Video of DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie belting out a cappella versions of several of the band's songs — including "Take The Time" and "Barstool Warrior" — can be seen below.

LaBrie sang a couple of lines from each track while filming a new video message on Cameo, which lets users hire celebrities to record brief, personalized video messages about virtually any topic.

Cameo reportedly features more than 20,000 celebrities — from musicians and actors to drag queens and from YouTubers to Olympic gold medallists — who, for fees from $1 to $2,500, will offer video messages that mention another person by name. Happy birthday messages are common, as are baby announcements, but some celebrities have also recorded messages for Cameo users looking to quit their jobs or ask a potential date to a prom. The price for a video is determined by the celebrity.

LaBrie charges $55 for each of his Cameo videos.

Last month, guitarist John Petrucci confirmed that DREAM THEATER is using the coronavirus downtime to commence the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to last year's "Distance Over Time" album.

"Distance Over Time" marked DREAM THEATER's first album for for Sony Music's progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.

DREAM THEATER recently released its ninth career live album, "Distant Memories - Live In London". Recorded at DREAM THEATER's sold-out show at the Apollo Theatre in London, the live release documents the band's popular world tour in support of "Distance Over Time" and the 20th anniversary of their seminal concept album "Metropolis Part 2 - Scenes From A Memory".

AC/DC will release its long-awaited comeback album, "Power Up", on November 13. The follow-up to 2014's "Rock Or Bust" features AC/DC's reunited lineup of Brian Johnson (vocals), Phil Rudd (drums), Cliff Williams (bass), Angus Young (guitar) and Stevie Young (guitar). Johnson and Williams both left in 2016 for health reasons; and Rudd was sidelined in 2015 with various legal issues.

In a new interview with "The Hot Breakfast", which airs on Australia's Triple M radio station, Angus stated about how the "Power Up" recording lineup came together (hear audio below): "Brian had kept us informed [about his efforts to overcome his hearing loss]. He'd been working with a specialist — hearing people in the U.S. And he was always letting us know that he was having a lot of great results with these people he was working with. And so he himself was going through and testing it in different environments. So he was happy about the way the new technology that they had put together for him [was working out], so he was happy and really eager. I didn't have to ask him twice to be there, to do this album. And Cliff had said to me at the end of the last tour that we had [done]… I said, 'Do you want me to contact you if I'm gonna do anything?' And he said, 'Yeah. Contact me.' And I said, 'And you can see then if you wanna do it or not do it. There'll be no pressure.' So we contacted him, and he was, 'Yeah. I'm on board.' And Phil, I'd talked to Phil and also seen him a few times. And he was in great shape. But he himself was ready. He said, 'Yeah, I'll be there with bells on.' And then, of course, my nephew, doing Mal's [late AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young] role. Everyone was excited about doing it. So that was pretty easy to put together."

The legendary hard rockers postponed the last ten dates of their North American tour in 2016 after doctors told Johnson he faced a total loss of hearing if he did not stop touring immediately. He was eventually replaced on the road by GUNS N' ROSES vocalist Axl Rose.

"It was pretty serious," Brian told Rolling Stone earlier this month. "I couldn't hear the tone of the guitars at all. It was a horrible kind of deafness. I was literally getting by on muscle memory and mouth shapes. I was starting to really feel bad about the performances in front of the boys, in front of the audience. It was crippling. There's nothing worse than standing there and not being sure… The docs said, 'Deaf is deaf, son.' Cliff and Angus didn't want to be responsible for me damaging my ears any further. … Shit happens. At least it wasn't terminal."

Johnson eventually found a specialist willing to try an experimental treatment on him and he spent three years figuring out a solution.

"The first time he came down he brought this thing that looked like a car battery," Johnson said of the specialist. "I went, 'What in the hell is that?' He said, 'We're going to miniaturize it.' It took two and a half years. He came down once a month. We'd sit there and it was boring as shit with all these wires and computer screens and noises. But it was well worth it. The only thing I can tell you is that it uses the bone structure in the skull as a receiver. That's as much as I can tell you."

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.

Rudd, who has appeared on all but three of AC/DC's 18 studio albums, toured in support of his 2014 solo debut, "Head Job". It was the release of that album that led indirectly to Rudd's arrest, with the drummer allegedly so angry at a personal assistant over the way the record was promoted that he threatened to have the man and his daughter killed.

Williams recently revealed that a "terrible" bout with vertigo contributed to his 2016 retirement. He also admitted the return of both Johnson and Rudd convinced him to return to the group. "It was like the old band back together," he told Rolling Stone. "It was not like starting over again, but as close to the band that's been together for 40-plus years as we can possibly make it. I didn't want to miss that."

"Power Up" 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".

Tim "Ripper" Owens has once again defended the "Dio Returns" tour, which features a hologram of legendary metal singer Ronnie James Dio performing alongside a living backing group consisting, in large part, of Ronnie's onetime DIO bandmates.

The Dio hologram was created by a company called Eyellusion and made its debut at the Wacken Open Air festival in August 2016 in front of more than 75,000 fans.

The Dio hologram production uses audio of Ronnie's live performances from throughout his career, with the DIO band playing live, consisting of Craig Goldy on guitar, Simon Wright on drums and Scott Warren on keyboards, along with Bjorn Englen on bass. Also appearing with them are Owens and LYNCH MOB frontman Oni Logan.

In an interview with "That Jamieson Show" which originally aired last February, Owens stated about "Dio Returns" (see video below): "I like it. It's so amazing every night just to hear Ronnie's voice. And it's one of the most amazing shows ever. I'm up there singing a little bit less songs, but it's always pressure, 'cause every time I get up there, if I don't sing [well], I know Ronnie's looking down on me, going, 'You son of a bitch.' 'Cause he was like that. I feel like he would be yelling at me or something, like, 'That's not right.' But it's great to do it. And I love hanging out with Simon and the guys."

The former JUDAS PRIEST frontman also defended Ronnie's widow/manager Wendy Dio, who is a member of the Eyellusion team, against "cash-grab" accusations, with some fans thinking she and the ex-DIO members are taking advantage of Ronnie's legacy by going out and performing his classic songs.

"The thing is Wendy Dio, she's just one of the most amazing people," Tim said. "She does so much for charity. She loses money doing this tour. People say, 'Really?' And I'm, like, 'Well, listen, if she didn't lose money, we'd be touring all the time.' She doesn't want to [lose money] — the goal is not to — but she's just trying to do something to make fans happy, just like Ronnie did. You know how cool Ronnie was — one of the most amazing guys ever — and Wendy does the same thing."

Two former DIO guitarists have publicly expressed their doubts about the Ronnie James Dio hologram. Last December, Tracy "G" Grijalva, who played for DIO from 1993 through 1999, said that the hologram "looks creepy" and resembles "a puppet." Nine months earlier, Doug Aldrich, who was in DIO between 2002 and 2006, told XS Rock that "Ronnie would probably not" like the hologram. "He would probably be, like, 'This is not what I signed up for.' A hologram? It's not really what he would want to be. I'm just guessing, you know, that it's something that Wendy thought about and she decided that Ronnie would be fine with it. But I knew Ronnie well enough to know that he was very particular and he would prefer for them to let him just die and be in peace."

After the tour's initial seven-date run was completed in December 2017, Ronnie's hologram underwent some changes before the launch of the 2019 leg of the "Dio Returns", which took place in May and June of last year.

The "Dio Returns" 17-song set consists of seven tunes sung by the Dio hologram — the rest feature Owens and Logan separately or together — and encompasses material from Dio's lengthy career, including his earlier days in RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "In The Trenches With Ryan Roxie" podcast, former HANOI ROCKS singer Michael Monroe discussed the status of the long-in-the-works documentary about his life. He said (see video below): "There was somebody who started making it some years ago, but it wasn't working out with the person, so I'm now making it — someone else started making it, and they really know their business. So we started on it at the end of the summer, and it's gonna be a really good movie. But we're gonna take our time with it. We're aiming at releasing it in a couple of years when I turn 60 — in 2022.

"It's not gonna be a list of things I've done," Michael clarified. "It's gonna be more like… There's a movie about Diego Maradona, the football player, and [Ayrton] Senna, the [Brazilian] Formula [One racing] driver — they were great movies. And that's the idea for this movie. It's a great story, and you can only tell it once. The director has a great vision. We're not gonna rush it. At the latest, [we'll release it] in 2022. It could be a good celebration when I'm gonna turn 60, 'cause I'm 58 now."

Even though HANOI ROCKS was formed in Finland, their trashy, hedonistic, decadent hard rock/pop-metal boogie influenced many Los Angeles acts, including GUNS N' ROSES and MÖTLEY CRÜE.

HANOI ROCKS originally broke on to the hard rock scene in the first half of the 1980s, becoming one of the first Finnish bands to make an international impact. HANOI ROCKS's career was subsequently derailed after the 1984 death of drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley, who was killed in a car accident caused by MÖTLEY CRÜE's Vince Neil. Internal tensions and the commercial disappointment that was 1985's "Rock & Roll Divorce" led to Monroe leaving the band that year, thus putting an early end to HANOI ROCKS.

Monroe's latest solo album, "One Man Gang", was released in October 2019 via Silver Lining Music. Recorded and mixed by Petri Majuri at E-Studio in Sipoo, Finland over three weeks in March 2018, the 12-song record was mixed that following autumn with Monroe and bandmates Rich Jones and Steve Conte on production duties.

The Monroe band's all-star lineup features former HANOI ROCKS and NEW YORK DOLLS bass player Sami Yaffa, who has played with Michael since the '80s, and drummer Karl Rockfist (who has played with notable acts such as DANZIG). On guitar are Rich Jones (formerly of the Ginger Wildheart band) and Steve Conte (best known as the guitarist who filled the void left by Johnny Thunders in the NEW YORK DOLLS, as well as playing guitar with many other name acts such as Suzi Quatro, Eric Burden and many more).

Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp has uploaded a video interview with Leslie West, the legendary guitarist, vocalist and original founding member of MOUNTAIN, which was recorded less than four months ago — on September 3, 2020 — as part of the Camp's "Labor Day Open House Party." The chat, which was conducted by Brittany Denaro, better known as Britt Lightning, the host and co-producer of the Rock' N' Roll Fantasy Camp Masterclasses, and the current lead guitarist in VIXEN, can be seen below.

West died Wednesday (December 23) at the age of 75. The iconic guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and storyteller suffered cardiac arrest at his home near Daytona, Florida on Monday (December 21) and was rushed to a hospital, where he never regained consciousness.

Weinstein was born in New York City, and first emerged in the scene as a member of THE VAGRANTS. A few years later, he and Felix Pappalardi formed MOUNTAIN, a band that was amongst the first to pioneer the genre later to become known as heavy metal. Hits that include "Mississippi Queen", "Theme From An Imaginary Western" and others established an indelible voice and guitar tone that remains legendary to this day. In 1969, West brought his presence to the stage at Woodstock.

As the decade turned, he formed WEST, BRUCE AND LAING with his bandmate from MOUNTAIN drummer Corky Laing and CREAM's Jack Bruce. In, 1971, West contributed to THE WHO's "Who's Next" sessions in the city, performances which can be heard on the 1995 and 2003 reissues of that cornerstone album.

Alongside his significant contribution to pop culture as the face of MOUNTAIN, West appeared in films that include "Family Honor" (1973) and "The Money Pit" (1986). He was a regular guest on "The Howard Stern Show", and over the course of decades remained a periodic visitor alongside enjoying a decades-long friendship with the talk show host.

West was inducted in to the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame in 2006, and appeared on dozens of other recordings from a vast universe of artists. Samples of his performances lived a secondary life on the masters of a who's who of hip-hop and rap stars.

The guitarist is renowned for helping popularize the Gibson Les Paul Jr. model with P-90 pick-ups to create a tone that is undisputedly his own. More recently, he enjoyed a long relationship with Dean Guitars, releasing several signature models.

West is survived by his wife Jenni — whom he married on stage after MOUNTAIN's performance at the Woodstock 40th-anniversary concert in Bethel, New York on August 15, 2009 — brother Larry and nephew Max.

LOVEBITES, the all-female heavy metal band from Tokyo, Japan, will release a new EP, "Glory, Glory, To The World", on March 10, 2021 via JPU Records. The effort was recorded under the darkness of the coronavirus pandemic and will contain four songs exclusive to the EP. The tracks will not feature on or be re-recorded for future albums, like the 2018 EP "Battle Against Damnation".

On creating the EP, the band comments: "On one hand, working on this album during the spread of coronavirus has been mentally draining. On the other, the music created in such darkness has managed to become full of feelings of salvation and light. This body of work is full of a positive power unlike anything else in the history of LOVEBITES."

"Glory, Glory, To The World" follows critically acclaimed album "Electric Pentagram", which made its debut on Japan's Oricon Album chart at number nine. It also follows news that the band has sold out its 2021 national tour, and that new song "Winds Of Transylvania" will be the theme song to the anime "Vladlove" from visionary directors Mamoru Oshii and Junji Nishimura ("Ghost In The Shell", "Urusei Yatsura").

"Glory, Glory, To The World" track listing:

01. Glory To The World

02. No Time To Hesitate

03. Paranoia

04. Dystopia Symphony

LOVEBITES — the winner of "Best New Band" at the British metal magazine Metal Hammer's Golden Gods Awards in 2018 — consists of five women, with Asami on vocals, Miho on bass, Haruna on drums, Midori on guitar, and Miyako on guitar and keyboards.

Overseas, the band has performed at Wacken Open Air in Germany, Bloodstock Open Air in the U.K., Download in the U.K. and Spain, Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium, and supported DRAGONFORCE on their U.K. tour.

The Agonist vocalist Vicky Psarakis has recorded another cover, this time it's Bring Me The Horizon's "Teardrops" along with guitarist Quentin Cornet. Check it out below.

Vicky: "Merry Christmas! It's been a hell of a year and I think a lot of us are wishing for a much better 2021.

I don't have much else to say, aside from a big THANK YOU!

To my boys in The Agonist and all the amazing musicians I've had the pleasure of working with this year. To Cody & Quentin for being a solid rock in our covers, to the bands that wanted me to be a part of their album and to a few more out there who I've created music with which will be released next year... you know who you are!

To my students who trusted me with their voices, to my patrons for helping me create and inspire me to be better and to all my fans for their continuous support. 

Last but most importantly, to my husband, family and friends (and doggos!) for being by my side in everything and filling my life with happiness. 

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and surround yourselves with love and kindness."

Check out Psarakis' and Cornet's previous cover of At The Gates' "Blinded By Fear". 

Pitch Black Process, formerly known as Affliction, has released "Heroes Of 2020", which is dedicated to the heroes of this era. The song was recorded and produced by Pitch Black Process at Studyo Frekans in Turkey and mastered by Lawrence Mackrory at Obey Mastering in Sweden. Cengiz Tural, one of the most talented, influential and versatile drummers of Turkey joined Pitch Black Process for the song.

The band has issued the following statement:

"Words which started to pour out onto paper during the heavy days of lockdown, turned out to be 'Heroes Of 2020' with online meetings, under the circumstances this era dictates. We wanted to share the song which we were able to record in the studio a few weeks ago, before 2020 ends. We would like to thank Cengiz Tural who put his soul into the song with great drum partitions!”

Check out the official video below.

Go to the official Pitch Black Process Facebook page here.

In a new interview with RadioactiveMike Z, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire", JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford was asked if he and his bandmates would ever consider making a "sequel" to their classic 1990 album "Painkiller". Rob responded (hear audio below): "The joy of PRIEST is that, by definition, I think every record that we've made is what we call, it's got its own legs to stand on. So, from 'Rocka Rolla' all the through to 'Firepower', I think there's a defining separation of where the band is in that moment in time. And we've always been very strong on avoiding replication. That's not to say that you can't have intense, fast metal songs that have a similar flavor, but they have very strong individual identities. And I think it's a case of 'let sleeping metal gods lie,' in that respect, to reference to 'Painkiller'. Because I think if you try to emulate the real soul and spirit of 'Painkiller' — I'm sure we'd have a really good go at it, but it wouldn't capture it; it wouldn't come close. It's just such a unique record in so many ways — the songs, the engineering, the sound of the hi-hat, the mic I used — all these vitally important nuances that go into making a record, you can't really truly replicate them and capture the essence again. So I think it's best to leave it as it is.

"Of course, the beautiful thing is that the 'Firepower' record, the last PRIEST record, the last studio album, that got a tremendous amounts of focus and traction to what it did compared to the records previous to that one.

"Any band will tell you, you never really know what the outcome is gonna be, and when we got in the studio to make 'Firepower' happen after we'd written the songs, we'd brought in this incredible production team that made amazing things happen, [and] we had another really special moment in this band's history," Rob added. "You reference PRIEST, and people go, 'Oh, it was 'Sad Wings Of Destiny'.' 'No, it was 'British Steel'.' 'No, man, it was 'Screaming For Vengeance'.' 'No. It was 'Painkiller'.' And now for some people, 'Firepower' is the one. So this is just part of this never-ending metal journey that PRIEST is on to keep making fresh metal happen."

PRIEST's 12th album, "Painkiller" was recorded at Miraval Studios in Brignoles, France, and was mixed at Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, the Netherlands. It was the first LP to feature PRIEST's current drummer Scott Travis following the departure of Dave Holland.

In September, JUDAS PRIEST and Rufus Publications announced the publication of the first-ever official JUDAS PRIEST book documenting the band's extensive history over the last 50 years. Titled "Judas Priest - 50 Heavy Metal Years", the book has been put together by David Silver, Ross Halfin and Jayne Andrews.

Prior to being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, JUDAS PRIEST's spring/summer 2020 European tour was scheduled to kick off on May 30 in Helsinki, Finland and conclude on July 28 in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The band was also slated to headline the U.K.'s Bloodstock Open Air festival on August 9 at Catton Park, Derbyshire.

The U.S. leg of PRIEST's "50 Heavy Metal Years" tour was due to launch September 9 in Oxon Hill, Maryland and wrap up on October 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the latest episode of "Icons", Gibson TV sits down with one of the most influential metal guitarists of all time, Kirk Hammett. Since 1983, Hammett has been the lead guitarist and a contributing songwriter for heavy metal trailblazers METALLICA. Prior to joining the band, he formed the group EXODUS during the birth of the San Francisco thrash metal movement.

Through archival and never-before-seen photos and video, Kirk takes viewers on a ride through his 37 years as lead guitarist of METALLICA while sharing personal stories about his childhood, getting his first Gibson Flying V, the tragic death of bassist Cliff Burton and the recording of the group's pivotal albums, including "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets", "...And Justice For All" and 1991's self-titled LP (often referred to as "The Black Album").

Speaking about the recording process for "Metallica", Kirk said: "[Producer Bob Rock] came down to rehearsals for 'The Black Album', and he said to us, 'No one has ever caught the power and energy of you guys live on tape or on vinyl.' And I thought about it, and I thought, 'He has a point. There is yet to be a recorded song that captures the energy and the urgency that comes with seeing us live.' And that was his goal. And, to a certain extent, looking back at the [METALLICA] albums that he did do, he caught a lot of energy in the studio. His whole way of recording us was so radically different than anything we'd ever done.' All of us playing together in the same room to record the drums was a milestone for us, 'cause in the past, it was just James [Hetfield, guitar/vocals]. And we honestly thought that whenever we were all playing together like that in a room that Lars [Ulrich, drums] always played better. And using that recording technique proved that that was the case."

Hammett continued: "The first time I heard it on the radio, I was blown away by how good it sounded. 'Cause 'One' [from '…And Justice For All'] sounded pretty good on the radio, it sounded pretty good on MTV, even though it was compressed as shit, but there was something about 'The Black Album' and all the tracks that just made it leap out of the radio. Maybe it's 'cause there's so much presence in the drums — the drums are so crisp. I don't know. But every track that's played on the radio just leaps out of the radio; there's just so much presence. To me, that's the thing that I keep on going back to — how good it sounds when I hear it on the radio.

"['Enter Sandman'] never struck me as being a hit song. None of those songs ever struck me as being hit songs. They struck me as being just really good, concise songs with great periods of heaviness and great periods of melody. And when the album just started selling the way it did, I could not believe it. And I even had a bet with our tour manager. He said, 'It's gonna sell six million by this date.' And I was, like, 'I'll give you my Porsche 911 Carrera if that happens.' And guess what? It happened? And guess what? I had to give him my Porsche 911 Carrera."

Hammett added: "For me, I think Bob, he's an amazing producer, and he's also an amazing engineer, and he has an amazing ear for guitar sounds, for drum sounds. Some of the best guitar sounds that I have ever gotten in my life I've gotten with Bob Rock. And a lot of it is just chasing tones, blending amps, blending guitars. What I like about Bob Rock is that he is into the pursuit. If he hears something — a sound or a performance — he will pursue that, or make you pursue it, until he believes you've reached that point."

"The Black Album" was the first of four collaborations with Rock, with whom the band clashed throughout the recording of the disc.

In 2014, "Metallica" became the first album to sell 16 million copies since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991.

"Metallica" in 2009 surpassed SHANIA TWAIN's 1997 record, "Come On Over", as the best-selling CD of the SoundScan era.

METALLICA performed "The Black Album" in its entirety at a number of European festivals in 2012.

In a new interview with the "BREWtally Speaking Podcast", DARK TRANQUILITY vocalist Mikael Stanne was asked about the connection between his band and IN FLAMES, given that he sang on IN FLAMES' debut album, 1994's "Lunar Strain", and IN FLAMES frontman Anders Fridén was the singer for DARK TRANQUILLITY's first LP, 1993's "Skydancer". He responded (see video below): "We are kind of forever linked, just because of our connection early on. I sang on the first IN FLAMES album, and Anders sang on the first DARK TRANQUILLITY album, and this is still a cause of great confusion for some reason. But, yeah, we toured together, we are friends and we grew up together in the same area outside of town [in Gothenburg, Sweden]. So, of course, it's obvious. And I'm okay with that — that's fine. It just becomes a little bit old, because there's not much to say about it anymore, because we've gone in very different directions. So it's not relevant, but, of course, you do make comparisons — that's how people work, how you go, 'I like this band better than that band.' And if there is a link somehow, and there are many between the two of us, then you use that as some kind of reference or, 'This is better than that,' or, 'The guitar player is better in that band' — that kind of stuff. So I'm okay with it. It doesn't change anything. And sometimes questions about it tend to be uninspired. It's just like, 'Oh, what do you think of the other band's albums?' It's, like, 'It doesn't matter, but I'm a huge fan. I love it.' And it's the same with, of course, AT THE GATES as well, even though we haven't shared any members together, but we still kind of grew up together, so, obviously, there's a huge connection there as well. And I don't mind talking about my friends and the awesome bands that are from this town — it's fine — but sometimes the direct comparisons seem… Maybe they meant something in the '90s, but they really don't anymore."

DARK TRANQUILLITY will release its new album, "Moment", on November 20 via Century Media. The effort will be available as a digipak, black LP, silver LP, and CD jewel case.

The follow-up to 2016's "Atoma", "Moment" was recorded at Nacksving Studios and Rogue Music by Martin Brändström and then mixed/mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios. The LP features DARK TRANQUILLITY's new guitarists Christopher Amott (ex-ARCH ENEMY) and Johan Reinholdz (NONEXIST).

Founding DARK TRANQUILLITY guitarist Niklas Sundin announced his departure from the band in March, explaining in a statement that he "always enjoyed the creative process more than the performance aspects of being in a band, and the required extensive touring held less and less appeal with every album."

In early 2017, DARK TRANQUILLITY released a seven-inch single featuring the two songs — "The Absolute" and "Time Out Of Place" — which had previously only been released as bonus tracks of the limited-edition CD version of "Atoma". These cuts were the most experimental and daring numbers ever from the DARK TRANQUILLITY camp, featuring a very different approach to their usual brand of melodic death metal.

DARK TRANQUILLITY is:

Mikael Stanne - Vocals

Martin Brändström - Electronics

Anders Jivarp - Drums

Johan Reinholdz - Guitars

Christopher Amott - Guitars

Anders Iwers - Bass

In a recent interview with Spain's EMP, ALTER BRIDGE guitarist Mark Tremonti was asked to name the key to the band's enduring success. He said (see video below): "Just working hard and connecting with the fans. We've always put everything we can into our music, and we love to perform and we love to meet the people that appreciate the music. I think just working hard at what you love to do… We work hard. We do it because we love music. We don't get caught up in much anything else. That's what we love to do."

ALTER BRIDGE released a new seven-song EP, "Walk The Sky 2.0", on November 6 via Napalm Records. The effort contains live versions of a few of the band's favorites from its latest album, "Walk The Sky" — "Wouldn't You Rather", "Pay No Mind", "Native Son", "Godspeed", "In The Deep" and "Dying Light" — as well as one new studio track, "Last Rites", which was written, recorded and completed entirely during the COVID-19 lockdown.

"Walk The Sky" was released in October 2019 via Napalm Records.

ALTER BRIDGE frontman Myles Kennedy recently completed work on his second solo album. The LP was tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with the same team that worked on "Year Of The Tiger", including producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, engineer Jef Moll, as well as drummer Zia Uddin and bassist Tim Tournier.

Tremonti was scheduled to enter the studio in November to make a new album with his TREMONTI solo project. TREMONTI's next disc is once again being recorded at Studio Barbarosa with Baskette, who has previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH, among others.

Photo credit: Dan Sturgess

Paul Stanley has once again said that he believes KISS can carry on without any original members.

Almost two years ago, the legendary rockers launched their second farewell tour, dubbed "End Of The Road", which is now scheduled to end sometime in 2022. Joining founding members Stanley and Gene Simmons in the band's current lineup are Tommy Thayer on guitar and Eric Singer on drums. Thayer and Singer are replacements for original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, respectively.

Asked by Scott Lipps whether he thinks KISS could one day exist without him and Simmons, Stanley said (see video below): "Unlike other bands, that rubs some people the wrong way, but KISS is so much more than a band. Look, you go see any act now — any band, any performer — and you're seeing a KISS show, you're seeing the KISS DNA, because everything that anybody does is, in some way, based on what we've done. And I've always believed that the band is bigger than the individuals. People would say, in the beginning, 'Oh, that's not true.' Well, they're half wrong now, because Eric's been in and out of the band for over 20 years, and Tommy's been in the band probably 18 now, and the band's never been better.

"So my feeling is… Is there someone who can take my place? I think I'm really damn good, but I also know that there's people out there who are as committed to what they do as I've been and should be able to do what I do without copying it," he continued. "So do I think it's possible? Yeah. I actually would consider it beyond flattering — I would consider it a real feather in the cap if KISS could continue as a viable live act, because it's ultimately about what we deliver and about our philiosophy of giving fans a hundred percent, not only on stage but in terms of this reciprocity that we have with them."

Stanley added: "Could another band do it? I don't wanna point fingers, but at this point, who are THE EAGLES? It's [Don] Henley and a bunch of other guys who are really super talented. Does it sound like THE EAGLES? Yeah. So, people wanna hear that music. When Steve Perry left JOURNEY, you had [people saying], 'Well, that's the end of JOURNEY,' but people wanna hear those songs, and they wanna hear them done the way they remember them, so Arnel [Pineda] does a great job. So this just takes it to another level. But we're not setting the precedent; we're just following one."

It was back in 2005 that KISS manager Doc McGhee first told the New York Times that the group had "been toying with the idea of recruiting an entire band to don the band's famous makeup." McGhee said: "KISS is more like Doritos or Pepsi, as far as a brand name is concerned. They're more characters than the individual person. I think [new members] have a legitimate chance to carry the franchise."

Four years ago, Stanley spoke about how he would go about finding someone to replace him in KISS. He said: "Honestly, I think all the KISS tribute bands are great, but none of them have a good 'Paul.' So I'd like to see somebody who incorporates what I've done with a lot of the things that inspired me. And it's not a matter of a puppet being me; it's somebody who comes in and contributes and adds something new to it while still following the template that's been set."

Frehley said in 2016 that the idea that KISS could continue without any original members was "the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard [Stanley and Simmons] make." He added: "I think the only reason they make those statements at this juncture is to try to validate the fact that they have two other guys in the band that aren't the original members. So they're trying to rationalize to the fans, 'Well, you know, we replaced Peter and we replaced Ace, and eventually we're gonna replace ourselves. That's like Mick Jagger saying, 'Yeah, after me and Keith [Richards, THE ROLLINGS STONES guitarist] die, THE STONES will continue on with two other guys.' I mean, it's a joke."

Wolfgang Van Halen says that David Lee Roth has "all the right in the world" to perform VAN HALEN songs live with his solo band.

Wolfgang made the comment during a new interview with the Tucson, Arizona radio station KFMA while promoting the upcoming debut album from his solo project, MAMMOTH WVH.

Asked if he agrees with Roth's September 2019 statement that he would be "the face of VAN HALEN from this point on" due to the fact that Wolfgang's father, VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, was battling cancer at the time, Wolfgang said (see video below): "I guess, to a certain extent. [Dave] has all the right in the world to play the VAN HALEN songs he was a part of, so I don't see any problem with that. There's such a wide breadth of what the VAN HALEN catalog is than just him, so it might be a little weird to say he's the face of it."

While promoting his recent Las Vegas residency, Roth told Phoenix's KSLX radio station that he was once again going solo because Eddie was "probably not gonna answer the bell this time." The singer said that left him as "the face of VAN HALEN from this point on, most likely."

Last month, Wolfgang told Rolling Stone about his relationship with Roth: "We're cordial. But it was very business-related. You know, we were always cool, but we really only ever saw each other onstage."

Eddie passed away on October 6 at the age of 65. He had been battling throat cancer and died surrounded by friends and family at a Santa Monica, California hospital. He is survived by his second wife Janie, brother Alex and Wolfgang.

VAN HALEN had been inactive since it completed its U.S. tour in October 2015 in Los Angeles, California.

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.

This past July, Roth said that he didn't know if Eddie would ever tour again. He told The New York Times: "I don't even want to say I've waited — I've supported for five years. Because what I do is physical as well as musical and spiritual — you can't take five years off from the ring. But I did. And I do not regret a second of it. He's a bandmate. We had a colleague down. And he's down now for enough time that I don't know that he's going to be coming back out on the road. You want to hear the classics? You're talking to him."

This past March, Roth postponed the final six shows of his Las Vegas residency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Roth performed as the opening act for the February/March North American leg of KISS's "End Of The Road" farewell tour.

During a recent appearance on the "Stop! Drop & Talk" podcast, ormer GUNS N' ROSES drummer Matt Sorum spoke about his upcoming autobiography, "Double Talkin' Jive: True Rock 'N' Roll Stories From The Drummer Of Guns N' Roses, The Cult, And Velvet Revolver", which will now arrive in April 2021 after being delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I named it after a GUNS N' ROSES song, 'Double Talkin' Jive'," Matt said (see video below). "[Then-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist] Izzy Stradlin wrote that song. We played it together — on the ['Use Your Illusion I'] album, me and Izzy tracked that in one take. And the premise of the lyric was based around the kind of pitfalls of the music business and success. There's this undercurrent that's not pretty. And I talk very truthfully about things that I went through, from my perspective.

"I didn't wanna come off jaded," Matt continued. "I have to tell the story the way it went for me, and I hope that people don't take it as I sound jaded or something. I just wanted to be as truthful and honest as possible, from my perspective, if that makes sense.

"I think there's a misconception that maybe, as musicians, we're a bit elitist or privileged, or things are handed to us, and we just automatically appear, and now, all of a sudden, we're famous. So I just look at it, I'm, like, well, yeah, I have a great job. I've got a great life. I'm super grateful for all the things I've been able to do. But in the book, you can see that it was a lot of hard work. It was a lot of bruises along the way. And then, as the career goes and you get successful, stuff happens. There's, of course, the famous drug-and-alcohol shit that is kind of like 'Behind The Music' VH1 — I mean, that all happened to me. You know, the pitfalls of rock and roll stardom and all that shit.

"For me, when I was doing it," referring to the rock-star lifestyle, "and when I was at the height [of GUNS N' ROSES' success], I'm, like, 'If I don't do this now, I'll regret it later.' So I just tried to live my life as I thought I would wanna live it as a kid dreaming to be in a rock and roll band."

Sorum, who replaced Steven Adler in GUNS N' ROSES, recorded the highly successful albums "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II" (both 1991) and "The Spaghetti Incident" (1994). He also supported the group on the "Use Your Illusion" tour and can be heard on GUNS N' ROSES' "Live Era: '87-'93" (1999) and "Greatest Hits" (2004).

Sorum has said in the past that a GUNS reunion tour should have included both him and Adler, with each playing the songs they recorded with the group. Sorum was inducted as a member of the band into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2012.

Back in March 2018, Sorum told the "2 Hours With Matt Pinfield" podcast about his upcoming autobiography: "It's going to be the juiciest of the juiciest of the GN'R books, for sure, plus all the other crap I've done. I'm being really truthful about everything that happened. I'm not a jaded individual; I'm not a bitter guy. There's a lot of bad shit that went down, but I just want to tell the story straightforward, and I don't want to, like, hold back. I will edit some things — my wife's got to look at it. [Laughs] I've had such an amazing life, and I go, 'Wow, man. If I don't write it down now, I don't want to forget.' There's a lot of good shit in the book that doesn't pertain to GN'R."

He continued: "Before I was in a rock band, I was a drug smuggler. I used to smuggle cocaine across borders. I'd fly on airplanes with two kilos strapped around my waist. Most of my deliveries were in Hawaii, because I had a big connection there. I thought about the title 'Rock 'N' Roll Smuggler'. Imagine the movie 'Blow', and then think about coming up in rock 'n' roll, before I got into bands that I was in. My way to pay my way was smuggling, and that's what I did. A lot of the book, there's probably going to be at least a chapter or two on my drug-dealing days. The last time I smuggled two kilos to Hawaii, I remember thinking I was being followed, and it wasn't because I was paranoid on cocaine — I really felt that I was being followed. So, I told the guy that flew this stuff for — I was the mule, and I got, like, a couple grand every time I went — 'I can't do this. I'm being followed.' He's like, 'Oh, man, you're just high.' I'm like, 'No, man. I'm not doing it. I'm going back to L.A.' The guy that took my place got arrested. 20 years in a federal penitentiary [for] international drug smuggling. That would have been me."

Photo credit: Michael Segal

On October 16, Sweden Rock Magazine met Tobias Forge in the studio in Sweden where he is writing and doing pre-production for GHOST's fifth album.

"The plan now is for me to be here [in the studio] writing for another two months until Christmas," Forge said, according to an English-language translation provided to BLABBERMOUTH.NET by Sweden Rock Magazine. "The idea is for the album to be recorded in January. The actual recording will last around six weeks and then there's two to three weeks of mixing and mastering. So sometime in March the record should be finished, but it won't be released until after the summer. As it looks now, knock on wood, we will then go on tour. We won't release an album until we know that we are actually going on tour. The album release will coincide with the start of a tour. Of course, we could announce an album release date and then, for some reason, it might not be possible to tour, but that's a whole other matter."

Read the full interview in Sweden Rock Magazine's November 2020 issue, due out on November 24.

Earlier this month, a number of media outlets erroneously reported that GHOST would be issuing a new album this winter. The report was based on an interview that Forge gave to Sweden's VK.

This past March, at the final concert of GHOST's "Prequelle" album cycle in Mexico City, the band introduced the new character who will front the act for its next LP phase: Papa Emeritus IV.

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of 2018's "Prequelle" album.

In October 2019, Forge confirmed to U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine that there would be a new character fronting GHOST by the time the group's next LP sees the light of day.

"Prequelle" debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and features the chart-topping singles "Rats" and "Dance Macabre".

In December 2018, GHOST nabbed two Grammy nominations, "Best Rock Album" for "Prequelle" and "Best Rock Song" for "Rats".

Four years ago, GHOST became the first Swedish rock band ever to win a Grammy — 2016's "Best Metal Performance" for the song "Cirice".


När släpps Ghosts nästa album? Vi har träffat Tobias Forge för en flera timmar lång exklusiv intervju.

Posted by Sweden Rock Magazine on Wednesday, October 21, 2020

In a new interview with The Metal Mixtape, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke about how he and his bandmates are staying busy during the coronavirus pandemic. He said (see video below): "We can't really do much. We have to wait until things get better.

"I know a lot of people are doing these lockdown videos or streaming shows and things like that, but I don't think that's really the right thing for ACCEPT. So we'll wait until we can actually meet in person on stage again in front of a proper audience.

"I don't know what [other] people are doing, to be honest," he continued. "I guess everybody has to find their own way until this mess is over. It's just tragic, in the entertainment industry in general. And, really, it's not so much the musicians — it's really almost more the crew and the whole entourage people and people that support the whole business. They are suffering even more, because we are at least making records and we have some residual income from all that. But other guys, they have nothing right now. It's tragic."

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.

SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith has taken issue with Dr. Anthony Fauci "lying" to kids by saying Santa Claus will be able to travel on Christmas Eve despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Fauci, the country's top infectious-disease expert, said during a CNN "Sesame Street ABC's Of COVID-19 Town Hall" on Saturday that Santa is "good to go" this holiday season as he visited Santa himself to give him the COVID-19 vaccine.

Children and Elmo asked Fauci how Santa Claus would be able to deliver presents amid the pandemic.

"How did Santa get the vaccine, and is it safe for him to go into the house?" one child asked.

"What if he can't go to anyone’s house or near his reindeer?" another asked.

Fauci replied: "Well, I have to say I took care of that for you because I was worried you all would be upset. So what I did a little while ago, I took a trip up there to the North Pole. I went there and I vaccinated Santa Claus myself. I measured his level of immunity, and he is good to go. He can come down the chimney. He can leave the presents, he can leave, and you have nothing to worry about. Santa Claus is good to go."

Last month, Fauci even reassured children that Santa is immune to the respiratory virus.

"Santa is exempt from this because Santa, of all the good qualities, has a lot of good innate immunity," Fauci told USA Today. "Santa is not going to be spreading any infections to anybody."

On Saturday, Smith shared a New York Post article about Fauci's latest comments and included the following message: "I'm going to go out on a limb here. Lying to society this far into a pandemic is not something I would encourage. #tellthetruth #clockisticking".

The SHINEDOWN singer's reaction was met with pushback by most of his followers, many of whom believe it's perfectly fine to tell kids Santa Claus would be able to deliver presents amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I dont see the problem," one person wrote. "I have two little kids both ask me not so long ago is it possible that Santa Claus is coming, i told both yes it is because he is a special man. So this is a good idea! Is not about vaccine, its about Santa is able to come let them believe in this!"

Another person added: "This is the first thing anyone has done for our kids through this pandemic. I think it is absolutely amazing of Fauci! He helped us parents ease little minds that want Santa to be safe."

A third person wrote: "Uhhhh... we're talking about Santa here, something that makes kids happy. And I don't think it's considered a lie when you're talking about imaginary people. Pick your battles, Brent. There's much worse going on."

After reading the responses to his original message, Smith returned to Twitter a couple of hours later to write: "Hey everyone I hear you... I won't even yell back. Much love to all... Happy Holidays".

Earlier in the month, American epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove, who is responsible for overseeing the management of the pandemic the World Health Organization (WHO), announced that Santa Claus is immune to the coronavirus and is able to safely distribute gifts on the night of December 24 to December 25 to all children who have behaved well.

"I understand the concern about Santa Claus, because he is an elderly person" and is part of the risk group against the coronavirus, said Van Kerkhove, a mother of two children herself. She added that the children should "go to bed early on Christmas Eve and Santa Claus will travel the world to deliver his gifts."

As of Saturday, there have been more than 17.5 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and at least 313, 740 people have died from the virus.




Santa Claus will be coming to town this year, Dr. Anthony Fauci says.

“I took care of that for you,” he says. “…I took a trip up there to the North Pole; I went there and I vaccinated Santa Claus myself. I measured his level of immunity, and he is good to go.” #CNNSesameStreet pic.twitter.com/CNJ520XTew

— CNN (@CNN) December 19, 2020








I’m going to go out on a limb here. Lying to society this far into a pandemic is not something I would encourage. #tellthetruth #clockisticking RT @nypost: He’s got Santabodies! Fauci tells kids Kris Kringle received COVID vaccine https://t.co/IM0xPF6B7k pic.twitter.com/fQmwcxoIx1

— Brent Smith (@TheBrentSmith) December 20, 2020








Hey everyone I hear you... I won’t even yell back. Much love ❤️ to all... Happy Holidays?

— Brent Smith (@TheBrentSmith) December 20, 2020








I dont see the problem. I have two little kids both ask me not so long ago is it possible that Santa Claus is coming, i told both yes it is because he is a special man. So this is a good idea! Is not about vaccine, its about Santa is able to come let them believe in this!

— Katharina Schneider (@ks_katharina) December 20, 2020








This is the first thing anyone has done for our kids through this pandemic. I think it is absolutely amazing of Fauci! He helped us parents ease little minds that want Santa to be safe.

— Brittney “yo momma” Hairrell (@BaHaBritter) December 20, 2020








Uhhhh... we’re talking about Santa here, something that makes kids happy. And I don’t think it’s considered a lie when you’re talking about imaginary people. Pick your battles, Brent. There’s much worse going on.

— ScreamQueenArlene MLS (@sleepingkoala45) December 20, 2020








I think this is so sweet and see no problem. Our kiddos are stressed. They are scared. Even the best of us can't mitigate the anxiety of a child. If Santa is "safe" and they find joy, I'm all in. Let them be little.

— Leslie Rush (@bucksbrowns73) December 20, 2020








You do realize ? is not real, right? And that children are likely more confused than us adults? If an adult doesn’t understand why Faucci did this well then I can’t help them.

— ???? ? ?? (@Wm_Lane) December 20, 2020

Alissa White-Gluz says that she is "looking forward to finishing" up her long-awaited solo album.

It was announced in September 2016 that the ARCH ENEMY frontwoman had signed a deal with Napalm Records for the release of her first solo disc, which will feature contributions and collaborations with past and present members of ARCH ENEMY and KAMELOT, as well as MISFITS guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein.

Alissa offered an update on her solo project during a recent appearance on "The Electric Theater With Clown", the Internet show hosted by SLIPKNOT's M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan.

She said (hear audio below): "With ARCH ENEMY, I basically do screams — I'm growling; that's the type of vocals that I do. But I actually do clean vocals a lot too, and not that many people know that. I've done a lot of guest appearances with other bands and other artists where I use that clean voice, but I don't really use it that much in ARCH ENEMY. So the solo thing is kind of just giving me an outlet to do basically any type of vocal acrobatics that I wanna do, whether it be blues-style singing, which I have a guest thing coming out soon like that, which is pretty cool. Rock singing, power metal singing, opera singing… Basically, the idea is that it's a way for me to kind of get my musical rocks off in any way that I want, and it's separate from ARCH ENEMY. So I don't have to go in and dilute ARCH ENEMY or change what that's about it, 'cause that wouldn't be right either. It's basically something that I kind of just had as this ongoing project that I've been working on any time I had time off from ARCH ENEMY touring, which was basically no time until this year. So I've been working a lot on it this year and recording it at a home studio that I built. And, yeah, so far I really like it, and I'm looking forward to finishing it up."

Alissa also talked about her work with Patreon, a membership platform that connects fans directly with musicians, visual artists, writers, nonprofits and other creators they want to support.

She said: "Luckily — I'm very lucky that I have this — I have a Patreon page that I do, and that's the way that I actually am able to keep in touch with fans. I do virtual meet-and-greets every month. The kind of meet-and-greet that we would normally do in person at every show, I just get to do it in a livestream every month. And I also get to share other music ideas there, poetry, and that motivates me to keep going — keep thinking of new merch ideas, new outfit ideas, collaborations, cover songs. That really, really motivates me, and it's actually an amazing platform for artists right now, because, obviously, none of us can tour right now. And so this allows to maintain that bond with the fans and also stay motivated and stay supported by the fans so that we can keep making music and sustain ourselves until this pandemic is over. So that takes up a good chunk of my time, and I work on that."

Alissa said in a 2017 interview that the idea for a solo project came about as a suggestion from ARCH ENEMY's former lead singer Angela Gossow, who has been managing the band's career for a decade and also oversees Alissa's personal affairs.

"[Angela] was, like, 'Well, you need something. You need something that you can do, because I know you're a workaholic and you're not gonna be able to just sit there like this waiting for the next ARCH ENEMY tour,'" Alissa told France's Duke TV. "And she's totally right — I needed something else to be able to work on. And also, I have a lot of ideas that maybe don't sound like ARCH ENEMY and it would be kind of silly to just force them into ARCH ENEMY."

According to White-Gluz, her debut solo album will be released under the ALISSA banner because she wanted to "keep it simple" and "make it very clear who it is and what it is." In order to make the disc, Alissa "did a huge life overhaul," which included building a studio and investing a lot of time and money into learning how to engineer and record, program drums and improving at playing guitar. "Of course, on the album itself we're gonna have real musicians playing all of these things, but in terms of just getting the style down and the songwriting, it's something that I need to start on my own," she explained to Duke TV.

Alissa went on to say that her solo effort will contain some musical surprises. "It doesn't really sound like ARCH ENEMY — it's pretty different — but I think it's pretty cool," she said. "For example, a song that I'm writing with Oliver [Palotai, keyboards] from KAMELOT doesn't sound like KAMELOT and it doesn't sound like ARCH ENEMY, but it's members of both."

In the Duke TV interview, Alissa also revealed that her solo album will feature contributions from former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis, who joined ARCH ENEMY in late 2014, didn't have any of his songwriting ideas included on the latter band's latest album, 2017's "Will To Power".

Veteran metallers Aittala (pronounced EYE-tah-la) have signed with Exitus Stratagem Records (ExSR) beginning with the re-release of their fully remastered fourth album, American Nightmare as the band works on their sixth currently untitled studio album. 

Hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina, Aittala was initially formed back in 1991 in The Netherlands by lead vocalist / guitarist and band namesake Eric Aittala, the band quickly became an attraction on the early ‘90s Dutch metal scene, sharing the stage with acts such as The Gathering and Sadist amongst others. 

Nearly three full decades on, Aittala is taking advantage of the current world situation to work on their new album. As a part of bringing them onboard, ExSR elected to relook and remaster their 2016 release American Nightmare and give it the attention it deserves. This remaster is looking at a release date in early 2021 with a new album expected by the end of 2021. The band's lineup is now completed by bassist Ali Lugo (ex-Dopesick and ex-Age of Reflection) and drummer Gary "Zeus" Smith (The Fifth).

Produced by Eric W Aittala and Mike Schaefer, American Nightmare was recorded at Incognito Studios in Raleigh, NC, mixed by Mike Schaefer at Schaefer Sound Productions and re-mastered by Jason Fisher at ExSR Studio 1A in Fayetteville, NC.




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During Christmas 2000, Rammstein released a downloadable MP3-file of a demo version of "Links 2 3 4" on their official website. The recording is taken from the In Your Ear #6 compilation. The intro is cut on the CD; it was restored by RammWiki. The actual CD rip begins when the front cover is shown in the clip below.

"Links 2 3 4" is taken from the 2001 album, Mutter, released through Motor / Universal.#

To celebrate Rammstein's first indelible impact on global hard rock history, the band and Vertigo/UMe will release limited, remastered editions of the band’s groundbreaking debut on December 4.

Herzeleid (XXV Anniversary Edition - Remastered) will feature the album’s original tracklist on a single CD, housed in a lavish, cross-shaped digipak with deluxe slipcase, and, for the first time ever, the remastered album with HD sound will be available digitally.

In addition, there will be a 2LP version with a slipcase containing two 180 gram heavyweight black vinyl discs with blue splatter effect. The creator of the original artwork, Dirk Rudolph, is also responsible for the Anniversary Edition packaging. The booklets also contain the original band portraits shot by Praler. Both the CD and vinyl editions are strictly limited.

The limited editions can be pre-ordered here.

Tracklisting:

"Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen"
"Der Meister"
"Weisses Fleisch"
"Asche zu Asche"
"Seemann"
"Du riechst so gut"
"Das alte Leid"
"Heirate mich"
"Herzeleid"
"Laichzeit"
"Rammstein"




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FOO FIGHTERS have released a new Amazon Original EP, "Live On The Radio 1996", available to stream and purchase only on Amazon Music. The four songs that comprise "Live On The Radio 1996" were originally recorded in 1996 as part of the "Rockline" radio show by producer Scott Weiss. Now a digital audio producer for Amazon Music, Weiss recently rediscovered the long-forgotten recordings and, thanks to Bob Coburn and the "Rockline" crew, prepared them for re-release.

The EP features acoustic versions of songs culled from the band's eponymous debut and 1997's "The Colour And The Shape", as well as the non-LP track "How I Miss You". The final song is a never-before-released version of "Wattershed" that features Dave Grohl replacing the song's lyrics with the retelling of a recent trip to Canada, sung in the style of Fred Schneider of THE B-52S.

"The band laughed and then dove in and started to work up the idea. The show would cut away for commercials and [FOO FIGHTERS] would practice the new 'Wattershed' idea," said Weiss of the moment. "The version of 'Wattershed' that would soon be known as 'Water Fred' was born." Fans can read Weiss's full account of the recording session here as a part of People Of Rock And Roll, an ongoing project where fans share personal memories of their FOO FIGHTERS experiences over the years.

The EP arrives as the FOO FIGHTERS celebrate their 25th anniversary as a band. Last week, they performed their 1999 hit "Learn To Fly" from The Troubadour in Los Angeles on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The band was scheduled to mark their quarter century milestone with "The Van" tour, which was canceled in August due to COVID-19. Recently, the band announced a new line of merch offerings commemorating each of their studio albums released during their career.

To listen to "Live On The Radio 1996 (Amazon Original)", Amazon Music listeners can simply ask, "Alexa play the Amazon Original by the FOO FIGHTERS" in the Amazon app for iOS and Android and on Alexa-enabled devices. In addition to the FOO FIGHTERS, Amazon Music listeners can access hundreds of Amazon Originals featuring both emerging and established artists across numerous genres, available to stream and purchase only on Amazon Music.

"Live On The Radio 1996" track listing:

01. How I Miss You (Amazon Original)

02. Up In Arms (Amazon Original)

03. For All The Cows (Amazon Original)

04. Wattershed (Amazon Original)

NAPALM DEATH will get the jigsaw puzzle treatment this fall.

"Scum" and "Utopia Banished" will be made available on November 6, 2020 as 500-piece puzzles.

Zee Productions will release the album covers as jigsaws via its Rock Saws imprint. The iconic arts of some of rock's most influential and highly regarded albums is presented in puzzle form for the first time ever. All puzzles come in a vinyl-box-set-sized box, perfect to fit alongside a vinyl record collection.

Back in April 2019, Zee Productions launched its new range of rock and metal jigsaw puzzles, Rock Saws.

The first collection included jigsaws based on some of the greatest albums in heavy metal history from IRON MAIDEN, MOTÖRHEAD, JUDAS PRIEST and SLAYER.

Released in September 2019 were the first four classic METALLICA album covers as 500-piece jigsaws ("Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets" and "…And Justice For All") as well as four classic RUSH album covers ("Fly By Night", "A Farewell To Kings", "Permanent Waves" and "Moving Pictures").

For more information, go to this location.

Genre-bending innovators, Genghis Tron, have announced their return. The band has begun recording their third full-length with producer Kurt Ballou at GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts.

The new album is a follow-up to the release of Board Up The House (2008). Following the amicable departure of former vocalist Mookie Singerman, founding members Hamilton Jordan and Michael Sochynsky will be joined by two new collaborators: vocalist Tony Wolski and Sumac/Baptists drummer Nick Yacyshyn.  

“We said it was just a hiatus and we meant it! It’s been incredible writing music again and hearing everything come together in the studio,” says Sochynsky. “This is the album we’ve always wanted to write. We can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on.”

Genghis Tron recently reissued their two full-length albums Board Up The House & Dead Mountain Mouth on vinyl for the first time in over 10 years. Orders are available here.

(Photos - Scott Kinkade, Aaron Jones, Ryan Wagner)




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CONQUER DIVIDE, the all-female metal band formerly signed to Artery, has returned with a brand new video and song, "Chemicals".

The group said in a statement: "We know everyone's been dying to hear what we've been up to, and the short answer is that we had just taken a bit of a break to focus on our personal lives. We had a lot of time to reflect on what direction we wanted to go in next. I think collectively our musical tastes have all evolved. We still wanted to feel heavy and anthemic but it was important for us to step outside of our comfort zone moving forward."

About the new track, which was produced by Joey Sturgis and Tyler Smyth, CONQUER DIVIDE said: "'Chemicals' is about addiction from the perspective of an artist. More often than not, addiction can get swept under the rug or is almost encouraged in some circumstances by the people who are the closest."

The group continued: "Sometimes, being on the road can be the absolute worst place for an artist struggling with addiction, yet they are encouraged to keep going. Those around them don't always see or read the signs and we end up losing so many talented musicians to overdoses or mental health issues that frequently accompany addiction. This happens everywhere from rock and metal music to the highest echelons of pop. This song talks about how you can turn a blind eye, but at the end of the day, that makes you part of the problem.

"For the music video, we wanted to show that through textures," the band added. "You see the artist performing at the top of their game but there is clearly something going on beneath the surface. They are going through the motions but they are a shell of their former selves where the addiction has taken over to the point it's impossible to ignore visually. But others choose to pretend everything is normal. Our director Jeb Hardwick did an awesome job with that and I can't speak highly enough of his work and work ethic. This was our first video in front of a green screen and it was a really cool experience. Since we all have to fly to a central location when we got together — as we are scattered across the U.S. and Canada — we were very lucky to be able to film it before the pandemic hit."

Singer Kiarely Castillo said: "I was was inspired by Max Bemis, who wrote several AMAZING albums for SAY ANYTHING and recently resigned because he felt like fans only liked him when he was unwell and no one liked his music when he was sober. There are many ways to interpret this song. The most important thing is that fans connect to it and it helps them in whatever way works for them. What it means to me is different from what it means to other people and I feel like that's the whole point."

CONQUER DIVIDE's self-titled debut album was released in July 2015 via Artery Recordings.

Renowned Egyptian-American artist, director, and death metal musician Nader Sadek has undraped the official video for "The Serapeum: Polluted Waters." The track - which features vocals recorded inside the pyramid of Snefru in Dahshur, Egypt -- comes by way of the Sadek's The Serapeum EP, set for release November 20.

The Serapeum features principal members Karl Sanders (Nile), Derek Roddy (Serpents Rise), and Mahumud Gecekusu (Perversion), who visited Egypt in 2017 at the invitation of Sadek and Cairometal.net, alongside a host of equally notable guests. Marking Sanders' and Roddy's first ever visit to the ancient land, the EP is named after an ancient Egyptian subterranean burial chamber and reflects the collective's deep inspiration by the grounds explored.

"The Serapeum: Polluted Waters" features Sanders' signature tone on rhythm guitar yet offers a different angle of experimentation from the savage death metal for which Sadek is notorious with the inclusion of eastern harmonies and drones provided by Alex Zubair (Nephelium), and instead of chants, Nancy Mounir, among Egypt's top musical talents, adds the ever haunting theremin to the mix. Dominic "Forest" Lapointe (Augury) plays the low end, and Gecukusu swaps solo spots with Sanders on this version. It's all punctuated by Roddy's staggering drum work along with Sadek's ferocious vocal delivery and his first ever in-studio vocal recording. To complete this musical encounter with the archaeological wonders of Egypt, Sadek recorded the vocals inside the inner chamber of Dahshur's "Red Pyramid."

Comments Sadek, "Every time I think about this project, I literally have to pinch myself. Layers and layers of seeming impossibilities and events only dared conjured by dreams, have manifested themselves into physical reality. Bringing Karl and Derek to Egypt for this project, not to mention Dominic, Shaun [LaCanne of Putride Pile], Ben [Clause of Gorod], Morean [Dark Fortress, Alkaloid], [engineer] Mendel [Bij De Leij], having been brought here via the live shows in Egypt I organized, and of course uniting with my brothers and sister Mahmud, Ahdy [Khairat], Alex, and Nancy, is a miracle in itself. I also managed to sneak audio equipment into the pyramid of Snefru, one of the greatest and first pyramids, and recorded my vocals for  an entire song for the very first time there, due to its intentional sound frequency manipulating properties. Drawing inspiration from The Serapeum, whose realization is a far greater mystery than the building of the pyramids, was a testament to the fact that nothing is impossible. Things had a very strange way of aligning themselves."

"I'm really happy to see the release of The Serapeum," notes Sanders. "Nader is an incredible unique visionary multimedia artist and I'm honored and thankful to have had the chance to participate in a project with him. I had such a blast working with Nader, Derek, and Mahmud -- making music with these killer guys was so easy and fun it was like being on vacation. This project was especially memorable for me, as it was my first ever trip to Egypt. It's something I had been yearning to do for a lifetime - to experience firsthand the Epic Grandeur of The Ancients."

"Travel to Egypt, see some killer sights, eat some great food, and write awesome music with Karl, Mahmud and Nader?," adds Roddy, "Sign me up! Great fun and a stellar time."

Mixed and mastered by engineers Mahmud Gecekusu, Mendel Bij De Leij, and Ahdy Khairat, respectively, The Serapeum will be released independently on CD and digitally. Preorder here.

Tracklisting:

“The Serapeum: Black Osiris”
“ReSarcophogus”
“The Serapeum: Polluted Waters”
“The Serapeum” (Live)

"The Serapeum: Polluted Waters":

Teaser:

(Photo by: Nader Sadek/Universus Art Sherbieny)




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The Super7 collaboration with the mysterious band Ghost continues. Arriving to corrupt humanity is the special edition Papa Emeritus III ReAction Figure packaged on a Mummy Dust dollar bill cardback.

Also here in time for Halloween is the Papa Emeritus III Paper People 52-inch glow-in-the-dark jointed and posable decoration.

Shop here.




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DISTURBED frontman David Draiman says that the band's new music will be "blisteringly angry" and "brutal."

Draiman, who resides in Hawaii with his wife and their son, discussed DISTURBED's plans for the follow-up to 2018's "Evolution" album during a brand new interview with "Loudwire Nights".

"I am very, very, very much looking forward to writing some more new DISTURBED material at some point, and I can pretty much guarantee it's going to be blisteringly angry," he said (hear audio below). "I'm dying to sink my teeth into new, original, angry, ferocious, brutal material."

This past June, Draiman told Download Festival TV that he has spent some of his downtime during the coronavirus pandemic "having conversations with the other guys in DISTURBED about getting some new material going, and we've got some stuff in its infancy. One song, definitely, that's killer in our back pocket; we just haven't tracked it," he said. "And we've got a few more song ideas, [but] nothing that's been hashed out enough."

Draiman went on to say that making music over the Internet has presented its own set of problems, especially since most of DISTURBED's last couple of albums were composed with the core members in a room together bouncing ideas off each other.

"We kind of need to get back into the rhythm of being able to do stuff like this in Zoom format or online as opposed to in person," he said. "At least it's some kind of real-time connection so that you can be creating together improvisationally to an extent, but there's still issues with audio — it's not as clear as you want it sometimes, there's too much compression and you lose level; it's a challenge — and the vibe isn't there. There's nothing that replaces you being in front of your co-songwriter and being able to feed off each other's energy and create in person."

Last month, DISTURBED released a cover version of Sting's 1993 single "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You".

Back in May, DISTURBED's "The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" was postponed until summer 2021 due to the COVID-19 crisis which is sweeping the globe.

Draiman co-wrote the song "King Of Misery" from the Iowa-based rock quartet SAUL, which has just released its debut album, "Rise As Equals", via Spinefarm Records.

DEF LEPPARD has announced the "Def Leppard Vault" — the first-ever collection of the band's artifacts and related stories, curated from and told by Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell.

Sign up now for a special message at www.leppardvault.com.

This past June, Elliott old the U.K.'s Express that there is a good chance DEF LEPPARD will make headway on a new studio album while he and his bandmates on are on lockdown during the coronavirus crisis.

"It's always a possibility," he said. "The one thing about this band is it never stops working, even when we're not visible. We are always doing something, we're always writing, we keep in touch with each other regarding putting new ideas together.

"It is very possible that something may occur during this lockdown," he continued. "We've got nothing concrete; we'll just have to see how it goes."

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

DEF LEPPARD released a box set, "The Early Years 79-81", on March 20 via UMC/Virgin. "The Early Years 79-81" box set represents the band's first two albums, "On Through The Night" (1980) and "High 'N' Dry" (1981), and was prepared in conjunction with Elliott who acted as executive producer on the set. The mastering was done by the band's long-serving sound engineer Ronan McHugh.

Eagle Rock Entertainment released DEF LEPPARD's "London To Vegas" on May 29. This limited edition 2Blu-ray+4CD, 2DVD+4CD, DVD/Blu-ray+2CD and digital format release features two concert films: "Hysteria At The O2" and "Hits Vegas, Live At Planet Hollywood".

DEF LEPPARD's latest greatest-hits collection, titled "The Story So Far - The Best Of", was released in November 2018.




ANNOUNCING: ⚙️ THE DEF LEPPARD VAULT ⚙️

We're thrilled to announce the Def Leppard Vault - the first ever collection of the band's artifacts and related stories, curated from and told by Joe, Sav, Rick, Phil and Viv ?

Sign up now for a special message at https://t.co/CL997nLfF2 pic.twitter.com/y7yw0AJAYQ

— Def Leppard (@DefLeppard) October 26, 2020