Marty Friedman (MEGADETH), Mark Morton (LAMB OF GOD), Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT), Gus G. (FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE), Michael Amott (ARCH ENEMY), Jens Johansson (STRATOVARIUS), Mikael Stanne (DARK TRANQUILLITY) and SONATA ARCTICA are amont the heavy metal musicians who have reacted on social media to the passing of former CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman Alexi Laiho. The Finnish guitarist/vocalist died in his home in Helsinki last week. The 41-year-old had suffered from long-term health issues in the years leading up to his death.

Laiho and drummer Jaska Raatikainen founded CHILDREN OF BODOM in 1993, and the band was one of the most internationally acclaimed metal acts in Finland up until their very last farewell concert in December of 2019. Last year, Alexi put together BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT, who recorded three songs and shot one music video, which will be released later on posthumously.

Besides CHILDREN OF BODOM, Laiho was known for acts such as WARMEN, SINERGY, KYLÄHULLUT and THE LOCAL BAND. Awarded with a Metal Hammer Golden God and several other international prizes, the guitarist was also the main star, leading a group of one hundred guitar players at the Helsinki Festival in 2015 in "100 Guitars From Hel" — a massive concert piece he composed.

The talented guitarist and musician relished his role as stepdad in his family, and as uncle and godfather. Especially during the last years, the important family ties brought a welcomed balance to his life and the active touring. Laiho was particularly close with his big sister, parents and his sister's daughter.

Laiho's CHILDREN OF BODOM bandmates Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henri "Henkka T. Blacksmith" Seppälä (bass) and Janne Wirman (keyboards) said in a statement: "More than 25 years of friendship. We lost a brother. The world lost a phenomenal songwriter and one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Memories and Alexi's music will live forever. Our thoughts are with Alexi's family during this difficult time."

BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT made its live debut on October 23 at Rytmikorjaamo in Seinäjoki, Finland. The 17-song show consisted entirely of CHILDREN OF BODOM material.

Raatikainen, Seppälä and Wirman announced their departures from CHILDREN OF BODOM in October 2019. Two months later, they confirmed that they were the rightful owners of the CHILDREN OF BODOM brand.

CHILDREN OF BODOM's last album, "Hexed", came out in March 2019 via Nuclear Blast Records.




Absolutely gutted about Alexi Laiho`s very untimely passing. He had a lot more to left to say with his music.

— Marty Friedman (@marty_friedman) January 4, 2021








Alexi Laiho was a monumental talent & a genuine, caring & thoughtful person.

He will be greatly missed.

Rest In Peace Alexi

— Mark Morton ?? (@MarkDuaneMorton) January 4, 2021








I always wanted to meet Alexi Laiho.

We were brought together by @marty_friedman and shared the mic on a track from the Inferno album.

Hard way to start the week.

R.I.P. Alexi Laiho pic.twitter.com/QI468qY83l

— Danko Jones (@dankojones) January 4, 2021








RIP Alexi Laiho ? pic.twitter.com/EDDZBjSg6R

— Revocation (@Revocation) January 4, 2021








We had the privilege to share the stage together. Incredible talent and brilliant guitar player.

You will be missed.

R.I.P. Alexi Laiho https://t.co/AGCYZYAhKm

— Decapitated (@decapitated) January 4, 2021








COB were at a high point in 2005 and this tour was totally sold out at just about every date. They absolutely shredded and sounded incredible night after night. This tour was tough for us after riding high on Ozzfest, the audience wasn’t really sure about the hype around us... pic.twitter.com/auYosbkObh

— Paolo Gregoletto (@TriviumPaolo) January 4, 2021








Rest In Peace Alexi ? Gone too soon. pic.twitter.com/QRqIuyedX1

— Nightwish (@NightwishBand) January 4, 2021








Alexi is a modern day guitar hero and rightly deserves the praise he is getting today for the music he left us with. #RIPAlexi

— Paolo Gregoletto (@TriviumPaolo) January 4, 2021








Dammit. Do yourself a favor and jam some Bodom today. https://t.co/FnDEy0aLGc

— Aaron Pauley (@aaronpauley) January 4, 2021








Waking up to the news of my friend Alexi Laiho passing ?. The talent from this amazing Soul will live on forever. We had so much more Music to make together. Rest In Peace brother. ❤️? pic.twitter.com/fCCiXsVV3J

— wednesday 13 (@officialwed13) January 4, 2021








Very sad news for the guitar community. https://t.co/piKG4yNUQg

— Joe Bonamassa (Official) (@JBONAMASSA) January 4, 2021








Alexi Laiho was one of my all-time favorite guitar players. I remember my father flying me up to Chicago as a teenager to see Children of Bodom & then a year later meeting alexi @DeanGuitars when he offered me a cig at 14 & my mom yelled at him haha #RIP #alexilaiho #guitarist

— Evan Rubinson (@EvanRubinson) January 4, 2021








RIP https://t.co/QNSJTyXi4a

— Alex Bent (@AlexBentDrums) January 4, 2021








A hero of my generation! Such a talent. He will be missed! RIP Alexi ?

? by @BeckflashAndrea pic.twitter.com/xkTWhf8uUi

— Floor Jansen (@FloorJansen_) January 4, 2021








Rest in Peace, Alexi Laiho. 41 is way too young. A lovely guy whose talent stood out from our generation of Metal musicians. I will always have the utmost respect for him, he will be sorely missed in the Metal world. My condolences and prayers go out to his family. pic.twitter.com/cEy4NnnVzJ

— Tobias Sammet (@tobiassammet) January 4, 2021








Rest In Peace to another musical hero.

Without Children Of Bodom’s Something Wild, Hatebreeder, and Follow The Reaper - Trivium likely wouldn’t be here.

You will be missed Alexi.

Favorite Bodom song of all time?

-

Streams: 9am - 1pm, M-F https://t.co/YgoiEcsxT0 pic.twitter.com/umQ9frWGZc

— Matthew kiichichaos Heafy (@matthewkheafy) January 4, 2021








NO!!! Alexi was such an incredible soul. Always so much fun to be around. They took shads on our 2nd tour of Europe and it was one of the most memorable runs we ever did. I am truly heartbroken by this. Shred on in the beyond Alexi. Blessing to his family + friends #RIPAlexiLaiho https://t.co/uKzcn3bbHQ

— Brian Fair (@brianshadfall) January 4, 2021








RIP Alexi Laiho pic.twitter.com/WslAcAENrY

— The Black Dahlia Murder (@bdmmetal) January 4, 2021








R.I.P. Alexi Laiho. It’s devastating to hear the news. One of the greatest guitarists of my generation is gone way too soon. This photo is from the day we met. It was in Tokyo summer 2003, for the cover of Young Guitar magazine. It was my first major cover shoot, so... pic.twitter.com/4lMTOL2My6

— Gus G. (@gusgofficial) January 4, 2021








...I’ll always remember that. Since then, we ran into each other a few times at the ESP guitars signings at Namm and Messe, and was always nice to hang out for a bit. Such a loss for the Metal world and for the guitar community. My condolences to his family and loved ones. ?

— Gus G. (@gusgofficial) January 4, 2021








Sad news. #AlexiLaiho created new possibilities in extreme metal with technically sophisticated solos that held their own alongside the best in more popularized metal genres. Didn’t know him well, but we had appearances together over the years. A good guy, far too young to go

RIP https://t.co/Njxdpclrko pic.twitter.com/hUz45dClu1

— Alex Skolnick (@AlexSkolnick) January 4, 2021








R.I.P. Alexi Laiho

We are sad to hear of Alexi Laiho passing. You were a great musician and a real guitar hero. You will be remembered. Our thoughts are with you and your family.

Sonata Arctica pic.twitter.com/d4InQEMtXH

— Sonata Arctica (@SonataArctica) January 4, 2021








Devastated to hear of Alexi Laiho's passing. We toured together many times throughout the years. What an incredible talent and all round super great dude. He will be missed. #alexilaiho

— Mikael Stanne (@MiklStne) January 4, 2021






Beyond fucked up. 41 years old ...

Posted by Jens Johansson on Monday, January 4, 2021



I’m speechless... R.I.P. Alexi Laiho.

#ripalexilaiho #alexilaiho

Posted by Michael Amott on Monday, January 4, 2021

























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Such devastating news to hear of Alexi Laiho’s passing. Alexi was one of my BIGGEST inspirations when I got serious...

Posted by Nita Strauss on Monday, January 4, 2021

Frontiers Music Srl announces the signing of Icon Of Sin, a new project centered around the vocal talents of popular Brazilian YouTube sensation Raphael Mendes. Two other stellar Brazilian musicians, Sergio Mazul (Semblant) and Marcelo Gelbcke (Landfall) helped Raphael in the songwriting of the album and helmed the production. Listeners can expect a full-on traditional heavy metal assault.

Raphael Mendes has become a very popular figure in the YouTube world due to his jaw dropping vocal covers. His recognition as one of the hottest new talents in metal started in 2016 when he was invited by guitarist Fabio Lima to record a YouTube video that wound up going viral. Encouraged by the reaction, Mendes launched his own YouTube channel to create more videos for fans to enjoy. As more and more fans around the world started to discover him, he was invited to join other musical projects, including Marius Danielsen's Legend Of Valley Doom Part 2, which also featured Michael Kiske, Vinny Appice, Mark Boals, Michele Luppi, and Diego Valdez, among others.

One of the things that made Mendes' reputation grow considerably happened earlier this year, when a video series called “What if Bruce Dickinson sang in other bands” was launched. With Mendes Dickinson-esque singing style being used to cover songs by Megadeth and more, these versions impressed fans worldwide and word quickly spread in the metal community. Collaborative versions are now being made with some emerging rock artists and also musicians from the global metal scene, such as drummer Aquiles Priester (ex-Angra, Primal Fear, W.A.S.P.).

Raphael's videos ended up reaching the eyes and ears of Frontiers, a label known for signing and nurturing the most promising new names of the next generation of rock and metal. Frontiers has recently started to work more and more with South American based talent and had the thought to pair Raphael with two outstanding musicians of the Curitiba metal scene, both of whom have already unveiled their musical talents through the label: Sergio Mazul, singer of Semblant and Marcelo Gelbcke, guitarist of Landfall. While the music of their respective bands are quite dissimilar, both have a passion for traditional heavy metal and knew they could craft amazing music for Mendes to put his vocals to. They have already set to work with Raphael in the creation of a no-nonsense, straight ahead classic pure heavy metal album.

The record was recorded in studios in Curitiba, Brazil and the material that was recorded is absolutely breathtaking. This is going to blow fans of Iron Maiden and classic Dio-era Sabbath away.

"Music is my passion, a way of life!” says Raphael Mendes. "It’s really been and continues to be a fantastic experience, working on the Icon Of Sin album. The songs are so powerful and it has awakened something in me that I haven’t felt for a long time from a heavy metal album!”

Stay tuned for more news.

US-based pure and dirty rock n' roll band, The Straddlerz, have announced the release of their self-titled debut album, on January 29. The album was produced & mixed by Lase Salgado, and masteredy by Steve Corrao. Album artwork by Giulia Pattarozzi.

Tracklisting:

"No Changes"
"Streets Of Love"
"Addiction"
"Circle Insanity"
"Open Your Eyes"
"Don't Go Away"
"I'm Alive"
"Without You"
"Junkie Bastard"

The Straddlerz main lineup:

Linda Filippin - Vocals
Michael Reynal - Guitars

Guest lineup:

Robert Abrams, Santiago Rensonnet, Jimmy Falawine - Drums
Gary Hewes, Alex Zanel, Luke Lazy, Edward - Bass
Pablo Schmidt - Guitar

It was July 17th, 2018 when a friend of Linda Filippin & Michael Reynal booked them a gig in NY. Regardless of their nameless status they headed towards the show zigzaggin’ down the Bowery. As they straddled closer to the venue, the name stumbled out of their mouths just in time, they were to be called The Straddlerz. Hailing from their respective countries Italy and Argentina, Linda and Michael formed the band out of a mutual appreciation for fun, loud, dirty hard rock and their relatable frustrations with the world around them.

During these chaotic years the band has moved around both in lineups and locations eventually setting up camp in Italy where they'll prepare a sonic attack to support their debut album out January 2021.

AS I LAY DYING frontman Tim Lambesis says that his "man parts" were spared when he sustained burns to 25 percent of his body in a freak accident last month.

On December 16, the 40-year-old singer revealed that he had been pouring gas into a bonfire when the top slipped off and the liquid ended up getting all over his clothes, setting him on fire.

On Sunday (January 3), Lambesis posted a new video update to his Instagram in which he revealed that some crucial parts of his anatomy were unaffected in the incident.

"Hey everybody, I wanted to give a recovery update," Tim said. "Today actually marks the first day in a little over three weeks that I've been out of bed for most of the day. And yesterday was actually the first day they changed my dressings without having to scrub my wounds. That's a huge relief because scrubbing my wounds is by far the most painful part of the recovery process."

He continued: "I'm very, very thankful my face did not get burned. And for whatever reason — it's a very common question, so I should let you know — my man parts did not get burned. I did lose 20 pounds from being stuck in bed for three weeks. And I do have shakes, as you can kind of see, from my nerves reconnecting. It's not really something I can control quite yet, but I will get it all back together. And I just am very, very thankful for everybody that wrote me."

Lambesis was famously convicted in 2014 for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against his estranged wife.

In May 2014, Lambesis was sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to paying a San Diego police officer posing as a hitman $1,000 to kill his wife. Approximately two and a half years later — on December 17, 2016 — he was discharged from a California detention facility and was transferred to the Division of Adult Parole Operations.

In June 2018, AS I LAY DYING played its first show with Lambesis in five years and released a new single. Lambesis also owned up to his crimes in a long apology on the band's Facebook page after his release.

In September 2019, AS I LAY DYING released its seventh full-length album, "Shaped By Fire", via Nuclear Blast.

Although most AS I LAY DYING fans have welcomed the group's return, some resistance remains; in late 2018, the band was dropped from the lineup of Spain's Resurrection Fest, and in early 2019, a venue in Memphis, Tennessee called off AS I LAY DYING's performance after it faced online backlash.

The return of AS I LAY DYING raised some questions, particularly since guitarist Nick Hipa categorically denounced the band's disgraced frontman as a "sociopathic narcissist in definite need of rehabilitation" in a social-media post back in 2014.
























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Italian metal band, Secret Rule, announces the release of their brand new track, "Mother Earth" - the band’s first material as a preview of the upcoming new album in 2021. "Mother Earth" will be out digitally on January 29 and can be pre-saved here.

Secret Rule vocalist Angela Di Vincenzo says: “Even if we already released two albums in 2020 (one of them is a whole cover's album), since this pandemic period has been very long, we had a lot of time to think and create new material. We had some tours planned and jump them gave us all the time to be creative and here we are with another album ready. I love the new songs, they are exactly what we wanted to play. I think our fans will be really happy to listen to them. At the same time, having more time meant to change our ideas continuously and it was hard to choose the first single because we like all our songs LOL but now we are sure to have done the right choice”.

Even though their album Against only launched last year, Secret Rule has plans to share new music at regular intervals.

Guitarist Andy Menario explains: “We are going to release new songs from the end of January and we'll continue to do it for the whole year. Every month you'll have a new song from us. In this way, we could push every song as it deserves. This time, more than last time, we are super satisfied with the new songs, and we really think we have 9 single in our hands, all songs on the same level. So, we wanna give the right space to each song. In addition, there will be a lot of new music videos, so stay tuned!"

Angela adds: “It’s more about giving our fans something new every 30/45 days. We think the music industry changed and the concept of "album" is going to disappear to let a place to single songs. But don't worry, anyway, we'll give you something to have in your hands as well to add to your album collection.”

Secret Rule is a rock-metal band, formed at the beginning of 2014. The sound is a mix of powerful rhythms and catchy melodies with a little touch of electronic and symphonic inserts. In six years, Secret Rule conquered their space in the Worldwide metal scene. The band is fronted by the powerful and crystal clear vocals from  Angela Di Vincenzo, masterminded by lead guitarist Andy Menario, with accurate bass playing by Michele Raspanti and the powerful drumming from Sebastiano Dolzani. Their shows offer a lot of energy and a total impact between metal music and awesome melodies.

Transatlantic - the prog supergroup of Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Roine Stolt & Pete Trewavas - will release their fifth studio album, The Absolute Universe, on February 5. Here is a clip from The Making Of The Absolute Universe, available on the Blu-ray and the Ultimate Edition.

Representing the band’s first new music since 2014’s Kaleidoscope, with The Absolute Universe the band have done something unique and created two versions of the record: The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version) & The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version).

Each album will be available on CD, LP & digitally. But there will also be what has been called The Absolute Universe: The Ultimate Edition, which collects both versions together in one lavish package that includes 5LPs, 3CDs & a Blu-ray that contains a 5.1 surround sound mix with visuals & a behind the scenes documentary. All editions have unique artwork created by Thomas Ewerhard featuring the airship by Pavel Zhovba.

As Mike Portnoy explains: “We've got two versions of this album. There is a two CD presentation, which is 90 minutes long, and a single one - that's 60 minutes. However, the single CD is NOT merely an edited version of the double CD. They each contain alternate versions and even in some cases, new recordings. We wrote fresh lyrics and have different people singing on the single CD version tracks as compared to those on the double CD. Some of the song titles have also been changed, while others might remain the same, but compositionally what you'll hear has been altered. You must appreciate that what we have done is unique. We revamped the songs to make the two versions different.” Pete Trewavas adds: “We did write some new music for the single CD, what's more, there are also differences in the instruments used on some of the tracks across the two records.”

The full list of formats is below, and you can pre-order here

The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version):
- Special Edition CD Digipak
- Gatefold 2LP+CD
- Digital Album

Tracklisting:

"Overture"
"Reaching For The Sky"
"Higher Than The Morning"
"The Darkness In The Light"
"Take Now My Soul"
"Looking For The Light"
"Love Made  A Way" (Prelude)
"Owl Howl"
"Solitude"
"Belong"
"Can You Feel It"
"Looking For The Light" (Reprise)
"The Greatest Story Never Ends"
"Love Made A Way"

The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version):
- Special Edition 2CD Digipak
- 3LP+2CD Boxset
- Digital Album

Tracklisting:

Disc 1:
"Overture"
"Heart Like A Whirlwind"
"Higher Than The Morning"
"The Darkness In The Light"
"Swing High, Swing Low"
"Bully"
"Rainbow Sky"
"Looking For The Light"
"The World We Used To Know"

Disc 2:
"The Sun Comes Up Today"
"Love Made A Way" (Prelude)
"Owl Howl"
"Solitude"
"Belong"
"Lonesome Rebel"
"Looking For The Light" (Reprise)
"The Greatest Story Never Ends"
"Love Made A Way"

The Absolute Universe: The Ultimate Edition:
- Limited Deluxe Clear 5LP+3CD+Blu-Ray Box-set – contained within a foil-finished lift-off box with extended 16-page LP booklet & 60x60cm poster

Blu-Ray tracklisting:

"Overture" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Reaching For The Sky" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Higher Than The Morning" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"The Darkness In The Light" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Take Now My Soul" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Bully" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Rainbow Sky" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Looking For The Light" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"The World We Used To Know" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"The Sun Comes Up Today" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Love Made A Way" (Prelude) (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Owl Howl" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Solitude" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Belong" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Lonesome Rebel" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Can You Feel It" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Looking For The Light" (Reprise) (5.1 Surround Mix)
"The Greatest Story Never Ends "(5.1 Surround Mix)
"Love Made A Way" (5.1 Surround Mix)
The Making of The Absolute Universe (Documentary)

"The World We Used To Know" video:

"Overture / Reaching For The Sky" video:

Trailer:

Initial tracking began in September 2019 when the band met up in Sweden to write and arrange the new material. As Portnoy explains: “Over a period of 10-14 days, we mapped out the songs. Then we all went back to our home studios and did the recording. That's the way we always do it. At one point, though, it was suggested that instead of doing what was by that time going to be a double album, we should just be content to do a single CD.”

“What happened was that everything kept expanding and expanding,” recalls Stolt. “Therefore we decided it made sense to make it a double album. It was Pete and Neal who then came out and said they felt this would be too long, and we should reduce it to one…But we were already recording, and it didn't seem feasible to cut it back. There were so many pieces that each of us loved in what we were planning and didn't want to lose. That's when we ended up in discussions over the best way forward.”

This album also marks a return to the concept album for Transatlantic. “Well, the idea of Transatlantic deciding to do a concept record this time around won't shock anyone, right?” laughs Portnoy. “What we have is essentially one giant composition, split into chapters. The storyline is about the struggles facing everyone in society today.” “We didn't start out with the idea of this being conceptual,” admits Stolt. “The way things work with us is that we have a load of ideas, and these are developed spontaneously when we meet up. Everything happens in the moment.”

So, how does this new ground-breaking album compare to Transatlantic's previous four albums?

“I always try not to compare albums as much as possible,” insists Morse. “It’s very difficult when you’re trying to be creative, because your natural instinct is to constantly compare. But in order to create you have to kind of step away from that. Having said that, I would say this would have more in common with 'The Whirlwind' album  (the band's third, from 2009) than others that we’ve created.” For Trewavas, 'The Absolute Universe' is a momentous project.

“I think it is right up there with the very finest albums we've done. As the others have said, it compares very well to 'The Whirlwind', which I believe represents Transatlantic at our best. As on that album, we took our time to write and arrange everything, and that shines through. I am very excited for people to hear it.”

Transatlantic were originally formed in 1999, releasing their debut album SMTPe the following year as well as its follow-up Bridge Across Forever in 2001. Following a 7-year hiatus, the band reconvened to record and release the much-acclaimed epic 77-minute, single-track album The Whirlwind followed by a world tour in 2010 which included an appearance at High Voltage Festival in London where they were joined by legendary Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. The band’s fourth album Kaleidoscope arrived in 2014, going on to win ‘Album Of The Year’ at the Progressive Music Awards.

Norway’s Chris Wicked released the new single, “Aleine”, featuring Gaahl (Gaahls Wyrd, ex-Gorgoroth) on guest vocals and V’gandr (Taake, Helheim) on bass, back in November. Now the remix is here.

The remix, by The Sprawl, and can be described as Depeche Mode meets Sisters Of Mercy meets contemporary minimal electronic. Check it out below:

"Aleine"  is the title track of the upcoming debut album, scheduled to early this year via Apollon Records. "Aleine" which means "Alone" is a catchy dark rock song where you'll hear Gaahls haunting vocals underneath Chris' melodic voice. A lyric video for the original version of the song can be seen below:

Chris Wicked is best known for his work with Malice In Wonderland, where he released several albums, EPs and singles and toured the world. Now, Chris is reinventing himself, composing dark atmospheric, yet melodic songs and singing in his own language. Together with guitarist Rune Nordahl-Pedersen, bassist Eskil Sæter and drummer Marius Mathisen, Chris Wicked is now ready to release brand new music. Helping on the recordings the band invites friends, like Gaahl (Gaahls Wyrd), Hoest (Taake, Gorgoroth), Niklas Kvarforth (Shining) and V’gandr (Helheim) to collaborate, and the sound is quite stunning.

(Photo - Mathis Backe)

Realms Of Odoric is a soundtrack project from well known graphic artist Kris Verwimp (Hammer Horde, Manegarm, Hordak, Suidakra, Arkona) and musician Arkadius Antonik (Suidakra, Fall Of Carthage), where they combine their creativity in a concept of a huge fantasy world. Arkadius, as a big fan of movies and soundtracks wanted to step outside Suidakra and try his hand at composing, resulting in the launch of Realms Of Odoric in 2015.

They have checked in with the following update:

"We're so thrilled to announce that we've recorded a new Realms Of Odoric song with the Cape Town Symphony Orchester. The song is called 'Sanctuary' and will be part of our upcoming First Age album. Release 2021 via MDD Records.

You can guess how happy and excited we are to work with  symphony orchester a third time. We can't wait to hear the final recordings."

Sanctuary was recorded with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra on December 12th, 2020 at Milestone Studios

- Music by Arkadius Antonik
- Conducted by John Walton
- Story concept by Kris Verwimp

Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess has posted his New Year's piano stream on YouTube. Check it out below. Fans can check out the entire livestream via Rudess' Patreon page here.

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

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

Get tickets here, and watch a video trailer below:

Rage In My Eyes is a technically sound heavy metal act hailing from Porto Alegre, Brazil. Drummer Francis Cassol has posted a playthrough video for the single "Winter Dream". Check it out below.

Rage In my Eyes have a new video out for "Winter Dream", taken from the 2019 album Ice Cell. The video was part of the band’s participation in the Roadie Crew Online Festival - 9º Edição. Watch below:

Ice Cell is the first album by the band under their current name; the group also released three albums under Scelerata. They originally formed in 2002 and with the recent name change has altered their sound to incorporate traditional music from South America with prog and heavy metal. Along with the cultural infusion, Rage In My Eyes brings in accordion for a truly one of a kind listening experience.

Vocalist Jonathas Pozo explains the conception of “Winter Dream”: “We had already chosen Winter Dream as the opening track, which led us to address the lyric theme in order to present a little of the icy scenery of Ice Cell, imagining the aspect of our biological and chemical origin under the influence of the morphic field theory of Rupert Sheldrake, that is, considering the presence of the past as an important constituent of our subsequent choices, as humanity. At the same time bringing in this scenario landscapes that are common in southern Brazil, such as fog, frost, and sometimes even snow. It was also chosen because it is a more cadenced and heavy song (although also extremely technical and quite proggy), thus contrasting with the usual melodic and fast opening tracks in power metal albums, representing more accurately the “musical humor” of the band.”

Overall, the album can be summed up as "tight". It has great guitar riffs, fast drum parts, intricate instrumental parts, and powerful yet melodic vocals. Sometimes it leans towards prog metal, sometimes to power metal, sometimes to folk metal, sometimes to traditional metal, sometimes to thrash metal. And it still sounds like a cohesive whole, due to how well blended it all is.

Tracklisting:

"Winter Dream"
"Surrounded By Black Mirrors"
"Dive Deep"
"Hole In The Shell"
"Death Sleepers"
"Inner Fate"
"Blank"
"The Core"
"Soul Gatherer"
"Burn The Throne!"
"Draft Of Illusions"

"Hole In The Shell" live video:

"Death Sleepers" video:

January 15 will see Voodoo Circle release their highly anticipated new album, Locked & Loaded, via AFM Records. The successor to 2018’s Raised On Rock was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (Pretty  Maids, Volbeat, Primal Fear). Guitarist / founder Alex Beyrodt (Primal Fear) has posted the first in what will be a series of teaser clips for the album.

A lyric video for the album's first single, "Devil With An Angel Smile", can be found below.

Locked & Loaded will be available as digipak & ltd. colored vinyl. Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Flesh & Bone"
"Wasting Time"
"Magic Woman Chile"
"Locked & Loaded"
"Devil With An Angel Smile"
"Straight For The Heart"
"Eyes Full Of Tears"
"Devil’s Cross"
"Trouble In The Moonlight"
"This Song Is For You"
"Children Of The Revolution"

"Devil With An Angel Smile" lyric video:

Voodoo Circle is:

Alex Beyrodt - guitar & vocals
David Readmann - vocals
Mat Sinner - bass & vocals
Markus Kullmann - drums

Former Meliah Rage singer Paul Souza has just announced his latest project called NU80, which as the name suggests, “Sounds like it came right out of the 1980’s,” he tells BraveWords.

In a statement he writes: “I am pleased and excited to announce the soon-to-be-release debut EP of my new band NU80! All of the songs on this EP were written during my and our drummer John's Covid isolation. The EP is appropriately titled Vaccine. I will be posting the release date and where to purchase the record in a future post some time later this month. The EP will be available in limited edition on vinyl. Please DM me (here) if you would be interested in purchasing a vinyl copy. All songs were written and recorded by NU80 and produced, mixed and mastered by three-time Grammy Award winner Bob St. John. This was the best way we knew to begin the new year!”

Statement from Bodom After Midnight:
It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we have to announce the passing of Alexi Laiho. We are absolutely devastated and heartbroken for the sudden loss of our dear friend and band member. Our journey together as a band had only just begun so there’s no words to describe the shock and the bottomless grief that all of us feel.
May your soul rest in peace, you will be eternally missed. We love you brother.
Our deepest condolences go to his family. No further announcements nor interviews will be given at this time. We kindly ask to respect our need to process and go through this terrible situation in privacy. Thank you for your understanding and support.
Daniel, Mitja & Waltteri

We mourn the death of Alexi Laiho !
One of the most renowned guitarists in the world, Alexi Laiho, has passed away. The musician, most notably known as the front man of Children Of Bodom, died in his home in Helsinki, Finland, last week. Laiho had suffered from long-term health issues during his last years.
Alexi Laiho and drummer Jaska Raatikainen founded CHILDREN OF BODOM in 1993, and the band was one of the most internationally acclaimed metal acts in Finland up until their very last farewell concert in December of 2019. Last year Alexi Laiho put together BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT, who recorded three songs and shot one music video, which will be released later on posthumously.
Besides CHILDREN OF BODOM, Laiho was known for acts such as WARMEN, SINERGY, KYLÄHULLUT and THE LOCAL BAND. Awarded with a Metal Hammer Golden Gods and several other international prizes, the guitarist was also the main star, leading a group of one hundred guitar players at Helsinki Festival in 2015 in "100 Guitars From Hel" – a massive concert piece he composed.
"We are crushed by the sudden passing of our dear friend and band member. Words cannot describe this shock and the profound sadness that we feel", Daniel Freyberg, Mitja Toivonen and Waltteri Väyrynen from BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT state.
The talented guitarist and musician relished his roles as stepdad in his patchwork family, and as uncle and godfather. Especially during the last years, the important family ties brought a welcomed balance to his life and the active touring. Laiho was particularly close with his big sister, parents and his sister's daughter. Laiho's sister says:
"We are all absolutely shocked and devastated. We ask for privacy and understanding during these hard times. My little brother's funeral will take place privately."
Alexi Laiho will also be deeply missed by his family in Australia.
"Alexi was the most loving and magnificent husband and father. Our hearts are eternally broken", Kelli Wright-Laiho says.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons has doubled down on his previous remarks that rock is dead, saying that "new bands haven't taken the time to create glamor, excitement and epic stuff."

While rock 'n' roll has been king of the music world for decades, in the past few years, it's been unseated by the growing popularity of hip-hop. This has caused many pundits to proclaim the genre "dead" from an industry perspective, noting that it has been eclipsed in all measures by pop, hip-hop, and EDM.

Simmons spoke about rock's supposed diminishing status during a recent interview with Gulf News. Addressing the whole "rock is dead" debate, Gene said: "Rock is dead. And that's because new bands haven't taken the time to create glamor, excitement and epic stuff. I mean, FOO FIGHTERS is a terrific band, but that's a 20-year-old band. So you can go back to 1958 until 1988. That's 30 years. During that time, we had Elvis [Presley], THE BEATLES, Jimi Hendrix, ROLLING STONES, on and on. In disco, you had Madonna, and then you had your hard rock, you had AC/DC, maybe us, a few others. Motown, all that great music. From 1988, until today, that's more than 30 years. Tell me who the new BEATLES is. You can't. There are popular bands. BTS is very popular. All kinds of bands are very popular. That doesn't mean iconic and legacy and for all time. It's different."

Asked if he thinks time will tell if some acts are going to be iconic in another 30 years, Simmons replied: "I doubt it. Because the singularity that was THE BEATLES is a band that wrote their own songs, arranged it themselves, produced it themselves, mostly played all their own instruments. No backing tracks. No digital enhancement. No vocal correctness. Yeah, not gonna happen again. You know, the modern artists rely so much on technology. You may not be able to recognize the artist if they record themselves singing in the shower. You'd be shocked. And none of the rappers play instruments. Don't write songs. They write words. But chords, melodies, harmonies and stuff. It doesn't mean that rap isn't important. It's very important. But it ain't THE BEATLES."

Simmons went on to say that he loves all the contemporary pop artists. "I think Billie Eilish is fantastic," he said. "She's interesting because she and her brother actually write the material and are unique to themselves. Lady Gaga is fantastic in the female category. She writes her own material, she can sing like nobody's business. But she actually is a musician, writes her own songs, plays piano, she can actually do that. The rest of the world reacts to a lot of the pop divas, although mostly they don't write their own songs and can't play an instrument. And by the way, that's okay, too. It doesn't matter what you like. But it ain't THE BEATLES."

The "rock is dead" argument has popped up again and again throughout the years, including in 2018 after MAROON 5 lead singer Adam Levine told Variety magazine that "rock music is nowhere, really. I don't know where it is," he said. "If it's around, no one's invited me to the party. All of the innovation and the incredible things happening in music are in hip-hop. It's better than everything else. Hip-hop is weird and avant-garde and flawed and real, and that's why people love it."

A few years ago, Simmons told Esquire magazine that "rock did not die of old age. It was murdered. Some brilliance, somewhere, was going to be expressed and now it won't because it's that much harder to earn a living playing and writing songs. No one will pay you to do it."

A number of hard rock and heavy metal musicians have weighed in on the topic in a variety of interviews over the last several years, with some digging a little deeper into Simmons's full remarks and others just glossing over the headl

Italian orchestral death metal masters Fleshgod Apocalypse rang in 2021 with an unexpected, sinister symphonic cover of fellow Italian electronic group Eiffel 65's 1998 hit single "Blue (Da Ba Dee)". Their vicious new version of the song, dubbed "Blue (Turns To Red)", is accompanied by a lyric video that can be viewed below.

Commenting on the cover, Fleshgod Apocalypse frontman Francesco Paoli states:

"After the amazing response over our latest single. 'No', we wanted to release something that could make the end of this shitty 2020 a bit funnier for everyone. That's why we took a popular dance track from the 90s and made it the heaviest, angriest, bloodiest party song ever. We're ready to blast your ears again in 2021, stay tuned!"

Stream "Blue (Turns To Red)" via the digital platforms found here. Check out the official lyric video below.

Fleshgod Apocalypse recently released a new single titled "No", produced by Jacob Hansen (Epica, Volbeat), and an accompanying music video directed by Marina L. McLean (Sanda Movies). The standalone single's cover was created by Travis Smith (Opeth, Katatonia) who also provided the art for the band's recent acoustic rendition of "The Day We'll Be Gone".

Commenting on the single, Fleshgod Apocalypse frontman Francesco Paoli states: "We live in a world where people are searching for easy answers to complex questions. Self-styled gurus, fake news and miracle pills show up on screen as the silver bullet that may cast out all your fears and troubles. If you need shortcuts to dominate the intricate reality we live in, be aware that the outcome might not be what you expect. Will you find a way to save this world on Google? No. Will things change if we don't act? No. Will self-delusions lead us somewhere? No. Can music, and art in general, help us cope with this chaos? Absolutely yes."

Francesco Paoli adds: "This release marks another milestone for our lineup, featuring Veronica, Fabio and Eugene as official band members."

Stream "No" on all digital services, here. Watch the video below:

New Year, New Beginning... In a stroke of marketing genius, a Los Angeles based entry in the global NWOTHM sweepstakes, Saber, issued their Without Warning debut as clocks hit midnight, New Year's Eve. "Had to do something different, to shake off the crust of 2020," says Saber.

Like every other band on the planet, the pandemic has put a temporary squash on vinyl production (raw materials and the available plants limited by shipments, workers and nightmare logistics creating a backlog of demand, with virtually no product) so January 1st, pre-orders for the eventual collector's item vinyl will be taken, via the band's Facebook page and Bandcamp, while digital downloads are instantly available, along with Pit Forge designed, album artwork merch.

The album was recorded on Trevor (Haunt / Hysteria) Church's label and in addition to helping the band record the eight songs (a half dozen newbies, plus reprises of pre-release singles "Strike Of The Witch" and "Speed Racer"), he also plays drums.

Tracklisting:

"Storm Of Steel" 
"Without Warning" 
"Midnight Rider" 
"Strike Of The Witch"
"Outlaw" 
"Leather Laced Lady" 
"We'll Meet Again" 
"Speed Racer"

"Without Warning":

 

MACHINE HEAD's Robb Flynn and Jared MacEachern held a New Year's Eve "Electric Happy Hour" during which they performed around a dozen and a half songs, including MH tunes "Be Still And Know", "From This Day" and "Halo", plus covers of TEMPLE OF THE DOG's "Hunger Strike" and METALLICA's "Nothing Else Matters". You can now watch the session below.

Featured songs:

3:31 Take My Scars

8:11 Ten Ton Hammer

12:54 From This Day

17:11 Killers & Kings

23:13 Catharsis

29:24 Beautiful Mourning

37:47 Hunger Strike

41:48 Now We Die

49:02 Davidian

54:32 Crashing Around You

57:57 The Trooper (Snippet)

59:48 Happy New Year countdown for Europe!

1:01:57 Aesthetics Of Hate

1:08:19 Old

1:17:27 I Am Hell (Sonata In C#)

1:25:57 Be Still And Know

1:35:25 Nothing Else Matters

1:42:50 Locust

1:50:56 Halo

1:59:48 Happy New Year countdown for the UK/US!

2:01:28 Imperium

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Flynn has been staging "Acoustic Happy Hour" solo sessions every Friday, during which he has performed a number of MH tunes as well as covers of other artists' songs.

Flynn told Kerrang! magazine about "Acoustic Happy Hour": "It's just basically a free show on Facebook. I try to learn two new songs every Friday. I take requests, and I try to play MACHINE HEAD songs that have never been played live acoustic. Last week I covered MUSE, TOOL and LYNYRD SKYNYRD. It's been fucking awesome. The first three or four were horrible — I knew they were — but I knew that if I kept sucking for six weeks I would get past it.

"For the first 20 years of my career, I never took singing lessons," he continued. "Then I did some about 10 years ago. With these acoustic shows, I've been back in contact with my old singing teacher to try and figure out why I can do a three-and-a-half hour MACHINE HEAD show, but this clean singing is kicking my ass. It's been an opportunity to un-learn all the wrong shit and get an opportunity to do things right."

Last month, MACHINE HEAD released a new single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was the latest in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

In July, MACHINE HEAD canceled its previously announced rescheduled 2020 tour dates for Europe and Australia due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

Each show on MACHINE HEAD's "Burn My Eyes" 25th-anniversary tour consisted of two parts: part one saw Flynn and MacEachern performing alongside new recruits, guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED) and British drummer Matt Alston (DEVILMENT, EASTERN FRONT); while part two featured "Burn My Eyes" played in its entirety for the first time ever, with original "Burn My Eyes"-era drummer Chris Kontos and Mader joining in.

Post Malone was joined by RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith and GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash during his performance on Thursday (December 31) as part of "Bud Light Seltzer Sessions Presents: New Years Eve 2021" Facebook livestream. The rapper performed a cover of ALICE IN CHAINS' "Rooster" with Smith, guitarist/producer Andrew Watt and bassist Chris Chaney, before playing BLACK SABBATH's "War Pigs" with the help Slash and the aforementioned trio.

"Bud Light Seltzer Sessions Presents: New Years Eve 2021" was broadcast live from MGM Resorts in Las Vegas. The show was hosted by Lilly Singh and Matt Steffanina, and also featured sets from Saweetie, Steve Aoki and Sebastián Yatra.

BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne was a featured guest on the Post Malone song "Take What You Want", which appeared on the rapper's most recent album, "Hollywood's Bleeding". Post also collaborated with Ozzy on the latter's latest LP, "Ordinary Man".

Speaking to Zane Lowe of Beats 1 about working with Ozzy on "Take What You Want", Post said: "Ozzy Osbourne, baby. I was in Utah because I had just got off tour. It's good, right? Ozzy went over to Watt's house. You've talked a lot before. He's a maniac. I said, 'Hey, you know what? Ozzy Osbourne's coming down. We're going to cut it and I'll FaceTime you. And you let me know what's going on.' We talked and it was like a big deal. Yeah. Ozzy Osbourne. I think he crushed it. I mean he was talking to Watt and Watt was telling me he was like this, 'Yo, this is my favorite that I've done since, you know, SABBATH and since I started my own, own way.' I was like, 'That's huge.' I'm like honored. Thank you very much."

Last April, Post Malone, who is a huge NIRVANA fan, took part in a livestreamed concert on his YouTube channel, performing NIRVANA "hits and fan favorites" while raising money for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Backing Post during the performance were BLINK-182 drummer Travis Barker, guitarist Nick Mack and bassist Brian Lee.

Post Malone previously covered "All Apologies" live. He also has a couple of NIRVANA tattoos, including a portrait of Kurt Cobain on his knuckles and the songtitle "Stay Away" on his forehead.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman 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, Friedman talks about discovering KISS, his formative bands in Hawaii, hearing the METALLICA demo "No Life 'Til Leather", the albums "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning" and "Master Of Puppets", the behind-the-scenes similarities between MEGADETH and METALLICA, what makes "Enter Sandman" and "Through The Never" so hilarious to the Japanese public.

"When I heard the METALLICA demo, [I thought], 'This is it. These are the guys. It sounds like punk rock, but it sounds like metal, and it just kills. This is it,'" Friedman recalled. "I remember I just loved that demo a lot. I don't remember if I heard the demo before I got involved with [the] 'Metal Massacre [II]' [compilation with my band ALOHA in 1982] or not, but it was probably right around that time. And I just thought they were the shit."

"Nothing was more underground than METALLICA at that time, and they were just doing underground better than anybody else at the time, or at least more in my particular taste," he continued. "So I was just blown away [when METALLICA got a record deal and released 'Kill 'Em All']. I was shocked, I was happy, I was a bit jealous. Because up until that point, we were kind of in the same circles. We'd be in the same little Xeroxed fanzines and stuff, and there'd be a review of a METALLICA demo and then there'd be a review of a VIXEN demo [Marty's pre-ALOHA band] and kind of in the same thing. I did know that I thought they were just so much cooler than the bands I was making, but I didn't see it coming that they were gonna get a record [deal] and have the record sound that good and look that good and just be that cool right at that point. So I was blown away and just stoked that the world was ready to start accepting some heavy metal music, for better or for worse."

Speaking about the differences between "No Life 'Til Leather" and "Kill 'Em All", Marty said: "I just remember sonically, the record sounded a little better, but I thought that I liked the demo a little bit better, for whatever reason. These are intangible things. You live with something, and then you hear a different version. And I was, like, 'Well, I'll go back to the original.' 'Cause I just loved the demo. I thought the album did it justice, and if I had not heard the demo before I heard the album, I would have loved the album just as much. But I wasn't disappointed. I thought it was a great version of it."

Friedman also talked about METALLICA's musical evolution between "Kill 'Em All" and "Ride The Lightning", saying: "[I was] really, really extremely impressed that the album, first of all, a second album came out, third of all, it was on a major label, and fourth of all, it was fucking heavier than 'Kill 'Em All' — let's just fucking call a spade a spade. I mean, the album opens with 'Fight Fire With Fire'. There was nothing heavier than that at the time, so you've gotta allow them a ballad somewhere in there. It was by far the heaviest thing Elektra had ever considered releasing. It was a major, major cool thing. A couple of people were saying, yeah, they sold out, but whatever. The album was fantastic. It was just, like, wow, metal is gonna be in the mainstream, and it's not gonna be shitty metal; it's gonna be great metal. So it was very, very inspiring."

Marty's latest solo album, Tokyo Jukebox 3", was released in October in Japan. According to Billboard, the LP features Marty's cover versions of a wide variety of pop songs, including such contemporary numbers as LiSA's "Gurenge" and OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM's "Shukumei", along with DA PUMP's dance track "U.S.A.", END OF THE WORLD's ballad "Sazanka", and the vocaloid hit "Senbonzakura Feat. Hatsune Miku". Some throwback J-pop hits from the '90s are included on the set as well, such as ZARD's "Makenaide" and EVERY LITTLE THING's "Time Goes By".

As previously reported, Marty's long-awaited documentary, titled "Spacefox", will tentatively arrive in 2021. The film, which is being directed by Jeremy Frindel, the founder of Substratum Films, follows Friedman's reinvention from lead guitarist in MEGADETH to one of the most famous TV personalities in Japan.

Friedman's latest live record, "One Bad M.F. Live!!", came out in October 2018. The album was recorded in Mexico City on April 14, 2018 during the final concert of Friedman's world tour in support of "Wall Of Sound".

"Wall Of Sound" was released in August 2017 via Prosthetic Records.

This week’s guest on Streaming For Vengeance (December 30th at 3:33 PM EST) is legendary Dimmu Borgir guitarist and longtime BraveWords supporter Silenoz (real name Sven Atle Kopperud), who talks about his death metal supergroup side project, Insidious Disease, who stormed our BravePicks countdown at #5! The band is rounded off by singer Marc Grewe (Morgoth), bassist Shane Embury (Napalm Death), drummer Tony Laureano (Nile, Angelcorpse) and guitarist Cyrus (Susperia).

When asked about how the band are writing new Dimmu Borgir material during COVID 19, Silenoz says that “We are currently taking a break from it, but yes, we have been writing. Right now we have so much material separately between us. But that’s never a problem to come up with enough material. The challenge has always been melting it together in the pot and see what comes out of it, then you do your best to trim off the fat. The last album (2018’s Eonian ) we could’ve easily had done a double album with the amount of material we had that was good. Just like when I’m doing an Insidious album with the other guys quantity is not what we are going to go for. It’s important for you to learn how to produce yourself, because we are our own producers when it comes to that. That’s tricky too… it’s like when I lined up my Top 40 albums this year, I had to stop at some point because I could’ve gone on and on. And sometimes that’s how it can be with a song. That’s when you have to know when to say stop. At the moment we have some really great ideas. People keep asking me, ‘What is it going to sound like?’ But it’s too early to say. It wouldn’t surprise me if it probably sounded more primitive in Dimmu terms. We’ll see. It will be what it will be. And when we send the master to the label, that means we are happy with it and it’s already a success before we go into manufacturing. That’s how I’ve always looked at our music … once we are done in the studio and we’ve sent it off to mastering then it’s a done deal.”

You can watch Streaming For Vengeance on our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. For more on Streaming For Vengeance, visit this location.

Dee Snider has paid tribute to MOUNTAIN's Leslie West, who died December 23 at the age of 75. The iconic guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and storyteller suffered cardiac arrest at his home near Daytona, Florida on December 21 and was rushed to a hospital, where he never regained consciousness.

Earlier this week, the TWISTED SISTER frontman took to his Instagram to share an eight-minute video in which he said in part: "Leslie West was one of the greatest guitarists of all time, and, unfortunately, not everybody knows about him. He is not as renowned as Eric Clapton or [Jimi] Hendrix or Eddie Van Halen or Randy Rhoads, yet he should be, because he inspired so many of them. Not Clapton — I think Clapton was his inspiration.

"It's kind of strange for me to be honoring and paying tribute to a guitar player, 'cause I'm a singer," Dee continued. "And I don't mean any disrespect to guitar players. I certainly love a good guitar solo, and I love a great guitar player. But as a singer, it was always the singers that communicated to me. Yet Leslie West was the first guitarist — when he played a solo, I stood up and paid attention and listened. And I think, as over the years I sort of examined what it was about Leslie that spoke to me so much, it was because he played melodies on a guitar solo. He made that guitar sing, and his leads — most of you know him from 'Mississippi Queen' — but his guitar solos, every one was singable. You could hum it, sing it, repeat it. It had melody to it. It was a song in and of itself.

"Leslie became one of my heroes," Snider added. "As the years went by, I got to meet Leslie, know Leslie, become friends with Leslie, and he did not disappoint."

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

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

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

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

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

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
























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ASKING ALEXANDRIA guitarist Ben Bruce has confirmed to "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, that the group's sixth outing, "Like A House On Fire", is the first album he and his bandmates have ever written sober.

"I didn't think I was gonna have anything interesting to say," Ben said about not being under the influence during the writing of the LP. "It's so stupid — it sounds ridiculous — but I kind of thought without it, I'd lost my superpowers. And I was really worried that I was gonna go in the studio and not have anything to write about and not have any way to get anything out that people might wanna listen to.

"I was really in a dark place for a very, very long time," he revealed. "And I attributed a lot of those negative feelings to being able to write songs that people can relate to. Because people go through shit; life is hard, no matter what age you are. It's not easy when you're a kid. People go, 'I wish I was a kid again.' It's not easy for kids, and it's not easy for adults, and it's not easy for teens. Life's hard, and so I thought, when I was sad, 'Oh, I'm writing songs they relate to. Everyone's sad.' And I was really scared that, once I stopped doing drugs and everything, I wouldn't be able to write sad songs anymore. And the thing is I realized very quickly when I was in the studio and I was sober and I wasn't taking copious amounts of drugs and stuff is that those experiences that I had that made me sad, they never went away — they're gonna be part of my life forever — but I just have a fresh perspective on them. Now I can kind of, rather than keep myself in that deep, dark hole, I can look back at those times and reflect on them."

Bruce added: "I took a different approach on this record, and I thought, okay, well, maybe I can show people how to get through those dark times, or show people that those dark times are inevitable; they're gonna happen. But as corny as it sounds, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. So once I got in there and started writing and realized, I can still write, and I do still have stuff to say, all my worries kind of went away. But they definitely were there to begin with. It was a scary time, for sure. I kind of put off going to the studio for a while, because I was worried I wouldn't be able to do it anymore."

"Like A House On Fire" was released in May 2019 via Sumerian Records. The LP was once again recorded by producer Matt Good (HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, FROM FIRST TO LAST), who also helmed 2017's self-titled effort. The disc was recorded throughout 2019 in between a high-profile arena tour supporting SHINEDOWN and a direct support slot on the road with PAPA ROACH.

L.A. GUNS drummer Steve Riley spoke to Diane Webb of YesterdazeNews.com about what the concert industry will look like post-pandemic. He said (hear audio below): "When it does start up in 2021, and it's totally open, everybody is back to normal, I think it's just gonna be a blast. I think because everybody has had a thirst for it and had to wait for seeing live shows, I think that it's just gonna go off and be just a great time out there once everything starts to open up again. We've gotta also kind of worry about how they're gonna play these shows. Is it socially distanced shows? Is it just 25-to-35-percent capacity? We really don't know how they're gonna have to play it. But right now, we'll take anything. As long as it starts getting up and going again, we're all down and we're ready to go."

He continued: "We might release a couple of more singles before we go out in March. And March could be us wondering if that's gonna even happen. It could really be pushed back to May, or even into the summer, with the way this vaccine is going, and how slow it's going, and whether they will be able to get it to the public and everybody feeling comfortable about going out again too. So, there's a couple of things that have to be checked off before everything gets going. And we've just got our fingers crossed. We're hoping everything goes smooth."

Riley's version of L.A. GUNS released its debut album, "Renegades", on November 13 via Golden Robot Records. This version of L.A. GUNS is not to be confused with the band led by guitarist Tracii Guns and vocalist Phil Lewis, which issued two well-received albums, "The Missing Peace" and "The Devil You Know", plus the live release "Made In Milan", under the L.A. GUNS name over the last three years.

Riley is joined in his version of the group by Orlando, Florida-based guitarist/vocalist Kurt Frohlich, bassist Kelly Nickels (a member of L.A. GUNS' "classic" incarnation) and guitarist Scott Griffin (who played bass for the band from 2007 until 2009, and then again from 2011 to 2014).

This past January, Riley was sued by Guns and Lewis in California District Court. Joining Riley as defendants in the case are the three musicians who perform in his recently launched rival version of L.A. GUNS; that group's manager, booking agent and merchandiser; and Golden Robot Records.

The complaint, which requests a trial by jury, alleges that Riley's version of L.A. GUNS (referred to in the case docket as "the infringing L.A. GUNS") is creating "unfair competition" through its unauthorized usage of the L.A. GUNS trademark. In addition, Guns and Lewis are seeking relief from and/or against false advertising, breach of contract and unauthorized usage of their likenesses.

Tiwanaku frontman Ed Mowery contacted BraveWords with the news that the band is making a return in 2021 with former Death / Obituary / Testament guitarist James Murphy as part of the line-up.

"Tiwanaku welcomes lead guitarist James Murphy, formerly of Death, Obituary and Testament. James has joined the band for their debut album Earth Base One. He is recording all the solo work on the album. James will also be making live appearances with the band in 2021/2022 in locations around the globe depending on when things open again. James was already set to be a guest on Earth Base One for one song and the timing worked out just right for him to take the spot. 

The band is scheduled to mix and master the album in mid February and is currently in the studio recording Earth Base One for release in mid-2021. We are all siked to hear what James is going to do. Today he started his journey through all the songs and guitar solos. James and I have been friends for years and we've almost played together a couple times. Now we're finally gonna get the chance."

Tiwanaku is:

Ed Mowery - Vocals, Guitar
James Murphy - Lead Guitar
Chris Scales - Bass
Ryan J ONeill - Keyboards
Ryan Hurka - Drums
Liam Hurka - Drums

Bay Area bashers Death Angel have posted a new behind-the-scenes video clip along with the following message:

"Thilo Fehlinger, our wizard behind the curtain and the sixth member of Death Angel, talks about the D. W. Fearn Professional Audio Products that were used to bring our sound to life during the 7th annual Another Death Angel Xmas Show (broadcasted for the first time). Visit DWFearn.com to learn more about the VLC All Tube microphone preamp (used for Mark’s vocals) and the VDI All Tube Direct Box (used for Damien’s bass) that helped deliver the sonic beatdown that took over living rooms across the globe."

The 7th annual "Another Death Angel Xmas Show" took place over two days (December 19th and 20th) at The Great Northern in San Francisco, CA and was available for streaming. Check out the December 19th show below. It begins at the 7:27 mark.

The setlist was as follows:

"Humanicide"
"Seemingly Endless Time"
"Mistress of Pain"
"Absence of Light"
"The Pack"
"River of Rapture"
"Aggressor" 
"The Dream Calls for Blood"
"I'll Be Home For Christmas"
"Tomorrow Never Knows"
"The Moth"
Band Interview

Death Angel recently released a new animated video, produced by Ben Clarkson, for the song "Aggressor", from the band's latest album, Humanicide. Watch the clip below.

Commenting on the video, guitarist Rob Cavestany says: “The idea started as a visualizer for the song but when we saw the footage we were hooked and knew it had to turn into a complete video. Ben did an incredible job of depicting the 'Aggressor' concept and his artistic style is unique for Death Angel. The timing of this release couldn’t be better given the circumstances that surround us!  See for yourself…"

January 15 will see Voodoo Circle release their highly anticipated new album, Locked & Loaded, via AFM Records. The successor to 2018’s Raised On Rock was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (Pretty  Maids, Volbeat, Primal Fear). Guitarist / founder Alex Beyrodt (Primal Fear) has posted an unboxing video for the CD and Vinyl LP versions of the album.

A lyric video for the album's first single, "Devil With An Angel Smile", can be found below.

Locked & Loaded will be available as digipak & ltd. colored vinyl. Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Flesh & Bone"
"Wasting Time"
"Magic Woman Chile"
"Locked & Loaded"
"Devil With An Angel Smile"
"Straight For The Heart"
"Eyes Full Of Tears"
"Devil’s Cross"
"Trouble In The Moonlight"
"This Song Is For You"
"Children Of The Revolution"

"Devil With An Angel Smile" lyric video:

Voodoo Circle is:

Alex Beyrodt - guitar & vocals
David Readmann - vocals
Mat Sinner - bass & vocals
Markus Kullmann - drums

"Last Resort" by PAPA ROACH was a surprise hit given the song's raw and vivid portrayal of mental health and suicide. And although lead singer Jacoby Shaddix wrote "Last Resort" about his friend's struggle, the track took on new personal relevance for Jacoby years later when he was battling his own demons. In the 27-minute video below, VICE learns the full, little-known story behind "Last Resort" and its journey from darkness into light.

"Last Resort" originally appeared on PAPA ROACH's breakthrough album "Infest", which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. The LP peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for sales in excess of three million copies in the U.S. alone. It also featured the fan favorites "Broken Home", "Blood Brothers" and "Between Angels & Insects".

Last June, Shaddix told "Offstage With DWP" that he still feels the same way about "Last Resort" as he did when PAPA ROACH first released it. "I feel that that song is a lifeline to a lot of people, and has been," he said. "I've met thousands of kids over the years that have told us, 'Yo, that song saved my life. That song was there for me in my darkest hour.' If I could look back on my career just for that one moment, just that piece, it's, like, 'Wow!' To be able to make a song that impacts people in a positive way, that it has, it's, like, mission accomplished. It wasn't really my intention. It was just, like, 'We're just writing music. We've gotta get this off our chest.' But to look back on it now and see the effect that it's had, the positive effect… And also, man, it's one of those songs that cuts deep and it's at the heart of the matter… Yeah, people have been through some really dark stuff, and 'Last Resort' has brought some people through some feelings of suicide and whatnot. But then on the other hand, it's also become this crazy party anthem. I just saw this dude [on video at] a Walmart the other day and just start singing 'Last Resort' in the middle of everybody pandemic shopping, with a broom. So it's just one of those songs, it's survived the test of time, and I'm just fortunate that it's been such a positive piece of art out there floating around to be a lifeline for people struggling."

PAPA ROACH's latest album, "Who Do You Trust?" , arrived in January 2019. A follow-up LP is tentatively due later this year.

Last month, PAPA ROACH released a five-song EP, "20/20", featuring "new takes on old jams," including "Last Resort" and "Scars".

As previously reported, PAPA ROACH will release its second collection of hit singles, titled "Greatest Hits Vol. 2 - The Better Noise Years", on March 19, 2021. The effort includes 12 of the band's top 10 hits released between 2010 to 2019 as well as three previoulsy unreleased remixes and two unreleased acoustic recordings recorded live at the YouTube Studios in New York City. "Greatest Hits Vol. 2 - The Better Noise Years" also features a guest appearance by Danny Warsnop (vocalist of ASKING ALEXANDRIA) on the track "Broken As Me". The original version of the song was recorded for PAPA ROACH's 2015 album "F.E.A.R."

PAPA ROACH has remained relevant since its debut in 2000. Now 20 years in, the band currently has over eight million monthly listeners on Spotify with total streaming numbers into the billions.

PAPA ROACH has released 21 Top 5 singles over the course of its distinguished career — 12 of which are included in the new greatest-hits collection from the past 10 years. "Help", the band's 2017 release, has just been certified gold by the RIAA, selling over 500,000 copies in the United States alone.