California metallers ATREYU have released two new songs: "Warrior" (featuring BLINK-182 drummer Travis Barker) and "Underrated". Check them out below. The tracks arrive five months after the release of "Save Us", which was the first taste of the band's music since the departure of vocalist Alex Varkatzas in September.

"Warrior", "Underrated" and "Save Us" all showcase ATREYU's current lineup consisting of drummer Brandon Saller focusing completely on singing after previously sharing lead vocals with Varkatzas for most of the band's two-decade-plus existence. Sitting behind the kit is Saller's HELL OR HIGHWATER bandmate Kyle Rosa, who had filled in for Saller on drums in 2019 after Varkatzas bowed out of the band's European tour while dealing with serious back and hernia issues.

Asked in a recent interview with the "RRBG Podcast"if fans have responded positively to ATREYU's new single and lineup change, guitarist Travis Miguel said: "For the most part, yeah. There's obviously naysayers and people who are bummed out. And that's totally fine — I mean, we all expected that. Because change in any shape or form, really, can be very uncomfortable. Especially for a band that loses their frontman, a lot of bands, they either thrive or it just doesn't resonate the same with the listeners. But luckily, it's not like we got a complete stranger coming in and moving up to the frontman spot. Brandon, obviously, did just about 50 percent of the vocals on all ATREYU stuff anyway. And he's been working his ass off kind of transitioning from literally the dude from behind the drums to into the front of the stage.

"That being said, not this past summer, but in 2019, we did a tour in Europe, and Alex, at the time, he had injured his back and he literally couldn't sit on a plane for 11, 12 hours to fly over to Europe, so he had to sit that one out," he continued. "So we went over to Europe with this lineup that we have now. So there wasn't a whole lot of thought [put into it]. It was kind of a no-brainer. Kyle Rosa, who is now playing drums for us, it was almost like that was his tryout, and we didn't even know it. So it's just kind of weird how things pan out."

Miguel also talked about ATREYU's upcoming album, which was completed last year.

"We were kind of eyeballing May for a release [for the album]," Travis said. "But who knows? Everything is up in the air… We actually filmed three videos over a weekend back toward the tail end of the summer, one of 'em being 'Save Us', which is, obviously, already out. And then we have two more kind of being prepped and ready to be served, so to speak."

Speaking about the musical direction of the new ATREYU material, Travis said: "There are definite heavy bangers on there. It's definitely ATREYU, which that could mean just about anything, really. A lot of people would consider that complete shitty music. Some people think it's the greatest thing on earth. It's all over the place, really, which is kind of what we've always done."

ATREYU spent the first couple of months of 2020 working on material for its eighth album with producer John Feldmann, who previously helmed 2018's "In Our Wake" and 2007's breakout LP "Lead Sails, Paper Anchor".

In August 2019, ATREYU released a deluxe edition of "In Our Wake" via Spinefarm Records. The new version featured the original "In Our Wake" album, along with seven additional tracks. The bonus material included B-sides from the sessions for both "In Our Wake" and 2015's "Long Live", along with alternate versions of the title track and "The Time Is Now" from "In Our Wake". The deluxe edition featured completely redesigned artwork and a total of 19 songs.

SCORPIONS' Mikkey Dee has just returned to Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany to resume recording the band's upcoming studio album. Tentatively due in 2021, the disc will mark the German-Polish-Swedish hard rock legends' first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of SCORPIONS' new and classic material.

Earlier today, Dee shared a Twitter video message recorded in his Hannover hotel room, where he is quarantining for a week before rejoining his bandmates in the studio. The Swedish drummer said in the clip (see below): "We are gonna finish up the album, and we are working really hard on that. And it's coming together; we're almost done. So, I've got one more little run to go here, and that's about it. The other guys have been working while I've been in Sweden, of course, but there's a few more little things to do on the drums."

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, most of the work so far has been done remotely, with Fidelman taking part via Zoom.

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

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

Fidelman began his career as the guitarist and songwriter for RHINO BUCKET before launching his career as a producer, engineer and mixer, finding an early mentor in Rick Rubin.

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




Video update from Germany! pic.twitter.com/b0BPc9nbAX

— Mikkey Dee (@themikkeydee) March 3, 2021

Legendary rock band JEFFERSON STARSHIP released an EP, "Mother Of The Sun", via Golden Robot Records in August 2020 and now the band has shared the music video for the EP track "Setting Sun".

"Setting Sun" features David Freiberg on lead vocals and is highlighted by slide guitar by Jude Gold. The bluesy rock anthem penned by Cathy Richardson and David Freiberg tells the story of a fugitive on the run.

JEFFERSON STARSHIP features founding singer/multi-instrumentalist David Freiberg (who was also in JEFFERSON AIRPLANE during the band's final year), longtime drummer Donny Baldwin (who joined JEFFERSON STARSHIP in 1982 and also played and sang on many hits of the band's STARSHIP era), lead singer Cathy Richardson (whom Kantner recruited in 2008), 25-year member Chris Smith on keyboards, and lead guitarist Jude Gold, who joined in 2012.

The current lineup of JEFFERSON STARSHIP is dedicated to breathing new life into this timeless music in their live shows. Massive hits such as "Jane", "Miracles", "White Rabbit", "Somebody To Love", "Volunteers", "We Built This City" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" continue to reverberate in pop culture all over the world. Whether in the studio or on tour, the five members still enjoy pushing sonic boundaries, passionately trying to change the world, and staying true to the original spirit of all things JEFFERSON STARSHIP.

The seven tracks on "Mother Of The Sun" include two songs co-written by original JEFFERSON STARSHIP/JEFFERSON AIRPLANE members — "It's About Time", co-written with Grace Slick, and another co-written with Marty Balin. The collection also features the return of original JEFFERSON STARSHIP member Pete Sears, who plays bass on three tracks.

"Paul Kantner was our bandleader and the visionary who kept JEFFERSON STARSHIP going through so many eras," says Richardson. "He inspired so much about this record, from the messages in the lyrics to the title and album art to the collaborative process of creating music as a band with some of his original muses — Grace, Marty and Pete. 'Mother Of The Sun' is dedicated to PK."

Florida death metal veterans OBITUARY have announced a new two-part spring livestream series. The band will perform its favorite songs on March 27 and run through its classic third album, 1992's "The End Complete", in its entirety on April 3.

Tickets, t-shirts and bundles are available beginning this Friday, March 5 at 1 p.m. EST at www.obituarylive.com.

OBITUARY comments: "For the past seven weeks, we have locked ourselves inside the studio to prepare for these next studio livestream sessions. Re-learning the now 29-year-old 'The End Complete' album and rehearsing many of the bands favorites. We are proud to announce that we are ready to bring our fans the goods and have picked a killer selection of classic songs, rare tracks and 'The End Complete' album performed in its entirety. We have been busting our asses preparing and now WE are ready. Question is...Are YOU? Here we Go!!!!!"

Last October, OBITUARY took part in a three-part "live stream concert series" featuring full-album performances of "Slowly We Rot", "Cause Of Death" and rare classics. The first two streams — a "Slowly We Rot" set; and a "Cause Of Death" set — were live from the ESI Streaming Studio in Tampa, Florida. The third stream, featuring rare classics and special tracks, was broadcasted live from OBITUARY's recording studio in Gibsonton, Florida.

In September, OBITUARY bassist Terry Butler told Heavy Culture that he and his bandmates had "started writing some new material for a new album. We have a handful of songs kind of written — a lot of rhythms getting kicked around," he said.

OBITUARY's latest, self-titled studio album was released in 2017 via Relapse.

Photo credit: Stefan Schippe

METALLICA's non-profit foundation All Within My Hands has donated $75,000 to Feeding America to ensure food banks in the communities affected by recent winter storms in the southern United States have access to the food they need. Feeding America is the nation's largest organization dedicated to fighting domestic hunger through a nationwide network of 200 food banks.

Feeding America is working with national donors to transport food and supplies to the most heavily impacted locations, with a focus on supporting communities in Texas and surrounding areas that dealt with the most significant power outages and water shortages.

METALLICA said in a statement: "The winter storm that struck Texas last month was beyond anything the state's residents could imagine preparing for. As temperatures dropped well below freezing and widespread power outages swept the area, families suffered. Grocery chains did the best they could to support their communities, but their supply was hit hard. While temperatures have risen and electricity has been restored in many areas, residents are still very much in the throws of a struggle.

"Texans running low on food are finding empty grocery store shelves. Food pantries are running out of supplies. And the freeze has wiped out substantial portions of the state's citrus and vegetable crops. As part of our commitment to fighting food insecurity, All Within My Hands has donated $75,000 to Feeding America to be distributed to Texas food banks."

Feeding America estimated that in 2020, more than 50 million Americans would not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

All Within My Hands is a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation established in 2017 as a way for the METALLICA family to give back to communities that have supported the band. In 2020, AWMH donated $645,000 to COVID-19-related relief funds including Feeding America, Direct Relief, as well as to charities assisting those in the entertainment and hospitality industries suddenly without work. The foundation also donated $350,000 to aid those affected by the West Coast wildfires.

METALLICA and All Within My Hands are committed to running an organization of the highest integrity where expenses are kept to a minimum and are paid for entirely by the band, the board, and friends who have worked with the band over many years and are excited to help in this mission.




As part of our commitment to fighting food insecurity, the @AWMHFoundation has donated $75,000 to @FeedingAmerica to be distributed to Texas food banks. Learn more and find out how you can help at https://t.co/kpdSIxhWkt. #MetallicaGivesBack #AWMH https://t.co/CejXJkJhnV

— Metallica (@Metallica) March 5, 2021

MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars has just received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The 69-year-old rocker took to his Instagram to share a photo of him getting the shot, and he wrote in an accompanying message: "One down one to go!!! F**k covid".

A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll showed almost a third of U.S. adults are undecided on whether they'll get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The poll, released last month, found that 31 percent of adults are going to "wait until it has been available for a while to see how it is working for other people" before receiving the coronavirus vaccine.

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

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

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
























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A post shared by Mick Mars (@mr.mickmars)

KISS frontman Paul Stanley has told AXS TV's "At Home And Social" that he was "so excited and so thankful" to receive his second COVID-19 vaccine last month. "We have so much to be excited about with these vaccines, but people have to realize that the vaccine means nothing until you put it in your arm," he said (see video below). "So people who are just waiting around for herd immunity, you've got a long way to wait. And you want me to take the shot, but you want the benefit. Go get your shot.

"I'd like [to see] everybody just get back to a normal life," the 69-year-old continued. "A half a million people have died; it's been devastating for so many people. For us who are inconvenienced, it's minor compared to what some people have gone through."

Stanley also once again criticized people who are defiantly skeptical of mask wearing, saying they are posing a risk to themselves and to all those around them.

"I'd love to get back out and play [shows with KISS], and I think everybody would love to get their masks off," he said. "But let's face it: part of the problem is that we haven't adhered properly to what should be common sense restrictions. And as long as there are people who are negating what's being told to them, this [coronavirus crisis] is gonna extend further.

"We're supposed to be a community. And if there's the slightest possibility that it would be the right thing to do, shouldn't you do it?" he asked rhetorically.

A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll showed almost a third of U.S. adults are undecided on whether they'll get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The poll, released last month, found that 31 percent of adults are going to "wait until it has been available for a while to see how it is working for other people" before receiving the coronavirus vaccine.

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

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

In recent months, Stanley repeatedly slammed people who refuse to wear a mask in public spaces to protect others from possible coronavirus infection. In December, the KISS frontman took to his Twitter to write: "Frankly, I've had enough of the self-serving & politically motivated mask misinformation & BS about this pandemic. I don't want to hear about 'my freedom' & 'my rights' that then infringe on so many other's. Those 'rights' & choosing to gather at Thanksgiving got us here. Wake up".

Three months earlier, he tweeted out a CNN article about an Idaho pastor who was hospitalized with COVID-19 after calling himself a "no-masker" during a service and repeatedly questioning the veracity of coronavirus case reporting. Stanley added in a message: "YOU figure this one out. I can't. A hoax and non-existent virus has put this guy in the ICU. If you're so concerned with a loss of your freedom , Why do you stop at red lights? Don't let the government control you!! Drive right through!!! PUT YOUR MASK ON."

In early July, Stanley shared a photo of him and his then-eight-year-old daughter Emily wearing masks, and he included the following message: "Sunset at the beach with Emily. WEAR YOUR MASK! Don't listen to conspiracy theorists or graduates of The Internet University Of Medicine. While the credible authorities and experts continue to learn more about Covid 19 they remain in agreement about safety protocols. End of story".

Three months ago, Stanley's KISS bandmate Gene Simmons also criticized ongoing complaints about having to wear masks in the middle of a deadly pandemic, telling the "Jeremy White Podcast": "Believe what you want, but don't hang out around me. Okay? If you're a denier, stay in the shadows. I don't wanna be around you. 'Cause I don't wanna catch what you've got. It's not about you. It's not whether you believe it or not."

EVANESCENCE has released a new single called "Better Without You". It is the next single from the band's upcoming album, "The Bitter Truth", which will arrive on March 26 via BMG.

An "F-you" to the forces that have attempted to hold her back, "Better Without You" is bandleader Amy Lee's unapologetic declaration of independence. With mammoth vocals and a metal heart, the song follows previous singles "Wasted On You" and "Use My Voice".

"Better Without You" was teased with an interactive digital puzzle that fans were challenged to solve in order to hear a snippet of the song.

"The Bitter Truth" is EVANESCENCE's first album of original music in ten years, and its songs have already earned accolades from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Elle, Billboard, and many more.

Fans can pre-order a "The Bitter Truth" digital version, CD, vinyl and a limited-edition deluxe fan box set featuring a bonus CD, journal, poster and special cassette of exclusive audio from the making of "The Bitter Truth". Every pre-order will automatically come with downloads of already-released songs "Wasted On You", "The Game Is Over", and "Use My Voice", as well as "Yeah Right".

"The Bitter Truth" is an epic, guitar-driven collection inspired by the (often-bitter) realities of the 21st Century and our world. The already-released songs have received early accolades from Elle, Billboard, SPIN, American Songwriter, and more, and showcase the "ferocious and hymnal" (The New York Times) sound that made EVANESCENCE a household name, as well as the drama and powerhouse vocals that made Amy Lee "one of rock's definitive voices" (Rolling Stone).

EVANESCENCE's new music was produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who also worked on 2011's self-titled LP.

On the topic of "The Bitter Truth" album title, Lee previously told Rock Sound: "As the lyrics had started to form, and just my feeling in this moment in general, there's a big theme of disillusionment for me. Just growing up and seeing that fairy tales aren't really real. And it's hard to be a grownup — it really is. Because somebody else isn't in charge, we really have to be able to make our own decisions, find out our own information, protect ourselves. People die — we're all going to. There's no magic castle. So that sounds like a lot of doom and gloom when I say it, but there's a choice to accept that truth and live in it and embrace it and choose to live and choose to live in a moment, and the choice to just give up. And there's a struggle there, but my choice is most definitely to take that pill."

British heavy metal legends SAXON will release a covers album, "Inspirations", on March 19 via Silver Lining Music. The 11-track effort contains some of the superb classic rock songs that influenced Biff Byford and the rest of the band. The LP's third single, a cover of "Paperback Writer" by THE BEATLES, can be streamed below.

"I saw THE BEATLES on TV for the first time in 1963," enthuses Byford. "It was a very inspirational moment for me to think maybe I could be in a band."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Track listing:

01. Paint It Black

02. Immigrant Song

03. Paperback Writer

04. Evil Woman

05. Stone Free

06. Bomber

07. Speed King

08. The Rocker

09. Hold The Line

10. Problem Child

11. See My Friends

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Rock In Rio has been forced to cancel the 2021 editions of its festivals in both Lisbon, Portugal in June and Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in late September. Both have been rescheduled for 2022, with the dates for Brazil being September 2-4 and September 8-11, 2022, and for Portugal June 18, 19, 25 and 26, 2022.

The 2021 edition of Rock In Rio in Rio De Janeiro was scheduled to include appearances by IRON MAIDEN, DREAM THEATER, MEGADETH and SEPULTURA. SEPULTURA's performance was slated to include an appearance by the Orquestra Sinfonica Brasileira, which is one of Brazil's foremost orchestras.

This marks Rock In Rio's second postponement in a row as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Brazil has the world's second-highest death toll of the pandemic, after the United States. Brazil's Health Ministry registered 75,102 additional cases of coronavirus on Thursday, the most in a single day since July and the second-highest on record. It also recorded 1699 deaths on the day.

Less than 3.5 percent of the Brazilian population has received the COVID-19 vaccine so far.

In 2018, Live Nation Entertainment, the world's leading live entertainment company, acquired a stake in Rock In Rio, which in 2017 was the second highest-grossing festival in all of the world, as well as the largest music festival in South America, attended by more than 700,000 fans from 62 different countries.

Rock In Rio began in 1985, and has hosted 20 editions with nearly 2,000 artists and 10 million attendees. The festival has also been live broadcasted and streamed to more than one billion viewers worldwide.




Nos vemos na Cidade do Rock em 2022. ❤️? #RockinRio2022 pic.twitter.com/1ppNQlmmz5

— Rock in Rio (@rockinrio) March 4, 2021

After a string of chart hits and live triumphs, one of rock music's most exciting new bands DIRTY HONEY is keeping the momentum going with the April 23 release of their self-titled debut full-length. The Los Angeles quartet has dropped a new single, "California Dreamin'", with a news feature and video that premiered today via Rolling Stone.

A bold opener with towering chorus hooks and slipshod grooves, "California Dreamin'" features smoking guitar solos bookended by massive riffs and hooks. Lyrically, the single puts a different spin on the idea of California as the promised land: vocalist/lyricist Marc LaBelle drew on the tough times he faced after moving west in the early 2010s to craft a bittersweet cautionary tale that hints at personal and emotional turbulence.

"Lots of people come out to California, chasing a dream, and sometimes, people just don't make it," said LaBelle. "California isn't always the 'land of milk and honey,' dreams don't always come true here, and that's the perspective this song and video take. The video is a dream through California that showcases the good, the bad and the ugly."

DIRTY HONEY — LaBelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian, and drummer Corey Coverstone — planned to record the album with producer Nick DiDia (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, PEARL JAM), who had produced the band's 2019 EP; but the day before the band was due to fly to Australia to track the album, Los Angeles entered lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and traveling was off the table. Still keen to work with DiDia, they came up with a Plan B: record the full-length at Henson Studios in Los Angeles studio with DiDia beamed into the proceedings via the magic of modern technology.

Having to switch gears delayed the start of recording slightly, although this extra time ended up being a boon. DIRTY HONEY rented a rehearsal space and demoed the album's songs in advance, meaning the tracks were in good shape when DiDia came onboard. "If we had gone when we were supposed to in March, we wouldn't have had as many songs," Smolian says. "We did a lot of rehearsing and got tighter as a band. Except for Marc's lyrics, everything was pretty much written by the time we got into the studio, there really wasn't a lot of, 'Let's try this, let's try that.' It was more about capturing takes."

Adds drummer Corey Coverstone: "Because of the pandemic, we had a lot more time to write and prepare, which was great. It meant that we were able to workshop the songs a lot more, and I think it really made a difference."

The DIRTY HONEY album does sound effortless and captures the lightning-in-a-bottle dynamics and energy of the band's live sound. The collection boasts airtight songwriting that plays up their strengths: sexy, bluesy, nasty rock 'n' roll. LaBelle reaffirms his status as one of contemporary rock's best vocalists on "The Wire", while the gospel-tinted "Another Last Time" is a midtempo, organ-fueled album-closer bursting with soul.

Although the pandemic has thrown some obstacles in the way, DIRTY HONEY knows that pushing through those tough times will only help them come out stronger on the other side. "When you finally come through on those moments, that's where the real magic comes in," Notto says. "What makes all of our songs fun to play and listen to is we don't allow ourselves to stop short of getting the best possible results out of each one of them."

In fact, if anything, all of the four band members are determined to better themselves going forward. "As a guitarist, I'm always inspired by the everlasting pursuit of the perfect riff," Notto adds. "I also wanted to extend the artistic statement that we've already made. We weren't looking to sound different, or prove our growth, necessarily. It was more about, 'Oh, you thought that was good? Hold my beer.'"

Hot on the heels of two highly acclaimed albums, Midnite City return in 2021 with their third album Itch You Can’t Scratch, on May 28th. With new label Roulette Media in tow, as well as new management and booking agent, the band are back looking and sounding better than ever with a new array of songs that will melt your face, so strap yourselves in for the ride of your life. It’s all about the good times!

“Atomic”, the second advance single from the forthcoming album Itch You Can't Scratch, is out today. Midnite City says: "'Atomic' sums up what this band is all about in under four minutes. It's a song about forgetting your problems, living for the minute and having a damn good time whilst you're at it! If ever the world needed some escapism and positivity, it's right now. So all aboard for the party of the year!"

"Crawlin' In The Dirt" was the first single taken from Midnite City's upcoming album, Itch You Can't Scratch, which is set for release on May 28th via Roulette Media Records.

Pre-order Itch You Can't Scratch now at this location. 

For further details, visit Midnite City on Facebook.

(Photo - Rob Billingham)

 




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Granny 4 Barrel continues to shock and rock with the brand new track, “The Art Of Deception”.

G4B’s first release since 2019, the song and its accompanying video prove once again that the “Matriarch of Metal” is without question one of the most incendiary artists on the scene today.

Despite all the obstacles presented during the Covid-19 pandemic, Granny (aka Terry LeRoi) managed to link up with longtime producer/collaborater David Bendeth and create a slew of new material, including a cover of Ronnie James Dio’s “Stand Up And Shout” under the name “LeRoi XIII”. The track featured performances by Will Hunt and Troy McLawhorn (Evanescence), Aaron Pauley (Of Mice & Men), and guitarist Sammy Boller. The cover was met with rave reviews and is currently generating hundreds of thousands of streams/views with all proceeds being donated to Dio's SUAS charity.

All of that wood shedding and hard work from 2020 has paid off with a forthcoming string of new singles throughout 2021, the first of which is “The Art Of Deception.” And while this powerful track most certainly rocks, it’s the music video that puts it over the top:

The video was shot in an old castle on the Hudson River called “Greystone Court.” Master videographers David Brodsky and Allison Woest from My Good Eye Visuals did a breathtaking job capturing the dark essence of the track. Brodsky explains “We shot filming in super-slow-motion, we were able to capture our stellar cast’s interpretive dances, bringing the song to life visually and expressively. It was a remarkably entertaining shoot and we’re all quite proud of the result.”

LeRoi explains, “The character of Granny is inspired by horror movies, villains and anti-heroes. If you take a closer look inside, there are psychological components to this alter ego that give it depth. It’s the perfect vehicle for me to express my disdain for stereotypes and intolerance. But it also gives me equal satisfaction on the theatrical and musical side.” Terry continued “Granny’s extended family (the fans)relate to not only the sheer visual insanity of G4B but in grand heavy metal fashion there’s an element of danger that says I really like this but I’m kind of afraid of it as well! (laughs) They embrace the idea of a surrogate witch-like metal Granny who kicks ass, loves them equally but doesn’t hesitate to dish out scathing proclamations against evil and injustice. Granny 4 Barrel succinctly delivers the message “Never judge a book by its cover!”

"Writing this track with David Bendeth was a great experience,” explains LeRoi. “We delved into darker waters and were able to explore and stretch out musically and vocally. I believe we hit upon a theme a lot of folks can relate to “The Art Of Deception” begs the question, ‘Who do you really trust?’ Your leaders…your friends? Beware infiltrators among us - they are wolves in sheep‘s clothing!’ It’s an honor to share this menacing track with all of the rock ‘n’ roll children!”

First breaking onto the scene with the track “Freak Flag” G4B then toured extensively and received heavy rotation on terrestrial and satellite radio with the track "Nitro Sexy". Most of the singles were accompanied by outrageous videos, including “She Likes Guns" which was directed by the one and only Stormy Daniels. Now Granny 4 Barrel is ready to take 2021 full-on with hands down their best work yet– the first strike being a can't miss with “The Art Of Deception.”

 

 




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Atlanta, GA hard rock heralders Pistols At Dawn has shared details of their forthcoming debut EP Nocturnal Youth which they’ll self-release on May 7.

The EP was recorded with producer Jeff Tomei (Smashing Pumpkins, Matchbox 20) and mastered by engineer Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More) and features four heavy-hitting electrified tracks that exemplify their uniquely powerful sound.

Tracklisting:

"Voices"
"Crown"
"Now Is The Time"
"Gone Black"

Pistols At Dawn has unveiled the instantly memorable melodic debut single “Voices” with an up-close-and-personal music video highlighting their intense live presence. 

“‘Voices’ is a song about trying to quiet the voices in one’s head and the voices around us,” explains Pistols At Dawn in a joint statement. “We live in a world where everyone has a voice, and it can be hard to find the real truth. It's about focusing on self-reflection and drawing a line in the sand to weed out all the nonsense. The video for the song is all about intimacy--it’s meant to bring the listener up close so they can see and feel our emotion and expression as we expel the voices through our playing. Connection is everything to us, and we want our listeners to see and feel what we feel. Raw emotion and passion—that’s how we connect.” 

“Voices” is available now across all digital platforms.

Pistols At Dawn was originally formed in 2015 but disintegrated after the tragic passing of guitarist Mike Buffa in 2018. The band reformed in 2019 with founding members, drummer Adam Jaffe, guitarist Devin White and bassist Billy Sullivan while adding Tommy Richardson on guitars and VH1 Rockstar Supernova finalist Chris Pierson on vocals.

Taking inspiration from universal hard rock acts such as Godsmack, Breaking Benjamin and Disturbed, the quintet headed to Cock The Walk studio in their hometown of Atlanta with Tomei in early 2020 to record three new singles that displayed their heart-pumping, radio-ready sound which they released later that year. 

For further details, visit Pistols At Dawn on Facebook.

 




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Escape The Fate have dropped "Unbreakable" from their seventh studio album Chemical Warfare, due April 16 via Better Noise Music. Stream or download "Unbreakable" here. 

With an infectious chorus about resilience, the track, accompanied by an epic animated lyric video from Toon53 Productions, continues the group's momentum of high-energy, empowering releases leading up to the full LP.

Like the rest of the songs on Chemical Warfare, "Unbreakable" was produced by John Feldmann (Blink-182, Panic! At the Disco, The Used) and co-produced by the band's lead guitarist Kevin "Thrasher" Gruft.

"'Unbreakable' is about finding power in your life rather than just trying to fight your way through circumstances," the band said. "There's a theme of triumph and being victorious over the things that used to control you in this upcoming album."

Chemical Warfare, the band's forthcoming, seventh studio album, slated for an April 16 release, was produced with John Feldmann (Panic! At The Disco, 5 Seconds Of Summer, The Used) and co-produced by the band's own Thrasher. It continues the showcase of the band's unique skill of redefining genre and blending it with their signature hard rock sound, delivering an arsenal of driving bangers and melodic ballads. The critical acclaim of newly released singles with Blink-182’s Travis Barker and violinist Lindsey Stirling are a testament that Chemical Warfare is the sound of a band at their most powerful, most resilient, and most comfortable in their own skin. 

Tracklisting:

"Lightning Strike"
"Invincible" (feat. Lindsey Stirling)
"Unbreakable"
"Chemical Warfare"
"Erase You"
"Not My Problem" (feat. Travis Barker)
"Burn The Bridges"
"Demons"
"Hand Grenade"
"Ashes (Broken World)"
"My Gravity"
"Walk On"

Pre-order Chemical Warfare now at this location. 

"Not My Problem" (feat. Travis Barker):

"Invincible" (feat. Lindsey Stirling):

 




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Las Vegas hard rock breakouts, Crash Midnight, are dropping the first of a volley of four brand new singles for 2021 with "Killing Time."  A scathing retort to some of the more detestable characters from the band's past, this anthem cuts to the quick with a pointed message.  Featuring the band's trademark swagger, iconic riffs, and searing vocals - "Killing Time" feels both modern and timeless. Listen below and on Spotify.

This single is band's first release after newly acquiring the rights back to all of their masters and specifically, their debut album Lost In The City - which was just self-released in December 2020.  It's the start of a new chapter for Crash Midnight taking complete control of their catalog under their own banner.

Timed with the single's release, Crash Midnight will be performing a streaming concert on March 6 from downtown Las Vegas that's set to reach over 2 million viewers and will feature the debut live performance of "Killing Time." The concert will air at 8 PM EST / 5 PM PST and will be shown at this location.

Recorded at producer Kevin Churko's Active Rock hitmaker, Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, "Killing Time" is the follow-up to the band's highly successful single "Don't Need Your Advice" once again paired with co-producer Tristan Hardin (who has worked with such acts as Corey Taylor, Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed). "Don't Need Your Advice" reached all the way to #4 on Spotify's Hard Rock Playlist.

A scorching retort to all the users out there who try to manipulate and position themselves to take advantage of others. "Killing Time" delivers a blistering message to some of the more detestable characters in the band's past, ruthlessly depicting exactly where they stand.  "It's a sentiment I think a lot of people can relate to and our message to some of the self-aggrandizing sycophants we've had try to dig their claws into us over the years," says Shaun Soho (lead singer). "When you're in a relationship of any kind - business or romantic - with a parasite of that level, there's a lot of resentment and emotion that builds up and 'Killing Time' really stabs to the heart of that."




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WarCall stands for all the fights we are fighting on a daily basis. It represents the struggle in life, the challenges we have to rise to. We get called to war every day and it is up to us to step up and face our fears. The DIY Canadian quartet heeds this mantra, consistently pushing boundaries with their fast, dramatic metal music. Their forthcoming endeavour, the first of two EPs to be released in 2021, Dead End Pt. 1 embodies that drive.

The lead single and music video from this EP is “The Chase”, which follows the narrative of vengeance, a man becomes unhealthy and takes pleasure in making his neighbor suffer. He sinks into a bottomless abyss that leads to his own downfall. The band explains their experience creating the song:

“The Chase is straight up, in your face WarCall. It is the last song we wrote and recorded for the album. The video was really fun to shoot, in the few weeks of 2020 when we could have a social life and see each other. Epic day. We played the song live, in the barn, with a real PA and everything. Over the 12 takes, we were really sweaty and exhausted at the end! The actors and the director were really into their roles and the band was following along, beer-drinking and helping the best we could, but mostly, enjoying the day.”

Instead of waiting for a full length to be done, WarCall is releasing two EPs, the first as Dead End Pt. 1 making it the fifth release from the band, which will be followed up with Dead End pt. 2 later this year, both were written, performed, recorded, mixed and mastered entirely by the band. The first part is in-your-face, old-school-inspired metal, whereas the second part will be more progressive and atmospheric.

Totally authentic, with a wide range of influences ranging from old school death metal to classic rock, WarCall is recommended for fans of Motörhead, Metallica, and Dissection.

BraveWords is premiering the video for “The Chase”; check it out below:

Dead End Pt. 1 will only be released digitally on April 23, 2021 via Plan B Music.

Tracklisting:

“Reckless”
“Death Wish”
“800x”
“The Chase”

(Photo credit / artwork: Timur Khabirov)




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L.A.'s Witherfall are celebrating the release of their new album, Curse Of Autumn, with the launch of another cinematic video for an edit of the epic "...And They All Blew Away." The video was directed by Brendan McGowan and produced by Zev Deans. Check it out below.

"So, this is a total edit of this song," the band says. "For those who dare, there is a 15+ minute version on the record that is by far the most progressive thing Witherfall has ever written and features an incredible drum performance by the legendary Marco Minnemann as well as an amazing display of eclectic bass techniques by Anthony Crawford. Going into the songwriting of Curse Of Autumn, we always want to try and outdo ourselves with certain tracks and this goal was to write a song that took the listener on an unparalleled musical journey. This abridged version is set to cinema by UnholyRoman and is shrouded in mystery much like the meaning of the song. For those that dare, the full version can be found via the link in the description."

Curse Of Autumn is released today (March 5th), with the US vinyl available April 2. The album was produced by Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth, Demons & Wizards) for Ravencraft Productions, Joseph Michael (vocals, keyboards, also in Sanctuary) and Jake Dreyer (guitar, also in Iced Earth, Demons & Wizards). For the recording and mix they teamed up with Jim Morris (Savatage, Iced Earth, Kamelot, Death) while Tom Morris took over mastering duties.

The album art is once again another hand painted masterpiece by the legendary Kristian Wåhlin, the fourth painting in the Witherfall series.

Apart from the digital album, the following formats are available, please note that the luxurious Gatefold 2LP is coming with a poster and etching on Side D:

- Ltd. CD Digipak
- Gatefold black 2LP for all accounts
- 200x Gatefold Autumn Amber (transp. orange Vinyl) 2LP via CM Distro Wholesale and Onlineshop
- 200x Gatefold Ghost White (creamy white Vinyl) 2LP via EMP and Nuclear Blast

The US is carrying the following formats:

- CD Digipak
- Gatefold Fall Forest Green (translucent forest green Vinyl) 2LP for all accounts
- 200x Gatefold Tempest Frost (coke bottle clear Vinyl) 2LP via Revolver Magazine
- 200x Gatefold River Orchid Bloom (orchid Vinyl) via the CM US Onlineshop

Click here for multiple options.

Via the band’s official store were you can secure:

- 300x Gatefold Last Scar Blood Red (deep blood red Vinyl) 2LP

Tracklisting:

"Deliver Us Into The Arms Of Eternal Silence"
"The Last Scar"
"As I Lie Awake"
"Another Face"
"Tempest"
"Curse Of Autumn"
"The Unyielding Grip Of Each Passing Day"
"The Other Side Of Fear"
"The River"
"… And They All Blew Away"
"Long Time" (Acoustic Version)

"The Other Side Of Fear" video:

“As I Lie Awake” video

"Another Face" lyric video:

Witherfall are:

Joseph Michael - Vocals/Keyboards (also in Sanctuary)
Jake Dreyer - Acoustic and Electric Guitars (also in Iced Earth/Demons And Wizards)
Anthony Crawford - Bass (Chon, Shalmor, Allan Holdsworth, Justin Timberlake, Kirk Whalum)
Marco Minnemann - Drums (The Aristocrats, Joe Satriani, Steven Wilson, Tony Levin, Jordan Rudess, Necrophagist)
Alex Nasla - Live Keyboards

(Photo - Stephanie Cabral)




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Melodic death metallers Númenor release their new album, Draconian Age, today via Elevate Records. It is available via all digital platforms and on CD. The opening track "Make The Stand" features Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kürsch, making it his first duet with a black metal singer.

The style of the Númenor is a mix between epic, power and heavy metal of the '80s and '90s, and the Scandinavian black / death metal scene of the '90s. Influences include  Iron Maiden, Rhapsody / Luca Turilli, Blind Guardian, Bal-Sagoth, Covenant, Arcturus, the first Dimmu Borgir and Old Man's Child.

A few words on Draconian Age directly from singer Marko: 

"We started to record Draconian Age at the end of 2018 and concluded at the end of 2020. Draconian Age is the first album made for Elevate Records  and was preceded by a single with 4 tracks. Furthermore, for the second time we used a cover carried out by the artist Dobroslav Bob Zivkovic which was originally published as a front cover and rearceropropertine of the book The Lord of the Rings in 1984. The sound of Draconian Age turned out to be more aggressive than before although at the beginning we thought of proceeding in the direction of the previous albums with the first two written songs and recorded: 'Feanor' and 'Mirror Mirror', but with the rest of the songs we explored some new musical horizons, especially with 'WhereThe Battle Rages On' and 'Twilight Of The Gods'. 

Furthermore, every single track of the disc was strongly influenced by the sound of 'Make The Stand', the opening track with Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian to the solo voice. However, every song has something special such as 'Hall Of The Mountain King' or 'The Final Days Of Frost', which turned out to be a real black metal track. During some moments of the writing process we were strongly influenced by Norwegian or Swedish black metal bands: Immortal, Emperor, Old Man's Child or even Dissection. From our point of view this was our full-length full-length as we spent a lot of time to every single detail. However, we are convinced that this album will be remembered in a particular way for the participation of Hansi Kürsch as lead vocalist in the opening track make the stand, which surely, given the first results, will become one of the biggest and most important songs of the band."

Check out Draconian Age via digital platforms here.

Tracklist:

"Make The Stand" (feat. Hansi Kürsch) 
"Hall Of The Mountain King"
"Fëanor"
"Mirror Mirror (A Robe of Stars)"
"Arkenstone"
"Where The Battle Rages On"
"Twilight Of The Gods"
"The Days Of Final Frost"
"The Last Of Wizards"
"Númenor"




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Pop star Kesha has shared a video of her wearing a VOIVOD t-shirt.

The singer, who celebrated her 34th birthday on Monday (March 1), took to her Facebook page the following day to post a six-second clip of her sporting a shirt from the legendary Canadian metal innovators. She wrote in an accompanying message: "Animals I love u thank u so much for all the birthday messages!! I miss u".

Back in 2011, Kesha said that she did not see herself as an average pop star because she loves the rock 'n' roll lifestyle too much.

She said: "I'm not a submissive, perfect pop princess, that's for damned sure. I do think I have a rebellious, metal-loving rock chick inside of me.

"I've always loved rock 'n' roll. It's about subversion. I'm talking to millions of people around the world about having sex freely, getting drunk and partying. It's fun for me to be riding that line of appropriateness."

Shortly before the release of her last studio album, 2020's "High Road", Kesha told Billboard that BEASTIE BOYS' "Licensed To Ill", QUEEN's "Jazz" and Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life" were among the albums that influenced her. "My brain is a wild place," she said.

A little over four years ago, Kesha was photographed rocking a 1988 METALLICA "Damaged Justice" tour t-shirt while leaving a Miami hotel.

In 2011, Kesha made a guest appearance on Alice Cooper's "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" on a song called "What Baby Wants".

"I met [Kesha] at the Grammys," Cooper told Billboard, "and I immediately looked at her and went, 'This girl is not a pop diva. She's a rock singer.' She would much rather be the female Robert Plant than the next Britney Spears."




Animals I love u thank u so much for all the birthday messages!! I miss u ☯️??

Posted by Kesha on Tuesday, March 2, 2021

During a new appearance on "The Mistress Carrie Podcast", GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna said that the coronavirus is not as deadly as health officials have made it out to be. "I'm sorry, man, and there may be some people that may get mad at me about saying this, but COVID is not a global killer," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "It's doing damage, and it's certainly affecting the elderly, and we pray for them, and we are really sympathetic towards that, and that's why we're all wearing masks, that's why we're all doing our job. Because there's a lot of us that aren't afraid of COVID, and we know that we're probably gonna blow right through it. But we don't wanna roll the dice with our loved ones, so we're being responsible. But at the same time, the reality is this isn't a global killer. It's gonna pass, we're gonna get past it, and we need to get back to normal. So we have to influence the strong to get out there and start working and start going to school and doing what they need to do so we can create population immunity. That's what's gonna get us through this. And then we'll be able to get back to normal."

Erna also repeated a narrative pushed by conservative media and disputed by health experts that suggested the official death count of 516,000 from the coronavirus in the U.S. was inflated.

"There's been a lot of things proven within the media, the news, to who's on what side of what, and whether some of this was a political agenda to begin within, whether the numbers are accurate enough to be able to base it on, those half a million people dead," Erna said. "Because there was a lot of people coming forward, a lot of doctors and everything, saying, 'Why the fuck are we being asked to put COVID on everything? Why did someone just die of pneumonia, and we have to write 'COVID'? Why did someone come in and have a heart attack, and we're being told to write 'COVID'?' So whether that half-a-million number is correct, that's the part that I feel like we need to be responsible enough to try and be optimistic about not steering people down one rabbit hole, because that's what CNN does on one side and Fox does on the other side. So CNN delivers one side of this, and Fox takes you down a different rabbit hole."

He continued: "The thing with COVID is I myself know at least — at least — a dozen, two dozen people, maybe, that have gotten COVID. And I have a friend of mine that, three months later, he's, like, 'I'm still having some issues. And it's weird — I'm getting dizzy spells. I'm getting this, that and the other thing. And what the fuck?' And then I know another group of people that were, like, 'Dude, I've had a hangover that was worse than this. I had a fever of 99 for about a day and a half and haven't had a problem since.' And so it affects everybody differently, and that's the big mystery."

Last year, there were theories that medical experts are inflating the number of coronavirus-related deaths to scare residents into complying with various states' executive orders, such as one that required residents to wear masks in public places. There have also been claims that the lockdowns weren't designed for public health, but rather to destroy the Trump economy.

According to Forbes, the number of Americans who believe the death toll is inflated is highest among those who get their news from Fox News (61%) and Republicans (59%), while only 9% of Democrats and 7% of those getting their news from CNN and MSNBC believe the same.

Many health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have rejected claims that coronavirus deaths are being exaggerated.

Erna has been more vocal about his political opinions in recent years, saying in a July 2020 episode of his Internet show "Hometown Sessions" that if "Trump stays in [office], COVID's gonna be a big, messy pain in the ass, and there's gonna be more people burning down Wendy's fucking restaurants. If Trump fucking is gone, all of a sudden they're gonna have this miracle vaccine that those fucking liars have been holding on to."

In February 2020, Erna came under fire for sharing a post that was flagged as part of Facebook's efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its news feed. The post in question criticized then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders's plan to raise the minimum wage and provide universal health care to all Americans. It also cited Sanders's Medicare For All plan, a single, national health insurance program that would cover everyone who lives in the United States.

Back in 2004, Erna revealed that he was not in favor of the Democratic candidate for president in that year's election, telling Launch Radio Networks: "I'm a Republican. I want Republican. I don't necessarily want [incumbent Republican president George W.] Bush to win. I don't like that choice, but I gotta tell you, I don't truly believe in the Democrats either, man. I don't like the way they think. I don't like, I don't love Bush, I'll tell you that, but I want a Republican in office."

White Republicans are more likely than any other group in the U.S. to be unsure or resistant to being vaccinated for COVID-19, according to recent polling from Civiq.

Brent Hinds, songwriter, vocalist and lead guitarist for the Grammy Award-winning band MASTODON, is the latest guest to pay homage to AC/DC on the season two finale of the "AC/DC Beyond The Thunder" podcast.

Hinds discusses his early banjo-playing days growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, eventually inspiring him to learn to play guitar thanks to one, Angus Young, after sneaking a cassette of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" around his parent's strict Bible Belt household.

"You can't listen to AC/DC," scolded Brent's parents, "You'll go to hell!". Instead of conjuring up the devil, the music made Hinds feel "alive" and was "electrifying." "AC/DC's like a religion," confessed Hinds, calling them, "the quintessential rock 'n' roll band."

During this candid season two finale, Hinds invites listeners on a wild journey — from getting lucky during his first AC/DC concert in high school… with his teacher, sharing producer Brendan O'Brien in the studio, desperately trying to not end up like Bon Scott one day, and pissing in Angus Young's pocket?

"I was at this awards show. I just walked over to him and said, 'Thank you for your guitar playing because you really influenced me as a guitar player.'" As the MASTODON guitarist went on to tell Young that he wouldn't even be at the Golden Gods awards show without his influence, the AC/DC schoolboy-wearing founder pulled Hinds up short by saying, "Quit pissing in my pocket!", which Hinds would later learn to be an Australian back-handed compliment.

Hinds formed MASTODON in Atlanta, Georgia in 2000. Their track, "Blood & Thunder", was chosen as one of the most important recordings of the decade by National Public Radio. The band is currently in the studio working on new material.

"AC/DC Beyond The Thunder" features well known actors, authors, athletes, comedians, musicians, media hosts, and even members of the band, all paying homage to one of the greatest bands of all time. Guests have included Slash, Hall Of Fame MLB pitcher Trevor Hoffman, "SNL" comedian Jim Breuer, U.S. military war hero Mike Durant from the film "Black Hawk Down", classically trained Croatian duo 2CELLOS, Dweezil Zappa and AC/DC drummer Chris Slade.

Created by duo Gregg Ferguson and Kurt Squiers, "AC/DC Beyond The Thunder" originally set out to be a feature-length documentary film. After shooting on the Highway To Hell for years, Ferguson and Squiers approached AC/DC's management to seek partnership with the band for a worldwide commercial release. After countless attempts for a face-to-face, the duo sent a proof of concept edit for review, and while the band said they, "weren't quite ready to make a historic film while still making history," AC/DC liked what they saw. But with no partnership, and no music rights from the band, "AC/DC Beyond The Thunder" was, for all intents and purposes, shot down in flames.

Wondering if the film would ever catch lightning, Ferguson and Squiers decided to unearth these wonderful stories of extraordinary fans discussing their affinity for AC/DC and harness that energy into a vehicle that just might work…a podcast. After capturing over 50 interviews and with a newfound momentum to create all-new episodes with sound engineer Eric Kielb, "AC/DC Beyond The Thunder" is back, serving up inspirational stories about the fans, for the fans, by the fans.

"AC/DC Beyond The Thunder" can be heard on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any of your favorite podcast apps.

SAXON singer Biff Byford is collaborating with his son Seb (NAKED SIX) on a new album, to be released before the end of the year. Speaking to Sweden's RockSverige, Biff stated about the effort: "The record company wants to call it 'BIFF AND SEB' or 'SEB AND BIFF,' but we would like to do it with a band name and we've got the name HEAVY WATER. I quite like that name. We have a working title called 'Red Brick City'. We'll call it 'Heavy Water' or… I don't know. The working title might change. As we speak at this moment, we're doing bass guitars. I'm playing some and Seb's playing some. When I finish talking to you, I'm going back into the studio.

Asked if he is singing on the album, Biff said: "Me and Seb. He'll sing a song, I'll sing a song and we'll sing a song together. He plays guitar and I play bass and a friend of ours is playing drums, so it's a three-piece band at the moment. We might add some stuff, but I don't know. Again, we're recording it pretty quick and live, just like [SAXON's upcoming covers album] 'Inspirations', really. Very similar to my solo album, a very similar production."

Biff went on to say that his collaboration with his son is musically similar to that of Byford's first solo album, "School Of Hard Knocks", which came out in February 2020. "The songs are also, stylistically, very similar to the 'Inspirations' album," he explained. "There's some laid-back stuff and there's some heavy stuff. I wouldn't say there's any prog rock on there, but there are definitely two or three metal tracks on there. Seb's a great songwriter, and he likes to play heavy guitar riffs, so I'm sure people will be interested."

Asked what it's like working with his son, Biff said: "It's pretty cool. We're both pretty set in our ways, so it's working really well. It's great for me and for him, really. I'm getting off on his excitement and his first time doing things, and he gets off on my that wisdom that I've learned over the years."

"Inspirations" will be released on March 19 via Silver Lining Music. The 11-track effort contains some of the classic rock songs that influenced Biff and the rest of SAXON.

"Inspirations" was recorded at Brockfield Hall, near York in the U.K., which was built in 1804 and holds the largest collection of paintings by Yorkshire's impressionist artists — the Staithes Group.

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

In a new interiview with "The Metal Hammer Podcast", EPICA singer Simone Simons was asked what she misses the most about touring. She responded (hear audio below): "What I miss is definitely being on stage, singing, traveling. Ever since I was 17, I've been traveling a lot, and that was my lifestyle, not just my job, and it was normal to me. Being home a lot is not normal for me. [Laughs] And I miss the variation — the traveling, meeting the fans. There's nothing compared to being on a stage, singing live, creating the music at that moment — nothing compares to that; nothing can replace that. So that's definitely missing, and I feel a little bit as if I'm on standby. And besides that, what I miss as well is that other people are cooking for me [laughs], and cleaning. I mean, I feel like I'm a kitchen slave nowadays. In the morning, making breakfast, [then] lunch, dinner… I feel a little bit [like] a hamster stuck in a loop — the mess never ends; I always keep on cleaning, cooking, buying food, sleeping and then repeat."

Simone and her husband, KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai, share a seven-year-old son, Vincent G. Palotai. They live in Germany.

EPICA's new 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.

In a recent interview with Australia's AMNplify, Simons stated about her inspirations and influences for "Omega": "Life in general. I mean, the years going up to 'Omega', I was struggling with a lot of burnout but also having a very hectic lifestyle. Combining touring life with family life was not always easy. So my battery, I would say that I was extremely exhausted from touring and also the emotional stress of being away from my son. That drained me big time. But I guess you go through phases in your life as well.

"Whatever is happening in society, we, as musicians, as artists, are a little bit of a mirror of what is happening, of course, within ourselves, people close to us and what's happening around in the world," she continued. "Global warming is a big topic in one of my lyrics. Genome editing. What's happening worldwide is a topic. But most of all, this album is a very spiritual album. It's the most profound, mature album in EPICA's history.

"The name 'Omega' is actually referring to the Omega Point, where you have the Big Bang, the creation of universe. Omega is the end, where basically everything comes together, spiritually and science. Everything in the universe is fated towards a final point of unification. It's the end of our 'Kingdom Of Heaven' series. So this is the third and final 'Kingdom Of Heaven' song. It's our eighth studio album. The number eight is also very spiritual because if you put it on the side, it's the infinity symbol. 'Kingdom Of Heaven' is about life after death, and it's also number eight on the album. So there is a lot of hidden symbolism on the album and in the artwork. The big life question, 'What is the true meaning of life?' How do we navigate through life within ourselves? We are all 'yin and yang.' We are all made out of light and dark. We all have this labyrinth within ourselves in which we have to navigate ourselves. We hopefully find our way out of the labyrinth and don't get lost within the labyrinth of ourselves."

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Tim Commerford says that his band will "never" play a drive-in concert. The bassist made his comments to TooFab while out on a quick hardware store run in Los Angeles earlier this week.

Speaking about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the concert industry, Tim said (see video below): "Musicians got kicked to the curb, man. Musicians and barbershops and gyms, we're the last ones to go. So it's stressful for me, just because I look at RAGE and go, like, 'Fuck, we rely on an audience.' You go to RAGE shows to see the audience as much as to see the band, and we need that. We're one of those bands that need that.

"We'll never be one of these sellouts that's gonna go play a drive-in show or play a venue that holds a hundred thousand people and there's only ten thousand people there," he insisted. "That's bullshit. RAGE will never do that. It's not a good show unless the audience is going off too — it's gotta be a shared experience."

Commerford also talked about his disappointment over the cancelation of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's comeback appearance at the Coachella in Indio, California. He said: "It was already gonna be something really special. Without getting into it, we were doing things that we had never done before, and we're all better musicians than we've ever been before, so the music was all time, and it was just exciting. It was gonna be a really great new version, a new exciting version of RAGE, you know? Plus, we were [going to be] on tour with RUN THE JEWELS, and they put their record out, and it was the biggest hip-hop record of the year. So it was gonna be a really great tour. And I've got my fingers crossed that the world will fix itself."

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE was set to tour last year for the first time in more than a decade until the pandemic pushed those plans to 2021.

The reunited quartet — Zack De La Rocha, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim Commferford — was supposed to play its first concerts back together in March 2020 at several cities along or near the Mexican border, with several dozen U.S. and European dates booked through the end of last summer.

When it eventually happens, the upcoming tour will mark the first time RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE has hit the road together since 2011.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE last played together at L.A. Rising and has resisted calls for a reunion, with vocalist De La Rocha previously believed to be the lone holdout. Guitarist Morello and his fellow RAGE bandmates Commerford (bass) and Wilk (drums) have since teamed up with PUBLIC ENEMY's Chuck D. and CYPRESS HILL's B-Real in the similarly styled PROPHETS OF RAGE.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE recorded three original studio albums and one set of covers before breaking up in 2000. The group reformed in 2007 but only played sporadic gigs and never a full tour.

DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci spoke to Metal Injection about the writing and recording process for the band's upcoming follow-up to 2019's "Distance Over Time" album. He said: "There's definitely a lot we learned from 'Distance Over Time'. And having said that, this is definitely something new and different as well. I can say this, we're hard at work. We still have a bunch to do. It's going to come out later this year. We're actually in the midst of tracking keyboards right now. I don't know if it's just, like, people are home and you can't tour, but it's, like, everybody just came to the table to play. Everybody is on fire. The best ideas and best playing. And so the album, it's lit up. There's definitely a lot of energy and excitement to it. I'm really pumped about it."

Petrucci also reflected on DREAM THEATER's 35-year career so far, saying: "I mean, it's unbelievable. It's not something that many bands could say and we're just so, so fortunate to have this extensive of a career and fans that were not only there from the beginning, but the new ones that we gain with each album that comes out, which is so encouraging. The fact that we've been able to do this type of music at the level that we're at is mindblowing. The fact that I'm still in the same band with [bassist] John Myung, who I met when I was 12 years old, blows my mind. The things that we've been able to do, the accomplishments and places we've been, it's just unbelievable… It's, like, we have just as much fun and excitement with every record that we do. Thankfully we have fans that look forward to new music just as eagerly as we did. It reminds me of the way that I felt when I was growing up and listening to RUSH, mostly like in the '80s during all those those classic albums, from 'Permanent Waves' and 'Moving Pictures' and 'Signals' and 'Power Windows' and all that stuff. I looked forward to every album when it came out, every new album, every new material. I couldn't get enough. So I love that we have that that similar type of mindset in our fan base. It's really encouraging. We just love doing it."

"Distance Over Time" marked DREAM THEATER's first album for for Sony Music's progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.

DREAM THEATER recently released its ninth career live album, "Distant Memories - Live In London". Recorded at DREAM THEATER's sold-out show at the Apollo Theatre in London, the live release documents the band's popular world tour in support of "Distance Over Time" and the 20th anniversary of their seminal concept album "Metropolis Part 2 - Scenes From A Memory"

Norwegian doom / goth metal pioneers Theatre Of Tragedy, who called it quits in 2010 and played their final show on October 2nd of that year, are gearing up to release a special 25th anniversary deluxe vinyl edition of the band's second album, Velvet Darkness They Fear, through Cosmic Key Creations. Following in the footsteps of the 25th Anniversary package released for the band's self-titled debut released in 2020, this deluxe edition of Velvet Darkness They Fear will feature brand new liner notes, bonus tracks, and unreleased photos from the band's vault. 

Watch the Cosmic Key Creations Facebook page here for updates.

Velvet Darkness They Fear was released on August 18th, 1996 via Massacre Records. It was issued in North America by Century Media Records in 1997. The album was produced, engineered and mixed by Pete Coleman, who would return to work on the band's third album, Aegis, released in 1998.

Tracklist: 

"Velvet Darkness They Fear"
"Fair and 'Guiling Copesmate Death"
"Bring Forth Ye Shadow"
"Seraphic Deviltry"
"And When He Falleth"    
"Der Tanz der Schatten"
"Black as the Devil Painteth"
"On Whom the Moon Doth Shine"
"The Masquerader and Phoenix"




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Dutch extreme metal outfit Autarkh have issued new song and video for “Alignment”.

Founder Michel Nienhuis comments: "A place of uncertainty can be a fertile ground if you are open to any way a situation might unfold. All might as well occur in your favor and it could feel like you don’t need to go with the flow because you are the flow. ‘Alignment’ tries to capture this most desirable form of motion, a realm where time and space are aligned. A truly astonishing state of being that ultimately leads to catharsis, self-government and independence."

To misquote Allen Ginsburg "the circle Dodecahdron is broken. But with death comes rebirth."  Autarkh takes a radical approach to their musical assault, consuming the listener with dizzying maelstroms of chaos. Form In Motion embodies the word “extreme,” putting forth an intrusive battery of blistering guitars, pummeling drums, spastic math metal salvos and cacophonous electronics that culminates in one of the most robust and daring debut records metal has seen yet.

Form In Motion is due on March 12. Preorder here.

Cover art by Manuel Tinnemans/Comaworx:

Tracklisting:

“Primitive Constructs”
“Turbulence”
“Cyclic Terror”
“Impasse”
“Introspectrum”
“Lost To Sight”
“Metacognition”
“Clouded Aura”
“Alignment”
“Zeit ist nur eine Illusion”

“Alignment”:

(Photo - Steph Byrn)




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Horror Pain Gore Death Productions have signed Japanese HM-2 grinding supergroup Mortify. The new EP Grotesque Buzzsaw Defilement is up now for preorder and will be released April 2 on CD and Digital formats. Preorders available on Bandcamp.

Mortify are a grinding supergroup featuring Koreeda (ex-Coffins/Trikorona) on guitar, Ryohei (Final Exit/su19b) on drums and Adam (Disrotted, Sick/Tired) on vocals. Grotesque Buzzsaw Defilement showcases intense, old school grindcore madness with a touch of HM-2 Swedish death metal flavor. Vicious, savage and extreme, Mortify present 13 tracks in nine and a half minutes that melt your face off including an Agathocles cover.

Tracklisting:

“Flesh Creep”
“Musty Trudge”
“Organ Terror”
“Obelisk Of Suffering”
“100 Rats”
“No Survivors”
“No!” (Agathocles cover)
“Grabby Hands”
“Brain Gurglar”
“Adhesives”
“Mangy Mutts”
“Smells Of Barfs”
“Deviant”

“Obelisk Of Suffering”:




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