REO SPEEDWAGON has been forced to cancel two of its concerts this weekend after members of the band's "touring family" tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The August 7 show at the The Festival at Sandpoint in Sandpoint, Idaho and the August 9 appearance at the 80th Sturgis motorcycle rally have both been called off as much of the country grapples with a resurgence of coronavirus cases.

"Unfortunately, while we have been practicing CDC and locally recommended COVID-19 protocols on tour, members of the REO touring family still tested positive recently," REO SPEEDWAGON said in a statement. "Fortunately, everyone was vaccinated, and all are feeling fine despite the positive tests. However, for the safety of our band, crew members, venue staff, our families, and our awesome fans, we will regrettably be canceling our upcoming show in Sturgis, SD. Once everyone affected observes the recommended quarantine and tests negative, we'll be back on the road again! Stay safe & get vaccinated everyone!"

Late last month, just a few days prior to the cancelation, REO SPEEDWAGON frontman Kevin Cronin told Ultimate Classic Rock that people were "just so excited to have live music back. It's been great for us so far," he said. "Hopefully, the rest of the country starts to wake up and get vaccinated so this virus doesn't take over and shut everything down again."

Formed in 1967, signed in 1971, and fronted by Cronin since 1972, REO SPEEDWAGON's unrelenting drive, as well as non-stop touring and recording jump-started the burgeoning rock movement in the Midwest. Platinum albums and radio staples soon followed, setting the stage for the release of the band's explosive "Hi Infidelity" in 1980, which contained the massive hit singles "Keep On Loving You" and "Take It On the Run". That landmark album spent 15 weeks in the No. 1 slot and has since earned the RIAA's coveted Diamond Award for surpassing sales of 10 million units in the United States.

Today, REO SPEEDWAGON has sold more than 40 million albums around the globe, and Cronin and bandmates Bruce Hall (bass), Neal Doughty (keyboards), Dave Amato (guitar), and Bryan Hitt (drums) are still electrifying audiences worldwide in concert with hits and fan favorites such as "In Your Letter", "Can't Fight This Feeling", "Time For Me To Fly", "Roll With The Changes", the aforementioned "Keep On Loving You" and "Take It On the Run", and many, many more.


Attention Sturgis, SD fans!

Unfortunately, while we have been practicing CDC and locally recommended COVID-19 protocols...

Posted by REO Speedwagon on Thursday, August 5, 2021

Italian rockers and Eurovision 2021 winners MÅNESKIN have teamed up with Iggy Pop on a new version of their hit single "I Wanna Be Your Slave".

MÅNESKIN first teased the collaboration, which will be officially made available on August 6, via a cryptic video posted on their social media, showing a Zoom call with Pop.

"I Wanna Be Your Slave" is taken from MÅNESKIN's latest album "Teatro D'ira: Vol I", which was released in March. The LP has since been certified platinum in Italy and now boasts over 400 million streams.

Following its epic win at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest, MÅNESKIN has climbed up the charts worldwide, achieving unprecedented results for Italian artists: they are the first Italian band in the history of music to crack the U.K. singles chart with two singles at the same time — at No. 6 and No. 10 — and collecting new certifications every week, both in Italy and abroad.

"I Wanna Be Your Slave" was certified platinum in Italy, as well as in Finland and Poland and six-times platinum in Russia, and was certified gold in Austria, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Turkey; "Zitti E Buoni" (three times platinum in Italy) was certified gold in the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and was certified platinum in Finland, Greece, Ireland, Poland and five-times platinum in Russia; "Begginc" was certified gold in Finland, Malaysia, Poland, seven-times platinum in Russia and is climbing up the Spotify Top 50 charts in Canada, Australia, while "I Wanna Be Your Slave" also climbs the chart in Canada, Brazil, Australia and Peru, where it also peaked at No. 1 on the Viral 50 chart, together with seven other songs by MÅNESKIN.

MÅNESKIN will grace the stage at the greatest music festivals in Europe during the summer of 2021 and in 2022, alongside some of the biggest names in the global music scene, and will perform, for the first time ever, at key sports arenas in Italy as part of their 13-date tour across the country (organized and produced by Vivo Concerti). That trek already boasts over 100,000 tour tickets sold and six sold-out concerts, and which will be held this winter and next spring.




MÅNESKIN & IGGY POP - I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE

OUT AUGUST 6th 12 AM CEST pic.twitter.com/LHQUeCiraA

— ManeskinOfficial (@thisismaneskin) August 4, 2021








Keep an eye on this.

Soon @IggyPop pic.twitter.com/EdIFN5K4dR

— ManeskinOfficial (@thisismaneskin) August 2, 2021

In a brand new interview with Rolling Stone, Bob Daisley spoke about the controversial 2002 re-recordings of the drum and bass parts on OZZY OSBOURNE's classic first two solo albums, 1980's "Blizzard Of Ozz" and 1981's "Diary Of A Madman".

The tracks originally played by bassist Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake on both albums were replaced on the reissue by Robert Trujillo (now in METALLICA) and Mike Bordin, respectively, after Daisley and Kerslake sued Ozzy and his wife/manager Sharon Osbourne over royalties. They were restored for the 30th-anniversary editions.

Asked how he felt when he learned that his parts on the first two Ozzy records had been re-recorded, Bob said: "To be honest with you, I thought it was pathetic. Someone sent me a copy of one of them, and I laughed. I thought, 'Is this a joke?' I just didn’t think it was done right. The thing is, you can't reheat a soufflé. You can't take the ingredients out of a cake and then try and bake it again. It happened once. We did various takes of each song and we used the parts where each of us shined the best. There might be five takes of 'Crazy Train' or four takes of something else, or eight takes of something else, and we picked the one that had the best vibe. And it was four people being recorded in a room together. You can't change that.

"And the fans hated them for it. It was, like, 'God, you've got no respect for the fans and everyone that spends money on this music.' They were hated for it. I'm just quoting what fans said, not me."

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio he was against the idea of replacing the original tracks when he found out about it. "Believe me, it wasn't my doing," he said. "I mean, I didn't know that was being done, 'cause Sharon was fighting all the legal things that were going down at the time. I said, 'What did you do that for?' And she said, 'The only way I could stop everything was if it went to that level.' And I said, 'You know what, whatever the circumstances were, I want the original thing back.' I mean, I wouldn't have done that."

Daisley told Rock Cellar in a 2012 interview that the 30th-anniversary reissues of both albums could have featured the material as bonus content. He explained, "I offered to supply tapes of our rehearsals and writing sessions, to go as proper bonus material. And I just said that I wanted a royalty out of it, because it's my stuff. But they wouldn't do it because they didn't want to give me a royalty — they just wanted to buy it."

Daisley said that he and Kerslake were fired because of disagreements with Sharon over a number of things, including refusing to do two shows in one day out of worry that Ozzy would blow out his voice.

According to the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA), 1980's "Blizzard Of Ozz" has been certified quintuple platinum for shipments in excess of five million copies, while 1981's "Diary Of A Madman" has been certified triple platinum for more three million units s

Vocalist Stu Block - who left Into Eternity in 2011 to join Iced Earth, and was replaced by Amanda Kiernan - announced his return to Into Eternity after performing live with the band at the Loud As Hell festival in Drumheller, Alberta on July 31.

Footage of the band performing "Elysium Dreams" at the festival can be seen below:

Earlier this month, Stu Block posted the following message on social media: "What an amazing time with Into Eternity at the Loud As Hell Fest!! I had such a killer time with my brothers Matt, Tim, Troy and Bryan and sister from another mister Amanda!! Soooooo I’m sure you are all speculating if I will be coming back to Into Eternity permanently and the answer is... YES!!! I will be coming back sharing lead vocal duties with the amazing Amanda Kiernan! The insane talent that is in this band needs to be showcased to the world again through new recordings and some touring. We will be working hard on new music and refining the live show to perfection for you to enjoy. We have LOTS of exciting things coming within the next few months! We can’t wait!!!"




propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('bravewords_content_2'); });



window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-rr',
container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});

U.K. thrash legends Solitary have revealed the new video "Spawn Of Hate," the fourth video to hail from their new album for Metalville Records, The Truth Behind The Lies. "Spawn Of Hate" is one of the fastest, most intense songs the band have ever recorded, and the raw performance footage captures that true thrash spirit that will take you crashing back to the '80s heydays. Crackling with electricity, alive with energy, this is Solitary at their savage best – harder and heavier than ever before.

The Truth Behind The Lies artwork and tracklisting:

"I Will Not Tolerate"
"The Dark...The Resilient"
"Abominate"
"Homage To The Broken"
"The Truth Behind The Lies"
"Catharsis"
"DTR (Dishonour True Reality)"
"Spawn Of Hate"

"Abominate":

"I Will Not Tolerate":

 




propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('bravewords_content_2'); });



window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-rr',
container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});

Floridian power metal band, Seven Kingdoms, have dropped a new music video for "Castles In The Snow", off the band's Napalm Records-released album, Decennium.

“We wish this had come out sooner, but it’s taken until now to get it done! We’re stoked to finally put this out into the world and we will be bringing this song with us on the upcoming Unleash The Archers and Aether Realm tour! Big thanks to our legendary fans for providing the B-Roll to us for the story! See you at the dates below!”

See below for upcoming tour dates for Seven Kingdoms, which include a US run in the fall alongside Unleash The Archers and Aether Realm, as well as headlining dates.

August (Headline Dates)
21 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
22 - Pompano Beach, FL - Piper’s Pub
27 - Madison, WI - Mad With Power (Sold Out)
28 - Madison, WI - Mad With Power (Sold Out)
30 - Des Moines, IA - Lefty’s

September (with Unleash The Archers and Aether Realm)
1 - Minneapolis, MN - Cabooze
2 - Chicago, IL - Reggies (Sold Out)
3 - Detroit, MI - The Shelter
4 - Pittsburgh, PA - Enclave (upgraded)
5 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall            
7 - Providence, RI - Alchemy
8 - New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
9 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
10 - Greensboro, NC - The Blind Tiger
11 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Heaven)
12 - Orlando, FL - The Abbey (upgraded)
14 - Austin, TX - Come and Take it Live
15 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Bar & Grill
16 - Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street Collective
17 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room
18 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre (Sold Out)
19 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
21 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater
22 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720
23 - San Diego, CA - Brick by Brick
24 - Petaluma, CA - The Phoenix Theater
25 - Portland, OR - Dante's
26 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon

September (Headline Dates)
27 - Boise, ID - The Shredder
28 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
30 - Omaha, NB - Reverb




propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('bravewords_content_2'); });



window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-rr',
container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});

Canadian tech death masters, Archspire, will be releasing their new full-length album, Bleed The Future,'on October 29 via Season Of Mist. The official music video for the first single, "Golden Mouth Of Ruin", can be seen below.

The band comments: "The Archspire kitchen is open for business!!! We'll be serving up big portions of the fastest death metal your ears can handle, across Europe and the U., so come get an extra large helping of home made, extra creamy tech death! Make sure to leave room for dessert, because we'll be playing songs from our upcoming album, Bleed The Future! Bon appetit!"

Prior to the tour overseas, the band will be playing an album release show in their hometown of Vancouver, B.C. at the Rickshaw Theatre on October 30.Tickets can be found here.

The full run of European and UK dates and tickets are available here.

Bleed The Future is available for pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Drone Corpse Aviator"
"Golden Mouth Of Ruin"
"Abandon The Linear"
"Bleed The Future"
"Drain Of Incarnation"
"Acrid Canon"
"Reverie On The Onyx"
"A.U.M."

"Golden Mouth Of Ruin" video:




propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('bravewords_content_2'); });



window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-rr',
container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});

Frontiers Music Srl will release French melodic metal band Devoid's second album, Lonely Eye Movement, on October 15. Watch a video for the album's title track below, and pre-order/save the Lonely Eye Movement album here.

"The music was written with Jorris Guilbaud and me and Carsten [Schulz] wrote the lyrics. It's a song about the horror of dealing with depression, trying to make your way through every single day. It doesn't matter at all what others might tell you about what or who you are, the struggle never stops. We wanted to give a melancholic atmosphere to these songs, but we wanted to leave hope at the end," says guitarist Shad Mae of the album's title track.

Of the album's overall sound, Shad continues, "The idea was to achieve the perfect mix between my heaviest influences (Evergrey, Devin Townsend, Soilwork, etc.) and AOR bands I like (Winger, White Heart, Giant, Strangeways, etc.) and to produce an album which is very catchy and timeless."

Devoid's second album overall, Lonely Eye Movement is a huge step forward for the band and the perfect vehicle to introduce them to a larger international audience. Coming four years after their debut album, Cup Of Tears, musically, the band develops the melodic and slightly progressive sound of the debut and makes Lonely Eye Movement perfectly suited for fans of hard hitting, but very melodic metal.

Devoid is the brainchild of French guitarist extraordinaire Shad Mae. Combining technical finesse and outstanding arrangements with extremely memorable choruses and hooks, Devoid is rounded out by powerhouse German vocalist Carsten 'Lizard' Schulz (Evidence One, Book of Reflections), guitarist Gwen Kerjan, keyboardist Jorris Guilbaud, bassist Geoffrey Shob Neau, and drummer Benjamin Lesous.  

Tracklisting:

"Lonely Eye Movement"
"Man Without Fear"
"Impostor"
"Destination Heaven"
"Waiting For The Storm"
"In The Absence Of Holiness"
"Mirror Maze"
"Hands Of Salvation"
"Stroboscope Life"
"Martial Hearts"
"Wood And Wind"

"Lonely Eye Movement" video:

Lineup:

Carsten 'Lizard' Schulz - Vocals
Shad Mae - Guitars
Gwen Kerjan - Guitars
Jorris Guilbaud - Keyboards
Geoffrey 'Shob' Neau - Bass
Benjamin Lesous - Drums




propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('bravewords_content_2'); });



window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-rr',
container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});

FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares will play guitar for SOULFLY on the Max Cavalera-fronted band's upcoming U.S. tour. The 33-date trek kicks off on August 20 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and will make 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.

Cavalera comments: "I'm very excited to be sharing the stage with Dino. He is a true OG riff master, It's going to sound heavier than SOULFLY has ever sounded before! Dino's legendary FEAR FACTORY crunch guitar sound mixed with SOULFLY is going to sound insane."

Cazares states: "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".

Longtime SOULFLY guitarist Marc Rizzo has not yet publicly commented on his apparent exit from the band.

Rizzo recently announced that he will hit the road with the heavy metal honky tonk duo WHISKEYDICK later this month.

Back in 2018, Max praised Rizzo, telling "The Classic Metal Show": "He loves what he does; he loves playing in SOULFLY; he loves working with me. We are totally connected. He gives 150 percent every show, no matter if there's ten people or ten thousand, which is rare. Sometimes when there's not a lot of people, it's hard to go out there and still be excited and he does it. I do believe he's underrated big-time, but I'm kind of happy about that because if he gets too big, then he will go away. He will join a big band. I'll be out looking for another guitar player and it would suck. It would really suck to lose Marc. I'm kind of happy. It's almost like a secret thing that we have, this treasure that we have. He's fantastic. He's an amazing guitar player. I sit sometimes around the dressing room just to hear him play. Just go in the dressing room to hang out while he's practicing just to hear him playing some of the flamenco sections in the dressing room or when he's just shredding. He's killer. He is a true, true guitar hero."

Last month, Mayhem released their Atavistic Black Disorder / Kommando EP, which showcases the bands influences in the best possible way. Now, the most fearsome black metal band has teamed up with renowned filmmaker Zev Deans to create a visual masterpiece for the song "Black Glass Communion".

Zev Deans comments on the collaboration with Mayhem: “When approaching a metal music video, some might roll their eyes and think to themselves ‘how many times do I have to watch a satanic ritual sacrifice before I see something new?’ But for any true Satanist, ritual is an essential part of life that you must repeat again and again with the same sincerity and enthusiasm that you brought to your first time. The very nature of ritual is that it is repetitive, a mantra, a drone that is echoed through different bodies and different times. In my approach to 'Black Glass Communion', this truth was unwavering. Now, you must look deep into the depths of the black glass and see what emerges before you.”

For their new EP, Mayhem reflected on their influences by covering songs from bands like Discharge, Dead Kennedys, Rudimentary Peni and Ramones with an impressive bursting and darkened sound.

Atavistic Black Disorder / Kommando EP is available in the following formats:

* Deluxe silver 180g LP + CD Box Set (incl. 3 Art Prints + Slipmat)
- The 3 available graphics make up the overall concept from the already released visuals of the  Daemon Box Set. The total of 6 graphics were considered as an alternative cover versions of the Daemon album and will not be reproduced after this limited edition run.
- The Slipmat contains a special print of the back cover (Punk-Head) of this EP!
- Limited to 1,000 units

(500 CM Distro Wholesale & CM EU Shop / 300 Band Shop / 200 CM US Shop)

* CD Digipak

* 180g LP (double sided album cover!)
- Black LP (all outlets)
- Grey LP – 300 units (CM Distro Wholesale & CM EU Shop)
- Tangerine LP – 200 units (CM US Shop)
- Creamy white LP – 300 units (EMP)
- Dark Green LP – 300 units (Nuclear Blast)
- Deep Blood Red LP – 300 units (Mayhem Webshop)
- Aqua LP – 500 units (US Indie Stores)

* Digital EP

Order here.

Tracklisting:

Side A
"Voces Ab Alta"
"Black Glass Communion"
"Everlasting Dying Flame"

Side B
"In Defense Of Our Future" (Discharge cover)
"Hellnation" (Dead Kennedys cover)
"Only Death" (Rudimentary Peni cover)
"Commando" (Ramones cover)

“Everlasting Dying Flame” visualizer:

"Voces Ab Alta" video:

Mayhem is:

Necrobutcher – Bass
Hellhammer – Drums
Attila – Vocals
Teloch – Guitar
Ghul – Guitar

(Photo - Ester Segarra)




propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('bravewords_content_2'); });



window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-rr',
container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});

Nuclear Blast Records has announced the signing of the Swedish black metal collective WATAIN. The band has now entered Necromorbus Studios, located inside of a church north of their hometown Uppsala, to record a new album and follow-up to the ferocious 2018 opus "Trident Wolf Eclipse". The new full-length is scheduled for a release in the spring of 2022.

WATAIN states: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great reverence and infernal hunger alike that we now stand before the next chapter of WATAIN. Armed with the faith, force and fire accumulated during the 'Trident Wolf Eclipse' era, we are now entering terra incognita, to again face our inner selves and the ever-expanding abyss that roars within. A few months of hard noble work lay ahead, and we could not be more ready for it. We are most eagerly looking forward to sharing the result with you all in the wild times to come. Until then: stay hungry, stay deviant, stay free and fuck the world!"

Jens Prüter, head of A&R Europe at Nuclear Blast, comments: "I have always been fascinated how WATAIN build their own cosmos based on their primordial fire of will. It's more than just music. It's an universal experience of darkness and light.

"I first started working with WATAIN in 2013 and was thrilled to contribute then to their success and highest chart entries the band has ever had. It's a pleasure to welcome them now to Nuclear Blast Records to continue accompanying their path — wherever it will take us because the path is the goal."

WATAIN 2021 recording lineup:

Erik Danielsson

Pelle Forsberg

Alvaro Lillo

Hampus Eriksson

Emil Svensson

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH recently entered the Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada to begin recording its new album for a 2022 release. In addition, the band has commenced re-recording its debut LP, 2007's "The Way Of The Fist", for its 15th anniversary.

Late last night, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory took to his Instagram to share a snippet of the new version of the song "The Bleeding", which originally appeared on "The Way Of The Fist". Check it out below.

Back in May, Bathory explained the decision to rework the LP, writing in a social media post: "It was a truly self produced DIY album, mostly recorded in my living room, so we thought it would be really interesting to hear it with a proper big production".

"The Way Of The Fist" was originally released in July 2007 and was certified gold in April 2011 for sales in excess of 500,000 copies.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's upcoming album will be the band's first with its latest addition, renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who replaced Jason Hook last year. James was previously featured on "Broken World", a song that was included on the second installment of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction - Volume 2", which came out last fall.

Each of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's first six albums — "The Way of the Fist", 2009's "War Is The Answer", 2011's "American Capitalist", 2013's "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1" and "Volume 2", and 2015's "Got Your Six" — has gone either gold or platinum in the U.S.

The band has had two dozen songs hit the Top 10 on the Mainstream Rock or Hard Rock Digital charts, starting with "The Bleeding". FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's 2010 cover of BAD COMPANY's "Bad Company" was certified platinum for accumulating a million certified units.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's No. 1 hits include "Coming Down", "Lift Me Up", "Battle Born", "Wash It All Away", "Sham Pain", "When The Seasons Change" and "Blue On Black".

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's most recent album, 2020's "F8", debuted at No. 1 on rock charts around the world, with Top 10 mainstream chart debuts in the U.S., Austria, Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and more. "F8" features No. 1 hit singles "Inside Out", "A Little Bit Off" and "Living The Dream".
























View this post on Instagram









































A post shared by ZOLTAN® ?‍☠️ 5FDP ∞ (@zoltanbathory)

New Jersey based brutal death metal act, Cognitive, released their fourth album, Malevolent Thoughts Of Hastened Extinction, on July 16 via Unique Leader. The band have released playthrough videos for the tracks "The Maw" and "Arterial Red". Watch below:

Malevolent Thoughts Of A Hastened Extinction artwork and tracklisting:

"Eniac"
"The Maw"
"Arterial Red"
"From The Depths"
"Oroborous"
"To Feed The Worms"
"Malevolent Thoughts"
"Tearing Tendon From Bone"
"Destitute"
"Of A Hastened Extinction"

"To Feed The Worms" video:

"Eniac" video:

Album stream:




propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('bravewords_content_2'); });



window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-rr',
container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});

Tim "Ripper" Owens says that he joined JUDAS PRIEST during "possibly the worst era of heavy metal ever"

The Ohio-based singer created two studio LPs with the British heavy metal legends — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before the group reunited with Rob Halford.

Regarding Halford's return to PRIEST, Owens told the "Iron City Rocks" podcast (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I knew it was coming. And I understood why. Rob needed JUDAS PRIEST, and JUDAS PRIEST needed Rob. And I understood that. I would never quit JUDAS PRIEST, so they fired me. And I wanted to do other things as well. That's why I recorded that ICED EARTH record. I kind of started wanting to do some other things. 'Cause we have a lot of downtime. I just felt like it.

"JUDAS PRIEST was just so much fun, and the guys were such great friends, and it was such a great time," he continued. "I didn't burn any bridges. I left and I don't talk bad about 'em. Other than me saying that they've erased my time. I mean, [the albums I made during] my era of JUDAS PRIEST [are not available]. But on a personal level, the guys are friends, the management, Rob — everybody. We all get along. I knew it was gonna happen. And it was always something that was there."

According to Owens, the timing of his addition to JUDAS PRIEST worked against him during his time with the legendary band.

"The only bad thing about when I joined JUDAS PRIEST is it was possibly the worst era of heavy metal ever," he said. "It was at the end of grunge, during grunge kind of, that whole thing. And [in] '96, [metal bands] were playing clubs — I don't care who you were, what bands you were; you were playing smaller venues. So that made it even worse that here I am joining my band, which hasn't been around for five years, joining JUDAS PRIEST in the worst part of heavy metal. But the fans were great. And obviously, not everybody loved me; that's normal. There's still people that don't like Brian Johnson [in AC/DC]; it amazes me. But they were great records. To me, 'Demolition' was even better, so it was kind of nice to do those records.

"I could sing the stuff. When somebody didn't like me, or they'd say they didn't like 'Jugulator' or 'Demolition', I would always say, 'Well, come to the concert and hear me sing there then. Because you'll love it.' And the fans were great. Everybody was always good."

Back in 2019, Owens told "Talking Metal" that JUDAS PRIEST's management requested that he stop using artwork related to his time with the group to promote his solo shows.

More than two years ago, Tim defended Kenneth "K.K." Downing over the comments the ex-PRIEST guitarist made about his former bandmates in his recently released autobiography, explaining that Downing is "just telling the truth."

Owens and Downing are currently in a new band called KK'S PRIEST with guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE), bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK'S PRIEST's debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", will be released on October 1 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records

NICKELBACK bassist Mike Kroeger has confirmed to Tulsa Music Stream that he and his bandmates are working on the follow-up to 2017's "Feed The Machine" album. "That is happening right now," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "Music is being composed and recorded up in Canada. We were out there, and something came up and our producer had to take some time off. So I took that opportunity to [return home] to Los Angeles with family and spend a little bit of time at home. But I'll be headed back up there in a couple of weeks to pick it up again."

Asked if there is a tentative release date for the new NICKELBACK album, Mike said: "Release dates are primarily arrived at by business interests, like record labels and whatever. We don't have one of those. We've been managing ourselves for about a year. So, the answer is no. We're doing it on our schedule, at our own pace, and it'll be done when it's done. 'Cause we've blown up deadlines in the past lots of times. Because we feel that you can make a good record and be late, but you can't, or you shouldn't, make a shitty record to be on time. So we won't be pressed for time. And in this case, we don't have to worry about that, 'cause we're on our own schedule. We're doing what we wanna do when we wanna do it. We're paying for everything. Nobody can tell us what to do. We just have to decide when we wanna go on tour. It turns out we're booking a tour for next summer. So we'll have to get some stuff squared away and out there to the people in advance of that."

NICKELBACK guitarist Ryan Peake said in April 2020 that the band's documentary — which has been in the works for at least a few years — was "very close to being released."

Last August, NICKELBACK released a music video for its cover version of THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND classic "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". Honoring Daniels, who passed away in July 2020, NICKELBACK invited guitarist Dave Martone to join them on a cover of the infamous classic story — paying homage to Daniels's influence on their careers and the legacy left behind.

NICKELBACK's "All The Right Reasons: 15th Anniversary Expanded Edition" was released as a two-CD set in October and is also available digitally on all streaming platforms. The collection features a newly remastered version of the original 2005 album, a selection of B-sides and a 2006 live concert recording.

Since forming in Alberta, Canada in 1995, NICKELBACK has cemented itself as one of the most commercially viable and important acts of the past three decades. NICKELBACK's success includes worldwide sales of more than 50 million units, solidifying their status as one of the top-selling acts of all time.

With more than 23 chart-topping singles and fans spanning the globe, NICKELBACK boasts twelve consecutive sold-out world tours, playing to well over eight million diehard and adoring fans.

German thrashers DESTRUCTION performed without founding guitarist Michael "Mike" Sifringer on July 16 at the Area 53 Festival in Leoben, Austria. Earlier today (Friday, July 30), DESTRUCTION frontman Schmier took to his Facebook page to address questions about Mike's absence, writing: "I have received several messages, why we have played with a different guitarist in Austria at Area 53 Festival and I understand your concern. As much as I know, Mike is doing ok. Thanks for writing and asking!" He then clarified: "Well he is not really answering my e mails, communication is difficult at this point. So I m not sure how he is doing.

"There was a problem that lead to the decision to carry on without him for now and there will be a statement in August explaining the situation.

"I am in this weird situation to lead the band in difficult Covid-times and we have been very productive and have already recorded the new album and are fully confident & ready for the festivals coming up.

"Please understand that this is a super difficult situation for me and we will release the statement when all things are sorted and clear. (Planned is August 19th for this) Nevertheless DESTRUCTION will continue to Thrash till Death ...

"Sorry about these uncomfortable news, it was not my decision, he decided to leave the band. Please stay tuned for the official statement ASAP!!!"

Sifringer is the only member of DESTRUCTION to have remained constant throughout the band's career. Schmier appeared on DESTRUCTION's first three albums before leaving the band and being replaced by POLTERGEIST vocalist André Grieder. André's sole recorded appearance with DESTRUCTION was on the "Cracked Brain" album, which came out in 1990. Schmier rejoined DESTRUCTION in 1999.

DESTRUCTION will release a new Blu-ray and CD, "Live Attack", on August 13 via Napalm Records. The 22-song release includes footage of the band's nearly two-hour livestream concert from January 2021 at the legendary Z7 venue in Pratteln, Switzerland.

In May 2020, DESTRUCTION delivered a treat for fans stuck at home and unable to attend live shows: "Born To Thrash - Live In Germany", the band's first live album with the most lineup, was made available digitally on all streaming and download platforms.

DESTRUCTION's latest studio album, "Born To Perish", was released in August 2019 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was recorded in January and February 2019 with V.O. Pulver (PRO-PAIN, BURNING WITCHES, NERVOSA) at Little Creek Studios in Switzerland and is the first DESTRUCTION album to feature Randy Black on drums and second guitarist Damir Eskic.

Damir is a Swiss guitar player of Bosnian decent who works as a guitar teacher, himself being a former pupil of Tommy Vetterli (CORONER). He also plays in a heavy metal band called GOMORRA and previously contributed three solos to DESTRUCTION's 2016 album "Under Attack".

During a recent interview with Yahoo! Entertainment's Lyndsey Parker, TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider was asked if he has any intention of ever going into politics. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Many, many people asked me [that same question]. I got a call from a guy who said, 'Listen, I'm not asking. I'm telling. This influential person said, 'I'm starting a Super PAC,'" he said, referencing the political committee that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives or legislation. "I said, 'No. Thank you. I appreciate it.' He said, 'I'm not asking. I'm doing this.' I said, 'No.' He said, 'Why?' I said, ''Cause I've seen the job. It's terrible. These people are terrible people. They're self-serving. They've got agendas. They're not looking for the greater good.' And the people who have actually gone in with genuine… Like Jimmy Carter, just a really decent human being, got destroyer. He got chewed up and spit out by Washington. There's no place for a fair, honorable, decent, reasonable person. Nobody wants the voice of reason; they want the voice of insanity. And if I can tell you this, the loudest voices in the room are the extremes on the left and the right, and they are the smallest percentages.

"Most of us are somewhere in the middle," Dee explained. "And these are the phrases that get used: 'I'm sure it'll work out'; 'I trust things will be okay'; 'It usually comes back to center.' We've got all these sort of, like, 'Things will be okay in the end.' And as Dr. Phil says, 'How's that working out for ya?'

"The vast majority of people have been too willing to sit back and hope for the best while the extremes on the left and right are using that silence that we have to just try and control things. No. Push back, fight back, don't shut up. Tell these idiots to shut up."

Asked if he is feeling a little better about the state of the world in 2021 now that Donald Trump is no longer president, Snider said: "Well, not having a lunatic driving a bus is a great thing. But the fact of the matter is that lunatic is still in the bus; he's just moved into the back seat. So he's back there causing problems. You remember the bus, people. The troublemakers in the back? Yeah, they're still in there.

"The biggest favor that Trump did… And it's just… There's what's his name over there, Boris [Johnson] in England, with Brexit, in Brazil… They're all over the world. There's Trumps [all over the world]. They keep referring to it as 'Australia's Trump,' 'the U.K.'s Trump.' Everybody's got a Trump. But the favor they did us is that they got these awful people to come out of the shadows. 'We thought we had a black president. Everything's okay.' No. It's not. So now they're out of the shadows, or if they slink back, now we know they're there.

"So, no, I don't think it's better," he added. "I think they've just been forced out of the forefront for a little bit, but don't fool yourself people — they're there. They're going nowhere. They were hiding. They were biding their time. They were waiting. And when they finally got someone that spoke [to them], that they felt it was cool to come out and expose themselves, they did. So, just know full well they're still there and you've just gotta stay vigilant."

Snider found himself in the middle of controversy in 2016 when he asked Trump to stop using the 1984 TWISTED SISTER anthem "We're Not Gonna Take It" in his campaign.

Dee, who got to know Trump personally after appearing more than once on "The Celebrity Apprentice", had been an outspoken critic of America's 45th president, tweeting incessantly against Trump's administration and blasting Trump as "a commie-loving traitor" who is prostituting our democracy. He has also engaged in heated Twitter fights with Trump followers, some of whom had taken issue with his colorful delivery and unapologetic tone.

Last year, Snider criticized Trump over his handling of the coronavirus outbreak, saying that Trump's response to COVID-19 had been "to politicize it and separate us more and make it about politics instead of about joining together and helping each other. This was an opportunity to really bring the country together over something really important, that rises above all the other B.S. in the world," he said. "And he failed to do that, and we're seeing the results."

In eary September, Snider defended his "aggressive and intense" approach in dealing with "idiot Trump followers" on social media, saying that he was "trying to lead by example."

Former MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman John Corabi has reflected on the making of the band's 1997 album "Generation Swine". CRÜE began recording the album with Corabi as lead singer, but ended up bringing original vocalist Vince Neil back into the fold and releasing the record with Neil's vocals.

Speaking to Rob's School Of Music, Corabi said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We worked on that record for, God, almost two years. Now, the difference is I'm not a fan of the record that came out. 'Cause you've gotta understand we had recorded a bunch of those songs, and they brought Vince back. Then they went back into the studio with him for, like, another year. And they switched things around, then they started playing with sound effects.

"I don't mean this in any disrespect to MÖTLEY at all, but the bottom line of it is we did a record and it didn't sell well — per their standards," he continued, referencing 1994's "Mötley Crüe" LP. "I mean, it went gold, but it didn't sell well. The tour was a disaster. And I think, to be honest with you, Tommy [Lee, drums] and Nikki [Sixx, bass] and Scott [Humphrey, co-producer] were trying to reinvent themselves to be current. And at the time, bands like MARILYN MANSON, NINE INCH NAILS, ROB ZOMBIE, MINISTRY, PANTERA — all these bands were heavy, a lot of 'em were industrial, and they were just trying to figure out how to be relevant again. Which kind of led to a little bit of my demise, because I was just, like, 'This is fucking bullshit. Just do what you do. You're MÖTLEY.' And I've done the same thing. Even after I got out of MÖTLEY and I was in RATT, then I decided I was gonna do a solo record, I would record a few songs and I would do 'em and I'd go, 'Man, I've gotta be relevant. I've gotta be relevant.' So everybody gets caught up in it. But the bottom line of it is it took a manager, or a friend mine, to just sit there and go, 'You know, Crab, listen, man. Fuck that. You are what you are. You're a bluesy kind of BEATLES, [LED] ZEPPELIN, AEROSMITH… That's who you are. Don't try to be something that you're not. Stop looking at trends and just do what you do. There are people out there that like what you do.' And at that point, once I just said, 'You know what? Fuck it. I'm just gonna do my own thing,' then I was a lot better off."

Circling back to the musical direction of "Generation Swine", Corabi said: "I'm not real happy with the record the way it came out, because I think they went so far left… We wrote a song, and then they turned it into a song called 'Glitter'. And if you listen to some of the guitar parts that Mick's [Mars] doing, it's like this weird random noise. One song, I don't remember which one it is, but there was a guitar solo on it; it sounded like a chainsaw. And I'm, like, 'Why the fuck…?' Mick Mars has got the most awesome guitar tone; he's a very underrated guitar player. Why would you do that to his tone? So, it is what it is.

"A lot of that record was written while I was in the band," he confirmed. "And there was a bunch of other songs that are probably in a vault somewhere that we wrote."

When interviewer Rob Spampinato suggested that it would be cool for MÖTLEY CRÜE to one day release the demos for "Generation Swine" with John's vocals, Corabi said: "To be perfectly honest with you, I think they were panicked. It was the first time for Tommy and Nikki to actually really produce a record. And to be perfectly honest with you, my vocals, if they were ever to release any of that shit, I would wanna go back in and re-sing. Because I was so mentally… I couldn't figure out what they wanted. Normally, when you go in with a producer, if you sing something, and they go, 'Well…' Like Marti Frederiksen, for example — I've done three records with Marti with THE DEAD DAISIES, and we're working together on my solo album. And I'll sing something for Marti, and he'll go, 'Eh. That's really good, dude. But what about…' And he'll maybe sing 70 percent of what I was singing, and then he'll just twist a note or two, and now I go, 'Oh, shit. I would have never thought of that.'

"The thing that I was struggling with Tommy and Nikki and Scott, as far as producing was, they would say, 'Nah. That's not it,'" he recalled. "Then I'd go, 'What are you hearing?' And they wouldn't sing me anything back. They really didn't know what they wanted. They would give me these random bands… Like, Nikki would say, 'Something on the lines of MANIC STREET PREACHERS and old David Bowie.' And then Scott would go, 'CHEAP TRICK.' And then Tommy would go, 'No, dude. Like, heavy. Like PANTERA. But lush, like OASIS.' And I'm sitting there going, 'Half of these bands I've never even fucking heard of before. Who are the MANIC STREET PREACHERS? Never heard of 'em.' And I'm trying to process, how do you blend PANTERA with OASIS or CHEAP TRICK or Bowie? I was trying to process it, so my singing was not peak, let's put it that way. So I would definitely wanna re-sing a lot of that shit."

In February 2018, Corabi released a live album of his performance of MÖTLEY CRÜE's entire 1994 self-titled album, recorded on October 27, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee. "Live '94: One Night In Nashville" documents the album in its entirety along with the bonus track "10,000 Miles", which was originally released as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the "Quaternary" EP.

In a new interview with MusicRadar, Yngwie Malmsteen discusses his new album Parabellum, the irresistible risks of improv, his Marshall amp Room of Doom, firing over a hundred rounds from his .357 Magnum in the studio, and more. An excerpt from the chat follows...

MusicRadar: With this being a pandemic album and you being so classically minded, one imagines you cast in the role of Guillaume de Machaut, hiding from the Black Death at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Reims to write Le Messe de Notre Dame.

Yngwie Malmsteen: “[Laughs] You know what? I think that you are partially right about that! I learned many years ago that, when it comes to recording – not so much writing but recording – too much time can be a really bad thing. Yes, it can. But luckily I have sussed that out. I learned very many years ago that, if you keep doing takes, keep doing takes, keep doing takes, they don’t get better. They just don’t get better.

“All my solos are improvised. They are not written out. They are not pre-mapped out, nothing. Obviously, I know which key I am in. I know the chord progression. I know that. But that is about it. I create on the spot. Things like all the fast stuff, the arpeggios, and the vocal parts, stuff like that, then I will just do it until it is right, but with the solos I have to find a really magical moment to get it right.

“It’s the same with writing. I find that writing is something that has to be spontaneous otherwise it doesn’t it excite me. Because I could literally write anything I want, and do anything I want. If you asked me to write a death metal or a country song, or a reggae song? Yeah, yeah. Call me back in 10 minutes. Done! No problem. But that doesn’t excite me. That’s not something that I would go, ‘Oh my God!’ That is something that comes to me like a gift, like someone has given me something, and I just kinda grab it and make it mine.

“So time is good but unless you use it the right way it can actually be bad. And also, where I live, there was never any lockdown. The only really, really true impact on my day-to-day life so to speak with this horrible pandemic was the fact that I wasn’t touring. But I am back now!”

Read the complete interview at MusicRadar.

Malmsteen released his new album, Parabellum, on July 23. Order here.

Tracklisting:

"Wolves At The Door"
"Presto Vivace in C# Minor"
"Relentless Fury"
"(Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum"
"Eternal Bliss"
"Toccata"
"God Particle"
"Magic Bullet"
"(Fight) The Good Fight"
"Sea Of Tranquility"

"(Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum" video:

“Relentless Fury”:

"Wolves At The Door" lyric video:

Malmsteen has announced a string of US tour dates in November and December. John 5 will be supporting. Current dates, with more to be announced soon, are listed below. Tickets available at YngwieMalmsteen.com.

Dates:

November
18 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre
19 - Buffalo, NY - Showplace Theater
20 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance Theater
21 - Albany, NY - Empire Theatre
23 - Munhall, PA - Carnegie of Homestead Hall
24 - Harrisburg, PA - HMAC Center    
26 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
27 - Newton, NJ - Newton Theater    
28 - Richmond, VA - The National
30 - Ashwaubenon, WI - EPIC Event Center

December
1 - Columbus, OH - King of Clubs            
2 - Des Plaines, IL - Des Plaines Theatre
3 - Detroit, MI - Diesel
6 - Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater                                
8 - Reno, NV - Virginia Street Theater
9 - Agoura Hills, CA - Canyon Club       
10 - Fresno, CA - Tower Theater   
11 - Montclair, CA - The Canyon Club  
12 - Santa Clarita, CA - Canyon Club    
14 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater    
16 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Hall




propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('bravewords_content_2'); });



window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-rr',
container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});

According to Bloomberg, Ted Nugent has resigned from the board of the National Rifle Association (NRA) after 26 years.

Nugent, who joined the board in 1995, is stepping down "due to ongoing schedule conflicts," according to a July 29 e-mail from NRA general counsel John Frazer sent to board members.

Ted's decision to leave the board comes less than a year after he told Newsmax's "The Chris Salcedo Show" that the National Rifle Association was "he most important civil rights organization in the world."

"What is more important in the American Dream right now than the God-given individual right to keep and bear arms to defend yourself from these recidivistic street thugs," Ted said. "So, number one job in America is being a member of the National Rifle Association. It's the most important civil rights organization in the world. What other rights can you possibly hang on to if you don't have the right to defend yourself? Especially when these leftist freaks are engineering recidivism — they're letting the worst dangerous violent criminals out into the streets and then attempting to limit the availability of self-defense tools. I mean, this wouldn't make a 'Twilight Zone' script.

"All I can tell you is the NRA is more important now than ever," he continued. "And when you look at the background of this monster, this traitor in New York — the attorney general, and the mayor, and the governor — they're out to destroy individual freedoms. And who's the biggest fighter for individual freedoms? The National Rifle Association. That's all your need to know."

Earlier in the month, Nugent said that recidivism was to blame for the recent rise in violent crime and gun violence in America. He said: "Bad guys need to be locked up. If they shoot or stab people, I don't care if they even miss, that's a dangerous, vicious, evil act. We don't want people capable of dangerous, vicious, evil acts walking our streets. We want them either dead or in a cage — forever.

"We're living in engineered recidivism," Nugent said, referencing a measure of convicted criminals who commit another offense and re-enter prison. "The failed court system, the crime-celebrating prosecutors and attorneys are engineering recidivism. Ninety-six percent of violent crimes are committed by people that were let out for violent crimes. Here's a little guitar player idea: don't let 'em out.

"There isn't a gun problem in America," Ted added. "There is an intentional engineered recidivism problem in America. You wanna stop ninety-six percent of the violent crimes. Don't let 'em out."

This past March, Nugent threatened President Joe Biden and other Democrats, telling them to "come and take it" just hours before the House of Representatives passed two gun-safety bills.

In a March 11 Facebook post, Nugent addressed Biden and "all you other oath violating traitors," writing, "Google my address and itinerary and Come and Take It!" He also proclaimed, "If you want to play Concorde bridge again, you will be the British and I will be the Americans, again."

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson says that he and his bandmates have been dying to tell their fans about their upcoming album, "Senjutsu", "for ages."

Although the follow-up to 2015's "The Book Of Souls" was recorded back in 2019, MAIDEN didn't announce the new LP until earlier this month, preceded by the music video for the disc's first single, "The Writing On The Wall".

Dickinson addressed the long gap between the "Senjutsu"'s completion and official announcement while recording a video message to promote his upcoming spoken-word tour of the United Kingdom.

"So now you know. The big secret is no longer a secret. The album is called 'Belshazzar's Feast'," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET), referencing the story of the writing on the wall in the Bible which MAIDEN used to tease its new LP before the LP's official announcement. "No, it's not. So, 'Senjutsu' is the album.

'Really, you cannot imagine how long we've wanted to tell people about the album," he continued. "We've all been, like, [bites hand in frustration], like this for ages. So, it's amazing that the news of it is out. It's also a great opportunity, 'cause I'm doing these one-man shows, and I can actually talk about it. Actually, you can ask me questions about it, and I can talk about it. You never know, we might even take the opportunity, 'cause we're gonna have a big screen and a big sound system and there's an amazing video with some really cool stuff, which, of course, you know about. But oh my God, on a big screen. See the video on a big screen. We could talk about the video. We could play the video. Oooooh, there's an idea."

"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.

The video for "The Writing On The Wall" was 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 bassist Steve 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 "The Book Of Souls", 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.

Back in May 2019, Italian web site Maiden Concerts first speculated that IRON MAIDEN was putting the finishing touches on a new album. The site concluded that the LP was nearing completion after gathering social media evidence that all six members of the band, their wives and Shirley were in Paris at the same time. The producer even posted new pictures of Guillaume Tell Studios, where MAIDEN recorded "Brave New World" (2000) and "The Book Of Souls", saying he was finalizing a major project.

During MAIDEN's summer 2019 North American tour, Dickinson hinted at new material, telling the crowd at the group's Oakland, California concert: "New IRON MAIDEN songs — sooner than you think." At MAIDEN's Nashville show in August 2019, Dickinson said that fresh music from the band wasn't "beyond the bounds of possibility," adding that a new MAIDEN record was essentially a "certainty."

"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.

METAL CHURCH has amended its previously released statement regarding the passing of singer Mike Howe.

Howe was found dead at his home in Eureka, California on Monday, July 26. According to TMZ, Howe's official cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to hanging. A spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept. told the site authorities are calling it a suicide.

Earlier today, the surviving members of METAL CHURCH shared a statement on social media in which they blamed Howe's death on the fact that he "was victimized by a failing health-care system and subsequently poisoned by the venom of Big Pharma," a term which refers collectively to the global pharmaceutical industry. "In short and in essence, he fell prey to the real 'Fake Healer'."

METAL CHURCH's statement was quickly met with criticism from some of the band's fans who felt that the long-running metal act was using Howe's death as a platform to assert its political views. As a result, METAL CHUCH pulled its original post from social media and replaced it with a revised version, which follows below.

"Concerning our recently deleted post addressing the news that Mike's passing was a suicide, we wanted to dispel any misconceptions that might have arisen from certain media reports," METAL CHURCH wrote in its latest post. "In our efforts to do that, our attempts at honesty created a narrative that fell outside our purest of intentions. We were in no way, shape or form referring to anything in relation to vaccinations, COVID or politics. We were saying our brother was hurting and while he was seeking medical care for it, the treatments he was utilizing did not protect him. Otherwise, he would still be with us today.

"If you knew Mike Howe, then you knew he was a truly good human being who loved his friends, his family and his many fans around the world. He would always go the extra mile to make someone feel good and he would always give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. We ask that you remember Mike in that way and for the amazing metal music he created.

"This is an extremely difficult time for everyone who knew Mike personally and those that knew him through the music. We are all still processing the loss of our brother. We apologize that the original statement was misunderstood or created an incorrect dialog. We ask that you please stop attacking each other in relation to Mike's passing and METAL CHURCH. We ask that you take that energy and use it to keep Mike's memory alive by sharing the music he created while he was with us. We want METAL CHURCH music to bring people together as it has over the years and not be divisive.

"Godspeed Mike Howe, WE LOVE YOU!!!"

TMZ previously reported that cops in Eureka got a call just after 10 a.m. on Monday reporting an unexpected death at a home. By the time deputies arrived, they found the 55-year-old dead at the scene.

According to police, drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the death and no controlled substances or paraphernalia were located at the scene.

Howe, who fronted METAL CHURCH from 1988 until 1994, officially rejoined the band in April 2015.

Prior to joining METAL CHURCH more than three decades ago, Howe spent two years fronting California metal act HERETIC.

The reunion between Mike and METAL CHURCH was put in motion in July of 2014 when Mike started working with guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof on a side project Kurdt was forming with Nigel Glockler from SAXON. Through these initial conversations, Kurdt convinced Mike to ultimately return to METAL CHURCH. The idea was to see if they could recapture some of the magic from the three albums METAL CHURCH released in the late '80s: "The Human Factor", "Blessing In Disguise" and "Hanging In The Balance". Out of those sessions, 2016's "XI" was born and captured the sound that made the band fan favorites in the '80s and mixed it with a new, invigorated sound.

METAL CHURCH's latest release was "From The Vault", which arrived in April 2020 via Rat Pak Records. The effort was a special-edition compilation album that featured 14 previously unreleased songs from the Howe era, including four newly recorded studio tracks, among them a redux of the band's fan favorite classic "Conductor".

Howe is not the first singer of METAL CHURCH to die. David Wayne passed away in May 2005 from complications following a car crash. He was 47 years old.

Wayne sang on METAL CHURCH's first two classic offerings (1984's "Metal Church" and 1986's "The Dark") before leaving the group and being replaced by Howe.

Monte Conner, the music industry veteran who signed SLIPKNOT to Roadrunner Records, has paid tribute to Joey Jordison, calling him "a truly groundbreaking character who will be sorely missed by metal fans worldwide." The founding SLIPKNOT drummer's family confirmed that Jordinson passed away "peacefully in his sleep" on Monday (July 26) of an unspecified cause. He was 46 years old.

In an essay for Variety, Conner wrote in part: "Joey Jordison was one of the most talented musicians I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Fans know him for his explosive, no-holds-barred drumming style, but most don't realize he was also a gifted songwriter, arranger and guitarist who understood the art of crafting huge choruses and hooks. Along with the band's bassist, Paul Gray (who died in 2010), Joey wrote the majority of the band's music, with vocalist Corey Taylor adding the unforgettable lyrics that would resonate with and speak to the 'Maggots,' as the band called their fans."

Conner also recalled his first meeting with Jordison, saying: "He not only had a vast knowledge of extreme and underground heavy metal, but he was an encyclopedia on all things Roadrunner Records. He wanted to talk about DEICIDE, OBITUARY, SUFFOCATION, SEPULTURA and all his favorite bands on the label, and hear some insider stories. He knew as much about Roadrunner's roster and history as I did, if not more — and I'd been with the label since 1987."

Monte, who is currently VP of A&R at Nuclear Blast Records, concluded: "Joey was a truly groundbreaking character who will be sorely missed by metal fans worldwide. I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of his all-too-short but seismic journey."

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.

Jordison's family released a statement on Tuesday in which they wrote "To those that knew Joey, understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart and his love for all things family and music."

The family will have a private funeral service.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of METALLICA's self-titled album, the Grammy-winning, 16-times-platinum-certified LP is receiving its definitive re-release on September 10 via the band's own Blackened Recordings. Remastered for ultimate sound quality, The Black Album remaster will be available in multiple configurations including 180-gram double vinyl LP, standard CD and 3 CD expanded edition, digital, and limited-edition deluxe box set (containing the album remastered on 180-gram 2LP, a picture disc, three live LPs, 14 CDs (containing rough mixes, demos, interviews, live shows), 6 DVDs (containing outtakes, behind the scenes, official videos, live shows), a 120-page hardcover book, four tour laminates, three lithos, three guitar picks, a METALLICA lanyard, a folder with lyric sheets, and a download card).

Much more than a mere tribute album, "The Metallica Blacklist" celebrates the enduring influence of this musical milestone with one of the most ambitious projects ever conceived by the METALLICA team: An unprecedented 50+ artists spanning an unbelievably vast range of genres, generations, cultures, continents and more, each contributing a unique interpretation of their favorite Black Album cut.

"The Metallica Blacklist" offers up new dimensions of the record whose gravitational pull first drew the mainstream to METALLICA — and provides new insights into the universal and timeless appeal that kept it there: the boundary-smashing influence these 12 songs have had on fans and musicians of all stripes. "The Metallica Blacklist"'s 53 tracks find singer songwriters, country artists, electronic and hip hop artists sharing their love of these songs alongside punk rockers, indie darlings, icons of rock, metal, world music and many, many more… and for 50+ good causes: Profits will be divided evenly between charities of the artist's choice and METALLICA's All Within My Hands foundation.

"The Metallica Blacklist" is a fitting and limitless homage, one that features bands who've shared stages with METALLICA alongside artists who are younger than the original album. It's a truly staggering, at times mystifying assemblage of musicians, dozens of whom have little to nothing in common other than the shared passion for the music that's united them for this album: 1 Album. 12 Songs. 53 Artists. Unlimited Possibilities.

"The Metallica Blacklist" will be available in formats including digital, four-CD and a limited-edition seven-LP vinyl pressing. Pre-orders will instantly receive multi-platinum selling recording artist, songwriter, philanthropist and trailblazer Miley Cyrus's version of "Nothing Else Matters" featuring Andrew Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo and Chad Smith, and Colombian-born rock/pop superstar, and winner of 20+ Grammy and Latin Music Grammy Awards Juanes's interpretation of "Enter Sandman".

All profits from "The Metallica Blacklist" will be split evenly between the All Within My Hands foundation and 50+ charities chosen by the artists who play on the album. All Within My Hands was founded by the band in 2017 as a way for the entire METALLICA family to give back to communities that have supported the band by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services.

"The Metallica Blacklist" features the following tracks:

* ALESSIA CARA & THE WARNING - Enter Sandman

* MAC DEMARCO - Enter Sandman

* GHOST - Enter Sandman

* JUANES - Enter Sandman

* RINA SAWAYAMA - Enter Sandman

* WEEZER - Enter Sandman

* SAM FENDER - Sad But True (Live)

* JASON ISBELL - Sad But True

* MEXICAN INSTITUTE OF SOUND FEAT. LA PERLA & GERA MX - Sad But True

* ROYAL BLOOD - Sad But True

* ST. VINCENT - Sad But True

* WHITE REAPER - Sad But True

* YB - Sad But True

* BIFFY CLYRO - Holier Than Thou

* THE CHATS - Holier Than Thou

* OFF! - Holier Than Thou

* PUP - Holier Than Thou

* COREY TAYLOR - Holier Than Thou

* CAGE THE ELEPHANT - The Unforgiven

* VISHAL DADLANI, DIVINE, SHOR POLICE - The Unforgiven

* DIET CIG - The Unforgiven

* FLATBUSH ZOMBIES FEAT. DJ SCRATCH - The Unforgiven

* HA*ASH - The Unforgiven

* JOSÉ MADERO - The Unforgiven

* MOSES SUMNEY - The Unforgiven

* J BALVIN - Wherever I May Roam

* CHASE & STATUS FEAT. BACKROAD GEE - Wherever I May Roam

* THE NEPTUNES - Wherever I May Roam

* JON PARDI - Wherever I May Roam

* SEBASTIAN - Don't Tread On Else Matters

* PORTUGAL. THE MAN FEAT. AARON BEAM - Don't Tread On Me

* VOLBEAT - Don't Tread On Me

* THE HU - Through The Never

* TOMI OWÓ - Through The Never

* PHOEBE BRIDGERS - Nothing Else Matters

* MILEY CYRUS FEAT. WATT, ELTON JOHN, YO-YO MA, ROBERT TRUJILLO, CHAD SMITH - Nothing Else Matters

* DAVE GAHAN - Nothing Else Matters

* MICKEY GUYTON - Nothing Else Matters

* DERMOT KENNEDY - Nothing Else Matters

* MON LAFERTE - Nothing Else Matters

* IGOR LEVIT - Nothing Else Matters

* MY MORNING JACKET - Nothing Else Matters

* PG ROXETTE - Nothing Else Matters

* DARIUS RUCKER - Nothing Else Matters

* CHRIS STAPLETON - Nothing Else Matters

* TRESOR - Nothing Else Matters

* GOODNIGHT, TEXAS - Of Wolf And Man

* IDLES - The God That Failed

* IMELDA MAY - the god that failed

* CHERRY GLAZERR - My Friend Of Misery

* IZÏA - My Friend Of Misery

* KAMASI WASHINGTON - My Friend Of Misery

* RODRIGO Y GABRIELA - The Struggle Within

Two new instant-gratification tracks now available with "The Metallica Blacklist" album pre-orders: WEEZER's take on "Enter Sandman" and Tomi Owó's version of "Through The Never". They can be heard below.

GUNS N' ROSES performed a reworked version of the song "Silkworms" during its concert Tuesday night (August 3) at Boston's Fenway Park.

"Some of you might have heard this under another name, but this is really kind of absurd to try this," singer Axl Rose said while introducing the track. "Wasn't that funny? And they don't even know the joke yet. Okay, this is called 'Absurd'."

After playing the song, Rose quipped: "See? I never run out of love songs. That was fun. So you heard it here first, a new GUNS N' ROSES song."

GUNS N' ROSES last performed "Silkworms", which was reportedly written during the "Chinese Democracy" sessions, in 2001.

GUNS N' ROSES kicked off its summer 2021 tour on July 31 at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Dubbed "We're F'N Back!", this trek 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 Rose backed by guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

The massive touring production will make stops in Detroit, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, and more before wrapping up with two shows in Hollywood, Florida, at the Hard Rock Live Arena on October 2 and 3, 2021.

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.

Lars Ulrich has wished his METALLICA bandmate James Hetfield a happy 58th birthday.

Earlier today, Ulrich shared a photo of him and Hetfield mugging for the camera, and he wrote in an accompanying message: "Happy Birthday James. Here's to nearly 40 years of crazy cool shenanigans of every kind imaginable…..including an occasional raised middle finger, a little mugging for the camera…… and lotsa attitude! Wouldn't have it any other way. And as we always have to remember….Just getting started! Love you brother."

Born in 1963 in Downey, California, James was the son of a truck driver named Virgil and a singer named Cynthia. Hetfield's parents were Christian Scientists and strongly disapproved of the use of any kind of medicine or medical treatments, even when Cynthia was dying of cancer in 1979. This upbringing inspired many of METALLICA's later songs, such as "The God That Failed". Hetfield also had two older half-brothers from his mother's first marriage and a younger sister.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Hetfield took up piano at the age of nine and began playing guitar at 14. He was in bands called LEATHER CHARM and OBSESSION during his teen years. In October 1981 he answered a classified ad placed in a local paper called Recycler by Danish drummer Lars Ulrich, and METALLICA was born.

Hetfield told The Pulse Of Radio he still recalls the group's first gig, with original lead guitarist Dave Mustaine. "First METALLICA show was at Radio City in Anaheim. I remember the first song we played, Dave broke a string, and I was stranded up there. I was just singing, I wasn't playing guitar back then, and I was so uncomfortable, I was like, 'So, how's it going...' There were about 200 people. You know, your first gig, everyone shows up. Second gig, there's about 20, you know. [laughs]"

Solidifying the lineup with bassist Cliff Burton and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, who replaced Mustaine, METALLICA signed to Megaforce Records in 1983 and released its debut album, "Kill 'Em All", in July of that year, while also relocating from the Los Angeles area to San Francisco.

Pioneers and leaders of the underground speed metal movement, METALLICA signed with major label Elektra Records in 1984 just as they released their sophomore album, "Ride The Lightning".

Hetfield told The Pulse Of Radio how the scene in San Francisco at the time exploded thanks to METALLICA's success. "Well, I recall on the (1984) 'Ride The Lightning' tour, after coming back, coming back home and feeling like the scene has grown so big. And, you know, we came back, we had our 'Ride The Lightning' shirts and things are kind of going good for us, 'Yeah, we just went on our second tour,' and we come back and the scene has gotten so much bigger."

Weathering the death of Cliff Burton in a tour bus accident in 1986, METALLICA became bigger and bigger, scoring their first gold album with 1986's "Master Of Puppets" and their first platinum disc with 1988's "…And Justice For All". The group became superstars in 1991 with the release of the self-titled "black album," which has sold over 15 million copies to become the biggest selling album of the SoundScan era of sales tracking.

It was during the late '90s that cracks began to show in both METALLICA's public image and Hetfield's tough-guy demeanor. Always a heavy drinker, his alcohol intake reached toxic levels in 2001 just as the band was starting work on its eighth studio album.

He recalled the moment when he made the decision to get help for his problems with drugs and alcohol. "My wife threw me out of the house and I went to rehearsal, and she could not believe that I had done that, and said, 'You've got to check yourself in somewhere,' and I said, 'Nah, no way, I'm the singer for METALLICA, I can't get help. I don't need help,'" he said. "A lot of denial. She was very adamant about me seeking the help and I went in, I think, for her and for my family."

Hetfield said that entering rehab was one of the scariest times in his life. "I was just kind of really scared," he said. "I was dropped off into this place and at that point my family was in question. Basically the family had split up, or I was no longer in the house, and it was totally one of the most scary times in my life. It was really like the earth was shaking under me, there was no stability, it felt like a constant earthquake. I had no idea what I was doing, where I was going."

Hetfield got clean and sober in 2002, returning to METALLICA to record the controversial "St. Anger" album and make the documentary "Some Kind Of Monster", which chronicled his struggle as well as the band's near-breakup.

Hetfield told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that he was okay with people seeing that side of his life. "Connecting with people has never been easy for me. I think the more that people know about me and my struggles, the easier it will be to connect with people. I've put myself out there, and if they choose to stomp on my heart, or to embrace it, that is up to them."

While "St. Anger" received a mixed reaction from fans, the band came back full force with 2008's "Death Magnetic". Hetfield told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that having gone through all its turmoil, METALLICA was stronger than ever. "You know, 'St. Anger', the 'Monster' movie, all the stuff that we went through — once we got back together and started playing again, we knew that we were given some sort of gift to continue and not fall like many other bands have. So we've got to take care of this, and we're doing our extra best to do that."

Hetfield went back to rehab in September 2019, forcing the postponement of the band's tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Last month, METALLICA announced details of its massive 40th-birthday celebration: The band will mark this milestone by inviting the worldwide METALLICA family to join them in their hometown of San Francisco for two unique live shows featuring two different setlists December 17 and 19 at Chase Center. Tickets for these shows will be available only to registered members of METALLICA's Fifth Member fan club.
























View this post on Instagram









































A post shared by Lars Ulrich (@larsulrich)

Ronnie James Dio's wife and manager Wendy Dio spoke to Trevor Joe Lennon about the legendary heavy metal singer's just-released memoir, "Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography", which she, along with writer Mick Wall, completed after Ronnie's death. Asked if there was "peace" between Ronnie and the man he replaced in BLACK SABBATH, Ozzy Osbourne, in the later years, Wendy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't think there was ever really a lot of problems there. They both did their own thing, and they both were successful at it. Maybe Don Arden [Sharon Osbourne's father and former manager for both Ozzy and BLACK SABBATH] had some problems there in the beginning when Ronnie was in BLACK SABBATH, but I don't think there was any bad blood between [Ronnie and Ozzy].

"The press tries to make bad blood all the time about everybody — they're trying to get people to fight with each other, 'cause it's good for press or whatever," she continued.

"No, I don't think [there were any issues between Ronnie and Ozzy]. We just didn't run in the same circles."

This past April, former BLACK SABBATH, DIO and HEAVEN & HELL drummer Vinny Appice told "Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley" that not all SABBATH fans embraced Ronnie when he first joined the band. "Ronnie had to put up with people in the front, like 'Where's Ozzy?' signs and all this 'Where's Ozzy?' stuff, and he had to do that," he said. "And he hated singing those songs — he hated singing 'Iron Man' and 'Sweet Leaf' and the Ozzy songs. That's why eventually [SABBATH reformed as] HEAVEN & HELL years later, so we didn't play the old [Ozzy-era] stuff anymore."

In a 2009 interview with U.K.'s Absolute Radio, Ronnie said that BLACK SABBATH's decision to reunite as HEAVEN & HELL in 2006 with him on vocals was done in part "to differentiate us from the SABBATH that had come before. What it really did was this — it allayed this: 'Hey, play 'Iron Man'," he explained. "We didn't have to worry about that or feel bad about not playing those songs — about playing 'Iron Man' or 'Paranoid' or 'Black Sabbath' or 'Fairies Wear Boots' — we didn't have to do that, because we tried to differentiate ourselves by a timeline and by a name that, of course, that spoke so much of… You think of HEAVEN & HELL, you usually think of that song, so now you think of this band. And I think it was wonderful that it worked so well."

Asked if ever felt an obligation to play some of the Ozzy-era SABBATH songs, especially at various European festivals, as a way of letting the audience know, "This is what we're famous for," Ronnie said: "Well, it's not what I was famous for, and I'm part of this band. I mean, I don't hear Ozzy doing 'Heaven And Hell', so why should I do the other songs? And I think that's very sensible. We come from different generations of SABBATH — the two generations that were most important, I think. And no, I think we tried so hard to call this band a different name, that why go back and relate to that? It makes us really seem [like] hypocrites, I think, to do that."

Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne in BLACK SABBATH in 1980, recording the "Heaven And Hell" and "Mob Rules" albums, plus "Live Evil", before leaving in 1982. He rejoined the group 10 years later for an album called "Dehumanizer", and again teamed with the group under the HEAVEN & HELL banner. HEAVEN & HELL released an album called "The Devil You Know" in 2009.

Ronnie passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer was diagnosed with cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

"Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography" was released on July 27 via Permuted Press.

Drummer Pete Parada says that was fired by THE OFFSPRING for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Parada, who had been in THE OFFSPRING for nearly a decade and a half, claims to be following the advice of his doctor who said that he should not get the jab due to his pre-existing conditions.

Pete broke the news of his exit from THE OFFSPRING in a social media post on Monday (August 2). He wrote: "I've got some unfortunate and difficult news to share. I know many of my close friends and family would've preferred to hear this privately first — and I apologize for the public nature of my disclosure, but I don't know how to have this conversation multiple times.

"Given my personal medical history and the side-effect profile of these jabs, my doctor has advised me not to get a shot at this time.

"I caught the virus over a year ago, it was mild for me — so I am confident I'd be able to handle it again, but I'm not so certain I'd survive another post-vaccination round of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which dates back to my childhood and has evolved to be progressively worse over my lifetime. Unfortunately for me, (and my family — who is hoping to keep me around a bit longer) the risks far outweigh the benefits.

"Since I am unable to comply with what is increasingly becoming an industry mandate — it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around, in the studio, and on tour. I mention this because you won't be seeing me at these upcoming shows.

"I also want to share my story so that anyone else experiencing the agony and isolation of getting left behind right now — knows they're not entirely alone.

"I have no negative feelings towards my band. They're doing what they believe is best for them, while I am doing the same. Wishing the entire OFFSPRING family all the best as they get back at it!

"I'm heartbroken not to be seeing my road community, and I will miss connecting with the fans more than I can express in words.

"While my reason for not getting this jab is medical, I want to make sure I'm not carving out a space that is only big enough for me. I need to state, unequivocally, that I support informed consent — which necessitates choice unburdened by coercion.

"I do not find it ethical or wise to allow those with the most power (government, corporations, organizations, employers) to dictate medical procedures to those with the least power.

"There are countless folks (like me) for whom these shots carry a greater risk than the virus. Most of us don't publicly share a private decision we made in careful consideration with our doctors. We know it's not an easy conversation to unfold.

"If it looks like half the population is having a shockingly different reaction to these jabs than was expected — it's probably because their life experiences have actually been shockingly different, and their reasons range from a conscientious risk/benefit analysis, to the financial inability to take time off work/lack of health care in the event of potential side-effects, to an understandable distrust in a system that has never prioritized the health or well-being of their communities.

"I hope we can learn to make room for all the perspectives and fears that are happening currently. Let's avoid the unfortunate tendency to dominate, dehumanize and shout down at each other. The hesitant population is not a monolithic group. All voices deserve to be heard.

"In the meantime, I'm in the midst of launching a project and releasing some music with my daughter, so please stay tuned for all of that. I deeply appreciate your understanding and support as my family and I find a new way forward.

"Sending love to everyone who has been impacted by this pandemic, in all the ways lives have been lost and altered."

Three months ago, THE OFFSPRING singer Bryan "Dexter" Holland spoke to Tom Power, host of "Q" on Canada's CBC Radio One, about his band's decision to encourage fans to receive their COVID-19 vaccines by reworking the chorus of their 1994 classic "Come Out And Play" to say "you gotta go get vaccinated." The new version of the song was shared in March on THE OFFSPRING's Instagram, featuring a snippet from the song's music video with the reworked lyrics.

Holland said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I went to school for this. I feel like I have a little bit of a background in it, and I do think it's a good idea [to get the COVID-19 vaccine]. And whatever you think about all this, the truth is that we're not gonna get back to normal until people get vaccinated; that's just the reality of it. So why don't we just get this done with so that we can all go to shows again and do the things that we love to do. That was kind of the reasoning behind it. And I do feel like it's the right thing to do. I felt strongly enough to put this out."

Asked about the fan response to the new version of "Come Out And Play", Dexter said: "There's been a little bit of a mixed reaction. I was a little more surprised than I thought I would be… There were a lot of people that were surprisingly kind of angry about it. But that's where we're at — we are in maybe the most divisive period in our nation's history, if not the world's history, and this is kind of par for the course.

"On a scientific or factual level, it's frustrating [to see people who are vaccine hesitant]," he continued. "On a personal level, I understand. People are unsure about certain things. And there could still be some sort of crazy side effect that we don't know about. I think that's unlikely, given how many millions of doses have been administered. But besides that, there's all this conflicting information on the Internet. Again, another sign of our times where people are getting just bombarded with all this conflicting information, and it's hard to know what to do sometimes."

Although the COVID-19 vaccine was produced quickly because of the urgency of the health crisis and the number of clinical trial volunteers, Holland says the vaccine was not rushed, and it relies on years of research.

"With the vaccine, I know there's a lot of belief out there that, 'Well, these were developed too quickly,'" he said. "I think part of the story that's not out there is that there's a whole platform of technology that's been developed over the last five years or so that was happening — the mRNA vaccines. They were working on this for flu vaccines over the last five — really, almost 10 years — but the last five years. So this great technology happened to be right on deck when this happened. And that's what allowed it to be quickly adapted to the coronavirus. So it's not as quick as everyone thinks."

Holland has a Ph.D. in molecular biology and wrote his thesis on microRNA in HIV genomes. The 175-page research paper, titled "Identification of Human MicroRNA-Like Sequences Embedded within the Protein-Encoding Genes of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus", had been published in PLoS One. Holland had received his Ph.D. from University of Southern California in 2017.

Released in 1994, "Come Out And Play" was THE OFFSPRING's alternative radio and MTV breakthrough hit, kicking off a mid-to-late nineties streak of success, including albums "Smash", "Ixnay On The Hombre" and "Americana", which have helped the band shift more than 17 million albums to date, per MRC Data.

THE OFFSPRING's tenth studio album, "Let The Bad Times Roll", arrived on April 16 via Concord Records. The follow-up to 2012's "Days Go By" was once again produced by Bob Rock, who also worked on the band's previous two LPs.
























View this post on Instagram









































A post shared by Pete Parada (@peteparada)

In a brand new interview with Rocking With Jam Man, former JUDAS PRIEST and ICED EARTH singer Tim "Ripper" Owens confirmed that he has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. "I got my vaccination, and I'm ready to rock the world now," he said.

Asked if he is leery about performing with someone or touring with another band that hasn't gotten the shot yet, Owens replied: "No. You can do what you want. I think it's your prerogative. It doesn't mean that they're not gonna get COVID [even if they're vaccinated]… An Olympic athlete, another one, just went down with COVID, and he was vaccinated.

"Listen, you're supposed to stay safer with it, but I'm not gonna treat anybody different that doesn't get it," he explained. "That's their thing. I got it. It's kind of like if you don't wanna wear your seat belt, you don't have to. I'm still gonna drive in your car with it. I'll wear mine."

As for whether he is concerned about there being another potential lockdown in the future if the number of coronavirus cases increases drastically, Tim said: "No. I do think there could be that. I try to read up on it. Now there's other strains they're talking about and this and that and the other. I mean, still, if people would just use a little common sense and don't go breathing in other people's faces and lick other people's fingers and stuff, we'll be all right. But hopefully [there] won't [be another lockdown]. I'm doing my part. I don't wear my mask anymore, 'cause I don't have to where I'm at. I stay six feet away from people. I got vaccinated. Not that I was one hundred percent sure if I wanted to, but I wanted my career in this business to start back up again. I try to do what I can. Hopefully people will still use common sense. But it does worry me a little bit. I sometimes think the numbers change when they want 'em to change as well," he added, without clarifying who "they" are. "I think if they want 'em to go up, they'll find a way to make 'em go up; if they want 'em to go down, they'll find a way to make 'em go down. Hopefully people will just use common sense and, again, stop coughing and breathing on each other."

Finnish death doom metallers SWALLOW THE SUN will release a new album called "Moonflowers" on November 19. Along with some of the album formats, there will also come a full bonus album featuring very special instrumental versions of all the regular album tracks. This instrumental album has been composed for strings and recorded at Sipoo Church in Finland. The strings were performed by the group called TRIO NOX from Finland.

Starting today, all these instrumental songs will be launched as animated videos, which were created by Dronicon Films — one by one every week, leading up to the first single release of the main album.

Guitarist Juha Raivio comments: "I know well that I should not say this, but I deeply hate this album. I hate where it takes me, how it makes me feel and what it stands for me personally. I wish it wouldn't. But for all its honesty, I got no option than also love it. That is all that matters to me with the music anyway and it doesn't matter how it makes me feel, as long as it does. For me this album is like a mirror of a deep self-disappointment. Even I still want to believe that there is and could be more than this in me. But I don't need or want to talk more about it. After all music means so different things to each one of us by how we have walked our own paths, and that is a beautiful thing about music. There is no right or wrong.

"After I had finished writing all the music for this record in the fall of 2020 I started to write these small instrumental versions of the album songs for the violin, viola, cello and piano. Mostly because I was wondering how it would feel like to hear all these songs first as these intimate versions instead of a full band album. It was really beautiful to see and hear these songs come alive in this way and form, recorded live in this big church in Finland. To be able to hear the echoes of this music reflecting from the church walls and feel the very soul of these old wooden instruments played by real people in this sacred place. Something about hearing the strings breathe this fragile beauty into these songs that carry so much pain otherwise. Now looking back, maybe I wrote these versions just for myself to be able to hear and feel at least some kind of a beauty and solace in these songs, maybe…

"I wanted to create the cover art of this album myself this time, so it would stand as brutally honest for me as the music is. So I painted the moon on the 'Moonflowers' cover with my own blood and I decorated it with the flowers I picked up and dried on the spring of 2016. Maybe it isn't the most outstanding looking piece of art ever made in this world, but for me it is everything. I wasn't going to write any new music before I would have moved towards the right direction in my life, but finally all this music just forced itself out of me during the long nights of this hope crushing and neverending lockdown prison. Something grew out from that void eventually and writing these songs made me think a lot about moonflowers that bloom at the darkest hour of the night, so that name felt right to call the album also."

"Moonflowers" track listing:

01. Moonflowers Bloom In Misery

02. Enemy

03. Woven Into Sorrow

04. Keep Your Heart Safe From Me

05. All Hallows' Grieve (featuring Cammie Gilbert)

06. The Void

07. The Fight Of Your Life

08. This House Has No Home

Raivio further states: "In other news, unfortunately our busy brother Jaani will step aside from the band at least for this new album cycle, but we are happy to tell that you can hear Jaani's backing vocals on the new album anyway."

Jaani Peuhu adds: "Sadly, coronavirus messed up everything, including the release schedules of my bands. Both the MERCURY CIRCLE and SWALLOW THE SUN albums are being released at the same time, making it impossible for me to tour with both bands. For this reason, I decided that it'd be better for me to solely focus on MERCURY CIRCLE for this release cycle. That being said, the upcoming SWALLOW THE SUN album will be amazing, and I am so happy we could still do it together. I wish the best of luck to SWALLOW THE SUN on their tour with it!"

SWALLOW THE SUN is:

Juha Raivio - guitars

Matti Honkonen - bass

Mikko Kotamäki - vocals

Juuso Raatikainen - drums

Juho Räihä - guitars