Steve Lukather has given an update on TOTO, the health of members past and present, and the end of the last version of the band. The guitarist made his comments while chatting to Eonmusic about new solo set "I Found the Sun Again", which will be released on February 26 via The Players Club / Mascot Label Group.

Speaking about the end of the band that completed the "Forty Trips Around The Sun" tour which celebrated four decades of the AOR giants, Lukather revealed that all had not been well within the band towards the end of the jaunt, which lasted from 2017 to 2019. "It was bittersweet because we knew it was coming to an end," he said. "There was some legal [issues]. It was hard. There was some people that didn't get along. It started out great, and ended poorly — lawsuits and crazy shit."

He continued: "It was unpleasant. It was a sad ending to something that was at one time beautiful. Like a marriage gone wrong, I guess. Sad, but I don't have any bad feelings. But it's a bad experience."

Lukather, who has continued with a new version of TOTO along with singer Joseph Williams, went on: "We put it to bed and then we brought it back to life again. Joseph and I said, we're, like, 'Well, we've paid for the name. Let's fuckin' use the name,' and I put together another band with some different guys."

Giving an update on TOTO's founding member David Paich (keyboards) who was forced to leave the final tour due to health issues, Steve said that unfortunately, his participation in any future TOTO activity is now unlikely. "We [Joseph and I] were the only two guys that really wanted to keep working. David can't, medically, because he's not well; he can't travel at all."

Going on to talk about former frontman Bobby Kimball, who voiced hits "Africa", "Hold The Line" and more, Lukather revealed that the singer too is suffering from health ailments. Steve said: "I'm still talking [to him]; Bobby and I are cool. He's got dementia. He's not doing well. He's mentally not right. He's ten years older than me, so he's, like, 73 years old. Man, he lived hard. His mind is just — when you talk to him, he's normal for a second, then he starts talking about his childhood or something."

The guitarist went on to candidly revealed how the loss of close friend Eddie Van Halen has affected him. "Ed was one of my closest buds," he said. "I'm still fucked up over this loss. It broke my heart. I kept the last text: 'I love you.' 'I love you too, man.'

"The world lost a guitar hero. I lost my friend, so it hit me a little harder than it would hit anybody else. I'm not family, but me and him were really close, that's all I can say, and it broke my heart".

Elsewhere, Steve gave an update on the rumored career-spanning TOTO documentary. "There's never going to be a film on TOTO," he said; "[There's] too much bad blood in certain areas, and litigation and legal. I'm doing a documentary — I am; we're working on one now. I mean, we were working on it last year, but fucking COVID kicked in. Sony was backing it, and I had Slash, and Ringo [Starr], and all kinds of crazy people in it. We were just starting to get into it and it was really getting interesting, and then we had to stop. So, until people can travel again and we can actually be together in the same room, it's on hold".

Concluding, he revealed: "That's going to be the closest thing you're ever going to get to it because people are dead, or people are not speaking. I mean the people that are [speaking]; Joseph and David Paich and everybody are in mine. I don't think there's going to be many others, because people aren't well".

Read the entire interview at Eonmusic

Ron Keel has defended his band's participation in last year's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The event, which reportedly drew 462,000 biker enthusiasts to South Dakota in August, was described by some as a superspreading event, responsible for more than 260,000 cases of COVID-19 — or 19% of the 1.4 million new COVID-19 cases from August 2 to September 2, 2020, claimed researchers from San Diego State University and an independent research institute.

"I've never heard any viable information that it was what they claimed was gonna be a superspreader event," Ron told Shaggy of the 94.9 & 104.5 The Pick radio station in Idaho Falls, Idaho earlier this week (hear audio below). "There were a quarter million people there. We did five headline shows, and it was business as usual, man. You're not gonna shut those bikers down, and you're not gonna keep 'em out. We're all gonna gather and express our freedom, our right to rock, our freedom to ride, live, love, laugh and enjoy every day on this planet while we still can. And that's what it's all about."

The KEEL frontman, who was a guest on the radio station to promote his upcoming concert at Golden Nugget in Pocatello, Idaho on Friday, February 26, added that he "didn't see much difference" between last year's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and previous Stugis events. "The audiences were a little slimmer, and I get that — people were maybe afraid to come out," he said. "We still managed to film a live video — don't misunderstand me — which has now been released on YouTube worldwide. You can find that on my YouTube page. And we filmed that video live at Sturgis in front of what you can obviously see is a really good, engaged crowd. So, I'm very thankful for the opportunity. And I'm not stopping. If there's an opportunity to play, I'm gonna do that. I'm gonna get on the plane with my guitar and I'm gonna come to Idaho this weekend. I'm gonna rock Pocatello this Friday night."

South Dakota officials, including Gov. Kristi Noem, called the research from San Diego State University's Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies "fiction" and "grossly misleading." State Epidemiologist Joshua Clayton, PhD, said at a news briefing that the report numbers are ''a far cry" from reality. He said that 124 South Dakota residents who had attended the rally were diagnosed with COVID.

Last November, Keel defended Donald Trump against accusations that the former president's rhetoric was to blame for the divisiveness and unrest in the United States. The singer, who had previously tweeted in support of Trump's policies, took to the social media platform to comment on the fact that there has been more discord between Republicans and Democrats in our time than there has been in generations. He wrote: "And of course, like everything else, this is @realDonaldTrump 's fault. #BS Elections don't divide people. Beliefs don't divide people. WEAKNESS divides people."

Devil's Mist, the new solo project by Gory Blister guitarist Raff Sangiorgio, who debuted in 2020 with the digital release of a single and EP, continues its journey by releasing a new single, with the title "Diablo's Game".

The new single will be released digitally via main music platforms on March 1, exactly 1 year after the birth of the Devil’s Mist project. Listen to the single here.

Diablo's Game celebrates one year of the life of the project which, despite the Covid pandemic, has achieved positive feedback in artistic terms and even more pragmatically in terms of ratings. In particular, through Spotify, more than 100,000 Streams and the achievement of position 64 for 2 days, on the iTunes Chart in June 2020.

Raff Sangiorgio says, “Traditionally, I've always played death metal inspired by bands that had a more progressive approach. After six albums with Gory Blister, I realized that it would not be possible to explore a more modern metal-rock style without distorting the sound of the band, for this reason I started a project, which I continue to carry on with motivation and new music. Devil's Mist has a metal heart, but incorporates influences ranging from rock, blues and electro rock. "

Omer Cordell, mastermind of ongoing prog metal project Trailight, has checked in with the following update:

"Material for the new album, which is now officially titled Chasing Daylight, is coming along nicely. Here's a video demoing vocals for the track 'Identity'."

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

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

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

Sophia by Trailight

Tracklist:

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

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

"Scarified" is taken from Racer X's second album, Second Heat, release in 1987. It was written by guitarist Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big) and drummer Scott Travis (Judas Priest). 

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

Tracklist:

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

"Far Beyond The Sun"

"Eruption"

"The Dance Of Eternity"

Professionally filmed video of AEROSMITH's Steven Tyler and ZZ TOP's Billy Gibbons performing a cover version of the FLEETWOOD MAC song "Rattlesnake Shake" can be seen below. The footage was filmed on February 25, 2020 — mere days before the first case of COVID-19 was discovered in the United Kingdom, as the ongoing pandemic necessitated the suspension of modern society — at a very special concert at the legendary Palladium in London celebrating the songs of Peter Green and the original incarnation of FLEETWOOD MAC.

The audience at that sold-out show witnessed something unique at what would be the last live concert anyone would attend until further notice. This show also now takes on a particularly poignant meaning, with the unfortunate passing of Peter Green in July 2020.

The players gathered were an all-star cast and all of the musicians present that night had a deep and frequently far-fetched, cosmic connection to the songs.

This music had changed their lives, impelled them to play, and for one of them, inspired the formation of their now very famous band. This music has continued to rouse and arouse, and that night, on the verge of an historically dark and sobering moment in human history, it was given a glorious observance.

The participants that night included Neil Finn, Noel Gallagher, Billy Gibbons, David Gilmour, Kirk Hammett, John Mayall, Christine McVie, Jeremy Spencer, Zak Starkey, Pete Townshend, Steven Tyler and Bill Wyman. Legendary producer Glyn Johns joined as the executive sound producer and the house band featured Mick Fleetwood himself along with Dave Bronze, Jonny Lang, Andy Fairweather Low, Ricky Peterson and Rick Vito.

Mick Fleetwood, who curated the list of artists performing, said: "The concert was a celebration of those early blues days where we all began, and it's important to recognize the profound impact Peter and the early FLEETWOOD MAC had on the world of music. Peter was my greatest mentor and it gave me such joy to pay tribute to his incredible talent. I was honoured to be sharing the stage with some of the many artists Peter has inspired over the years and who share my great respect for this remarkable musician. 'Then Play On'..."

The incredible one-off celebration was originally scheduled to be screened in March in cinemas across the U.K. but will now arrive on video-on-demand in April, ahead of its Blu-ray, CD and special edition four-LP physical release on April 30 via BMG.

AFI will release its eleventh album, "Bodies", on June 11 via Rise Records. The LP was produced and engineered by AFI guitarist Jade Puget, while the mixing was handled by Tony Hoffer.

Two new songs from "Bodies", "Looking Tragic" and "Begging For Trouble", can be streamed below.

"'Looking Tragic' addresses the theme of overstimulation resulting in desensitization," says frontman Davey Havok. "Melodic and driving, the song came to life quickly and immediately stood out as a track to make bodies, if not sentiments, move."

Drummer Adam Carson adds: "After years of receiving early versions of songs from Jade and Davey, in forms that span loosely arranged chords and scratch vocal to fully realized demos, I think I have become quite adept at knowing which songs will or will not make the record. 'Begging For Trouble' was greenlit, at least in my mind, the moment I heard the vocals come in. To me, the track is a cornerstone of the new record."

Last month, AFI released the first two singles from "Bodies", "Twisted Tongues" and "Escape From Los Angeles".

"Bodies" track listing:

01. Twisted Tongues

02. Far Too Near

03. Dulceria

04. On Your Back

05. Escape From Los Angeles

06. Begging For Trouble

07. Back From The Flesh

08. Looking Tragic

09. Death Of The Party

10. No Eyes

11. Tied To A Tree

Since the release of 1995's debut album "Answer That And Stay Fashionable", AFI (Havok, Puget, drummer Adam Carson and bassist Hunter Burgan) has written and recorded five Top 10 hit singles ("Miss Murder", "Medicate", "Love Like Winter", "Silver And Gold" and "Girl's Not Grey"), hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (with the stunning "Decemberunderground"), garnered worldwide critical acclaim and amassed a fiercely loyal global following whose members number in the millions.

THE LIMIT has released "Kitty Gone", another stone-cold ripper with attitude from its forthcoming album "Caveman Logic", due on April 9 via Svart Records. Sonny Vincent from THE LIMIT says: "Sometimes all you are left with are the wounds and scars from being bitten, mauled and dragged around town by sweet little 'Kitty'."

Consisting of members of legendary punk instigators THE STOOGES, the founders of doom rock PENTAGRAM, legendary New York City punk originators TESTORS and infamous Portuguese metal band DAWNRIDER, THE LIMIT goes over the edge, to deliver real-deal, soulful rock and roll. On their new album "Caveman Logic", Bobby Liebling, singer and mainman of PENTAGRAM, one of the originators of early doom rock and an inspiration for generations of heavy rock fans, on vocals, gives the performance of his career, singing like his life depended on it.

Sonny Vincent, enigmatic legend of the early New York City Punk scene with his band TESTORS, having been on the road with members of THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, lays down the guitar-driven songs, his writing bearing all the hallmarks of groundbreaking rock history in its filthy DNA. Phenomenal bass playing from Jimmy Recca, ex-THE STOOGES, and Ron Asheton's THE NEW ORDER, gives THE LIMIT the intense and world-class, speaker-destroying bottom end. Joined by Hugo Conim on guitar and Joao Pedro on drums from DAWNRIDER, THE LIMIT fuses star-dust pedigree with an organic incendiary chemistry that’s instantly raw and real.

A dream come true to those that know their doom/punk ABC, THE LIMIT brings the past right up to date on "Caveman Logic", with an essential, burning passion at the heart of their songs. Seldom has a collaboration of well-known stars in music sounded so vigorous and frenzied as THE LIMIT's caveman-like roar.

Former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate took part in an intimate acoustic performance on February 13 at the Everett Theatre in Everett, Washington. The socially distanced event operated at 25% capacity which equated to about 100 people in total watching the show inside the venue.

Fan-filmed video of Tate performing the QUEENSRŸCHE song "Around The World" at the Everett concert can be seen below.

Earlier this week, Tate announced around a dozen U.S. dates in late summer and fall as part of a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE's "Empire" and "Rage For Order" albums. All tickets will go on sale this Friday, February 26 at 10:00 local time.

For more information, including ticket links and links for meet-and-greet passes for purchase to meet Geoff and his band after the live shows, visit www.geofftate.com.

Early last year, Tate was forced to postone a number of his tour dates due to the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the globe.

Tate spent the first two months of 2020 performing the QUEENSRŸCHE albums "Rage For Order" and "Empire" in their entirety on the "Empire 30th Anniversary Tour", which kicked off in January in Norway. Prior to that, Geoff celebrated the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE's "Operation: Mindcrime" album on European and U.S. tours.

Tate's post-QUEENSRŸCHE band OPERATION: MINDCRIME released three albums over three years as part of a trilogy: "The Key" (September 2015), "Resurrection" (September 2016) and "The New Reality" (December 2017).

In 2019, Geoff released the debut album from SWEET OBLIVION via Frontiers Music Srl. The project saw Tate teaming up with a stellar cast of Italian musicians led by Simone Mularoni, the mastermind of prog metal masters DGM. The second SWEET OBLIVION album, "Relentless", will arrive on April 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. This time the production was handled by Italian metal maestro Aldo Lonobile (SECRET SPHERE, TIMO TOLKKI'S AVALON, ARCHON ANGEL).

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012.

Tate was replaced in QUEENSRŸCHE by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.

Marc Lopes, vocalist for Boston-based melodic power/thrash group Let Us Prey, is the voice behind a new all-star quarantine cover of King Diamond's classic song, “A Mansion In Darkness”, from his 1987 landmark record, Abigail. The cover was born out of a conversation between guitarists Courtney Cox (The Iron Maidens) and OL Drake (Evile) about collaborating together on a virtual jam session. Cox suggested one of her favorite King Diamond songs for the cover, and from there they reached out to bassist Jack Gibson (Exodus) and drummer Matt Thompson (King Diamond). The big question mark was who would handle vocals, to which Cox's reply was “I know a guy.” Lopes was asked to round out the collaboration and stepped up to the daunting task of delivering his take on the King's demonic growls and masterful falsetto. The final result according to all parties involved was “a total blast had by all doing this...for the love of METAL!”

The final video joining together all of the parts recorded by individual musicians was edited by Abel Hernandez and mixed/mastered by Par Mahn.

The cover of “A Mansion In Darkness” is how Lopes is starting 2021 after a very productive 2020. After starting 2020 with his vocal performance on Ross The Boss' latest record, Born Of Fire, Lopes delivered a shining performance on Let Us Prey's first full-length album, Virtues Of The Vicious, released by M-Theory Audio.

MTV's seminal, Gen X-defining "Beavis And Butt-Head" about two cartoon teenagers famous for their nasally laughs and love of heavy metal will return with an all-new movie on Paramount+. The new movie adaptation was announced by MTV Entertainment Group president Chris McCarthy during ViacomCBS's Paramount+ launch event.

The announcement came via a Zoom call featuring the two characters. Butt-Head said in the clip: "So like, eh…we're making a movie." Beavis added: "And it's gonna be on Paramount+ — kick-ass." They then continued to laugh about the fact that Beavis said "mount" before the screen faded to reveal the Paramount+ logo.

Last July, Comedy Central announced an expansive deal with Emmy Award-winning Mike Judge to reimagine "Beavis And Butt-Head". Comedy Central ordered two seasons of the new series with meta-themes relatable to both new and old fans — Gen X parents and their Gen Z kids.

Comedy Central ordered two seasons of the new series with meta-themes relatable to both new and old fans — Gen X parents and their Gen Z kids.

Judge is set to write, produce and provide voice over for both iconic characters.

Launched in 1993, "Beavis And Butt-Head" quickly became a force in pop culture and started a television revolution with its pure, unadulterated, satirical commentary on youth and adolescence. Centered around two teenage couch potatoes, "Beavis" and "Butt-Head," the unprecedented concept immediately became part of the vernacular in a way no other adult animated series had before. Known for tackling social issues including teen obesity, workers' rights and media trends, the show connected with an entire generation, laying claim as one of the most innovative series in the modern-day zeitgeist.

The Comedy Central deal marked a homecoming for Judge after going on to create other landmark series including "Silicon Valley" and "King Of The Hill", and movies like "Office Space" and "Idiocracy" among others. "Beavis And Butt-Head" marks a return to animation as he looks to recreate a cultural dialogue for a new generation, giving familiar fans and new audiences alike the chance to experience and laugh with America's favorite animated duo.

Portuguese metallers MOONSPELL will release their 13th studio album, "Hermitage", on February 26 via Napalm Records. The official music video for the disc's latest single, "The Hermit Saints", can be seen below. The clip takes us on an epic trip to the heights of the world and the lows of the abysses. Accented by melodic groove and bombastic choruses, this track is sure to become a fan favorite.

"'The Hermit Saints' unveils even further secrets about our forthcoming album, 'Hermitage'," vocalist Fernando Ribeiro says. "Make no mistake: this is a METAL song played according to MOONSPELL's own signature and rules.

"This song tells you about the holiness and unholiness of men, about the duality between saints and sinners. It tells of the fever that makes us cross into the desert of our own existences, perpetually looking out for the cure, that will never come until we change our ways.

"Many might go. Few will come back. Lock the gates, behold 'The Hermit Saints'."

While the world is struggling in the dark, MOONSPELL's forthcoming album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Jaime Gomez Arellano (PARADISE LOST, PRIMORDIAL, GHOST, SÓLSTAFIR) at the Orgone Studios in the U.K. Building upon the sensitive facets of "Hermitage", one can expect an entertaining and revolutionary, yet epic journey through the darkest days of human existence. Beautifully crafted songs such as "The Greater Good" show us the modernity of the wolves in 2021, while other tracks embrace the MOONSPELL tradition of writing a dark, gothic metal record like no other band can. The ethereal and melodic sounds of MOONSPELL, while not straying away from their metal roots — influenced by underground metal bands such as BATHORY — make "Hermitage" most likely one of the deepest, surprising and most epic albums MOONSPELL has ever written.

With "Hermitage", MOONSPELL created a wonderfully intuitive and epic journey, but also a testament to what they've always loved the most: honest, emotional metal that binds us even in the darkest times.

Fernando said: "We know that we are entering the final years of our career as musicians: the winter of our lifetime. We don't care about people saying we're still young at heart, or 'leading' wolves in a pack. We are not! But we do care about how those around us feel about us, and this album is all about how we feel, our answers to your questions. Under these circumstances, we feel our musical stakes are higher than ever. For us, it's not about likes or algorithms, reach, or opportunity of growth. We only care about the music. Music does come first on this album you will hold in your hands soon enough."

He continued: "The record is about turning our backs to the conventions of modernity. We are currently convincing ourselves that it's all about us, that we (humanity) are everything. That the world revolves around us. However, ipsi facto, we are nothing and nothing revolves around us. Moonspell's goal, on these last turns around the Sun, are to write the best music we possibly can. To tell you a few stories with our lyrics, to be close to you in these times of distancing. We wish not to tease you or to influence you or to sell you our fish. We want to sit down with you at your table and feast together upon our notes and words. Like if we were close friends, like back in the time where music matters the most. In your bedroom listening to music, without having to post our smart remarks about it, inviting the hate in.

"'Hermitage' is an open-hearted invitation to simplicity. To be humble. To be thankful. To serve you solace. Provide you comfort, entertainment. We sincerely hope this call reaches you. That you kindly accept what we offer. That you take our music with you to the place you must feel as yours. To your secret place, to your hermitage. Blessed be."

"Hermitage" will be available in several highly limited and collectable deluxe editions, mediabook, cassette, all of them including the CANDLEMASS cover "Darkness In Paradise", but also as jewelcase and digital formats. The deluxe box will also include an etched seven-inch vinyl with another special bonus track, "The Great Leap Forward", as well as much more exciting additional collectable items.

"Hermitage" track listing:

01. The Greater Good

02. Common Prayers

03. All Or Nothing

04. Hermitage

05. Entitlement

06. Solitarian

07. The Hermit Saints

08. Apophthegmata

09. Without Rule

10. City Quitter (Outro)

+ Bonus tracks:

11. Darkness In Paradise (CANDLEMASS cover; available on LP, deluxe box, MC + mediabook)

12. The Great Leap Forward (7" vinyl; available in deluxe box)

Photo credit: Rui Vasco

Viking metal pioneers, Einherjer, will release their eighth studio album, North Star, this Friday, February 26, proving their status as the pioneers of blending Nordic black metal and folk metal genres to pure Norse heavy metal once again.

The album marks the band’s return to Napalm Records after 25 years, and the release of their legendary Dragons Of The North album (1996), which will be re-released as a re-mastered version on February 26 as well.

To celebrate the double release, Einherjer just released the third single, “West Coast Groove”, together with an animated video. Old school heavy metal vibes meet dark Viking metal atmosphere - Einherjer are in top form and still prove their status as genre pioneers after more than 25 years.

Einherjer on “West Coast Groove”: “There is a massive portion of rock’n’roll spirit in most of the stuff we do these days. As we grow older I find it more natural to let our influences shine through as we see fit. 'West Coast Groove' is a solid fist in the air for the heavy metal we love, and to the place that's been an essential part of our inspiration since day one. A tribute to our hometurf!”

Frode Glesnes on the video and the collaboration with Costin Chioreanu: “We've worked with Costin Chioreanu for many years now, and he has become a dear friend. He's been to Haugesund several times. He knows where we're at and what we seek and I think he portrays this beautifully in this animated movie. My initial reaction was to laugh out loud while the hair stood up on the back of my neck. A rare combination!”

North Star was recorded in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic at the in-house Studio Borealis, owned by founding member and mastermind Frode Glesnes. The raw production ties in seamlessly with its predecessor Norrøne Spor and makes North Star probably the most powerful Einherjer album to date! North Star is Einherjer's musical mission towards something bigger - the search for guidance by the North Star in a constantly changing world that is searching for stability.

Einherjer on North Star: ”North Star is our 8th full length album, and follows in the (Norse) tracks of Norrøne Spor. The North Star is a symbol with numerous meanings. It can be guidance, or it can be a personal mission. Something to reach for. It's the Anchor of the Northern Sky. We need something steady in this rapidly shifting world we live in. The North Star album is us reaching for something greater. Developing ourselves through a musical journey in classic Einherjer style – no bullshit, just proper Norse Heavy Metal!”

North Star will be available in the following formats:

- LP Gatefold Vinyl Marble Green transparent with black + Slipmat + Poster - strictly limited to 200 copies (Napalm Records mailorder only)
- LP Gatefold Vinyl Gold – strictly limited to 300 copies (Napalm Records mailorder only)
- LP Gatefold Vinyl Red
- LP Gatefold Vinyl Black
- 1 CD Digipack
- Digital album

Pre-order your copy of North Star here.

North Star tracklisting:

"The Blood And The Iron"
"Stars"
"West Coast Groove"
"Ascension"
"Higher Fire"
"Echoes In Blood"
"Listen To The Graves"
"Chasing The Serpent"

"The Blood And The Iron" video:

"Stars" video:

Einherjer will re-release their groundbreaking debut album, Dragons Of The North, in the year of its 25th anniversary in a remastered version. The seminal work of Einherjer has stood the test of time and has a legacy that continues to this day. The 1996 classic album Dragons Of The North has paved the genres path for years to come and will now be re-released after its initial release on Napalm Records 25 years ago!

Dragons Of The North will be available in the following formats:

- LP Gatefold Vinyl Inkspot Blue/White & Poster – strictly limited to 300 copies (Napalm Records mailorder only)
- LP Gatefold Vinyl Black & Poster
- 1-CD Jewel Case
- Digital album

Pre-order Dragons Of The North here.

Dragons Of The North tracklisting:

"Dragons Of The North"
"Dreamstorm"
"Forever Empire"
"Conquerer"
"Fimbul Winter"
"Storms Of The Elder"
"Slaget ved Hafrsfjord"
"Ballad Of The Swords"

Einherjer is:

Gerhard Storesund: Drums, Keyboards
Frode Glesnes: Vocals, Guitar &  Bass
Ole Sønstabø: Lead Guitars
Tom Enge: Guitars, Backing Vocals

(Photo - Jørgen Freim)

FM will release the new double live album, Tough It Out Live, on April 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. Watch a video the title track below, and pre-order the album here.

Says the band: "Relive those heady nights on the Big 3-0 Tour when we came together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of our second album, Tough It Out. We are pleased to announce the forthcoming release of Tough It Out Live - a 2-CD set of live tracks to make you party like it's 1989! CD1 features the Tough It Out set recorded live on our tour with Gun and Dan Reed Network in December 2019. CD2 includes previously unreleased live recordings of songs which have featured in the FM set over the years."

Tracklisting:

CD1:
Intro
"Tough It Out"
"Don't Stop"
"Bad Luck"
"Someday (You'll Come Running)"
"Everytime I Think Of You"
"Burning My Heart Down"
"The Dream That Died"
"Obsession"
"Can You Hear Me Calling?"
"Does It Feel Like Love"
"Feels So Good"

CD2:
"Digging Up The Dirt"
"Tough Love"
"Hollow"
"Dangerous"
"Hard Day In Hell"
"Wildside"
"Breathe Fire"
"Only The Strong Survive"
"Blood And Gasoline"
"I Ain't The One"
"I Heard It Through The Grapevine"

"Tough It Out" video:

Teaser trailer:

Lineup:

Steve Overland – Vocals & Guitar
Merv Goldsworthy – Bass
Pete Jupp – Drums
Jem Davis – Keyboards
Jim Kirkpatrick – Guitar

SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan has spoken out against "cancel culture," calling it "really destructive" and saying "it always backfires on the people that are instituting it."

Cancel culture is the idea that someone, usually a celebrity or a public figure, whose ideas or comments are considered offensive should be boycotted. These people are ostracized and shunned by former friends, followers and supporters alike, leading to declines in any careers and fanbase the individual may have at any given time.

Speaking to the "Uncle Dad Talks" podcast, Dolmayan said (hear audio below): "I've gotta tell you, I'm really disappointed in a lot of people, a lot of liberals — 'cause I have a lot of liberal friends. Most of my friends are liberal. I'm a conservative, as some people may or may not know. But at the end of the day, I change my opinion on things based on information. So if I get new information, I re-evaluate, I look at things, and I make a decision based on that.

"What's happening right now with this cancel-culture bullshit is really destructive, and it always backfires on the people that are instituting it," he continued. "And we have to be really careful because in the '50s, we had something called McCarthyism where people that were hyper-liberal and a lot of people that were considered communists, basically they lost their entire lives — that whole generation of great artists and writers that were just ostracized. And we have to be careful because if we allow that to happen in any way, it could always come back to the other side.

"I will tell you, this generation is very liberal, but the next one might be more conservative and so on and so forth. It does tend to turn around. And especially now with social media and all this bullshit, people go back and they check things, and they're, like, 'Oh, really? This is how you felt?' And you're judged on that for the rest of your life.

"I'm a conservative," John repeated. "I want what's best for everyone, but I want everybody to have the freedom to do these things. I don't like big government. I don't like the agenda of a lot of the Democratic platforms these days. I think A.O.C. [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for New York's 14th congressional district] is a moron. I just have to put that out there; I like to say that in every conversation.

"Look, at the end of the day, I just want everybody to have equal opportunity to be successful in whatever that success is. And I want people to be motivated by doing the right thing in life, not rewarded for doing the wrong thing. So that's my philosophy."

In the months leading up to the 2020 presidential election, Dolmayan repeatedly defended Donald Trump, saying that the opponents of America's 45th president "perpetuated and instigated a total shutdown of the economy" in the hopes that it would crash and that he would be blamed. Dolmayan also praised Trump and accused Democrats of "demonizing" the former president and "blaming him for everything under the sun." In addition, John called Democrats "the true bigots" who "fought to maintain slavery" and were "directly responsible for 70 plus million abortions, a large majority of whom were black." Dolmayan also supported Trump's claim that his administration had done more for the African-American community "than any president since Abraham Lincoln."

Last October, SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian told Forbes that it was "frustrating" for him to see John so publicly supportive of Trump, especially considering Dolmayan is Armenian as well. "But that's having to do with American politics," Serj explained. "When it comes to Armenian issues, we're on the same exact page. We know what injustice is happening, we work together. We're doing different auction activities and working together on many fronts. The Armenian nation is united, whether you voted for Republican, Democrat or neither."

Fueling a tradition of cultural cross-pollination, modern progressive rock band and storytellers COHEED AND CAMBRIA have announced their own coffee brand, Coheed And Cambria Coffee Roasters.

As avowed coffee lovers, the band worked directly with the team at J Gursey Coffee Roasters to create custom blends that reflect the nuances of characters who make up "The Amory Wars", the sprawling sci-fi concept arc which ties nearly every COHEED album together. Enlightened fans will recognize "The Knowledge And The Beast" as the classified code names of "The Amory Wars"' two most notable characters, Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon. "The Knowledge" (Cambria), is a smooth delicate blend of light and dark roasted coffees from the African/Ethiopian/South American regions. Its counterpart, "The Beast" (Coheed), is "coffee with a bite." The robust medium/dark roast with a kick of espresso comes from the regions of African/Papa New Guinea/South America and Central America, and is cloud roasted at a 460 degrees Fahrenheit drop temp.

COHEED AND CAMBRIA's Claudio Sanchez explained: "As an avid coffee drinker, I've been enjoying this experience of creating flavor profiles that embody the integral characters of our life's work. They truly are what wake me up in the morning... and now, even more so."

Both are available in whole bean or ground options. The new brand also unveiled attractive, sci-fi accented accessories, including matching matte finish mugs, an Asobu collaborated pour over coffee maker/carafe and matching travel orbs. The coffee and accessories are available now at www.coheedroasters.com, and the new company can be found on Instagram at @coheedroasters.

Renowned for the most precise and consistent roast possible, Las Vegas-based J Gursey Coffee Roasters has distinguished itself as the preeminent gourmet coffee artisan. Meanwhile, COHEED AND CAMBRIA consistently expand their world and ever-growing sphere of influence. Sanchez recently announced a partnership between his comic book brand Evil Ink and leading action figure manufacturer and collectible producer NECA to release an inaugural line of "The Amory Wars" action figures in December, which are now sold out. Their next release is in the works.

COHEED AND CAMBRIA have a handful of tour dates scheduled for 2021, including a currently scheduled gig with BLINK-182 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 2, Riot Fest in Chicago, Illinois on September 16, and their very own S.S. Neverender cruise setting sail from Miami, Florida on October 26. For tickets and more information on COHEED AND CAMBRIA's tour dates please visit their official site.

Comprised of Claudio Sanchez (vocals / guitar), Travis Stever (guitar), Josh Eppard (drums) and Zach Cooper (bass), COHEED AND CAMBRIA has gripped listeners and press around the globe with its visionary compositions and conceptual mastery. In 2018, COHEED AND CAMBRIA made a stunning return with its new album "The Unheavenly Creatures", which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart, No. 6 current sales and Top 15 on the Billboard 200 chart. Boasting 15 songs over 78 minutes, "The Unheavenly Creatures" marked COHEED AND CAMBRIA's furious return to concept albums, the 'First Act' in a brand-new story arc set within the backdrop of "The Amory Wars" universe. The acclaimed record is highlighted by standout tracks "The Gutter", "Unheavenly Creatures", "The Dark Sentencer" (premiered by Marvel Studios) and "Old Flames", the latter of which features an official music video directed by Charles "Chas" Todd. The cinematic clip features striking choreography masterminded by Broadway luminary Jon Rua, who is known for his roles in the 12-time Tony-nominated "Spongebob Squarepants" and the Tony- and Grammy Award-winning hit musical "Hamilton". More recently, COHEED AND CAMBRIA teamed up with Grammy Award-winning singer Rick Springfield for a sequel to one of the most iconic stories in rock 'n' roll history with "Jessie's Girl 2".

OF MICE & MEN singer/bassist Aaron Pauley spoke to Australia's Metal Mal about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the making of the band's upcoming EP, "Timeless". The effort will be released on February 26 via the band's new label home, SharpTone Records.

"I haven't even seen my bandmates in about a year in person," Aaron said. "But we've been working over Zoom. And because we all kind of live apart from each other anyway, that was, I think, going to be the main method that we were going to write, and I think this just kind of forced us into jumping in with both feet. But I think this time has allowed us more time to focus on the purely creative side of being a band and making music rather than the live touring and live entertainment business side of being in a band.

"As far as the art is concerned and the musical conversation, I've always said when a band releases new songs, that's the beginning of the conversation," he continued. "I think not having the method of communication in the form of live shows and touring and just how that is communicative in and of itself, I think it's kind of forced us to go back to finding the original reason why we all wanted to play music in the first place. At least for me personally, I always just wanted to write songs. So being put in a position where it's, like, 'Okay, this is all you have to do right now' — if you choose to do it, 'cause it's not even you have to. You can utilize this time that you can't spend doing something, and you can spend it doing something you can do. So, [we've] just [been] working on new music."

Pauley also addressed the fact that "Timeless" is apparently the first of what will be three or four new EP releases from OF MICE & MEN this year. "For us, that approach minimizes the length of time between us finishing material and you being able to hear it," he said. "I think the time it takes to create, and then eventually curate, an album's worth of material, it takes a lot longer and creates a lot more lag time in that conversation than creating a few songs that are a snapshot in time and releasing those, and you can kind of do that in a more timely manner. You're almost releasing smaller snapshots in time, smaller collections, and it just makes for the ability to release new music all year."

"Timeless" EP track listing:

01. Timeless

02. Obsolete

03. Anchor

OF MICE & MEN is:

Aaron Pauley - Bass, Vocals

Valentino Arteaga - Drums

Alan Ashby - Guitar

Phil Manansala - Guitar

AC/DC's Angus Young has shot down a long-standing rumor that the band's late frontman Bon Scott was involved in the songwriting process of several of the "Back In Black" tracks prior to his untimely death in early 1980. "Bon never really got the chance," the guitarist told Paste magazine in a new interview. "At the time, me and [founding AC/DC rhythm guitarist] Malcolm [Young] were writing songs, which became the songs for 'Back In Black'. We were in London in a rehearsal room, and Bon had come down, too. And what used to happen was, me and Malcolm would get together and get a drum kit, and Malcolm would get behind the drums sometimes, and I'd get on the guitar and just tap out a riff. Or other times, Malcolm would get on the guitar and he'd get me to just knock out a simple beat on the drums. Anyhow, we were working away, and it was on an intro which was actually what became the intro for 'Hells Bells'. So Bon showed up, and Malcolm said, 'Oh, great, Bon. You can get behind the kit.' Because originally Bon started as a drummer. So Bon got behind the drum kit so we could try and work out this intro, how we wanted to do it. So we sorted that out how we wanted. And the other one was 'Have A Drink On Me', a riff Malcolm was playing around with. So we worked out the intro on that and how the song was gonna go. So he had Bon tapped to do a demo for that. So that was it, really. If you were looking up what Bon had done, it was really just to help us with those demos on the drums. And he even said to us, as we were knocking off in the night time, 'Look, we'll hook up next week.' He'd been working on some lyrics, and said, 'We'll hook up next week and maybe the three of us can just start going through stuff.' But unfortunately, he passed before that."

Angus continued: "It's kind of strange, in a way, when I think back, because when Bon first joined us as a band, that was the first thing he wanted to do — he took me and Malcolm and said, Come on!' And we went to a friend's place who had a studio, and when we got there, Bon got behind the drum kit and said, 'All right, come on you guys. Start playing.' And Malcolm said, 'Look, Bon — we've got a real good drummer. We don't need another drummer. What we need is a really good rock 'n' roll singer.' But with Bon, what you saw was what you got. He had his own approach to this, and he lived that character. I mean, sometimes you'd be doing a gig somewhere, and he'd show up with some people, and then he'd be gone for a few days. And he'd have been out with some guys drinking moonshine up in the hills. He'd just met them, but they were all like his long-lost friends, ya know?"

"Back In Black" was the first album AC/DC released after singer Brian Johnson replaced Scott, and it went on to become the third-biggest-selling LP of all time.

Scott was invited to join AC/DC by Malcolm and Angus Young in 1974, and achieved international stardom before his death at the age of 33 from alcohol poisoning.

He sang on AC/DC's first six studio albums, including "High Voltage", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Let There Be Rock" and "Highway To Hell".

Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning after a night of heavy drinking at a club in London, just days after attending a session with Malcolm and Angus Young where they began working on music for what became the "Back In Black" album.

According to the AC/DC FAQ web site, Bon and the friend, a musician named Alisdair Kinnear, had been drinking the evening of February 19, 1980 and Bon apparently fell asleep during the ride home. Kinnear could not wake Bon, so he left him in the car to sleep. Kinnear awoke early in the evening on February 20, checked on Bon, and found him unconscious in the car. Bon could not be revived, and was pronounced d

In a new interview with Vinyl Writer Music, Tommy Thayer reflected on KISS's New Year's Eve performance in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

"I didn't know what to expect; none of us had ever been to Dubai or that part of the world," he said. "As it turned out, it was an amazing place — friendly people, very high-end, clean, beautiful resorts and beaches. The architecture and design of the city was over-the-top. I'd like to go back there for a vacation sometime.

"The lead-up, including L.A. rehearsals, the traveling and then being in Dubai for several days before the show, was tedious because of the COVID protocols. We were tested every other day under strict quarantine for the entire month of December. In Dubai, our crew and all the local crews were tested every day.

"Seeing photos of the stage, it's hard to get a sense of the scale and enormity of the production. It was by far the biggest KISS stage ever. It was also strange to spend that much time preparing for one show, all the startup, weeks of rehearsals, then doing it, and suddenly it's over."

As previously reported, KISS's Dubai concert broke Guinness world records for highest flame projection in a music concert and for most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert.

Landmarks Live Presents produced the $10 million spectacular, which was filmed with more than 50 4K cameras and 360-degree views and was held on a massive 250-foot stage at The Royal Beach at Atlantis. The show included "a million dollars' worth of pyro," according to frontman Paul Stanley.

KISS partnered with event company Tixr to beam the "Kiss 2020 Goodbye" show around the world.

Last month, Stanley told "The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn", that KISS's performance in Dubai "was a good evening, a good night," especially considering the band "hadn't played in a year." He said: "I thought considering the circumstances not having an audience — playing to a hotel, more or less… The fireworks were absolutely staggering."

KISS reportedly cleaned up its act for to the Dubai concert, apparently out of respect for local customs and beliefs. Gene Simmons's blood-spitting stunt was missing during his bass solo, and the words "bitch" and "virgin soul" were removed from the lyrics of "100,000 Years" and "God of Thunder", respectively, the latter replaced by "sacred soul." Other songs reportedly had minor lyrical changes as well.

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Stanley and Simmons, alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 19

Speaking with Richard Bienstock.for Guitar World, guitar legend Yngwie Malmsteen paid tribute to Eddie Van Halen, who passed away on October 6th, 2020 following a long battle with cancer. Following is an excerpt.

Malmsteen: "There’s a song on the second (Van Halen) album, 'Outta Love Again'. Edward and Alex’s playing on that, it’s just one take, you can hear it. It’s sick. It’s ridiculous. It’s just so good. That spirit inspired me immensely. But my favorite song is probably 'Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love'. I used that sound as the yardstick for so many years. I would listen to that and go, 'If I can get a sound that good, I know I have a good sound.' And the riff is just fucking ridiculous. But overall it was the whole 'turn your fucking shit up and go for it' thing that really got to me about Eddie. The impact he had on me was unbelievable. On all of us. It’s just crazy."

Read Malmsteen's complete tribute to Eddie here.

Guitar World has published a collection of quotes from Eddie Van Halen starting in 1981 and ending with a 2016 Guitar World interview. He discusses everything from Debussy to David Lee Roth’s first solo outing, from "Eruption" to "Spanked", from college to Clapton, from his "Black Sabbath funk" to his beloved EVH guitars and amps.

Following is an excerpt from the feature.

College? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ College! (GW, November 1982)

Eddie: "On stage, it's different… that’s my world, my life. I don’t have to deal with being accepted by jocks or bikers or that in high school. The band is a family and I’m accepted in that family. That’s what made me get into guitar, because I felt like I had nothing to lose. If I couldn’t play guitar, I’d be pumping gas. I mean, I got a low IQ. When everybody graduated, all the rich guys going, 'Hey, which college are you going to?' and I’m going 'College?!? I just went straight back home, locked myself in my room, played guitar, wrote songs, and hoped to God I got somewhere.'"

...And a Song Called "Jump" (GW, January 1984)

Eddie: "I think this next one is going to be a hellified record. The majority of the solos will be overdubs. It just depends on how it feels right. There’s a fast boogie called 'Hot for Teacher'. There’s another one called 'Anytime, Anyplace' with a live solo in it. Lots of overdubs. My dad might play an intro for a song. There’s a song called 'Panama' with a live solo. And a song called 'Jump'."

Down on Diver Down (GW, February 1990)

Eddie: "The 'half cover tunes' (Diver Down) pisses me off, ’cause at the time I had enough music of my own. You know that Mini-Moog riff that opens 'Dancing in the Street'? I’d written that for my own song, but everybody wanted it for 'Dancing in the Street'. I said, 'What?' So that’s why I built my own studio. Put it this way: I’d rather bomb with my own songs than make it with someone else’s. I don’t buy the philosophy of 'If you redo a proven hit, you’re halfway there.' That way, you’re not there. I’ve played enough cover tunes."

Read the complete Guitar World feature here.