Veil Of The Serpent have released a cover of "Dark Saga" from Iced Earth's The Dark Saga record, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

With this debut single the anonymous trio pays tribute to one of the most important heavy metal bands of the American metal movement. "Dark Saga" sets the tone for this exciting new music project heading from Germany and the US.

Watch the official visualizer for "Dark Saga" below, and stay tuned for more exciting news to come from Veil Of The Serpent.




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Metallica have released another preview for their upcoming reissue of The Black Album. Below you can watch "Enter Sandman" (Psycho Band Pass) from the “Music Videos” DVD included in the box set edition. It's an early rough cut of the band performance footage from the “Enter Sandman” music video.

You knew it was coming, you’ve been patiently waiting, and finally The Black Album reissue is here. Remastered for ultimate sound quality, multiple formats will be hitting the physical and digital universe on September 10, and are available for pre-order now.

Says Metallica: "Can you believe it’s been almost thirty years since its original release? Neither can we! Then off we went to hit the road for a massive 300+ show tour, and the ‘Tallica experience went to a whole new level. To celebrate this milestone, we had to go all out with a wide variety of configurations for all your listening pleasure, including 180-gram double vinyl LP, standard CD and 3CD expanded edition, and digital (including high-def versions).

"There’s also the ultimate release for die-hard fans: a Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set containing over 24 hours of music including the album remastered on 180-gram 2LP, a picture disc, three live LPs, 14 CDs (containing rough mixes, demos, interviews, and live shows), 6 DVDs (containing outtakes, behind the scenes, official videos, and live shows), a 120-page hardcover book, four different tour laminates, three unique lithos, three guitar picks, a Metallica lanyard, a folder with lyric sheets, and a download card.

"But wait… of course there’s more! In addition to the reissue of The Black Album, we’re also pretty pumped about the release of The Metallica Blacklist which features an unprecedented 50+ artists spanning an unbelievably vast range of genres, generations, continents, and more, each contributing a unique interpretation of their favorite Black Album cut.

"Everyone who pre-orders any configuration of either release will receive digital instant grats delivered right to your inbox throughout the summer. Keep watching this site and our socials for lots of video and audio previews as well as all kinds of other Black Album related activities… it’s definitely going to be one black summer!"

Metallica recently checked in with the following update: "We told you about the re-issue of The Black Album, but we’re also really proud and excited to be releasing The Metallica Blacklist, a compilation of 50+ artists spanning an unbelievably vast range of genres, generations, continents and more, each contributing a unique interpretation of their favorite Black Album cut. Available now for pre-order, digital formats hit the internet on September 10th, CDs and LPs in stores and at your favorite online retailer on October 1st.

"With contributions from countries all over the globe from the US to Nigeria, there are tracks from singer-songwriters, country artists, electronic, and hip-hop artists alongside punk rockers, indie darlings, icons of rock, metal, world music, and many, many more covering the entire spectrum from musicians we’ve shared the stage with, to some who were not even born yet when the original album was released!

"The Metallica Blacklist will be available in multiple formats including digital (standard and high-def versions), 4CD, and a limited edition 7LP vinyl pressing. Pre-orders will instantly receive multi-platinum selling recording artist, songwriter, philanthropist, and trailblazer Miley Cyrus’ version of “Nothing Else Matters” featuring Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo, and Chad Smith, as well as Columbian-born rock/pop superstar, and winner of 20+ Grammy & Latin Music Grammy Awards, Juanes’ interpretation of “Enter Sandman.” Additional digital instant grat tracks will be delivered right to your inbox throughout the summer.

"One hundred percent of the profits go to charity – 50% to our own All Within My Hands and 50% to a charity of each artist’s choice. In addition to raising money for charity, we wanted to show that Metallica’s music transcends genres, distance, and cultures, and we like to think that – with everyone’s help – we’ve done just that. It was important to us that the artists could choose whichever song they most connected to; it didn’t matter if we already had multiple versions of a song, if an artist wanted to cover that song, so be it. We were honored to have artists of this caliber want to be a part of the project and we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed putting it all together!

"One album, 12 songs, 53 artists, unlimited possibilities."




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Zee Productions has announced the September 17 release of more new Iron Maiden jigsaw puzzles via their Rock Saws imprint.

A message states: "We are adding three more 500-piece puzzles to our official Iron Maiden puzzles range, and this time it's the classic singles 'Running Free', 'Sanctuary' and 'Purgatory'!"

Pre-order here.




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The Night Flight Orchestra is back! Sweden's most famous cabin crew recently announced the second part of the "Aeromantic" saga, seeing the light of the day on September 3. Aeromantic II is another thrilling journey to the band's core and their passion for traveling and being in motion - accompanied by the balance act of bittersweet sadness and pure joy of life.

You can pre-order and pre-save the album here.

The band states: "Aeromantic II is about circling around the globe in the stratosphere, never wanting to land. A continuation of the journey we started all these years ago. The Swedish melancholy and the simultaneous love of life, creating a new alternative world for all the restless souls out there. We know that you are there. We feel you. And The Night Flight Orchestra will guide you into a better place. Where the nights are made of Chardonnay and every day is burning. Just take our hands and flounce about with us in the twilight zone, where everything is possible."

The Night Flight Orchestra have released a video for the single, "Chardonnay Nights". Stream "Chardonnay Nights" here and watch the clip below.

The band about "Chardonnay Nights": "This song tells the story of endless summer nights and a young man’s desperate fight to push his tomorrows away. To immerse himself or herself in the emergency of the present tense. The way the secrecies of the night reveal unknown truths, and you don't have to see things too clear, you just have to see them."

Tracklisting:

"Violent Indigo"
"Midnight Marvelous"
"How Long"
"Burn For Me"
"Chardonnay Nights"
"Change"
"Amber Through A Window"
"I Will Try"
"You Belong To The Night"
"Zodiac"
"White Jeans"
"Moonlit Skies"
"Reach Out"

"Chardonnay Nights" video:

"Burn For Me" video:

"White Jeans" video:

The Night Flight Orchestra is:

Björn Strid – Lead and Backing vocals
David Andersson – Guitars
Sharlee D’Angelo – Bass
Sebastian Forslund – Guitars, percussion
Jonas Källsbäck – Drums
John Manhattan Lönnmyr – Keyboards
Anna Brygård – Backing Vocals
AnnaMia Bonde – Backing Vocals




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Frontiers Music Srl recently welcomed the new melodic metal project, Between Worlds, to the label. The band is a vehicle for vocalist Ronny Munroe (ex-Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Metal Church) and highlights his incredible vocal talents.

The self-titled debut album will be released on September 10, 2021. Written and produced in partnership with Alessandro Del Vecchio, this album is a must hear for fans of classic American heavy/power metal. A new preview of the album is available today with the release of the song "Soul Chaser", featuring Whitesnake guitarist, Joel Hoekstra. Listen below, and pre-order/save Between Worlds here.

Ronny Munroe first came to prominence in the metal world when he stepped into the role of frontman for the legendary band Metal Church. During an audition for a project principal Metal Church member Kurdt Vanderhoof was working on, Ronny was first put on Kurdt's radar. After watching Munroe's performance, Vanderhoof decided to resurrect Metal Church with Ronny on lead vocals. He would go on to sing four albums with the band, The Weight Of The World (2004), A Light In The Dark (2006), This Present Wasteland (2008), and Generation Nothing (2013). Ronny would also wind up singing for Vanderhoof's progressive rock project, Presto Ballet, further showcasing his vocal talents.  

In another sign of the power of his voice, in 2011, Ronny was asked to join the mighty Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which further highlighted his vocal talents and showcased his voice to the popular act's audience.

After a break from music for personal reasons, Ronny joined Steve Smyth’s (Forbidden, Nevermore) band One Machine in 2019 before starting work on the, at the time, as yet untitled Between Worlds project with Alessandro Del Vecchio. Munroe and Del Vecchio got in touch at the end of 2019 with the idea of writing some songs together and creating a musical project centered around Ronny's vocal abilities and songwriting. Alessandro invited his longtime songwriting partner Pete Alpenborg to join forces with them and sent the first four demos to Frontiers, who moved quickly to sign them to the label. Between Worlds was thus formally born.

Ronny and Alessandro wanted to involve people in the project that would resonate with Ronny's history in music and put their mark on this incredible set of songs, so Johnny Lee Middleton (Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Chris Caffery (TSO, Savatage, Spirits Of Fire), Jack Frost (Seven Witches, Savatage), and Joel Hoekstra (also of Whitesnake) all contributed.  Fans of Crimson Glory, Metal Church, and Classic American power metal will revel in hearing Ronny deliver some of his best vocal performances to date, while telling the story of his rebirth in music. Ronny poured his soul into the performance, with musical power and melody lifting him up during the process.

Tracklisting:

"Between Worlds"
"These Walls"
"Life Enough For Me"
"Times Of Change"
"No Escape"
"Soul Chaser"
"Scent Of An Angel"
"Beautiful Disaster"
"Flip The Script"
"Beneath The Surface"
"Calm Before The Storm"

"Soul Chaser":

"Between Worlds" video:

Lineup:

Ronny Munroe - Vocals
Alessandro Del Vecchio - Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Pete Alpenborg - Rhythm Guitars
Jack Frost - Lead Guitars
Alex Jansen - Bass
Michele Sanna - Drums

John Lee Middleton -  Bass On “No Escape”
Joel Hoekstra - Lead Guitar On “Soul Chaser”
Chris Caffery  - Lead Guitars On “Angel” And “No Escape”




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Following up to the announcement of their new album Molotov Rocktail, out September 3 via Napalm Records, and releasing their single “Careless (In The Age Of Altruism)”, Norwegian power trio Bokassa are not stepping down from their stoner punk rampage, revealing their new single “Burn It All (P.T.S.D.E.A.D.)”. Airtight, dense production and raspy, unmistakable vocals by guitarist Jørn Kaarstad make this heavy rock banger an unmatched joyride. The melodic chorus and speedy guitar solos prove Bokassa to be on top of their stoner punk game.

Says the band: “’Burn It All’ is just a great song in our opinion. A perfect uptempo Bokassa track. Everything from the stoney lead riff, the melodic verses and choruses to the metal riffage in the bridge makes this song pop. One of our favorites on the record. And it probably includes our coolest solo yet. The video was really fun to shoot as well, although we wouldn’t recommend dressing in corpse paint with fake blood when it’s 30 degrees and a hell of a lot of mosquitos around!”

Hailing from Trondheim, Norway, hard rock trio Bokassa have recently made a name for themselves with their brand of hard-hitting, melodic, catchy punk and stoner rock, right from the first full length, Divide & Conquer (2017). During the Worldwired tour with Metallica, the band released the critically acclaimed Crimson Riders (2019). On top of this, the Norwegians were nominated for the prestigious Spellemann-Award as Breakthrough of the Year in 2020. Now, Bokassa are ready to enter the next explosive chapter with their exciting new album, Molotov Rocktail.

Vocalist and guitarist Jørn Kaarstad’s unmistakably raspy voice and crushing guitar riffs hit satisfyingly hard with the snappy drumming and fat bass tone of drummer Olav Dowkes and bassist Bård Linga. Songs like “Herticules” effortlessly pull off the transition between melodic choruses and punishing breakdowns, while the title track “Molotov Rocktail” is two minutes of pure stoner punk paradise with its dense songwriting and dynamic production. The album closer’s intro riff (“Immortal Space Pirate 3 Too Old For This Sith”), meanwhile, could be lifted straight off a classic Behemoth album. On Molotov Rocktail, Bokassa’s daring but cohesive tightrope act of singalongs and neck breaking grooves is highly contagious – mixed and mastered by Machine - the powerhouse from Trondheim misses no chance to entrance the listener with every second of runtime.

Molotov Rocktail will be available in North America in the following formats:

- CD Digipak
- 1 LP Gatefold Pink - limited to 300 copies worldwide
- 1 LP Gatefold Black
- Digital Album

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Freelude"
"So Long Idiots!"
"Pitchforks R Us"
"Hereticules"
"Low (And Behold)"
"Godless"
"Molotov Rocktail"
"Burn It All (P.T.S.D.E.A.D)"
"Careless (In The Age Of Altruism)"
"Code Red"
"Immortal Space Pirate 3 Too Old For This Sith"

"Careless (In The Age Of Altruism)" video:

Bokassa are:

Jørn Kaarstad - Lead Vocals,Guitar
Bård Linga - Bass, Vocals
Olav Dowkes - Drums, Vocals

(Photo - Kenneth Sporsheim)




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It was announced on July 26 that, sadly, Metal Church vocalist Mike Howe is no longer with us. The band has issued the following statement:

"It is with our deepest regrets that we must announce the passing of our brother, our friend and true legend of heavy metal music. Mike Howe passed away this morning at his home in Eureka, California. We are devastated and at a loss for words. Please respect our privacy and the Howe family’s privacy during this most difficult time."

Savatage / Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Chris Caffery has paid tribute to Howe via social media:

"Completely speechless.

In 2016, I was given the opportunity to play guitar on a tour with Metal Church. This was their tour with the return of the legendary Mike Howe on vocals. 

Not only was it an honor to play with this band. It was a complete pleasure to tour with Mike and listen to him sing every night. In 2019, I had the opportunity once again to share the stage with him on a tour playing with Doro. This tour I just had the opportunity to watch him perform since I was playing guitar with Doro. But I spent a lot of time talking to Mike and wandering some of our locations together.

I thank you for all of your kind words and friendship with our time together on the road.

RIP Mike Howe.

Heaven's band of legends just got another amazing singer."

Mike Howe was the singer of Metal Church from 1988 - 1996, and again from 2015 - 2021. Howe made his Metal Church debut on Blessing In Disguise, and his final work with the band was Damned If You Do. The cause of death has not yet been revealed.

All of us at BraveWords send our condolences to Mike Howe's family, bandmates, friends, and fans. R.I.P.




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On July 25th, Fractal Universe held a livestream event in support of their new release, The Impassable Horizon. This show was the one and only time that the band would perform The Impassable Horizon in its entirety. 

Fans who couldn't watch the initial stream are able to re-watch it through Veeps until August 8th; additionally, an exclusive shirt design is available for purchase during the show at Veeps. Tickets can still be reserved at veeps.com. Fractal Universe has shared "Falls Of The Earth" from the livestream:

Fractal Universe comments: "With the release of The Impassable Horizon, we received messages from fans all around the world asking us when we'll be able to perform in their countries. While we don't have an answer for that, with The Impassable Horizon - Alive we want to give all of you the opportunity to experience a Fractal Universe show from home! We've prepared a unique setlist: this is our one and only time performing the new record in its entirety, alongside some of your favorites from our previous albums, all of that with our brand new stage production! So make sure not to miss it!"

The Impassable Horizon can be ordered here on CD, vinyl, as well as digitally.

Fans can also visit Fractal Universe's official store for additional vinyl and more.

The Impassable Horizon tracklisting:

"Autopoiesis"
"A Clockwork Expectation"
"Interfering Spherical Scenes"
"Symmetrical Masquerade"
"Falls Of The Earth"
"Withering Snowdrops"
"Black Sails Of Melancholia"
"A Cosmological Arch"
"Epitaph"
"Godless Machinists"
"Flashes Of Potentialities" (Unplugged)

"A Clockwork Expectation" video:

 




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New Jersey based brutal death metal act, Cognitive, released their fourth album, Malevolent Thoughts Of Hastened Extinction, on July 16 via Unique Leader. All ten songs can now be streamed in one video:

 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:

 




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NMB (Neal Morse Band) will release their fourth studio album, Innocence & Danger, on August 27. Drummer Mike Portnoy has uploaded drum, vox & perc cam for the song "Bird On A Wire".

The band has released a video for the song, "Bird On A Wire", which can be seen below:

A "making of" trailer for the Innocence & Danger documentary included with the album has also been issued:

With NMB’s previous two releases being concept albums, it’s perhaps remarkable that Innocence & Danger is a series of unrelated songs, but drummer Mike Portnoy says, “After two sprawling back to back double concept albums in a row, it was refreshing to get back to writing a collection of unrelated individual songs in the vein of our first album.”

Indeed, making this album came easy to the band; while the initial inspiration came particularly from Bill Hubauer (keyboards) and Randy George (bass), the ideas flowed from everybody from there on, as George recalls: “I am excited about the level of collaboration that we achieved on this one. We even went in with a lot of ideas that weren’t necessarily developed, and I think in the end we have something that represents the best of everybody in the band.”

In fact - like its two acclaimed predecessors - Innocence & Danger is a double album by inspiration, rather than design, as Portnoy explains: “As much as we wanted to try and keep it to a single album after having just done two double albums, we wrote so much material that we found ourselves with our third double album in a row! That’s pretty prog!”

There is also plenty in Innocence & Danger to excite those prog fans who have a thirst for epics, as Neal Morse explains: “There's one half hour epic and another that's about 20 minutes long. I really didn't realise that they were that long when we were recording them, which I guess is great because if a movie is really good, you don't realise that it's three hours long! But there are also some shorter songs: some have poppier elements, some are heavier and some have three part acoustic sections. I’m excited about all of it, really.”

The album will be released as a Limited 2CD+DVD Digipak (featuring a Making Of documentary), 3LP+2CD Boxset, Standard 2CD Jewelcase & Digital Album, featuring artwork by Thomas Ewerhard (Transatlantic). Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

CD 1 (Innocence):
"Do It All Again"
"Bird On A Wire"
"Your Place In The Sun"
"Another Story To Tell"
"The Way It Had To Be"
"Emergence"
"Not Afraid Pt. 1"
"Bridge Over Troubled Water"

CD 2 (Danger):
"Not Afraid Pt. 2"
"Beyond The Years"

"Do It All Again" video:

The Neal Morse Band (now NMB) was formed in 2012, featuring long-time collaborators Neal Morse (vocals, keyboards and guitars), Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals) and Randy George (bass), as well as Bill Hubauer (keyboards, vocals) and Eric Gillette (guitars, vocals). The band’s first album, The Grand Experiment, showed both a freshness and maturity that was further developed in 2016’s The Similitude Of A Dream, 2019’s The Great Adventure and 2021’s Innocence & Danger.

 




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

Today, the band has released another new single and video, "Lightbringer" ft. Casey Lee Williams. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Gods Of Debauchery on CD/LP/Digital here.

Seven Spires on the new single: “‘Lightbringer’ is a song about revelling in life's fleeting pleasures, and indulging the parts of yourself that the world demonised. It was born from a love of Korean Pop Music, and in the context of the story of the album Gods Of Debauchery, it sees our detached anti-hero sailing from port to port, collecting a loyal crew of devotees without regard for the collateral damage left in their wake."

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

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

Tracklisting:

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

"Gods Of Debauchery" video:

Lineup:

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




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On September 24, BMG will release Uriah Heep’s Every Day Rocks box set. Take a look inside the box set in the new video below.

British hard rock legends Uriah Heep are one of the “big four” rock bands, along with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, and certainly one of the most intriguing bands both musically and lyrically, to emerge from heavy rock.

The ambitious and beautifully presented Every Day Rocks box set includes the first seven albums on picture disc, plus seven accompanying t-shirts (one for every day of the week), corresponding art cards feature motivational lyrics and a calendar wall planner for planning the week’s Uriah Heep listening. These albums are available officially for the first time as picture discs and the albums; Demons And Wizards and The Magicians Birthday feature both reimagined and original artwork by renowned fantasy artist Roger Dean.

“Along with BMG we wanted to do something extra special for our fans which will give them a piece of Heep love every single day of the week. Our first 7 albums will be put on to picture disc, and there will be a t-shirt for each album to wear for each day of the week. We have also included a yearly wall planner, so that you can plan your listening or just make some notes on how the albums make you feel. This way you can keep on Heepin’ on!
‘Appy days!” - Mick Box

Evoking an era when prog, hard rock and heavy metal co-existed in an era of glorious, boundary-breaking music, Uriah Heep rose from inexperienced studio musicians with everything to prove to bona fide limo inhabiting rock stars.

After selling over 40 million albums worldwide, over the years Uriah Heep have influenced many different metal bands around the globe, among the most popular being Dio. Bands including A-ha, King Diamond, Krokus, Demons & Wizards, Fifth Angel and Axel Rudi Pell have all cited Uriah Heep as a band of personal influence, while W.A.S.P, Tesla and Blackmore’s Night have all covered the band’s songs.

Uriah Heep continue to tour until this day with founding member Mick Box. Every day really does rock with Uriah Heep!

Uriah Heep’s Every Day Rocks available exclusively for pre-order via the Official Artist Store, here.

Every Day Rocks  includes:

…Very ‘Eavy …Very Humble (first time on picture disc)
Salisbury (first time on picture disc)  
Look At Yourself (first time on picture disc)
Demons And Wizards (original and reimagined artwork by Roger Dean, new artwork available for the first time on picture disc)
The Magicians Birthday (original and reimagined artwork by Roger Dean, new artwork available for the first time on picture disc)
Sweet Freedom (first time on picture disc)
Wonderworld (first time on picture disc)

(Photo - Getty Images)




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Accept have released the new video below, with Martin Motnik stating: "I'm showing you how I played the bass on our album, Too Mean To Die. This is song no. 7, 'Symphony Of Pain'. It's the story of Ludwig van Beethoven's struggle with losing his hearing, which is probably every musician's worst nightmare. The song contains some classical pieces in typical Accept fashion. Enjoy!"

Accept have been flying the flag of classic metal for decades, and with their latest album, Too Mean To Die, they have once again proven themselves to be international chart stormers with top 10 placings worldwide. Now, after a long absence due to Corona, they are proud to announce they will finally be returning to European stages in 2022, with their usual driving energy full of irrepressible power. They will be playing the new album Too Mean To Die and the Accept classics.

For decades, Accept have stood for pure metal, great melodies and unforgettable live moments. Their three exceptional guitarists will undoubtedly transform audiences into a surging mass and blow the virus into oblivion. Because, according to Wolf Hoffmann: "We are too mean to die! Weeds do not die! Accept won't let it get them down!"

Guitarist Philip Shouse adds: "The best thing that will happen for us is to go to the airport, get on a plane, fly to you and play a big, fantastic gig."

Accept will be supported in Europe by none other than Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, who unforgettably brought venues around the world to boiling point with Motörhead and stands for pure Rock N Roll. The US speed/thrash wrecking ball veterans Flotsam And Jetsam complete the billing.

Tour dates:

December 2021
10 - Tokyo, Japan - Club Citta
11 - Tokyo, Japan - Club Citta

January
15 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
16 - Brussels, Belgium - La Madeleine
18- Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
19 - Paris, France - Bataclan
21 - Pamplona, Pain - Burlada
22 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
23 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 1
25 - Ramonville, France - Bikini
26 - Villeurbanne, France - Transbordeur
28 - Zürich, Switzerland - Komplex
29 - Telfs, Austria - Rathaussaal
30 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra

February
1 - Zlin, Czech Republic - Hala Euronics
2 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresia
4 - Tallinn, Estonia - Helitehas **
5 - Helsinki, Finland - House Of Culture **
6 - Tampere, Finland - Pakkahuone **
8 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fryshuset **
9 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller **
11 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Tradgarn **
12 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega **
13 - Bremen, Germany - Aladin
15 - Berlin, Germany - Huxley´s
17 - Ulm, Germany - Ratiopharm Arena
18 - München, Germany - Tonhalle
19 - Filderstadt, Germany - FILharmonie
20 - Geiselwind, Germany - Eventzentrum
22 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
23 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
25 - Moscow, Russia - Glavclub **
26 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Cosmonaut
28 - Kiev, Ukraine - Stereoplaza **

Shows marked (**) are without Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons.




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A Killer's Confession, the band led by vocalist Waylon Reavis, is set to release its brand new single “Tell Your Soul", featuring Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray on August 6 via Wake Up! Music Rocks. The single is from the band's third album, coming out later this year.

“This song was an amazing collaboration between Sahaj Ticotin, Chad Gray, and myself,” states Waylon Reavis. "It was an honor to work with such true professional artists on such a powerful song. I hope everyone can feel the raw emotion and are moved just like I am when they listen. This song is about forgiveness and acceptance of one's own shortcomings. I want to thank Chad and Sahaj for being such great friends and recording this song with me. Wombat absolutely crushed this video. Amazing talent all the way around!"

“Waylon has wanted to do a song with me for a very long time, and earlier this year, we tried, but the song just didn’t fit either one of us,” says Chad Gray. “So we went back to the drawing board with Sahaj Ticotin. The song really spoke to me, so we went for it. Everything just seems to fall into place. I’m really excited about this release. My boy Wombat absolutely killed the video. I’m stoked for this song to drop. It’s a nice prelude to some more solo stuff I have on the way. I can’t wait for you all to hear this. Enjoy.”

A Killers Confession is on tour now with Gemini Syndrome. This summer, the band will be playing several festivals, including Orlando Metal Fest, Metal In The Mountains, Incarceration Festival (with Mudvayne), and a sold-out hometown show in Akron, OH, on August 6 to celebrate the release of the new single.

Lineup:

Waylon Reavis - Vocals
JP Cross - Bass
Tommy Church - Guitar
Morgan Bauer - Drums




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To celebrate their latest release and debut album, Bionic Swarm, Cryptosis played a livestream show on April 24. The outstanding performance can now be watched in it’s entirety below:

Bionic Swarm was released on March 26th 2021 by Century Media Records and can be ordered at this location.

Bionic Swarm is a concept album consisting of eight dystopian stories that take place in the year 2149. Each track is a personal narrative of certain progress or technological advancements seen through the eyes of its inhabitants, both human and non-human.

Cover art by Eliran Kantor / Cryptosis logo by Christophe Szpajdel:

Tracklisting:

“Overture 2149”
“Decypher”
“Death Technology”
“Prospect Of Immortality”
“Transcendence”
“Perpetual Motion”
“Conjuring The Egoist”
“Game Of Souls”
“Mindscape”
“Flux Divergence”

“Transcendence” video:

“Death Technology” video:




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Members of ANTHRAX, FEAR FACTORY, KREATOR, ALL THAT REMAINS and TRIVIUM are among the musicians who have reacted on social media to the passing of former SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison.

The news of his passing was broken in a statement from his family.

The statement reads: "We are heartbroken to share the news that Joey Jordison, prolific drummer, musician and artist passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 26th, 2021. He was 46.

"Joey's death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow.

"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 of Joey have asked that friends, fans and media understandably respect our need for privacy and peace at this incredibly difficult time.

"The family will hold a private funeral service and asks the media and public to respect their wishes."

According to TMZ, Joey's family said they will hold a private funeral service for him, but it's unclear when that will happen.

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.

Several years ago, Jordison overcame the neurological condition acute transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord which damages nerve fibers, which ultimately led to the drummer temporarily losing the use of his legs.

Jordison and the members of SLIPKNOT had been silent and evasive about the reasons for his dismissal from the band, but Joey finally spoke about it in 2016 while accepting an award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in London, England.

At the time, Joey claimed that he was fired from SLIPKNOT without a band meeting or "anything from management." He said: "All I got was a stupid fucking e-mail saying I was out of the band that I busted my ass my whole life to fucking create. That's exactly what happened and it was hurtful. I didn't deserve that shit after what I'd done and everything I'd been through.

"They got confused about my health issues and obviously even I didn't know what it was at first," he continued. "They thought I was fucked up on drugs, which I wasn't at all.

"I've been through so many things with those guys and I love them very much. What's hurtful is the way it went down was not fucking right. That's all I want to say. The way they did it was fucking cowardly. It was fucked up."

Back in 2014, SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor told Metal Hammer that firing Jordison after 18 years was "one of the hardest decisions" the group ever made, adding that Joey is "in a place in his life" which is "not where we are."

Taylor said he could not get into specifics for legal reasons, but admitted, "It's when a relationship hits that T-section and one person's going one way and you're going the other. And try as you might to either get them to go your way or try and go their way, at some point you've got to go in the direction that works for you. This is me speaking in the broadest terms, with respect to Joey. I guess to sum it up, it was one of the hardest decisions we ever made."

Taylor said that the band is "happy right now and we hope that he is . . . he's just in a place in his life, right now, that's not where we are."

The singer would not answer whether drug use played a role in Jordison's dismissal, and confessed that he had not been in touch with his former bandmate. Taylor said, "I haven't talked to Joey in a while, to be honest. That's how different we are. It's not because I don't love him and I don't miss him. And it is painful; we talk about him all the time, but at the same time, do we miss him or do we miss the old him? That's what it really comes down to."

Three years ago, Joey revealed that he was working on his first-ever book.

In 2018, Jordison completed a European tour with the international death metal supergroup SINSAENUM.




Fuck !!!!!!!!! https://t.co/JhkQQIgJYj

— Dino Cazares (@DinoCazares) July 27, 2021








I will miss you my brother.??? pic.twitter.com/MwTIWfMZCe

— Frédéric Leclercq (@fredleclercq) July 27, 2021








This is tragic news. BVB’s first UK tour was a slot opening for Murderdolls and while I never had the chance to talk privately with Joey I was always impressed by his abilities and dedication to his craft. An iconic performer and artist. RIP. https://t.co/kyDdeqolsr

— Andy Biersack (@andyblack) July 27, 2021








I don’t have words, to call him an inspiration would be an understatement. Countless hours studying every move behind the kit . I owe so much to Joey Jordison and could never imagine being where I am today without his influence. RIP pic.twitter.com/BAnLHW9Re2

— Alex Bent (@AlexBentDrums) July 27, 2021








Ah no…fuck. Joey was a gem. This really sucks. https://t.co/9grev2k0pQ

— Ginger Wildheart (@GingerWildheart) July 27, 2021








I cannot believe this news today, Rest In Peace #1 @slipknot ?

— Charlie Benante (@skisum) July 27, 2021








Absolutely gutted to hear about the passing of Joey Jordison. I was lucky to have gotten to know him through the years sharing stages and partying around the world. He was an incredible talent and an amazing person. Will miss you my brother. RIP #1

— Brian Fair (@brianshadfall) July 27, 2021








To say this dude created an entire generation of drummers would be maybe the biggest understatement ever made

Rest Easy Joey ….. pic.twitter.com/LRu4nThtDm

— Zach Myers (@ZMyersOfficial) July 27, 2021








Unbelievably sad. Much love to his family, friends & former bandmates. xoxo #OTEP https://t.co/BQ6vt9JrYE

— ? OTEP SHAMAYA ? (@otepofficial) July 27, 2021








R.I.P. Joey Jordison

I’ll never forget you. You changed my life forever. ❤️?? pic.twitter.com/R0OetL1JpJ

— Wednesday 13 (@officialwed13) July 27, 2021








Another devastating loss to the Metal community. Rest In Peace Joey. pic.twitter.com/NOBiHbHMWn

— Nonpoint (@nonpoint) July 27, 2021








This is awful news. RIP. https://t.co/jaajOizKOK

— Article V Convention of States please (@philthatremains) July 27, 2021








Dude was an incredible drummer and song writer and was always super gracious to us anytime we toured with the band. #RIP https://t.co/tFuQS1Uw4y

— Paolo Gregoletto (@TriviumPaolo) July 27, 2021








46 is way to young and it feels like we missed out on a whole lot of great music from Joey.

— Paolo Gregoletto (@TriviumPaolo) July 27, 2021








Rest In Peace Joey Jordison. You changed the game with Slipknot. Brought the blast beat to the mainstream! Gave kids a groove like no other. Perseverance would’ve never happened had it not been for Joey & the Slipknot camp. Condolences to his family, friends & fans. Gone too soon

— Jamey Jasta (@jameyjasta) July 27, 2021




























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A post shared by Scott Ian (@scottianthrax)








We may have had our differences. I tried to reach out recently to no avail. I hope you can rest peacefully. Thanks for...

Posted by Kyle Konkiel on Tuesday, July 27, 2021



Absolutely shocked and gutted to hear of the passing of Joey Jordison. In addition to being an incredible drummer, he...

Posted by Mike Portnoy on Tuesday, July 27, 2021



RIP Joey Jordison....

Posted by Morbid Angel on Tuesday, July 27, 2021





Rest In Peace Joey Jordinson. Such a talented songwriter, amazing drummer, great guitar player, and funny human being. Our lives intertwined so many times man… This hurts. Way too young… ??? pic.twitter.com/7Wcz123wTT

— Robb Flynn (@TheGeneralMH) July 27, 2021








Respect to the guy that took the blast beat to the masses! Friendly guy too. Damn shame this… Rest in Power! ? #joeyjordison pic.twitter.com/VTUFCYAZ6G

— ??????? ????? (@Michael_Amott) July 27, 2021








RIP Joey Jordison. Very sad news #joeyjordison pic.twitter.com/Ylesg1W3o6

— Todd Dammit Kerns (@todddammitkerns) July 27, 2021








I love what Joey Jordison accomplished with Slipknot. They were the bridge from rock into professional wrestling. From what I hear, Joey had an illness that made him unable to play the drums. (Our bodies are only good for a time). Rest in peace… https://t.co/HWTtJ4FhfG

— Perry Farrell (@perryfarrell) July 27, 2021




























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RIP @joeyjordison. Way too young. Wishing peace and love to family, friends, fans and former band members.

— Sacred Reich (@SacredReich) July 27, 2021








Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of @thejoeyjordison. He was an unbelievable musician and someone who was always so kind to me when I was a kid. I often think back and remember all the fun that was had on Ozzfest with @slipknot. I’d like to send my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. Rest peacefully friend.

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A post shared by Gary Holt (@garyholt_official)

SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor, percussionist M. Shawn Crahan and guitarist Jim Root have reacted on social media to the passing of the band's former drummer, Joey Jordison.

Just minutes ago, Taylor, Crahan and Root took to their respective Twitter and Instagram accounts to post a black square, a symbolic statement expressing their mourning over Jordison's death. The same image was shared by Root and SLIPKNOT.

Joey died peacefully in his sleep on July 26 at the age of 46.

According to TMZ, Joey's family said they will hold a private funeral service for him, but it's unclear when that will happen.

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.

Several years ago, Jordison overcame the neurological condition acute transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord which damages nerve fibers, which ultimately led to the drummer temporarily losing the use of his legs.

Back in 2014, Taylor told Metal Hammer that firing Jordison after 18 years was "one of the hardest decisions" the group ever made, adding that Joey is "in a place in his life" which is "not where we are."

Taylor said he could not get into specifics for legal reasons, but admitted, "It's when a relationship hits that T-section and one person's going one way and you're going the other. And try as you might to either get them to go your way or try and go their way, at some point you've got to go in the direction that works for you. This is me speaking in the broadest terms, with respect to Joey. I guess to sum it up, it was one of the hardest decisions we ever made."

Taylor said that the band is "happy right now and we hope that he is . . . he's just in a place in his life, right now, that's not where we are."

The singer would not answer whether drug use played a role in Jordison's dismissal, and confessed that he had not been in touch with his former bandmate. Taylor said, "I haven't talked to Joey in a while, to be honest. That's how different we are. It's not because I don't love him and I don't miss him. And it is painful; we talk about him all the time, but at the same time, do we miss him or do we miss the old him? That's what it really comes down to."




pic.twitter.com/k3laVA0Ny4

— SHRED DJENT REDEMPTION (@CoreyTaylorRock) July 27, 2021








pic.twitter.com/hUYQhl50ch

— M. Shawn Crahan (@MShawnCrahan) July 27, 2021








pic.twitter.com/jE6TrAUdbW

— Slipknot (@slipknot) July 27, 2021




























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A post shared by James Root (@jamesroot)

POISON drummer Rikki Rockett says that he is still cancer free, six years after he was diagnosed with oral cancer.

Rockett offered an update on his health status via his social media on Monday (July 26). He shared a photo of him with his longtime girlfriend TC Smith, and wrote in an accompanying message: "Six years ago I was diagnosed with base of tongue cancer with associated lymph nodes, squamous cell carcinoma from HPV. I did standard of care. Chemo and radiation. I waited the 3 months to see if it worked… it didn’t. I now had a 10% chance of beating it.

"A few weeks later I went on an experimental clinical trial at Moores Cancer Center under the care of Dr. Ezra Cohen. The trial was a combination of two immunotherapy drugs targeted at training my immune system to fight the cancer. 9 weeks into the trial the imaging showed 90% reduction in tumors. This was unprecedented and the best was yet to come! At 18 weeks I was in full remission and one of the drugs I was on, Keytruda, was fast tracked by the FDA for use in patients with a similar cancers. I felt not only like I was a miracle patient, but that my trial would help so many more people. The single greatest thing I have ever contributed to!

"Who was by my side the entire time? TC. She never let me become negative.

"Today, 5 years later, I one again tested negative for cancer with a PET / CT Scan and guess who was there to share this? TC.

"Clinical trials are sometimes magical. If you or a loved one has a hard to cure disease, look into a cutting edge clinical trial. It could save your life.

God bless!!!

In June 2015, Rikki visited his primary care doctor with a sore throat. His doctor found a small tumor at the base of his tongue, and Rikki learned he had human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oral cancer. He endured nine rounds of chemotherapy and 37 sessions of radiation therapy. The tumor initially responded, but returned three months later, spreading to his lymph nodes. Rikki then saw Dr. Ezra Cohen at UCSD Moores Cancer Center, who helped him enroll in a clinical trial of pembrolizumab (Keytruda). Rikki's tumor responded immediately. Just over two months into the trial, a scan revealed that his tumor had shrunk over 90 precent.

Last year, Rockett told "Trunk Nation" that he was afflicted with the same type of cancer as what IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson and MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine had.

"It was base of tongue with an associated lymph node, which is pretty common as far as head and neck cancers these days," he said. "HPV-related head and neck cancers usually are base of tongue. There's a few people that I've sort of mentored or helped out, and many of 'em are musicians. And HPV is pretty rampant — it really is. If you have a kid, get 'em inoculated."

Asked what his symptoms were, Rikki said: "I had a sore throat that wouldn't go away. That was the main thing. And then I had a lymph node that was kind of sticking out. First, they tried antibiotics, and they didn't work at all — they didn't even touch it. So it was, like, 'Okay, we need to do a biopsy. We're gonna go down and scope and take a look.' And there was a lump down there. Then, after a few weeks, it started to get hard to swallow, 'cause the lump was getting bigger — the tumor was getting bigger. So I went and did the typical treatment for it, which is chemo and radiation, and it did not work. And by the way, it's a fairly curable cancer, especially with HPV — there's a high percentage rate of success with it, of cure. But in my case, it didn't cure, so my options were a whole lot less. My doctor told me recently — he didn't tell me this before — but he told me recently that I had about a 10 percent chance if I would have went down the regular path. But we didn't — we used immunotherapy, and it put it in remission in about 10 weeks. When it works, it is amazing."

Rockett first revealed that his tongue cancer diagnosis was caused by HPV — the most common sexually transmitted infection — in a 2015 interview. He said: "It is the number one leading cause of oral cancer these days. There's less and less of the truck drivers that chew tobacco for thirty years getting it, because people are more aware that that kind of stuff isn't good. So we are getting marathon runners and all these elite athletes with this. I have a friend that's a therapist, and five years ago, it was five percent of the people she treated, and now it's close to ninety percent."

He continued: "It can be spread sexually, but now they're saying that it can spread [through] deep-kissing and actually hand to mouth. I mean, if you see the Olympic swimmers, they swim and they smack their hand on the side of the pool for each lap, and their hands are full of warts and stuff from HPV. Now the wart kind of HPV is not the same as the strain that causes cancer, but it is spread almost identically. For men, you can't tell if you have it. For women, you can get a papsmear. But the doctor estimated probably it was 15 [or] 20 years ago [when I contracted it], and my body probably got rid of it, but it mutated itself and my body would probably see that again and get rid of it. But there's no way to tell who got it. I mean, I know a couple that's been married for 15 years and they've never cheated on each other, and they're pointing their finger at each other [after one of them was diagnosed with oral cancer], and it turned into a thing until the doctor sat 'em down and went, 'Look, you can get this so many ways.'"


Six years ago I was diagnosed with base of tongue cancer with associated lymph nodes, squamous cell carcinoma from HPV....

Posted by Rikki Rockett on Monday, July 26, 2021

This past April, it was announced that MUDVAYNE will reunite after a 12-year hiatus, and will perform at all four Danny Wimmer Presents U.S. festivals in 2021: Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival (a headlining performance) in Ohio, Louder Than Life in Kentucky, Aftershock in California and Welcome To Rockville in Florida. These dates mark the band's first shows since 2009 and their only dates this year.

Earlier today (Monday, May 26), MUDVAYNE shared the first video footage from the rehearsal sessions for the upcoming gigs. Check it out below.

MUDVAYNE formed in 1996 and has sold over six million records worldwide, earning gold certification for three albums ("L.D. 50", "The End Of All Things To Come", "Lost And Found"). The band is known for its sonic experimentation, innovative album art, face and body paint, masks and uniforms. MUDVAYNE is Chad Gray (vocals), Greg Tribbett (guitar, backing vocals), Matthew McDonough (drums, synthesizer) and Ryan Martinie (bass).

It's been more than a decade since MUDVAYNE released its self-titled fifth album and little had been heard about the group during that time.

Gray has spent the past 15 years fronting HELLYEAH, which released its sixth studio album, "Welcome Home", in September 2019 via Eleven Seven Music. The disc marked the group's final effort with drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who passed away nearly three years ago.

In 2018, Tribbett said that fans who are calling for a MUDVAYNE reunion "just need a little more patience." He explained: "We're all flattered that everybody still wants MUDVAYNE to tour and do a new record and come out and do all that stuff. The thing is is that everybody is in three different bands and kind of doing their own projects, and there's no time for that right now."

Tribbett's most focus was AUDIOTOPSY, which released its second full-length album, "The Real Now", in November 2018 via Megaforce Records. He is joined in that band by MUDVAYNE drummer Matt McDonough, SKRAPE vocalist Billy Keeton and bassist Perry Stern.

MUDVAYNE did not tour behind its fifth album, which was barely promoted and sold weakly upon release.

Gray previously expressed skepticism about the possibility of a MUDVAYNE reunion, noting in a 2015 interview that "the only way I personally would want to do MUDVAYNE is if everybody licked their wounds and got over it."

Tribbett was also part of HELLYEAH with Gray but was fired from that band in 2013.

Asked in Revolver magazine if Greg's exit from HELLYEAH hit him especially hard, seeing as the two of them started off playing together in MUDVAYNE, Chad said: "Yeah, man. He has always been my right-hand man. He's been the back I look at when I'm writing songs and the sounding board for my ideas. When everything went sideways, it was like losing a great friend. I was filled with fear and I had mixed emotions. At first, I was, like, 'Goddamn, I don't know if I'm ever gonna be able to do this without him.'"


























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According to TMZ, neither drugs nor alcohol are believed to be factors in the sudden death of METAL CHURCH frontman Mike Howe.

A spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept. told the tabloid site that cops got a call Monday morning just after 10 a.m. in Eureka, California 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

EVANESCENCE and HALESTORM will share stages this fall with a new tour that brings together two of the hardest-rocking women in the genre, EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee and HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale. Speaking to Matt Pinfield for the latest installment of 95.5 KLOS's "New & Approved" music series, Lee stated about her personal friendship with Hale: "It started with music. It worked out for us to go do some shows together. We hadn't met in person before signing up to do a tour together in 2012. And I remember we had some kind of joint press or meet-and-greet to do on that first day. And I went in there, like, 'Hey,' before the fans came in. And we just clicked immediately. She's really humble and really down to earth. She doesn't take all the glory too seriously. She takes herself seriously and respects herself. She's just a really cool person.

"I feel like it takes something… Obviously, being a good musician and being a good songwriter, it's all key, but there's something deeper that makes the real pros, like Lzzy," she continued. "And it comes from just a good heart — somebody with their shit in order, and their priorities are straight.

"We love each other, and we get along," Amy added. "We play hard and we work hard. So I'm very much looking forward… I'm looking forward to playing live music in general; I mean, everybody is. Everybody's been missing it so bad. But to be able to go back out for our first [tour] out with a whole group of people that we're friends with — the crew, the band, we love each other, all of us. So it's gonna be a really good time."

Produced by Live Nation, the The EVANESCENCE and HALESTORM tour will kick off Friday, November 5 in Portland, Oregon, and take the bands to arenas across the country before wrapping up in the Northeast right before the holidays. PLUSH will be joining for the first leg, and LILITH CZAR will open the shows for the second.

EVANESCENCE's latest album, "The Bitter Truth", debuted in March as the #1 Current Rock and Alternative album in the U.S., and the band will bring audiences a high-octane rock energy to match the album, which the Los Angeles Times hailed as their "fiercest songs to date." Consequence Of Sound said of "The Bitter Truth", "Amy Lee and company triumphantly return … and it's certainly worth the wait," and the shows with HALESTORM this winter will further prove it.

In a new interview with Yahoo!, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx spoke about the backlash he and some of his peers, like Axl Rose or Sebastian Bach or Dee Snider, have gotten for expressing liberal or anti-Donald Trump views in the past.

"We could do a whole interview where I would tell you my opinion on this administration, and other administrations, but I'm not a politician, I’m a rock star, and people don't want me to talk about stuff like that," he said. "They tell me to 'stay in my lane' and just stick to playing bass. I don't really want to just stick to playing bass, but I don't want to alienate and have a mudslinging contest."

Asked if he would ever go into politics, Sixx, who is considered to be one of music's leading recovery spokespersons and advocates, said: "I would be too worried if my checkered past — but then, look at our president. [Laughs] But seriously, I consider myself to be the worm on the hook for a lot of what we're doing right now. I don't think it's my job to be political about it, but I will definitely help push the wagon up the hill for as long as I've got it in me — and that's forever. I care, and I want to make a difference because without my own recovery, without my own sobriety, I would be dead. And what a shame that would be that I never got help or I never had anybody around to support me and I missed all these beautiful opportunities — those beautiful children that I've had, the music that I've gotten to written, the photography and painting and books. And so, I think that the most important thing for me is if there's anybody out there dealing with what I was dealing with, or some version of it, if we can help them see there's a door and give them a key, that's enough for me. I don't need to be paid for my services or patted on the back or given an award."

Back in 2017, Sixx slammed Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the landmark Paris climate agreement, saying the president is "threatening our future" by making decisions that "are based on money" and "refusing to work together with others for a better America." Last year, he called on lawmakers to enact tougher guns laws following mass shootings across the United States that killed at least 35 in August 2019.

Sixx's CRÜE bandmate Tommy Lee has repeatedly voiced his displeasure with Trump, including in December 2018 when he referred to the 45th U.S. president as an "asshole" and labeled his supporters "dumbasses." A year earlier, he called the president "a fucking idiot" and said the people who voted for him are "dickheads."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian has shared two new songs called "Entitled" and "Film Piano" from his next release "Cinematique". Described as an assemblage of 25 cinematic compositions that roam through classical ("Illuminate") and modern ("Violent Violins") soundscapes, it is split up into two collections that will be made available at the same time on August 6. "Entitled" and "Film Piano" are taken from the "Illuminate" portion of "Cinematique".

Earlier this month, Tankian released "Cool Gardens Poetry Suite", a rich collection of four elegant cinematic works layered with intimate recital of poetry performed by Tankian. The Suite is available now on all major streaming platforms.

Before the end of year, listeners can also expect two film soundtrack releases from Tankian, for "Truth To Power" and "I Am Not Alone", both being documentaries that the composer produced and scored.

A singer, poet, songwriter, visual artist, film producer, activist, and composer, Tankian has always created music as an outlet to express his thoughts and feelings with a level of passion and consciousness that few in today's world of music can rival. An Armenian born in Lebanon and re-rooted in Los Angeles, Tankian was introduced to the melding of cultures, ideas, and ideals from a very young age. The principles learned from this integration and adaptation have led to his understanding of the oneness of all things and have since maneuvered and transfigured into the music and art that he lives to create. As the lead singer and songwriter for SYSTEM OF A DOWN, Serj has released five studio albums, winning a Grammy Award in 2006 for "B.Y.O.B." and selling over 40 million albums worldwide. Despite this success, Serj has never grown complacent with his art, always striving to open up new channels of sound and arrangement to articulate his artistic expressions. He has released five albums of solo material, beginning with 2007's chart-topping hard rock album "Elect The Dead". His sophomore solo album, "Imperfect Harmonies", was released in 2010, followed by "Harakiri" in 2012. 2013 saw two distinct releases from Serj, the first being the critically acclaimed "Orca Symphony No. 1", released in June of that year, followed up with the very unique "Jazz-Iz Christ" one month later.

Over the past few years, his time spent in the recording studio has been focused on creating musical scores and compositions for film and video game projects. Serj recently lent his vocals to a modern-day cover of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's rock classic "Godzilla" for the blockbuster Michael Dougherty film "Godzilla: King Of The Monsters". He also recorded a modern version of the Armenian folk song "Sari Siroun Yar" along with the Authentic Light Orchestra for the film "The Promise", directed by Terry George and starring Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac. Serj was also brought on by Survival Pictures, the producers of the film, to serve as an executive music consultant.

More recently, Tankian composed the full musical score for award-winning documentary "I Am Not Alone" directed by Garin Hovannisian and the Live Nation Productions film "Truth To Power", which chronicles Serj's own journey through the crossroads of music and activism. In 2017, Serj composed music for Emmy-nominated "Intent To Destroy", a gripping film directed by award winning documentarian Joe Berlinger. That same year he created an intense score for the epic Russian action film "Furious - The Legend of Kolovrat", followed by his 2018 musical score for award-winning film "Spitak", directed by Alexander Kott. Additionally, Tankian composed the full musical score for independent films "1915" and "The Last Inhabitant", an original composition for Ilya Naishuller's "Hardcore Henry" and video game musical scores for "Midnight Star" and its sequel, "Renegade", which were created by one of the chief architects of the famed "Halo" game franchise.

Serj's resume also includes the formation of a record label, Serjical Strike Records (established in 2001), which has released albums from many critically acclaimed artists, including FAIR TO MIDLAND, Buckethead and DEATH BY STEREO.

Along with fellow musician Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, AUDIOSLAVE), Serj co-founded the non-profit organization Axis Of Justice in 2002, which strives to bring together musicians, music fans and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice. He has also dabbled in the world of broadcasting as co-host of the Axis Of Justice Radio Network, which can be heard via SiriusXM and KPFK in Los Angeles. With a mission of spreading diversity and understanding through music, poetry and activism, Serj will continue to surprise and enlighten those who listen to his music and hear his words.

In recent years, Tankian has split his time between holding a mic and a paintbrush, having feverishly created over 60 pieces of art since 2013. His journey into the world of fine art began with his "Disarming Time Musical Paintings", which were exhibited at Project Gallery in Los Angeles. Since then, he has had multiple exhibitions at galleries in both the United States and New Zealand. In 2015, his artwork was exhibited at the grand opening of New Museum Los Gatos in Northern California as part of a group exhibit that ran from May through September of that year. Most recently, Serj's artwork was exhibited at two notable galleries in New Zealand during February and March of 2019.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN hasn't released a full-length album since the "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" LPs, which came out in 2005.


























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Dee Snider says that people need to realize that celebrities are flawed human beings who are capable of doing bad things. The TWISTED SISTER frontman told "The MetalSucks Podcast"in a new interview (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Creatives are damaged goods by definition. We choose to be actors, performers, writers, artists, painters, comedians, all those things, because we're damaged. And that's driven us to find these outlets. I don't know why people are so shocked when the evidence of that damage shows itself. When Dave [Ellefson] from MEGADETH gets caught masturbating [on video], well… First of all, you know a lot of you are doing the same thing. But second of all, he's a musician. He's not a priest. You can't expect him to be priest-like; hell, you can't expect a priest to be priest-like. But people are so shocked. And I don't get why the art is thrown away with the artist. If we found out that Michelangelo [the Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet] was a pedophile, would we stop going to the Sistine Chapel [in Rome]. Would we paint it over? It's no longer good art because the painter turned out to be a pedophile? I'm saying it hypothetically."

He continued: "All arists and creatives have got some skeletons in their closets, and suddenly the skeleton is shown and we're, like, 'Well, he's not funny anymore.' 'He's not a good actor anymore.' 'Kevin Spacey, we can't watch his movies anymore.' He's one of the great actors of his time, but he's dead because he was… And I'm not saying he was right. But he's a damaged, broken person — he always was. It's what made him a great artist. I just don't get that we throw away the baby with the bathwater, as the saying goes.

"I'm not saying making excuses or whatever. I'm [just talking] about the art being dismissed, thrown out, devalued and disqualified because the artist turned out to be a fallible human being. And people should be very careful. Most of us live in glass houses.

"When I went to [testify before] the Senate back in the '80s [against the proposition to have warning labels be placed on albums deemed 'offensive' to listeners], they talked to me like I was the scum of the earth. Well, cut to all these years later, I'm still married and the Gores [Al and Tipper] are divorced. One of their kids was busted for possession. None of my kids have been busted. Maybe they just got lucky. But the fact of the matter is — judge not, lest ye be judged."

In 1985, the Parents' Music Resource Center (PMRC), led by Tipper Gore, was trying to introduce a parental warning system that would label all albums containing "offensive material." The system was to include letters identifying the type of objectionable content to be found in each album (e.g. O for occult themes, S for sex, D for drugs, V for violence, etc.), which resulted in the "Parental Advisory" sticker now found on new album releases with "questionable content." The incongruous trio of Snider, Frank Zappa and John Denver were called before Congress to testify in defense of music.

In 2015, Snider wrote an Op-Ed story for HuffingtonPost.com about his experience, saying: "Thirty years later, everything and nothing has changed. The ultra-conservatives still want to dictate to the masses what they deem acceptable for the general public to see and hear. The record industry is a mere shadow of its former self (apt punishment for its cowardice), and CDs and vinyl albums have almost become 'novelties’ in a world driven by downloads. Yet, the warning labels still adorn individual track listings and albums online.

"While initially my appearance at those Senate hearings was damaging to my career and reputation, long term it was beneficial, showing people for the first time that I was much more than a screaming 'Raggedy Ann on acid' and a fairly intelligent, sentient human being. Fortunately, I have gone on to better things."

Ellefson was dismissed from MEGADETH in late May, just days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter. The longtime MEGADETH member later released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he "groomed" an underage fan. He also filed a report with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of Ellefson by unknown offenders. In the report, Ellefson admitted that he had been exchanging sexual text messages with a Dutch teenager, who captured a video of several of their virtual "masturbating encounters" without his consent and shared them with friends. (According to Ellefson, the woman was 19 at the time of their first virtual sexual encounter.)

David, who studied for a year at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis nearly a decade ago, and his wife Julie Ellefson have been married for 27 years. They have two children.

METALLICA will play an "intimate" concert on November 4 at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Tickets for the 7,000-seat-theater show go on sale Friday, July 30 at 10 a.m. EDT, but members of METALLICA's fan club (also known as Fifth Members) can get theirs early with a special presale starting Wednesday, July 28 at 10 a.m. EDT.

Says METALLICA: "We're excited to add one more night to the tour calendar this fall.

"It feels so great to be making plans to hit the road and we can't wait to see all of you out there. Keep watching this space… we have a few more shows in the works!!!"

Earlier in the 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.

The 40th-anniversary shows see METALLICA return to Chase Center for the first time since the September 2019 "S&M²" concerts that also served as the venue's grand opening. It was impossible not to notice that fans from more than 60 countries traveled to the City by the Bay and completely took over San Francisco for "S&M²" weekend. That outpouring of positive vibes from around the world inspired METALLICA to invite those Fifth Members back — and this time, in addition to the two shows at Chase Center, METALLICA will be curating other live music and comedy events, Blackened Whiskey tastings, and so much more all around the city during the long four-day weekend of celebrations starting on Thursday, December 16.

Formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, METALLICA has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, having sold nearly 120 million albums worldwide and generating more than 2.5 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on literally all seven continents. The band's several multi-platinum albums include "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets", "… And Justice For All", "Metallica" (commonly referred to as The Black Album), "Load", "Reload", "St. Anger", "Death Magnetic" and "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", released in November 2016 and charting at No. 1 in 32 countries.

METALLICA's awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards, and its 2009 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In June of 2018, the band was awarded one of the most prestigious musical honors in the world: Sweden's Polar Music Prize. METALLICA's newest release, the "S&M²" album and film, arrived last August on the band's own Blackened Recordings label. "S&M²" chronicles METALLICA and San Francisco Symphony's September 6 and September 8, 2019 "S&M²" concerts that served as the grand opening of San Francisco's Chase Center and reunited the band and Symphony for the first time in 20 years. "S&M²" brings those historic shows back to life, capturing more than two and a half hours of James, Lars, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo joining forces with the nearly 80-strong San Francisco Symphony, legendary music director of the orchestra Michael Tilson Thomas and conductor Edwin Outwater.