Drummer Lee Kerslake has died at the age of 73. Kerslake, who played on several Uriah Heep albums as well as Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard Of Oz and Diary Of A Madman, passed away after a lengthy illness battling prostate cancer.

The sad news was confirmed by former Uriah Heep member Ken Hensley, who revealed, "It's with the heaviest of hearts that I share with you that Lee Kerslake, my friend of 55 years and the best drummer I ever played with, lost his battle with cancer at 03:30 this morning. He died peacefully, praise The Lord, but he will be terribly missed. I know many of you were praying for him not to suffer and I thank you for that and, now that Lee is at peace, our thoughts and prayers should turn to his wife Sue who will need all the support she can get at this time."

Writer and Pigface member Joel Gausten has posted the following tribute to Kerslake:

"In a year of continued loss, we now say goodbye to Lee Kerslake - a brilliant drummer and a lovely man. 

It was no accident that he was nicknamed 'The Bear.' He was tough, gruff and spoke his mind without a filter, but he was also funny, friendly and without pretense. His impact on the world of drumming was more significant than some might realize. Listen to Steven Adler's tom-heavy fills that usher in the epic finale of 'Paradise City'. Steven came up with those by playing Lee's intro to 'Over The Mountain' backwards. Just ask him; he'll tell you just how great Lee was.
 
Most of all, Lee spent decades fighting against music industry mistreatment by demanding fair acknowledgement and compensation for his work. While this was largely an unfulfilled mission, his efforts shone a light on the struggles of many drummers to get their due. All of us who hold sticks in our hands are in his debt. He was a soldier in the field for us.
 
Lee sent me the picture below in March 2019 after I contributed some money towards his cancer treatment. I will treasure it as much as I will be forever awed and inspired by his remarkable body of work."




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Extreme harsh-grinding quartet, Full Of Hell, are streaming the song “Silmaril”, off their new album, Weeping Choir. Watch the accompanying visualizer below.

Says the band: "Silmaril is about the upheaval of forbidden knowledge. We enlisted Paulo Paguntalan, NYC's own purveyor of gore and death for additional vocal duties on this song. 'All goes onward and outward, all collapses'."

Full Of Hell make their Relapse debut with their most explosive album to date, Weeping Choir, coming May 17. Dynamic, pissed, and wholly urgent, the highly anticipated Weeping Choir is a definitive statement of intent by one of the underground’s most dynamic and virulent entities.

Weeping Choir is due out May 17th on CD/LP/CS/Digital. Physical packages are available for pre-order via Relapse.com here. Digital Downloads / Streaming Services are available here.

On Weeping Choir, Full Of Hell have once again culled the extreme elements from hardcore, metal, and power electronics to redefine darkness and sheer brutality. Distorted guitars, and ominous, disparate electronics grind and gnash against rapid-fire drumming, as Full Of Hell take themes of religion, loss, hatred, and set them ablaze. Recorded by the critically acclaimed Kurt Ballou at GodCity Studio, Weeping Choir sees Full Of Hell fully unleashed. Abrasive, confrontational, none equal!

Tracklisting:

"Burning Myrrh"
"Haunted Arches"
"Thundering Hammers"
"Rainbow Coil"
"Aria Of Jeweled Tears"
"Downward"
"Armory Of Obsidian Glass"
"Silmaril"
"Angels Gather Here"
"Ygramul The Many"
"Cellar Of Doors"

"Burning Myrrh" video:

(Photo - Reid Haithcock)




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Tony Iommi spoke to The Midland Rocks about the progress of the remixing sessions for BLACK SABBATH's 1995 album "Forbidden". The LP, which features singer Tony Martin, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Neil Murray, is often regarded as the band's worst studio recording.

"I've had the time, on and off, to start to remix the 'Forbidden' album," Tony said at yesterday's (Saturday, February 9) unveiling of a BLACK SABBATH bench in Birmingham, England. "I never liked the final mix and sound of it — none of the band did actually — so I've been working on that. 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 ['Illusion Of Power'] 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."

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 with Ernie C.

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."

BLACK SABBATH released six albums with Tony Martin on vocals: "The Eternal Idol" (1987), "Headless Cross" (1989), "Tyr" (1990), "Cross Purposes" (1994), "Cross Purposes Live" (1995) and "Forbidden" (1995).

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.

German metal queen Doro Pesch says her forthcoming "Forever Warriors, Forever United" double album is dedicated to the memory of late MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister. Pesch and Kilmister teamed up several times over the years for duets, including "Love Me Forever" and "Alone Again". Pesch also went on to add that Kilmister was her "best friend" in the music industry and has had to find ways to cope with his late 2015 passing.

In a recent interview with France's Loud TV (see video below), Pesch was asked how "Forever Warriors, Forever United" became a double album. "I don't know, we didn't plan on it, but yeah, it came out and I had so many songs and suddenly, there were 35, 40 songs and I thought, 'Wow,'" she said. "It would be such a shame if we would throw out 25 songs and I talked to the record company. At first, they said, 'In this day and age, not many people do it.' A couple of months ago, they said, 'Okay. Go for it. Do it.' I was so happy because I think every song on these records, they are definitely worthy of being on a record. Even the bonus songs, I think they are very unique and special and different. I'm so happy we can put out the double album. And you never know. In the next couple of years, you don't know if you will get the chance to put out songs on vinyl and this one, we do two double vinyls with the nice artwork, which was done by my favorite artist, Geoffrey Gillespie. He lives actually in France and he did all of our albums from the [WARLOCK] 'Triumph And Agony' album on and I love his artwork. It was just twice the work. That's the reason why it took a little while, two and a half years. Actually, three years ago, it started a little bit, but two and a half years ago, we really concentrated on the songs and the production.

"I'm so happy we can put it out," she continued. "Every song has a different meaning. Every song gives out a different vibe. Like, some songs are very empowering, some songs are very high energy, lots of positive energy. Sometimes, they are very soulful, very sad. So, it depends on the mood you are in. You probably want to listen to a certain song when you feel like, 'Yeah, I need some more uplifting stuff.' Then I would probably recommend the song 'Lift Me Up'. If you're feeling mellow and feeling a little bit lonely, then maybe stuff like 'Living Life To The Fullest', which is dedicated to Lemmy Kilmister.

"The CD is dedicated to Lemmy because he was my main inspiration for this record and he was my best friend and I miss him so much," she said. "Actually, the song 'Living Life To The Fullest', it was the first song which was written for the record. I wrote it when I was in the airplane on my way to Lemmy's funeral and I was so heartbroken and I thought, 'I want to write a song for Lemmy.' I hope he will love it. I don't know if he's still with us in spirit, but I wanted to write a song to dedicate to Lemmy because he was my best friend in the music world, definitely. Him and Ronnie James Dio, both of them, I think they were so unique and that friendship that would stay with me forever, but on the other hand, it's so sad that you can't pick up the phone anymore and talk. Yeah, it's a different world right now. I know millions of fans feel the same. But I want to keep their spirit alive, too and all the young fans who maybe never had the chance to see them live, to see MOTÖRHEAD or DIO live, I definitely want to make sure that everybody knows that stuff was the greatest. It's still the greatest."

Pesch was then asked about the double album's lyrical themes, many of which appear to touch upon heaven and hell. "Actually, heaven, I tell you, I was flirting with the other side when I started my first bands, but I think it's quite dangerous," she said. "It sounds like fun, but now I feel in this time and age, it's so important to give out positive energy and the world is dark enough, I think, so many people in power have maybe not the best intentions. So many people out there are without heart and soul, so I definitely want to concentrate on the good and positive stuff. I feel like the rock fans, the metalheads, they are people who really are passionate about things, who feel something, who are very, very loving and very sensitive and I deeply appreciate that. Yeah, I definitely turned towards the positive side and call it 'heaven,' I like the positive energy. It's very important, I think."

She was also asked whether she dabbled in the "dark side," including drugs and alcohol. "I was fooling around and flirting with a lot of dark things and I remember when I was moving to New York, I played the Ouija board," said Doro. "It was forbidden in Germany, so of course, it was very attractive to do it in America. I did it with my producer, Joey Balin. I did the 'Triumph And Agony' and 'Force Majeure' albums [with him] and we actually wrote some new songs for the new album, 'Turn It Up' and 'A Thousand Years'. He showed me a couple of things and we played the Ouija board. It got totally out of hand, it got out of hand so bad, our apartment almost burned down because I think we were definitely flirting with some evil spirits out there and I definitely realized there is another dimension and it's not good. It's not good if you want to survive and when I was young, I was very much checking out everything, I was very curious. And it was actually a cool thing to do, especially in metal in the beginning. Everything was very mystical and everything was demons and heaven and hell and stuff, but, I think I learned my lesson and yeah, I think it's better the other way, I must say. But it's much more difficult to write cool metal lyrics when you want to empower the people with positive energy. It's easier to destroy everything. It's pretty easy, but to do something that is meaningful and is touching and is positive, it takes much more thought. But I like it that way because I was close to death when I was 15. I was very, very sick, very ill for a whole year. I didn't know if I would survive, so I thought if I would ever survive, then I want to do something with my life. I want to make people happy. I thought I wanted to do something in music, but before I didn't do it, but then I got out of the hospital and two weeks later, I had my first band. The band was called SNAKEBITE, then it was BEAST, then ATTACK, then WARLOCK. We were at the right time and the right place. It was when metal got bigger and bigger. It was actually great to be a part of it. When you have the experience when you are that close to dying, then everything is getting into a different perspective. And you really want to live. Before, you're just living, you don't care. But, then it got really serious. I thought, 'Yeah, I want to make people happy. I want to give back if I'm the lucky one who survived. I definitely want to make people happy with music.'"

"Forever Warriors, Forever United" will be released on August 17 via Nuclear Blast. The first single from the epic collection of tracks, "All For Metal", features an assortment of metal heroes, who can also be seen in the official music video: Mille Petrozza (KREATOR), Johan Hegg (AMON AMARTH), Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT), Warrel Dane (NEVERMORE, SANCTUARY), Jeff Waters (ANNIHILATOR), SABATON, Ross The Boss (MANOWAR), Rock 'N' Rolf (RUNNING WILD), DETRAKTOR, Tommy Bolan (ex-WARLOCK), Andy Brings and The Ultimate Doro Clan.

The album cover artwork was once again created by Doro's favorite artist, Geoffrey Gillespie. It portrays Doro in the middle of a swarm of wild metalheads exuding attitude, power and positive vibes.

The long-awaited follow-up to 2012's "Raise Your Fist" will be the German singer's first release since 2016's "Love's Gone To Hell" single.

Tobias Forge says he wanted his pre-GHOST death metal outfit REPUGNANT "to become a big band" similar to AMON AMARTH but laments their stalled progress because they were "unfashionable" and "unprofessional."

Forge formed REPUGNANT in 1998 and performed under the name "Mary Goore", eventually releasing a few demos and an EP before recording their lone full-length "Epitome Of Darkness" in 2002. REPUGNANT called it quits in 2004, with Dutch independent Soulseller Records releasing "Epitome Of Darkness" two years later. The album — a veritable concoction of vintage Stockholm death metal with obscure, eerie melodies — had only mild impact upon its release but appears to have preceded the current crop of death metal bands who have parlayed largely the same formula to greater underground metal notoriety.

In a recent interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET's David E. Gehlke, Forge was asked whether his success with GHOST ever made him reflect about his time with REPUGNANT. He said: "The one thing I don't think was very evident just because of how things played out with REPUGNANT, was that, if you asked me in 1999 or 2000 or 2001, I really wanted REPUGNANT to be signed up by a Roadrunner or Nuclear Blast or a big label. I wanted to be super-professional with the band. At the time, we were very unfashionable. It was just not asked for in that sort of realm and had things been played out differently or maybe I played my cards differently, because if I look back on how I did things, it was unprofessional and I didn't really have the foresight, I guess. I had the dream, but I didn't have the foresight. We were picked up by a real label at the time and got a manager and had everyone kept their ducks in a row, I would have loved to have that band, the closest example of a band like that could be comparable is like AMON AMARTH. A real band that was out touring. I always wanted that. I really wanted to become a big band. I wanted that, but I couldn't. I don't know if we were good enough or whatever. Now, knowing a lot of the things that is required, how many stars that need to align and all the decisions you have to make, I can definitely look back on myself as a 21-year-old and quickly see why I didn't achieve that with REPUGNANT. I wasn't mature. I wasn't thinking. I wasn't there yet."

The last-known lineup of REPUGNANT included current and former members of IN SOLITUDE, TRIBULATION and WATAIN, providing a mish-mash of some of Swedish metal's most critically-acclaimed bands of the last decade. Forge says that he has repaired the relationship with his former bandmates after the split but warns against the idea of a full-blown REPUGNANT reunion. "I think the band that was REPUGNANT on 'Epitome Of Darkness', I think we are now better friends than we've been over the last ten years, at least, ten, fifteen years," he said. "We had various degrees of falling out for different reasons. It just sputtered out. We've had our disagreements and whatnot, the same shit that everybody goes through. But, nowadays, we don't really have much to do with each other anymore, but we're just friends. We're all, except for one of us, we all have kids, we're all married. We're old dudes. [Laughs] I don't feel very old. We're a little bit wiser now and maybe that alone gives us a reason to not sort of resuscitate that corpse again. Just let it lie."

While there was little debate as to what subgenre of metal REPUGNANT fell, GHOST remains a band without a true home, something that Forge says he has done on purpose. Since the band's occult rock-oriented "Opus Eponymous" debut, GHOST has subsequently added new wrinkles to their sound including ballads ("He Is") rock anthems ("Year Zero" and "Square Hammer") and proto-metal mashers ("Absolution" and "Cirice"). "Dance Macabre", the second single from the band's forthcoming fourth album "Prequelle", further expands GHOST's sonic scope to pop and dance territories, which will only serve to fuel the debate whether GHOST has a permanent place in the hard rock and metal scene.

"I always tried to refrain sort of painting the band into a corner," said Tobias. "As much as I myself am a big fan of a lot of bands that paint themselves into a corner, I just never really felt that was a good idea, especially if you're into it, making yet another one, like 'Prequelle', it doesn't feel like there's a certain…we do not have really one thing that we're known for. It's various things. So, even if I was to do what I call a 'sell-out move' because that would be trying to conform what you think is expected, I think either way, it would be a loss because if I went completely, 'Okay, just be an occult rock band.' And then only just focus on the sort of '70s vibe that was more predominant on the first and second record, then these people wouldn't like it. If I only wrote a bunch of ballads, these people wouldn't like it. If I just made songs like 'Absolution', these people wouldn't like it. Either way you do it, there's always someone who sort of gravitates toward a certain element in certain songs, I guess. And, luckily, since that wasn't what I wanted to do in the first place anyway, I always wanted it to be very varied, like a multiple course at dinner with different courses lining up after each other so there's a little bit of a culinary trip. If you use big words just to give you an example of my inspirations and the bands that I really look up to in terms of variation, QUEEN, for example, THE WHO, bands that constantly just try to write new songs that they didn't have."

Forge has often said that one of the principle tenants of his songwriting approach is to never write the same song twice. With four studio albums now under his belt, the GHOST frontman sounds pleased at what he's accomplished with "Prequelle", in particular, not succumbing to the trappings of a proven formula. "It makes it more interesting, but it also makes things harder," he said. "Sooner or later you come to a point where you're like 'What are we doing again?' Then you might start repeating yourself. Now, having made the fourth record, I definitely felt a relief, at least we made a record that felt genuine, inspired, it was done in the same playful manner as I did writing 'Opus Eponymous'. You cannot count on that happening so many times in your life. Whether it's a success, I have no idea. We'll see. But, at least it feels like it comes from the heart. It's done whole-heartedly and yeah, I feel very pleased."

Later this year, GHOST will play two headlining arena shows in Los Angeles and New York. As metal's old guard is either in the process of retiring (Ozzy Osbourne, SLAYER) or already at retirement age (IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST), there is speculation as to whether GHOST will be the next band to ascend to arena level. Now trekking across the United States on the "Rats! On The Road" tour that sees the band playing theaters as opposed to traditional concert venues, Forge confirms that arenas is the next logical step for GHOST.

"In one way, we already are because we've already done arenas, so technically, we are an arena band," he said. "But, whether or not we can maintain that at a level where we can do that everywhere we go? I don't know. I don't know; I hope so. That would be phenomenal. I've learned that once you take a certain step in production value in a certain area and a certain city and the next day, you take the show to a place where you don't have that ability, there also can be a little bit of a backlash because people are, like, 'Oh, shit. You're not going to bring pyro?' 'We can't do pyro here because your theater is old wood so we don't have the permits.' 'Oh, that's a bummer, man.' From that point of view, to be able to have a standard of the things people expect you to deliver, it would be an absolute dream come true to be able to bring the show identically to everyone who is paying a ticket to see it and to get everybody so excited about us coming to their town. I'd love that. That would be fantastic, but it takes a lot of time and a lot of work and it's baby-stepping. Now, we're doing it in a few cities this fall and hopefully, the next leg we'll do it in certain other cities we're not doing it in. Sooner, or later, if hopefully everything goes according to the plan or the trajectory or the fucking gravitational pull or whatever [laughs], hopefully we can phase out the shows we're doing and just concentrate on the ones that really is the full thing so we can get everybody enthusiastic about what they're seeing. But, we'll see if we get there. I'm working towards that. If we don't, that needs to be fine as well. But, we're doing great. It's cool."

"Prequelle" will be released on June 1 via Loma Vista Recordings. The record was tracked last year at Artery studios in Stockholm with Tom Dalgety (OPETH, ROYAL BLOOD) and mixed in January at Westlake Studios in West Hollywood, California with Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, SLAYER).

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

Given Turner's desire to work on heavier music styles and move away from the original melodic rock direction of the early SUNSTORM albums that Perugino wanted to bring the band back to (a demand often made by followers of the band), it appeared SUNSTORM might be at an end. But Perugino decided to follow his instincts and keep the project alive and move it back towards the original musical style that was established with the early albums. But with Turner out of the picture, who could replace the formidable vocalist?

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

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

On joining SUNSTORM, Romero says: "For me, it's very special to join and take part in the new SUNSTORM album since it always was one of my all time favorite Frontiers projects. To accept the huge task and responsibility of replacing JLT is a challenge I just couldn't pass on. To work with Alessandro was fantastic. We have very melodic and strong songs throughout the album and I'm pretty sure the SUNSTORM fans are gonna love every track, as I do. Especially the singles, but 'Swan Song' is probably my favorite. A very melodic song, a lot of backing vocals (something that I always wanted to do, a special and different approach on the vocal production side for me), the band sounds fantastic and it will be one of the highlights on the album, guaranteed! Can't wait for the fans to listen to the album!! At this point, it's cranking in my car every day."

Del Vecchio says: "'Swan Song' is a very special song to me. Maybe you write a song or a letter or whatever and it's you conveying your instinct that something that will happen in the future? Like a future you are envisioning through your words? Here's what this song is about. Anybody can relate to losing a friend or breaking up in a relationship and crying out your own swan song. I honestly think this is one of the best songs Simone and I ever wrote together and it showcases Ronnie's melodic and emotional side of his voice and Simone's best soloing on top of a very inspired band. I couldn't be happier that Frontiers chose this song as the first single. The perfect bridge into our future as a band. Melodic, deep, inspired and anthemic. This is SUNSTORM at its best."

Lineup:

Ronnie Romero - Vocals

Simone Mularoni - Guitars

Alessandro Del Vecchio - Keyboards, backing vocals

Nik Mazzucconi - Bass

Michele Sanna - Drums

Track listing:

01. Afterlife

02. One Step Closer

03. Swan Song

04. Born Again

05. Stronger

06. I Found A Way

07. Lost Forever

08. Far From Over

09. Here For You Tonight

10. Darkest Night

11. A Story That You Can Tell

A new documentary about SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian, "Truth To Power", will be released on February 19 via Oscilloscope Laboratories. With unique and exclusive access to the man behind the music, award-winning director/writer/producer Garin Hovannisian ("I Am Not Alone") captures both intimate and historic public moments, including Serj's role in inspiring the massive peaceful protests of 2018's Velvet Revolution in his native Armenia which successfully ousted an oligarchic regime.

A new trailer for "Truth To Power" can be seen below.

"Truth To Power" also includes appearances by SYSTEM OF A DOWN bandmembers John Dolmayan and Shavo Odadjian, the band's manager David "Beno" Benveniste, filmmaker/journalist Carla Garapedian, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Tom Morello, and famed record producer Rick Rubin. The feature documentary is executive-produced by Academy Award nominee Joe Berlinger ("Paradise Lost" trilogy, "Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster"); and Live Nation Productions' Ryan Kroft (Emmy winner for "The T Word"), Michael Rapino ("A Star Is Born", Emmy nominee for "Believer"), Damian Vaca and Vaughn Schoonmaker.

Millions fill stadiums across the world for the sound of Tankian, the Grammy-winning lead singer of SYSTEM OF A DOWN. With exclusive interviews, adventures, and original footage personally filmed by Serj, "Truth To Power" allows audiences backstage access to an international rock star whose faith in music not only revolutionized heavy metal, but also world events. Throughout his life, the musician has pursued social justice, harnessing the power of his songs and celebrity for real political change. Serj's voice is equally likely to take on American corporate greed as lambast the corrupt regime of his homeland. His decades-long campaign for formal U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide was finally approved by Congress last year. Governments hate him. People love him.

Set to the iconic music of SYSTEM OF A DOWN and the propulsions of an original soundtrack composed by Serj, "Truth To Power" is also an artist portrait with a revealing look at the musician as he writes a song from idea to reality and pursues ambitions outside of the band. It includes memories from Rubin on SYSTEM OF A DOWN's early years and its unlikely breakthrough, the bandmates' candid insights about the splinters and highpoints for the group, and stories from Morello on his bond with Serj as social justice advocates and their Axis Of Justice nonprofit. Running time is 79 minutes.

NORTH KINGSLEY, the musical collective of bassist/guitarist Shavo Odadjian, producer Saro Paparian and lyricist/vocalist Ray Hawthorne, has released the music video for the song "Rifle In Thought". The track is taken from NORTH KINGSLEY's second three-track EP, "Vol 2", which was made available in December via 22 Red Media, a subsidiary of Odadjian's lifestyle and cannabis brand 22 Red.

"Rifle In Thought" is the first music video to ever feature Shavo playing guitar instead of bass — the instrument he is most know for in SYSTEM OF A DOWN.

Speaking on the collective's new single, Hawthorne shares: "I'm hesitant to hint at what 'Rifle In Thought' is truly about, but the clues are all there. From the perspective of an unaware and unreliable narrator."

"Vol 2" track listing

01. False Idols (ft. RZA)

02. Rifle In Thought

03. Shadowbox

With the launch of the project and the release of its first three-track EP "Vol 1" back in August, NORTH KINGSLEY has set out to do things differently. The way music is released, distributed and marketed is all being approached in a unique and creative way. Instead of a full album release, NORTH KINGSLEY is releasing miniature volumes of three tracks every few months.

When Shavo began experimental studio sessions with Paparian and Hawthorne, he had no idea that it would turn into anything more than a creative outlet to jam with like-minded musicians. The result was a genre-bending mix of deep, cinematic instrumentals and thought provoking, socially charged words.

Capitalizing on a musical legacy that includes musical collaborations with the likes of funk master George Clinton, spiritual hip-hop guru RZA and legendary production accomplice Rick Rubin, Odadjian's sonic blueprint for his new project takes in everything from crisp and hard trap beats to gritty rock flavors.

In 2018, Odadjian came to Paparian, who provided him with an education in the latest, cutting-edge studio techniques. As an Armenian-American raised on everything from SOAD to surf rock, Paparian took that base principle and spent years around the underground Los Angeles hip-hop community, going to club nights where people would manufacture beats and he and Ray would lose themselves for hours as often as they could.

Hawthorne, the final component to join the inner workings of NORTH KINGSLEY, is a longtime associate of Paparian. Armed with knowledge of today's political, social and entertainment landscapes and showcasing a lyrical dexterity that can take him anywhere from Hemingway to animation and scholars to psychopaths, nothing is off limits when it comes to how he communicates his ideas.

With a razor-sharp approach to both the creative and business output of the project, NORTH KINGSLEY is a socially conscious, creative force shaped by the modern age. Drawing on a multitude of cultural, visual and political influences, they aim to create a musical movement that is both rooted in what's come before, but that focuses on creating what's next.

Photo credit: Armen Keleshian

Canadian progressive rockers SAGA have released "Wind Him Up", the second single from their new studio album, "Symmetry". The LP will be made available on March 12 via earMUSIC.

After going on tour in spring 2020, SAGA went straight into its home studios. The result: an album full of acoustic originals.

"Symmetry" offers a unique listening experience by bundling complex and delicate arrangements with familiar melodies and sounds. It gives the listener the possibility to explore and discover SAGA classics like "Wind Him Up", "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" and "Tired World" once more and in a completely new way.

SAGA managed to create more than just new versions of their songs; they created a sonic world full of little details that invites the listeners to dive deeper into the complex musical phenomenon that is SAGA.

First released in 1981 on the SAGA album "Worlds Apart", "Wind Him Up" quickly became one of the band's most successful songs of all time and is considered a fan favorite among their worldwide audience.

With "Symmetry", SAGA is on a completely new path and presents this track in a way never before heard. While preserving the heart of the song, the acoustic reinvention of "Wind Him Up" is a thrilling new take on a classic.

Watch the lyric video, which is an homage to the original video from 1982, below.

Ian Crichton states about the album: "After opening for 'ourselves' on our 2017 European tour acoustically, the decision to record an acoustic record was born. This is different SAGA, everyone! We invited, from Ontario, Canada, Shane Cook on fiddle, and Stefany Seki, Beth Silver on cello to accompany us on our offside interpretation of music we've played for years. [We] had a lot of fun doing so!

"Acoustic SAGA!?!?!... It's like construction work for an electric guitar player."

"Tired World", the first single from "Symmetry", made its first appearance on SAGA's debut album as one of two pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that is "The Chapters", a continuous narrative revolving around a central theme and character (Albert Einstein), and spread out over several albums throughout much of SAGA's extensive body of work.

While "Tired World" is considered by many to be one of the band's iconic classics, this new interpretation of the song brings a new life and new energy to the track with its thoughtful and creative re-imagining — without sacrificing the integrity of the original recording. This new version also features guest performances — as do a majority of the songs on "Symmetry" — along with new acoustic instrumentation and fresh perspectives, highlighting the intricacies and arrangement of the song.

"Symmetry" will be available as a CD jewelcase, 2LP gatefold and as a digital download.

Track listing:

01. Pitchman

02. The Perfect Time To Feel Better - Time To Go - The Perfectionist - We Hope You’re Feeling Better

03. Images – Chapter 1

04. Always There

05. Prelude # 1

06. Say Goodbye TO Hollywood

07. Prelude # 2

08. The Right Side Of The Other Hall - Footsteps in the Hall -On The Other Side You Were Right

09. La Foret Harmonieuse

10. Wind Him Up

11. No Regrets – Chapter 5

12. Tired World – Chapter 6

SAGA formed in 1977 in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, and released its first album in 1978. Since that time, SAGA has sold ten million albums and performed in over 20 countries to over 15 million people.

For over 40 years, SAGA has led the way in music innovation and audience interaction. Throughout this time, the band has released nearly two dozen studio-recorded CDs under the umbrella of major record companies and has filmed over twenty music videos. Their hits include "Don't Be Late", "Wind Him Up", "On The Loose", "The Flyer" and "Scratching The Surface".

SAGA is widely regarded as one of the most influential progressive rock bands in Canada and around the world.

SAGA is: Michael Sadler, Dusty Chesterfield, Ian Crichton, Jim Gilmour and Mike Thorne.

TRANSATLANTIC — the multinational progressive rock supergroup featuring vocalist/keyboardist Neal Morse (SPOCK'S BEARD, THE NEAL MORSE BAND), drummer Mike Portnoy (SONS OF APOLLO, DREAM THEATER), bassist Pete Trewavas (MARILLION) and guitarist Roine Stolt (THE FLOWER KINGS) — will release its fifth studio album, "The Absolute Universe", on February 5 via InsideOut Music. Representing the band's first new music since 2014's "Kaleidoscope", with "The Absolute Universe" the band has done something unique and created two versions of the record: "The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version)" and "The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version)".

TRANSATLANTIC has launched the video for "Looking For The Light", a track which features on both versions of "The Absolute Universe". Watch it below.

Portnoy comments: "'Looking For The Light' is one of the heavier tracks on 'The Absolute Universe'. In the tradition of TRANSATLANTIC sharing all lead vocals, this track gave me my showcase to deliver the lead vocals as it called for a bit more of an aggressive approach. This is one of the few tracks that remains primarily the same and appears on both versions of the album. However, not content to keep it simple, the version included on the music video is actually a unique version which combines both 'Looking For The Light' and its 'Reprise' from later in the album into one combined version available only here in this video."

Each album will be available on CD, LP and digitally. But there will also be what has been called "The Absolute Universe: The Ultimate Edition", which collects both versions together in one lavish package that includes 5LPs, 3CDs and a Blu-ray that contains a 5.1 Surround Sound mix with visuals and a behind-the-scenes documentary. All editions have unique artwork created by Thomas Ewerhard.

As Portnoy explains: "We've got two versions of this album. There is a two-CD presentation, which is 90 minutes long, and a single one — that's 60 minutes. However, the single CD is NOT merely an edited version of the double CD. They each contain alternate versions and even in some cases, new recordings. We wrote fresh lyrics and have different people singing on the single CD version tracks as compared to those on the double CD. Some of the songtitles have also been changed, while others might remain the same, but compositionally, what you'll hear has been altered.

"You must appreciate that what we have done is unique. We revamped the songs to make the two versions different."

Trewavas adds: "We did write some new music for the single CD. What's more, there are also differences in the instruments used on some of the tracks across the two records."

Initial tracking began in September 2019 when the band met up in Sweden to write and arrange the new material. As Portnoy explains: "Over a period of 10-14 days, we mapped out the songs. Then we all went back to our home studios and did the recording. That's the way we always do it. At one point, though, it was suggested that instead of doing what was by that time going to be a double album, we should just be content to do a single CD."

"What happened was that everything kept expanding and expanding," recalls Stolt. "Therefore we decided it made sense to make it a double album. It was Pete and Neal who then came out and said they felt this would be too long, and we should reduce it to one…But we were already recording, and it didn't seem feasible to cut it back. There were so many pieces that each of us loved in what we were planning and didn't want to lose. That's when we ended up in discussions over the best way forward."

This album also marks a return to the concept album for TRANSATLANTIC.

"Well, the idea of TRANSATLANTIC deciding to do a concept record this time around won't shock anyone, right?" laughs Portnoy. "What we have is essentially one giant composition, split into chapters. The storyline is about the struggles facing everyone in society today."

"We didn't start out with the idea of this being conceptual," admits Stolt. "The way things work with us is that we have a load of ideas, and these are developed spontaneously when we meet up. Everything happens in the moment."

So, how does this new groundbreaking album compare to TRANSATLANTIC's previous four albums?

"I always try not to compare albums as much as possible," insists Morse. "It's very difficult when you're trying to be creative, because your natural instinct is to constantly compare. But in order to create you have to kind of step away from that. Having said that, I would say this would have more in common with 'The Whirlwind' album [the band's third, from 2009] than others that we've created."

For Trewavas, "The Absolute Universe" is a momentous project. "I think it is right up there with the very finest albums we've done," he says. "As the others have said, it compares very well to 'The Whirlwind', which I believe represents TRANSATLANTIC at our best. As on that album, we took our time to write and arrange everything, and that shines through. I am very excited for people to hear it."

TRANSATLANTIC formed in 1999 and released its debut album, "SMPT:e", the following year. Sophomore effort "Bridge Across Forever" followed in 2001, but the group went on an extended hiatus after Morse left SPOCK'S BEARD in 2002 to focus on his newly launched career in the Christian music industry.

The group reunited in 2009 and released third album "The Whirlwind", which consisted of a single 77-minute track, that same year. A fourth album, "Kaleidoscope", was recorded in 2013 and released the following year, when it debuted at No. 6 on the German top album charts. The band has also released several live albums and live videos, most recently 2014's "KaLIVEoscope".

Portnoy and Morse are frequent musical collaborators, having recorded more than a dozen albums together outside of TRANSATLANTIC, including three FLYING COLORS releases, three by THE NEAL MORSE BAND and seven Morse solo albums.

AFI has released two new singles, "Twisted Tongues" and "Escape From Los Angeles". Both songs are included on a new limited-edition seven-inch single, which you can order here.

"Twisted Tongues" and "Escape From Los Angeles" represent AFI's first new music since 2018's "The Missing Man" EP and will likely appear on the band's upcoming 11th studio album, which is expected before the end of the year.

"As I recall, 'Twisted Tongues' came of the 'Blood' era and was the first piece of music we explored on the new album," vocalist Davey Havok explains. "The dreaminess of the music lyrically inspired themes of unforeseen severance. It is a pining song of being set adrift by those who once feigned to share the same anchors."

"Los Angeles, like most of my loves, is imbued with a darkness and radiance," Havok continues. "Musically, 'Escape From Los Angeles' called for my own vantage to this classic theme of the city's dichotomous allure."

Guitarist Jade Puget adds: "Anyone who knows our catalog knows that no two records really sit together. Some sit a little closer, maybe. We do certain things, just by virtue of who we are, that are consistent, but those things come about organically.

"Every time we do something, I have to judge it on its own merits. Some fans are going to judge a new album, or a new song, based on what's come before. But as artists, we can't do that, because it would only hinder our creativity."

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

KISS co-founder and frontman, best-selling author and Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Paul Stanley has spent the last few years developing a project close to his heart. SOUL STATION is a band gathering some of today's leading musicians to pay tribute to the greatest artists and songs from the R&B and soul catalog to keep this vital music current. While a surprise to many, Stanley's early pivotal roots in this music has quietly turned this passion into a celebrated touring and recording band. Stanley's 15-piece ensemble group has toured the U.S. and Japan, and recently recorded an album of nine classic soul songs and five new original songs. "Now And Then" will be released March 5 on Universal Music Enterprises. The first single, "O-O-H Child" (THE FIVE STAIRSTEPS), can be streamed below.

Speaking about the new music, Stanley said: "Between us doing some great SOUL STATION shows and starting the album, I started to think that neither the band or the music we love should depend only on the past so I started writing with the goal of seamlessly taking songs into the present. From what a lot of people I respect have told me, that mission was accomplished."

When Stanley conceived SOUL STATION, the group excelled in the live venue setting, playing smaller, intimate clubs — a setting where Paul Stanley would reflect on those classic hits that were his early inspiration, playing the songs with a reverence and respect for how he and the band believe they should be performed and heard.

"Long before I ever heard the great British bands, I grew up listening to Philly Soul, Motown and so much more," he said. "I was lucky to see Otis Redding and Solomon Burke among others. That music and its storytelling gave me strength and hope even in some tough days. The great classics of that era are magical medicine for most and I felt myself drawn back to that era for some sorcery I think we could all use."

Stanley's bandmembers include Rafael "Hoffa" Moreira (guitar and backing vocals), Sean Hurley (bass), Alex Alessandroni (musical director, keyboards), Ely Rise (keyboards), Eric Singer (drums and backing vocals), RayYslas (percussion), Gavyn Rhone (backing vocals), Crystal Starr (backing vocals) and Laurhan Beato (backing vocals) and Jon Pappenbrook (lead trumpet).

The band is augmented by three string players and two horn players of the same stature enabling SOUL STATION's wall of sound to be firmly rooted in the past while staking claim to both the present and future.

"Now And Then" track listing:

01. Could It Be I'm Falling In Love

02. I Do

03. I, Oh I

04. Ooo Baby Baby

05. O-O-H Child

06. Save Me (From You)

07. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)

08. Whenever You're Ready (I'm Here)

09. The Tracks Of My Tears

10. Let's Stay Together

11. La-La – Means I Love You

12. Lorelei

13. You Are Everything

14. Baby I Need Your Loving

Speaking about how the idea for SOUL STATION came about, Paul told Scott Lipps: "I was really lucky, because, before I ever saw [LED] ZEPPELIN or any of the British bands that I grew to love, or the blues bands that I saw, I saw Otis Redding as a kid, I saw Solomon Burke and THE TEMPTATIONS. So that really is the core of what I do. It's not all that I do, but it's in there, and it always has been. SMOKEY [ROBINSON] AND THE MIRACLES; early Stevie Wonder; Philly soul; Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, all the things that they produced — Thom Bell. So you have THE DELFONICS, STYLISTICS, BLUE MAGIC, THE TEMPS, FOUR TOPS, and on and on. So, for me, that music, unfortunately, has been relegated to becoming samples in somebody's rap songs. Those songs deserve so much more, not only respect, but to be listened to, because when we play those songs live, everybody's faces light up, because they're just great, great songs.

"SOUL STATION is 15 people, and everybody's played with everyone from Smokey to Stevie Wonder to Natalie Cole to TEMPTATIONS, Whitney Houston, and on and on and on," Stanley continued. "And it really is like a family. We hang out at my house and have a great time. But what really bonded us together was this love of that music and wanting to recreate it accurately, respectfully. Even some of those bands, when they wound up playing live, did these uptempo, kind of soulless versions of their own songs. And we're playing those songs the way they're supposed to be, and it's glorious.

"Look, I started doing it selfishly, 'cause I love that music, and to have it surrounding me, and to get to sing those songs, is crazy. And then to also write some new tunes that really marry so well to the old tunes is like writing another page.

"Will it surprise some people? Yeah," Paul added. "But, honestly, I'm not… Somebody said, 'Oh, you're reinventing yourself.' I'm not the champion of blues rock or hard rock or metal or this. I did 'Phantom Of The Opera'. I'm a singer, and I choose to sing whatever I choose to sing at any given time. So, really, honestly, it's as natural for me to sing Philly soul as it is to sing rock. It's just I haven't done it publicly."

Last May, Stanley released a cover version of Smokey Robinson's classic song "Ooo Baby Baby", recorded by SOUL STATION. In a statement accompanying the clip, Stanley said: "These are challenging times. Long before I ever heard the great British bands, I grew up listening to Philly Soul, Motown and so much more. I was lucky to see Otis Redding and Solomon Burke among others. That music and its storytelling gave me strength and hope even in some tough days. The great classics of that era are magical medicine for most and I felt myself drawn back to that era for some sorcery I think we could all use."

He added: "While it's hard to connect physically, some of SOUL STATION decided to reach out and make a virtual and emotional connection on a great Motown and Smokey Robinson classic, Ooo Baby Baby."

In 2019, Stanley told the Real Radio 104.1 radio station that he wanted to wait for the right time to release the SOUL STATION LP. "It really deserves full attention and my full commitment," he explained. "So until we can do great live performances — the band is amazing live — and until we can promote it the way we should, it's just going to simmer."

Asked if he gets any hate from KISS fans for making an album that is stylistically far removed from the music his main band is best known for producing, Stanley said: "I'm sure there are some people who'd rather me doing a KISS album or something like that, but when you sign on with me, you understand that we're both in this together, and sometimes I have to do what I need to do. And that's part of the joy and the reward for me. So I would rather do a great SOUL STATION album right now than tamper with KISS or the KISS legacy and do something that I'm really not feeling at the moment."

When one finds themselves at the proverbial crossroads - face to face with the Devil himself - who wouldn’t choose the left hand path? Honestly, evil is too enticing, too strong, and Hell has the best music anyway. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, heavy metal mongrels Bewitcher made their pact with Lucifer years ago, and have been walking the dark path ever since.

The band has just shared the new song "Satanic Magick Attack" from their upcoming third studio album, Cursed Be Thy Kingdom, which arrives April 16 via Century Media.

Vocalist and guitarist M. von Bewitcher comments, "The devil's rock 'n' roll is alive and well, its flames kept burning bright by its devoted legions. The battle lines are drawn, the declarations have been made. When the shock troops of hell finally charge over the top, there will be no escaping the attack!"

Recorded at The Captain’s Quarters in Ventura, California by Armand John Anthony (Night Demon), and mixed by Cameron Webb (Motörhead, Megadeth), Cursed Be Thy Kingdom is a powerhouse, heavy-metal-rock-’n'-roll record forged in the white hot fires of Hell.

Rock ’n' roll is the Devil’s music, and through Cursed Be Thy Kingdom, Bewitcher invites you to join them at the crossroads, drink from the chalice of rock ’n' roll, then ritualistically sell your soul to the dark lord himself. M. von Bewitcher puts it best, “The Devil is always ready to make the deal…”

Lineup:

M. von Bewitcher - vox & guitars
A. Magus - bass guitar & backing vox
A. Hunter - drums & percussion

(Photo - Tim Keenan Burgess)

Foo Fighters performed their new single, “Waiting On A War”, last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Check out the performance below:

“Waiting On A War” is featured on the band's new album, Medicine At Midnight, out February 5. The album is produced by Greg Kurstin and Foo Fighters, engineered by Darrell Thorp and mixed by Mark “Spike” Stent, and packs the following nine songs into a tight-ass 37 minutes.

Tracklisting:

“Making A Fire”
“Shame Shame”
“Cloudspotter”
“Waiting On A War”
“Medicine At Midnight”
“No Son Of Mine”
“Holding Poison”
“Chasing Birds”
“Love Dies Young”

"Waiting On A War" visualizer:

“No Son Of Mine”:

"Shame Shame" video:

Swedish heavy metal commando, Enforcer, presents its second live album, Live By Fire II, which will be released through Nuclear Blast Records on March 19. Today, the band release a live video for the first single "From Beyond". Watch below.

Olof Wikstrand comments: ”'From Beyond' has since the release of that album almost become a live favorite both for the band and the audience - and of course this will be our first preview from our new concert video! Just watch the cross reaction on this video!”

Live By Fire II offers an intense and passionate performance captured in front of a truly dedicated and wild audience in Mexico City, 2019. Live By Fire II lets you experience ENFORCER at the top of their game and marks an outstanding live record documenting the group’s steady path to global recognition in recent years. It also serves as a stunning reminder of how many heavy metal anthems ENFORCER have crafted on their total of five studio albums so far! From the speed metal attack of "Destroyer." "Searching For You," "Midnight Vice" to perfect sing-alongs like "From Beyond," "One Thousand Years In Darkness." and "Take Me Out Of This Nightmare," the enthusiastic crowd and powerful sound of Live By Fire II result in a captivating and extremely entertaining listen.

Physical formats of the release will be including extensive booklets containing a tour program, liner notes and tons of photos compiled and designed by vocalist/guitarist Olof Wikstrand recapturing ENFORCER’s touring cycle for the albums From Beyond and Zenith during the years 2015-2020. Live By Fire II will be released as Gatefold 2LP with 16-LP sized booklet, CD with 28-page booklet, and digital album.

Pre-order the album in the format of your choice, here.

Tracklisting:

"Die For The Devil"      
"Searching For You"     
"Undying Evil "  
"From Beyond"
"Bells Of Hades" + "Death Rides This Night"        
"Zenith Of The Black Sun"        
"Live For The Night"     
"Mesmerized By Fire"  
"One Thousand Years Of Darkness"  
Guitar Solo + City Lights Jam
"Scream Of The Savage"          
Drum Solo      
"Run For Your Life"       
"Take Me Out Of This Nightmare"       
"Destroyer"       
"Katana"           
"Midnight Vice"

"From Beyond" live video:

Lineup:

Olof Wikstrand - vocals, guitars
Jonas Wikstrand - drums, piano & keyboards
Tobias Lindqvist - bass
Jonathan Nordwall - guitars

In a brief statement today, British guitar legend Jeff Beck took time to remember his former bandmate and friend, Tim Bogert upon learning of his death from cancer.

"Sad to hear the news about Tim’s passing. We shared some good times together on stage and thankfully our mutual work will stand the test of time. His style was totally unique and was never properly recognized. Miss you man... Jeff Beck."

Acclaimed bassist and rock musician Tim Bogert died on Wednesday, January 13, after a long and valiant battle with cancer. He was 76 years old.

A founding member of three successful bands, Bogert is best known for his innovative bass playing and vocals in Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and the supergroup: Beck Bogert & Appice, which also included Jeff Beck and Carmine Appice.

An award winning musician, Bogert was widely regarded as one of the most influential bass players on the contemporary music scene. A celebration of Bogert’s life is being planned for later in the year.

In a new interview with New York's Q104.3 radio station, former VAN HALEN members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony were asked if there any plans to organize a tribute show in honor of their longtime bandmate, VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who died last October. Sammy responded (see video below): "It's gotta happen. Of course it's gonna happen. No one's really connected all the dots with everyone involved, but I have been told, and I have read interviews with various people involved — with Wolfie [Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen] and Valerie [Bertinelli, Eddie's ex-wife] and Eddie's wife [Janie] that he was married to at the time — they all said as soon as this is over, we're gonna get everybody together and do a tribute or whatever; just a 'thank you,' a goodbye, a send-off. And that's an absolute must. I don't care if it takes 10 years — that will happen. And if we're available to do it, we'll do it." Michael added: "We've got to celebrate the music — so much good music."

Last November, Wolfgang told Entertainment Tonight that he and his family may eventually stage a tribute show in honor of his father, with proceeds going toward Eddie's favorite charity, Mr. Holland's Opus, which helps underprivileged students access musical instruments. Proceeds from the debut solo single from Wolfgang's solo band MAMMOTH WVH, "Distance", are also benefiting Mr. Holland's Opus.

During the same chat, Wolfgang once again shot down a rumor that a new version of VAN HALEN could be assembled featuring him on guitar in place of his late father. In October, a rumor started to make the rounds via a Wolfgang Van Halen private group on Facebook that the VAN HALEN "camp" was discussing the possibility of the band carrying with a revamped lineup that would consist of Hagar on vocals, Anthony on bass, Alex Van Halen on drums and Wolfgang on guitar. Furthermore, it was suggested that Eddie Van Halen told his son and brother "I give you my blessing" with regard to the prospect of VAN HALEN continuing without him.

"No way. That'll never happen," Wolfgang told Entertainment Tonight. "I think a message to the VAN HALEN fans [would be that] some things just really suck. I don't have a dad anymore and I have to figure out how to process that and deal with it. And, that's the process that VAN HALEN fans need to go through and realize that you can't have the band anymore without Eddie Van Halen. The music will live on forever, but you can't have [the band] without him. Impossible.

"My dad would probably be really pissed off at me if I [tried to take his place,]" Wolfgang added. "He'd probably be, like, 'What are you doing playing my stuff? Go do your stuff.' He would've been really upset, like, 'You have all this music you're sitting on. Why wouldn't you go forward with that?'"

Hagar replaced David Lee Roth in VAN HALEN in 1985 and recorded four studio albums with the band — "5150", "OU812", "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" and "Balance" — all of which topped the U.S. chart.

Sammy, Eddie, Alex and Michael last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S. summer tour. In exchange for taking part in the tour, Anthony reportedly had to agree to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the band name and logo.

In early 2019, rumors were rampant that the classic-era lineup of VAN HALEN would reunite for the first time since 1984. It has since been revealed that a health setback involving Eddie was responsible for the tour not materializing.

Eddie died at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California.

The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

Hagar and Anthony are currently members of SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE which released its massively popular "Lockdown Sessions" as an album collection titled "Lockdown 2020" on January 8.

Death SS, the Italian pioneers of horror rock / metal, teamed up with Skol Records, will reissue their classic early recordings in the form of four double CD albums. The limited edition series will include the following releases: 

- The Story Of Death SS 1977-1984 coupled with The Horned God Of The Witches (both recorded by the first line up of the band) 

- In Death Of Steve Sylvester coupled with Black Mass (both recorded by the second line up of the band) 

- Heavy Demons coupled with The Cursed Concert (both recorded by the third line up of the band) 

Fourth in the series will be a double disc collection of all the original single and EP releases that Death SS published in the '80s and '90s. All the recordings will be mastered from the original sources by Bart Gabriel (Cirith Ungol, Pagan Altar, Sortilege).  

More release details will be available soon.

Death SS was founded in 1977 by Steve Sylvester, with the aim of forming a group that encompasses all its particular interests for occultism, horror films, erotic comics and rock music, in an original way. The singer, then just a teenager, decided to apply the concept of "glamor" with a strong visual characterization to five characters inspired by stories of terror: the Vampire (the singer), the Mummy (the bass player), the Werewolf (the drummer) , the Zombie (the guitar player) and the Phantom Of The Opera (the keyboard player). 

Death SS literally means "in Death of Steve Sylvester" - name chosen to mean the symbolic deathof the human state of Steve Sylvester (SS) and its rebirth from the beginning under the light of the Occult, without any political reference. Immediately considered a cult band for their shocking and theatrical live shows, they have influenced generations of other bands all over the world, being in fact to be considered as the progenitors of Black Metal, even if musically their formula has always been marked from a constant stylistic evolution record after record.
 
Their most recent studio album, Rock 'N' Roll Armageddon, was released in 2018. Last year, Italian label Black Widow Records released a triple CD compilation entitled Terror Tales - A Tribute To Death SS, that includes Death SS classics performed by bands such as Watain, Sigh and Bulldozer.

For more information follow Death SS via Facebook here.




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British heavy metal legends SAXON will release a covers album, "Inspirations", on March 19 via Silver Lining Music. The 11-track effort contains some of the superb classic rock songs that influenced Biff Byford and the rest of the band. The LP's second single, a cover of "Speed King", DEEP PURPLE's classic tune from the 1970 album "Deep Purple In Rock", can be streamed below.

"Without 'Speed King', there would be no 'Motorcycle Man'," Byford said when explaining the importance of the song on SAXON's early career ascendance. "I love the attitude, energy and driving speed of this song, not to mention those screaming vocals. I'd never sung it before, and I had great fun with it."

"Inspirations" was recorded at Brockfield Hall, near York in the U.K., which was built in 1804 and holds the largest collection of paintings by Yorkshire's impressionist artists — the Staithes Group. For Byford, recording "Inspirations" all together within such a rich historical environment was a major ingredient of the project. "The warmth and feel of 'Inspirations' had so much to do with being together in this magnificent place and doing it 'old-school' style," Byford explained. "This is how many bands back in the day —including some of the ones covered here — made such great albums, so it just felt really good to be able to do this somewhere like Brockfield Hall."

From the super-charged melodic romp of THE BEATLES' "Paperback Writer" to their freeway mad take on Jimi Hendrix's "Stone Free", SAXON show their love and appreciation with a series of faithful, raw and ready tributes. Maintaining a firm eye on the old-school way using Marshall cabs, Marshall amps, real drums and produced by Byford with Jacky Lehmann recording and mixing, SAXON approach the likes of MOTÖRHEAD's "Bomber" (with added whistle!), AC/DC's "Problem Child", BLACK SABBATH's "Evil Woman" and a raucous DEEP PURPLE's "Speed King" with refreshingly warm, unfiltered, "vintage"-sounding renditions.

"We wanted to do an album based on our influences, the songs and bands that inspired us to write what we did and still do," continued Byford, "and it was also interesting to see what my voice could do as I haven't sung many of these songs before."

Byford does, indeed, take on some new vocal challenges, which he duly smashes on the likes of THIN LIZZY's "The Rocker". The net result is that whether cranking up a heavyweight take on LED ZEPPELIN's "Immigrant Song" or throwing down AC/DC's "Problem Child", SAXON does a supreme job of entertaining both themselves and their audience throughout Inspirations.

"We didn't want to change any of the songs too much, just play them more like SAXON," concluded Byford, "and we also think it's very important to have — and share with the fans — some fun in these dark times."

You want even more proof of the validity behind that statement? Wrap your ears around their sparkling take on TOTO's "Hold The Line" and consider SAXON's "Inspirations" a mission accomplished.

"Inspirations" will be made available on vinyl, CD, digital formats and limited-edition D2C products.

Track listing:

01. Paint It Black

02. Immigrant Song

03. Paperback Writer

04. Evil Woman

05. Stone Free

06. Bomber

07. Speed King

08. The Rocker

09. Hold The Line

10. Problem Child

11. See My Friends

New Orleans disciples of hardcore, blues-based, post-amplified audio wreckage EYEHATEGOD have released "Fake What's Yours", the second single from their first new full-length album in seven years, "A History Of Nomadic Behavior", due on March 12 via Century Media Records.

Singer Mike IX Williams said: "'Fake What's Yours' is the second single from our new album, 'A History Of Nomadic Behavior', and it's a pure uncut chunk of anti-authoritarian preach-speak set to a condescending guitar riff that could only be born from the dirty streets of New Orleans. We can't wait for everyone to hear the full record, but for now, put on your gas masks, lock your doors, stay home and LISTEN!"

"A History Of Nomadic Behavior" was produced by EYEHATEGOD, Sanford Parker (YOB, VOIVOD) and James Whitten (THOU, HIGH ON FIRE), with mixing by Whitten. The band recorded at HighTower Recording and Hypercube studios. The artwork for the LP was created by Gary Mader and Mike IX Williams.

Williams said of the songs on the album: "We're not a political band, but it was hard not to be affected by the news from the past year. During this recording, I thought a lot about how stupid humanity has become and how America is now completely divided with these people who don't believe in science and blindly follow liars and nonsensical ideologies. Some of those feelings may have found their way into these songs, but it is mostly subliminal."

"A History Of Nomadic Behavior" follows a period that saw EYEHATEGOD on the road for three years, preceded by Williams suffering liver failure and a transplant. "We toured our asses off for three years and that's where 'A History Of Nomadic Behavior' basically comes from," Williams said before touching on his health challenge: "Death is a part of life; it's a roll of the dice. Sometimes you take life as it comes, other times you fight to stay alive."

"A History Of Nomadic Behavior" track listing:

01. Built Beneath The Lies

02. The Outer Banks

03. Fake What's Yours

04. Three Black Eyes

05. Current Situation

06. High Risk Trigger

07. Anemic Robotic

08. The Day Felt Wrong

09. The Trial Of Johnny Cancer

10. Smoker's Place

11. Circle Of Nerves

12. Every Thing, Every Day

Last March, EYEHATEGOD scrapped the last three shows of its European tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The band later blamed "bumbling dolt" Donald Trump for announcing a ban on travel to the U.S. from 26 European countries, which caused chaos at European airports as Americans, fearing being caught up in the ban, attempted to travel home early.

EYEHATEGOD's last album, a self-titled affair, came out in 2014. It arrived a decade and a half after its predecessor, 2000's "Confederacy Of Ruined Lives".

EYEHATEGOD's 1990 "In The Name Of Suffering" and 1993 "Take As Needed For Pain" studio albums are considered their seminal works and are often cited as pillars of the American sludge sound alongside ACID BATH, BUZZOV*EN and CROWBAR.

Photo credit: Robb Duchemin

Get ready for some raw and mind-blowing extreme metal illustrating the ugliness of this world in the upcoming sonic masterpiece. ILLT drops their debut single,  “Scythian King”, and you can listen to it here, and below.

ILLT is the alter ego of Norwegian composer and guitarist Roy Westad. It’s an uncompromising sandbox and a culmination of decades of passion and love for extreme metal as an art form. His debut album features session musicians from Megadeth, Soilwork, Chrome Division and Nile. The album was mixed by Kurt Ballou at Godcity and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Alan Douches.

ILLT comments: "'Scythian King' is about warfare in the dark ages (the previous period, not the one we're heading into now), and how man's intolerance, fear, constant all-consuming greed and self-interest has brutally shaped the world over thousands of years. I had great fun writing a song with swords in it without actually having to pose with one."

Lineup:

Vocals - Speed Strid
Guitars & Bass - ILLT
Drums - Dirk Verbeuren
Lead Guitars - Mr. Damage

Lyrically, and musically, the award-winning Dutch artist lays her soul bare with the most evocative record of her career - captivating song-stories told with acoustic guitars, strings, horns, percussion, and Anneke's hypnotic vocal harmonies.

Last year, Anneke van Giersbergen announced the release of her new solo album, The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest, for February 26. Today sees the release of the second single and video of said album, called “Hurricane”.

Anneke comments on the single as follows: “For the new album I wrote a lot of songs filled with messages of love and heartache, but I also went on a more propulsive journey, with darker storytelling. The percussive opening groove of ‘Hurricane’ is maintained until a slightly ominous middle section. The track closes with heavy drums and a glorious trumpet solo.”

You can watch the video below:

The new album's title, The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest, refers to the idea that, when facing personal challenges, we are forced to find answers to life's biggest questions. But, at this point in her near-three-decade-long music career, this solo album - and, crucially, the heartbreak that inspired it - was not something Anneke van Giersbergen ever anticipated writing.

In 2018, Anneke began working on new material for her metal band, VUUR. Although their debut album, In This Moment We Are Free - Cities, was met with a mixed reception, fans were warming up to their heavy, progressive sound. Therefore, a rapid follow-up album would surely establish Anneke's return to fronting a metal band. However, behind the scenes, these were troubled times.

Anneke shares, ”My belief in VUUR saw me spend all my savings on recording VUUR's debut album and taking the band on the road. After completing our first touring cycle, I realized that more VUUR would mean yet more, huge financial risks.”

To make matters worse, in 2018, her long-lasting marriage, which had always been wonderful, unexpectedly saw a storm approaching.
Anneke adds, “I instantly knew I needed to write music about fixing my life. This creative endeavour would be far too personal for a VUUR album. And it would also require solitude.”

With just her acoustic guitar and basic recording gear, Anneke retreated to a small house near the woods, just outside her hometown of Eindhoven. She let go of the pressures of what VUUR's future might be, and fell into the meditative process of writing a solo album. In 2019, work continued on the new songs. In 2020, Anneke asked her friend and producer, Gijs Coolen, to help finish the album.

Throughout the completion of the album, Anneke's fragile, acoustic song-stories were fused together with an alchemy of panoramic strings, horns, and percussion. The resulting 11-track record has all the intimacy of Anneke serenading an audience of one, combined with surprising departures into swampier, foot-stomping grooves.

The Japanese art of kintsugi has inspired Anneke to use a repaired heart as the album's symbol. Kintsugi teaches that bringing together the pieces of a broken object - with the use of a precious metal - adds value and uniqueness to it. And, instead of giving up on their marriage, Anneke and her husband decided to take the time to mend their bond. They now cherish the repaired heartbreak as something profoundly valuable.

Their journey through this personal storm, and the album that Anneke created in the eye of it, proves that the darkest skies truly are the brightest.

The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest is available for pre-order. The album will be available as eco-friendly CD Digipak (plastic-free), as 180g Gatefold LP (incl. the album on CD) & as digital album. Click here to pre-order.

Tracklisting:

"Agape"
"Hurricane"
"My Promise"
"I Saw A Car"
"The Soul Knows"
"The End"
"Keep It Simple"
"Lo And Behold"
"Losing You"
"Survive"
"Love You Like I Love You"

“My Promise” video:

The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest is Anneke's 23rd career album. It proves, once again, that the award-winning Dutch artist defies being pigeonholed by any genre.

After thirteen years as the front woman for melancholic metallers, The Gathering, she struck out on her own in 2007. Since then, her creativity has known no bounds. Anneke quickly solidified a successful solo career (initially under the moniker Agua de Annique), and has recorded and performed with Canadian metal genius Devin Townsend multiple times. She has also lent her serene yet powerful voice to the likes of: Anathema, Icelandic folk group Árstíðir, Within Temptation, Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen, Amorphis, and prog legend John Wetton.

2012's Everything Is Changing was something of a milestone in Anneke's solo career. The album, which was the first to be released under her own name, received two Edison Award nominations - Holland's most prestigious music prize - in the categories 'Best Female Artist' and 'Best Album'.

In 2015, Anneke van Giersbergen and Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon) released their collaborative album The Diary under the name The Gentle Storm. In October 2017, Anneke's progressive metal outfit VUUR released their much-anticipated debut album. In This Moment We Are Free - Cities entered the Dutch Album Top 100 at number 2, Anneke's highest-ever chart position.

Forever the unpredictable artist, in late 2018, Anneke released 'Symphonized', an 11-track live orchestral album. It was recorded at two career-spanning concerts alongside Residentie Orkest The Hague, and features rearrangements of songs from her entire back catalogue.

2019 saw Dutch music copyright organisation Buma Cultuur honor Anneke with the Buma ROCKS! Export Award. This is their award for the Most Successful Dutch Artist Abroad in Heavy Music. In 2021, the release of her new solo album The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest will see Anneke surprise her fans all over again.

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

"After releasing each album, I usually feel that I've squeezed every drop of creative ideas into it and I take quite some time off in order to regenerate and bring myself to write new material. 

As it turns out, over the past month or so I've been slowly working on new material and it's coming along nicely. I've written two tracks so far (music only) focusing primarily on working around bass riffs that I come up with and building everything around that.

The working title for the project is Orion."

Cordell released the new Trailight album, Sophia, in November 2020. He issued the following message on release day:

"The process of creating this album roughly took 180 days, almost two thousand hours, thousands of mouse clicks, numerous drum sticks, bass and guitar strings, vocal strains, technological hiccups, heart breaks and a few mental and emotional breakdowns yet through it all, I enjoyed every single second of it.

This creative process pushed me to the limits of my creativity musically, lyrically and artistically. Every note, every drum beat and every lyric was produced through this labour of love and I wish that you, the listener, will enjoy this album, perhaps draw some inspiration from it and create something positive to share with the world as well.

The album is now available on Bandcamp. Spotify, iTunes and all other streaming platforms will follow.

My heartfelt gratitude to all who have supported the creation of this body of work.

Being one of many Eons in existence before the physical universe as we know it came into being, Sophia wanted to express and experience herself in a different form other than the pure consciousness that she existed in until that point. She went into a trans-like state and from there, fell into a state of deficiency where she ended up creating the physical universe and with it, the Demiurge.

The Gnostic thought present the Demiurge as antagonistic to the will of the Supreme Creator this sort of Demiurge focus' solely on material reality and on the 'sensuous soul'. In Gnosticism, the Demiurge is an emanation from a higher, purer aeon (Sophia).

With the creation of the material universe and the Demiurge, Sophia made sure that all beings have the divine spark within them. A direct tethered connection to her, to her wisdom, knowing, truth, belief and integrity.

Thank you all for your continued support! Until next time."

Sophia by Trailight

Tracklist:

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

Sophia was written and produced by Omer Cordell. Mixed and mastered by Dave Padden (ex-Annihilator).

FOO FIGHTERS and Jon Bon Jovi are among the artists who will perform at a televised event for the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris next Wednesday (January 20). "Celebrating America" will be hosted by Tom Hanks, and will include additional appearances by Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Ant Clemons and Demi Lovato, as well as actors Eva Longoria and Kerry Washington.

Longoria and Washington will introduce segments throughout the night, ranging from stories of young people making a difference in their communities to musical performances. FOO FIGHTERS, Legend and Springsteen will perform from iconic locations across the country.

"Celebrating America" will air from 8:30-10:30 pm. ET/PT on January 20 and will showcase the American people's resilience, heroism and unified commitment to coming together as a nation to heal and rebuild. The program will feature remarks from Biden and Harris and include remarks, performances that represent the rich diversity and extensive talent America offers, and the American heroes who are helping their fellow Americans through this crisis.

The program will be carried live by ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, MSNBC and PBS. It will be streamed live on Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) social media channels: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Twitch. The PIC streaming partners, including Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Bing, NewsNOW from Fox, and AT&T DIRECTV and U-verse, will also be carrying the program live.

Over the course of five days of programming, "America United" activities will honor our traditions while safely allowing more Americans than ever before to participate from their own homes. These activities include "United We Serve", a National Day of Service on January 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day; a nationwide COVID-19 Memorial to Lives Lost on January 19; and the official Inaugural Ceremonies, a wreath laying on Arlington National Cemetery, and a "Parade Across America" on January 20. The events will culminate with the "Celebrating America" program. The PIC will also install an extensive public art display — a "Field of Flags," which will cover the National Mall up to 13th Street — to represent the American people who are unable to travel to Washington, D.C.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) 2021 is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization and separate entity from the Biden-Harris Transition charged with planning and executing activities surrounding the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

Today (January 15th), Norwegian eclectic hard rock band White Void are proud to present "This Apocalypse Is For You", the second single from their upcoming debut album, Anti, which is scheduled to be released on March 12th, 2021.

Frontman Lars Nedland (Borknagar, Solefald) comments on the song: 

"The absurd can never be permanently accepted. It requires constant confrontation, unbroken revolt. If you fail revolting, This apocalypse is for you! This is a song about crises. Also, it’s a song to put some boogie in your life. Because everyone needs boogie!
 
The video was beautifully created by animation wizard Joakim Storsve and editor Daniel Øverland, and draws inspiration from the oil painting "Adrift" by Jeremy Geddes, which incidentally serves as the cover for our debut album.
 
Enjoy the uproar, the cosmonauts and the boogie."

Pre-save Anti on the streaming plattform of your choice here. Pre-order the album here.

Tracklisting:

“Do. Not. Sleep.”
“There Is No Freedom But The End”
“Where You Go, You’ll Bring Nothing”
“The Shovel And The Cross”
“This Apocalypse Is For You”
“All Chains Rust, All Men Die”
“The Fucking Violence Of Love”
“The Air Was Thick With Smoke”

"Do. Not. Sleep." video:

White Void is:

Lars Nedland- Vocals
Tobias Solbakk - Drums
Vegard Kummen - Bass
Eivind Marum - Guitar

(Photo - Jørn Veberg)

Onwards into battle, one more time... 

In the two years since Memoriam released Requiem For Mankind, the band haven't rested on their laurels. Their fourth studio album, To The End, is due for release on March 26 via Reaper Entertainment.

Marking the beginning of a second trilogy of albums, To The End serves as something of a prologue to the first three Memoriam albums. Working backwards and narrating the life story of the leader whose demise was depicted in the first trilogy, the lyrics on the album may play out in a fictional realm, but they incorporate inspiration from real life. A central theme of war is coloured with political fulminations and everyday experiences that combine to create a cohesive and enthralling chronicle.

The four-piece returned to producer, Russ Russell, for the recording of To The End. For the first time, the band demoed the songs and entered the studio with a new level of preparedness. Coupled with their close relationship with Russell, this created an environment that allowed for greater experimentation, as demonstrated by the diverse array of textures and sounds present on the nine tracks on the album. 

From the earliest days of the band, they had their eye on the art Dan Seagrave (Benediction, Dismember, Hypocrisy, Suffocation etc) as an accompaniment to their music. Having created the artwork for the first three Memoriam albums, he has also created the cover for To The End.

The band comment:

"We are really chuffed to be collaborating with Dan, his vision and interpretation of ideas are totally unique and its fantastic to be involved in the creative process with him - seeing the ideas that we have transformed into stunning images that we are proud to have as artwork for our albums. His style is second to none, so much so that using any other artist at this point would seem like a compromise; his attention to detail is incredible. To The End is the first album of this trilogy and features the events that led up to the scenes depicted on our first album, For the Fallen. The art shows the king leading his troops into the last battle in which he was killed. It looks bloody killer."

Seagrave elaborates:

"In this moment we’re capturing the dawn of the onslaught of the city; visible from the industrial outskirts, as the forces descend with a pincer movement into the valley, spreading destruction towards their goal. The king character to me at this stage has become something of a creature - beyond human. There is an elemental shift in its DNA and a detachment of its ordinary senses. Held together by earthly materials, I feel its presence brings with it a surrealistic sickness that affects the immediate environment and those who tread within its boundaries.

"My aesthetic look of this was to combine the retro military tech of the early 20th century with the memory of renaissance times art. For example, tanks that have bas relief sculpture, and inventions such as the flying wingsuit - a metallic armoured vehicle contraption worn by the foreground figure. There's less of a literal darkness in the depiction. Here there seems to be a permeating flow of dust particles, like a concocting mist of specular ice and grey concrete. The dawn of a bright day reacting with it, both illuminating and deadly."

The first digital single, "Onwards into Battle", will be released on January 22; it can be pre-saved here.

Memoriam is:

Karl Willetts - vocals (ex-Bolt Thrower)
Frank Healy - bass (ex-Benediction)
Spike T Smith - drums (Sacrilege, Conflict, Killing Joke, The Damned)
Scott Fairfax - guitars (As The World Dies, ex-Benediction)