JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford recently donned a Santa Claus outfit as he shared a Christmas photo for his fans and showed off some new stocking stuffers, including "Celestial", his second collection of holiday music. Released in 2019, "Celestial" followed 2009's "Halford III: Winter Songs".

Regarding how he came to find himself covering such classics as "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing", Halford told AZCentral.com: "In its simplest terms, we love music at Christmas. We always play music around that time of year. And we have the great standards to listen to and enjoy, from these great Christmas carols, some of them hundreds of years old, to more recent songs from various contemporary artists of all styles. But there's never really been that much in the metal scene, so to speak."

Issued under the moniker ROB HALFORD WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS, "Celestial" mixes holiday classics with all-new compositions. It features Rob's brother Nigel on drums, his nephew Alex (son of PRIEST bassist Ian Hill) on bass, his sister Sue on bells, and twin guitar tandem of Robert Jones and Jon Blakey.

"The great thing about heavy metal is it's got these kinds of multiple dimensions," Halford explained. "I think when you look at it from an outside point of view — if you're not really familiar with the metal scene — it can look pretty intimidating. And it is a very strong, powerful experience. But it comes at different levels. I think the music that we've made on 'Celestial', for example, gives a display of that. Metal maniacs — as we call ourselves — are just as ready for the holidays as everybody else. And what we've tried to do with this music is to reach out to as many of those metal dimensions as we possibly can."

Last year, Halford told Revolver that making an album with his immediate family was "one of the most wonderful experiences" that he could have had as a musician. "It was a tremendous sense of adventure and a little bit of the unknown, which I think for a lot of musicians is generally the case," he said.

"When you're creating music, it's an open book. You can literally go anywhere — anything can happen. You don't know what's going to happen in rock and roll. I've always loved that. I've always loved the chaos elements of music — that it should be free and liberated and anything can kind of come together.

"So there was this sense of 'What's going to happen?' when the record was being created. The cool thing for me was that I was kind of out of the loop because I was busy working with PRIEST on the 'Firepower' record, so my brother and nephew, along with their friends on guitars, really put this record together by their own merit, by their own skills, and by their own professionalism. They would send me stuff along the way, and I'd be blown away with the demos! Like, 'Great guys, wonderful job. You don't need my fingers all over it.'

"So the whole experience was a very unusual one for me as a musician. The way I've generally made records — almost 50 years now —there was a whole different flavor and texture to making the music on 'Celestial'. The only thing that it had any connectivity to was the previous kind-of Christmas record I made called 'Winter Songs', and that was a decade ago. That was the only linkage there.

"All of this was just a wonderful adventure and the end result was nothing short of spectacular from my point of view. I couldn't have been happier when it was my turn to go in and do the vocals. Wonderful stuff, wonderful stuff."

"Halford III - Winter Songs" was a collection of new Halford-penned tracks plus traditional holiday favorites presented with original arrangements by the HALFORD band (Halford on vocals, Roy Z. on guitar, Metal Mike Chlasciak on guitar, Mike Davis on bass and Bobby Jarzombek on drums).

"What's great about this season," Halford told AZCentral.com, "is that we tend to be more open than ever, more accepting and more welcoming to different experiences. That's just the nature of what the holiday season represents – a very loving, caring, sharing time of year. So there's an opportunity to spread some Christmas cheer from a different dimension in music."
























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In the new issue of People magazine, Richie Sambora opened up about his controversial decision to leave BON JOVI in 2013, saying that he wanted to spend more time with his daughter Ava, now 23.

"It wasn't a popular decision by any means, obviously, but there was really almost no choice about it. I had a lot of conscious work to do around [my personal life]," the 61-year-old guitarist said.

"We've been through a lot of things together. That was a time of psychological maintenance for the family. You know, I ain't no angel. But I realized, Ava needed me to be around at that point in time. Family had to come first, and that's what happened."

Sambora, who spent time in rehab in 2007 and 2011 for alcohol and prescription drug abuse, added that the rock and roll lifestyle eventually took its toll.

"My lord, when I look back and start to list the tours ... 18-and-a-half months of being on the road, 52 countries," he said. "It's like, Wow. It was really time for a break. We did that 14 times over a 31-year period."

Two months ago, Sambora told U.K.'s Daily Mail that he wasn't opposed to one day rejoining BON JOVI, provided that the circumstances were right. "It would have to be a special situation for me to go back, but I'm certainly not counting it out," he said. "I have no malice toward that band."

Richie's comments came just a couple of weeks after Jon Bon Jovi told Germany's Rock Antenne that "there's not a day that goes by that I don't wish that Richie had his life together and was still in the band. And yet, in a weird way, it's because of his inability to get it together anymore that we went on and wrote 'This House Is Not For Sale'."

Addressing Jon's remarks directly, Richie told Daily Mail: "When people say I don't have my life together — are you kidding me? I'm the happiest dude on the block."

Sambora, who joined BON JOVI in 1983 and co-wrote most of the group's iconic hits over the following three decades, hasn't performed a full show with the band since he left the "Because We Can" tour seven years ago. He later said he thought BON JOVI "should have made more strides to become a band" and not turn into "Jon being the front guy and nothing else." Jon, in turn, claimed Sambora's "choices" had "led him astray."

Sambora rejoined BON JOVI on stage in April 2018 at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland, marking his first performance with the band in five years. Also appearing with the group was bassist Alec John Such, who hadn't played with BON JOVI since a one-off performance in 2001. They performed several crowd favorites, including "Livin' On A Prayer", "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "It's My Life".

BON JOVI's new album, "2020", was released in October via Island Records.




Richie Sambora Opens Up About Controversial Decision to Leave Bon Jovi: 'My Daughter Needed Me Around' https://t.co/5utEq3Wiyl

— People (@people) December 21, 2020

During a recent appearance on "Vox&Hops", the podcast hosted by Matt McGachy, frontman of extreme metal band CRYPTOPSY, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach reflected on the experience of undergoing surgery in April 2018 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York to remove polyps from his vocal cords. Speaking about how he found out the needed to have an operation in the first place, Jesse said (see video below): "We just played a sold-out show [in Los Angeles], and the crowd was incredible. And when your adrenaline's going, you tend to push, and you've gotta be really careful, whether you're a drummer or a vocalist, especially, that push can be really fucking dangerous. And I was pushing — I was feeling it. I was, like, 'This is fucking awesome.' I got off stage, and I immediately went in the bathroom, and I was, like, "Something's not right.' I felt something off. And it wasn't the usual, 'Oh, I'm fatigued.' And I hocked a loogie, and it was blood-red. And then as I'm in there, they're, like, 'Are you all right?' I'm, like, 'Yeah, yeah. I'm fine.' And then I hocked a dark loogie — so it was internal bleeding. I was not okay. But I carried such guilt from quitting KILLSWITCH in 2002 and then rejoining in 2012, the last thing in the world I wanted to do was cancel shows and be a burden. So I just rode it out and I didn't talk for the next day, next two days, and the blood didn't show up."

He continued: "We ended the tour, [then went on] the next tour. Every once in a while, this blood would just come up, and I'd pretend like I couldn't see it, or I would just drink tequila and numb it, and be, like, 'We'll get through this. We'll get through this.' On my days off, I didn't talk to anyone. I was just hyper, hyper resting, thinking that I could compensate. And then, yeah, it just got to the point where we were in the studio, and I was singing a line from one of the songs on [KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's latest album] 'Atonement', and Adam [Dutkiewicz], our [guitarist and] producer, was, like, 'Dude, you can hit this note. I've heard you hit this note thousands of times. You're not hitting it. You're flat, you're sharp, you're flat. We've been at this for a half hour. This is ridiculous. Something's wrong.' And that led me to fly home from San Diego, cancel the rest of the [studio] sessions, and go to my doctor. I had been going to this [doctor] religiously for five or six years, and he's, like, 'You've gotta be careful.' And he would put me on prednisone, and fix me up, and I would be good, and I would go off on another tour, and I'd damage it. So it was coming — I knew in the back of my mind it was coming. And he looked at me, and he was, like, 'I've never seen you this bad. This is bad. I wanna put you on vocal rest.' So pretty I was on vocal rest for about three months in total. And I couldn't speak to anyone. When they [saw] that it wasn't healing after a few weeks, they referred me to a surgeon. And he looked at my voice, and he was, like, 'You voice looks to me like an 80-year-old's neck skin when they crouch down. It's bad.' He was, like, 'I can't even guarantee you that you're gonna be able to continue doing what you do. It's that bad.' He was, like, 'We can do the surgery, but I can't guarantee you're gonna be able to do what you do anymore. And I recommend you don't do what you do anymore, if you continue all this shit.'"

According to Jesse, working with vocal coach Melissa Cross to learn how to speak and sing differently made all the difference in the world by the time he returned to the stage several weeks later.

"When the voice came back finally, I said my first word, and I started my rehabilitation after the surgery, it was, like, 'This is fucking amazing. I can still do this,'" he recalled. "And that first show back was in Talinn, Estonia opening up for IRON MAIDEN in front of 11,000 people, and I did vibrato for the first time in my career, and I started hitting notes. And I remember Adam, who is one of the guys that complain all the time, was, like, 'Dude, you did vibrato. Dude, you did good. Holy shit! You were hitting these notes that you don't really hit. You weren't sharp; you weren't flat. Wow!' So that was it. And the rest of that IRON MAIDEN tour, I was on top of the fucking world, man."

"Atonement" was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records in the U.S. and Sony Music Entertainment in the rest of the world. The disc features guest appearances by the band's former lead singer Howard Jones and TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. It marks the band's third full-length release since the return of Leach, who rejoined the group in 2012.

Don Dokken has thrown shade at his former bandmates George Lynch and Jeff Pilson over their recently released collection of studio recordings that turn pop music classics into metal anthems. Released on December 18, "Heavy Hitters" includes cover versions of such tracks as Carole King's "I Feel The Earth Move", Prince's "Kiss", OASIS's "Champagne Supernova", Madonna's "Music" and R.E.M.'s "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)".

Dokken discussed the LP during a December 19 appearance on "The Classic Metal Show". After co-host Chris Akin named some of the songs which were reimagined by Pilson and Lynch, Don said: "But those are not heavy hitters. No offense, they are good songs, but those are vanilla tunes. [Sings 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)'] Did they rock 'em up or put some shredding guitar solos [in them]?

"They must be really bored," Dokken continued. "But, you know, everybody's got their mantra; everybody's got their financial things, I guess. If a record company is willing to give you money to put out pablum, then put out the pablum. But I hope my standards as a songwriter are a little higher than that. If I'm gonna do a remake, I'm gonna do something that was super cool, like 'Paint It Black' by THE [ROLLING] STONES or 'Revolution' by THE BEATLES or something that's awesome and do something like that. I'm not gonna do Carole King.

"I don't get it. I don't know what's going on with those guys," Don added. "I don't really talk to them much. Lynch and I, we talk once in a while, 'cause he always wanted to move to Santa Fe; that's his dream. He's always wanted to come to New Mexico. And I said, 'Hey, you're welcome to come on up and stay in the casita' — as they call 'em up here, a casita, the guest house — 'and if you wanna go hike'… He hikes; he's a hiker. So, I've got 13 acres. He can get lost very easily. I'm not going looking for him."

DOKKEN's classic lineup — Pilson, singer Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown — reunited for a short Japanese tour in the fall of 2016. The trek marked the first time in 21 years the four musicians had hit the road together.

Since completing the Japanese reunion dates, DOKKEN has continued to perform with the group's current lineup — including bassist Chris McCarvill, guitarist Jon Levin and drummer BJ Zampa (HOUSE OF LORDS).

A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band's reunion tour, "Return To The East Live (2016)", was made available in 2018.

DOKKEN is currently working on material on a new studio album, tentatively due in 2021 via Silver Lining Music, the label owned by Thomas Jensen, one of the founders of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival. It will mark the group's first disc since 2012's "Broken Bones"

Every year for more than a decade, The National Guitar Museum has given its "Lifetime Achievement Award" to a living guitarist who has contributed to the legacy of the guitar. The guidelines are straightforward: the person must have been a performing or recording artist whose talents had an effect on guitar playing — and whose career inspired and influenced other guitar players.

This year, the year of the pandemic, has given The National Guitar Museum reason to make an exception to its annual presentation.

For 2020, The National Guitar Museum is recognizing Eddie Van Halen as the recipient of its "Lifetime Achievement Award." It is being awarded, for the first time, in memoriam.

The National Guitar Museum says: "It is perhaps fitting that we don't need to explain why Eddie is deserving of such an honor everyone who has ever heard his guitar playing knows. Eddie certainly would have received this award at some point in the future, as it seemed that he still had a lifetime of guitar greatness to give.

"Several of the people we've honored over the past decade have left us in the years since we presented them with the award. In this case, however, the sadness of Eddie Van Halen's passing is somehow harder to accept.

"Thanks, Eddie. We only wish we could deliver this in person."

The National Guitar Museum was founded to promote and preserve the legacy of the guitar. It is the world's first museum dedicated to the history, evolution, and cultural impact of the guitar.

The goal of The National Guitar Museum is to create the first institution devoted exclusively to the evolution, history, science, and cultural impact of the guitar.

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 guitari

SAXON frontman Biff Byford has commented on the passing of Eddie Van Halen, saying that "you couldn't go and see VAN HALEN and not like them."

Byford discussed his appreciation for the groundbreaking musician in a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice.

Speaking about Eddie's death, Biff said: "Terrible news, really. He went through [a cancer battle] once, and then we thought he was cured. And then it came back again.

"I saw VAN HALEN a few times," he continued. "First time I saw them was at the Rainbow in — it must have been 1978, '79, [on their] first album. I think they just toured with [BLACK] SABBATH, and then they came back a did a one-off show at the Rainbow in London, and I saw that. And then I saw them again on the [1980] tour in Manchester.

"I loved the band," Biff added. "They were total good-time rock/metal, definitely. You couldn't really go and see VAN HALEN and not like them, actually."

Biff went on to say that SAXON was contemplating covering a VAN HALEN track on its upcoming covers album, "Inspirations", which is due on March 19, 2021 via Silver Lining Music.

"We did consider a VAN HALEN song," he said. "I wanted to do 'Runnin' With The Devil'. I love that [song]. But you've gotta be careful.

"I suppose [VAN HALEN's music] did influence the [SAXON] guitarists in a way, because that style — when people saw Eddie play in that style — particularly Paul [Quinn] started [incorporating hammer-ons].

"We are signed up to do another album, actually. So they do have an option. We could do a massively heavy version Of 'Running With The Devil' — it would be great. [We could] make it more like a SABBATH version of 'Running With The Devil'."

"Inspirations" is an 11-track effort containing some of the classic rock songs that influenced Byford and the rest of SAXON, including THE ROLLING STONES' "Paint It Black", THE BEATLES' "Paperback Writer", Jimi Hendrix's "Stone Free", MOTÖRHEAD's "Bomber", AC/DC's "Problem Child", BLACK SABBATH's "Evil Woman" and DEEP PURPLE's "Speed King".

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.

In a brand new interview with "The Mistress Carrie Podcast", PUDDLE OF MUDD frontman Wes Scantlin recalled how he first decided to become a musician. He said (hear audio below): "I played soccer my whole life. I was gonna get signed by a really big European football/soccer team. But I picked up the guitar a few years before that, and I was, like, 'Nah. I'd rather do this.' 'Cause I went to [see] VAN HALEN [on] the '1984' tour when I was, like, 12, and I was, like, 'I wanna do that."

Wes also paid tribute to legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who died in October following a long battle with cancer.

"Eddie Van Halen's gone, but I'll tell you what: he is never gonna be forgotten, and I love him and I miss him," Scantlin said. "And I was super, super bummed out when he passed.

"[VAN HALEN] was just really good, cool music," Wes continued. "And Eddie Van Halen, I don't know he played like that, but I guess he just got some gift from God, and God just said, 'Here, you're gonna be the best guitar player ever.' So he's probably up in heaven playing little awesome songs for God."

PUDDLE OF MUDD was formed in 1991 in Kansas City by Scantlin, the only original member still with the band.

The group's first studio album in ten years, "Welcome To Galvania", was released in September 2019 via Pavement Entertainment.

Wes had almost non-stop problems with the law, alcohol, finances and other issues, before finally getting sober in 2017. After changing his life around and getting the band back in order, Wes and PUDDLE OF MUDD rebuilt a touring base, which paved the way to new music and a new album.

PUDDLE OF MUDD broke into the mainstream with 2001's "Come Clean", which yielded three hits — "Control", "Blurry" and "She Hates Me".

GRETA VAN FLEET drummer Danny Wagner and guitarist Jake Kiszka spoke to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about the recent passing of iconic VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen.

"That was a rough day, rough week," Jake said (see video below). "[Me and] a lot of guitar friends, [we were] texting back and forth. [Eddie] was an influence for every guitar player. Who didn't wanna play 'Eruption' and stuff like that? I remember growing up, he was such an influence to me. I remember a couple of years where I listened to VAN HALEN constantly. But it was pretty brutal. We mourned his loss for, like, a week."

Added Danny: "We were also in the studio recording one of the songs for [the new GRETA VAN FLEET] album that day too. We were in L.A. So you woke up, you found out the news, and then you had to go record a song. There was this weird energy."

Eddie died on October 6 at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. His wife, Janie, was by his side, along with his son Wolfgang and Alex, Eddie's brother and VAN HALEN drummer.

After undergoing hip replacement surgery in 1999 due to a chronic joint problem, Eddie was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2000 and had to have part of his tongue surgically removed. Declared "cancer-free" in 2002, he subsequently had to intermittently have "cancer cells scraped out of his throat after they migrated there." He later battled lung cancer and had been receiving radiation treatment in Germany. Things took a turn for the worse in early 2019 when Eddie got in a motorcycle accident. He was subsequently diagnosed with a brain tumor, and received gamma knife radiosurgery to treat the illness.

Following Eddie's 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 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.

GRETA VAN FLEET will release its second album, "The Battle At Garden's Gate", on April 16, 2021 via Lava/Republic Records. A bold evolution from the band's 2018 full-length debut "Anthem Of The Peaceful Army", the new LP came together primarily on the road or while in the studio after the runaway success of 2017's "Highway Tune" led to GRETA VAN FLEET packing up, leaving home, and eagerly soaking up new experiences on an extended road trip around the world.

Congessional leaders announced on Sunday a new COVID-19 relief bill that will include funding for independent music venues that have been closed throughout the pandemic.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a statement saying the long-overdue $900 billion stimulus deal bill includes "$15 billion in dedicated funding for live venues, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions."

"We're thrilled that Congress has heard the call of shuttered independent venues across the country and provided us a crucial lifeline by including the Save Our Stages Act in the COVID-19 Relief Bill," Dayna Frank, owner and chief executive of First Avenue Productions and board president of the National Independent Venue Association, said in a statement. "We're also incredibly grateful that this bill provides Pandemic Unemployment Assistance which will help the millions of people who lost their jobs through no fault of their own during this economic crisis. We urge swift passage of this legislation, which will assist those in the greatest need and ensure the music lives on for generations to come."

Small live music and entertainment venues have been hard-hit during the coronavirus pandemic, with 90 percent of venue owners, promoters, and bookers previously reporting they were at risk of closing without additional financial assistance and an estimated $9 billion in losses.

On Tuesday, a group of representatives from the live event industry testified at a Congressional hearing. Among those speaking was Michael Strickland, owner of the lighting company Bandit Lites in Knoxville, Tennessee, who told the members of the committee: "We're here before you with our hats in our hands. Thirty percent of the industry is gone now, and if nothing done by February, sixty percent will be gone." Adam Hartke, who owns two independent venues in Wichita, Kansas, added: "Please don't let the music die. Please save our stages."

In July, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the Save Our Stages Act, which would provide Small Business Administration grants for independent live music venue operators affected by COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. These grants would provide six months of financial support to keep venues afloat, pay employees, and preserve a critical economic sector for communities across America.

"Minnesota's concert halls, theatres, and places of entertainment, like First Avenue in Minneapolis, where Prince famously performed, have inspired generations with the best of local music, art, and education," Klobuchar said. "This legislation would help ensure that small entertainment venues can continue to operate, and serve our communities for generations to come."

"Texas is home to a number of historic and world-class small entertainment venues, many of which remain shuttered after being the first businesses to close," Cornyn said. "The culture around Texas dance halls and live music has shaped generations, and this legislation would give them the resources to reopen their doors and continue educating and inspiring Texans beyond the coronavirus pandem

Right in time for Christmas, German symphonic/melodic metallers BEYOND THE BLACK gifted their fans with a really special treat: their new EP, "W:O:A Acoustic Clash - The Lockdown Session", available digitally via Napalm Records.

The "W:O:A Acoustic Clash" began as a bet between BEYOND THE BLACK and Thomas Jensen (Wacken Open Air): In the course of 48 hours, the quartet had to arrange and record acoustic cover versions of four different all-time rock and metal favorites, chosen by the Wacken community. All tracks now culminate in an extraordinary EP featuring four covers of undeniable rock and metal hits, presented in a stunning yet tranquil manner: SABATON's "To Hell And Back", DISTURBED's "Down With The Sickness", VOLBEAT's "A Warrior's Call" and IRON MAIDEN's "The Trooper". Jennifer Haben's remarkable, bold voice weaves throughout every cover version and elevates them to genuine, unique stunners. The soft, acoustic cover versions of these all-time mainstays showcase the band's musical talent while also emphasizing their soft and melodious side.

Track listing:

01. SABATON - To Hell and Back

02. DISTURBED - Down With The Sickness

03. VOLBEAT - Warrior’s Call

04. IRON MAIDEN - The Trooper

BEYOND THE BLACK's latest album, "Hørizøns", was released in June via Napalm Records.

Photo credit: Peter Leukhardt

Austrian glam/sleaze rockers, Mädhouse, have signed with ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records.

Ain’t no crazy like Mädhouse! Their debut album Money Talks, Bullshit Walks is straight outta glam. Mädhouse's smokin’ hot shredding will remind you why hair metal still reigns supreme among rock genres.

A gritty group of misfits from Vienna, Austria, Mädhouse  pumps out the real deal every. single. time. When 18 random rockers got together at the end of 2017 to put on a show called Hard N’ Heavy just for kicks, nobody thought a new band would be born. That gig ended up being such a blast that eight of them decided to keep jamming together.

A few weeks later, they wrote their first song - appropriately “Hard N’ Heavy” - inspired by the epic night that brought them together. At that point they didn’t have a masterplan, or even a name for themselves, but they knew without a doubt they had all the parts to make a great RnR band. More importantly, they had that spark and just enough crazy among them to know it was legit.

It took a few more months with some growing pains along the way to get it together and solidify a band of five. They may not have set out to become Mädhouse, but here we are. Whether it was hair metal destiny or some other twist of glam fate is hard to say. What is clear is that for them; it’s about the music and their

Info on the band’s second full-length album release date and details coming soon.

Mädhouse is:

Τommy Lovelace - Vocals
Mikky Stixx - Guitars
Freddie Heart - Guitars
Rickey Dee - Bass
Ken Shuri - Drums

Mean Man: The Story Of Chris Holmes is coming to Blu-ray, DVD and VOD on January 15. Pre-order here, and watch a new teaser video below:

Iconic W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes has lived a life of highs and lows. This musical journey draws parallel stories of his rise, fall, and rebirth with live performance, interview, behind-the-scenes, and archival footage.

Written and directed by French filmmakers Antoine de Montremy and Laurent Hart (whose Music production career includes televised interviews with Scorpions, Deep Purple, Slayer, Guns N' Roses and more), Mean Man: The Story of Chris Holmes was a project that was born in 2014 after they had an opportunity to meet and direct Holmes in a music video for the Holmes-penned song "Let It Roar" in Cannes, France. At that time, the former W.A.S.P. guitarist had more or less disappeared from the music scene, leaving his home in the US to seek a new beginning with his wife Sarah in France. Not content with merely directing a music video for the re-born Holmes, de Montremy pursued his bigger dream of writing and directing a documentary film about this iconic metal guitar legend and for the next several years shadowed him throughout Europe while filming everything from band rehearsals, to recording sessions to live performances.

By creatively combining archival footage, interviews with past and present band members and musical peers, family members and childhood friends - interspersed with beautifully filmed concert performances of Holmes' current solo band - Director de Montremy skillfully portrays the story of an iconic guitar player who has lived a life of extreme highs and lows. After losing the publishing rights of his own songs and combating dangerous addictions, the legendary W.A.S.P. guitarist is shown starting over from scratch while living at his mother-in-law's in Cannes, France as he puts together with his wife a brand new band and a brand new musical role as not only the main guitarist, but now as the actual lead singer of this newly-born musical project aptly named Mean Man.  

Montremy said: "Over the last five years, I've had the privilege to establish a true relationship with Chris Holmes and to follow him throughout Europe. I was impressed by his charisma, his approach towards life, his multiple experiences and taste for simplicity which have actually altered my own vision of existence. In fact, he has almost become a spiritual father to me, in the way that he inspired me in many of my own decisions."

The DVD and Blu-ray are full of extras not available on the VOD version, which will follow the physical release. A west coast theatrical premiere is being discussed as well, pending the revision and/or relaxation of the current local State Government's restrictions on movie theaters operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Neal Morse has released a video for “Caroling, Caroling!”, the first single from the just released Last Minute Christmas Album. Download the album from Radiant Records or stream it on waterfallstreaming.com.

Says Neal: "Merry Christmas, everyone! I’ve been writing Christmas songs over the last two weeks and thought maybe I could make a last minute Christmas album... here it is! We’ve literally just finished mixing it and it’s exclusively available to download right now from Radiant Records or you can stream it on www.waterfallstreaming.com. I hope you enjoy it and it brings some of the holiday spirit to your home this Christmas!"

Tracklisting:

"Caroling, Caroling!"
"All You Need Is Love On Christmas"
"Worldwide Sleigh Ride"
"It’s Christmas Time At Last"
"Silver Bells And Promises"
"On This Most Holy Night"
"Mrs. Claus"
"Everything I Want For Christmas"
"‘Tis The Season To Be Blue"
"Lo How A Rose E’er Blooming"
"O Come, All Ye Faithful"

"Caroling, Caroling!” video:

Alter Bridge have released a series of videos, in which the band members give you a run down of their current touring rigs. Watch all four clips below:

Myles Kennedy:

Mark Tremonti:

Scott Phillips:

Brian Marshall:

Alter Bridge recently released their Walk The Sky 2.0 EP. All versions of Walk The Sky 2.0 can be ordered here.

Walk The Sky 2.0 tracklisting:

"Last Rites"
"Wouldn’t You Rather" (Live)
"Pay No Mind" (Live)
"Native Son" (Live)
"Godspeed" (Live)
"In The Deep" (Live)
"Dying Light" (Live)

“Last Rites” lyric video:

Two Minutes To Late Night is back with a parody of Elton John's 1973 stand-alone single, "Step Into Christmas".

A message states: "The most ambitious crossover event in metal since KISS was on Scooby Doo! Gwar and Gwarsenio Hall together at last with a full blessing from their lawyer, Subpoenis Maximus, plus Mutoid Man, too!

"This is our 35th bedroom cover made with the support of Patreon. With so many musicians stuck at home with no outlets, we're going to keep producing these style videos and use the Patreon to give some money to everyone who has a part in them. Please support our friends by donating to our newly redone Patreon at honorableswords.com."

This cover features: GWAR's Blöthar the Berserker, Balsac (The Jaws Of Death), and Pustulus Maximus, Stephen Brodsky (Mutoid Man, Cave In, Old Man Gloom, New Idea Society), Ben Koller (Mutoid Man, Converge, All Pigs Must Die, Killer Be Killed), Kyle Kinane as Subpoenis Maximus, plus a special cameo from PUP.

Docker's Guild has announced the lineup for its upcoming third album, The Mystic Technocracy - Season 2: The Age of Entropy.

The lineup is split in two halves:

International Artists:

Douglas R. Docker (Biloxi, Vivaldi Metal Project, Chronomaster Project): bass, keyboards, vocals, spoken voice
Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, TSO, Cher): guitars
Sascha Paeth (Avantasia): guitars
Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper): guitars
Mio Jaeger (Frantic Amber): guitars
Anneke Van Giersbergen (The Gathering, Devin Townsend): vocals
Amanda Somerville (Avantasia, Trillium): vocals
Elizabeth Andrews (Frantic Amber): extreme vocals

Italian Artists:

Helly (Killin' Beaudelaire): drums
Stefano Aglì: drums
Anna Portalupi (Hardline, Tarja Turunen): bass
Luca Pisu (I Fasti, Dirty Set): bass
Roby Salvai (Roby Salvai Quintet): bass
Giorgio Novarino (The Chronomaster Project): bass
Toni Urzì (La Quadrilla): guitars
Luigi Iamundo (The Chronomaster Project): guitars
Valentina Procopio: vocals
Anna Petracca: vocals
Serena Moine: operatic vocals

- Alberto Macerata: recording engineer
- Mixed by Neil Kernon
- Produced by Douglas R. Docker

- Artwork and booklet design by CA Beckston

A message states: "The Docker's Guild's Christmas Store is up! Everything goes for €10 or less. CDs, vinyls, even cassettes, t-shirts, posters, stickers, pins and much more. All profits will go towards the financing of the new album. Let's call it a pre-crowdfunding for a from the fans! Thank you so much for your amazing support :) Merry Christmas everybody!" - Douglas R. Docker

(Nita Strauss photo - HDK Media)

Sinner’s Blood have released the new video below, featuring an acoustic performance of "Remember Me", the track from their debut album, out now via Frontiers Music Srl.

Sinner's Blood is a powerful new melodic metal band from Chile featuring a soon to be household name in James Robledo on lead vocals and producer and multi-instrumentalist Nasson (Chaos Magic) crafting the songs and playing guitar. Their debut album, The Mirror Star, is a must hear for fans of epic, powerful, heavy metal.

Order The Mirror Star here.

The songs on The Mirror Star are a mixture of all of the band’s hard rock favorites with a touch of modern vertigo. Every song Nasson wrote for this album is a different beast and with James’s voice, they are truly brought to life. With lyrics that are honest and emotional and superb production, Nasson has presented some of his most powerful songs via Sinner’s Blood.

James Robledo is a Chilean vocalist who has performed with several bands including Renegade (Chile) and Thabu (Argentina). Always bringing a powerful and emotional performance rooted in the vein of heavy metal singers like Ronnie James Dio, Jorn Lande, and Russell Allen, he now joins Sinner’s Blood, where he showcases the full potential of his voice.

Nasson is a Chilean producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. With more than 15 years of work in the metal scene collaborating with several world renowned artists, he is one of the most prolific names in the Chilean scene. His most recent collaborations with Caterina Nix on the last two Chaos Magic releases received international acclaim and showcased the breadth of his talents.

Rounding out the line up, is bassist Nicolás Fischer, who has been performing for years as a singer and guitarist for a variety of progressive music acts and Guillermo Pereira, a world-class drummer known in the Chilean scene for his work with extreme metal bands such as Recrucide and VPS and as a session player for various different projects.

Tracklisting:

"The Mirror"
"Phoenix Rise"
"Never Again"
"Remember Me"
"The Path Of Fear"
"Forever"
"Kill Or Die"
"Never Resting Soul"
"Who I Am"
"The Hunting"
"Awakening"

"Remember Me" video:

"The Mirror" video:

"Kill Or Die" video:

Lineup:

James Robledo - Vocals
Nasson - Guitar, vocals, keys
Nicolas Fischer - Bass, vocals
Guillermo Pereira - Drums

Heavy Metal heroes Sabaton have just reached the amazing amount of 1 million subscribers on their YouTube channel. To celebrate this, as part of their Advent Calendar, they have surprise-released an animated video-clip for their hymn "No Bullets Fly", taken from their Heroes album from 2014.

The video 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 into 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.

Watch the video to the very end.

Majestic Mountain Records has announced the signing of Norwegian trio Draken for the release of their debut album next year.

Formed in Oslo in 2018 by Spidergawd / Orango bassist Hallvard Gaardløs and close friend Andre Drage, Draken is a rock band with an appetite for reinvention. Recently becoming a fully-fledged power triumvirate with the addition of jazz / progressive virtuoso, Even Hermansen (Bushman’s Revenge) on guitar, the trio dig on the metal and hard rock of old, and in doing so channel the inspiration they unearth into something truly unique.

With the band currently holed up at Røffsound Studios with producer Vegard Liverød, with the final few touches still to be added to their debut, Majestic Mountain Records are already paving the way for its official release next year:

“From hearing the first riff on the demo we knew that we wanted to work with Draken!” says MMR’s Marco Berg. “Their mix of groove heavy riffs and catchy tunes will definitely make waves. We’re excited to share the first single with you once 2020 is over.”

Draken’s self-titled debut album will be officially released worldwide in March 2021 on Majestic Mountain Records. Check out the following teaser video:

 

Horror themed, metalcore pioneers Ice Nine Kills, are celebrating the 24th anniversary of one of modern horror's most iconic movies, slasher classic Scream, with a mini-documentary written and presented by INK frontman, Spencer Charnas about the "Scream Comes Home" convention, offering fans an inside look at iconic locations from the original movie and screen-used items from the Scream franchise.

Speaking on the mini-documentary, Spencer shares: “Getting to be a part of the 'Scream Comes Home' event and tour the locations of my favorite movie of all time was a scream come true for this slasher fanatic!”

According to Wikipedia, Scream is a 1996 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. The film stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, and Drew Barrymore. It follows the character of Sidney Prescott (Campbell), a high school student in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California, who becomes the target of a mysterious killer in a Halloween costume known as Ghostface.  

Inspired by the real-life case of the Gainesville Ripper, Scream was influenced by Williamson's passion for horror films, especially Halloween (1978). The film received positive reviews and was a financial success, earning $173 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing slasher film until the release of Halloween (2018).

Scream marked a change in the genre as it cast already-established and successful actors, which was considered to have helped it find a wider audience, including a significant female viewership. Scream was credited with revitalizing the horror genre in the 1990s, which was considered to be almost dead following an influx of direct-to-video titles and numerous sequels to established horror franchises of the 1970s and 1980s.

 

In the four-minute video below, TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson walks us step by step through one of his favorite holiday dishes, brussel sprouts gratin.

TESTAMENT's latest album, "Titans Of Creation", came out in April via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by Peterson and singer Chuck Billy, while Juan Urteaga of Trident Studios handled co-producing, recording and engineering. Andy Sneap was responsible for the mixing and mastering of the album. Eliran Kantor stepped up once again to create new artwork for the cover of this release.

Earlier in the year, TESTAMENT completed "The Bay Strikes Back 2020" European tour with EXODUS and DEATH ANGEL.

This past summer, Eric told Guitar World that the "darkest" period of TESTAMENT's career probably took place around the time of the 1992 album "The Ritual".

"I remember Atlantic Records telling us that we had only sold around 250,000 records that year — which would be amazing now [laughs] — and we were down about that," he said.

"We lost our management around that time, Alex [Skolnick, guitar] told us that this was going to be his last tour with TESTAMENT, and Lou [drummer Louie Clemente] left — so everything was kind of falling apart around then, but we were still hopeful.

"So we changed some things around, changed how we did business and formed our own record company and things like that — and just when it seemed that we had gotten a hold of things again, that was when Chuck got sick. [In 2001, Billy was diagnosed with a cancerous condition known as germ cell seminoma.]

"But even after all that, we kept it going, and we got heavy again, and I think that was the start of the new TESTAMENT. We developed a more modern sound and had more of a black and death metal influence, even though we were still very much a thrash band. We just weren't trying to be politically correct with our lyrics and all that — I mean, come on, we put out a record called 'Demonic'. [Laughs]

"By that point, we had gone through a couple of different guitar players, a lot of drummers, we were having problems with our original bass player [Greg Christian] — and we weren't really sure what we were going to do. So we ended up doing a record called 'First Strike Still Deadly' [2001], which contained re-recorded versions of some of our older songs.

"When I go back and listen to 'The Legacy' [1987] or 'The New Order' [1988], I'm not blown away by the production, but the songs sound modern when we play them today — they sound great, and that was what we were going for with 'First Strike Still Deadly'."

Both epic and brutal, Drown In The Abyss founded by Alexandre Lavoie with Sam Caron, mixes Lavoie's love for video game music with deathcore to bring you a listening experience that is refreshing in its aggression and blend of styles. 

As the band name suggests, the thematic elements of the debut track are about sea creatures invading our lands on earth. The duo tells an imaginative story, filled with destruction and chaos. While there may be some hints of real social events or politics, they are highly metaphoric. 

“Rising From The Tides” is the first song the band wrote, with the help of Chris Wiseman from Shadow Of Intent and Currents. Overall, it has been a while in the works, but now the final product is ready to wash over listeners around the world and drench them in a dark and abrasive new sound. Lavoie comments on the process:

The juxtaposition that the band balances cannot be understated. Those who enjoy deathcore and death metal mashed with an orchestra will take interest in Drown In The Abyss, especially fans of Shadow Of Intent, Lorna Shore, and Signs Of The Swarm.

For further details, visit Drown In The Abyss on Facebook.

 

In late 2019, original Prestige drummer Tero Karppinen made a decision to step aside from drumming. With his approval, the band decided to continue. They had a few new songs ready and started searching for a new drummer. This is when they found Matti "Matson" Johansson. Not only did Matson own all the old Prestige releases and knew the music, but now he had time too as he had just parted ways with his band Korpiklaani. Obviously, Matson needs no introduction as a musician, being part of Korpiklaani for over 17 years, having toured all over the world, and having played at the biggest metal festivals. 

Matson comments: "I am really taken by the invitation to play with Prestige. I've been a big fan ever since I was a teenager and still am! And I also want to say that I have always respected the work of Tero with Prestige and wish all the best to him!"

Prestige recently signed with Massacre Records, and are working on a new studio album. The band has just released a video for their new single, "Exit", which can be seen below. Stream or download "Exit" now at this location.

Check out the official Prestige Facebook page here.

(Photo by Peero Lakanen)

 

Bassist Pete Aguilar joined Cultural Warfare in 2015. Now in 2020, his time with the Oakland thrashers has come to an end. Aguilar has issued the following statement:

"I am stepping down as bass player for Cultural Warfare due to personal reasons. There is no bad blood between my former bandmates and I. I told them in person respectfully."

"I'd like to thank all my bandmates past and present Billy, Kevin, Jacques, Bones, Kenny, Shawn, Lenny and Pascal and the fans for all the support during my five year tenure with the band! I have two awesome recordings in Future Kill and Warmagedon that I'm proud to have as part of my legacy. I'm honored to have shared the stage with great musicians playing metal in the Bay Area thus far."

"As for my future musical plans, I'm not hanging up my bass just yet, nor am I jumping into free agency right away. Looking forward to what might cross my path next!"

Cultural Warfare guitarist Kevin Doughty commented: "Much love Pete! Gotta do what’s best for you and your family first! We shared some awesome moments as friends and bandmates. Looking forward to what’s in store for you musically in the future homie."  

(Photo courtesy of Rob Watkins)

 

Multi-instrumentalist and solo artist Joey Diabolic has released a cover of White Zombie's classic track "Creature Of The Wheel". The song is from his upcoming EP, Through Soundwaves Vol 3, which will be hitting digital music platforms on January 15th, 2021. Pre-orders can be placed now at this location. 

Diabolic says, "I gotta be honest, it took me awhile to figure out which Astro Creep 2000 song to cover. When I finally figured out that my next releases were definitely going to be a fan-fiction reinterpretation of the Freddy Krueger / A Nightmare On Elm Street story line, 'Creature Of The Wheel' was the most obvious choice." 

"It’s pretty obvious that I love White Zombie… So much so that I got their logo tattooed on my right bicep. As far as covering the song, I wanted to encapsulate my experiences of listening to their albums since 1993. There was no one that sounded like them… They were true originals."  

Through Soundwaves Vol 3 artwork and tracklisting:

"Son Of A Hundred Maniacs"
"Potter's Field" (Anthrax cover)
"Plowed" (Sponge cover)
"I Am The Shadow In Darkness"
"Save Yourself" (Stabbing Westward cover)
"Creature Of The Wheel" ft. MaMa Doom and Vain Manners (White Zombie cover)

"Potter's Field" (Anthrax cover):

"Plowed" (Sponge cover):

For further details, visit Joey Diabolic on Facebook.

 

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, some artists have tried to pivot to socially distanced performances at drive-in movie theaters or by charging admission to virtual concerts, but the majority did not play live at all.

Speaking to Rock N Roll Underground about the future of live music once the pandemic has subsided, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson said (hear audio below): "I remember in the late '90s, MEGADETH, we were touring a lot. We'd put a record out, and we'd do these big 18-month tours. And I remember flying into a city one day and just going, 'There's gotta be an easier way to do this. Can't we just Skype this and have everybody come to us rather than traveling around the world, moving black speaker boxes and lights and trucks and buses.' So, guess what? Here we are. This is it. It's 2020. And the truth of it is… Is this better than live music? And I would argue it's not.

"What we really want is the social interaction with each other," he continued. "No man is an island to himself. We're meant to be together. We're better when we're together. The live music experience is something that will always be there, even as it transitions.

"When we did the 'Big Four' live concert [with METALLICA, SLAYER and ANTHRAX] in Sofia, Bulgaria, METALLICA had utilized this streaming service that does the boxing events, and that show went live all around the world — thousands of movie theaters — as the show was happening, and then in time delay. So we've kind of already done one of those. It was a big drive-in show in front of 80,000 fans in Sofia, Bulgaria. And, of course, METALLICA, being the leaders they are, they started the drive-in thing this year again.

"So, it's great. Look, it's gonna survive no matter what, because humans are survivors. So live music will never go away, and live events will never go away."

Drive-in concerts have received a mixed response from artists and fans, with MACHINE HEAD's Robb Flynn calling them "the stupidest fucking shit I've ever seen," and DESTRUCTION's Schmier outright refusing to play them, indicating "I don't wanna rip my fans off."

Doro Pesch, who played three drive-in concerts in Germany this past summer, defended the experience, calling it "a great adventure. It's not the same, like a normal concert or festival but it's better than doing nothing," she said. "We were all so happy that we could do it. The fans had a great time, and the band and road crew all had something to do. Usually people think about it being too much with another tour or gig, but everyone was so ready to run. It was great. When we did the first one, someone filmed part of it on a cell phone so we put it on our socials and in two days it had so many views! I think like 600,000 people saw it and then we got more phone calls from promoters and people who own drive-in theaters asking us to put on shows. Some of them had never done a rock show but thought they could pull it off. So, we did more drive-in shows and it was so great."

She continued: "Every show was totally different. Sometimes the rules and regulations were very strict, and sometimes they were more loose. I asked if I could go into the audience, with social distancing, and sometimes the answer was no and a few times I could do it as long as I was wearing a mask. So I did, no problem, and I wore a mask and sung anyway! It works! It actually looked a lot like our [WARLOCK] 'All We Are' video. We played on top of a tour bus and everyone was in their cars, and they are frozen but come to life through the magic of metal and it looked exactly like that when I hopped on stage. It was like déjà vu! Going back in time to 1987 to when we filmed that video. That was surreal."

As previously reported, MEGADETH's North American tour with LAMB OF GOD, TRIVIUM and IN FLAMES has been rescheduled for 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

MEGADETH is currently recording the follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia" album for a tentative 2021 release.

The early sessions for the LP took place last year with co-producer Chris Rakestraw, who previously worked on "Dystopia".

In a new interview with Rob's School Of Music, Nita Strauss, the Los Angeles-based guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, was asked if she had any tips for young female musicians stepping out into the male-dominated music world. She responded (see video below): "Honestly, my advice for girls is the same as my advice for young dudes — it really is. And it holds true for both. So I'm just gonna give it for both, but it really, really applies for both. And that's there are always gonna be people that doubt you, no matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter how great you are.

"I was just having this conversation this morning with [longtime boyfriend and manager] Josh [Villalta]. You take a band like METALLICA — we were just talking about METALLICA — the biggest metal band that has ever existed in the history of metal bands, and they put out something new, and people trash-talk it all over it. If [LED ZEPPELIN's] 'Stairway To Heaven' came out today, people would be just complaining and whining on YouTube and in the Blabbermouth comments and all this stuff. You can't please everybody — not in this day and age. So you need to not focus too much on pleasing everybody and not focus too much on the naysayers and the negativity that's out there, and focus on working as hard as you can, performing as best as you can. Always be early. Show up ready to play. Don't be asking a lot of questions when you get there. Show up super prepared. Always be 15 minutes early. Always be the most professional, the easiest to deal with. And being easy to deal with is kind of important for a girl. 'Cause maybe that's one place where I see there's still a little bit of a stigma. You don't wanna have people going around [saying], 'She's on her period,' or something. [Laughs]

"For guys and girls, showing up on time — I keep saying 'on time,' because on time is so important," Nita added. "Being early is [so important], and being super, super professional. And also, on the flipside, not letting the negativity get to your head, but also not letting the accolades get to your head. Because once you start getting some notoriety and you start getting good and getting your name out there, there's gonna be people saying some crazy stuff. 'You're the best guitar player in the world. No one has ever been better than you.' And if you start believing that, nothing good can happen. Nothing good comes from believing that you're the best and you can never improve and you can never get better and you can never grow as an artist. So equally as important to shutting out the naysayers is shutting out people that will just tell you that you don't need to progress, and you're already good enough. You always have to get better. You always have to progress. You always have to be better in any way you possibly can."

Strauss has been playing with Alice Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker's former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.

Six years ago, Strauss was chosen by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS to be the official in-house guitarist for the L.A. Kiss arena football team, which was based out of the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Nita has spent the last few months working on her second solo album. Strauss's upcoming disc, which is tentatively due in 2021, will be the follow-up to her first solo LP, "Controlled Chaos", released in 2018 via Sumerian Records.

This past April, Nita launched "Rock Guitar Fundamentals" — a three-module online guitar teaching program suitable for learners of all levels. The course is available at www.iwanttoplayguitar.com.

Nita's live show is mostly instrumental in nature, combining originals with covers.