Simone Simons of Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA was recently interviewed by Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio. You can now listen to the chat below.

Asked how the metal world has changed in terms of its acceptance of women in metal from when she started out in EPICA to now, Simone said: "I guess women in the scene are more prominent, and, I guess, also maybe more respected or accepted for the fact that we have talent and can work hard and can succeed. I guess that women are still the minority in the whole metal scene, but it's developing in the right direction, I would say. Back in the day, we had the term 'female-fronted metal,' and that is nowhere near accurate at the moment, because it does not describe the sound of the band other than there's a female singer in the band. I, myself, am lucky enough to not have had any really big negative experiences to talk about. And I'm one of the guys; that's how I always felt, I guess — with the exception of some females things. [Laughs] And I feel well being surrounded by a lot of guys; I never felt misunderstood or disrespected."

Regarding whether there is pressure on women to physically look a certain way to make it in music, Simone said: "Well, I guess, in a certain way, the appearance is important, not just for the women, but also for the guys. I mean, don't we all want to look our best? Don't we put a lot of effort in making the live show visually appealing? But there is, of course, more pressure on the women to always look good and be in the best shape. And people create this image of you that you're perfect, and you're not, and it's sometimes tedious to keep up that appearance. With guys, it's easier for them; they can just roll out of bed and look like crap and nobody gives a shit. And [when you are a woman,] if you have a bad day or a huge zit, everybody is pointing at it. But, yeah, that's how it's always been. That's just a thing you've gotta fight. And I know some of my female colleagues — I respect them enormously — they posted photos without any makeup on, and I think that is a great thing to do, to show everybody that we are normal as well. I post makeup videos, and people see me without makeup as well. And I guess I don't mind as much as I did in the past. It comes with age, I guess, that you start to feel more comfortable. When you're in your younger years, when your skin and everything is nice and tight, you are actually the most insecure; you don't value or acknowledge that you're young and that it has a lot of advantages and that it's a beautiful thing to be young. But, yeah, that insecurity, I guess, gets to all of us."

EPICA's latest album, "Omega", was released on February 26 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2016's "The Holographic Principle" was once again produced by Joost Van Den Broek (POWERWOLF, AYREON) in part at Sandlane Recording Facilities in Rijen, Netherlands.

Image courtesy of FaceCulture

The reunited expanded classic lineup of German power metallers HELLOWEEN will release its new, self-titled album on June 18 via Nuclear Blast. The disc's first single, "Skyfall", will arrive on April 2.

The "Pumpkins United" lineup features returning singer Michael Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai 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.

The album pre-order will kick off on March 26.

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 already released one new song — aptly titled "Pumpkins United" — in October 2017.

The attorneys for ICED EARTH's Jon Schaffer have filed a motion to dismiss the charges against the guitarist for his involvement in the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Court documents filed by Schaffer's attorneys on March 9 — and obtained by BLABBERMOUTH.NET — request that he be released immediately under the claim that the government has violated the Speedy Trial Act, which establishes maximum time periods for different stages of a federal criminal prosecution. Since the Speedy Trial Act required the government to file an information or an indictment within 30 days of Schaffer's arrest, the "complaint must be dismissed," they wrote.

Schaffer is still awaiting extradition extradition to Washington D.C., nearly seven weeks after U.S. Magistrate for the Southern District of Indiana judge Mark Dinsmore signed an order for the ICED EARTH guitarist to appear in D.C.'s district court. Schaffer is being held by the U.S. Marshal Service at the Marion County Jail.

The 52-year-old musician, who resides in in Edinburgh, Indiana, is facing six federal criminal charges after he was accused of spraying a police officer with a pepper-based bear repellant during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

According to Politico, the D.C.-based team of federal prosecutors has been stretched thin as the Justice Department and courts are trying to prosecute and process hundreds of people accused of storming the Capitol more than two months ago. While in all of last year, the D.C. federal court recorded 290 cases in its criminal docket for major crimes, so far this year, 199 such cases have already been filed, nearly all of them against alleged Capitol rioters.

Schaffer waived his preliminary hearing as well as his rights to an identity hearing and production of a warrant seven weeks ago in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, court documents state. He was supposed to be transported by a United States marshal to Washington, D.C. where government lawyers and Schaffer's legal team have mutually agreed to handle all proceedings.

Schaffer is entitled to a hearing on the issue of pretrial detention upon his arrival in D.C., court documents said.

Seven weeks ago, government lawyers asked the judge to not offer Schaffer a bond when he goes in front of U.S. magistrate.

Schaffer must prove to the federal magistrate that he is not a threat to himself or the public before being released on bail. Others who have been charged for insurrection at the Capitol have been given bail but ordered to surrender their firearms, avoid contact with other alleged Capitol rioters and stay away from all state capitol buildings. Some other alleged rioters have been prohibited from using social media and participating in any political rallies.

Last month, a man resembling Schaffer was seen in newly released security footage from the U.S. Capitol riot that the House impeachment managers obtained and submitted as evidence for former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial. The clip in question, which was released by CNN on February 15, shows rioters charging through a breached entrance and engaging and pushing officers. Schaffer can be seen near the front of the mob, wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, a tactical vest and black leather fingerless tactical gloves, and pointing his finger while yelling at the officers.

Schaffer was photographed wearing an "Oath Keepers Lifetime Member" cap during the insurrection. The Oath Keepers describe themselves as an association of former law enforcement and military personnel dedicated to "support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic." But the Anti-Defamation League describes it as "a large but loosely organized collection of right-wing anti-government extremists who are part of the militia movement, which believes that the federal government has been coopted by a shadowy conspiracy that is trying to strip American citizens of their rights."

Schaffer has been held in the Marion County Jail since surrendering to police on January 17. He made his first court appearance the following day.

Just hours after the insurrection, ICED EARTH fans recognized Schaffer in a photo released by federal investigators.

Schaffer is believed to be one of at least 400 people who are being investigated by FBI officials over their roles in the insurrection.

More than 250 criminal cases have been filed so far. Charges include unauthorized access, theft, damage to government property and assault on law enforcement officers.

Geezer Butler has clarified a recent comment he made about his DEADLAND RITUAL bandmate Steve Stevens.

On Monday (March 8), Butler was a guest on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", where he discussed the status of the supergroup he started a few years ago with Stevens (BILLY IDOL, VINCE NEIL), drummer Matt Sorum (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) and singer Franky Perez (APOCALYPTICA).

"DEADLAND RITUAL's dead," the BLACK SABBATH bassist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "The virus put the final nail in the coffin. We had 12 or 13 songs written. We were about to go into the studio last March, and everything closed down. Matt left the band. And Steve has got, I think, a lung condition or something, so he couldn't leave the house 'cause of the virus. And we just didn't revive it. You never know — we might do it next year or something. I don't know."

A few hours after BLABBERMOUTH.NET published Geezer's comments, he took to his Twitter to write: "I would like to clarify a recent interview remark I made, concerning DEADLAND RITUAL, and Steve Stevens. I was referring to the start of the pandemic, how it stopped us from going into the studio to record. I said Steve wouldn't leave his house because of a lung condition."

He continued: "I was told Steve had a respiratory problem & didn't want to risk getting Covid. I totally agreed. Anyway, I want you all to know that Steve is up and about and has no 'lung condition'. In fact he played at this past Super Bowl. #lockdown #COVID19 @Stevestevens #clarification".

DEADLAND RITUAL released two songs, "Down In Flames" and "Broken And Bruised" in late 2018 and early 2019. Both tracks, which were produced by Greg Fidelman (METALLICA, SLIPKNOT), were made available via Sonik Riot Records/AWAL powered by Kobalt.

For its live performances, DEADLAND RITUAL's setlist consisted of several original tracks alongside classic songs from the members' previous bands, including BLACK SABBATH's "Symptom Of The Universe", "Neon Knights" and "Sweet Leaf", VELVET REVOLVER's "Slither" and BILLY IDOL's "Rebel Yell".

Geezer previously said that he initially had no plans to join another band after SABBATH completed its "The End" farewell tour.

"Well, I retired after the last SABBATH show," he said. "I just traveled and did everything that I wanted to do when I was retired for a year. And then I got fed up watching the TV every day. And I started writing stuff again, 'cause that's what you do. I've been doing it for 50 years, so it's in your blood. You can't just stop, especially when it's your hobby as well. And I just got back into writing stuff. I was planning on doing another solo album, a GZR thing. And I got a few songs together for that. And then Matt got in touch with me about DEADLAND RITUAL."

Asked what appealed to him about being in a band again, Geezer said: "It's what I've known since I started when I was 16; I was in a band. When you're doing solo stuff, it's just you writing stuff. There's nobody to bounce off, and I really missed that. It's good to have people saying, 'That's good. That'll work.' Or, 'That's not so good.' And I missed having that. The guitarist that I worked with in GZR, he's just moved to the East Coast and he's got other things on his plate at the moment. With DEADLAND RITUAL, everybody's local, so it's easy to get together. And you don't have to plan months in advance to do an album or write songs. If I feel like writing a song today, I call up Steve, go around to Steve's house, and we try something."

DEADLAND RITUAL made its live debut in May 2019 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.




I would like to clarify a recent interview remark I made, concerning Dealand Ritual, and Steve Stevens. I was referring to the start of the pandemic, how it stopped us from going into the studio to record. I said Steve wouldn’t leave his house because of a lung condition.

— Geezer Butler (@geezerbutler) March 11, 2021








I was told Steve had a respiratory problem & didn’t want to risk getting Covid. I totally agreed. Anyway, I want you all to know that Steve is up and about and has no “lung condition”. In fact he played at this past Super Bowl. #lockdown #COVID19 @Stevestevens #clarification

— Geezer Butler (@geezerbutler) March 11, 2021

Original ENTOMBED members Alex Hellid (guitar), Uffe Cederlund (guitar) and Nicke Andersson (drums) have released a statement about the recent passing of 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.

Hellid, Cederlund and Andersson wrote: "All the years, all the toil, all the dreams, the struggle, the rewards, the humor, the laughter, and the tears. It's been a long damn journey and the memories are many and fantastic. Everything we've experienced and laughed at together, the big and the small, from being teenage kids to almost growing up. Your now legendary and unique sayings, your 'LGisms', must surely one day find their way into the dictionary. How can you argue against 'Pizza was invented in the late '70s by Turkish people in Bredäng (Sweden)'!

"Our thoughts go to your family, and your wider other family — your many friends all around the world. Through everyone you've touched, you live on. We will forever miss you, a member of our family, and we will always keep the good memories with us.

"Rest in peace LG".

Hellid and Petrov had been embroiled in a legal battle over the ENTOMBED name for several years. In 2014, Petrov was reportedly awarded the right to use the band name in connection with future recording and touring activities, a decision which Hellid appealed without success. The guitarist then went on to register a trademark for spirits production under the "Entombed" name. This move did not sit well with Hellid's former bandmate, who filed a letter of protest against Alex's registration of the name, claiming that it could be confused with band activities. He also said that Hellid acted in "bad faith" when he registered name and that there was a desire to "deceive the public." Petrov's protest, however, found no favor with the Swedish Patent And Registration Office, which rejected his claims on the issue in a March 2016 ruling.

In an interview with Revolution-Music.dk, Petrov defended his group's decision to release albums and tour under the name ENTOMBED A.D. in order to avoid a legal battle with Hellid who didn't want his former bandmates to use the ENTOMBED moniker: "It had to be done, because without an album you can't tour," he explained. "I mean, you can tour, but if there's seven years between albums, it's ridiculously long. So we did the right thing, and we did what bands should do, and still do — release an album and go on tour and headbang and have a good time with friends, and that's what it's all about."

He continued: "There was too much bullshit — crying and whining about things. It's just ridiculous.

"Some people are comfortable staying at home, but then just step aside and let us do our thing.

"We added two letters, but it's still the same band — [only] without people that wanna stay at home, or take millions of years [coming up with] a [new] riff."

Asked if he thinks the ENTOMBED name has been damaged as a result of the drama surrounding the split with Hellid and the decision to continue as ENTOMBED A.D., Petrov said: "Nah, not really. A thousand people have a thousand different opinions — good and bad. But we do what we felt was right. And we're out here touring, and that's the most important [thing], I think. And leave the childishness aside and play metal, basically."

A completely different version of ENTOMBED — featuring Hellid, Cederlund and Andersson — played the band's groundbreaking 1991 album, "Clandestine", in its entirety at Malmö Live in Malmö, Sweden in November 2016. Joining them at the show were Robert Andersson (vocals) and Nicke's half brother Edvin Aftonfalk (bass), both formerly of the Swedish death metal band MORBUS CHRON. Two weeks earlier, the most recent Hellid-led lineup of ENTOMBED made its live debut on the Close-Up Båten cruise.

ENTOMBED A.D.'s latest album, "Bowels Of Earth", was released in August 2019 via Century Media.


All the years, all the toil, all the dreams, the struggle, the rewards, the humor, the laughter, and the tears. It's...

Posted by Entombed Clandestine on Thursday, March 11, 2021

Former FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH drummer Jeremy Spencer spoke to "Drag The Waters: The Pantera Podcast" about his decision to remove all the previously released music and videos from his PSYCHOSEXUAL project ahead of the arrival of its new single, "Devil From Hell", at the end of the month.

"When you make records, they're like snapshots in time," Jeremy explained (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We made the first thing pretty fast, and I just threw it out independently. And we had started the next record right away, and 'Devil From Hell' happened. And I'm, like, 'Fuck, man. I really like this. I wish this would have been the first thing that we dropped.' So it's, like, you know what? Nobody even really knows much about the other music, which I do like, but I think this is more appropriate of where we kind of wanna debut; this is what I wanted to be the first thing. So it's kind of like a reboot — we're starting over. I'll release the other music down the road again, but this second record will technically be our first. [Laughs]"

Regarding "Devil From Hell", Jeremy said: "It's a little different than the previous material that we've been working on. It's a little heavier. We do all kinds of stuff — it's not just metal or whatever; it's kind of eclectic. But this one's definitely a stomper. I'm pretty happy with it. The video turned out really cool too."

Spencer, who handles lead vocals in PSYCHOSEXUAL, also addressed the negative reaction the band's early music videos received from the FIVE FINGER fans, some of whom were turned off by the new project's theatrical presentation and goth-flavored sound.

"That's okay," Jeremy said. "Not everyone's gonna dig what you do. I mean, it's how it is in DEATH PUNCH too; we would release stuff, and you get hated on. You can't please everyone. We always made records for ourselves, and then you hope people like it. You can't control it. And we were fortunate enough to have a large fanbase that did appreciate what we did. And I think we'll find the audience for this as well. It's not for everyone, but I'm doing what I love to do, and I'm a big fan of theatrics. I do like goth music, I do love metal. I'm gonna put it all in a blender, [and] it's gonna be a lot of fun. And I hope that people wanna join us on the journey. And when we finally get to play freakin' shows, hopefully people can come out and have a good time and see what we're all about."

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.

Jeremy, who co-founded FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH with guitarist Zoltan Bathory, left the band so that he could undergo back surgery in the fall of 2018 that required a significant recovery period.

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.

Geezer Butler has confirmed to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that DEADLAND RITUAL, the band he started a few years ago with guitarist Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL, VINCE NEIL), drummer Matt Sorum (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) and singer Franky Perez (APOCALYPTICA) likely won't get resurrected once life resumes post-pandemic.

"DEADLAND RITUAL's dead," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "The virus put the final nail in the coffin. We had 12 or 13 songs written. We were about to go into the studio last March, and everything closed down. Matt left the band. And Steve has got, I think, a lung condition or something, so he couldn't leave the house 'cause of the virus. And we just didn't revive it. You never know — we might do it next year or something. I don't know."

As for whether he plans on pursuing any other music projects in the coming months, Geezer said: "I still play — write riffs and stuff. It's part of my life. But nothing definite. I've got so many ideas and stuff written, I've just gotta find the time to sit down and go through them all."

DEADLAND RITUAL released two songs, "Down In Flames" and "Broken And Bruised" in late 2018 and early 2019. Both tracks, which were produced by Greg Fidelman (METALLICA, SLIPKNOT), were made available via Sonik Riot Records/AWAL powered by Kobalt.

For its live performances, DEADLAND RITUAL's setlist consisted of several original tracks alongside classic songs from the members' previous bands, including BLACK SABBATH's "Symptom Of The Universe", "Neon Knights" and "Sweet Leaf", VELVET REVOLVER's "Slither" and BILLY IDOL's "Rebel Yell".

Geezer previously said that he initially had no plans to join another band after SABBATH completed its "The End" farewell tour.

"Well, I retired after the last SABBATH show," he said. "I just traveled and did everything that I wanted to do when I was retired for a year. And then I got fed up watching the TV every day. And I started writing stuff again, 'cause that's what you do. I've been doing it for 50 years, so it's in your blood. You can't just stop, especially when it's your hobby as well. And I just got back into writing stuff. I was planning on doing another solo album, a GZR thing. And I got a few songs together for that. And then Matt got in touch with me about DEADLAND RITUAL."

Asked what appealed to him about being in a band again, Geezer said: "It's what I've known since I started when I was 16; I was in a band. When you're doing solo stuff, it's just you writing stuff. There's nobody to bounce off, and I really missed that. It's good to have people saying, 'That's good. That'll work.' Or, 'That's not so good.' And I missed having that. The guitarist that I worked with in GZR, he's just moved to the East Coast and he's got other things on his plate at the moment. With DEADLAND RITUAL, everybody's local, so it's easy to get together. And you don't have to plan months in advance to do an album or write songs. If I feel like writing a song today, I call up Steve, go around to Steve's house, and we try something."

DEADLAND RITUAL made its live debut in May 2019 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.

PRETTY MAIDS singer Ronnie Atkins, who is battling stage four cancer, spoke about his condition during a recent interview with Finland's Kaaos TV. Reflecting on how he first got diagnosed with the disease. Ronnie said (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I had some symptoms. I had some pain issues in my back — in my shoulder. But I had that for 15, 20 years, so to begin with, I just thought I struck a nerve or something like that. And I went over to the doctor, and he checked me. And he actually thought that as well. But my mother died in 1988 when I was 22 years old, and she had the same kind of symptoms, and I just had a bad gut feeling. And I said to him, 'I think you should send me down for some X-rays and stuff, just to be sure.' And he said, 'Well, let's do that, just to make sure there is nothing wrong.' A couple of hours later, I had a phone call from him that they actually found something — found a spot in the top of my lungs. And then I went through a whole process with CT scans, PET scans and bronchoscopies. And they took biopsies to find out what kind of cancer it was — if it was cancer. And long story short, it was cancer."

He continued: "I had surgery in September 2019. And then I waited five or six weeks, then I had to go through chemotherapy for three months and radiation therapy; I had 33, all in all. So, yeah, I was basically not capable of doing much at the time being. I didn't get really sick from the chemo, but I had pain issues from the surgery, so I was on morphine for quite a while and I was just tired. And then in February [2020], after the first scans, they said, 'Everything looks good, and we think you may be cured. But, of course, you have to go to control for the next five years.' And only six weeks after, when I went to a control, they found that my cancer spread to the bones, to one of my ribs. And that's when it got really serious, because then it was diagnosed as stage four, 'cause it spread outside the area where it actually started. And that's when I panicked for a while, because I wasn't prepared for that. I mean, I wasn't naïve — I, of course, knew that eventually [the cancer] may return, but not that fast. And that surprised the doctors as well. And that's what I've been living with ever since that. And I got another five radiation therapies — stereotactic radiation — and that kind of killed the metastases that set in the rib. And since that, I've had immunotherapy, and actually, I've been doing pretty good since that."

Atkins admitted that being told he had stage four cancer was "mentally hard to cope with" and it took him "quite a while" to accept the diagnosis. "But I'm still here, man, one year after, 'cause that was just after the lockdown started [when I was told I had stage four cancer]," he said. "And I'm still feeling good. And I've just been checked again, and it still looks good. I've just gotta be positive."

Asked if it's still possible shrink the cancer or put it in remission, Ronnie said: "Not really. I'm [in] what they call life-prolonging treatment. When they call it stage four, it's, in principle, incurable. Most people die within a year — that's what the statistics say. But there's three or four percent that are still alive after five years. I've just gotta believe in a miracle. I've just gotta hope that I'm one of those three or four [percent]. So, that's where it's at."

After the 56-year-old Atkins was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019, he 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.

Atkins's new solo album, "One Shot", will be released on March 12 via Frontiers Music Srl. Ronnie put the songs together with good friend and PRETTY MAIDS bandmate and producer Chris Laney. Chris oversaw production, Jacob Hansen mixed, 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.

In a 2013 interview with Myglobalmind, Atkins joked that the secret to keeping his voice in shape was "twenty cigarettes a day and little drink now and then."

On the latest episode of Dean Delray's "Let There Be Talk" podcast, TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson was asked how he plans on spending the next several months during the coronavirus pandemic. He said (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "For me, my plan is to have some music — in case summer's canceled. 'All right, let's jam. I've got a bunch of new riffs.' I've got some stuff now, but I'm just kind of putting that hat on, like, 'Okay.' It's perfect weather, too — it's raining out, and my backyard's really woodsy. [So I can] sit out here. I've got everything downstairs. I've done the last DRAGONLORD record and the last two TESTAMENT records in this room. I have Logic and a DI — I just do it all there, e-mail everything over to the producer, reamps and all. I wake up, just get some coffee, come down here and start jamming. I don't have to drive from [my hometown of] Sac [Sacramento] all the way to Oakland. It's a lot better to do."

Over the weekend, TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy told Rocking With Jam Man that Eric has been working on new music on his own. "I haven't heard anything yet," Chuck said. "It all starts with Eric, so I just kind of wait. He's gotta be in the right mood. And probably, being stuck at home with the pandemic, I would think he would be jamming and writing some stuff. So I think we'll probably at least have a couple of new songs. 'Cause it makes sense — if we write a couple of new songs, maybe we can do a repackage of the [latest TESTAMENT album, 'Titans Of Creation']. We're talking about possibly writing a song called 'Titans Of Creation', 'cause there is no title track. So, we could have a song called 'Titans Of Creation' and maybe re-push it out there with the record again. [That would be] more of a marketing thing. I think that's kind of what the talk is [that] might happen."

"Titans Of Creation" came out in April 2020 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by Peterson and Billy, while Juan Urteaga of Trident Studios handled co-producing, recording and engineering. Andy Sneap was responsible for the mixing and mastering of the album. Eliran Kantor stepped up once again to create new artwork for the cover of this release.

Early last year, TESTAMENT completed "The Bay Strikes Back 2020" European tour with EXODUS and DEATH ANGEL.

METALLICA was nominated for the very first "Hard Rock/Metal Performance" Grammy in 1989, but famously lost to JETHRO TULL, a band distinguished mainly by its heavy use of flute. Fans — and even some audience members — were rightly outraged, though TULL's record label tried to make light of the faux pas by placing a Billboard ad that read, "The flute is a heavy, metal instrument."

Award presenter Alice Cooper, who — along with Lita Ford — announced TULL's win, recalled the experience in a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station. He said (hear audio below): "Well, first of all, when we did the rehearsal, you opened up the thing and they just said, 'Name any band' — you were just practicing naming the band. And it was METALLICA and all these great heavy metal bands, and JETHRO TULL, who's so far away from metal. And I opened up the thing and I went, 'And the winner is JETHRO TULL.' And everybody laughed. And I looked around. I was looking for somebody to say, 'Did you hand me the wrong envelope?' I thought they handed me the rehearsal envelope. And they said, 'No.' And then I realized what it was. In that day and age, at that time, the people that were voting, the judges, METALLICA was a brand new thing, metal was a brand new thing, and the only band they recognized was JETHRO TULL. And even JETHRO TULL went, 'What?'"

JETHRO TULL did not attend the event, and Cooper ended up accepting the award on the band's behalf. "I said, 'I'm accept this for [JETHRO TULL], but I think they're gonna probably send it back,'" Alice told WRIF.

After METALLICA lost the 1989 "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Recording" Grammy to JETHRO TULL, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), parent company of the Grammys, separated the two genres in 1990 by creating categories for "Best Hard Rock Performance" and "Best Metal Performance". METALLICA won the "Best Metal Performance" award the next year, for "One", and has earned nearly a dozen so far.

When METALLICA's "Black" album won another "Best Metal Performance" Grammy in 1992, drummer Lars Ulrich "thanked" JETHRO TULL for not releasing an album in that year.

In a 2012 interview with Powerline, JETHRO TULL vocalist Ian Anderson recounted that historic day when his band was given the award for best hard rock/metal performer.

"I probably get [the question] a lot more when I'm talking to American writers than I do [at home in England]," Anderson said. "It's not really a big deal over here. It was in a year where it was a new category for 'hard rock' forward slash 'metal' and that category still exists today … and we were, for some strange reason, nominated. And at the time, no one paid any attention to the fact that we were nominated. There was not a peep out of anyone. Because they thought there's no way JETHRO TULL are gonna win it. Nor IGGY POP, nor JANE'S ADDICTION. It's going to be METALLICA because they were the huge, new, straight-out-of-the-box, enormous, hit talent that year and everybody took it for granted that METALLICA were gonna win the Grammy, including METALLICA themselves. And when it was ordered to JETHRO TULL, to a barrage of boos and hisses and gasps of disbelief, I'd like to think that it wasn't that the six thousand voting members of the National Academy Of Recording Arts And Sciences were voting for JETHRO TULL as a heavy rock band or a heavy metal band. They gave us the award because we were a bunch of nice guys who never won a Grammy before. And sad to relate, even after all these years, there is still no category for best one-legged flute player. Otherwise, I'd be winning it every year."

He continued: "And as we said at the time, METALLICA were an exciting new band. and they will be sure to win the Grammy next year and indeed they did. And to prove the point that heavy metal bands do have a sense of humor, they took out a full page ad in Billboard when they won the Grammy, thanking their record producer, their record company, their mums, their dads, their brothers, the family dog and JETHRO TULL for not bringing out a new album that year."

Two years ago, on the 30th anniversary of that fateful day, Ulrich took to his Instagram to reflect on his band's first Grammy loss, writing: "Today 30 years ago, February 22 '89, we played the Grammys for the first time and that was quite a mindfuck!! First time we were in front of a mainstream TV audience. First time mainstream America was exposed to whatever the hell it is we do. First time they had a hard rock/metal category on the Grammys. First time we were Grammy losers, since JETHRO TULL, somewhat unexpectedly to most people, walked away with the win.

"But all was not lost. The expressions of disgust from most members of the audience (other than Iggy!) is something I will treasure for the rest of my life. And I was rocking some pretty crazy hair that was edging dangerously close to a mullet! Happy days indeed!!"

Geezer Butler has told Bass Magazine that DEADLAND RITUAL, the band he started a few years ago with guitarist Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL, VINCE NEIL), drummer Matt Sorum (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) and singer Franky Perez (APOCALYPTICA) likely won't get resurrected once life resumes post-pandemic.

"We had about 13 or 14 songs written, and we were about to go into the studio when the pandemic came along," he said. "And now Steve won't leave his house [laughs], and so I think the singer [Franky Perez] is doing something else, and Matt is doing something also." Butler went on to say DEADLAND RITUAL had "some really good stuff" that he "might rescue" and put on a future solo album.

DEADLAND RITUAL released two songs, "Down In Flames" and "Broken And Bruised" in late 2018 and early 2019. Both tracks, which were produced by Greg Fidelman (METALLICA, SLIPKNOT), were made available via Sonik Riot Records/AWAL powered by Kobalt.

For its live performances, DEADLAND RITUAL's setlist consisted of several original tracks alongside classic songs from the members' previous bands, including BLACK SABBATH's "Symptom Of The Universe", "Neon Knights" and "Sweet Leaf", VELVET REVOLVER's "Slither" and BILLY IDOL's "Rebel Yell".

Geezer previously said that he initially had no plans to join another band after SABBATH completed its "The End" farewell tour.

"Well, I retired after the last SABBATH show," he said. "I just traveled and did everything that I wanted to do when I was retired for a year. And then I got fed up watching the TV every day. And I started writing stuff again, 'cause that's what you do. I've been doing it for 50 years, so it's in your blood. You can't just stop, especially when it's your hobby as well. And I just got back into writing stuff. I was planning on doing another solo album, a GZR thing. And I got a few songs together for that. And then Matt got in touch with me about DEADLAND RITUAL."

Asked what appealed to him about being in a band again, Geezer said: "It's what I've known since I started when I was 16; I was in a band. When you're doing solo stuff, it's just you writing stuff. There's nobody to bounce off, and I really missed that. It's good to have people saying, 'That's good. That'll work.' Or, 'That's not so good.' And I missed having that. The guitarist that I worked with in GZR, he's just moved to the East Coast and he's got other things on his plate at the moment. With DEADLAND RITUAL, everybody's local, so it's easy to get together. And you don't have to plan months in advance to do an album or write songs. If I feel like writing a song today, I call up Steve, go around to Steve's house, and we try something."

DEADLAND RITUAL made its live debut in May 2019 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.

THE OFFSPRING guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman spoke to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about the massive success of the band's 1994 breakthrough album "Smash". "Smash" was THE OFFSPRING's third LP and is often credited, along with GREEN DAY's "Dookie", with the commercial resurgence and success of punk rock in the mid-'90s.

"That was a real crazy time for us, because we went from being a band for 10 years where we played underground clubs and traveled across country in a van, and nobody knew who were, to, all of a sudden, traveling all around the world and doing it full time," Noodles said (see video below). "When 'Smash' came out, we were on the road for a year and a half non-stop pretty much. So it was different. Then we went back in the studio and made 'Ixnay [On The Hombre]', and everyone was expecting our sophomore slump even though it was really our fourth record. We tried not to react one way or the other — we tried not to prove our punk bona fides or pop/rock bona fides either: 'Let's just do what we do.' And I think we did pretty well with that. And then [we] continued to tour. And then came 'Americana', which was huge too. And after that, it's just been so fun."

"Smash" has sold more than six million copies in the U.S. alone and 11 million worldwide. It remains the best-selling independent label album of all time.

The disc's first single, "Come Out And Play", hit No. 1 on the Modern Rock chart in 1994 and was followed by two more Top 10 hits in "Self-Esteem" and "Gotta Get Away".

A 20th-anniversary remastered edition of the album was released tin 2014 by Epitaph on both CD and 180-gram vinyl, as well as in a special "collector's box."

THE OFFSPRING's tenth studio album, "Let The Bad Times Roll", 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.

During an appearance on the "No Sleep 'Til Sudbury" podcast, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen revealed that his "favorite all-time band" is THE POLICE, the English rock group formed in London in 1977 by primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums). He said (hear audio below): "I think Sting was, and sometimes is, my favorite songwriter. He can walk the line of, actually, great songwriting and pop silliness. He can get a little blasé — he can do anything he wants from a songwriting point of view… 'Every Breath You Take' is one of the classic songs of all time. 'Walking On The Moon' had actually done something to me as well; it was a goosebump thing. As much as I wish I wrote 'Every Breath You Take', it's 'Walking On The Moon' that sends shivers down my spine. And I think it was the sound of the band — the vibe of the whole thing. Everything about it. They were a true hybrid — they took the reggae thing and the rock thing and it came out in the punk era. It just had a bit more venom in it as well; it had a lot more fire than guys who normally… These guys were jazz guys — they all played in jazz bands before — but there was an absolute fire in the playing. Stewart Copeland is one of my favorite drummers of all time. When you put those three in together, magical things [happen]. Whenever I hear the band, it's — again — goosebump time. I know I keep saying that, but THE POLICE do that every time I hear them play. I got to see them when they reformed, and, again, I thought it was magical. It's my favorite band, so I would say that. But I do think Sting's the most amazing songwriter. He can write a classic or he can write a silly pop song — or both."

Back in 2012, Collen released a demo version of his cover of THE POLICE's "Roxanne", originally recorded during sessions for DEF LEPPARD's covers album "Yeah!" The demo was recorded in early 2004 and was one of 24 songs DEF LEPPARD laid down for "Yeah!" The original version by THE POLICE (written by Sting) was released as a single in April 1978 and included on the band's debut album, "Outlandos D'Amour".

In a 2015 interview with Music Radar, Collen named 1981's "Ghost In The Machine" as his favorite THE POLICE album, describing is as "a bit quirky, a bit weird and a bit reggae. It was a perfect moment in time. Like Prince, they were true artists — a hybrid of different styles, not stuck to just one thing… really open-minded.

"I find the more music you let in, the more you have to let out. THE POLICE were like that, and Sting's definitely one of my favourite songwriters. Okay, he can get a bit ponce-y, especially these days. But he wrote these classic rock songs that were melodically superior.

"The rest of the band were great, too; they had this amazing chemistry. 'Synchronicity', their last one, was great, too, but I think 'Ghost In The Machine' is perfect… I loved the hybrid element, introducing reggae into it was killer."

DEF LEPPARD's "The Stadium Tour" with MÖTLEY CRÜE, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally scheduled to take place last summer but has been pushed back to this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"The Stadium Tour" is now scheduled to kick off on June 19, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee and conclude on September 12, 2021 in San Diego, California.

The last DEF LEPPARD studio album, a self-titled affair, came out in 2015.

British musician Andy James, who joined FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH last year as the replacement for the band's longtime guitarist Jason Hook, spoke about how he landed the gig during a recent video chat with Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G. (FIREWIND, ex-OZZY OSBOURNE).

"I knew Charlie [Engen], the [current FIVE FINGER] drummer, 'cause we'd toured before with Angel Vivaldi, and he was the drummer for Angel and SCALE THE SUMMIT," Andy recalled (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We had that one song that we did that we all kind of jammed together at the end, so we got to play together and got to know each other on that. I was really stoked when he was announced as the new drummer for FIVE FINGER. And I guess they just kind of got talking.

"Zoltan [Bathory, FIVE FINGER guitarist and founder] is a big fan of guitar players in general — going on Instagram and seeing what's new and who's about," he continued. "I think he's always interested in seeing who's around and what things are out there. And I think I came up in conversation at one point, and Charlie had told him that we knew each other. I think [Zoltan] was working with BUTCHER BABIES, trying to help them to further their career a little bit, and was thinking that maybe they could do with another guitar player. So he contacted me via Instagram, and we got chatting for a bit. I think it was really only a couple of weeks later after that I ended up in Hollywood anyway, in L.A. And then I met the [BUTCHER BABIES] guys and stuff, and then we went in the studio. And at that point, Zoltan came out to the studio and we hung out and stuff like that. So that's pretty much how we met.

"I was about to embark on doing some bits and pieces with the BUTCHER BABIES, having done 'Dimebash', and that was kind of our first gig — 'here's our new bass player and new guitar player,' 'cause they got a new bass player at the same time as well," James added. "And then, right before going and actually doing a music video shoot for one of their songs, Zoltan contacted and was just, like, 'Yeah, we might need you to come out and finish up the rest of our tour, 'cause we've had a bit of a kind of issue with Jason Hook' — I think a health issue, stuff like that. So, yeah, 'stand by' kind of thing. And then literally the following day, there was like a fucking ticket waiting for me at LAX [Los Angeles International Airport]. So I was literally playing guitar in first class the whole flight back, because I was still learning the shit on the way to England — 17 songs, something like that. Obviously, I'd been a fan of the band, so I knew the music and everything, so it wasn't a case of having to learn the arrangements — assuming that none of the stuff had been changed that much for live, that part of it was kind of already in my head. But I had to just sit down and work out the physical aspect of doing some of their stuff."

Andy went on to say that he was pleased things worked out the way they did. "I'm happy that it happened, but, obviously, it's to the detriment of somebody else's life and career," he said, referring to Hook's dismissal from FIVE FINGER. "But I think things just naturally move on, and this is just one of those things."

James made his recording debut with FIVE FINGER on the song "Broken World", which is featured on the second installment of the band's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction - Volume 2".

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's latest album, "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.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's new disc was once again helmed by Kevin Churko, the Canadian record producer/engineer and songwriter who currently lives in Las Vegas, where he works out of his private studio, The Hideout Recording Studio.

LA Pop Art has joined forces with KISS to launch a branded "Word Art" line of apparel that celebrates the legendary band's enduring magic.

LA Pop Art company founder Joseph Leibovic states: "'You wanted the best; you got the best!' We couldn't be more excited and honored to be working with one of the most iconic rock bands of all time and, more importantly, being able to offer the KISS Army something so unique."

Just in time to commemorate KISS's "End Of The Road" final tour, LA Pop Art has created the iconic KISS logo out of their popular song titles and the famous makeup of the Demon, Starchild, Catman, and Spaceman. T-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags and more are now available for men, women, and children.

"There has never been a band like KISS and there will never be another band like them," Leibovic adds. "We wanted to honor their legend with a truly one-of-a-kind design that is a must-have for any KISS fan."

This fully licensed KISS merchandise is boldly printed with pride in the USA and available for purchase at LAPopArt.com, Macys.com, Amazon.com and other select quality retailers.

LA Pop Art worked with KISS's licensing agency, Epic Rights, to facilitate this partnership.

LA Pop Art is the exclusive home to unique "Word Art" apparel that combines the visual images of pop culture's most celebrated icons with the language that made them famous, creating unique works of art.

The company creates text-based artwork, entirely drawn by hand, using the ancient technique of micrography, an art form of writing text in very small letters to form the illusion of an image.

LA Pop Art is the premier Pop Art micrographic imaging firm with a portfolio of film, music, and pop-culture artwork from the biggest names in the business, and has been featured in top magazines, movies, TV shows and in major art collections and exhibits.

To learn more, visit lapopart.com.

During an appearance on the latest edition of "Trunk Nation LA Invasion: Live From The Rainbow Bar & Grill" on SiriusXM, bassist Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH), guitarist Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL, VINCE NEIL), drummer Matt Sorum (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) and singer Franky Perez (APOCALYPTICA) spoke about the formation of their new collaborative project, DEADLAND RITUAL.

Asked how band came together, Franky said: "Matt, myself and Steve have been friends with years. And we've been talking about doing a project. And we had an opportunity to play with Geezer at the Adopt The Arts benefit, and I remember turning to Matt and saying, 'This is it, man. This is unreal.' And when it came time to put the band together, it just made sense."

Added Matt: "Slash actually called me one time and said, 'Hey, man. I found this singer [Franky]. And would you check him out with CAMP FREDDY? And I'm gonna come down and watch.' We were looking for a singer for VELVET REVOLVER. And then, long story short, we kind of worked on that for a while. That didn't come to fruition. And then I remained friends with Franky. I loved his voice and I kept playing with him in different situations.

"I have a charity group for kids here in L.A. called Adopt The Arts," he continued. "And we did a big benefit. And I called Geezer, 'cause I had just played with him with Alice Cooper and the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES. We did a gig here at The Roxy. Geezer got up and we played… I think we played a [Jimi] Hendrix tune, 'Manic Depression'. And it was just great. And then I think I got his number. So then I called him and we went up for my Adopt The Arts thing and we played [BLACK SABBATH's] 'War Pigs', 'cause he knows that one. And we all know it as well, we love it, so we said, 'Can we please play that song?' And he obliged and said yes. And it was Steve, Franky and myself playing [with Geezer] that night, and I remember, it just felt explosive. We all looked at each other and we were, like, 'That was really cool.' At that point, time went on and we started talking about doing a project. And I called Geezer. And I sent him a demo that we had — another song that we haven't put out yet that's great — and he liked it. And that was pretty much how it started. And then we got together and started writing songs."

Geezer said that he initially had no plans to join another band after SABBATH completed its "The End" farewell tour.

"Well, I retired after the last SABBATH show," he said. "I just traveled and did everything that I wanted to do when I was retired for a year. And then I got fed up watching the TV every day. And I started writing stuff again, 'cause that's what you do. I've been doing it for 50 years, so it's in your blood. You can't just stop, especially when it's your hobby as well. And I just got back into writing stuff. I was planning on doing another solo album, a GZR thing. And I got a few songs together for that. And then Matt got in touch with me about DEADLAND RITUAL."

Asked what appealed to him about being in a band again, Geezer said: "It's what I've known since I started when I was 16; I was in a band. When you're doing solo stuff, it's just you writing stuff. There's nobody to bounce off, and I really missed that. It's good to have people saying, 'That's good. That'll work.' Or, 'That's not so good.' And I missed having that. The guitarist that I worked with in GZR, he's just moved to the East Coast and he's got other things on his plate at the moment. With DEADLAND RITUAL, everybody's local, so it's easy to get together. And you don't have to plan months in advance to do an album or write songs. If I feel like writing a song today, I call up Steve, go around to Steve's house, and we try something."

DEADLAND RITUAL recently released its first song, "Down In Flames". The track, which was produced by Greg Fidelman (METALLICA, SLIPKNOT), was made available via Sonik Riot Records/AWAL powered by Kobalt.

According to Matt, DEADLAND RITUAL now has "a whole bunch of songs we're stacking up. And we're working towards a record down the line a little bit. We've got about three [tracks] in the can right now," he said. "We've been working with Greg Fidelman, who just did miraculous things for METALLICA on their new record. And I told Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] it's one of my favorite records they've done in years. And he comes from the Rick Rubin camp. And he did the last SABBATH record as well — he engineered that record — and the new SLIPKNOT stuff. So he was a perfect fit. He was amazing to work with. So we loved that process. And I think the tracks sound awesome."

DEADLAND RITUAL will make two European summer festival appearances in June — Download in the U.K on June 14 and Hellfest in France on June 22.

DEADLAND RITUAL promises the live shows will be something special, mixing original material with deeper cuts from the bandmembers' collective past. "Not the typical songs you would expect," according to Sorum.

Dee Snider's upcoming solo album, "Leave A Scar", will include a duet with CANNIBAL CORPSE frontman George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher.

The TWISTED SISTER singer broke the news of the collaboration in a tweet on Wednesday. He wrote: "HOLY HELL!! Just heard mix of a duet (if you can call something this brutal that) with me and #corpsegrinder of CANNIBAL CORPSE for my next album! 'Time to Chose' is BEYOND HEAVY! @jameyjasta @CorpseOfficial #HAAAAAARD !!!"

Last week, Snider told New York's Q104.3 radio station that his new LP will be "very heavy," but added that "there are some surprises on there that I think people are gonna really be excited about."

Snider's next solo album will be the follow-up to "For The Love Of Metal", which was released in July 2018 via Napalm Records. That effort, which was produced by HATEBREED vocalist Jamey Jasta, featured contributions from Howard Jones (ex-KILLSWITCH ENGAGE), Mark Morton (LAMB OF GOD), Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY), Joel Grind and Nick Bellmore (TOXIC HOLOCAUST), and Charlie Bellmore (KINGDOM OF SORROW).

Snider previously spoke about his upcoming solo LP during an October 2020 interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. At the time, he said: "[I'm] working with the same amazing team — the Bellmore brothers, Charlie [on guitar] and Nickey. Nickey plays drums, but also is the engineer and mixer — an amazing, talented guy. And Jamey Jasta is the producer and curator. He is the gatekeeper, the master. As all ideas are brought in, they're filtered through Jamey, his ears, and have to get a thumbs-up from him before it makes it to the record. But now we no longer have to do that 'Is this gonna work?' thing. And for me, it's, 'Do I trust these guys?' I mean, I trusted them in the sense that they were friends, but when Jamey challenged me to do the metal record, I had my doubts. I don't wanna say it's doubts, but [I thought], 'How is this gonna work?' So there was an initial thing where we were all feeling each other out. Now, after two years of working together, touring with the Bellmore brothers, locking in a band with Nick 'Taz' Petrino on guitar and Russ Pizzuto on bass guitar, we come in and we don't have to waste any time with that. There is trust, we do know our direction, we do know what works for Dee Snider and for this project, and we just go full steam ahead."

Snider's latest release was "For The Love Of Metal Live!", which came out in July 2020 via Napalm Records. The DVD/Blu-ray and accompanying live album (available in various formats) features audio captured from several Snider festival performances worldwide — from the United States to Europe, Australia and beyond. In addition to tracks from Snider's solo catalog, like "I Am The Hurricane" and "For The Love Of Metal", TWISTED SISTER favorites such as "I Wanna Rock" and "We're Not Gonna Take It", and even a cover of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell", the audio portion of "For The Love Of Metal Live!" also features a brand new original studio track, "Prove Me Wrong".

TWISTED SISTER called it quits in 2016 after completing a farewell 40th-anniversary tour.




HOLY HELL!! Just heard mix of a duet (if you can call something this brutal that) with me and #corpsegrinder of Cannibal Corpse for my next album! “Time to Chose” is BEYOND HEAVY! @jameyjasta @CorpseOfficial #HAAAAAARD !!!

— Dee Snider?? (@deesnider) March 10, 2021

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of DEFTONES' legendary platinum-certified album "White Pony", the band has partnered with Abre Ojos Tequila to release a limited-edition Añejo Tequila.

The limited-edition Añejo was handcrafted in the town of Tequila, Jalisco. It is aged up to two years in American Oak used whiskey barrels, creating caramel, vanilla, hazelnut and chocolate notes. The buttery taste ends with a smoky, mature flavor. It is meant to sip and enjoy.

Last December, DEFTONES released "Black Stallion", the long-awaited "White Pony" companion album featuring an eclectic cast of contributors re-imagining its songs and their far-reaching impact across the worlds of metal, hip-hop, indie, and electronic music.

DEFTONES announced their plans for a "White Pony" remix album during a virtual press conference in June. At the time, singer Chino Moreno stated: "We're going to be releasing later in the year a reissue of ['White Pony'] and we're going to do sort of a split side of the record, a remixed version of it titled 'Black Stallion'. So we have a bunch of different people on it, some that actually inspired some of the writing of the record itself, the original album. So it's kind of come full circle."

DJ Frank Delgado revealed that "Black Stallion" was in the works before "White Pony" even saw the light of day.

"We would talk about ['White Pony' before it came out], how good it was going to be, and we'd immediately jump to, 'It's going to be so good, we're going to have [DJ] Shadow remix it and we'll call it 'Black Stallion'. I think one time we actually hit him up. He was playing here in town and I was opening DJing and me and Chino kind of cornered him."

"White Pony (20th Anniversary)" is available in three physical formats: 2 CD + digital download; limited-edition deluxe box set (2 double LPs + 2 CDs); and a vinyl box set (2 double LPs).

DEFTONES' ninth album, "Ohms", arrived in September.

Korpiklaani are proud to announce that their very own Korpiklaani Vodka has been awarded the "World's Best Infused & Botanical Vodka" at the International World Vodka Awards competition. This spruce flavored Vodka is produced by Pyynikin Distilling Company from Tampere who have won several international awards.

One can safely say their years of traveling around the world, drinking a fair amount of Vodka along the way, has finally paid off with providing an certain expertise to produce of award-winning vodka. You can watch a commercial for Korpiklaani Vodka below.

Jarkko comments:"We had several sessions with Samuli the Distiller where we went through many different versions of the vodka. The correct amount of spruce was crucial in getting the flavor exactly right and even tiny changes made a huge difference in the final product. We 're very happy to see that the jury appreciated the same things and actually understood the amount of love and care that went into making this vodka."

"When Korpiklaani suggested making a vodka in cooperation, I could not have been more excited! Korpiklaani was my absolute favorite band in my youth and I still listen to them a lot. In my opinion, spruce is one of the most Finnish flavors and aromas, and it also fits very well with the look of Korpiklaani, so from the beginning it was clear what would be used in this vodka. We went collecting spruce twigs ourselves from the forest for distillation. The end result is a grain-based vodka flavored with spruce, which is wooded and fresh, like the forest in a bottle," says  Samuli Peltonummi , the main distiller of  Pyynikin Distilling Company




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

On March 12, internationally renowned Renaissance folk rock band, Blackmore’s Night, will release their new studio album, Nature’s Light. Find a full album preview below, and pre-order the album here.

Blackmore’s Night have crafted a 20+ year legacy of merging medieval melodies with rock elements. Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Candice Night seamlessly blends her ethereal vocals and lyrics, along with a command of numerous classic woodwinds. With Ritchie Blackmore traversing all matter of six-string instruments, from acoustic and electric guitar to mandola, hurdy-gurdy and nyckelharpa and their wonderful band of minstrels, the result is a truly unique listening experience.

The ten new tracks make for a quintessential Blackmore’s Night album. Once again, Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night successfully mix the tradition of Folk music and their love for the Renaissance era, inspired by the myths and legends of ancient times.

“The story of Nature’s Light is the story of nature being the true queen and the simplicity and magic of everyday miracles that happen right before your eyes”, says Candice Night. “If you feel stagnant or repressed in your surroundings, it is important to take a break from the mundane and go where your heart leads you. It allows you to recharge and begin again with fresh and renewed energy. For some it is the ocean, for some the woods, for some feeling the sun on your face. Our music is an escape from the stress and pressure of modern times. Journey back through time with us, to a simpler, magical time where music enters your heart and soul.”

Nature’s Light will be released on multiple formats via earMUSIC. Among these is a Strictly Limited 2CD Hardcover Mediabook Edition including a bonus CD featuring a carefully selected set of Blackmore’s Night’s masterpieces from their extensive back catalogue. Furthermore, the album will become available as a CD Digipak Edition, a Strictly Limited Heavyweight 1LP Gatefold Edition on Yellow Vinyl, a 180g 1LP Gatefold Edition on Black Vinyl as well as Digital.

Tracklisting:

"Once Upon December"
"Four Winds"
"Feather In The Wind"
"Darker Shade Of Black" (Instrumental)
"The Twisted Oak"
"Nature’s Light"
"Der Letzte Musketier" (Instrumental)
"Wish You Were Here" (2021)
"Going To The Faire"
"Second Element"

Album preview:

"Nature’s Light" video:

"Four Winds" lyric video:

"Once Upon December" lyric video:




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

Pink Floyd Live at Knebworth 1990 will be released for the first time on CD, double vinyl and digital platforms on Friday, April 30. The concert was part of the star-studded 1990 Silver Clef Winners performance at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, headlined by Pink Floyd.

The monumentous Knebworth concert saw Pink Floyd topping the all-star bill that included Paul McCartney, Dire Straits, Genesis, Phil Collins, Mark Knopfler, Robert Plant (with Jimmy Page), Cliff Richard, Eric Clapton, and Tears For Fears. Around 120,000 music fans saw these giants of rock appear on the hallowed stage of Knebworth, all in aid of the Nordoff Robbins charity, profits from which went towards setting up the BRIT School. The concert was broadcast globally on MTV.

Pink Floyd - David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright - were joined on stage by members of their touring band including Guy Pratt, Jon Carin, Tim Renwick, and Gary Wallis. Backing vocals came from Durga McBroom, Sam Brown and her mother Vicki, and (original The Great Gig in the Sky vocalist) Clare Torry. Pink Floyd also welcomed guest musicians including sax player Candy Dulfer and keyboard player and composer Michael Kamen.

David Gilmour and Andy Jackson have remixed the audio from this iconic concert featuring all seven tracks performed on the day, and the album features new artwork shot by Floyd collaborator Aubrey 'Po' Powell of Hipgnosis and designed by Peter Curzon of StormStudios.

Pre-order here and listen to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (Pts. 1-5) below.




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

Escape Music announces the signing of Bulgarian band Kikimora, featuring the multi-talented musician, Maestro Nikolo Kotzev (Brazen Abbot). The new album, Dirty Nails, will be released on May 14.

Kikimora was founded back in 2011 by Nikolo Kotzev (Brazen Abbot, Nostradamus the rock opera, Robin Gibb), immediately after moving back to his home country Bulgaria. The name of the band comes from an ancient evil spirit in the Slavic mythology.

Nikolo’s idea was to write new songs in Bulgarian language, focusing on live performances on local ground. Soon the band took a leading position on the Bulgarian rock scene, started playing large outdoor shows and headlining festivals in the country. The band started enjoying quite a large media attention and made many appearances on TV and radio shows.

Along with Nikolo’s own material, the band performed many legendary rock anthems from great bands like Deep Purple, Rainbow, AC/DC among others. During the years Kikimora backed up guest singers like Joe Lynn Turner, Doogie White and Jörn Lande and made quite a few shows with them in Bulgaria.

Along with the live work, Nikolo created original material, which was released in 2015 with the album called "Kikimora".

Around 2016 the band participated in a spectacle with a symphonic orchestra, performing opera classics in rock arrangements with opera singers, plus the bands own singer Nikola Zdravkov. After a few showcases, the band carried on with three of the country’s Opera houses, performing a similar show called “One Night In The Opera” drawing large crowds around the country.

After quite a few successful concerts, the band made another crossover, “Children In Time”,  a tribute to Deep Purple and Rainbow, performed again with a symphonic orchestra. They followed that up with another one, called ”Here We Go Again”, a Whitesnake tribute. The next one was called “They Say Rock Is Dead?” a tribute to the rock music of the 70s and the 80s.

In late 2019 Nikolo began building a recording studio. Shortly after the studio was completed, a decision was made to record a new album in English language. Work began in July 2020 and the album was finished in February 2021. The end result is explosive!

Updates to follow.

Lineup:

 Nikolo Kotzev – Guitars (Brazen Abbot)
Nikola Zdravkov - vocals
Nikolay Todorov - drums and vocals
Nikolay Tsvetkov - bass

(Photo - Escape Music Ltd.)




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

Austin's Jason McMaster and New Jersey's Dan Lorenzo have been in many bands over the years. Lorenzo most notably in Hades and Non-Fiction, and McMaster in Watchtower and Broken Teeth to name a few, but up until now the two have never written together.

McMaster has sung the covers "Mr. Speed" and "Sight For Sore Eye"s under the moniker Cassius King (Lorenzo, Lipnicki, Schulman and different vocalists and guests), but the two have just released the single "Traveler", along with Jimmy Schulman and Ron Lipnicki who both play with Lorenzo in his doom band Vessel Of Light.

"The last 3 years is the most music I've written in my life", Lorenzo stated. "I've become obsessed with Vessel Of Light, but I have always had an eye to writing with Jason. We both have a shared love for 70s era KISS, Aerosmith and Cheap Trick... of course you would never know that listening to the first song we are releasing.
It's more in a Sabbathy direction."

Cassius King are speaking with several labels about a full release and hope to have their debut LP out by the end of this year. The first single, "Traveler" can be heard here, and below:

Traveler by CASSIUS KING




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

Ross “The Boss” Friedman and his band, Ross The Boss, have released a video for "Glory To The Slain", the opening track of their latest album, Born Of Fire, out now via AFM Records. Order the album here, and watch the new clip below:

Born Of Fire is the fourth album from Friedman and his band, which arrives not even two years after their chart breaking 2018 effort, By Blood Sworn. Born Of Fire is pounding yet fresher and heavier out of the speakers than before, but isn’t lacking any of the typical Ross The Boss trademarks.

Tracklisting:

"Glory To The Slain"
"Fight The Fight"
"Denied By The Cross"
"Maiden Of Shadows"
"I Am The Sword"
"Shotgun Evolution"
"Born Of Fire"
"Godkiller"
"The Blackest Heart"
"Demon Holiday"
"Undying"
"Waking The Moon"

"Glory To The Slain" video:

"Born Of Fire" video:

"Maiden Of Shadows" video:

"Denied By The Cross" lyric video:




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

Frontiers Music Srl announces the signing of Indian hard rockers, Girish & The Chronicles (GATC), to the label for a multi-album deal.

The band’s singer Girish Pradhan says, "Frontiers is home to some of the most legendary artists, some of whom we actually idolized as kids and it is a truly wonderful feeling to be a part of this family. We had hoped for this for quite some time and we had no idea that we would be the first Indian band to do this! We really look forward to creating some crazy albums together and adding to the legacy!"

GATC plans to head to the studio very soon to start the recordings of their third record which is expected to be released in early 2022. Girish concludes: "We are very excited for this. We have already started making demos and they sound KICK ASS! As always, we want to take this album to the next level. It will have all the musical elements that we love to hear, in our day to day lives, which of course revolves around good old Rock 'n Roll. From the Sunset Strip to NWOBHM and more. Our audience can expect some great anthems!"  

Girish continues, "We are a hard rock/melodic rock/heavy metal band. We like making the kind of music that we grew up listening to, which revolves around the '80s. However, we do like including a song or two that may have a very different vibe. Could be in the form of a progressive song or maybe a riff that has a bit of "India" in it. All in all, we think of it as a roller coaster ride with the meanest in-your-face songs to beautiful ballads. We feel no matter how dedicated we are to the art, we still should not stop ourselves from exploring more, but without losing the essence of what we truly love."

GATC has released two albums, their debut Back On Earth on Universal Music India and the more recent Rock The Highway, which was released independently outside of India as well.

For the uninitiated, you can hear what the band sounds like via the below music videos.

Coming from the city of Bengaluru in Sikkim, India, GATC are known for their soaring, powerful vocals, biting guitars, thunderous bass, and pounding drums, staying true to the authentic ‘80s heavy metal/hard rock sound which they grew up with. Many rock outlets, listed GATC’s "Rock the Highway" on their list of top Top Rock/Metal Albums of 2020 and the group has gained a cult following with '80's and '90s hair metal and hard rock aficionados.

GATC is also well known in the Indian rock scene for electrifying live shows and have toured across the nation and beyond. The group has supported bands ranging in variety from American alt rockers Hoobastank to Finnish rockers Poets of the Fall to German thrashers Destruction. Additionally, the band has been part of various leading music festivals in India consistently. They also recently toured with/backed ex-Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler during his performances in India. Vocalist Girish Pradhan is also part of the international metal group, Firstborne, which is led by Chris Adler, James Lomenzo and Hugh B. Myrone. He has also toured the UK, France, Spain, Portugal and other territories with his other side projects in the past. In their 11 year existence, they have been credited by many fans for bringing the classic hard rock culture back in India and are an inspiration to many new and upcoming bands in the scene.




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

Finnish melodic death/doom metal strikers, Marianas Rest, will unleash their third studio album, Fata Morgana, on March 12 via Napalm Records. As their final harbinger, the six-piece now unveils its intense, third offering, “Pointless Tale”.

Along with a visually palpable lyric video, this inexorable track draws the listener even deeper into the maelstrom and essence of Marianas Rest: A scream of despair shaking to the core immediately draws the listener into a dark vortex and gets the song started without making any compromises. While deep growls and doomy tunes pervade the verse, the chorus unleashes an incarnate furious beast, smashing its despair and hopelessness out to the world.

Jaakko Mäntymaa on their third single: “'Pointless Tale' tries to sum up the desperation that you sometimes feel when looking at how this world works. It is easy to break structures that someone has spent a lifetime building. And a lot of the time we build things without stopping to think what for.”

Watch the lyric video for “Pointless Tale":

Fata Morgana marks the final chapter of a trilogy that began when Marianas Rest released their first full-length, 2016’s Horror Vacui, followed by the critically acclaimed full-length Ruins (2019). The series encompasses themes of isolation, eventual mental collapse and emergence from that woeful state, respectively - however, the band invites fans to experience the concept from their own perspectives.

The upcoming eight-song epos delivers atmospheric melodies that are as endless and fascinating as the overwhelming beauty of Finnish nature, which tracks like the expressive “The Weight” or authentic “Pointless Tale” are evidence of. Topped by guest appearances of Timo Virkkala, who shares his awesome cello magic, and the bewitching backing vocals of Lindsay Matheson/Schoolcraft (ex-Cradle Of Filth), Marianas Rest take their creative output to the next level and make Fata Morgana a must-have for fans of bands like Insomnium and My Dying Bride.

Marianas Rest on Fata Morgana: "Fata Morgana is a voyage into isolation. A passage to a place where minds get distorted by the cold."

This melodic melancholy is produced by Teemu Aalto (Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum) and Marianas Rest, recorded and mixed by Teemu Aalto at Teemu Aalto Music Productions and mastered by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers, who received a Grammy nomination with Candlemass feat. Tony Iommi for Best Metal Performance.

Fata Morgana will be available in the following formats:

- 2LP Gatefold Marbled Black/White (Napalm Mailorder Only)
- 2LP Gatefold Black
- CD Digipack
- Digital Album

Pre-order your copy of Fata Morgana here.

Tracklisting:

"Sacrificial"
"Glow From The Edge"
"Pointless Tale
"The Weight"
"Horrokseen"
"Fata Morgana"
"Advent Of Nihilism"
"South Of Vostok"

“South Of Vostok” video:

“Glow From The Edge” video:

“Glow From The Edge” behind the scenes:

As a special bonus, Marianas Rest will release a limited edition reissue of their aforementioned second studio album, Ruins, on vinyl for the first time ever on March 12 via Napalm Records. Unleashed back in April 2019, the Finns’ full-length tells the story of how a mind slowly crumbles, about introversion, putting up mental walls and eventually disappearing inside your own head.

Available as a 2LP Gatefold Marbled Black/White vinyl (limited to 300 copies), this is a must have for fans of this somber manifest of heavy riffs and grieving melodies.

Pre-order Ruins here.

Tracklisting:

"Kairos"
"The Spiral"
"Hole In Nothing"
"The Defiant"
"Unsinkable"
"Shadows"
"Restitution"
"Omega"

Marianas Rest are:

Jaakko Mäntymaa - vocals
Aapo Koivisto - keys
Nico Mänttäri - guitar
Harri Sunila - guitar
Niko Lindman - bass
Nico Heininen - drums

(Photo - Miikka Järvinen)




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

Former Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum recently guested on Rock On The Rocks and revealed during the interview, found below, that he has teamed up with Brazil-based Companhia Brasileira de Cerveja Artesanal (CBCA) for his very own signature beer, aptly called The Drummer.

The interview with Sorum begins at the 24 minute mark. He talks about the beer starting at the 1 hour mark.

Sorum: "This is an American lager, and then I've got an IPA coming. There's 12 Bristol Farms stores (in the US) right now, and next year we'll go wider with it... distribute it everywhere, I hope."

Sorum was originally scheduled to release his autobiography, Double Talkin' Jive: True Rock 'N' Roll Stories From The Drummer Of Guns N' Roses, The Cult, And Velvet Revolver, on April 7th, 2020 via Chicago Review Press. That date was pushed back three months to July 7th, 2020. and then the fall on 2020, but the book never surfaced.

Word has come down via Amazon that Sorum's book will be released on September 7th, 2021 via Rare Bird Books. Stay tuned for updates.

The official book description reads as follows:

Cocaine smuggling, shoot-outs, and never-ending decadent parties: Matt Sorum's 'Double Talkin' Jive' could almost be described as the autobiographical equivalent of the film, Blow. But rather than becoming a premier drug smugglers, Matt Sorum becomes a world-famous drummer in Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver and The Cult. Sorum drops out of high school to become a drummer, but turns to selling pot to support himself, and later smuggling large quantities of cocaine. When Sorum is given the chance to play in The Cult, he is finally able to make a living as a drummer. The very next year, Slash and Duff McKagan recruit Matt to join Guns N' Roses, and with that, Matt's life is transformed.

When Axl Rose starts turning up at the recording studio more and more sporadically, sometimes not at all, Matt recounts in keen detail how he and the band stagger toward their downfall. Matt and his Guns N' Roses bandmates Slash and Duff form Velvet Revolver with Dave Kushner and Scott Weiland. When Weiland suddenly leaves the band, Matt steps in as drummer for Motörhead during their U.S. tour, and then starts his own all-star band, Kings Of Chaos.

During his time as a professional drummer, Matt battles alcohol and coke addictions, but meeting his girlfriend, Ace Harper, helps him manage to go clean. Matt Sorum's autobiography, written with writer duo Leif Eriksson and Martin Svensson, avoids all the usual rock biography clichés.




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

Power metallers Trick Or Treat have revealed the details of the previously announced compilation album that will come out in the spring.

The Unlocked Songs falls in between an album of unreleased music and a collection of assorted goodies scattered over almost two decades of brilliant career.

A compelling and amusing “B-sides greatest hits”, The Unlocked Songs includes unreleased songs, remixes, covers, rare bonus-tracks, acoustic versions and demo tracks that will just make you feel better. The album highlights include a thrilling cover of the Misfits’ classic hit “Scream” and the outstanding voice of the late, great Andre Matos in “Prince With A 1000 Enemies”, which was originally released in 2012.

Uplifting heavy metal for these dark times: Trick Or Treat are men on a mission and, most of all, men of their word. The Unlocked Songs is out on May 21 via Scarlet Records.

Artwork by vocalist Alessandro Conti:

Tracklisting:

“Hungarian Hangover”
“Almost Gone”
“I Cavalieri dello Zodiaco”
“Dragonborn – Skyrim”
“Heavy Metal Bunga Bunga”
“Prince With A 1000 Enemies” (feat. Andre Matos)
“Scream”
“Human Drama”
“Hampshire Landscapes”
“Sagittarius – Golden Arrow” (Acoustic-Orchestral)
“Evil Needs Christmas Too”
“Like Donald Duck” (2004 Demo)

Lineup:
Leone Villani Conti – bass
Guido Benedetti – guitars
Alessandro Conti – vocals
Luca Setti – drums
Luca Venturelli – guitars 




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

Heaven And Hell Records has announced they will soon be reissuing Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s High Voltage's Written In Stone EP.

The Steel City is well known as a city that has had their share of talented rock bands, but few were of the caliber and energy as the quartet made up of vocalist Josh Holmes, guitarist Nick Catanese, bassist Mike Mizia, drummer John (Karbo) Karbowski and keyboardist John Fuechslin- better known as High Voltage.

Formed in 1985, while the members were still in high school, High Voltage would mature and progress musically as the four musicians would themselves. It would not take long for the band to hit the local club scene and seize many opportunities to open for national touring acts passing through the area. Supporting acts such as Bang Tango, Danger Danger, The Outlaws, Blue Murder, Leatherwolf and Kings X would put High Voltage in front of large audiences that would help to quickly gain the band a reputation for being one of Pittsburgh's premier hard rock bands. It would not take long for their fan base to begin to grow outward into other areas of Pennsylvania, into Ohio and parts of West Virginia.

High Voltage’s first self-released four-song demo of original material was released in 1989 and initiated an overwhelming response. Soon after its release, radio stations surrounding the Pittsburgh area picked up on the tunes and High Voltage saw its first air time. The band continued to ascend up the echelon of the rock world by winning the 1989 Edinboro Hotel Evergreen’s Battle of the Bands and appearing on the compilation disc Get To The Point. In 1990, High Voltage contracted Gourmet P.A. to run their sound production. Progress continued with the release of their second studio demo in 1991 that would also receive extended airplay and become a highlight of the local WDVE Homegrown show.

Receiving the top notch Heaven And Hell Records treatment; High Voltage’s Written In Stone EP has been fully remastered and will also include the band’s 1991 self-titled 4-song EP, as well as three additional bonus tracks with a several page booklet with photos and complete lyrics. New artwork provided by Steven Cobb. The release will be limited to 500 copies worldwide.  Release date not yet confirmed.

Tracklisting:

“Troubled Eyes”
“King Soul”
“Written Stone”
“It’s Raining”
“7th Day”
“Fall From Grace”
“Fire Dancer”
“Hi Time”
“Night Alone”
“I’ll Give You The World”
“Crossfire”
“Lightning In The Window”
“Faraway”




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

In a brand new interview with I Ask No One With Kevin Re, LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe was asked if he ever got any piece of advice from METALLICA's James Hetfield when the two bands toured together more than a decade ago. He responded (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "James is a cool dude. I got sober on a METALICA tour — I got sober on a METALLICA tour in Australia. And I'll just say that James Hetfield helped me out a lot with that. Actually, four of give guys on METALLICA's crew were sober. Three of us actually got sober on that tour and have been sober to this day. And that was over 10 years ago.

"James is a good dude, man," he reiterated. "The last time I saw James was in Oakland when we took C.O.C. out, and James showed up and played a song with C.O.C. He hung out for a little bit. He had driven a Tesla. He had this super-fast fuckin'… He's like a gearhead. We were backstage at this place in Oakland, and I was, like, 'Woah! That's a fucking expensive-looking car. I wonder whose car that is.' And then somebody [said], 'Oh, that's James's.' And I was, like, 'Duh.' He's a total gearhead.

"He's a good guy, man — a really good guy with a really good heart," Blythe added. "I love him to death."

Randy went on to praise Hetfield's bandmates, saying, "All the guys in METALLICA were nothing but absolutely lovely to us — absolutely lovely. People will be, like, talking [crap] about their later music or whatever. And it's, like, 'Did you write 'Master Of Puppets'? No, you did not. Shut the fuck up.' You know what I mean? Or, 'Did you write any classic records that will go down in rock and roll history? No, you did not. They did. So shut the fuck up.'

"METALLICA does not have to carry anyone out as openers," he continued. "Their shows sell out before the openers are announced. They don't have to do that. They carry bands out that they wanna give a shot [to]. And you're definitely playing to a METALLICA crowd when you [are opening for them], so you've gotta keep that cognizant. These people are there to see METALLICA, so you'd better bring your fucking A-game. But they're super fucking cool. And it's not like when you're backstage where it's, like, 'Oh, METALLICA is over there. Don't look at them,' whatever. It's, like, you see 'em — they're just regular fucking human beings."

LAMB OF GOD will issue a three-disc deluxe edition of last year's critically acclaimed self-titled album featuring the full record with two bonus tracks and a live version of the album, along with a DVD performance of "Lamb Of God" on March 26 via Epic Records.

Pre-orders for the set are available now, along with the bonus track "Ghost Shaped People". The live CD and DVD portion of the deluxe edition features the first of LAMB OF GOD's two ultra-successful live stream events from September 2020, in which the band performed their critically acclaimed, self-titled album "Lamb Of God" in full, plus an encore of four songs, including "Ruin", "Contractor", "512" and the debut live performance of "The Death Of Us", a new song the band wrote and recorded in quarantine for the "Bill & Ted Face The Music" movie and soundtrack. The DVD includes a new director's cut with bonus material.