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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

Check out the official Prestige Facebook page here.

(Photo by Peero Lakanen)

 

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo courtesy of Rob Watkins)

 

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

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

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

Through Soundwaves Vol 3 artwork and tracklisting:

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

"Potter's Field" (Anthrax cover):

"Plowed" (Sponge cover):

For further details, visit Joey Diabolic on Facebook.

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The five principals of THE JUNGLE SHOW are at it again. They are the grouping of like-minded legendary musicians who — quite simply stated — have gotten together after Christmas and in advance of New Year's Eve for the past five years at Antone's in Austin to play the blues as the blues should be played. Out of necessity, this year's version of THE JUNGLE SHOW takes the form of a livestream event with state-of-the-art production values.

The stellar performance by guitar greats Billy F Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan and Sue Foley with drummer Chris Layton and Mike Flanigin transpired at Antone's last week as a multi-camera HD shoot with multitrack audio mixed to record quality. The show will be uplinked at four different times on New Year's Eve to coincide with 8 p.m. on both U.S. coasts, in London and Sydney. Those purchasing tickets can choose, irrespective of location, to view the event starting at any of those times and will have the right to view it again for forty-eight hours after starting the film.

Ticket information, times, etc. are available at JungleShow.tv where details about a VIP package and JUNGLE SHOW ticket and merchandise bundles are also available. Ticket prices, good for any one device, start at $25.

The inception of THE JUNGLE SHOW was the result of a casual conversation between ZZ TOP's Billy F Gibbons and Austin-based B3 boss Mike Flanigin. The two had been tapped to perform at the Austin City Limits Hall Of Fame induction of B.B. King. Their repertoire choice was "The Jungle", a somewhat obscure B.B. King song that was somehow familiar to both who were joined at the event by Herman Jackson, B.B. King's own drummer. Thereafter, Gibbons and Flanigin decided to put together an ad hoc band to pursue the B.B. King-inspired blues course with Texas guitar slinger Jimmie Vaughan, Canadian blues rocker Sue Foley and STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN & DOUBLE TROUBLE's Chris Layton recruited for the effort going forward.

Gibbons commented: "For five years consecutive years, we've looked forward to putting THE JUNGLE SHOW together between Christmas and New Year's Eve. It's been a great way for all of us to cap the old year and bring in the new in rockin' style. Despite the reality of 2020, we were determined to keep our streak going so we've decided to go viral — the good kind of viral — and offer THE JUNGLE SHOW to the world beyond Austin."

Vaughan noted: "We took inspiration for calling what we do 'THE JUNGLE SHOW' from B.B. King's song 'The Jungle'. There's a lyric in there that truly relates to what's going on these days: 'I think I'll move to the jungle people, move way out in the woods; yes, because the way things are here now, well, I ain't doin' myself no good.'" He added, "I look forward to playing with Sue, Chris, Mike and Billy at the end of every year and this year is no different except for the fact that, in a sense, we've moved the show from 'way out in the woods' and directly into your house."

"THE JUNGLE SHOW is something I look forward to every holiday season, Foley stated. "It's just so much fun to get down and play some blues with these legends."

Flanigin expressed his feelings as both a participant and a fan: "THE JUNGLE SHOW is great fun for all involved. But beyond that, it is a rarified meeting of two of Texas's greatest guitar slingers, Billy Gibbons and Jimmie Vaughan. To see them together, prowling the stage, is worth the price of admission alone."

Layton, like Vaughan, chose to quote a song lyric in his remarks, "As Slim Harpo said: 'I'm itchin' and I know right where to scratch. So come and join us for THE JUNGLE SHOW

According to Billboard, CREED frontman Scott Stapp will portray Frank Sinatra in the upcoming biopic "Reagan". The film, which is due next year, will include a scene of Sinatra singing at the Ambassador Hotel's Cocoanut Grove club in Hollywood, where he performed at a fundraiser in 1970 for Ronald Reagan's second California gubernatorial campaign.

"Sinatra in performance mode was an exercise in restraint," Stapp said in a statement to Billboard. "He had this steely, stylish swagger and his sheer presence commanded a room. I was excited to join the cast and blown away by the on-set attention to detail, style, and overall production."

"Reagan" is directed by Sean McNamara, produced by Mark Joseph and written by Howard Klausner. Stapp joins a cast including Dennis Quaid, who portrays Reagan; Jon Voight as a KGB agent who tracked Reagan for 40 years; Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan; Mena Suvari as Reagan's first wife, Jane Wyman; Lesley-Anne Down as Margaret Thatcher; and Kevin Dillon as Jack Warner.

"We are honored to have Scott in 'Reagan'," McNamara said. "Scott's known for big, high-energy performances, so it was a thrill to see him shift gears to embody Sinatra's contained charisma."

Stapp is known as frontman for CREED (over 50 million albums sold worldwide), and for his work as a solo artist who released the platinum-certified "The Great Divide" (2005) and "Proof Of Life" (2013), which featured his first solo Billboard No. 1, "Slow Suicide".

In July 2019, Scott released his first album in six years, "The Space Between The Shadows".

Stapp went through a highly publicized, drug-inflamed meltdown in 2014, after which he entered into an intensive rehab program. Stapp also lost custody of his three children during this period, while also missing a court hearing and allegedly threatening to kill President Obama.

After completing rehab, Scott spent the following year in intensive therapy. Although he was initially diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it was later determined that it was severe depression that led to addiction. Now nearing six years of sobriety, Stapp spoke to Men's Health about health and fitness in 2019 when his comeback album was released, saying, "I hate to use the word, but I guess it has become my new addicti

Original KISS drummer Peter Criss turned 75 on Sunday, December 20. In celebration of this momentous occasion, Peter's wife Gigi put together a one-hour video containing interview and performance footage spanning his entire career, as well as birthday messages from a number of other hard rock and metal luminaries, including Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Joe Perry (AEROSMITH), Charlie Benante, Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), Carmine Appice and Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER).

In an accompanying message, Gigi wrote: "Happy Birthday, My Husband!!! I put together a video for you with some of your friends. I hope you like it and understand just how amazing you are, how you have touched so many peoples lives, and even changed their course of life in the most positive way. It's like your favorite movie, 'It's A Wonderful Life'. Your life has made other lives better. What a blessing!!! Amen for your talent, hard work, and believing in yourself. I love you with all of my heart and I am so blessed to share the journey of life with you. Love You Forever, Gigi".

Criss first left KISS in 1980. Since then he's worked with other bands and released solo albums. He teamed up with KISS again for a reunion tour in the 1990s and most recently in 2004. He was replaced by Eric Singer.

In addition to playing drums in KISS, Peter also provided lead vocals for a number the band's most popular and memorable songs, including "Beth", "Black Diamond" and "Hard Luck Woman".

Criss, along with the other three original members of KISS, was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2014 by Morello.

KISS did not perform — the Hall Of Fame wanted the original quartet only to play, while Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley insisted on the current lineup — which also includes guitarist Tommy Thayer — performing as well. In the end nobody won that battle.

Criss, who was known as "Catman," released his last solo CD, titled "One For All", in 2007. Peter produced the album himself for the first time, and was joined by guest musicians that included keyboardist Paul Shaffer and bassist Will Lee of "Late Night With David Letterman". The album featured a range of styles, from rock and jazz to blues and Broadway, and included covers of "What A Difference A Day Makes" and "Send In The Clowns".

Criss played what was being billed as his final U.S. concert in June 2017 at the Cutting Room in New York City.

Peter recently came out of retirement to lay down his drums on "The Catman & The Emperor", the new single from his former bandmate Richie Scarlet. The track, which also features former FREHLEY'S COMET bassist John Regan, was released on Friday, December 18.

Los Angeles alternative metal band GEMINI SYNDROME has released the music video for its new single "Reintegration" today via Another Century. The clip, directed by Brian Cox (BRING ME THE HORIZON, THE USED, STARSET), can be seen below. The track, which is the first release off the band's forthcoming full-length album, is also available to purchase and stream.

"Our video for 'Reintegration' tells the story of an initiate's journey as he travels through the various stages of initiation," states GEMINI SYNDROME vocalist Aaron Nordstrom. "We follow him as he walks away from his past in an effort to find himself by facing and overcoming various trials and tribulations, until he ultimately ascends to the highest version of himself."

Brian Steele Medina, GEMINI SYNDROME's drummer, adds: "We worked with director Brian Cox again, who is a good friend and a visionary artist, who also happens to be stuck in U.K. due to quarantine restrictions. These unique times forced us to get creative. Between shooting the live band shots in the U.S., animations done in Portugal, rendered in Russia, and edited in UK, this ended up being a worldwide collaboration."

"The video for 'Reintegration' allowed me to re-connect with my inner layers, distortions and glitches, reestablishing my continued search of artistic clarity," states Cox. 2020 has been a force to allow us to think outside of the box. Directed all the way from my studio in England, band performance shot on location in the U.S., animations created in Portugal... this video truly is a worldwide collaboration."

GEMINI SYNDROME spent the better part of 2018-2019 writing the final installment of its long-planned three-album trilogy. They retreated to Medina's Las Vegas home studio, where they meticulously crafted song after song, relentlessly reworking and rearranging the musical arrangements until they were fully satisfied. After an exhaustive writing process, GEMINI SYNDROME relocated to Good Sounds Studio in Tempe, Arizona, where producer Matt Good would help realize the collection of songs. Medina recalls: "We absolutely loved working with Matt, and he completely understood where we wanted to take this album creatively and what it was going to take to bring the third chapter of this trilogy to light. Our actual collective blood, sweat and tears went into its creation."

"Reintegration" is the band's first new music since the release of their sophomore album "Memento Mori" (2016), which hit No. 1 on Billboard Heatseakers chart and spawned five singles: "Eternity", "Anonymous", "Alive Inside", "Sorry Not Sorry" and "Remember We Die".

GEMINI SYNDROME is Aaron Nordstrom (vocals, keyboards), Brian Steele Medina (drums, programming), Alessandro "AP" Paveri (bass), Miguel "Meegs" Rascón (guitar) and Nicholas Paul Arnold (touring guitar).

In a new interview with Metal Master Kingdom, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was asked to name the biggest lesson that he has learned in all his decades in the music business. He responded (see video below): "I'd say one of the biggest lessons I've learned is that you shouldn't settle for mediocrity. Sometimes there's a tendency — any artist, but surely in music — to think, like, 'Yeah, this might not be as exciting as I had hoped, but I'm sure the fans will love it anyhow.' That's something that's super dangerous. Everybody has made that mistake along the way where they thought — they had that nagging feeling in the back of their mind, thinking, like, 'Eh. Something isn't right about it, but I hope nobody will find out. I'm sure they will love it anyhow,' or something. It never works. Don't do it. I speak from experience."

He continued: "You have to make these songs, or whatever you do, to the point where you are completely happy with them, because then you almost don't care what the rest of the world thinks about them, because you personally think that's the best you could do and you're happy with them, and if they don't like it, tough shit. But guess what? That's usually a pretty much indicator that it's gonna be a good song or a success or whatever in the long run and stand the test of time. But if you think, like, 'It's good enough for the public, but I personally think it's kind of so-so,' then no — that's not gonna work."

ACCEPT's new studio album, "Too Mean To Die", will be released on January 15, 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The LP will be the group's first without bassist Peter Baltes, who exited ACCEPT in November 2018. He has since been replaced by Martin Motnik. ACCEPT's lineup has also been expanded with the addition of a third guitarist, Philip Shouse, who originally filled in for Uwe Lulis during last year's "Symphonic Terror" tour, before being asked to join the band permanently.

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

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

ACCEPT's latest release was "Symphonic Terror - Live At Wacken 2017", featuring the band's performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.

A month ago, SYSTEM OF A DOWN released "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz", the band's first new songs in 15 years. The tracks were motivated by the recently erupted conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, the latter aided by Turkey and accountable for the greatest violence the region has endured in 26 years. Produced by guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian, who also wrote the music and lyrics, both songs are streaming now on all DSPs and are available for purchase on Bandcamp with band royalties earmarked for the Armenia Fund.

In a new interview with Australia's Triple J, SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian spoke about what it was like recording music with his bandmates again. He said (hear audio below): "Just because the band hasn't put out music in all this time, most people assume that our relationship is sour. It's really not. We tour together. We're friends. My drummer is my brother-in-law. Our kids all play together. Daron doesn't have kids, but everyone else's kids play together. So we're all like family, to be honest with you. So there was no weirdness to it. It's just we haven't been able to see creatively eye-to-eye to continue creating with the band, which is fine. But that doesn't mean that you can't get together and do something for a cause; that doesn't mean you can't get together and tour and have some fun."

Asked if recording these two songs has opened the door to a new era of creativity within SYSTEM, Serj said: "I don't know, because right now we're focused on what's going on in Armenia. There's a huge humanitarian catastrophe. We're still focused on raising funds, raising awareness about this. Time will tell whether this leads to something else or not."

Tankian also talked about how the new SYSTEM music has been received, saying: "The fan response has been absolutely incredible. As soon as we released the songs, it really blew up all over the Internet. And it did what we wanted to do, which is basically break into Azerbaijan's disinformation campaign. Especially our video for 'Protect The Land' really hit it home, and people were, like, 'Wow, I'm crying. I didn't know about this. How can I help?' And fans around the world were excited about the music, obviously, and the messaging is always part of the music. And we did a video together that we released, explaining why we did this, why it's important to us, what's going on. So all of it kind of really came together to spike and make an impact. And also, I've heard from friends that not only did it play in Armenia and Artsakh, but it was even played on the frontlines and gave people protecting their families a little something saying that we're with you, that you're not alone on these lines against a better-equipped, bigger-army enemy that is trying to kill you and your family."

The music video for "Protect The Land" incorporates recent footage of the protests and on-the-ground fighting in Artsakh, but in a very personal and aesthetic way. As he did for all previous SYSTEM OF A DOWN releases, bassist Shavo Odadjian executive-produced the music video and curated the cover and brand art for the project.

"Protect The Land" a was originally written by Malakian for the next album by his other group, SCARS ON BROADWAY, while "Genocidal Humanoidz" was penned three or four years ago when Odadjian, Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan convened for a jam session that produced several songs, only to abandon them when Tankian wouldn't commit to an album.

Within a week of their release, "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz" landed at positions No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on Billboard's Hot Hard Rock Songs chart. "Land" topped the chart with 2.7 million U.S. streams and 5,000 downloads sold in the week ending November 12, while "Humanoidz" garnered 1.8 million streams and 5,000 downloads.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN is planning to film a music video for "Genocidal Humanoidz" in December. "I've written out the storyline, and I've got a couple of surprises that I'm gonna be putting [in there]," Odadjian told geopolitical analyst Richard Èlmoyan in a recent interview.

Photo credit: Clemente Ruiz

German death metal veterans MORGOTH have officially called it quits. The band took to its Facebook page on Thursday (December 17) to write: "It's already been 2,5 years since our last updates and the announcement of an indefinite hiatus in regards to any band activities. Time surely flies! In the meantime and after much deliberation, we can now announce that we have indeed reached the end of the road for MORGOTH.

"It's been an interesting and challenging ride since the band's initial reunion and we will forever cherish all of the incredible experiences and great memories from these years. We thank ALL OF YOU for that!

"Please keep enjoying and supporting the music that will forever remain out there for all of us. Best of wishes for a hopefully good/better new year 2021…Stay safe and stay heavy!!!

"MORGOTH (1987 – 2020)"

Back in May 2018, MORGOTH announced that it was taking a break from live and recording activities due to "organizational and individual reasons." At the time, guitarist Sebastian Swart said that he was suffering from "massive and multiple hearing problems," and he revealed that he was "moving abroad" for his work.

MORGOTH's latest studio album, "Ungod", was released in April 2015 via Century Media. The CD was recorded, mixed and mastered in November and December 2014 by Jörn Michutta and Matthias Klinkmann at Sound Division Tonstudio in the band's initial home area of Sauerland, Germany, after having already successfully tested the studio for the "God Is Evil" EP.

Prior to the recording of "Ungod", MORGOTH recruited singer Karsten "Jagger" Jäger (DISBELIEF) to replace the band's longtime vocalist Marc Grewe.

MORGOTH released its first-ever live album and DVD, "Cursed To Live", in June 2012 via Century Media Records. The audio tracks were mixed at Unisound Studio in Sweden with Dan Swanö (OPETH, KATATONIA, DISSECTION).

In December 2018, founding MORGOTH member Carsten Otterbach died after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. The 48-year-old guitarist, who also headed up his own artist management company Direct Management, played on the band's first two EPs, "Resurrection Absurd" (1989) and "The Eternal Fall" (1990), as well as the first three full-length albums, "Cursed" (1991), "Odium" (1993) and "Feel Sorry For The Fanatic" (1996).

MORGOTH's most recent lineup was:

Karsten "Jagger" Jäger - Vocals

Harry Busse - Lead & Rhythm Guitars

Sebastian Swart - Rhythm Guitars

Sotirios Kelekidis - Bass

Marc Reign - Drums


MORGOTH – The end complete!

------------------------------------

It’s already been 2,5 years since our last updates and...

Posted by Morgoth Official on Thursday, December 17, 2020

In a new interview with AMFM Magazine, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford spoke about how business owners across America and the rest of the world have found new ways to run their organizations more effectively and efficiently as the pandemic that crippled the business landscape continues to spread rapidly.

"It's been a bit of a game changer, the way it shook up business on a worldwide level," Rob said (see video below). "From working at home to people realizing that people can effectively work from home and, in some ways, be more productive to just rethinking how to operate your business.

"For us [in JUDAS PRIEST], on that idea, some of our friends are making music by Zoom — Zooming and writing songs on there. That, for me, is difficult, because I'm old school," he continued. "I need to be in the studio with the guys, writing. That's just the way my old brain works. But I understand that the tentacles of the pandemic, it reached out into every aspect of life, particularly on the business level. There's been a lot of rethinking and reorganization — some of it good, and some of it not so good. But it's just been another great display of human tenacity to get through some of the darkest moments."

Two months ago, Halford told Talking Metal that he, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton "had some great writing sessions at the start of this year back in the U.K. at Glenn's studio" for the band's follow-up to "Firepower" album. Released in March 2018, "Firepower" was the second LP to feature Richie, who was selected to fill the void left by founding guitarist K.K. Downing following his exit in 2011. "We did a lot of demos," Rob said. "I've got pretty much an [album's worth] of [new] JUDAS PRIEST [material] on [my] phone right now. And it's just amazing.

"On average, we usually have three or four big writing sessions of a month or so at a time," he continued. "And so we got the first one down, and we've got a lot of material. It's incredibly fierce. I think that energy was just being channeled, especially from Richie. Some of his riffs and some of the core of the songs, they're absolutely lethal. I feel textures of the 'Painkiller' experience in some of the songs, and the classic elements again. It'll have its own legs, like they all do — they've all got their own character. And I think whatever this album is called and whenever it's released, it'll be another great metal milestone for JUDAS PRIEST."

"Firepower" was recorded by British producer Andy Sneap, the band's longtime collaborator Tom Allom and engineer Mike Exeter (BLACK SABBATH), and Rob said that he would be thrilled to collaborate with all three again.

"It was a great experience working with Andy and Tom Allom, because they have two different approaches as producers," Halford said. "And we didn't even know if that was gonna work when we started to think about putting them together. But what a great idea that was, and they made some special things happen in terms of production. Me personally, I'm happy to replicate that thing over again, because I think we just touched the surface of it with the 'Firepower' production team, with Mike Exeter as well, who had just come off the SABBATH '13' album. So, anything can happen. But I just feel it's gonna be another very, very extra-strong record when we finally get it made."

In September, Faulkner told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that the creative process for PRIEST's next LP was halted by the coronavirus outbreak, which disrupted global travel.

Halford resides in Phoenix, Faulkner in Nashville and Tipton still calls his native United Kingdom his home.

"Firepower" entered the Billboard 200 chart at position No. 5, making it PRIEST's highest-charting album ever. "Redeemer Of Souls" debuted and peaked at No. 6, while 2008's "Nostradamus" landed at No. 11 and 2005's "Angel Of Retribution" came in at No. 13.

"Firepower" moved 49,000 equivalent album units in first week of release. Of that sum, 48,000 were in traditional album sales, just shy of the 54,000 copies sold by "Angel Of Retribution" in that album's first week. The "Firepower" chart position was bolstered by sales generated from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer in association with the band's spring 2018 North American tour.

Across the pond, "Firepower" landed at position No. 5 on the U.K. album chart. It marked the band's highest ranking, and first time in the Top 10, since "British Steel" reached No. 4 in 1980. Elsewhere, "Firepower" also became PRIEST's first-ever No. 1 in Sweden.

Video of MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn's latest "Acoustic Happy Hour", which was originally livestreamed on Facebook Live this past Friday, December 18, can be seen below. The session includes covers of THE EAGLES' "Hotel California", PEARL JAM's "Black" and ALICE IN CHAINS' "Bleed The Freak" as well as acoustic renditions of MACHINE HEAD tunes "Is There Anybody Out There?" and "Descend The Shades Of Night".

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.

NIGHTWISH bassist/vocalist Marco Hietala (a.k.a. Marko Hietala) has been crowned the winner of the fall 2020 season of "Masked Singer Suomi" — the Finnish edition of the popular masked singing contest. He was disguised as Tohtori — the Doctor.

Based on an international hit, "The Masked Singer" features celebrities facing off against one another with one major twist: each singer is shrouded from head to toe in an elaborate costume, complete with full face mask to conceal his or her identity.

Marco's solo album, "Pyre Of The Black Heart", came out in January via Nuclear Blast. The style of the effort, which was issued in Finland last May 2019 under the title "Mustan Sydämen Rovio", has been described by Hietala as "hard prog."

Earlier this year, Marco told Subculture Media about his influences: "Oh, man, I listen to so much music. Since my youth, I have been a metal guy, but I also listen to a lot of other stuff. Ever since I was a kid, I've listened to jazz, Irish folk songs, classic, Elvis [Presley], THE BEATLES… whatever. My father had a very big vinyl collection; he was an enthusiast. He also played guitar and sang so that is where a lot of the versatility comes from."

Regarding how he came to join NIGHTWISH nearly two decades ago, Marco told Ultimate Guitar: "I knew about the band, because I had been playing in different groups before that. When the guys were starting out, they actually opened for one that I was playing with. I think that was in 1998; it's a kind of band that I'm still with, it's called TAROT. Then I was also playing bass in the band called SINERGY, and we did five weeks of touring with NIGHTWISH in central Europe; we were warming up for NIGHTWISH at that time, and that was actually in 2000, which is where I kind of really became aware that this thing is big and they got their sound together and everything. And, in a way, I was familiar already, got to know the guys and talking with Tuomas [Holopainen, NIGHTWISH keyboardist] was pretty much easy, because, well, we kind of find out that we like the same books and movies and stuff. But the guys called me in 2001 and [asked me if I] would be interested to play the bass for the band. I was, like, 'Hey, all right. I'll come over and let's talk about this thing and see what happens.' And we just kind of agreed that, 'Okay, let's give it like two weeks for thinking time,' but I was pretty sure by the same thing that, 'Okay, I'm gonna do it.' And by the time we got into rehearsals, I was living in Helsinki at the time, and I went to the train station and guys were there to pick me up from the train station. And we just immediately got to the gas station and bought loads of beer and went to the rehearsal room and started drinking and playing, and it clicked."




Guess who won the Masked Singer Finland tonight????!!!!@MTVSuomi pic.twitter.com/5xBcAfdzNK

— Marko Hietala (@MarkoHietala_) December 19, 2020

Swedish avant-garde metallers Diablo Swing Orchestra have revealed the tracklist for their forthcoming album, Swagger & Stroll Down The Rabbit Hole.

Dedicated metalheads that we are here at BraveWords, we have gone to the painstaking trouble of puzzling out the tracklist as posted by the band, found below. You're welcome.

"Sightseeing In The Apocalypse"
"War Painted Valentine"
"Celebremos Lo Inevitable"
"Speed Dating An Arsonist"
"Jig Of The Century"
"The Sound Of An Unconditional Surrender"
"Malign Monologues"
"Out Came The Hummingbirds"
"Snake Oil Baptism"
"Les Invulnéables"
"Saluting The Reckoning"
"The Prima Donna Gauntlet"
"Overture To A Ceasefire"

D:S:O recently issued the following update:

"We’ve been living with these songs for a couple of years now and we honestly can’t wait to share this with you all. We really feel that we’ve achieved what we set out to do. 

It’s by far our most ambitious undertaking ever and we know this album will make a mark. Writing-wise, we really threw the rules out of the window and just concentrated on the songs. All genres were welcome and we went out of our way to really explore and understand what we appreciate about a certain style or genre and how we can apply it to our way of writing songs.

We don’t have a set release date but we’ll let you know asap. The plan is q1 2021."

FOZZY singer Chris Jericho joined STEEL PANTHER on stage this past Friday (December 18) at Jannus Live in St Petersburg, Florida to perform the JUDAS PRIEST classic "You've Got Another Thing Comin'". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Jannus Live was the second of three shows STEEL PANTHER is scheduled to play in Florida this weekend, with support from BLACK STONE CHERRY.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has consistently downplayed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and has continued to ban cities and counties from enforcing mask mandates or setting stricter capacity limits on businesses and restaurants.

According to CNN, more than 1.1 million Floridians have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, about 5% of the state's population. Florida is the 26th highest state by per capita confirmed cases.

Earlier in the month, STEEL PANTHER guitarist Satchel (a.k.a. Russ Parrish) lamented the devastating impact the pandemic has had on the music industry, with canceled concerts, tours and music festivals, all leaving hundreds of thousands of crew members out of work.

"It sucks when the government shuts everything down completely and you're at the whim of politicians," the guitarist told Metal Matt in an interview. "'Cause, basically, our industry, the music industry, is done until people deem it okay to do that again, which sucks for musicians. It sucks for fans, but it really sucks more for the musicians, 'cause a lot of people make their living in the music business. And all these major venues are gone.

"Don't get me wrong — I don't feel bad for [concert giant] Live Nation," he continued. "The dude who's a billionaire who owns Live Nation, he's gonna get by. But the roadies and the people that work at the venues and pretty much all musicians at this point… Unless you're Dave Matthews and people like that who are out there going, 'Stay in your house' — those guys are all millionaires 'cause they made a lot of money during a time when you could sell records. But everybody who's a musician now who's a relatively new artist — in the last 20 years, I mean — most of them, besides Britney Spears and Justin Bieber, are touring musicians, and they go out and make money by rocking. When the venues are closed, and they're gonna be closed indefinitely, that means that you have to do something else. And most people don't know how to do anything else, 'cause we're musicians — we're not very smart."

Just a few days earlier, STEEL PANTHER was forced to amend its virtual concert plans due to a rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the United States. The band also released a re-worked version of its song "Fuck Everybody", from STEEL PANTHER's latest album "Heavy Metal Rules", now re-titled "Fuck 2020". The newly recorded version includes updated verses that reflect the insanity of this year.

"Heavy Metal Rules" was released in September 2019. The disc, which is described in a press release as a "heavy metal version of a self-help manual and ultimate party album combined," was once again produced by Jay Ruston, who collaborated with the band on all of its previous recordings, including 2017's "Lower The Bar".

STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Twelve years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.






While you're hiding in your basement we are living life. Good luck from sunny Florida.???

— StanPoulan (@stanpoulan) December 20, 2020








@Steel_Panther Thanks for rocking out balls off last night in St Petersburg! And YES! You guys should move to St Petersburg.#fuckcalifornia pic.twitter.com/YVOiUctJOv

— StanPoulan (@stanpoulan) December 19, 2020








You do understand I was at a sold out concert in the great state of Florida right? Apparently our elected governor is not buying it.

— StanPoulan (@stanpoulan) December 20, 2020








@Steel_Panther can’t believe you guys played a show. IN FLORIDA.... DURING A PANDEMIC!! So Fucking disturbing, gross, selfish, stupid, reckless, ignorant and disrespectful. Terrible music aside... this is a pure SCUMBAG move.

— Robotino (@RobS65059364) December 20, 2020








Look, if I’m going to risk getting Covid, it’s not going to be for Steel Panther. Not sure how they got away with having such a large event regardless of it being outdoors. You might wanna hold off on travel to Florida for a while.

— Paul Kozlowski (@paulkozlow) December 19, 2020








I have seen Steel Panther multiple times. I love them. They’re outstanding. I live in Orlando. I didn’t go. Not all people in Florida are idiots. Just saying. There are dipshits EVERYWHERE.

— Nick (@nicksfeed75) December 19, 2020

THE PRETTY RECKLESS's music video for the band's latest single, "25", can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Death By Rock And Roll", which will be released on February 12, 2021 via Fearless Records in the U.S. and Century Media Records in the rest of the world.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS singer Taylor Momsen told Paper about the track: "'25' is one of the first songs we recorded, I think it was the first song we recorded for the album. I wrote that song when I was 25, [and] we recorded it right after I turned 25. It's very autobiographical, in a lot of ways. I thought it would be an interesting idea to figure out a way to go through all the years of my life and somehow calculate that and have it end with 25. But the inspiration was really drawn from me just reflecting on my life up until that point, writing this autobiographical song from a place of despair. When I finished writing '25', it was a moment where I noticed the shift in my writing. I took a bit of a turn, and I think that I got better.

"On the record, it's kind of the first musical shift. If you listen to the album from front to back, it starts very heavy and very dark and bleak, and about halfway through the album, it takes a musical shift. There is hope and there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that's all very intentional with the track listing. '25' is kind of the first indication that there is hope. It was certainly a growing point for me as a songwriter, where I took a step forward."

"Death By Rock And Roll" is THE PRETTY RECKLESS's first album to be made without longtime producer Kato Khandwala, who died in April 2018 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

A few months ago, Momsen confirmed that RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello guests on "Death By Rock And Roll". Morello appears on a track called "And So It Went".

Morello joins previously announced guests Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron from SOUNDGARDEN. The song with Cameron and Thayil, called "Only Love Can Save Me Now", was recorded at Seattle's legendary London Bridge Studios, where seminal LPs like PEARL JAM's "Ten" and SOUNDGARDEN's "Louder Than Love" were laid down.

Momsen told Forbes about "Death By Rock And Roll": "We worked really hard on this album and we went through a lot of loss, a lot of tragedy, and we really poured our hearts and souls into it and in a way I can't express verbally. It's all there in the music, so that's why I say it feels like a rebirth. It almost feels like the first record in a sense, because we really had to go back to the beginning after losing Kato, our producer. I'm just really excited for people to hear it because, in my opinion, it's the best album we've ever made so it's hard to sit on this music.

"We talked about holding the song 'Death By Rock And Roll' for longer too, and I was, like, 'I can't do this. I can't just sit on this album forever.' The world needs music and music has such a healing thing to it, and it saved my life, time and time again. If we put out a song and if it can put a smile on some people's faces, great, we'll take it from there. That's kind of what we're doing — we're riding the wave. This is just such an unprecedented time so we're trying to take it step by step, and see where things go. Everything is still up in the air, but we are planning on releasing more singles before the full album is out. There's going to be more music to come."

Track listing

01. Death By Rock And Roll

02. Only Love Can Save Me Now (feat. Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron)

03. And So It Went (feat. Tom Morello)

04. 25

05. My Bones

06. Got So High

07. Broomsticks

08. Witches Burn

09. Standing At The Wall

10. Turning Gold

11. Rock And Roll Heaven

12. Harley Darling

What would happen if you took "…And Justice For All", the iconic 1988 album from thrash metal pioneers METALLICA, and reimagined it for a classical orchestra? Add to that four emerging jazz and soul vocalists. You're left with one of the most intriguing interpretations of rock material ever recorded. Brought to you by LITTLE KRUTA, featuring a band comprised entirely of women, "Justice" will forever change the way you perceive METALLICA, classical music, and what an audiophile recording can be.

On "Justice", LITTLE KRUTA — consisting of Kristine Kruta (musical director and cello), Maria Im (concert mistress and violin), Katie Jacoby (violin and soloist), Chiara Fasi (violin), Molly Fletcher (violin), Laura Sacks (viola), Tia Allen (viola), Adi Meyerson (upright bass), and Rosie Slater (percussion) — are joined with sensational vocalists Alita Moses, Camille Trust, Lauren Desberg, and Jenn Mundia — each joining for two songs.

Recorded in a single day in a decomissioned Brooklyn church, the Pierre Piscitelli arrangements of the beloved thrash melodies are completely transformed into moving pieces that will speak to fans of all genres. "Justice" features a fascinating blend of musical styles, influences, and personalities.

LITTLE KRUTA's music video for "The Shortest Straw", featuring Lauren Desberg on lead vocals, can be seen below.

LITTLE KRUTA has appeared on "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon" (Aminé, Metro Boomin and Gunna), "Late Night With Seth Meyers" (K.Flay), "Saturday Night Live!" (Shawn Mendes), at Brooklyn's Barclay's Center (Ruff Ryders), and more. LITTLE KRUTA has joined artists including Kaki King, The Wonder Years, and Vérité both on stage and in studio. Comprised of master musicians who are just as comfortable in the booth as they are on stage, the foundation of this orchestra is built on a true love of playing, and led by cellist Kristine Kruta.

The album was recorded in stunning high-definition fashion using our new recording methodology which pairs a stereo ribbon microphone capturing crystal clear vocal performance and the immaculate acoustics of the church in which the album was recorded. This new recording style will leave you feeling like the band is right in front of you while still creating a timeless presence that will have you coming back for years to come.

"Justice" recording credits:

Kristine Kruta (cello)

Maria Im (violin)

Katie Jacoby (violin)

Chiara Fasi (violin)

Molly Fletcher (violin)

Laura Sacks (viola)

Tia Allen (viola)

Adi Meyerson (upright bass)

Rosie Slater (percussion)

Camille Trust (vocals)

Alita Moses (vocals)

Jenn Mundia (vocals)

Lauren Desberg (vocals)

Pierre Piscitelli (arranger)

Produced by: David Chesky

Executive Producer: Norman Chesky

Recorded, edited, and mastered by Nicholas Prout

Second Engineer: Sean Kelly

Assistant Engineer: Ashley Marrero

General Assistant: Danazah Provet, Annie Klein

A&R: Jeff Lanier

Recorded June 19, 2019 at The Hirsch Center, Brooklyn, New York

Photo credit: Radhika Chalasani

*NSYNC singer Joey Fatone joined STEEL PANTHER on stage this past Thursday (December 17) at Ace Café in Orlando, Florida to perform the song "Girl From Oklahoma". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Ace Café was the first of three shows STEEL PANTHER is scheduled to play in Florida this weekend, with support from BLACK STONE CHERRY.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has consistently downplayed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and has continued to ban cities and counties from enforcing mask mandates or setting stricter capacity limits on businesses and restaurants.

According to CNN, more than 1.1 million Floridians have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, about 5% of the state's population. Florida is the 26th highest state by per capita confirmed cases.

Earlier in the month, STEEL PANTHER guitarist Satchel (a.k.a. Russ Parrish) lamented the devastating impact the pandemic has had on the music industry, with canceled concerts, tours and music festivals, all leaving hundreds of thousands of crew members out of work.

"It sucks when the government shuts everything down completely and you're at the whim of politicians," the guitarist told Metal Matt in an interview. "'Cause, basically, our industry, the music industry, is done until people deem it okay to do that again, which sucks for musicians. It sucks for fans, but it really sucks more for the musicians, 'cause a lot of people make their living in the music business. And all these major venues are gone.

"Don't get me wrong — I don't feel bad for [concert giant] Live Nation," he continued. "The dude who's a billionaire who owns Live Nation, he's gonna get by. But the roadies and the people that work at the venues and pretty much all musicians at this point… Unless you're Dave Matthews and people like that who are out there going, 'Stay in your house' — those guys are all millionaires 'cause they made a lot of money during a time when you could sell records. But everybody who's a musician now who's a relatively new artist — in the last 20 years, I mean — most of them, besides Britney Spears and Justin Bieber, are touring musicians, and they go out and make money by rocking. When the venues are closed, and they're gonna be closed indefinitely, that means that you have to do something else. And most people don't know how to do anything else, 'cause we're musicians — we're not very smart."

Just a few days earlier, STEEL PANTHER was forced to amend its virtual concert plans due to a rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the United States. The band also released a re-worked version of its song "Fuck Everybody", from STEEL PANTHER's latest album "Heavy Metal Rules", now re-titled "Fuck 2020". The newly recorded version includes updated verses that reflect the insanity of this year.

"Heavy Metal Rules" was released in September 2019. The disc, which is described in a press release as a "heavy metal version of a self-help manual and ultimate party album combined," was once again produced by Jay Ruston, who collaborated with the band on all of its previous recordings, including 2017's "Lower The Bar".

STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Twelve years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.






Wow. Did you guys know the pandemic is over in Florida?! What the fuck is this?? Sad.

Steel Panther with Joey Fatone of NSync Orlando Dec 17th 2020 Christmas ... https://t.co/mcGuxSA9ld via @YouTube

— Steph Walsh ★ ? (@imstephwalsh) December 18, 2020

MERCURY CIRCLE, the new band featuring former CHILDREN OF BODOM drummer Jaska Raatikainen and SWALLOW THE SUN's Jaani Peuhu, has released a music video for "Our Funeral (Like Xmas)", a song exclusively featured on "Noble Demonic Metal - Chapter 1", a brand new label sampler by Noble Demon, celebrating its first anniversary.

Labeled as "a band you need to watch out for in 2021" by Metal Hammer U.K., MERCURY CIRCLE is creating a diverse offering of atmospheric and dark music where the songs differ wildly in expression and sonic aesthetics, establishing their very own kind of "new doom". While the band is working on their upcoming full-length record right now (to be released in early 2021), they felt the need to take a break from the album sessions and to release something different, as Peuhu explains.

"Although I'm not a fan of Xmas songs, I found myself with the perfect opportunity to write one in the midst of everything going on in the world today," he says. "In parts, 2020 felt almost apocalyptic. Sadly, Christmas is the busiest day of the year for police, ambulances and paramedics in Finland and I'm afraid that this year might break all the records of domestic violence and suicide cases because of the pandemic. But since 2020 has already turned so much on its head, there's hoping this year's outlook on the holidays could prove me positively wrong. Compared to the heavy and dark sound of upcoming debut album, 'Our Funeral (Like Xmas)' is the most uplifting song we have ever created. We wanted to take a groovier and happier approach to the music while the lyrics stayed on the gloomier side. We hope you enjoy it!"

MERCURY CIRCLE's debut EP, "The Dawn Of Vitriol", was released in August via Noble Demon and The Vinyl Division.

Having spent 26 years recording and touring the world with CHILDREN OF BODOM, it was hard for Jaska to make any concrete plans regarding his future since quitting the band in 2019, but all of this changed when he heard the demos by Peuhu.

"After hearing the demo tracks from the upcoming debut album, I thought it would be stupid not to join this band," Jaska said. "The music was something I hadn't heard for a long time. Dark, emotional, epic elements and big choruses.

"I am truly excited for the opportunity to be part of this. I know it is a long way to the top, but with these guys I feel honored and ready to do it again."

MERCURY CIRCLE is:

* Jaani Peuhu (ICONCRASH, SWALLOW THE SUN, HALLATAR) - Vocals, Guitars, Synths

* Jussi Hämäläinen (Hanging Garden, The Chant) - Guitars, Synths, Backing vocals

* Juppe Sutela (TO/DIE/FOR) - Guitars

* Ande Kiiski (SLEEP OF MONSTERS, RYTMIHÄIRIÖ) - Bass

* Jaska Raatikainen (CHILDREN OF BODOM) - Drums

Trevor Bolder was the bass player in ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS, WISHBONE ASH and URIAH HEEP, but passed away in 2013. He left behind a solo album which had been mapped out and his friends and family have helped complete it as a labour of love in his memory.

"Sail The Rivers" features guest appearances by URIAH HEEP bandmates Mick Box and Lee Kerslake (who passed away recently) and WISHBONE ASH bandmate Laurie Wisefield, along with Trevor's friends. The artwork on the LP is by Ioannis, who created the artwork for the last URIAH HEEP albums Trevor played on.

Trevor's widow Shelly Bolder shared these personal comments about the album: "Trevor would have been so proud. It was his dream to produce a solo album which he spent endless hours working so very hard on. Sadly, he did not get to complete this dream. With the magic of friends and family, we can all enjoy his beautiful music which can now live on forever. If Trevor were with us, I believe he would have dedicated this to Lee Kerslake who brought so much fun into all our lives."

The lead vocals on the album are shared between Trevor Bolder and Derk Gallagher, who added: "When I heard how far Trevor had got with the album, I knew it had to be finished. His vision for the songs was there, so much was laid out, it just needed his friends and family to help complete it. Trev was with us in every recording session in spirit and this album is part of his legacy."

"Sail The Rivers" contains previously unheard titles and Trevor's own interpretations of tracks he had given to URIAH HEEP to record.

The album has been released on Bolder Records (via Cherry Red) which was named after Trevor's father's record shop, in yet another example the album being a family and friends project.

"Sail The Rivers" is available on CD for Christmas 2020 ahead of its release on streaming platforms in early 2021.