**UPDATE**: According to the FBI, ICED EARTH's Jon Schaffer was among the rioters who sprayed United States Capitol police officers with "bear spray," a form of capsaicin pepper spray sold by many outdoors retailers, as part of their efforts to push the officers back inside the Capitol and breach the Capitol building themselves.

Schaffer was photographed and captured on surveillance video (see below) carrying "bear spray" and engaging in verbal altercations with Capitol police officers inside the Capitol building. Schaffer is seen holding what the FBI describes as "clear sunglasses" in one photograph, and "bear spray in other photographs."

The article follows below.

ICED EARTH guitarist Jon Schaffer has been taken into custody in connection with the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The musician, who resides in Columbus, Indiana, turned himself in to authorities around 3 p.m. Sunday (January 17), Chris Bavender, public affairs specialist for the FBI Indianapolis Field Office, said.

The FBI Indianapolis Field Office released the following statement regarding Schaffer's arrest: "Jon Schaffer, Columbus, IN, has been arrested in connection to Jan 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol. Schaffer faces 6 charges including engaging in an act of physical violence in a Capitol building. Schaffer was allegedly among rioters who sprayed Capitol police with 'bear spray.'"

These are the six charges Schaffer is facing, according to the FBI Indianapolis Field Office:

1) Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority

2) Disrupting the Orderly Conduct of Government Business

3) Knowingly Engages in an Act of Physical Violence Against any Person or Property in any Restricted Building or Grounds

4) Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building

5) Engage in an Act of Physical Violence in a Capitol Building

6) Parade, Demonstrate, or Picket in a Capitol Building

On January 8, the FBI's Washington Field Office released 40 photos of people who were suspected of unlawful entry during a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol carried out on January 6 during the final Congressional vote recording for the 2020 general election. Among them was a picture of Schaffer taken by Roberto Schmidt of AFP. In the photo, Schaffer could be seen at the front of a mob, sporting a hat from Oath Keepers, an anti-government militia group, wearing black leather fingerless tactical gloves and pointing his finger while yelling at someone out of the frame.

Washington, D.C., police officer Christina Laury said cops were being sprayed with bear mace — a significantly stronger version of pepper spray — as they held the line outside.

"Unfortunately, it shuts you down for a while. It's way worse than pepper spray," she recalled in an interview with CNN.

"It seals your eyes shut. … You've got to spray and douse yourself with water. And in those moments, it's scary because you can't see anything and have people that are fighting to get through."

Schaffer is believed to be one of at least 200 people who are being investigated by FBI officials over their roles in the insurrection. Additionally, the FBI has received roughly 140,000 digital media tips from the public.

While Schaffer has not yet said anything publicly about his involvement in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates 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."

Last week, German daily newspaper Die Welt uploaded a video interview it conducted with Schaffer last November at a Washington, D.C. demonstration supporting Trump and protesting the 2020 presidential election results. In the chat, the 52-year-old musician said that "a group of thugs and criminals hijacked this country a long time ago" and warned that "they're messing with the wrong people here. Because now we see you, and you're going down. Mark my words."

Schaffer also seemingly threw his support behind Trump, saying "he's not your typical Republican" and claiming that America's 45th president is "dealing with a criminal mafia that has been in the shadows running the world, frankly, for a very long time. They wanna destroy all of our sovereignty and bring about global government," he added. "We're not having it… It will not happen. There will be a lot of blood shed, if it comes down to that — trust me. The American people will not go for that bullshit — once they understand what's actually happening. So, that's where we're at. Nobody wants this, but they're pushing us to a point where we have no choice."

Back in 2009, Schaffer raised eyebrows when he launched his SONS OF LIBERTY project via an appearance on a radio show hosted by far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

More recently, Schaffer voiced his controversial views on the coronavirus crisis during an interview with MetalSucks's "The Quarantinecast", claiming that COVID-19 is "a psychological warfare campaign on the people more than it is a serious pandemic." Implying that a shadowy cabal of elites is using a global crisis as a cover to profiteer and entrench their power, Schaffer said: "I think there's a lot more going on than meets the eye here — in fact, I know there is. Legitimate doctors and scientists are being censored and banned on YouTube constantly. It's unbelievable levels of fraud."

In a September 2020 Facebook Live chat, Schaffer said that he didn't trust his government. "I don't give a shit if it's an 'R' or a 'D' next to the name of the person," he explained. "You can't put your hope into one president or one person, or a mayor or a governor or whatever. You've gotta be out there and actively put pressure on these people, let 'em know you're paying attention. If you're not paying attention, they're gonna rob you and steal everything. Your freedom too. Not just your money. They're gonna steal your fucking freedom. 'Cause they're a bunch of sick control freaks."











Jon Schaffer, Columbus, IN, has been arrested in connection to Jan 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol. Schaffer faces 6 charges including engaging in an act of physical violence in a Capitol building. Schaffer was allegedly among rioters who sprayed Capitol police with "bear spray."

— FBI Indianapolis (@FBIIndianapolis) January 18, 2021








Jon Schaffer from Central Florida metal band Iced Earth? pic.twitter.com/p7v2wRLWRJ

— Lars❄️#FBR??NEW account (@a_fly_guy_no) January 8, 2021

In a new interview with A&P Reacts, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was asked if the songtitle "The Best Is Yet To Come" from the band's upcoming album "Too Mean To Die" represents ACCEPT's motto. He responded (see video below): "I hope so. It's my personal motto, for sure. I get asked a lot about the '80s, and some people always wanna dig around the past in my case. Some people out there enjoy the past better than the present — it seems like they're living in the past almost — and I always think that's not for me. I'm a guy who constantly thinks ahead. And I honestly think that here and now is pretty damn cool, but the best is yet to come. And maybe the best ACCEPT song hasn't even been written yet, and the best show hasn't been played yet, professionally. So I'm definitely always thinking ahead and honestly, I'm the eternal optimist in that regard. 'Cause I know a lot of people are other way around — they think, ah, today everything sucks, and everything was great in the '80s, or 20 years ago, or whenever, and I can't understand that. So it reflects what I think is my life philosophy, if you want."

Hoffmann went on to say that it's pointless to keep thinking about the past because "you can't change it anyhow. I even hate second-guessing myself and thinking, 'I should have' [and] 'I could have' and all that kind of stuff," he said. "Because people ask me that all the time: 'What would you have done differently? And if you were doing this again…?' I don't care, man. It's over. It's done. We even have a song [called 'What's Done Is Done' on the 2017 album 'The Rise Of Chaos' featuring the lyrics] 'What's done is done when the bullet left the gun.' You can't take it back. You know what I mean?"

"Too Mean To Die" will be made available on January 29 (postponed two weeks from the previously announced January 15) via Nuclear Blast. The LP will be the group's first without bassist Peter Baltes, who exited ACCEPT in November 2018. He has since been replaced by Martin Motnik. ACCEPT's lineup has also been expanded with the addition of a third guitarist, Philip Shouse, who originally filled in for Uwe Lulis during 2019's "Symphonic Terror" tour, before being asked to join the band permanently.

"Too Mean To Die" was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with British producer Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH), who has been responsible for the magnificent studio sound of ACCEPT since 2010.

ACCEPT's last album, 2017's "The Rise Of Chaos", marked the band's first release with guitarist Uwe Lulis and drummer Christopher Williams, replacing Herman Frank and Stefan Schwarzmann, respectively.

During his latest appearance on MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn's "No Fuckin' Regrets With Robb Flynn" podcast, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke about the creation of the bass intro to the song "Peace Sells", from the band's 1986 album "Peace Sells… But Who's Buying?"

"Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH frontman] wrote the riff," Ellefson said. "I had a bass. It was a B.C. Rich Eagle bass, and I seem to think it was a fretless bass… Me and Dave were living with Karat Faye, who was the engineer [and] co-producer on the 'Killing Is My Business' record… We were sitting there, and Dave picks the bass up, and he starts noodling. He goes, 'Hey, Junior, come over here and play this.' So we started working on that, trying to get that figured out. And we go to rehearsal that night… We went down there, and that song just kind of wrote itself that night. Dave had the riffs, Gar [Samuelson, MEGADETH's then-drummer] started playing. We sort of put it together. [We had] a few suggestions here and there. I mean, that song, literally, within a couple of hours was done… I don't know if it was that night. It might have been. We were sitting there driving, and we had the radio on… And I remember Dave just looks at me and he goes, 'Hey, what do you think about 'Peace Sells… But Who's Buying?' [And I said], 'Cool. It sounds great.' And wheels were turning. Dave would just kind of sit there, and wheels were always turning and ideas were coming up. And that became that song. And he wrote the lyrics, I think, pretty quickly; it kind of fell out."

In 2006, VH1 ranked "Peace Sells" at No. 11 on its list of the "40 Greatest Metal Songs" of all time. The opening bassline was also used as the theme for MTV News, but Mustaine has repeatedly claimed he never received any royalties for MTV's usage of the song.

In 2018, Mustaine brought up the "Peace Sells" bassline while discussing Ellefson's contributions to MEGADETH. He told mxdwn: "David's got moments of greatness where he goes from being a star to a superstar; most notably is the riff I wrote for 'Peace Sells…But Who's Buying?' When I showed that to him, he embraced it and people fell in love with his playing and the rest is history."

Six years ago, Ellefson told Songfacts that the "Peace Sells" bassline was "definitely one of the most recognizable" basslines ever in rock. "The reason the song stands out is the melody, for sure," he said. "But also because it's the tone, it's the sound. Like, you hear [Jimi] Hendrix play, it's not just him, but it's the sound that they captured of him back in those days that is part of the character. When I hear a [BLACK] SABBATH tune, you instantly know it's SABBATH, because you are so familiar with the recording. And I think 'Peace Sells' is that thing. It's the bassline, but also, our ear is trained now to hear that recording that we captured in 1986, when we put that down to tape. I think it really speaks to that line being used on MTV for all those years [as part of the theme for MTV News]. It was something that was almost subliminally piped into everybody's house for 10 years, and it's amazing what an effect it has on people. And also, it's just a really cool song. And it's a really tricky bass line. When people tell me that they just learned how to play the bass and this is the first line they're trying to learn, I'm, like, 'You might want to learn something a little bit easier.' That's a very tricky song to play."

Mustaine told Rolling Stone that he knew when he first wrote "Peace Sells" that it was something special. "Prior to that song, everything was just shred-festing and just playing really fast, aggressive stuff," he said. "But as soon as 'Peace Sells' came out, it was like, 'Wow, this is really a song-song,' something that, unbeknownst to myself, would stand the test of time, something that would be my friend forever. Never had I gotten that feeling from our previous songs. I never thought, 'Hey, you're gonna be playing this song every night for the rest of your life.'"

During an appearance on the most recent episode of "The State Of Amorica: A Black Crowes Podcast", former THE BLACK CROWES guitarist Marc Ford confirmed that the was approached twice about becoming a member of GUNS N' ROSES. "I got asked to join that band a couple of different times," he said (hear audio below). "Once when Axl [Rose] was still finishing that record that was taking forever," apparently referring to GUNS' 2008 album "Chinese Democracy". "Right about when I was about to make [my 2002 solo album] 'It's About Time', I got offered to join that band. But the first time, I had just come back from a sort of 'unofficial official,' or whatever it was, joining of THE BLACK CROWES weekend in Atlanta [in 1991]. When I got back home, that Monday morning, Slash had called and offered [me the GN'R gig]. He said that Izzy [Stradlin] was leaving, and did I want the spot. And I said I just joined THE BLACK CROWES. And he was very cool. And he said, 'That's a good gig for you. Right on.'"

Ford's career began in Los Angeles during the 1980s. His group BURNING TREE captured the essence of his guitar virtuosity and songwriting.

He joined THE BLACK CROWES in late 1991. Ford toured and recorded on three of THE CROWES' finest albums — "The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion", "Amorica" and "Three Snakes And One Charm". Ford's tenure in THE CROWES found the group operating at a zenith. He rejoined THE CROWES in 2005-2006 when they toured and released "The Lost Crowes" — two albums the band never released when he was a member.

In 2002, Ford released his first solo album, "It's About Time". During this era, Ford experienced the highs and lows of surviving in a cutthroat music business through the years as well as being a dedicated family man. Ford's following solo albums included "Weary And Wired" (2007), "The Fuzz Machine" (2010) and "Holy Ghost" (2014).

Ford won a NAACP award (John F. Kennedy counts as one of the few other Caucasians bestowed the honor) for his work on the BEN HARPER AND BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA album "There Will Be A Light".

Through his career, Ford has performed and recorded with Izzy Stradlin, GOV'T MULE, THE JAYHAWKS, THE ORIGINAL HARMONY RIDGE CREEKDIPPERS, FEDERALE, WIDESPREAD PANIC, BLUE FLOYD, Booker T. Jones, Ivan Neville and Mike Campbell.

TESLA bassist Brian Wheat has dismissed the notion that rock is dead, saying some of the biggest artists in the genre are still huge concert draws.

While rock 'n' roll has been king of the music world for decades, in the past few years, it's been unseated by the growing popularity of hip-hop. This has caused many pundits to proclaim the genre "dead" from an industry perspective, noting that it has been eclipsed in all measures by pop, hip-hop, and EDM.

A few years ago, KISS bassist/vocalist Simmons told Esquire magazine that "rock did not die of old age. It was murdered. Some brilliance, somewhere, was going to be expressed and now it won't because it's that much harder to earn a living playing and writing songs. No one will pay you to do it."

A number of hard rock and heavy metal musicians have weighed in on the topic in a variety of interviews over the last several years, with some digging a little deeper into Simmons's full remarks and others just glossing over the headline.

Wheat, who is promoting his recently released autobiography, "Son Of A Milkman: My Crazy Life With Tesla", spoke about rock's supposed diminishing status during a recent interview with the "Rock 'N' Roll Icons With Bode James" podcast. Addressing the whole "rock is dead" debate, Brian said (hear audio below): "Well, I don't know. I think Gene made a lot of money on that [KISS] show in Dubai [on New Year's Eve]. It didn't seem like rock was dead that night.

"I think what Gene's trying to say is that rock as it was, say, in 1989 is not the same as it is today," Brian continued. "In 1989, rock was all over the media, it was all over TV, it was all over radio, and now it's become more of a selective thing that was similar to maybe the early '70s when rock wasn't — you had these waves of hard rock. So I think that's what he's saying.

"It's not dead; it's just not number one on everyone's list. Especially when you look at that 10-year run we had from about '87 to '97, with rock and grunge, whatever you wanna call it; it was still rock music to me. And it was everywhere.

"That's what I think he's trying to say," Wheat added. "It's not dead, because certainly when you put DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE and POISON and Joan Jett in baseball stadiums, and it sells out in a day, that's not the indication that that kind of music's dead. But, look, there are less rock stations. MTV doesn't play rock videos, VH1 — those things are gone. So, as we knew it at that time, yeah, it's different. But I wouldn't say it's dead. But that's Gene's thing. I'm not worried about Gene's thing. Gene gets enough publicity."

The "rock is dead" argument has popped up again and again throughout the years, including in 2018 after MAROON 5 lead singer Adam Levine told Variety magazine that "rock music is nowhere, really. I don't know where it is," he said. "If it's around, no one's invited me to the party. All of the innovation and the incredible things happening in music are in hip-hop. It's better than everything else. Hip-hop is weird and avant-garde and flawed and real, and that's why people love it."

Sebastian Bach has once again slammed Chris Jericho over allegations that the FOZZY frontman uses pre-recorded vocal tracks during live performances.

The former SKID ROW vocalist initially accused Jericho of "miming to a tape" at FOZZY concerts in a social media post last July. In response, the wrestler-turned-rocker insisted that he had "never mimed anything ever" and challenged Bach to a "singoff" with "no effects, no tuning, no bullshit", saying "Bas is a great singer...but I'm better".

Asked about his Internet feud with Jericho, Bach told The Aquarian Weekly in a new interview: "I have an open mind about everyone. If I read on Blabbermouth.com [sic] that some band says, 'We're the future of rock 'n' roll and we are the next thing after THE ROLLING STONES,' I think, this must be incredible! What have I been missing out on? So, I checked out one video during which the singer was 100% miming to a tape on stage at The Rockpile in Toronto. I thought to myself, 'That's weird, that's not the next ROLLING STONES.' So, I watch another video where he was opening up for NICKELBACK in an arena and, again, he's miming to a tape. You can go watch it for yourself. Then someone said, 'Here's a clip of him singing live. Legit, bro.' And it's him miming to a tape again. It's crazy obvious. It is not my opinion, it's fact. It is not me starting a fight. But don't tell me what singing live is, 'cause I have never used tape. I don't even know how to do that."

Sebastian continued: "Axl Rose sings live. Mark McGrath of SUGAR RAY sings live. I perform with him in a band called ROYAL MACHINES and we don't use tapes. Dee Snider and RATT's Stephen Pearcy both sing live. Miming to tape makes a real mockery of what real singers do. It also begs the question: 'What am I doing?' Maybe I should use tapes. Why do I spend a month before a tour warming up? Why do I lock myself in a lounge for an hour before each show to do scales?"

Bach also addressed the fact that Jericho has accused him of having a less-than-original stage name after Sebastian slammed Jericho for copying the name of a SKID ROW tour for FOZZY.

"I switched a couple of letters of my legal last name [Bierk]. Who's Mongoose McQueen?" Bach asked, referring to Jericho's original FOZZY stage name. "What kind of a stage name is that?

"How about this: professional wrestling sucks," he added. "Everyone wishes they were a rock star. It hilarious. Evidently, all you have to do is [record] a tape, go on stage, and jump around. You can jump off the drum riser and do jumping jacks. It doesn't matter if you are miming to tape."

When Bach first went public with his Jericho accusation, FOZZY guitarist Rich Ward called Sebastian "universally disliked" and said that seeing Bach "publicly go after the only guy that I have ever witness utter a nice word about him is sad."

Sebastian, who has been outspoken about rock bands using pre-recorded backing tracks during live shows, later tried to explain his outburst, writing: "I'm not trying to beat anybody at anything. I'm actually trying to say hey Chris maybe you're right maybe I'll stop singing live and prance around while the tape is playing just like you do Chris. I'm tired of trying so hard it's like beating my head against the wall."

After a self-proclaimed Bach fan called Sebastian "an asshat" on Twitter for firing "the first shots" in his war of words with Jericho, Bach came back with: "Hey man f*** you. I have spent my life learning how to sing live on stage. When someone comes along and mimes to a tape it sucks for all of the rest of us that don't. You want to go see a wrestling match good. Don't call it rock and ro

In a new interview with Bloodstream Radio, legendary German guitarist Michael Schenker was asked what keeps him motivated to write and play music after 50 years in the business. He responded (hear audio below): "I never take from trends; if anything, I created a trend. In the '80s, people were copying my guitar style, and they actually overexposed it to the point when I was playing my guitar style, it was already heard over and over.

"I discovered very early in my life the infinite inner spring of creativity — being yourself, being Michael Schenker. Everybody can do this, but it's just a matter of choice. Do you wanna [follow] a commercial trend that will guarantee you commercial success and make you money and [get you] fame and [put you] in the limelight, et cetera, et cetera, or do you wanna self-express?

"As long as I can go back, being a kid, even at five years old, it was always in my expression," he continued. "I found, or I may have always had the connection to, the inner infinite spring of creativity. And that's where I go. I don't see any point in taking from the trend or taking from other people. They're already doing it. Why should I do it?

"By going to the inner spring and injecting freshness to the trend, which, basically, the '80s were a watered down '70s, and commercialized, and made everybody rich, I didn't see any point in doing something somebody else was already doing. He's already doing that; why should I do it? So I was always attracted to pure self-expression and inject something to the world and to the trend that comes from a fresh place.

"Without people like me — I'm sure there are some [others] — the trend as we know it, the rock and roll trend, would have died a long time ago," Schenker added. "I mean, Markus Staiger, the boss of [Schenker's record label] Nuclear Blast in Germany, said to me one day, 'Michael, if you wouldn't have been, Nuclear Blast would have never been,' and he would have never started thrash metal. I [was, like], 'What?'

"I never knew about any of these things. Because I was never looking for expectations of having an impact like that. I was just happy with music.

"There was a couple of [Australian interviewers], they said, 'Michael, if you would have not been, there would have not been thrash metal or death metal or any of the other metals.' I said, 'What?'

"It's unbelievable. You don't expect anything. I never really look at critics or any write-ups or anything. Usually, I'm just happy being a musician and focusing on the music and just enjoying that."

Schenker will release a new MSG (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) album "Immortal", on January 29 via Nuclear Blast.

"Immortal" was predominantly recorded at the Kidroom Studio in Germany, with Michael's long time partner Michael Voss, who co-produced the album and also sings on two tracks.

"Immortal" will continue the tradition of the previous two MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST records "Resurrection" and "Revelation" and feature a big list of friends and guests. The album's main vocalist will be uprising Chilean-born talent Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW), along with Michael Voss (MAD MAX), Scheepers and Joe Lynn Turner (ex-DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW) singing on two tracks each. Besides Michael Schenker himself, the album was recorded with Steve Mann (keyboards), Barry Sparks (bass, DOKKEN), as well as the three drummers, Bodo Schopf, Simon Philipps (ex-TOTO) and Brian Tichy (ex-WHITESNAKE).

BMG has announced it has acquired outright FLEETWOOD MAC co-founder Mick Fleetwood's interests in the band's recordings.

The deal gives BMG Fleetwood's royalty interest in over 300 recordings including all of FLEETWOOD MAC's biggest hits, among them "Dreams", "The Chain", "Go Your Own Way" and "Landslide" from albums including "Fleetwood Mac" (1975), "Rumours" (1977) and "Tango In The Night" (1987). It includes Fleetwood's interest in all of their recorded work apart from their first two albums.

It means BMG will participate in the proceeds of the global viral success of "Dreams" on TikTok which became a worldwide sensation generating over 3.2 billion streams globally (during an eight-week period September 24 to November 19, 2020). The song generated 182 million streams, 126,000 downloads, 2.8 billion TikTok views, and sold upwards of 86,000 albums in the U.S. in 2020. The moment captured a new generation of fans, while its contagious vibes spread across the globe engraining it as a defining moment of 2020 and propelled "Rumours" into the charts worldwide, reaching No. 6 on Billboard's Streaming Songs chart 43 years after its release.

The acquisition also strengthens an ongoing relationship which includes the theatrical, record and mediabook release of "Mick Fleetwood & Friends", 2020's tribute event to legendary guitarist Peter Green and the early years of FLEETWOOD MAC, including performances by stars such as Steven Tyler, Christine McVie, Neil Finn, Noel Gallagher and Pete Townshend.

BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said: "Mick Fleetwood is the bedrock of one of the greatest bands in rock. He has a unique talent to bring together musicians of all genres and, of course, he is one of rock's greatest drummers. BMG is proud to represent his greatest work and excited about the forthcoming launch of 'Mick Fleetwood & Friends'."

Fleetwood said: "This is a wonderfully inspiring marriage between two creative partners that understand all aspects of the business. Foremost, BMG understands the artistry and puts the artist first. If this partnership is any indication of my past, and now future, working relationship with BMG, it's that they truly 'get it.'"

The sale of Mick Fleetwood's recorded interests was brokered by his manager Carl Stubner of Shelter Music Group. Said Stubner: "For over 50 years, Mick's works continue to be introduced to legions of new fans while BMG continues to ensure its artists are paid their fair share. In an industry not always known to look after its iconic artists, BMG continues to maximize their income streams."

BMG EVP group strategy and M&A Justus Haerder said: "This acquisition highlights the value of timeless recordings in a streaming market which is increasingly benefitting established rather than newer artists. While recent acquisition activity in the music market has focused on music publishing, this is a pure recorded investment which will get the full benefit of streaming growth. Catalogues such as FLEETWOOD MAC's which connect with every generation are benefiting disproportionately from that growth."

Mick Fleetwood formed FLEETWOOD MAC with John "Mac" McVie in 1967 with guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer. The band hit their stride with their third album "Then Play On" with hit singles "Albatross" and "Man Of The World", but the band fell apart amid substance issues and relationship problems.

Their golden period began in July 1975 with a new lineup and the release of "Fleetwood Mac", their first U.S. No. 1. It was followed by a string of classics, including "Rumours", "Tusk", "Mirage", "Tango In The Night" and "The Dance". FLEETWOOD MAC has sold more than 120 million records worldwide and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1

DEMON HUNTER has released a reworked version of "I Will Fail You" from its forthcoming album, "Songs Of Death And Resurrection", a mostly acoustic and stripped-down effort, due March 5 via Solid State Records.

"Songs Of Death And Resurrection" features 11 new "Resurrected" versions of classic DEMON HUNTER songs from across the band's ten studio albums, including fan favorites such as "I Am A Stone", "I Will Fail You", "Carry Me Down" and "The Heart Of A Graveyard", plus a brand new composition, "Praise The Void". Marking an entirely new approach for DEMON HUNTER, "Songs Of Death And Resurrection" finds the band using lush string arrangements, haunting piano, and layered vocal harmonies.

Ryan Clark (vocals) had this to say about "I Will Fail You (Resurrected)": "The original album version of 'I Will Fail You' is one of our doomiest ballads. At the time, I found myself immersed in the bleak heaviness of bands like OMNIUM GATHERUM, SWALLOW THE SUN and KATATONIA. I'm naturally drawn to that place where heavy and sad collide.

"Reimagined for 'Songs Of Death And Resurrection', the song takes on a haunting vibe, replacing heavy chugs with hypnotic repetition of the lead guitar. There's a trance-like cadence to it, which feels just as appropriate as the original crunch.

"This version of the song also features the amazing talents of longtime DEMON HUNTER collaborator Chris Carmichael. Chris has arranged and performed the strings for many DH songs, such as 'Sixteen', 'Driving Nails', 'I Am A Stone' and 'Slight The Odds'. I've never had to give Chris direction, and I've never asked him to change anything beyond his first attempt. He just gets it... and makes us sound like a million dollars every time he touches a track."

"Songs Of Death And Resurrection" features founding vocalist/songwriter Ryan Clark, lead guitarist Patrick Judge, bassist Jonathan Dunn, drummer Yogi Watts, and guitarist Jeremiah Scott, who produced and mixed the effort in Atlanta, Georgia, and Nashville, Tennessee. Scott also produced the band's "War" (2019), "Peace" (2019), "Outlive" (2017) and "Extremist" (2014) records. Joanna Ott performed piano and additional vocals throughout. Strings were arranged and performed by Chris Carmichael. Clark's mother, Peggy, his original vocal inspiration, appears alongside her son for the first time ever, on "Dead Flowers" and "Loneliness".

Clark had this to say about "Songs Of Death And Resurrection": "The DEMON HUNTER ballad has been a defining aspect of our band since our very first album. My brother and I knew that if we wanted the freedom to pursue more somber, more melodic moments of creativity, we had to set that precedent from the beginning. What we didn't realize then was just how important these songs would become to both the band and our fans.

"The concept of an acoustic record is something we've been considering — and encouraged to pursue by fans — for many years. After ten studio albums, and a tour cycle that included a full acoustic set, it felt like the right time to actualize this idea. What we didn't want to do is something we had done before. Though we've played many of these songs in acoustic fashion over the years, we've never done so with such a level of care and attention. We hope that comes across in these recordings."

"Songs Of Death And Resurrection" track listing:

01. My Throat Is An Open Grave (Resurrected)

02. Dead Flowers (Resurrected)

03. The Heart Of A Graveyard (Resurrected)

04. Praise The Void (Resurrected)

05. Blood In The Tears (Resurrected)

06. Loneliness (Resurrected)

07. I Will Fail You (Resurrected)

08. I Am A Stone (Resurrected)

09. Deteriorate (Resurrected)

10. Carry Me Down (Resurrected)

11. The Tide Began To Rise (Resurrected)

12. My Heartstrings Come Undone (Resurrected)

The cover artwork, which can be seen below, was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

Photo credit: Jeremiah Scott

In a recent interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio, BLACK VEIL BRIDES singer Andy Biersack was asked for his thoughts on the passing of Eddie Van Halen. He responded (hear audio below): "You know, it's one of those things where it's actually kind of funny — I wasn't a VAN HALEN fan as a kid, and not for lack of trying. My dad, who introduced me to KISS and all the other bands that I ended up listening to, was always trying to get me to like VAN HALEN. But there was just something about [David Lee Roth] that just didn't connect with me. And as an adult, I kind of found it later and grew to really love and appreciate what they are as a band and how important they were.

"Obviously, there's a lot of things that play into KISS where Eddie played on 'Christine Sixteen' and a number of other songs, and obviously, [VAN HALEN] was originally discovered by Gene Simmons, and he tried to sign them, and they were basically turned away by the original management company, saying that this band wasn't gonna succeed," he continued. "And I've also resonated heavily, personally, with kind of their story in the sense that — not to take it away from Eddie too much, but when it comes to David Lee Roth, he's someone that when he first started, people said he couldn't sing, and he had a very different kind of voice, and they said he wasn't going anywhere. And when we first started, that was the same sort of critiques that we were getting — that we had amazing guitar players but the singer can't sing. That was one of the things that we heard all the time. So, I can really relate to their story in that way.

"I'm in my living room right now, and [my wife] Juliet [Simms] and I have these pictures all around our living room of the cream-of-the-crop rock stars. And we've got all these framed photos of their mug shots. We always just thought it was interesting because — to get to see these stars that we grew up with and see that they also did things that were crazy. 'Cause sometimes anybody, you feel, man, did I make the right decision? Or, maybe that song was terrible, and is this going to ruin everything? And we kind of liked the idea — we have all these art pieces in our living room of [David] Bowie and Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix, and all the kind of main stars. And as I look around this room, so many of them have now passed, and it's truly a bizarre feeling to think of these incredible mammoths of rock.

"I always think when rock stars roamed the earth, all these pillars of the culture that I grew up in and idolizing, the fact that so many of them are gone is just heartbreaking," Andy added. "And I don't think you can ever possibly even speak to the level of importance that Eddie Van Halen had without even underselling it, because he kind of singularly created the idea of a guitar hero and that style of guitar playing and created a style that had never been heard and then was immediately replicated or tried to be replicated by everybody under the sun after that. And that is extremely unique and extremely important. And it was a huge loss for the rock community, and a huge loss for the world."

Eddie died on October 6 at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

VAN HALEN was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked Eddie Van Halen No. 8 in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists.

BLACK VEIL BRIDES sixth full-length effort, "The Phantom Tomorrow", will be released later this year via Sumerian Records.

In a new interview with Guy "Favazz" Favazza of the St. Louis, Missouri radio station KSHE 95, former VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony was asked about Wolfgang Van Halen's recent revelation that Eddie Van Halen had contemplated a "kitchen-sink tour" that would have included Anthony, as well as vocal turns from both Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth. There was even talk about bringing back Gary Cherone, who sang with VAN HALEN on one poorly received album, 1998's "Van Halen III".

"I actually did get a call from [the VAN HALEN] camp — actually, [from manager] Irving Azoff's office — I don't know… three or four years ago… a few years ago now," Michael said (hear audio below). "And they did ask me about coming back and doing a reunion. And things kind of were progressing, and then, I guess, Eddie was kind of ill — he was going over to Europe and having some treatments done or whatever. And it never materialized. I think he was too ill."

Asked if he has spoken with Wolfgang in the three months after Eddie's death, Michael said: "No, I haven't actually spoken to Wolfgang yet. I obviously didn't want to talk to them. I spoke briefly with Alex [Van Halen, VAN HALEN drummer and Eddie's brother] right after Eddie passed, but I wanted them to have their privacy. And I have texted with Wolfie a couple of times, and everything is all good, obviously."

As for his current relationship with Alex, Michael said: "We spoke briefly after Ed's passing, but Alex has been pretty much grieving, or however you wanna put it, pretty much been to himself. So I'm just kind of letting that happen, and I'm sure at one point we'll talk again here or even get together."

According to Wolfgang, the original plan for the VAN HALEN reunion tour was for him to personally contact Michael and ask him to come back. "Unfortunately, Irving hit [Michael] up before I had a chance to," he said. "The plan was for me to [reach out to him]." Wolfgang went on to say that he was also the one who called Roth in 2007 to get him to return to VAN HALEN for a reunion tour.

VAN HALEN and Anthony had not been on good terms for more than a decade, with Anthony not invited to join the reunion with Roth that began in 2007. The subsequent two tours and studio album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", featured Wolfgang on bass.

Anthony took a pay cut and signed away all of his rights to the band name and logo in order to participate in VAN HALEN's 2004 tour, which featured Hagar.

Eddie died on October 6 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

Ernie "C" Cunnigan has defended his production on BLACK SABBATH's "Forbidden" album, saying that he wanted to "dry" the band's sound up a little bit and make it "more personal."

The 1995 LP, which features guitarist Tony Iommi alongside singer Tony Martin, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Neil Murray, is often regarded as the SABBATH's worst studio recording. Upon its release, it was lambasted by critics and fans alike for its poor production. The album even featured a guest appearance by BODY COUNT frontman Ice-T on the opening track "The Illusion Of Power".

During a recent appearance on "The Official Danko Jones Podcast", Ernie was asked how he ended up helming "Forbidden" in the first place.

"On Ice's first record, he sampled [SABBATH's] 'War Pigs'," the BODY COUNT guitarist said. "And Tony [Iommi] got a whiff of it and he started listening to it and he said he liked it. And then he heard that I produced those first records that we [BODY COUNT] did, and he just gave us a call. And also, Miles Copeland helped out. Stewart Copeland's brother ran I.R.S Records. Miles helped get it together. Tony listened to the sample on there, and then he started listening to our records and said, 'I like that.' Miles came and said, 'I can get him [to produce your next album].'… So we were in England and Tony came to our hotel. He said, 'I would like you to do our new record.'"

According to Ernie, producing SABBATH was a "cool" and "good experience. It was a rock and roll experience that you can just say, 'Well, I did a BLACK SABBATH record, and I'm done,'" he said. "And it also made me say, yeah, I really don't wanna produce bands that are already established. It's good to produce young people that are listening. But when you're so set in your ways…"

Ernie said that he didn't feel any pressure trying to make a SABBATH album that would stand alongside the band's classic efforts. "I didn't pay that much attention to it," he said. "I was more LED ZEPPELIN. I loved SABBATH and this and that, but I wasn't a 'die-hard die-hard.' I wasn't intimidated… And the thing about that was that was the time when the vinyl was out, and I told them, 'I'm gonna dry the sound up a little bit.' Those records from the '80s were big[-sounding] records. [They sound like] you're playing in a tunnel. So I told them, 'We're gonna dry it up a little bit.' 'Cause the vinyl was dry — that's what made the vinyl sound. It was so dry and in your face. It's not a big tunnel. That was the VAN HALEN stuff — the one guitar in the one ear. It's big and large, but if it had been dried up, I don't think it would have been that popular. There's something to that era that lends to you almost seeing 'em on a stage and you're back in the seats. And then when NIRVANA came along, it made it more personal, like you're sitting down with someone… NIRVANA made it more dried up and in your face, [like] we're gonna sit down and come to my garage and listen to my band."

Asked how Ice-T's guest appearance on "Forbidden" came about, Ernie said: "[That came] from me. I just said, 'You wanna get Ice to rap on here?' And [Tony Iommi] was, like, 'Yeah, let's get him on here.' Tony was open — he was open to that. He was just trying to do different things."

BLACK SABBATH started working on "Forbidden" in Par Street Studios in Liverpool, England in 1994 and completed most of the recording sessions over a 10-day period at Devonshire Studios in Los Angeles.

Iommi recently confirmed to The Midland Rocks that he was remixing "Forbidden" for future release. "I never liked the final mix and sound of it — none of the band did actually — so I've been working on that," he said. "I'm taking my time, and there is no rush with it. It will be done when it's done. But it's been good to go back and pull it all apart and start to put it back together again."

Asked what the problem was with how "Forbidden" sounded at the time of its release back in 1995, Iommi said: "Well, we weren't involved with how it ended up sounding like it did. It was produced by Ernie C from the band BODY COUNT and he also got Ice-T to appear on it on the opening track and they were from a totally different background to us. So he came in and did a good job at the time, but I just felt that, without changing any of the songs, there was an opportunity to go back and bring out some of the sounds and make it more what people would expect SABBATH to sound like. I met up with Tony Martin recently and I'm sure he will listen to what I have done with it at some point, but at the moment it is just myself and [engineer] Mike Exeter who have been working on it."

Iommi went on to say that the upcoming "Forbidden" reissue doesn't necessarily mean that other albums from SABBATH's Tony Martin era — such as "Tyr" or "Headless Cross" — will also get the remix treatment.

"It was definitely that album that kind of irritated everybody," Iommi explained. "I was never happy with the guitar sound and Cozy was definitely never happy with the drum sound. He would go on and on about it. So I thought it would be nice to do it for him in a way."

In a 2011 interview with Gibson.com, Martin stated about "Forbidden": "Well, 'Forbidden' is I want to say 'crap,' but it's actually not. The songs worked really well in rehearsals, and then things started to get political, and I got wind of an Ozzy [Osbourne] reunion [with SABBATH] — not from SABBATH directly, of course. But before that came, there was a meeting at the SABBATH offices in London to which we were summoned to discuss the possibility of doing a RUN-D.M.C. type of album. I thought it wouldn't work, and voiced that. Cozy Powell thought it wouldn't work. I was never sure that most of the others were convinced, but we were kinda steered into a 'rap SABBATH' album. Then I was told that Ice-T was gonna be doing it and they couldn't or wouldn't tell me if he was doing the whole thing or just one track... and I still didn't know the answer to that when I was in the studio singing the tracks. They said they were gonna take it and see what Ice-T wanted to do. So it has a distinct ill feeling about it. The album eventually didn't really work, although some fans love it. And it was the penultimate album to my being removed from the band, the last album to be released being 'Sabbath Stones', a compilation album, which kept my name in the band to span 10 years and six albums."

SABBATH completed its last major tour in February 2017 with two shows in Birmingham, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career.

The trek was the band's last because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in late 2011 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time. But he has said he would not rule out special events or one-off shows.

Best known as a founding member and bassist of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT for sixteen years, who also played piano, keyboards and guitar, Joe Bouchard spoke to RockHistoryMusic.com about what it was like to have one of his songs covered by METALLICA. "Astronomy", which was first recorded for BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's 1974 album "Secret Treaties", was interpreted by METALLICA on the band's 1998 album "Garage Inc."

Regarding how he first crossed paths with METALLICA, Joe said (see video below): "I went to see [them play]. This is about 1995. I didn't even know that they knew who I was. But I got a backstage pass. They had everybody held up in the catering room; everybody was in the catering room. I had the nice, sort of, management pass; everybody else had to wait there. So I'm walking down the hall, and I look over. 'Oh, there's the bass player from METALLICA.' I said, 'Jason, it's Joe Bouchard.' He says, 'You're Joe Bouchard?' And he grabs my hand, and he would not stop — he would not let go of my hand. [Laughs] And they were just in front of 20,000 people, and everybody was going crazy. And I felt like I'm not really anybody — I'm just some guy hanging out backstage. So I said, 'Jason, come on down to the catering room. I'll introduce you to the whole room. You can sign some autographs and talk to my friends.' And all my friends from the guitar workshop were there. And [Jason] said [about me], 'That guy meant so much to me.'"

Asked how he found out METALLICA was going to cover the song he co-wrote with his brother, drummer Albert, and the group's producer, the former music journalist Sandy Pearlman, Joe said: "At first, I heard they were gonna record a BLUE ÖYSTER CULT song. It was the early days of the Internet — [and I found out about it through] an America Online chat board. And I said, 'Oh, that's great. They'll probably do '[(Don't Fear) The] Reaper' or one of the usuals.' But then, a couple of weeks later, I found out they were doing 'Astronomy'. [I was, like], 'Wow, that's great.' So I go down to my mailbox, my post box, and there was a cassette in my post box. I took the cassette out and put it in my car, my Datsun old radio, and I'm listening to 'Astronomy' by METALLICA. And I'm going, 'Oh, this is good.; I wanted to jump up and down, but I was driving. But I was really excited. I'll never forget that feeling.

"I mean, some of the fans still love the original version better, but, to me, they did a brilliant job. The hair stands up on the back of my neck when I hear James [Hetfield] singing the melody that I wrote while I was walking on the beach.

"Then we went and we met the rest of the guys. We went to the premiere of the album at a place in New York City, and they were really nice to us, and they were happy that we were happy with the way they did it. Not everybody is happy when you get a cover. Sometimes the cover is [not that great]. [Laughs]"

Speaking about how having METALLICA cover one of his songs affected him, Joe said: "It changed my life — it really changed my life. I was doing all kinds of different things at the time — I was working in a publishing company; I learned the book business; I got my master's degree in music. You know, [I was] doing all this kind of crazy stuff that I wanted to do — go back to college. [Laughs] I heard Rivers Cuomo went back to Harvard after he was a rock star, so I felt like I'm kind of following in WEEZER's footsteps.

"So then, after that, I said, 'I've gotta get back to recording.' First of all, I quit my day job. And I said, 'I've gotta get back into writing songs again.' I mean, this is a tremendous pat on the back, as a songwriter, to get a cover [from a band like METALLICA]. It was that huge all over the world. I would get statements from, like, Brazil and Argentina and France and Germany. [I was], like, 'Wow. They're huge everywhere.'

"It was just luck. I said, 'It happened once. It'll probably never happen again.' But you've gotta do what you've gotta do."

Bouchard released his latest solo album, "Strange Legends", in July.

British rockers THUNDER have released the brand new single "Going To Sin City", the second taste of their upcoming 13th studio album, "All The Right Noises", due out March 12 via BMG.

The defiantly strutting track is a rare look back for the band, who perhaps only now are processing the whirlwind of their late '80s and early '90s adventures.

Of the song, guitarist and songwriter Luke Morley says: "It's based on the first time Danny [THUNDER vocalist Danny Bowes] and I went to L.A. in the late '80s.

"We were used to the music scene around Soho, and thought we were cool. In L.A., I felt like I was the bloke who'd come to fix the plumbing. Before bands like GUNS N' ROSES, rock 'n' roll was pretty much denim and leather in Britain. Danny and I were determined to bring all that color and sex and fun to the new band we were forming, which became THUNDER."

"All The Right Noises" is a return to the full-throttle sound of THUNDER that has seen them create a hugely successful 30-plus-year career at the forefront of British rock.

"All The Right Noises" is an intense confection of illicit charms that reasserts their authority as the number one band in the land. Recorded in the months leading up to the first COVID-19 lockdown, it was originally due for release in September 2020. Strange to reflect then on how much of the new material appears to address the challenging new world we now inhabit.

On the album, Luke says: "All the songs were written and recorded pre-COVID. But it is interesting how if you look at some of the tracks through the prism of COVID, they still make a lot of sense.”

The volcanic lead single from the album, "Last One Out Turn Off The Lights", could easily be mistaken for world-ending lockdown rage. But, says Luke, "That was directly about Brexit, but you could apply it to everything else."

The track is indicative of both the ferocity and message of the album as a whole, with subjects tackled including depression, mental health, and diversity. With their knack for imaginative songwriting, "All The Right Noises" also takes aim at Donald Trump in a song written from his perspective, as well as a song Luke describes as "like the opposite" of "My Generation" by THE WHO in its message.

"All The Right Noises" will be available in 1CD, 2CD, 2LP, and 4LP formats, with the 2CD and 4LP releases containing bonus tracks. The LP versions feature a stunning pop-out of the "Singing Ringing Tree", which appears on the album's glorious artwork. The photo cover art was shot by the band's long-term collaborator Jason Joyce. The sculpture, which also appears in the video for "Last One Out Turn Off The Lights", is set in Burnley, Lancashire, and resembles a tree which harnesses the energy of the wind to create a choral, discordant sound.

"All The Right Noises" follows on from 2019's stripped back and reimagined album "Please Remain Seated", which continued THUNDER's consecutive Top 10 U.K. album chart run since their ecstatically received comeback six years ago.

With their most recent success, THUNDER have proven themselves as vital now as when they emerged with their debut album in 1990, "Backstreet Symphony", and their hit follow-up in 1992, "Laughing On Judgement Day", which was only kept off the top spot by Kylie Minogue.

Track listing

01. Last One Out Turn Off The Lights

02. Destruction

03. The Smoking Gun

04. Going To Sin City

05. Don't Forget To Live Before You Die

06. I'll Be The One

07. Young Man

08. You're Gonna Be My Girl

09. St George's Day

10. Force Of Nature

11. She's A Millionairess

WATAIN frontman Erik Danielsson was recently interviewed by Heavy New York. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if WATAIN is sometimes forced to adjust its stage show based on the differences in the sizes of the venues that it plays, Erik said: "It's not really an issue. I think it's a challenge that we value. Because I see… Our friends in [fellow Swedish band] GHOST, for example, are now on this arena tour — beautiful stage setup, fucking big-ass show — but it's exactly the same setup every night, the amps are exactly in the same spots every night. There's something with that that I… I don't know. It's great, but I really enjoy doing kind of a different setup every night, because it puts you a bit on a guard and things become a little bit unpredictable and there's more room for disaster, really. That's what I like about it… The fact that it's different every night, it somehow adds rather than takes away from my own experience, at least."

WATAIN supported MORBID ANGEL on a month-long trek, dubbed "The 2019 USA Sickness Tour". The trek kicked off on November 21 in Houston, Texas and ended on December 21 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

On the day the tour commenced in Houston, WATAIN published a long Facebook post explaining that officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection had detained guitarist Pelle Forsberg a week earlier in Atlanta after he had flown in from Mexico. In Forsberg's absence, Alvaro Lillo switched from bass to guitar, and Danielsson assumed bass duties. Guitarist Hampus Eriksson and drummer Emil Svensson round out the quartet.

WATAIN's latest studio album, "Trident Wolf Eclipse", was released in January 2018 via Century Media.

Former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted's official YouTube channel has just shared a video of him and his THE CHOPHOUSE BAND performing a cover version of the song "I've Been Everywhere" (originally written by Australian country singer Geoff Mack and later recorded by Johnny Cash) in March 2019 at the Lighthouse ArtCenter in Tequesta, Florida. Check it out below. Also available are previously released performances of Cash's "Big River" the blues classic "Cocaine Blues", Tom Waits's "Jockey Full Of Bourbon" and Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World".

Named after Jason's four recording studio facilities around the U.S. and featuring a fluid roster of players, THE CHOPHOUSE BAND began in 1992 when Newsted founded The Chophouse Records Studio in San Francisco.

THE CHOPHOUSE BAND is led by Newsted, playing acoustic guitars and performing lead vocal, accompanied by 
close friends/musicians of all walks and styles, sharing some great American songs from familiar and unfamiliar heroes.

Jason told the Palm Beach Florida Weekly about THE CHOPHOUSE BAND: "We all get along great because there's not money involved. They've got their own bands, their own families, their own gigs. We do benefit gigs, six a year, and that's it. I record and write and play songs the whole rest of the time. They could all run circles around me musical theory-wise. They could tell you everything they're playing, and all the relating chords. I surround myself with the bad-asses, and they make me look really good. I'm playing cowboy chords the whole time, and they're doing their fancy shit to make me look good. I just concentrate on singing, and getting across the things I want people to hear."

Asked by Boca magazine how deep his song archive is with THE CHOPHOUSE BAND, Newsted said: "I keep two bibles — heroes, and my songs. I try to stay at about 100 in the bible of heroes — everything from [LED] ZEPPELIN to John Prine to Dolly Parton. My [personal] song bible is probably between 24 and 32, most of them in the last 10 months. The band's favorite band collectively is JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT. I've become friends with [Isbell] over the past couple of years, and taken time to learn 20 of his songs. We always perform at least one in the set, trying to make it my own — kind of the idea with all of them."

Jason left METALLICA back in 2001, but was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, along with Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and the man who replaced him, bassist Robert Trujillo, in 2009.

Six years ago, Jason shelved NEWSTED, the heavy metal project he operated between 2012 and 2014, saying that it cost him "an awful lot of money — hundreds of thousands of dollars." He added: "I couldn't continue because the business is such a harsh thing now and so different than what I had known."

Niji Entertainment and BMG recently announced the first two albums in the DIO live album reissue series with "Evil Or Divine: Live In New York City" and "Holy Diver Live" on February 12. Fans can get another early listen with a track launched today, a live version of the classic "Rainbow In The Dark".

Wendy Dio, who has served as the curator of Dio's musical legacy and everything that relates to her late husband's career (including the Ronnie James Dio hologram tour), says: "I am very excited to be working with BMG, a label that still has a passion for rock music. They will be making the complete DIO catalog available again with some interesting surprises."

"Evil Or Divine: Live In New York City"

* Reissue of DIO's long-out-of-print 2005 live release

* Newly remastered and newly created cover art

* Limited-edition vinyl version includes lenticular 3D album-sized art piece along with 3LP 180g black vinyl / triple gatefold

* Also available in 2CD deluxe mediabook and 3LP 180g black vinyl / triple gatefold standard edition / remastered digital version

* Features the complete live show experience as if you were there, including never-before-released version of "Lord Of The Last Day" and an amazing Simon Wright drum solo not on the original release.

* Both 3LP vinyl versions feature special mini four-track bonus from the 1996-2004 studio albums featuring "This Is Your Life" (from "Angry Machines"), "Fever Dreams" (from "Magica"), "Push" (from "Killing The Dragon") and "The Eyes" (from "Master Of The Moon")

Lineup:

Vocals: Ronnie James Dio

Guitar: Doug Aldrich

Bass: Jimmy Bain

Drums: Simon Wright

Keyboards: Scott Warren

Track listing:

Side A

01. Killing The Dragon

02. Egypt (The Chains Are On)

03. Push

Side B

04. Drum Solo - Simon Wright

05. Stand Up And Shout

06. Rock And Roll

07. Don't Talk To Strangers

Side C

08. Man On The Silver Mountain

09. Guitar Solo – Doug Aldrich

10. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll

11. Lord Of The Last Day

Side D

12. Fever Dreams

13. Holy Diver

14. Heaven And Hell

Side E

15. The Last In Line

16. Rainbow In The Dark

17. We Rock

Side F - Bonus: Best Of Studio Albums 1996-2004 (on LP configurations only)

18. This Is Your Life (from "Angry Machines")

19. Fever Dreams (from "Magica")

20. Push (from "Killing The Dragon")

21. The Eyes (from "Master Of The Moon")

Pre-order now at this location.

"Holy Diver Live"

* Reissue of DIO's long-out-of-print 2008 live release

* Newly remastered and newly created cover art

* Limited-edtion vinyl version includes lenticular 3D album-sized art piece along with 3LP 180g black vinyl / triple gatefold

* Also available in 2CD deluxe mediabook and 3LP 180g black vinyl / triple gatefold standard edition / remastered digital version

* Features the legendary DIO album "Holy Diver" performed live in its entirety plus DIO classics from across his career including BLACK SABBATH and RAINBOW.

* Recorded Live at the London Astoria

Lineup:

Vocals: Ronnie James Dio

Guitar: Doug Aldrich

Bass: Rudy Sarzo

Drums: Simon Wright

Keyboards: Scott Warren

Track listing:

Side A

01. Intro

02. Stand Up And Shout

03. Holy Diver

04. Gypsy

05. Drum Solo - Simon Wright

Side B

01. Caught In The Middle

02. Don't Talk To Strangers

03. Straight Through The Heart

04. Invisible

Side C

01. Rainbow In The Dark

02. Shame On The Night

03. Guitar Solo – Doug Aldrich

04. Holy Diver (Reprise)

Side D

01. Tarot Woman

02. Sign Of The Southern Cross

03. One Night In The City

Side E

01. Gates Of Babylon

02. Heaven And Hell

Side F

01. Man On The Silver Mountain

02. Catch The Rainbow

03. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll

04. Call For Encore

05. We Rock

Pre-order now at this location.

Helsinki-based Oceanhoarse have checked in with the following update:

"Live at the Hoarse Ranch! 'REW'. Video by Arto Lindén

We had already started rehearsing new songs and testing some stage lights for Hoarsefest when the new restrictions put the event on hold (new date Feb 27th!). So the 'stage' was already set but there was no one to play to, so we invited our trusted partner-in-crime Arto Lindén to come over to our rehearsals to hear the new songs. Things escalated quickly into a full-blown video shoot!"

Oceanhoarse likes to keep busy. After the touring plans for this fall were put on hold due to the pandemic, an idea struck somewhere in between the relentless songwriting and the upcoming studio-sessions: just jam on a couple of Ozzy songs – and film them!

The band was joined by Sinergy vocalist Kimberly Goss - who dropped off the metal radar years ago - for "Perry Mason". Here's what Kimberly had to say about Ozzy, and this collaboration:

"You can't be a lover of metal without Ozzy having had an influence on you at some point in your life. The first vinyl record I ever owned was Paranoid by Black Sabbath. I fondly remember sitting in my room, turning on my black light and listening to Electric Funeral over and over again! I was also a huge fan of Ozzy's solo career, but when Ben (Varon) asked me to partake in this Ozztober project that Oceanhoarse was doing, I was a little hesitant at first.

I dropped off the face of the metal scene about 14 years ago to focus on raising my daughter. I've really enjoyed the anonymity that comes along with being in a suburb while living the mommy life. I never stopped being involved in music, but I just switched gears to something more befitting to my role as a mom. In recent months, however, I've started collaborating on a metal album with a killer guitarist in hopes that now when my kid is older and less dependent on me, I could concentrate on starting a new band and work on the second phase of my career in metal. As scary as it is to put myself back out there after such a long absence, I figured this would be a fun way to reintroduce myself! I've been close friends with Ben for almost 18 years, so it was a great pleasure to finally work with him on something and I hope the fans enjoy it. Be sure to keep an eye out for my new band debuting within the next year or two. We still need a complete line up, so if anyone else is looking to come out of retirement, hit me up!"

Check out Oceanhoarse here.

Depths Of Hatred has released the video for "Sadistic Trials", from their upcoming new album, Inheritance, due out on March 19, 2021 via Prosthetic Records. Armed with a new vocalist and reinvigorated sound, "Sadistic Trials" sees the Canadian band capitalise on William Arseneau’s mellifluous vocal capabilities whilst staying true to their signature death metal foundations.

Keeping production duties in house and allowing themselves to work at their own pace has resulted in a polished, mature sounding collection of songs, which was then mixed and mastered at The Grid Studio by Christian Donaldson (Beneath The Massacre, Shadow Of Intent). 

A progressive slant to their rejuvenated sound means that they have stayed true to their definitive death metal roots, yet allowed themselves the opportunity to open up and explore metalcore and beyond. With ambitions to take their new material on the road as soon as they are able to do so, Depths Of Hatred have every intention of making this fresh start really count.

Inheritance artwork and tracklisting:

"Enslaved Through Lineage"
"Sadistic Trials"
"Pulsating Rhythm"
"Fastidious Imitation"
"Drop Of Red"
"Illusive Obsession"
"The Gift Of Consciousness"
"Shivers"
"Inheritance"
"The End Of Ourselves"
"Emerging As One"

Pre-order your copy of Inheritance now at this location.

(Photo credit: Dominic D.D.)

 

Symphonic power metal band Winterage has issued a video for the song "Orpheus And Eurydice", taken from their new album The Inheritance Of Beauty, which was released on January 15, 2021 via Scarlet Records.

According to the band, “The song displays the wide spectrum of sounds and influences within Winterage’s music: from power metal to opera singing, violin melodies, folk interludes and symphonic orchestrations. It tells the ancient story of Orpheus and his descent into hell in the presence of Hades, in order to bring his wife Eurydice back to life. The video climax is reached during their ascension to earth when he turns his glance to her (quoting ‘The Metamorphoses’ by Ovid)."

The theme of Winterage's new album, The Inheritance Of Beauty, is the fight of beauty against decadence. Botticelli's Venus, representing authentic art, has turned back to stare at our world: what she sees is decadence, forgetfulness of art's values and the forsaking of Nature. The inheritance of real beauty is hidden in the essence of human beings and artists can give it new life.

Tracklisting:

"Ouverture"
"The Inheritance Of Beauty"
"The Wisdom Of Us"
"Of Heroes And Wonders"
"The Mutineers"
"Orpheus And Eurydice"
"Chain Of Heaven"
"La Morte Di Venere"
"Oblivion Day"
"The Amazing Toymaker"

"Of Heroes And Wonders" Lyric Video:

 

UK hard rock band, Silk Road, have released a music video for their brand new single "Amber". It’s the new single taken from their debut album Grit For The Pretty, which will be out later this year. The song can be ordred here.

Hard hitting and full of attitude from the beginning, this single was recorded at Shredder Live Lounge with producer Jay Shredder. Written during a turbulent political climate, "Amber" expresses feelings of anger, resentment and fear all wrapped up alongside the in your face opening riff and pounding rhythm section. 

Silk Road is a four piece hard rock band spewing out groovy riffs and music you can dance and mosh to. Taking influences from anywhere between Tool and David Bowie, Stevie Wonder to Slipknot, Silk Road wishes to create the perfect sound for a purposeful point. Their goal is to create great music without being boxed into just one genre and without adhering to the norm of rock and roll.

Check out Silk Road's previously released videos for "Sonder", "Just Like That", and "The Self, The Inner And You", also from their forthcoming debut album Grit For The Pretty:

Silk Road is:

Bradley Taylor - vocals
Charles Evans - drums
Andy Gray - bass
Rory Drohan - guitars

For further details, visit Silk Road on Facebook.

 

The Dead Daisies have released a four-minute album recap video, showcasing snippets of all 11 songs that appear on their new album, Holy Ground, scheduled for release on January 22nd via SPV.

Influenced by '70s and early '80s rock, The Dead Daisies sound is soulful and accessible – equal parts of Aerosmith, Bad Company and Foreigner: muscular vocals, bluesy riffs, big choruses, powerful melodies and strong hooks. With stellar musicianship and pulverizing live shows, fans across the globe are discovering the band that is bringing back Rock & Roll! 

The current incarnation of The Dead Daisies features guitarist Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio), drummer Deen Castronovo (Journey, Bad English, Hardline), bassist and singer Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Country Communion), and rhythm guitarist David Lowy (Red Phoenix, Mink).

Pre-order the Holy Ground album here.

Tracklisting:

"Holy Ground (Shake The Memory)"
"Like No Other (Bassline)"
"Come Alive"
"Bustle And Flow"
"My Fate"
"Chosen And Justified"
"Saving Grace"
"Unspoken"
"30 Days In The Hole"
"Righteous Days"
"Far Away"

"Holy Ground (Shake The Memory)" video:

“Bustle And Flow” video:

 

Germany's Motorjesus play a high-octane mixture of classic heavy metal and dirty hard rock, with a tour history that includes supporting Motörhead, Anthrax, Prong and many more. Their last studio album, Race To Resurrection, hit the German Album Charts at #42 which was their highest position in Germany's Media Control Charts to date. 

They have released a new single, "Dead Rising", taken from their upcoming album Hellbreaker, which is due to be released on April 9th via AFM Records. Check out the official lyric video below.

Check out the official Motorjesus Facebook page here for information and updates.

Grenoble, France's Avaland welcomes fans to their symphonic and operatic metal world with their debut music video "Theater Of Sorcery". The song is the title track from their forthcoming debut album due out April 2021 via Rockshots Records. The full length was directed, written, and composed by 22-year-old prodigy Adrien G. Gzagg.

"This song is a great introduction to the world of Avaland, like a kind of hymn. It teases what’s gonna happen throughout the album, it's an invitation for an epic and magical journey. Adam, the main character is about to share his story. The song also introduces the character The Master Of Sorcery performed by Emmanuelson (Rising Steel, Ellipsis), who helped me a lot with this album and coached me to do my best. He is a mentor to me so it was obvious to have him as the Sorcerer who will teach Adam to control his power. He and I share a great passion for music and I’m really proud to open the Avaland story with him. For the title track's guitar solo, I asked Ricky Marx (Now Or Never, ex-Pretty Maids), because after seeing him play with Now Or Never, I noticed something mystical in his guitar feelings that I found really cool, he's got this old school touch that I admire. I really love the magic of his solo on this track!" adds Adrien G. Gzagg.

Inspired by heroic fantasy, history, mythologies, and esoterism, Gzagg decided to create an epic story 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.

For Avaland, Gzagg reunited with four musician friends Camille Souffron (Bass), Christophe Feutrier (Guitars), Lucas Martinez (Guitars), and Léo Mouchonay (Drums) that he has performed with in the past to help him to record the metal opera's debut full-length. The record also includes talented guests for vocals and guitars with Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Zak Stevens (Savatage/TSO), Zaher Zorgati (Myrath), Emmanuelson (Rising Steel), Stéphan Forté (Adagio), Madie (Nightmare) among many other great musicians. 

Gzagg adds:

"I started my heavy metal life as a great fan of Avantasia and Ayreon. I was impressed by those big teams Tobias Sammet and Arjen Lucassen could create. I quickly knew I would make something like this in my life! It wasn’t easy to find musicians who were crazy enough to follow me in this adventure, and I thank them so much for their trust in this project, especially guitarist Christophe Feutrier (guitars) my partner in crime for Avaland for 5 years now.

“I like to also add that Avaland is not a “classic” band, it’s a Metal-Opera and when Covid is over, I plan to take it the stage with many vocalists to perform this theatrical tale of an epic and magical story. To sum it up, Avaland is a modern-age opera to not just fans of metal, but beyond!"

The album will be released on April 2, 2021.

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. orgati/Madie/Stevens/Heli/Kanji/Emmanuelson/Scheepers  

“Theatre Of Sorcery” video:

Former VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony was asked by Chad Tyson of the Portland rock radio station 105.9 The Brew to name his favorite memory of the band's legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Michael responded (hear audio below): "Just that he was a very humble guy. He never let the fame or stardom or all the accolades that he acquired playing guitar go to his head. He always just considered himself a guy who played guitar, and that was really special about him."

Asked if he has talked to Eddie's son, VAN HALEN bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, in the months following the guitarist's death, Michael said: "I've texted with him a couple of times. I haven't actually talked with him. I wanted to kind of let the family have their privacy. I briefly spoke with Alex [Van Halen, VAN HALEN drummer] after Ed passed. But everything is good. It's really cool what Wolfgang did to his [solo] song 'Distance'. And I wish him the best of luck with the [MAMMOTH WVH] album. It's a hard time right now for somebody to come out with a new album, a new band, or whatever, but I know he'll do well with it when he can get it all out there."

In November, Wolfgang revealed that Eddie Van Halen had contemplated a "kitchen-sink tour" that would have included Anthony, as well as vocal turns from both Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth. There was even talk about bringing back Gary Cherone, who sang with VAN HALEN on one poorly received album, 1998's "Van Halen III".

VAN HALEN and Anthony had not been on good terms for more than a decade, with Anthony not invited to join the reunion with Roth that began in 2007. The subsequent two tours and studio album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", featured Wolfgang on bass.

Anthony took a pay cut and signed away all of his rights to the band name and logo in order to participate in VAN HALEN's 2004 tour, which featured Hagar.

Eddie died on October 6 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

Finnish prog metal band Wheel have announced their new album Resident Human.  The follow-up to their 2019 album Moving Backwards will be released on March 26, 2021. Second single, “Hyperion,” is streaming below. Preorder Resident Human here.

“This song was inspired by Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons and considers humanity's relationship to mortality and ultimately, death.

“Considering that all of us are travelling along the same linear experience of time from a point of nothingness, to (in all likelihood) another point of nothingness, this song considers that this knowledge should make us more empathetic to others on the same journey and that however divided we may be otherwise, there is no division or variance for how lives end.” – James

From the desperate content harvest of copy/paste culture ("Ascend") to the polarized rhetoric surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement in America ("Movement"), Resident Human is Wheel vocalizing the ashes they’ve witnessed falling throughout 2020 - putting a voice to our fallible nature.

“We joked at the start of the year that it's going to be the year of progressive music concept albums about COVID,” James laughs. “And we’ve kind of done that…but it's more about the time COVID has allowed us to explore ourselves rather than the pandemic itself.”

Tracklisting:

“Dissipating”
“Movement”
“Ascend”
“Hyperion”
“Fugue”
“Resident Human”
“Old Earth”

“Hyperion”:

“Movement” video:

(Photo by: Ville Juurikkala)