In a recent interview with Finland's Kaaos TV, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was asked how the coronavirus pandemic has affected his "daily life." He responded (see video below): "It hasn't, really, to be honest. I'm a bit of a recluse myself anyhow. In my day-to-day work, I usually work by myself in my studio or in my office or in my house. I don't go out much. I don't go to many concerts, so it really is pretty much the same as always, except for when you go out, you have to put the mask on and do all that stuff. But of course, from the business side, it's terrible, because the tour to coincide with the release of this [new ACCEPT] album ['Too Mean To Die'] has been pushed back one year to 2022 now. So who knows when we the fuck we can go on the road again? And since the road is not only the main part of our income, it's also what we do — we're not really studio musicians; we're a live band — so right now, we're fucked. It's terrible."

Asked if he thinks if touring will return to how it was before the pandemic or if it will be different, Wolf said: "I have no idea, man. Everybody thinks it's going back to normal at some point, but sometimes I wonder. Is it ever gonna be like it was before, or is there gonna be a slow transition to a new normal? I wonder if there's ever gonna be a day when everybody says, 'It's over. We're done.' It might never come. It might always be some say it's over, some says it's not, and some people are gonna wear a mask, and some are not. Who knows, man?"

He continued: ""[It's] a given [that] there won't be any serious concerts before we have a vaccine [widely distributed], but even when there is a vaccine, there might be people who are not vaccinated yet. What I'm saying is there's never gonna be a day that somebody punches a clock and declares the virus to be over for good worldwide. There's gonna a little bit of this and little bit of that, and it's a gonna be a slow transition to God knows what."

"Too Mean To Die" will be released on January 29 via Nuclear Blast. The LP will be the group's first without bassist Peter Baltes, who exited ACCEPT in November 2018. He has since been replaced by Martin Motnik. ACCEPT's lineup has also been expanded with the addition of a third guitarist, Philip Shouse, who originally filled in for Uwe Lulis during 2019's "Symphonic Terror" tour, before being asked to join the band permanently.

"Too Mean To Die" was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with British producer Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH), who has been responsible for the magnificent studio sound of ACCEPT since 2010.

ACCEPT's last album, 2017's "The Rise Of Chaos", marked the band's first release with Lulis and drummer Christopher Williams, replacing Herman Frank and Stefan Schwarzmann, respectively.

Ex-W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes says that he would never consider returning to the band unless Blackie Lawless agreed to pay him the publishing royalties that he allegedly owes him.

Holmes joined W.A.S.P. in 1982 and remained with the group until 1990. In 1996, the guitarist returned to W.A.S.P. and stayed with the band until 2001. Chris has not played with W.A.S.P. since.

In a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, Holmes spoke about his reasons for launching a fundraising campaign for his upcoming solo album. He said: "A lot of people think I made money from W.A.S.P. I've never gotten my royalties, or even my songwriting. All the stuff that I wrote, I've never gotten paid one penny. And you know whose fault it is? It's my my fault for not knowing the business, how it is. I trusted somebody.

"After every album, when the album is done, how they split up the publishing with the publishing contracts, the publishing companies — that's where the money comes from," he continued. "I was never told about when that meeting was. Because the other guys in the band never wrote — I was the only one [other than Blackie]. So I'm the only one that they have to screw over to get all the publishing. So I was never told. Then when I dug into it in about 2006 or [2007], I went into Sanctuary Music, had a lawyer go in to find out where all my publishing is, and I was written in as a session player into all the records. And if you don't know about it, and you're not told, and you don't see, you don't know. So I trusted Blackie Lawless about that. And when I found out, it really kind of yanked me wrong. It yanks me wrong — it makes me see he was sticking a knife in my back from the first day, from the first album, and not telling me, and being my best friend."

As far as Holmes is concerned, Lawless is solely to blame for him not getting his due from the W.A.S.P. records that he was involved with.

"If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be where he's at — I guarantee you that," Chris said. "And then he screws me like that. It's all right. It's been a long time. It's something that I will never, never get over. I'll take that to the grave with me. I'm pissed thinking about it.

"Anyway, that's the kind of person he is. Everybody thinks, 'Wow! He's got the greatest…' Yeah, he's got an outrageous voice, Blackie, yeah, but he turns his back on his bandmembers real bad — he screws 'em. I'm the only guy in the band that ever came back to get screwed twice, which I did. I came back for 'Kill.Fuck.Die', and I was promised half publishing on that album. Didn't get crap. Knowing that I couldn't get in to see what was written in the contracts, of course. That's why I wrote the song 'Two Faced Mother Fucker'. It's about him. It's on 'Shitting Bricks'. And I've got one on the new album. It's called 'The Truth'. It says, 'You can't handle the truth.' It's on my new [album]. I'm gonna write a song about him on every album."

Addressing the possibility of his return to W.A.S.P., Holmes said: "Everybody asks me about a W.A.S.P. reunion. Sure, I'd love to play a W.A.S.P. reunion — if he pays me my publishing. If it doesn't, then he can have a reunion with Randy Piper, Johnny Rod and [Steve] Riley and everybody else. I'm not gonna play it. It's not worth it.

"I came back to W.A.S.P. in '95. I got screwed again," he added. "Screw me once, screw me twice — you're not gonna screw me a third time."

During a November 2017 press conference in Moscow, Russia, Lawless was asked what he would say to those W.A.S.P. fans who continue to call for the band to reunite with Holmes. He responded: "People get divorced for certain reasons, and there's times when the kids want the parents to get back together, but sometimes it never happens. And this is one of those [times]. Sorry."

GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash recently joined Sweetwater's Nick Bowcott for a special interview via Zoom. Asked how he has been dealing with the coronavirus crisis, Slash said (see video below): "I've been really busy. If anything, this whole episode has afforded me a lot of time to be creative. So it's been good."

Pressed about whether his creative endeavors have involved playing live with other musicians or it's been mostly virtual, Slash said: "I do a lot of stuff on my own, and then Todd [Kerns, SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS bassist/vocalist] will drive in from [Las] Vegas and put bass on everything. And then I'll send that out to everybody. On occasion, we'll all get together and jam. We've done that a couple of times over this period."

According to Slash, being at home for most of the last year, has "definitely given me a lot of opportunity to write and to focus and to not be rushing out the door all the time. So it's been good," he said. "There's been a lot of good material that's come up through this."

Last month, Slash confirmed that SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS was 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 Kerns, Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums) and Frank Sidoris (guitar and vocals).

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.

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

GUNS N' ROSES' has spent most of the last five 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.

James Durbin says that he wanted to stay with QUIET RIOT long enough to play shows in support of the last album he recorded with the band.

In September 2019, QUIET RIOT parted ways with Durbin and replaced him with Jizzy Pearl. Pearl previously fronted QUIET RIOT from 2013 until October 2016, when he was briefly replaced by Seann Nichols, who played only five shows with the group before the March 2017 arrival of "American Idol" finalist Durbin.

Durbin recorded two studio albums with QUIET RIOT — 2017's "Road Rage" and 2019's "Hollywood Cowboys" — during his three-year stint with the group.

Asked about his abrupt departure from QUIET RIOT just two months before the release of "Hollywood Cowboys", Durbin told Dr. Music (see video below): "There's just certain ways that some people do business. And I'm the type of person that is good to my word. I told them I'd make the commitment for this as long as I could and do it as long as I was still having fun. And I wanted to stay on board and promote that album and finish out the year, as I had promised. But that's not how they go about it. So to each their own, and I have to respect that decision, which I do. They made the decision that they thought would be the decision that was necessary for them to make. And business is business. We just couldn't come to an agreement on new terms or anything."

A month after Durbin's exit was made official, QUIET RIOT drummer Frankie Banali told LA Weekly that it wasn't odd for him and his bandmates to play shows in support of a new album when the group had just undergone a vocalist change. He said: "I reached out to Jizzy Pearl before looking at any other potential singers because I always thought that Jizzy was a really good fit for QUIET RIOT and is a total pro. He welcomed the opportunity to return to QUIET RIOT which made me very happy and we replaced our former singer in less than 24 hours."

Banali resurrected QUIET RIOT in 2010, three years after the death of founding member and singer Kevin DuBrow.

QUIET RIOT went through two vocalists — Mark Huff and Scott Vokoun — before Pearl's first three-year run with the band.

Banali, who joined QUIET RIOT in 1982 and played on its breakthrough album, 1983's "Metal Health", the first heavy metal LP to top Billboard's album chart, died in August 2020 after a 16-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

QUIET RIOT announced in September that it will carry on touring following Frankie's death. The band, which now features drummer Johnny Kelly (DANZIG, TYPE O NEGATIVE), played a couple of shows in October and has a string of dates booked in 2021.

QUIET RIOT initially featured the late guitar legend Randy Rhoads and went through some early lineup shifts before securing the musicians that recorded "Metal Health".

Durbin will release the debut album from his solo band, DURBIN, "The Beast Awakens", on February 12 via Frontiers Music Srl.

British singer and songwriter, Gary Hughes, recently announced that his new solo album, Waterside, will be released on March 12 via Frontiers Music Srl. Today, he has released the single and video for the title track, which you can below.

Additionally, Ten/Gary Hughes have also announced the release of a double album best of collection, Decades, that encompasses three decades of his solo work in a newly remastered format. This double album offers some of the best Hughes' songs taken from his releases Precious Ones, Veritas, Once and Future King Parts I and II and his self-titled release, Gary Hughes. It also includes some rare tracks which were originally only released in Japan on the “In Your Eyes” EP. Decades is an album full of his influences and experiences and opens the door to the past while looking to his future at the same time.

Pre-order/save Waterside here. Pre-order/save Decades here.

"It is great to step back into solo mode again for a short while. The songs on my new Waterside album are filled with light and shade. Very much lighter than my heavier and deeper Ten material. We live in such testing times and I have tried to create a piece of Melodic AOR that might lift the spirits and allow for a little much needed escapism. There is definitely a positive feel good factor to this collection of songs and I truly hope the fans enjoy listening to it," enthuses Hughes The aforementioned feel good factor is never so prevalent as in the song and video for the title track 'Waterside'. Hughes explains, "The Waterside video is a very straight forward jacket, jeans and Fender Telecaster affair. A slice of Anglo-Americana. A nod back to the mid '80s and the golden age of laid back melodic rock. We enjoyed making this one immensely!"

Over the course of three decades in music, Gary Hughes has established himself as one of England's premiere Melodic Rock/Hard Rock singers and songwriters. With fourteen Ten studio albums, one rock opera (in two parts), and much more, the body of work that he has amassed during his career is truly impressive. Gary's work with his band Ten offers a hard rock sound which is rooted in the tradition of bands such as UFO, Whitesnake, and Rainbow. Historically, his solo material has offered a more melodic sound which has strong roots in the late 80’s AOR and Melodic Rock scene. The new solo album, Waterside, marks his long awaited return to Melodic Rock. This is also his first new solo album since his“Veritas" release well over a decade ago.

Musically, this is what you would expect from Gary as a follow up to his self-titled solo record and Precious Ones, but also it includes hints of early Ten (the more melodic moments of X and The Name of the Rose, as a reference point).

Assisting Gary in the creation of this new solo album are his Ten bandmates Dann Rosingana (guitars) and Darrel Treece-Birch (drums), with David Rosingana appearing on bass and Karen Fell and Scott Hughes helping on background vocals. If you like British Melodic Rock, then look no further, Waterside is an awesome example of how truly stunning the style can be!

Waterside tracklisting:

"All At Once It Feels Like I Believe"
"Electra- Glide"
"Lay Down"
"The Runaway Damned"
"Screaming In The Half Light"
"Waterside"
"Video Show"
"Save My Soul"
"Seduce Me"
"When Love Is Done"

"Waterside" video:

Decades tracklisting:

CD1
"First Light"
"Wrecking Machine"
"Perfect Ten"
"In Your Eyes"
"Veritas"
"Dragon Island Cathedral"
"The Night The Love Died"
"This Thing Of Beauty"
"Seducer"
"Look At The Rain"
"It Must Be Love"
"We Walk With Angels"
"Heart Of A Woman"
"The Everlasting Light"
"Precious Ones"

CD2
"Blonde Angel 93’"
"I Won’t Break Your Heart"
"Give My Love A Try"
"The Colours Of My Life"
"Divided We Fall"
"All I Want Is You"
"Wide Awake In Dreamland"
"There By The Grace Of The Gods (Go I)"
"Lies"
"The Miracle Is You"
"Be My Fantasy Tonight"
"This Time"
"Synchronicity"
"All Fall Down"

Steve Lukather (a.k.a. "Luke") and The Players Club / Mascot Label Group present the title track "I Found The Sun Again", the third and final instant gratification release from Luke's upcoming studio album, due out February 26. The accompanying video presents Luke and his girlfriend Amber Thayer (former wife of KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer), who is the inspiration for the composition.

"I Found The Sun Again" was co-produced by Ken Freeman, who also both engineered and mixed the new collection of repertoire. The players feature many dignitaries that have been in Luke's life for decades. Amongst those are drummer Gregg Bissonette, keyboardist Jeff Babko, and bassists Jorgen Carlsson and John Pierce. Lifelong friend and TOTO bandmate David Paich performs piano and organ across the album, while TOTO vocalist Joseph Williams sang on multiple tracks alongside writing string and horn arrangements and tracking keys on "Run To Me". Both Paich and Williams co-wrote that specific composition, while friend and band leader of the ALL-STARRS, Ringo Starr makes a special appearance on the recording and in the video. Other co-writers include Stan Lynch, Jeff Babko, and, of course, Joseph Williams.

Luke shares: "Never had so much fun recording in my life. Painless, fun and easy — and it just flowed." The repertoire features five new original compositions, and three covers personally selected by Luke. Those are TRAFFIC's "Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys", Joe Walsh's "Welcome To The Club" and Robin Trower's "Bridge Of Sighs". Lukather offers in the liner notes: "ALL these tracks were cut LIVE — no clix — no fix — No rehearsal — one run-thru — and record and the whole record was take 2. I did double a few guitar parts and 'produced up' a few tunes that are obvious but in the same time frame. I recorded the lead vocal right after we got the take same day. One song a day. Joe took it home and did some BG vocals but that's it.

"I wanted to make as honest a record as I could in 2020 with 1970s inspiration, and recording values, and techniques with a modern sound. Ken did that!"

Drummer Tommy Clufetos (BLACK SABBATH, OZZY OSBOURNE, ROB ZOMBIE, TED NUGENT, ALICE COOPER) will rejoin THE DEAD DAISIES when they hit the road in support of their new album, "Holy Ground". Clufetos previously toured with THE DEAD DAISIES in 2015.

Deen Castronovo, who laid down the drums on "Holy Ground" and 2018's "Burn It Down", is reportedly "resolving personal medical issues." It is unclear if he will return to THE DEAD DAISIES at a later date.

The news of Clufetos's THE DEAD DAISIES comeback was broken in a "Holy Ground" press release from Freeman Promotions earlier today. "The band can't wait to play these songs live!" THE DEAD DAISIES' publicists wrote. "When they do hit the road, returning to THE DAISIES amazing lineup is the monstrous, hard-hitting, powerhouse drummer, Tommy Clufetos (BLACK SABBATH, OZZY OSBOURNE). So strap in, this is going to be one hell of a ride!"

"Holy Ground" will be released on January 22. Recorded at La Fabrique Studios in the south of France with producer Ben Grosse, the LP is the band's first to feature Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION), who joined the group in 2019 as its new bassist and vocalist, replacing John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE) and Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY).

Clufetos worked with such rock icons as Nugent, Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie before joining Ozzy Osbourne in 2010. That led to a spot as the drummer on BLACK SABBATH's last two world tours.

Castronovo's 17-year tenure with JOURNEY ended in 2015 when the group fired him after his arrest for a variety of charges involving his now-wife (including physical abuse, coercion, and unlawful use of a weapon).

In 2019, Castronovo, who had recorded and toured with THE DEAD DAISIES for the past three years, played several shows with JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon under the "Neal Schon's Journey Through Time" banner. Joining them were founding JOURNEY and SANTANA singer/keyboardist Gregg Rolie, bassist Marco Mendoza of THE DEAD DAISIES and THIN LIZZY, a musician named Chris Collins (on guitar and keyboards) and super-producer Marti Frederiksen (multi-instrumentalist, voca

MSG have released a new trailer for the new album, Immortal, out now via Nuclear Blast. Watch the clip below, and order the new album here.

MSG is a legendary name. After two phenomenal records under the guise of Michael Schenker Fest, a true guitar hero is returning to his roots. By forming Michael Schenker Group (MSG) back in 1979, Michael Schenker laid the foundations for one of hard rock’s most glorious solo careers of all times. And while nobody expected anything less from a former guitarist for Scorpions and UFO, it’s close to impossible mentioning everything Michael has built over the past 50 years, or the countless people he influenced or played with. This, truly, is the stuff that hard rocking myths are made of.

“I never looked back,” is how Michael dryly sums up an extraordinary career. Due to this mindset, he only realised much later what a huge impact his playing had made on the world of metal and hard rock. Very few guitarists can be cited as a primary influence for the likes of James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Dave Mustaine, Dimebag Darrell, Slash or Kerry King. However, to understand Michael Schenker means to understand one primary thing: he’s not here to be worshipped or adored, he’s not here to get rich, he’s here to play. And at 65, he’s doing it with the same swagger, verve and dizzying artistry as always. “I’m still 16 in my head,” he laughs.

Right in time for his 40th anniversary as a solo artist and his 50th birthday as a musician, he resurrects the immortal Michael Schenker Group. Immortal is also the name of his new album, recorded by likely the strongest line-up in his long history. Its a lightning bolt of an album that sounds fresh, bloodthirsty and agile. Immortal showcases the gargantuan vocal talents of Chilean hard rock prodigy Ronnie Romero (Rainbow), backed by singers Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Joe Lynn Turner (ex-Deep Purple) as well as Schenker’s brother in arms, Michael Voss (Mad Max) who again produced the record alongside Michael Schenker – flawlessly, punchy and at full steam as if their very lives depended on it.

Next to Michael Schenker caressing his iconic black and white Dean Flying V, we hear bass player Barry Sparks (Dokken), keyboard player Steve Mann as well as the three drummers Bodo Schopf, Simon Phillips (ex-Toto) and Brian Tichy (ex-Whitesnake) pumping gallons of fresh blood through the tracks. And that’s not all, keyboard wizard extraordinaire Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Black Country Communion) gives the listener a baptism of fire in the blistering, heavy hitting opener “Drilled To Kill”, powered by Ralf Scheepers’ unbelievable vocal tornado.

Michael Schenker doesn’t live to play, he plays to live, and there’s no better way of summing up his relationship to his music than this – now for half a century and counting. The most emblematic representation of this relationship is the monumental closing track “In Search Of The Peace Of Mind”, a new recording of the very first song he ever wrote. “I composed this track in my mother’s kitchen back when I was 15,” he looks back half a century and smiles broadly: “The solo is just so perfect, I wouldn’t change a single note even today. This is the most important song of the last 50 years for me. It’s what started it all.”

When it finally got released in 1972 on the Scorpions’ debut Lonesome Crow, Schenker had already moved on to UFO. What followed were several decades of pure hard rock ecstasy on and off stage, featuring a rotating cast of stellar players, always pressing the pedal to the metal. Now, in 2020, he reaps what he sowed. Alongside many of his peers, friends and contemporaries, he is celebrating 50 years of hard rock – fittingly with an album that is something like a zeitgeisty reminiscence of everything he’s ever done. The massive midtempo smasher “Don’t Die On Me Now” sees Joe Lynn Turner going all in, Ronnie Romero works his magic in “Knight Of The Dead” while Michael Voss cuts a grand figure before the microphone as well as behind the mixing desk on the furious second single “After The Rain”.

Towering above them all, Michael Schenker and his guitar prove they’re truly and utterly invincible. The celebrated icon pulls out all the stops – including his legendary “howler”, the fabled magnet he’s used on his fingerboard for a while now. And here’s yet another thing that’s just so archetypically Schenker, when bringing up his fiery and dedicated performance on “Immortal” he nonchalantly shrugs it off: “I simply played from the heart, as always.” This, dear Michael, is the understatement of the year – all the more so for a record that is already one of the top contenders for hard rock/metal album of the year.

Tracklisting:

"Drilled To Kill" (feat Ralf Scheepers)
"Don’t Die On Me Now" (feat Joe Lynn Turner)
"Knight Of The Dead" (feat Ronnie Romero)
"After The Rain" (feat Michael Voss)
"Devil’s Daughter" (feat Ralf Scheepers)
"Sail The Darkness" (Feat Ronnie Romero)
"The Queen Of Thorns And Roses" (feat Michael Voss)
"Come On Over" (feat Ronnie Romero)
"Sangria Morte" (feat Joe Lynn Turner)
"In Search Of Peace Of Mind" (feat Ronnie Romero, Gary Barden,Doogie White, Robin McAuley)

"Sail The Darkness" lyric video:

"After The Rain" (feat. Michael Voss) video:

"Drilled To Kill" lyric video:

Portuguese metallers MOONSPELL will release their 13th studio album, "Hermitage", on February 26, 2021 via Napalm Records. The official music video for the disc's third single, "All Or Nothing", can be seen below.

"All Or Nothing" brings back the ethereal and melodic sounds of MOONSPELL served by a beautiful musical landscape, and makes it most likely one of the deepest and most sincerely heart-breaking tunes the Portuguese dark metal titans have ever written.

"The video for 'All Or Nothing' was recorded in an empty theatre in Portugal and it's symbolic of our days," vocalist Fernando Ribeiro says. "Solitude dominates our lives and we divide our attentions and heartbeats at the groove of darkness and hope. At the mercy of all that can be and the nothing that we have to deal with right now. It's a song that relies on a more intimate melodic frame, emotional, autobiographic almost, about the joy and the sorrow that is being in a band."

He continues: "Life is a game you cannot win. You just have to play. Our job is done, we brought you joy. Every now and then."

While the world is struggling in the dark, MOONSPELL's forthcoming album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Jaime Gomez Arellano (PARADISE LOST, PRIMORDIAL, GHOST, SÓLSTAFIR) at the Orgone Studios in the U.K. Building upon the sensitive facets of "Hermitage", one can expect an entertaining and revolutionary, yet epic journey through the darkest days of human existence. Beautifully crafted songs such as "The Greater Good" show us the modernity of the wolves in 2021, while other tracks embrace the MOONSPELL tradition of writing a dark, gothic metal record like no other band can. The ethereal and melodic sounds of MOONSPELL, while not straying away from their metal roots — influenced by underground metal bands such as BATHORY — make "Hermitage" most likely one of the deepest, surprising and most epic albums MOONSPELL has ever written.

With "Hermitage", MOONSPELL created a wonderfully intuitive and epic journey, but also a testament to what they've always loved the most: honest, emotional metal that binds us even in the darkest times.

Fernando said: "We know that we are entering the final years of our career as musicians: the winter of our lifetime. We don't care about people saying we're still young at heart, or 'leading' wolves in a pack. We are not! But we do care about how those around us feel about us, and this album is all about how we feel, our answers to your questions. Under these circumstances, we feel our musical stakes are higher than ever. For us, it's not about likes or algorithms, reach, or opportunity of growth. We only care about the music. Music does come first on this album you will hold in your hands soon enough."

He continued: "The record is about turning our backs to the conventions of modernity. We are currently convincing ourselves that it's all about us, that we (humanity) are everything. That the world revolves around us. However, ipsi facto, we are nothing and nothing revolves around us. Moonspell's goal, on these last turns around the Sun, are to write the best music we possibly can. To tell you a few stories with our lyrics, to be close to you in these times of distancing. We wish not to tease you or to influence you or to sell you our fish. We want to sit down with you at your table and feast together upon our notes and words. Like if we were close friends, like back in the time where music matters the most. In your bedroom listening to music, without having to post our smart remarks about it, inviting the hate in.

"'Hermitage' is an open-hearted invitation to simplicity. To be humble. To be thankful. To serve you solace. Provide you comfort, entertainment. We sincerely hope this call reaches you. That you kindly accept what we offer. That you take our music with you to the place you must feel as yours. To your secret place, to your hermitage. Blessed be."

"Hermitage" will be available in several highly limited and collectable deluxe editions, mediabook, cassette, all of them including the CANDLEMASS cover "Darkness In Paradise", but also as jewelcase and digital formats. The deluxe box will also include an etched seven-inch vinyl with another special bonus track, "The Great Leap Forward", as well as much more exciting additional collectable items.

"Hermitage" track listing:

01. The Greater Good

02. Common Prayers

03. All Or Nothing

04. Hermitage

05. Entitlement

06. Solitarian

07. The Hermit Saints

08. Apophthegmata

09. Without Rule

10. City Quitter (Outro)

+ Bonus tracks:

11. Darkness In Paradise (CANDLEMASS cover; available on LP, deluxe box, MC + mediabook)

12. The Great Leap Forward (7" vinyl; available in deluxe box)

Photo credit: Rui Vasco

Phil X, prolific studio guitarist, songwriter and renowned guitarist for Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees BON JOVI, and his band THE DRILLS will release a new single, "'I Love You' On Her Lips" on February 8 via Golden Robot Records. The track features Phil X on guitars and lead vocals, Daniel Spree on bass and backing vocals, and Gary Novak on drums. Gang vocals were laid down by Steve Ferlazzo, Joe Lester, Matt Starr and Marq Torien (BULLETBOYS).

"''I Love You' On Her Lips' is TOTAL DRILLS," Phil said. "A hooky, energetic, big guitar punch in the face with wit and a little silliness. Everyone knows someone who says one thing and feels another. This is that with a twist."

PHIL X & THE DRILLS recently completed work on their fifth album, "Stupid Good Lookings Vol. 2", which will be released in the near future on Golden Robot Records. Featuring a different drummer on every song, which reads like a who's who, with the likes of Tommy Lee, Liberty Devitto, Kenny Aronoff and Ray Luzier, the music promises to be extremely diverse.

PHIL X & THE DRILLS, have been enjoying a rapidly growing international fan base supported by the release of four strong albums: "Kick Your Ass In 17 Minutes" (2009), "We Bring The Rock N Roll" (2011), "We Play Instruments N Sh!t" (2012) and "Stupid Good Lookings Vol. 1" ( 2019).

First a prolific session guitar staple in Los Angeles, California, recording with the likes of Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Cornell, among many others (and even extends to playing with Canadian rock royalty such as TRIUMPH, Aldo Nova, OUR LADY PEACE, Avril Lavigne, THEORY OF A DEADMAN and more), Phil X became known for hosting the "Fretted Americana" web show that boasted over 50 million collective views.

In March of 2016, Phil was invited to Electric Lady Studios in New York to record guitars and background vocals on the BON JOVI record "This House Is Not for Sale". The album was released later that year, reaching No. 1 on the charts, with the album artwork including Phil in the band shots, confirming his position in the band as an official member.

PHIL X & THE DRILLS are looking forward to delivering their "energetic guitar-driven rock that infects your senses with addictively great anthems" to the global masses.

Los Angeles, California's WEEZER will release its fourteenth studio album, titled "OK Human", on Friday, January 29 via Crush Music/Atlantic. The LP's first single, "All My Favorite Songs", can be heard below.

For anyone keeping score at home: 2020 was going to be the year of "Van Weezer" — the big riffs rock album WEEZER made as an homage to the metal bands they loved growing up — until, thanks to the global pandemic, it suddenly wasn't. The entire time, however, WEEZER frontman Rivers Cuomo was busy at the piano, writing a very different album that took inspiration from another vital musical touchstone of his youth: THE BEACH BOYS' "Pet Sounds". Throughout the summer of COVID-19, he and the band — along with a 38-piece orchestra — chipped away at masked recording sessions using all analogue technology until the record was complete. The result is an album called "OK Human" — a cheeky nod to RADIOHEAD's technophobic future-trip "OK Computer", but sounding nothing at all like that record.

Taking the listener bit by bit through parts of Cuomo's every day, it's a Technicolor symphonic spree that meditates on how over-and-under-connected we all are, particularly in a year where we can see each other with greater ease, but can't be physically near each other at all. In addition to it being the first time WEEZER have ever featured full orchestration on any of their records, "OK Human" is also packed to the brim with some of the best, most personal songs Cuomo has written in the last decade, all of which shine brighter and bolder with splashes of string and horn arrangements courtesy of album producer Jake Sinclair and arranger Rob Mathes. While showcasing Cuomo's impeccable songwriting skills, "OK Human" also has shades of beloved albums of yore — not just "Pet Sounds", but Harry Nilsson's "Nilsson Schmilsson"; Randy Newman's self-titled debut; the stacked harmonies of THE CARPENTERS' records; even tints of Francoise Hardy's "Message Personnel". It is possibly the only record ever created that waxes poetic on themes of loneliness, disconnection, and reaching middle age alongside references to Mrs. Dalloway, Blackpink, the La Brea Tar Pits, Audible, and vegetarian Indian takeout, among others.

It's hard to imagine any other band who came up in the alt haze of the '90s creating a simply perfect orchestral pop album, but that is exactly what WEEZER's done; "OK Human" is a testament to the excellent, enduring melodies Cuomo has written since WEEZER's inception, and the ones he continues to write today.

"OK Human" track listing:

01. All My Favorite Songs

02. Aloo Gobi

03. Grapes Of Wrath

04. Numbers

05. Playing My Piano

06. Mirror Image

07. Screens

08. Bird With A Broken Wing

09. Dead Roses

10. Everything Happens For A Reason

11. Here Comes The Rain

12. La Brea Tar Pits

WEEZER is Brian Bell (backing vocals, guitar), Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, piano), Scott Shriner (backing vocals, bass) and Pat Wilson (drums).

WEEZER will be touring this summer as part of the rescheduled "Hella Mega" tour alongside GREEN DAY and FALL OUT BOY.

Ektomorf  have released the third single off their upcoming album, Reborn, out January 22 via Napalm Records. On “Smashing The Past”, the Hungarian thrash metal power machine is at their best: speedy, crushing guitar riffs and smashing drums upon angry, hateful vocals by singer and guitarist Zoltan “Zoli” Farkas, topped off with a dizzying guitar solo. This is thrash metal in its truest form.

Singer/guitarist Zoli Farkas says about “Smashing The Past”: “This was the very first song I wrote for Reborn - not a single note, nor a beat changed since the day of writing this song until the day we recorded this in the studio. You can still prominently feel the influences from our predecessor album Fury on this track: fast, aggressive, with a groovy breakdown and spiced with a killer solo to top it off! In my opinion, this it’s the perfect last single off the new album - pure thrash!”

Since their debut, Hangok (1994), the four-piece around singer/guitarist Zoltán “Zoli” Farkas has regularly delivered new power to their devotees. Only three years after the release of their chart-breaking full-length, Fury (2018), Reborn ignites a blazing fire with its heavy sound and harsh lyrics that will burn any genre limitations to the ground. Their 15th studio album breathes the spirit of the “Big Four” - Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth - while at the same time, beginning a completely independent new chapter of Ektomorf.

Reborn will be released worldwide on January 22 as a bundle digipak CD along with a patch and shirt, as well as an exclusive red/black splatter gatefold LP with a slipmat and signed poster, limited to 200. Pre-order here.

Be prepared for this thunderous onslaught! With Reborn, Ektomorf confidently kicks off a new chapter, taking along anyone who crosses the path of this thrash metal bullet with them.

Tracklisting:

"Ebullition"
"Reborn"
"And The Dead Will Walk"
"Fear Me"
"Where The Hate Conceives"
"The Worst Is Yet To Come"
"Forsaken"
"Smashing The Past"

“And The Dead Will Walk” video:

"Reborn" video:

Ektomorf is:

Zoltán Farkas - Vocals, Guitars
Szebasztián Simon - Guitars
Csaba Zahorán - Bass
Kàlmàn Olàh – Drums

(Photo - Natàlia Magda)

Avatar recently launched a series of concert streams, Avatar Ages - An Impossible Concert Experience, that is taking place over the course of January. The four-part concert film experience launched January 9 and features songs from Avatar’s celebrated catalog, starting with a performance of their latest album in full, Hunter Gatherer, out now via eOne.

Watch "Regret" / "House Of Eternal Hunt" from the January 16 show, below:

The subsequent January concerts will feature fan voted set lists - chosen by ticket purchasers - with songs from Avatar Country, Feathers & Flesh, Hail The Apocalypse, Black Waltz, Thoughts of No Tomorrow, Schlacht and Avatar. Tickets are now on sale here.

The schedule of Avatar Ages - An Impossible Concert Experience concert stream events is as follows:

- Saturday, January 23 - Age of Madness (Black Waltz and Hail the Apocalypse fan voted set list)
- Saturday, January 30 - Age of Memories (Thoughts of No Tomorrow, Schlacht and Avatar fan voted set list)

About the performances, frontman Johannes Eckerström says, “Nothing can top the feeling of standing eye to eye with the roaring beast that is a metal crowd, hungry for blood. Instead, what we are setting out to do is a series of shows we could never do on a normal stage. You will see Avatar as you've never seen us before. More music, more madness. We enter this with a game plan like no other, but ultimately the power is yours. This is something we'll create together. We have missed you.”

Concert stream tickets are available for individual shows and as a four-show package. Various ticket bundles are also available, offering exclusive merchandise such as t-shirts, hoodies, vinyl, and a commemorative laminate. A limited number of exclusive virtual Meet & Greets with the entire band are also available.  Fans will be able to select their date and time period in advance, and after their personal Meet & Greet, they’ll receive a video file of their conversation, as well as the opportunity to take pictures during the experience. Visit AvatarAges.com for all details and to purchase tickets.

Each livestream debuts on its respective date at 1 PM, PT / 4 PM, ET / 10 PM, CET and remains on-demand for 72 hours.

Canadian tech death masters, Archspire, are now embarking on an exciting new endeavour and have launched their very own online cooking series, Good Morning Handsome!

Hosted by vocalist Oliver Rae Aleron and produced by guitarist Dean Lamb, the guys are now taking their technical skills to the kitchen to bring you the most unconventional and spicy cooking show that would have Julia Child rolling in her grave... and we mean that in a good way! You can watch the premiere episode, "Friends With Bennies", below.

"We are really stoked to announce the launch of our new cooking channel 'Good Morning Handsome,'" comments the band. "Although barking fast and noodling lots are our actual jobs, we wanted to make a show about cooking that's the opposite of horse shit like Gordon Dickhead Ramsey. We believe cooking should be fun and want to encourage everyone to learn about food in a non stressful or demeaning format. So subscribe to our channel and check out our pilot episode and hopefully learn a bit about how easy cooking actually is."

For more episodes, which will be rolling out in February, be sure to subscribe here.

Archspire recently completed the recording for the full-length follow up to 2017's JUNO Award nominated Relentless Mutation. The offering was once again recorded by Dave Otero and will be unleashed onto the masses in 2021. Stay tuned for more details.

"WE DID IT! We completed our 6-week sentence in Music Prison (Flatline Audio Studios in Colorado) with Tech Support Professional Dave Otero at the helm!" exclaims Archspire. "We went with Dave once again as a follow-up to our 2017 release: Relentless Mutation, where our deep love for him was first kindled. This album is a product of roughly two and a half years of writing, and we truly feel it's the most solid material we've ever created. This album is very fast, so please enjoy responsibly. Stay Tech!"

Moreover, the band has announced new European tour dates for November/December 2021. The band will be blasting through 12 cities at 350 bpm and a full list of confirmed shows can be viewed here, where tickets are now on sale.

Lineup:

Dean Lamb: guitar
Spencer Prewett: drums
Oliver Rae Aleron: vocals
Tobi Morelli: guitar
Jared Smith: bass

Australian metal band, Meshiaak, have announced the release of their brand new single, "Severed", via Wells Music. A visualizer for the song can be found below.

Says vocalist/guitarist Danny Camilleri: "It seems that over time, aggressive music in the style that Meshiaak creates has become somewhat watered down, like, there just seems to be not all that much conviction anymore or far too much contrast between a system of beliefs within the music compared to the system of beliefs within the band or writers, almost like bands these days are too scared to be literal, or stand behind their convictions, afraid to be open or honest, scared to offend anyone in a society full of people with no back bone anymore. Music is the last line of free speech, its the only place that you can be brutally honest about anything. Severed is our conviction, our honesty, our passion and our frustration, angst, hatred, whatever the hell you want to call it! Severed is our truth and we plan on offending everyone."

Produced / Mixed by Dean Wells
Mastered by Plec / The Panic Room, Sweden
Music / Lyrics: Wells / Camilleri

Meshiaak lineup:

Danny Camilleri - Vocals / Guitar
Dean Wells - Guitars / Vocals
David Godfrey - Drums
Andrew Cameron - Bass Guitar

As if announcing today’s new virtual performance stream wasn’t enough of an early holiday gift (see below for more information), Finnish melodic death metal mainstays Wolfheart are doubling their musical output with the announcement of their upcoming EP, Skull Soldiers, scheduled for release on March 5 via Napalm Records.

Wolfheart continue the heroic battle forged on their highly-acclaimed 2020 full-length, Wolves Of Karelia, with two new, frostbitten Winter War-inspired singles and two special rarities. The new studio tracks featured on the EP, “Skull Soldiers” and “Hereditary”, both explore new territory while maintaining the Wolfheart trademark sound - searing through the mountainous ice with colossal, guttural vocals, driving blastbeats and rhythms.

Today, the band has shared a brand new lyric video for the title track, “Skull Soldiers”, featuring guest vocals from Petro Solovey of Ukranian band Wolfanger. Blazing guitar leads and scorching guttural vocals burn as Solovey and frontman Tuomas Saukkonen tell the tale of a small unit of powerful Finnish soldiers who painted skulls and skeletons onto their helmets during the Winter War.

Wolfheart frontman Tuomas Saukkonen says about “Skull Soldiers”: "I wanted the first single to be as heavy and crushing as possible in our standards so it would reflect the theme in the best possible way. The lyrics also are heavily connected to the Skull Soldiers themselves, and Petro from Ukrainian band Wolfanger provided awesome guest vocals in his native language, adding another level to the brutality.”

Watch the lyric video for “Skull Soldiers” below.

The Skull Soldiers EP’s unrelentingly heavy offerings bring to life a sonic aura of freezing winter temperatures and the crushing weight of the Finnish army that was never willing to surrender. In addition to its aforementioned new studio tracks, the EP is also accented by two rarities: the first - an eerie new acoustic version of the Shadow World (2015) track, “Aeon Of Cold”, featuring the airy, chilling clean vocals of bassist Lauri Silvonen, and the second - a flawless live version of the Wolves of Karelia single “Reaper”, recorded during the band’s virtual concert stream performance that aired in 2020. Skull Soldiers is a must-have for diehard and new Wolfheart fans alike, staving off cravings until the band’s next offering!

Saukkonen says about the EP’s concept: "I did a lot of research about the Winter War for the Wolves of Karelia album, but after the album was out, a few reporters gave me some additional details during the interview cycle and it turns out I managed to miss some really cool hidden gems. One of them was a small "elite group", or "Winter War special unit", who called themselves Skull Soldiers - ninja level soldiers who painted skulls and skeletons on their helmets. I really felt that I had to write some kind of a sequel for Wolves of Karelia, and since lockdown brought a lot of free time, we decided to make an EP while waiting for the world to open up again for touring.”

He adds about the EP’s rarity tracks: “The acoustic version of ‘Aeon Of Cold’ is something we have been thinking for a while now. Our bass player, Lauri, has awesome clean voice and we would like to play a full unplugged gig at some point, and based on that idea we have already been arranging some of the songs with acoustic guitars. Since there are no gigs at the moment, we wanted to try out the idea in studio. Same goes with live version of ‘Reaper’. We did a multitrack recording when we did our first streaming gig last April and since we are unable to play live to our fans, this is the second-best thing we could offer."

The Skull Soldiers EP will be available in the following formats:

- 12 inch Vinyl EP in Silver + Patch (Napalm Mailorder - strictly limited)
- 12 inch Vinyl EP in Silver + Patch + Shirt (Napalm Mailorder - strictly limited)
- Digital EP

Pre-order here.

Skull Soldiers EP tracklisting:

"Skull Soldiers"
"Hereditary"
"Aeon Of Cold" (Acoustic)
"Reaper" (Live)

"Skull Soldiers" lyric video:

Watch Wolfheart’s Virtual Performance Stream today, here.

Wolfheart’s virtual studio performance stream is happening today at 12 PM, PST / 3 PM, EST / 9 PM, CET, so make sure to get your tickets now via TicketSpice.com! The stream will be available to view for 72 hours after its initial stream time. During this event, Wolfheart will perform their debut studio album, Winterborn, in its entirety, plus favorites and rarities scarcely ever performed live, in celebration of Winterborn reaching over 10 million streams via Spotify and YouTube combined. This is an absolute must-see for any diehard Wolfheart supporter! The stream will also include bonus footage such as fan-chosen multi-instrumental tutorials and exclusive band Q&As.

Wolfheart is:

Tuomas Saukkonen: Guitar, Vocals
Joonas Kauppinen: Drums
Lauri Silvonen: Bass, Backing Vocals
Vagelis Karzis: Session Guitar

(Photo - Valtteri Hirvonen)

New Jersey metallers, Attacker, have just released a brand new single, “Spiritual Warfare”, exclusively via their Bandcamp page. The new song features new vocalist Ski, formerly of Deadly Blessing and Faith Factor.

According to drummer Mike Sabatini, ”We were originally going to have Ski as special guest vocalist for the single but after some positive feedback about the combination of Ski and the band, we decided to get working on new material. This infusion of new blood has really gotten the creative juices flowing! We recorded & mixed the new song at Bandmother Recording, our in-house Studio.”

The band's plan is to get a new album together and recorded by years end for an early 2022 release and hoping things open up for the live shows that the bands and the fans miss greatly.

You can buy the new tune “Spiritual Warfare” here.

Spiritual Warfare by Attacker

Attacker is:

Mike Benetatos - Guitar
Jon Hasselbrink - Guitar
Brian Smith - Bass
Mike Sabatini - Drums
Ski - Vocals

Legendary Norwegian outfit TrollfesT is back, ready to deliver their energizing and K.A.O.S-infused sound to the masses. TrollfesT are set to release their new dual-themed EP, Happy Heroes (out March 19 via Napalm Records), proving themselves as masters of K.A.O.S and madness more than ever before (with a wee sense of humor to boot).

As a first glimpse of what can be expected, the Norwegian Balkan Metal outfit have released their cover of Bobby McFerrin’s universally loved hit song, “Don’t Worry Be Happy”. TrollfesT give the classic tune a unique twist, making for a truly insane and chaotic reimagining unlike you’ve ever heard before! Along with the single, TrollfesT have released a music video in which the band literally goes mental – providing only a taste of what’s to come on Happy Heroes. Watch the clip below.

Four vivid songs on Happy Heroes deliver a vast variety of spectacular musical romps, made evident by the catchy original title track “Happy Heroes”, wherein TrollfesT tells the story of evil, self-righteous troll superheroes whom you should probably not call if you’re in need of help. The EP then presents three re-energized cover songs – Balkan and folk metal re-imaginings of the world-famous “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, quite possibly the cheeriest song known to man, the newly released “Don’t Worry Be Happy”, by Bobby McFerrin, as well as the Aqua hit “Cartoon Heroes”. Each revitalized track keeps its original catchiness and will have you humming in K.A.O.S!

Happy Heroes will be released worldwide digitally, as well as on blue/transparent Vinyl (limited to 300 copies).

Pre-order here.

Happy Heroes tracklisting:

"Happy Heroes"
"Cartoon Heroes"
"Don’t Worry Be Happy"
"Happy"

"Don’t Worry Be Happy" video:

TrollfesT is:

John Espen Sagstad (Mr.Seidel) - Guitar
Fabian Jiru (Grimdrap Glutenfri Fleskeng) - Guitar
Jostein Austvik (Trollmannen) - Vocals
Eirik Renton (TrollBANK) - Drums/Vocals
Kai Renton (Fjernkontrollet) - Synth/Accordion
Dag Stiberg (DrekkaDag) - Saxophone
Øyvind Erik Strønen Johannesen (Lodd Bolt) - Bass/Vocals
Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow (Kjellkje) - Drums/Vocals

(Photo - Eirik Folkeda)

In his new autobiography "Confess", JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford revealed that he was once arrested for cruising Venice Beach toilets (in a case of police entrapment) in search of sex, yet the cops didn't release the information to the media because they were PRIEST fans. The incident took place six years before George Michael was outed when he was arrested cruising a bathroom in Beverly Hills in 1998, the same year Halford came out voluntarily.

While promoting "Confess", Halford recalled to Yahoo! Entertainment how he was hoping to hook up with a gay lover when he was arrested as part of a police sting operation and taken into custody.

"[I was doing] this thing that we call cottaging in the U.K.; it's call cruising over here," Rob said (see video below). "And some gay men choose to do this thing where you go to a bathroom and you try and have a little bit of fun with another guy that's there for the same reason as you.

"The incident that we're talking about happened to me on Venice Beach," he continued. "I was living in Marina Del Dey at the time, and for my daily exercise, I'd get on my bicycle and go all the way up to Malibu and back, with a stop [laughs] in bathrooms. You've gotta laugh, because if you don't laugh… whatever. So I stopped, and I go in there. It's quite busy. I'm sitting on the loo, as we call it, and this really hot guy comes in. He's across from me and he's washing his hands. There was a mirror, and he's looking at me and kind of nodding and winking. And I'm, 'Oooh.' 'Hello.' 'Hello.' 'Over here.' And then he turns around and he looks at me and I look at him and he kind of acknowledges me and I acknowledge him. And then the next minute, he pulls out his badge and says, 'You're under arrest for indecent behavior.'"

According to Halford, "so many things" went through his mind right after his arrest. "They took me and put me in a little room that was behind the bathrooms in Venice Beach, and there was already, like, five or six guys in there," he recalled. "We all sat there for a couple or three hours chained to the bench. And then they took us in a van to some police station — I still don't know where it was. It was miles away; we seemed to drive forever. At the police station, I was still chained to the bench. We were all chained to the bench. And I saw these feet walk past me, and this guy pulls my baseball cap off. And he goes, 'Rob.' I go, 'Yes.' He goes, 'What are you doing here?' I'm, like, 'I've done something really dumb and stupid.' 'Come with me.' So internally, I'm thinking, 'Oh, great. I'm free.' No. They put me in a cell by myself, and then for the next hour, every cop in the police department came by the little glass window [and went], 'Yeah! PRIEST!'

"I didn't get off with it," Halford added. "I paid a fine, which I should have; I was put on probation, which I should have; I pled guilty, which I should have. And the police were really, really cool. 'Cause you get the TMZ at the time calling all the police departments [and going], 'You got any stuff?' And they very, very courteously kept that out of the press.

"It's something I have to talk about simply because it's poignant. It's kind of sad that I had to go to such extreme dangerous measures to get some kind of intimate physical contact."

"Confess" arrived on September 29 via Hachette Books. The book has been described by the U.K.'s The Telegraph as "one of the most candid and surprising memoirs of the year."

In a new interview with KFC Radio, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee reflected on the fact that he and his bandmates became one of the biggest rock acts on the planet in the late 1980s and early 1990s, despite going out of their way to bring as much decadence, debauchery and depravity down upon themselves and everyone around them as possible.

"I call us shit magnets," Tommy said (see video below). "For some reason, we were just at the wrong place at the right time. I look back and try to figure it out, like, 'What the fuck just happened?' We were these four guys from fucking L.A. that somehow put a band together, and the fucking band blew up and we went around and toured the world and just created fucking mayhem everywhere. And the four of us are still alive. I don't even understand how that works.

"I think we're all extremely, I believe, lucky," Lee added. "There's talent in there, and there's plain fucking just sheer stupidity that just has had us do what we do, I guess."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS " was originally scheduled to take place this summer but ended up being pushed back to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

When it happens, "The Stadium Tour" will mark the CRÜE's first live dates since wrapping its 2014/2015 farewell tour. CRÜE toured with POISON back in 2011 and DEF LEPPARD teamed up with POISON for a string of road dates in 2017 — but the upcoming jaunt marks the first time all four acts have hit the road together for an extended tour.

Lee's new solo album, "Andro", came out on October 16. The first two singles from the collection, "Knock Me Down" and "Tops", were released in early June.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star, the company which creates "beautiful lullaby versions of your favorite artists," has just released "Lullaby Versions Of Motionless In White" via Roma Music Group.

"Lullaby Versions Of Motionless In White" track listing:

01. Another Life

02. Voices

03. Brand New Numb

04. Disguise

05. Reincarnate

06. Eternally Yours

07. Necessary Evil

08. Immaculate Misconception

09. Devil's Night

The song "Another Life" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star was born for the parent that wants to pass along their biggest passion to their child, music. Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star transforms popular music into instrumental lullabies perfect for babies, yoga or just relaxation. Now, parents can enjoy the music from LADY GAGA to METALLICA in soothing lullaby style. With over 135 titles to choose from, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star is the largest line of pop, rock, metal and jamband music lullabies in the world.

These aren't novelty recordings. They are cute, they are soft but these are serious recordings. Roma Music Group, which releases Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star, is run by two music industry veterans who put the fidelity of these recording at the top of the priority list. Let's face it, much like the brand name clothes you buy for your infant, this music is really for you. Whether you are raising a metal baby, rocker or hippie baby, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star has your music transformed from arena anthems into nursery classics.

Sean Dowdell, the drummer for Chester Bennington's pre-LINKIN PARK band GREY DAZE, has opened up about his late friend's mental state before his tragic death more than three years ago. The singer's passing was ruled a suicide soon after his body was found in July 2017 at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California.

Bennington had been candid about mental-health battles in numerous interviews over the years, saying he grappled with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse.

"We talked about some of those issues he had several times, of course," Sean said in a new interview with Finland's Kaaos TV (see video below). "First of all, he was a very happy person most of the time. And that's the way, I think, depression works — the person that you see outwardly 99 percent of the time are high on life and [in] good spirits and are fun to be around and they're laughing all the time. Guys like [actor and comedian] Robin Williams and [American chef and TV personality] Anthony Bourdain, they had this amazing personality, outward personality, and Chester was very similar that way. He had this brighter-than-the-sun-type attitude when he was around you. The pain he was feeling he didn't outwardly share. I saw it several times, of course, throughout life, but it was not something that stuck around for long periods of time."

Dowdell went on to say that Bennington was very sensitive to criticism from LINKIN PARK's fanbase, something that was amplified in the months leading up to his death.

"I'm gonna say a few things here. It may not be very popular, but it's the truth," Sean said. "And not that I wanna bring the LINKIN PARK guys into the conversation, but I think they would agree with this. When they did the 'One More Light' album [which came out in May 2017, just two months before Chester's death], it wasn't received the way they thought it was gonna be received, or at least the way Chester thought it was gonna be received, and he got a lot of negativity from fans, and it really bothered him. And we talked about that a lot. He would just be so bummed out and he would blast people on Twitter, and he would get upset. And I would tell him: 'Dude, don't let these people bring you down. It's not worth it. The music is good, man. Don't worry about this kind of crap.'

"For those guys, they worked so hard on putting those records together, and they're so used to having these accolades and this adulation from their fanbase," he continued. "And then when they put out an album like 'One More Light', and still 95 percent of the people like the music. But it's that five percent of people that just [complain], and they spend so much time — these losers in their basement, I like to call 'em — where all they have is just time to sit there and write on a keyboard about what a loser you are. It's, like, what have you done with your life?

"I don't understand what makes somebody be a fan of Chester's, and you love everything he did, or most everything he did, and then he does a song that you don't like, that you feel like you have to badmouth him or tell him he sucks and all this kind of crap," Sean added. "And that stuff really weighed on him. So I think that really contributed to part of his head spot. He had some sexual abuse as a child, and that always weighed on him, and that kind of culminated into this thought process where Chester never felt good enough or never felt appreciated or never felt like he was worth it. He had this emptiness inside that I don't think he could really explain to a lot of people. I got to know this side of him quite well. He could have a thousand people, after a show, wanting to meet him and tell him how great he is and how much he touched their life in a profoundly emotionally positive way, gave them an outlet for their own pain and their own distress, and internally, Chester would not hear that. He would say, 'Thank you,' and he would still feel like he wasn't enough. We'd have this conversation, and he'd be, like, 'I just don't feel like I'm smart enough. I don't feel like I'm good enough.' And I'd go, 'Chester, you are such a good person. Forget the singing. I don't care about you as a singer; I care about you as a human being. I don't care that you are a great singer. I care that you are such a good person.' He was one of the best friends you could ever have."

GREY DAZE's "Amends" album was released in June. The LP contains updated versions of older songs in the group's catalog featuring newly recorded instrumentals accompanying the late Bennington's original vocal takes.

LINKIN PARK headlined an all-star tribute concert for Bennington in October 2017 in Los Angeles but has not announced any future plans for recording or touring.

Photo credit: Tom Preston

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, who has been open about his poverty-stricken childhood in Israel, spoke to American Songwriter about the immense wealth he has accumulated in the five decades since the band's formation.

"We're not supposed to revel in our riches," he said. "But that's bullshit. That's bullshit because everybody — if I walk around and I walk into a room and said I'm worth a couple hundred million dollars, or a billion, or whatever they say, I don't keep track, people would go, 'Listen to that guy. What an asshole.' But if I just won the lottery and didn't work a day in my life for it, everybody goes, 'Fantastic! You won a shitload of money and you didn't work at all for it.' I've worked for every penny I got. I should be the one that should be able to say, 'Look at all the money I got.' But nope, can't do that.

"So, I don't know how to say this, but it's better to be rich than poor," he continued. "It is. You can create jobs if you're rich. You can give money to philanthropy if you're rich. A poor person never gave me a job. And the person who came up with the phrase, 'Money is the root of all evil' is a moron. Money is not the root of all evil. Lack of money is the root of all evil. The reason people hold up 7-11 is they don't have money. Why would I ever hold up a 7-11 when I could just buy the block?

"The reason for crime is people don't have enough money," Simmons added. "One of the cures for lowering crime is give people jobs, give them something to do so they can feed their families, so they don't have to go out and steal. That's the way out. And don't get me started on drug addicts; that's another thing. There are a lot of rich white boys who are on opioids and crack. That's another story and I'm not qualified to comment."

Simmons lived in Israel until the age of eight, when he emigrated to the U.S. with his mother, a Holocaust survivor.

In a 2011 interview with CNN, Simmons recalled how his family had plunged into poverty after his father left. The family was "dirt poor," scraping by on meager bread and milk rations available in what was then an underdeveloped country.

"My father left us when I was about six or seven and one day a box came in," Gene said. "A cardboard box. Later on I figured out it was a care package. I picked up my first can of food — it was a can of peaches. I had never seen canned food before, we didn't even have a toilet when I was growing up. [My mother] opened it up with a knife and I remember tasting... This gets a little emotional for me... So I remember tasting those canned peaches. [It was the] sweetest thing I ever had. And all of a sudden, I had the idea that somebody cared, and once I grew up, I promised myself that I would make a difference."

Simmons has been recognized for his efforts to give back through various charitable endeavors, including Mending Kids International, which provides surgical care to children in developing countr

Dave Lombardo was recently interviewed on "Speak N' Destroy", a podcast about all things METALLICA, hosted by longtime journalist and METALLICA fan Ryan J. Downey. During the lengthy chat, the former SLAYER drummer once again confirmed that he came close to joining MEGADETH nearly three and a half decades ago as the replacement for Gar Samuelson.

Dave said: "A funny story — I was going to join MEGADETH when I left SLAYER the first time in '86… It was very much on the down low. And probably [MEGADETH mainman Dave] Mustaine doesn't remember this. But they had opened up for Alice Cooper during the 'Peace Sells' tour. And I went to the Long Beach Arena [in March 1987], and I met with the guys. I believe that the main issue at that time was when I saw the guys, they didn't look very healthy. I think it was a very dark period for them. And I had heard rumors of drugs and stuff like that. I was no saint, but I kept it in check, and they just didn't look healthy to me. I didn't see a healthy path for myself.

"Sure enough, Gar Samuelson died [in 1999], and he was an amazing drummer.

"MEGADETH and SLAYER played many times together, and so, yeah, I just didn't see things go well," he continued. "And then I, of course, rethought my position, and with a little bit of coercion from [SLAYER producer] Rick Rubin, I returned [to SLAYER]."

Lombardo's latest comments echo those he made in a 2015 interview with Metal Ireland. At the time, he said that he "was looking to join MEGADETH" in 1987, "to replace Gar Samuelson. I met all of them, but they were really heavily into drugs and I really wasn't into that," he said. "They didn't look too healthy either — they looked pretty bad."

In the Metal Ireland interview, Dave also dismissed the suggestion that he would join MEGADETH as the replacement for Shawn Drover, who had left the band just a couple of months earlier.

"I've been getting phone calls like, 'Are you going to join this band?' No. I refuse to be someone's employee," he said. "I want to work on something I'm a part of, not just a guy that receives a paycheck. I want to be part of the artist development. An artist, not just a hired gun. I've had enough of that. I need freedom."

The 55-year-old Lombardo, who splits most of his time between crossover pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, horror-punk icons MISFITS and hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS, was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other bandmembers. He was later replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001.

Metal Hammer has uploaded its entire METALLICA cover story from the September 2020 issue of the magazine. The article, which can be read at this location, includes a discussion about a possible follow-up to 2016's "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" album, which marked METALLICA's first full-length collection of new music in eight years.

"There's a lot of material," guitarist Kirk Hammett said. "I know I have tons, because I totally overcompensated. You know, last time around, it was a real shock to my system losing all those musical ideas. [Editor's note: Kirk lost a phone with more than 300 pieces of music on it during the creative process for 'Hardwired…'] So, I was very determined to try and make up for lost time. I also felt that, creatively, I have so much more to offer this time around."

Bassist Robert Trujillo added that the songwriting process for the next album could be a decidedly more collective effort compared to "Hardwired…", which was largely composed by guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich.

"I'm not gonna speak on behalf of the other guys, but to me, it feels like this could be a very collaborative [writing process]," Robert said. "And for me personally, I love that. I love that we are in that head space to be more collaborative, and I think that's very exciting for where we're at now, the journey we're about to take, the fact that those doors are opening like that."

"It's taking a couple of months, literally, for me to go through all [my ideas]," added Kirk, who is is not credited on any of the songs on "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct". "I've got a wealth of material, and so, at any given point when we all decide, 'Okay, let's start formulating a schedule to start writing songs and recording it.' I'm ready. I'm there, from day one."

"Kirk has so many ideas," continued Trujillo. "It's funny because sometimes it's literally him in the kitchen and he's cooking, and at the same time he's playing you a riff, or you're sitting on the toilet and he's playing you some ideas. But when we started to understand that [the lockdown] was gonna happen, it was like, 'Hey, let's be creative', you know? Let's just get on it. A lot of times, when there's a band that's been around as long as METALLICA has, you find that one of the biggest problems is, 'Man I can't come up with a riff, I can't come up with any good lyrics, it's just harder to write songs', but that just doesn't seem to be the problem with us. Not taking anything away from any other bands, but sometimes our worst riff might be another band's A-list riff."

The entire article is available at LouderSound.com.

"Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 291,000 copies in its first week of release.

Hetfield told Metal XS in 2016 that "Kirk's riffs weren't there" when it was time to write the music for the follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic" record. He later seemed to dismiss Kirk's missing-iPhone excuse, telling the WRIF radio station: "That's what he claims. I'm sure he did [lose the phone], but it doesn't make sense that he wouldn't have [the music] on his computer, either. But, whatever… Yeah, Kirk had some riffs that he… I guess submitted — ['submit' is] not a very nice word to be used if you're in a band. But you know, we all submit our tapes, and we sit there and we listen to them and we pick the best stuff. There was not much stuff from Kirk. Whether his phone was lost, or whatever…"

Hetfield told U.K. radio station Planet Rock that Kirk "was not present in the studio" while METALLICA was working on "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct". "He was dealing with life," James said. "He had a lot of life things going on for himself, which he'll choose to talk about if he wants. But, you know, [it was] Lars and I steering the ship as usual, going through the riffs, creating the songs. And I got to do a lot of guitar stuff that I was missing around 'Death Magnetic' and 'St. Anger' — some of the harmony guitar things, harmony vocals… You know, a little more layering, like the 'Black' album."

Photo credit: Anton Corbijn




Metallica. Brand new interview. Only in the new issue of Metal Hammer - on sale tomorrow. #Metallica pic.twitter.com/S96hcPdLyM

— metalhammer (@MetalHammer) August 19, 2020

Acclaimed hard rock vocalist Jeff Scott Soto has opened up about his use of using backing tracks for certain songs during his live performances, saying he doesn't "wanna bullshit anybody."

In recent years, more and more artists have been given a pass for relying on pre-recorded tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but also more consistent. For better or worse, pre-recorded tracks are becoming increasingly common for touring artists of all levels and genres and they're not just used in pop music — many rock artists utilize playback tracks to varying degrees.

Speaking to Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com about his use of backing tracks, Jeff said: "I've always tried to be candid. I don't wanna bullshit anybody. If I'm doing something and we're using some kind of assistance, I would be the first one to say, 'Hey, all those big backing vocals you're hearing, of course, they're being played behind us, because we feel the songs sounded naked without them and because we don't have an arsenal of a choir behind us to be able to pull them off.' And even if I've ever used backing tapes live, I never ripped them straight from the album so it sounds too fabricated. I'll make it so it's just a few voices or a few pieces and a few drum loops and things to kind of to give you a feel of the main record, but not to sound completely false, like we're just miming it up there. Why are you playing live if you're gonna be doing that to every song?"

He continued: "I've done that with SOTO, I've done that with JSS, because there are certain songs that might have a groove under them that without that, like a loop or something that makes that thing swing, it's just gonna sound too straight; it's not gonna have the same feel. So, of course, I have the drummer count off, and you have this kind of movement of a group that you can't really emulate unless you have those things underneath it. Of course, I've done that in the past. There's stuff where there's keyboards in a song, but we also need two guitar players, so I put the keyboards within the context of that loop just to make it sound and swing more. Of course, I've done it, but I'm not gonna lie about it. And if you're at a show and going, 'Wait a minute. There's nobody playing the keys and I hear keys,' I'm not gonna say, 'What are you talking about?' You've gotta be an imbecile to think that your audience doesn't notice that stuff."

Last March, SHINEDOWN guitarist Zach Myers said that "90 percent" of rock artists use at least some pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. He told Rock Feed: "It bothers me that it bothers people. I'm, like, 'Why does this bother you?' It's the way it is. People have been doing this since the '80s. And we want the sound to be the best it can be. Could we go up there, just the four of us, and put on the best rock show ever? Of course. But that's not how we wanna do it."

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has previously said that he is "one of the last people" who are still not using pre-recorded tracks at their live shows. "I don't know how much longer I can say to you that I don't use tapes onstage, because I don't, and I never have," he told Consequence Of Sound. "And I still don't. When I have opening bands, and they're using tapes, and then I come out and I don't use tapes… sometimes, it makes me feel stupid, because I'm like, 'What am I doing, when all these kids half my age can come onstage and do all of my moves, but they don't have to warm up for an hour before the show, or weeks, before the first show?' Sometimes, I'm like, 'Why do I even bother, if the public is so used to this other way?' It's becoming very rare to come see a good band that's actually a real band — that's not miming or doing silly moves while a tape is running. It just becomes more rare as the years go on."

In 2019, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith said that he doesn't "agree" with certain rock artists relying on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. "I tell you what, I see it with a lot of younger bands, and I don't think it's a good thing at all," he told the New York Post. "I mean, the music is getting too technical now. You have computerized recording systems, which we use, but I think we use them more for convenience than because we need to. We've toured with a couple bands that use tapes — it's not real. You're supposed to play live; it should be live. I don't agree with using tapes … I think it's a real shame."

One musician who has been open about his band's used of taped vocals during live performances is MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx, who said: "We've used technology since '87." He added the group employed "sequencers, sub tones, background vox tracks, plus background singers and us. [MÖTLEY CRÜE also taped] stuff we can't tour with, like cello parts in ballads, etc.... We love it and don't hide it. It's a great tool to fill out the sound."

In a 2014 interview, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars admitted that he wasn't comfortable with the fact that his band used pre-recorded backing vocals in its live shows, claiming that he preferred to watch groups whose performances are delivered entirely live. "I don't like it," he said. "I think a band like ours… I have to say '60s bands were my favorite — '60s and '70s bands — because they were real, like, three-piece bands or four-piece bands, and they just got up there and kicked it up. Made a mistake? So what? Sounded a little bit empty here or there? So what? It's the bigness and the rawness and the people that developed and wrote the songs and made them and presented them. To me, that's what I really like. I mean, I could put on a MÖTLEY CD and play with it all day long. I don't wanna do that."

KISS lead singer Paul Stanley, who has been struggling to hit the high notes in many of the band's classic songs for a number of years, has been accused of singing to a backing tape on KISS's ongoing "End Of The Road" tour.

Back in 2015, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons slammed bands who used backing tapes for not being honest enough to include that fact on their concert tickets.

"I have a problem when you charge $100 to see a live show and the artist uses backing tracks," Simmons said. "It's like the ingredients in food. If the first ingredient on the label is sugar, that's at least honest. It should be on every ticket — you're paying $100, 30 to 50 percent of the show is [on] backing tracks and they'll sing sometimes, sometimes they'll lip sync. At least be honest. It's not about backing tracks, it's about dishonesty.

"There's nobody with a synthesizer on our stage, there's no samples on the drums, there's nothing," Gene continued. "There's very few bands who do that now — AC/DC, METALLICA, us. I can't even say that about U2 or THE [ROLLING] STONES. There's very few bands who don't use [backing] trac