††† (CROSSES) — DEFTONES frontman Chino Moreno's project with FAR guitarist Shaun Lopez — has surprise-released a cover of "The Beginning Of The End" by '90s electropop band CAUSE & EFFECT. This is the first new music from the alternative band since its 2014-released, self-titled record.

Moreno told The Pulse Of Radio how he got involved with the group in the first place, which was started by Lopez and Chuck Doom. "Shaun and Chuck were working together for a while before I came into the picture, and I just so happened to come in one day," he said. "These guys were, you know, writing some stuff and I heard it and I liked it right off the bat, and I sort of weaseled my way [Laughs] into the project. I think their idea was to get a bunch of different singers to, you know, just write different tracks, and... it didn't happen."

††† (CROSSES) CD includes the songs from the band's two previously released EPs along with five new tracks.

Moreno told Rolling Stone about ††† (CROSSES)' sound: "By listening to the music, you can tell that a lot of the influences come from the new-wave era. That was basically the scene that I came up on. I just happened to wind up in a metal band when I was 15."

Asked about ††† (CROSSES)'s heavy use of the cross in the band's imagery and songtitles, Moreno said: "I think a lot of bands are influenced by religious symbolism and not even necessarily Christianity or Catholicism. Our band definitely doesn't follow any of those. It's more of the aesthetic. The art, the way it works. The initial name of the band was going to be HOLY GHOST. But at the last minute, another band came out with the name, so Shaun suggested CROSSES. It's a very strong symbol. Three crosses is great. It's great to look at, there's three of us in the band."

††† (CROSSES) made its live debut in January 2012 at The Glass House in Pomona, California.

Modern guitar virtuoso/content creator Jared Dines and Grammy Award-nominated TRIVIUM frontman Matt Heafy have joined forces for the groundbreaking "Dines X Heafy" EP.

The official music video for the disc's second single, "Can We Turn Back Yesterday?", can now be seen below.

Bridging the gap between online content creators and recording artists, the five-song EP is available today on all streaming platforms as well as on Soundtrack By Twitch, giving Twitch streamers a way to add licensed music from the EP to their Twitch live streams during a 30-day period.

"Matt was pre-Internet in the way he launched his career, releasing records, playing shows, and signing to a label," observes Dines. "I'm post-Internet in the way I launched my career by using YouTube, Facebook and all of these other video apps. It is interesting to see the crossover, though. Matt has done everything traditionally. At the same time, he embraced new technologies instead of shutting them out. By doing this together, we get to be in both worlds.

"The EP was recorded in a raw and real manner," he adds. "So, it has a different element. It would be cool to show everyone it does not matter if you are a guitarist from Instagram or you are in a big band, you can do things together. At the end of the day, the goal is simple — we're just trying to write good songs and create some cool shit."

Heafy adds: "Streaming actually helped me improve as a singer and as a guitarist, because I'm practicing all day in front of people. The culture is very regimented. However, I have always had that mentality, because my mom is Japanese, and my dad was a marine. Now, it is a combination of three things: streaming, training, and Brazilian jiu jitsu. Those practices made me better at what I do and prepared me to jump into something new. I took a very different approach to 'Dines X Heafy'. It all came very organically without any planning."

Dines and Heafy first crossed paths back in 2017 when Heafy blindly messaged Dines on social media. He went on to participate in Dines's popular "Shred Wars" series, amassing 2.2 million views on their matchup. A year later, Dines filled in when Heafy exited TRIVIUM's fall tour to be present for the birth of his twins. Around the same time, Dines shared a folder of ideas and set the stage for what would become "Dines X Heafy". Mixed by Will Putney, Dines laid down guitars, bass, and drums in Washington, while Matt handled vocals and select solos in Florida. They unlocked an inimitable chemistry, striking a balance between arena-ready hard rock hooks and technically proficient metallic fireworks.

"Dines X Heafy" EP track listing:

01. Dear Anxiety

02. Can We Turn Back Yesterday?

03. Dying At The Sight Of The Rain

04. To Save Me From Myself

05. We Lost It All

Heafy extends a fascinating presence beyond music. Among rock artists, he remains one of the most trafficked and consistent Twitch streamers, with 186,000 followers on the platform, in addition to his 358,000 Instagram followers. Renowned for viral covers as well as impeccable video game acumen, he engenders fervent interaction. As a solo artist, he has racked up millions of streams on "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher" and "My Mother Told Me". Simultaneously, he distinguishes himself as a passionate foodie and skilled chef with appearances on "Taste Of Metal" alongside chef Brian Tsao and numerous cooking videos and food photos regularly posted to his heavily followed channels. Outside of TRIVIUM, he has collaborated with everyone from platinum sensation DRAGONFORCE to black metal pioneer Isahn and active rock phenomenon ICE NINE KILLS. The Japanese-born "Renaissance Man" resides in his native Florida with his wife and twins. This presence only continues to grow.

Dines has redefined the very idea of a guitar hero online. His YouTube channel boasts a staggering 2.88 million subscribers and 680 million views and counting. He also has collaborated with everyone from Post Malone to BREAKING BENJAMIN. His recorded output includes "Rest", "Repose", "Daddy Rock" and "Dissimilator", to name a few. He made history as "the first YouTuber" to grace the cover of Guitar World magazine. Meanwhile, he teamed up with Music Man for a signature Stingray guitar.

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 Tom Waits song "Jockey Full Of Bourbon" 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" 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."

Vocalist Dani Filth of British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH says that isolation and lack of live touring amid the coronavirus pandemic has contributed to making the band's upcoming LP "our best album of current years, if not all time." He wrote on CRADLE's Facebook page: "There was absolutely no pressure to turn the album in. In fact, there really was nothing better to do than indulge our creative juices and thus a huge swathe of the year was spent in the sultry depths of the Suffolk countryside polishing and perfecting our latest musical excretion.

"It's an absolute killer of an album (if you forgive my self-flattery), with an immense production courtesy of Scott Atkins and Grindstone studios once again, and I'd like to be able to describe it to you but there is so much bubbling intently in this album," he continued. "Fast and slow parts (and faster still), new delectable flavours and those reminiscent of earlier COF albums galore, massive choruses and melancholic drop-downs, old skool melodic NWOBM amid furious, scathing black metal amid apocalyptic groove and we as a band can't wait for everyone to hear it…. And more importantly, experience our birthed monster live."

This past October, Dani told Metal Injection that CRADLE OF FILTH's follow-up to 2017's "Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness of Decay" is turning out to be "fantastic" and "probably the best album we've written. We've had the opportunity to really dig deep into it and work hard on the tracks, and, if necessary, rewrite parts, which we have done," he said. "I certainly have rewritten parts and have no qualms about Scott saying this just isn't good enough compared to all the other songs on the record. But I would say it's not very different from 'Cryptoriana'. It's not as intricately laced. That album spoke of the times it was trying to assimilate and represent. This album is about existential terror. The threat of everything. The end of the world, the end of one's life, existential dread. A little hope, I guess in there. It's a CRADLE OF FILTH record. The songs are strong. They're extreme, but it's a mixture of everything."

Regarding what is has been like working with Atkins again, Dani said: "It's very comfortable recording with him. You know, he's very free and easy with how he talks to me. There's no pandering; we're good friends and we can talk to each other how we want. His studio is not far from where I live. It's in the countryside, so during lockdown, I was able to travel to and from the studio. We had less hours to work. We had nothing more that we could do. There was no pubs that we could saddle off to over lunch time — it was just work, work, work. And it was nice, relaxed and, fortunately, lockdown in England's been okay, because we've had some fantastic weather this year."

This past February, CRADLE OF FILTH announced the departure of its keyboardist of the past seven years, Lindsay Schoolcraft. A replacement keyboardist has not yet been announced.


Greeting fellow Filthlings…

It has, without question, been a very strange year, but one not without interest.

In...

Posted by Cradle of Filth on Wednesday, December 23, 2020

A video of NIGHTWISH's Floor Jansen singing, "Ave Maria", an 1825 Franz Schubert composition dedicated to Mother Mary, can be seen below. The music for Floor's version was arranged by Tommy Johansson.

Last month, Jansen released her cover version of the song "Let It Go" from the Disney movie "Frozen". She revealed that she got the inspiration to record the track through her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter Freja, who had been listening to it and singing it "for months."

Jansen made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon.

Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013 and made her recording debut with the group on 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album.

NIGHTWISH's ninth studio album, "Human. :II: Nature." , was released in April via Nuclear Blast. The effort is a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters on CD 2.

QUEEN's Brian May and Roger Taylor. Along with Sarah Brightman, will perform "Endless Rain", a song composed by X JAPAN's Yoshiki, on the biggest TV show in Japan this New Year's Eve. Yoshiki will appear from Los Angeles.

"Kohaku Uta Gassen", broadcast on Japan's public broadcaster NHK, is an annual music program in Japan for the past 70 years and continues to be the most popular TV program each year, with a viewership of over 40%. It has long been viewed as the true barometer of status for domestic artists with an unrivaled influence on an artist's profile, status, and sales in Japan.

In light of the difficulties faced by people all over the world in 2020 and a pressing desire for togetherness, NHK intends to conclude this year's broadcast with a special performance featuring the biggest artists from the show to perform the timeless hit song "Endless Rain", composed by Yoshiki, one of the most influential composers in Japanese history.

In 1994, Taylor and Yoshiki co-wrote "Foreign Sand" (lyrics by Taylor, music by Yoshiki), which entered the U.K. chart, and have been friends ever since. Also, Yoshiki opened the Classic Rock Awards (2015, London) with QUEEN's greatest hit "Bohemian Rhapsody", which was praised by May, who attended the event.

Brightman chose Yoshiki's composition "Miracle" to be a single and was featured in her 2018 album. They have joined each other on stage for selected dates during her world tour, Yoshiki's classical tour and at "Kohaku Uta Gassen" in 2018.

Yoshiki also confirmed to be on the upcoming TV show. Ever since the impact of COVID-19 in February, Yoshiki has remained in L.A., so he will join remotely for this year's performance.

This year's "Kohaku Uta Gassen" marks Yoshiki's sixth consecutive performances and a total of eleven — eight performances as X JAPAN and three consecutive performances as a solo artist.

Yoshiki said: "I am very honored and grateful to be performing 'Endless Rain' at 'Kohaku' again this year. I wish I could go to Japan but with the global pandemic, I have remained in Los Angeles since February. Therefore, I will perform remotely this year. I feel honored and grateful to be performing with Brian May and Roger Taylor, and Sarah Brightman and all those Japanese superstars. I hope that through the music, we can give everyone courage.I look forward to the performan

FUTURE COLORS is the new hard-hitting rock band led by Seann Nicols (WESTFIELD MASSACRE, QUIET RIOT, ADLER'S APPETITE) and Mark Dalbeth (BELLUSIRA, DIRTY MACHINE, RAV MEDIC).

Founded and bred in isolation, FUTURE COLORS has unleashed its powerful debut single, "Stand Down", which was recently premiered online by Australia's Heavy magazine.

Nicols's recognizable and powerful vocals combine with Dalbeth's signature bass grooves in a musical project that is enhanced by a modern palette of live and electronic drums, low-tuned electric guitars and cinematic soundscapes. The result is an aggressive and captivating sound that is sure to appeal to hard rock music fans around the world.

FUTURE COLORS is currently putting the finishing touches on a full-length album at Nerve Strike Records in Anaheim, California. The LP will be made available in 2021, to be preceded by the second single, "Lost Inside", in January.

Nicols was with QUIET RIOT for just a few months, but long enough to record the vocals for an early version of the band's "Road Rage" album. QUIET RIOT later re-recorded the disc with its seventh lead singer, "American Idol" finalist James Durbin, and released it in August 2017 via Frontiers Music Srl.

A couple of years ago, Seann said that his exit from QUIET RIOT was caused by "a clash of personality and personal and profesional ethics between me and [QUIET RIOT drummer] Frankie Banali." He explained: "The entire experience of right from the very first rehearsal, dealing with Frankie Banali was an absolute nightmare. Before we had even stepped one foot in a rehearsal room, he was already going out of his way to give me the cold shoulder and ignore me and treat me like less than a human being. He was cold, he was ruthless, he was just absolutely a nightmare to work with.

In addition to playing with QUIET RIOT and ADLER'S APPETITE (under the name Sheldon Tarsha), Nicols sang for Bobby Blotzer's version of RATT for one show in March 2017 at the Prairie Knights Casino & Resort in Fort Yates, North Dakota. Seann later stated about the experience of working with the drummer: "The deeper I got into the situation, I started seeing some serious warning signs, and Bobby is not above board — period. He's not. He's full of shit. He's full of shit — let's just face the reality here."

Swedish metallers SABATON will enter the studio "in a few days" to begin recording their next album. The upcoming LP will be the follow-up to "The Great War", which came out in July 2019 via Nuclear Blast Records. The band's 20th-anniversary record was a concept effort covering stories from the First World War.

The news of SABATON's recording plans was broken earlier today in a Christmas video message from singer Joakim Brodén and his bandmates. He said: "Hello everyone. Here we are on Christmas eve, and we just wanna take the chance to say thanks to all of you for being fantastic fans in tough times. However, we do have some good news, and that is, in a few days, we're gonna go into the studio and record the next SABATON album."

On Wednesday (December 23), SABATON released a short teaser for a brand new song. In a message accompanying the YouTube clip, the band wrote: "We bet you did not see this one coming.. Are you ready for some new SABATON music? Wait no more! Hear now a teaser of one of our upcoming songs.."

Earlier this week, SABATON surpassed one million subscribers on its YouTube channel. To celebrate this, as part of their Advent Calendar, they surprise-released an animated video for their hymn "No Bullets Fly", taken from their "Heroes" album. The clip tells the story of Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown, two (enemy!) pilots in the second world war. While Charlie's plane was severely damaged and the pilot hurt, Franz decided, instead of shooting him down, to risk his own life and escort him to safety. Both survived, and over 50 years later, they met each other again and became very close friends. A lovely story that did not became public before 1990.

SABATON started recording "The Great War" exactly 100 years after the end of the First World War (November 11, 1918) and took three months of intensive work to complete the album with longtime producer and collaborator Jonas Kjellgren at Black Lounge studios. The disc was mastered by Maor Appelbaum and the artwork was once again created by Peter Sallaí.

"This is not the first time we sing about stories from this period in time, but now we felt the timing was right to make a full concept album about this war," the band said.

SABATON's latest disc is the group's first with guitarist Tommy Johansson (GOLDEN RESURRECTION, REINXEED), who replaced Thobbe Englund in 2016.

In a new interview with Scott Lipps, Paul Stanley confirmed that the debut LP from his R&B band SOUL STATION will be released in March. The effort, which was recorded over a period of several months, will be preceded by "a couple of singles."

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

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

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

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

Earlier this month, Stanley told Kyle Meredith that SOUL STATION recently "shot a bunch of videos, COVID safe and under supervision."

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

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

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

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

THE TROOPS OF DOOM, the new Brazilian band featuring former SEPULTURA guitarist Jairo "Tormentor" Guedz, has released its cover version of the SEPULTURA classic "Morbid Visions". Check it out below.

THE TROOPS OF DOOM said in a statement: "HAVE A BLOODY MORBID XMAS!!! We've recorded a cover for the classic song 'Morbid Visions' (SEPULTURA) and we're making it available exclusively here via our official Youtube Channel. It's our Xmas present for you all! Hope you enjoy! Please, give us your Like, Comment and share the video everywhere. Don't forget to Subscribe our channel, please. Thanks for the great support! Merry Christless!"

THE TROOPS OF DOOM's debut EP, "The Rise Of Heresy", was released in October via Nuclear Blast's digital subsidiary, Blood Blast Distribution. The effort was mastered by Øystein G. Brun (BORKNAGAR) at Crosound Studio in Norway. It contains four new original songs and cover versions of two early SEPULTURA classics, "Bestial Devastation" and "Troops Of Doom".

THE TROOPS OF DOOM also includes acclaimed graphic artist Marcelo Vasco on guitar, Alex Kafer (ex-NECROMANCER, EXPLICIT HATE, ENTERRO) on vocals/bass and Alexandre Oliveira (SOUTHERN BLACKLIST) on drums. The band's goal is to revisit the essence of 1980s-style death metal, exploring a more primitive sound that takes listeners back to that era, while remaining fresh and genuine.

Guedz previously said about the project: "There's much passion and dedication on this work with THE TROOPS OF DOOM. The whole band and team is beyond fantastic, which drives me to push myself to the edge, putting out this feeling through the music somehow.

"We want to offer a full experience where the listener can feel as though they're in time machine, exploring that primitive and nasty metal sound from the '80s, inspired by my own SEPULTURA years as well as all those iconic bands we love like SLAYER, KREATOR, CELTIC FROST, SODOM, POSSESSED and DEATH, among others. It's a true homage to the old! That's what we're trying to revisit with this debut and I hope the diehard metalheads catch this and enjoy it, playing loud!"

THE TROOPS OF DOOM is:

Jairo "Tormentor" Guedz - guitar

Alex Kafer - bass, vocals

Marcelo Vasco - guitar

Alexandre Oliveira - drums

SEPULTURA was formed in 1984 in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of Minas Gerais. Jairo joined the group the following year and played on the band's first two releases, 1985's "Bestial Devastation" EP and their 1986 full-length debut, "Morbid Visions". He also participated in the early songwriting sessions for 1987's "Schizophrenia".

In early 1987, Jairo quit SEPULTURA after losing interest in playing death metal and was replaced by São Paulo-based guitarist Andreas Kisser.

The makers of Ghost, the hand-crafted British ultra-premium vodka, appear to have won the legal battle against GHOST leader Tobias Forge over the sale of their product.

Earlier this year, Ghost Drinks Ltd. was sued by the Swedish occult rock band over the use of the name. Since GHOST had also marketed a gin using the group's name, Forge and his representatives claimed the vodka could conceivably have caused marketplace confusion. The vodka company, which launched in June 2015, countered that the GHOST mainman had known about their product since 2016.

On December 22, the Swedish Patent And Market Court, which deals with intellectual property infringement and validity cases, issued a judgment saying that the term "ghost" is a generic word and is therefore free for Ghost Drinks to use.

Ghost Drinks launched the product "Ghost vodka" in April 2015. At that time, Forge's company Svensk Drama Pop (SDP) had already registered the European Union trademark for alcoholic beverages, but no use occurred. SDP had also not made actual use of its trademark within the five-year period required by law. The registration took place on November 30, 2013 and the use didn't start until February 2019.

According to the Patent And Market Court, there are major visual differences between the characteristics. SDP's brand has a strong figurative design where one can, with some difficulty, read the word "ghost." The defendants' trademarks in the form of the word "ghost" have a completely ordinary font that differs significantly from SDP's figurative mark. According to the court, an average consumer would notice these differences in brand similarity even without examining the trademarks in detail.

Taking into account the obvious visual differences between the trademarks, the court found that, taken as a whole, there is no similarity between the trademarks as it pertains to trademark law.

In an overall assessment, the Patent And Market Court found that there is no brand similarity between the parties' trademarks and that there is no risk that circulation in the market in which the parties market their products cannot keep apart the characteristics. There is also no risk that the public will get the impression that the goods come from the same company or from companies with financial ties. The use therefore does not infringe SDP's trademarks and the claims for fines and damages cannot be upheld on that ground alone.

Since SDP's action has been dismissed, the company is not entitled to compensation for its costs.

The vodka brand first revealed the existence of a conflict via a Facebook post in May, later contending — without evidence — that Forge was suing the company because he needed money after settling with four ex-members of the group.

"We were completely unaware of GHOST the band upon launch," Ghost Drinks said. "We were approached by their management to do a collaboration with the vodka back in 2016, among other projects, but decided not to pursue these any further. Four years later in 2020 we now have a court date in Stockholm. If there was some genuine concern about us why wasn't it raised in 2016? Why have they waited for us to continue to build for another four years?

"The main basis for the legal argument from the band's side is that they hold a trademark for their figurative in Class 33 (alcoholic beverages excluding beer). They have a gin which launched many years after our vodka and say that we cannot trade as consumers will mistake our vodka for their gin and it has caused them to lose revenue.

"There are many products and brands using Ghost across a variety of sectors and industries. Ghost is an ancient internationally used and understood word. There are dozens of cases of co-existence that show the word can be used in harmony and widely by a multitude of people, brands and products.

"We aren't using a logo with any similarity or attempting to trick consumers into thinking we are endorsed by GHOST the band. In fact our demographics are very different."

Seven months ago, an attorney for the band GHOST confirmed reports that Ghost Drinks was being sued by the group over the use of the name, telling Loudwire in a statement: "Svensk Drama Pop (SDP) holds an exclusive trademark registration throughout the European Union for the figurative sign 'Ghost.' Those rights are licensed to Global Merchandising Services Ltd, in whose interest these proceedings are brought. This case has been on-going for months now, and numerous attempts have been made throughout that period of time to reach an amicable settlement."

GHOST the band has licensed its name and imagery to Global Merchandising Services for use on a GHOST-branded gin and beer.

The attorney added: "This case is not about 'gin vs. vodka,' it's about trademark rights that grant ownership for any and all alcoholic beverages -- gin, whiskey, wine, beer, ale, vodka, etc. For any other EU-based entity to use the word 'Ghost' as part of its alcoholic beverage brand name would be in violation of SDP's exclusive rights. SDP is entitled to defend these rights as any other business would when their trademark rights have been infringed."

In 2015, GHOST collaborated with Sweden's Nils Oscar Brewery on two beers: Grale and Lincopia.

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of GHOST'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 featured the chart-topping singles "Rats" and "Dance Macabre".

In December 2018, GHOST nabbed two more Grammy nominations, "Best Rock Album" for "Prequelle" and "Best Rock Song" for "Rats". GHOST was previously honored at the 2016 Grammy Awards in the "Best Metal Performance" category.

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich is featured in Rolling Stone's "So, How Was Your 2020?", a series in which the magazine's favorite entertainers answer its questionnaire about the music, culture and memorable moments that shaped their year.

Asked which old-favorite album he returned to for comfort this year, Lars said: "ALICE IN CHAINS' 'Dirt'. It's so inspiring. I think it's crazy just how transparent and courageous the lyrics are, and it's a cohesive piece of work. It still sounds as raw, transparent, honest, and courageous to my ears as ever before. I think in the earlier days I was just listening to the music and the riffs and now, hearing the vocals, lyrics, and themes, what an incredible record. It just still sounds so timely. It sounds literally like this could have been made last week."

As for the album he listened to the most in 2020, Ulrich said: "The first RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE album. From my worldview, there's nothing that seems to put things more in perspective than RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. The music, themes, lyrics, delivery — everything seems to be so spot-on and relevant to the daily craziness that shows up whenever you unlock your device. I think it's the perfect soundtrack to the 2020."

Late last month, Ulrich said that METALLICA is nearly a month into "some pretty serious writing" sessions for its next studio album.

In early May, the four members of METALLICA overcame social distancing to record a new version of their song "Blackened", with each member separated in his own home. The split-screen video was posted to the band's social media channels.

In August, METALLICA broadcast a show to hundreds of drive-in and outdoor theaters across the U.S. and Canada, as part of the "Encore Drive-In Nights" series. The concert was filmed nearly three weeks earlier, on August 10, at the Gundlach Bundschu winery, about a 30-minute car ride from the band's headquarters in San Rafael, California, and was subsequently edited and mixed by the band's award-winning production team to the highest standards possible.

METALLICA's "Live & Acoustic From HQ: Helping Hands Concert & Auction" was streamed live from the band's headquarters on November 14. The special acoustic show benefited METALLICA's All Within My Hands foundat

KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu spoke to "Offstage With DWP" about how he and his family have been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. He said (see video below): "All I can say is you've gotta try to not really give in to talking about it, because talking about everything going on in the world, you find you're never gonna get those 20 minutes to an hour back. For example, my son was bored yesterday. Well, it has nothing to do with the world shutting down. He's bored, and he has a little band together. And he got a new guitar player that's really good. And he's, like, 'He's really good.' And I go, 'You wanna be better? You're sitting on your phone right now.' I go, 'Go get your guitar.' And he went and got his guitar.

"When you guys are sitting at home, go pick up your guitar and pick up your instrument. What do you like to do? Go start a project, man. I've been doing a lot of painting. If I'm not doing music, [I'm] painting. Have multiple projects.

"This is all gonna pass, man," Fieldy continued. "If we all can just chill out, it's gonna pass, and we will be back rocking. And when we do, it's gonna be like letting bulls out of cages. And it's gonna be the most insane, probably, crowds we've ever seen in our life, and insane performances from bands ever, because you have a bunch of tied up bulls… We're being held back, and when you let us loose, it's gonna be on and poppin', man — it's gonna be crazy. But meanwhile, while on lockdown, write some songs, man. Pick up your guitar or your instrument. Pick up some painting. Get into a project. 'Cause it's not easy. Everyone I talk to, they try to act like they have it together, and they don't. Because this is the hardest times… I'm 50, and I've never seen anything like this in my life. And we're world travelers.

"So, what can we do? Not talk about it, and try to get into a project and do our best," Fieldy added. "Yeah, I fall short and I get in there and talk about it a little bit sometimes, but I'd rather not. I'd rather talk about how we're gonna overcome this and reinvent it and recreate it and we're gonna come through it. We're all gonna be back, and we're all gonna figure this out. And if anybody's got ideas, let's brainstorm on 'em. We're gonna make it happen. I don't know how, but we're gonna make it happen."

Fieldy's STILLWELL side project released its third album, "Supernatural Miracle", in September.

KORN's latest LP, "The Nothing", arrived in September 2019 via Roadrunner/Elektra. The follow-up to 2016's "The Serenity Of Suffering" was once again produced by Nick Raskulinecz.

Fieldy's 2009 memoir, "Got The Life: My Journey Of Addiction, Faith, Recovery And Korn", detailed his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction during KORN's early years and how he became a born-again Christian to help get his life together and get sober.

In a new interview with Fox Sports 910's "Freak Nation", JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford, who is promoting his recently released autobiography "Confess", shared that he has learned from his mistakes but would never term them as regrets.

"Well, first of all, I've never really liked the word 'regret,'" he explained (hear audio below). "I think it's too hard and cold and doesn't have any kind of empathy. I prefer to use [the word] 'reflect' — you're reflecting on your past. Because you shouldn't beat yourself up for some of the poor choices you've made, either of your own choice or through the circumstances of another person. There are some things where you are directly at fault, and you pay your dues, and I always believe in second chances. I think that's very important in life. But yeah, I think that you reflect, and you go, 'I'm never gonna do that again,' or, 'That was dumb. That was dumb, officer.' Or, 'I'm a jackass.' So all of this that we carry with us as we grow older in life, it adds tremendous value — definitely."

"Confess" arrived on September 29 via Hachette Books. It was written with Ian Gittins, co-writer of "The Heroin Diaries" by Nikki Sixx. In the book, Halford discusses in detail what it was like becoming the first metal icon to announce he is gay in 1998 during an MTV interview, despite knowing about his sexuality since he was 10. Although his bandmates and their management knew he was gay and were accepting, he was advised to be discreet given the macho hetero nature of the metal world. He also opens up about surviving sexual abuse, as well as his struggles with depression, substance abuse, sobriety, and the suicide of one of his former partners. He also talks about how his own suicide attempt in 1986 led him to the rehab program that saved his life.

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.

Australian guitarist Orianthi recently appeared on "Side Jams With Bryan Reesman" to discuss her love for cooking and traveling, which also led to discussions about lifestyle changes after living on fast food and bourbon, and focusing on real friendships after becoming famous. She also offered praise for her former boss Alice Cooper.

Discussing family dining rituals while growing up in Australia:

"My grandma would always cook a lot. My parents were working a lot, so my mom would be cooking on the weekends and cook as much as she could during the week because she came home earlier. But it was off and on, and so I'd get home from school and I would be hanging out with my grandma. She'd be teaching me how to cook Greek meals and different things, and then my mom taught me as well. So it was a combination, and we would all get together, especially over the weekends, and just sit at a big long table with everyone there and have get-togethers with aunties, uncles, cousins, friends, and a real togetherness vibe. Just enjoying food together, having good conversations, just connecting, having fun and sharing as well. I think that having that it is lost today because we have our phones which are always with us and different things are distracting [us]. I like to turn off my phone here and there, and people get annoyed with me. 'Why aren't you responding?' I need to disconnect. You've just got to be present."

On changing her diet and some fake friendships:

"I used to eat KFC and McDonald's every night after playing in a cover band. When I quit school at 15, I'd be playing out at Australian pubs until 3 a.m., and then McDonald's is open, right? So you could go there or KFC. I even had a deep fryer. My mother bought me one for my birthday. I used to deep fry everything; I was just crazy. I guess I just had a good metabolism, and I was just eating and drinking bourbon. It was terrible. My lifestyle was awful, and then I decided to go completely vegan when I was like 19 or 20. I changed again and started eating chicken again, and I stopped drinking. I was just a complete health freak, and then I started drinking martinis again when I was 24 or 25 when I met up with Dave Stewart, actually. It was really funny. We had a dinner with Stevie Wonder, Tina McBride, Kris Kristofferson... We were all sitting around having dinner, and they had martinis. I'm like, I'll have one. Oh my god, after that I was like, martinis are my jam, for a while. I still have my occasional martini. I do enjoy that.

"I just got really stuck into drinking a lot again and then after shows, and then just [would] feel like crap. You just fall into that thing of, 'We played the show. Let's all celebrate and hang out.' Especially the Alice Cooper tour, and then my own stuff after that, having friends over. When you get home from tour, the party doesn't stop. The party actually begins more, right? Because people know you've made a lot of money, you're home.

"I had this really amazing apartment right in West Hollywood. It was party central. Go over to Ori's place — it was just food, drinks, guitars, music, everything. It was a non-stop party for a long time for me, and then I was just worn out. Because a lot of people came home for the wrong reasons too. One of my guitars got damaged, my apartment was damaged, things were smashed. It was awful actually. That's not cool."

Trading drinking for CBD:

"I just refrain from drinking as much as I can. I'm more into edibles and stuff like that, to be honest with you. CBD has changed my life. It got rid of my migraines, got rid of my sleeping problems, a ton of things. And people look down upon it. I don't smoke when I wake up or anything like that. But to fall asleep, I do take these gummies that have CBD in them. I don't do it before business calls or performances. Some people can, and that's great. I don't judge anyone. It's a weird thing. It's like no one's died from doing weed. People have died from drinking, people have died from smoking a cigarette. But there's this thing that's associated with it. It's bizarre actually. I find it to be very weird."

Her thoughts about working with Alice Cooper:

"Alice is one of the most level people that I've ever met in this industry because he's been through it all. He was in a mental ward at one point, and he went through a lot of crazy ups and downs. But an incredible, incredible person, incredible entertainer. You get 110%, [he's] in the same mood every day. He's got his shit completely together and has for a very long time. His family are amazing, the band are amazing. I had the most incredible time with Alice and everybody. He's just so professional. He encouraged me to be the best I could be and just get better and better."

Orianthi's first new studio album in seven years and her first new music as a solo artist in six years, "O", came out on November 6 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Born in Australia, Orianthi was inspired to learn guitar at a young age after discovering her father's vinyl collection. She rose to international fame at age 24 after the release of her hit single "According To You" and a high-energy performance backing Carrie Underwood at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Although she had already been invited to jam with the likes of Carlos Santana and Steve Vai, mainstream audiences had not previously heard of this captivating guitar prodigy.

Her recognition increased even further when Michael Jackson called with an offer to be his guitarist for his dates at the O2 Arena in London. Although the concert series was not to be, the release of the behind-the-scenes documentary "Michael Jackson's This Is It" showcased Orianthi's masterful playing as well as her creativity and collaboration.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman spoke to Guitar World about his guest appearance on "Imminent Threat", the second single from the latest solo album of current MEGADETH axeman Kiko Loureiro, "Open Source".

"Kiko and I are bros," Marty said. "He's a good, good friend of mine. Whenever he comes to Japan, we hang out. I don't think we've ever sat in a room together playing guitars, but I would certainly love to. He's a super, super, super guitar player, and a super guy. So when he asked me to play on his thing, I jumped to it. I had no idea what he was going to come up with, but the song was really cool. So I did my thing with it and a good time was had by all."

Asked if he and Kiko ever trade MEGADETH war stories, Marty said: "I don't remember talking too much MEGADETH with him. But he's a real intelligent fellow. So I have to keep up with him. I remember one thing he said that was really interesting — we were talking about Allan Holdsworth for some reason, and he said something about how when you hear any guitarist or any artist, you're kind of hearing their life in their music. And he used Allan as an example, and he used me as an example.

"I'd never really heard it put in those words before," Friedman continued. "Normally that kind of New Age-y talk makes me want to vomit. But it actually made sense the way he was saying it. I just thought it was a brilliant thing to say."

Earlier in the year, Kiko stated about Marty's guest appearance on his album: "For the last five years, I've always been compared to Marty Friedman, and Marty Friedman is a great musician — not only a great guitar player but an amazing musician. And I'm a big fan of his solo work and CACOPHONY and, of course, other MEGADETH years, and I had a chance to meet him two times and have great conversations about music and about life with him.

"I have some guest musicians, guest guitarists on my new album, and guess what? Marty Friedman is one of them.

"I'm so happy to have Marty Friedman. He did, of course, an amazing solo on one of my songs. So, thank you, Marty."

Neal Schon says that JOURNEY has already recorded "six rockers" for its forthcoming studio album, which is due in 2021.

JOURNEY's most recent LP, "Eclipse", was released in May 2011. The Walmart exclusive debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart at No. 13 — eight spots lower than the band's previous album, 2008's "Revelation" — which also went on to hit No. 1 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart.

Schon discussed JOURNEY's plans for new music during an interview with FOX17 Rock & Review. Speaking about how the recording sessions have been coming along so far, the guitarist said (see video below): "We have, like, six rockers already done. Arnel [Pineda, vocals] is finishing singing touches on two of 'em right now. And the others are done. And we'll be releasing a single probably after the first of the year — the first single. And then we're gonna come with a second single, and then a third single, and then, before the tour starts, a whole new album."

Two months ago, Schon told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that the recording sessions for the new JOURNEY album are "going really, really amazing. We've got, like, 13 new tracks in the can that Arnel is now singing on. But the band is on fire, man. I'm excited about this record. And I believe we'll start releasing things after the New Year… It's been really pretty much either Jonathan [Cain, keyboards] working in his studio, sending us a track, and then we're overdubbing on it, or it's Narada [Michael Walden, drums] and I playing live together, which is working quite well — just drums and guitar. And then we send it to Randy [Jackson, bass] and to Jon, and then have Arnel on it. So, it's coming together, man. For being a virtual record, it sounds amazing."

Neal also talked about JOURNEY's recent lineup changes, with bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith having been replaced by Jackson and Walden, respectively. In early March, Schon and Cain filed a lawsuit against Valory and Smith, who have been members of JOURNEY on and off since the band formed in 1973, claiming the two attempted a "coup" in order to gain control of the JOURNEY trademark.

Asked if the legal issues with Valory and Smith have been resolved, Schon told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk": "It's not resolved, and we're trying to figure it out. I can't really talk much about it, like last time, but we put a more-than-generous deal on the table for them to take and accept, or not. If they don't accept, then we're going to court. And I feel very solid about our case. So that's where it's at. I'm willing to take it to the mat, all the way, for something that I've worked my whole life on.

"The way things went down was really not that kosher," he continued. "I mean, what should have happened, rather than them trying to take over at that point, was to call us up and say, 'Hey, let's sit down and talk about this.' Instead it went a different way. And both myself and Jonathan didn't appreciate it."

The new JOURNEY lineup performed a socially distanced version of "Don't Stop Believin'" for UNICEF USA's virtual event "UNICEF We Won't Stop", which aired in May on MSNBC.

JOURNEY was supposed to launch a North American tour with THE PRETENDERS in May, but canceled the trek amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a new interview with Heavy Culture, guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow of Canadian metal legends ANVIL was asked if he plans on getting the COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes available. He responded (see video below): "If and when the vaccine is offered to me, I really don't have a choice, because I can tell you right now that I already know you won't be able to get on an airplane or travel around the world like I do unless you've had a vaccination. I doubt it.

"You just have to look what's happened in the last 24 hours," he continued. "All the doors are closed in every fucking country 'cause they're afraid of this new mutated fucking coronavirus. So now they've got a second threat on top of the first threat. So, yeah, I doubt you're gonna get anywhere without a vaccination. So, the short answer is yeah, of course, I'm gonna get the vaccine."

ANVIL, a Toronto-based group, was formed in 1978 by childhood friends Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner. Both came from Jewish families and had been playing music together since their teens.

Though initially a four-piece band, ANVIL's current lineup includes Kudlow, Reiner and bassist Chris Robertson.

ANVIL gained popularity and new fans since the 2008 theatrical documentary, "Anvil: The Story Of Anvil", which is currently available on Netflix. The film focused on how ANVIL got together, and stayed together, through decades of hard work and setbacks.

ANVIL's latest album, "Legal At Last", was released in February via AFM Records. The disc was recorded at Soundlodge studios in Rhauderfehn in the northwest of Germany.

KISS has teamed up with Dead Sled coffee, in a deal brokered by Epic Rights, to launch a new coffee in 2021. More details will be made available soon.

Dead Sled Coffee strives to create a culture of acceptance and respect no matter what your level of coffee knowledge is. It is the highest quality of freshly roasted coffee that comes along with a dark dense of humor, the love of originality, artists and entertainment.

Dead Sled Coffee is an independent business born from a desire to bridge the gap between coffee elite, who need to know everything possible about the coffee they consume, and those of us who just want a good cup of coffee.

Dead Sled Coffee strives to offer amazing product that doesn't require your thesaurus or atlas to appreciate. Feel comfortable ordering our coffee and know that it's not a crime if you don't care where the beans came from. Or where it was processed. Dead Sled has slurped and sniffed through endless cuppings so you can just sit back and enjoy your coffee experience.
























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DEAD CROSS, the Southern California hardcore outfit featuring Dave Lombardo (SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, MISFITS), Mike Patton (FAITH NO MORE, TOMAHAWK), Justin Pearson (THE LOCUST, RETOX) and Michael Crain (RETOX, FESTIVAL OF DEAD DEER), has unveiled a video for "Skin Of A Redneck". The track is taken from the foursome's self-titled EP, which was released in 2018 via Ipecac Recordings.

"Dead Cross" track listing:

01. Skin Of A Redneck

02. My Perfect Prisoner

03. Shillelagh (Panicker Remix)

04. Church Of The Motherfuckers (Planet B Remix)

The self-titled debut album from DEAD CROSS was released in August 2017 via Ipecac Recordings. The effort was helmed by producer Ross Robinson, who has previously worked with KORN, DEFTONES, SEPULTURA and LIMP BIZKIT, among others, and was mastered at Golden Mastering in Ventura, California.

Patton told Rolling Stone that he got involved with DEAD CROSS after reaching out to Lombardo to see if he could release the band's album on Ipecac. After getting a text from the drummer asking him to join the group, "my jaw dropped," the singer said. "I was like, 'Who, me? Hmm …' And I think it took like all of 30 seconds, but in a sarcastic way, I'm like, 'Yeah, of course. I can do this. Are you sure you want me?' So I kind of second-guessed him a little bit. And he said, 'Man, you'd be our dream vocalist.' And then it was just a matter of logistics. I decided to record it here in my basement, which is fitting. It shouldn't sound too polished."

Regarding DEAD CROSS's musical direction, Patton said: "To me, it is a traditional hardcore record. It is very pointed, direct and visceral. Like, I wasn't going to play keyboards, add samples or any kind of orchestration. It was like, 'Yo, just go for it.' In some ways, it reminded me of stuff that we had collectively all grown up with and loved when we were like teenagers — bands like the ACCÜSED, DEEP WOUND or SIEGE, stuff that was just brutal, uncompromising and right to the point. I was listening to all those bands again before this came to be, so it was already back infused in my blood. And now I got a chance to do a pencil-in-your-eye record."

Photo credit: Adam DeGross

In a brand new interview with "The Mistress Carrie Podcast", EXTREME guitarist Nuno Bettencourt discussed the legacy of his longtime friend, VAN HALEN icon Eddie Van Halen, who died in October at the age of 65.

"Who is the guy that influenced my style, sound, DNA out of everybody? It would be Edward, without a doubt," Nuno said (hear audio below). "And I wouldn't have to tell you that — you can hear it in EXTREME's sound. Believe it or not, the funky [side of EXTREME's sound], people [go], 'Well, it made you guys different.' It's, like, no. Actually, to be honest with you, the songs that I love the most out of VAN HALEN were the ones like ['Outta Love Again']. That's where I got some of that rock/funk [from]. 'Mean Street' was funky to me.

"Eddie's solo playing is amazing, and that's what people talk about nine out of 10 times," Nuno continued. "Not me. And I don't mean to sound special, but it's sad to me. His rhythm playing fucked me up. And I believe his rhythm playing was more influential to all guitar players than they know or than they like to believe. Every guitar player after Eddie, the way they played rhythm — the chording, everything they did, the way they phrased them — from Warren DeMartini [RATT] to, you name it. Randy Rhoads at the time — it affected all of them, and that was even simultaneously. Eddie had a way to play rhythm and soloing — that's what makes him the greatest to me of all time. Period."

A few days after Eddie's death, Nuno said that Eddie Van Halen was "super excited" about the prospect of reuniting with Michael Anthony for a proposed VAN HALEN stadium tour. The EXTREME guitarist made the revelation while recounting the last time he met the legendary VAN HALEN axeman. "He wanted to do one final tour and have VAN HALEN go out the way they came in...Together... Guns Blazing!" Bettencourt wrote in an Instagram post.

Nuno also acknowledged Eddie's immense influence on his style, saying: "It's incredible how as a young player, your guitar chord, is the umbilical chord that intimately connects you to someone you may never meet, moreso than even someone in your own family. At the drop of a needle or the touch of a space bar. They are there for you 24/7. As Eddie was... and forever will be."

Eddie died on October 6 at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. Following his death, fans left flowers at his childhood home on Las Lunas Street in Pasadena, California. Additional flowers, candles and fan mementos were placed on Allen Avenue where Eddie and his brother, VAN HALEN drummer Alex, scratched their band's name into the wet cement of a sidewalk when they were teenagers.

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

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

Speaking with Jim Barber at Music Life Magazine in support of her new Christmas album, Almost Christmas, Canadian rock icon Lee Aaron offered some details on her plans for a new all-original studio record, which is in the works. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Lee: "I can’t give you an exact date for the new album, or an album title yet because I literally just got the mastered versions of the songs in my Dropbox a week ago. The next step is trying to figure out how exactly we want to put it out. The last two studio albums and then our live in Germany CD/DVD last year, they have all been on my own label, Big Sister Records with an international distributor. And the reason we have done that is because we don’t need anybody to tell us how to make records anymore. I don’t really want to give up an inch of creative control these days. And that’s why we have done it through our own boutique label. So, for this new record, we will be sorting out over the next month or so how we want it to be released. I would say that it would be safe to say that this album will be hitting the streets before summer 2021.

It’s definitely a continuation in the vein of the last two records. And unlike Diamond Baby Blues, it’s 100 per cent original. We wrote all the songs. When we got together to write this new album, we did it through a different process that we have done in the past. Because we are a bicoastal band with Sean Kelly living in Toronto, we would send ideas and files and voice memos back and forth and wrote the songs that way. For this record, we realized that there is something very magical that happens when just the four of us get together on a stage or in a room to jam. I have expressed this on multiple occasions to the guys in the band that there’s an energy that happens when we’re just doing a sound check and jamming on an idea that gets lost when we’re just sending files back and forth. So, we just had Sean come out here to Vancouver. We told him to bring three or four of his best ideas and we would bring ours, and we would hunker down together for a couple of days like we’re a high school garage band. 

We had two 14-hour days just piecing together these ideas as a band and jamming and the spirit behind those sessions was, without any filters, without thinking about having to write singles, let’s just write an album that we would love playing for our friends. Let’s just write some really cool songs. And so, we basically wrote 12 songs in two days. There’s such an authentic energy to this new album, were I think we’re getting closer and closer to sounding like the genuine pure rock and roll band that we are."

Read the complete story here.

Lee Aaron has had a lengthy and musically adventurous career that spans rock classics, jazz, opera and more, but there’s one project she’s never taken on. A Christmas Album. It’s an idea she has considered often but the timing was never right…until now. The first single from her Christmas album, Almost Christmas, is a cover of the Pet Shop Boys track, "It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas", premiered exclusively through BraveWords!

Lee and her band (Sean Kelly-guitar, Dave Reimer-bass, and John Cody-drums) had tossed around the notion of a Christmas album over the years, but there was always something – tours/recording/life etc. – that kept the project on the back burner. And that’s where it stayed…until 2020 brought a whole new reality. With all shows cancelled and studios shutting down, there was suddenly time available. Over the summer, they began creating a series of Rockin' From Home videos, which whetted the appetite for more, so when the Christmas idea came up again in mid-September, it was a definite go.

"Each of us had upgraded our home studios, so we thought, why not? We only had a month to get it all done, but it became a fun mission - and it kept us all from going stir crazy during Covid!" says Aaron.

Almost Christmas contains ten lovingly curated tunes - from the foot-stomping excitement of the feature track "It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas" (Pet Shop Boys) to the classic "Baby Please Come Home" to a sassy version of Louis Armstrong’s "Zat You Santa Claus?” - winding down with the introspective "All I Ever Get For Christmas is Blue" (Over The Rhine) and an acapella rendition of Joni Mitchell’s timeless “The Fiddle And The Drum." You've never heard Christmas done quite like this.

She also presents a brand new version of her 1991 hit “Peace On Earth” which likewise, is as relevant now as it was when it was first released.

Aaron explains, "There's a lot of passion and joy that went into these recordings. The album represented something really positive and hopeful that we could focus on during this unprecedented down-time. It was a gift that lifted our spirits and we hope it has the same effect on others."

Physical copies and fan packs available exclusively here.

Tracklisting:

“Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas”
“Baby Please Come Home”
“Run, Run, Rudolph”
“It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas”
“Zat You Santa Claus?”
“Don't Believe in Christmas”
“Merry Christmas Everybody”
“Peace On Earth”
“All I Ever Get For Christmas is Blue”
“The Fiddle and The Drum”

In a new interview with the "Iron City Rocks" podcast, FOREIGNER singer Kelly Hansen was asked if the band has used any of the coronavirus downtime to work on new music. He responded: "In speaking with my bandmates, I know that it's more about the need for an artistic outlet. That's really kind of what it's about, because in this day and age, writing songs and putting out records is not a money-making proposition. You talked about Spotify earlier, and the streaming and online services, and those things do not provide anything that would even come close to providing a living for a musician — for, I would say, 99.9 percent of musicians in the world. So, for us, we have to be on the road touring, which we love to do.

"But this off time has given us the opportunity to work on some new stuff," he confirmed. "I was just working on a track yesterday. And [FOREIGNER bassist] Jeff Pilson is an extremely prolific writer and musician and producer, so he's been doing a lot of records on his off time.

"I don't need that much artistic fulfillment from writing new tunes, although I do get inspired, and I do do it," Kelly clarified. "But it all depends on what's inside that musician's mind. But it's not about the money, that's for sure."

Regarding whether FOREIGNER has started plotting its return to the road in 2021 once the pandemic has subsided, Kelly said: "We're mapping out 2022. 2021 is already fully booked, and it's just a matter of whether that's going to become a moving target or not. And that is really reliant on how quickly we can get a handle on the virus and things like large sports and music gatherings can start up again. But everyone's optimistic. We have shows booked. The touring is set to go, and we want that to happen. We're taking every kind of measure that we can think of. The first show that we're gonna be doing is an outdoor show that's been reimagined for the new world of COVID entertaining, where they have these kind of little platforms, little pods for each ticket holder's group to sit in that are socially distanced from each other and everything. So there's a lot of people out there coming up with a lot of creative ideas to try to solve the problem of how people can still enjoy live music. We wanna be out there as soon as absolutely possibly can."

As previously reported, FOREIGNER will perform at the Frontyard Festival at Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, Florida on March 23 and March 24, 2021.

The Frontyard Festival is a new purpose-built, live entertainment event designed to re-engage artists and guests in a safe, socially distanced setting. It takes place over six months in a specially built, three-acre outdoor theater. The Frontyard Festival pays homage to the fact that our yards have become gathering places, where we see our friends and family in an open-air setting. Accordingly, the design elements — sleek woodfencing, stainless steel accents and lush greenery — are inspired by sunny, outdoor patios and front porches. The venue will feature hundreds of private, elevated boxes placed six feet from one another, allowing guests to enjoy a concert while keeping a healthy distance from others.

COVID-19 health and safety protocols — developed with guidance from federal, state and local health authorities — will be strictly enforced, including touchless temperature and bag checks at the entrance points, mask wearing outside guest boxes, and increased sanitation. And guests can order food and beverages from a group of on-site restaurants and have their orders delivered right to their boxes.

In addition to live entertainment plus health and wellness programs, several local restaurants and popular food trucks will be on site each day, offering seasonal menus, beer, wine and cocktails for purchase.

FOREIGNER's last album, "Can't Slow Down", was the only full-length collection of new songs to have been released by the band since Hansen took over vocals after original singer Lou Gramm left the band for good in 2002. The album entered the Billboard Top 30, driven by the radio singles "In Pieces" and "When It Comes To Love". The band also has released a series of live albums and compilations, including 2016's "In Concert: Unplugged" and 2017's "40".

FOREIGNER's current lineup is rounded out by Mick Jones (guitar), Tom Gimbel (rhythm guitar, sax, vocals), Michael Bluestein (keyboards) and Chris Frazier (drums).

SCORPIONS have released a new Christmas video message in which frontman Klaus Meine and guitarists Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs belt out an a cappella version of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World". Check it out below.

SCORPIONS recently entered Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany to begin recording their upcoming studio album. Tentatively due in 2021, the disc will mark the German hard rock legends' first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of SCORPIONS' new and classic material.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, most of the work so far has been done remotely, with Fidelman taking part via Zoom.

Meine recently told Talking Metal that the goal with using Fidelman to produce the new LP is to bring "the old vibe from albums like 'Blackout', 'Love At First Sting' or even 'Lovedrive'. We try to focus on those albums and this attitude," he said. "If we get there, who knows — it's so many years later. But it's the spirit and it's the whole vibe around this album. This time, the focus is on the harder songs."

According to Meine, SCORPIONS' new LP will feature "no outside writers at all," unlike 2015's "Return To Forever", which was largely co-written by the album's producers, Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen.

Fidelman began his career as the guitarist and songwriter for RHINO BUCKET before launching his career as a producer, engineer and mixer, finding an early mentor in Rick Rubin.

SCORPIONS' last full-length collection of new recordings was the aforementioned "Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

Slash has confirmed that SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS are putting together ideas for a new album. The effort will be the follow-up to "Living The Dream", which came out in September 2018 via Slash's own label Snakepit Records, in partnership with Roadrunner Records. The disc was Slash's fourth solo album, and third with Slash and his CONSPIRATORS bandmates Kennedy, Todd Kerns (bass, vocals), Brent Fitz (drums) and Frank Sidoris (guitar and vocals).

In a new interview with Cleveland.com, Slash said: "We did a week of initial pre-production, and there's 20 songs and we're gonna start back up next year. I spent a lot of time writing and demoing that stuff. And prior to that, Duff [McKagan] and I did some jamming and we also worked on the GUNS [N' ROSES] record, and I've had a couple of ancillary recordings and jams on top of that, so there's been a lot of stuff going on. I'm really not good at slowing down and just sitting around."

Asked when he thinks we'll hear some of this music, Slash said: "I would like to think that we'd have some new stuff out next year — from both camps, I guess. It's hard to say, but I would like to think we'll have stuff out next year, yeah."

In September 2019, SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS released "Living The Dream Tour" on DVD+2CD, Blu-ray+2 CD, 3LP black vinyl, limited-edition 3LP red vinyl, digital video and digital audio via Eagle Vision. The set was shot on location on February 20, 2019 at London, England's Eventim Apollo.

In November 2019, Slash told "The Marshall Podcast" that the road was "the only place" he and THE CONSPIRATORS "really do get a chance to work" on new music. "If we're doing theaters and arenas and all that kind of stuff, we have our soundchecks, so I work on that stuff during that time," he said. "Because that's when I do all the writing — during the road trip. So when the tour is over, at some point, we all get together and we revisit all that material that we worked on while we were on the road. Which is actually what all the records we've done so far are a culmination of."

Complicating the creative process is the fact that Myles Kennedy and THE CONSPIRATORS don't live in the same town as Slash. "Myles is in Washington state, and I'm in L.A. and the rest of the guys are in [Las] Vegas," Slash explained. "So I fly everybody to L.A. and we'll stay there and we'll do pre-production and go in and do a record. But now that GUNS N' ROSES has become a thing, I have to do that. But I will have accumulated enough material out [out on the road] that when the time comes to work on CONSPIRATORS stuff, I already have the material."

Speaking in more detail about how songs come together with THE CONSPIRATORS, Slash said: "We write the whole time. I write the music ideas, and then I'll bring it into a soundcheck situation. For me, the most important thing is the drums. So I'll start working on an idea with Brent, as well as Todd, and even Frank — we'll all stand there together and do it. And then just see if it catches, if it's a cool idea with all the other instruments involved. That's the thing about guitar players — you write bitchin' guitar stuff all day long, but is it a song? So we start working it up. And then Myles will be there and he'll catch it and maybe start recording something into his phone. And we'll just sort of get the nucleus of an idea, and in some cases work on it for a few days until we have an arrangement. And then there's some stuff that we didn't ever get to play in soundcheck that I recorded on my phone in my room and I'll bring that up later."

GUNS N' ROSES' next studio album will be its first since 2008's "Chinese Democracy" and the first to feature Slash, McKagan and singer Axl Rose since 1993.

GUNS N' ROSES' has spent most of the last four and a half years touring with classic-lineup members Slash, McKagan and Rose backed by guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and second keyboardist Melissa Reese

BLACKMORE'S NIGHT has released the official lyric video for "Silent Night", taken from the band's "Here We Come A-Caroling" EP. The four-song effort arrived on December 4 via earMUSIC, the global independent rock and contemporary music label of Edel Germany GmbH.

BLACKMORE'S NIGHT was founded in 1997 by Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night to stage their mutual love for traditional medieval and folk-rock music. Blackmore has shaped the hard rock scene for decades as one of the most influential and notorious guitarists ever, first with DEEP PURPLE and later with RAINBOW.

"Here We Come A-Caroling" track listing:

01. Here We Come A-Caroling (Vinyl Side A)

02. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Vinyl Side A)

03. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Vinyl Side B)

04. Silent Night (Vinyl Side B)

On March 12, 2021, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT will release "Nature's Light", its eleventh studio album and the first in six years, via earMUSIC.

"The story of 'Nature's Light' is the story of nature being the true queen and the simplicity and magic of everyday miracles that happen right before your eyes," says Candice Night. "If you feel stagnant or repressed in your surroundings, it is important to take a break from the mundane and go where your heart leads you. It allows you to recharge and begin again with fresh and renewed energy. For some it is the ocean, for some the woods, for some feeling the sun on your face. Our music is an escape from the stress and pressure of modern times. Journey back through time with us, to a simpler, magical time where music enters your heart and soul."

While the album is rooted in a traditional approach, fans of Ritchie Blackmore's unique style will not be disappointed. Heartfelt ballads, such as a brand-new version of "Wish You Were Here", set the scene for the magical tales on "Four Winds" and "The Twisted Oak". On the two instrumental tracks — "Darker Shade Of Black" and "Der letzte Musketier" — Ritchie's guitar brilliance shines through.

"Nature's Light" will be released on multiple formats. Among these is a strictly limited 2CD hardcover mediabook edition, including a bonus CD featuring a carefully selected set of BLACKMORE'S NIGHT's masterpieces from their extensive back catalogue. Furthermore, the album will become available as a CD digipak edition, a strictly limited heavyweight 1LP gatefold edition on yellow vinyl, a 180g 1LP gatefold edition on black vinyl as well as digital.

Guitar legend Vinnie Moore, best known for his solo albums and work with rock icons UFO, has released a music video for "Same Sun Shines", a song from his latest critically acclaimed album "Soul Shifter".

Says Vinnie: "I wrote this song at a time when I was struggling to find some light at the end of the tunnel. It was me trying to lift myself up and reconnect with feeling positive and focusing on the good things. I was looking up at the sun and thinking about how it's always there; always has been. We all go through cloudy patches, but just have to remember that beyond those clouds the light is still there and continues to shine. You will lose it at times, but can always find it again. Hopefully the song is uplifting to others as it was for me. It is one of my favorite songs on the 'Soul Shifter' album and my first choice for a video. We're all living through unprecedented times right now unfortunately, but have to believe we're eventually going to come out the other side and find brighter times again.

"Wayne Joyner put this video together for me and created some very cool graphics which he mixed in with footage of me playing. He has also done videos for KANSAS, SEVENDUST, FOZZY, L.A. GUNS, BLACK STONE CHERRY, DREAM THEATER, Robby Krieger, Jon Anderson and Devin Townsend."

The follow-up to Moore's critically acclaimed 2015 "Aerial Visions" album, "Soul Shifter" was released in October 2019 on his label Mind's Eye Music. Vinnie's ninth solo LP features guest appearances by Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT) and Jordan Rudess (DREAM THEATER), with Richie Monica on drums, Michael Bean (bassist from Vinnie's "Time Odyssey" album), John Cassidy (keyboards) and John Pessoni (drums).

Vinnie is considered one of the originators of shred guitar, and has released nine influential solo albums, and six albums and a live DVD as a member of rock royalty legends UFO. He's made countless album guest appearances, and has even recorded the soundtrack for a Pepsi TV commercial. He's been a member of Alice Cooper's band and was opening act for RUSH on their "Roll The Bones" tour with his own band. His solo and UFO recordings as well as live performances have amassed rave reviews all around the globe from both fans and music press, catapulting him into guitar icon distinction. He has been an inspiration for fans and guitarists worldwide.

A few years ago, Moore stated about his songwriting approach and musical influences: "I hope to keep growing and learning as a songwriter and as a player, and to explore different musical directions, kind of following the inspiration wherever it leads. I don't plan ahead musically, which keeps things interesting for me. I want to continue following my muse into areas that inspire and excite me. I am basically a rock guy, but love many different styles of music, and am often inspired by — and learn from — all of them. Music is so vast, and there are so many things to pick up from all the different styles. I've kind of always been like this, drawing on different musical influences, partly because I like lots of different things and partly… because I get bored easily. Exploring different directions is fun, and it keeps me excited as both a writer and a player."

Video of DEATH ANGEL's seventh annual "Another Death Angel XMas Show", which took place on December 20 at The Great Northern in San Francisco can be seen below.

When the event was first announced, the band said: "The show must go on! The seventh annual DEATH ANGEL Xmas show will be streamed from the Great Northern in San Francisco on two dates in December. In honor of this yearly tradition, we're preparing to deliver a fully packed, high-energy show that is sure to get you thrashing around on your living room floor. While we'll miss seeing the faces of all the wonderful people that come out each and every year from near and far to help close out the year with us, we're happy to be able to invite the rest of the world to be a part of this annual celebration of life and music."

This past October, DEATH ANGEL released a four-song EP, "Under Pressure". The effort included a cover of QUEEN + David Bowie's "Under Pressure", followed by a new track titled "Faded Remains", plus acoustic versions of "Act III"'s classic "A Room With A View" and "Humanicide"'s "Revelation Song". The EP was mixed by Max Norman (OZZY OSBOURNE, MEGADETH, BAD COMPANY) and mastered by Ted Jensen (LAMB OF GOD, MACHINE HEAD, HALESTORM).

Released in May 2019 via Nuclear Blast, "Humanicide" saw DEATH ANGEL returning to producer and friend Jason Suecof (DEICIDE, TRIVIUM) of Audiohammer studios for the recording and mixing, along with the mastering of the legendary Ted Jensen (SLIPKNOT, PANTERA) of Sterling Sound, who added the final touches and brought it all to life, with artist Brent Elliott White (LAMB OF GOD, MEGADETH) providing the ominous cover artwork.

On December 23rd, Devin Townsend held his last quarantine concert of the year. Check out the laid back show below. 

The setlist was as follows:

"White Christmas"
"Puff The Magic Dragon"
"Freebird"
"Wonderwall"
"Love Shack"
"Silent Night"
"Let It Roll"
"Ih-Ah!"
"Funeral"
"Solar Winds"
"Sister"
"Divine"
"Love?"
"Why?"
"Bring Him Home"
"Deadhead"
"Hyperdrive"
"Terminal"
"Spirits Will Collide"
"Life"