Reach Music Publishing has acquired a 50% interest, as well as worldwide administration rights, to the Glenn Tipton song catalog.

The acquisition covers Tipton's songwriting catalog of almost 200 songs as a member of JUDAS PRIEST, including works dating back to 1977, beginning with the album "Sin After Sin" and continuing through to the band's last studio album, "Firepower", released in 2018.

Tipton's solo albums, "Baptizm Of Fire" and "Edge Of The World", are also included in the acquisition.

As a member of JUDAS PRIEST, Tipton has written or co-written iconic tracks and radio staples including "Breaking The Law", "Heading Out To The Highway", "Hell Bent For Leather", "Living After Midnight" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming", all of which are included as part of the Reach agreement.

JUDAS PRIEST remains active today, with the band getting ready to go back on tour later this summer, continuing their 50-year anniversary celebration.

Also planned for the summer is a career-spanning 42-CD box set containing bonus tracks and a 132-page book with photos and memorabilia. This follows the recent release of a 648-page photo book of the band, covering the past 50 years.

Michael Closter, president and owner of Reach Music, said: "I'm ecstatic to be in business with Glenn Tipton — a metal legend, guitar icon and elite songwriter who has written works that will always be known, relevant and rediscovered.

"I particularly want to thank Jayne Andrews, the manager for JUDAS PRIEST. She gave me this opportunity, and the deal would not have happened without her support."

Reach's Scott Rubin added: "I first saw JUDAS PRIEST perform live when I was 15 years old, and I saw them on their last tour at age 50, watching Glenn Tipton get on stage during the encore. It's a true honor to get to work on a catalog that you know intimately and have been a fan of from 15 to 50... and beyond!"

Jayne Andrews said: "When I first met Michael Closter around three years ago in Nashville, I really believed that he and his team at Reach Music would be the right fit for Glenn if he ever decided to sell any of his publishing. Glenn felt the same way when I introduced them last year and we look forward to a long and happy relationship with Reach Music."

Glenn Tipton said: "I deliberated for a long time on whether to relinquish 50% of my publishing to another company and realized as soon as I had a conversation with Michael Closter and Scott Rubin from Reach Music just how knowledgeable they are of both mine and JUDAS PRIEST's catalog and that they would be really pro-active with the songs. I believe I now have a team who understand and are geared up to deal with metal and look forward to working together in the future!"

Reach was represented in the transaction by attorney Jeff Sacharow, partner at Lapidus, Root & Sacharow, LLP with support from U.K. counsel Rupert Sprawson of James Ware Stephenson. Glenn Tipton was represented by Simon Esplen, managing partner at Russells.

Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's seven years ago — after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier — but announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of "Firepower". He was replaced by "Firepower" album producer Andy Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT. Tipton occasionally joins PRIEST onstage for its encores, performing "Metal Gods", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight".

In 2018, Tipton's former PRIEST bandmate K.K. Downing sold his share of the royalty rights to 136 of PRIEST's tracks, including classic songs "Breaking The Law", "Living After Midnight" and "Painkiller", to Round Hill Music. The rights consist of the guitarist's publishing and writer's share, and his artist royalties from the master recordings.

K.K., who is a founding member of the British heavy metal legends and was part of the group since 1969, announced his retirement from PRIEST in April 2

KISS co-founder and frontman, best-selling author and Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Paul Stanley will release the debut album from his SOUL STATION project on March 19 (postponed from previously announced March 5) via Universal Music Enterprises. A collection of nine classic soul covers and five original tracks, "Now And Then" will feature the band's acclaimed version of THE FIVE STAIRSTEPS' "O-o-h Child" as well as SOUL STATION's take on THE SPINNERS' "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love".

The official music video for the third single from the album, "I, Oh I", can be seen below. Written, arranged and orchestrated by Stanley, "I, Oh I" is the first original song to be released from "Now And Then".

Stanley has spent the last few years developing this project close to his heart. SOUL STATION is a band gathering some of today's leading musicians to pay tribute to the greatest artists and songs from the R&B and soul catalog to keep this vital music current. While a surprise to many, Stanley's early pivotal roots in this music has quietly turned this passion into a celebrated touring and recording band. Stanley's 15-piece ensemble group has toured the U.S. and Japan, and recently recorded an album of nine classic soul songs and five new original songs.

Speaking about the new music, Stanley said: "Between us doing some great SOUL STATION shows and starting the album, I started to think that neither the band or the music we love should depend only on the past so I started writing with the goal of seamlessly taking songs into the present. From what a lot of people I respect have told me, that mission was accomplished."

When Stanley conceived SOUL STATION, the group excelled in the live venue setting, playing smaller, intimate clubs — a setting where Paul Stanley would reflect on those classic hits that were his early inspiration, playing the songs with a reverence and respect for how he and the band believe they should be performed and heard.

"Long before I ever heard the great British bands, I grew up listening to Philly Soul, Motown and so much more," he said. "I was lucky to see Otis Redding and Solomon Burke among others. That music and its storytelling gave me strength and hope even in some tough days. The great classics of that era are magical medicine for most and I felt myself drawn back to that era for some sorcery I think we could all use."

Stanley's bandmembers include Rafael "Hoffa" Moreira (guitar and backing vocals), Sean Hurley (bass), Alex Alessandroni (musical director, keyboards), Ely Rise (keyboards), Eric Singer (drums and backing vocals), RayYslas (percussion), Gavyn Rhone (backing vocals), Crystal Starr (backing vocals) and Laurhan Beato (backing vocals) and Jon Pappenbrook (lead trumpet).

The band is augmented by three string players and two horn players of the same stature enabling SOUL STATION's wall of sound to be firmly rooted in the past while staking claim to both the present and future.

"Now And Then" track listing:

01. Could It Be I'm Falling In Love

02. I Do

03. I, Oh I

04. Ooo Baby Baby

05. O-o-h Child

06. Save Me (From You)

07. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)

08. Whenever You're Ready (I'm Here)

09. The Tracks Of My Tears

10. Let's Stay Together

11. La-La – Means I Love You

12. Lorelei

13. You Are Everything

14. Baby I Need Your Loving

Speaking about how the idea for SOUL STATION came about, Paul told Scott Lipps: "I was really lucky, because, before I ever saw [LED] ZEPPELIN or any of the British bands that I grew to love, or the blues bands that I saw, I saw Otis Redding as a kid, I saw Solomon Burke and THE TEMPTATIONS. So that really is the core of what I do. It's not all that I do, but it's in there, and it always has been. SMOKEY [ROBINSON] AND THE MIRACLES; early Stevie Wonder; Philly soul; Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, all the things that they produced — Thom Bell. So you have THE DELFONICS, STYLISTICS, BLUE MAGIC, THE TEMPS, FOUR TOPS, and on and on. So, for me, that music, unfortunately, has been relegated to becoming samples in somebody's rap songs. Those songs deserve so much more, not only respect, but to be listened to, because when we play those songs live, everybody's faces light up, because they're just great, great songs.

"SOUL STATION is 15 people, and everybody's played with everyone from Smokey to Stevie Wonder to Natalie Cole to TEMPTATIONS, Whitney Houston, and on and on and on," Stanley continued. "And it really is like a family. We hang out at my house and have a great time. But what really bonded us together was this love of that music and wanting to recreate it accurately, respectfully. Even some of those bands, when they wound up playing live, did these uptempo, kind of soulless versions of their own songs. And we're playing those songs the way they're supposed to be, and it's glorious.

"Look, I started doing it selfishly, 'cause I love that music, and to have it surrounding me, and to get to sing those songs, is crazy. And then to also write some new tunes that really marry so well to the old tunes is like writing another page.

"Will it surprise some people? Yeah," Paul added. "But, honestly, I'm not… Somebody said, 'Oh, you're reinventing yourself.' I'm not the champion of blues rock or hard rock or metal or this. I did 'Phantom Of The Opera'. I'm a singer, and I choose to sing whatever I choose to sing at any given time. So, really, honestly, it's as natural for me to sing Philly soul as it is to sing rock. It's just I haven't done it publicly."

Last May, Stanley released a cover version of Smokey Robinson's classic song "Ooo Baby Baby", recorded by SOUL STATION. In a statement accompanying the clip, Stanley said: "These are challenging times. Long before I ever heard the great British bands, I grew up listening to Philly Soul, Motown and so much more. I was lucky to see Otis Redding and Solomon Burke among others. That music and its storytelling gave me strength and hope even in some tough days. The great classics of that era are magical medicine for most and I felt myself drawn back to that era for some sorcery I think we could all use."

He added: "While it's hard to connect physically, some of SOUL STATION decided to reach out and make a virtual and emotional connection on a great Motown and Smokey Robinson classic, Ooo Baby Baby."

In 2019, Stanley told the Real Radio 104.1 radio station that he wanted to wait for the right time to release the SOUL STATION LP. "It really deserves full attention and my full commitment," he explained. "So until we can do great live performances — the band is amazing live — and until we can promote it the way we should, it's just going to simmer."

Asked if he gets any hate from KISS fans for making an album that is stylistically far removed from the music his main band is best known for producing, Stanley said: "I'm sure there are some people who'd rather me doing a KISS album or something like that, but when you sign on with me, you understand that we're both in this together, and sometimes I have to do what I need to do. And that's part of the joy and the reward for me. So I would rather do a great SOUL STATION album right now than tamper with KISS or the KISS legacy and do something that I'm really not feeling at the moment."

Drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz of veteran Floridian death metallers CANNIBAL CORPSE has doubled down on his statement that he is in no rush to get the COVID-19 vaccine to help stop the novel coronavirus from spreading.

Earlier this month, Mazurkiewicz made headlines in the metal world when he told Finland's Kaaos TV that "it kind of stinks" that he may be "forced" to take the vaccine in order to be able to tour internationally with CANNIBAL CORPSE.

"In a personal sense, I don't know if I would [get the vaccine], per se," he said. "It's a good question. I'm not sure. The flu shot has been readily available, obviously, for years, and so many people always just got a flu shot, and I know a lot of them as well. But it wasn't anything that I felt that I neeed to get. So, yeah, I'm just weird about being forced to take something. It's a touchy subject, of course, so I don't know if I will get one or not, unless I have to."

After Mazurkiewicz's comments were first published on BLABBERMOUTH.NET and later picked up by other metal web sites, he was accused by some fans on social media of being an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist. He has since addressed the controversy in a new interview with Pierre Gutierrez of Rock Talks, saying that he was aware that his original comments had generated heated comments from both sides of the vaccination debate.

"I saw it on Blabbermouth, and I didn't even read any of the replies or the comments," Paul said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I was just, like, people are gonna talk no matter what; they're gonna have opinions. So I'm, like, I'm not even gonna bother. So I don't even really know what was said other than… Who the heck am I to even cause controversy, kind of a thing. So I don't know, man. It's just silly, I think, that it would cause any stir, I guess. But it is what it is… I said what I said, I guess. I guess that's what I believe, because I said it, right?!

"Everyone's got different views and everything," he continued. "And I'm not sitting here going, 'My God, I can't wait to get the shot.' I'm not — that's the truth. Will I get it? Maybe. I don't know. If I have to get it, I guess I have to get it. But I'm not sitting here going, 'Right, I'm going to get it,' or I'm thinking about it, like, 'Oh, as soon as it's available, I'm going tomorrow to get it.' I just don't think that way. So, who knows?"

A new poll from the Pew Research Center showed that more than two-thirds of U.S. adults plan on getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

The poll, released on March 5, found that 69 percent of adults say they are going to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

The Pew poll showed that 19% of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, 32% say they will definitely get the vaccine and 17% say they will probably get it.

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.

As of late January, the CDC discovered that only 11 per 1 million people experienced severe reactions from the Pfizer vaccine, and only 2.5 per 1 million people who received the Moderna dose.

Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, which became available in the United States earlier this month after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave it emergency use authorization, was tested with new variants of COVID-19, and has shown to be effective against them; Pfizer and Moderna were tested prior to the emergence of these variants.

In a new interview with Christina Rowatt of The Void With Christina, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach was asked if he and his bandmates are working on new music during the coronavirus pandemic. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, we're not. There's a couple of factors. One I can't really speak of, 'cause health had something to do with one of the bandmembers. We had a little hairy situation there. But we're doing better now. We are not writing, and there's a couple of reasons for that," he repeated. "Number one is we've all just been through the wringer this year mentally and physically for some. So that has been the last thing on our mind."

Leach continued: "We've recently regrouped via Zoom and talked and hung out and have started to talk about the potential of a concert online, like all these bands have done already. We may eventually do that. And we've come up with creative ideas on how to make it different, and interesting songs to play and concepts. So that conversation started. It's something that'll be in the future. But another reason why there's not a ton of incentive to write new music right now — number one, we're not together; number two, TIMES OF GRACE is getting ready to roll out [a new] record," he said, referring to his side project with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz. "So in order for that to breathe and have its time, and then KILLSWITCH will have its time after, they very, very graciously understood that when TIMES OF GRACE comes out, we're gonna allow TIMES OF GRACE to breathe. Adam and I are focusing on putting visuals together. And we've got the first single and visual done. So we're very much gonna cater this record to an online experience, allowing TIMES OF GRACE to have their time in the press and the media. So that's another reason why KILLSWITCH is not working on anything right now."

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's latest album, "Atonement", was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records in the U.S. and Sony Music Entertainment in the rest of the world. The disc features guest appearances by the band's former lead singer Howard Jones and TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. It marks the band's third full-length release since the return of Leach, who rejoined the group in 2012.

Last summer, three singles from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE reached new sales milestones in the U.S. "My Curse" was certified platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) on September 10 for accumulating a million certified units. That same day, "The End Of Heartache" and KILLSWITCH's cover of the DIO classic "Holy Diver" were both certified gold for accumulating half a million units.

According to the RIAA, one equivalent song unit is equal to a single digital song sale, or 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE recently celebrated two decades as a band with a comprehensive and in-depth 20-year timeline that documented so many of the band's memorable career milestones and storied history with plenty of captivating images. The clickable, scroll-through timeline boasts flyers from early shows, live shots from festival appearances, and fan tattoos. It also traces major tours, video shoots, album releases, Grammy nominations, lineup changes, and beyond. The timeline functions as a digital museum that effectively tells the complete KILLSWITCH ENGAGE story. The timeline was created specifically for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE fans to enjoy and to reminisce.

Jeremy Spencer, former drummer and co-founding member of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, discussed his late 2018 decision to exit the band during a recent appearance on "That Jamieson Show". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I had some back issues, and I had to get a couple of surgeries. And the second one was brutal — I had to get disc replacement and fusion. I had deteriorating discs, so it was really painful to play, and I wasn't playing very good. So it was, like, 'I'm not enjoying this. And I don't feel like I'm doing it like I used to be able to.' It's kind of like an athlete when they're aging, and they can't just quite do it like they used to. I mean, the brain's working, but it's just not connecting with the limbs. And I was, like, 'Fuck, man. All right. It might be time to recognize that I need to step off.' So I did."

Spencer, who now fronts his own group called PSYCHOSEXUAL, said that he never intended to completely walk away from writing music and performing live. "I love music, and I was making my own music forever," he explained. "So I've always done that. It's just, as far as that touring lifestyle and that machine, doing what I had to do physically for so long, I had to step off the train, and I had to address the surgeries. And it was really depressing — it was a hard surgery. It was a big setback. I was depressed for a while. It hurts. It's painful. It sucks. I didn't get hooked on pain meds or anything; I would take, like, Advil and shit. But it sucked. And they had to go in through the front and the back, so they took my guts out on the table and everything. It was a brutal surgery."

Spencer recently removed all the previously released music and videos from PSYCHOSEXUAL ahead of the arrival of the band's new single, "Devil From Hell", at the end of the month.

PSYCHOSEXUAL released its debut album, "Torch The Faith", last July. It was co-produced by Spencer and Shawn McGhee (DROWNING POOL) and released via Spencer's 6eX Records. The debut premiered at No. 150 on the Billboard 200 chart, reaching No. 5 on the Hard Music Albums, No. 12 on Top New Artist Albums and No. 30 on Current Rock Albums.

PSYCHOSEXUAL's last release was the covers EP "Songs To Stalk You By", which came out last November. The EP reunited Spencer with former FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Jason Hook, who contributed solos on the KISS classic "Watchin' You" and QUEENSRŸCHE's "Gonna Get Close To You". The recordings marked the first time the pair had worked together since both parted ways with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH.

Spencer, who sports a Mephistophelian mask as Devil Daddy, is joined in PSYCHOSEXUAL by guitarist Crucifer, bassist Astaroth and drummer Volac.

Spencer's replacement in FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is Charlie "The Engine" Engen. Engen made his recording debut with the band on the "F8" album, which came out in February 2020.

THE EXPLOITED drummer William "Wullie" Buchan, the younger brother of the band's lead singer Walter "Wattie" Buchan, suffered a heart attack Thursday night (March 11). Wattie revealed in a social media post earlier today that he is currently "in hospital waiting to see what's happening next" with his 56-year-old sibling, who has been a member of THE EXPLOITED, on and off, since 1983.

A punk rock band from Edinburgh, Scotland, THE EXPLOITED was formed in 1979 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan, with Buchan soon replaced by his brother Wattie. They signed to Secret Records in March 1981, and their debut EP, "Army Life", and debut album, "Punks Not Dead", were both released that year. THE EXPLOITED maintained a large cult following in the 1980s among a hardcore working class punk and skinhead audience. Originally a street punk act, THE EXPLOITED eventually became a crossover thrash band with the release of the "Death Before Dishonour" album in 1987.

Although THE EXPLOITED continues to perform live, it has not released any studio material since its last album, "Fuck The System", which came out in 2003.

Wattie's own health has made headlines in the past, including in 2014 when he suffered a heart attack while on stage. In 2017, while THE EXPLOITED was on tour, the singer again had to be hospitalized for what the band called a "very serious heart condition," adding that their frontman "almost died."


sending best wishes to Wullie Buchan

our drummer and my brother who had a heart attack last night

now in hospital waiting to see what's happening next with him

Posted by The Exploited on Friday, March 12, 2021

THE OFFSPRING singer Bryan "Dexter" Holland and guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman spoke to Lou Brutus of HardDrive Radio about the band's upcoming tenth studio album, "Let The Bad Times Roll", which will arrive on April 16 via Concord Records. The follow-up to 2012's "Days Go By" was produced by Bob Rock, who also worked on the band's last two LPs.

Speaking about the inspiration for the "Let The Bad Times Roll" album title, Dexter said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We had a song two albums ago [on 2008's 'Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace'] called 'Shit Is Fucked Up'. We wrote that 'cause we thought how terrible things were in the world back then. But it actually got worse. So we had to come up with a new title, 'Let The Bad Times Roll'.

"You can apply it to a lot of things," he explained. "I mean, we're not a political band. Some people would apply it to the last administration. Some people would apply it to things that are going on today, or just how messed up everything is, trying to fix our pandemic and all that kind of stuff."

Added Noodles: "But really, it's not just an American-centric thing either, cause you're seeing stuff happening around the world. There's unrest happening literally everywhere — on all continents. You're seeing unrest, and then you're also seeing anti-democratic forces kind of taking power in some places, in which case causes more unrest. So, yeah, the whole world is a little bit of a scary place right now."

Dexter continued: "That's right. Climate change, climate deniers, vaccine, anti-vaxxers — whatever you want, it's out there."

Holland, Wasserman, drummer Pete Parada and new bassist Todd Morse wrote and recorded "Let The Bad Times Roll" in the last few years at various locations, including the band's studio in Huntington Beach, California.

In December, THE OFFSPRING released the official music video for its Rock-produced cover version of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", a rock song originally sung by Darlene Love and included on the 1963 seasonal compilation album "A Christmas Gift For You" from Phil Spector.

Last April, THE OFFSPRING jumped on the "Tiger King" bandwagon by recording a cover version of THE CLINTON JOHNSON BAND's "Here Kitty Kitty", a song made popular by Joe Schreibvogel — better known as Joe Exotic, the "Tiger King" — through the Netflix docuseries.

Two years ago, bassist Gregory "Greg K." Kriesel, who hasn't performed with THE OFFSPRING since 2018, filed a federal lawsuit against Noodles and Dexter alleging trademark infringement and breach of partnership agreement over the rights to THE OFFSPRING name. In response, Holland and Wasserman filed a cross-complaint, denying basically everything Kriesel alleged and asking the court to appoint "three disinterested appraisers to appraise the fair value" of Kriesel's shares of THE OFFSPRING.

THE OFFSPRING has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, won countless awards, and has toured consistently, playing more than 500 shows in the last decade alone. Their music has had a lasting impact across film, television, and video games.

In the nine-minute video below, ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante breaks down the song "Gung-Ho" from the band's classic second studio album, 1985's "Spreading The Disease". The clip was originally produced for Modern Drummer magazine.

Produced by ANTHRAX with Carl Canedy, the 44-minute "Spreading The Disease" marked the first ANTHRAX album to feature singer Joey Belladonna and bassist Frank Bello (joining drummer Benante and guitarists Dan Spitz and Scott Ian), and set into motion the core elements that would become the essence of ANTHRAX. In addition, the album also introduced the ANTHRAX writing partnership of Benante and Ian (that eventually evolved into Benante, Ian and Bello).

For Bello, "Spreading The Disease" was his full-on album recording baptism. Only 18 at the time, he hadn't yet fully realized his own style of playing, but over the course of the sessions, he developed it. "You can hear all of my influences on every song, Steve Harris, Geddy Lee, Geezer Butler, all of them." Bello said. He remembered that "Spreading The Disease" didn't quite come of age until later on, but it was definitely "simmering." "What we were doing was so fresh, so different — we had heavy songs with these great, melodic vocals — and eventually, people caught on and loved what we were doing. I think every song on 'Spreading The Disease' still stands up today," he said.

"Spreading The Disease" represented a turning point in rock. It came during a time when the landscape was transitioning from the "hair band scene" to a new composite of metal, punk and hardcore — thrash metal. The album was compelling and utterly fresh to the 1985 music fan with its speedy rhythms, savage riffs, blistering solos, punishing drum work and a killer melodic performance by Belladonna. Unlike the thrash bands sprouting up on the west coast that focused on speed, ANTHRAX's focus was on catchiness, hooks, and a hot and sweaty, New York mosh sensibility. And it wasn't just the music that was morphing, it was a whole new culture that was being birthed. And ANTHRAX, along with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH, was right at its nucleus.

"Spreading The Disease" contains several ANTHRAX standouts: "A.I.R.", with its great riffs and abundance of melody, "Madhouse", a testament to the band's top-notch song-writing skills that showcased their grasp of melody, and "Armed And Dangerous", a soulful ballad with its singalong chorus and spine-tingling performance by Belladonna. "Aftershock" is probably the album's punkiest song with its blistering guitar solo, and the closer, "Gung-Ho", with its out-and-out speed-kills blitzkrieg, is a superb piece of thrash metal.

"We didn't know what we were doing, but we totally knew what we were doing," said Ian. "I know that doesn't make sense, but it's where we were at, a bunch of 21-year-old kids making our major label debut on a shoestring budget with nothing but a dream and a bunch of songs that we thought killed. We were right and our dream came true. Thank you to all the fans that put this record and ANTHRAX on the map way back when and still support us today."

The 30th-anniversary edition of "Spreading The Disease" was made available in November 2015 via Universal.

Matthew Kiichi Heafy, the Japanese-American musician best known as the guitarist and lead vocalist for the Grammy-nominated heavy metal band TRIVIUM, has released the "Vengeance Falls" acoustic EP, featuring reworked versions of five songs from the group's 2013 album of the same name. You can now listen to it in the YouTube clip below.

Featured songs:

00:00 Strife

04:16 At The End of This War

08:33 Through Blood And Dirt And Bone

13:00 Wake (The End Is Nigh)

18:28 Losing My Religion

According to Heafy, there will be an acoustic EP for every record except 2020's "What The Dead Men Say".

Heafy is also an avid gamer who steadily built his Twitch profile to massive success in the past few years. His Twitch efforts have been featured by Microsoft, TechCrunch, Forbes and beyond. He is also a practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a food connoisseur. Heafy streams daily on his Twitch channel "matthewkheafy," displaying the behind-the-scenes work it takes to stay in shape to play guitars and do vocals. He plays TRIVIUM songs by request and every day is a new show made by the fans, for the fans.

Some of Heafy's notable accomplishments include hosting the first-ever full metal gaming village at Wacken Open Air, competing against Ninja in the Twitch Rivals Summer Skirmish, competing and celebrating the opening of Full Sail's esports arena, creating Shroud's theme song, being Streamlab's top streamer merch seller of all time, being in the top 100 most subscribed to channels on Twitch, leading the charge as the pioneer of music streaming on Twitch (also partnering with Twitch to make the official how-to guides on streaming music on Twitch's help page), and co-founding the Metal & Honey Foundation, which supports the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for children. 100% of the proceeds directly benefit the music therapy program.

Heafy also recently appeared on "The Drew Barrymore Show", where he surprised a fan and gifted him with a guitar.

TRIVIUM's ninth full-length album, "What The Dead Men Say", is available now via Roadrunner Records.

The official music video for the song "Picture Yourself" Danish vocalist Ronnie Atkins can be seen below. The track is taken from his new solo album, "One Shot", which is being released today (Friday, March 12) via Frontiers Music Srl.

"To be honest, I initially had no intention to do a solo album to begin with, but for various reasons, and in particularly my own personal health situation, I finally decided to have a crack at it," says Atkins.

"Around Easter 2020, and only some six weeks after I was told that everything seemingly looked very positive for my health, I was, unfortunately, diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and told it was incurable, which was devastating news for me. Needless to say, that was a total game changer and I went into kind of a panic situation for a while. But when the dust had settled, I realized there were two ways to approach the situation. I could sit down, accept the facts, and feel pity for myself or I could pull myself up, set some goals, pursue my dreams, and carry on living. And with fantastic backup from my family and true friends, I went for the latter."

With the global pandemic shutting down touring for the foreseeable future, Atkins knew a tour promoting the latest PRETTY MAIDS album, "Undress Your Madness" (2019), was not going to be in the cards anytime soon. Suddenly, the timing for working on a new solo album seemed to have presented itself.

"Well, I couldn't change the way things were, by any means," he says. "The whole world was on a lockdown and the future prospects of concerts were very uncertain and still is to this day. Basically, that meant that if I was gonna carry out the idea of a solo album, it had to be now since I don't necessarily have all the time in the world. I had all these ideas recorded on my iPhone that I felt were too good to never see the light of day and I was writing a lot at the time to help ease my frustrations."

Ronnie's next step was to hook up with good friend and PRETTY MAIDS bandmate and producer Chris Laney to begin the work of putting these ideas together into songs. Chris is overseeing production, Jacob Hansen will mix, and musicians/singers appearing on the album include, in addition to Laney, Allan Sørensen, Morten Sandager, Pontus Egberg, Pontus Norgren, Kee Marcello, Olliver Hartmann, John Berg, Anders Ringman, Linnea Vikström Egg and Björn Strid.

"Not being able to handle the recordings myself since I'm old school and a complete idiot when it comes to IT, Pro Tools, etc. I hooked up with my PRETTY MAIDS friend and firesoul Chris Laney, who literally cheered me up and convinced me to go ahead with it," Ronnie says. "So, I decided to get moving and literally recorded my ideas on either piano or guitar and with a mellotron click to keep the beat and the accompanying vocal. Then I would send these along to Chris, who did the instrumentation in Stockholm and would then send back demos to me. Then I recorded the vocals first, which is totally the opposite of what you'd normally do, but based on the uncertainty of my health situation, I wanted to get them down. After that we did the basic tracks, drums, guitars, keys, backing vocals, etc. Odd way of doing it, for me at least, but it worked. And so, this procedure slowly moved on during the summer and finally turned into an album of 12 new songs."

"I wouldn't have been able to carry out this project without the enthusiasm of Chris, who has been my constant partner in this project from day one," Atkins adds. "On top of that, I had the pleasure of working with a variety of great musicians/singers such as Pontus Norgren, Kee Marcello, Olliver Hartmann, Pontus Egberg, Linnea Vickström Egg, Björn Strid, and at last, but not at least, my PRETTY MAIDS relatives Allan Sørensen and Morten Sandager.

"Musically and lyrically, this album has been a different process for me, considering everything going on. Musically, it could have gone in various directions. It's always a question of what you want it to be. A good song is a good song, so it's really a matter of how it is packaged. But I decided to make it appeal to the fans, the supporters who've been following me for almost 40 years, so this is basically a melodic rock album with a heavy twist. Lyrically, it also has a different approach. I found it hard to write about sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll, etc. due to the situation I'm wrapped up in, so I guess it turned out a bit more personal and maybe melancholic at times. But it reflects my thoughts at the given time these lyrics were written."

"One Shot" track listing:

01. Real

02. Scorpio

03. One Shot

04. Subjugated

05. Frequency Of Love

06. Before The Rise Of An Empire

07. Miles Away

08. Picture Yourself

09. I Prophesize

10. One By One

11. When Dreams Are Not Enough

Lineup:

Ronnie Atkins: Lead and backing vocals

Chris Laney: Rhythm guitars, keyboards and backing vocals

Allan Sørensen: Drums

Morten Sandager: Keyboards

Pontus Egberg: Bass

Acoustic guitars: Anders Ringman

Lead guitars/solos: Pontus Norgren, Kee Marcello, Olliver Hartmann, John Berg, Chris Laney

Additional backing vocals: Chris Laney, Linnea Vikström Egg, Olliver Hartmann, Björn Strid

Produced by: Chris Laney

Mixed by Jacob Hansen

The 56-year-old Atkins was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019 and underwent at least 33 radiation and four chemotherapy treatments in the fall of that year before being declared cancer-free. In October 2020, he announced that his cancer had returned.

Photo credit: Tallee Savage

A 16-minute documentary that takes fans behind the scenes of the recording of SAXON's upcoming covers album, "Inspirations", can be seen below. Due on March 19 via Silver Lining Music, the 11-track effort contains some of the superb classic rock songs that influenced singer Biff Byford and the rest of the band.

"Inspirations" was recorded at Brockfield Hall, near York in the U.K., which was built in 1804 and holds the largest collection of paintings by Yorkshire's impressionist artists — the Staithes Group. For Byford, recording "Inspirations" all together within such a rich historical environment was a major ingredient of the project. "The warmth and feel of 'Inspirations' had so much to do with being together in this magnificent place and doing it 'old-school' style," Byford explained. "This is how many bands back in the day —including some of the ones covered here — made such great albums, so it just felt really good to be able to do this somewhere like Brockfield Hall."

From the super-charged melodic romp of THE BEATLES' "Paperback Writer" to their freeway mad take on Jimi Hendrix's "Stone Free", SAXON show their love and appreciation with a series of faithful, raw and ready tributes. Maintaining a firm eye on the old-school way using Marshall cabs, Marshall amps, real drums and produced by Byford with Jacky Lehmann recording and mixing, SAXON approach the likes of MOTÖRHEAD's "Bomber" (with added whistle!), AC/DC's "Problem Child", BLACK SABBATH's "Evil Woman" and a raucous DEEP PURPLE's "Speed King" with refreshingly warm, unfiltered, "vintage"-sounding renditions.

"We wanted to do an album based on our influences, the songs and bands that inspired us to write what we did and still do," continued Byford, "and it was also interesting to see what my voice could do as I haven't sung many of these songs before."

Byford does, indeed, take on some new vocal challenges, which he duly smashes on the likes of THIN LIZZY's "The Rocker". The net result is that whether cranking up a heavyweight take on LED ZEPPELIN's "Immigrant Song" or throwing down AC/DC's "Problem Child", SAXON does a supreme job of entertaining both themselves and their audience throughout Inspirations.

"We didn't want to change any of the songs too much, just play them more like SAXON," concluded Byford, "and we also think it's very important to have — and share with the fans — some fun in these dark times."

You want even more proof of the validity behind that statement? Wrap your ears around their sparkling take on TOTO's "Hold The Line" and consider SAXON's "Inspirations" a mission accomplished.

"Inspirations" will be made available on vinyl, CD, digital formats and limited-edition D2C products.

Track listing:

01. Paint It Black

02. Immigrant Song

03. Paperback Writer

04. Evil Woman

05. Stone Free

06. Bomber

07. Speed King

08. The Rocker

09. Hold The Line

10. Problem Child

11. See My Friends

Frontiers Music Srl and STRYPER have announced that they have extended their working relationship for the release of more new studio albums together.

STRYPER and Frontiers originally joined forces in 2013 for the release of "Second Coming", an album comprised of new recordings of 14 songs from the band's early years, as well as two brand new songs. What followed has been a string of critically and commercially successful studio albums, including "No More Hell To Pay" (2013), "Fallen" (2015), "God Damn Evil" (2018) and "Even The Devil Believes" (2020). Additionally, a live album and long-form video, "Live At The Whisky" (2014) was made available. Every one of the albums released on Frontiers in the past eight years has successfully charted on the Billboard 200 chart and topped the Hot 100, Rock, Hard Rock, Current and Christian Music album charts.

STRYPER is one of the most well-known metal bands to emerge from the fertile '80s metal renaissance over three decades ago. The band first landed on the global scene in 1984 and and is responsible for such classic '80s metal albums as "Soldiers Under Command", "To Hell With The Devil" and "In God We Trust" and hit singles/videos such as "Calling On You", "Free" and "Honestly". To date, the band has sold upwards of eight million records worldwide and is a Dove Award winner and Grammy nominee. STRYPER was also the first band to have two songs in MTV's "Top 10 Video Countdown" simultaneously.

After being on a hiatus for much of the '90s, STRYPER returned stronger than ever in the early 21st century. Musically, the band has progressed and grown their fan base steadily and continuously, being one of the few "classic" metal bands of the '80s that managed to keep themselves front and center thanks to the consistency of their musical output.

Singer, main composer, guitarist and producer Michael Sweet says; "We're honored to be working with Frontiers again on the next STRYPER album. Serafino and the team at Frontiers has always believed in what we do and we've made some incredible albums together over the past eight years. They understand who we are and are passionate about our band and our brand. We're very grateful for that. We're so excited to be able to continue our relationship and I've always believed that the best is yet to come. We've released seven STRYPER albums together and it's been an amazing journey so far. I can't wait to get started on what will be our best album yet! We've strived to stay true to our roots and deliver what the fans expect — the classic STRYPER sound! Although we wish to continue doing so, we also want to branch out a little bit more and try something different as well. We'll keep stretching out and working hard to stay close to who we are yet experiment a bit more and try a few different things along the way. I know it will be an amazing album!"

Frontiers president Serafino Perugino says: "I second Michael's words. Working with STRYPER has been nothing but an absolute pleasure and an honor. They have vision, strong guidance and an outstanding work ethic and of course musically the guys are on fire! They have released outstanding albums and worked hard to promote them with countless interviews and on the road. Michael in particular is a major talent as singer, guitarist, performer, producer and songwriter and shares with me the vision of working on his output creatively. We will soon see him for new albums with Tracii Guns (SUNBOMB), Nathan James, Joel Hoekstra, Marco Mendoza and Tommy Aldridge (the name of which will be revealed soon), then for an album with Alessandro Del Vecchio, and finally also with SWEET & LYNCH for his third album with George Lynch. I can only admire and thank you and the guys for the trust and the faith they have put in our work. Long live STRYPER!"

Michael is joined in STRYPER by his brother Robert Sweet (drums), Oz Fox (guitars) and Perry Richardson (ba

Norwegian metal avant-gardists ENSLAVED have paid tribute to Lars-Göran "LG" Petrov. The pioneering ENTOMBED and ENTOMBED A.D. singer died on Sunday, March 7 after a battle with bile duct cancer. He was 49 years old.

Earlier today, the members of ENSLAVED shared a couple of photos of them hanging out with Petrov, and they included the following message: "Dear LG, dear friend, when we heard about your unfortunate passing, we felt we lost a part of ourselves. Your impact on us, for more than 30 years, has largely contributed to shape our musical DNA. When we picked up 'Left Hand Path' in the summer of 1990, we just thought 'This is our musical path, this is where we are heading'. The energy and madness you unveiled with your bone chilling vocals on this album has never left us. This is still THE to-visit-album when we feel nostalgic and beer-thirsty.

"'Left Hand Path' was the first mutual ground for us. When we met at the first PHOBIA rehearsal in 1990, Ivar wanted to sound like Uffe and Alex, and Grutle wanted to sound like LG. Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury wasn't the biggest vocalists in 1990, it was Chris Reifert and LG Petrov, period.

"Some years later we would meet each other at festivals around the globe, and we became friends. We even had some collaborations! At an ENSLAVED/ENTOMBED gig in Gothenburg in 2006, Grutle joined LG on vocals on 'Left Hand Path', and when ENSLAVED assembled a special show, including cover songs, at Hole In The Sky 2009, LG was the first one we contacted. He ended up doing vocals on, of course, 'Left Hand Path'. That was a huge moment for us, and stands out like a monolithic milestone in our career.

"On a personal-off stage manner, meeting LG was like an injection of vitamins and positivity! Whenever we met him (like on this pic of a hungover-like-a-freakin'-baboon-moment from an early morning on an airport somewhere) we always ended up having a laugh and we all cheered up, always.

"LG, you had an absolutely unique down-to-earth precence as well as being an out of this world talented musican and frontman. We were all lesser men beside you.

"Shine on LG, you crazy diamond".

Last year, Petrov revealed his cancer diagnosis, writing in a note on a GoFundMe page that doctors were unable to remove the cancer, but were trying to "control it with chemotherapy."

Petrov originally fronted the cult Swedish death metal band NIHILIST in the late 1980s, before the group split and reformed as ENTOMBED.

ENTOMBED's acclaimed debut, 1990's "Left Hand Path", landed at No. 82 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time".

ENTOMBED A.D. was formed in 2014 when Petrov and other members of ENTOMBED decided to change the band's name in order to avoid a legal battle with ENTOMBED guitarist Alex Hellid who didn't want his former bandmates to use the ENTOMBED moniker.
























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According to TMZ, Gene Simmons has relisted his house in the Benedict Canyon area of Los Angeles for $25 million. The KISS bassist/vocalist previously put the home up for sale back in October for $22 million, but it never sold and he reportedly invested a lot of money in making improvements.

When Gene originally put the house on the market, he told The Wall Street Journal that he and his wife, Shannon Simmons, were moving to a 24-acre estate in Washington, near Mount Rainier, to escape the tax burden of living in California.

"California and Beverly Hills have been treating folks that create jobs badly and the tax rates are unacceptable," Gene said. "I work hard and pay my taxes and I don't want to cry the Beverly Hills blues, but enough is enough."

Gene bought the house in 1984 for $1.35 million and reportedly put as much as $12 million into the property over the last three and a half decades. In addition to a 16,000-square-foot mansion, there is a swimming pool with a 60-foot slide, a tennis court and parking for 35 cars.

Last summer, Simmons put his hillside home in Laurel Canyon on the market for $2.2 million.

Gene and Shannon, a former Playboy Playmate Of The Year in 1982, were married in 2011 after dating since 1975. They have two children, Nick, 31, and Sophie, 28.

Gene, Shannon and their kids all appeared on the reality TV series "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" from 2006 until 2012.

For the past few months, Gene has been vocal about people taking the COVID-19 outbreak seriously. He has also blasted Americans who are defiantly skeptical of mask wearing, saying that their refusal to follow the rules is putting all of our health at risk.

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




Gene Simmons Selling Renovated Beverly Hills Mansion for $25 Million https://t.co/qNKEWEAvyE

— TMZ (@TMZ) March 12, 2021

Ace Frehley recently checked in with AXS TV to show viewers a few of the pieces in his rock and roll memorabilia collection. From a specially made and aged replica of his 1959 Les Paul guitar (don't worry, he has 12 of them) to his favorite vintage piece of art, the KISS founding member joins AXS TV on its version of "show and tell," "Rock & Tell".

Last December, Frehley told Talking Metal Live that he would begin recording his next all-original album "after the New Year." The record will be the follow-up to "Spaceman", which was released in October 2018 via eOne.

According to Ace, he has spent the last few months building a full-fledged recording studio at his new house in New Jersey. "It's not the first studio I've ever built," he said. "If you remember, in the '70s, when I lived in Connecticut, I spent $800,000 building a studio underground next to my home. But studios are nothing new to me, and I design 'em wherever I go; wherever I live, I always have a place to work. But the new place I'm in now has a 3,000-square-foot basement, so I've got plenty of room. The beauty of it is because of this virus, everybody's supposed to stay home," he continued. "Well, I don't have a problem staying home now, because I work from my house anyway."

Asked if he is already writing music for his next solo album or if he is planning to begin the process once the studio has been completed, Ace said: "I've been writing all along. Plus, I have tracks that I've already recorded that I have to revisit and decide whether they have a chance to make it on my new studio record — [if they] have to be rewritten or [they're] just good the way they are. And I've got people sending me song ideas constantly… So, little by little, it's an ongoing process, and it evolves as it goes."

Earlier last year, Frehley told Canada's iHeart Radio that he has "only written about three songs" for his next LP, and he added they were "not finished." He said: "Now that I'm [living] on the East Coast [after moving to New Jersey from Southern California], my engineer only lives an hour from me, Alex Salzman, who worked with me extensively on this last record, and he played a lot of bass guitar as well, So it's gonna be even easier, 'Origins Vol. 3' and the next [original] record."

Frehley's latest release was "Origins Vol. 2", the sequel to his 2016 collection of cover songs that inspired the former KISS guitarist.

"These albums are becoming fun," he told iHeart Radio. "I just re-signed with eOne, and they want an 'Origins Vol. 3' after the next studio record. But it's become a really fun process. It's much easier than doing a studio record where you have to write the material yourself. I'm basically just taking other people's material that influenced me as a kid and putting my stamp on it."

"Origins Vol. 2" featured cover versions of THE BEATLES' "I'm Down", DEEP PURPLE's "Space Truckin'", LED ZEPPELIN's "Good Times Bad Times", THE ROLLING STONES' "Jumpin' Jack Flash", THE KINKS' "Lola" and THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's "Manic Depression", among others. A cover of the 1975 KISS tune "She" also appeared as a bonus track. Guests on the set included CHEAP TRICK's Robin Zander, Lita Ford and former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons co-wrote two tracks on "Spaceman", "Without You I'm Nothing" and "Your Wish Is My Command", the latter of which also features Simmons's bass playing.

Former TNT singer Tony Harnell has released his cover version of the JUDAS PRIEST classic "Before The Dawn". The official lyric video for the track is available below.

In a message accompanying the YouTube release of the song, Harnell wrote: "There's really no way to put into words the impact that @robhalfordlegacy and @judaspriest had on me and my decision to make music my life, but I'll try.

"It all started when my junior high school buddy Ed Gotti gave me my first PRIEST album 'Stained Class' in 1978 when I was just 15 years old. It blew my head apart. I listened to it every day, several times a day, it was my sonic bible that year. Of course I immediately went to the record shop and found 'Sin After Sin', 'Sad Wings' and 'Rocka Rolla'. I fell pretty hard for 'Sad Wings' as well. And I was the first in line to buy 'Hell Bent For Leather' when it came out later that same year and for me, it was the THE most bad ass album I'd ever heard or seen! That cover! I literally played the 8 track to death in my first car when I was just 16.

"What always struck me about Rob was his versatility. All the colors and textures in his voice, the use of various tones from beautiful to brutal and his ability to convey so many emotions in one single phrase. And of course his superhuman range and pure voiced stratospheric notes.

"I surfed nearly every morning and listened to these albums to and from the beach singing full blast and honing my craft, but I didn't know this at the time. I was literally training my voice without even thinking that's what I was doing. I was just in a musical trance. Next to surfing it was all I cared about and all I thought about and JUDAS PRIEST was driving my obsession.

"On the midst of all this heavy music there was this beautiful song 'Before The Dawn'. I just loved singing along to it so much. I performed it in my storyteller set on tour in Norway in September 2019 and it went over so well I figured at some point I'd record it. So here it is. With absolutely beautiful guitars from my brother @haape and a wonderful mix by my friend @rwikmark".

Last month, Harnell, who has been in and out of TNT several times throughout the group's four-decade existence, told That Metal Interview that there is a chance he will make another studio album with TNT at some point in the future. "I think there is hope for that," he said. "And Ronni [Le Tekrø, guitar] and I have always also wanted to do music together outside of that, so I think both things are possible. It just depends on… Right now, we're trying to make some early, very tentative plans, but it's very hard with COVID going on at the moment."

Harnell's most recent split with TNT took place in October 2017, less than a year and a half after he rejoined the group. He later described his relationship with TNT in an "Unphiltered" interview as "a very long marriage. I'm here [in New York], they're there [in Norway] — they're across the pond really far away. It's a very difficult situation to be in without having a very unified business organization, and no matter what I did, I could not get the thing unified. We were just on two totally separate not only continents physically, but mentally, psychologically, we were on two different continents as well."

New York metal outfit SILVERTOMB has released the official music video for its latest single, titled "So True". The track is the fourth single taken from the band's debut album, "Edge Of Existence", which came out in November 2019 via Long Branch Records/SPV.

SILVERTOMB is the latest musical endeavor of guitarist-vocalist Kenny Hickey (TYPE O NEGATIVE, SEVENTH VOID), drummer Johnny Kelly (TYPE O NEGATIVE, DANZIG), bassist Hank Hell (SEVENTH VOID, INHUMAN), New York City hardcore veteran Joseph James (AGNOSTIC FRONT, INHUMAN) on guitar and Aaron Joos (AWAKEN THE SHADOW, EMPYREON) on keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals.

SILVERTOMB combines the musical styles of bands such as PINK FLOYD and BLACK SABBATH with a bone-crushing, mind-blowing sonic experience.

Hickey comments on "So True": "This song was written in desperation and from the gut at a time when I was at one of the lowest points in my alcohol abuse. It's a basic purging of every trauma, insecurity, and anxiety that led up to that point in my life. So for the 'So True' video, we tried to capture how a negative self-image and a lust for power can be turned outward and onto society to become a destructive force."

"Edge Of Existence" explores Hickey's personal struggles with addiction, love, suicide, and the death of TYPE O NEGATIVE singer and frontman Peter Steele in 2010 and the band's subsequent split.

Kelly told Antihero about SILVERTOMB's sound: "There's elements of what we were doing with SEVENTH VOID. It seems like it's a continuation from that, but the songs and the song structures really took a life of its own. It's more layered and textured — not to the extent that we would do in TYPE O NEGATIVE, but it has a little bit of that flavor to it. It doesn't sound like TYPE O, but, obviously, you have two guys from TYPE O NEGATIVE in the band. It's going to have resemblance. It's still a more rock-oriented approach than the slow-paced, doomy aspect that TYPE O had. Now that we've added a keyboard player, there's a lot more layers and textures to it than what SEVENTH VOID was."

Progressive, technical death metal collective ALLUVIAL has sign with Nuclear Blast Records. The band's sophomore album, "Sarcoma", will be released on May 28. The official music video for the record's first singe, "Ulysses", can be seen below.

Commenting on ALLUVIAL's signing to the label, guitarist Wes Hauch says: "Monte Conner (legendary A&R man at Nuclear Blast) is responsible for most of the metal that I was reared on, and I'm honored that ALLUVIAL has found a home with Nuclear Blast. Their tenure and pedigree is inimitable, their enthusiasm and belief in the band is inspiring to us."

Vocalist Kevin Muller adds: "The diversity in the music, and the power in our message is what makes ALLUVIAL a perfect home for me. Nuclear Blast is known for its roster full of authentic bands that have power and conviction in their art. We are proud to be among them."

Conner says: "Wes's music has all the elements that I have always looked for in songs — killer arrangements, melody, hooks and powerful vocals. When you add in his guitar playing, it just takes it all to another level — not just his solos but his tasty rhythm guitar work as well. Top-notch stuff here! I am happy to have Wes, Kevin and ALLUVIAL as part of the Nuclear Blast family."

What began as an instrumental collaboration has grown into a full-frontal aural assault with a lineup consisting of vocalist Kevin Muller (ex-SUFFOCATION, THE MERCILESS CONCEPT), guitarist Wes Hauch (ex-THE FACELESS, BLACK CROWN INITIATE), bassist Tim Walker (ENTHEOS) and drummer Matt Paulazzo (AEGAEON). On ALLUVIAL's follow-up to 2017's "The Deep Longing For Annihilation", the band plunges into a whirlwind of neck-snapping polyrhythmic riffs, a barrage of double bass and a dynamic avalanche of screams.

"Sarcoma is a type of cancer that grows from connective tissue in the body," says Hauch. "At the end of working on everything, Kevin pinpointed that each song on the record was about the different perils that happen at the hand of one man to another. These perils live in our connections to one another, so 'Sarcoma' became an apt title."

As Hauch began writing the record, he took notice of Muller due to his time in SUFFOCATION. After hearing his vocals on a demo, everything simply clicked, and Kevin joined the band. Fast brothers, it fulfilled a long-term goal. "'The Deep Longing For Annihilation' was supposed to have vocals, but I couldn't find the right guy," he adds. "Some people possess a rare inability to doubt themselves. Kevin can marry that into performances. The day I heard his vocals over the 'Sarcoma' demos was a special one. We've become brothers."

After writing and producing demos at home, ALLUVIAL cut guitars, bass, and vocals with engineer John Douglass (MR. BUNGLE, AMON AMARTH) in Atlanta. The opener "Ulysses" begins with warm guitar echoes before building towards an ominous crescendo. It quickly crumbles under the weight of a thrash riff and brain-rattling growl.

"I was always in trouble in my small hometown," Hauch says. "After going to a county jail, I joined the military and took orders as an equipment operator bound for the U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalions. The enlisted side of the military are all misfits of one kind or another. Because of this, it's really a continuation of high school. The military continued raising us, for better or worse. In 2005, I deployed to Iraq and convoyed throughout Baghdad for seven months. If you were in Iraq from 03 to 08, it was generally pretty bad. Because of that, I wouldn't call my experience in Iraq 'unique,' it was just a hot time over there. If you convoyed, you were gonna get shot at, and you were gonna deal with IEDs. If you were in a camp, you were gonna get mortared. If you were infantry and you were kicking down doors, god bless you, you were gonna have it the worst out of anyone. 'Ulysses' is a glossary of my hindsight on that experience."

"Sarcoma" track listing:

01. Ulysses

02. Thy Underling

03. Sarcoma

04. 40 Stories

05. Zero

06. Exponent

07. Sleepers Become Giants

08. The Putrid Sunrise

09. Sugar Paper

10. Anodyne

Funko, the world's leading pop culture consumer products brand and creators of the wildly popular Pop! Vinyl collection, recently partnered with POISON frontman Bret Michaels to create his first-ever, limited edition Pop! Vinyl figure. The Bret Michaels collectible Pop! will reflect Michaels's iconic likeness and style.

Speaking to Bionic Buzz, Bret stated about the figure (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Honestly, it was our good friends here that work with me at Michaels Entertainment Group, [along] with [the licensing agent] Epic Rights — just some really good people. It's a great team effort. And their team approaching us about making the Bret Michaels, they call it the 'iconic' look. I feel like I'm a human Addams Family, a Munster. I'm, like, I look like that every day.

"You know the Munsters thought they were totally normal? The Addams Family? I'm like a Halloween costume that actually looks like this every day," he said.

"Honest to God, it's an honor. And the Funko fanatics, the family of people that I spoke to that collect, that do all this, it was a great experience. And it exploded. So people are excited about it. That's a good thing. And it was awesome."

With consumer demand for Michaels's products always at a high, there will also be a coveted "Chase Pop!" figure, in addition to the planned primary Funko Pop! This unique collectible, sought after by both hardcore Funko collectors and pop culture fans alike, will see an adaptation and inclusion of Bret's signature cowboy hat look.

As Michaels has done with previous brand partners, he remained hands-on throughout the creation and design process with Funko, who collaborated with Epic Rights, the licensing agent.

The public can expect to see Michaels's Pop! Vinyl available at retail outlets beginning in mid-March 2021 to coincide with the singer's birthday on March 15. The limited-edition figures, and the Chase Pops, will also be available directly on ShopBretMichaels.com. Michaels's online store will also be the only place to find gift bundles, including Bret's bestselling book "Auto-Scrap-Ography", as well as personally signed figurines which are sure to create a collecting frenzy for an even more limited version of the highly desired Pop! Vinyl.

Headquartered in Everett, Washington, Funko is a leading pop culture consumer products company. Funko designs, sources and distributes licensed pop culture products across multiple categories, including vinyl figures, toys, plush, apparel, board games, housewares and accessories for consumers who seek tangible ways to connect with their favorite pop culture brands and characters.

Continuing a legacy of groundbreaking achievements and radical innovation, Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum band KORN has announced details of its global streaming event, "Korn: Monumental".

Scheduled for Saturday, April 24 at 1:00 p.m. PDT / 4:00 p.m. EDT / 9:00 p.m. BST / 10:00 p.m. CEST, the ticketed immersive concert experience will broadcast worldwide from the set of the breath-taking "Stranger Things: The Drive-Into Experience". Produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, the performance promises to be an unforgettable set from the iconic band, highlighted by rare and sought-after deep cuts and classics from their legendary catalog. Since KORN's latest critically acclaimed album, "The Nothing", never received a proper tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, "Korn: Monumental" will mark the live debut of select tracks from the new record for fans around the globe.

Tickets for this landmark global streaming event are on sale at www.KornLive.com at an early bird discount through Saturday, March 27. Fans can also purchase bundles and V.I.P. experiences, including exclusive merchandise, limited-edition autographed posters, and a virtual meet-and-greet with the entire band, which will be available as a digital download. "Korn: Monumental" will be available to stream for 72 hours through April 27 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Please note, this is a fully virtual event, there will be no in-person attendance permitted.

KORN vocalist Jonathan Davis remarked: "We hope you take part in this experience with us. And though it is not the same as performing live with you here, we still want to bring you some great music and a fun show."

Watch the official trailer for "Korn: Monumental" below.

Danny Wimmer, founder of Danny Wimmer Presents, commented on KORN's global streaming event: "It's always exciting to break new ground with a band like KORN that has been with us for so many of our biggest festival moments over the years. The scale of the vision for this global stream event is even more than we've come to expect out of a KORN show and will be one of the biggest livestream events from a rock band we've seen yet. If you've ever wanted to know what a massive rock concert coming to life in your living room might look like, this is it. So turn out the lights, turn up the volume and get ready to rock."

Suzi Quatro, the 70-year-old pioneering female rocker who burst on to the scene in the 1970s, will release a new studio album, "The Devil In Me", on March 26 through SPV/Steamhammer. The official music video for the disc's second single, "I Sold My Soul Today", can be seen below.

The reasons for Suzi's remarkable creative explosion: on the one hand, the lockdown, which kept her from her usual touring life in spring 2020, and on the other another collaboration with her son Richard Tuckey, which had already worked out extremely well on her predecessor album "No Control".

Says Suzi: "Starting spring 2020, almost one hundred of my shows were canceled, and Richard would also have been on tour with his band had not all concerts been canceled or postponed. So I said to him, 'We should make the most of our free time, write new material and allow ourselves to be inspired by the things that are currently going on in the world.'

"I already knew that Richard and I make a brilliant team; after all, 'No Control' had been a major success and a very special recording for us. Although I would never have thought that we'd be able to surpass it. But everybody who's heard 'The Devil In Me' and all the people who had worked on the previous album have told us, 'This album is even stronger.'"

"The Devil In Me" presents Suzi's full range of musical diversity plus a number of surprises. From rock tracks such as "The Devil In Me", "Get Outta Jail", "Motorcity Riders" and "Hey Queenie" to fairly unusual numbers such as the pub atmosphere-inspired "Loves Gone Bad", with its intimate mood, or "In The Dark", which is accompanied by elegant piano and provocative saxophone sounds, Suzi presents herself from a whole range of different aspects.

Suzi says: "Richard wanted this album to have a through line, so that you could put any track on, and it just fit… He also said he wanted this album to be as important and groundbreaking as my first one. So that is how we approached this project, and that is what we accomplished."

Track listing:

CD Version

01. The Devil In Me

02. Hey Queenie

03. Betty Who?

04. You Can‘t Dream It

05. My Heart And Soul (long version)

06. Get Outta Jail

07. Do Ya Dance

08. Isolation Blues

09. I Sold My Soul Today

10. Love‘s Gone Bad

11. In The Dark

12. Motor City Riders

2 LP Version:

Side A:

01. The Devil In Me

02. Hey Queenie

03. Betty Who?

04. You Can‘t Dream It

Side B:

01. My Heart And Soul (long version)

02. Get Outta Jail

03. Do Ya Dance

04. Isolation Blues

Side C:

01. I Sold My Soul Today

02. Love‘s Gone Bad

03. In The Dark

04. Motor City Riders

Side D:

01. Can I Be Your Girl (bonus track)

02. Desperado (bonus track)

CRO-MAGS have released new music video for "Life On Earth", taken from the band's latest EP "2020", available worldwide digitally.

On April 9, "Life On Earth" will be released as a limited special colored three-piece seven-inch vinyl box as well as on limited colored 10-inch vinyl and CD.

The record itself is unintentionally 20 minutes and 20 seconds, and plays out more like a time-capsule look into the dumpster fire known as the year 2020.

CRO-MAGS founder Harley Flanagan explains: "Just by coincidence we recorded 20 minutes and 16 seconds of music, so we simply added a few seconds of real-world chaos.

"The album cover is meant to look like a calendar — seven squares across, with one picture from 2020 per day. Inside the booklet there are 12 pictures, one for each month of 2020; and the back is a shot of something I have never seen before in my life — a totally empty New York City.

"Coronavirus, quarantine, empty streets, brutality, burning buildings, violence and destruction: 2020 is a year none of us will ever forget."

"2020" track listing:

01. Age Of Quarantine

02. 2020

03. Life On Earth

04. Violence and Destruction

05. Chaos In The Streets

06. Cro-Fusion

CRO-MAGS feature Flanagan pulling double duty with bass and lead vocals, guitarists Gabby Abularach, Rocky George (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, FISHBONE), and drummer Garry "G-Man" Sullivan.

The history of the CRO-MAGS is integral to the history of hardcore, its evolution from punk and the development of alternative music genres such as hardcore, cross-over, thrash metal, post punk and grunge, to name a few. Numerous iconic bands from METALLICA to GREEN DAY, and individuals such as Dave Grohl have credited CRO-MAGS with having had a primal influence on their development.

Born out of the violence and depravity of the Lower East Side of New York in the late '70s and early '80s, the CRO-MAGS was the brainchild of a very young Flanagan (at the time 14 years old) when still playing with THE STIMULATORS. By 1982/83 he wrote and recorded the very first CRO-MAGS demos consisting of four songs that would become the blueprint for the seminal 1986 "Age Of Quarrel". He wrote all of the music, played each instrument and sang. Before long, he connected with Parris Mayhew and the two started writing music and auditioning band members.

In 2019, Flanagan reached a settlement with singer John Joseph and drummer Mackie Jayson regarding ownership of the CRO-MAGS name. Flanagan is now performing under the name CRO-MAGS while Joseph and Jayson are performing as CRO-MAGS "JM".

KnuckleBonz is currently in production creating limited-edition QUEEN collectible statues. Rock Iconz statues of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon will be hand-crafted in our fine arts process, featuring the band from their 1981 performance in Montreal.

Officially licensed, each statue is hand-painted, numbered and comes with a certificate of authenticity on the base.

All designs have been approved by QUEEN.

The Rock Iconz series celebrates the world's greatest music performers in a limited-edition collector series.

Never more than 3000 of each design is created. Reserve yours now.

"It's been over a decade since our original QUEEN Rock Iconz designs for Freddie and Brian. This time out, we will be able to create the entire band, as it should be," says Tony Simerman, CEO/creative director of KnuckleBonz, Inc.

"We are beyond excited to ship individual statues for Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon late this year...and OH yes, lots of other surprises for QUEEN superfans in our '3D Vinyl' and 'On Tour' series."

KnuckleBonz has been creating high-end statues since 2003 and continues to be dedicated to honoring music's greatest performers through master artistry in the limited-edition statue series called Rock Iconz. The company's goal is to capture a "live performance" moment in each limited edit

HELLYEAH and MUDVAYNE frontman Chad Gray has released a solo single, a cover of "Always On My Mind" — a song made famous by Willie Nelson. The track was originally recorded for his fall 2020 wedding to SiriusXM on-air personality Shannon Gunz.

Explaining his decision to record his version of the song, Gray said: "Planning a wedding is grueling — from flowers to location to picking the music. We initially chose 'Dream On' for our first dance song. Now I'm not sure how or why I landed on 'Always On My Mind'. I'm assuming I heard it in passing and it stuck. I just remember late one night thinking about it and going online to search the lyrics and listen to the track. As it was playing, the lyrics were so emotional and compelling that it actually moved me."

He continued: "So I reached out to my producer and very good friend Kevin Churko and asked if he would do a cover with me. He responded, 'What song?' I told him and he was like, 'WHOA! Okay.' So he reached out to the keyboard player for Ozzy [Osbourne], who is obviously not doing anything in this shit time we're living in, and sent us three different takes and flavors of the song. We landed on one and started tracking it vocally. It was super cool when I started it, because I realized that this was such a different way of singing. No one has ever heard me doing anything like this."

Gray added: "This was done for my wedding, but I thought, 'Should I release this song to the public?' I always talk about how I look at my fans as more than fans. They're family, and I wanted to share this moment with them."

The track was produced with Kevin Churko at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, exclusively marketed and distributed by ONErpm.

Chad and Shannon were originally scheduled to marry in April 2020, but, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they changed it to October 2020.

Last December, Gray said during a Headbangers Con live virtual panel that HELLYEAH was "in a holding pattern right now [due to the coronavirus pandemic]. I don't have any new music," he admitted. "I've been telling Tom [Maxwell, HELLYEAH guitarist] to get me some riffs so I can write, because right now is a great time to fucking write. So we'll just have to see, man. Obviously, we need to get together and write some music. But, yeah, I mean, hopefully. It's all fucked up right now, nobody knows what's going on with anything."

In September, Maxwell told the "The Ex-Man" podcast that he wasn't sure there would be a follow-up album to HELLYEAH's latest effort, "Welcome Home", which was completed after the passing of drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott.

"Welcome Home" was released in September 2019 via Eleven Seven Music. The disc marked HELLYEAH's final effort with Abbott (formerly of PANTERA), who passed away nearly three years ago.

STONE SOUR drummer Roy Mayorga stepped in as Vinnie Paul's replacement for the touring activity in support of "Welcome Home".

Mayorga's addition to HELLYEAH was made official in May 2019. At the time, the band said Roy was the perfect guy to take Vinnie Paul's place. "These men had so much love and mutual respect for each other, this makes our transition so much easier," HELLYEAH said in a statement.

Like the previous two records, 2016's "Unden!able" and 2014's "Blood For Blood", "Welcome Home" was recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio with Churko.

Vinnie Paul died in June 2018 at the age of 54 in his sleep at his home in Las Vegas. The official cause of death was dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease.

RATT singer and founder Stephen Pearcy and his solo band will take part in a livestream concert on Friday, April 2 at 7 p.m. PDT from the world-famous Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip. He will be joined by members of ACE FREHLEY, LITA FORD, DANZIG, HELLYEAH, ARCADE and "a very special guest."

Tickets, merchandise and VIP packages are available at stephenpearcy.veeps.com.

The concert will be available on demand through April 5.

Last month, it was reported by Metal Sludge that Pearcy would be joined by former RATT drummer Bobby Blotzer for the filming of the virtual concert with his solo band over February 26 and February 27.

The rumors of Blotzer playing with Pearcy again came a month after Stephen confirmed to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he was back on speaking terms with the drummer, who led his own version of RATT for a couple of years beginning in late 2015 before becoming embroiled in a legal battle with the singer, guitarist Warren DeMartini and bassist Juan Croucier over the rights to the band's name.

"I do talk to Bobby," Pearcy told "Trunk Nation". "Bobby and I are — it's love-hate, brother kind of a gig. We keep in touch and talk about positive things. He still has interest, so there are some things to talk about. And Warren is the same."

"Look, life goes on," he explained. "Life's short. Hate's not a good thing. There's communication. But I can't say anything."

During the same chat, Pearcy said that he was open to the idea of making a new RATT album with all the surviving members of the band's classic lineup.

"I wouldn't wanna put a RATT record out there without the original guys," he said. "I mean, it just wouldn't make sense. We've tried it.

"Look, I accepted it a long time ago when Robbin [Crosby, late RATT guitarist] left the band, we lost a big element of direction. He was my right-hand man creating this monster. And I knew it — I knew once he was out, we would be going through motions. It's all cool, and it's great, but how many replacements can you have in a band and still consider it legit? So if we're gonna have something on plastic, so to speak, forever, I'd rather have the original band do a record and just not do a RATT record until that day comes — if it ever happens."

Stephen also stressed the importance of not letting personal differences get in the way of making music and touring while he and his bandmates are still physically able to perfom the classic RATT songs live.

"Look, we're not the most dysfunctional band on the planet," he said. "I've said it before, there are bands much more dysfunctional — MÖTLEY [CRÜE], GN'R [GUNS N' ROSES], you name 'em — but the smart ones make an effort to take care of business. MÖTLEY — I don't know if they even talk to each other, but they're getting the business done. And that's where I'm at. What are you — punishing somebody? You're getting back at somebody? You're holding a grudge, vendetta… It's all bullshit. We're all gonna die anyway. Go figure it out."

Pearcy and Croucier are the sole remaining original members in RATT's current lineup, which made its live debut in July 2018 in Mulvane, Kansas. Joining them in the band are drummer Pete Holmes (BLACK 'N BLUE, RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER) and guitarist Jordan Ziff (RAZER).

RATT hasn't released any new music since 2010's "Infestation" album.

RATT — featuring Pearcy, Croucier and DeMartini — played a number of shows in 2017 after reforming a year earlier in the midst of a highly publicized legal battle with Blotzer over the rights to the RATT name. They were joined at the gigs by ex-QUIET RIOT guitarist Carlos Cavazo, who played on "Infestation", and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso, who previously played with Y&T, WHITE LION and MEGADETH, among others.

Japan's Unlucky Morpheus recently released a cover album entitled Loud Playing Workshop, which features covers of instrumenals from Steve Vai, Dream Theater, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen and more. They have released an official video for their take on the Steve Vai classic "For The Love Of God". Check it out below.

The track is taken from Vai's critically acclaimed 1990 album,  Passion And Warfare.

They previously released a cover of Malmsteen's "Far Beyond The Sun", Dream Theater's "The Dance Of Eternity", and violinist Jill's performance of "Eruption" in tribute to Eddie Van Halen.

Tracklist:

"Far Beyond The Sun" (Yngwie Malmsteen)
"The Dance of Eternity" (Dream Theater)
"Into the Arena" (Michael Schenker)
"Hundreds Of Thousands" (Tony MacAlpine)
"Scarified" (Racer X)
"Eruption" (Eddie Van Halen)
"For the Love of God" (Steve Vai)
"Technical Difficulties" (Racer X)
"17th Century Chicken Pickin'" (Chris Impellitteri)

"Far Beyond The Sun"

"Eruption"

"The Dance Of Eternity"




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Japanese trance metallers Blood Stain Child have broken a long silence with two new songs, "2045" And "Elysion". Both tracks are available on all digital platforms.

In other news, the band has announced a livestream show for March 26th via their official YouTube channel. They have issued the following update:

"You can watch our online live for free. Also, you can give money to us using super chat, super sticker on YouTube. You will be able to see '$ icon' in the comment field on YouTube. Please support us. 

Send us your avatar and be our live audience. Please send us your avatar before 2021/3/24 (JP time). 

We will not have any real audience in the live venue, however, we will print out the avatar you send us, and put it on a balloon, these balloons will be placed in the live venue! Through this setting, Blood Stain Child wants to share the live experience with all of you through online live streaming, as well communication on the chat.
 
If you wish to join our 'audience avatar group', please send us the following info to BSC's Facebook and Twitter: 

1. Your name (that you wanna show on the balloon) 
2. Country (where you live) 
3. Your picture  

Can be a normal picture or illustration. 

It doesn't have to be your picture if you are too shy, you can use other pictures, but keep in mind it has to be one without copyright issues. Please send us messages in Japanese or English, if we gather more than expected number, the early ones will be chosen, so send us your avatar from now on!"

Information in Japanese can be found here.




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Bill Ward says that he no longer has the "chops" and the "ability" to perform with BLACK SABBATH.

The 72-year-old founding SABBATH drummer made the admission during an appearance earlier today on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk".

Asked if he is personally okay with SABBATH being "done" as a touring and recording entity, Bill — who didn't appear on the band's last studio album and accompanying tour — said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'm not done with BLACK SABBATH legacy. [Laughs] I haven't been done. I was made done, but I'm not done. So, the others might be done, but I'm not. But being realistic about that, as far as touring with BLACK SABBATH, I don't have the chops, and I don't have the ability to drive a band like that on stage. I have to be back to 60 years old to be able to do that."

Ward continued: "I would love to do a studio album with SABBATH, with all the original members. I'm just saying that — I'm just floating that out there. I haven't talked to anybody about that or anything else. But I'm not done. So, the other three might be done, and I respect that, but no, I'm not done. I think as long as we all exist [laughs] and we're still breathing in air, I think we have every possibility of making some great music together."

Bill went on to reiterate his desire to make a new studio album with BLACK SABBATH but confirmed that he no longer wishes to play live with the legendary heavy metal act.

"I'm being honest," he said. "I'll be 73 next birthday [in May], and I know what kind of energy it takes to drive that band."

Bill was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced nine years ago, but backed out soon after. The drummer later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

All four original members of SABBATH were present when the band announced its reunion in late 2011. But Ward split from the group in 2012, citing an "unsignable" contract, and singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler carried on with their Rick Rubin–produced "13" LP and extensive international touring without him.

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio during SABBATH's last tour that Ward was not in shape to participate. "Bill Ward has got the most physically demanding job of the lot of us, 'cause he's the timekeeper," he said. "I don't think personally he had the chops to pull it off, you know. The saddest thing is that he needed to own up to that, and we could have worked around it, whether we had a drummer on the side with him or something."

It was rumored that SABBATH wanted to bring a second drummer on the road to share duties with Ward, something that Iommi confirmed in 2017 during a question-and-answer session about SABBATH's "Ten Year War" box set.

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 lymphoma in late 2011 — can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

In 2015, Ward released his first solo album in 18 years. Titled "Accountable Beasts", the record can be purchased on iTunes.

In November 2017, Ward's band DAY OF ERRORS released its first two songs, "Day Of Errors" and "Blaspheming At Creation", via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3 and Google Play. Two more tracks, "Dark" and "Ghost Train", followed in 2

Trailight mastermind Omer Cordell has checked in with the following update:

"The past little while has been rather interesting in the TraiLight world! I am very honoured to have been asked by my good friend Devin Townsend to lay down some vocal parts for his new album, The Puzzle. I tracked a couple of small multi-layered parts for two tracks and from the little that I heard, this album is going to be very interesting! Keep your ears peeled!

I've known Dev for 20 years now and it's a privilege to be able to collaborate with him on his beautiful musical journey."

Townsend recently issued an update on The Puzzle. Check it out below..

"Over the last 6 months, I’ve been working on two 'scores' that have become a film, two albums, and a graphic novel among other things called The Puzzle. It’s become a massive project with a lot of great people involved. It’s not 'song oriented' and is complicated and abstract. The film has become a tremendous undertaking and we will be streaming it online when it debuts, (along with physical product that is pretty next level).

The concept is meant to describe the last year of chaos and the psychological process it required of us all. The music and visuals act as an analogy for it. The number of people involved (30-40) represents a sort of community amidst it. There’s two albums: Puzzle is chaos and meant to represent the internal dialogue in a fundamentally absurd time, Snuggles is meant to be a beautiful balm that acts as a conclusion and something you can listen to on loop to feel better. Both have a film.

The concept of it all (which I’ll explain in YouTube clips pior to the release) is such that I hope it inspires people- if visually inclined- to make their own graphic novels, films, books etc, using the music as a soundtrack. The Puzzle is written to be my version of a soundtrack to a kind of universal experience we’ve shared, I guess. The movie and books we are producing are meant as examples of the concept... as in: 'everybody’s puzzle is unique, based on the same experiences.'

My work has always really just been a product of a compulsion to reflect what’s going on in my life. If things are chaotic, it’s bound to be chaotic. It’s been a very bizarre work flow, but it’s starting to come together now. Delivery date is March 22, release 2-3 months later.

Finally in August, I will be begin recording my next actual album (with songs) for release early 2022. (Untitled so far) but before that, The Puzzle is something very different and really fascinating I think.

I’ll be back to podcasts and twitch streams when the workload lightens a touch here. Be well and thanks for everything."

Cordell released a new Trailight album, Sophia, in late 2020. It was mixed by former Annihilator frontman Dave Padden. He spoke with BraveWords scribe Carl Begai about working with Padden in the studio.

Cordell: "I've been working with Dave since The Primitive Mountain (released in 2015). He knows what I want and what I like. Dave is a phenomenally talented musician beyond the scope of a lot of people's understanding. People don't know how talented Dave is and that's a shame. The other thing about him is that his standards are remarkably high. Me being an absolute hack compared to Dave, having him mix the album was a treat. To make a long story short, he polished the proverbial turd. He really pushed me when I was doing vocals, asking me to sing parts over and teling me I could deliver the lines better. He gave me some pointers as to what I could do to make the vocals a lot better."

"And he's an incredible singer. He could front any band in the world, from a bluegrass band to the most brutal metal band. When I recorded The Primitive Mountain, I had no idea who was going to sing on it. If I had done it, it would have been nothing short of catastrophic. A mutual friend suggested I get Dave to sing on that record and he agreed to it, and I met him on the day we were going to record vocals. He nailed the entire vocal array for The Primitive Mountain in two days. I was recording him thinking 'Who the fuck ARE you and what planet did you come from?' (laughs). So on the record new record, it was his standards couple with his experience that were so important to me. He pushed the album sonically to a level that I did not expect it to go."

Tracklist:

"Eon"
"Aftershock"
"Truth"
"The Three Waves"
"Sleepwalkers"
"Island"
"Up In The Air"
"Dance"
"Birth"




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