The promoters of Wacken Open Air, the world's largest heavy metal festival, have announced that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the edition planned for the end of July will not be able to take place as scheduled. The 31st edition of the cult festival will therefore take place in August 2022, from August 4 to August 6, in Wacken, Germany.

"We bleed our hearts!" Thomas Jensen, boss and founder of the festival, says. "All visitors, musicians and the entire crew have put all their hopes on being able to celebrate together again in Wacken already this year in July, but we have no other choice but to wait a little longer. Health and safety have priority, there are no two opinions."

His partner and co-founder Holger Hübner adds: "Even if we were able to hold the festival, many people would still not be able to arrive as planned due to travel restrictions. We are an international festival with people travelling to Wacken from over 80 nations. A Wacken Open Air, that's a festival for the whole world and for that we need open borders without quarantines plus we need safety for all people involved — especially for the people living in the Wacken region."

The organizers would like to express their gratitude to the patient fans as well as to the authorities, politicians and other people involved who have worked hard to make the festival possible at the end of July.

"The phased plan is an important step in the right direction and will allow many in our long-suffering industry to finally bring culture back to the stages this summer," Hübner says. "Unfortunately, the openings come too late for our festival, but we are nevertheless very happy about the productive exchange in the districts and throughout the state. Everyone involved has pulled together."

Ticket exchange to the following year is expected to start middle of June. "As before, we will offer our visitors a choice: They can exchange to 2022 or request a payout," Sabrina Schmidt from the ticketing team. "Last year, well over 90% of fans opted to exchange to the following year and we are confident that we can continue to rely on the loyalty and trust of our fans. Those who want to support us additionally can also get some new fan gear during the process, which is only available as part of this exchange."

However, music fans do not have to completely give up on music in Wacken for the year 2021. The organizers are currently exploring ideas for a live music format this autumn, but are asking for a little bit of patience while they develop the concept.

"We are currently looking into what is feasible and hope that the positive development of the situation will continue," Jensen says. "If everything goes according to plan, maybe we can host a new event in Wacken this September to help restart live music. But we know for certain that metalheads will return to Wacken in summer 2022!"

More information and details on the dates for September will fol

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor performed at The Signal in Chattanooga, Tennessee Sunday night (May 30) as part of his solo tour, "CMFTour 2021". Taylor and his band ran through anthems from his critically acclaimed solo debut "CMFT", choice cuts from his SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR catalogs, and various covers and surprises. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

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

Taylor decided to launch this tour for a few significant and personal reasons. As always, he endeavors to deliver an unforgettable show for fans, but just as importantly, he recognizes the massive impact that the ongoing global pandemic has had on live music venues and touring crews alike. It upholds his staunch commitment to supporting live music and the industry surrounding it as illustrated last year through his popular eBay guitar auction, which raised $150,000 for COVID-19 relief, and his COVID-19 safe secret L.A. show benefiting Sweet Relief Musicians Fund — a 501(c)(3) non-profit healing musicians and music industry workers in need.

"It's the full shebang," Taylor told Rolling Stone about the tour. "The CHERRY BOMBS are gonna do their show, with fire and aerial and rock and all the good stuff, then me and the boys will get up and play for, like, two hours."

Regarding how the idea for the tour came about, Taylor said: "We'd been looking for opportunities to play here and there constantly, but it wasn't until a promoter friend of ours asked us how we would approach a tour with the kinds of safeguards we were interested in that we realized we could put a tour together. We'll be taking as many precautions as we can: the usual social distancing, pod seating (sectioned off area with an allotted number of people who came together allowed inside), temperature checks, waivers signed at the door, masks in place everywhere but your pod, etc. We're encouraging everyone to get vaccinated as well before the tour."

Taylor recently made history as he reached No. 1 at Active Rock Radio with his powerful single "Black Eyes Blue". The achievement put Taylor in a class all his own, making him the first artist in the history of the format to reach No. 1 with three separate projects, following chart-topping efforts from SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR.

"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).

Featured in Rolling Stone's "Fall Album Preview 2020," "CMFT" has been garnering widespread critical applause, with Forbes affirming, "Corey Taylor's singing is undeniably the best it's ever been. From SLIPKNOT's last album to his new solo material, Taylor is easily among the best sounding rock singers alive." Kerrang! raved, "Corey Taylor certainly couldn't have predicted how important a sense of uninhibited joy would be on his debut solo effort, it's just what 2020 needs — and, even more importantly, exactly what he delivers." The Daily Beast attested, "'CMFT' finds the singer broadening his horizons and showing off his considerable versatility," while Stereogum noted, "Corey Taylor's lived several lives in the span that it takes most of us to push through just one, and it's clear that he cherishes every experience he's had so far." New York magazine added that "CMFT" "bridges his vast tastes and influences, dabbling in punk rock, metal, reflective acoustic tunes, plaintive piano ballads, and hip-hop, with Taylor's power-house vocals and introspective lyrics acting as a guide."

"CMFT" is highlighted by the singles "Culture Head", "HWY 666", "CMFT Must Be Stopped" (featuring Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie), and the Active Rock radio hit "Black Eyes Blue". Taylor also hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Songwriters chart following the unprecedented debut of "Black Eyes Blue" and "CMFT Must Be Stopped", the latter of which has racked up more than four million YouTube views for its star-studded music video. Furthermore, Taylor debuted the pummeling "Culture Head" during WWE's NXT broadcast on the USA network, illuminating yet another facet of "CMFT" and showcasing the broad spectrum of this fiery and fearless rock 'n' roll opus, as Taylor touches on lifelong influences ranging from hard rock to classic rock, punk rock to hip-hop. 14-time world champion and EVP of global talent strategy and development at WWE, Triple H, also shared a WWE exclusive performance of Taylor and his band tearing through the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Ace Of Spades".

"CMFT" has been a long time coming for Taylor, with newly written tracks alongside some dating back to his teens. Recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas with producer Jay Ruston and his band — Christian Martucci (guitar), Zach Throne (guitar), Jason Christopher (bass), and Dustin Schoenhofer (drums) — the album traces a wild and exhilarating roadmap through Taylor's musical psyche.

David Lee Roth has released a new song called "Giddy-Up!" The track, which also features original artwork by the VAN HALEN singer, can be heard below.

"Giddy-Up!" was one of five songs included in last fall's The Roth Project, an online comic narrated by Roth, with music from John 5 on guitar and bass, Greg Bissonette on drums, Brett Tuggle on keyboards, and Luis Conte on percussion. The 17-chapter comic also included four other songs Roth co-wrote with John 5 and recorded several years ago at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California: "Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill", "Alligator Pants", "Lo-Rez Sunset" and "Manda Bala".

John 5 got his first big break playing on Roth's solo album, "DLR Band", before landing stints with Marilyn Manson and now Rob Zombie. His latest sessions with the iconic VAN HALEN frontman apparently took place at least seven years ago, with John 5 unveiling a snippet of the album during an interview with Masters Of Shred back in May 2019.

Two years ago, Roth was asked by Meltdown of the Detroit radio station WRIF if his LP with John 5 will be made available at some point. He responded: "It will. There's been a revision of things, and I can start making real plans and start marching into the future. And, of course, you'll start hearing that material. This is material that we wrote variously for me solo and for VAN HALEN, and it's quite a bank of stuff."

Roth, who was promoting his Las Vegas residency at the time, didn't offer a possible time frame for the release of the record, explaining that his priority was "getting out on the road first. Let's see the band, let's show ourselves off, let's travel all over the world."

Back in 2015, John 5 told Guitar Player magazine that the sessions for his latest Roth album were remarkably relaxed. "I would just go to his house and I'd write these songs with him, and he would say, 'Let's go into the studio,'" John 5 explained. "So he would go to Henson studio and record these songs. They came out… They're so good. They're so good. And we've got Gregg Bissonette playing drums on it, and I played the bass, and they're really great songs."

The guitarist said that Roth's vocals on the album sound "like nothing you've ever heard. It's old VAN HALEN — sounds like 'Could This Be Magic?' or anything like that. It's just that sound, that tone."

In a 2014 interview, John 5 described the LP as "11 of the greatest songs you'll ever hear, and it's just me and Dave, and we had Gregg Bissonette play drums on it. And it's unbelievable," he said. "There's a song called 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill'. And you know, just great, great songs."

In March 2020, Roth postponed the final six shows of his Las Vegas residency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Roth performed as the opening act for the February/March 2020 North American leg of KISS's "End Of The Road" farewell tour.






https://t.co/n1GgXrCWLe pic.twitter.com/ImgvfQvAvk

— David Lee Roth (@DavidLeeRoth) May 31, 2021

Punk rock band RISE AGAINST has released the official music video for another track from its upcoming album "Nowhere Generation". The Brian Roettinger-directed clip for "Talking To Ourselves" can be seen below.

"Nowhere Generation", RISE AGAINST's first new studio effort in four years, is due on June 4 via Loma Vista Recordings. On the upcoming release, the outspoken band points a finger at big business and politics for stacking the social and economical deck against Millennials', Gen Y's and Gen Z's pursuit of The American Dream. Musically, the album is blazing, aggressive punk rock; lyrically, the eleven songs were inspired in part by input from band members' young children and RISE AGAINST's community of fans.

Said frontman Tim McIlrath: "Today there is the promise of the American Dream, and then there is the reality of the American Dream. America's 'historical norm' that the next generation will be better off than the one that came before has been diminished by an era of mass social, economic, and political instability and a sell-out of the Middle Class. The brass ring that was promised by hard work and dedication no longer exists for everyone. When the privileged climb the ladder of success and then burn it from the top, disruption becomes the only answer."

For the "Nowhere Generation" project, the band worked with the Grammy-nominated creative director Brian Roettinger (Jay-Z, FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE, NO AGE) to craft an impressive and truly inspired capsule of album offerings. Those include:

* CD in a soft pack jacket with a multi-page lyric booklet

* 12-inch, limited edition vinyl picture disc (exclusive to the band's webstore)

* Deluxe album edition with a distinctive spinning wheel gatefold jacket with die-cut front cover; a 12-page album art booklet insert, and a bonus 7" featuring two "Nowhere Session" versions of album standouts "Nowhere Generation" + "Broken Dreams, Inc."; special vinyl color variants for retail worldwide as well as the band's webstore.

* Standard vinyl format that includes a single sleeve, dorado paper-wrapped jacket, with lyric insert featuring metallic ink; multiple special vinyl color variants for select retailers as well as the band's webstore.

* Exclusive versions of the album, on vinyl and CD available at Target. A jacket with exclusive interchangeable inserts and special colored vinyl for the LP and a bonus "Nowhere Session" song on the CD.

RISE AGAINST — McIlrath, Joe Principe (bass), Brandon Barnes (drums) and Zach Blair (lead guitar) — recorded "Nowhere Generation" at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado, under the tutelage of Jason Livermore, Andrew Berlin, Chris Beeble and longtime producer/engineer Bill Stevenson (BLACK FLAG, THE DESCENDENTS). Stevenson has worked with the band on nearly all of their acclaimed releases since their sophomore effort, 2003's "Revolutions Per Minute", and is often described as RISE AGAINST's fifth member. "Bill is our not-so-secret weapon," Principe explained. "He really has helped shape the band; he gets what we want to do and will go with us when we think outside the box. He's the perfect producer for the style of music we play because he has an insane pop sensibility and the hardcore side to him as well."

In addition to the communal call to arms embedded in "Nowhere Generation"'s dynamic title track, there's the fast and furious anti-establishment manifesto "Broken Dreams, Inc.", the moody ballad "Forfeit", "Sudden Urge", a true nod to the band's rock'n'roll side with an overall punk-vibe, the simplicity of "The Numbers" with a melody that will stick in your head, and the surprise pop candor in "Talking To Ourselves", a standout song about wanting to be heard and wondering if anyone is listening. "It describes a lot of what RISE AGAINST does," says McIlrath, "to speak and scream when we feel there are things that are happening that aren't being addressed."

"When I was growing up," said Principe, "I listened to bands like 7 SECONDS, BAD BRAINS, MINOR THREAT and BAD RELIGION. All of those bands' music had a sense of hope with the world, a truly positive global view of what life can be. From the beginning, we've wanted RISE AGAINST to have that same positivity, to have our music be an inspiration for people to bring about change in their own lives, they just have to put forth the effort and speak up."

Last month, RISE AGAINST announced the "Nowhere Generation Tour", 17 live-and-in-person concerts taking place coast to coast, primarily in open-air amphitheaters.

Produced by Live Nation, the tour kicks off on Friday, June 30 in New York at Rooftop at Pier 17, making stops in Atlanta, Dallas, Philadelphia, Southern California, and more, before wrapping on Tuesday, August 24 in Salt Lake City at The Complex Outdoor.

Photo credit: Wyatt Troll

Hexenklad / former Eclipse Eternal frontman Timothy Voldemars Johnston has checked in with the following update:

"We can finally announce the release date for our new album, Heathenheart: July 23rd. And you can pre-order your copy today from CDN Records. It's almost an hour long and it comes with a big booklet with all the lyrics and artwork. We went all out. We appreciate all the support we've got along the way and we hope this album exceeds all your expectations. It's something I am very proud of.  Black Metal influenced Folk Metal."

Pre-order the album via CDN Records here.

Johnston checked in at the end of 2020 with the following:

"It with great pride I present to you the teaser trailer for our, Hexenklad’s, upcoming video, for the title track off our forthcoming album, Heathenheart. I could not be more proud of the way the whole video turned out, especially seeing that it was filmed this year, 2020, during all the stress, anxiety, despair, restrictions and garbage that this year has thrown our (and this is a collective our) way.  Rarely do the Norns tie so many Wyrds together so tightly as was required to get this done and rare is it possible for creative minds to see through one eye and create something so true to the imagination of all those who dreamt it.  

The video was shot over a total of 3 days in the Fall of this year but took a good couple months of collaboration with our amazing videographer Mikey Wheeler (Cinemanic Films) to perfect the final outcome. I’d like to sincerely/publicly thank our actors, two of my closest friends, Kari and Derek, and my sister Krista-Lina (the woman in white) for coming out during this time and being exactly where you were meant to be and doing exactly what you were meant to be doing. I’d also like to thank Kim at Magik Morn for letting us use her beautiful property / horse farm for the shoot. This would not have happened without you. Also, thanks to the Bonelady for all the bones, Primalforged for my custom tunic / cloak, and Vikki who came out and took lots of great photos to commemorate the event.

The full-length video will be released early next year as will the full-length album, which will be released through our metal brothers at CDN Records. I ask that you give this a watch, give it a like, and share it to anyone/everyone who may appreciate it."  




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

Video footage of Scorpions performing "Big City Nights", live in Brooklyn, New York in September 2015 as part of their Return To Forever tour, can be seen below:

Scorpions recently announced that their Sin City Nights Vegas Residency dates, scheduled for May 8 - 30, 2021 at Zappos Theater, have been rescheduled to March 26 - April 16, 2022 with special guests Queensrÿche.

"We can’t wait to be reunited with all of you then," says the band.

Fans who have purchased tickets to an affected performance will have their tickets automatically transferred to a new date with the exact same seats, including VIP packages where applicable. If you are unable to attend that date, please visit your original point of purchase for a refund. Those interested in purchasing tickets for the new dates can do so at ticketmaster.com/scorpionsvegas.




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

Greek/Swedish melodic death metal stars, Nightrage, have released he second single on their upcoming album. "Falsifying Life" is a mid-tempo song and the meaning behind the lyrics is about how people deny themselves to live a really true life. We are all connected to social media and what happens there more than to our own lives. The single is available via Despotz Records.

Marios and Magnus about the new single:

"'Falsifying Life' is our second single from the upcoming album and once again a collaboration musically of me and Magnus, it's a mid-tempo song with lots of groove and Nightrage signature melodies. We like to have these kinds of songs as well and we feel we don't need to go super-fast all the time but keep the melodicism and heaviness anyway that characterizes the band's sound. This time Ronnie’s lyrical theme is all about us humans denying ourselves living a real true life. Instead, we sit behind our walls of social media and living a life in lie. Portraying our lives as we think others would like to see them, and how we fool ourselves that we want to live. And not how we really would like to live or to be. And we all know it’s all a lie! But instead of breaking free from the lie we buy it all the way and keep pushing it harder until it becomes the only “true life” we really know in the sad end." - Marios Iliopoulos

"The funniest thing about writing songs for Nightrage is the mix between heavy metal and thrash/death. From one moment a mean riff to the other moment a memorable melody. On Falsifying life, I think you can hear my and Marios love of heavy metal shine through with all these guitar melodies everywhere. We actually had to remove some melodies in the mix to not overdo it. Maybe we did anyway ha-ha!" - Magnus Söderman

In 2021, Nightrage return with the final part in their trilogy of albums. What started with The Venomous, then Wolf To Man, is now complete with their upcoming album, Abyss Rising.

An album that is the band's vision of mankind living in its own hell - a hell it has created through the destruction of the planet. Inspired in part by Dante's Inferno, the album explores man’s continual destruction of the world we live in until the abyss opens up to consume all before it. The abyss has risen from the depths, and hell has now turned outside in to be able to rise to earth to claim us. The album captures Nightrage in a spectacular form; incisive, brutal, uncompromising, and unforgettable. Musically the band have embraced a harder, faster, and brutal approach, still rich in melodic intent but characteristically heavy and aggressive. Mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordstrom at Studio Fredman (Architects, In Flames, Opeth), Abyss Rising is a formidable sonic masterpiece. The album will be released in fall 2021.

"Abyss Rising":

Nightrage was founded by Marios Iliopoulos and his close friend Gus G. in 2000. After putting together demos in 2001 and 2002, they finally released their first full album, Sweet Vengeance', in 2003. It featured drummer Per Möller Jensen (The Haunted), and bassist Brice Leclercq. They also managed to acquire the services of legendary vocalist Tomas Lindberg (At The Gates) and Tom S. Englund of Evergrey fame.

Their second release, Descent Into Chaos, followed in 2005 and featured a more permanent rhythm section in the shape of Fotis Benardo (Septic Flesh, ex-Innerwish) and Henric Carlsson. With Gus G.’s role performing with Arch Enemy taking more and more of the talented guitarists time, Nightrage looked to a number of tour replacements to cover for him until Gus made the decision to permanently leave Nightrage and focus completely on Firewind (before landing the coveted guitar spot in Ozzy Osbourne’s band).

Nightrage’s third album, A New Disease Is Born, was released in 2007. Gus G. was replaced by Dragonland/Amaranthe guitarist Olof Mörck. In keeping with the band’s revolving door of members, 2007 also saw Antony Hämäläinen, bassist Anders Hammer, and drummer Johan Nunez (Firewind, Kamelot) join the band in the summer of 2007.

Their fourth album, Wearing A Martyr's Crown, was recorded, produced, and mixed by Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman. Several tracks from the album, namely, "A Grim Struggle", "Collision Of Fate", "Shed The Blood", and "Wearing A Martyr's Crown" were made available as downloadable content for the Rock Band video game series on Xbox. In 2011, "A Grim Struggle" was made available for download on the PlayStation 3 console.

2011’s Insidious once again featured Tomas Lindberg and Tom Englund on vocals, along with guest appearances from Gus G, Apollo Papathanasio (Firewind, Spiritual Beggars) and John K. The band supported the new album on a tour of North America, joining Firewind and Arsis, titled Frets Of Fury.

In 2013, Antony Hämäläinen and Johan Nunez officially left the band to pursue other musical ventures. Ronnie Nyman was recruited to replace Hämäläinen on vocals. With Nyman, the band released their sixth studio album, The Puritan, in 2015.

2017 saw the release of album number seven, The Venomous. With yet more changes in the band, Magnus Söderman (guitars) and Lawrence Dinamarca (drums) completing the lineup. 2019’s Wolf To Man featured another shift in personnel with a new rhythm section arriving featuring bassist Francisco Escalona and drummer Dino George Stamoglou, but the core of the band stayed the same.

Now, in 2021, Nightrage is back with their tenth album Abyss Rising - it's incisive, it's brutal, it's uncompromising and unforgettable.

(Photo - Evelina Szczesik / Ever Vision Art)




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

Portland-based dark power metal group, Silver Talon, has unveiled the music video for “Divine Fury”, a standout track from their full-length debut album, Decadence And Decay. The song is the latest showcase of the guitar wizardry of Bryce VanHoosen (ex-Spellcaster) and Wyatt Howell's soaring vocals.

Says VanHoosen, “The silver beast returns! 'Divine Fury' is the most outwardly Gnostic of all the tracks from Decadence and Decay, pitting our spiritual savior against a blind cybernetic god. We filmed the video over two days in an old industrial building in Portland, and directors Austin Livingston & Matthew Patterson went the distance in filming and editing. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!”

Decadence And Decay is out now. Order digital, CD, cassette and limited-edition haze and smoke vinyl copies of the album here.

Decadence And Decay – the follow-up to the band’s 2018 debut EP, Becoming A Demon – builds upon the thrilling combination of heavy metal hooks and guitar-driven virtuosity displayed by the band on their earlier effort. Highlights include “Resistance 2029” – which features a guest appearance by guitarist Andy La Rocque (King Diamond, Death) – and the blistering leadoff track, “Deceiver, I Am”.

"Deceiver, I Am"
"Resistance 2029" (feat. Andy La Rocque)
"As The World Burns"
"Next To The Sun"
"Divine Fury"
"Kill All Kings"
"What Will Be"
"Touch The Void"

“Kill All Kings” lyric video:

"As The World Burns" video:

"Deceiver, I Am" video:




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

Frost* have announced reissues of their first and second albums, Milliontown & Experiments In Mass Appeal, including their first ever appearance on vinyl. Available on July 9 as both Limited CD Digipaks and Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD, they are both now available to pre-order:

- Milliontown
- Experiments In Mass Appeal

Milliontown features the new 2020 remaster, and Experiments In Mass Appeal comes as the 2020 remix and remaster, both previously included on the 13 Winter’s boxset released last year.

Frost* was formed in 2004 by keyboard player and singer Jem Godfrey, Released in 2006 the band’s debut album “Milliontown” was an instant success and is regarded by many as a classic in the modern prog rock genre featuring John Mitchell on guitar, John Jowitt on bass and Andy Edwards on drums. The band quickly followed it up with Experiments In Mass Appeal in 2008, in many ways the antithesis of Milliontown featuring a much more stripped back sound, more concise songs and a new band member and singer in the form of Dec Burke.

The live album The Philadelphia Experiment followed in 2009 and the a long gap followed before 3rd album Falling Satellites was released in 2016 with a new line-up of Nathan King on bass and Craig Blundell on drums, plus returning guitarist and singer John Mitchell on guitar who also co-wrote much of the album with Jem Godfrey.




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

California rock legends and global philanthropists STEEL PANTHER have released a performance video of the song "The Burden Of Being Wonderful" from their "Fans Come First" livestream. Broadcasting live on May 22, the performance marked the band's first livestream since the cancelation of "Gobblefest" last December.

"Fans Come First" differed from any other livestream the band had previously done, since the setlist was curated directly from the Fanthers. Fans were encouraged to visit www.steelpantherrocks.com to submit suggestions for the setlist and upload videos of themselves talking about how they discovered STEEL PANTHER or their favorite song, etc. The videos were shared throughout the "Fans Come First" event.

The stream will be available until June 6, and ticket buyers will have access to the Rockbuster Video Archive to watch past streams as well from the time they purchase the ticket until that date.

For more information and to purchase tickets, head to this location.

Last month, STEEL PANTHER confirmed that it has commenced the recording process for its sixth studio album. The follow-up to 2019's "Heavy Metal Rules" will tentatively arrive before the end of the year.

Last December, STEEL PANTHER released a re-worked version of its song "Fuck Everybody" from "Heavy Metal Rules", now re-titled "Fuck 2020". The newly recorded version included updated verses that reflect the insanity of last year.

"Heavy Metal Rules" was released in September 2019. The disc, which is described in a press release as a "heavy metal version of a self-help manual and ultimate party album combined," was once again produced by Jay Ruston, who collaborated with the band on all of its previous recordings, including 2017's "Lower The Bar".

STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Thirteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.

Photo by: David Jackson

Following the recent 50th episode mark of Joe Bonamassa's hit interview series "Live From Nerdville", this week Joe caught up with the ultimate rock star Alice Cooper. See the whole conversation below. The convo takes an exciting round of twists and turns as the two artists talk about getting back on the road… finally!

To start off, Alice talks about his recent event for Solid Rock where they performed with the likes of ASIA, Lou Gramm, his son's band, and KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer. Similarly, Joe talks about his recent five shows and how excited he was performing again and seeing humans in the audience even it was only a few.

Speaking about the last shows he played before the pandemic, Alice said: "Well, we cancelled 180 cities last March 7th and we were in Germany doing 'Rock Meets Classic' when we got the news that from the officials saying that we had 24 hours to get out of Germany before the borders closed. Needless to say, that was the last stage Alice saw for a while. It was like a house of cards; it just all collapsed in one day. We also did a benefit show with QUEEN in Sydney Australia. It was a benefit for the fire disaster that happened over there. 95,000 people attended and that was the last show we did as a band. At least it's a good way to go out."

Asked what got him into music, Alice divulged: "I was 15 and I heard these songs and I thought what is going on with the radio? It was Beatlemania." This motivated Alice and two of his friends to each buy an instrument and start a band. "We started out playing music along the lines of THE YARDBIRDS. We wanted to the American YARDBIRDS. Why? Because they were the coolest bands at the time. We also liked THE KINKS and THE WHO. Later we got into Paul Butterfield as well, but it was always hard rock." Joe shared his own inspirations: "For me, I got into Jeff Beck, and it was the 'Truth' album that really took me over the top. To me, he was the first guitarist to weaponize a guitar."

"It was a magical time in music in England," Alice agreed, "and I think the competition helped things. Because you had Clapton, THE YARDBIRDS, John Mayall, THE WHO, and then [Jimi] Hendrix shows up in London and completely changes the game."

They continue on to discuss the fact that you can no longer test new songs you wrote while on tour because with smartphones you test a song one day and then the next day it's all over social media, which, for them, kills the excitement of creating and presenting a new album. "After the first couple tour stops, the next tour stop already knows your setlist," says Joe. Alice then praises Joe for being one of the faces of the blues and that younger generations are more familiar with because of the way he plays.

Other conversations include playing and recording with tracks, and dissecting the playing live of McCartney where it's all perfection, in contrast to when you see THE ROLLING STONES live and it's "gloriously sloppy," according to Alice.

As they go on discussing touring, Alice shares his affinity for the Detroit scene, remembering a major festival he played there. "You saw MC5, THE STOOGES," he said. "I saw Iggy Pop and realized that I may have competition…We ended up moving there for a while. It was also cool because Motown players and artists would support rock bands and vice versa."

Then they talk the hits. "We went national with 'I'm Eighteen'," Alice said. "CKLW radio in Detroit played the track. We were up against Sinatra, SUPREMES, Simon Garfunkel, then us. That song took us out of Detroit." Joe asked Alice if he thought it would be a hit, and Cooper said: "No. In fact, our management wanted us to dumb it down some. And we kept telling management that we want to be like THE YARDBIRDS. But as it turns out, the simplicity was very powerful." The only song Alice thought would be a hit was "School's Out". He said: "It's a timeless anthem."

Joe asked Alice when he knew he was famous. He responded: "When people were reaching out to me as Alice. I took on the name and we had a coming out party at the Ambassador Hotel in L.A. We had drag queens, cigarette girls it was a total night of insanity."

They talk about GRETA VAN FLEET, Alice's latest album, and Joe even asks, "Who the most interesting person you ever played golf with?" Alice's response? "Groucho Marx. He knew Bob Hope, Dean Martin and Jerry Wilson. Can you imagine the banter?"

Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick has released a video tribute to his brother Bob who died exactly a year ago at the age of 70.

In a note accompanying the video's YouTube release, Bruce wrote: "A year ago today my brother Bob Kulick passed away. For his one year anniversary, I've created a loving video tribute. At the end I share his final resting place. Bob Kulick's life and career was 'Forever Larger than Life.'"

Bob passed away on May 28, 2020 at his home in Las Vegas. He died from natural causes due to heart disease.

Last October, Bruce said that he was unaware that his brother had complained to his doctor about chest pains and heart palpitations. "I recently discovered this by looking at his medical papers, and I believe he was due to be treated, but the pandemic might [have] prevented it," Bruce wrote in a social media post. "For me this was a shock, as it was so sudden.

Throughout his 40-plus-year music career, Bob Kulick worked with an astonishing array of artists: from Meat Loaf to MOTÖRHEAD; from KISS to Michael Bolton; W.A.S.P. to Diana Ross; as well as legends such as Roger Daltrey, Alice Cooper, Lou Reed and Paul Stanley's first solo LP and tour.

Bob began his musical profession at 16 — when most high schoolers are still trying to figure out where they're going in life — appearing on the 1966 album "Winchester Cathedral" from the RANDOM BLUES BAND, the "baby band" that Bob played in that played The Café Wha in New York's Greenwich Village alongside Jimmy James and the BLUE FLAMES (later rechristened Jimi Hendrix).

1973 saw Kulick make the connection that he has been associated the most with throughout his career. He auditioned for — and got passed over by — KISS. Instead of being dejected, the six-stringer aligned himself with the band over the years, playing on the studio material on "Kiss Alive II", providing solos on the "Killers" album, co-writing "Naked City" from "Unmasked" and guesting on Paul Stanley's 1979 solo album and tour a decade later. He even suggested his brother to the band.

In April 2020, Bruce admitted in an interview that his relationship with Bob was "not healthy." Bruce spoke about his estranged older brother five months after Bob made a public post on his personal Facebook page as as well as on his Instagram accusing Bruce of contributory "copyright infringement" over the sale of "Kulick Brothers" merchandise items, including a signed photo. According to Bob, the items were being made available via Kiss Army Merchandise with permission from Bruce only. Bob went on to say that Bruce had "a restraining order" against him, but didn't offer any more details about the circumstances that led to the order being issued.

During 2017's "Kiss Kruise VII", the Kulick brothers played a 13-song set that featured 10 rarely performed KISS songs such as "Turn On The Night" and "All American Man", as well as three classics from Paul Stanley's 1978 solo album (on which Bob performed). That same year, Bob released a solo album, "Skeletons In The Closet".

Finland's Rocking Corpses is a putrid mix of rock, death metal, zombies, other horror themes and some really black humour. The band is set to release their second studio album Death Blues on July 2nd via Inverse Records. Their latest single from the album, "Drinking With The Dead", is released today. Check out the official lyric video below.
 

The band comments: "'Drinking With The Dead' was born out of post depression after losing some drinking competitions to the dead. It is not good for anyone to dring yourself into a shamanistic state with hard liquor. But sometimes it might inspire a song if you have dead friends or new acquaintances join the party. Originally composed for an acoustic guitar, the song came mesmerizingly alive in the studio with improvised percussions such as straw basket, tape measure and a triangle hit closing the ceremony for the dead."  

Tracklist:

"There Will Be Death" (intro)
"Body"
"Buried"
"As High As You Can Get"
"Rocking Corpses Part II"
"Derailed"
"Drinking With The Dead"
"Another Day In Casket"
"Losing Day"
"Necrophilove"
"Death Is Something To Die For"
"War For Doom"

"Buried"

"Another Day In Casket"

Line-Up:

Leper Laze - Vocals
Tony Decay - guitar, dirty vocals
Pestilence Pete - guitar
Maggot Mike - bass
Tom Bones - drums

Photo by Väinö Hörkkä. Album cover by Joni Takomo




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

Japanese avant-garde metallers Dir En Grey released their new single, 'Oboro', on April 28th. An official video for the track is available below.

On the new single's deluxe edition:

"Cover artwork, along with the title of the CD live track and the contents of the bonus live footage to be included in the Limited Deluxe Version / First Press Limited Version have been unveiled. The artwork for this single was created in collaboration with the “paper doll” artist Maki Hino. The artist, who aims to make 'works shaped as human beings,' was inspired by 'Oboro' for these dolls, resulting in a very unique and memorable artwork. The live track to be featured in all the version of the singles will be 'Keigaku no Yoku'  from the Concert Film Screening (Meguro Rock-May-Kan Gig).

As for the live footage to be included in the Limited Deluxe Version, it will bring you the latest live clips by the band: 13 songs from Concert Film Screening (Meguro Rock-May-Kan Gig) in an exclusive re-edited version along with a unreleased clip for 'Rasetsukoku' for a total of 14 songs. You can also enjoy a documentary bringing you to the filming set of Meguro Rock-May-Kan and to the recordings of 'Oboro', along with interviews with the Dir En Grey members. The First Press Limited Version will include three of the live clips included in the Limited Deluxe Version, and a digest footage of the documentary."

Disc 1 - CD

"Oboro"
"T.D.F.F."
"Keigaku no Yoku" (live)

Disc 2 - Blu-Ray / DVD: Meguro Rock-May-Kan

"Dead Tree"
"Keigaku no Yoku"
"Ningen wo Kaburu"
"Devote My Life"
"Rubbish Heap"
"Clever Sleazoid"
"Rinraku"
"The World of Mercy"
"Values of Madness"
"Ochita Koto no Aru Sora"
"Karma"
"Utafumi"
"Child Prey"
"Rasetsukoku"
Behind The Scenes of 'Oboro'




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

One of the most iconic characters ever created in song — the smarmy, nefarious record executive dreamt up by Roger Waters for PINK FLOYD's 1975 single "Have A Cigar", who infamously asked "Which one's Pink?" — is being brought to life in a whole new way, courtesy of the legendary voice of prog metal superstars DREAM THEATER, James LaBrie, and a spectacular new concept video from award-winning director Vicente Cordero of Industrialism Films. LaBrie's superb rendition of the song, taken from the just released album "Still Wish You Were Here - A Tribute To Pink Floyd", gives the lyrics a far more sinister edge than the original recording, as does the razor-sharp guitar work from Steve Stevens, which contrasts nicely with the laid-back rhythm section composed of THE DAMNED's Rat Scabies and PUBLIC IMAGE LTD.'s Jah Wobble and some supremely tasteful keyboard work from THE MOODY BLUES' Patrick Moraz. This fantastic new version of the song inspired the first-ever dramatic portrayal of this character, performed by seasoned character actor Noel Jason Scott for Cordero's video, as a stylish Mephistopheles who casually tempts a young, naive musician into a malevolent Faustian bargain that grants him all the riches and rewards of rock superstardom before exacting a treacherous toll.

LaBrie's performance is a major highlight of "Still Wish You Were Here", but there is plenty more where that came from. The album also features awe-inspiring performances from a whole host of rock, metal and pop music legends such as keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman, DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice, recent Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Todd Rundgren, ex-QUEENSRŸCHE vocalist Geoff Tate, guitar god Joe Satriani, ZOMBIES/ARGENT vocalist Rod Argent, spacebass super genius Bootsy Collins, and lots more. "Still Wish You Were Here" is available on both CD in a beautiful six-panel deluxe digipak and a stunningly gorgeous gatefold vinyl in a variety of colors.

Track listing:

01. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5)

Geoff Tate

Steve Hackett

Billy Sheehan

Mel Collins

Geoff Downes

Ian Paice

02. Welcome To The Machine

Todd Rundgren

Rick Wakeman

Tony Levin

03. Have A Cigar

James LaBrie

Steve Stevens

Patrick Moraz

Rat Scabies

Jah Wobble

04. Wish You Were Here

Rik Emmett

Joe Satriani

Edgar Froese

David Ellefson

Carmine Appice

05. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-9)

Rod Argent

Steve Hillage

Ian Paice

Bootsy Collins

Param-Nesia, hailing from Vancouver, Canada are dishing out a new EP this year, Aspect Of Creation. This is their second technical death metal offering following “The Beginning” released in 2019. Today, they are dropping their next single “Forsaken” for your headbanging needs, which can be heard via its premiere on BraveWords!

The band explains the track:

“Forsaken takes things in a more melodic direction, a bit more flair in the melodies, while still retaining the heaviness of the intro song before it (“Pestilence of Man”). It is distinguished by the harmonies and leads with savage vocal accompaniment and a powerful outro.”

Param-Nesia intends to take listeners through a story with their extreme metal, they don’t use traditional song structure, instead, they opt for something that flows and progresses in an engaging way. Their music is written from life experiences with emotion and heart put into it.

For Param-Nesia, all of the main writing is composed by lead guitarist Andy Cahalin, his process is usually stringing together several riffs, then recording a rough draft to go over with the band. The lyrics are written between vocalist Cayle Charlton and Cahalin. For Charlton, the lyrics are based in life experience such as heartbreak, or struggle with overcoming obstacles to grow from the experiences; for Cahalin, the lyrics are usually inspired by all the crazy fantasy fiction books he reads!

The five tracks on the forthcoming EP cross subgenre boundaries making this brutal assault applicable for most metalheads, especially fans of The Black Dahlia Murder, Allegaeon, and At the Gates.

Aspect Of Creation comes out June 18, 2021. Order the EP on Bandcamp.

Tracklisting:

“Pestilence Of Man”
“Forsaken”
“Lethocerus”
“Home”
“Journey To Nothing”




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

Frontiers Music Srl announces the forthcoming release of Circus Of Rock's debut album, Come One, Come All, on August 6. Circus Of Rock is a new band, or rather a massive musical project, masterminded by drummer Mirka Rantanen (King Company). The debut single, "Desperate Cry: featuring Johnny Gioeli (Hardline, Axel Rudi Pell) on lead vocals is out today. See the video below, and pre/order save Come One, Come All here.

"My musical influences in making Come One, Come All come from a mix of artists I've been exposed to over the years. My own bands which I've been involved in and, of course, my own musical idols. In music, I love more than anything classic melodic hard rock and that shows on this album. I wanted to make the kind of music I could stand behind completely. The intention was just to have fun with musicians I admire and have everybody perform great songs," says Circus Of Rock mastermind Mirka Rantanen.

"As for the recording of the album, last summer we had all the songs and demos ready. I recorded the drums in early autumn and then everyone else did their part in different studios or at home during autumn and end of the year. Since the album has almost 40 musicians, it was a bit of a challenge to keep everything in order when it comes to sessions. Dozens of tracks could arrive to me on the same day. I worked closely with mixer Kimmo Ahola so that we both kept up to date with what was coming in, what had been transferred, etc. It was quite a job and I still have to tip my hat to Kimmo for putting this puzzle together," continues Rantanen.

Come One, Come All has a killer line-up of singers and musicians, a full list of which you can see below. The amazing talents involved come from the likes of Amaranthe, Tyketto, Hardline, Nightwish, Leverage, and more, plus musicians from bands such as Stratovarius, Brother Firetribe, Masterplan, and others.

Hardline and Axel Rudi Pell frontman Johnny Gioeli handles lead vocals on first single "Desperate Cry". Rantanen explains, "'Desperate Cry' was called 'Why' at first, but when Johnny got it, he wanted to change the lyric a little bit and it became 'Desperate Cry'. This was the first song that came together for the album. It is written by songwriter/guitarist Ade Manninen and as soon as I heard the demo of it, I was absolutely sure it would go to Johnny. It fits his voice perfectly. Unfortunately, Ade died of cancer May 9th and will not be able to see the release of the song or the entire album. The guy in the video is a "stunt guitarist" because Ade was no longer able to participate in the video shootings due to his health. But he's in our memories now here and a few other songs he plays on. The song is about a relationship ending between two people and the pain involved with that, but after Ade's death, the story took on a whole new meaning, at least for me."

“A few years ago I started to think about recording a solo album; however, I didn’t want to do just a traditional solo album. That’s because people often think a solo album is mainly to allow the musicians to show off their fantastic skills and magnificent instruments, but I wanted to focus more on the great songs that don’t happen to have extra drum solos. I also wanted to include many fantastic colleagues with whom I have played over the years on this album, and in addition a couple of great guest singers. My intention is to get the album released in 2021, when I turn 50. And now this will happen thanks to the Frontiers label. The album will be a kind of milestone in my professional career, my long-term 'dream that is finally coming true' type of thing," says Rantanen.

Confirmed singers and musicians appearing on the album include:

- Jarkko Ahola
- Rick Altzi (Masterplan)
- Kimmo Blom (Leverage)
- Johnny Gioeli (Hardline)
- Marco Hietala (ex-Nightwish)
- Erik Kraemer (Simulacrum)
- Mark Quee
- Antti Railio
- Pasi Rantanen (Thunderstone)
- Elize Ryd (Amaranthe)
- Tommi “Tuple” Salmela
- Riku Turunen
- Danny Vaughn (Tyketto)

Mirka Rantanen has a long career in the Finnish hard rock scene. He has played on 40+ albums during his 30 year career, including releases by King Company, Raskasta Joulua, Kotipelto, Warmen, Northern Kings, Revolution Renaissance, and more. In addition, ten years ago he created the very popular heavy rock band for kids called Hevisaurus, for which he was awarded the Emma Award in 2011 (the Finnish equivalent of a Grammy).

Tracklisting:

"The Beat" (Feat. Riku Turunen)
"Desperate Cry" (Feat. Johnny Gioeli)
"Sheriff Of Ghost Town" (Feat. Marco Hietala)
"Never" (Feat. Kimmo Blom)
"In Times Of Despair" (Feat. Elize Ryd)
"Crossroads" (Feat. Pasi Rantanen)
"Caught In The Middle" (Feat. Danny Vaughn)
"Plywood Covered Windows And Crappy Shoes" (Antti Railio)
"Edge Of Love" (Feat. Rick Altzi)
"Set Me Free" (Feat. Jarkko Ahola
"Everafter" (Feat. Tommi “Tuple” Salmela)
"No Reason" (Feat. Marc Quee)
"Tears Of The Clown" (Feat. Erik Kraemer)
"Burning" (Bonus Track Digital)

"Desperate Cry" (Feat. Johnny Gioeli) video:




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

Edenbridge keyboardist Lanvall's first symphony, The Freystadt Symphony, will see its live world premiere on June 29, 2022 in the Messehalle Freistadt (Austria) with the orchestra Junge Philharmonie Freistadt.

The 25-minutes symphony for big orchestra, choir and electric guitar was composed as a commissioned work for the 800 year anniversary of the the city of Freistadt.

Tickets can be purchased here.




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

Although DEATH is considered to be one of the most important and influential death metal acts of all time, the Florida-based band did not release its debut album, "Scream Bloody Gore", until 1987 — two years after the arrival of "Seven Churches" by California's POSSESSED, whose bassist/vocalist, Jeff Becerra, is credited by some with initially creating the term "death metal" in 1983.

Asked in a new interview with Underground Florida which was the first death metal album ever released, "Scream Bloody Gore" or "Seven Churches", CANNIBAL CORPSE drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's always the one up for debate. It is a tough one. I would probably have to go with 'Scream Bloody Gore'. I think that was just a little bit more death metal in the vocals and in the music. 'Seven Churches', it had maybe a little bit more thrash elements still happening. 'Scream Bloody Gore' was not thrash at all — I don't think that was thrash at all; I think that's just death metal. Becerra still had an evil voice — kind of like Tom Araya [SLAYER]. It's a great voice. Is it considered death metal? You can't consider Tom death metal at all."

He continued: "In my opinion, I would say definitely 'Scream Bloody Gore' would be that album over 'Seven Churches'. Like I said, nothing against [POSSESSED]. 'Seven Churches' [was] amazing. What a great band. And I loved 'Scream Bloody Gore' — my favorite DEATH record, of course. And it was so influential for us."

DEATH leader Chuck Schuldiner died in December 2001 after a battle with pontine glioma, a rare type of brain tumor.

Becerra told Antihero in 2017 that Schuldiner cited POSSESSED as a "primary influence" in "countless" magazine interviews. But even though DEATH was inspired by POSSESSED, "they ran with it and went in their own direction and created their own vibe," Jeff said. "To go a step further: Chuck used ['80s death/thrash producer] Randy Burns, who did 'Seven Churches' to do 'Scream Bloody Gore', his first album. He also did a cover of [POSSESSED's] 'The Exorcist'."

Becerra remains the only member from POSSESSED's classic lineup, which dissolved entirely in 1987 after the "Eyes Of Horror" EP.

Dutch death metal legends, Pestilence, have announced a livestream from Paard. The biggest music venue of The Hague (Netherlands) will host the band from 9 PM, CEST (3 PM, EDT) on June 4, with a special setlist featuring four new songs from the upcoming album, Exitivm. The stream can be accessed upon free registration on Paard's website, here.

Pestilence will release their new album, Exitivm, on June 25 via Agonia Records.

A new album, on a new label armed with a whole new lineup and a new dynamic: no matter what, Pestilence - or more specifically their maestro Patrizio Mameli - is like the phoenix, rising from the ashes, over and over again. An official website has been launched for Exitivm, providing access to all relevant information surrounding the new album, here.

Back in 1986, in the small town of Enschede in the Netherlands, nearby the German border, a true metal phenomenon was born. More than three decades later, not only is Pestilence alive and well, but about to once again reaffirm their place in the extreme metal pantheon, with their ninth studio album entitled Exitivm, which is Latin for "total destruction".

As controversial as he can be to some, nobody will ever deny the band’s undisputable driving force, Patrizio Mameli, and his constant ability to reinvent himself. Unlike most of the bands in the scene, Pestilence just keeps evolving. From the raging thrash leanings of their cult 1988 debut Malleus Maleficarum to the jazz-infused versatility of 1993’s Spheres or 2009’s Resurrection Macabre frontal assault, not to mention the fans’ favorite and Scott Burns-produced Testimony Of The Ancients from 1991, he never did the same record twice. No matter who playes with him on any Pestilence album, Mameli always gets the best out of the musicians he is working with. But first and foremost, the man has a one-of-a-kind vision, instantly recognizable style and yet always stretching musical boundaries. And it’s never more true than on Exitivm.  

After a vast reissue campaign in between 2015 and 2018 and an acclaimed new album Hadeon, the band got seemingly stopped in their mission to conquer the death metal scene in early 2020, like everybody else, by the global pandemic, going as far as forcing some of the band’s Hadeon line-up members to drop the towel. But what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger and instead of letting that whole situation drag him down, Mameli chose to do the exact opposite and write the best and darkest album possible to date. And he just did that. With its ambitious lyrical concept about "global domination", "induced mental illness", "inner and outer demons" and  malicious external entities, Exitivm is propelling the band one again to the forefront of the death metal movement with yet another original and brilliant artistic overhaul.

Mind you, as soon as you’re past the very cinematic introduction "In Omnibvs", you’re instantly caught up by "Morbvs Propagationem" whose intense riffing will take back to the Testimony days. Except that their core sound has been revived, with now extra layers of ominous soundscapes ingeniously suggesting an atmosphere of suspence and horror, boosted by Mameli’s jazz-fusion impressive solo works and a renewed sense of urgency. This rejuvenation, with emphasis on "new musical landscapes but also sick and twisted riffs" as stated by Mameli himself, is no accident though. Not only has Mameli been extremely inspired by the turmoil humanity had to face since March 2020 but with a line-up once again, entirely based in the Netherlands and made up of only super-seasoned players – besides former Dew Scented and Creepmime Joost van der Graaf on bass and Bleeding Gods’ Rutger van Noordenburg on lead guitar, former God Dethroned Michiel van der Plicht joined on drums last year – Pestilence is more than ever a BAND where everybody feeds off of each other's musical talent. And it definitely shows.

With the exception of the drums - tracked down by van der Plicht himself at his home studio - the album was recorded over a period of two months in between June and August 2020 at Pitchnote Productions. The album has been produced, like all Pestilence albums, by Mameli and is co produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Jory Hogeveen (Shinigami and Ancient Rites). Last March, the band filmed their second ever official video – three decades after Land Of Tears – for the song "Morbvs Propagationem". Exitivm will be available in various formats, including supra-limited picture, pin-wheel, "firebreath" and clear vinyl versions. The cover artwork once again brought the band’s iconic sphere and was done by Michal "Xaay" Loranc, known for his various cover for Nile, God Detheroned or Evocation and who had already worked on "Hadeon".

Both a reinvention and a confirmation of everything the band has been standing for since 1986, thirty-five years later Pestilence are more than ever breaking new grounds and exploring the further outposts of the extreme metal sound on Exitivm.

Formats:

- Jewelcase CD
- Digi CD
- Box CD
- Black LP
- Ultra Clear LP
- Blood Vanilla LP*
- Picture LP**
- Pinwheel LP***
- Firebreath LP***
- Digital

* Bandcamp exclusive
** With antistatic all-print slipmat only at Agonia Webshop
*** Agonia Webshop exclusive

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"In Omnibvs" (Intro)
"Morbvs Propagationem"
"Deificvs"
"Sempiternvs"
"Internicionem"
"Mortifervm"
"Dominatvi Svbmissa"
"Pericvlvm Externvm"
"Inficiat"
"Exitivm"
"Immortvos"
"Personatvs Mortem" (Outro)

"Deificvs" video:

"Morbvs Propagationem" video:

Lineup:

Patrizio Mameli - vocals, lead guitars
Rvtger van Noordenbvrg - lead guitars
Joost van den Berg - bass
Michiel van der Plicht - drums

(Photo - Marc van Peski)




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

Frontiers Music Srl will release of the debut album, Kings In The North, from Crowne, a new Swedish melodic hard rock supergroup, on June 18. The band is comprised of vocalist Alexander Strandell (Art Nation), guitarist/keyboardist/producer Jona Tee (H.E.A.T.), bassist John Levén (Europe) and drummer Christian Lundqvist (The Poodles).

Watch a lyric video for the song "Unbreakable" below, and pre-order the CD and Limited Edition Color LP versions of the album and pre-save the digital version here.

Crowne is hands-down the most exciting, thrilling supergroup ever created out of the Swedish melodic hard rock scene. This stellar cast of some of the most outstanding musicians from the scene have been gathered together to create this absolute beast of a debut album, the title of which will be revealed in the coming weeks. Crowne's music is the result of these amazing talents coming together and realizing a musical vision under the passionate and watchful guidance of Serafino Perugino, President of Frontiers Records. This is a melodic hard rock barnburner with enormous melodies, delivering rock 'n' roll like there is no tomorrow. Quite simply, this is going to blow you away, so prepare yourself for what's to come.

Tracklisting:

"Kings In The North"
"Perceval"
"Sharoline"
"Unbreakable"
"Mad World"
"One In A Million"
"Sum Of All Fears"
"Set Me Free"
"Make A Stand"
"Cross To Bear"
"Save Me From Myself"

"Unbreakable" lyric video:

"Perceval" video:

"Sharoline" video:

"Mad World":

Lineup:

Alexander Strandell – Lead Vocals
Jona Tee – Guitar/Keyboards/Backing Vocals
John Levén - Bass
Christian “Kicken” Lundqvist – Drums

Additional Musicians:

Love Magnusson – Guest Guitar Solos




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

Los Angeles-based Motive Black is the modern metal brainchild of vocalist Elana Justin, a project that has been a long time coming. Graduating from the bar band circuit in New York, Elana seized the opportunity to move to Los Angeles in 2018 to work on new music. A stranger in a strange land, she found herself immersed in the local scene and performing on open mic nights at the iconic Viper Room. The LA music community welcomed her, connections and friends were made, which eventually led to a collaboration with Grammy winning guitarist / producer Nick Rowe (Bloodsimple, Vampire Weekend). The duo reworked a song from Elana's former New York band, taking the music in a heavier direction, and Motive Black was born.

Today the band released their first videoclip and single, "Broken", through AFM – presenting a mixture of grooving alternative rock and crushing modern metal that countersinks its way into your ear canal. When listening closer after rocking out, Elana's both powerful and fragile charismatic voice gets deep.

Furthermore the following people have been involved in the production:

- Mixed by Josh Wilbur (Lamb of God, Korn, Papa Roach)
- Featuring Ray Luzier (Korn) on drums
- Featuring Marcos Curiel (P.O.D.) on guitars

"'Broken' is a song that came together when we were taking a break from writing the song we were actually working on," says Elana. "I get to go on a little journey singing it, which is always fun. The idea behind the song is about breaking down walls. It's a song based on truth. It's about being afraid to take risks because you work so hard to protect yourself. I think a lot of people can relate to that."

The video for "Broken" can be seen below:

For the future, Elana's goal is to turn Motive Black into a full band, both in the interest of touring and future work on new music as they move forward. In the meantime, she is set to unleash no less than four singles from Motive Black between May 2021 and January 2022, all of them with rock solid staying power.

"It's interesting to be signed," says Elana says of joining the AFM Records family. "I don't have a following because Motive Black is a brand new project, so the music must have spoken to someone at the label. Hopefully that sort of interest will pull me through."




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

Through a period of continuous work, Agora have under their belt four albums, a live DVD, and have held stage at well-known national and international festivals such as Vive Latino, Rock al Parque, Hell & Heaven and Fronterizo Fest.

After sharing the stage with bands like KISS, Judsas Priest, Guns N' Roses, Megadeth, Mötley Crüe, Deep Purple, and Iron Maiden, they’ve built a large and faithful audience and a large fanbase that follows them in their social networks and concerts. This 2020 Agora has decided to release their most important album to date, Imperio.

Imperio includes two special tracks in collaboration with the talented, multi award-winning and renowned American keyboard player Derek Sherinian (Sons Of Apollo, Black Country Communion, Dream Theater, Billy Idol, Alice Cooper).




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

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 Black Sabbath classic, "Paranoid".

"The kitchen trio take it to the extreme again, and we can confirm no actual feathers were harmed in the making of this video!"

Watch below:

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




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

AC/DC guitarist Angus Young recently spoke to BBC Radio Scotland 's Billy Sloan about the band's long-awaited comeback album, "Power Up", which arrived last November. The follow-up to 2014's "Rock Or Bust" features AC/DC's reunited lineup of Brian Johnson (vocals), Phil Rudd (drums), Cliff Williams (bass), Angus (guitar) and Stevie Young (guitar). Johnson and Williams both left in 2016 for health reasons; and Rudd was sidelined in 2015 with various legal issues.

Asked if he ever thought AC/DC had come to the end, especially when it looked like Johnson, Williams and Rudd weren't returning to the group, Angus responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, I never did, because I always knew there would be something to do with AC/DC. For myself, I've been there from the beginning, and I always knew there would be something, whether it'd be — even for your record deal, putting together tracks or other material that you might wanna put out, or live stuff, or even some footage or film[ed performances] and stuff. So I always knew there would be something to do with AC/DC. But as a band, playing live and studio, I can say that was a bit unknown, but I never really thought that [not being able to tour or record new music as AC/DC] would be an ending. 'Cause I always thought, even if this stopped, somebody's still gotta be able to carry the pieces. They're gonna look to someone to pick up the pieces of how it's gonna be looked after."

Angus also talked about the decision for AC/DC to continue touring and recording after the passing of his brother, the band's founding rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young. Malcolm died in 2017 after dementia had forced him to retire from AC/DC. He was also suffering from other health problems.

"That was [Malcolm's] whole way of doing things. He always said you plow along, you keep going," Angus said. "When he was first getting sick, he had a lot of help [on AC/DC's] tour [in support of the] 'Black Ice' [album] — he was on medicines, helping him get through that. But he was still coherent and everything. He was even putting down [new song] ideas then also. Whenever I was with him, he would be always saying, 'We keep going as long as I can do it.' I always took that from him. And even when he was in hospital and stuff with operations, he was the same — he would say, 'I wanna be here. I wanna be with you.' As he said, 'Keep your head down and keep [playing].'"

The legendary hard rockers postponed the last ten dates of their North American tour in 2016 after doctors told Johnson he faced a total loss of hearing if he did not stop touring immediately. He was eventually replaced on the road by GUNS N' ROSES vocalist Axl Rose.

Johnson eventually found a specialist willing to try an experimental treatment on him and he spent three years figuring out a solution.

Rudd was ousted from AC/DC when he was sentenced to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand court in 2015 after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession.

Rudd, who has appeared on most of AC/DC's studio LPs, toured in support of his 2014 solo debut, "Head Job". It was the release of that album that led indirectly to Rudd's arrest, with the drummer allegedly so angry at a personal assistant over the way the record was promoted that he threatened to have the man and his daughter killed.

Williams recently revealed that a "terrible" bout with vertigo contributed to his 2016 retirement. He also admitted the return of both Johnson and Rudd convinced him to return to the group.

"Power Up" was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked on "Black Ice" and "Rock Or Bust".

SCORPIONS are mixing their new album at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

Singer Klaus Meine, who celebrated his 73rd birthday on Tuesday (May 25), offered an update on the new SCORPIONS LP's production progress in a video message posted on the band's social media.

He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Hi, this is Klaus Meine. Well, it's been a rough ride for anyone out there. What a crazy year. But I do not want to complain. The pandemic gave us a lot of extra time to write new songs and get a whole new album on the way. We're in the mixing process right now, and we can't wait to get the album out for you guys to hear it.

"I'd like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart," he continued. "Thank you for all of the wonderful birthday messages. I tell you, it's really, really touching to feel so close to all of you in almost every corner in the world. Thank you so much for all your love and support in all those years. It's been a long, long journey.

"Because of the pandemic, the Las Vegas residency was, unfortunately, postponed again, and there's absolutely nothing we can do about it. But the good news is Las Vegas is still on, and we're gonna rock Sin City in March next year. So we're looking very much forward to seeing all of you in 2022 someplace sometime somewhere down the road, and I'm sure it will be very emotional. Until then, take good care of yourselves, stay healthy and well and get ready for the sting. We love you."

The German-Polish-Swedish hard rock legends spent the last few months recording their new effort at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany. Tentatively due later this year, the disc will mark SCORPIONS' first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of new and classic material.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

Meine previously told Talking Metal that the goal with using Fidelman to produce the new LP was to bring "the old vibe from albums like 'Blackout', 'Love At First Sting' or even 'Lovedrive'. We try to focus on those albums and this attitude," he said. "If we get there, who knows — it's so many years later. But it's the spirit and it's the whole vibe around this album. This time, the focus is on the harder songs."

According to Meine, SCORPIONS' new LP features "no outside writers at all," unlike 2015's "Return To Forever", which was largely co-written by the album's producers, Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen.

SCORPIONS' last full-length collection of new recordings was the aforementioned "Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.




Thank you all for the Birthday messages - Klaus ?#scorpions pic.twitter.com/McygDOiElD

— Scorpions (@scorpions) May 29, 2021

Former JUDAS PRIEST and current KK'S PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing was the featured guest on BBC's "The Rock Show With Johnnie Walker" during the "Rock God" segment. Downing picked Jimi Hendrix and stated about his choice: "I first saw Jimi at Coventry Theatre way back in 1967, and what an amazing night that was. I was lucky enough to see Jimi no less than six times, including his two appearances at the Royal Albert Hall [in February 1969]. And yes, I was out there, at the stage door, autograph hunting. I was really lucky — Jimi arrived, and I managed to get his autograph, which was a real treat.

"I absolutely must tell the story about the Isle Of Wight festival where Jimi was performing [in August 1970]. Myself and a friend cunningly worked our way back to the dressing room area, which was outside, but Jimi, Noel and Mitch were in a caravan that they were using for a dressing room. And me and my friend, we hinged the window up and there they were, the three of the [JIMI HENDRIX] EXPERIENCE around a table with a couple of ladies. And myself and my mate, we managed to get a drumstick from Mitch and a Coke bottle that Jimi had just finished drinking a beverage from, and that was a real highlight of my whole life."

He continued: "Jimi could absolutely stir any audience up into a complete frenzy; they would jump from the balconies and they would rush the stage. And I know, because I was one of those fans that did just that."

Widely recognized as one of the most creative musicians of all time, Hendrix's influence with his genre-defying mix of blues, funk, soul jazz and R&B still impacts musicians worldwide today.

Hendrix pioneered the explosive possibilities of the electric guitar. His innovative style of combining fuzz, feedback and controlled distortion created a new musical form and his influence resonates to this day.

Jimi died of a drug overdose on September 18, 1970 at the age of 27.

Hendrix's 1968 album "Electric Ladyland", hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

KK'S PRIEST, which features Downing alongside Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals), guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE), bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE), will release its debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", on August 20 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records. The LP's first single, "Hellfire Thunderbolt", was released earlier this month.

KK'S PRIEST will play select shows to mark the 50th anniversary of PRIEST and Downing's career as a founding member. KK'S PRIEST's setlist will consist of PRIEST classics and new songs.

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 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band's upcoming 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.

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 tour

In a new interview with Australia's Blunt magazine, former SEPULTURA frontman Max Cavalera reflected on the group's groundbreaking 1996 album "Roots", on which he and his bandmates collaborated with the Brazilian Xavante tribe.

"It's good that it's still appreciated to this day," he said. "I think 'Roots' was controversial; a lot of people loved it and a lot of people hated it. [It was] one of those divisive records. I like that about it — that it was not going to please everybody. It's going to piss off some people.

"I think 'Roots' is a courageous record with some really cool stuff in it," he continued. "The tribal stuff, and going to record with the Xavante, it's stuff that's influenced even the new bands like GOJIRA. [Their track] 'Amazonia', that's totally influenced by 'Roots'. It's cool to see bands being influenced by that, people showing respect to the record.

"I think the record's aged very well," Max added. "It's one of those records that just sounds great when you put it on right now. It's not where I am musically; I'm more into stuff like [my extreme metal side project] GO AHEAD AND DIE at the moment. But I am proud of it."

"Roots", along with 1993's "Chaos A.D.", is considered SEPULTURA's most commercially successful release, having been certified gold in 2005 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for U.S. shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.

In a 2016 interview with Metal Hammer, KORN singer Jonathan Davis said that he felt "Roots" borrowed heavily from his own band. He said: "I thought [it] was a big compliment, but I also thought it] was fucked up. That was just a blatant KORN rip-off, and I had it out with producer Ross Robinson about that, because he just took our sound and gave it to SEPULTURA. My young brain couldn't handle it. But they were one of our biggest influences, so I guess they get a pass. And that's a classic album, so it's all good."

Later that same year, Max told the "Démentièllement Vôtre" show on Québec City's CKRL 89.1 FM radio station that he disagreed with Davis's assessment of "Roots". "I don't see it like that," he said. "I think especially the sound of KORN, in my opinion, with the bass, is horrible. We didn't have that; we had a lot of low end and things that the KORN album didn't have. So I don't see why he would be pissed off, because I don't see that much of a [similarity] between the two of them. Plus, KORN wasn't the only reason we wanted to work with Ross. He had done a FEAR FACTORY demo that I really liked and had a really raw sound. And he had done a DEFTONES song on the 'Adrenaline' album that I really liked."

He continued: "Saying that is like saying SEPULTURA should be pissed off at CANNIBAL CORPSE because they used [producer] Scott Burns. I'm not pissed off at CANNIBAL CORPSE; I think they're great. 'Cause we were one of the first that used Scott Burns, we should be mad at all the bands that use Scott Burns? That's childish. So he's just really being childish. And I really don't give a shit about KORN or anybody.

"We [were] very different from [KORN]; we have own way of playing and the songs are different. Everything is different. It's just the same guy that recorded [both albums]; that's the only similarity."

Davis was featured as a guest on the "Roots" track "Lookaway" — along with Mike Patton of FAITH NO MORE.

In 1996, Max exited SEPULTURA after the rest of the band split with his wife Gloria as their mana

KISS frontman Paul Stanley discussed the band's farewell tour during a new appearance on the CBS syndicated talk show "The Talk". Asked why "End Of The Road" is KISS's final tour, Paul said: "With age, you start to realize that life is finite and it does come to an end. And you don't realize that when you first start out on your journeys. For me, I just realized that physically I can't do this forever. If we were wearing t-shirts and jeans, sure, I could play it into my 90s, but we're running around on stage with 40 or 50 pounds of gear and smiling. So, I don't know how long I can smile. So I wanna do this and get a chance to see people around the world and thank them and have one more evening where we justify the devotion that we've had from them and the love we have back and forth — that reciprocity that's made us what we are."

For or more of Stanley's interview with "The Talk", watch the show on Monday, May 31 on CBS.

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

Last December, bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons told the 95.5 KLOS radio station that KISS has "a hundred and fifty" shows left in its "End Of The Road" tour, including a stop at "the coldest place on earth."

KISS last performed this past New Year's Eve in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The concert broke Guinness world records for highest flame projection in a music concert and for most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert.

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

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

In its 48-year career, KISS has accumulated 23 gold and platinum albums — more than any other U.S. band.

DAUGHTRY is celebrating the memory of Chris Cornell by teaming up with SEVENDUST's Lajon Witherspoon for a reimagining of the hit TEMPLE OF THE DOG song "Hunger Strike".

DAUGHTRY frontman Chis Daughtry says: "Chris Cornell is one of the defining voices that grabbed me by the heartstrings and made me want to be a rock singer. 'Hunger Strike' is one of, if not the most iconic rock duets of our generation. It's the whole '90s wrapped up in one song. Doing this song with Lajon, one of my favorite humans I've had the pleasure of calling friend and brother, means the world to me."

Lajon shares: "What an honor to be a part of this incredible song and to work with my brother Chris Daughtry and the boys. This to me was a musical movement in our community and still to this day in the world."

"Hunger Strike" comes after the recent release of new single "Heavy Is The Crown", the first single from DAUGHTRY in 2021. With a new video expected to unveil itself for the single soon, the band recently provided its broadcast debut with a performance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show".

DAUGHTRY first made history with the release of 2006's quintuple-platinum self-titled debut. Notably, it stands out as the fastest-selling rock debut in SoundScan history in addition to yielding the multi-format smash "It's Not Over". Its platinum-selling 2009 successor, "Leave This Town", became their second No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200. Next up, 2011's "Break The Spell" earned a gold certification in under four weeks. Two years later, "Baptized" yielded the 2013 platinum hit "Waiting For Superman". Along the way, they've captivated fans at sold-out shows in nearly every corner of the globe.

DAUGHTRY's fifth full-length album, "Cage To Rattle", was released in 2018 via 19 Recordings/RCA. The disc was produced by Jacquire King (KINGS OF LEON, Tom Waits, Norah Jones).