On May 14th, the Emma Gaala Awards - the most prestigious music awards ceremony in Finland - took place at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland.  Nightwish won Metal Album Of The Year award for Hmman. :II: Nature. This is the band's 16th Emma award, which is the highest number of these awards any artist has won in the Emma Gaala history.

Nightwish recently released a new trailer for their upcoming livestream show, An Evening With Nightwish In A Virtual World. Watch below:

The interactive An Evening With Nightwish In a Virtual World concert experiences that will kick off the Human. :II: Nature. World Tour has been rescheduled from March to May due to changes in the band’s touring schedule. The new dates are Friday, May 28th and Saturday, May 29th.

Nightwish will perform in a tavern called The Islanders Arms built in a virtual world for two nights in May. On both nights, the fans will experience an unforgettable 1.5-hour performance, hearing songs live off the latest album, Human. :II: Nature. for the first time ever. These two nights will have their own, slightly different setlists.

- Friday, May 28th: Europe: 8pm CET / 7pm GMT, duration approx. 90min
- Saturday, May 29th: North and South America: 8pm ET (UTC-5) / 5pm PT (UTC -8) / 10pm BRT (UTC-3) / 7pm CST (UTC -6), duration approx. 90min

Virtual VIP sessions with the bass player will be held on both dates before the show (schedule to be confirmed later).

The live events to be experienced at Burst.fi. A recording of the concert will be available for 48 hours after the event for all the ticket holders. More details and tickets at Nightwish.com.

Tickets purchased for the original March dates are automatically valid for the new May dates and do not need to be exchanged.

If you have purchased a two evening ticket and would like to upgrade to a VIP package:

Choose the addition option VIP Europe upgrade or VIP World upgrade on www.nightwish.com. Customers in Europe can choose either one of the options. VIP packages will go on sale February 15th. Limited quantity.

If you have purchased a two evening ticket + t-shirt bundle and would like to upgrade to a VIP package:

The t-shirt sold with the VIP package is different from the one in the prior ticket + t-shirt bundle (additional print on the back). It is not possible to cancel or exchange a previously purchased t-shirt for the shirt sold with the VIP Europe package. You can complement your order by choosing the addition option VIP Europe upgrade (in addition to a two evening ticket and a virtual session, you will receive 2 different shirts and a VIP pass) or VIP World upgrade (you will receive a two evening ticket and a virtual session, but not the VIP shirt or a VIP pass) on www.nightwish.com. Customers living in Europe can purchase either one of the options. VIP packages on sale February 15th. Limited quantity.

The t-shirts and VIP passes will be mailed during the spring.




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Scorpions & Brandon Niederauer performed "No One Like You" live in Brooklyn, New York in September 2015 as part of their Return To Forever Tour. Watch 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.




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San Diego-based heavy psych rock trio, Earthless, have released a new record, Live In The Mojave Desert, via Nuclear Blast (digital) and Giant Rock Records (physical). Inspired by Pink Floyd's Live At Pompeil, the album was recorded live and filmed throughout day and night in the natural amphitheater of California’s Mojave Desert.

“Having the opportunity to set up out in the desert and play how we do was one of the best experiences ever actually,” says Earthless drummer Mario Rubalcaba. “Adding to it the Mad Alchemy liquid lights and the surroundings made for a very satisfying day/night of jamming. Thankful for Giant Rock Records preserving the night by filming and recording this. I hope people can enjoy the release as much as we did doing it.”

Watch a video trailer below featuring four minutes excerpted of Earthless’ 21-minute-long song “Sonic Prayer” below.

“In October 2020 we filmed and recorded five bands in four days, deep in the deep sand and iconic rocks of the desert,” shares Live In The Mojave Desert producer Ryan Jones. “It was a major undertaking to bring this many people and this much gear out to a very remote desert location. Including the bands, we had 25 people onsite daily. With only one road in, everyone and all the gear had to come up a half mile long hill of deep sand--30 miles from nowhere. We had to hire local desert guys with huge 4x4 pickups to help. The Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show projected on a four-story high, double pyramid of boulders and we had a crack squad of filmmakers, photographers and recording engineers there to capture it all. It was insane, but it was worth it to see our favorite bands play again!”

Tracklisting:

"Violence Of The Red Sea"
"Sonic Prayer"
"Lost In The Cold Sun"

Earthless lineup:

Isaiah Mitchell – Guitar & Vocals
Mike Eginton – Bass
Mario Rubalcaba – Drums

(Photo - Miroslav Peric)




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Last month, the reunited expanded classic lineup of German power metallers HELLOWEEN released a new single, "Skyfall". The track is taken from the band's much-anticipated new, self-titled album, which is due on June 18 via Nuclear Blast Records.

A five-minute video in which guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen discusses the songwriting process for "Skyfall" can be seen below.

The cover artwork for "Helloween" was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

The "Pumpkins United" lineup features returning singer Michael Kiske and Hansen alongside current singer Andi Deris, guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Daniel Löble.

Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, the new HELLOWEEN LP was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg (where everything started in 1984). The same recording console used for such HELLOWEEN albums as "Master Of The Rings", "Time Of The Oath" and "Better Than Raw" was utilized to record the band's new material. The effort was mixed at the Valhalla Studios of Ronald Prent (IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, RAMMSTEIN).

Said Löble: "This record is the coronation of the 'Pumpkins United' journey. I have always been fascinated by the different character traits and facets of HELLOWEEN's history. For 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."

"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 truly breathtaking manner. Produced by Martin Häusler, it is the most elaborate video clip in the history of the band. Portrayed via truly cinematic 3-D animation, this clip is a real high-end experience.

Bauerfeind said: "After 30 years with different lineups 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 package of creativity."

Musical dexterity aside, it is also the immense passion of the band that defines HELLOWEEN. Weikath describes it thusly: "It is the incomprehensible encounter of seven musicians who are working as friends and even family who have created something that no one would have thought could be possible. It is like awaking from a sleep but still being in an incredible dream."

Hansen reflects: "Being in the studio with my old companions after 30 years away 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, each of them strong characters in their own right, has made the album very special. A unique mix which draws 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!"

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."

HELLOWEEN's new album saw the legendary German power metallers going "back to the roots," with the band recording fully analogue and Löble playing the drum kit previously used by HELLOWEEN's original drummer, the late Ingo Schwichtenberg, on the legendary "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" recordings.

Track listing:

01. Out For The Glory

02. Fear Of The Fallen

03. Best Time

04. Mass Pollution

05. Angels

06. Rise Without Chains

07. Indestructible

08. Robot King

09. Cyanide

10. Down In The Dumps

11. Orbit

12. Skyfall

"Skyfall" will be 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.

The "Pumpkins United" tour marked the first time Kiske had played live with HELLOWEEN since 1993. Hansen, who departed HELLOWEEN in 1988, had been joining the band onstage on various tours and festival appearances throughout the years. The set featured several duets with Kiske and his replacement, Deris, along with many rarely played songs, including "Kids Of The Century", "Rise And Fall" and "Livin' Ain't No Crime". Hansen — who fronted HELLOWEEN until late 1986 — sang a medley of several early HELLOWEEN classics, including "Ride The Sky", "Judas", "Starlight" and "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)".

HELLOWEEN's European "United Alive World Tour Part II", which was originally scheduled to take place in September and October will now take place next year.

The "Pumpkins United" lineup of HELLOWEEN previously already released one new song — aptly titled "Pumpkins United" — in October 2017.

Former STYX singer Dennis DeYoung will release his final studio album, "26 East, Vol 2", on June 11 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The official lyric video for the latest single and video from the album, "The Last Guitar Hero", featuring a guest appearance by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, is available below.

As with the preceding volume, "26 East, Vol 2" once again hints strongly at DeYoung's rock roots with STYX. The production and musicianship are epic, and those timeless vocal arrangements get delivered in spades. A fitting goodbye and a final signature on an outstanding body of work which will stand the test of time.

"Vol 2" picks up where "Vol 1" left off, with DeYoung mining similar musical territory. With direct links to the classic STYX sound, as only he can provide, along with some straight-ahead rock, the breadth of the album is illustrated on tracks like "The Last Guitar Hero", to two signature DeYoung ballads, "Your Saving Grace" and "Made For Each Other" to the piece de resistance, the first single, the "Isle Of Misanthrope", an eight-minute masterpiece with a surprise finish.

"My musical goals for this album are the same as they have always been and that's to write the best songs possible and make great-sounding records out of them," says DeYoung. "By now, STYX fans know pretty much what they can expect and I hope they will be pleased. I am.

"When people ask 'What's the first single 'Isle Of Misanthrope' about?', I reply 'About 6 minutes.' Not to be too cute, but the lyrics are a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Wait that’s Winston Churchill's statement about the Soviet Union. Sorry. 'Misanthrope', metaphorically speaking (ooooh look, big words) is a commentary on the contemporary state of mankind under the guise of ancient times. The more things change the more they remain the same. Also, 'Isle Of Misanthrope' is my musical journey back to the days of STYX's 'Equinox' and 'Suite Madame Blue', as I attempt to explain the exasperating and confounding nature of mankind through metaphor. It's got a good beat, but won’t be a hit at the disco."

DeYoung has previously stated that "26 East" will mark his retirement from the world of recorded music. It was thanks to Frontiers president and head of A&R, Serafino Perugino, that given the abundance of material, Dennis agreed to split the album in two parts. This second half starts where the previous one left off and sees DeYoung collaborate again with fellow Chicagoan and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Jim Peterik. The process that brought forth these two albums in the first place started when Peterik, DeYoung's friend and neighbor, sent a song to Dennis that he thought would suit his vocals perfectly. That song became the catalyst for ten more collaborations from the pair, of which four appear on this new release.

"The last album was supposed to be my final album, but there were so many songs written that Serafino of Frontiers suggested dividing it into two albums rather than one," DeYoung states.

"26 East" was the address where DeYoung grew up in Roseland, Illinois on the far south side of Chicago. Across the street lived the Panozzo twins, John and Chuck, who along with DeYoung would go on to form the nucleus of STYX in DeYoung's basement in 1962.

"26 East, Vol 2" track listing:

01. Hello Goodbye

02. Land Of The Living

03. The Last Guitar Hero (featuring Tom Morello)

04. Your Saving Grace

05. Proof Of Heaven

06. Made For Each Other

07. There's No Turning Back Time

08. St. Quarantine

09. Little Did We Know

10. Always Time

11. The Isle Of Misanthrope

12. Grand Finale

Israeli progressive metal outfit Subterranean Masquerade has released the official video for “Somewhere I Sadly Belong.” The song precedes the arrival of the band’s fourth LP, Mountain Fever, which sees release Friday through American prog powerhouse, Sensory Records.

One of Mountain Fever’s most explosive tracks, “Somewhere I Sadly Belong” features guest vocals from Ashmedi Melechesh of Mesopotamian black metal band Melechesh and gospel choir vocals by British Singer Jackie Hole. The song comes to life through an official video directed and filmed by Yalon Schori and Yoni Sherman Heschel and edited by Yalon Schori.

Subterranean Masquerade’s lead vocalist Davidavi Dolev reveals, "This one is extremely dear to us and might be one of the most personal songs on the album. It's about history, but also about history in the making. The song is dedicated to all people in refuge and exile. I would also like to dedicate it to my grandmother. We used sign language in the chorus of the video to symbolize the deafness of our society towards those who are in need. It's about roots, identity, love, guilt, trauma, immigration, and wars. Are we going to make it? In order to bring our complete vision to life we were extremely honored to host Ashmedi Melechesh, who is the original source of extreme metal in the Middle East, who really brought to the song the spirit we were looking for."

Boasting ten new songs which encompass nearly fifty-five minutes of material, Mountain Fever sees Subterranean Masquerade continuing to push the balance between pioneering experimentalism to their own take on modern pop culture and its manifestation in the Middle East. Revealing an album composed of African and Balkan brass sections, Arabic violins, extended vocal techniques, and several special guest appearances, the band explores radio friendly hooks that emerge out of heavy riffs and polychromatic arrangements.

Mountain Fever was recorded in Golan Heights, Israel with engineer David Castillo, after which it was sent to Fascination Street in Örebro, Sweden (Leprous, Katatonia, Opeth) where it was mixed by Jens Bogren and mastered by Tony Lindgren, then completed with artwork and layout by Costin Chioreanu of Twilight 13 Media. The record features several notable guest contributions, including drums from Matan Shmuely (Orphaned Land), bouzouki and lead guitars on "Mångata" by Idan Amsalem (Orphaned Land), and vocals on "Somewhere I Sadly Belong" by Melechesh Ashmedi (Melechesh) and Jackie Hole (The Super Things).

Lasers Edge division Sensory Records will release Mountain Fever worldwide on May 14 across all digital platforms, on CD, and pressed on vinyl as a double LP cut at 45RPM.  Find pre-orders for the CD, the Black vinyl, and the Yellow vinyl here, the standard digital here, the Hi​-​Rez 24 Bit digital here, and an array of new mech items at the band’s webshop here.

Tracklisting:

“Snake Charmer”
“Diaspora, My Love”
“Mountain Fever”
“Inwards”
“Somewhere I Sadly Belong”
“The Stillnox Oratory”
“Ascend”
“Ya Shema Evyonecha”
“For The Leader, With Strings Music”
“Mångata”

"Somewhere I Sadly Belong":

“Ascend” video:

(Photo by: Yalon Schori)




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For years, FASTER PUSSYCAT's aggressive touring schedule made it difficult for the band to work on new material. So when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and there were no live shows for the foreseeable future, the group immediately shifted gears and entered the studio.

The new single, "NOLA", is a song inspired by the fabulous city of New Orleans, a city that fronman Taime Downe holds dear to his heart.

When the band started working on making new music for a release, "NOLA" was the obvious choice to lead with. Downe and guitarist Sam Bam Koltun began working together in the studio, tracking guitars on what would be the first new song from the band since 2006's "The Power And The Glory Hole".

The B-side of the single is "Pirate Love" a cover of the JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS song, which was goes back to FASTER PUSSYCAT's club days, also Inspired by the New Orleans theme, as Thunders passed away in New Orleans in 1991, and has had a major influence on Downe and the whole band.

The single will be released on May 21 in two formats: digital and a seven-inch vinyl single. The vinyl will be available exclusively via the band's web site, www.fasterpussycat.com.

To celebrate the release, FASTER PUSSYCAT and ENUFF Z'NUFF are pairing up and coming "Straight Outta Quarantine" throughout North America, showing all the warts, scars and tattoos that only a package like this can, which have only grown deeper over the past year.

Featuring the MTV smash hits "House Of Pain", "New Thing", "Bathroom Wall" and "Fly High Michelle", the "Straight Outta Quarantine" tour — which has been booked and re-booked with careful consideration of each venue's COVID-19 regulations and the safety of all involved — is without question going to be one of the most long-overdue rock and roll parties of our lifetime.

Jun. 18 - Fremont Street Country Club - Las Vegas, NV *

Jun. 19 - Leatherheads - Salt Lake City, UT *

Jun. 24 - Edith Lucielle's - Cedar Rapids, IA

Jun. 25 - The Scene Rock Bar - Kansas City, MO

Jun. 26 - Diamond Music Hall - St. Peters, MO

Jun. 27 - The Arcada Theatre - St. Charles, IL

Jun. 29 - Live At 1175 - Kansasville, WI

Jun. 30 - Phat Heads II - Green Bay, WI

Jul. 01 - Hobart Art Theatre - Hobart, IN *

Jul. 02 - Diesel Concert Theatre - Chesterfield, MI

Jul. 03 - Big Indian Drive-In - Irving, NY

Jul. 04 - M3 Festival - Columbia, MD

Jul. 05 - The Vault - New Bedford, MA

Jul. 06 - Reverb - Reading, PA

Jul. 07 - Jergel's Rhythm Grille - Warrendale, PA

Jul. 08 - Peecox - Erlanger, KY *

Jul. 10 - King Of Clubs - Columbus, OH

Jul. 11 - Thelma's Sport Nook - Sharpsville, PA

Jul. 14 - Tally Ho Theatre - Leesburg, VA

Jul. 16 - Amos Southend Music Hall - Charlotte, NC

Jul. 17 - 37 Main Street - Buford, GA

Jul. 18 - Hal & Mal's - Jackson, MS

Jul. 19 - Drew & Willies Sports Bar - Denham Springs, LA

Jul. 21 - The Rail Club - Fort Worth, TX

Jul. 23 - Sunshine Studios Live - Colorado Springs, CO

Jul. 24 - The Venue - Denver, CO

Jul. 27 - Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK

Jul. 29 - Cooters - Eagle Pass, TX

Jul. 30 - Sam's Burger Joint - San Antonio, TX

Jul. 31 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX

* FASTER PUSSYCAT only

STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet has just received his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. On Thursday (May 13), the 57-year-old guitarist/vocalist, who lives in Massachusetts, took to his Instagram to share a picture of him holding up a card that reads "Thanks! For Getting Vaccinated" at Gillette Stadium after he got the shot, and he wrote in an accompanying message: "Second one down. I remember not being able to get from South America to Puerto Rico without a Yellow Fever vaccine a few years back. I got one in Brazil and had to show my vaccine card when I landed in Puerto Rico and when I got back to Boston. Nothing new. Been doing vaccines for years to travel. I've got a lot more traveling to do;-) And I'm tired of wearing a mask".

Last December, Sweet admitted that he was a little wary of the new, rapidly developed COVID-19 vaccines. Asked in an interview with "Rocking With Jam Man" if he would get the vaccine once it became available, Sweet responded: "I don't know. To be honest with you, I'm not sure. It's one of those things where I wanna wait at least a little while just to make sure that they've got all the — for lack of a better way of putting it — bugs worked out. And I'll be honest with you too — I'm a little apprehensive, 'cause I'm one of those guys, whenever I get a flu shot, I get sick. So I don't do well with vaccines. And I'm a little concerned. I heard a story about someone in Brazil who got a COVID vaccine and they got sick and they died. Now, I don't know if that was related directly to the vaccine itself.

"I'm a little nervous about rushing out to get the vaccine, but I think in time I will most certainly get the vaccine," he added. "I just don't know exactly when."

More than 337 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and more than 264.6 million have been administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 117.6 million Americans have been fully vaccinated — 35.4% of the population.

A recent NPR/Marist poll found that one in four Americans said they would refuse a coronavirus vaccine if offered. Another 5% are "undecided" about whether they would get the shot. 49% of Republican men said they would not take the vaccine when it's available to them.

The U.S. has more than 32.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 583,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: 160 million cases and 3.33 million deaths.

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

The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has estimated that about 70-85% of Americans would need to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity.

America's two main vaccines have shown 95% efficacy against the coronavirus.
























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German Thrash metal icons PARADOX unleashed their brand new single/video "Priestly Vows". "Priestly Vows" is taken from the upcoming album "Heresy II - End Of A Legend", which will be released on September 24th via AFM Records.

You can pre-order (Digipak, ltd. Vinyl) here: https://shop.afm-records.de/paradox/

When today’s Thrash Metal classic „Heresy“ was released in 1990, the world was different. The internet was nearly unknown. Mobiles were as big as buffalo bones. Wacken Open Air was a party for the village louts. These are stories from a long forgotten time. But Charly Steinhauer and his band Paradox are still here and release the upcoming thrash classic “Heresy II – End of a Legend” with a brand new line up.

The roots of Paradox go way back to 1981. After several changes of names, Paradox was born in 1986. The debut “Product of Imagination“ (1987) was like a fresh breeze blowing through the scene, the concept album “Heresy” was an international success and catapulted Paradox in the first league of cult thrashers. More than 30 years later, it’s time for the eighth studio album “Heresy II – End of a Legend“.

To create a worthy successor, frontman Charly Steinhauer gathered round a very special line up. Guitar wizard Christian Münzner and long time bass player Olly Keller are back after a break of one album. On the drums we have Paradox co-founder Alex Blaha. The last album he played on was “Heresy”, and now he is back in the bosom of the family. And we have Peter Vogt who was the man behind the lyrical concept of the first two Paradox albums. He wrote the story of the crusade of the Catholic Church against the schismatic Cathars in the 13th century. And this tale isn’t over yet.

Musically and lyrically, „Heresy II – End of a Legend“ starts where the first part ended in 1990. The opener „Escape from the Burning“ shows some lightning fast riffs, due to the voice of Charly, the song is catchy as hell. In a different way from other bands, Paradox stands true to their style. Heavily influenced by the first three Metallica albums, the Bavarian outfit found and improved their sound decades ago. Other examples for this thesis are the complex “Journey into Fear”, the majestic semi-ballad “A Meeting of Minds”, “Priestly Vows” which resembles slightly of Testament’s riffing, or “A Man of Sorrow” with its addictive guitar riffs. The icing on the cake is a cover version of the legendary Metal Church instrumental “Merciless Onslaught”. Guitarist Christian Münzner reaches more than once the technical limits with his solos and leads and refines the ideas of Charly Steinhauer with various sophisticated musical creations.

The album was produced by Steinhauer himself, the mastering was done by Hannes Grossmann in MordorSound Stuidio in Veitsbronn. The sound follows the lyrics, appears to be dark and menacing, but very transparent at the same time. Old school meets new production techniques. Paradox (nomen est omen) succeed in sounding nostalgic and modern at the same time. Last but not least, no-one less than Travis Smith (Opeth, Nevermore) was recruited for the impressive cover artwork.

After a longer lean period, fans can expect 75 minutes of finest melodic trash metal on „Heresy II – End of a Legend“ which sounds even in the year 2021 as fresh and new as in its commercial heydays at the end of the 1980s. On September, 24th the time has come: The Return of Thrash with Class!

Ahead of making the trek over to North America to kick of an extensive tour with Revocation and Voivod, Australia's Psycroptic have premiered a new video for their track "We Were The Keepers".

The track is taken from Psycroptic's 2018 album, As The Kingdom Drowns. Of the video, drummer Dave Haley comments: "We took a few days out on our recent Australian tour to shoot a couple of film clips – the first one being 'We Were The Keepers'. Our longtime friend and collaborator Wilson Bambrick handled everything behind the camera, and things turned out great. We wanted the clip to be an extension of our live show, and he did very well at capturing that."

Catch Psycroptic live at the following shows:

September
12 - Quebec City, QC - La Source*
13 - Montreal, QC - Corona*
14 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
15 - Ferndale, MI - The Loving Touch
16 - Chicago, IL - Metro
17 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
18 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre
20 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite
21 - Calgary, AB - Dickens
23 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
24 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
25 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
27 - Petaluma, CA - Phoenix Theater
28 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
29 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
30 - Phoenix, AZ - Club Red

October
1 - Albuquerque, NM - LaunchPad
3 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Live **
4 - Austin, TX - Mohawk **
5 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall **
6 - New Orleans, LA - Parish @ House Of Blues
7 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade **
9 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage
10 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
11 - Worcester, MA - Palladium / Rock N Shock Festival #
12 - Brooklyn, NY - Bazaar

* - no Voivod
** - plus Municipal Waste, Napalm Death, Sick Of It All, Take Offense
# - with Eluveitie, Ensiferum




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FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has released the official music video for its new single, "Darkness Settles In". The track, a fan favorite taken from the band's latest studio album, "F8", was produced by the band, alongside Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, DISTURBED). Sonically, it takes listeners on a journey, starting from a place of stripped-down rawness and eventually reaching explosive, anthemic heights, truly embodying the full emotional spectrum of the band's sound that has made them one of the top two listened-to rock bands in the world, based on sales and streaming data. The single follows in the footsteps of the album's three previously released smashes "Inside Out", "A Little Bit Off" and "Living The Dream", all of which reached No. 1 on U.S. rock radio.

The new video highlights the band's high-energy spirit that has captured millions of fans worldwide. It combines epic performance shots, showcasing the group's eagerness to get back out on the road, and an exclusive first look at footage from the upcoming horror-thriller film "The Retaliators". The track will be included on the film's original soundtrack, of which the band take center stage in an all-star tracklisting from some of the biggest names in rock. Additionally, the band will be seen starring in special cameos in the movie, due later this year.

"F8" was released in February 2020. The follow-up to 2018's "And Justice For None" capped a turbulent period for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH in which singer Ivan Moody finally got sober after a near-fatal struggle with addiction, while co-founding drummer Jeremy Spencer bowed out of the band due to physical issues.

Much of "F8"'s lyrical content deals with Moody's battle with addiction, its aftermath and his recovery. The singer celebrated three years of sobriety in March.

Ivan discussed the inspiration for "Darkness Settles In" during a March 2020 interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3. He stated at the time: "[That's] definitely one of my top three on this [album], and I'll tell you why. Anybody who's going through recovery or has been through recovery knows that we have these things called 'addict dreams' or 'drinking dreams.' I was in a deep REM [sleep] one night and I had this dream about… I grew up in Colorado near a whole bunch of railroad tracks, and I had this dream where I was sitting on these railroad ties. And it was just this glistening moon, it was beautiful — I mean, it was so vivid. And I looked over to my left, and my grandmother was sitting next to me, who, to me, was the biggest influence in my life. And she whispered something to me, and I could not tell you what it was, but it struck a chord in me, and I shook and I woke up. And the second I woke up, those lyrics came to my head — I just started penning them out in the diary I keep next to my head. And then the melody fell into line. And I didn't know where it came from, so I couldn't explain it to you — it fell in my lap. And I called Kevin [Churko, producer] and Zoltan [Bathory, FIVE FINGER guitarist] and Jason [Hook, then-FIVE FINGER guitarist] — I left 'em each a voicemail — and, actually, the first verse of that song on the CD is the voicemail I left Kevin. So it really shows how organic this record really is and the places it's come from."

Last October, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH confirmed that it officially parted ways with Hook back in February 2020 during the band's sold-out European arena tour. He has since been replaced by renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who is featured on "Broken World", a song that was included on the second installment of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction - Volume 2".

The drums on "F8" were laid down by Charlie "The Engine" Engen, who made his live debut with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH during its fall 2018 tour with BREAKING BENJAMIN.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH was recently announced as one of the five finalists for Top Rock Artist at this year's Billboard Music Awards. The Billboard Music Awards will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, May 23 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on NBC. They were also announced as a nominee for Rock Artist of the Year at this year's iHeartRadio Music Awards, which air on Fox on Thursday, May 27 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

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 Steppenwolf classic, "Born To Be Wild". Watch below:

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

 




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NDH/Deutschrock band, Stahlmann, emerges from the quarantine year stronger than ever before with their seventh studio album, still to be released in 2021. After their last album Kinder der Sehnsucht, released in 2019, Stahlmann have honed and polished their profile and created a shining masterpiece of hard and pushing songs.

It was early December 2020 when the German metal-pro and eye-catcher surprised with the release of their successful single "Sünder". Considering their new single "Gottmaschine" and vanguard of the upcoming album, they deliver the ultimate NDH/Industrial club hit of 2021, only problem: clubs need to reopen again.

Stahlmann are ready to set fire in the dancefloors and prove again that they are one of the leading and best bands of their genre.




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While speaking to Australia's Triple M radio station, Gene Simmons reflected on how AC/DC ended up supporting KISS on a short run of dates in late 1977 and early 1978. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I saw them playing this really small club in L.A. I happened to be there. And all I remember is being close to the stage, 'cause I love that — I wanna feel it; I wanna feel the chest kind of cave in when the bass and the kick drum hits it. I don't wanna be at a safe distance. If it's too loud, you're too old. So I'm in the front. And even after the blackouts between songs, there's Angus [Young] just running around on stage, not posing — just kind of feeling it, like somebody in a trance or something. I said, 'That guy is rock and roll. That guy is real.' So after the show, I went backstage. And [Angus came up to me and said], 'Oh, Gene Simmons.' I'm doing a bad Ozzie accent. 'Oh, Gene Simmons. Yeah. All right.' [And I said], 'You're the guy. What's your name?' 'Angus.' And then he smiled. And I'll never forget it, he didn't have front teeth. I guess at that point they couldn't afford it. So I said, 'Let me take you a few blocks away. I wanna sit down and talk with you.' So he did."

He continued: "I'll never forget it, we went to a place called Mel's Diner, which is in some parts of the world real famous. And there we are at 1 a.m. in the morning. To some people, I'm kind of a big deal, so all the waitresses and everybody gathered around the table. And at that point, they had yet to know who Angus and the boys were, but it was just Angus and myself. 'What would you like, Mr. Simmons?' All that kind of stuff. I said, 'Ask my friend first.' I'll never forget it, Angus asked for a frankfurter — instead of a hot dog — and beets. And they looked at each other, and I said, 'Get the man what he wants.' So they did. They brought it back. And I'll never forget, Angus picked up the hot dog without the bun and started biting into it on the sides of his mouth because the two front teeth were missing. And I said to him — I can still remember most of the conversation — 'You guys are great. I'm gonna make some calls. You're going out on tour with us."

Two years ago, Simmons told SiriusXM that AC/DC was the best opening band KISS ever had. "A band that shares the same philosophy — no matter what any other band is doing, to thine own self be true," he said. "I've said it before but it's more true now than ever.

"A lot of people look the same and act the same and do the same thing. Every once in a while, you see a band like AC/DC. Nobody's like them. We'd like to think we're unique in that way too."

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.

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.

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame president and CEO Greg Harris has addressed criticism from rock fans over the fact that rapper Jay-Z is being inducted this year while IRON MAIDEN has been snubbed.

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility.

Asked if he believes MAIDEN is worthy of being inducted into the Rock Hall, Harris told Joe Rock of the WBAB radio station (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's no doubt that [IRON MAIDEN] are an impactful, influential band, and that's why they were nominated this year, along with 15 other artists and acts, and when the votes came in, these six [FOO FIGHTERS, Jay-Z, Tina Turner, THE GO-GO'S, Carole King and Todd Rundgren] were the leaders. So we're not questioning, are they an important band, are they impactful and influential.

"Of those that have been nominated throughout history, over 80 percent of them have been eventually inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame," he continued. "So everybody has their favorites; everybody has different artists that impacted them or impacted other artists. So, if you look at this list, you can make that case for all of these folks, just like people make that case for IRON MAIDEN."

Asked how he would respond to people who say that the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should be more correctly called the Music Hall Of Fame, Harris said: "I think to get to the core of it, people like the stuff that's closest to them, and I think they need to expand their thinking of rock and roll. It's a big tent. Rock and roll was never just four skinny guys with long hair and guitars; it's always been diverse… We take that interpretation that these are all variants of rock and roll. And I think, underneath it, it frequently gets to the hip-hop question because some people are not fans. Well, the fact of the matter is that ship has sailed. We've inducted quite a few artists in that canon. It's a big tent and everybody fits under it. It's an attitude, it's a spirit, and that's rock and roll."

The Rock Hall didn't induct BLACK SABBATH until 2006, and METALLICA followed three years later.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until 2016.

PRIEST was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction last year, but failed to receive enough votes to make the class of 2020.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was previously on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

IRON MAIDEN was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction this year, but didn't make the class of 2021.

Eligible for induction for a decade and a half, IRON MAIDEN is one of the biggest bands on the planet. Since the arrival of its self-titled debut album, MAIDEN has released a further 15 full-length studio records, and sold over 100 million cop

BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler, who took on the role of the band's primary lyricist from its inception, told Goldmine in a new interview that he had no qualms about letting Ronnie James Dio take over in that department once the singer joined SABBATH in 1979. "Oh, I was just really glad to have somebody else do the lyrics," Geezer said. "I heard Ronnie's lyrics, and it's nothing like I'd write. I felt like I'd come to the end of my lyrics, on the 'Never Say Die' album. I just had nothing else to write about. So it was an incredible relief to have somebody come in and do that. His stuff, I think it's more fantasy and dragons and all that kind of stuff. Mine was more a lot of politics and everyday occurrences, while his were more surreal and out-of-this-world kind of thing. When it came to the second album, the only thing that was said to him was, like, no rainbows and no dragons. [Laughs] That was it. He got the message and did what he did."

A founding member of BLACK SABBATH, Butler is also the lyricist of such SABBATH classics as "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "Paranoid" and others.

Butler, singer Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Tony Iommi reunited in late 2011 and released a comeback album, "13", in June 2013.

In February 2017, SABBATH finished "The End" tour in Birmingham, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career.

"The End" was SABBATH's last tour because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

Two months ago, Butler confirmed to Cleveland.com that he is writing a memoir. "I started out because when my parents died, I always wished I'd asked them a lot more things than I knew about," he explained. "I don't really know much about my mum and dad, 'cause they were always just there. So, I started writing a memoir for my grandkids to read, and that's been fun going through stuff — old times and growing up in Birmingham and all that. I'm right in the middle of doing that at the moment."

Last fall, Butler told Australia's Wall Of Sound that his book would be "about growing up in Aston, Birmingham and how SABBATH came about." The 71-year-old also reflected on everything he has achieved in this past half a century, saying: "It's a great achievement to still be relevant 50 years after we recorded our first two albums. We honestly thought we'd last a few years, then be forgotten about. Fifty years ago any form of popular music was seen as a passing fad — people even thought THE BEATLES would be forgotten about after they broke up, but nobody then [realized] how powerful the nostalgia effect would

In a new interview with Rob's School Of Music, KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee addressed the possibility of original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss rejoining the band at some point during the "End Of The Road" tour. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "All the things are possible. We never say never about anything. We just know that we wanna give the people the best show in the world to go see. And my philosophy for all my bands [has] always been if you're the very, very best at what you do, people will come and see you. And if you're not, they will go see the very, very best. Fucking simple. So what do we do with KISS? We do a show that, whether you like KISS or not, whether you're a KISS fan or you know one song, you wanna go see this show, because it's an amazing, entertaining show.

"KISS is [homestyle restaurant chain] Cracker Barrel. There are four generations that come to eat at our house every day," he explained. "And we cherish that. And we're very good to our fans. We try to be. I think we give 'em the best meet-and-greets of any bands that every has been around. They have access in a world that has no access.

"Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley] and Tommy [Thayer] and Eric [Singer] are determined to be the best at what they do. We don't go and write songs and try to be PEARL JAM or try to be RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE or try to be anything else — we do four chords and bad lyrics, and it fucking works fabulous for KISS. And we blow shit up. And the collectability of KISS and the aura around KISS is monstrous; it's infectious. It excites me every day.

"So all those things… Will Ace ever show up? Sure, he'll show up," Doc added. "Peter hopefully will show up. Everybody's invited to the party of KISS. We haven't had that many bandmembers in KISS. Since I've been there, there's been four — two different ones — and that's it. But KISS is KISS. So, whether you said, 'Oh, well, I don't think that there could be another 007 [besides] Sean Connery?' Well, there is. There's been five of 'em. People wanna see 007. Mickey Mouse is fucking a hundred years old. I think KISS will be one of those things that will go on forever. I think with the avatar situations that we're doing now, with the NFT programs that we're doing, with all the different elements that we have at our disposal today and will have tomorrow and the next day, I don't see how this brand of KISS goes away ever. If it's kept with the respect that it should have for the people that they have, I believe that they will be around forever — much longer than me."

Doc also spoke about KISS's plans for the next few years, including the remainder of the farewell tour, which kicked off in January 2019. He said: "We have a two-part series coming out called ['KISStory'] that's on A&E, that's coming on June 27th [and] 28th. We have our Dubai show and our documentary coming at the end of July and August. And we have our touring that we're gonna kick off in August, and Australia, and our cruise. And we're gonna have a lot of fun for the next 18 months. And then, at the end of this segment of KISS, Gene and Paul will retire as the touring part of KISS. And where that goes from there, we don't know yet. We don't plan anything more than six months at a time."

In the two years and a half after KISS announced its farewell tour, fans wondered openly if Frehley and Criss would be involved in the trek, especially considering the apparent recent goodwill between Stanley and Simmons and Frehley. Ace's latest collection of original material, "Spaceman" — a title suggested by Simmons himself — features two songs the pair wrote together, and the duo completed a joint summer 2018 tour of Australia, after which Frehley fired his solo backing band and hired Simmons's.

Asked in a recent interview with Brazil's "Inside With Paulo Baron" if there is a chance Frehley and Criss will take part in any of the shows on "End Of The Road", Stanley said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Anything is possible. I don't rule anything out. I have to say that we wouldn't be here today if not for our past. If Peter and Ace hadn't been there at the beginning, we wouldn't be here today. But I will also say that if Peter and Ace had stayed with the band, we also wouldn't be here today. So you have to put it into some sort of balance and perspective."

Paul continued: "If there is a way to include them in celebrating the final tour, yeah, I'm open to it. It has to make sense and it has to feel right, because the band has existed far, far, far too long without them to let anybody spoil this or make it less than it should be. If there's no joy in it, I'm not interested."

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

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

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

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

In a new interview with the "2020'd" podcast, guitarist Jonathan Donais was asked how we landed the gig with ANTHRAX after previously spending almost two decades with SHADOWS FALL. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "SHADOWS FALL, a couple of the guys were having kids or about to have kids and got married, and they just didn't wanna be on the road anymore. And we weren't making enough where you could have that kind of stuff; you had to be on the road all the time. You can't be selfish anymore once you have a wife and kids. You can't [go], 'Well, I might make this much money, or I might not. But I'm gonna go have fun.' It came to the point where they had to choose that path. And then ANTHRAX lost their guitarist, and they asked me to fill in — just to fill in. And I was, like, 'Absolutely,' 'cause I kind of saw the writing on the wall with SHADOWS FALL."

According to Donais, his predecessor in ANTHRAX, Rob Caggiano, hooked him up with his current gig. "'Cause he knew he was gonna leave, and he wanted to make sure that they were all set," Jon said. "He wanted to make sure that they were covered and didn't wanna leave 'em hanging. And he knew we knew each other, and he asked me if I'd be interested, and I was, like, 'Yeah. A hundred percent.' And then I didn't hear anything for a little bit, and I didn't know what was going on.' Then, maybe two or three weeks later, [ANTHRAX guitarist] Scott Ian called, and he goes, 'I heard you know what's going on.' I go, 'Yeah.' He goes, 'Can you do it?' I go, 'Fucking absolutely.'"

Donais made his live debut with ANTHRAX in Australia without a single rehearsal with the band. "I jammed with Scott a little bit, but it was, 'Here. Learn these songs and be ready,'" he recalled. "Oh. God. That first show — I was shaking."

Donais contributed lead guitar to ANTHRAX's latest album, "For All Kings", which came out in 2016 via Nuclear Blast in Europe and Megaforce in the U.S. At the time of the record's release, his ANTHRAX bandmates praised his playing, with bassist Frank Bello saying: "I think Jon has brought a great energy to the band. He stepped up and then some on this record." Ian added: "Jon's approach towards lead guitar playing, he's more of a guy who's looking to construct something that makes sense and helps a song rather than the 45 seconds for him to be showing off how many notes he can play in X amount of measures."

On the topic of the "For All Kings" recording process, Donais told Distorted Sound Magazine: "It was real easy. It was my first time working with Jay Ruston, the guy who produced it, and the way we did it was he would give me the demos of the songs and then I would start writing the leads and then send them to Charlie [Benante, drums]. Charlie would then tell me what direction the leads should go in, there were a few times where it would take a couple of attempts to get him happy."

He added: "I didn't know how they worked or necessarily know what they were looking for. So I just did what I did, and if Charlie wasn't happy, we just got on the phone and discussed the direction that he wanted to go in, and most of the stuff didn't take more than three demos to get right."

Just a day prior to his April 9 passing following a "catastrophic cardiac arrest," legendary hip-hop artist DMX, released a new single called "X Moves". It's a full-fledged rock/hip-hop hybrid that recruits not one but three Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers: DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice, who provides the track's stampeding groove, and YES and ASIA guitarist Steve Howe, who throws down a riff for DMX to ride. In addition, "X Moves" finds DMX trading verses with the great PARLIAMENT-FUNKADELIC maestro Bootsy Collins who also provides a bit of extraterrestrial magic with his signature Space Bass. And finally, bringing an international flavor to the mix, German producer/artist Jürgen Engler of DIE KRUPPS produced and mixed the track alongside Cleopatra Records founder Brian Perera, who co-produced.

In a new video explaining his involvement with "X Moves", Paice clarified that he never actually met DMX, and he admitted that he wasn't familiar with the rapper's music. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's true — hip-hop and rap is not a genre of music that I have any great love for. Then again, it is not targeted at me. Why should I understand it? There's lots of sorts of music I don't really have an affinity with, and that's okay; we all like different stuff. And over the years, I've played different styles of music — I've played with orchestras, I've played with jazz guys, I've played with big bands, I've done novelty records. It's not unusual for me to step outside my normal sphere of rock music; this is just another instance where I've done it.

"When I do these things, I don't think for one minute that I can do it as well as the people who do it all the time," Ian continued. "If I step in with a big band, I have fun, and I do it the best I can, but I know, compared to the guys who do it day in and day out, it's a different thing; they will always have the advantage, 'cause they do it all the time. And it doesn't matter what sort of music you play; that's just the way it is.

"It might be a silly thing to say, but for 13 months now, we haven't been able to do anything in the way of live shows, so studio stuff is about all we can realistically do to keep playing.

"A friend asked me to do this track, and for him, I did it. I never thought I'd get a chance to play that sort of thing, but the shot came along, so I did the best I could."

Paice also shot down speculation that he played on the DMX song because he needed the money. "I received no fee for this track," he revealed. "I did it for a friend. The only money that changed hands was for studio time; studio equipment needs to be rented; and the engineering. I can't do everything. So there are costs involved, but I took no fee for that."

During a recent appearance on "Vox&Hops", the podcast hosted by Matt McGachy, frontman of extreme metal band CRYPTOPSY, AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ spoke about how he has been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I guess just doing my podcast ['Drinks With Johnny'] kind of helped me. I'm kind of a big extrovert, so it was kind of tough for me to not be able to go out and do all the things that I wanted to do. But through these Zoom chats, luckily enough, we were able to have technology out there. I mean, it's been around for a couple of years, but no one really knew about it. But now that we're using it, it's been great being able to still stay connected to new people and old friends and things of that nature. So, that's helped me through. And then, luckily, I have a young son and a wife, and I wasn't just stuck in a house by myself. A lot of people had it a lot worse. I've got a decent-sized house and places where we can go to different rooms and stuff and get creative. Early on, it was a lot of getting blue tape out and setting up obstacle courses for my son around the house and stuff, going in the pool and things like that. So I can't complain too much, man. It wasn't that hard for me to cope. The main thing was not being able to get out around people."

Earlier this month, AVENGED SEVENFOLD's 2010 album, "Nightmare", and its 2013 follow-up, "Hail To The King", were officially certified platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of one million copies.

This past March, AVENGED SEVENFOLD's sophomore album, 2003's "Waking The Fallen", was certified platinum by the RIAA. On the same day, the LP's lead single "Unholy Confessions" was certified gold for accumulating 500,000 certified units.

The only other AVENGED SEVENFOLD album to achieve platinum status in the U.S. is the band's third LP, 2005's "City Of Evil".

In February, AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows told the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X that "70 percent" of the follow-up to 2016's "The Stage" album was "done." He said: "We're working on stuff. We have some things we can't finish right now 'cause of COVID — string players, et cetera. We know Andy [Wallace, AVENGED SEVENFOLD's longtime mixer] doesn't wanna travel, or his management doesn't want him to travel because of COVID. So there's just a lot of things going on."

As for when fans can expect to see the new AVENGED SEVENFOLD LP released, M. Shadows said: "It doesn't make sense for us right now to put out a record and not be able to tour it. The world has changed. Putting out a record on Spotify without touring for a rock band, it just doesn't make sense to us. So we're gonna wait till everything is back, then we'll come out with the record, finish it up, and all will be good."

Last December, M. Shadows told Kerrang! magazine about the musical direction of the new AVENGED material: "The [new] record sounds nothing like 'The Stage' — it's a completely new direction, and it sounds nothing like anything we've done. That's all I'll say about it: it's over the top, and it's very eclectic and wild."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD kept a low profile during 2019 and will likely not return to the road until the end of this year or early 2022. A blood blister on M. Shadows's vocal cords forced the band to cancel a summer 2018 tour with PROPHETS OF RAGE and THREE DAYS GRACE.

Asked if he is fully healed up now, M. Shadows told 93X: "I feel good, man. I'm just working on a new technique so that I can make sure I don't have any problems anymore. For the last year, that's what I've been doing — is switching up a lot of things, singing from a different place, and just making sure that when I hit the stage again, I don't resort back to old bad habits."

"The Stage" was surprise-released in October 2016. The release of the disc, which was announced the night it went on sale, earned the lowest sales of an AVENGED SEVENFOLD album in 11 years. It sold 76 thousand copies in its first week, 73 thousand of which were physical.

"The Stage", AVENGED's debut for Capitol, sold less than half as many copies in its first week as the group's two previous efforts, 2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King".

Joey Allen says that he and his WARRANT bandmates tried to do as much as they could for Jani Lane before the singer's final exit from the group.

Lane recorded several albums with WARRANT in late 1980s and early 1990s but left the group several times. The band's seventh studio LP, "Born Again", was released in 2006 and featured Jaime St. James as the lead singer. In 2008, Lane returned to WARRANT temporarily and toured with the group. In September that year, WARRANT announced that Jani had left again. The band replaced him with Robert Mason and released its eighth studio album, "Rockaholic", in 2011.

Speaking to "That Jamieson Show" about how Jani's last split from WARRANT came about, Allen said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We tried the reunion for about a year, which started off great and just crashed and burned. And it was unfortunate. We all tried to do as much as you can for a guy that's having a hard time with substance, and at some point, there's not a lot you can do, and you've gotta hope that they have the strength in them to pull it off. But it was a wicked ride for him. And it's just tragic. It's not any better today than it was when it happened."

He continued: "I miss the guy like a brother. We spent a lot of years together, on and off the road, making some beautiful music, as well as having some fun with family and friends. So it's unfortunate, for sure. But at least we've got the music to remember him by and we go out, when we can — not in the last year [due to the pandemic] — and play those tunes in remembrance of him and what he meant for us."

Lane died in August 2011 at age 47. Paramedics found his body in a Comfort Inn motel room in Woodland Hills, California, which is near Los Angeles. Lane had battled alcohol abuse for years.

Mason recently told Waste Some Time With Jason Green about how he found out about Jani's death: "I think it was us and the SLAUGHTER guys, we were all having dinner at a steak joint somewhere in the middle of the country doing a gig, and everybody's phone just buzzed — it seemed [like it happened] all at once. It was kind of rare for us — all band and crew; everybody — after flying in, we were all sitting around the table, with appetizers, waiting for entrees to show up, and all of sudden, everybody's phones just blew up. And it was that horrible look. I remember somebody looking and going [opens his eyes wide]. And I know they thought to themselves, 'This is what this is,' and they were dead right. We all picked up the phone, and we were, like, 'Did you just hear…?' 'Yeah, I just got a text from so-and-so.' 'I just missed a phone call from six people.'"

WARRANT's latest album, "Louder Harder Faster", was released in 2017 via Frontiers Music Srl. The disc was recorded with producer Jeff Pilson — a veteran bassist who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER and DOKKEN, among others — and was mixed by Pat Regan, except for the song "I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink", which was mixed by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, PRONG, LAST IN LINE).

Today, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent a letter to THE OFFSPRING lead singer Bryan "Dexter" Holland asking him to pull the group's "We Never Have Sex Anymore" music video immediately because of its "egregious exploitation of chimpanzees." According to PETA, in the video, two chimpanzees "are dressed up and forced onto chaotic sets, including a set that looks like a strip club, where one is depicted drinking, tipping dancers, and swinging on a pole under bright lights."

"There are plenty of things we all miss about the '90s—but animal exploitation isn't among them," writes PETA Animals In Film And Television senior manager Lauren Thomasson. "Every minute your video remains online, it risks legitimizing a cruel industry, propping up the exotic-'pet' trade, and reversing years of animal advocacy work that has nearly ended the use of chimpanzees in Hollywood."

According to PETA, the primates were reportedly supplied by Steve Martin's Working Wildlife, a notorious training outfit that "has been cited numerous times by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, including for locking chimpanzees in cramped and barren 'night housing' for up to 18 hours a day and failing to provide animals with adequate shelter from the elements, adequate ventilation, clean cages, and proper feeding." The animal rights advocate also claims that Martin "has a history of disposing of chimpanzees at roadside zoos."

PETA — whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to use in entertainment" — notes that the repercussions of this music video could be disastrous. "Not only does it normalize the disrespect and exploitation of highly intelligent, sensitive primates, it may also increase the black-market demand for endangered great apes as 'pets,' which is one of the main forces driving them toward extinction," PETA claims.

PETA opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.

Photo credit: Daveed Benito

FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares spoke to Australia's Heavy about his search for a replacement for the recently departed FF singer Burton C. Bell. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's some really great people out there — male and female. So there are male and female [singers] in the running, who's gonna get this position.

"There's a lot that goes into this," he continued. "You can't just find anybody just to step in and think they're gonna be able to handle it. You've gotta really get someone who's willing to make the commitment to FEAR FACTORY, somebody who has to know they're gonna be on the road for a while; we're gonna be traveling the world. It may not happen right away, 'cause of a lot of the COVID restrictions; some places have got it [worse] than others still. Whoever takes the position has a lot to learn, big shoes to fill."

Asked what sort of attributes he is looking for in a new singer for FEAR FACTORY, Dino said: "Someone who knows how to be a good frontman on stage, someone who knows how to command a crowd. This is just besides talent. Of course, whoever I pick is gonna have talent. But it's not just vocal talent; there's other talent too. There's being secure with your position — mentally secure — not being insecure, taking care of your throat, being able to command a crowd, getting along with others, being a team player, et cetera."

Cazares went on to say that he would "definitely" encourage the new FEAR FACTORY vocalist to bring his or her own elements into the band's sound. "But the majority has to be the FEAR FACTORY mold, 'cause we already created a style," he said. "Sure, we can always expand on that style — I'm always open to that, for sure; one hundred percent. But they're also gonna have to accept that sometimes ideas get put on the chopping block. Some ideas are just, like, 'Nah, ain't gonna work.' But that comes with the experience, and that comes with somebody who has talent in that way, that you can't take things personally.

"That was one of the things about when we were a group in FEAR FACTORY that no idea was stupid; we tried everything," he explained. "Because you never know — some of the craziest ideas could turn into something great."

Last month, FEAR FACTORY released its first new song in over five years, "Disruptor". The track will appear on the band's upcoming album, "Aggression Continuum", due on June 18 via Nuclear Blast Records.

"Aggression Continuum" features Cazares and Bell alongside drummer Mike Heller. It was produced and engineered by Damien Rainaud (DRAGONFORCE, ONCE HUMAN), with keyboards by Igor Khoroshev (ex-YES), and programming on two songs from longtime collaborator Rhys Fulber (FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY). "Aggression Continuum" was mixed by A-list rock and metal producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, TRIVIUM), who also mixed FEAR FACTORY's previous album, 2015's "Genexus".

Last September, Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he "cannot align" himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.

"With FEAR FACTORY, it's just constantly been, like, 'What?!' You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I've done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I'll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward."

Pressed about whether there is any chance of a reconciliation with FEAR FACTORY down the line, Burton said: "I'm done. I haven't spoken to Dino in three years. I haven't spoken to Raymond [Herrera, drums] and Christian [Olde Wolbers, bass] in longer than that, and I have no intention to. I'm just moving forward with my life."

In October, Dino issued a statement in which he said that the door for Burton to come back to FEAR FACTORY wouldn't "stay open forever." The guitarist also revealed that Burton "lost his legal rights" to the FEAR FACTORY name "after a long court battle" with Herrera and Olde Wolbers. "I had the opportunity to do something right, and I felt that obtaining the name in full was the right thing to do for the both of us, so after nearly four years we can continue as FEAR FACTORY, to make more records and to tour," he said. "That is why it is sad to hear that he decided to quit and, in my opinion, for whatever issues he has it seems like it could've been worked out."

In a new interview with Sweetwater, Nita Strauss, the Los Angeles-based guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, was asked what piece of advice she had for young guitarists who are trying to breaking into the industry. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think my best advice, across the board, is always just unapologetically be yourself. I think so many people get caught up in wanting to be their heroes that they forget to develop their own personality and their own style. I think a big part of authenticity is kind of knowing your own boundaries, knowing who you are and what you're willing to do and what you're not willing to do. I did think for a long time that I had to conform to a certain stereotype of, like, 'You wanna be in a band? Go out and drink with everybody.' Or somebody told me you have to show your body. And I went down that path for a while, and I didn't like the kind of attention that I got. So then I went the complete opposite way, and I was, like, 'I wanna be taken seriously as a guitar player,' and that didn't work either, because that's not who I am. There's no rule that says you have to look a certain way in order to play a certain style of music, even though people on the Internet like to say that there are rules. But you can't live by these arbitrary rules that Internet people make up; you just have to authentically be yourself."

Last month, Nita told Wrestling Inc. that her upcoming second solo album, which is tentatively due before the end of the year, will feature "some guest vocalists." She said: "That's something I didn't do previously. I just wanted to sort of make a stand as an instrumental guitar player. And this time around, I kind of wanna show what I can do as a songwriter as well. So there's gonna be a couple of songs that are more traditional hard rock songs that have guest vocalists on it that I'm really excited about."

Pressed about the identities of some of the guest singers on her new LP, Nita said: "I cannot say just yet. But I will say that one that I have confirmed is one of my favorite female singers out there on the scene right now, and I'm very, very excited to finally get to collaborate with her on something."

Strauss also broached the subject of Cooper himself possibly appearing on her new album saying: "That's something that I've been kind of throwing around the idea. Of course everybody asks it. Everybody asked about the last one too, and we didn't do it, so maybe it's time. I don't know."

Strauss's new disc will be the follow-up to her first solo LP, "Controlled Chaos", released in 2018 via Sumerian Records.

Last year, Nita told Heavy New York that her second solo album will still be "an instrumental shred record. I put a lot of different facets of my personality — of which there are many — on 'Controlled Chaos', so you'll see the more aggressive side still, you'll see the lighter side and the happier side, the more peaceful side," she said. "I just finished one of the ballads for this record, and I'm immensely proud of how it came out. So there will definitely be a wide spectrum of different emotions going on. And the biggest change, I guess, would be I am gonna have a guest singer or two on a couple of songs on this one. So that would be the main difference between the two records."

In April 2020, Nita launched "Rock Guitar Fundamentals" — a three-module online guitar teaching program suitable for learners of all levels. The course is available at www.iwanttoplayguitar.com.

Nita's live show is mostly instrumental in nature, combining originals with covers.

Strauss has been playing with Alice Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker's former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS has been officially postponed until 2022.

The postponement was announced in a joint statement from the entire tour lineup and first shared by CRÜE singer Vince Neil via Instagram.

The statement reads as follows: "To all our loyal fans, we wanted to let you know that we learned today that the tour is getting moved to 2022.

"This is the only way to ensure that we can play ALL of the dates for ALL of you who have purchased tickets. We appreciate you hanging in there and can’t wait to get back on stage and bring 'The Stadium Tour' to all of our fans.

"It is going to be one for the history books!"

"The Stadium Tour" was originally scheduled to take place last summer but was pushed back to this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to the latest postponement, "The Stadium Tour" was slated to kick off on June 19, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee and conclude on September 12, 2021 in San Diego, California.

The trek will now launch on June 16, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia and run through September 7, 2022 in San Francisco, California.

In January, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen told the "Jeremy White Podcast" that he was "really confident" "The Stadium Tour" would take place in 2021 provided that the COVID-19 vaccine was successfully rolled out. "It's the same way anywhere around the world," he said. "You go, 'Hey, are you coming to so and so?' Well, I don't know if we're allowed to travel and whether we would be allowed on the plane or even in that country. So, it's looking good — or not. We really don't know. It really comes down to how everyone deals with approaching this pandemic and stuff."

As of January 30, 2020, "The Stadium Tour" had already grossed $130 million from one million tickets sold, plus another $5 million worth of VIP seats, according to Billboard.

Tickets ranged from $150 to $400, not counting some varied pricing that reflected demand as part of "dynamic pricing."

When it happens, "The Stadium Tour" will mark the CRÜE's first live dates since wrapping its 2014/2015 farewell tour. CRÜE toured with POISON back in 2011 and DEF LEPPARD teamed up with POISON for a string of road dates in 2017 — but the upcoming jaunt marks the first time all four acts have hit the road together for an extended tour.

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of concerts and festivals have either been postponed or canceled, as social distancing and self-quarantining make performing live music and attending live shows all but impossible.

U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Americans to heed what federal, state and local officials are asking of them in order to curtail the spread and dampen the impact of the virus on the population.

Photo credit: Dustin Jack




To all our loyal fans, we wanted to let you know that we learned today that the tour is getting moved to 2022. This is...

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B.C. Rich has announced the Chuck Schuldiner Stealth guitar. Down to every detail, the company has taken great care in creating this guitar that proudly represents the late DEATH legend's legacy and indelible mark on guitarists and the death metal genre.

Chuck played several B.C. Rich models throughout his groundbreaking and meaningful career. The most recognizable had to be his black single-pickup, neck-through Stealth. In purposeful style, Chuck laid down many creative and ferocious riffs on his B.C. Richs that launched him into metal icon status.

There will be two versions available for Chuck fans: USA production and Korean import. Both will ship in August.

Schuldiner died on December 13, 2001 after a battle with pontine glioma, a rare type of brain tumor.

In recent years, DEATH's storied catalog has undergone a meticulous reissue campaign via Relapse Records.

Relapse released the first-ever fully authorized DEATH tab book, featuring 21 classic songs tabbed out for guitar from the band's entire discography. The book, which includes traditional notation as well as tablature, also comes with a digital download of all tracks.


Happy Birthday Chuck!

Chuck Schuldiner (1967-2001) was a musical innovator. Chuck is best known for being the founder,...

Posted by B.C. Rich on Thursday, May 13, 2021

Z2 continues to reward music lovers and comics fans alike with an ever-expanding offering of original and authentic graphic novels created alongside some of the biggest names in music. Today's news brings Z2 Comics together with the queen of rock 'n' roll; the woman who made it her anthem, and a battle cry for generations, Joan Jett.

"When we began working with Z2 Comics on 'Joan Jett And The Blackhearts 40 x 40' for the 40th Anniversary of 'I Love Rock 'N' Roll' and 'Bad Reputation', we reflected on all the rejection and opposition Joan faced from the industry as a woman with a guitar, especially at the beginning of her career," says Carianne Brinkman, president of Blackheart. "Luckily, she blocked out the noise and showed the doubters she could do it herself. The comic world, much like the rock 'n' roll world, is fairly underrepresented in terms of women, particularly in the mainstream. We thought this was a great opportunity to celebrate comic writers and illustrators who happen to be women, and who, like Joan, are constantly being asked what it's like to be 'a woman…' in their respective industries. We are so excited to bring these amazing artists and writers together to celebrate this milestone anniversary."

This original graphic anthology pulls together a who's who list of female creators from the comic book and pop culture worlds, including famed artist Tara McPherson to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 20 classic tracks featured on Joan's landmark albums "Bad Reputation" and "I Love Rock n' Roll".

McPherson adds: "Joan Jett is the epitome of a rock 'n' roll icon and a powerful force of a woman. When I was young and teaching myself how to play bass and starting bands, she was such an inspiration to me, and I know to so many other girls as well. She's a fierce woman making no apologies, showing females they have a place in rock!"

"Joan Jett And The Blackhearts - 40×40: Bad Reputation/I Love Rock 'N' Roll" is written and drawn by some of the most renowned female creators from around the world, and is available for preorder now for a fall release in softcover and hardcover editions at finer comic shops, book and record stores worldwide. Exclusively available through Z2's web site in limited quantities are the deluxe and super deluxe versions, packaged with exclusive vinyl, art prints and much more. To celebrate this 40th anniversary, a "platinum edition" is available in an extremely limited quantity of just 40 units and includes a new Epiphone guitar, gig bag and signed certificate of authenticity.

Arizona's Go Ahead And Die will release their self-titled debut album on June 11 via Nuclear Blast Records. Go Ahead And Die is a raw, urgent, unrelenting, thrillingly shocking, and vibrant new band.

Today, the trio offer fans their third single, "Roadkill". Check out the lyric video below.

Max Cavalera comments, "'Roadkill' is about the homeless and the veterans left on the street to fight for themselves after they offered to sacrifice their lives for us. It’s a cry of desperation for homeless people who society views as roadkill."

Igor Amadeus states, "'Roadkill' is a track written for those currently living without shelter. No human should be forced out of their home, no human should have to live on the streets. Roadkill is a look into the frustrating reality of worldwide homelessness."

Born from the mind of a creative writer and musician Igor Amadeus Cavalera of Healing Magic and extreme metal icon, and Soulfly leader Max Cavalera. Go Ahead And Die's tempos are wild, with contempt for modern social ills palpable, its riffs monstrous and captivating. They make angry, spiteful, utterly engaging, spirited extreme music for increasingly extreme times.

The self-titled debut sees Max and Igor splitting guitar and vocal duties, with utter madman style drumming from Zach Coleman of the blistering Black Curse and critically-acclaimed Khemmis. It sounds like a relic from the glory days of thrash, proto-death metal, and filthy rotten punk, the kind of band that would inspire a teenaged thrasher in 1987 to carve the G.A.A.D. logo into a school desk.

Pre-order the new album here. Pre-save here.

Tracklisting:

"Truckload Full Of Bodies"
"Toxic Freedom"
"I.C.E. Cage"
"Isolated/Desolated"
"Prophet's Prey"
"Punisher"
"El Cuco"
"G.A.A.D."
"Worth Less Than Piss"
"(In The) Slaughterline"
"Roadkill"

"Toxic Freedom" video:

"Truckload Full Of Bodies" video:




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