Symphonic metal opera Avaland has released "Rise From The Ashes", the new single taken from Theater Of Sorcery, due April 2nd via Rockshots Records.

"Rise From The Ashes" features Zaher Zorgati (Myrath), Jeff Kanji, Heli Andrea (Mobius, Olane), Emmanuelson (Rising Steel, Ellipsis), Zak Stevens (Savatage, TSO), Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear, Gamma Ray), Madie (Nightmare, Faith In Agony).

Inspired by heroic fantasy, history, mythologies, and esoterism, 22-year-old prodigy Adrien G. Gzagg. decided to create an epic story album with eight characters. Entitled Theater Of Sorcery, the debut will be a theatrical metal adventure that tells the story of a young sorcerer, Adam Wilstorm, who could be the salvation of bringing back the light to the kingdom of Avaland and during his journey, he must learn to control his powers linked to the Storm.

About the new song: "This is the great finale! And what is a great finale without all the actors of the show? That’s why I decided to make everyone sing on this song, to reunite the whole Avaland Family on a powerful chorus. With the first track, they are the two hymns of Avaland. It’s for these kind of emotions I created Avaland; I’m impatient to sing this song on stage! Every character comes back to Avaland and the light shines again. It’s a bit cliché but I like this happy end for this first album. It results perfectly of all the efforts we put in this first opus, and trust me, it was a long and hard road!" adds Adrien G. Gzagg.

Tracklisting:

“Theater Of Sorcery” feat. Emmanuelson
“Gypsum Flower” feat. Scheepers/Emmanuelson/Zorgati
“Let The Wind Blow” feat. Zorgati/Heli/Kanji
“Storyteller” feat. Zak Stevens
“Escape To Paradise” feat. Zorgati/Kanji
“Holy Kingdom Of Fools” feat. Jeff Kanji
“Never Let Me Walk Alone” feat. Madie
“Deja-Vu” feat. Emmanuelson
“I’ll Be Ready For Your Love” feat. Heli Andrea
“War Of Minds” feat. Zorgati/Madie
“Rise From The Ashes” feat. Zorgati/Madie/Stevens/Heli/Kanji/Emmanuelson/Scheepers  

“Theatre Of Sorcery” video:

Album Teaser:

 

Millennial Reign spent several days last fall filming in the studio as they recorded the Triumph song “Allied Forces”. Anyone who has seen the band’s live set knows that this song was frequently played as their show closer.

The members of Triumph commented on Millennial Reign's version of the title track to their 1981 album Allied Forces, saying, "Great vocals; well done by everyone involved!" 

Millennial reign also recently released a limited edition 4 song EP from their first album Carry The Fire, which has been aptly named Carry The Fire Again. The songs are updated with new vocal tracks by their current vocalist, Tiffany Galchutt and completely remixed and remastered.

Tiffany fronted the band as they supported Accept, Stryper and Y&T in late 2019 through early 2020. The new EP includes “Way Up High”, “Millennial Reign”, “Innocent Cry” and “Men Stand Alone”. The first single “Way Up High” was released in January, and a second video single will be released mid-March.

 

Turbulence, a new progressive rock/metal band hailing from Lebanon, will release their new album, Frontal, via Frontiers Music Srl on March 12. Pre-order the album here, and watch a lyric video for the song "Ignite" below.

Coming from a region not exactly famous for prog music, Turbulence has emerged from their local scene and is ready to compete on a world stage. The band is preparing to unleash their sophomore album, Frontal, a concept album which showcases Turbulence's ability to combine compelling musical storytelling with modern sounds and production.

Turbulence was founded in 2013 by two extremely gifted composers, guitarist Alain Ibrahim and keyboardist Mood Yassin. Omar El Hage (vocals), Sayed Gereige (drums) and Anthony Atwe (bass) round out the band's line-up. The band started when Mood sent Alain a sample of a song that really piqued his interest. The meeting of the two men felt like an inevitable event and the two prog-loving songwriters, both among the most skilled and proficient musicians and instrumentalists in their country, teamed up with the rest of the line-up to complete their shared vision. Turbulence's goal is to bring their unique style of progressive music from the Middle East to the world.

"Our first release with Frontiers will be our second album, titled Frontal, on which we were able to incorporate compelling musical storytelling with a modern sound that fuses a bit of everything. From rhythmic illusions, polyrhythms, somber melodies, a melting pot of crunching synths, soaring vocals, complex drumming, and a never ending stream of riff carnage that fuses jazz virtuosity with prog metal tension, all the way to ambient soundscapes and textures layered with memorable and heart-piercing clean vocals; it's an emotional roller coaster of a journey filled with surprises and details on every corner," adds the band.

"'Madness Unforeseen' sets the mood for Frontal. It is aggressive and moody, carried by soaring vocals over one of the catchiest choruses on the album. Dark themes of madness haunt the lyrics, banging riffery drives the music. It is definitely the perfect appetizer for the album," concludes the band.

This band will be a stunning revelation for all prog metal lovers, so be sure to start following them now and get ready for Frontal on March 12.

Tracklisting:

"Inside The Gage"
"Madness Unforeseen"
"Dreamless"
"Ignite"
"A Place I Go To Hide"
"Crowbar Case"
"Faceless Man"
"Perpetuity"

"Ignite" lyric video:

"Madness Unforeseen" video:

Lineup:

Omar El Hage - vocals
Alain Ibrahim - guitars
Mood Yassin - keyboards
Sayed Gereige - drums
Anthony Atwe - bass

Emerging from the Finnish coastal town of Kotka, melodic death/doom metal strikers Marianas Rest will unleash their third studio album, Fata Morgana, on March 12 via Napalm Records. The band have released this guitar playthrough video for the album's first single, "Glow From The Edge":

The Finns - featuring Jaakko Mäntymaa on vocals and Omnium Gatherum’s Aapo Koivisto on keys - showcase a true virtuosity of heavy riffs, hypnotizing soundscapes and impetuous tempo-changes on their new work of art. Fata Morgana combines intense melodic death metal spiced with significant doom elements and breathes an overall melancholic theme with every note, which the first output, “Glow From The Edge”, is proof of. Atmospheric guitar tones set the stage for this gloomy melodic death and doom metal offering. Spoken words permeate the listener’s brain, soon erupting in harsh and intense growling while the dreamlike backing vocals of guest musician Lindsay Matheson/Schoolcraft are carried along with sophisticated melodies.

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

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

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

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

Fata Morgana will be available in the following formats:

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

Pre-order your copy of Fata Morgana here.

Tracklisting:

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

“Glow From The Edge” video:

“Glow From The Edge” behind the scenes:

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

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

Pre-order Ruins here.

Tracklisting:

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

Marianas Rest are:

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

(Photo - Miikka Järvinen)

Hard rock/metal band, Prey For Sunday, have released their new single, "Don't Let It End", to all digital platforms. The single is off of their new self-titled EP, available now. Watch the clip below.

Prey For Sunday was formed in Los Angeles, California in 2018. Founded by guitarist/songwriter Neal Grusky, lead singer/songwriter Tony Persico, and bassist Shad.

Neal and Tony worked with producer/songwriter Peter Strzelecki to write and record the first Prey For Sunday album. Realizing the immediate chemistry they shared a vision; a need to create a unique, memorable sound that would go on to become Prey For Sunday - music that’s made to stand the test of time. They pride themselves in creating musically dynamic songs, with meaningful, melodic, and “like it is” lyrical content.

The collective members of Prey For Sunday have been involved in bands that have released over seven albums worldwide, participated in world tours, received extensive radio play, magazine exposure, and featured in three books. As well as having sold CD’s, and music streams that have exceeded over 100,000 plays/streams thus far.

Prey For Sunday works as a band that dedicates themselves to their fans and the pursuit of meaningful successful songs, With music and songwriting as one of its strongest assets, the band continues to improve, evolve, and commit themselves to the music that moves weary hearts.

Tracklisting:

"Don't Let It End"
"Broken Hearted Man"
"Mary Go Round"
"Zombies Restored"
"Right From Wrong"

"Don't Let It End" video:

Finnish classic metal squad, Coronary, will release their debut album, Sinbad, via Cruz Del Sur Music on February 19 on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. The album track, "Firewings", is available for streaming below.

On Sinbad, Coronary assumes the mantle as one of their country’s finest representations of pure, 1980s heavy metal that goes in for the kill!

While there are still some who balk at the idea that metal should have both of its feet firmly planted in its glory years, there is a growing consensus that this was the time when metal was at its best. Without all of the mindless, if not grating sub-genre tags that exist today, 1980s heavy metal was pure, raging, and, most of all, fun. Coronary recaptures those elements and more on their first full-length album and initial release for Cruz Del Sur Music, Sinbad.

Coronary came together in 2017 when guitarist Aku Kytölä and drummer Pate Vuorio happened to be browsing in the same second-hand vinyl section at a Tampere flea market. The two instantly struck up a connection over their shared love of music and over time, started making plans to form a band of their own. The band was soon rounded out by Korpiklaani bassist Jarkko Aaltonen, second guitarist Jukka Holm and vocalist Olli Kärki, and got to work on writing original material. The freshly-branded Coronary promptly issued Demo 2018, an effort so promising that Gates of Hell Records paired the band with emerging Canada metallers Traveler for a highly-regarded split release the same year.

Recorded at Headline Studio in Tampere under the guidance of producer and engineer Jari Latomaa, Sinbad picks up where Coronary left off their debut demo. Fans were treated to a handful of sneak previews earlier in 2020 with songs such as “I Can Feel This Love”, “The Hammer” and “Reflector” but taken as a whole, Sinbad is a consummate pure metal album complete with an array of scorching guitar leads, fiery lead vocals courtesy of Kärki and memorable compositions. The Sinbad album title is a reference to Sinbad the Sailor, the fictional traveler and his amazing journeys. But, look further and it’s also an amalgamation of the words “sin” and “bad,” both of which, in Coronary’s estimation, are “perfectly suitable life goals.”

Tracklist:

"Sinbad"
"Firewings"
"The Hammer"
"Bullet Train"
"I Can Feel This Love"
"Reflector"
"Burnout"
"Fight St. 666"
"Mestengo"
"Wonders Of The World"

"Firewings":

"Reflector":

"Sinbad":

St. Louis synth metal trio, The Lion's Daughter, will be releasing their fourth full-length, Skin Show, on April 9 via Season Of Mist. The band have released the unnerving and NSFW music video for the new single, "Sex Trap". The clip features visuals from Mothmeister and Guilherme Henriques, the latter of whom created the video. Check it out below.

Skin Show could serve as the soundtrack to Times Square in the 1970s - the epicenter of sin and salacious misdeeds; a haven for sex, drugs, and crime beneath the inviting glow of neon signs from sleazy adult video stores; a place one would not dare walk alone after midnight unless tempted by devil himself. Its deviant, raw, nasty, disturbing, and yet, the most lively, evolved, and polished version of the trio yet.

Skin Show is available for pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Become The Night"
"Curtains"
"Neon Teeth"
"Dead In Dreams"
"Werewolf Hospital"
"Sex Trap"
"Snakeface"
"All Hell Is Mine"
"Skin Show"
"The Chemist"

"Sex Trap" video:

Frontiers Music Srl announces the signing of an extremely promising melodic hard rock band from Serbia, The Big Deal.

The band first came together when guitarist, composer, and producer Srdjan Brankovic and his wife Nevena Brankovic, who is an academic pianist and singer, met singer Ana Nikolic. Ana had spent the past few years fronting local bands, but after meeting Srdjan and Nevena, they started collaborating in the studio together. While working on some new ideas, Srdjan thought how interesting it would be to include Ana's vocals in addition to Nevena's in their recordings. After a couple of recordings were finished, they were overjoyed with the results and thus some of their first demos were born. These were the forerunners of the music that was presented to Frontiers and gained them a deal. The lineup for the band was then completed with the addition of drummer Marko Milojevic.

Both Srdjan and Marko are members of the most successful Serbian progressive metal band, AlogiA. Throughout his career, Srdjan has played on many festivals and tours, recorded and collaborated on countless studio and live albums, and opened for some well-known bands such as Whitesnake, Ian Paice, Apocalyptica, Savatage, and more. He was also a member of Michael Matijevic's live band in Bulgaria. On his Expedition Delta and Alogia albums, he collaborated with names such as Tim 'Ripper' Owens, Mark Boals, Erik Norlander, Gary Wehrkamp, Fabio Lione, and Hansi Kursch, among others.

Brankovic states, "I am happy to say that we signed a contract with the premier rock and metal label Frontiers and I am very excited that my priority in the forthcoming years will be cooperation with them. I seem to have found my music a home in the best place in the music universe, since I believe that Frontiers is a label with the best ideas and fantastic projects and releases, which have made the rock scene look far more beautiful and powerful. We start the collaboration with a newly formed band, created in a combination of ideas with Frontiers.

"At the suggestion of the Director of Frontiers, we agreed that the name of the band will be “The Big Deal” and It will be a “must-have” for fans of melodic rock/metal. Next to me on guitar, a very exciting line-up will feature piano-virtuoso-lady who sings at the same time, Nevena, who I would characterize as an original appearance on the rock scene. Beside Nevena, another rock lady is involved, as a singer. Her name is Ana and she is a r'n'r lover, with a very authentic and beautiful voice. Marko, a friend from my parent-band, will be in charge of the drums, and a well known Frontiers associated rock star will be in charge of the bass lines (stay tuned on that).

"We are already greatly in the process of recording demos for the album. Needless to say we're absolutely thrilled about this. Cheers and stay tuned for more info!”

Swiss-Italian progressive metal masters, Virtual Symmetry, have just released the video for the new single, “Safe”. The song is taken from their sophomore full-length album, Exoverse, released in June 30, 2020. Watch the video below, and order the album at this location. Additionally, Exoverse is now available on Spotify.

Exoverse is their first concept album, telling the story about a hero traveling to a new dimension beyond the known universe in order to discover himself.

The opus was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Bath, UK and it features many special guests, such as legendary drummer Thomas Lang, Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess, saxophonist Ruben Paganelli and the symphonic orchestra Sinfonietta Consonus, Evergrey’s Tom S. Englund, singer Jennifer Vargas and the gospel choir NuVoices Project.

Virtual Symmetry are a revelation in the progressive metal universe, stunning their fans and listeners. Influenced by classical music and contemporary metal, the band showcases a unique style characterized by epic suites and cinematic elements. Balancing melody and technique, they lead the listeners through a dynamic and emotional journey in each track.

Tracklisting:

"Entropia"
"XI"
"Odyssey"
"Vortex"
"Exodus"
"Remember"
"Safe"
"Exoverse Suite"

"Remember" video:

"Exodus" video:

"Entropia" video:

Lineup:

Marco Pastorino - Vocals
Valerio Æsir Villa - Guitars
Marco ‘Mark’ Bravi - Keyboards
Alessandro Poppale - Bass guitars
Alfonso Mocerino - Drums

The newly reunited Blu Bones have released a video for "She's Got A Way With Love", which can be seen below.

The band consists of current and ex-members of Honeymoon Suite, Roger Hodgson, Harem Scarem, Kim Mitchell, Corey Hart, Gypsy Rose, Carl Dixon and more. Two time Grammy award winner Matty Green mixed the track.  He's also worked with Weezer, Sir Paul McCartney, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, U2 and Coldplay to name a few.

Blu Bones are:

Gord Prior - vocals
Boris Novosel - guitar
Barry Donaghy - bass
Steve Thomas - drums
Ray Coburn - keyboards

Stygian Dark, the purveyors of dirty, down-tuned old school death metal, have released the cover art for their upcoming full-length debut, Gorelords Of War. The album will be released on vinyl via Doc Records (Holland) and on CD via Old Shadows Records. Additionally, a two track 7” will be released by Slaughterhouse Records, all in 2021.

The artwork was created by John Quevedo Janssens.

Track titles include “Driven By Ravenous Hunger”, “The Oligarch”, “No Choke Chain On The Wolf”, “Lick The Oculus”, “Buried Before First Light”, “Gorelords Of War” and others.

The band was created by Dave Ingram (Benediction) and Rogga Johansson (Paganizer) and the lineup is completed by Alwin Roes (Dead End) on bass and Jon Rudin (Wombbath) on drums.

Dave Ingram: “Vocal recordings are almost complete, and then it’s obviously off for mixing. We want to get this out as soon as possible, we’re really damn pleased with it.”

More updates coming soon

Neonfly have announced their worldwide signing with German powerhouse label Noble Demon, who will release the band’s upcoming full length record, The Future, Tonight, on June 18th.

Joining the already eclectic and growing artist roster of Noble Demon, Neonfly guitarist Frederick Thunder offers:

“This album has dominated our lives for the past five to six years. We’ve put so much time, money and effort into it, and we did it because we really feel like this is the best and most important album of our careers. With the stakes being so high, it was extremely important for us to work with the right group of people for its release. Noble Demon is a relatively new name. But Patrick, the head of the label, has been in the business for years. He’s really passionate about the bands he works with, and he was recommended by pretty much everyone I know in the business. So far everything’s worked out great. I think we found the right partners to take the band to new heights, and I’m really excited for the future. I think this will be the start of a long and fruitful collaboration!”

In anticipation of the upcoming full-length release, Neonfly have forged a creative relationship with renowned Instagram star and fetish goddess, Dani Divine, who graces and defines the band’s brand new single and music video: a cover of the 1970’s Shocking Blue classic "Venus" accompanied by a tongue-in-cheek video homage to female empowerment.

The Neonfly cover track was produced by Grammy award nominated producer Romesh Dodangoda (Bring Me The Horizon, Motörhead), with keyboards and orchestra produced by Miro Rodenberg (Avantasia, Kamelot) and the video features a stand-out performance from the divine Ms. Divine who gives the band short shrift throughout. Furthermore, and even if you don't expect it, Dani not only shines with a breathtaking performance, but also makes her vocal debut in "Venus", which gives the whole song a very special and unforgettable touch:

"When I first heard about the idea, I was psyched about the song choice! I have a thing for sexy metal covers of cheesy songs. This was my first time professionally recording vocals, and I enjoyed it so much! Shooting the video with the guys was a full day of non-stop hilarious shenanigans - all the while channeling my inner 'Venus' dressed head to toe in latex," Dani Divine explains.

Furthermore, guitarist  Frederick Thunder adds:

"Last year during lockdown, we were releasing some fan-picked acoustic covers on YouTube, and this was one of the songs that was suggested. I started working on the arrangement, messing around with some ideas on the acoustic guitar… I like to mess around with covers. I like to come up with my own version, and to offer something different and unique, rather than just a carbon copy of the original. So I came up with some really metal riffs, and then I came up with this dark, moody interlude in the middle, and I thought: ‘Wouldn’t it be fun if I wrote a little paragraph and managed to convince Dani Divine to play the part of Venus in the song? But then we’d have to do a full band cover of this, not just an acoustic…’ so I texted Dani, told her about the idea… and on the music video you can see exactly what happened next!"

(Photo by Paul Harries)

 

Former IRON MAIDEN guitarist Dennis Stratton has commented on the band's nomination for for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's class of 2021. The top vote-getters will be announced in May and inducted in a Cleveland, Ohio, ceremony in the fall.

According to the Hall Of Fame, the IRON MAIDEN members that would get inducted include the current lineup of singer Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris, drummer Nicko McBrain, and guitarists Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers, along with Stratton, former singer Paul Di'Anno and former drummer Clive Burr.

Asked by the "Neil Jones Rock Show" on TotalRock what his first reaction was to being nominated for the Rock Hall, Dennis said: "The first reaction, I've gotta be honest with you, is that I thought, 'It's not gonna include me.' Funny enough, I got a message on the LIONHEART group message from [the person] who does all our graphics, the artwork, and he said to me, 'Have you looked online? You've been nominated with the band.'"

The current LIONHEART guitarist continued: "I've never had a lot of luck with MAIDEN and certain things that have gone on over the years, like the gold discs from the first album. I never actually got what I was due. I think I got two [or] three gold discs, and there should have been about 20. And I never actually get anything, you know. It was only down to Steve Harris texting me about the re-release [of the first album], which was the 40-year anniversary, that the office actually sent me a copy of the of the 40-year anniversary picture disc. So I was happy about that. But this was a bit of a shock, because to include me and the other two, Clive and Paul, it's quite a nice gesture, from my point of view — very exciting, in my point of view."

Stratton also talked about the fact that former IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley, who fronted the band from 1994 until 1999 and appeared on two albums, "The X Factor" and "Virtual XI", was not included in the list of members who will enter the Rock Hall should MAIDEN get inducted.

"I noticed that afterwards," he said. "Because I went on Facebook, and when I saw that, I thought, well, that's gotta be down to the organizers of this event. But when I found out it involves certain years, they have to draw a line somewhere, don't they? They make the rules, so I don't know. I'd be surprised if we get involved with it, if we do get inducted, because after a couple of [disparaging] things that Bruce had said [about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in the past], I'm a little bit thinking, well, are [the organizers] gonna look at them quotes, and are they gonna punish us [for what Bruce had said]? I don't know. I'm just very excited to be actually nominated."

Stratton was a member of MAIDEN for less than a year, but he nonetheless made a vital contribution to the band's classic first album.

To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee's first single or album had to have been released in 1995 or earlier.

A voter pool of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists, and members of the music industry will select the new class. Fans also have a chance to take part in the process by voting at Rockhall.com or at an interactive kiosk at the museum in Cleveland. Their selections will count as a single "fan ballot" that gets tabulated along with the others.

Dickinson made headlines in 2018 when he referred to the Rock Hall as "an utter and complete load of bollocks" during a spoken-word gig in Australia, insisting that the Cleveland-based institution is "run by a bunch of sanctimonious bloody Americans who wouldn't know rock and roll if it hit them in the face."

Bruce later told The Jerusalem Post that he was "so annoyed with that coverage because they took my statement out of context to make it seem like I was upset that we weren't in the Hall Of Fame.

"I'm really happy we're not there and I would never want to be there," he continued. "If we're ever inducted, I will refuse — they won't bloody be having my corpse in there.

"Rock and roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland," Bruce added. "It's a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it's dead. It's worse than horrible, it's vulgar."

Two years ago, Harris said that he didn't care that IRON MAIDEN has yet to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame despite the fact that it has been eligible since 2004.

"I don't mind that we're not in things like that," he told Rolling Stone. "I don't think about things like that. It's very nice if people give you awards or accolades, but we didn't get into the business for that sort of thing. I'm certainly not going to lose sleep if we don't get any sort of award, not just that one, any award. I don't think we deserve to have this or that necessarily. With what we do, whatever comes of it is great. Whatever doesn't come of it is great, too."

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal groups like MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that band's first year of eligibility.

Harris previously said that he wasn't concerned about whether IRON MAIDEN will eventually be inducted into the Rock Hall. "I don't really think about it, to be honest. I think awards are things that are nice to have when you get them, but it's not something you're really striving for — it's not what it's about it," he said. "It's never been about that. It's aways been about just trying to make good music and go out and play good live shows, and that's it, really. Hopefully people will appreciate it. It's probably nice when people give you awards — don't get me wrong; I think it's great — but it's not something that you would lose sleep over if you didn't get any.

"It's the way that I am," Harris added. "I don't know. Maybe the rest of the guys [in the band] might think differently to me, but that's the way I think. It's not that I don't care about [awards]. It's just… And it's not that they're not meaningful when you do get 'em — it's nice. But I certainly don't worry about it or anything like that. I think other people are the ones that make a bigger deal out of it than us, about whether we got one or not."

Having been eligible for induction for more than a decade and a half, IRON MAIDEN is one of the biggest bands on the planet. Since the release of their self-titled debut album, the British heavy metal legends have released a further 15 full-length studio records, and sold over 100 million copies.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until 2

John Cooper, the frontman and bassist for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band SKILLET, spoke to "The Andrew Brunet Show" about his recently released debut book, "Awake & Alive To Truth (Finding Truth In The Chaos Of A Relativistic World)". Regarding his inspiration for writing the book, John said (see video below): "I gave my life to Christ when I was a kid. My mom was a fanatical follower of Jesus, all right? [Laughs] A Jesus freak. And I mean that in one-hundred-percent good way, in case anybody doesn't know. A fanatical Jesus freak. And my mom taught me about the Bible, ever since I was a kid. I can't remember not learning about the Bible. I had an older brother, and before he would go to school, my mom would sit us down and she'd read scripture, we had to memorize scripture, and we had to pray together.

"I gave my life to Christ when I was a young person; I was about five," he continued. "And I can never remember not believing in God. And I always give my mom a lot of credit. And I always say that to encourage anybody listening — if you've got kids, you've got a job to do, and that's training your kids up in the way they should go and the admonition of the Lord; the Bible says the fear and the admonition of the Lord… But I gave my life to Christ as a kid."

The Memphis, Tennessee-born Cooper, who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, added: "You know what I see now, now that we're in 2021? I see so many people confused. Their lives are falling apart. They don't know what to live for. They don't know what's true and what isn't true. I think 2020 was just a really telling year for so many people to find out they don't know what to live for; they literally do not know anything that's true or false about anything. And I wanted to write this book to encourage people to say, 'Hey, there are two ways to try to find truth.' One way leads to life — that's through Jesus Christ, and we know who Jesus Christ is, because we have his word, in the Bible. That path'll take you to life. There's another path that'll take you to death, and that is found in your self. 'Well, I just feel like this.' That's found in what the world is telling you — all the lies the world is telling us. So it's giving you that clear path — life or death. And I wanted people to follow life. Come to know Jesus. That is what life is all about. We are here in order to find out who this great God is that created this world and knows your name and created you to be who you are for a purpose."

"Awake & Alive To Truth" tackles the reigning philosophies of our day of post-modernism, relativism, and the popular view of the goodness of man-and combats these viewpoints by standing on the absolute truth of the Word of God. "Awake & Alive To Truth" answers some of the most asked questions in modern culture. Cooper takes readers on a journey through personal stories, the doctrine of original sin, the authority of scripture, the danger of trusting your emotions, and ends with the greatest news possible: God wants to rescue you from the chaos and the darkness and bring you into his glorious light.

AC/DC guitarist Angus Young and vocalist Brian Johnson recently talked to Greece's Red 96.3 radio station about the band's latest album, "Power Up". You can now listen to the chat below.

Speaking about AC/DC's signature sound, Angus said: "We aimed to set our own standard and sound and style. We wanted to always be a band that, if you heard it on the radio, you heard a song, or if you heard it anywhere, immediately [when] you heard it, you went, 'That's them. That's AC/DC. I hear it straight away. That's their style.' That's what we always wanted — to capture that and keep that style going. So any album we ever did, the variety comes in what you do with the songs, but the style and how it's played, and, again, with that powerful sound, that's what we strive for. So every album we ever did had to come up to that standard."

Angus also addressed the fact that "Power Up" contains musical ideas from Angus's late brother, founding AC/DC rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, who died in 2017 from effects of dementia at age 64. Malcolm is credited as a writer on all 12 tracks on "Power Up".

"A lot of [the ideas], really, come from just before the last album," Angus said. "Prior to that album, Malcolm and myself, we'd had quite a good few years off, and we were very busy. We had just gotten a little studio, and we just kept cranking out songs. And we had so many songs that even when we went to do 'Black Ice', we just had boxes of songs. And normally when you do an album, you kind of go, 'This is where I am currently,' what you've been recently working on. I just wanted to go back and see what Malcolm and myself had worked on. And I just thought, 'I've gotta get these songs, get them on this album.' And I just knew that we had so much good material that I thought, yeah, Malcolm would definitely want this to come out.' For me, the only thing that I might have had to do is maybe think of an ending, or maybe a break. Or when I had gotten through [it], I would have said, 'We would have probably changed this piece and maybe done that.' But, again, I would think always how Mal, how he looked at it.

"Over the years, even when I would do ideas [by] myself, I always made them — my audience was Malcolm, because he was the critic; he was the guy that I needed to [get the approval from]," he continued. "So anything I ever did, I geared it towards what I knew was AC/DC and what would be appealing for AC/DC, to Mal. Whenever we came in with ideas, we tried to come in with good solid ideas, like verses, riffs, choruses, intros — that style."

In December 2014, Malcolm revealed he had dementia which forced him to retire from AC/DC. His nephew Stevie Young stepped into Malcolm's position.

Angus later said that he realized during the recording of the band's 2008 album "Black Ice" that his brother's faculties were impaired.

"Power Up" was released in November. The follow-up to 2014's "Rock Or Bust" was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked 2008's "Black Ice" and "Rock Or Bust". The effort features AC/DC's current lineup of Brian Johnson (vocals), Phil Rudd (drums), Cliff Williams (bass), Angus Young (guitar) and Stevie Young (guitar).

Photo credit: Josh Cheuse

JOURNEY singer Arnel Pineda has released a video for his cover version of the song "You Belong To Me", originally recorded by Jason Wade, main songwriter, and guitarist of the American alternative rock band LIFEHOUSE and included on the soundtrack to the motion picture "Shrek". Check it out below.

Born in the Philippines, Pineda has been fronting the legendary rockers since 2007 when JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon discovered him leading a Manila cover band on YouTube. A vocal doppelganger for JOURNEY's longtime vocalist Steve Perry, Arnel has helped put JOURNEY back in arenas once again. But some fans were not happy about the addition of Pineda, complaining about his ethnicity and dismissing his voice as a "copycat" of Perry.

As a member of JOURNEY, Pineda has co wrote and performed on a pair of studio recordings, 2008's "Revelation" and 2011's "Eclipse", as well as a concert DVD, 2009's "Live In Manila".

Arnel is also a philanthropist, whose foundation, Arnel Pineda Foundation, Inc. (APFI), is a non-stock, non-profit, and independent Philippine foundation that provides underprivileged children quality education, health services and medical attention.

Pineda has overcome a tremendous number of obstacles throughout his life including, the loss of his mother at a young age, homelessness and borderline starvation, making him an inspiration and providing hope for millions of people around the globe. Blessed with the ability to give back, Pineda mobilized his team to join the battle against poverty and its ensuing havoc on Philippine youth.

For millions of youth in developing countries like the Philippines, education is seemingly beyond reach. Poverty and inadequate government support stifle the future aspirations of Filipino children. Hence, Arnel Pineda Foundation, Inc. was formed in 2010, principally to address their sad plight by preparing them for a brighter future through education.

SUNSTORM, a project created, overseen, and directed by president and A&R director of Frontiers Records Serafino Perugino, was originally designed to showcase a musical style similar to singer Joe Lynn Turner's melodic rock/AOR roots. After five successful releases, SUNSTORM will now be a vehicle for one of the most impressive vocal talents to emerge in recent years in the form of RAINBOW singer Ronnie Romero. Romero's debut album with SUNSTORM, "Afterlife", will be released on March 12. Fans can get another taste of the album with the release of the single and video for the track "Afterlife".

Given Turner's lack of interest in continuing with SUNSTORM, it appeared the project might be at an end. But Perugino decided to follow his instincts and keep the project alive and move it back towards the original musical style that was established with the early albums. But with Turner out of the picture, who could replace the formidable vocalist?

Ronnie's name came about when the label decided that continuing the successful project was a must and that the music being crafted would put it back at the forefront of the scene… assuming the right vocalist was involved. And who better than Romero with his powerful vocal style?

With producer Alessandro Del Vecchio as usual handling the songwriting and Perugino overseeing the A&R and creative direction, the new SUNSTORM album will surely catch many in the melodic rock fanbase by surprise. For the first time, the amazing Ronnie Romero enters into melodic hard rock territory… and with outstanding results.

On joining SUNSTORM, Romero says: "For me, it's very special to join and take part in the new SUNSTORM album since it always was one of my all time favorite Frontiers projects. To accept the huge task and responsibility of replacing JLT is a challenge I just couldn't pass on. To work with Alessandro was fantastic. We have very melodic and strong songs throughout the album and I'm pretty sure the SUNSTORM fans are gonna love every track, as I do. Can't wait for the fans to listen to the album!! At this point, it's cranking in my car every day."

Lineup:

Ronnie Romero - Vocals

Simone Mularoni - Guitars

Alessandro Del Vecchio - Keyboards, backing vocals

Nik Mazzucconi - Bass

Michele Sanna - Drums

Track listing:

01. Afterlife

02. One Step Closer

03. Swan Song

04. Born Again

05. Stronger

06. I Found A Way

07. Lost Forever

08. Far From Over

09. Here For You Tonight

10. Darkest Night

11. A Story That You Can Tell

Turner, who recorded five albums with SUNSTORM between 2006 and 2018, addressed his decision to walk away from the project in a recent interview with Vintage Rock Pod. He said: "First off, I had no idea they [Frontiers] were continuing the SUNSTORM brand. And I had no idea that they would use a replacement singer. And that's not even so much as what I was sort of disgruntled about it all.

"I realized I had to make a statement [addressing my reasons for no longer being involved with SUNSTORM] when I saw all the legion of my fans, who are vicious sometimes — which I love about them — complaining to me, and saying how immoral and how lack of integrity in all this was.

"Yes, I left the project," Joe confirmed. "But I left the project not because of what they think. That's why I had to make a statement to clear this up. I made two statements to clear this up, especially for the fans, because I wanted them to know I don't hate AOR, classic rock, as they [Frontiers] sort of pointed out that I was leaving classic rock for a heavier sound.

"Look, an artist moves around and evolves and does different types of genres and experiments," Turner explained. "It's like a painter or anything else. So that was the truth, so I just wanted to clear that up. Then it got into the fact that Frontiers started saying, 'Oh, well, it's like a band. You can change the lead singer anytime you want.' And that is not entirely true at all. This project was made for me specifically because of a tape that Serafino had found [of] all of my old demos. And there was a lot of demos that never made it to my solo albums — I had done a lot of writing. And then he said, 'Why don't we record these? They're great songs.' So, I said, 'Yeah. That sounds like a great concept.' So this was an actual Joe Lynn Turner project, SUNSTORM. And I worked, like, 12 [or] 14 years on these things, sporadically, over five albums. The first three were closer to the truth. Then it started to drift. So, as it started to drift, lose its purpose, lose its meaning, lose its direction, and they were taking over more and more creative control, et cetera, and there were a couple of business deals in there — I don't wanna get into it — I said, 'Look, I'm not going to supply you with old material, or even new material, if this is gonna be the case.' So, naturally, my interest waned — I became very disinterested in the whole thing. And I said, 'Look, I'm not getting any validation out of this.'

"What it was originally was fantastic, and I think those albums are very strong and will last the test of time," Joe continued. "But it started to change. So I basically wrote the second statement because I needed to really define exactly what was going on. I didn't like what they were saying, twisting my words like that. Actually, just twisting the truth — it wasn't my words. And I wanted the fans to know I could do an AOR album tomorrow. I could be doing AOR as well as any other type of heavy metal album or whatever else I wanna do. That doesn't stop me from doing it. What stopped me was the total control of creativity [and] lack of respect, I think. So my issue was not so much as — they own the brand. It's their record company. SUNSTORM's their brand. But if you're gonna do something like that, call it something else. Just simply call it MOONSHINE, or whatever. No problem here. But don't try to sell the fans on this B.S. that, well, I wanted to leave, and it's all my fault, and it's okay to change singers, and all this. That's what aggravated me. So I set the record straight. And the fans did the rest. They are just amazing; I wanna applaud them. Thank you so much, guys. I didn't have to do anything after that.

"I don't have any animosity towards [anybody] or anything like that; it's just that, don't lie about it," Joe clarified.

DEF LEPPARD's Phil Collen was recently interviewed by Sweetwater's Nick Bowcott. During the 70-minute chat, which can be seen below, Collen offered his insights on songwriting and arranging, the art of layering guitars and vocals, working with producer Robert "Mutt" Lange, using heavy-gauge strings and metal pickups, Jackson guitars, his pre-DEF LEPPARD years and DEF LEPPARD's multi-million-selling "Hysteria" album.

Asked about his current and upcoming projects, Phil said: "We've [DEF LEPPARD] got some dates booked this year, but it all depends on the vaccine — if they even open the places up; that's what we're waiting on. So we're booked. We're good to go. We're ready to go. I'm at fighting weight. Everything is really cool.

"I'm doing a bunch of other stuff," he continued. "I'm writing with different people, writing with Joe [Elliott, DEF LEPPARD singer]. We've been doing some really killer stuff. And the band is always forward-moving.

"Actually, I've just done an instrumental with Forest Robinson and Craig Martini," Collen added. 'We're waiting to do the video for it. Everyone is having to do their own part for the video. Remember 'Quadrant Four' by Billy Cobham? We've done a metal, drum-bass — a hard rock/punk/jazz fusion [version]… We're just waiting to get the video edited together."

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

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

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

DEF LEPPARD released a box set, "The Early Years 79-81", in March 2020 via UMC/Virgin. "The Early Years 79-81" box set represents the band's first two albums, "On Through The Night" (1980) and "High 'N' Dry" (1981), and was prepared in conjunction with Elliott who acted as executive producer on the set. The mastering was done by the band's long-serving sound engineer Ronan McHugh.

Eagle Rock Entertainment released DEF LEPPARD's "London To Vegas" in May 2020. This limited edition 2Blu-ray+4CD, 2DVD+4CD, DVD/Blu-ray+2CD and digital format release features two concert films: "Hysteria At The O2" and "Hits Vegas, Live At Planet Hollywood".

On February 10, AEROSMITH drummer Joey Kramer spoke with Darren Paltrowitz, host of the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz", about his upcoming Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp masterclass, his memoir "Hit Hard: A Story Of Hitting Rock Bottom At The Top", life during COVID-19, living in Texas, proud accomplishments, his coffee company and more.

Asked if fans can ever expect to see a Joey Kramer solo album, the drummer replied: "This might really surprise you, but I haven't really questioned it seriously at this point. But I don't know that I really have a desire in me to do a solo album. There's too many other things that I would like to get involved with, in terms of helping people and just being a positive influence on Lord knows what we need today. The way the world is, I feel for us all, and it's tragic. I can't even watch the news anymore. We won't even go there, 'cause that's another conversation."

He continued: "There are too many other things, I think, that I would rather involved in than more music. I don't feel as though I have anything to prove to anyone other than myself. And as far as doing things, I just really enjoy being involved with people and helping out and doing what I can do and bringing to the table what I can. I don't know, really, specifically, what that may be, but when you say 'one day at a time,' that's how I try and live my life — one day at a time. I have been in recovery for many, many years, and that's how I like to live my life. And that's enough of a challenge in itself to keep me going."

A year ago, Kramer rejoined his AEROSMITH bandmates on stage during the group's residency in Las Vegas. A month earlier, he sued the rest of AEROSMITH in a bid to perform with them at two Grammy-related events. But a Massachusetts judge eventually ruled against him and the group played without Kramer.

After Kramer injured his shoulder in 2019, his drum tech filled in for a few gigs during AEROSMITH's residency. Kramer did, however, perform with the rest of AEROSMITH in July of that year at the Twin Cities Summer Jam in Shakopee.

In his January 2020 16-page complaint filed in Massachusetts state court, Kramer said the disability he suffered two years ago was minor, and insisted he was ready to return to the group's "lucrative" Las Vegas residency at the MGM Resorts a few months later, as well as its slate of "50th anniversary activities."

Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford later responded to Kramer's suit in a statement to People, saying Joey "has not been emotionally and physically able to perform with the band, by his own admission, for the last 6 months. We have missed him and have encouraged him to rejoin us to play many times but apparently he has not felt ready to do so. Joey has now waited until the last moment to accept our invitation, when we unfortunately have no time for necessary rehearsals during Grammys week. We would be doing a disservice to him, to ourselves and to our fans to have him play without adequate time to prepare and rehearse."

In a statement at the time, Kramer said he was "extremely disappointed" with the judge's ruling.

"I knew filing a lawsuit was a bit of an uphill battle," the drummer said. "I can hold my head high knowing that I did the right thing — to fight for my right to celebrate the band's success that I have dedicated the better part of my life to helping build."

During an appearance on a video podcast hosted by Todd Kerns, the bassist of SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS, RATT guitarist Jordan Ziff was asked if the band has found a replacement for guitarist Chris Sanders, who left RATT in early 2020. "As of right now, it's still a four-piece," he replied. "But we will definitely add somebody, when we find the guy that totally fits the bill to do it."

According to Ziff, RATT was planning to play several gigs early last year as a four-piece following Sanders's exit from the group, "but we only did one show where I was the only guitar player in the band. And it was in February. And then that was it. And then COVID [hit]."

Asked if there are any plans for RATT to writing or record new music in the coming months, Ziff said: "That will happen. It's just a matter of time. Stephen's [Pearcy, RATT singer] doing some solo stuff right now. When things line up, I'm all game to do that."

Sanders joined RATT in 2018 after the departure of original axeman Warren DeMartini. He spent almost two years playing sporadic shows with the band's most recent lineup, which includes Ziff, Pearcy, bassist Juan Croucier and drummer Pete Holmes (BLACK 'N BLUE, RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER).

In February 2020, Chris released a statement to Mike Gaube's Headbangers announcing his retirement from the music industry.

He wrote: "At the beginning of the year, I sent an email to [RATT's] management that I would not be renewing my contract for 2020. After playing music in some form for 25 years, I've retired from the industry."

Sanders's statement came just one day after Pearcy said in a radio interview that Chris was "missing in action."

Speaking with Cameron Buchholtz of the KATT Rock 100.5 FM radio station, the singer said about Chris: He's a little M.I.A. right now, so… It's not concerning at all — it's not a big issue."

Last month, Pearcy told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he is open to the idea of making a new RATT album with all the surviving members of the band's classic lineup. Pearcy also revealed that he is back on speaking terms with drummer Bobby Blotzer, who led his own version of RATT for a couple of years beginning in late 2015 before becoming embroiled in a legal battle with the singer, DeMartini and Croucier over the rights to the band's name.

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

In a new interview with SPIN, legendary rocker Alice Cooper was asked how he stays fit and maintains the stamina it takes to perform. He responded: "I play golf, which is a very physical thing. That's a big part of it. When we are on tour, it's really easy to stay in shape, because we are never standing still. We play golf in the morning. We are walking around every city we're in, going shopping or grabbing dinner. When we are home, it can be a bit more challenging, but during this pandemic, I've really made it my goal to stay in shape for the road, because we really don't know when things will get back to normal, and I want to be ready.

"I don't necessarily have a strict workout routine, but basically, I start with golf," he continued. "We do our usual day-to-day activities, and in the evenings, when it cools down here [at home] in Phoenix, I go for a jog. I usually try to run two miles a day. Sometimes [my wife] Sheryl and I will go for a walk instead. Speaking of Sheryl, she and I and really the whole family have been taking tap dancing lessons, believe it or not. That's been really fun."

Cooper became sober 40 years ago after he awoke throwing up blood.

"Everything that could go wrong was shutting down inside of me," Alice told New York Daily News in a 2018 interview. "I was drinking with Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix and trying to keep up with Keith Moon and they all died at 27."

Alice, who has been a devout Christian for many years, credited his faith with helping him quit drinking and drugging.

"My wife and I are both Christian," the 73-year-old rocker said. "My father was a pastor, my grandfather was an evangelist. I grew up in the church, went as far away as I could from it — almost died — and then came back to the church.

"There's nothing in Christianity that says I can't be a rock star," he continued. "People have a very warped view of Christianity. They think it's all very precise and we never do wrong and we're praying all day and we're right-wing. It has nothing to do with that. It has to do with a one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ."

Cooper's new studio album, "Detroit Stories", will be released on February 26 via earMUSIC. Named for the city that launched the original Alice Cooper group on the road to success, it follows 2019's "Breadcrumbs" EP as a modern-day homage to the toughest and craziest rock and roll scene there ever

Drum-cam footage of MACHINE HEAD drummer Matt Alston performing the song "Halo" with his bandmates during their January/February 2020 North American tour can be seen below.

MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn spoke to France's HEAVY1 about the addition of Polish guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED) and British drummer Alston (DEVILMENT, EASTERN FRONT) to the group's ranks. Kiełtyka and Alston joined MACHINE HEAD in time for the 25th-anniversary tour for the band's classic debut, "Burn My Eyes", which kicked off in Germany in October 2019.

"We were doing auditions for a while, and Vogg's audition just fucking blew my mind — it was so fucking tight and fucking accurate," Flynn stated about how the guitarist ended up landing the gig. "He sent over [a recording of] 'Imperium' as his first song just as a test. We always had all the dudes do a sound test, just to make sure the levels are good and stuff. I was, like, 'Oh my God! This dude is playing 'Imperium' better than I can right now.' [Laughs] It was crazy. And we ended up talking. Super-nice guy. Matt, same thing. We flew him out, jammed with him, and he killed it."

Each show on MACHINE HEAD's latest tour was described in a press release as "a three-hour musical extravaganza," comprised of two parts: part one features a battery of MACHINE HEAD's modern classics, such as "Imperium", "Halo" and "Now We Die", featuring Flynn and bassist Jared MacEachern performing alongside Kiełtyka and Alston. Part two features "Burn My Eyes" played in its entirety for the first time ever, with original drummer Chris Kontos and guitarist Logan Mader joining in.

Asked how all the musicians are getting along and whether they are traveling together, Flynn told HEAVY1: "We're all in the band together — we all live together. The band's all on the bus — all six of us. And it's a great ride, man. Everybody is very respectful; everybody knows their role and just kind of doing it here and enjoying it. Everybody is out here having a blast. It's so nice to have people who are in a positive frame of mind, 'cause it wasn't like that in the past. And now it is, and it's fucking awesome."

Kontos left MACHINE HEAD before the release of the band's second album, 1997's "The More Things Change", and was replaced by Dave McClain.

Mader contributed to two MACHINE HEAD albums, the aforementioned "Burn My Eyes" and "The More Things Change", before exiting the group and being replaced by Ahrue Luster and, later on, Phil Demmel.

McClain and Demmel both left MACHINE HEAD in October 2018.

Video footage of TESLA's Frank Hannon and Jeff Keith performing an acoustic version of the band's song "Stir It Up" can be seen below.

The original recording of "Stir It Up" appeared on TESLA's 1991 album "Psychotic Supper".

TESLA has spent most of 2019 touring in support of its latest album, "Shock", which was released in March of that year via UMe. The follow-up to 2014's "Simplicity" was produced by DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen.

TESLA bassist Brian Wheat admitted to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that "Shock" divided the band's fans due to its lighter, pop-like sound, with some blaming its direction on Collen, who co-wrote many of its tracks. The disc was recorded piecemeal while TESLA was on tour with DEF LEPPARD, with some of the tracking taking place in backstage areas and hotel room lobbies.

"Some people hate it, some people love it," Wheat said. "I tell you, after five weeks, six weeks, it's leaning more toward, 'You know, it had to grow on me. I'm actually enjoying it now.' That's the thing, that's why we called it 'Shock'. We knew it was going to shock people. The other thing is, we couldn't just continue to do the same record over and over and over again, so we tried something different. It's cool. The songs go down well live, I see people singing, our fans are in there singing 'Shock', singing 'Taste Like', singing '[Tied To The] Tracks', singing 'Take Me Alive'. It's cool. Look, after so many years, I'm glad we're able to make another record because not the first on everyone's agenda anymore."

Collen previously co-wrote and produced the TESLA song "Save That Goodness", which was released in August 2016 and included on the "Mechanical Resonance Live!" album.

TESLA released "Five Man London Jam" in March 2020 on Blu-ray, 2LP vinyl, CD and digital via Ume. The recording celebrates the 30th anniversary of TESLA's landmark "Five Man Acoustical Jam" album.

TESLA's current lineup includes four of the five original members: Keith (vocals), Hannon (guitars), Wheat and Troy Luccketta (drums). Guitarist Dave Rude joined in 2006 as the replacement for Tommy Skeoch.
























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ICED EARTH singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton have announced their departure from the band.

Earlier today (Monday, February 15), Stu, the Canadian-born vocalist who has fronted ICED EARTH since 2011, issued the following statement via his social media: "Hey All, Well, there are times and events when you have to take stock and re evaluate your life, work, and trajectory for the future. That being said I have informed Jon [Schaffer, ICED EARTH guitarist and leader] and his current management that I must announce my resignation from ICED EARTH with immediate effect.

"Before I made any personal decision I needed the last few weeks to process the situation as well as respect others in our camp processing the situation. I thank you all very much for respecting this. It's the best decision in many ways for my personal/ professional growth going forward. Time to move on, heal and prosper.

"Much love and respect to you all. Don't fret! Stay tuned for some exciting things to come! Time to embark upon a new chapter. Be good to each other."

Appleton, who joined the band in 2012 and played on the "Plagues Of Babylon" and "Incorruptible" albums, issued a separate statement saying: "In response to recent events & circumstances, I have notified ICED EARTH's management and Jon that I will be resigning as the ICED EARTH bassist with immediate effect.

"I would like to thank everyone who has sent me their support and love during this difficult time. Thank you!!!"

Block and Appleton's resignations from ICED EARTH come a month after Schaffer was arrested for his role in last month's riot at the U.S. Capitol. The 52-year-old musician, who resides in in Edinburgh, Indiana, is facing six federal criminal charges after he was accused of spraying a police officer with a pepper-based bear repellant during the January 6 insurrection.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Authorities say Schaffer was photographed and seen on surveillance video carrying a pepper-based bear repellant and arguing with Capitol Police officers inside the Capitol.

Just hours after the insurrection, ICED EARTH fans recognized Schaffer in a photo released by federal investigators in which he could be seen at the front of a mob, wearing black leather fingerless tactical gloves and pointing his finger while yelling at someone out of the frame.

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

More than 180 criminal cases have been filed so far. Charges include unauthorized access, theft, damage to government property and assault on law enforcement officers.

While Schaffer has not yet said anything publicly about his involvement in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates previously put out a statement on Instagram and Facebook opposing the insurrection.

"We absolutely DO NOT condone nor do we support riots or the acts of violence that the rioters were involved in on January 6th at the US Capitol building," they wrote. "We hope that all those involved that day are brought to justice to be investigated and answer for their actions."


Hey All,

Well, there are times and events when you have to take stock and re evaluate your life, work, and trajectory...

Posted by Stu Block on Monday, February 15, 2021



In response to recent events & circumstances, I have notified Iced Earth’s management and Jon that I will be resigning...

Posted by Luke Appleton on Monday, February 15, 2021

Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA have released a video for the acoustic version of the title track of their upcoming album, "Omega". Due on February 26 via Nuclear Blast, the follow-up to 2016's "The Holographic Principle" was once again produced by Joost Van Den Broek (POWERWOLF, AYREON) in part at Sandlane Recording Facilities in Rijen, Netherlands.

Said EPICA guitarist Isaac Delahaye: "It's always a lot of fun to work on acoustic versions of new songs. For this one, I stripped down the title song of our upcoming album and wanted to give it an uplifting country vibe. Also, it's the first time we are releasing an acoustic version before the actual album version. I absolutely can't wait for you to discover the original. Hang on, the 26th is coming!"

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

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

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

DELAIN keyboardist Martijn Westerholt has announced the dissolution of the band's most recent lineup. Going forward, Martijn plans to "keep DELAIN alive" by taking it back to a project form, releasing music with special guests.

Westerholt broke the news of the end of the latest DELAIN lineup in a social media post earlier today. He wrote: "For the last year or so, the collaboration within the band ceased to work as well as it once had. Some of us were no longer happy with the current roles in the band. We all tried very hard to find a solution for over a year, but sadly we were unable to find one. As a result, we will all be going our own ways and pursuing our own endeavors.

"I am very sad our cooperation has come to end, but at the same time I am very grateful for all the years we were able to work together. Together we toured the world, shared highs and lows, and met with many successes as well as times that pushed us to learn and grow. We all enjoyed meeting our fans and making new friends all over the globe. I would like to thank my fellow bandmates and wish Timo, Otto, Joey, and especially Charlotte the very best for the future. And I hope that will mean onwards and upwards to new musical adventures for each of them!

"That being said, DELAIN will live on. The others have chosen to pursue different paths. I have decided to keep DELAIN alive by continuing on with writing and producing the music for DELAIN as I always have. I started DELAIN as a project in 2002 and for the next album I will take it back to a project form, releasing music with special guests. As it looks now many familiar faces will be returning to join me on this journey.

"I can't express my gratitude enough to all of you Delainers that have supported us over so many years. Your dedication to the music and the community you created for us has been overwhelming. Even though this situation is not ideal, change never usually is at first, I hope you will continue to join DELAIN on its new journey. This is not the end of DELAIN. It's the end of a chapter, but also the beginning of a new one."

Singer Charlotte Wessels said: "DELAIN has been my world for nearing 16 years, which is half of my life and my entire career. So it is with a heavy heart that I am confirming that DELAIN will continue as Martijn's solo project, and my involvement with DELAIN ends here.

"At this time, I know that you might have questions about the 'why' in all of this. I fully understand and respect that. Simply put, it is the sad conclusion of more than a year of trying to find solutions to built up grievances. Part of me feels like I'm letting all of you down, I'd like you to know that this decision was not taken lightly and I apologise to those of you who had high hopes of seeing all of us together live on stage again after lockdown. Until recently, I thought this might still be in the cards for us as well.

"In the last 15 years we have released music that we have poured our heart and soul into. We have toured the world, rocked so many stages and met so many wonderful fans; I cherish all of that beyond measure. Every eye locked during a lyric, every front row high five, every after show hug (remember hugs?) From the sweaty hole in the wall to the Wembleys, Wackens, and Paradisos of our career. The memories we — band, crew, fans — have made together, will last forever. And in the end, they are more important to me than the differences that we couldn't overcome, so that's where I'd like the focus of the narrative to be.

"So where do we go from here? Otto, Timo and Joey are also leaving DELAIN, but will carry on making music with their own projects. Make sure you're following what they're up to. I can't wait to see and hear how they will take the world by storm. Martijn will continue with DELAIN, and although it may be painful at first to see a DELAIN that I'm not a part of, I do wish him the very best in this new chapter. Like any relationship, our creative partnership has required work at times, but it has also been incredibly fruitful and I am grateful for all the things that we made together. Finally, I hope that DELAIN remains a positive force in everyone's lives. We Are The Others, always will be, and none of this changes that.

"As for myself, I'll keep writing and performing music. It is the thing that gives me joy and purpose.

"I'm beyond grateful for my amazing community on Patreon, something that was supposed to be a side project from DELAIN, but will now be the primary place that I release music and create art and community. This platform allows me to keep creating independently and I am thankful for all patrons that make this possible. I am dedicated to bring you my absolute best, and look forward to making magic with all of you.

"I welcome the future with open arms, and I hope to see you on my journey."

DELAIN's sixth full-length album, the Westerholt-produced "Apocalypse & Chill", was released in February 2020 via Napalm Records. The 13-track recording features guest vocals by BEAST IN BLACK singer Yannis Papadopoulos on the song "Vengeance". Upon its release, the album reached the Top 50 in several European countries, including Switzerland (No. 8), Germany (No. 14) and the band's native country, The Netherlands (No.

Swedish hard rock institution The Quill has revealed their new track, "Keep On Moving". The song is the first to be shared from the band's ninth album, Earthrise, set for international release on March 26th via Metalville Records. 

With a sound based on a wide range of influences, The Quill has released released one quality album after another since their debut in 1995.

The dynamic interplay between original vocalist Magnus Ekwall (Ayreon, Mountain Of Power), drummer Jolle Atlagic (Hanoi Rocks, Electric Boys, Firebird), guitarist Christian Carlsson (Cirkus Prütz), and bassist Roger Nilsson (Spiritual Beggars, Arch Enemy, Firebird) creates The Quill's unique, deep '70s heavy rock. No frills - just real rock at full throttle!

The new songs like "Hallucinate" or "Keep On Moving" are bursting with confidence and adrenaline. "Left Brain Blues" and the title track "Earthrise" are reminiscent of Black Sabbath in their heyday, while tracks like "Dwarf Planet" and "Evil Omen" revive the heavy / psychedelic sides of early Led Zeppelin or Uriah Heep.

The tracks on Earthrise tell stories of alienation set in the confines of space and time. Perhaps not a surprising theme given the state of the world today, but it's also a theme that runs through the entire history of mankind so far.

Packed with catchy riffs, pounding bass lines and a fantastic frontman, this album will once again delight all fans of honest hard rock. The cover art and tracklisting for Earthrise are as follows:

"Hallucinate"
"Keep On Moving"
"Dwarf Planet"
"Left Brain Blues"
"Earthrise"
"Evil Omen"
"21st Century Sky"
"The Zone"
"Dead River"

 

 

Stars Unhinged has released their second single "Run", from the forthcoming album Rise. "Run" features special guest Zachary Throne (Corey Taylor, Bruce Kulick Band) on background vocals.

"Run" was produced by drummer Chiko Misomali (Bif Naked) at Rancho Relaxo Studios in Vancouver, BC. It was mixed by Doug Fury (Bif Naked) at Fortissimo Sound, and mastered by Jamie Sitar (D.O.A., Swollen Members, Bif Naked) at Outta Town Sound.

The track was recorded pre-pandemic with plans for a video to accompany the release. With the global lockdowns and uncertain travel restrictions, the band is currently streaming "Run", in addition to making it available on all music platforms.

Stars Unhinged is a Canadian modern hard rock band from Vancouver, formed in 2018 by Chiko Misomali (drummer for Bif Naked). What originally began as a song writing project, quickly became a full-fledged recording act with the inclusion of bassist Frank Cusenza, vocalist JB Mason and guitarist Mike Federici.

Though often compared to artists like Stone Sour, Sixx:A.M. and Velvet Revolver, it's each member's wealth of varied musical experience and influence which gives Stars Unhinged its fresh yet familiar rock ‘n’ roll sound.

Stars Unhinged's debut album Rise is scheduled for release in spring 2021. Check out their first single / video, "Fall In Line":

For further details, follow Stars Unhinged on Facebook.

(Photo by Kevin Faust)

 

Florida death metal legend Terry Butler (Obituary, Death, Massacre, Six Feet Under) has joined up with fellow former Massacre members Jeramie Kling (Venom Inc., The Absence, Goregäng) on drums / vocals and Taylor Nordberg (The Absence, Goregäng) on guitar to form Inhuman Condition.  The trio is currently in the studio at Kling and Nordberg’s own Smoke & Mirrors Productions in Spring Hill, FL finishing up the group’s debut album. A teaser video featuring a demo mix of a song can be viewed below.

On the formation of the band, Nordberg said: "Jeramie and I can’t wait to finally release these songs!  Him and I wrote the album back in September of 2019, and after we left Massacre last fall we wanted to keep the songs alive but under a different flag. Enter: Terry Butler on bass. Enter: Jeramie Kling’s vocals. Inhuman Condition was born! We are finishing up the vocals now, but we made a quick teaser / demo for you to hear a sneak peak."

Butler adds: "I am very excited and honored to be a part of Inhuman Condition! Taylor and Jeramie wrote some blistering heavy-as-hell songs full of hooks.  It’s a perfect mix of brutal death/thrash metal. Can’t wait for people to hear this!"

More album and release details to be announced soon.