Blackened industrial doom collective, Culted, will be releasing their brand new full-length, Nous, on Friday, February 26. The band is streaming the album in full ahead of tomorrow's release. Listen below.

Nous is available for pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Lowest Class"
"Lifers"
"One Last Smoke"
"Ankle Deep"
"Black Bird"
"Opiate the Hounds"
"Maze"
"Crown of Lies"
"The Grid"
"Crush My Soul" (Godflesh cover)

Album stream:

"Culted" video:

"Black Bird" video:

From the icy expanse of the Canadian prairies to the Nordic coast of Sweden, industrial blackened doom collective Culted have long been innovators of creating music remotely, transcending both literal and metaphorical boundaries for over a decade. Michael Klassen and Matthew Friesen were first approached by Daniel Jansson to collaborate on an international project and come 2008, these ideas began to coalesce, with fellow Canadian Kevin Stevenson joining the cult. The band soon recorded and unveiled their first LP, Below the Thunders of the Upper Deep (2009), as well as the EP Of Death and Ritual (2010.)
 
In 2013, sophomore full-length Oblique to All Paths was released upon being written, recorded, and produced in various closets, basements, dens, and domiciles. After forming a union with Season of Mist,  Culted continued their down-tempo exploration of blackened and industrial soundscapes with 2019’s mini-album, Vespertina Synaxis; A Prayer for Union and Emptiness, which was inspired by the isolation, alienation, and damnation that dominates the rime-encrusted lands Culted inhabit. Now, the band is ready to unleash their most devastating and personal opus yet, Nous.

Nous was born in turmoil after members of the band endured a period of extreme personal experiences, both psychological and physical. The creation process was informed by disease, death, and the resulting existential crises. Instead of predetermining the direction Culted would take with their third full-length, the band allowed the music to speak for itself as it came together organically. Nous was a result of its creators attempting to destroy or ignore the egoic (that chatter and everything outside of pure consciousness that attempts to sabotage you of peace and rob you of the moment) and instead, opening themselves up to the unidentifiable and nameless muse of sound.

Culted further explores their relationship with doom, black metal, and industrial on yet another experimental effort in which the band’s collective agony is translated into something both nihilistic and tangible through dissonant soundscapes. Each song is a nightmare in the abyss, dragging the listener through caverns of inexplicable darkness and suffering.

Exemplifying the themes, meditations, and diatribes of the human condition, Nous, which roughly translates to “common sense” or “practical intelligence,” explores both the religious and conspiratorial processes of the mind within the framework of critical thought. According to biblical scripture, Satan convinced Eve that the most powerful of conspirators - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - were secretly trying to keep the first humans shrouded in a veil of ignorance, preventing them from becoming “like God” and “knowing good and evil.” Eve became the first in a long line, from Gnostics to flat-earthers, to believe powerful forces were withholding secret information. Nous attempts to know God or the inner essence or principles of created things by means of direct perception. Nous must be carefully distinguished from reason as it does not formulate abstract concepts or argue them using deductive reasoning, but rather, it understands divine truth by means of immediate experience. Thelema of the gods.

To further solidify these introspective concepts, the cover art is an interpretation of the Temptation of St. Anthony who was one of the first monks to retire to the desert to devote himself to fasting and prayer, which is an often-repeated subject in the history of art and literature, especially concerning the supernatural temptation reportedly faced by Saint Anthony during his sojourn in the Egyptian desert. The art encapsulates both the music and lyrical concept, visually.

Culted is now inviting you to open your mind, abandon your religion, and to join the cult on this existential and devastating journey.

Lineup:

Matthew Friesen - guitar, bass, keyboards, noise and percussion
Michael Klassen - guitar, bass keyboards, noise and percussion
Kevin Stevenson - drums and percussion
Daniel Jansson - Vocals and noise




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Sleek yet hard-hitting rock ‘n’ roll rooted in blues soul, The Dust Coda, clutch the echoes of rock’s most beloved household names, from the pure, raw poetry of Led Zeppelin to the nasty muscle of Guns N’ Roses, and bring them kicking and screaming into the 21st century with enticingly unforgettable riffs, gravel-soaked vocal soul and sheer swagger. Earache Records capped off 2020 by signing the band to a worldwide deal.

The band's forthcoming album, Mojo Skyline, will be released worldwide on March 26. Pre-order Mojo Skyline here on a range of great formats, including limited edition coloured and signed vinyl. A video for the song "Jimmy 2 Times" can be seen below.

The vivid album cover is extracted from the mind of artist Nick Dwyer, who is best known for his eye-catching designs for Beavertown Brewery's beloved brews such as Neck Oil and Gamma Ray. "I was trying to put across how these guys, who live and breathe destruction, dirt and chaos through their music might also spend their 'down time' inhaling weirdness from other not-so-obvious places," says Nick of the artwork. "They are on some sort of Natural Born Killers-esque trip, making a quick stop to watch a horror movie in the desert as the city disappears behind them.  It's a peyote sandwich washed down with whiskey and desert dust."

Tracklisting:

"Demon"
"Breakdown"
"Limbo Man"
"Dream Alight"
"Jimmy 2 Times"
"Rolling"
"Bourbon Pouring"
"I've Been Waiting"
"She's Gone"
"They Don't Know Rock N Roll"
"Best Believe It"
"It's A Jam"

"Jimmy 2 Times" video:

"Limbo Man" video:

"Breakdown" video:




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Disbeliever are coming back with their ability to take and twist words and sounds into their captivating gothic metal. The fivesome delivers a strong dark injection of emotion as it weaves catchy riffs and punchy rhythms with deep, soulful vocals.

Their dark and energetic new single, "Wherever Soul" is out on March 26. Pre-save here, and listen to a preview here.

The band comment: "'Wherever Soul' is the link between who we were on the Dark Days album and who we are today. a prelude to our evolution."




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Former Soulfly / Borknagar drummer Dave Kinkade has announced the debut album from his new project, The Monarch. He has issued the following statement:

"I've wanted to release this album for 20 years but I’ve always placed it on the back burner to play for other bands. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs during the ride to get here but it was completely worth it. When I left Soulfly in 2012, I had no intention of ever making music again. Between my lower back being destroyed and wanting to properly provide for my family, I couldn’t justify being a drummer and touring anymore. Since then, people always came out of the woodwork asking me to get back to playing and making music again: 'Don’t you at least want to do something small or play in a garage band?' After you’ve played massive festivals like Wacken, Sonisphere and all of those, playing in the garage again is extremely humbling.. but completely what I needed in life. 

I know it sounds completely cliché but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that in order to really be happy in life you have to do what you want to do. Don’t let yourself become completely consumed by the cycle of a 9-5 job that you don’t enjoy. Working just to die eventually... what the hell kind of life is that? 

So, this record is me 100%. It’s my take on human emotion and what’s wrong with human beings. It’s completely self-financed as I didn’t have a label to pay for any of this stuff. Not only did I write most of the music and all of the lyrics but I designed all the artwork, the CD cover and booklet. I’m literally selling CDs out of my basement. Even though I would love to have a label involved especially for the promotional reach aspect, I’ve been able to do all of this on my own thus far and it’s working. 

We’re making two music videos next month, again completely financed by the band... and it feels great. I’m really happy making this music with the guys that are involved with it. Each person is an important contribution to making it happen. The next effort is already underway and I plan on touring and taking The Monarch as far as I possibly can so everyone can experience this music. Also important for this age in music... there’s no politics. All of that shit has been completely worn out. We’re musicians, not political commentators.

If you like the music, share and support it. Our debut album, All The World’s Pain, is available worldwide today via Blood Blast Distribution." 

The album is available digitally on Apple Music and Spotify. Physical CDs can be purchased via Bandcamp here.

Tracklist:

"Tell"
"The Grand Scheme"
"Through These Eyes"
"Mundane"
"Last Dose"
"Seeing Through The Hate"
"All The World's Pain"
"Ending Civilization"
"Ouliving The Ashes"

The Monarch is:

Jarrett Roberts - vocals 
Tony DePaulo - guitars 
Justin Kellerman - guitars 
Jim Flynn - guitars 
Steve Doman - bass 
Dave Kinkade - drums




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Swedish heavy stoner rock favorites Greenleaf are about to draw their listeners deeper into their maelstrom of buzzing guitars and hallucinogenic vocals: The four-piece have just released their second single, “Love Undone”, along with an artful lyric video cut from their upcoming album, Echoes From A Mass, out March 26 via Napalm Records. Their new track delivers an uncompromisingly heavy soundtrack to a tragic past love story, drenched in the hypnotizing Greenleaf trademark sound and shrouded in a sludgy, heavy journey of extended riffage.

On Echoes From A Mass, Greenleaf boil over with stoner metal’s finest ingredients: Their main influences are rich with prog and psychedelic impact, adding a rousing vortex to the Swedes’ sonic offering. Heavy desert riffs, sprawling drum parts, catchy melodies and grooving rhythms make their new record an absolute must-listen.

Greenleaf on the new album: “2020 was a shitty year for sure but there was at least a little bit of light in the darkness, Echoes From A Mass was written and recorded! This is an album that we are extremely proud of and we hope you will like it as much as we do.”

Once again, Greenleaf prove that they dare to think outside the box and deliver a heavy roller comprised of Sebastian Olsson’s rumbling drumming performance, fuzzy guitars, Fröhlich’s haunting bass lines, Arvid Hällagård’s powerful yet ghoulish vocals and undeniable heavy stoner, southern desert and blues vibes. Echoes From A Mass was recorded at Studio Gröndahl in October 2020 by former band member Karl Daniel Lidén, who also mixed and mastered the record at Tri-Lamb Studios. Lidén is recognized for his work with well-known acts such as Katatonia, Bloodbath, Lowrider and Crippled Black Phoenix, to name a few.

Echoes From A Mass will be available in the following formats:

- 1 CD Digipak
- 1 LP Gatefold Vinyl Black
- 1 LP Gatefold Vinyl Cream/Black
- 1 CD Digipak + Patch Bundle  
- 1 CD Digipak + Shirt Bundle

Pre-order Echoes From A Mass here.

Echoes From A Mass tracklisting:

"Tides"
"Good God I Better Run Away"
"Needle in My Eye"
"Love Undone"
"Bury Me My Son"
"A Hand Of Might"
"March On Higher Grounds"
"Hang On"
"On Wings Of Gold"
"What Have We Become"

"Love Undone" lyric video:

"Tides" video:

Greenleaf are:

Arvid Hällagård - vocals
Tommi Holappa - guitar
Hans Fröhlich - bass
Sebastian Olsson- drums

(Photo - Peder Bergstrand)

Alice Cooper's new studio album, Detroit Stories, will be released this Friday, February 26, via earMUSIC. Join Alice as he goes behind the scenes into the inspiration and recording of his new record in About Detroit Stories, Part 3: The Myth:

About Detroit Stories - Part 1: Hard Rock Capital:

About Detroit Stories - Part 2: Where's The Party?:

Named for the city that launched the original Alice Cooper group on the road to success, Detroit Stories follows last year’s Breadcrumbs EP as a modern-day homage to the toughest and craziest Rock n Roll scene there ever was.

In 1970, fledgling producer Bob Ezrin walked into a farmhouse on the outskirts of Detroit to work with the Alice Cooper band. Abandoning flower power Los Angeles, because they were the opposite of the hippie peace and love ideal, Alice had brought his decidedly darker gang back to his birthplace to the legendary rock scene that gave birth to hard rock, garage rock, soul, funk, punk…and more.

Ezrin drilled the band for 10 hours a day to define their signature sound. Whenever they nailed a song, the inmates at the hospital for the criminally insane across the road cheered and thus the classic Alice Cooper sound was born.

“Detroit was Heavy Rock central then,” explains Alice, “You’d play the Eastown and it would be Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, the Stooges and the Who, for $4! The next weekend at the Grande it was MC5, Brownsville Station and Fleetwood Mac, or Savoy Brown or the Small Faces. You couldn’t be a soft-rock band or you’d get your ass kicked.”

“Los Angeles had its sound with The Doors, Love and Buffalo Springfield,” he says, “San Francisco had the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. New York had The Rascals and The Velvet Underground. But Detroit was the birthplace of angry hard rock. After not fitting in anywhere in the US (musically or image wise) Detroit was the only place that recognized the Alice Cooper guitar driven, hard rock sound and our crazy stage show. Detroit was a haven for the outcasts. And when they found out I was born in East Detroit… we were home.”

50 years later Alice and Ezrin gathered some legendary Detroit musicians in a Detroit studio to record Detroit Stories, Alice Cooper’s new album that celebrates that spirit for a new era. If 2019’s “Breadcrumbs” EP laid down the trail to the city, Detroit Stories drives like a muscle car right down Woodward Ave.

“We recorded with Wayne Kramer (guitarist and writer from the MC5), Johnny “Bee” Badanjek (drums - from the legendary Detroit Wheels), Paul Randolph (legendary Detroit jazz and R&B bassist) as well as the Motor City Horns and other local musicians,” explains Ezrin, “We had musical ideas and encouragement from John Varvatos, the support of the folks at Shinola, and we recorded at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak. This was Made In Detroit for Detroit by Detroit denizens!”

Discover Detroit Stories as they were meant to be told.

Detroit Stories will be available on CD, CD+DVD Digipak, CD Box Set (including CD, Blu-ray, T-shirt, face mask, torch light and 3 stickers), and 2LP Gatefold on February 26th 2021 on earMUSIC.

The DVD and Blu-ray will show the incredible live performance “A Paranormal Evening At The Olympia Paris” for the first time on video. With the whole concert culture being shut down due to covid-19, Alice Cooper felt the need to share one of his latest shows with his fans as he cannot wait to get back on the road - better than ever.

Pre-order Detroit Stories here.

Tracklisting:

"Rock ‘N’ Roll"
"Go Man Go" (Album Version)
"Our Love Will Change The World"
"Social Debris"
"$1000 High Heel Shoes"
"Hail Mary"
"Detroit City 2021" (Album Version)
"Drunk And In Love"
"Independence Dave"
"I Hate You"
"Wonderful World"
"Sister Anne" (Album Version)
"Hanging On By A Thread (Don’t Give Up)"
"Shut Up And Rock"
"East Side Story" (Album Version)

Full album preview:

"Social Debris" video:

“Our Love Will Change The World” lyric video:

"Rock 'N' Roll" visualizer:

On Saturday, February 27 (check your local times), the entire Alice Cooper Band invites you to sit in on their livestream 'Band Meeting' as they catch up on what each of them have been up to, and quite possibly drop some 'easter eggs' of what's coming up in 2021. You can tune in here. Make sure to hit subscribe so you can receive a reminder... this is one meeting you DO NOT want to be late for!

The Alice Cooper 'Band Meeting' featuring: Alice Cooper, Nurse Sheryl, Tommy Henriksen, Nita Strauss, Ryan Roxie, Chuck Garric, and Glen Sobel.

KISS have launched a new official “bootleg” live series, Off The Soundboard. Starting the series will be their epic performance at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on March 13, 2001. This show comes from the band’s vault of soundboard recordings, features Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Ace Frehley.

Off The Soundboard: Tokyo Dome - Tokyo, Japan 3/13/2001 will be released on triple vinyl via UMC - Mercury on June 11. The release is currently listed for pre-order via Amazon UK, and Amazon US.

Check out the tracklisting below, and stay tuned for further details.

Tracklisting:

Side One
"Detroit Rock City"
"Deuce"
"Shout It Out Loud"
"Talk To Me"

Side Two
"I Love It Loud"
"Firehouse"
"Do You Love Me"
"Calling Dr. Love"
"Heaven’s On Fire"

Side Three
"Let Me Go Rock & Roll"
"Shock Me" / Guitar Solo

Side Four                                     
"Psycho Circus"
"Lick It Up" / Bass Solo
"God Of Thunder" / Drum Solo

Side Five
"Cold Gin"
"100,000 Years"
"Love Gun"

Side Six
"I Still Love You"
"Black Diamond"
"I Was Made For Lovin’ You"
"Rock And Roll All Nite"

French-Norwegian symphonic metal institution, Sirenia, have released a solo playthrough video for "This Curse Is Mine", a track from their tenth studio album, Riddles, Ruins & Revelations, out now via Napalm Records. Watch below:

On Riddles, Ruins & Revelations, Sirenia remain as true to their album title word-play as they do to their dedication to symphonic soundscapes, drawing the listener into a pounding narrative about the darkest aspects of life. All eleven songs accumulate step by step to an integral sound artwork, where the versatile mezzo soprano voice of singer Emmanuelle Zoldan always shines in high-profile. In addition, there are many enchanting, instrumental surprises lurking on the way that absolutely need to be discovered: With the opening "Addiction No. 1" the formation delivers an immense and catchy tune that will have fans of bands like Beyond The Black and Amaranthe falling in love immediately. "We Come To Ruins" is directed at all the headbangers out there and offers a contrast of harshness. With "Downwards Spiral", Emmanuelle is supported by the remarkable voice of long-time friend Joakim Næss on clean vocals, who has joined the band on previous releases.

Most parts of Riddles, Ruins & Revelations were recorded at Audio Avenue Studios in Stavanger, Norway, and mixed and mastered entirely by Morten Veland himself.

Morten Veland on the album: "Riddles, Ruins & Revelations is Sirenia's tenth studio album. The album is very diverse, as a Sirenia album should be. There's a lot of material that shows the band from a new side, and there is lots of material that is to be expected from the band musically. All in all the album will take the listeners through a journey that will cover both familiar and unexplored musical landscapes. We hope that you will enjoy the journey.”

Riddles, Ruins & Revelations will be available in North America in the following formats:

- CD Digipack
- Digital Album

Order Riddles, Ruins & Revelations here.

Riddles, Ruins & Revelations tracklisting:

"Addiction No. 1"
"Towards An Early Grave"
"Into Infinity"
"Passing Seasons"
"We Come To Ruins"
"Downwards Spiral"
"Beneath The Midnight Sun"
"The Timeless Waning"
"December Snow"
"This Curse Of Mine"
"Voyage Voyage"

“Voyage Voyage” video:

"We Come To Ruins":

"Addiction No. 1" video:

Sirenia is:

Morten Veland - guitars, bass, vocals, keyboards, programming
Nils Courbaron - lead guitar
Emmanuelle Zoldan - vocals
Michael Brush - drums

(Photo - Richelle ter Heege)

In the video below, Black Stone Cherry performs "Again" live for SiriusXM as part of Unleaded on Octane.

Watch a performance of the song "In Love With The Pain" from the same session:

"Again" and "In Love With The Pain" are from Black Stone Cherry's 2020 album, The Human Condition. It was self-produced and tracked in BSC bassist Jon Lawhon's recording facility, Monocle Studios.

Tracklisting:

“Ringin’ In My Head”
“Again”
“Push Down & Turn”
“When Angels Learn To Fly”
“Live This Way”
“In Love With The Pain”
“The Chain”
“Ride”
“If My Heart Had Wings”
“Don’t Bring Me Down”
“Some Stories”
“The Devil In Your Eyes”
“Keep On Keepin’ On”

"Ringin' In My Head" lyric video:

"In Love With The Pain" video:

"Again" video:

London, UK rock outfit Black Orchid Empire will release Live In The Studio on April 16th via Long Branch Records. The live EP includes one song from each of their critically acclaimed full-length albums. These ferocious performances showcase the band's huge sound and machine-like tightness as the three-piece thrives in their natural environment - the recording and rehearsal space that gave birth to so many of their monstrous riffs. 

Pre-order / pre-save Live In The Studio here. Fans can check out the music video for the first single, "Pray To The Creature", below.

Black Orchid Empire guitarist and singer Paul Visser about the new EP: "Playing live in front of an audience is always an incredible experience, but much of our music was created in a more personal and isolated place. Filming three of our favorite songs in the room in which so many of them were written, thrashed out, and recorded was an amazing experience which we can't wait to share!"

Tracklist:

"Pray To The Creature"
"Come In"
"Motorcade"

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.