One of heavy metal's greatest bands JUDAS PRIEST is set to release a mammoth limited-edition box set which will include every official live and studio album to date plus 13 unreleased discs. This is the most extensive release of previously unreleased music the band has made from its vast archives — a real treat for fans. Restored and mixed by Tom Allom at La Cucina W8 and mastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios, this special release will be out on October 15 via Sony Music.

A newly released trailer for the box set is available below.

This special box set comes as JUDAS PRIEST finally gets the opportunity to celebrate its 50th anniversary with a headline slot at Bloodstock Open Air festival in the U.K. plus the launch of a U.S. tour this fall. The "50 Heavy Metal Years" tour is fueled by the highest-charting album of PRIEST's career, "Firepower", which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and No. 5 in the U.K.

JUDAS PRIEST originally formed in 1970 in Birmingham, England (an area that many feel birthed heavy metal). The original nucleus of musicians would go on to change the face of heavy metal. Throughout the 1970s, PRIEST was responsible for helping trail blaze metal with such classic offerings as "Sad Wings Of Destiny" (1976), "Sin After Sin" (1977) and "Hell Bent For Leather" (1978) as well as one of the genre's top live recordings, "Unleashed In The East" (1979), among others.

It was during the 1980s that PRIEST conquered the world, becoming a global arena headliner on the strength of such all-time classics as "British Steel" (1980) and "Screaming For Vengeance" (1982) as well as being one of the first metal bands to be embraced by the then-burgeoning MTV plus performing at some of the decades biggest concerts (1980's Monsters Of Rock, 1983's US Festival and 1985's Live Aid) and being the first to exclusively wear leather and studs — a look that began during this era and would eventually be embraced by metal heads throughout the world. PRIEST's success continued throughout the 1990s and beyond with the addition of drummer Scott Travis, as evidenced by such additional stellar offerings as "Painkiller" (1990), "Angel Of Retribution" (2005) and "A Touch Of Evil: Live" (2009), the latter of which saw PRIEST win a Grammy Award for a killer rendition of the classic "Dissident Aggressor".

In 2011, new guitarist Richie Faulkner came in to replace K.K. Downing, who had left in 2010. The move seemed to have reinvigorated the band as evidenced by a show-stealing performance on the "American Idol" finale that also served as Faulkner's debut performance with the band (also in 2011 was the release of a new compilation "The Chosen Few" which included PRIEST classics selected by some of metal's biggest names) and the "Epitaph" concert DVD in 2013.

PRIEST's next studio effort would arrive in 2014 — "Redeemer Of Souls" — which was supported by another strong tour. In 2017 (and again in 2019), JUDAS PRIEST received a nomination for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and got ready to unleash its latest studio album, "Firepower" (produced by Andy Sneap and Tom Allom) which received global success and critical acclaim. In 2020, a fully official and authorized photographic book, "Judas Priest: 50 Heavy Metal Years", was issued.

A "Reflections" edition of the box set will also be available to purchase in CD and 2LP formats.

Said singer Rob Halford: "JUDAS PRIEST's curated box set representing 50 heavy metal years is the ultimate treasure trove defining the bands unwavering commitment to keeping and defending the heavy metal faith."

Added guitarist Glenn Tipton: "If there's one box set you should have in your heavy metal collection, it should be this one. It's immortal. Proclaiming and truly representing metal for over 50 years, flying the flag and proudly leading the way inspiring many bands throughout the years, this 42-CD selection says it all. It's a big part of metal history and as such will live forever."

Stated bassist Ian Hill: "AMAZING — 50 years of metal crammed into a small box!!"

Toundra, the instrumental rock band from Madrid, Spain, are back. Two years after recording their last release, their own soundtrack for the iconic Das Cabinet Des Dr Caligari, the post-rockers are already working on their next album.

The new album, at this time untitled, will be the band's eighth since its formation in 2007 (including the side project, Exquirla). Toundra has enlisted trusted producer Santi García to helm the recording at Cal Pau Recordings and Ultramarinos Costa Brava studios, both in Catalonia, along with the also loyal Víctor García in charge of mastering.

Toundra began writing during the days of stricter confinement in March 2020. After the cancellation of their European Tour, Macón, Álex, Alberto and Esteban decided to start recording demos at home and sent each other hundreds of recordings. The result is seven new songs that will be released in early 2022 by InsideOutMusic.

The new album will be made up of two different parts. Side A will consist of a single 22-minute song, divided into three parts, proving Toundra's constant need to challenge themselves in new ways. Meanwhile, side B contains four tracks, with the more familiar Toundra style.

As the band has stated: “We are very excited about what we are getting out of this recording process. Making our eighth recording after fourteen years creating together has been a challenge. In the middle of the process, we found ourselves again with an inspiration that made us create in a more diverse way and traveling new paths. Something that from our beginnings has been the true motivation and sense of being in Toundra. We are looking forward to hearing the result.”

This is a new step for a band that continues to show the same passion and desire with which it  formed fourteen years ago.

New live dates for Toundra will be announced shortly.




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JOURNEY's seventh studio album, "Escape", has been certified diamond by the RIAA, which denotes the album has sold over 10 million equivalent units. "Escape", released in 1981, will celebrate its 40th anniversary on July 17, and spawned the hits "Open Arms", "Who's Crying Now", "Stone In Love" and "Don't Stop Believin'", which has over a billion streams on Spotify alone. JOURNEY's "Greatest Hits" has previously been certified diamond.

JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon says of the certification: "This is such a truly gratifying achievement for all the work we did together. Congratulations to all." Keyboardist Jonathan Cain adds: "On behalf of all that helped to make our album 'Escape' a diamond award achievement, we say thank you. To our fans, to our bandmates who took part in recording this album, to our label, to all in radio and finally to the distributors who believed in this music, we are deeply humbled and honored to accept this prestigious award."

Recently, JOURNEY shared its new song "The Way We Used To Be". The song is the band's first new music since 2011's album "Eclipse". It was accompanied by a music video, directed and produced by Andrew Seth Cohen and Ryan Kieffer, with animation produced by Confidential Creative.

JOURNEY has confirmed a number of new tour dates, including shows in Atlantic City and Grantville, as well as their performance at the Tunnel To Towers Foundation's "Never Forget" concert, a night of live music to honor and commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11, at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater on Saturday, August 21. Additionally, the band will headline Lollapalooza at Chicago's Grant Park on Saturday, July 31. The band has also confirmed "An Evening With Journey: Official Lollapalooza Aftershow" at the Aragon Ballroom on Thursday, July 29. On Friday, September 18, the band will be performing at the iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. More live shows will be announced in the coming weeks.

JOURNEY was founded in 1972 by original member Neal Schon, and is one of the most famous and beloved American rock bands of all time, having written some of the best-known songs in the modern musical canon. Since the group's formation, the band has earned 19 top 40 singles, 25 gold and platinum albums, and has sold nearly 100 million albums globally. Their "Greatest Hits" album is certified 15 times platinum, and their song "Don't Stop Believin'" has been streamed over one billion times alone. The band has undergone many changes since 1972, and with the recent release of the single "The Way We Used To Be" move into a new chapter with a lineup comprised of Neal Schon (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jonathan Cain (keyboards, backing vocals), Arnel Pineda (lead vocals), Randy Jackson (bass), Narada Michael Walden (drums) and Jason Derlatka (keyboards). The band will announce new music soon.

JOURNEY was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017, and 2018's co-headlining tour with DEF LEPPARD was the band's most successful tour to date, landing them in the Top 10 year-end touring chart with more than one million tickets sold, and earning them the prestigious Billboard "Legends Of Live" touring award. March 2019 saw the release of "Escape & Frontiers Live In Japan", a live DVD/CD set from their concert at the Budokan in Tokyo featuring the band's first-ever performances of the albums "Escape" and "Frontiers" in their entirety. JOURNEY has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, and was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall Of Fame. Additionally, the band is the subject of the award-winning documentary, "Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey", about the band's resurgence upon adding Arnel Pineda as lead singer after Schon discovered the Philippines native on Youtube.

Courtesy of the Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy vocalists Gabriela Gunčíková and Marc Hudson, (DragonForce) guitarist Michael Gilbert (Flotsam And Jetsam), drummer Ken Mary (Flotsam And Jetsam), and multi-instrumentalist Gary Schutt on bass throw down hard on the Helloween classic "Eagle Fly Free".

Arizona thrash and speed metal icons, Flotsam And Jetsam, recently revealed a new playthrough video for the track “Brace For Impact”, the latest single from the group’s new album, Blood In The Water.

“This is a fun one to play because it’s definitely a challenging picking workout,” says guitarist Michael Gilbert. “Everything from fast alternate picking to slow eerie melodic tones to compliment the rest of the music and vocals. Hope you enjoy it as much as I love playing it.”

Flotsam And Jetsam frontman Eric "AK" Knutson recently spoke with BraveWords about the band's new album, Blood In The Water. Following is an excerpt from the chat, with Knutson commenting on the pressure of following up The End Of Chaos from 2017.

Knutson: "We were really worried about that when we started writing this record. We knew we had to top The End Of Chaos; otherwise, why bother even putting one out? That was in our heads when we started writing so I'm sure that had a lot to do with the intensity on this new one. When we started writing Blood In The Water, we started with leftover from The End Of Chaos that didn't make it to that record, and we didn't end up using any of them (laughs). This is all brand new stuff. But that's always how we usually start; by working on stuff we didn't work on hard enough for the previous record. Sometimes we use a couple of them, sometimes we don't, but this time not only did we not use any of the leftovers, we wrote 10 or 15 more songs that we didn't use. Music was just pouring out of (guitarists) Steve (Conley) and Mike (Gilbert)... it was ridiculous."

Flotsam And Jetsam have seen many of their peers that started at the same time, including Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Venom have their day in the sun. Considered in metal circles as “legendary”, the mighty Flotsam And Jetsam, over their long career, has seemed somewhat plagued by label snafu’s, changes in trends, or other unfortunate events. On album number fourteen, and without a doubt making the best music of their career, Flotsam And Jetsam finally smells blood in the water this time around.

Blood In The Water literally shreds the listener’s ears and pummels Flotsam And Jetsam’s message into the hearts of the most diehard metal fans, the album must be heard to be believed. Featuring twelve brutal and powerful tracks that will rip your head off, the outstanding guitar work of Michael Gilbert and these killer vocals by Eric AK – one of the most gifted metal singers in music history – Flotsam And Jetsam's Blood In The Water will see the band deliver one of their heaviest records to date!

It’s been 35 years since Flotsam And Jetsam, formed in Phoenix, Arizona released their landmark debut, Doomsday For The Deceiver, the only album to ever receive a 6K rating from the influential British magazine Kerrang! Bassist Jason Newsted would jump ship to Metallica while the band released the unstoppable No Place For Disgrace in 1988. Cuatro (1992), Drift (1995), High (1997), and My God (2001) all still rank extremely high in heavy metal circles. But it was the first part of this unofficial trilogy in 2016’s self-titled Flotsam And Jetsam, followed by the the crushing 2019- successor, The End Of Chaos, that a certain rejuvenation and reset was clearly felt. Fast-forward five years to a planet that was forced to its knees: While spending most of the past year in a holding pattern like the rest of the world, Flotsam And Jetsam made the best of a struggling situation and just let those creative juices and angst flow. What emerged was twelve brand new blistering tracks under the moniker Blood In The Water.

“We really had a hell of a time figuring out which songs to actually include in this album, because we don’t feel we had any fillers,” describes Steve Conley about the new songs clocking in at nearly 55 minutes of thrashing glory.

Says singer Eric “AK” Knutson, “We’ve seen our fan base increasing, and we’ve seen the response to the last two albums getting louder and louder. We have some of the most committed and crazy fans in the world. We charted higher on our last album than at any point in our career. Maybe our career path will run similar to Motorhead’s, who although was always considered iconic, didn’t really break through in a big way until later in their career. We feel our time is now...” says AK. “We’re like that dog that’s been kicked...we’re ready to break the door down and take what’s ours.”

And the Flotsam lineup has never been stronger. AK keeps bringing the magic every album and tour, and oddly seems to be getting better and better as time goes on. He’s backed by the incredibly talented, exceptionally brilliant guitar duo of co-founder Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley, the powerful, precise and lightning fast engine of drummer Ken Mary, (whose Hall of Fame resume includes over five million albums sold with artists such as Alice Cooper, House Of Lords, and Accept), and the “fresh blood” and extraordinary technical skills and prowess of bassist Bill Bodily.

No filler, all killer, Blood In The Water was once again mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (U.D.O., Volbeat, Amaranthe, Powerwolf) and sees Flotsam And Jetsam exploding with creativity, moving forward but nodding to their past.

The band has come a long way from the kids that stepped onto the world stage with their first album in 1986, but the one thing that has never been in question since that day is their dedication to their fans, their incredible talent, and relentless pursuit to produce their best music ever.

“Following up The End Of Chaos was no easy task,” guitarist Michael Gilbert adds. “We weren’t really sure what we had left in the tank, as we put so much work, sweat, and blood into that album. As it turns out, we had plenty left to say. With everything that’s happened in the world, the friends we lost this last year, and not being able to perform or tour… you hear all of that in our music. It’s angry, it’s aggressive, and our emotions pour out all over this album.”

The AFM Records Store has a selection of vinyl and the following box set (shown above) limited to 666 units containing:

- Digipak-CD
- Exclusive Blood In The Water T-Shirt
- Brace For Impact Poster
- Sticker
- Certificate of Authenticity

Tracklist

“Blood In The Water”
“Burn The Sky”
“Brace For Impact”
“A Place To Die”
“The Walls”
“Cry For The Dead”
“The Wicked Hour”
“Too Many Lives”
“Grey Dragon”
“Reaggression”
“Undone”
“Seven Seconds ‘Til The End Of The World”

"Brace For Impact" video:

"Blood In The Water" lyric video:

“Burn The Sky” video:

Album teaser:

Lineup:

Eric "AK" Knutson - Vocals
Steve Conley - Guitar
Michael Gilbert - Guitar
Bill Bodily - Bass
Ken K Mary - Drums




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Hard rock band The Lonely Ones have released the official music video for their new single titled "Gettin' High."

"We’ve seen the opioid crisis ravage the world and unfortunately every single person in America has been touched by it in some way. Either with our own struggles or people very close to us. It’s a national emergency and the lyrics describe one of many experiences I’ve had with this drug taking away people I cared very deeply about," says Marty McCoy, the band's vocalist/guitarist.

The Lonely Ones will be on tour for the rest of the year in support of the new single.

Dates:

August
19 - Indianapolis, IN - Hi-Fi
20 - Battle Creek, MI The Music Factory
21 - Keokuk, IA L-Treyns
22 - Mishawaka, IN Smokestack Brew
28 - Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
29 - Pipestem, WV Metal In The Mountains
31- Louisville, KY Diamond Pub Concert Hall

September
3 - Huntington, WV V Club
4 - Akron, OH Empire Concert Club
7 - Iowa City, IA Gabe's
8 - Des Moines, IA Lefty's
9 - Sioux Falls, SD Bigs Bar
10 - Janesville, WI Back Bar
11 - Chippewa Falls, WI Joel's 4 Corners
12 - Braidwood, IL Top Fuel Saloon




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UK metal band, Sorceress Of Sin, have released a lyric video for “Realms Of Elysium”, it's the second single taken from their forthcoming second album Constantine, which will be released on August 6, 2021. Music production by Twelve – Tone Studios.

Sorceress Of Sin just confirmed to play Bloodstock Open Air Festival on Sunday, August 15. Guitarist John Turner will be joining the band live on the Hobgoblin New Blood Stage as the force of rhythm alongside lead guitarist Constantine.

Lineup:

Lisa Skinner - Vocals
Constantine Kanakis - Guitars
Tom Maclean - Bass
Paul Skinner - Drums
Tom Maclean - Orchestral Arrangements




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August 20, 2021 will see the release of Dead Reckoning, the debut studio album by Helsinki-based heavy metal outfit Oceanhoarse. Featuring 13 tracks, loaded with crushing riffs, vocal harmonies and high voltage arrangements, Dead Reckoning shows a band willing to explore things in their very own style, instead of sticking to any kind of average formula.

After the previously- released singles "One With The Gun" and "Reaching Skywards", today Oceanhoarse have released a brand new lyric video for the track "The Damage". If you’re a fan of Machine Head, Megadeth and other riff-oriented metal masters but still got a secret crush for Alice in Chains or Avenged Sevenfold -type melodic choruses.

"The Damage' is a heavy metal anthem that begins with a moody guitar intro followed by haunting vocals. Then, the song takes a sudden U-turn and drags you in the middle of a metal mayhem filled with some lightning fast drumming! The Alice in Chains style wailing vocal harmonies and the song's epic closure with harmonized guitars ultimately leads us to the punchline: 'The damage is done.'' the band comments.

Oceanhoarse have amassed an impressive two million plus streams on Spotify alone, and all this before their first studio album has even been released. The band's previous single "One With the Gun" was released in late February, and has already hit the 100 000 stream mark.

Dead Reckoning, the group's first studio album, will be released on August 20 through Noble Demon and is now available for pre-save and pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Headfirst"
"Locks"
"Betrayed By Light"
"One With The Gun"
"Reaching Skywards"
"Fields Of Severed Dreams"
"Submersed"
"The Intruder"
"Fight For Tomorrow"
"From Hell To Oblivion"
"REW"
"Dead Reckoning"
"The Damage"
"Fading Neons"

"The Damage" lyric video:

"One With The Gun":

(Photo - Jony Karlsson)




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Wormwood's second single and music video for "The Gentle Touch of Humanity", the last grand epos from the upcoming album. Arkivet, has arrived.

Nine (Lead Vocals) comments: "Keeping with the bleak theme of the album, this video is no different. We're all taking part in the destruction machine called Humanity. An unstoppable force uprooting the essence of the earth and planting seeds of disease. 

“The world watches in apathy as the heart is being ripped out from its core and a continental-wide scar stretches throughout everything we know. The Gentle Touch of Humanity is what our tired and dead eyes watch from the temporary sanctuary we call our home. Nothing can be done, the wound is too deep, let's hope nature goes out with a fight."

The video might not be for everyone, but it will make you feel something. Viewer discretion is advised.

"The Gentle Touch Of Humanity" is the closing track on Wormwood's upcoming album, Arkivet, which will be released August 27 on CD, vinyl, and digital/streaming format.

Pre-order the album here.

Arkivet tracklisting:

"The Archive"
"Overgrowth"
"End Of Message"
"My Northern Heart"
"Ensamheten"
"The Slow Drown"
"The Gentle Touch Of Humanity"

"The Gentle Touch Of Humanity":

"The Archive" video:




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Brazilian black metal Demoniac Harvest is streaming the debut single and title track from their upcoming album, The Midnight Obsessor.

The full Album will be out on CD and cassette in the next month via Metalized Records.

Tracklisting:

“Evil Monastery (Intro)”
“The Midnight Obsessor”
“Altars To The Devil’s Feast”
“Almighty And Unholy”
“Satan’s Blood Cult”
“Rising From The Graves (Interlude)”
“The Rites Of The Servants”
“Black Funeral Chants”
“Luciferian Dominion”
“Countess Of Death”
“Umbral (Outro)”

“The Midnight Obsessor”:




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Frontiers Music Srl has released Testify X, the new album from Big City, a melodic metal band from Norway. Listen to the song "Heart's Like A Lion" below, and order/save Testify X here.

Big City was originally put together by guitarist and songwriter Daniel Olaisen. His plan was to use a vast amount of song ideas and 80's metal influenced guitar riffs that he had stockpiled over the years for a batch of songs with the right players. Frank Ørland, who also played with Daniel in Scariot (prog/thrash/heavy band featuring Communic and Spiral Architect members), was an obvious choice to bring to Big City as the second guitarist. Frank Nordeng Røe (Withem, Maraton, session drummer for Circus Maximus and Leprous) was brought in on drums after being discovered by Daniel via some internet research. The band was then completed with Jan Le Brandt on vocals and Geir Inge Olsen, who was brought in as a session bass player.

The band's debut album, Wintersleep, was initially released in 2014 and later on re-released by the Greek label Rock of Angels in 2018 as part of a deluxe edition of their second album, Big City Life. Big City played their very first live shows the same month of the international release, including Norway Rock Festival and Rock the Boat with Miguel Pereira (Withem) joining the band as their new permanent bass player.

In 2019, the band started working on a new album and brought in a new singer, Jørgen Bergersen from Rock The Night (Europe cover band) and the new demos caught the interest of Frontiers who moved swiftly to sign the band.

"The new album will introduce our new singer. He's done an incredible job and there's more punch and heaviness in his voice. The songs are still varied, from super chill ballad to heavy and light-progressive tunes. Melodies are still in focus and there's plenty of that, as expected. It's simply the best Big City album so far!" says Daniel Olaisen.

Tracklisting:

"The Rush"
"Dark Rider"
"Testify"
"I Will Fall"
"Running Away"
"Conception"
"Winds Of The Road"
"Heart's Like A Lion"
"Graveyard Love"
"How Dark Does It Get"

"Heart's Like A Lion":

"The Rush":

"Testify" video:

Lineup:

Daniel Olaisen - Rhythm, lead and acoustic guitars
Frank Ørland - Lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars
Frank Nordeng Røe - Drums and percussion
Jørgen Bergersen- Vocals
Miguel Pereira - Bass guitar




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Berlin's Space Chaser have released their new album, Give Us Life, via Metal Blade Records. For a preview of the record, a video for the new single, "Antidote To Order", can be seen below.

Space Chaser comments: "Check out the video clip to 'Antidote To Order'. This is old school Space Chaser. After the high tech epos that is 'Remnants Of Technology' and its prequel 'The Immortals', you will get some unadulterated thrash metal vibes. Old school arcade games, beer and thrash metal - who's on board? Also, 'Give Us Life' is finally out! We're so happy that our strongest material to-date is now unleashed, and we are stoked to see what the fans think of it - plus, what the future holds in store for us. See you on the other side!"

Nothing can beat the thrill of thrash at its best, and no one is keeping the spirit and sound of the genre alive quite like Space Chaser. Marking their ten-year anniversary with their third full-length, Give Us Life, they are returning in force and once again establishing their importance in the scene. "What we do is contemporary thrash metal, if you will, and while still having the 'old-school' elements everyone loves, we try to incorporate some of the influences that we expose ourselves to. Over the last ten years, this kind of music progressed a lot, and of course that has its influence on us. But what we do is still thrash metal, we just hope we're able to translate it a little bit better into 2021."

The album was recorded at their go-to studio, Berlin's Hidden Planet, with Jan Oberg, who the band acknowledge is a rather unknown name in the metal scene, but his work proves up to par with international standards nonetheless. The songs were produced by guitarist Leo Schacht and drummer Matthias Scheuerer with the help of Oberg, and for mastering they had Dan Swanö of Unisound Studios at the helm. "It was the smoothest recording process we have ever had. Everybody went in perfectly prepared and every idea worked out just how we anticipated. It's almost surreal, though being satisfied with your production can lead you to get lost in details forever - and the intro for 'Burn Them All' was a bitch!" Acknowledging that it feels weird to have reached their tenth anniversary already, this landmark has only stoked the fires. "We never felt so pumped and ready for whatever life throws at us," they say, and asking what they see when they look to the band's future, they are emphatic. "World domination! Well...sort of. I think every band just wants to get as big a name in the metal world as possible, and we are no exception. We really hope to expand our fanbase outside of Germany with 'Give Us Life', and we never even dreamt of getting the chance to release a record through Metal Blade. Furthermore, we definitely want to tour a lot as soon as we are allowed to. We are anxious to leave Europe for the first time, and we want to prove that we are capable of delivering on an international standard."

Give Us Life can be ordered here.

Give Us Life tracklisting:

"Remnants Of Technology"
"Juggernaut"
"Cryoshock"
"A.O.A"
"The Immortals"
"Signals"
"Burn Them All"
"Give Us Life"
"Antidote To Order"
"Dark Descent"

Album stream:

"The Immortals" video:

"Remnants Of Technology" video:

Space Chaser lineup:

Siegfried Rudzynski: vocals
Leo Schacht: guitars
Martin Hochsattel: guitars
Sebastian Kerlikowski: bass
Matthias Scheuerer: drums

(Photo - Michael Baumgärtner)




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Living Colour have released the video below, along with the following message:

"In honor of the 30th anniversary of the release of Biscuits - July 16th, 1991, we present you with a live performance of 'Money Talks' (from Lyon, France 1989)."




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Heaven & Earth have released their fifth studio album, the aptly titled V. Listen to the song "Big Money Little Man" below, and order/save V here.

Heaven & Earth's lineup now includes Gianluca Petralia (vocals), Stuart Smith (guitars), Lynn Sorensen (bass), George Barabas (Hammond organ and keyboard), and Simon Wright (drums, percussion). They have become an international band with an Italian singer, a Hungary-based keyboardist, and two British transplants living in the US amongst their ranks. These five incredible rock musicians have banded together to record this magnificent new album, V.

"Personally, I feel that this is our best album yet. It has a much harder edge than the previous albums. The chemistry between the new musicians was amazing," says guitarist Stuart Smith.

"It’s been an incredible five-month ride made of impulsive writing and recording with outstanding musicians I’m now honored to call friends. From the very beginning, it felt like this album was already there. It just needed to be delivered…it was like a scream to exorcise the bleak reality we’re living right now,” says vocalist Gianluca Petralia.

"I've been a big fan of Heaven & Earth since their first album so when Stuart asked me to join the band it was like something any fan or musician could dream of. I enjoyed the whole recording process and we had lay down some serious hard rock songs for this new record," adds keyboardist George Barabas.

"Heaven & Earth V is rock before it became polished like jewelry. It's attitude with dirt on its face. As two of our members were in different countries it was logistically challenging to record, but everyone rallied together like a great band should," says bassist Lynn Sorensen.

"I'm glad I had the opportunity to play on this Heaven and Earth album. Incredible musicians and some classy songwriting," says drummer Simon Wright.

V is an absolute must hear for all lovers of Rainbow, early Whitesnake, and Bad Company and that general era of amazing hard rock.

Tracklisting:

"Drive"
"Beautiful"
"Never Dream Of Dying"
"Ship Of Fools"
"Poverty"
"Flim Flam Man"
"One In A Million Men"
"Little Black Dress"
"Big Money Little Man"
"Running From The Shadows"
"Nothing To Me"
"At The End Of The Day"

"Big Money Little Man":

"Never Dream Of Dying":

"One In A Million Men":

"Drive" video:

Lineup:

Vocals: Gianluca Petralia
Guitar: Stuart Smith
Bass & Vocals: Lynn Sorensen
Drums: Simon Wright
Keyboards: George Barabas
Additional Keyboards: Mike Mangan




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King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife Toyah Willcox - joined by the mysterious stranger Sidney Jake - are back with another episode in their "Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch" series. This time they take on The Kinks' "You Really Got Me", which was later famously covered by Van Halen. Watch below:

A selection of Robert & Toyah's previous Sunday Lunch videos can be seen below:

 




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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. 6, 'Sucks To Be You'."

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

KnuckleBonz and Calicraft Brewing Company have announced their plans to launch a new music branded beverage line with two AC/DC officially licensed beers: AC/DC PWR UP Juicy IPA and AC/DC TNT Double IPA coming to select retail in late summer of 2021.

KnuckleBonz and Calicraft said in a statement: "We are excited to announce this is the first in a series of AC/DC branded beers to be featured in this unique collaboration to bring quality beverages to the music superfan.

There will be a tap room release event in the San Francisco Bay Area the weekend of July 23-25, 2021, at the Calicraft headquarters/tap room located at 2700 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, California.

Featured in a 16 oz collector's edition AC/DC can, this sustainably and specially crafted beer will be available through the Reyes Distribution network that sells to retail partners such as Raley's, WholeFoods and more.

Availability is slated for mid-September 2021, in select retail outlets throughout California and Arizona. Online ordering will be available as individual states allow.

AC/DC PWR UP Juicy IPA (6.66%) mixes the tropical hop punch of hazy IPAs with the balance of West Coast IPAs. A blend of Australian Galaxy Hops and American Citra Hops bring massive flavors of bright passionfruit, ripe peaches, and juicy mandarin. Inspired by the newest AC/DC album, AC/DC PWR UP Juicy IPA combines new school vibes with old-school cool.

AC/DC TNT Double IPA (8.2%) is a modern take on a classic style. We blend a mix of Australian Cascade, American Cascade, and Simcoe to create a big, bold 8.2% Double IPA. Flavors of fresh cut grapefruit, sweet mango, and fresh pine explode out of the glass. Inspired by the first international AC/DC album — AC/DC TNT Double IPA proves that classics never go out of style.

"We are beyond excited to be collaborating with Calicraft on a new line of craft beers for music superfans," says Tony Simerman, CEO of KnuckleBonz, Inc. "Many of the bands we have worked with in the Rock Iconz and 3D Vinyl Series will be coming to the new beverage line. There's not a better band than AC/DC to kick this off."

Calicraft and KnuckleBonz, Inc. were both founded on values of creating true artistry through custom-crafted product. This is a special joint effort to create a specialized beverage line for true music enthusiasts. Both companies are honored to have AC/DC participate as the craft beer to launch this line.

"Over the years, we've always stood for collaborations that go beyond beer. We value community and the arts. As music enthusiasts, we could not be more excited to work with our friends at KnuckleBonz and some of the most influential and groundbreaking musicians in history," says Blaine Landberg, CEO of Calicraft Beverage Co. "Our collaboration is inspired by the band and is designed to be paired with their music. Great music and great beer — there is no better pairing!"

For a complete listing on where to buy, go to Calicraft.com/ACDC or KnuckleBonz.com/ACDC for more information and product offering updates.

Grammy Award-nominated diamond-certified Dallas, Texas maverick Post Malone has unveiled a new track titled "Motley Crew".

"Motley Crew" is his first new original music of the year — the lead track from a companion project to a forthcoming documentary, coming soon. Once again, he delivers the perfect anthem to rage to, living up to the title of "Motley Crew" like only Post can.

Malone also released a video for the track directed by Cole Bennett and co-produced by DreVision Media. Shot at Auto Club Speedway, the video features NASCAR stars Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace. Other notable guest appearances include MÖTLEY CRÜE's iconic drummer Tommy Lee, Big Sean, French Montana, Kerwin Frost, LoveLeo, SAINt JHN, Ty Dolla $ign, Tyga, Pressa, Trinidad James and Tyla Yaweh.

Lee is no stranger to interesting collaborations, including a previous appearance on Tyla Yaweh's single "Tommy Lee", alongside Post Malone.

Tommy's latest album "Andro", released via Better Noise Music in 2020, is a testament to the depth and variety of his musical taste. Lee spent two years writing and recording "Andro" and the record truly represents the music that he was meant to make — and reveals the depth and range of his musical fascinations. The album also symbolizes the male and female sides of music — equally important and equally powerful — thus the LP's title. Androgyny is a combination of the essences of male and female genders and the album is the manifestation of the concept.

Last year, Lee said that he was thrilled to be the inspiration for Tyla Yaweh's "Tommy Lee". The track, which was released in June 2020, is said to be an ode to the MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer and his lavish lifestyle.

"It's even hard to explain," Tommy told Kyle Meredith in an interview. "I'm honored to death that someone would even call a song 'Tommy Lee', and then to have a song be about you… And coming from guys that, like — fucking Post Malone is probably one of the biggest artists, other than Billie Eilish. These are extremely talented and successful artists, and to get that back, it's hard to even explain. It feels so cool. It's like you're in a club. They've not only accepted you, they're fucking honoring you.

"It's hard to talk about myself like that, so it's difficult; I'm sorry," he continued. "But it's cool because it just acknowledges that what I'm doing, I'm on the right path. Getting shoutouts from a bunch of other hip-hop artists, and my name pops up in a bunch of songs. I get a kick out of that. I'm, like, 'That's fucking rad, man.' It's weird even talking about it. I don't know. [Laughs]"

Lee and Post Malone previously collaborated on the song "Over Now", which was featured on the rapper's 2018 album "Beerbongs & Bentleys".

Lee told Debatable about Malone: "I've known him for a while and that dude is a rock star, let me tell you. He's a freaking maniac."

Tyla told NME that "Tommy Lee" is about "living life and spreading positive energy." Explaining why he and Malone named the track after the MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer, he added: "Tommy Lee just doesn't give a fuck and I love that."

Members of SCORPIONS, STRYPER, QUEENSRŸCHE, L.A. GUNS and SLAUGHTER are among the rockers who have reacted on social media to the passing of CINDERELLA guitarist Jeff LaBar.

LaBar was found dead by his wife, Debinique Salazar-LaBar, on Wednesday inside his apartment in Nashville. He was 58 years old.

Although CINDERELLA hasn't released a new studio album since 1994's "Still Climbing", the band started playing sporadic shows again in 2010 but has been largely inactive for the last few years while frontman Tom Keifer focused on his solo career.

Back in 2016, LaBar accepted blame for CINDERELLA's prolonged period of inactivity, explaining that his "drinking problem" caused a rift between him and his bandmates. He told "Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley": "I can only speculate, but I believe it's all my fault. It's no secret that I've had a drinking problem. And it showed its ugly face on one of those [cruises that CINDERELLA played]. I guess that's what caused a rift… When I fell out on one of those cruise ships in front of everybody — like, basically O.D.'d — that's when the band, and mostly Tom, took notice and was, like, 'What the fuck?'"

Asked if he was sober at the time of the interview, LaBar said: "No, I'm not. Which is the problem. Which is probably the problem. Like I said, I can only speculate, because I don't talk to the other guys anymore. I talk to Fred every now and then. Eric [Brittingham, bass] lives 20 minutes from me. We haven't talked lately, but Eric and I have been the most consistent of all my bandmates throughout the past 32 years. It's just Tom and I that don't talk anymore. And I can only speculate that he's very disappointed and doesn't wanna see me die. He doesn't wanna witness me dying."

LaBar went on to say that the touring lifestyle "fed [his] appetite for partying… all the way back to the '80s." He explained: "I have a history. It's not just these past issues. I have a history of drinking and cocaine… In the '80s, it was cocaine abuse. In the '90s, it was heroin. I went through every cliché phase that a rock star could go through. It just wasn't highly publicized. I was arrested, I went through rehab, I did all the things MÖTLEY CRÜE did. I just didn't publicize it. I was MÖTLEY CRÜE and GUNS N' ROSES all wrapped into one. As a band, we tried to hide our dirty laundry, and most of our dirty laundry was me. We didn't try to hide it; we just didn't publicize it. We just didn't tell people. 'Oh, yeah, Jeff's in rehab. Jeff's in jail. Jeff's in… whatever.' We just didn't publicize it. We actually kept it to ourselves. It was our family. It was our family business, and that's how we treated it."

Despite the fact that he hadn't spoken to Keifer for a couple of years prior to the "Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley" interview, LaBar said that he didn't hold a grudge against his longtime friend and bandmate. "I understand why he doesn't return my calls, and I don't blame him," he said. "I understand. And hey, you know, he's been the major talent of CINDERELLA all this time, and he deserves to be solo. Not deserves to be solo, but, you know, it was inevitable for him to go solo. He's just one of those guys — lead singer, main songwriter. It's inevitable that he should go solo and basically dump [laughs], dump the dead weight."

Keifer told RockRevolt Magazine that "some issues" within the band — "going back decades" — had effectively sidelined the group for the past several years. He explained: "We took some pretty extreme measures to right the ship and fix things, and we made a pact as a band in 2012 that we would not do anything as a band until the issues were resolved. That's how much it came to a head. The issues are unresolved, so that's all I can say about that."


I’m deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of Jeff LaBar. I had the honor of meeting Jeff multiple times when...

Posted by Michael Sweet on Wednesday, July 14, 2021



Very sad to hear about the passing of Jeff LeBar. Although I don’t have any photos of us together he was part of a small...

Posted by Tony Harnell on Wednesday, July 14, 2021



Lead Guitarist Jeff LaBar of Cinderella has passed at the young age of 58 … our Hearts and Prayers go out to his Family and Friends … RIP Jeff

Scorpions

Posted by Scorpions on Thursday, July 15, 2021



Very saddened to hear that CINDERELLA guitarist Jeff LaBar has passed away :( Condolences to his family, friends and...

Posted by Nick Menza on Wednesday, July 14, 2021



Sad to hear about the passing of Jeff LaBar of Cinderella. Rest peacefully.

Our #songofthenight from #artistswelove #JeffLaBar #Godspeed

Posted by Jack Russell's Great White on Wednesday, July 14, 2021



? #jefflabar

Posted by TRACII GUNS on Wednesday, July 14, 2021



? RIP Jeff Labar

Posted by Tantric on Wednesday, July 14, 2021



RIP Jeff Labar - Cinderella

Only 58, gone way too soon!!

Posted by Jeff Scott Soto on Wednesday, July 14, 2021



Wow. Very sorry to hear of the passing of Jeff LaBar. The 1st Cinderella album had a major impact on me. I was lucky...

Posted by Todd Kerns on Wednesday, July 14, 2021



Gone too soon.

RIP Jeff LaBar ??

Posted by Mark Slaughter on Wednesday, July 14, 2021



My sincere condolences to his family and friends. Damn.

Posted by Todd La Torre on Wednesday, July 14, 2021



Rest in peace Brother Jeff Labar. (Bottom left). In the bottom photo, he is on the right as we muster for the inaugural...

Posted by Bill Leverty on Wednesday, July 14, 2021



Just heard that my pal and Philadelphia Eagles compadre Jeff LaBar passed away today!!! This is a tough one!!!! A great...

Posted by John Corabi on Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Ted Nugent says that recidivism is to blame for the recent rise in violent crime and gun violence in America.

Homicides spiked by 30% in 2020 over the previous year, according to data provided by the White House. In the first quarter of this year, the nationwide homicide rate was 24% higher than it was in the same period of 2020 and 49% higher than two years ago.

A board member of the National Rifle Association, Nugent addressed the hot-button issue during his July 12 YouTube livestream. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Dallas, Texas — shame on you. Same law as San Francisco and L.A.: if you steal under $950 worth of merchandise from a business, they won't prosecute you. This is insanity. 'Crime's out of control.' Because you're rewarding criminal behavior. They don't prosecute people caught with guns in Chicago or Detroit or New York or New Jersey or California — they don't prosecute people violating one of the thousands of gun laws, but the next gun law's gonna stop 'em.

"Bad guys need to be locked up," he continued. "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."

According to CNN, a report released last month by The Sentencing Project showed, in part, that serving multiple decades behind bars isn't an effective way to decrease violent crimes and recidivism rates. The report went on to say that "sensationalism" in media reporting about violent crime contributes to the pressure for longer sentences. The report also concluded that in most international studies of recidivism, people convicted of murder or other violence re-offended less than 10% of the time.

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."

In a new interview with the "Metal From The Inside" podcast, Dee Snider was asked if he is still steadfast about not wanting TWISTED SISTER to reunite. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[I am] one hundred percent committed to not reuniting. Now, let me just be clear: we're friends. I did a [solo] show a couple of weeks ago [on June 11 at Stereo Garden in Patchogue, New York] and [TWISTED SISTER bassist Mark] Mendoza showed up, and we did [TWISTED SISTER's] 'Under The Blade', and it was awesome. I talk to the guys all the time. I can show you my text messages. We have a little text group, and we were sending messages back and forth.

"To me, that was the reason to reunite, was to fix the relationships [between the members of the band], and we did fix' em, and we're friends," he explained. "I feel we did what we could do without just doing the same thing over. And I wanted to do some new, challenging things that I couldn't do within TWISTED. And the solo records I've done I could not have done with TWISTED SISTER. I could not have done 'Dee Does Broadway' with TWISTED SISTER — 'Twisted Does Broadway'. And I could not have done 'For The Love Of Metal' with TWISTED SISTER; people would never have accepted it. But as a solo artist, I'm allowed to change and evolve. And some things [fans have] liked; some things they've not liked. But at the same time, I'm allowed; no one's ever questioned [it]. And, again, if TWISTED SISTER did it, it would be, like, 'Hey, it doesn't sound like TWISTED SISTER anymore'; it would have been that kind of thing."

Circling back to the prospect of TWISTED SISTER reuniting, Dee said: "I could see us doing a charity — a couple of songs for charity, for the right reasons. We got [back] together originally for charity, which was a good reason to get together. I could see [talk show host Jimmy] Fallon — he's a big fan — if he said, 'Hey, guys, can you guys come on '[The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'] and do 'White Christmas' for us?' Fuck yeah. But to do a tour, to do 90 minutes, two hours on a stage, I don't see that happening. And credit to everybody in the band, and I know some people — without naming names — some guys, they would have kept going; others did not wanna keep going. But I'm sure we get offers. Jay Jay French [TWISTED SISTER] is the manager of TWISTED, 'cause it's still an entity — there's still royalties and licenses and things like that, and merchandise — he's not presented one offer, and I'm sure we've gotten 'em. 'Cause we're not even considering it. It doesn't matter what they're offering; we're not doing it."

According to Dee, TWISTED SISTER fans can expect to see some sort of visual documentation of the band's final shows released at some point in the not-too-distant future. "We filmed a lot of those shows, and we filmed a lot of behind-the-scenes [footage] on the tour, and when that finally comes out, you will see TWISTED SISTER moments in front of 90 thousand, 75 thousand, 50 thousand people," he said. "And that's how I remember TWISTED SISTER — standing on that stage with an audience just… People were crying — people were crying, but for the right reasons. And not because we were so bad [laughs]; they were crying because they loved us and they knew that it was time for us to move on."

In 2016, TWISTED SISTER embarked on one final trek, titled "Forty And Fuck It", in celebration of its 40th anniversary. These shows featured the band's "core lineup" of Snider, French, guitarist Eddie Ojeda and Mendoza, along with drummer Mike Portnoy. The band's last-ever concert took place in November of that year — 20 months after the passing of TWISTED's longtime drummer A.J. Pero.

TWISTED SISTER's original run ended in the late '80s. After more than a decade, the band publicly reunited in November 2001 to top the bill of New York Steel, a hard-rock benefit concert to raise money for the New York Police And Fire Widows' And Children's Benefit Fund.

The surviving members of the classic lineup of TWISTED SISTER — Snider, French, Ojeda and Mendoza — reunited virtually on March 20 for a special episode of Mendoza's Internet TV show "22 Now". The hour-and-a-half-long program was a tribute to Pero, who died exactly six years earlier at the age of 55 while on tour with the band ADRENALINE MOB.

Prior to this past March's virtual reunion, the four surviving members of TWISTED SISTER reunited for two days and nights in November 2019 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the band's classic album "Stay Hungry".

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing spoke to Finland's Kaaos TV about the fact that he never pursued outside musical opportunities while he was a member of the band for over four decades. "[PRIEST] was my whole life," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I only ever wanted to be in JUDAS PRIEST. I was the loyal [member of] PRIEST. I didn't leave the band, like Glenn [Tipton, guitar] and Rob [Halford, vocals] did, and record with other musicians and make LPs with other musicians and have my own webshop and sell my own t-shirts; I never did that. I was fully committed to JUDAS PRIEST. Because if I had strong musical ideas, [I wanted them to be used in JUDAS PRIEST]. So, if Rob and Glenn felt they had strong musical ideas, they should have been given to JUDAS PRIEST. That's what I think. If the ideas weren't strong, then I don't know why they would want to release albums with ideas that they felt weren't strong. The material I've just produced on the new [KK'S PRIEST] record could happily have gone to JUDAS PRIEST. But Rob wanted his strong material for himself. That's why I'm saying over all of the years in the history of JUDAS PRIEST, I was the loyal one. I didn't give strong material to myself."

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, nearly three decades his junior.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

Downing is currently promoting "Sermons Of The Sinner", the upcoming debut album from KK'S PRIEST, his new band with ex-JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens, along with guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE), bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

"Sermons Of The Sinner" will be released on August 20 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records. The LP's first single, "Hellfire Thunderbolt", came out in May, followed by the title track last month.

Downing's autobiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", was released in September 2018 via Da Capo Press.

In a recent interview with SiriusXM's "Jim & Sam Show", KISS frontman Paul Stanley was asked why he thinks fans are so attached to the idea of a reunion of the band's original lineup. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, the original four are the original four. We were the ones who started this and created the template that we still stand by today. I think where people go wrong is when they think that things can remain timeless and that time doesn't take its toll. You may want mom and dad to be back together, but it didn't work out. And we had amazing moments and amazing times, and we did some phenomenal things together which, look, tie me to them forever. But that's not the fairy tale; it doesn't end there.

"I've said before: we couldn't have been here without Ace [Frehley, guitar] and Peter [Criss, drums], and we couldn't be here today with Ace and Peter," he continued.

"I think people yearn for something that is — I was gonna say 'impractical.' I would say impossible. It's great to look back on, but it's not that different than if you break up with somebody and years later you go, 'Wow. Why did that happen? Let me go back.' You go back and it's not the same anymore. And you quickly realize, as we did, why it didn't work out the first time. That's why it didn't work out the second time."

In April 2020, Ace said that he was up for a reunion of the original KISS lineup, but only if the price was right. "Everything's cool," he told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk" about his relationship with Stanley and Gene Simmons. "What's gonna happen is gonna happen. But everything is delayed at this juncture, so who knows? … I'm doing my own thing. Unless they come forward and the price is right, you're not gonna see me anywhere close by."

Three years ago, Frehley told VintageRock.com that "the only way" he would "seriously consider" taking part in "End Of The Road" is "if I took back my make-up and costume and my character — which I designed." He added that current KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer "is not a bad guitar player, but he basically just mimics everything I wrote, and tries to imitate my persona. He's been doing it for 15 years," he said. "But the reality is I'm the original guy. And nobody can really copy the way I play guitar."

Asked if he would still consider participating in the tour if Criss was not involved, Ace said: "I think it would be great if Peter was involved. Obviously, at this point in his life, he wouldn’t be able to do a two-hour show. But I can see if we worked out a situation where Peter came out at the end and did three or four songs — sang 'Beth', did 'Black Diamond' and a couple of others, I think that would be fun."

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but is now expected to last well into 2022.

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

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

Behold! Arise! Vast distances from Earth’s dimension, in a galaxy millions of light-years away, the Wizardthrone resurges. Traversing vivid sci-fi multiverses in the spirit of H.P. Lovecraft via comprehensively established technical death, power and symphonic black metal, Hypercube Necrodimensions (out today via Napalm Records) is a bombastic journey through hyperspace and otherworldly realities. Featuring members of Alestorm, Gloryhammer, Aether Realm, Forlorn Citadel, Nekrogoblikon and more, the musical brilliance of Wizardthrone is absolutely undeniable.

In celebration of Hypercube Necrodimensions being released today, Wizardthrone reveal their single and video for “Black Hole Quantum Thermodynamics”. Wizardthrone pushes the boundaries of technical synth metal, displaying incredible musicality on their new single. Lyrically exploring tales of journeys through alternate dimensions, “Black Hole Quantum Thermodynamics” is guaranteed to conquer the hearts of tech-death, power- and symphonic metal fans!

Guitarist/Songwriter M. Archistrategos Barber elucidates further: “'Black Hole Quantum Thermodynamics' was the first track written for Wizardthrone, and encapsulates the deadliest facets of Extreme Wizard Metal. What better way to celebrate the momentous release of Hypercube Necrodimensions than bestowing a gift of this sort upon the Earth? Such a relentless and brutal song would surely need to be mirrored by an equivalent spectacle, and so it was that we entrusted the venerable videomage J. "Iconoclast" Nageer with this daunting task. Never before has the blasphemous allure of the boundless abyss been portrayed with such devastating accuracy! Xhul praises all who have waited patiently for this release, and assures you that diabolical forces are already in motion to further unleash the might of Wizardthrone.”

Featuring guest appearances from Aleksi Munter (Swallow The Sun, Insomnium), Florian Magnus Maier (Dark Fortress, Aldaloid ) and Evan Berry (Wilderun), Hypercube Microdimensions is a spectacular display of Wizardthrone’s musical finesse, constantly pushing the boundaries of heavy metal and thus offering a one-of-a-kind extreme wizard metal listening experience.

Hypercube Necrodimensions is available on digipack CD bundled with an exclusive shirt and as a black gatefold LP, as well as marbled curacao/green vinyl (limited to 300) and as a digital album. Order here.

Tracklisting:

"Black Hole Quantum Thermodynamics"
"Frozen Winds Of Thyraxia"
"Incantation Of The Red Order"
"Forbidden Equations Deep Within The Epimethean Wasteland"
"The Coalescence Of Nine Stars In The System Once Known As Markarian-231"
"Of Tesseractual Gateways And The Grand Duplicity Of Xhul"
"Hypercube Necrodimensions"
"Beyond The Wizardthrone (Cryptopharmalogical Revelations Of The Riemann Zeta Function)"

“Hypercube Necrodimensions” lyric video:

“Forbidden Equations Deep Within The Epimethean Wasteland” lyric video:

"Frozen Winds Of Thyraxia" video:

Wizardthrone is:

V. Morbistopheles Jones // Vincent "Jake" Jones (Aether Realm) - Bass/Lead Vocals
M. Archistrategos Barber // Mike Barber (Gloryhammer, Deathcode Society) - Guitar/Vocals
M. Xaviculus Bell // Matthew Bell (Forlorn Citadel) - Guitar
C. Hyperiax Bowes // Chris Bowes (Alestorm) - Keys/Narration
E. Wizardthrone Brown // Eric Brown (Nekrogoblikon, Vale Of Pnath) - Drums

(Photo Credit: Triumph 3 Obliterator-XXT, Tina Korhonen, Randy Edwards, Ann-Marie Bell, Bryce Chapman)




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The Wildhearts have released a brand new single, "Sort Your Fucking Shit Out", the second single taken from the album 21st Century Love Songs, out September 3 via Graphite Records. Listen below, and purchase/stream here.

“We all have habits or irritating behavioural patterns that we know we ought to quit. Whether it’s smoking, drinking/eating too much or simply having a shit temper, at some point we point the finger at ourselves. This song is about that moment, giving yourself a bollocking.  It’s important to give yourself a stern talking to. Unless your problem is talking to yourself, of course. In which case you probably ignore this advise.” exclaims Ginger Wildheart.

With The Wildhearts classic line up of Ginger, CJ, Ritchie and Danny still holding strong this creatively brilliant band who helped change the landscape of British rock through the 90’s are showing no sign of slowing down.

21st Century Love Songs is the follow up to Renaissance Men, their highest charting album since 1994’s P.H.U.Q, which debuted at #11. To pre-order and pre-save 21st Century Love Songs, head here.

Tracklisting:

"21st Century Love Songs"
"Remember These Days"
"Splitter"
"Institutional Submission"
"Sleepaway"
"You Do You"
"Sort Your Fucking Shit Out"
"Directions"
"A Physical Exorcism"
"My Head Wants Me Dead"

“Remember These Days”:

To celebrate the release of  21st Century Love Songs, The Wildhearts play an 18 date UK tour. The tour will start in Cardiff on September 3rd and concludes in Southampton on September 25th. Their incendiary live performances over the last few years have seen the band’s popularity hit new heights as The Wildhearts continue to cement their reputation and legacy as one of the best bands the UK has ever produced.

Tickets and details here.




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Guitarist Thomas Zwijsen has released a new video, featuring an acoustic performance of Iron Maiden's new single, "The Writing On The Wall".

Thomas attempts to play the entire song on one solo guitar, including acoustic intro, solos, vocal melodies and bass, in less than 24 hours after the release. Watch below:

Iron Maiden revealed their brand-new track, “The Writing On The Wall”, yesterday with an eagerly anticipated global YouTube video premiere. The song was written by Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith & lead singer Bruce Dickinson, produced by Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Maiden bassist and founder-member Steve Harris.

Bruce Dickinson initially had a concept for the video which came to fruition in collaboration with two Award-winning former Pixar executives and long-standing Maiden fans Mark Andrews & Andrew Gordon. The pair have over 50 years of animation industry experience between them at the very top-level including work on The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Brave, Monsters Inc & Finding Nemo. With partners lining up to get involved with the project they chose BlinkInk, a London based animation studio celebrated for their work with a variety of global brands from Adidas to Coca-Cola and a number of high-profile music videos.

In BlinkInk director Nicos Livesey, another long-time Maiden fan & kindred spirit, they found a man who shared the collective vision for the track – resulting in the final film which features the very first glimpse of a stunning new incarnation of Eddie in spectacular 3D form.

Bruce comments “I had a pretty clear idea of the concept to accompany the song and when I met Mark and Andrew, on Zoom, it quickly became clear we were all very much on the same wavelength, and this was reinforced with the addition of Nicos and his young BlinkInk team. Our weekly team Zoom meetings were then usually both highly creative and a lot of fun! I’m very proud of the way the video turned out, it’s more like a mini-film really. I knew it was going to work out as soon as Mark brought my treatment to life with his incredible storyboards - I thought we could make something very special together. I think we did and hope our fans will agree. In fact it’s pretty much created by Maiden fans!!”

Director, Nicos Livesey takes up the story: “We quickly found the expertise we wanted, and people were literally throwing themselves at me to work on a Maiden video – we had more than 60 people in 13 countries from Brazil to France, & Romania to the U.S.A. to add something to the clip and I’d say their love, passion and understanding of the band shines through every frame. They were a dream team for the producers and myself to manage.”

Watch the video below:

The intricate and painstaking process of the making of the video can be read about in more detail here.

This announcement follows weeks of online speculation among Iron Maiden fans and the rock and metal press after posters emblazoned with ‘Belshazzar’s Feast’ first appeared at the Download Pilot Festival. Since then fans have been avidly following clues and sightings from around the World, with many sites seemingly linked to Maiden's rich history, such as Long Beach Arena in L.A. and The Cart & Horses in London as well as 22 Acacia Avenue.

Bruce Dickinson wore the same image on his shirt during a Sky TV News piece, further heightening speculation, before he formally invited everyone to ‘Belshazzar’s Feast’ following a Twitter Listening Party of Iron Maiden's Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son album last Friday night.




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