In a new interview with the "Good Company" show hosted by Scott Bowling, Corey Taylor was asked about SLIPKNOT's plans for the coming months once the coronavirus pandemic has subsided. He said (see video below): "The plan right now with SLIPKNOT is to try and a) finish up the touring next year, and b) we're thinking about kind of putting another album out maybe next year. But I don't know. I don't know what the plan is yet. I just know that we all kind of feel like there's unfinished business and we wanna finish that out before we do anything. But I know that we were talking about doing it, 'cause we only have one album left on our contract [with our record label]."

Last month, SLIPKNOT percussionist M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan confirmed that the band has been using some of the downtime during the pandemic to work on material for the follow-up to last year's "We Are Not Your Kind" album.

"Since everybody's taken a lot of time off, we thought we'd utilize it by getting together and do what we probably do best, which is write music," Crahan explained during a bottle-signing session for SLIPKNOT's No. 9 Iowa Whiskey. "So it's been good, because there's no pressure. It's not like we have to. We're doing it 'cause we want to. And it's just been a blessing, because boredom can set in. And I know all of us in the world are going crazy, so we're really lucky to be able to be together and do what we love most."

Asked if he thinks the coronavirus crisis will influence the lyrical themes covered on the next SLIPKNOT album, Crahan said: "We don't usually speak for Corey, or whatever, but I can imagine that anything that affects him and affects us and affects you will be included. To the extent, I don't know how blatant it will be, I don't know, but we are all living this, and everybody's involved. I wouldn't really know what what road [Corey] is gonna be going down or information that he wants to spread. I'm not sure. We're not quite there yet."

"We Are Not Your Kind" came out in August 2019. The disc sold 118,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Furthermore, the album made an impact worldwide with No. 1 debuts in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Japan, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal and Finland, as well as Top 5 debuts in Germany, France, Norway, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain and New Zealand.

"We Are Not Your Kind"'s sales in the U.S. were boosted by a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with SLIPKNOT's summer 2019 tour.

Earlier this year, Crahan said that a set of 11 previously unreleased songs recorded by four members of SLIPKNOT during the sessions for its 2008 LP "All Hope Is Gone" will arrive at some point during the "We Are Not Your Kind" touring cycle.

Crahan revealed the existence of the music in 2018, saying that he, Taylor, guitarist Jim Root and DJ Sid Wilson wrote and laid down the more psychedelic-flavored tunes at a separate studio during an impasse in the recording of "All Hope Is Gone".

The latest episode of the 80’s Glam Metalcast features original Savatage drummer, Steve “Doc” Wacholz (left in the photo). He does through his history with the band and discusses his current band, Reverence. 

On jamming with the Oliva brothers in the early days

Steve: "The first time I met with them and played with them was 1977. I was a kid. In all fairness, Criss was already a guitar god back then at age 14. It was a lot of fun and a learning experience for sure. I had to hone my craft to keep up with those guys. Both Oliva's are very talented, so I had to practice some more to keep up. By 1979 it was a full time gig for us. There was brotherly love and brotherly fights between them. Creatively, you couldn't put two better people in the room together."

On the Edge Of Thorns era

Steve: "Here I am, a longtime member a 1/4 owner of the band Savatage.... I show up to practice one day and I'm introduced to our new singer, Zak Stevens. It was a surprise. Zak is great individual and singer but it just wasn't feeling the same to me. Jon was the voice of Savatage. Zak was a little more poppy if you will. At that time, I had a business going and it was doing very well. I did the album Edge Of Thorns but I decided not to do the tour. Yeah, I was Dr. Killpad on that album.... I played an electric kit!" 

On the death of Criss Oliva and the Handful Of Rain album

Steve: "I probably would still be making music with those guys if Criss was still here. We were pretty tight, it just sucks that he's been gone now for 27 years. At Criss' funeral, we said it was over, that the band couldn't continue without Criss. He was the center point of the band and a guitar god in my eyes. Then 8-10 months later I hear Savatage is recording and I'm like 'Huh?' I didn't play on it, but my picture is on the inside cover and I did the video. I think they did it because I had been there since the beginning. I gave some credibility to the name at the time I guess. I don't really know." 

On the idea of ever playing in Savatage again

Steve: "I would do the whole damn album! I just texted Jon today because I read something that said he was writing. He knows I want to play again. It was Paul's idea like 10-15 years ago to bring all the past member together for a show, bringing them out as you progress in the catalog and timeline of the band. I could take a month out of my life and tour Europe. I don't think I would want to do the States. I'd love to do it. It's not like we are getting any younger."

On his favorite Savatage album

Steve: "It's the one I haven't played on yet! You know the early stuff was a lot of fun. I didn't really know what I was doing, I was just playing." 




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NIGHTWISH's Floor Jansen has released her cover version of the HEART classic "Alone". A video of her rendition, featuring music by Joost Van Den Broek, can be seen below.

In a statement accompanying the YouTube release of her "Alone" video, the Dutch-born vocalist wrote: "Picking Alone from @thebandheart (HEART) as my second cover on YouTube felt like the right decision. I have performed this song with NIGHTWISH, AFTER FOREVER and even at the Christmas Metal Symphony! So when I saw many of you requesting this song, I got to work! Hope you enjoy it!"

Earlier in the month, Jansen released her cover version of the song "Let It Go" from the Disney movie "Frozen". She revealed that she got the inspiration to record the track through her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter Freja, who had been listening to it and singing it "for months."

Jansen made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon.

Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013 and made her recording debut with the group on 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album.

NIGHTWISH's ninth studio album, "Human. :II: Nature." , was released in April via Nuclear Blast. The effort is a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters on CD 2.

Doug Aldrich has recounted his wife's battle with COVID-19, calling it a "very difficult" experience.

The former WHITESNAKE/DIO and current THE DEAD DAISIES guitarist revealed his wife's positive diagnosis during an appearance on a video podcast hosted by Todd Kerns, the bassist of SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS.

Doug said (see video below): "My wife got COVID… Basically, she got it from a girlfriend — it was like a mothers' wine hangout Sunday. And she found out later that the girl had been positive. And I was, like, 'Oh, man.' So she went into quarantine. She tested negative twice. And I thought, 'Okay, we're out of the woods. She can come out of her room, and let my daughter go back to school.' And then she started feeling symptoms, and then she got tested and was positive. She went back full lockdown. Fortunately, in this rental place, it's got a bedroom-bathroom situation that's closed off with another door. So it's almost like you've got two doors you've gotta go through to get to her. So I would just leave food out."

According to Doug, his wife "came out of jail lockdown" about two weeks ago.

"The thing is it's almost like you're a criminal or something," he said. "But we did the right thing, and I'm so proud of her, 'cause she ended it — she didn't pass it to anybody. Me and the kids didn't get sick, and we had been tested now, and she's negative now. But I lost the babysitter, could not take my daughter to preschool. My son was already home. I went into full lockdown dad mode, having my little daughter with me all the time.

"It was very difficult, and after a couple of days, I'm, like, 'Okay, I've just gotta deal with this," he added.

This past Wednesday, 2,216 coronavirus-related deaths were recorded throughout the U.S. The total U.S. death toll from the coronavirus was at 262,090 as of late Wednesday. The average number of coronavirus-related deaths in the U.S. has now reached 1,600 per day. The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has also more than doubled, with nearly 90,000 Americans currently hospitalized with COVID-19.

THE DEAD DAISIES will release their 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).

BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT, the band launched by ex-CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho, has completed recording its first new music. The sessions took place at Finnvox studios in Helsinki, Finland.

Earlier today, BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT posted a short video from the studio and included the following caption: "Recordings finished now and the files are ready for mixing. More info coming soon..."

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

Joining Alexi in the group are drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, guitarist Daniel Freyberg (ex-CHILDREN OF BODOM), bassist Mitja Toivonen (ex-SANTA CRUZ) and touring keyboardist Lauri Salomaa.

Laiho recently said that he will not shy away from performing his former band's songs when he hits the road with BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT. He told Kaaos TV (translated from Finnish): "We will be playing CHILDREN OF BODOM songs as that is what most of the audience want to hear. Those songs are written by me anyway, so I dont see any reason why not to play them. There will be so-called 'basic' songs, but there are also plans to play one or two songs live which CHILDREN OF BODOM has never played so far and some songs which we haven't played live in ages, so the setlist will be a good mix. We try to play as diverse setlist as possible on each show."

Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henri "Henkka T. Blacksmith" Seppälä (bass) and Janne Wirman (keyboards) announced their departures from CHILDREN OF BODOM in October 2019. Two months later, they confirmed that they were the rightful owners of the CHILDREN OF BODOM brand.

CHILDREN OF BODOM played its final show on December 15, 2019 at the Black Box in Helsinki Ice Hall. A short time later, Finnish music magazine Soundi reported that the rights to the CHILDREN OF BODOM name are held by AA & Sewira Consulting Oy, the company owned by Raatikainen, Seppälä and Wirman. In June 2019, the trio filed an application with the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland, and their application was subsequently granted for a five-year period starting on October 1, 2019. As a result, Laiho, who was CHILDREN OF BODOM's singer, guitarist and main songwriter, isn't authorized to use the band's name without permission from Wirman, Raatikainen and Seppälä.

In November 2019, Laiho admitted to Helsingin Sanomat that there had been tensions in the BODOM camp for quite some time.

"The original decision [to end the band in its current form] came when the other guys said they just couldn't do it anymore," he said. "There were family reasons for it. I respect their decision. I myself have a wife and stepdaughter in Australia, and my wife understands my lifestyle. I'm pretty much gone [most of the time], but always I come back and I give them my all. Nothing is more important to me."

According to Laiho, things came to a head when CHILDREN OF BODOM performed in Russia in October 2019.

"We fought a lot within the band, and I can honestly admit that those fights were mainly my fault," he said. "They always started with some misunderstanding."

Relations within the band apparently got so bad during the Russian tour that it looked as if CHILDREN OF BODOM would break up right there and then. But cooler heads prevailed, and the group decided that the shows in Finland would be their last with the most recent formation.

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
























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Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford spoke with Greg Gutfeld for Fox News Radio's The One podcast to discuss his new autobiography, Confess. Check out the interview below.

Halford: "Yes, this is the same guys that met her majesty and shook her hand illegally (laughs). You don't shake hands with the queen. I don't know what's protocol, I haven't got a clue. And prior to that I'm at a truck stop in Texas having three minutes of shenanigans - it may have been 30 seconds - with someone that turns out to be a Priest fan. You can't write this stuff... well you can, because I've written it (laughs)."

Halford's warts and all autobiography, Confess, is available via Hachette Books. A description follows...

Most priests take confessions. This one is giving his.

Rob Halford, front man of global iconic metal band Judas Priest, is a true 'Metal God'. Raised in Britain's hard-working heavy industrial heartland he and his music were forged in the Black Country. Confess, his full autobiography, is an unforgettable rock 'n' roll story - a journey from a Walsall council estate to musical fame via alcoholism, addiction, police cells, ill-starred sexual trysts and bleak personal tragedy, through to rehab, coming out, redemption... and finding love. Now, he is telling his gospel truth.

Told with Halford's trademark self-deprecating, deadpan Black Country humour, Confess is the story of an extraordinary five decades in the music industry. It is also the tale of unlikely encounters with everybody from Superman to Andy Warhol, Madonna, Jack Nicholson and the Queen. More than anything else, it's a celebration of the fire and power of heavy metal.

Rob Halford has decided to Confess. Because it's good for the soul.




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During an appearance on the latest episode of "The Official Danko Jones Podcast", OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy confirmed that the band is working on material for a new studio album.

"I'm super stoked on some of these new songs that we've got," he said (hear audio below). "And 2021 would be fabulous if we had a release date, but just like everybody, especially nowadays where physical copies are very tough to sell and talk people into buying, the new album is really just that bait on the hook to really keep people happy to where when you need to get on tour, you can get out there and give them some new music and give them a new album to get their hands on, but also to obviously support you and buy a piece of merchandise and come to the show.

"Once these [pandemic-related] handcuffs are off of all of us musicians, the new OBITUARY album will be ready and it will be a worldwide release," he continued. "But in the meantime, we are working our asses off to just make a monster album."

Regarding OBITUARY's songwriting approach this time around, Donald said: "We've never been a band to worry, to put pressure on ourselves to even look back in the past, or even just the last album, and put pressure on ourselves, like, 'Oh my God! The last album really went over well. We really have to make a great album.' And, 'Oh my God! What are we gonna do? The last one we had this kind of groove, and people liked this song, so maybe we need to think about a song like that.' We don't ever do anything like that. When Trevor [Peres, guitar] and I enter the studio, or the jam room, there is nothing on our mind except, 'Let's just turn the amp on,' and within the first 15, 20 minutes, if something comes out, and that's usually about the time frame that the good shit comes out, then we roll with it. If not, we don't panic. We just then jam a little bit and keep the thing recording, and maybe some riffs come out of it. But we're not the band to sit there and grind for a seven-hour day on one song just to try and make it spectacular. Obviously, some people have extreme success doing it that way, but we are that kind of band where we write entire songs, entire albums without knowing really what my brother's gonna do. He'll obviously give us some insight on what raises his eyebrow, and then we move forward that way. But we are the band to be the first to say, 'You know what? It's music. It's fun as hell. And we have the best jobs in the world.' It's the most fun.

"I don't do anything — I don't do roller coasters; I don't jump out of airplanes; I don't do any of that — because being behind a drum set is the most fun — and it's been this way since I was nine years old — it is the most excited I can ever be on this planet," he explained. "I don't know what it is, but just sitting down behind a drum kit and grabbing drum sticks, that is my roller coaster.

"So we don't put pressure on ourselves as in, 'Oh my God! The last album went well.' Instead we're just, like, 'Let's just get in there and go for it, man. Let's write what we love,' and we know our fans are gonna love that."

Last month, OBITUARY completed a three-part "live stream concert series", featuring full-album performances of "Slowly We Rot", "Cause Of Death" and rare classics. The first two streams — a "Slowly We Rot" took place on Saturday, October 17; and a "Cause Of Death" set on Saturday, October 24 — were live from the ESI Streaming Studio in Tampa, Florida. The third stream, featuring rare classics and special tracks, was broadcasted live from OBITUARY's recording studio in Gibsonton, Florida.

OBITUARY's latest, self-titled studio album was released in 2017 via Relapse.

Back in December 2012, HEART's Ann and Nancy Wilson delivered a moving rendition of "Stairway To Heaven", LED ZEPPELIN's signature song, at the Kennedy Center Honors. They were joined by Jason Bonham, son of original drummer John and the drummer for LED ZEPPELIN's 2007 reunion show. Their version of the track gradually grew to include a string section, a horde of backup singers and the Joyce Garrett Youth Choir. Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones sat watching from the balcony and were visibly moved, particularly Plant, who had tears welling up in his eyes.

Nancy reflected on the experience of performing for ZEPPELIN members in a new interview with Guy "Favazz" Favazza and John Ulett of the St. Louis, Missouri radio station KSHE 95.

She said (hear audio below): "That was so interesting to do that. We were honored to do that, to honor them, and it was a surprise to them.

"When you go to do the Kennedy Center Honors show, everybody says, 'Don't tell anybody that you're here. Hide out until the moment that you actually walk onto the stage and do the performance for the person that's being honored.' Of course, the night before, we saw John Paul Jones at the restaurant at the hotel. He was just, like, 'What are you doing here?' I'm, like, 'Oh, nothing. I think we've got a show or something.'

"Anyway, it was just one of those moments where we had to take a really deep breath before we walked out there," Nancy continued. "And we didn't even know what just happened until a couple of weeks later when we actually got to watch the show — the edited broadcast of the show. And we saw what happened then. It was, like, 'Oh my god!' That was such a moment. And also the other thing about it was that Jason Bonham, who's the son of their original drummer, John Bonham, was the drummer. And [Jason] grew up around those guys when they were young LED ZEPPELIN. So I'm sure that was part of their emotional reaction — was to see young Jason Bonham with a bowler hat that John Bonham used to wear all the time; he was notorious with his bowler hat. So all of those things combined, I think, led to them feeling emotional with that performance.

"It was really one of those life moments that you're never gonna forget," she added. "Just like, 'Okay, I was part of that, and that was really cool.' [Laughs]"

Asked if any of the LED ZEPPELIN members said anything to HEART about their performance after the event, Nancy said: "They did. There was a big sort of a dinner thing afterward, and each one of them came around to our table. And John Paul Jones was just, like, 'That was awesome.' And then Robert Plant said, 'You know what? I've come to hate that song so much, 'Stairway To Heaven', because everyone just murders it. But you guys did great.' And then Jimmy Page walks up, and he goes, 'Okay, you played that really perfect.' And I said, 'No, you can't tell me that.' 'Cause he's Jimmy Page — 'cause he's one of my best guitar idols of all time. I was, like, 'Okay, I can die now.' I'm a superfan."

Earlier in the month, Nancy released her version of Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising".

Nancy's first solo album, on which she plays guitar and sings on all the songs, will be released through Carry On Music.

On September 5th, Devin Townsend and his band performed the Empath Live Volume 2 by request livestream, which featured a full production. The musicians were filmed separately, playing their instruments live on greenscreens with 8 cameras each (all at the same heights and distances for each of the remote shoots) and then combined on a virtual stage.

Clips from the livestream have surfaced on YouTube and can be viewed below. The setlist was as follows:

"Velvet Kevorkian" (Strapping Young Lad)
"All Hail The New Flesh" (Strapping Young Lad)
"By Your Command"
"Almost Again" (Strapping Young Lad)
"Juular" (Devin Townsend Project)
"March Of The Poozers"
"Supercrush!" (Devin Townsend Project)
"Hyperdrive"
"Stormbending" (Devin Townsend Project)
"Deadhead" (The Devin Townsend Band)
"Aftermath" (Strapping Young Lad)
"Love?" (Strapping Young Lad)
"Spirits Will Collide"
"Kingdom"
"Detox" (Strapping Young Lad)




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Don't miss photographer Mark “Weissguy” Weiss’ Pre-Halloween Virtual Fundraiser (October 30 - 6 PM, EST) on meethook.live/Rock for the Monmouth Museum.

This event will reveal a new exclusive video from 1987 of Kevin DuBrow, Zakk Wylde and Sebastian Bach before they were stars, performing “Bang Your Head" by Quiet Riot at Mark's wedding at the Molly Pitcher Inn, Red Bank, NJ.

Photographer Mark “Weissguy” Weiss is welcoming the addition of Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres and Skid Row guitarist Dave “The Snake” Sabo to his Halloween eve “Welcome To My Exhibition” fundraiser for the Monmouth Museum, which is currently hosting Weiss’ Mark Weiss: The Decade That Rocked exhibit.

The virtual event will feature a virtual walk through of the exhibit plus interviews with Zakk Wylde, Tico Torres, Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy, Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider and many more of the mischievous rock star friends that are featured in Weiss’ book, The Decade That Rocked.

Sirius/XM Ozzy’s Boneyard and Hair Nation DJ Keith Roth and his Band of Ghouls will perform live with special musical guests, including Jerry Gaskill of King’s X, Rob Affuso of Skid Row and Accept frontman Mark Tornillo.

Founded in 1963 as a Museum of Ideas, the Monmouth Museum presents changing exhibitions in art, history and science to educate and entertain while providing a destination for creative expression and life-long learning to the diverse community it serves. An independent, non-profit organization, the Monmouth Museum is entirely supported by individuals, foundations, corporate, county and state grants, and income from special events, membership dues and admissions.
Mark "Weissguy" Weiss invites you to join him with his pals Tico Torres of Bon Jovi,  Zakk Wylde, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister and Rudy Sarzo of Quiet RIot to come to the event on October 30.

Click here to buy your ticket.

All those who watch the virtual pay-per-view event will have chance to win an 11 x 14 Alice Cooper photo from 1987 signed by Mark and Alice.  
Mark will be having his last book signing on Friday, October 30 from 2 - 5 PM with books for sale, for all of you that reside in the tri-state area, Guests that dress up in 80s rock star fashion will receive a free Mark Weiss promotional postcard set. Mark will be in attendance in his Alice Cooper persona. Go to monmouthmuseum.org for directions to the museum in Lincroft, NJ.

(Photo - Mark Weiss)




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Founding BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward has released a video of him reading another original Halloween poem called "Stepping From Broomsticks". Check it out below. The clip comes less than a week after the release of Ward's first Halloween poem video, "It's Nearly Time".

Ward was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced nine years ago, but backed out soon after. The drummer later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

All four original members of SABBATH were present when the band announced its reunion in late 2011. But Ward split from the group in 2012, citing an "unsignable" contract, and singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler carried on with their Rick Rubin–produced "13" LP and extensive international touring without him.

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio during SABBATH's last tour that Ward was not in shape to participate. "Bill Ward has got the most physically demanding job of the lot of us, 'cause he's the timekeeper," he said. "I don't think personally he had the chops to pull it off, you know. The saddest thing is that he needed to own up to that, and we could have worked around it, whether we had a drummer on the side with him or something."

It was rumored that SABBATH wanted to bring a second drummer on the road to share duties with Ward, something that Iommi confirmed in 2017 during a question-and-answer session about SABBATH's "Ten Year War" box set.

Ward in 2015 released his first solo album in 18 years. Titled "Accountable Beasts", the record can be purchased on iTunes.

To tide fans over during trying times, electronic rock band ORGY has unearthed a never-before-seen video for the track "Spells", taken from its 2015 "Talk Sick" EP.

"We just wanted to reach out during these hard times to let you know we haven't forgotten about all of you," ORGY says. "These times are especially difficult for everyone, not just the music industry. While it's probably for the best, it sure does suck not being able to perform live for all of you. We miss it just as much as you probably do, if not more."

The "Spells" video was directed by Mykyta Samusiev, produced by Anna Tveritina and featuring visual effects, direction and production by Henry Lipatov, and has been on the shelf for some time, as the band has moved on, restructuring and reshaping their always-evolving sound.

"Even though so much has changed regarding the sound of ORGY since then, we figured why not at least release the video on all major platforms and give it away to any of you that want it?" the band says. "We hope you enjoy it, and that the video will at least be a distraction from all the drama going on out there!"

ORGY is currently utilizing downtime to work on new material from their individual houses. "We can't wait to get the new record to you," the band says. "We are going to bring you something you can sink your teeth (fangs, etc.) into. Stay safe, stay well and most importantly stay optimistic. We will ALL get through these complicated times. Looking forward to seeing all of you again with a new record and tour when they open live music venues, hopefully in 2021!"

ORGY emerged in the goth music scene in 1998 with its remake of NEW ORDER's "Blue Monday". The track sold over one million copies and is still selling more than 20 years later. In late 2005, after the release of "Punk Statik Paranoia" via D1 Music And Associates, their independent DVD "Trans Global Spectacle" via D1 Music/DLC Records, and a promotional tour, the band went on a hiatus to work on their side projects. In 2011, after seven years of demand from fans for new music and a tour, founding member Jay Gordon (vocals) decided it was time to kick things back up and begin recording and touring again.

ORGY is:

Jay Gordon - Vocals

Carlton Bost - Guitar/Vocals

Nic Speck - Bass/Vocals

Creighton Emrick - Guitar/Vocals

Marton Veress - Drums

SOEN, the progressive heavy rock group featuring world-renowned drummer Martin Lopez (formerly of AMON AMARTH and OPETH), will release its fifth album, "Imperial", on January 29, 2021 via Silver Lining Music. The lyric video for the first single, "Antagonist", directed by Zev Deans, can be seen below.

"Imperial" continues SOEN's unique journey through the psyche of our species and the conundrum of our times. Founding members Joel Ekelöf (vocals) and Lopez, along with Lars Enok Åhlund (keyboards and guitar), Oleksii "Zlatoyar" Kobel (bass) and Cody Ford (lead guitar) have never shied away from challenging perceptions of life and humanity and have conjured eight crisp and supremely constructed songs spanning themes of frustration, reflection and hope. "Imperial" is the most fierce and dynamic release of SOEN's journey, one which continues to be deeply therapeutic for both the group's dedicated followers and the band themselves.

Lopez states: "In my life, I try to be as real as possible, but I think that the music, and nature, of SOEN are the only place that I really, really feel I can be myself. When you're home, doing music, writing lyrics, that is where you really get to express yourself without any judgement and with total freedom."

Produced by Iñaki Marconi and the band, "Imperial" was mixed and mastered by Kane Churko, who has worked with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Bob Dylan, giving songs such as "Illusion", "Modesty" and the epic closer "Fortune" a dimension and richness which will reach yet more ears and minds. The power and poetry of SOEN's dynamics are honed more now than ever, something which is perversely a product of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It has obviously been a crazy, terrible thing for everyone, and for us as a band it has been really frustrating not being able to play shows," says Martin, "but also it has given us a clear window of opportunity to realize this album completely. We were able to spend 12 hours a day for many months bringing 'Imperial' to the place we truly wanted, mainly working on the groove and flow of the album."

Lead single "Antagonist" storms through the gates with a massive heavy riff of intent, followed by an epic blend of strength, beauty and defiance of all the world's darkest power mongers, captured in the lyrics "Dependency dampens the wild / Inequity weighs down the motion of progress / Life isn't just to survive."

"We will always be a band that has the old will to fight for freedom and all the important things in life, the people, the underdog," says Lopez. "You have to take on the big question marks such as what the fuck are we doing with our lives and where's the empathy. Why do we keep on testing and crushing ourselves as a species?"

"Imperial" track listing:

01. Lumerian

02. Deceiver

03. Monarch

04. Illusion

05. Antagonist

06. Modesty

07. Dissident

08. Fortune

"Imperial" is an album which will engage the listener immediately and sustain long after this crazy time has passed, its rich details destined to make it a classic metal album of this era.

"As we continue, we find inspiration in the sad fact that the world is getting more and more polarized, that it's more complex and it's not consensus or people getting along" says Ekelöf. "We continue to try and understand why and how that will affect us all."

FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl and keyboardist Rami Jaffee performed a stripped-down version of the band's song "Times Like These" during last night's (Sunday, October 25) "I Will Vote" concert. The two-and-a-half-hour event, hosted by comedian George Lopez and political strategist Ana Navarro, served as a fundraiser for the Biden Victory Fund in support of former Vice President Joe Biden's presidential campaign.

You can watch the FOO FIGHTERS' performance below.

Back in 2018, FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl said that he was "ashamed" of having Donald Trump as the U.S. leader, explaining that the billionaire real estate mogul "seems like a massive jerk."

"Today, the American Dream is broken," Grohl told the British GQ magazine. "I've probably travelled internationally more than our current president and the one thing I understand that he doesn't is that the world isn't as big as you think it is. It is all in your neighborhood. India, Asia, Iceland aren't other solar systems. I am ashamed of our president. I feel apologetic for it when I travel."

In 2017, Grohl said in an interview with Switzerland's SRF 3 that criticism of Trump's extremist rhetoric by musicians and Hollywood stars only serves to embolden and fuel his base. "I think that for years maybe they felt like the minority and now all of a sudden there's a voice that they can sort of attach themselves to, and the more pushback they get from that, it's like the stronger they feel in a lot of ways," Grohl explained. "So all you can do is fight the good fight every day when you wake up and try to be a good person and treat everybody with respect."

Asked how he, as a responsible parent, talks with his kids about the often-inflammatory behavior we see from the president on a daily basis, Grohl told SRF 3: "I remember the night of the election, I had to sit down and have a talk with my daughter. She was terrified, man. And I basically told her what I'd just told you. I was, like, 'You can't give up hope. You just have to fight the good fight. And the things you believe in… You have to stand up and represent the things that you actually believe in.' That's what everybody should do. But I think it's hard for a kid to understand that."






Music has the power to change the world. So does voting.

Join us and many other performers for a concert to support @JoeBiden, @KamalaHarris and Democrats down the ballot.

Sign up here: https://t.co/icIBoF580w#VoteEarlyDay pic.twitter.com/QJGorHqDfa

— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) October 24, 2020

Another force of great musicians has come together fusing hard rock, metal, punk and hip-hop. Aptly titled DMC AND THE HELLRAISERS, they are releasing their scary as hell but ultra-infectious debut single "Monster" on October 30. The subsequent gritty black-and-white video for the song will release on October 31, Halloween Day.

THE HELLRAISERS is the latest rock/rap endeavor featuring one of hip-hop's greatest pioneers, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels alongside Veronica Bellino, the drummer for famed alt-metal band LIFE OF AGONY. Bellino anchors the ensemble's rhythm section with her feisty skinning with veteran bassist David Filice and DMC DJ Charlie Chan. Guitarist Rich Devletian rounds out the band, keeping the hellraising quotient at a fever pitch throughout the track.

"Monster" is driven by DMC's blistering rap verses illuminating the terrifying demons we all battle inside beyond our carefully constructed facades — which lead to the irrepressible hook sung by Bellino: "You created a monster, you better leave the light on." In true Renaissance Woman fashion, Bellino also created the "Monster" video by piecing together intense images of her singing, McDaniels rapping, Filice and Devletian playing onstage, and a narrative featuring stark images of a masked man slowly going insane and getting violent with himself, unable to cope with those inner voices of destruction that we all battle.

The band name HELLRAISERS is a reference to RUN-DMC's "Raising Hell" album which defined and solidified the genre "rock rap" when they collaborated with AEROSMITH for the remake of "Walk This Way" and a genre DMC has embraced over the past three decades. His original success helped give birth to Kid Rock, KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and other "rock/rap" bands.

"The song has a lot of potential meanings," says Veronica, who penned the chorus/hook while McDaniels wrote his verses. "It could be an everyday monster like the evil people we sometimes see on the news, or maybe it's the monster we create in our own heads. To us as a band, it represents what we call the 'mental health monster,' which lies behind the fake smile we wear to cover those dark realities. That is represented in the video by the weird, creepy smile of the man's mask. Behind that, he is disturbed, and he's in the house isolated and freaking out as the mental health monster eats him alive. The line 'You better leave the light on' is our way of saying, a breakthrough is possible if you let a little positivity shine through the darkness."

DMC AND THE HELLRAISERS has its roots in a working relationship Bellino developed with McDaniels in 2011 after the two were introduced through LL Cool J's record label, a label Bellino was working with at the time. McDaniels was working on the song "Attention Please" with Pauley Perrette and chose a killer hook that Bellino wrote for the track. DMC, equally impressed by Bellino's drumming skills, (she is featured on the skins in the song's video) hired her to play drums and be the musical director for a series of shows he and DJ Charlie Chan had coming up, including shows at The Troubadour in L.A. and the Fun Fun Fun festival in Texas. The HELLRAISERS eventually evolved to include Filice and Devletian, and have since performed with McDaniels and Chan at various concerts around the globe, including The Open-Air Festival in Switzerland, as well as multiple venues in Germany, Nashville, New York City and L.A.

"I love playing with these musicians," says McDaniels. "We're a drummer/singer, guitar player, bass player, deejay and an MC that came together to have fun writing and performing together. For me, that's the essence of being in this business."

"Our industry has put everything on pause during COVID, and it's been a challenge to stay motivated creatively and keep ourselves from going crazy when we can't play live," adds Bellino. "In light of that, we felt it was a good time to put out 'Monster' to create awareness of the project that includes a rap legend yet offers something different."

Filice says: "At a time when so many people are going through a hard time with their mental health, this is a powerful song that takes a no holds barred approach to the issue and meets our collective moment perfectly."

DMC AND THE HELLRAISERS are working on an EP to be released in 2021.

Former Uriah Heep songwriter/multi-intrumentalist, Ken Hensley, passed away on Wednesday, November 4.

In what is believed to be Hensley's final interview, with eonmusic's Eamon O’Neill, Ken was asked if he ever had the desire to get back together with Uriah Heep, or was that something that just didn't interest him?

Said Hensley: "No. I mean, I did the reunion thing in Moscow with Mick [Box] about five or six years ago, and I was just doing it for money. That wasn't all together a pleasant experience because I expected it to be like it was in 1975 or '73 or '74, so I was crushed by my own expectations, to be perfectly honest with you.

"I'm perfectly happy with where I am. I may have played my last show, because the virus has killed every show that I'd planned for this year, and we're unlikely to be able to play next year. But that doesn't bother me either, because I've had such a wonderful life, and so much of my life is way beyond anything I ever dreamed I would achieve, so I can sit back and say it was great, it was fantastic, and just get on with other things. I'm just very peaceful that it happened with where I'm at, and I know that if I got on stage with Heep again, it would just be a facsimile, and I never want to be part of that."

Read the complete interview at eonmusic.co.uk.

The news of Ken Hensley's death was delivered by his brother, Trevor, in a post on Facebook.

Said Trevor Hensley: "I am writing this with a heavy heart to let you know that my brother Ken Hensley passed away peacefully on Wednesday evening. His beautiful wife Monica was at his side and comforted Ken in his last few minutes with us. We are all devastated by this tragic and incredibly unexpected loss and ask that you please give us some space and time to come to terms with it.

"Ken will be cremated in a private ceremony in Spain so please don’t ask for information about a funeral. Ken has gone but he will never be forgotten and will always be in our hearts."

Jersey City, NJ hard rock / metal band Them Damn Kings has revealed the official music video for their debut single, "Throw it Away." Self-directed and produced by multi-talented front-man Jef Rhodes, "Throw it Away" is off of their upcoming album, Rise Up.

“It ("Throw it Away") was the first song written for the record. It makes me wanna get on a motorcycle and ride even though the song has nothing to do with that. It’s about tossing away your fears in an abstract sort of way.” - Jef Rhodes (Lead Guitar / Vocals)

Them Damn Kings is the one man hard rock wrecking machine created by New Jersey USA native, guitarist / multi-instrumentalist / vocalist Jef Rhodes. Jef is a long time professional Front Of House engineer, and backline tech who has over two decades of international touring experience with such bands as: Opeth, Cradle Of Filth, Highly Suspect, Lacuna Coil, Watain, Mayhem, and others.

By enlisting former Lacuna Coil drummer Ryan Blake Folden, the pair have recorded Rise Up, a monster of a debut album that sounds both new and exciting - while simultaneously reminding listeners of that golden age of the early ‘90s when hard rock, metal, and grunge ruled the late night rock clubs of the world.




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Norwegian old school heavy metallers, The Cult Of Destiny, featuring members of The Carburetors and Chrome Division, have announced the release of their self-titled debut album on November 27th, via The Cult Of Destiny Records. A video teaser can be viewed below.

Singer Eddie Guz says: "We always wanted to do an old school heavy metal project but couldn’t find the right guys or time for it. The Cult Of Destiny will be this band. It will be filled with old school riffing and singalong choruses, and of course a lot of theater in the presentation. If you are into that old school heavy metal sound, I don’t think you will be disappointed. There will of course be some modern elements too. In this project there will be no strict rules or wrongs, as long as it's fun and has that heav -metal feeling to it, I’m okay with it. We hope you will join us in this adventure, but most importantly let’s have some fun and play some heavy metal."

The Cult Of Destiny artwork and tracklisting:

"So It Begins"
"The Armageddon Is Here"
"Suman The Council"
"Into The Armageddon"
"Coming From The North"
"Brother"
"The Cult Of Destiny"
"Stand With Me"
"Set The Demon Free"
"Welcome To The End"
"Exit Armageddon"
"I Was Made For Lovin' You" (Bonus - KISS Cover)

The album was recorded by Arslan Qureshi and Jørgen Henriksen at Laidback Studios. Mixed and mastered by Robert Hauge at Badabing Studio.

The Cult Of Destiny is:

Eddie Guz - Vocals (The Carburetors, Chrome Division)
Chris Marchand - Guitars (The Carburetors, Shot At Dawn)
Mr. Damage Karlsen - Guitars (Chrome Division, Breed)
Mads Mowinkel - Bass (Chrome Division, Breed)
Jon Erik Bokn - Drums (Chrome Division, Breed)

For further details, visit The Cult Of Destiny on Facebook.

 

 




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The CJSS track, "Hell On Earth", is the opening track from the band's debut classic metal album World Gone Mad. The video below features a live version recorded at Bogart's in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Lineup:

David T. Chastain - guitar
Russell Jinkens - vocals
Mike Skimmerhorn - bass
Les Sharp - drums

Previously released live videos for the CJSS tracks, "World Gone Mad", "Destiny", "Welcome To Damnation" and "Praise The Loud", also recorded at Bogart's in Cincinnati, can be seen below:




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Frontiers Music Srl welcome UK melodic rockers, Blood Red Saints, back to the label. 2021 will see the release of the fourth studio album from the English rockers. Titled Undisputed, the album is also a return to the melodic rock style as heard on the band's debut album, Speedway.

Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, the recording of the album took place at guitarist Lee Revills' home studio. "We didn't set out to write a certain type of record, we brought ideas to the table and they happened to be melodic. As we live through the process and can reflect on these songs, this feels like it is shaping up to be our strongest album to date," says Revill.

Blood Red Saints was formed at the end of 2014 by singer Pete Godfrey and bassist Rob Naylor from the band Angels Or Kings. They quickly got to work writing their debut album. Their search for a name ended with the chance discovery of a semi-legendary Speedway team “The Blood Red Saints”, who were formed in the late 1920s in Brooklyn, New York. Their leader 'Freddie Rendetti' became synonymous with the team and was a fiery, colorful character who ultimately lived the fast life a little too fast. The band loved the name and ran with it.

James Martin of Vega came along and was instrumental in getting the band signed to Frontiers Music Srl for their debut album, Speedway. James and his twin brother Tom also co-wrote two songs on the album and none other than Harry Hess (Harem Scarem) took care of the mastering of the album. The band’s debut album was an impressive slice of classic British AOR, following in the traditions of early Dare, FM, and Newman.

The band then went on to record two well-received albums, Love Hate Conspiracies and Pulse, for AOR Heaven, but have now returned to Frontiers for their forthcoming fourth album, Undisputed. Stay tuned for more news on the album and the first taste of music soon.




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Baltimore rockers, Signal 13, have just unveiled their latest single/video, “All Fired Up”, from their Destination Unknown EP. Serving as the follow-up to the earlier singles/videos “Dirty” and “Stay With Me”, “All Fired Up” is an undeniable bluesy rocker with a shout-along/anthemic chorus.

“The song is built around this blues-rock riff that everyone really liked and it came together quickly after that,” explained the band in a statement. “Vicky had lyrics already written and immediately integrated them into the music. As soon as we started playing the main riff, she said ‘This is All Fired Up!’ and jumped right in with the lyrics. Vicky will tell you it’s about decisions and committing to move forward or back, but there is more to it than that. I don't want to give it all away but it is much deeper if you listen closely, with some Robert Johnson inspiration going on.”

And like the other aforementioned earlier singles, a must-see video was filmed for “All Fired Up”. “We wanted to do something different than we have done before. While ‘Dirty’ was a performance video, it was very basic, with no stage, just two lights, and it fit the song. For this, with shows being shut down for so long and not being able to have people see us live, we wanted to give everyone the full show - big and bold and capturing us live. Vicky designed the stage herself and the production company really brought it to life. It was a big production for us - a fully custom designed multi-tiered stage, tons of lights, lots of cameras and different angles. It was a long day and we were having fun behind the scenes so folks hopefully get to see who we are a bit off the stage.

View the video below, and hear “All Fired Up” here.

In September, Signal 13 won "Best Band" in Baltimore Magazine's annual 2020 Best Of Baltimore Readers' Poll, while the group’s songs and videos have exceeded 1.4 million views and streams on all platforms.

And it turns out that the filming of their latest video has intensified the band’s desire to rock once more on a stage, in front of crowds. “It was a blast to hit a stage again for the first time since March... and we can’t wait to bring the live show to everyone in the future!”

Issued back in April, the Destination Unknown EP is available for order through the band’s website.

Destination Unknown tracklisting:

“Dirty”
“Karma”
“Make It Rain”
“Stay With Me”
“All Fired Up”

"Dirty" video:

“Stay With Me” video:




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Canadian bashers Imonolith have posted the second episode of their online series, Behind The Vocals, which gives fans the opportunity to hear what singer Jon Howard sounds like in the raw. No editing, all one take, straight up singing. Here's what Jon had to say about this episode:

"Cover song, Nine Inch Nails, camera vocal audio. We recorded this homemade demo for shits and giggles earlier this year. I decided the world needs to hear our version of this song, and I also really felt the need to sing it again. Enjoy."

Imonolith features drummer Ryan Van Poederooyen (Devin Townsend Project), guitarist Brian ‘Beav’ Wadell (Devin Townsend Project), Jon Howard (Threat Signal), guitarist Kai Huppunen (Methods of Mayhem, Noise Therapy) and Scott Whalen (Econoline Crush). The collective of heavy-hitting players is at the top of their game recently releasing their debut album, State Of Being. The album features special guest appearances from Jens Kidman (Meshuggah) and famed Swedish vocalist Johannes Eckerström and is made up of 10 hook-laden, riff-heavy tracks that center around the theme of how people deal with various stages of life.

Tracklisting:

"State Of Being" (intro)
"Becoming The Enemy" (feat. Johannes Eckerstrom)
"Instinct"
"Dig"
"The Mourning"
"Forgone"
"Breathe"
"The Reign" (feat. Jens Kidman)
"We Never Forget"
"Hollow"
"Persevere"

"Hollow" video:




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Grammy Award-nominated band and activists FEVER 333 and acclaimed singer, songwriter and activist GRANDSON today contribute covers of two LINKIN PARK classics to a new double A-side Spotify Singles recording. These special recordings mark the first time the popular Spotify Singles program has dove into the catalog to celebrate a classic album: the 20th anniversary of LINKIN PARK's diamond-selling, groundbreaking debut album, "Hybrid Theory".

GRANDSON delivered a rendition of "One Step Closer" while FEVER 333 provided their take on "In The End".

GRANDSON recharges the riffs of "One Step Closer" with punchy production and glitchy electronics, while FEVER 333 sharpen the edges of "In The End" with tenacious rhymes and a hard-hitting delivery.

GRANDSON commented: "I first heard 'In The End' when I was just a kid, illegally downloaded it off Kazaa when I was, like, ten and learned all of Mike's [Shinoda] verses. Then, 10 years later, I played the Forum with Mike in front of thousands of people.

"Chester [Bennington] is an all-time great, and I could never try and sing like he does. We had to pitch the song down just so I could come close to hitting the notes in this song. I just wanted to try and pay homage and do this incredible song justice."

Jason Aalon-Butler of FEVER 333 remarked: "I will never forget that overcast morning in Los Angeles walking from my locker in the F building down the now-infamous 11 stair handrail at Westchester High (now of numerous skate vids fame) toward the bungalows that housed my algebra 2 education and being stopped by my only web site-building homie to tell me of this 'awesome' new band he found called LINKIN PARK.

"'In The End' was the song that made me believe that rap and rock still belonged together. I studied their tasteful marriage of the two styles from that moment on and created my own music with that in mind.

"I wish I could tell my 14-year-old self that one day I'd receive a DM from Mike Shinoda about him liking my music. I wish even more that I could tell my younger self he'd offer to share his talents and energy with me to make more music. I don't think 14-year-old me would believe it, though. 35-year-old me still doesn't."

FEVER 333 just released their new EP, "Wrong Generation", via Roadrunner Records / 333 Wreckords Crew and is currently in the midst of its "Worldwide D333monstrations For The Wrong Generation" livestream tour.

GRANDSON is set release his full-length debut, "Death Of An Optimist", on December 4 through Fueled By Ramen. The forthcoming album includes recent singles "Identity", "Riptide" (co-produced by Shinoda) and "Dirty", which is currently climbing the Alternative Radio chart.

Montreal’s Homicide unleashed their new album Left For Dead this past August since their first offering of 1995's Malice And Forethought released 25 years ago. In celebration of their debut full-length's 25th anniversary, the band has made the record available for download, stream, and a limited amount of CDs for thrashers around the globe.

The band comments:

"We are very excited about the first-ever digital version of Malice And Forethought. It will be cool to hear it in a digital format after listening to it on a boom box for so many years. We look forward to being on all of your fave platforms that you enjoy headbanging to. Both Malice And Forethought and Left For Dead are the soundtracks for listeners who are looking to conquer the world. Whether you’re driving, working out, or just looking for something to bang your head to, the fast and furious styling of Homicide is going to hit the spot."

All killer and no filler Homicide is suitable for fans of Venom, Exodus, and Motorhead. What has been coined as “apocalyptic thrash” came back for fans when Homicide released their sophomore album Left For Dead on August 21, 2020. With a considerable amount of experience under their belts, the new album promises to be an instant classic. A no holds barred tour de force. 

Malice And Forethought along with the band's latest release Left For Dead are available on Bandcamp (CD), Spotify, and Apple Music, and other digital platforms.




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Finnish occult murder pop inventors, Cvlt Ov The Svn, have inked a worldwide record deal with Napalm Records.

While rock music seems to have lost its danger and mystique in a lot of ways, Cvlt Ov The Svn are the force that embodies just that. Eeriness, danger and angst with a pinch of romanticism and seduction and a load of morbid horror theatrics - all wrapped in a melancholic and catchy, yet very rock, and at times even heavy, sound, drawing its influences from all sorts of artists and genres.

Commented the mysterious creative visionary behind the band: “For me the inspiration is darkness itself, as I am able to understand it. When I write songs, I want to push people’s boundaries, so I want to come up with ideas that make you go, ‘What the f**k?!'. Napalm Records is obviously one of the legends. It is an honor to be part of the lineage, part of this family."

The band is currently working on their first full-length album - more to be announced soon. To get a glimpse of what lies ahead, check out the eerie videos for stand out tracks "Twilight", "The Pit", "Luna In The Sky Forever" and "The Murderer" below.

(Photo - Jukka Hautajärvi)




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ICED EARTH founder, songwriter, guitarist and producer Jon Schaffer recently reunited with former ICED EARTH vocalist Matt Barlow to celebrate the holiday season as only they can. The duo returns as the SCHAFFER/BARLOW PROJECT and this time are putting their unique spin on five Christmas classics and two ICED EARTH songs.

"Winter Nights" was born out of a long-standing desire between Schaffer and Barlow to work together again. The idea to work on holiday songs was interesting to both guys. The EP features their unique spin on five Christmas classics, including "Silent Night", the lyric video for which can be found below, "Little Drummer Boy" and "We Three Kings", as well as new interpretations of two ICED EARTH songs, "Watching Over Me" and "I Died For You".

"Winter Nights" is available in numerous configurations on Kickstarter and every CD purchase comes with a second bonus 5.1 Surround Sound mix of the EP. The artwork was created by Sun Khamunaki. The SCHAFFER/BARLOW PROJECT plan to release all versions of the EP in time for the holiday season barring any delays due to recent global events.

Schaffer and Barlow's first collaborative recording since 2008 will feature the following songs:

01. We Three Kings

02. Silent Night

03. Do You Hear What I Hear?

04. Little Drummer Boy

05. I Died For You (Winter 2020)

06. Watching Over Me (Winter 2020)

07. Silent Night (Traditional)

In a video message announcing the project, Barlow said: "This is something that Jon and I had been talking about for many years. It just so happens that it's the right time. These are some Christmas classics that we've decided to do, and also add some reimaginings of some ICED EARTH songs in there with it. So it's really gonna be pretty damn cool, man."

Schaffer added: "The idea, for whatever reason, popped in my head, and I called Matt. And I was in the middle of another production, so we had this short window of time; we couldn't bring you, really, a full-length album at this moment. But if you guys are into the idea, we definitely would like to do more of this in the future. There's other classic songs that we can rework from our past and from holiday songs and new originals and whatever. So, basically, everything's on the table; we just wanna see if you guys are into where we're going with this. And as weird as this year has been, hopefully it will give you guys some hope. So it's gonna be really awesome.

"We're taking some classic big holiday songs and doing our thing with it — making it very theatrical and epic sounding, and heavy in some parts and spooky in others, beautiful," he continued. "We have two versions of 'Silent Night' — one more traditional and one very much something we would do, kind of what you would expect from us."

ICED EARTH played its final show with Barlow at the 2011 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.

Barlow announced his departure from ICED EARTH in March 2011. In a heartfelt statement, he cited his commitment to his family and the need for ICED EARTH to tour more as the reasons for his retirement; however, he committed to performing with ICED EARTH on all 2011 European festival dates, including Wacken Open Air.

Current ICED EARTH singer Stu Block (formerly of INTO ETERNITY) made his live debut with the band in November 2011.

ICED EARTH's latest album, "Incorruptible", came out in June 2017 via Century Media.

An audio recording of ALTER BRIDGE frontman Myles Kennedy performing an acoustic cover version of the IRON MAIDEN classic "The Trooper" for SiriusXM can be streamed below.

Prior to launching into the track, Kennedy explained that he first came up with the idea to play "The Trooper" during the tour he undertook in support of his debut solo album, 2018's "Year Of The Tiger".

"I hit the U.S. a few times, did Europe, did South Africa," he said. "It was amazing — a lot of fun. I played tracks from my career over the last few decades and also played some covers that I would mix up in the set. And there was one track that kind of became a fan favorite.

"I was laying in my bunk in a bus one night, and I thought, I just need something at a certain tempo and [that] has a certain vibe, but I want it to be a song that's from my kind of formative years as a young, angst-ridden teenager," he continued. "And I was thinking about a lot of the bands that I was listening to back then, and I thought it would be interesting to take one of those tracks and change the arrangement to fit the context of what I do within the realm of my solo project, which tends to have more of an Americana vibe, amongst other things. It's kind of a potpourri of sonic whatever. So I thought, man, I was a big MAIDEN fan as a kid. And one of my favorite IRON MAIDEN tracks is 'The Trooper'. And I thought, what would happen if you took 'The Trooper' and kind of mixed it up with how Johnny Cash might have approached it. I thought that would be interesting."

Myles recently completed work on his second solo album. The LP was tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with the same team that worked on "Year Of The Tiger", including producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, engineer Jef Moll, as well as drummer Zia Uddin and bassist Tim Tournier.

In July, Kennedy told "Offstage With DWP" about the musical direction of the forthcoming LP: "'Year Of The Tiger', first of all, is a very dark record, and it's very stripped down, very acoustic based. This one has elements of that. I wanted to keep a common thread with it. There are acoustic elements. There's definitely still that element of a lot of slide guitar, a lot of lap steel, 'cause I just love how emotive both those are. But it definitely rocks a little more. There's no doubt about it — this is more of a rock record, with kind of a heavy R&B undercurrent at times as well. There's even one song — if it makes the record — which is a full-on Motown thing.

"I've got so many [songs] right now," Myles added. "[The overall direction] is really gonna depend on what makes the record. I think I learned that from David Bowie interview, where he [said he] would try and write… He'd have 40 songs to choose from [for an album], so that way you can make the best statement you can."

Myles's tour in support of "Year Of The Tiger" featured music from the album as well as selections from Myles's work with ALTER BRIDGE, THE MAYFIELD FOUR and SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS.

According to the Los Angeles Times, THE CULT guitarist Billy Duffy has listed his house in Hollywood Hills, California for $3.8 million.

Duffy bought the four-bedroom, four-bathroom home four years ago for $2.63 million.

Located close to the famous Sunset Strip, the property is described in its official listing as an "architectural gem."

THE CULT recently entered the legendary Rockfield Studios in Wales to begin recording its new album. The band's follow-up to 2016's "Hidden City" is being helmed by producer Tom Dalgety, who has previously worked with GHOST and ROYAL BLOOD, among others.

Last December, singer Ian Astbury told Atlantic City Weekly that THE CULT was planning to work on new music in 2020.

"Hidden City" was released in February 2016 via Cooking Vinyl. The follow-up to 2012's "Choice Of Weapon" was written by Astbury and Duffy and was produced by Bob Rock, who has previously worked with METALLICA and MÖTLEY CRÜE.

In early May, it was announced that THE CULT had inked a deal with Black Hill Records.

THE CULT spent most of 2019 touring in celebration of the 30th anniversary of its "Sonic Temple" album. The LP catapulted THE CULT into superstar status and remains their most commercially successful release. It has sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone and was certified platinum in 1990. It made it to No. 10 on the Billboard chart, and several of the album's songs remain rock-radio staples to this day.




Billy Duffy's Hollywood Hills Midcentury https://t.co/D7AcBauhNY

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) October 26, 2020

Irish doom metal band, The Grief, have released their new digital EP “Descent” on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and all other common streaming platforms. Lyric & guitar playthrough videos can be found below.

The Descent EP is the band’s second release in 2020 and follows on from the debut Ascent EP, released in March this year. Descent features five tracks of varied material, recorded during the same sessions as the Ascent EP and once again the five tracks were mastered by Dan Swano at Unisound.

Artwork for the EP was created by Slava Gerj.

Tracklisting:

"Scourge" (Instrumental)
"Sunder"
"The Ascent"
"Den Of Thieves"
"To Hew In Wrath"

"To Hew In Wrath" lyric video:

"To Hew In Wrath" guitar playthrough video:

"Den Of Thieves" lyric video:

"Sunder" lyric video:

"Scourge"

"The Ascent" lyric video:

Formed in early 2016, The Grief features members from Cork-based metal bands Corr Mhóna, For Ruin and Soothsayer some of whose members had originally played together in a Katatonia tribute band (Katatonik). The Grief plays a mixture of doom-tinged metal with influences from many of the classic British doom metal bands & made their initial live appearances in 2017 before recording an initial unreleased demo with the initial line up of the band:  Robert Farrow - Drums, Kieran O'Leary - Bass, Paul Quinn - Guitars, Stephen Quinn - Vocals, John Murphy – Guitars. When the drum position was vacated by Farrow (who moved abroad), the band decided to focus on recording their first 9 songs during 2019 at Murphy’s home studio in North Cork. Recordings were completed in late 2019 with Murphy performing the drum parts until new drummer Con Doyle joined the band in March 2020.




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Metalville Records has announced the signing of Southern California avantgarde rock outfit PHILM. Comprising vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Gerry Nestler (CIVIL DEFIANCE) and bassist Pancho Tomaselli (WAR), PHILM will make its long-awaited return with its third album, "Time Burner", which is scheduled for a tentative February 2021 release. It will be the band's first album without the services of drummer Dave Lombardo (ex-SLAYER), who announced his departure in 2016.

States Nestler: "We are very pleased to be joining the Metalville roster for the release of 'Time Burner'. They are a solid company run by experienced industry veterans who know how to navigate in these challenging times and have everything in place to help us re-establish PHILM after being away for a time. We can't wait for the fans to finally hear 'Time Burner', which we think is our best, most well-rounded record yet. You can expect PHILM Mk II to be as heavy and uncompromising as ever, but we've also pushed our musical boundaries and innate eclecticism to new horizons."

"Time Burner" was recorded with engineer/producer Chris Sorem at Nest Recorders in Los Angeles and features Venezuelan-born, Grammy Award-winning guest percussionist Anderson Quintero on drums. PHILM has yet to announce a full-time drummer for the 2021/'22 "Time Burner" touring cycle.

Meanwhile, the song "Spanish Flowers" off "Time Burner" is featured in the eponymous animated short film directed by Ness Tomaselli and Fernando Yanes. Described as "a surreal, animated narrative involving a ritual of life and death carried out by two monks and a mourning priestess who is forced to let go of her mummified son," "Spanish Flowers" has been a selection at several notable film festivals and was the winner at the LA Independent Shorts Awards this past February.

This year, "Spanish Flowers" has also been selected into the LA Shorts International Film Festival animation category, to play along 61 other independent animated films from around the world. Accredited by the Academy Awards, BAFTA, and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, the prestige of the LA Shorts Fest is unparalleled, ranking amongst the top International Film Fests in the world, and running strong for 24 years — officially making it the longest-standing shorts fest in L.A.