Envenom, the Lifeforce Records debut and third studio album by Swedish/German/Finnish doom death outfit Age Of Woe, is set to be released on February 26th, 2021. Additional details, track list and cover artwork, can be seen down under.


Track list as follows:

01. Inferno
02. Ghosts Who Hunt Alone
03. Förpestningen
04. Patriarch
05. A Feral Swarm
06. Avgrunden
07. The Twilight And The Dawn
08. Storm
09. Förbittringen
10. Envenom
11. Ljungeld

German progressive metal act Ivanhoe are pleased to introduce Chris Lorey (ex-Scenes) as the new guitarist and songwriter in the ranks.

Press Release statement: "Good things come to those who wait: Chris Lorey, formerly the mastermind behind Ludwigsburg's Scenes, has joined forces with prog metal veterans Ivanhoe as guitarist and songwriter. Chris has been connected to the band since their 90s release Symbols Of Time."

"Ivanhoe have additionally secured the services of drummer Micha Krebes (ex-Circuit Vision), who has also long been active in the Stuttgart prog music scene.

"Writing for the followup to their previous album, Blood & Gold, is currently underway in the Ivanhoe catacombs, for a planned release at the end of 2021."

Dark Essence Records have announced the details of Through Aureate Void, the second full-length album from Britain's Five The Hierophant, a band that uses unusual instruments to create a dark and drone-like universe where psychedelic black metal combines with jazz and doom to devastating effect. Set for release on the 26th February 2021, Through Aureate Void contains 5 tracks and features a cover by the legendary Norwegian painter Odd Nerdrum.

The band explains: "It took us longer than anticipated, as you can imagine, due to circumstances that befall us all. Nonetheless, the new album is finished, and ready to take you on a journey through aureate void. It's quite abstract, and there's lots of experimentation, both in regard to the sound and instruments used, and to the song structures. A lot of it comes from improvisation and leaving things to chance. I suppose we have taken it further than our debut album."


Track listing is as follows:

01. Leaf In The Current
02. Fire From Frozen Cloud
03. Berceuse (For Magnetic Sleep)
04. Pale Flare Over Marshes
05. The Hierophant (II)

Americans Between The Buried And Me have recently completed the tracking of their next studio album, the follow-up to 2018's Automata II. The process took place at The Basement Recording studio in North Carolina with producer Jamie King.

Comments the band: "2020 ain't been worth a lick, but guess what...tracking for the newest BTBAM is in the books! As always, we owe Jamie King a massive debt of gratitude. It cannot be overstated how much this guy means to us, and how important he has been to helping us evolve over the past 20 years. We can't wait for you all to hear what we've cooked up over here. Until then, be safe and don't be an asshole."

Death thrash metal quartet Rapture (GRE) have unveiled details and first track off their upcoming full length effort. Entitled Malevolent Demise Incarnation, it has been set for March 26th, 2021 official release on CD and Vinyl by FDA Records and tape by Headsplit Records. The album's title/opening track is now available for streaming as an official video clip.


Full album tracklist:

01. Malevolent Demise Incarnation
02. Inanimate Frigidity
03. Predatory Menace
04. After your Eternity
05. I Am Become Death
06. Birthrape Leftovers, Praising The Maggots
07. Herald Of Defiance
08. Requiem For A Woeful Dynasty (Memento Mori)

In a new interview with journalist Jenniffer Weigel, SMASHING PUMPKINS mainman Billy Corgan was asked about the possibility of making a Christmas album, either as a solo artist or with his band. He responded (see video below): "I actually started a Christmas album a couple of years ago. We kind of did it quick, and I wasn't satisfied with the results, so I junked it all. But I had written some songs, and I had found some cool obscure songs, and picked a couple of classics that I liked. I hope we get around to it some time, but at the moment, it's completely stalled."

Corgan previously floated the idea of making a PUMPKINS Christmas album in a 2018 interview with USA Today. Asked at the time if the LP would include covers or be all original material, Billy said: "It would be a mixture. I have released two Christmas songs, and I was thinking it would be nice to re-record those in the context of the record we would make. It would be probably lean more acoustic. I would think it's a bit weird [to make] wild Christmas records. Although, I also like 'Jingle Bell Rock', which is basically 1950s rockabilly. But I don't know. When I think Christmas music, I tend to think something you want to put on and sit around the tree with the kids and not rock out to. I don't see us doing a rocking-out Christmas album."

Back in 1997, Corgan wrote and recorded "Christmastime" for "A Very Special Christmas 3".

SMASHING PUMPKINS' new album, "Cyr", was released in November via Sumerian Records. The 20-song follow-up to 2018's "Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun." was produced by Corgan. It features founding members Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin and James Iha, along with longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder.

The "Cyr" title track premiered in late August. A second single, "The Colour Of Love", came out at the same time. Variety said the two tracks are "effortlessly taking their place alongside a catalog of cherished SMASHING PUMPKINS classics."

10-year-old music prodigy Nandi Bushell, who recently defeated Dave Grohl in a drum-off, has uploaded a video of her playing along to SLIPKNOT's song "Unsainted".

In a message accompanying the YouTube release of the one-minute clip, she wrote: "Yes! I am a total metal head! I love how awesome the drumming is in @Slipknot ! This is my first attempt at double pedals! Taking my playing to the next level. This song is called I #unstainted by #slipknot! Incredible drumming Jay Weinberg! This song brings my A game Corey Taylor #metalhead #metal #heavymetal #doublepedals. Thank you Ludwig Drums my new kits is sounding awesome! Zildjian Company Vicfirth Drum Sticks Roland #roland #vicfirth #zildjian #ludwig #zildjianfamily #zildjiancovers".

Several hours after Nandi posted the video, SLIPKNOT drummer Jay Weinberg retweeted the clip and wrote in an accompanying message: "Nandi!! You're unreal! I'm blown away by your passion and energy. Keep shredding on those drums! Next time we roll through your town, give me a shout — you gotta show me how you do that stick flip right there".

The young multi-instrumentalist, who lives in Ipswich, England, started playing the drums when she was just five years old. She now plays several instruments, including bass and guitar, and is said to be learning piano.

Last month, Grohl and Bushell announced that they were co-writing a song for Nandi to someday perform with the FOO FIGHTERS. They also met virtually for the first time, with Grohl asking her: "When the FOO FIGHTERS finally come back to the U.K., do you think that you would get up onstage and jam with us? But it has to be at the end of the set, because you're gonna steal the show. It can't be at the beginning of the set, because if you come out first, it's just all downhill from there."

"Yes, definitely, 100%," she responded.

Grohl is not the first high-profile rock musician who was impressed by Bushell's videos. Her cover of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's "Guerrilla Radio" was noticed by the band's guitarist Tom Morello, who later sent her one of his guitars.




Nandi!! You’re unreal! I’m blown away by your passion and energy. Keep shredding on those drums! Next time we roll through your town, give me a shout — you gotta show me how you do that stick flip right there ???? https://t.co/5JPvbPoALL

— Jay Weinberg (@jayweinbergdrum) December 26, 2020

Toronto-based punk n' rollers Piffbreak Arcade are showing fellow Canuckleheads Honeymoon Suite some love with a cover of the band's classic "Stay In The Light", taken from the self-titled debut album from 1984. Check it out below.

Piffbreak Arcade: "Cover-Alls EP is streaming everywhere now! What’s you’re favourite song on it? Check out 'Stay In The Light' by Honeymoon Suite.
A great tune by a classic Canadian band. This was a fun one to speed up and crank the distortion. Stoked on the guitars and vocals and how this song turned out! Stay up, stay safe, stay in the light!"

Check out Piffbreak Arcade's official Facebook page here. Go to the band's Spotify page here.

Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess has posted his Christmas Eve livestream on YouTube. Check it out below. Fans can check out the entire livestream via Rudess' Patreon page here.

Dream Theater have announced the Images, Words & Beyond Live in Japan 2017 streaming event, on January 30 at 7 PM, EST.

Filmed at the historic Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, in September of 2017, this historic performance has never before been released worldwide. January 30, 2021 marks the first official release from Dream Theater’s Images, Words & Beyond tour, featuring a live performance of the classic album, Images & Words, captured in its entirety during their September 11, 2017 appearance in Tokyo. Don’t miss this presentation, in full HD, initially broadcast only for Japanese audiences, and now for the first time available to audiences worldwide.

Get tickets here, and watch a video trailer below:

Impellitteri guitarist Chris Impellitteri has checked in with the following message:

"Someone told me Impellitteri is the greatest band that no one has ever heard of!  Ha ha! I must admit we thrive in the underground and have loyal fans around the world that are like family. We are very fortunate to have that support. We have outlasted many of our peers and are going strong! 

I am looking forward to recording our next record and touring. The music we have written thus far is bad ass! There are some new musical ingredients within these songs that tell me we are still growing as a band."

Jimmy Kay and Perrin Wolfson of Canada's The Metal Voice spoke to Chris Impellitteri earlier this year under lockdown at his home in California and he spoke about possibly touring North America, being asked by Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne to join the band in the ’80's and his guest appearance on the new studio Alcatrazz album (featuring Graham Bonnet) and more.

Some excerpts from the 60 minute chat streaming below are as follows:

Have you even been asked to join an established band in your career?

"Yes I have been offered multiple times to join big bands. I am not going to say who they are, cause some of the guitar players still exist in those bands. If I was to join an established band I have to recognize that I would need to be happy playing covers because really that is what you are doing is playing someone else's creations. There is nothing wrong with that but for me I like to be able to express myself as an artist."

Tell us about the time you were in discussions to join Ozzy's band

"This was long time ago even before Zakk Wylde. Forgive me if I get my years confused cause it was so long ago, maybe it was 1986-87 and I think Jake E Lee was still in the band. I was living in Hollywood and one of my roommate said you have to listen to this message on the answering machine. I played the message and it was Sharon Osbourne. Sharon basically said her and Ozzy were checking me out and wanted to know if I was interested in playing guitar for Ozzy. I remember thinking about it and at the time we had signed to Relativity Records and Sony to do the album 'Stand In Line' (with Graham Bonnet). I wanted to do join Ozzy because Randy Rhoads was such a hero of mine. I remember they called me a few more times, I probably talked to them five or six times but I knew that legally speaking I had a deal with Relativity Records so I couldn't go much further with it and that was the end of it. The reality is who knows how serious they really were because after 5-6 conversations it didn't go anywhere and the Jake E Lee thing kept going. I don't want to exaggerate the story too much let's just say they had an interest in me. I think the whole thing was initiated by some A and R guy on Atlantic records who was friends with the Osbournes, who turned them onto me. As a guitar player I am flattered to have even been called and obviously they saw something and there was intent but I don't know how serious it was."

Would you join Ozzy today if you were asked?

"I guess the answer would be yes, but I would want to do a record like Diary of a Madman but would the Osbournes allow it? I listened to Ozzy's newest record, Ozzy sounds great, a lot of the record sounds Pro Tooled. I listen to the album as a guitar player and I'm sorry it doesn't do a lot for me. It's good music, don't get me wrong. With someone like me, I'm hard headed. Let's pretend Ozzy called me again and if he would allow me to do another record like Diary of a Madman or Blizzard I would join in a heartbeat."

Primal Fear bassist and Rock Meets Classic master of ceremonies Mat Sinner has posted a new video clip along with the following message:

"Hope you had a great Xmas, stay safe guys! Here's some great unreleased footage of Eric Martin and RMC - check out the full video..."

The footage was shot on March 27th, 2015 in Regensburg, Germany at the Donau Arena. The song is taken from Mr. Big’s 1991 hit album. Lean Into It.

Rock Meets Classic recently confirmed Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider for the 2021 run of the annual tour. Snider will perform a Best Of Twisted Sister set for the duration of the tour.

Rock Meets Classic also confirmed that Europe frontman Joey Tempest will return as the headliner for the annual tour in 2021. This will be Tempest's second time with Rock Meets Classic, having headlined the 2016 run. Mike Tramp (White Lion), Midge Ure (Ultravox, Thin Lizzy) and Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Lords Of Black) have also been confirmed.

Below is the curent tour schedule for RMC 2021.

Snider previously performed with Rock Meets Classic with a special one-off set at Wacken Open Air 2015. Check out pro-shot footage below.

A true celebration of the grandiose, anthemic and breathtakingly fun hard rock music of the 1980s, Trapper brings together two of Canada’s brightest creative lights in a project that neither parrots nor parodies the genre that left an indelible stamp on millions of fans and pop culture. 

With Trapper, guitarist Sean Kelly (Lee Aaron, Helix, Honeymoon Suite) and vocalist Emm Gryner (David Bowie, Chris Hadfield) have discovered a truly organic creative force that will continue to write and record original material with that distinctly 1980s hard rock vibe, as well offering up their interpretations of other ‘lost’ 1980s rock gems. And the 1980s mentality is going to permeate every aspect of the band’s presentation. 

On Christmas Eve, Trapper released a brand new, original song featuring Tim Timlek on drums called "You Need An Angel". Check it out:

In November, Trapper issued "Winterlong", also featuring Tim Timleck on drums, from their forthcoming album due in Spring 2021.

For further details, visit Trapper on Facebook.

  

Portuguese melodic death metal titans Apotheus have released a new video for "Save Our Ship", which is taken from their latest release, The Far Star. Heavily inspired from Asimov sci-fi stories, Apotheus creates their own world which they describe in music and in a physical book. With the global pandemic, withdrawn from the stages, the band entered Redbox Studios to record a raw intimate performance.

"'Save Our Ship' is a song about obstacles, however it is also about overcoming those same obstacles," explains Apotheus. "We think that, given the circumstances in which we currently live, this topic becomes even more relevant. This song comes from our latest album The Far Star, and is a part of a more comprehensive story. In this story, as in real life, obstacles become part of what defines us. We too, in the present, will have to overcome this obstacle that haunts us now so much. We need to learn from it, and make our future a brighter one. As a way of lamenting, but never giving up, we decided to put our uniforms aside and record our most raw and heartfelt performance to date."

The Far Star artwork and tracklisting:

"Prelude" 
"Caves Of Steel" 
"Redshift" 
"Resolve To Remake" 
"The Darkest Sun" 
"The Pull Of Plexeus" 
"Save Our Ship" 
"Under A New Cloudy Sky" 
"The Brightest Sun" 
"Staring The Abyss" 
"A New Beginning" 

"Caves Of Steel": 

"A New Beginning":

 

Hranice Abyss seeks the union of visceral with aesthetic beauty, from pure catharsis to sublimation. Inspired by these concepts, the band releases the single together with the debut video “Violation Of Human Condition” through Slam Worldwide.

With several influences, ranging from The Black Dahlia Murder, Cattle Decaptation, Necrophagist, Death, Lamb Of God and Slayer, mixing with more modern views of bands like Meshuggah, Slipknot and Decapitated, and contemplating productions from Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree, Hranice Abyss is the new bet of death metal / deathcore and delivers a professional, modern work with reflective lyrics, which bring to philosophical issues of the cultural industry of Adorno and Horkheimer, of nihilism and the liberated life of Nietzsche, of the liquid relations of Bauman and Baudrillard simulations.

"We visited Freudian psychoanalysis and using the Byronesian poetics, to raise questions about where the postmodern man fits, of its complexes and traumas, the resignification of life, of affective relationships. In this media world where everything is a product and mental spaces are getting smaller, we want to face the abyss and contemplate the void that plagues our soul to find our meaning and transform it into art,” explains the band.

In August 2020, Brazilian guitarist Henrique De Fina and Brazilian vocalist Vic Ferreira joined forces to create Hranice Abyss, a modern and artistic project, which believes that it is possible to produce a lot, with quality and with little resources. The band gains notoriety for being DIY (Do It Yourself), producing, directing and recording all their material, from the videos to the EP. From the beginning, the idea was to do everything and be in control to present a quality and professional project.

“Violation Of Human Condition” marks the band's debut in the music market, and anticipates the first EP of their career, entitled Aphagy, which will be released in 2021.

 

Lost Sanctuary is the debut solo endeavour of Monument guitarist Dan Baune. Together with trusted friend and power-house drummer Sebastian Weiss, Dan greatly expands upon his NWOBHM roots and has written an album that is both extremely heavy and intensely melodic, showcasing his love for thrash, speed and power metal alike.

Dan covers guitar and bass duties on the entire album, as well as lead vocals on many songs. The concoction is completed by a number of acclaimed guest vocalists, including: Doogie White (Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen, Michael Schenker), Herbie Langhans (Firewind, Avantasia), Rasmus Andersen (Diamond Head), Matt Mitchell (Furyon), Jennifer Diehl (Fire Red Empress) and Aliki Katriou (Eight Lives Down), as well as two guest soloists, Bob Katsionis (ex-Firewind, Outloud) on keys and Chris Webb (Solsikk, Biomechanical) on guitar.

ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records has announced the signing of a multi-album deal with Dan Baune’s Lost Sanctuary and welcome the band to the roster. More info on the band’s debut full-length album release date and details coming soon.

 

Swedish-American power metal supergroup Northtale are complete again and today, they introduce their new vocalist, Guilherme Hirose (Traumer) from Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Guitarist Bill Hudson states: "After a long and grueling audition process, we are ready to announce our new singer! I’ve auditioned about 40 of the best vocalists in the world, from very famous to complete newcomers, spread through 11 countries. I wish I could’ve hired more than one, but since we needed to make a decision, I’m happy to announce Guilherme Hirose as our new frontman! Guilherme blew my mind through his initial auditions, nailing the songs from the first album as if they were written for his own voice. But he really shined on our new songs. When he sent me the first recording, I knew he was the guy. I had no doubt. When I presented him to the band to get their opinions, they unanimously voted for him! We’re a band once again! We’re currently recording vocals at Dharma Studios in São Paulo, Brazil with engineer Rodrigo Oliveira partnering up with Dennis Ward to deliver amazing performances. We’re once again ready to hit the road!" 

Guilherme Hirose adds: "Well it’s just amazing being in a band with such great world class musicians. We’ve been talking since June, and in August I received a Bill’s call, telling I me was the chosen one. Things were shaping just great since, and the new songs sound just awesome (I know it’s a cliché, but that’s exactly how it feels). I’m very much looking forward to hitting the road, as soon as possible, having fun with the guys and with you in your city!"

Northtale are:

Guilherme Hirose - vocals
Bill Hudson - guitars
Mikael Planefeldt - bass
Jimmy Pitts - keyboard
Patrick Johansson - drums

Photo by Du Firmo / Antonio Cesar

Outspoken conservative rocker Ted Nugent has once again said that this year's presidential election was a fraud, insisting that "hundreds of thousands of dead people" voted and claiming that machines were "rigged" to give a Donald Trump vote to Joe Biden.

Nugent, an avid Trump supporter, offered his opinion of this year's election during an appearance on the conservative outlet One America News (OAN).

He said (see video below): "Who doesn't know the glaring evidence [of voter fraud]? I'm aware of all that evidence. Everybody I know is aware of all that evidence. Everybody I know knows that there are hundreds of thousands of dead people that voted. There are probably hundreds of thousands of votes that were created by a few dozen people with the same signatures that somehow they thought that the signatures didn't need to match the voting record of the so-called voter, the machines that were rigged to give a Trump vote to Biden."

Addressing then-attorney general William Barr, one of the president's most ardent allies who declared earlier in the month the U.S. Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election, Nugent continued: "Bob Barr, where is your soul? [Former FBI director] Jim Comey, where is your soul? CNN, I don't even need to ask where your soul is, because it's burning somewhere in hell. The denial, the deceit, the dishonesty, the treason — that is treason, when you rig an election in this constitutional republic, this democratic dream.

"Somebody's gotta go to jail," Ted continued. "Everywhere I go, why aren't these people in jail? Why isn't [former presidential candidate and secretary of state] Hillary Clinton in jail? Why isn't [U.S. House Of Representatives speaker Nancy] Pelosi in jail? Why isn't Eric Holder [the attorney general under President Barack Obama] in jail? My buddy Brian Terry, the great border agent, he's dead with the guns that Obama and Holder gave to the Mexican gangs. I mean, I can go on and on. [The] Benghazi [terrorist attack] was not about a video. We all know this stuff, unless somebody hit you in the head with a brick in your youth and your brain doesn't function.

"I believe it's a system of soullessness, because if you track the system of the left, it's all about enriching themselves while they control the population, and we ain't gonna stand for it."

Trump has repeatedly claimed that the election was stolen, and he has refused to concede his loss to President-Elect Joe Biden.

Trump has been unsuccessful in his legals effort to convince American judges across the nation to nullify millions of votes in six key states and declare him the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

No evidence has been provided for any of his allegations and dozens of federal courts, with both Democratic and Republican judges, have dismissed lawsuits which referred to those claims.

The presidential race ended with a victory for Biden with 306 electoral votes. Biden had received 81 million votes across America — the most votes cast for any presidential candidate in history — compared to 74 million votes for Trump.

Leading up to this year's election, Nugent teamed up with Donald Trump Jr. on the campaign trail.

Ted has called Trump "the greatest president in our lifetime," and believes the billionaire real estate mogul represents "the heart and soul of the best American families out there."

In a recent interview with the "My Turning Point" podcast with host Steve Baltin, AC/DC guitarist Angus Young spoke about the band's decision to sit on its new album, "Power Up", for more than two years before announcing its existence to the music world.

"Well, we all agreed to be hush," Angus said (hear audio below). "And we've done that in the past. You keep it tight till it's out there in the public. And that's always been pretty much the approach in the band."

"Power Up" features AC/DC's 2020 lineup of Brian Johnson (vocals), Phil Rudd (drums), Cliff Williams (bass), Angus Young (guitar) and Stevie Young (guitar). The LP was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked 2008's "Black Ice" and 2014's "Rock Or Bust".

Asked why AC/DC waited so long to release the new disc, Angus said: "The beginning of this year, we were planning, we were gonna get it out earlier. So we had worked on a lot of the promotional side of it. And we'd also actually been doing rehearsals, playing [together], because Brian wanted to see if [it] was at all possible [for him to perform afer dealing with hearing issues back in 2016]. So we had actually been geared up. We had done promotional stuff, shot a video, and the record company were gonna put together all their plans, how they were gonna promote it and everything. The plan was to go earlier with the album. And then, it was a case of we were rehearsing, and, as I said, had done promo stuff. And then we had a quick break. We had gone into our home spaces. And then this pandemic thing sprung up out of nowhere. And not just us, it threw the whole world a big curve[ball]. So that plan fell apart, because from that point on, nobody knew what was happening in those early stages of that. So everything was put on hold until it was such time that it was possible to release the album. But pre-pandemic, we were hoping we could have got it out earlier."

More than two years ago, Brian and Phil, along with Angus and Stevie, were photographed outside Warehouse Studios. Based on the pictures, the assumption was that AC/DC was in the midst of making — or at least planning — another album, with Rudd and Johnson both back in the lineup.

"We wanted to do it in secret in case nothing came of it," Johnson told BBC News, "and of course somebody took photographs when we were having a sneaky cigarette on the fire steps outside the studio."

AC/DC eventually erected an umbrella outside the studio to stop fans and the paparazzi taking further shots.

Johnson was forced to leave AC/DC mid-tour four and a half years ago due to a dangerous level of hearing loss. He was eventually replaced on the road by GUNS N' ROSES vocalist Axl Rose.

Rudd was ousted from AC/DC when he was sentenced to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand court in 2015 after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession.

"Power Up" hit the No. 1 spot in 18 countries, including in the U.S., where it sold over 117,000 copies in the first week. It is the fastest-selling album of 2020 in at least three of its biggest markets — U.S., Australia and the U.K.

"Power Up" is a tribute to Angus's brother Malcolm Young, who died in 2017 from effects of dementia at age 64. Malcolm is credited as a writer on all 12 tracks on "Power Up", along with Angus.

EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee has lamented the partisan split in America, with people on opposite political sides unable to talk — and listen — to one another as polarization continues to increase.

"We have to be able to have a conversation still," Amy told Marci Wiser of the 95.5 KLOS radio station (hear audio below). "Things haven't always been this way, where we couldn't have a conversation. It's either that you believe like me or I don't talk to you and I don't agree with you and I'm not listening to you, and, in fact, I'm plugging my ears and running in the other direction. That isn't how this works. That's not how any relationship works."

She continued: "We are a country together, and we have to work together. And we all believe different things and we all have been through different things, we all have different perspectives, and that's good — that's part of what makes it awesome. And it's made up of a whole bunch of different people, and we have to find a way to work together. And we're not always gonna agree, but that's always been the case. We have to be able to move forward with respect and honor, and speak to each other like family, because we need to function like a functional family."

Last May, Lee said that she was " angry, horrified" and "ashamed" over the murder of George Floyd in police custody as well as President Donald Trump's response to the subsequent protests and riots.

Just three months earlier, Lee opened up about her political views for the first time, explaining that she couldn't "stand by" and keep her mouth shut while her "country's freedom is taken away." He decision to speak out was apparently prompted by the GOP-controlled Senate's vote to acquit Trump on both articles of impeachment without calling witnesses.

She wrote at the time: "I do not accept lying, cheating or bullying from my government… Accepting this abuse says it's okay for our leaders to lie to us, cheat on us, make decisions without our input, and silence us when we try to speak up. This isn't about your policies or beliefs, it's about our freedom."

Lee added: "I will never bow down to a dictator."

In August, EVANESCENCE released a new single, "Use My Voice", which was written to celebrate the power of speaking out in order to promote more justice in the world. The track, featuring contributions from THE PRETTY RECKLESS's Taylor Momsen and HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale, was chosen by HeadCount in the USA to encourage voters to register, check their registration, or find out about their remote voting options amid the COVID-19 pandemic at UseMyVoice.org.

EVANESCENCE's long-awaited new album, "The Bitter Truth", will arrive either later this year or in early 2021.

The band's new music is being produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who also worked on 2011's self-titled LP.

EVANESCENCE spent much of the last two years recording and touring in support of 2017's "Synthesis", which contained some of the band's best-loved songs — as well as a couple of new ones — reinvented with full orchestra over a deep electronic landscape.

During an appearance on "The Thinking Tackle Podcast", IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith spoke about how he copes with his band's heavy touring schedule and the pressure to perform day after day.

"It was more intense in the '80s, because I think when you're younger, you don't quite know how to handle things," he said (see video below). "I was only in my 20s when I joined; I was still a kid, really. I wasn't a very mature 24-year-old. And we were going out on the road, and we were doing all these shows. You've got a certain amount of responsibilities, especially when you start headlining. You can't be messing around, staying up all night and misbehaving.

"We played with some great bands," he continued. "For people who know, Michael Schenker and Yngwie Malmsteen opened up for MAIDEN. Now I grew up listening to those guys, and then they were opening up for us. That makes you think a little bit. You start examining yourself maybe a bit too much. And one thing leads to another… But when you're young, you go for it. And you have to dedicate yourself to one thing if you wanna make an impression."

Adrian is rumored to have collaborated with THE WINERY DOGS guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen on a new album, tentatively due in 2021.

Smith is currently promoting his memoir, "Monsters Of River & Rock", which was released on September 3 via Virgin Books.

Smith was born in Hackney, East London, on February 27, 1957. He joined IRON MAIDEN at the end of 1980. Adrian is the bandmember who has collaborated on the most side projects outside of IRON MAIDEN, as well as writing and recording a series of albums in the early '90s, before rejoining the band. IRON MAIDEN has sold 100 million albums, and tour the world playing to millions of fans. Onstage, Adrian uses Jackson and Gibson guitars. Offstage, he is an avid tennis player. However, his main hobby is fishing.

DIMMU BORGIR guitarist Sven Atle Kopperud (a.k.a. Silenoz) has confirmed to Australia's "Everblack" podcast that the band is hard at work on material for the follow-up to 2018's "Eonian" LP.

"We're pretty well on the way into the beginning of the songwriting process for the next album," he said (hear audio below). "So things are going pretty smooth, to be fair. We have, separately, us in the band, we have so much ideas for material, and we just bring everything to the DIMMU pot, so to speak, and we stir around, and then stuff comes out. So it's like a meat grinder. It's a pretty long process, but it's a really fun process, and there's never a shortage of ideas and riffs. It's more like a challenge to assemble it all. And again also there to shave off the fat that's not needed, basically. It feels really good, and it's not gonna take us 10 years until the next album is out — that I can guarantee. [Laughs]"

Asked about the musical direction of the new DIMMU BORGIR material, Silenoz said: "It's obviously always strange to talk about it that early in the songwriting process, but I feel like it might be a little more stripped down. And that's probably not saying too much, because we have so much of everything. But I feel like we're looking at maybe toning it down a little bit, especially on the orchestral side. So people shouldn't be too surprised if they get a bit more stripped-down version of DIMMU on the next album."

This past January, Silenoz told Extreme Metal Festival News that DIMMU BORGIR will likely "take a more aggressive turn" with the upcoming effort. "Now with [bassist] Victor [Brandt] in the band, with him also being a guitarist, there will be four of us writing guitar riffs," he said. "It would surprise me if the album will be more guitar-orientated, which I don't mind."

"Eonian" was released right in time for the band's 25th anniversary in 2018, about eight years after its predecessor, "Abrahadabra". Since then, the infernal core trio consisting of Shagrath, Silenoz and Galder has played various tours all around the world, including shows at leading metal festivals such as Wacken Open Air and Hellfest.

DOKKEN leader Don Dokken, who is currently working with his bandmates on the follow-up to 2012's "Broken Bones" album, has told "The Classic Metal Show" that he is "trying to stay away" from subjects like COVID-19 and "the government" while writing lyrics for DOKKEN's new songs.

"I've never been a political person," he explained in an interview which aired on December 19. "I never got involved. I don't think I voted — shame on me — until I was pushing 50. I just wasn't a political person.

"I'll be happy in 31 days when [Trump] is out of office," he continued. "I think our country has gone in the shitter, and I'm embarrassed. And I feel like [when] I go on tour again, if someone says, 'Where are you from?', I'm gonna say, 'Canada.' [Laughs] We're not real popular right now.

"When you've got a president — let's be honest — whose favorite two people [are] [North Korean chairman] Kim Jong-un and [Russian president] Vladimir Putin, two mass murderers, and those are his buddies, that tells me something. I mean, c'mon, man. Putin was KGB, threw tens of thousands of people in jail, took all their money, grabbed all the billionaires' money, took it for himself, and then we find out, what, two days ago that the KGB has hacked into all our own defense. And Trump said nothing, because Putin's his buddy.

"I can't change the world," Dokken added. "But I'm just trying to do the best I can. I kind of try to stay away from news and CNN, 'cause I don't wanna write songs about just what's going on, 'cause I've always done that before, about what's going on in my life. But the world's a mess."

Don went on to repeat the debunked claim that Pfizer withheld positive news about its coronavirus vaccine until after Joe Biden secured enough electoral votes to become president-elect on November 7.

"I do find it ironic that I said something a week before the election, I said, 'Don't be surprised if — whoever wins, Trump or Biden — don't be surprised if, a week after the election, magically they have the vaccine. One week. You don't think they had that vaccine already on the backburner for months? Because they didn't want Trump to take the credit. They were, like, 'Oh, we out the vaccine out,' Trump is a braggadocio, and that's the way it goes. They didn't want Trump to get the credit for doing [White House's Operation] Warp Speed [initiative], so they just held it all back, and then, as soon as the election is over, 'Hey, we've got a vaccine — two of them.' That was a total political move. You know damn well Pfizer said, whoever you are, Republican or Democrat, they didn't want Trump to get the credit, even though he started Warp Speed. He basically opened up the checkbook and said, 'Any scientist in the world that wants to work on this, get on — everybody.'"

Trump has repeatedly credited Operation Warp Speed initiative with providing the money and resources the government and private companies need to bring a vaccine to the population quickly. But Pfizer, the company behind the vaccine which received FDA approval two weeks ago, has distanced itself from Operation Warp Speed. In early November, Kathrin Jansen, a Pfizer executive, told The New York Times Pfizer was "never part" of Operation Warp Speed, and that the company had "never taken any money from the U.S. government." However, Pfizer did agree to a $1.95 billion purchase order with the federal government, providing the company a massive guaranteed market if the vaccine proved to be safe and effective.

Tentatively due in 2021, DOKKEN's new album will be released via Silver Lining Music, the label owned by Thomas Jensen, one of the founders of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival.

DOKKEN released an album called "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" in August via Silver Lining Music. Featuring sleeve art by renowned U.S. artist Tokyo Hiro (MOTÖRHEAD, MOTLEY CRÜE), the effort contains material written and recorded 40 years ago as Don embarked upon a journey which started in Southern California and Northern Germ

In a new interview with Metal Jacket Magazine, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke about what he thinks life will be like post-pandemic. He said (hear audio below): "I don't know what metal is gonna be like, but I think life in general is gonna be different. Maybe it's gonna be like it was pre-9/11, when you could go at an airport and go to the gate without security and all that kind of stuff. And after 9/11, when everything changed, and once it changes, it never goes back to normal. So it might be that we, from now on, have different measures in place, and they're gonna be here to stay. I don't think that we're all gonna have to wear face masks forever, but certain elements of all this kind of behavior, I'm sure, is gonna stay. I cannot imagine one day everybody is gonna say, 'Ah, everything is over, so forget about everything. Go back to normal, everybody.' Maybe that's never gonna happen.

"I hope it's not the new normal as we have it now, with lockdowns and quarantine and all that stuff," he added. "But maybe when at least everybody's vaccinated or immune, or most people, life's gonna go back to an almost normal. But it's gonna be different from before, I'm afraid, maybe… As long as we can have concerts, I'd be okay with 'new normal.' 'Cause life without concerts is — I don't know — it's not worth living."

ACCEPT's new studio album, "Too Mean To Die", will be released on January 15, 2021 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 last year'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.

ACCEPT's latest release was "Symphonic Terror - Live At Wacken 2017", featuring the band's performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.