Seven Spires have released a new single, "This God Is Dead". Check it out below, stream or purchase it via the platforms found here.

The band has issued the following statement:

"This 10 and a half minute epic explores a deeply aching loneliness, and the perceived impossibility of healing. With reverent joy, we welcome our very first official guest vocalist, Roy Khan (Conception, ex-Kamelot), who sings the role of the ghost of the main character’s father from beyond the grave. Swedish vocalist David Åkesson (Qantice) recorded the male choir vocals, and as always, the song was mixed and mastered by Sascha Paeth. All four of us are incredibly proud of this one, and we hope it resonates with you in the same way it has for us."

The single serves as an appetizer for the forthcoming epic new studio album from the band, due this fall on Frontiers Music Srl. More details on that forthcoming in the weeks ahead. Check out the previously released single "The Cursed Muse" below.




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Former Sepultura drummer, Iggor Cavalera, has released the latest episode of his new video series, Beneath The Drums. In this edition he breaks down "Antichrist" from Sepultura's 1986 album, Morbid Visions.

Watch previous episodes fo Beneath The Drums below:




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German death metal unit, Helldrifter, has signed a digital distribution deal with Nuclear Blast‘s Blood Blast Distribution, for the release of their upcoming album that will be announced very soon.

Helldrifter is a death metal band from Stuttgart southern Germany, with some influences from thrash and melodic death metal. It is heavily inspired by death metal giants such as Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, Death, and At The Gates. The music can go from straight thrash to more complex death metal parts, when the melodies are present it can take you to harmonic paths that remind bands such as Children Of Bodom or even Dark Tranquillity. The band's lyrical themes are focused mostly on mysticism, sociological issues, horror movies, and video games, with a heavy dose of surrealism.

Take a listen to their first single, released in 2019:




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British metalcore 5-piece, The Five Hundred, have released a video for "Our Demise", a song from their new album, A World On Fire, out July 30 via Long Branch Records. Watch the clip below.

Aggressive yet euphoric, empowering yet simultaneously enslaving, The Five Hundred are renowned for overcoming adversities and laying siege to every stage they play. Their debut album Bleed Red told the story of a band struggling with Tourette’s, OCD, and drug addiction. It's now the band’s time to share with the world how they’ve battled through their vices and come out on top. After successful tours up and down the country, Eastern Europe / Russia, and an appearance at the iconic Download festival in 2019, the quintet are back and angrier than ever with their follow-up album.

Tracklisting:

“Black Dogs”
“The Rising Tide”
“Our Demise”
“The Warmth”
“Walls Of Jericho” (feat. Andreas Bjulver)
“Your Apocalypse” (feat. Jeremy Gomez)
“With Scars”
“Our Curse”
“Agony”
“A World On Fire”

“Our Demise” video:

“Black Dogs” video:




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Former MEGADETH producer Max Norman has weighed in on David Ellefson's dismissal from the band, saying he understands Dave Mustaine's decision to part ways with the bassist.

The British-born knob-twiddler, who mixed MEGADETH's 1990 album "Rust In Peace" and produced 1992's "Countdown To Extinction" and 1994's "Youthanasia", addressed MEGADETH's split with Ellefson during a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice.

Speaking about the fact that Mustaine fired Ellefson two weeks after the leak of the bassist's messages and sexually explicit videos featuring a woman who is not David's wife, Norman said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The first thing I can say is my girlfriend sent me a link to the video. And I didn't know — but I can't unsee it now. That's the problem.

"I feel sorry for David. Look, he made a mistake," he continued. "It was a silly thing to do. I feel sorry for him. But I've got mixed feelings about it. And I understand Mustaine removing him from the band, because the one thing that Dave Mustaine will not tolerate is being made fun of. Because of his upbringing, I guess, and because of the way he is, I think he thought about this and thought about it. It's a brand — he has to protect the brand. And he probably was thinking — and I don't know this — but he probably was thinking, 'I can't go out on stage with this guy 'cause everybody's gonna be pointing at him and doing this.' [Moves his hand in an up-and-down motion.] You know what I mean? So I can't really blame him. But I see both sides of the story."

Regarding the allegation by a third party that Ellefson groomed a 19-year-old fan since she was 17, Max said: "I certainly don't think [Ellefson] is a pedophile. He's guilty of probably what 90 percent of the other musicians out there have done at one stage or another. But when you have that position and responsibility… It feels a little weird because he's a pastor, and so you've got this religious thing there as well.

"It can swing either way, and I see both sides," Max continued. "I don't wanna be judgmental about it. I feel sorry for David because I think it's gonna affect his whole life. And he has a lot of other stuff going on, and it's gonna affect that stuff too. So the guy's gonna go through a real hard time."

Norman, who described Ellefson as "a very nice guy," went on to offer a piece of advice to his former work colleague.

"If David sees this, maybe he'll do this — but I do think that he should apologize publicly to his wife and his family for the embarrassment," Max said. "And maybe to MEGADETH too. I don't know. If it was me, that probably would have been the first thing I would do. But, like I say, I'm not gonna judge it, and I don't wanna get into being on one side or the other.

"You can look at it two or three different ways, and I kind of see all the angles. It's just very unfortunate. And it's kind of sad — it's really kind of sad…

"Who knows the whole story? Nobody knows the whole story," Max concluded.

On May 10, messages and video footage involving Ellefson 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.

On May 24, Mustaine — who formed MEGADETH with Ellefson in 1983 — announced the bassist's departure from the band, saying, "We do not take this decision lightly. While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward," Mustaine wrote. Two days later, Ellefson released a follow-up statement in which he vowed to file a "defamation lawsuit" against the person who "illegally posted a very private video" of the bassist and made "false allegations" against him. He also said he was working with the police in Scottsdale, Arizona "in their investigation into charges regarding revenge pornography to be filed against the person who posted the video. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Ellefson wrote. He went on to say that he was "taking this time to be with my family" and wished his "bandmates" the best with their upcoming tour.

MEGADETH is currently scheduled to take part in "The Metal Tour Of The Year" with LAMB OF GOD, beginning on August 20 in Austin. MEGADETH is also slated to appear at the SLIPKNOT-curated Knotfest in September in Iowa.

MEGADETH has yet to announce a replacement for Ellefson, who was in the band from its inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest departure.

David, who became a Lutheran pastor nearly a decade ago, and his wife Julie Ellefson have been married for 27 years. They reportedly dated for six years after getting together in 1988. After two days of engagement, they married on April 2, 1994. They have two children, Roman Alexander (25) and Athena Grace (22).

Ellefson, who has lived in Scottsdale, Arizona since 1994, is also an author and entrepreneur, holding the reins of EMP Label Group, Combat Records, Ellefson Coffee Co., and more, in addition to a diverse portfolio of brands and signature products. Ellefson was also inducted into the 2018 class of the Iowa Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame, just over the border from Jackson in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

Rock icon Roger Taylor made the surprise announcement today that he will play a U.K. solo tour this fall, introducing brand new material and revisiting some of his very own QUEEN classics.

With the pandemic putting QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT's epic European tour on pause until 2022, the acclaimed drummer has decided to hit the road for a set of intimate shows. The upcoming concerts will showcase his distinctive percussive, vocal and songwriting talents that have been integral to QUEEN's live and recorded output since 1970.

Marking his first live performances outside QUEEN in over two decades, Taylor will tour the U.K. across October playing 14 shows that will coincide with the release of his latest solo album, "Outsider", on October 1.

As the songwriter of many of QUEEN's biggest hits and much-loved tracks, including "A Kind Of Magic", "Radio Ga Ga", "I'm In Love With My Car", "Sheer Heart Attack" and "These Are The Days Of Our Lives", while also being one of rock's most distinctive vocalists, Taylor promises a solo tour with an enthusiastic foray into QUEEN and his own classic catalogues, while also including new songs written in lockdown that feature on the multi-instrumentalist's new "Outsider" album.

"For some time now, we've all just been trying to get by," says Taylor. "Now, it's back to the basics, myself and some great musical pals getting back out there to play some rock. Obviously, we'll include some of the QUEEN classic catalogue, and some of my earlier solo work, but we'll also be introducing them to some of the new stuff. So we hope folks are going to come on down."

Taylor's 2021 tour will open at Newcastle O2 Academy on Saturday October 2, followed by dates across the U.K. that conclude at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire Friday October 22.

The rock legend will perform with a specially assembled band for the tour made up of QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT's keyboardist Spike Edney and supporting drummer Tyler Warren, plus guitarist Jason Falloon and GOLDFRAPP live players keyboardist Angie Pollock and bassist Charlie Jones.

Says Taylor: "This is my modest tour. I just want it to be lots of fun, very good musically, and I want everybody to enjoy it. I'm really looking forward to it. Will I be playing QUEEN songs too? Absolutely!"

"Outsider" is Taylor's first album of new material since 2013's "Fun On Earth". Over the last decade, the drummer has also released the occasional solo track reflecting on his worldview and observations in songs like "Journey's End" and "Gangsters Are Running This World". His most recent was "Isolation", which was written and recorded in response to the first lockdown last year.

With much of "Outsider" recorded during lockdown, this new album finds Taylor in reflective mood. Across the record, he conveys a palpable sense of seclusion, concerns over the passing of time, and tellingly, dedicates it "to all the outsiders, those who feel left on the sidelines."

On recording the "Outsider" album after "Isolation", Taylor says: "I've had a bit of a creative spurt and suddenly found myself with an album, which was lovely. It was a surprise! I just found myself in the studio and they came out one after the other. It was a pleasure, really."

A highly personal project, "Outsider"'s instrumentation is almost entirely performed by Taylor, with his largely restrained vocals matching the album's contemplative ambience. But Taylor does cut loose along the way with a foray into some hard-riffing blues-rock as well as an adrenalin-charged big surprise retread of a classic 1965 novelty song, which is exactly the fun on earth we need in these challenging times.

Fans who pre-order the album via Roger's official site before 4 p.m. on Monday, June 7 will get advanced and early access to presale tickets to the tour.

Roger Taylor "Outsider" tour dates:

Oct. 02 - Newcastle, UK - O2 Academy

Oct. 03 - Manchester, UK - Academy

Oct. 05 - York, UK - Barbican

Oct. 06 - Cardiff, UK - St. David’s Hall

Oct. 08 - Liverpool, UK - O2 Academy

Oct. 09 - Norwich, UK - University East Anglia (Uea)

Oct. 11 - Bath, UK - Forum

Oct. 12 - Bournemouth, UK - O2 Academy

Oct. 14 - Plymouth, UK - Pavilions

Oct. 15 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City

Oct. 17 - Bexhill, UK - De La Warr Pavilion

Oct. 19 - Guildford, UK - G Live

Oct. 20 - Coventry, UK - HMV Empire

Oct. 22 - London, UK - O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall spoke to the 95 KGGO radio station about how he and his bandmates have been spending their downtime during the coronavirus pandemic. "We've been writing a lot of music, so we'd like to get something out this year," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "We'd like to get some new music out this year, because that kind of keeps us motivated. I think that's the reason we've been around so long — 'cause we keep trying to better ourselves and make the best music we can; it kind of keeps your energy up."

Kendall also discussed the importance of making new music at a time when so many classic rocks acts focus on performing nothing but their greatest hits.

"I've made the analogy before, but, to me, it would feel like going out and selling the same painting every year," Mark said. "It just gets old. Because the creative part is a big part for us. I have this pipe dream that I'm gonna write the greatest song I've ever written. That kind of keeps you energized. Just to go out and kind of do the same thing every year, it's fine, because people are coming to hear the old songs and whatnot. But for our personal motivation, we need to keep being creative. But we never bombard people with, like, 20 new songs or anything."

GREAT WHITE's next effort will be the band's first with singer Mitch Malloy, who joined the group in 2018 following the departure of Terry Ilous.

Earlier this month, Kendall told the "Nothing Shocking" podcast that the new GREAT WHITE material is "really rocking. It's a wide range, but mostly just the heavy rock and some really, really cool riffs and good musical pieces in the songs, so the band can breathe. It's not just the singer singing over every note on the record. There's a lot of cool, cool stuff that, for sure, made me wanna play guitar. I'm playing the type of stuff that intrigued me and inspired me and made me wanna get better and improve. So I'm kind of writing like that.

"If you look at any hit song from I don't care who it is — THE BEATLES — if you notice, there's not much going on when the singer's singing, but then there's a musical hook or something to where you don't divide someone's attention with the riff and singing at the same time; you always answer the vocal," he explained. "And so that's kind of he way we've written on this album that's not released yet — but we have a lot of material."

According to Kendall, the coronavirus crisis delayed GREAT WHITE's plans to return to the studio and begin recording the follow-up to 2017's "Full Circle".

"It was unfortunate that we got hit with the pandemic, because Mitch had only been in the band a few months, and then, all of a sudden, this flu virus [came along] that's just out of control," he said. "It was hard for us to get all together and go into a studio, 'cause even engineers are iffy about — they just want one person at a time and all this stuff. We're not that type of band. We would never make a virtual record where we send each other our parts. Because when we play together, that's when everything happens. If we did it online, there would be so much missing that would have been there had we all played in the same room, working the tunes up that way. A lot of things come up that aren't planned… You're not gonna get that with e-mails."

Mark went on to praise Malloy, saying his addition to GREAT WHITE made the songwriting process easier.

"With Mitch, I just send him music and he comes back with a song, which is really inspiring that he can do that," he said. "'Cause I think nobody can do that until they hear my brilliant idea, right? But Mitch is a songwriter — he has, like, 10 solo albums — so he's written plenty of songs. He understands song structure and all of that, so he can handle it. And, obviously, if I hear a vocal line that I think should be changed or something, that can always happen too. But it takes a lot of workload off me that I don't have to show singers every line or whatever."

Ilous, frontman of '80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after stepping in for touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and the aforementioned "Full Circle", before Terry was dismissed from the group.

This version of GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE, which features original GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell alongside Robby Lochner (FIGHT) on guitar, Dan McNay on bass, Tony Montana on guitar and Dicki Fliszar on drums.

Two-times-Grammy-nominated group RIVAL SONS has announced a two-night livestream event, "Pair Of Aces", live from the historic Catalina Casino on Santa Catalina Island, which will air worldwide on June 19 and June 26 at 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET / 11:00 p.m. CET. "Pair Of Aces" will mark the band's very first livestream performances, which are set to broadcast from Santa Catalina Island — just off the coast of Long Beach, California where RIVAL SONS initially came to life in 2009. Performing the albums that started it all for them, on Saturday June 19 they will play their full-length debut LP, "Before The Fire" (2009), in its entirety for the first time at Catalina Casino, a 92-year-old venue overlooking Avalon Bay. A week later, on Saturday, June 26, they will return to Catalina to perform the self-titled EP, "Rival Sons" (2010), from top to bottom.

Presented by Live Nation and Veeps, tickets for "Pair Of Aces" go on sale today. General on-sale begins at 9:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. ET.

Earlier this year, RIVAL SONS announced the launch of its very own label, Sacred Tongue Recordings, with distribution through Thirty Tigers. The band recently regained the master rights to several of its early releases and reintroduced them to the world by first remastering "Before The Fire" and the self-titled EP on all DSPS, CD and vinyl for the first time.

By looking back, RIVAL SONS also leap forward again as they continue working on more music and the follow-up to 2019's "Feral Roots".

"Feral Roots" not only garnered 2020 Grammy Award nomination in the category of "Best Rock Album," but also yielded a Grammy nomination for "Best Rock Performance" for the top 10 rock track "Too Bad", as well as the No. 1 rock radio single "Do Your Worst". Produced by multi-Grammy Award winner Dave Cobb at Nashville's famed RCA Studio A, and the equally legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, "Feral Roots" is available now on all streaming platforms.

Since their emergence in 2009, RIVAL SONS have quietly reignited and recharged rock 'n' roll with towering vocals, uncompromising riffs, and thunderous grooves. Following the independent release of their full-length debut "Before The Fire", they were handpicked to perform alongside everyone from AC/DC to BLACK SABBATH. Working with longtime producer Dave Cobb, the band delivered a series of critically acclaimed albums — "Pressure & Time" (2011), "Head Down" (2012), "Great Western Valkyrie" (2014) and "Hollow Bones" (2016) — as they headlined sold-out shows on multiple continents. 2019's "Feral Roots" broke new ground for the band. "Do Your Worst" shot to No. 1 on rock radio as their first chart-topper at the format. It also scored 40 million-plus streams and counting. They delivered an electrifying performance on "The Late Late Show With James Corden" and earned acclaim from Billboard, Rolling Stone, and many more.

Photo credit: Steve Thrasher

BLACK STONE CHERRY has parted ways with bassist Jon Lawhon.

The Kentucky rockers announced Lawhon's exit in a statement earlier today.

They wrote: "To all of our amazing fans, it is with a heavy heart we inform you that Jon Lawhon has decided to take an indefinite sabbatical from music and touring for personal reasons. As such, Jon will be stepping down as a member of BLACK STONE CHERRY.

"We love Jon, wish him all the best in all his future endeavors and will cherish the memories and legacy we've built with him over twenty years as a band. We ask that you please respect Jon and the band's privacy regarding this matter.

"In the meantime, we can't wait to play more rockin' BLACK STONE CHERRY shows in 2021 and onward! Please stay on the look-out for new shows announcing near you!"

Last November, BLACK STONE CHERRY vocalist/guitarist Chris Robertson addressed the fact that his band had not undergone any lineup changes in the two decades that the Kentucky-based act had been together.

"I think through history, you've got us and ZZ TOP, and that's about it, man, that have never had a lineup change," Chris told the "Aftershocks" podcast.

"I think it all goes back to the fact that we were all friends. And as tight as we are as a band, we are even deeper friends than that," he explained. "The friendship has always been before the band; we've always been a family before the band.

"We're just very fortunate that all four of us see eye-to-eye on the way to run our business. And we're all four equal members, man. You split a dollar up, you get four quarters with BLACK STONE CHERRY. Every dollar we've ever made we split four ways; everything we've ever done we split four ways. It's the four of us. You take one away and it's not BLACK STONE CHERRY anymore."

BLACK STONE CHERRY's seventh studio album, "The Human Condition", came out last October via Mascot Label Group.

"The Human Condition" was produced by the bandmembers themselves and tracked in Lawhon's recording facility, Monocle Studios. The release was completed mere days before the COVID-19 lockdown was imposed.




An important message to our cherry head family pic.twitter.com/o40XQ0S7FO

— Black Stone Cherry (@BlkStoneCherry) June 2, 2021

BUCKCHERRY's third studio album, "15", has been certified double platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of two million copies. At the same time, BUCKCHERRY's track "Crazy Bitch" was certified quadruple platinum for sales in excess of four million units and the track "Sorry" was certified double platinum for sales in excess of two million units.

"15" was released in 2006 and was the first BUCKCHERRY album after a four-year hiatus.

The RIAA developed its gold and platinum awards program in 1958 to honor artists and create a standard by which to measure the commercial success of a sound recording. The program trademarked the gold record and formalized the industry practice of presenting awards to artists for music sales achievements.

Presently, the RIAA awards a gold honor for 500,000 units sold, a platinum honor for 1 million units sold and a diamond award for more than 10 million units sold.

In the streaming age, each permanent digital album or physical album sale count as 1 unit for certification purposes, 10 permanent track downloads from the album count as 1 unit for certification purposes, and 1,500 on-demand audio and/or video streams from the album count as 1 unit. For songs, 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams count as 1 unit for certification purposes.

BUCKCHERRY's new album, "Hellbound", will be released on June 25 via Round Hill Records. The follow-up to 2019's "Warpaint" was recorded last fall in Nashville, Tennessee with producer and songwriter-for-hire Marti Frederiksen, who has previously collaborated with AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow, among many others.

Last summer, BUCKCHERRY recruited JETBOY's Billy Rowe as its new guitarist. He joined the group as the replacement for Kevin Roentgen, who left BUCKCHERRY in July 2020.

Roentgen joined BUCKCHERRY as the replacement for original guitarist Keith Nelson. Roentgen can be heard on "Warpaint", which was released in March 2019 via Century Media/RED Music. The 12-song record was produced by Mike Plotnikoff, whose previous collaboration with the band was the aforementioned "15".

In 2019, BUCKCHERRY recruited Francis Ruiz as its new drummer. He joined the group as the replacement for Sean Winchester, who exited BUCKCHERRY after laying down the drum tracks on "Warpaint"

Swiss/Dutch metallers BURNING WITCHES have released the official music video for the song "We Stand As One". The track is taken from the band's fourth full-length album, "The Witch Of The North", which was released on May 28 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Following 2020's "Dance Of The Devil", which charted at #22 in Germany, and the "Circle Of Five" EP, vocalist Laura Guldemond, guitarists Romana Kalkuhl and Larissa Ernst, bassist Jeanine Grob and drummer Lala Frischknecht notably upped the ante on "The Witch Of The North", delivering their most dynamic, intricate and powerful album thus far. Perfectly mixed and mastered by V.O. Pulver and produced by German thrash titan Schmier (DESTRUCTION), the LP sees BURNING WITCHES stick to their irrefutable 1980s influences (JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, DIO, ACCEPT, WARLOCK, W.A.S.P., etc.) and inject irresistible energy and a refreshing vibe, topping it off with classic art by Claudio Bergamín (who illustrated JUDAS PRIEST's triumphant "Firepower"). From the epic title track to the album's catchiest anthem "We Stand As One" over to the ballad "Lady Of The Woods" and speedy riff attacks like "Thrall", "Flight Of The Valkyries" and "Nine Worlds", "The Witch Of The North" marks a new highlight in the band's career, with vocalist Laura brilliantly shifting from aggressive to seductive with ease.

"The Witch Of The North" track listing:

01. Winter's Wrath

02. The Witch Of the North

03. Tainted Ritual

04. We Stand As One

05. Flight Of The Valkyries

06. The Circle Of Five

07. Lady Of The Woods

08. Thrall

09. Omen

10. Nine Worlds

11. For Eternity

12. Dragon's Dream

13. Eternal Frost

BURNING WITCHES' first live performance with Guldemond took place in June 2019 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

The vocalist of the Dutch symphonic metal band SHADOWRISE, Guldemond was recruited by BURNING WITCHES following the departure of Seraina Telli.

Photo credit: Kevin Grab

SLEEPING WITH SIRENS has released a new song called "Bloody Knuckles".

Vocalist Kellin Quinn told Rock Sound about the track: "Me and Jack [Fowler] wanted to create a song that feels a little bit different from what's been going on. I feel like a lot of bands are going more alternative, and we wanted to bring it back to our golden days with the Warped Tour sound. It's really fast, it's got a heavy breakdown, it's everything that the kids are going to want. It's just something to tide everybody over until we go into the studio and start working on new music."

Three months ago, SLEEPING WITH SIRENS released covers of BLIND MELON's classic "No Rain" and Zella Day's "Shadow Preachers" (via Sumerian Records), which appeared in the "Paradise City" soundtrack.

Last August, SLEEPING WITH SIRENS released a deluxe edition of its sixth studio album, "How It Feels To Be Lost", via Sumerian Records.

"How It Feels To Be Lost" was heralded as a major return to the band's earlier, heavier form. Since its release in September 2019, "How It Feels To Be Lost" has been featured on flagship streaming playlists including Spotify's "Rock This" and "New Core", Amazon Music's "Rock Scene" as well as being included on Apple Music's "Breaking Hard Rock", Spotify's "New Music Friday" and "Kickass Metal" and Deezer's "Heavy New Rock".

At the time of "How It Feels To Be Lost"'s release, Quinn told HMV about the lyrical subjects covered on the album: "There's definitely a theme. This is the most personal record I've ever done. I didn't try to sugarcoat anything. I wrote down how I was feeling. This has been very therapeutic. The theme is me overcoming the darkness and finding a light through my struggle. That's why it's named 'How It Feels To Be Lost'.

"Depression and anxiety make you feel lost," he explained. "The goal of this record was to help people understand that just because you feel like you're by yourself, you don't have to be. Lots of people feel the same way. I wanted this record to help people and to give words to people who can't say how they’re feeling."






Sleeping With Sirens' new single 'Bloody Knuckles' is out now

Here's what Kellin Quinn told us about writing the single and how it was inspired by their Warped Tour days pic.twitter.com/zrpPcNU17n

— Rock Sound (@rocksound) June 2, 2021

Danish/American rockers VOLBEAT have released two new songs, "Wait A Minute My Girl" and "Dagen Før". The two tracks, the band's first new music since 2019's album "Rewind, Replay, Rebound", were written and recorded while the world was in lockdown during the pandemic. Michael Poulsen (vocals, guitar), Jon Larsen (drums) and Kaspar Boye Larsen (bass) recorded their parts with longtime producer Jacob Hansen in Denmark, while Rob Caggiano (guitar) worked remotely from New York.

"Wait A Minute My Girl" features saxophone player Doug Corcoran and piano player Raynier Jacob Jacildo, who both perform with JD McPherson's band and previously appeared with VOLBEAT on 2019's "Die To Live (feat. Neil Fallon)". Singer Mia Maja, who has worked with the band since "Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie", also appears on backing vocals. "Dagen Før" features guest vocals from Danish artist Stine Bramsen, who is known for her solo work as well as being a member of the band ALPHABEAT. The song, in the tradition of "The Garden's Tale", "Maybele I Hofteholder" and "For Evigt", features both English and Danish lyrics, and marks the first commercially released song that features Stine singing in her native Danish.

VOLBEAT says about the songs: "As the weather begins to warm and the days get longer in many parts of the world, we wanted to share two songs that we wrote and recorded over these long, difficult fifteen months that have the vibe and feel of summer.

"We're beyond thankful that even during a lockdown, our good friends Doug, Ray and Mia Maja were able to put the pedal to the metal with us on 'Wait A Minute My Girl', and we're absolutely thrilled that Stine Bramsen, who we've known and admired for a long time, was willing to lend her incredible talents to 'Dagen Før'.

"We hope you enjoy this double-barreled blast of summer tunes as much as we enjoyed creating them, and we can't wait for you to hear what else we have in store for you. The fall always brings the thunder and lightning…"

Since forming in 2001, VOLBEAT has gone from the clubs of Copenhagen to headlining stages around the world, including the famed Telia Parken stadium in Denmark (and becoming the only domestic artist to ever sell out the venue). Over the course of eight record-breaking albums, the band has picked up No. 1 songs (including eight No. 1s on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and counting), multi-platinum certifications, awards and accolades (including a Grammy nomination) all over the planet. Their latest album, "Rewind, Replay, Rebound", was released in August 2019 and has spawned the hit singles "Last Day Under The Sun", "Die To Live (feat. Neil Fallon)" and "Leviathan". A live album featuring songs recorded during the subsequent world tour, "Rewind, Replay, Rebound: Live In Deutschland", was released digitally on November 27, 2020. A vinyl-only bonus track compilation, "Hokus Bonus", was originally made available on limited-edition vinyl on RSD Black Friday 2020 and will be available in a new, limited European version and a North American standard version on July 16, 2021.

VOLBEAT eagerly awaits its return to the road beginning this October with an appearance on Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

Jason Christopher, who plays bass in Corey Taylor's solo band, has uploaded a short video of him, the SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman and Corey's guitarist Zach Throne singing along to DURAN DURAN's classic song "Rio" backstage at a recent stop on Taylor's current solo tour (with drummer Dustin Schoenhofer air drumming behind them). Check it out below.

Back in 2015, Taylor shared his views on the state of modern music, comparing pop to "listening to a piece of wood." Speaking to Loudwire, he said: "I feel like I'm being stung by a thousand bees all at once. It’s so Auto-Tuned, it's so beat-corrected, it's so canned and processed and lifeless… I mean, you might as well be listening to a fucking piece of wood at that point.

"It bothers me, because I put so much into everything I do, I put so much into my music — I bleed for it and die for it every god damn night, you know?" he explained. "To watch these people basically let a computer go through the motions and do all the work for them, it's insulting to everyone out there who has more talent and less attention."

Corey kicked off his solo tour, "CMFTour 2021", on May 17 at the Marquee Theater in Tempe, Arizona. Taylor's set includes anthems from his critically acclaimed solo debut "CMFT", choice cuts from his SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR catalogs, and various covers and surprises.

Support on all "CMFTour 2021" dates comes from girl gang dance squad CHERRY BOMBS, led by Taylor's wife Alicia Taylor.

"CMFT" made impressive debuts on charts around the world in October, entering at No. 1 on Billboard's Current Hard Rock Albums chart, while claiming No. 2 on Current Rock Albums, No. 6 on Vinyl Albums, and No. 9 on the Top Albums charts. Furthermore, "CMFT" landed Top 10 on the official album charts in Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, with Top 20 debuts in the United Kingdom, Finland and Japan (international chart).

"CMFT" was recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas with producer Jay Ruston and Corey's band — Christian Martucci (guitar), Zach Throne (guitar), Jason Christopher (bass), and Dustin Schoenhofer (drums).
























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Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND, has completed work on his first all-instrumental solo album. In a video message earlier today, Gus said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "If you guys noticed, I released a single [in early April]. It was the first single. It's called 'Exosphere'. It's part of the album. There's gonna be more singles coming out. We're planning to release them in different phases, and then I think sometime around this fall, we're gonna drop the whole album. I guess it's a new way of doing things — kind of like teasing the album with singles first and seeing how they perform and what people think and let people get used to it. Actually, there's a new single coming out, I think, in June. Yeah, so that's a few days from now. It's gonna be called 'Fierce', and it's a real metal track, I think. If you guys like my past instrumentals or stuff that FIREWIND has done, the fast stuff, you're gonna like this. It's a fast song. There's a lot of shredding. And a really funny video. So I can't wait for you to check it out. I'm not gonna say any more. But, yeah, it'll be out in a few days, and you'll see and hopefully you can tell me what you think.

"The album is done," he reiterated. "It's finished — mixed and mastered. Dennis Ward [PINK CREAM 69, UNISONIC], he played bass on it and he mixed and mastered it. I have a new drummer who's playing on it. His name is [Jan-]Vincent Velazco. He's a great, killer drummer. He's from England. And he contacted me last year online, and he said, 'Hey, dude, if you need a drummer, let me know.' And I checked him out, and I was blown away by his skills, by his playing. So I thought hey, why not? Why not collaborate with somebody new? At the time, Johan [Nunez] was not available to record. 'Cause I was planning to ask Johan from FIREWIND to play. But he went back to school to finish a course, so I thought why not collaborate with Vincent? But, yeah, more on that later. I'm gonna be posting a bunch of stuff about the new album when the time comes.

"I'm still not sure what to call the album, actually," Gus added. "I have an idea in mind; I have a title. But this is gonna be my first all-instrumental album, so there's a lot of guitar on it, different things on it — not just metal stuff. There's some more mellow, some bluesier things, but then, of course, there's a lot of shredding too. And I'm looking forward to releasing it. It's a big step for me."

"Exosphere" was released on April 1. The track featured Ward on bass and Velazco on drums. The artwork for the single was created by Gustavo Sazes, with whom Gus has worked since 2007.

"Exosphere" was written during times of pandemic and was Gus's first attempt at using a seven-string guitar in an official recording.

In September 2019, Gus issued a digital-only solo EP, "Live In Budapest - Part 1", consisting of four tracks recorded on the guitarist's headline European tour in support of his latest album release, "Fearless". The world tour saw Gus and his band share stages around the world with legendary guitarists like Richie Kotzen, Vinnie Moore followed by his own headline dates and a massive tour as special guest of Los Angeles rockers STEEL PANTHER.

"Fearless" was released in April 2018 via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2015's "Brand New Revolution" marked Gus's first release since exiting Osbourne's band in 2017.

On "Fearless", Gus joined forces with Ward and drummer Will Hunt (EVANESCENCE).

FIREWIND's ninth, self-titled studio album was made available in May 2020.

The band recently parted ways with guitarist/keyboardist Bob Katsionis and singer Henning Basse.

FIREWIND's new vocalist is Herbie Langhans, who has previously played with AVANTASIA and SINBREED.

Paul Stanley spoke to Download host Kylie Olsson about the upcoming KISS biopic "Shout It Out Loud". The film, which recently landed at Netflix, will be directed by Joachim Rønning, the Norwegian filmmaker whose credits include "Kon-Tiki", "Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil" and "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales". The script is written by Ole Sanders.

"It is definitely happening," Paul stated about the biopic (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And that's gonna be really interesting. The script was really good. And we really waited until we felt comfortable.

"Look, you get once chance to do it, and I would rather not do it than do it half assed or poorly," he explained. "Our director is the real deal. He did 'Maleficent 2', and he's not some hack; he knows how to make movies. It should be great. Casting hasn't begun yet. But that will be interesting too."

Asked which actor he would like to play him in the movie, Stanley said: "And I will tell you this: for casting to be accurate in terms of age, we are looking at actors in their early 20s. Honestly, I don't know a whole lot of actors in their early 20s. When people get asked these kinds of questions, they'll say, 'Oh, Brad Pitt,' or this one or that one. Well, those guys are in their 50s or 60s, so you're talking about another generation of actors. And I'm the first to say I'm not up on a lot of them. But as the casting process goes on, I'll certainly be there and watching. It'll be interesting to see how someone else — be it the casting people or the director — how they view who I am and who they see doing that. I think I'll learn a lot about their perception of me by who they cast."

"Shout It Out Loud", which will have close cooperation from bandleaders Stanley and Gene Simmons, will be a co-production of Mark Canton's Atmosphere Entertainment and Universal Music Group. The film will be produced by Canton through his Atmosphere Entertainment, Leigh Ann Burton through Opus 7, Courtney Solomon, David Blackman and Jody Gerson through Universal Music Group, KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee through his McGee Entertainment, Rønning, and Simmons and Stanley. Atmosphere's Dorothy Canton and David Hopwood are the executive producers.

More than a year ago,KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer said that the band was also working on a "definitive" documentary which will include "rare and compelling" KISS-related media submitted by the group's fans.

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"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, drummer Peter Criss and lead guitarist Ace Frehley, KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.

Netflix previously had rock-biopic success with MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Dirt", which premiered in March 2019. An adaptation of the book of the same name about the iconic rock band, it had been in the works since 2003. It was previously set up at Paramount and Focus Features before Netflix picked it up in 2017.

"The Dirt", which reportedly cost more than $20 million to produce, currently has a 38% critic score from 72 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the online review aggregation service that allows both critics and the public to rate movies. The same site has an 94% audience score for "The Dirt" from more than 6,000 reviews.

Greek melodic metal masters Nightfall now releasing the official bass playthrough video for the track "Darkness Forever," which is taken from their latest album At Night We Prey. In addition, the band is introducing their new bassist Vasiliki Biza, who performs the track in the clip.

Nightfall comments: ''We are very happy we are gonna work with Vailiki Biza. Apart from her skills with the 4-string, she is a very active person with interesting ideas she gladly shares with the rest of the band. We can’t wait to hit the road.'' 

Vasiliki Biza adds: ''I'm excited about working with the mighty Nightfall. One of the most important Greek metal bands with a great discography and point of view. As a female musician with years of participation in the independent music scene, I feel confident about our collaboration. Our passion for music is on the same frequency and I believe that this will have a positive impact on all of you who will meet us in the upcoming steps. I ‘m looking forward to start playing live soon.”

At Night We Prey is available in the following formats:

- CD Digipak
- LP in various colours
- Digital

Order here.

The album artwork for At Night We Prey was created by Travis Smith.

"Killing Moon" lyric video:

"Darkness Forever" lyric video:

Lineup:

Efthimis Karadimas - Bass, vocals
Mike Galiatsos - Guitar
Kostas Kyriakopoulos - Guitar
Fotis Benardo - Drums




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Metal-Rules conducted an interview with Helloween vocalist Andi Deris and topics include reuniting with Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen, the plans to record new music, and their new, self-titled album.

Deris was asked how it was decided what parts each singer will take on each of the album’s songs, especially pertaining to second single, “Fear Of The Fallen”. 

He answered, “For ‘Fear Of The Fallen,’ it’s pretty easy because you’ve got the verses, which you share. You’ve got the reference, which you ID. And you’ve got all these lower parts coming down, which were exactly right for two singers. So, it goes like; me, you, me, you, me, you, you, me, and me. Song over [laughter].

Deris continues, “Honestly, I was quite relieved for the ‘Fear Of The Fallen’ because I had this melody. So when I just sing it like this, you realize I’ve got– there’s no time to breathe. So, I thought, ‘Wow. I mean, I don’t need to make my mind up about I have to break the lyrics here because I have to take a breath here. No.’ Just yeah, I sing that sentence and let Michael Kiske fly over you and start the next sentence. Then I fly over him and start the next sentence. Perfect world. I never wrote a song that easy.”

Helloween are back! Their new single, "Fear Of The Fallen" is a fast paced, melodic track taken from the upcoming and self-titled new album, Helloween, released June 18th, 2021. Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind, the song features vocalist Andi Deris along with his bandmates Michael Kiske, Michael Weikath, Kai Hansen, Markus Grosskopf, Sascha Gerstner and Dani Löble in their prime. 

Helloween launched the official video for the single "Skyfall" back in April. The band remarked: The single has landed! The first track off our new album Helloween is now available for streaming and in various CD and vinyl formats! Go check it out! We’re so excited to hear your reactions! Written by Kai Hansen, 'Skyfall' is a storming more than 7 minute ride into the Helloween universe (and beyond!) The epic track describes an alien landing on earth and a dramatic chase while Michael Kiske, Andi Deris and Kai Hansen duel each other in a breathtaking manner and create a vocal broadband adventure. Produced by Martin Häusler, it is the most elaborate video clip in the history of the band."

The German power metal legends have launched the pre-order for the new record. Head here to order in your format of choice.

Forget Helloween - Here comes Helloween. This is the beginning of a new time calculation: Please stick together!

This was the ardent wish of thousands of fans calling out to Andi Deris, Michael Kiske, Michael Weikath, Kai Hansen, Markus Grosskopf, Sascha Gerstner and Dani Löble during the Pumpkins United World Tour - and their dream has come true! With the upcoming album, simply titled Helloween, the band opens a new chapter after 35 years of a glorious career. The future of one of the most influential German metal bands from now on will feature three singers. Originally planned for the live performances only, it was the birth of a unique seven-piece metal alliance.

Dani Löble comments, "This record is the coronation of the Pumpkins United journey! Still, until  today I am fascinated by the different character traits and facets of the Helloween history. Per example the legendary voices of Michi, Andi and Kai. To enjoy them now together on one record, under one flag is the ultimate Helloween experience."

It is therefore not surprising that the pre-release single "Skyfall" (out on April 2), a 12-minute epos written by Kai Hansen, has the long yearned 'Keeper-vibe' - even if the long player can by no means be limited to it. "Skyfall" implies the musical arch which will be loved by fans of every era. This first album of a new age is taking the fans from unforgettable memories of the fifteen studio records and four live CD’s to new adventures.

"Skyfall" begins with a bang. The epic track describes an alien landing on earth and a dramatic chase while Kiske, Deris and Hansen duel with each other in a breathtaking manner and create a vocal broadband adventure. Produced by Martin Häusler, it is the most elaborate video clip in the history of the band; shown with 3-D animation and having a cinematic look, this video is a real high end experience.

The base of this milestone album was already erected in the studio: using the original drum kit of Ingo Schwichtenberg, the recording was done with the same modulators at the Hamburg HOME studios where back then Master Of The Rings, The Time Of The Oath and Better Than Raw were recorded. Completely analog and under the eyes of long term producer Charlie Bauerfeind and co-producer Dennis Ward, the United impact travelled to New York and got the final mix in the Valhalla Studios of Ronald Prent (Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Rammstein).

"After 30 years with the different line ups of the band I really thought I was well prepared for another extreme challenge, but I was wrong! My expectations were highly exceeded in every way with this super-sized creativity package,” comments Bauerfeind.

Besides all musical competence, it is also the special enthusiasm that defines Helloween. Michael Weikath characterizes in his own way: "It is the incomprehensible encounter of seven musicians who are working as friends and even family and created something that no one would have thought it could be possible. It is like awaking from a sleep but still being in an incredible dream."

Returnee Kai Hansen reflects: "Being in the studio with my old companions after 30 years was very emotional for me. But at the same time it was a completely different experience with the 'new' boys. The collaboration of different songwriters and strong characters made the album very special: a unique mix with reminiscences from all chapters of the band’s history. Helloween is a big part of my life and I am looking forward to celebrating the songs live for and with our fans“! From another perspective Markus Grosskopf agrees: "For me, being one of the last ‘survivors‘ who played every note from the beginning, it was a fantastic experience and a very emotional process. I think everyone can hear it on this album. I love it."

With all this brand new material an album has been created, an album that is set apart from the digital mainstream and showing the essence of the band was never more solid. This is the beginning of something big – here comes Helloween.

Tracklisting:

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

The first single "Skyfall" is available on CD, digitally and in two different vinyl versions.

Single 1: Vinyl, CD, digital:
'Skyfall' (single edit) + 'Skyfall' (exclusive alternative vocals mix). Both are exclusive single versions and will not be on the album. Around 20 minutes playing time.

Single 2: Vinyl only
'Skyfall' (single edit) + 'Indestructible' (exclusive album track). This is a strictly limited version of the new single with one exclusive album track.

(Photo - Franz Schepers)




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One of The Big Four turns the Big 4-0 this year and is celebrating with a number of special activities and events to honor the landmark anniversary. Formed by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, NY on July 18, 1981, Anthrax was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast and quickly became regarded as a leader in the genre alongside Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth.

Active over the past five decades, Anthrax has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple Gold and Platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 playing thousands of shows, including headlining Madison Square Garden and playing Yankee Stadium with The Big 4. The band has built a strong reputation with fans as well as the record industry. With the lineup including Ian, bassist Frank Bello, drummer Charlie Benante, singer Joey Belladonna, and guitarist Jon Donais, the band is being feted on their 40th anniversary by a wide range of friends and music contemporaries.

Each week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and wrapping on the band's official founding anniversary of July 18, Anthrax's social media accounts will offer a series of video testimonials sent in by former band members, fellow musicians, colleagues, and industry veterans sharing behind-the-scenes stories of working with the band and what Anthrax's legacy has meant all these years on. These videos will honor each album in chronological order beginning with the original release, Fistful of Metal. Go here for the full schedule, and watch the currently available episodes below.

The 11-week series will include video contributions from Chuck D, Corey Taylor, Dave Grohl, Dave Mustaine, Gary Holt, Gene Simmons, Henry Rollins, John Carpenter, Kerry King, Mike Patton, Nergal, Norman Reedus, Michael Poulsen, Rob Zombie, Robert Trujillo, Roger Miret, Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC), Slash, Tom Morello and more. There will also be video clips from former Anthrax band members Dan Lilker, Dan Spitz, John Bush, Neil Turbin, and Rob Caggiano.

The finale will come as a very special Livestream performance from Anthrax on Friday, July 16, featuring a deep cuts set that will pull from the band's entire career-spanning catalog. All details including ticketing information will be announced shortly.

Fans will also be able to get their hands on a special 40th anniversary-edition bottle of Anthrax bourbon to enjoy during the Livestream and keep as a commemorative keepsake. More details will be coming soon.

Episode #1:

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Twenty-twenty-one marks Anthrax's 40th anniversary, during which time the band has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple Gold and Platinum certifications, six Grammy nominations, and a host of other accolades from the media, the music industry, and fans. In 1991, the band helped break down race and genre barriers when they collaborated with Public Enemy on the track "Bring The Noise," and was the first metal band to have its music heard on Mars when NASA played "Got The Time" to wake up the Mars Rover in 2012.

Along with Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth, Anthrax is a card-carrying member of The Big Four, the four bands that defined the speed/thrash/metal genre. Anthrax has also introduced a series now sold-out signature whiskeys and bourbons and partnered with the Stockholm-based NEZUMI Studios for a high-end, limited-edition Baleine dive watch.

Twenty-twenty-one will see the release of Z2 Comics' "Among The Living" graphic novel with a track-by-track storyline inspired by Anthrax's iconic 1987 album, Among The Living. The book pulls together a "who's who" of names from the worlds of comics and music who created "bubble dialogue" and original artwork to express what the songs meant to them. Taking advantage of COVID-19's prohibition of concert touring, the band has been hard at work writing the next Anthrax album.

(Photo - Jimmy Hubbard)




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King Woman, the outfit featuring songwriter, producer, vocalist Kris Esfandiari, return with their sophomore album, Celestial Blues, on July 30 via Relapse Records. News of the album arrives with the raw, one-take performance “Morning Star”, which was directed by Muted Widows. Watch below.

“Creating this album has brought me great peace and closure,” says Esfandiari of Celestial Blues. “Grateful to finally share it with all of you.”

Celestial Blues was recorded in Oakland, California by Grammy-nominated engineer Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Amenra, Oathbreaker). The band is rounded out by drummer Joseph Raygoza and guitar player Peter Arensdorf. Visual collaborations featured in the album packaging and surrounding imagery were created by Nedda Afsari, Collin Fletcher, and Jamie Parkhurst.

Album pre-orders, including limited-edition vinyl and merch, are available now. Physical pre-orders are available via Relapse’s webstore, here, while digital downloads and streaming links can be found here.

Celestial Blues tracklisting:

"Celestial Blues"
"Morning Star"
"Boghz"
"Golgotha"
"Coil"
"Entwined"
"Psychic Wound"
"Ruse"
"Paradise Lost"

"Morning Star" video:

(Photo - Nedda Afsari)




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Sognametal veterans, Vreid, are unveiling another chapter of their new album and movie, Wild North West. The song, "Dazed And Reduced", and its accompanying music video / movie chapter can be found below.

Founding member and bass player Jarle 'Hváll' Kvåle comments: "This is a personal favorite for sure. Our love for classic heavy rock is strong and our musical roots lie in the majestic 70ies rock and its overlap with the catchy 80ies classics. 'Dazed And Reduced' is a nod to the decades that formed our lives and shows that Vreid will forever be rooted in 70ies rock, 80ies metal and 90ies Nordic blackness."

Vreid recently made their ambitious film project, Wild North West, available for sale or rental via Vimeo. The movie is now available here.

The film includes never-be-seen bonus material that was not included during their April premiere. The film includes the following:

- A 6 min biographical intro narrated by author Dayal Patterson (Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult).
- The full concert 'In the Mountains Of Sognametal', which was filmed live at the mountains of Sogndal June 2020. Exclusively available here.
- Two previously unreleased live videos of Ulcus Molle (Vreid's predecessor) from Gaupne in Norway 1996. For the the songs "Train Of Thought" (Yggdrasil demo) and "Mindgames" (Roles EP).

Wild North West' is a concept album that developed alongside an entire movie. Inspired by both true events and pure imagination, the listener is taken on a whirlwind of a journey, diving deep into themes of war, fear, betrayal, loss, anxiety, and madness with thought-provoking lyrics that embody human nature. It captures the Nordic heart at the core of their sound, taking cues from Norway’s rugged landscape as it ricochets between eternal darkness and the solace of bracing light.




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Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the signing of Inner Stream to the label for a multi-album deal. The band's new album, Stain The Sea, will be released on July 16. Watch a lyric video for the song "Last Drink" below, and pre-order/save Stain The Sea here.

Inner Stream blends elements of different sub-genres and styles like symphonic metal, electronic, goth, and nü metal, among others. Pushing musical boundaries, the songs hold rich varieties of climates and textures, heavy riffs, powerful melodies, and emotional moments.

"The musical influences for this album are  symphonic metal, electronic, goth, and nü metal, among others. Bands like Lacuna Coil, Evanescence, and Within Temptation are maybe the more related bands I can name, but as a  big metal fan, my personal song list is full of different things that always inspired me. Korn, Deathstars, Disturbed, The Birthday Massacre, Portishead, Massive Attack, Symphony X, Angra, Sonata Arctica, Queensrÿche, Bring Me The Horizon, and so on," says vocalist Inés Vera Ortiz of her musical influences.

"'Massive Drain' is the last song I did for the album and this happened during lockdown, in a very strange moment of humanity. Like many other people, I found myself in an extremely introspective moment that coincided with the album recording. The concept, the lyrics, and the music came together in two days alone at my place in Spain. The message was clear from the beginning and a kindly reminder for me. The pain that carries the awakening is a birth, a relief. Intuition is a compass to go through it,” says Vera Ortiz of the first single from the album.

Label President Serafino Perugino wanted to highlight the talents of vocalist Inés Vera Ortiz and sought to pair her with producer Alessandro Del Vecchio to highlight her songs and voice.  Inner Stream started off in 2008 as a project concocted by Vera Ortiz and her brother Jorge in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At that time, Inés was the vocalist for some local power metal bands, but her songwriting was headed in a different direction. Subsequently, Inés and Jorge recorded a three song demo that was more in a goth metal direction. Afterward, Inés continued composing music on her own and attempted to put a band together, but ultimately decided to set aside the idea for a while. She continued to work on other projects for both Argentinian and international bands while biding her time. In 2017, she teamed up with Guillermo De Medio, an Argentinian keyboard player and producer (Tarja Turunen, Full Nothing, Barilari, etc.), who was undoubtedly the right fit to help Inés work on her songs and bring the vision of Inner Stream together. Now, in 2021, Inés and Inner stream have joined forces with Frontiers Music Srl for the release of their upcoming album, “Stain The Sea”  as well as future releases.

"I am very excited and proud to be a part of the Frontiers family," says Vera Ortiz. "This opportunity came at the right time in which the concept of the project reached a peak of maturity and clear vision. While my songwriting is varied, my heart is very close to metal and I will never look away from it. The first album will include songs written during the last few years and I feel they represent well this long journey through lots of different, important, and emotional moments of my life. I am very happy to be able to share those personal moments with everyone.”

Tracklisting:

"Massive Drain"
"Fair War"
"Hunt You"
"Aftermath"
"Dance With Shades"
"Drown Me"
"If You Dare"
"Stain The Sea"
"The Bridge"
"Last Drink"
"Real"

"Last Drink" lyric video:

"Massive Drain" video:

Lineup:

Vocals - Inés Vera Ortiz
Keyboards and programming - Guillermo de Medio
Drums - Nicholas Papapicco
Guitars - Andrea Seveso
Bass - Mitia Maccaferri




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Subway To Sally have released the second video from their new live Blu-Ray, Eisheilige Nacht - Back To Lindenpark. This special, intimate version of the fan-favorite "Kleid aus Rosen" (EN: Dress of Roses) offers an absolute world premiere: Ally Storch, as well as Saskia and Birgit from Schandmaul, intonate the legendary three-part polyphony at the beginning of the song for the first time ever live.

This version of "Kleid aus Rosen" stands for what Eisheilige Nacht - Back To Lindenpark is all about: an intimate setting, special guests and unique production.

Bodenski on "Kleid aus Rosen": "There are lyrics that you write in one ride. I can still remember exactly how I put this story on paper. In my mind's eye I saw a balladeer standing in the marketplace with a display board and telling his audience this gruesome story, perhaps as a lesson and warning for young girls. I actually believed at the time that the lyrics would not be suitable for Subway To Sally. I was so wrong. When I heard Ingo's brilliant composition to this text, I was thrilled. It is rightly one of our most popular songs. Everything about this song is just right. In the studio, Sigrid Hausen, better known as Syrah, helped us to sing the three-part intro. Until the Eisheilige Nacht Online, this intro was always recorded. It was a special experience for us to hear it live for the first time!"

Subway To Sally on Eisheilige Nacht - Back To Lindenpark: “After 11 years of our "Eisheilige Nacht-tradition", we definitely did not want that 2020 will be seen as a red "X" in the history of our festival series. So we thought about how we could provide our fans with the Eisheilige Nacht feeling at their homes, when we weren't allowed to tour ourselves. An online concert wasn't enough for us: Eisheilige Nacht is not only about meeting friends, but also being a highlight of the year - with several befriended bands performing live on stage. We wanted to implement all of this in one experience. We wanted to record this very special event where the Eisheilige Nacht originally began. Instead of playing a concert in an empty hall, we used the size of the hall, lined up in a circle and placed our guest musicians into our midst. This created new insights that have never been seen before in any Subway To Sally concert film! We are very pleased that we can now, as requested by countless fans, record this event for eternity as a special concert film!"

This unique experience will be available in the following formats:

- Deluxe-Bundle (incl. Deluxe Fan Gym Bag, Mediabook, Pendant, Lanyard, Pass) – strictly limited to 300 copies
- BD/DVD/2-CD Mediabook (vertical format)
- 3-LP Gatefold BLACK (incl. DVD)
- Digital Album
[Deluxe-Bundle (incl. Deluxe Fan Gym Bag, Mediabook, Pendant, Lanyard, Pass)
– strictly limited to 300 copies]

Pre-order Eisheilige Nacht – Back To Lindenpark here.

Eisheilige Nacht - Back To Lindenpark tracklisting:

CD 1
Intro
"Messias"
"Königin der Käfer"
"Unsterblich"
"Imperator Rex Graecourm"
"Dein Anblick"
"Kleid aus Rosen"
"Das Elfte Gebot"
"Sieben"
"Kalte Winde"
"Minne" (FAUN Version)
"Henkersbraut"
"Falscher Heiland"
"Tanz auf dem Vulkan"

CD 2
"Drag Me to Hell"
"Island"
"Kein Meer zu Tief"
"Arme Ellen Schmitt"
"Eisblumen"
"Sie tanzt allein"
"IX"
"Veitstanz (2014 Version)
"Grausame Schwester""
"Alles was das Herz will"
"Aufgewacht"
"Ausgeträumt"
Outro
"Julia und die Räuber"

“IX” video:

"Veitstanz" (2014 Version) video:

Trailer:

Subway To Sally are:

Eric Fish - vocals
Ally Storch - violine
Ingo Hampf - guitar
Bodenski - guitar, vocals, hurdy-gurdy
Simon - guitar, vocals
Sugar Ray - bass
Simon Michael - drums

(Photo - Alexander Schlesier)




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Ritchie Blackmore's official YouTube channel has released a short video clip of the legendary DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW guitarist talking about his life in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said: "I wanted last year off completely from touring. I hate traveling, because I've done it so much through my life. I getting into planes and trying to be somewhere. So, to me, I thought, 'Great. We'll take the year off.' But it has gone on a bit too long."

BLACKMORE'S NIGHT, Ritchie's collaborative project with his wife Candice Night, released its eleventh studio album and the first in six years, "Nature's Light", on March 12 via earMUSIC.

Blackmore stepped away from his Renaissance-inspired brand of music with BLACKMORE'S NIGHT in 2016 to perform a handful of shows with a brand-new lineup of RAINBOW, the band he had formed after quitting DEEP PURPLE.

Although Ritchie initially said that he had no plans to make new RAINBOW music — explaining in early 2016 that he wanted to "just get back to playing the old songs one more time" — he later revealed to Japan's Burrn! magazine that he had changed his mind.

In addition to Blackmore, the current incarnation of RAINBOW includes singer Ronnie Romero, who is originally from Chile but is now settled in Romania after living in Madrid, Spain for a number of years, STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT drummer David Keith, bassist Bob Nouveau (a.k.a. Robert "Bob" Curiano, ex-BLACKMORE'S NIGHT), and backing singers Candice Night and Lady Lynn.

Vocalist, actor and author Davey Havok is excited to announce his first NFT, a photo collaboration with esteemed photographer Nedda Afsari. The NFT, titled "A Strange Year: Day 293", is now up for auction via Ephimera.com. The image captures Havok at his most stylishly unkempt during the pandemic-related lockdown, a look known all too well by those who observed these guidelines over the course of the last year. Read more about the project in each artist's own words here.

"When quarantine hit, we had to come up with different ways to express ourselves in isolation," Afsari explains. "Dave approached me with the idea of documenting him in his personal space, untethered. Meaning, Dave in his unkempt environment."

"After having first shot with Nedda, I longed to get back in front of her lens," adds Havok. "Before I could, the pandemic hit, and without safe beautification options, I fell into disarray. My hair went uncut for months. My mustache grew serpentine and obscene. Needless to say, I needed documentation. Thankfully, Nedda was ready for the sordid task. Amidst the quiescence of my home, she captured me at, what traditionally would be construed as, my most masculine. What I call my ''70s porn coke dealer moment' felt too sensational for the archives. The photos were just too alluring. Thus, another excuse to work with Nedda was born. I asked if she'd consider doing a third shoot to document the post-porn look, suggesting we combine three starkly different shoots, capturing varied versions of myself, into a single show: A Strange Year."

The lead singer of AFI, BLAQK AUDIO, XTRMST and DREAMCAR, Havok has released over sixteen records, acted on-screen and performed on Broadway. He is also a published author ("Pop Kids", "Love Fast Los Angeles") and a weekly co-host on SiriusXM's Volume West with Lÿndsey Parker. Born in New York, raised east of the San Francisco Bay by vegan nonbelievers, Havok currently resides amidst watchful livestock and diaphanous garments in a Southern Californian institution of higher learning.

Afsari is an L.A.-based, Iranian-raised photographer and creative director. She explores themes of power, liberation and self awareness; all while celebrating and traversing the diverse realms of the divine feminine and human sexuality. Afsari often combines her love of music and film to create intense and fascinating dreamscapes for her subjects to explore. She photographed St. Vincent's album "Masseduction" which won the 2019 Grammy Award for best recording package, works closely with the record label Dais and was featured by Playboy magazine who described her work as a celebration of "the space between fetish and fragility." In February 2020, Afsari released her debut photography book, titled "Unmuted", encompassing her body of work from 2014 to 2019.

Vulture recently released their new album, Dealin' Death, via Metal Blade Records. A drum playthrough video for album track "Count Your Blessings" is streaming below.

When it comes to contemporary thrash, there are few bands that can stand toe-to-toe with Germany's Vulture. Establishing their status with 2016's Victim To The Blade EP and 2017's The Guillotine, then cementing their reputation with 2019's Ghastly Waves And Battered Graves, they now return with the mighty Dealin' Death, one of the most ruthless records the genre has seen.

"Take all our key elements - fierce riffing, halftone-shifts, aggressive vocals, huge toms, changing dynamics, horror-synths and classical twin guitar harmonies and cast it in a mould, then you have 'Dealin' Death'," says guitarist Stefan Castevet. "The result sounds a little 'back to the EP-ish' to my ears, yet it contains new approaches that we've never included in our sound so far, like choirs with harmonies."

When it was time for the band to head into the studio, the recording process was handled by two separate collaborators: the album recorded at Monkey Moon Studios in Dortmund by Alexander Stöcker, the guitarist of Stallion, while the production was once more handled by Marco Brinkmann at Hellforge Studio.

"This cooperation turned out great!" enthuses vocalist Leo Steeler. "Alex's way of recording and the whole studio atmosphere was pretty motivating and inspiring for all of us. Marco, on the other hand, knows exactly how we should sound and already became literally the sixth member of the band."

Working twelve-hour days for ten days straight was pretty grueling, their daily schedule "get up, track, sleep", but the effort paid off. "I think 'Dealin' Death' is the best we've ever sounded. The mix itself is absolutely flawless to my ears," says Castevet. "It's way more direct and less reverb-soaked than its predecessor. It was very important for us this time, to take advice from Marco and make all key elements audible for the listener. The vocals sound piercing, the bass is present, delivering warmth throughout the whole mix, and the guitars have the best sound we've ever had, and the same goes for drums. It's very natural and dynamic, but straight to the point."

And now with everything done, the band are eager to get it out there. "We can't wait to get feedback for it, hopefully people will admire it as much as we do! Once the pandemic is over, we also can't wait to play shows and even tour again."

Dealin' Death can be ordered here in the following formats:

- jewelcase-CD
- ltd. digipak-CD (incl. sticker)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- slate grey marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 500 copies)
- blood red / black marbled deluxe edition vinyl w/ flag, tape, and sticker (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- leaf green marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- black w/ red splash vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- dark teal marbled vinyl (US exclusive)

Dealin' Death tracklisting:

"Danger Is Imminent"
"Malicious Souls"
"Count Your Blessings"
"Gorgon"
"Star-Crossed City"
"Flee The Phantom"
"Below The Mausoleum"
"Dealin' Death"
"Multitudes Of Terror"
"The Court Of Caligula"

"Star-Crossed City" video:

"Malicious Souls" video:

Vulture lineup:

L. Steeler - Vocals
S. Castevet - Guitars
M. Outlaw - Guitars
A. Axetinctör - Bass
G. Deceiver - Drums

(Photo - Lea Heindl)




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In a new interview with "Waste Some Time With Jason Green", former GRIM REAPER guitarist Nick Bowcott recalled how he nearly tried out for a fellow New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band more than four decades ago. "I actually applied for the IRON MAIDEN [guitarist slot]," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I went to see IRON MAIDEN [when they were still] unsigned. And when they advertised for a guitar player [in 1979], I sent — I think I sent [GRIM REAPER's] demo tape called 'Bleed 'Em Dry', which is gonna be released by a label very shortly, 'cause we found some okay versions of the cassette and we remastered it. And I've still got the letter from IRON MAIDEN which was handwritten with a rubber stamp, saying, 'Hey, thanks for the application. The position is already filled.' And it went to Dennis Stratton. And I kept that letter."

He continued: "It's funny, all those years later, I'm friends with [IRON MAIDEN drummer] Nicko McBrain, and I haven't shown him that letter yet, but I found it recently, and so I posted it on Facebook, just 'cause I thought it was funny."

Stratton was a member of MAIDEN for less than a year, but he nonetheless made a vital contribution to the band's classic first album.

In recent years, Bowcott has worked at Marshall amps (for over two decades) and Jackson/Charvel/EVH in the marketing and artist relations departments. He's also had several books published, including ones co-written with METALLICA's Kirk Hammett and the late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. He now works for Sweetwater as a writer and videomaker.

Bowcott's GRIM REAPER bandmate Steve Grimmett (vocals) has spent the last decade and a half fronting STEVE GRIMMETT'S GRIM REAPER, with which he has released one EP, "Alive And Kicking" (2011) and two full-length albums, "Walking In The Shadows" (2016) and "At The Gates" (2019).

In 2014, Bowcott joined STEVE GRIMMETT'S GRIM REAPER on stage, marking the first time Steve and Nick performed together in more than 25 years.

Photo courtesy of Sweetwater

France's Avaland's are sharing their latest music video "Never Let Me Walk Alone" in support of their symphonic and operatic metal adventure "Theater of Sorcery" released this past April viaRockshots Records. The album features guests Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Zak Stevens (Savatage/TSO), Zaher Zorgati (Myrath), Emmanuelson (Rising Steel), Stéphan Forté (Adagio), Madie (Nightmare) among many other great musicians. 

The music video for "Never Let Me Walk Alone" features Madie (Nightmare) and Ayman Mokdad (Venus Syndrome/Alien Encounters) and can be viewed below.

Band founder Adrien G. Gzagg adds about the track:

"I love singing this one! Madie (Nightmare) made an incredible performance on this track as The Guardian Angel! Ayman Mokdad also played solos with a great feeling on that song! I put a lot of my own in this Progy/AOR song. This song is about the fear of being alone with ourselves and our inner demons. We all sometimes need someone to help us go head in our lives."

Inspired by heroic fantasy, history, mythologies, and esoterism, Avaland band founder Adrien G. Gzagg decided to create the epic story album Theater Of Sorcery with eight characters. The debut is a theatrical metal world that tells the story of a young sorcerer Adam Wilstorm who could be the salvation of bringing back the light to the kingdom of Avaland and during his journey, he must learn to control his powers linked to the Storm.

"This album was a long and tiring, but incredible experience. We could record in a good mood and we were well surrounded by amazing people. Despite of our youth, we could approach a professional atmosphere during studio time. We all surpassed ourselves and we are very proud of the result. We are impatient to share Theater Of Sorcery to the world and very honored to sign with Rockshots for our very first album." adds Adrien G. Gzagg.

 

“Theatre Of Sorcery” video:

Album Teaser:




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Dallas based active rock quintet have been setting radio charts on fire recently with their current single, “California,” one of the more mainstream leaning tracks from current album, Beautiful Chaos. A video for the new single is streaming below.

Directed by Alan Collins, the band headed to Atlanta to shoot the video earlier this year. Brokenrail frontman Blake Clawson says, “The video was shot with our longtime director Alan Collins and his wonderful team back in February of this year at a professional movie warehouse we rented in Atlanta, Georgia. We wanted to capture the dreamlike allure that California has always provided to young musicians in search of purpose and fame. The song is almost a nod to the chase itself and the sacrifices made to continuously move towards those goals even after time has yielded the dream isn’t quite what we had imagined. 

“It had been months since we had all seen one another and so the night prior to the shoot got a little out of hand haha. We had the best of times but were paying for it early on setting up the shoot. As always though, the second the lights turn on and the director yells ‘ACTION’ it’s game on. We packed a lot over 3 days in ATL as we also shot the video for our heavier song ‘The Haunted’. Building two sets and sharing those memories with such an amazing musical family is always so rewarding. We really needed it after what 2020 put us all through. This really set the tone for 2021 and kick started some crazy moves on our part that are truly paying off. It’s shaping up to be a very busy year for Brokenrail!”  

“California” comes from the band’s new album, Beautiful Chaos which was produced by Joseph McQueen (As I Lay Dying, Bad Wolves) and recorded in Los Angeles at Sparrow Sound.  

A recording session the band showed up a few days early for so they bring in the New Year in LA. Clawson recalls NYE and the sessions: “Between The Rainbow and The Viper Room out in Hollywood it was certainly a night! We also had our good friend Michael out in LA take us out on some amazing adventures from rooftop bars, the Santa Monica boardwalk, the Edison downtown. Amazing times for sure! We also went out to NAMM after we finished the record where we met with some great industry reps and spent time with our label reps. We finished the night back at The Rainbow to celebrate the completion of the album. Another great night!” However, not everything was constant wine and roses for certain members of the quintet. “Dave and I got very sick about halfway in and halted recording for almost 5 days. That was brutal. Had to have plenty of bedrest and fight some hoarseness on some of the songs to finish the vocals. It all turned out great though in the end.”




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STYX will release its new studio album, "Crash Of The Crown", on June 18 via the band's label, Alpha Dog 2T/UMe. The official lyric video for the LP's title track — directed by Jay and Trevor Ziebarth with Renee Trotier — can be seen below.

The legendary rockers — James "JY" Young (lead vocals, guitars), Tommy Shaw (lead vocals, guitars), Chuck Panozzo (bass, vocals), Todd Sucherman (drums, percussion), Lawrence Gowan (lead vocals, keyboards) and Ricky Phillips (bass, guitar, vocals — wrote "Crash Of The Crown" pre-pandemic and recorded it during the trying times of the coronavirus crisis.

The "Crash Of The Crown" song breaks some brave new world ground for STYX. Actually, it's the first cut in the band's storied canon to feature three lead vocalists, seeing how it has Young unleashed at the starting gate, Shaw heading up the heroic stacked-vocal middle section, and Gowan leading the vocal charge for the final verse.

"I'm always looking for the one different thing we can do and still have it be STYX," the ever-ebullient Gowan notes, "and that's the song I'm most proud of. The beauty of it is that it's the culmination of all our talents crammed together into one song, 'Abbey Road'-style. I also got to use some gear I never thought I'd have the chance to play on a STYX record like Tommy's Hammond B3 organ, my Minimoog, and my Mellotron."

Efforts to record "Crash Of The Crown" began in earnest at Shaw's home studio in Nashville during the fall of 2019, with Gowan — STYX's criminally minded showman extraordinaire and keyboardist/vocalist since 1999 — in the room together with Shaw and the album's producer, Will Evankovich, as he conjured up the album's first song to be recorded, with cosmetic flourishes that reign over the insistent, yearning call for togetherness, "Common Ground". But the global pandemic that inevitably transformed the way we all wound up living in 2020 changed the course for how many of the band's home-and-away recording sessions ultimately had to set socially distanced sail. Safety precautions took precedent for all involved STYX bandmembers and production compatriots with much diligent quarantining and testing required before any one of them could travel to Shaw's tranquility homebase to spread the uniquely ingrained STYX stardust that's been duly sprinkled across the album's cosmically chosen 15 tracks.

Of all those who made the trek to Nashville, original STYX bassist Chuck Panozzo — who, along with his late twin brother, drummer John Panozzo, formed the initial nucleus of STYX when they began jamming together in their basement on the south side of Chicago in 1961 — is hands down the most effusive about the experience.

"I'm constantly amazed at how Tommy's songwriting continues to connect with the social consciousness that spans across generations," marvels Chuck, who plays on "Our Wonderful Lives" and "Lost At Sea". Lawrence's all-too-brief aquatic fever dream. "Both he and Will have been able to tap into the core elements of the human condition, which is something that's not going to change that much in 50 years — or even 500 years. That's why STYX remains relevant after all this time, because we're part of the human condition."

Whether it's the heady rush of the groundwork-laying opening track "The Fight of Our Lives", the wistfully observational treatise of "Reveries", the cautionary extended hand of comfort and redemption that frames "Hold Back The Darkness", the undeniable uplift of "Our Wonderful Lives" (a beautiful sentiment further embellished by a most welcome, first-ever appearance by a banjo on a STYX album!), or the elegiac clarion call for shared grace in "To Those", "Crash Of The Crown" is music that is both concurrently of its time and truly timeless all at once. Although the official release date for this landmark album may be time-stamped as 2021, the omnisciently observational content of "Crash Of The Crown" readily brings to mind an amalgamation of historical events that occurred in 1066, 1455, 1775, 1861, 1941, and even 2001 without citing any of them by name — Winston Churchill's prescient wartime observations that permeate the pervasive pleas of "Save Us From Ourselves" notwithstanding. In essence, "Crash Of The Crown" is a modern-day sonic chronograph of the endless regenerative cycle of the rise and fall — and rise again — of our shared human experience.

"We've never been a protest band. We're more like a gospel caravan trying to send out positive messages wherever we go," observes Shaw, who joined STYX in December 1975 as a guitarist/vocalist and instantly became one of the band's most important songwriters. "In order to share those positive messages, you have to look at what the problems are first to figure out all the ways you can help make sure everything's going to be alright. That's a very important part of how we do what we do."

Though "Crash Of The Crown" takes a hard look at some inherently dark subjects, the prevalent light at the end of the tunnel eventually becomes each song's focal point — a persistent fervor to keep moving forward and achieve the greater good.

STYX's holy mission for cutting "Crash Of The Crown" was crystal-clear to its co-creator from the get-go. "Absolutely no obstacles were going to get in the way of how we approached creating this album," Shaw concludes about the herculean recording efforts of his fellow "Crash Of The Crown" makers. "And everything came out exactly the way we wanted to hear it."

"Crash Of The Crown" is the follow-up to STYX's 16th studio album, "The Mission" (their first in 14 years at the time, which critics called "a masterpiece") which was released June 16, 2017 on the band's label, Alpha Dog 2T/UMe. The highly anticipated two-disc reissue of "The Mission" was released on July 27, 2018 via Alpha Dog 2T/UMe, which includes a CD of the original album, as well as a Blu-ray of the album mixed in 5.1 surround sound accompanied by stunning visualizations for each of the album's 14 songs based on the album artwork. It originally debuted on various Billboard charts, including: #6 Top Rock Albums, #11 Physical Albums, #11 Vinyl Albums, #13 Current Albums, #14 Billboard Top Albums, #16 Retail, #17 Mass Merch/Non-Traditional, #29 Digital Albums, and #45 Billboard 200 (includes catalog and streaming).

Additionally, for Record Store Day on Saturday, June 12, STYX will release "The Same Stardust" EP on blue 180-gram 12-inch vinyl only, which will feature two brand-new songs on side one ("The Same Stardust" and "Age Of Entropia"), as well as five live performances on side two of some of STYX's classic hits previously heard during their "Styx Fix" livestreams that have been keeping fans company during the pandemic on their official YouTube page, including "Mr. Roboto", "Man In The Wilderness", "Miss America", "Radio Silence" and "Renegade".

In touring news, STYX and COLLECTIVE SOUL are rested, healthy, and ready to hit the road for their first-ever multiple city tour together. STYX had previously announced their return to Las Vegas with a three-night sold-out engagement at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on September 24, 25, and 26, which will include an exclusive set list and brand-new stage production. Tickets for various cities, as well as exclusive VIP packages from each band, are available now at StyxWorld.com and CollectiveSoul.com.