the specifics. We're waiting on the doctors to tell us exactly what we can and what we can't do. But to all those who are wishing Paul a speedy recovery and all that stuff, he's gonna be great. And, obviously, as you know, without Paul, there is no KISS."

KISS was set to play Thursday at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania before the concert was called off.

In a social media post, KISS said the whole band and the crew members who are traveling with them on the tour are fully vaccinated.

Members of KISS "and their crew have operated in a bubble independently to safeguard everyone as much as possible at each show and in between shows," the band wrote in the statement.

"The tour also has a COVID safety protocol officer on staff full-time that is ensuring everyone is closely following all CDC guidelines," the statement continued.

KISS kicked off the summer 2021 leg of its "End Of The Road" farewell tour on August 18 at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The concert marked the band's first full-length live appearance in front of an audience since March 2020.

KISS's farewell trek was launched in January 2019 and was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but is now expected to last well into 2022.

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Stanley and Simmons, alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, Peter Criss (drums) and Ace Frehley (guitar), KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.

Corey Taylor says that the new SLIPKNOT album will include some songs which are "really outside the realm" of what he and his bandmates have done before.

The singer, who spent the last few days quarantining at a Denver hotel after testing positive for COVID-19, discussed SLIPKNOT's follow-up to 2019's "We Are Not Your Kind" LP while chatting with fans as part of this year's GalaxyCon. Speaking about the progress of the album's recording sessions, Corey said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was actually supposed to finish my vocals this week. I got screwed, man, [by the COVID diagnosis]. I actually only have really three songs left to do. I've done all the other tracks because I've been doing 'em in between tours, just fucking hitting it."

As for the musical direction of the new SLIPKNOT record, Taylor said: "I actually like this one better than the last one. I loved the last one. It's really good. There's some darker, heavier shit on it. There's some tunes that are actually really outside the realm of what we've done before. But it all fucking coheses together — it all works together. And there's some fucking savage heavy shit, which I'm really stoked on. So it's gonna be rad."

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

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

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

In June, SLIPKNOT announced the 2021 incarnation of the "Knotfest Roadshow". Support on the trek will come from three Grammy-nominated heavy music luminaries, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, FEVER 333 and CODE ORANGE. The 28-date run, produced by Live Nation, kicks off following the band's previously announced Knotfest Iowa hometown show in Des Moines on September 25. The "Knotfest Roadshow"'s first official date happens at Tinley Park, Illinois on September 28, with the tour then snaking its way across the U.S., wrapping up in Arizona in early November.

DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Mangini has uploaded a "drum play-along" video of him performing the band's new single, "The Alien". According to Mike, the play-along was filmed at 110% speed for tour preparation purposes. The drum configuration matches the Pearl green chrome fade kit used on DREAM THEATER's 15th studio album, "A View From The Top Of The World", which is due on October 22.

When "The Alien" was first released earlier in the month, guitarist John Petrucci stated about the track: "It's the first one we wrote together. It gives people a window into what it was like when we initially met up after all of those months off. It has the adventure, the untraditional structure, the heaviness, and the hooks. It really set the tone for the album. James [LaBrie, vocals] wrote the lyrics about the idea of terraforming and looking beyond our Earth for alternative settlements. Since we're going beyond our planet, 'The Alien' turns out to be us. I thought it was a cool and creative lyric by James."

"A View From The Top Of The World" is DREAM THEATER at its musical finest expanding on the sound they helped create while maintaining the elements that have garnered them devoted fans around the globe. The seven-song album also marks the second studio album with InsideOut Music/Sony Music. The artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). "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.

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.

"A View From The Top Of The World" track listing:

01. The Alien (9:32)

02. Answering The Call (7:35)

03. Invisible Monster (6:31)

04. Sleeping Giant (10:05)

05. Transcending Time (6:25)

06. Awaken The Master (9:47)

07. A View From The Top Of The World (20:24)

DREAM THEATER is also planning to hit the road in support of the new album. The "Top Of The World" tour of North America kicks off on October 28 in Mesa, Arizona and runs through December 14 where it concludes in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Danko Jones have released a video for "Ship Of Lies", the latest single from their new album, Power Trio, available now via Sonic Unyon Records. Order the album here, and watch the new clip below:





Power Trio sees Danko Jones delivering each engine-revving riff, soul-shaking stomp, and shout-it-loud hook with a sniper’s precision. It's such a simple, self-evident title, but one loaded with significance, as it speaks to the special triangular alchemy Danko shares with his trusty bass-slinging accomplice JC and drummer Rich Knox. It also stakes out the band’s place on a storied lineage of three-piece titans Jimi Hendrix Experience, ZZ Top, Rush, Motörhead, Venom, Dinosaur Jr., and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, to name a few.


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When you choose to start a power trio, you’re not simply forming a band, you’re entering a blood pact - a tacit acknowledgement that all three members need to carry their equal share of the weight lest the whole enterprise collapse. There’s nowhere to hide in a power trio - no second guitarist to cover your mistakes, no keyboard player to smooth things over, no horn section to distract the crowd. If you fuck up, the whole band fucks up. Everybody needs to be on their A-game at all times.


Power Trio follows the band's electrifying, world charting album, A Rock Supreme released in 2019. It also sees the band once again tapping into the production prowess of Eric Ratz, who previously amped up the bone-breaking boogie of 2017's full-throttle rocker Wild Cat and 2015's bloodlusty Fire Music.





Tracklist:


"I Want Out"
"Good Lookin'"
"Saturday"
"Ship Of Lies"
"Raise Some Hell"
"Blue Jean Denim Jumpsuit"
"Get To You"
"Dangerous Kiss"
"Let’s Rock Together"
"Flaunt It"
"Start The Show" (feat. Phil Campbell)


"Start The Show" lyric video:





"Saturday" video:





"I Want Out"





"Flaunt It" lyric video:





On Saturday, August 28, Sonic Unyon Records presents Danko Jones in an exclusive 50-cap in-person concert for the launch of the band's brand new album, Power Trio. Tickets are 19+, reserved in pairs and singles, and on sale now at this location.


The show will take place at Bridgeworks in Hamilton, Ontario (200 Caroline St. N. at Barton St. W., South Building).








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Birmingham-based rock band Dawn After Dark, fronted by former Kerrang! writer Howard 'HoJo' Johnson, have issued their first new recording in 32 years with "Maximum Overdrive", available on all streaming platforms today.


The song, which the band is giving away as a free download at their website, is accompanied by a stunning video from director Oliver Fowler (see below).





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"Maximum Overdrive" is the first track from Dawn After Dark’s debut album, which will be released via Chapter 22 Records in December. Recorded in Birmingham and produced by Andy Taylor, "Maximum Overdrive" is an unforgettable driving rock anthem that’s the perfect way to celebrate the return of live music, and the band will be playing UK shows later in the year.


“It’s been a long time coming,” says HoJo. “But it’s definitely been worth the wait. Giving the first single away for free is our way of sharing our love of this music with the world.”  





Dawn After Dark lineup:


Howard ‘HoJo’ Johnson – vocals
Tony Henderson – drums
Russ Frame – rhythm guitar
Ollie – lead guitar
Drew Gallon – bass





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Originally released on August 27, 2001 and celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Moonspell’s fifth album, Darkness And Hope, caught the band in a strange crossroad upon its debut. Their first four records saw them skyrocketing from Portugal into Gothic metal stardom, yet their almost violent musical swings left a lot of their fans confused and unaware of what to expect next. Nonetheless, Darkness And Hope was the ticket for many followers of the band to continue their monumental journey with the Portuguese wolves.


Out of print and sold out for many years, Darkness And Hope will finally be re-released on December 3 via Napalm Records, and available in several exclusive vinyl LP colors and sleevepack, re-designed to portray the obscure elegance of the original album. Amazing melancholic anthems such as "Nocturna", "How We Became Fire" and "Than The Serpents In My Arms" - not to mention the inclusion of tracks delivering Moonspell‘s very own brand of infectious gothic metal like classics "Firewalking" or "Devilred" - once again prove in this day and age that Moonspell are still the hopeful kings of the dark.


This must-have reissue will also contain some very special, personalized cover versions of Ozzy’s "Mr. Crowley", Joy Division’s "Love Will Tear Us Apart", and a beautiful tribute to Portuguese wool music masters MadreDeus with cover songs of "Os Senhores da Guerra" (The Warlords) in Portuguese language.


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Fernando Ribeiro reveals: “Darkness And Hope is such a representative title for that period in our personal lives and also as musicians, as a band. We were astray and this album made us find our way again into our songs, our darkness, our will to play music together for many years to come. We had a hard time, after an album so experimental like The Butterfly Effect, to make our peace with Darkness And Hope. We were depressed and extremely sad when we went to Finland to do this album and by making it, we raised our heads again and since then never gave up the fight for our fans’ hearts and souls. Moonspell might be darkness but for sure we are hope too.”





Darkness And Hope will be available in the following formats:


- CD Sleevepack
- 1LP Gatefold Black
- 1LP Gatefold Marbled Red/Black (Napalm Records mailorder only)


Pre-order here.





Darkness And Hope tracklisting:


"Darkness And Hope"            
"Firewalking"
"Nocturna"    
"Heartshaped Abyss"
"Devilred"     
"Ghostsong"
"Rapaces"      
"Made of Storm"
"How We Became Fire"
"Than the Serpents in My Arms"


+ Bonus Songs:


"Love Will Tear Us Apart“ (Joy Division cover, Napalm Edition Bonus Track)
"Mr. Crowley" (Ozzy Osbourne cover, CD Sleevepack + Black LP Bonus Track)


Moonspell is:


Fernando Ribeiro – Vocals
Ricardo Amorim – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Pedro Paixão – Keys, Guitar
Aires Pereira – Bass
Hugo Ribeiro – Drums


(Photo - Rui Vasco)





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BUTCHER BABIES have released a new single, "It's Killin' Time, Baby", featuring guest vocalist Craig Mabbitt (ESCAPE THE FATE).

"From beginning to end, 'Killin' Time' is a relentless groove-infused face melter that is guaranteed to give you bang-over," says BUTCHER BABIES guitarist Henry Flury. The single, out today, was inspired by the DC Comics character Lobo, a heavy metal bounty hunter. It was recorded by Matt Good (FROM FIRST TO LAST) and will be featured on BUTCHER BABIES' upcoming independently released EP alongside recently released singles "Last Dance", "Yorktown", "Sleeping With The Enemy" and "Bottom Of A Bottle" (feauturing Andy James).

"I can't think of a better song to release the day before we hit the road on our first tour in over two years," exclaims BUTCHER BABIES co-vocalist Carla Harvey. "It's killin time, baby…in more ways than one!! As a lifelong comic book aficionado, it was so much fun to write a song based on one of my favorite characters, the bounty huntin' space cowboy himself, Lobo. When Heidi [Shepherd, co-vocalist] and I were penning the lyrics we thought, are we really writing a song about a Bastitch on a Spaz Frag? Hell yes, because just like Lobo, we like a good time. It was also a cool new experience for us to throw another singer in the mix for this one! Craig Mabbitt's screams add another level to this banger…enjoy!"

"HOLY FRAGG, SPACE HOG!," shouts Shepherd. "We are fraggin' stoked to bring to you our latest banger, 'It's Killin' Time, Baby!' inspired by the main man himself, Lobo! This bounty hunter, biker has a way of stealing even the blackest of hearts. Between breaking legs and breaking hearts, Lobo embodies the heavy metal attitude we all need in 2021!

"We were so lucky to have our buddy, the very talented Craig Mabbitt from ESCAPE THE FATE and DEAD RABBITS, join us in this jam! Our incredible producer, Matt Good, brought this comic-themed dream to life and we CANNOT wait for you to hear it and then rock it LIVE in the pit!!"

Mabbitt commented, "Thank you to the BUTCHER BABIES for including me in this awesome track, and for introducing me to Lobo!!"

BUTCHER BABIES will embark on their first tour since the pandemic with a headlining run starting tomorrow, Saturday, August 28 in West Virginia at Metal In The Mountains festival and lasting until October 8, including stops at Rocklahoma, Louder Than Life and Aftershock festival. The "Butcher Babies Vs. Goliath" tour will see the band perform their 2013 debut album "Goliath" (Century Media) in its entirety along with fan-favorites and new previously unheard music. The fully female-fronted lineup will include support from INFECTED RAIN and STITCHED UP HEART, with KALEIDO also appearing on select dates.

For over a decade, BUTCHER BABIES have been crushing stages worldwide with their vicious live performance and explosive energy. Their stage presence is a hypnotic spectacle that leaves audiences hungry for more as they've displayed on tours among the likes of MEGADETH, ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, DANZIG, IN THIS MOMENT, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, CRADLE OF FILTH, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and many more.

Hailing from the City of Angels, BUTCHER BABIES have released two EPs and three albums to date, with their latest 2017 LP, "Lilith", debuting at #1 on iTunes Metal chart and #7 on iTunes Rock chart.

Killer Be Killed - Max Cavalera (Soulfly/ex-Sepultura), Ben Koller (Converge/Mutoid Man), Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan/The Black Queen) and Troy Sanders (Mastodon/Gone Is Gone) - released their sophomore album, Reluctant Hero, last November via Nuclear Blast Records. Today, the band releases the lyric video for "Filthy Vagabond". Watch below:





The band also announces that they are releasing new formats of their debut self-titled album as well as a Reluctant Hero picture disc that will be released on November 26. Starting today, fans will be able to pre-order their copy of their debut album in the formats listed below:


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- Repress of the Self-Titled LP in (Blue & White) (Limited to 1,500 worldwide)
- Repress of the Self-Titled LP in (Red Splatter) (Revolver Magazine Exclusive; Limited to 500 worldwide)
- Self-Titled Clear Cassette (Limited to 200 worldwide)
- Self-Titled Picture Disc (Limited to 1,800 worldwide)
- Reluctant Hero Picture Disc (Limited to 1,800 worldwide)


Pre-order your copies of either album here.


Troy Sanders states, "Tour life is filthy, fun, and rare are those who heed the journeys call. With reverence paid to those who have inspired us, this song is an homage to them."





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In the latest episode of AXS TV's "Rock & Tell", HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale shares her rock and roll collection and the stories behind them. Among the items Lzzy discusses are a laminate signed by Ronnie James Dio when HALESTORM opened for HEAVEN & HELL in 2009, and the Grammy Award HALESTORM received in 2012 in the category of "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)".

Earlier in the month, HALESTORM released a new single, "Back From The Dead". The track is taken from the band's upcoming fifth full-length album, due in 2022. An accompanying video for "Back From The Dead", which was directed by Dustin Haney (Noah Cyrus, Luke Combs) and produced by Revolution Pictures, features Lzzy and her bandmates in a morgue and cemetery somewhere between life and death.

HALESTORM's latest release was last year's "Halestorm Reimagined", a collection of the band's reworked original songs as well as a cover of "I Will Always Love You", the love ballad made famous by Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton.

Lzzy and her brother Arejay formed the band in 1998 while in middle school. Guitarist Joe Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by bassist Josh Smith in 2004.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for another Grammy, this time in the "Best Rock Performance" category, for its song "Uncomfortable".

According to the Grammy web site, HALESTORM's award for "Love Bites (So Do I)" marked the first time a woman earned a Grammy in the category.

Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND, will release a new solo album, "Quantum Leap", on October 8 via AFM Records. The official music video for the disc's latest single, "Enigma Of Life", can be seen below.

"Quantum Leap" came together over the course of the worldwide pandemic that, unfortunately, prevented FIREWIND's self-titled album from 2020 from gaining any real momentum. Immobilized by the quarantine measures that kept him at home, Gus began compiling musical ideas to keep himself occupied, which led to the full-on effort to write and record an album during the summer of 2021.

"I didn't make 'Quantum Leap' with the intention of it being the next one in the cycle of solo albums," Gus admits. "It was more of a case of, 'What else is there?' I needed the creative outlet."

Gus agrees with the suggestion that one has to make an instrumental album for him or herself; if people happen to enjoy it, that's a plus. It's an approach he takes with every album he makes, but if heavy metal is considered a niche market doing an instrumental album is an even smaller corner of that. Being a part of the music industry over the past 20 years has taught Gus that the business and the market has evolved to the point that instrumental albums are far more readily accepted compared to when he started.

"As an artist nowadays, you can basically do whatever you like and there's an audience out there for it," he says. "Instrumental music might not be a big seller, but everybody and can listen to anything, and there are no limits to what I can do. There's a track on the record that's a little bit synth-wave ['Night Driver'], there's bluesy ballad thing ['Enigma Of Life'], there's a track that has more prog elements ['Into The Unknown'], there's some power metal ['Demon Stomp', 'Judgement Day'], so it's all under the hard rock / heavy metal umbrella, but I wanted it to have some variety. It doesn't sound like I wrote 10 different riffs on the low E string and put a bunch of solos over it. And there's no excuse for anybody to say, 'I like the music but I hate that type vocals...' because there are no vocals. [Laughs]"

"Quantum Leap" was assembled in pieces, featuring new compositions and material taken from Gus's "riff vault," where he stores unfinished ideas and revisits them when he's able. The album started as a full-on solo outing, with Gus programming drums and playing guitar, bass and keyboards, but a chance encounter with drummer Jan-Vincent Velazco — who volunteered his services and subsequently blew Gus away — opened up the production. Producer/engineer Dennis Ward, who was responsible for mixing and mastering "Quantum Leap", ended up laying down bass tracks on eight of the 10 tracks.

Unlike many instrumental albums, "Quantum Leap" doesn't feel like a musical root canal or long and drawn-out brain surgery. Each of the 10 tracks are solid and compact musical ideas, with Gus's guitar acting as the voice. In this respect, writing "Quantum Leap" was a challenge because he is so used to writing in a specific formula utilizing vocals. He found himself falling into the loop of overplaying a few times during the production because of the lack of vocals, but was able to overcome the problem once he acknowledged it.

"When I first wrote 'Exosphere', for example, there were so many things going on in the track but it wasn't saying anything," says Gus. "I really needed to have the guitar taking a vocal approach. I knew that if I just kept the playing technical it wasn't going to be enjoyable. So the playing isn't always about technique, and once I found the formula it was easier to create melodies for the record."

"I'm a guitar player and I cannot stand most instrumental guitar albums," he adds. "The classic are the classics, but very rarely do I get into them because after the third track it just seems like an endless guitar solo where everything that sounds the same. That's something I wanted to avoid on 'Quantum Leap' and I think I succeeded in doing that."

"Quantum Leap" track listing:

01. Into The Unknown

02. Exosphere

03. Quantum Leap

04. Chronesthesia

05. Enigma Of Life

06. Judgement Day

07. Fierce

08. Demon Stomp

09. Night Driver

10. Not Forgotten

11. Force Majeure (feat. Vinnie Moore)

Helloween recently released their new self-titled album, Helloween, via Nuclear Blast. Today, the band launches a lyric video for the song "Angels", which can be found below.


Head here to order Helloween in your format of choice.





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Tracklisting:


"Out For The Glory"
"Fear Of The Fallen"
"Best Time"
"Mass Pollution"
"Angels"
"Rise Without Chains"
"Indestructible"
"Robot King"
"Cyanide"
"Down In The Dumps"
"Orbit"
"Skyfall"


Bonus tracks Mediabook & Vinyl:
"Golden Times"
"Save My Hide"


Bonus tracks Earbook:
"Golden Times"
"Save My Hide"
"Pumpkins United"


"Angels" lyric video:





"Mass Pollution" lyric video:


   


"Best Time lyric video:





"Fear Of The Fallen" lyric video:





"Skyfall" video:





(Photo - Martin Häusler)





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Due to the current pandemic circumstances, Powerwolf have to postpone their headlining tour through Europe announced for 2021, to 2022. The Wolfsnächte 2022 headline tour will lead through Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, UK, the Netherlands and Belgium in November and December.


To shorten the waiting time, Powerwolf are now happy to announce the top-class support acts for the upcoming tour: The British power metallers DragonForce and the heavy metal warriors Warkings will make the crowd shake.


Powerwolf states: “Dear friends, we fought until the last breath and tried ALL possible options to see all of you again, but unfortunately we have to postpone our Wolfsnächte tour due to the ongoing pandemic and decisions far beyond our control! Words cannot describe the feeling of not being able to meet you all again, we truly miss to celebrate with you! But let’s focus on better times: We are excited to announce two great special guests with DragonForce and Warkings to join us next year! Together we will celebrate the holy metal mass wilder than ever! All tickets will remain valid for the dates in 2022! See you there and stay safe, your wolves!”


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DragonForce’s Herman Li adds: “We love Powerwolf! Their music is awesome and super fun at the same time, just the way we like it. We can't wait for the tour!”


The Tribune of the mighty Warkings: “When wolves, dragons and kings unite for glorious battles all over Europe no warrior and no shieldmaiden can stay away from the battlefields. Join us on our crusade with our brothers in Powerwolf and DragonForce!”





New tour dates:


November 2022
11 - Berlin, Germany - Velodrom
12 - Munich, Germany - Zenith
13 - Prague, Czech Republic - Tipsport Arena
14 - Katowice, Poland - MCK
16 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
17 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
18 - Stuttgart, Germany - Schleyerhalle
19 - Zurich, Switzerland - Samsung Hall
21 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
22 - Madrid, Spain - Riviera
24 - Milano, Italy - Alcatraz
25 - Frankfurt, Germany - Jahrhunderthalle
26 - Oberhausen, Germany - König Pilsener Arena
27 - Paris, France - Zenith
29. - London, England - Roundhouse*


December 2022
1 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Afas Live
2 - Hamburg, Germany - Sporthalle
3 - Saarbrucken, Germany - Saarlandhalle
4 - Antwerp, Belgium - Lotto Arena


* without Dragonforce


Powerwolf, recently released their new studio album, Call Of The Wild. Various formats (2-CD Mediabook, 3-LP Vinyl Box, 3-CD Earbook, digital) of the new album include the bonus album Missa Cantorem - a cross-section of the Wolves' success story with newly recorded vocals by friends and companions of the band.





Order here.





Tracklisting:


LP 1


"Faster Than The Flame"
"Beast Of Gévaudan"
"Dancing With The Dead"
"Varcolac"
"Alive Or Undead"
"Blood For Blood (Faoladh)"
"Glaubenskraft"
"Call Of The Wild"
"Sermon Of Swords"
"Undress To Confess"
"Reverent Of Rats"





LP 2 (Bonus Album): Missa Cantorem


"Sanctified With Dynamite" feat. Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear)
"Demons Are A Girl‘s Best Friend" feat. Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy)
"Nightside Of Siberia" feat. Johan Hegg (Amon Amarth)
"Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone" feat. Doro Pesch
"Fist By Fist (Sacralize Or Strike)" feat. Matthew Kiichi Heafy (Trivium)
"Killers With The Cross" feat. Björn "Speed" Strid (Soilwork)
"Kiss Of The Cobra King" feat. Chris Harms (Lord Of The Lost)
"We Drink Your Blood" feat. Johannes Eckerström (Avatar)
"Resurrection By Erection" feat. Christopher Bowes (Alestorm)
"Saturday Satan" feat. Jari Mäenpää (Wintersun)


LP 3 (Bonus Album): Symphony Of The Wild - Orchestral Versions


"Faster Than The Flame"
"Beast Of Gévaudan"
"Dancing With The Dead"
"Varcolac"
"Alive Or Undead"
"Blood For Blood (Faoladh)"
"Glaubenskraft"
"Call Of The Wild"
"Sermon Of Swords"
"Undress To Confess"
"Reverent Of Rats"


"Faster Than The Flame" lyric video:





"Blood For Blood (Faoladh)" lyric video:





“Fist By Fist (Sacralize Or Strike)” lyric video:





"Dancing With The Dead" video:





"Beast Of Gévaudan" video:





“Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend” video:





(Photo - Matteo Vdiva Fabbiani / VDPICTURES)





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