AUGUST BURNS RED has dropped a reimagined version of "Extinct By Instinct".

The original version with vocals and lyrics appears on 2020's "Guardians" album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hard Music Albums, Rock Albums and the Vinyl Albums charts upon release. This version of the song has been stripped down and re-envisioned by the band.

Asked who AUGUST BURNS RED's "guardians" are, vocalist Jake Luhrs told Revolver: "For the band, our guardians would be our fans. When you think of guardians, they help, right? Or they nurture or they provide. Our fans definitely do that for us. When we're coming out with a new record, they're buying actual copies or they're getting all the vinyl. They come to all of our shows. We have people who have gone to 40 shows. I don't know that I've ever gone to 40 shows outside of my band to go see anybody, ever. So we have these just diehard fans. They support the band. They give us a place to exist and continue our work. They genuinely care about us.

"For myself, personally? I mean, it's going to sound really cliché and really, really stupid and cheesy, but it is Jesus. God has just been through all of it with me — when everybody else was gone or no one came to help me. Who do you think I was talking to when I was drinking 18 drinks a night? When I woke up at three p.m. in the afternoon, who do you think was I talking to? I was talking to God. He just got me through it all. That's my guardian and it's the truth."

Last year, Brubaker told Billboard that he and his bandmates have grown more comfortable with the "metalcore" tag in recent years.

"The word metalcore became a little bit taboo for us in like, 2013," he said. "There was just this enormous boom of bands playing metalcore and it was just so watered-down and predictable and boring. And at this point now in 2020, I feel like so much of that heap of bands that were active seven years ago, so many of them have come and gone now that I'm not as embarrassed by the term 'metalcore' anymore. Because I feel like the bands who are left standing from that boom, it's sort of like the cream rose to the top. And while I much prefer just calling AUGUST BURNS RED a metal band, I get why people would call us a metalcore band. I mean, we play a ton of breakdowns. So if you want to get quite literal about it, the 'core' is obvious."

FOO FIGHTERS were the featured musical guests on Monday's (February 8) episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon". FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl spoke with Jimmy about a variety of topics before the band performed "Waiting On A War" at the end of program. Check out video footage below.

"Waiting On A War" is taken from FOO FIGHTERS' tenth studio album, "Medicine At Midnight", which came out on Friday (February 5) via Roswell Records/RCA Records. The LP is a nine-song, 37-minute effort which was produced by the FOO FIGHTERS and Greg Kurstin.

If "Waiting On A War" seems to have an especially emotional heft to its lyrics, well, that's because it does. Dave Grohl recounts the personal anecdote that inspired the song: "Last fall, as I was driving my daughter to school, she turned to me and asked, 'Daddy, is there going to be a war?' My heart sank as I realized that she was now living under the same dark cloud that I had felt 40 years ago.

"I wrote 'Waiting On A War' that day.

"Every day waiting for the sky to fall. Is there more to this than that? Is there more to this than just waiting on a war? Because I need more. We all do.

"This song was written for my daughter, Harper, who deserves a future, just as every child does."

The first single from the disc, "Shame Shame", was released in November. An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Paola Kudacki and co-stars Grohl and Sofia Boutella. "Shame Shame" renders in stunning black and white an interpretation of a recurring dream that's haunted Grohl since his childhood days.

Grohl told SiriusXM's Alt Nation about the "Medicine At Midnight" musical approach: "It's our 10th album, and it's our 25th anniversary. We're. like, okay, let's look back at all the stuff that we've done before. We've made that loud sort of noisy punk rock fast stuff. We've made the sleepy acoustic kind of gentle acoustic record stuff. We've done the three- or four-minute-long bubblegum rock and roll, pop, single thing before. And it was, like, well, what haven't we done? And we had never really made a groove-oriented sort of party record.

"It's hard to put the words 'dance' or 'funk' or 'disco' in the same sentence as the FOO FIGHTERS; it scares the shit out of me," Dave admitted. "But all of us grew up loving rock and roll records that you could like bounce around to, like THE CARS. Like, oh my God, we love THE CARS. Or David Bowie's 'Let's Dance'. Or POWER STATION. Or THE [ROLLING] STONES' 'Tattoo You' — things like that. We're, like, 'All right. We've never really explored that territory before. Let's do it.

"We're lucky in that everybody in the band has diverse influences and everybody loves different kinds of music, but I honestly think we're capable of doing almost anything," he said. "So if we put our minds to it, we can kind of chameleon and turn into a death metal band, or we could be like THE CARPENTERS. So we just have to come together and make the decision, like, 'All right, which way do we wanna go? Which way are we gonna turn the wheel?' And this time we did it to make this party record."

Former DIO guitarist Rowan Robertson has uploaded a video to his YouTube channel where he shows you how to play the song "Evil On Queen Street" from the band's "Lock Up The Wolves" album. Check out the clip below.

Three years ago, Rowan said that he "would love" to release songs that were written during the sessions for "Lock Up The Wolves" that didn't make the final record.

Robertson, who was 17 years old when he joined Ronnie James Dio, was asked by The Metal Voice if he would be interested in making the unreleased recordings available to the legendary singer's fans.

"There's two songs which were just done on a boombox in rehearsal," he said. "And I just really would like to get permission from management, 'cause I don't wanna get in trouble. I'd love them to be out there, but I think after Ronnie's gone, he's not here to say, 'Don't play anyone that.' You know what I mean?"

In a 2015 interview, Robertson said that he played the two songs in question — which were apparently titled "Hell Wouldn't Take Her" and "The River Between Us" — for Ronnie's widow and manager Wendy Dio and that she thought the quality wasn't "good enough" to release them.

Rowan was also asked by The Metal Voice for his opinion on the recently launched "Dio Returns: The World Tour", which features a hologram of Ronnie James Dio backed by some of his DIO bandmates.

"I think it's great," the guitarist said. "I think it keeps his memory alive, and I don't see any problem with it at all. I think it's great."

In the late 1980s, Robertson heard that Ronnie James Dio was looking for a new guitarist. He sent a tape to the record company Phonogram. After six months of waiting, he got a reply that stated that at that moment they were not interested in him. At the encouragement of his friend and fellow guitarist Sean Manning (HURRICANE), the tenacious Robertson then contacted the DIO fan club who then asked him to send his demo tape to them.

Robertson got a great response from DIO after receiving the demo through the fan-club channels. In late January or early February 1989, Robertson was flown to Los Angeles for an audition with DIO. He was auditioned twice. Immediately after the second audition, he was invited to join the band. The press release for the addition of Robertson to DIO was sent out on July 18, 1989 and the press was invited to meet the newest DIO guitarist on July 20, 1989 at Oliver's Pub in New York City.

The first DIO album Robertson started working on with DIO was "Lock Up The Wolves". These sessions included Jimmy Bain, Vinny Appice and Jens Johansson. The band had already begun writing and recording when Jimmy Bain and Vinny Appice were suddenly excused from the band. They were replaced with Teddy Cook and former AC/DC drummer Simon Wright.

"Lock up the Wolves" was released in 1990, and the band embarked on a tour in support of the album.

Robertson stayed with DIO until Ronnie James Dio rejoined BLACK SABBATH in 1991.

GREAT WHITE singer Mitch Malloy has released a music video for the song "My Therapy" from his solo band, simply dubbed MALLOY.

MALLOY consists of Mitch on lead vocals alongside four members of the band ALL OR NOTHING, Bret Carlisle on rhythm guitar, Jacob Mann on lead guitar, Skylar McCain on drums and Ian Smith on bass.

Mitch is perhaps best known for his brief stint with VAN HALEN after the band split with Sammy Hagar. In 1996, Malloy was invited to Eddie Van Halen's studio to try out for the group and recorded a demo of the classic "Panama" before being told by Eddie he got the gig. However, his joining VAN HALEN was reportedly overridden by then-manager Ray Danniels, who wanted Gary Cherone (EXTREME) as Hagar's replacement.

Malloy's involvement with VAN HALEN is the focus of a short documentary, "Mitch Malloy: Van Halen's Lost Boy", which was uploaded to YouTube in 2013.

Malloy joined GREAT WHITE as the replacement for Terry Ilous, who was fired from the group in July 2018.

Ilous, formerly of '80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, connected with GREAT WHITE in 2010 after stepping in for touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and 2017's "Full Circle", before Terry was shown the door.

Malloy's influences include AEROSMITH, CHEAP TRICK, HEART, FOGHAT and DEEP PURPLE.

Conan have just unveiled the heavy, massive live version of their most successful song, “Hawk As Weapon”, on streaming platforms (to date, the studio version has amassed more than a million plays). With the fuzz pedal pushed to the limit, the masters of brute waves of sound deliver further proof that they are unsurpassable in intensity. The new single clearly shows what a Conan show is all about.

Heavily distorted and down-tuned sounds turn the legendary fields of the German Freak Valley Festival into madness. The undisputed masters of fantastical, otherworldly, sludgy doom, Conan, will cast a spell on the listener and propel them straight into the crowd, captured in dust.

Watch the live video for “Hawk As Weapon“:

Three years after the release of the ferocious caveman battle doom masterpiece Existential Void Guardian, Conan waves the flag of Pain again and releases Live At Freak Valley on March 12 via Napalm Records. After their 2013 live album, recorded at Roadburn festival, and the self-released Live At Bannermans, their third live album could not be recorded at a better place than Freak Valley Festival.

Live At Freak Valley will be available in the following formats:

- 2 LP Gatefold Vinyl White / Black Marble (Napalm Records mailorder only) - strictly limited to 200
- 2 LP Gatefold Vinyl Grey
- 1 CD Jewelcase
- Digital album

Pre-order your copy of Live At Freak Valley here.

Tracklisting:

"Gravity Chasm"
"Throne Of Fire"
"Thunderhoof"
"Battle In The Swamp"
"Hawk As Weapon"
"Satsumo"
"Foehammer"
"Total Conquest"
"Revengeance"

"Satsumo" live video:

Lineup:

Jon Davis - vocals, guitar
Chris Fielding - bass
Johnny King - drums

(Photo - Clemens Mitscher)

THE NEW YORK DOLLS' David Johansen and Earl Slick are among the artists who will take part in a virtual tribute concert to Sylvain Sylvain on February 14 at 7 p.m. EST.

The show will feature a mix of stories, performances and videos from the aforementioned two musicians, along with Debbie Harry, Thurston Moore, Henry Rollins, Clem Burke, Lenny Kaye, Bob Gruen, Michael Des Barres, Mara Hennessey, Ivan Julian, Chuck Prophet, Glen Matlock, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's Joe and Albert Bouchard, and the LEMON TWIGS.

"A Celebration Of The Musical Life Of New York Dolls' Sylvain Sylvain" is being presented by Rolling Live Studios and the New York City venue Bowery Electric. Tickets for the show are on sale now for $15.

Sylvain Sylvain, one of the founding fathers of punk rock as guitarist of legendary band the NEW YORK DOLLS, died on January 13 at the age of 69. He had battled cancer for two and a half years.

Born Sylvain Mizrahi, Sylvain remained with the NEW YORK DOLLS until the group's breakup in 1977. He later worked on various projects, including a band called THE CRIMINALS and another group called THE TEARDROPS. Sylvain reunited with NEW YORK DOLLS in 2004 and played on the band's last three albums, "One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This", "Cause I Sez So" and "Dancing Backward In High Heels".

Sylvain's autobiography, "There's No Bones In Ice Cream", was released in 2018 via Omnibus Press.

In April 2019, a fundraising campaign was launched for Sylvain, who revealed at the time that he had been battling cancer for nearly a year.

The NEW YORK DOLLS were called many things — glam, proto-punk, hard rock — but are probably best understood as a "dirty rock and roll" band. Combining an aggressively androgynous style with street-smart New York attitude and campy humor, the NEW YORK DOLLS ushered in the era of CBGBs, heroin chic, loud guitars and referential lyrics which gave rise to Patti Smith, the RAMONES, TELEVISION and many more. Fans of the band range from GUNS N' ROSES to Morrissey, who organized the reformation of the band when he curated Meltdown festival in 2004.




⚡️JUST ANNOUNCED⚡️

Sunday, Feb. 14th at 4PM PT/7PM ET

This Valentine’s Day, enjoy a celebration of the musical life of the New York Doll’s late guitarist Sylvain Sylvain! ?

Get your tickets NOW at the #linkinbio or at https://t.co/0e77QYNOB9! pic.twitter.com/3QaVhg4A3U

— Rolling Live Studios (@rollinglivepro) February 8, 2021

Dragonforce guitarist Herman Li has checked in with the following update:

"Shred Talk! I had the pleasure to have one of my favourite metal guitarists, Kiko Loureiro (Megadeth, former Angra) joining me on my Twitch livestream before the pandemic (December 13th, 2019). We hang out and jammed together for 3 hours!"

Check out Li's Twitch channel here.

In the video below, Loureiro can be seen performing a playthrough of his song, "Black Ice":

"Black Ice" appears on Kiko Loureiro's 2020 solo album, Open Source. Order your copy here, and find a full audio stream below.

Tracklisting:

"Overflow"
"EDM (e-Dependent Mind)"
"Imminent Threat"
"Liquid Times"
"Sertão"
"Vital Signs"
"Dreamlike"
"Black Ice"
"In Motion"
"Running With The Bulls"
"Du Monde"

Album stream:

Melodic death metal outfit, Fires In The Distance, have released a performance video for "Sundial", a track from their debut album, Echoes From Deep November, available via Prosthetic. The video was filmed at Telefunken Elektroakustik in South Windsor, CT. Watch below:

Over the course of six melancholic tracks, Echoes From Deep November charts a perpetual struggle with mental health and the tribulations of living with deep rooted depression. Each track documents peaks and plateaus of inner torment, internal rationalisation and an ongoing struggle to survive. Additionally, personal experiences witnessing pain and struggle in others feeds into the cacophony of anguish and oppression.

Written throughout 2018 and 2019, Echoes From Deep November was recorded with producer Dave Kaminsky (Infera Bruo, Stone Healer), who the band describe as being like a fifth member. Their desire to capture the organic nature of their live sound has paid dividends; each of the six tracks reverberates with energy and emotion. Haunting artwork by Caelen Stokkermans finishes off the pensive package of melodic doom with a macabre flourish.

Tracklisting:

"The Climb"
"Elusive Light"
"The Lock And The Key"
"Reflections In The Ice"
"Chained To The Earth"
"Sundial"

"The Lock And The Key":

In the late ‘90s, Coney Hatch singer/bassist Andy Curran and former FM guitarist Simon Brierley united in the band Caramel, which was rounded off by drummer Eddie Zeeman and guitarist Virginia Storey. The band were signed by Geffen Records and the self-titled debut produced a top ten radio mini hit in the United States called “Lucy”, which saw the band hitting the road and sharing stages with Creed, Stabbing Westward, Brother Cain and Econoline Crush.

Curran has just uploaded the official video for “Lucy” below. Check out the album on Spotify here.

Infinite & Divine is a new collaboration between two Swedes, musician/songwriter/producer Jan Åkesson and vocalist Tezzi (aka Terese Persson). Their debut album, Silver Lining, will be released on April 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. You can get your first taste of the band via the new single and video, "Infinite & Divine". Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Silver Lining here.

"We are excited to finally get to share this album with you all. It’s been a great creative experience making this album and along the road sharing and learning about each other’s strengths and influences in music, with everything from '80s hard rock to modern metal. The collaboration just felt relaxed and natural from the start and the pieces kind of just fell into place. We’ve had a lot of fun creating this together and we’re not stopping here," say Jan and Tezzi.

In the summer of 2019, Jan and Tezzi met and shortly after that decided to join forces creating what is now their debut Infinite & Divine album, Silver Lining. The combination of Jan’s energetic heavy riffs and the variety in the music with Tezzi’s melodic, yet raw vocals creates a sound not quite like anything else. While the music style is very melodic, there are a few twists and turns that make it unique and appealing.

Jan started out as a songwriter while also appearing as lead guitarist in several bands, before he decided to step back from the live scene to focus on writing and producing songs. He started the band StoneLake, who released seven studio albums, while at the same time writing songs for other artists around the world, all who were performing different styles of music. In 2017, he also released the album Ascension by his solo project Shadow Rain.

At age 17, Tezzi started doing local troubadour gigs, but before that had already started writing her own songs and lyrics, which were soon recorded. Over the years, she appeared in many different musical projects both as a lead singer in metal and progressive rock bands, as well as doing backup vocals for various Swedish artists. In 2013, she also appeared on the second album, Fantasmagoria, from Epysode (featuring Mike Lepond of Symphony X, Simone Mularoni of DGM, and Tom Englund of Evergrey among others) as one of the five lead singers.

Tracklisting:

"I Feel Alive"
"Infinite & Divine"
"Keep On Moving"
"Not Too Late"
"Wasteland"
"Burn No More"
"We Are One"
"Off The End Of The World"
"You And I"
"While You’re Looking For Love"
"Perplexed Perfection"

"Infinite & Divine" video:

Lineup:

Tezzi - Lead vocals and backing vocals
Jan Åkesson - Guitars, bass, keyboards, backing vocals and Programming

Additional Musicians:

Jens Westberg - Drums

- Produced & Mixed by Jan Åkesson
- Mastered by Jacob Hansen

British rock singer, Chez Kane, is streaming the new song, "Rocket On The Radio", featured on her upcoming self-titled debut album, out March 12 via Frontiers Music Srl. Listen below:

Produced by Danny Rexon of Crazy Lixx, Chez Kane is a melodic rock record that harkens back to the glory days of the '80s when the genre was known for having multiple incredible frontwomen playing the style.

A talented, young vocalist who fronts, with her two sisters, the band Kane'd, Chez was brought to the attention of the label after conversations with Danny Rexon of Crazy Lixx about the possibility of him scouting and producing some exciting new talent. Subsequently, Danny started working on some demos with Chez and the label did not pass up the opportunity to get involved with this incredible talent. Chez's debut solo album embraces the melodic rock style that both she and Danny so admire, while adding a new twist to the current takes on the genre.

“I feel so excited to have been asked to collaborate with Danny for a solo album. The second I heard the music, I instantly knew it was for me and I’m thrilled at the opportunity to launch my solo career this way. I am so humbled to have Frontiers on board. This is going to be killer and I can’t wait!” says Chez.

Producer Danny Rexon says, “Until now, I had only worked on the production of Crazy Lixx, but with this I can take a whole other role where I’m working on building up a brand new solo artist, which is quite refreshing....especially when we’re talking about creating something with a talented and hardworking singer like Chez.”

The concept behind the album started with a vision that Danny had in mind. “I’ve long felt that the contemporary melodic rock scene is missing an important piece of what I think made the genre, at least to some extent, so great in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and that is the quintessential female rocker. There are tons of bands in the melodic rock genre, but I feel like we’re missing that great female solo artist singing hard rock. A kind of Lee Aaron, Lita Ford, or Robin Beck for the new decade. So, the mission was clear to me from day one: Give the fans a female rocker that will remind them of the powerful rock anthems of the past. Having found Chez and discovering the potential in her voice, I have great faith in this endeavour and no doubt that this album will resonate well with fans both of my own band, Crazy Lixx and of the retro melodic rock genre at large.”

Chez adds that even “though I was born in the ‘90s, I have always had a major soft spot for that infectious ‘80s style, so from that aspect Danny’s songwriting fits me really well. We have the same vision, drive and passion to make this album an absolute belter!”

So what can listeners expect? “If you’re a fan of my stuff with Crazy Lixx, I bet you’ll enjoy the Chez Kane album too,” explains Danny. “I’ve written and arranged every song on the album, so it’s bound to have my signature style to it. However, this album will be a lot more radio friendly (at least if you go by what was considered radio friendly in 1989), a lot more keyboard oriented and of course, the fact that it’s a powerful female voice singing the songs will give the album a whole other dimension. And if you, like myself, are a fan of Lee Aaron, Vixen, Saraya, Chrissy Steele, Lita Ford, and similar artists and feel like the genre’s missing out this vital component, you’re going to love the debut album from Chez Kane!”

Tracklisting:

“Better Than Love”
“All Of It”
“Rocket On The Radio”
“Get It On”
“Too Late For Love”
“Defender Of The Heart”
“Ball N’ Chain”
“Midnight Rendezvous”
“Die In The Name Of Love”
“Dead End Street”

“Too Late For Love” video:

Rex Brown says that Zakk Wylde wouldn't be involved with a hypothetical tour celebrating the music of PANTERA.

The former PANTERA bassist discussed the band's legacy during a new interview with Eonmusic. Speaking about how huge PANTERA would be if the band was able to tour now, Rex said: "It would be sold-out stadium shows. Offers still come in for Philip [Anselmo, former PANTERA singer] and I to do it if we wanted to, but if you don't have the other guys in the band, it's not going to sound the same. If we were ever to do something like that, it would have to be spot-on, or I wouldn't do it. It would be a tribute."

When Eonmusic interviewer Eamon O’Neill added that he wasn't about to ask the usual question about a reunion with Wylde taking the place of late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, Rex offered: "It's going to come up, and it wouldn't be Zakk Wylde, I guarantee you that. I've just put it out there so we can get on past it."

In February 2020, Dimebag's longtime girlfriend Rita Haney said she would "definitely" be in favor of Anselmo, Brown and Wylde teaming up for a PANTERA tribute tour. A few days later, Brown weighed in on her comments, writing on Twitter: "I wanna make sure that ppl understand what I'm about to tweet.. It's not up to Rita to say what will happen, only what Philip & I say...I'm in!! Dig?!?!?"

Rita discussed the possibility of the former PANTERA members and the OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist paying tribute to Dimebag and his brother Vinnie Paul Abbott while speaking to "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" on the red carpet of the Ronnie James Dio 10th Memorial Awards Gala at the Avalon in Los Angeles. She said: "I don't think there could be a PANTERA reunion, but I think that his two remaining brothers, Rex and Philip, if they wanted to honor Darrell and Vinnie, as far as where I'm coming from and what I believe Darrell would believe — because he was the most forgiving person that I know — I believe that he would be honored. It's kind of a cliché to say, but he truly would be grateful that he meant that much to them. And I think if they wanna honor their fallen brothers with a tribute, I think that that's great. But as far as trying to say put PANTERA back together, PANTERA tribute, this and that, no — that's distasteful without those other guys. But I think as a tribute, it would be a really great thing. Because I know, from a fan's point, if I hadn't been able to see them play or hear those songs — the songs, they mean so much to me; I can imagine [they do to] other people as well. I think it's great that they can at least see it performed, and by people that truly love 'em. So, yeah, I think it would be a really cool thing."

When asked to clarify if she would "be okay with a tour," she responded: "I definitely would. I'd wanna be at every show. [Laughs]"

In 2019, Anselmo told Chile's Humo Negro that he would consider getting together with Wylde and Brown and performing PANTERA's classic songs in concert. "Well, Zakk is a busy man," he said. "He does his own band, he does stuff with Ozzy and all that stuff. We spoke about it maybe one time. And I think everybody — everybody — is… I guess they're like me. Keep an open mind about it. We'll see. But I know from all the hard work with [Anselmo's] THE ILLEGALS [project] here to make those songs right, all of us, we would have to take time off and really practice together and get everything perfect. So it's a lot of work. And I'm doing a lot of bands, man, right now. [But] if everything was lined up, I would do it — sure. Fuck yeah! Why not?"

Zakk was also open to the idea, telling "The Cassius Morris Show" in October 2019: "When Saint Vinnie was still around, they were talking about it then. I mean, the way I always looked at it is it's a PANTERA celebration and an honor. I mean, every night I'm playing with Ozz, we honor Saint Rhoads [late Ozzy guitarist Randy Rhoads]. I'm playing the Randy stuff every night, and I'm blessed and it's an honor to do it. Basically, we're paying tribute to Randy every night — keeping his music alive.

"If we got together and we ended up doing it, it would be like… I just look at it like if Eric Clapton went out and was with Mitch [Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix's drummer] and Noel [Redding, Hendrix's bass player] and singing and playing Jimi's songs, and he's honoring Jimi, 'cause that was his buddy.

"No one's replacing anybody. No one's replacing Randy Rhoads — he was a one-off. Just like no one's replacing Jimi Hendrix and no one's replacing Dime [late PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott] — or Vinnie.

"If [LED] ZEPPELIN was going out, and if Jason's [Bonham] playing drums, no one's replacing his father. What they're doing is celebrating his father's greatness and what he achieved and all the mountains he conquered with ZEPPELIN. It's more of a tribute and a celebration than it is... You can't replace any of these people I'm talking about — they're all legendary guys. But, yeah, you're just celebrating all their achievements — that's all."

Talk about a possible PANTERA "reunion" intensified when Anselmo regularly joined Wylde's BLACK LABEL SOCIETY to perform PANTERA's song "I'm Broken" during DOWN's 2014 stint on the "Revolver Golden Gods Tour". That buzz only got stronger after Brown joined the jam on May 23, 2014 when the tour swung through Texas.

Up until his passing in June 2018, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoug

Firewind leader, Gus G., has released the video below, paying tribute to guitar legend Gary Moore (pictured above), who passed away in 2011 at the age of 58.

Says Gus: "February 6th marked 10 years since the great Gary Moore passed away (R.I.P.). Here’s a tribute to the legendary guitarist."

Firewind recently released a lyric video for "Devour", featured on the band's new self-titled album, out now via AFM Records. Get it here, and watch the new clip below.

“Firewind” boasts 11 prime examples of melodic metal songs. The skill, craftsmanship and power bleeds through every note, a passion you can almost taste, with hymnal melodies as a particularly outstanding feature.

Tracklisting:

"Welcome To The Empire"
"Devour"
"Rising Fire"
"Break Away"
"Orbitual Sunrise"
"Longing To Know You"
"Perfect Stranger"
"Overdrive"
"All My Life"
"Space Cowboy"
"Kill The Pain"

"Devour" lyric video:

"Break Away" lyric video:

"Welcome To The Empire" video:

"Rising Fire" video:

Album stream:

Skull Fist vocalist / guitarist Zach Schottler will release his second solo album on March 20th. Trouble On The Water will be issued on vinyl, strictly limited to 300 copies. The first 100 copies come with handwritten lyrics. Pre-orders can be placed now at this location. A three-minute teaser trailer can be seen below.

Trouble On The Water artwork and tracklisting:

"Ride On"
"Trouble On The Water"
"Freedom Is A One Horse Town"
"Wrecking Machine"
"Conceptual Crime"
"Hammer On"
"Lose Your Mind"
"Risk It All"

All instruments and vocals were done by Zach. Trouble On The Water was mixed by Chris Snow, mastered by Harry Hess (Harem Scarem), with artwork by Adam Burke, photography and layout by Sharon Ehman.

 

Alternative / progressive metal act Blue Hour Ghosts have issued a new single and lyric video, "Shine", from their forthcoming album Due, scheduled for release on February 12 via Rockshots Records.

The band comments: "'Shine' is a melancholic andante/mid-tempo rocker with a 'grungy' feel, introduced by piano and vocals, before a riveting guitar riff sets on; then, a subtle, atmospheric verse makes way for a truly powerful and dramatic chorus; the song ends with a final climax that brings the listener back to the initial melodies in circular fashion. The track is literally packed with hooks and melodies that greatly enrich the musical fabric, sustaining Ricky’s wholehearted singing." 

"In spite of its somber tone, the song is about finding the courage to accept our flaws and unlock all the beautiful things we keep inside ourselves, to overcome our fears, our sense of inadequateness or incompleteness, and the cages sometimes relationships bind us to, which can smother our will and diminish our self-esteem. It’s an exhortation to take the initiative, bear the suffering and then find out how an ugly duckling can become a swan, even through pain and waiver."

The album is the follow-up to their 2016 self-titled debut album. Teaming up once again with Giuseppe “Dualized” Bassi (session musician for Fear Factory, Grenouer, Levania, Noveria), BHG's Due is their sophomore effort continuing their blend of progressive, classic, gothic metal, and alternative rock.

Taking a fresh, powerful, and intense melodic assault, Due depicts a wide range of soundscapes ranging from full metal aggression to soft, acoustic atmospheres, passing through infectious and catchy hooks and refrains that will enthral any music addict, along with sophisticated layered arrangements to satisfy the most demanding palates. Throughout the nine songs, all the ghosts hiding in the blue hour are made alive in the deep and heartfelt narration provided by both music and lyrics, offering a unique and compelling listening experience.

Keyboardist Simome Pedrazzi reflects on the new album: "With Due, we are trying to engage new and established fans with an enjoyable, fresh, and yet sophisticated multi-level listening experience. All the nine songs offer an abundance of hooks that can stick into the ear from the first listen and remain impressed into the listener’s mind, stimulating his/her curiosity. There is no room for boredom, as within each song and throughout all the album, powerful and atmospheric sections alternate with each other in a seamless flow, thus keeping the attention high. The variety of musical colours displayed throughout the album and the extreme care we put into obtaining a lush and polished sound will allow for an extremely pleasant sonic experience."

Pre-save the digital album here. Pre-order the CD at this location.

Tracklisting:

"Walking Backwards"
"On Black Clouds"
"Dead In August"
"Damn Wrong"
"Shine"
"Fearless"
"Lower The Wires"
"Disheartened"
"Involved/Bored"

"On Black Clouds":

"Walking Backwards":

(Band photo by Patrizia Cogliati - Musicphoto)

 

Frontiers Music Srl has announced the signing of Brazilian singer Alírio Netto to the label for a multi-album deal. Alirio is an awesome Brazilian singer and actor, who is one of the most recognized rock voices in Brazil and generally an up-and-coming name amongst the greatest singers in the country, regardless of genre. Whether it’s on a stage, in the studio, or performing in musical theatre, Alirio makes a strong impression with his powerful voice, amazing range, and effortless control.

All Things Must Pass will be Alirio’s debut international album. It encompasses a wide array of rock and hard rock styles, always allowing space for great melodies and soaring ballads. The musicians on the album include drummer Adriano Daga (a Grammy award winning producer as well) and bassist Felipe Andreoli (Angra). And none other than Journey vocalist Arnel Pineda appears for a duet on the album.

"I am thrilled and truly heartfelt in being a part of the Frontiers family,” says Alirio. "This album is very special to me, not only for featuring really close friends who are well known worldwide, but specially for the passion and truth I put into every single note of this album. I have to say that this might be the most honest work of my career. Having a record label of this magnitude believe in my music in such a rough moment for the whole world is a huge blessing.”

As a rock singer, Alirio has fronted the band Khallice, who was signed to the prog rock label Magna Carta for the release of their debut album, The Journey. Alirio was also in the metal band Age Of Artemis, who released two albums, one of them produced by renowned singer and producer Edu Falaschi (Angra). More recently, he joined the band Shaman as a replacement for the late Andre Matos.

Alirio has also participated in several musical theatre productions including as the lead, Galileo in We Will Rock You, a musical with songs by Queen. He was also later announced as the new lead singer for the band “Queen Extravaganza”, which led Roger Taylor to comment, “Alirio is not only a superlative singer, he is also a great showman.”

Additionally, Alirio has also played the role of Jesus in the official Mexican production of Jesus Christ Superstar. He also played the role of Judas in the official Brazilian production of the same show, for which he was named 2014's Best Lead Actor by the “Estado de São Paulo” newspaper. This led to doors opening for him in his home country, where features on some of the main TV shows in Brazil soon followed. He performed on the biggest talk show in the country, hosted by Jo Soares, among various other TV shows including Altas Horas, Faustão, The Noite, Jornal Hoje, Jornal do SBT, Jornal da Globo, and Programa Todo Seu.

Frontiers is truly thrilled to have this world class talent join the label  Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Frontiers Music Srl announces the upcoming release of the self-titled debut album from Brazil's Icon Of Sin, a new project centered around the stunning vocal talents of the popular Brazilian YouTube sensation Raphael Mendes. The album will be released on April 16.

The band's sound is a loving acknowledgement of their love of '80s heavy metal coupled with a modern approach. Today, fans can get their first taste of the album with the debut single and video, "Shadow Dancer". Watch the clip below, and pre-order/save Icon Of Sin here.

"This album will surprise many people. This is one of those albums you listen to from the beginning 'til the end, appreciating all the songs and repeating it again many times. There are songs about movies, video games, and more and I think combining these things with metal music is awesome. When Sergio and Marcelo showed me the songs, I got so happy because this is the kind of music I love and when you do the things with passion, it comes naturally. It was really amazing to work with them," says vocalist Raphael Mendes.

“I’m thrilled to show to the world the massive heavy metal album we've created. It was fun to use my songwriter/producer’s hat on this one. It’s a very diverse and organic record and I believe that heavy metal fans are going to love it!" adds producer/songwriter Marcelo Gelbcke.

Like many other music fans, Frontiers first came across Mendes while surfing YouTube for new and exciting talent. Serafino Perugino, President and A&R director of Frontiers Records, knew right away that he wanted Mendes to join the label's ever growing pool of young, exciting talent and moved quickly to invite him to the Frontiers family. Mendes' vocal style begs for him to release a proper heavy metal album and Perugino had to look no further than Frontiers' own roster to find the right talent to pair Mendes with. He pulled in two other stellar Brazilian musicians, Sergio Mazul (Semblant) and Marcelo Gelbcke (Landfall) to write an album that would perfectly suit Mendes' stunning vocals and thus, Icon Of Sin was born.

Of the first single "Shadow Dancer", Mendes says, "'Shadow Dancer' was my first favorite song from the album, though it's difficult to choose only one. When I started working on this song I really loved the story behind the lyrics, because it is a mix of things that I have always liked: Heavy Metal, Asian culture, and martial arts. This song has all the elements that a Heavy Metal fan loves: great riffs, great story, a chorus that will be stuck in their heads."

Producer/songwriter Sergio Mazul says, "'Shadow Dancer' is basically a song about ninjas. While it acknowledges the cultural and historical roots of this theme, it is also influenced by years of watching movies, documentaries, reading books on the topic, and even playing classic video games such as Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden! Musically, we wanted killer riffs, killer solos, and an epic, strong chorus. This was created by metal fans for metal fans!"

“'Shadow Dancer' is one of the first tracks we wrote and we thought this song could be an opening single from the beginning. I’m sure it’s super catchy chorus is going to be stuck in peoples' heads!” says Gelbke.

Raphael Mendes has become a very popular figure in the Youtube world due to his jaw dropping vocal covers. His recognition as one of the hottest new talents in metal started in 2016 when he was invited by guitarist Fabio Lima to record a YouTube video that wound up going viral. Encouraged by the reaction, Mendes launched his own YouTube channel to create more videos for fans to enjoy. As more and more fans around the world started to discover him, he was invited to join other musical projects, including Marius Danielsen's “Legend Of Valley Doom Part 2”, which also featured Michael Kiske, Vinny Appice, Mark Boals, Michele Luppi, and Diego Valdez, among others. One of the things that made Mendes' reputation grow considerably happened earlier in 2020, when a video series called “What if Bruce Dickinson sang in other bands” was launched. With Mendes Dickinson-esque singing style being used to cover songs by Megadeth and more, these versions impressed fans worldwide and word quickly spread in the metal community.

Raphael's videos ended up reaching the eyes and ears of Frontiers, a label known for signing and nurturing the most promising new names of the next generation of rock and metal. Frontiers has recently started to work more and more with South American based talent and had the thought to pair Raphael with two outstanding musicians of the Curitiba metal scene, both of whom have already unveiled their musical talents through the label: Sergio Mazul, singer of Semblant and Marcelo Gelbcke, guitarist of Landfall. While the music of their respective bands are quite dissimilar, both have a passion for traditional heavy metal and knew they could craft amazing music for Mendes to put his vocals to. Icon Of Sin's debut album is a no-nonsense, straight ahead classic pure heavy metal album.

Guitarists Sol Perez and Mateus Cantaleãno, bassist Caio Vidal, and drummer CJ Dubiella have joined up with Mendes to round out the full lineup of Icon Of Sin.

"Music is my passion, a way of life!” says Raphael Mendes. "It’s really been and continues to be a  fantastic experience, working on the Icon Of Sin album. The songs are so powerful and it has awakened something in me that I haven’t felt for a long time from a heavy metal album!”

Icon Of Sin's debut album is going to leave quite the impression on the world of heavy metal in 2021 and is only the opening salvo from this amazing young talent!

Tracklisting:

"Icon Of Sin"
"Road Rage"
"Shadow Dancer"
"Unholy Battleground"
"Nightbreed"
"Virtual Empire"
"Pandemic Euphoria"
"Clouds Over Gotham"
"Arcade Generation"
"Hagakure" (Intro)
"The Last Samurai"
"The Howling"
"Survival Instinct"

"Shadow Dancer" video:

Lineup:

Raphael Mendes – Vocals
Caio Vidal – Bass
Sol Perez – Guitar
Mateus Cantaleãno – Guitar
CJ Dubiella - Drums

Edmonton's Boneyard have released a music video for "Oathbreaker", the title track of their debut album, released back in October. Watch the clip below.

Boneyard is a hard rock/ metal band from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The band features lead vocalist/ guitarist Pamtera. Rounding out the rhythm section, is bassist Dennis Cooke and drummer Jefftimus. The band also enjoys injecting some classic metal cuts into the setlist. Its members bring a wealth of experience from previous projects that include: Tyrant, Powerslave and Septimus.

Oathbreaker is now available on red colored vinyl, limited to 100 copies. Purchase here.

"Oathbreaker" video:

Fates Warning lyric video: