KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch has told Terry "Beez" Bezer of Knotfest.com's "Mosh Talks With Beez" that he and his bandmates "have some exciting things coming in 2021." The 50-year-old musician, who left KORN in 2005 and continued as a solo artist before rejoining in 2013, added (see video below): "Me and my KORN brothers, man, that's been the best thing in my life — to be back with them and to walk through the good and the bad times with them and create art together. We just have such exciting things to come next year, and I'm so excited for that. 2021 is gonna be a year of greatness. It's gonna be so, so amazing. Please let the shows happen — please."

Asked why KORN hasn't taken part in any live streams, like so many other artists have during the coronavirus pandemic, Welch said: "Well, we actually were talking about it, and we were doing this and that with management. These [other] guys [in KORN] got young kids running around. And what are they gonna do? Just leave their wives with the home school stuff? I'm impressed with my KORN brothers; they're stepping up and doing school with their kids.

"KORN has toured for 25 years," he explained. "I left KORN for eight years and got to chill at home. These guys are taking this time to be family men, to be great fathers. Who's to say we won't do something soon, or early next year? I don't know. But I'm telling you, they are the best fathers, and I'm proud of them. So that's probably the reason — family first."

When Welch left KORN in early 2005, he simultaneously announced that he kicked his addictions to drugs and alcohol by becoming a born-again Christian.

Both Welch and KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu have had highly public, though separate, conversion experiences, ones that have been greeted with a certain amount of skepticism.

In October, KORN and free-to-play video game titan World Of Tanks Blitz launched a special Halloween collaboration, revealing the music video for "Finally Free", a track featured on KORN's latest studio album, "The Nothing". Thee months earlier, KORN released a cover of THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND classic "The Devil Went Down To Georgia", featuring a guest appearance by rapper YelaWolf, exclusively via Bandcamp. All proceeds from the track were donated to Awakening Youth, a nonprofit organization devoted to young people faced with the loss of a parent due to divorce, addiction, death, being surrendered for adoption, or other reasons.

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

MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia" album. He said: "[MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine] is in vocal land now. And guitars are being put down. Dirk [Verbeuren, drums] and I did our stuff back in May and June, and then Dave and Kiko [Loureiro, guitar] were laying guitars down, and then over to vocals, and et cetera, et cetera. So it's moving along well, actually.

"We were originally planning to be in Nashville in March, so we had only a couple of months of a setback," he continued. "We were itching to go, and I know Dave was itching to get us down to Nashville. And quite honestly, I was ready to go. By the end of May, I was, like, 'Let's get going.' So we masked up and went and did it and got it going.

"As much as we had [looked forward to doing] the big 'Metal Tour Of The Year' this year [with LAMB OF GOD], in a way, that it got pushed back to next year [due to the coronavirus pandemic] was helpful for getting the record done — to just focus on that now. So, whatever 2021 holds, as far as touring and all that, I'd like to think that we'll probably see some new MEGADETH music [released]. It is a full-length album — it's not a couple of singles — so there's always a strategy of how you start popping out the singles and dropping a full-length record around touring. So my hunch is keeping an eye on how the touring goes will dictate the date and time that the new record drops as well."

Asked if Mustaine has had any issues with singing in the studio following his nearly six-month battle with throat cancer last year, Ellefson said: "No, that's not come up. It's interesting. We were on the Megacruise exactly a year ago. Dave was not able to be on that cruise, because his treatments were finished up, and he just needed to rest and obviously not be around a lot of people at that time. But then we turned the corner into 2020, and we went over and we did the FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH / MEGADETH / BAD WOLVES tour, which was a big sports arena tour all across Europe. Dave took it easy at rehearsal in Nashville for the first week, and then we got on the stage up in Helsinki and moved across Europe and the U.K. and did the shows. And every show got a little better, a little stronger as far as his voice and him wanting to be a little more adventurous to trying different songs. And I think that really helped. I think it naturally helped him kind of open his voice up and be comfortable with it. He had to take it easy and not push it too hard.

"MEGADETH is one of these bands where we can go out and we can thrash with the hardest and the fastest of 'em, yet we also have this other era of the '90s where there's sort of this midtempo, dare I call it radio rock heavy metal — 'Trust', 'Symphony Of Destruction', 'Angry Again', that stuff. And that really helped. And that tour called for a bit more of that, that we can do some of that material. And we pulled a few things out we haven't played. This lineup had never played 'Angry Again'. Dave and I hadn't played the song 'Dread And The Figitive Mind' in almost 20 years. So it was fun to dip back into the catalog and pull a few gems out that we probably hadn't considered in a long time."

In October, Mustaine told "The Five Count" radio show that MEGADETH's new LP will "probably" be "one of the most ferocious records we've done since 'Rust In Peace'. David Ellefson, he's a pretty good barometer of things, and when he did his bass parts, he [went], 'Man, my arm is killing me. I can't believe this.'"

In a separate interview with SiriusXM, Mustaine said that the upcoming MEGADETH album will be "up there with 'Countdown [To Extinction]', 'Rust In Peace' and probably 'Peace Sells' and 'Dystopia'."

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

Loureiro made his recording debut with MEGADETH on "Dystopia", whose title track was honored in the "Best Metal Performance" category at the 2017 Grammy Awards

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

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

In a new interview with VintageRock Pod, SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine stated about the progress of the recording sessions for the new disc (see video below): "When we started thinking about this album, which was actually last year — in the spring of 2019 — we said, 'We want to go make an album with lots of attitude [and] power.' And that was one of the reasons we picked Greg Fidelman, who used to work with METALLICA or SLIPKNOT. We wanted to make a harder-edged record. There might be one or two ballads on the record as well, since this is so much part of the SCORPIONS DNA, but the focus was really on the harder songs, uptempo songs. And so far, it's been a good ride.

"We've been working at a studio here in Hannover," he continued. "We couldn't go to L.A., like it was planned, in May, so we found our way into a studio here [nearby], which is not too far away, like L.A., so it's just next door, which was not so bad at all. And so the Plan B turned into a Plan A. We went through lots of rehearsals for the songs, where Mikkey [Dee, drums] and Paweł [Mąciwoda, bass] came in. There were also travel restrictions — Mikkey lives in Gothenburg, in Sweden, and Paweł in Poland, in Krakow — and there were travel restrictions, and we had to wait for the moment until the restrictions were gone and they could travel and come here. And then we had another session. And Greg joined us every evening our time and every morning L.A. time via Zoom, and we went through the songs, went through the arrangements and all that, and it's been working out very well so far. Right now, we're [at the] point where we take it to the next step, where we are actually into recordings. And here it will become more difficult when your producer is not in the same room like the band. It's not so easy, but on the other side, we have to make a compromise and find ways to get the job done, because we have a lot of great songs, [and] we're very motivated [to] nail 'em down.

"With Mikkey in the band, the band is in one room and we're playing all together and really like in the old days — we really give it a go," Klaus said. "And there's really some rockers. And Mikkey is such a great drummer, it's so much fun to play with him.

"We use this time, in the lockdown, and I work on my lyrics, and go back to them, and say, 'Ah, maybe I can say this a little better. Maybe I can work on this and that.' And I work also right here in my own studio, where I can record myself. I check out things.

"Right now, Matthias [Jabs] is doing guitar overdubs, so we're moving."

Regarding a possible release date for SCORPIONS' new album, Klaus said: "Hopefully sometime next year — hopefully in the spring, or maybe later. Who knows. It's very difficult to make plans these days. But once we know that we can come to [Las] Vegas, once we know we have a chance to tour here in Europe, or to tour in the U.S., once this plan comes together, then we come closer to making the decision, 'Okay, then the new album should be released exactly then.' But nobody knows right now. All we know is we are very, very motivated. It's a lot of fun, even in this kind of very difficult situation to work on new songs and really to hopefully come up with something where our fans go, 'Yes! C'mon, SCORPIONS.'"

Asked if SCORPIONS already have a title for the new album, Klaus said: "Yeah, there are a few ideas, but it's way too early to say, 'This will be the title.' Because with album titles, it's like the very last minute, and everybody comes with ideas, putting some ideas on the table. But I think, yeah, we might have a good title. But it's a little too early to talk about songs and titles."

Meine then circled back to SCORPIONS' desire to really take the necessary time to make one of the best albums of the band's career.

"Even in this weird pandemic situation, we're excited, because we planned for 2020 to make a new album, and before corona started, we wanted to [take a break], because we'd been touring so much over the last years, over the last 10 years, that we went all over the world and we played every continent you can think of," he explained. "So we said, if we wanna make a record, it's quite a challenge after all these years, but if we do it, we have to take our time and really be serious about it. And that means no touring in 2020. So the Vegas thing was something we wanted to do, because it was nine shows, like a residency, and we said, 'This will be fun. It will be cool to come back to the U.S.' Fortunately, we didn't have to cancel or to postpone too many shows this year, because it was planned to focus on the record."

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

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

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

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

In a new interview with Sweden's RockSverige, ACCEPT's Wolf Hoffmann was asked what Eddie Van Halen meant to him as a guitar player. He responded: "Well, I guess that when he came on to the scene, it was, like, 'What the hell's going on? Where did this guy come from?' I remember that very vividly, and I remember everybody wanting to be like him and play like Eddie for a while. Everybody started doing the tapping thing, me included, but I realized I can't do that stuff. It's not in my hands somehow, so I found another way of playing.

"I grew up being inspired by other people like Ritchie Blackmore and Uli Jon Roth and other people, but not so much Eddie Van Halen," he continued. "I would say he was giant, but you just have to listen to me playing, and it's completely different. But it doesn't mean I have a hell of a respect for him, because he's probably right up there with Jimi Hendrix and some of those ultra-legends. He was really somebody who transformed everything when they came along."

Wolf was also asked what it feels like to have people like METALLICA's Kirk Hammett citing him as an influence. He said: "Well, first let me say that I think it's ultra cool and makes me very humbled to hear that from a band like METALLICA, because they're huge, and that's amazing in itself. Then I would say that that's the way it's supposed to be. Everybody growing up listens to certain people, and it's your influence, and then you take a little part of this and that and make your own style eventually. That's what we did. We grew up listening to DEEP PURPLE and AC/DC and, of course, JUDAS PRIEST, and there are certain elements in all that that we really, really like, and I liked it and kind of built my own, or the ACCEPT style, out of that. The way we write songs and the way we sound and now if people take a little bit of that from us and take us as an influence, we're just basically passing the torch to other guys. It's amazing, and it's the way it's supposed to work, and it's the way it has worked for centuries. Nobody comes to this earth and invents everything at once; it's all bit by bit, and it's how the times move on. I think it's amazing."

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, respectiv

Guesting on the Jeremy White Podcast, KISS icon Gene Simmons offered his thoughts on guitar legend Eddie Van Halen, who passed away on October 6th following a long battle with cancer.

"When Eddie came along, nobody played like that," the KISS bassist/vocalist said (see video below). "And I'm not even talking about the quality of the songs, or Dave's completely taking the frontman to the nth level. I mean, at that time, Dave was the king. There was nobody. If Mick Jagger stood next to him, it would be like a sixth-grader. And he really took it all the way. The whole band — the musicianship, the songwriting. But when Edward would get in front of that stage and start tapping and stuff — which I'd never seen before; apparently it had been done by jazz musicians and everything — your jaw drops. Clearly, no one since [Jimi] Hendrix had that kind of impact."

Simmons added: "The [Van Halen] brothers, Alex and Edward, many people don't know actually started off playing on each other's instrument. Originally, Alex was the guitar player; Edward was the drummer. And imagine the talent in that family that they switched and Edward actually was an accomplished keyboard player. The 'Jump' keyboards and stuff, that's Edward."

Guitar Interactive Magazine has released the new video below, along with the following message:

"As part of our special feature on the history and legacy of Eddie Van Halen, Nick Jennison explores the incredible intricacies of EVH's elusive, and in many ways incomparable, guitar style in this awesome performance and lesson dedicated to Ed.

"The most impactful electric guitar player of the past 40 years - arguably filling even more column inches than even Hendrix. Van Halen was a one of a kind, a master of his art, but more than that he was an innovator."

Learn this track here.

Just in time for Halloween, the Godfather of shock rock himself Alice Cooper has partnered with FITZ Games to launch HorrorBox, a first-of-its-kind, haunted comedy card game with a focus on all things horror. Co-written by a team of horror fanatics, with help from the rock legend himself, the game prompts players to select from question cards like "Pennywise tricked me by…" and "The tenth circle of hell is for…" Entertaining answer cards such as "Setting up my haunted house as an Airbnb" provide countless pairings for endless laughter. To kick things up a notch, dare cards are sprinkled into the question cards, cueing players to "drink something that looks like blood” or "knock on your neighbors door and say you're next."

Says Alice: "This is 2020, which means all things are upside down and backwards. You're going to be staying home a lot, so why not play HorrorBox. It's something totally new, fun for everyone. I helped write a lot of the stuff in it. You will become The Addams Family, if that's a goal in your life."

The game is now available for an 14+ audience and is perfect for playing together with friends in real life as well as virtually over video chat. The base game retails for $25 and includes 420 cards. When fans purchase the initial game, they have the option to add on the Alice Cooper "expansion pack" — featuring 40 additional cards written entirely by Cooper. The HorrorBox collection can be completed with an additional seven expansion packs to give fans even more to choose from so they can play this game for hours on end with friends and family.

For more information and to purchase the game, visit FITZgames.com.

SUGAR RAY lead singer Mark McGrath has reflected on the passing of Eddie Van Halen, saying he was "a great songwriter" who "redefined" guitar playing.

McGrath discussed his appreciation for the innovative VAN HALEN guitarist, who died from cancer on October 6 at age 65, during a short interview with The Hollywood Fix, conducted on October 21 at the Crossroads restaurant in Hollywood.

Mark said (see video below): "Who wasn't a fan of Eddie Van Halen? You can't tell greatness by what came before, but what came after it. Jimi Hendrix, and you had Eddie Van Halen. He just redefined how you play the instrument, and made it palatable — the tapping… And I think he's such a great songwriter. A huge loss. You think 2020 can't get any worse, and it's just been terrible. It just hurt my soul, losing someone like Eddie Van Halen. When you lose a Frank Sinatra, when you lose an athlete, someone that meant so much to you, it's truly heartbreaking. So that one hit hard. I'm still processing it."

Asked if he and his friends used to "party to VAN HALEN back in the day," Mark said: "Party to VAN HALEN? Of course. How else do you listen to VAN HALEN, man? Of course we did."

Eddie died at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. His wife, Janie, was by his side, along with his son, Wolfgang, and Alex, Eddie's brother and VAN HALEN drummer.

The iconic VAN HALEN axeman died from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

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

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

After undergoing hip replacement surgery in 1999 due to a chronic joint problem, Eddie was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2000 and had to have part of his tongue surgically removed. He later battled throat cancer and reportedly had been receiving radiation treatment in Germany. It is believed that his heavy smoking over the years led to his long battle with cancer.

BUSH frontman Gavin Rossdale has reflected on the passing of Eddie Van Halen, saying he was a sweetheart and a "virtuoso" who put "decades" into his guitar playing. The legendary VAN HALEN axeman died on October 6 at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer.

Speaking to Marci Wiser of the 95.5 KLOS radio station, Gavin said (hear audio below): "I only had the pleasure of his company one time. I went for dinner at someone's house, and he was there at dinner, and I sat next to him. And he was a sweetheart. And he had his guitar with an amp in there and basically soloed through most of dinner. He stopped playing guitar when we were talking, but generally, he practiced a lot. He was a virtuoso, but a really good thing for people to know [is] that outside of his musical genius, he just put hours in, years, decades into playing, and that's how he got so good. And it's sort of a lesson for all of us, really, that our craft should be something that we tend to most of the time."

Noting that Eddie was an "unbelievable talent," Gavin continued: "What I do like about it is that the general consensus you get from him across the board of people was [everyone] saying what a kind and beautiful spirit [he was]. I mean, even his ex-wife was saying great things about him. Now, that's an achievement. If I die tomorrow, don't be counting on that shit. [Laughs]"

Eddie died at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. His wife, Janie, was by his side, along with his son, Wolfgang, and Alex, Eddie's brother and VAN HALEN drummer.

The iconic VAN HALEN axeman died from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

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

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

After undergoing hip replacement surgery in 1999 due to a chronic joint problem, Eddie was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2000 and had to have part of his tongue surgically removed. He later battled throat cancer and reportedly had been receiving radiation treatment in Germany. It is believed that his heavy smoking over the years led to his long battle with cancer.

The official music video for "Soul Suffer Payment", the first single from SOMETHING ON 11, the project featuring EVANESCENCE's Jen Majura and fellow guitarist Alen Brentini, can be seen below.

Blending different influences from QUEEN to TESTAMENT, SOMETHING ON 11 manages to create its very own sound, which was captured on the group's self-titled debut album, due on November 13.

SOMETHING ON 11 bills itself as a middle finger to all the mainstream rules, which is reflected in the first single just perfectly. "Soul Suffer Payment" deals with the burden of a regular 9-to-5 worklife by utilizing the bulletproof corset of a shatter-resistant modern rock song, combined with sharp vocals contributed by Majura, and Brentini's punchy guitar riff.

After being formed in spring of 2018, it took SOMETHING ON 11 a fair while to complete the first LP. The album was produced by the duo itself and features eight ass-kicking metal influenced songs that will appeal to fans of modern hard rock and vigorous instrumentals.

Majura, a self-described "half-Asian living in Germany," joined EVANESCENCE in August 2015 as the replacement for Terry Balsamo.

Last year, EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee said she was happy to have Majura in the band. "She has added a lot to our live shows because she's a singer. It has been a really awesome thing to have live background vocals for the first time. I am such a fan of layered vocals, and to have that better represented at our show has been a cool breakthrough for me. And also, she's just rad energy. She's got a great attitude, fun personality, very engaging, killer onstage, so she has been a fun addition to our family. And of course, it's awesome having another girl in the band for the first time."

Majura has released two solo albums thus far, 2014's "Jen Majura" and 2017's "InZENity".

SEVENDUST drummer Morgan Rose released his debut solo EP, "Controlled Chaos", on November 27 via Rise Records. Morgan co-wrote the EP with SEVENDUST bandmate Clint Lowery. With Clint on guitar and Jason Christopher (COREY TAYLOR, PRONG) on bass, Morgan tracked six songs in less than ten days at The Lair in Culver City, California.

Asked in a new interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio if it was nerve-racking releasing his first solo EP and doing all the vocals himself, Morgan said (hear audio below): "Yeah. I'm pleasantly surprised that people really liked the first [single from the EP, 'The Answer']. It was so not a big deal to me. It's like the Internet to me. I'll get a thought in my mind, and I've gotten better at this, but I used to get thoughts in my mind, and I would say something on Twitter, and then, all of a sudden, it's, like, people are just coming after me left and right. And I'm, like, these people don't even follow me. Who are these people? You think that you're just kind of thinking out loud, or thinking to yourself, and really, it's coming out, and people are hearing it. So, that was the same thing with this record. I was, like, 'I'm just gonna do the record for me. No big deal.' And then, I was, like, 'Oh, wait a minute.'"

He continued: "There's gonna be plenty of people that hate it, because that's just the way society is these days anyway. If they hated it before, they could hate it in their house. Now they're going to tell me they hate it on the Internet. So, you're gonna have to deal with the criticism, which really doesn't bother me at all. I mean, the whole idea from the start was I'm not a singer; I'm a drummer. But I do write — I write vocals, and I write melodies and lyrics and stuff. So, I was able to do it on my own in that aspect. And it is a little nerve-racking, but it is what it is. People will love it; people will hate it. And I know that the people that are loyal to this band will appreciate it, I'm sure."

Rose began his career over 25 years ago as a founding member of the Atlanta-based metal band SEVENDUST. Morgan's stickwork with the band has been nationally recognized, being named the number one metal drummer by Modern Drummer magazine, as well as one of the top 100 drummers of all time by Drum magazine, Hit Parader and Drummerworld. Rose, in addition to his work with SEVENDUST, is known for his contributions to projects CALL ME NO ONE with Clint Lowery of SEVENDUST and METHODS OF MAYHEM with Tommy Lee of MÖTLEY CRÜE. With an impressive three million albums sold, Rose has proved a powerhouse alongside SEVENDUST, helping the band earn four RIAA gold-certified albums.

SEVENDUST's 13th studio album, "Blood & Stone", was released on October 23 via Rise Records. The follow-up to 2018's "All I See Is War" was once again tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who has previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH, among others.

In a recent interview with "Bertcast" host Bert Kreischer, Corey Taylor spoke what it was like in SLIPKNOT's early days when he and his bandmates had avoided being photographed without their masks.

"The first couple of years was rad," he said. "But then the more success we got, obviously, it's human nature, man — the ego starts to come out.

"As much as people think it was the reason I put STONE SOUR back together, it's not," he continued, referring to his other band, which he actually started before joining SLIPKNOT. "For me, that was about writing music again, 'cause I just wasn't being able to write music in SLIPKNOT, 'cause I'm just not that good; I'm not as good as those guys are at intricate riffs and shit. I've gotten better, but at the time, I wasn't getting to write music, [and] I just felt unfulfilled. So I put that back together. But the by-product of [performing unmasked with STONE SOUR] was now all of a sudden people know [what] I look like."

Taylor went on to say that he is still able to take part in most normal activities without being recognized or harassed.

"I get the benefits of fame without the TMZ shit," he explained. "I don't get any of that shit. I get to play in front of thousands, millions of people. I get to do cool shit like this, and I can still chill at home. Nobody's camping outside my fucking house. All my kids are taken care of. My bills are paid. I have no fucking worries. I love it. It's the best."

With every album cycle, the members of SLIPKNOT unveil brand-new masks to coincide with the release of their latest collection of songs.

For his latest SLIPKNOT mask, Taylor worked with special effects legend Tom Savini, whose extensive career in the film industry and especially the horror genre dates back to the late 1970s, including such films as "Friday The 13th", "Dawn Of The Dead", "From Dusk 'Til Dawn" and many others.

SLIPKNOT's new costumes were unveiled in May 2019 to coincide with the band's appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Corey's debut solo album, "CMFT", was released on October 2 via Roadrunner Records. Taylor recorded the effort with his band consisting of Jason Christopher on bass, Dustin Schoenhofer on drums, and Zach Throne and Christian Martucci (STONE SOUR) on guitar. The LP was completed at Kevin Churko's The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER and STONE SOUR, among others.

Guitarist Erik Ferentinos, who has played with RATT singer Stephen Pearcy for nearly two decades, says that RATT fans shouldn't expect much activity from the band in 2021. "I think [Stephen] may be pausing the RATT thing this coming year and he's gonna go solo," Erik said during an appearance on "The Classic Metal Show" (hear audio below). "And I don't know — maybe we'll see a reunion with the real dudes, which is what I think they should do," he added, apparently referring to a potential reunion of all the surviving members of RATT's classic lineup. "They're not getting any younger."

According to Ferentinos, Pearcy will "go back out and play solo shows in 2021" whether the coronavirus crisis has subsided or not.

"We're more accustomed to doing smaller [shows] anyway, and that's pretty much all we're gonna hope to get involved with," he explained. "Potentially maybe some drive-in stuff in the spring… But we wanna play, and people wanna see shows. We'll take whatever we can get, as far as getting out there. I'm just happy that [Stephen] is willing to go out at his age — he's in his 60s and he's not scared to go out there and play. He's chomping at the bit to get out, and I like that. So we're definitely planning on doing shows. We're gonna do a record."

Pearcy and bassist Juan Croucier are the sole remaining original members in RATT's current lineup, which made its live debut in July 2018 in Mulvane, Kansas. Joining them in the band are drummer Pete Holmes (BLACK 'N BLUE, RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER) and guitarist Jordan Ziff (RAZER).

RATT hasn't released any new music since 2010's "Infestation" album.

In a recent interview with the "Appetite For Distortion" podcast, Pearcy said that he was putting RATT "on the backburner" and focusing on his solo career.

"I've been working on my sixth solo record for the last year and a half, ready to go, ready to go and record it," the 64-year-old singer said. "And I'm also releasing a legacy record of songs from my career, 1977 till 2021. So I've got a lot on the plate."

According to Pearcy, his decision to focus on a new solo album was born out of necessity, not preference.

"I'm always prepared to do RATT music, but if my partner is not into it, then I just switch tracks and move forward. Anything I write for myself, or just write — period — is thought of as RATT music, and I pretty much bring it [to RATT first]. If I know it's really RATT sound and has that schematic, then I'll bring it to… The only partner here left is Juan, and if there's no interest in recording from the guy, then I just move forward and record it for me."

Stephen went to say that the solo song "All That I Want", which he released in April, was originally meant to be a RATT track. "It didn't happen [with RATT] — we didn't get in the studio before we went on the road last summer; that's how old that song is, but it's new — it's still a new song," he told "Appetite For Distortion". "I just recorded it solo and put it out, so people have something to listen to until I get the solo record finished. But it's written — ready to go.

"Anything I write, people expect it to be RATT, and why am I not writing RATT music," he continued. "It's, like, well, I do — all the time.

"At the end of the day, for me, it's all good, no matter where the songs go. But I pretty much offer 'em to my band RATT first, obviously, and if it doesn't go down, then, sure, I'll keep 'em for me."

Pearcy also lamented the fact that so many of his peers have no penchant for putting out new music because they believe that most fans of classic rock bands don't always like to listen to fresh material.

"Some of your own bandmembers don't wanna work these days," Stephen said. "They don't think they have to write new music. You could live off your, per se, legacy, and you can play your songs — classic rock, which it is now. And believe me, it's a very good thing, what we've accomplished.

"A lot of my peers from the '80s, they don't think they need to do records; they don't think records are important," he added. "I can honestly say my bass player, Juan, doesn't think it's important. But to me, music is always important… My bass player is not breaking down any walls trying to get music out with me for RATT. And I can say it, because I'm the one that's having to end up doing a solo record, and the songs sound like RATT, because I know people wanna hear new music, and I happen to be the singer guy. But you literally can just be a jukebox — just going through the motions."

Pearcy's fifth solo LP, "View To A Thrill", came out in November 2018 via Frontiers Music Srl. The follow-up to 2017's "Smash" was produced by Matt Thorne and Pearcy and was mixed and mastered by Thorne and Ferentinos.

RATT — featuring Pearcy, Croucier and guitarist Warren DeMartini — played a number of shows in 2017 after reforming a year earlier in the midst of a highly publicized legal battle with drummer Bobby Blotzer over the rights to the RATT name. They were joined at the gigs by ex-QUIET RIOT guitarist Carlos Cavazo, who played on "Infestation", and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso, who previously played with Y&T, WHITE LION and MEGADETH, among others.

In a new interview with Terry Evans of Stingray Radio, AC/DC singer Brian Johnson was asked if the recent deaths of rock legends Eddie Van Halen, Neil Peart and Little Richard have made him think more about his own mortality. He responded (hear audio below): "Three or four weeks ago [in early October], I turned 73, and I [thought], 'That can't be. What do you mean 73? I haven't done enough yet. I haven't started yet.' [Laughs] 'I've got things to do.' And it's just crazy. And I'm happy I have that outlook on life.

"When you get to this age, you start noticin' people poppin' — just here and there," he added. "But my dad used to say something — he used to say, 'Son, you just play the cards you're dealt.' And that's it."

AC/DC postponed the last ten dates of its North American tour in 2016 after doctors told Johnson he faced a total loss of hearing if he did not stop touring immediately. He was eventually replaced on the road by GUNS N' ROSES vocalist Axl Rose.

To enable him to perform live with AC/DC again, Johnson worked with audio expert Stephen Ambrose, who said he could help resolve the singer's hearing problems.

Ambrose, who invented the wireless in-ear monitors that are widely used by touring artists today, claimed to have invented a new type of ear-bud that would allow Johnson to perform without causing further damage to his eardrums. After three years of experimenting and "miniaturizing" the equipment, Johnson said the technology could allow him to tour again.

AC/DC's comeback album, "Power Up", was released on November 13. The LP was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked 2008's "Black Ice" and 2014's "Rock Or Bust".

In a recent interview with Apple Music, Johnson stated about the technology that enabled him to return to performing live: "I've gotta tell you, it was just lucky. When this wonderful gentlemen came up and was looking for me; he was an audio professor. And he wanted to try this new technology. And he said, 'Listen, we could do it together, if I can come down and visit you.' And I thought it might have been all smoke and mirrors, somebody trying it on, but he was the actual, genuine article, and he did fly down all the way up from Denver, Colorado. And we sat there for two days, and I just couldn't believe the results. But, unfortunately, it was the size of a car battery, so we spent the next two years basically miniaturizing, which is the hard thing. And anyway, it worked well.

"When we'd done the album and we'd shot a video in Amsterdam, Angus [Young, AC/DC guitarist] said, 'Do you wanna do a rehearsal?' Because I didn't wanna go through what I went through again. I said, "Yeah.' And then Angus put the whole backline up. And they were saying, 'Well, we're gonna start quietly,' and we said, 'No, no. I want full battlefield conditions.' And we put it in, in the ears, and we were expected at least maybe two days of screwing around with, but boy, oh boy, it worked straight away… I don't have the words. I really don't have the words to tell you how I felt. But I know 'happy' was one of them. It was really good."

Dream Theater keyboardist, Jordan Rudess, has released the new video below, featuring demonstration of the GeoViolin:

Rudess held another livestream from home on December 2, performing some piano pieces. At the 7:10 mark he discusses the band's new holiday season release, The Holiday Spirit Carries On, and his GeoShred app.

Dream Theater have recorded a brand new medley of Holiday classics, called "The Holiday Spirit Carries On", available for download starting at dreamtheaterofficial.bandcamp.com.

A message states: "With touring cancelled around the world, the incredible members of Dream Theater’s crew have not had the opportunity to work as they normally would in 2020. Please help us support them by purchasing this exclusive Holiday track. All proceeds will go toward these dedicated people who work tirelessly to make Dream Theater concerts possible. Available only through the month of December, for $2.99 USD, via dreamtheaterofficial.bandcamp.com."

Watch an announcement video, and listen to an audio sample, below:

Rob Halford spoke to WeAreIowa.com about how he came to join JUDAS PRIEST in 1973 after being introduced to bassist Ian Hill through his sister, who was dating Hill at the time.

"My beautiful sister Sue," Halford said (see video below). "She's playing 'Jingle Bells' on [Rob's] 'Celestial' album that came out last year. She's so important to me, as [is] all of our family. They make us who we are. We live our lives through each other in that respect.

"But the story with Sue and with JUDAS PRIEST is a fantastic one, because at that particular time, PRIEST were looking for a new singer, and my sister Sue was dating Ian — Ian 'Bass God' Hill from JUDAS PRIEST," he continued. "And he happened to mention to Sue, 'Yeah, we're looking for a singer. And it's been really difficult. We've looked here and we've looked there.' And so Sue says, 'My brother is a bit of a singer.' And [Ian goes], 'Really?' 'Yeah. Yeah.' 'Well, maybe he'd like to have an audition with the band.'

"So, if it wasn't for Sue, if it wasn't for my sister — I'm sure every family has a glorious moment like this — things could have turned out quite differently. But she was my opening door to my life in JUDAS PRIEST."

Hill married Sue in 1976 and they divorced in 1984. They share a son, Alex, who was born in 1980.

Halford's autobiography, "Confess", arrived on September 29 via Hachette Books. It was written with Ian Gittins, co-writer of "The Heroin Diaries" by Nikki Sixx.

Halford is not the first member of PRIEST's classic lineup to release a book. Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing released his autobiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", in September 2018 via Da Capo Press.

In 2009, original JUDAS PRIEST singer Al Atkins released his autobiography, titled "Dawn Of The Metal Gods: My Life In Judas Priest And Heavy Metal". Hill penned the foreword to the book, which was written with Neil Daniels — a freelance rock writer and heavy metal fan who befriended Atkins during the writing of Neil's book "The Story Of Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith" (Omnibus Press).

In a new interview with Metal Pilgrim, VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2018's "The Wake" album. He said (see video below): "Luckily, early this year, in January and February, we did some sessions where we recorded improvisations and bits of songs — new songs. So we worked on these templates the whole year. Now it's just a matter of getting to Snake's [singer Denis Belanger] new studio and jam together and morph it into VOIVOD material. But I really doubt that it's gonna come out before end of 2021 or early 2022. That's realistic. Especially if we focus on learning specific albums [for possible upcoming live streams]. Let's say we decide to learn 'Nothingface' or 'Dimension Hatröss' or 'The Outer Limits', it's a lot of work and many rehearsals.

"I think the whole process of writing new material has been slowed down a lot," he continued. "But thankfully, we are synced up with Logic Pro online and are sharing a Dropbox folder, so with the new technology, we were able to write new material while socially distancing."

Asked about a possible storyline for VOIVOD's next album, Away said: "We've been asked if we would resurrect the Voivod character, and we're thinking about that… We have a messenger chat with the four of us in the band, and we discuss a lot, and it came up a couple of days ago, and we're looking into that. And also, I asked Snake what type of lyrical content he was looking at, and he said he doesn't wanna focus on the COVID situation; he says he doesn't really wanna think about the pandemic situation. He's moving onward.

"We're still trying to deal with the puzzle about the 20 bits of songs we have and trying to make it into something coherent," the drummer explained. "So I think that the next step is for everybody to get together at the new studio that Snake is building, and then it's really gonna morph into a real thing. But I think the content of the lyrics side is coming up quick, and we have to figure it out eventually, because sometimes it really ties everything together. What I mean is it's easier to write the album if you know what you're gonna talk about, and which subject comes before which and after which. So that's probably the mission this winter — to try to do a plan [for the lyrical direction]."

VOIVOD released a new live album, "Lost Machine - Live", on November 27 via Century Media Records. The disc was recorded in Québec City during the worldwide touring cycle for "The Wake".

This past summer, VOIVOD released a new three-track 12-inch vinyl and digital EP titled "The End Of Dormancy" via Century Media Records. The EP is centered around a special "Metal Section" version of the title track (off VOIVOD's latest album, "The Wake") with added trumpets, saxophone and trombones. The complementary songs on this release are exclusive live versions of "The End Of Dormancy (Metal Section)" and the group's classic "The Unknown Knows", recorded at Montreal Jazz Fest 2019.

"The End Of Dormancy" EP came with artwork by Langevin and is available on 180-fram 12-inch vinyl.

In March 2019, VOIVOD was honored with a Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Award) in the "Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year" category. VOIVOD won the award for "The Wake", which was released in September 2018 via Century Media Records. The disc was recorded and mixed by Francis Perron at RadicArt Recording Studio in Canada. The album's artwork was once again created by Away.

During an appearance on the "Joe Pags Show", outspoken conservative rocker Ted Nugent reflected on President-elect Joe Biden's win in the race for the White House, saying that only "brain-dead zombies" would vote for someone like the new commander-in-chief.

Nugent, an avid Donald Trump supporter, said (see video below): "We have heard often repeated the term the 'dumbing down of America.' Well, the dumbing down of America has only impacted leftists; they're the only dumb ones out there. They really qualify as brain-dead zombies who would vote for a candidate for an actual political party in America that stumbles to discover syllables, meaningful statements, to understand his geographical location, to think that there's a segment of our society that would go, 'You know, this Joe Biden guy is a great leader.' I think when Joe Biden speaks [slurs words]. I've heard [him] try to talk, and it's almost like a spoof on a spoof."

Asked what conservatives can do now that Trump is apparently on his way out of the White House, Ted said: "Everybody who believes in God, family, country, freedom, law and order, you need to contact your elected employees now. A monthly basis would have worked prior to this, but now we're scrambling for damage control, because we weren't smart enough to have quality control.

"Every conservative family in America should call their mayor, their governon, their senator and their congressman every week and say, 'Hello, I'd like to speak to the mayor. Okay, he's not available. What is your name? I'm writing your name down, Sebastian, and it's 2 o'clock Monday, and this is so-and-so family calling to let the mayor know' — and same for the governor, same for the senator, same for the congressman — 'we support Donald Trump.' Very pleasantly. But say, 'We support this great president. We support law enforcement. We demand law and order. We demand constitutional accountability, Mr. Mayor. And we know for a fact that there is no such thing in America as systemic racism.' And by the way, be sure you tell the mayor, congressman, senator and governor that we know George Floyd killed himself with fentanyl. The cops were trying to subdue a violent, arrest-resisting thug who was dying because of his fentanyl lifestyle. 'We just wanted the mayor or the governor or the senator or the congressman to know that. That's what my family believes in.'

"If all the conservative families — hell, just 10 percent of 'em, but I'd rather 100 percent — if they called their elected employees and said that, we would cause a wave of fear on that side instead of the wave of fear on our side," Nugent added. "We're not tough enough, we're not aggressive enough, we're not vocal enough, and we're not consistent enough.

"If you don't state and decree, on a regular basis, your conservative values, the elected employees dismiss you out of hand and choose a Joe Biden to be their presidential candidate. Case closed."

A board member of the National Rifle Association, Nugent has drawn intense criticism for his controversial past remarks, including telling then-president Barack Obama to "suck on my machine gun." He also made inflammatory remarks about Hillary Clinton, calling her a "devilbitch" who "hates everything good about America."

In a lengthy Facebook post in 2016, Nugent said Obama and Clinton should be tried for treason and hanged over their handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.

Last year, Nugent defended Donald Trump after the U.S. president was accused of making racist remarks about Democratic congresswomen from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

David Lee Roth has shared a brand new piece of artwork in which he makes several references to his replacement in VAN HALEN, Sammy Hagar.

As he has done before, Roth styled the image in the form of a newspaper called The Daily Catastrophe and he incuded several front-page headlines that mention Hagar: "Concrete Flowers For Sam," "Sam The Man Not Only Will Be Giving His Life For Rock And Roll, But Plans To Be Buried In His Recently Acquired Jet!" and "Red Rocker Refuses To Fly 55 In Afterlife", the latter of which is a reference to Sammy's nickname and Hagar's hit single "I Can't Drive 55".

Hagar replaced Roth in VAN HALEN in 1985 and recorded four studio albums with the band — "5150", "OU812", "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" and "Balance" — all of which topped the U.S. chart. The highest-charting Roth-led VAN HALEN album was a No. 2, and it took until "1984" to achieve that. (2012's "A Different Kind Of Truth" also landed at No. 2.)

Asked about his so-called "rivalry" with Roth, Hagar told Planet Rock magazine: "It wasn't even a blip on my radar.

"I don't respect Dave's artistry, but I do think he's clever and a great showman and what he did with VAN HALEN in the early days was fantastic. VAN HALEN couldn't have made it without him.

"God bless Dave, but he refuses to acknowledge that VAN HALEN with me was even more successful than VAN HALEN with him, and that's very stupid of him. That'd be like me not acknowledging what he did for the band before I joined: that would be stupid, wouldn't it?"

Hagar, Alex Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S. summer tour. In exchange for taking part in the tour, Anthony reportedly had to agree to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the band name and logo.

Early last year, rumors were rampant that the classic-era lineup of VAN HALEN would reunite for the first time since 1984. It has since been revealed that a health setback involving guitarist Eddie was responsible for the tour not materializing.

The rumors originally started with Roth, who hinted to Vulture that VAN HALEN would be playing stadiums with Anthony back in the lineup.

VAN HALEN and Anthony had not been on good terms for more than a decade, with Anthony not invited to join the reunion with Roth that began in 2007. The subsequent two tours and studio album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", featured Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass.

Eddie died on October 6 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman died from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.




#SoggyBottom #DLR #DavidLeeRoth #DiamondDave pic.twitter.com/zZ4Q2ZRHgh

— David Lee Roth (@DavidLeeRoth) November 30, 2020

Eons ago, the members of the intergalactic shock rock band known as GWAR descended on this world as passengers on a flaming comet that would bring about the destruction of most life on Earth. The asteroid plowed into the continent of Antarctica with devastating force, melting the ice, setting much of the world ablaze, and leaving a massive crater filled with the purest Antarctic water and a strangely intoxicating ichor that flowed from the veins of the immortal GWAR. Legend recorded these events as the tale of Ragnarök, the end of days. But like all endings, it was also a beginning. Now, this blood of the gods, harvested from the great caldera, has been distilled and bottled by Catoctin Creek Distilling Company as Ragnarök Rye.

The mad scientists at Catoctin Creek conducted experiments on aging the blood of GWAR in barrels made from the different types of wood scorched by the comet's blast. They used the rarest of grains and watered their mash bill with the melted Antarctic ice to create a single 92 proof rye whisky, potstilled and then aged in charred new White Oak. Members of GWAR then hurl the whisky barrels into the orbit of the Moon, causing contraction to take place as the barrels spin under the influence of the deathly coldness of space and the life-giving heat of the sun. The end result is Ragnarök Rye, an exquisite beverage graced with notes of cherrywood and sugar maple to produce subtle flavors unheard of in a traditional rye whisky. Truly, there is nothing else in the vast universe like the rock band GWAR, and in tribute to the band's originality as the most elaborate, and transgressive theatrical production in heavy metal history, the distillers at Catoctin Creek have made sure there is nothing else like Ragnarök Rye.

"Ahh, such a powerful spirit. A delicious sacrament to drink in preparation for battle, and it'll get you really, really crazy," says GWAR's The Berserker Blothar.

"We were quite surprised when GWAR showed up at our distillery," said the exasperated founder and general manager Scott Harris. "Purcellville is a quiet town, so to have these intergalactic visitors was—honestly — a little stressful. We had to constantly keep an eye on them to keep them from breaking stuff, and they even tried to eat our dog, Otto. The only way we could get them to leave was to agree to bottle their whisky for them."

Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, The Virginia Rye Whisky, was founded by Scott and Becky Harris in 2009. Inspired by the history and craft of Virginia, Catoctin Creek made a name for itself as the first legal distillery since Prohibition in Purcellville, Virginia's Loudoun County. The craft distillery is home to Virginia's most-awarded whisky, Roundstone Rye, which has been presented gold medals across the globe and stands out through its old-world production methods. Catoctin Creek prides itself on sourcing rye whisky, gin, and seasonal brandy from local grains and fruits, with spirits available in 27 states and three continents. The Harrises' intricate attention to detail results in high-quality internationally acclaimed products, including seasonal releases and private cask offerings, that recognize the true craft of Virginia spirits.

The story of GWAR begins in the deepest reaches of outer space. Long ago, the beings who would become the infamous shock rock band GWAR were part of an elite fighting force, the Scumdogs of the Universe. For eons, they served as thralls to a supreme being known only as the Master. But one by one, each member of the band earned a glaring reputation for being an intergalactic fuck-up. And so, they were banished, sent away on a fool's errand to conquer an insignificant shit ball floating in a dark corner of the universe; the planet Earth. Once here, GWAR shaped the face of the globe, destroying and rebuilding the natural world, and giving rise to all of human history before settling into their role as the most outrageous rock band in history. Aliens to some, gods and demons to others, GWAR is eternal.

Dave Brockie, who fronted GWAR under the name Oderus Urungus, was found dead in his home in Richmond, Virginia in March 2014. According to Virginia's State Medical Examiner's Office, he died from acute heroin toxicity by accidental means.

Brockie was last remaining original member of GWAR, which was founded 36 years ago. He was 50 years old.

The satirical metal band earned a following for its macabre, over-the-top costumes, offensive lyrics and graphic, gore-soaked shows, in which the bandmembers performed as the descendants of alien warriors who arrived on Earth to enslave and slaughter the human race.

THE DEAD DAISIES — the hard rock "collective" founded by Australian musician and businessman David Lowy — will release its fifth album, "Holy Ground", on January 22, 2021. The LP was recorded at La Fabrique Studios in the south of France with producer Ben Grosse. The follow-up to 2018's "Burn It Down", will be the band's first to feature Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION), who joined the group last year as its new bassist and vocalist, replacing John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE) and Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY).

In an interview with "That Jamieson Show" which originally aired this past April but has just now been uploaded to YouTube, Hughes stated about the lyrical themes covered on "Holy Ground" (see video below): "Since I've been clean and sober now almost 30 years, I think in PURPLE, in the '80s and '70s, I wrote about fiction. Then, when I got sober, the more time I have under my belt, and the years I have under my belt, I'm really, really honing in on life — what happens between life and death: fear, no fear, love, faith, hate, giving. And THE DEAD DAISIES album is one story after another.

"I know you've interviewed a lot of people that have done their work, and their work is about to be released, and they're looking at this work going, 'Wow! I'm writing this stuff, and it really means something now.' Well, funny enough, the record I wrote with THE DEAD DAISIES, the songs that you go, 'Surely he wrote this when the [coronavirus] crisis started.' No, I wrote this [in] August [2019].

"So the album is self-expalantory," Hughes added. "It's about autobiographical stuff. I do write stuff about what happens in my life. But I think people will hear it and they will relate to it, because they're probably going through the same [stuff] — whether it's fear or happiness or sadness or whatever. I'm a 'feelings' kind of dude."

According to Hughes, the response to THE DEAD DAISIES' "Unspoken" single has been overwhelmingly positive, with most THE DEAD DAISIES fans embracing him enthusiastically.

"The numbers we are creating on the views and the comments, if you will… I don't really read a lot of comments. It's dangerous, isn't it? But in general, the media and 99.9 percent of the fans of THE DEAD DAISIES are allowing me to join gracefully," Glenn said.

"Just a little education, for those that don't know, THE DEAD DAISIES was born out of David Lowy's idea, bringing in groups of musicians. Even before [Brian] Tichy [WHITESNAKE] and Jon Stevens [INXS], he had other guys coming in — Dizzy Reed [GUNS N' ROSES], and he had many, many people before John and Marco came.

"I just thought this morning, John Corabi and I, when he was in MÖTLEY CRÜE, Nikki [Sixx] called me down to sing on a song called 'Misunderstood' with John Corabi from the album he did. So I've known John since 1994. [I'm] very close friends with John, and I'm very, very close friends with my dear friend Marco, [whom] I've played with many times.

"So, to all those people asking questions: what's going on here? Just remember this: we're all a loving family in THE DEAD DAISIES. Every member that's been there is family, and that's gonna continue. I'm just being able to allow myself to conduct myself in this band and to raise the game, if you will, like they want me to do and reach out to as many people as possible."

This past September, THE DEAD DAISIES released another new single, "Bustle And Flow". The track arrived two months after the release of THE DEAD DAISIES' "The Lockdown Sessions" digital EP. That effort contained four acoustic tracks, all of them exclusive to this EP: "Unspoken", "Righteous Days" and a version of the HUMBLE PIE classic "30 Days In The Hole". The EP rounded out with a stripped back version of "Fortunate Son", featuring Castronovo on lead vocals.

In a new interview with "Let's Discuss With Lance Hall", veteran hard rock vocalist Jeff Scott Soto was asked if he would ever consider writing an autobiography. He responded (hear audio below): "There is a book that my former tour manager pieced together. I guess it came out during the 30-year anniversary of my career back in 2014, I believe it was. And he was able to get it out on hard copy, but we never got it published. It wasn't necessarily a tell-all, like giving all the dirt and all the details. It was more of a chronicle of my career — all the things that I've done, how I got involved with these people, et cetera, et cetera. I thought it was very chock-full of great information, but, as we all know, people want the dirt — they want the stories. They wanna hear [about] televisions being thrown out and the cocaine binges and all that kind of stuff. So I realized, for me to be able to tell my story, I might be hurting others. And I don't have any interest in throwing anybody under the bus. And there are even some stories I can't tell legally and officially. So if it's gonna incomplete like that, it's kind of not worth it. I'm at the stage of my life where I'm still kind of writing the book in terms of living the experiences. So I don't think I'm ready for that."

Soto's career spans over 35 years. He was first introduced to the public as the vocalist for guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen's iconic first two solo albums before going on to front esteemed hard rock band TALISMAN. He is also one of the vocalists for the wildly popular TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, the lead vocalist for super group W.E.T. (featuring JSS alongside members of ECLIPSE and WORK OF ART), creative visionary for the more metal leaning Soto, and frontman for the supergroup SONS OF APOLLO (which also features Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and Billy Sheehan), among many other musical activities he has been and is involved in. He also held a stint fronting Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers JOURNEY and was one of the vocalists for the officially sanctioned QUEEN tribute QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA. His incredible voice has led to many an artist inviting him to do guest lead vocals or background vocals on their albums, including, but not limited to, STRYPER, Joel Hoekstra, SAIGON KICK, Fergie Frederiksen, Lita Ford, STEELHEART, and more.

In 1995, Soto released his first solo album, "Love Parade", followed years later by the acclaimed "Prism" (2002), then "Lost In The Translation" (2005), "Beautiful Mess" (2009), "Damage Control" (2012), "Retribution" (2017) and "Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)" (2020).

Asked in a 2015 interview with JoelGausten.com what he considers to be the keys to longevity in the music industry, Jeff said: "You have to want it so badly that you know nothing else. That, to me, is the key to me even being here now and even talking to you. It's a very fickle industry. As most know, it's not going to work for everybody, especially today. One out of every 5,000 to 10,000 is going to get a chance to do anything in a real way. Those odds are not very good. You have to really want it; you have to really be hungry for it and you have to stick it through. My persistence is one of the things that got me most of the gigs, whether it be singing for JOURNEY or singing for TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA currently or any of the other things I have under my belt. My persistence has been above and beyond most people that I know in this industry, and that's the only thing that got me here. I'm still eons away from where I aim to be and where I ever wanted to be. I'm still hungry for it as if I am starting today, like it was 1985 all over again. That's another thing that keeps me here. So if you really want it, it will happen. That's the only advice I could ever give to a new musician; you've gotta stick with it. If you don't stick with it, then that means you never really wanted it."

DEF LEPPARD's Rick Allen has been voted "Best Rock Drummer In The World" by the readers of Music Radar.

The site held a poll asking its visitors to name rock's top sticksman, and DEF LEPPARD's one-armed drummer came out on top. Coming in at No. 2 was VOLBEAT's Jon Larsen, followed by 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER's Ashton Irwin at No. 3, ALTER BRIDGE's Scott Phillips at No. 4, Simon Phillips at No. 5, QUEEN's Roger Taylor at No. 6, MÖTLEY CRÜE's Tommy Lee at No. 7, BLINK-182's Travis Barker at No. 8, NIRVANA's Dave Grohl at No. 9, and AC/DC's Phil Rudd at No. 10.

This month marks 36 years since the life-altering accident suffered by Allen in which he lost his left arm in an auto accident in England. Allen had to relearn how to play drums and drum manufacturer Simmons worked with him to build a kit. The band stuck with Allen through the difficult time and the drummer persevered through an accident that would have ended most people's careers.

Allen spoke about his accident during a recent interview with Modern Drummer. He said: "I remember coming around in the hospital and then realizing what had happened to me after the accident, and honestly, I wanted to disappear. I didn't wanna do this anymore. And then I started getting these letters from all over the world… I got encouragement from everywhere — from my family, from the guys [in the band], from people all over the world. And I don't know what happened, but I discovered the power of the human spirit and just said, 'You know what? I can do this.' It was really a collective thing. It was all this encouragement I was getting from other people, and then it just manifested in wanting to succeed. And that's exactly where it came from."

Rick also talked about the support he received from his bandmates in DEF LEPPARD who stuck by him through his recovery and waited patiently for his return.

"They left the decision to me, whether I wanted to go on or not, and they gave me time to grow and develop, really, a whole new style [of playing]," Allen said. "And that's all I needed — I just needed the time. I needed the time to build my confidence and realize that I could do it. Nobody ever said, 'Well, you have to make a decision now.' I think that was the most important thing — just that time that they gave me just to find myself."

After visiting the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2006, Allen dedicated himself to helping war veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of sustaining injuries similar to his own.

Allen told ABC News in 2012: "I didn't know what my life would be like after that terrible day. It was the darkest time in my life… My desire is to encourage a support system for warriors, de-stigmatize PTSD, share their stories and offers alternative ways to pave the road to resiliency and health."
























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Still trying to master the art of one armed acoustic drumming #blessed #rickallen #leadwithlove

A post shared by Rick Allen (@rickallenlive) on Oct 3, 2020 at 9:37pm PDT

Greek melodic metal masters, Nightfall, will be releasing their new full-length, At Night We Prey, on March 5 via Season Of Mist, making it the band's debut to the label. The band has shared the first single from the new effort, "Darkness Forever". A lyric video for the song can be found below.

Vocalist Efthimis Karadimas comments on the track: "This song was originally inspired by Isaac Asimov’s nouvelle Nightfall. It is called 'Darkness Forever' because of its analogy to what one experiences when in deep depression. Hope seems to be nowhere near and help from others is never enough to bridge the gap between shattered psyche and real world. Incapacity to communicate this harsh condition, to explain what all is about, is suffocating. And as all beings struggling to breathe, reactions are neurotic and violent."

Available formats:

- CD Digipak
- LP in various colours
- Digital

Pre-order here.

The album artwork for At Night We Prey was created by Travis Smith and can be found below along with the tracklisting.

Tracklisting:

"She Loved The Twilight"
"Killing Moon"
"Darkness Forever"
"Witches"
"Giants Of Anger"
"Temenos"
"Meteor Gods"
"Martyrs Of The Cult Of The Dead (Agita)"
"At Night We Prey  "         
"Wolves in Thy Head"

"Darkness Forever" lyric video:

Lineup:

Efthimis Karadimas - Bass, vocals
Mike Galiatsos - Guitar
Kostas Kyriakopoulos - Guitar
Fotis Benardo - Drums

Season of Mist has announced that German extreme metal band Der Weg Einer Freiheit has inked a new deal with the label. After the successful releases of Stellar (2015) and Finisterre (2017), the label will continue the cooperation with one of the most interesting and hardworking bands in the extreme and black metal scenes. In addition, Der Weg Einer Freiheit will release a brand new album in 2021. More information will follow soon.

DWEF vocalist Nikita Kamprad comments: "It's been a little quiet around us lately, but rest assured we have worked our asses off this year to finally present you a new album in 2021! For this we are more than happy and honoured to have teamed up with Season of Mist yet again that we feel is the perfect home for us and our music. We'd like to thank them and all our fans out there for their tremendous support throughout the years! The final recording sessions for the new album will take place in March next year at Ghost City Recordings, the studio where we have also recorded the predecessor albums Finisterre and Stellar. If you want to learn more about the progress and works on the new album, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter on www.derwegeinerfreiheit.de that we will use regularly from now on to broadcast more in-depth information about what's going on you might not find anywhere else."

Current lineup:
Nikita Kamprad: guitars, vocals
Tobias Schuler: drums
Nico Rausch: guitars
Nico Ziska: bass

(Photo by: Emanuel Oropesa)

Scotland’s Dvne recently released a new 2-track, digital-only EP, entitled Omega Severer, via Metal Blade Records. Watch an official visualizer for the song "Of Blade & Carapace" below:

Dvne recently commented: "Due to the chaos that COVID-19 has provided the whole music industry in 2020, our new full-length album will be released in spring 2021 alongside a string of tour dates. However, as we know our fans have been waiting patiently for new material, we've decided in the meantime to release this EP that links old and new together, and these two tracks do exactly that.

“Omega Severer is the first glimpse of our upcoming album and its universe. It is a track that captures a lot of new elements for us, especially with the introduction of synth as a more prominent feature in the band.

“'Of Blade and Carapace' is a recent re-recording of a track from our 2015 Aurora Majesty EP. This track has always been special to us, so this EP is the perfect opportunity to share this fresh take of the song with you all.

“We'd like to also take this opportunity to thank our new label Metal Blade Records for their constant support throughout what has been a difficult year for the whole music industry. We can't wait to share everything we have planned with you next year, and we'll see you out on the road in 2021."

Tracklisting:

“Omega Severer”
“Of Blade And Carapace”

"Omega Severer" video:

EP stream:

Glenn Hughes sang lead vocals on 17 tracks for the Phenomena project and all these tracks have been collected together on one Phenomena compilation named after the Hughes co-penned track, “Still The Night”.

Phenomena is an all-star series of albums created by Tom Galley and this compilation also features: Cozy Powell, Mel Galley, Neil Murray, Ric Sanders, Ted McKenna, Michael Sturgis and Richard Bailey.

The tracks are collected together from the million selling debut Phenomena album, Dream Runner and Psycho Fantasy.

As Tom Galley recalls of Glenn Hughes’s work with Phenomena, “It did him a lot of good. He got a lot of attention for the performance he did for us.”

This compilation also features final mixes of the rare tracks “Assassins In The Night”, “Running With The Pack” and the 12” remix of “Still The Night”. The CD housed in an attractive 6-panel digipack with artwork by Iain Lowe.

The compilation is available via Amazon, iTunes, and Spotify.

This past November, Halifax, Canada’s Ancient Thrones unleashed their concept album The Veil. The full length is 57-minute descent into the afterlife telling the story of grief that people can relate to through dark and progressive blackened death.

Ancient Thrones explains:

“The record is a concept record so it’s meant to be listened to in its entirety to get the full experience of the story. Even the songs were written and laid out in a way that they seamlessly transition into each other. Almost as if it was just one long piece of music broken up into separate parts as tracks. We want people to headbang and mosh, but we also want to bring people on a journey through this world of purgatory and grief and understand each phase of grief the record represents through the 10 tracks.”

Today, in support of "The Veil", guitarists Dylan Wallace and Nick Leslieare sharing their playthrough for the track "Divided/Dissolve", which is a mix of blazing-fast melodic riffs and crushingly heavy breakdowns keeping this nine-minute behemoth fresh the whole way through. The song takes no prisoners and tolerates no sympathy in its entirety, beckoning you to question your own sorrow and resistance to fulfillment.

The Veil is a natural evolution in sound, form, and change in style that led the band to become Ancient Thrones. This is unlike anything the members have released before. Recommended for fans of The Red Chord, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Wolves In The Throne Room.

Order The Veil on Bandcamp.

Tracklisting:

“Transient”
“The Sight Of Oblivion”
“The Millionth Grave”
“The Soul To Flesh”
“Viduus (The Veil)”
“Sentient”
“The River Of Rain”
“Divided/Dissolve”
“The Infinite Eyes”
“Permanent”

(Photo by: Matt LeBlanc)

Treat yourself to another dose of dark melodic metal with a brand new song and lyric video from L.A.’s Witherfall by checking out “Another Face” below.

The band comments: “As with most Witherfall songs ‘Another Face’ was written with just an acoustic guitar, pen & paper and copious amounts of red wine. However, once in the studio the track really came to life. Some of the best memories from the recording sessions were working out the outro of the song after the solo. Between guitar and vocal harmonies and subtle harmonic shifts the ending is such a highlight of the record. Jon Schaffer and Jim Morris really brought a lot of energy to these sessions. For everyone involved it was a highly creative time. This track is a great testament to what can happen when everyone on a production team gets to shine a little light on a song.”

“Another Face” is the third single taken from Curse Of Autumn, the upcoming album from Witherfall that is scheduled for a worldwide street date on March 5, with the US vinyl being available April 2.

Apart from the digital album, the following formats are available, please note that the luxurious Gatefold 2LP is coming with a poster and etching on Side D:

- Ltd. CD Digipak
- Gatefold black 2LP for all accounts
- 200x Gatefold Autumn Amber (transp. orange Vinyl) 2LP via CM Distro Wholesale and Onlineshop
- 200x Gatefold Ghost White (creamy white Vinyl) 2LP via EMP and Nuclear Blast

The US is carrying the following formats:

- CD Digipak
- Gatefold Fall Forest Green (translucent forest green Vinyl) 2LP for all accounts
- 200x Gatefold Tempest Frost (coke bottle clear Vinyl) 2LP via Revolver Magazine
- 200x Gatefold River Orchid Bloom (orchid Vinyl) via the CM US Onlineshop

Click here for multiple options.

Via the band’s official store were you can secure:

- 300x Gatefold Last Scar Blood Red (deep blood red Vinyl) 2LP

What could possibly be a better time of the year to dive headfirst into dark melodic metal? While the shadows of winter are creeping up upon us and the nights get longer it is the perfect time for Curse Of Autumn to unfold.

Curse Of Autumn was produced by Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth, Demons & Wizards) for Ravencraft Productions, Joseph Michael (vocals, keyboards, also in Sanctuary) and Jake Dreyer (guitar, also in Iced Earth, Demons & Wizards). For the recording and mix they teamed up with Jim Morris (Savatage, Iced Earth, Kamelot, Death) while Tom Morris took over mastering duties.

The album art is once again another hand painted masterpiece by the legendary Kristian Wåhlin, the fourth painting in the Witherfall series.

Don’t miss the cinematic video for “As I Lie Awake”. The clip was directed by Zev Deans (Ghost, Behemoth, Chelsea Wolfe, St. Vincent).

Witherfall are:

Joseph Michael - Vocals/Keyboards (also in Sanctuary)
Jake Dreyer - Acoustic and Electric Guitars (also in Iced Earth/Demons And Wizards)
Anthony Crawford - Bass (Chon, Shalmor, Allan Holdsworth, Justin Timberlake, Kirk Whalum)
Marco Minnemann - Drums (The Aristocrats, Joe Satriani, Steven Wilson, Tony Levin, Jordan Rudess, Necrophagist)
Alex Nasla - Live Keyboards

(Photo - Stephanie Cabral)