For the first time since its release in 1981 and after a jaw-dropping 412 weeks on the chart, QUEEN's landmark "Greatest Hits" compilation has hit the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, rocketing from No. 36 to No. 8. Its previous peak was No. 11, which it hit in 1992. The nine-times-platinum-selling career-spanning collection also hit No. 1 on Billboard's Vinyl Albums chart with the second-largest sales week of 2020 for any vinyl release.

Spanning QUEEN's triumphant first act, "Greatest Hits" includes some of the world's most iconic rock songs, including the stadium-sized symphonic chart-topper "Bohemian Rhapsody", the most-streamed song of the 20th century around the globe and the most-streamed classic rock song of all time. Other gems featured on this compendium include the roof-raising "We Are The Champions", the crowd-rousing "We Will Rock You", the tongue-in-cheek "Fat Bottomed Girls", the stomp-stomp-stomp late-'70s-disco-inspired "Another One Bites The Dust", to the finger-snapping jukebox retro-rock homage "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and the soaring, impassioned, gospel-tinged "Somebody To Love".

QUEEN recently teamed with Target and Walmart for two separate "Greatest Hits" vinyl exclusives, both being two-disc LPs, 180-gram, with fans having a choice between ruby blend marble vinyl or red and white-colored vinyl.

In an era dominated by hip-hop and pop, QUEEN is bigger than ever with a timeless appeal and a new generation of fans. Their recently released live album, QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT "Live Around The World", shot to No. 1 on the U.K.'s Official albums chart, their first time topping that chart since 1995's "Made In Heaven".

"Greatest Hits" marks the ninth top 10 album for QUEEN, joining the "Bohemian Rhapsody" soundtrack (No. 2 in 2019), "Greatest Hits I, II & III: The Platinum Collection" (No. 6, 2019), "Classic Queen" (No. 4, 1992), "The Game" (No. 1, 1980), "Jazz" (No. 6, 1979), "News Of The World" (No. 3, 1978), "A Day At The Races" (No. 5, 1977) and "A Night At The Opera" (No. 4, 1976). This past Saturday marked the 45th anniversary of the release of "A Night At The Opera".

QUEEN's "Greatest Hits" remains the best-selling album of all time in the U.K.

Gene Simmons made an appearance last Friday (November 20) to announce KISS's upcoming "Kiss 2020 Goodbye" concert. The band will send off 2020 in its larger-than-life style on New Year's Eve by bringing the biggest and baddest concert event and pyrotechnics show of the year directly into your living room live from Atlantis Dubai on December 31.

"KISS is here to make life a little bit better," Gene said (see video below). "We wanna bring cheer, shake the heavens and you can see it live New Year's Eve around the world. We're gonna stream it wherever you are. Stay at home. Be safe. Join the biggest, baddest party. KISS is gonna be live from Dubai in your living room."

Filmed with more than 50 cameras and 360-degree views, this show produced by Landmarks can be seen globally with ticketing technology and livestream powered by TIXR and experienced like no other virtual concert before.

Tickets to the event can be purchased at Kiss2020Goodbye.com, with prices starting at $49.99 and gong all the way up to $999 for a bundle that includes 14 "exclusive and limited edition items," including a Blu-ray of the concert.

"Frankly, I wasn't interested in doing a stream on the level of Live at the Troubadour in L.A.," frontman Paul Stanley told Rolling Stone. "Not that those aren't good, but they aren't KISS. Either we do this right, or we don't do it. For us, size matters. We don't have to reinvent the wheel; we invented it and it runs real well. We're just making sure it's on a scale and a size that does justice not only to the situation we're in, but that it makes the people watching at home feel like they're a part of it."

Simmons stated: "We play big. There's not a lot of subtlety in what we do. It's like the Fourth of July. You don't want chaos. You can have the biggest, but it won't be the baddest because just random explosions everywhere and 300-foot fireballs going off, you can't tap your foot to that or sing along. You want to have something that has coordination. So everything that we're naturally doing onstage is going to be amplified — 10-to-100-fold bigger, oh my God.

"The best way to shut everybody up and get everybody to enjoy life right now is to make a big resounding noise and shake the heavens with some pyro," he added.

In January 2019, KISS launched its "End Of The Road" farewell tour, which was previously scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City.

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Stanley (guitar, vocals) and Simmons (bass, vocals), alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, Peter Criss (drums) and Ace Frehley (guitar), KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.

In its 46-year career, KISS has accumulated 23 gold and platinum albums — more than any other U.S. band.

In a new interview with Barbara Caserta of Italy's Linea Rock, RAINBOW singer Ronnie Romero was asked about the current status of the band, four years after the Ritchie Blackmore-led outfit first reformed to play sporadic shows. He said (see video below): "Well, we are locked down. [Laughs] We will see. Obviously, nothing's gonna happen next year. And Ritchie and [his wife] Candice [Night], they're really focused on the new BLACKMORE'S NIGHT record. So probably if everything comes back to normality in the next few years, probably we'll do some more shows. But at the moment, everything is on standby."

In May 2019, RAINBOW released a new digital single, "The Storm", via Minstrel Hall Music. The song was described as "a rocked-up remake" of an old BLACKMORE'S NIGHT track from the album "Fires At Midnight", which was issued back in 2001.

A month earlier, RAINBOW released a newly recorded version of its song "Black Sheep Of The Family".

The original recording of "Black Sheep Of The Family" — a cover of a track by the band QUATERMASS from 1970 — was included on RAINBOW's debut album, 1975's "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow".

The first new RAINBOW single since 1996, "Waiting For A Sign", came out in March 2018. The song was penned by Blackmore, with lyrics by Candice and vocals from Romero, who is originally from Chile but is now settled in Madrid.

The latest incarnation of RAINBOW released two new studio recordings in 2017, but they weren't original compositions; one was an instrumental song called "Land Of Hope And Glory", which was a reworking of the 1902 British patriotic song of the same name from Edward Elgar's "Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1", while the other was a re-recording of the RAINBOW classic "I Surrender", which was written by Russ Ballard and was first released by RAINBOW in 1981.

"Waiting For A Sign" is included on "Memories in Rock II", which was released in April 2018 via Minstrel Hall/Soulfood. The set also contains a double CD of the June 2017 U.K. RAINBOW concerts, a DVD containing over 80 minutes of interview footage with the band and crew, an additional backstage clip and a video for the 2017 studio version of "I Surrender".

Blackmore stepped away from his Renaissance-inspired brand of music with BLACKMORE'S NIGHT in 2016 to perform a handful of shows with a brand-new lineup of the band he had formed after quitting DEEP PURPLE.

Although Ritchie initially said that he had no plans to make a new RAINBOW album — explaining in early 2016 that he wanted to "just get back to playing the old songs one more time" — he revealed to Japan's Burrn! magazine that he changed his mind.

In addition to Blackmore and Romero, the current incarnation of RAINBOW includes STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT drummer David Keith, bassist Bob Nouveau (a.k.a. Robert "Bob" Curiano, ex-BLACKMORE'S NIGHT), and backing singers Candice Night and Lady Lynn.

The two shows RAINBOW played in Germany in June 2016 were caught on camera to produce "Memories In Rock - Live In Germany", which was released in November 2016 via Eagle Rock Entertainment on DVD+2CD, Blu-ray+2CD, and digital formats.

After Ritchie left DEEP PURPLE for the final time in 1993, he reformed RAINBOW for one album (1995's "Stranger In Us All") and one tour, ending things in Denmark in 1997.

Following the release of their semi-prophetic Top 10 album "Easter Is Cancelled" at the end of last year, British rockers THE DARKNESS are returning to close 2020 with a new message of festive joy and goodwill with a live concert and stream from London's Indigo at The O2 on December 18 at 8 p.m. GMT. It will also be recorded for a live album, "Streaming Of A White Christmas", out in April 2021 on CD and vinyl, in partnership with Live Here Now.

Tickets for "Lockdown Live: Streaming Of A White Christmas With The Darkness" are available on presale via the band's official merch store via Townsend. Fans can also pre-order the forthcoming live album. Tickets will be made available for general sale at 9 a.m. GMT on November 27 via AXS.

The show promises to be a flamboyant extravaganza packed with all the snow and tinsel one could dream of as the band unwrap a selection of their biggest hits, fan favourites and Christmas cracker surprises galore.

Regarding the show, frontman Justin Hawkins says: "Okay, so we pressed the wrong button and cancelled Easter. And we're sorry about that. Let's move on, yeah? Christmas is coming, and nothing says joy and surprise like THE DARKNESS rocking live in your living room! Santa gets a day off as we deliver the Premier Cru streamed concert of the year live to you from the IndigO2 in London town. Let us in at your interweb window as we celebrate life, love, Christmas and rock music, all wrapped in tinsel and delivered to you on a golden dream sleigh of almost ludicrous proportions.

"Expect hits, old and new. Beards, flayed by the snow engines of entertainment. Fairy lights, plugged in and mostly working. A few brave and/or immune rockers will have the good fortune to join us in the stadium of dreams for this exclusive event — check out our written facts to understand. This will be an unparalleled night of true artistic integrity, so don't dilly dally. Let's rock our cocking socks off together for Christmaaaaaas!"

In addition to the virtual live-stream, VIP ticket options are available for fans which are offered in different tiers — including attending the event itself, with all social distancing requirements being met. Fans attending the show are encouraged celebrate the festivities and arrive in Christmas themed fancy dress.

Tier 1 is offering front rows seats at the show, soundcheck access with a band Q&A, a chance to meet the band and a signed art show poster. Tier 2 allows access to the sound check and Q&A. There is also a Virtual VIP option allowing online access to the sound check and advance submission of questions for the Q&A, which will be selected at random on show day.

Spreading further Christmas cheer this year, THE DARKNESS have teamed up with Signature Brew to create the special extra seasonal bitter Bells End.

Regarding the beer, guitarist Dan Hawkins says: "The tasting session for Bells End went well. It was a big night and we tried every ale that we could think of. We wanted a beer that's punchy and drinkable at the same time. Signature Brew really know their stuff and captured exactly what we were after. Bells End has got a bit of oomph to it but it's something you can drink in the run-up to Christmas and throughout the whole season. It's a very wintry beer, it's perfect and we can't wait for everyone to try it."

THE DARKNESS released its latest album, "Easter Is Cancelled", in October 2019. It became the band's fourth Top 10 album and topped the Official charts Top 40 Rock And Metal chart and the iTunes Rock chart, while receiving swathes of critical praise as the band continued to prove why they are one of the most beloved U.K. rock bands of our time.

SEVENDUST will perform its entire "Animosity" album during a January 8, 2021 livestream event from Opav in Orlando, Florida.

Tickets for the virtual concert can be purchased at this location.

SEVENDUST's third album, "Animosity" was released in November 2001 through TVT Records. The disc peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in March 2002 for shipments in excess of half a million copies.

Last month, SEVENDUST played its first-ever livestream and its only show of 2020: "Sevendust: Live In Your Living Room". The event took place on October 23 — the release date of SEVENDUST's 13th studio album, "Blood & Stone", via Rise Records.

The follow-up to 2018's "All I See Is War", "Blood & Stone" 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.

From the pulsating intro of opener "Dying To Live" to the album-closing cover of SOUNDGARDEN's "The Day I Tried To Live", SEVENDUST continues to push the sound it has made their own for more than 25 years. Tracks like "Love", "Blood From A Stone", "Kill Me" and "Against The World" showcases why the band has been adored by fans and critics alike. Lajon Witherspoon, Clint Lowery, John Connolly, Vince Hornsby and Morgan Rose have raised the bar with "Blood & Stone". The new music fits perfectly alongside with the bands most seminal tracks that have become the cornerstone of the band's live performances.

Lowery spoke about the new SEVENDUST LP in an interview with Front Row Entertainment Live. The guitarist/vocalist said: "I think this is one of our strongest records in a while. I'm proud of all the music we do. Every band likes to say, 'Oh, yeah, the new record is the best one we've ever done.' I think it's a very reflective record for where we're at musically, where we're at as a band. So that's always a goal. I think we just wanna be genuine. We don't wanna put out a dud record. Not everyone's gonna like it; we understand that. We just try to do what we do best. We're not the heaviest band in the world; we're not a pop-rock band at all either. We're just this aggressive band that has our own thing, and we stay true to that."




7D Family, we are proud to announce our brand new live stream event in 2021! SEVENDUST: LIVE IN YOUR LIVING ROOM - Performing "Animosity" front to back...and then some. Friday, January 8th! We hope to “see” you all there!!!

GET ACCESS NOW: https://t.co/ZyVy8rivdS pic.twitter.com/FCp8wb9SdA

— SEVENDUST (@Sevendust) November 23, 2020

Aaron Lewis was joined by his STAIND bandmate Mike Mushok for the first-ever acoustic performance of the group's song "Mudshovel" during Lewis's November 20 "From The Couch" paid livestream. The 10-song concert included selections from STAIND's debut album "Dysfunction" as well as music from Aaron's 2011 EP "Town Line".

Lewis's second "From The Couch" show will take place on November 27 and will feature music from his 2012 solo country debut album "The Road" as well as songs from STAIND's multi-platinum "Break The Cycle" LP.

You can buy your tickets now at aaronlewisvip.com.

This past June, Lewis confirmed that STAIND was finally working on its first new music in nearly a decade.

STAIND played its first full live show in five years in September 2019 at the Louder Than Life music festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

The band was scheduled to support DISTUBED on "The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" throughout North America this summer. The amphitheater trek has since been postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

STAIND has released seven albums since 1995, the latest being the 2011 self-titled effort. The band has had a number of hit songs during its first two decades, including the Top 10 smash "It's Been Awhile" from the No. 1 album "Break The Cycle". Follow-up LPs "14 Shades Of Grey" and "Chapter V" also topped the Billboard chart.

Lewis released his third full-length country album, "State I'm In", in April 2019 via Big Machine imprint Valory Music.

Mushok and ex-THREE DAYS GRACE vocalist Adam Gontier unveiled SAINT ASONIA in early 2015, releasing a self-titled debut album and scoring a Top 10 rock single with "Better Place". SAINT ASONIA's second full-length effort was released last year via Spinefarm Records.


























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Fan-filmed video footage of ELLEFSON, the solo band of MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, perorming cover versions of Post Malone's "Over Now" and TWISTED SISTER's "Tear It Loose" on November 19 at the Emerson Theater, Indianapolis, Indiana can be seen below. Joining Ellefson in the group are singer Thom Hazaert and guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (formerly of GUNS N' ROSES), along with Dave Sharpe and Opus of DEAD BY WEDNESDAY.

ELLEFSON released its covers album, "No Cover", on November 20 via earMUSIC (Europe) and Ward Records (Japan). The effort was made available in conjunction with Ellefson's revived Combat Records, which issued the album in North America via Amped.

Produced by Ellefson and Hazaert, with additional production by guitarist Andy Martongelli and Matt LaPlant (NONPOINT, SKINDRED, LIL' JON), mixed by Alessio Garavello, and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (FAITH NO MORE), "No Cover" includes ELLEFSON-ized versions of 19 classic tracks from MOTÖRHEAD, W.A.S.P., DEF LEPPARD, CHEAP TRICK, QUEEN, JUDAS PRIEST, TWISTED SISTER, FASTWAY, FIGHT, DEAD KENNEDYS and more. Featuring cover art by Melody Myers (ALTITUDES AND ATTITUDE, ESCAPE THE FATE), an homage to the legendary DEF LEPPARD debut "On Through The Night", "No Cover" is the second release under the ELLEFSON banner, the follow-up to 2019's "Sleeping Giants", a double-disc compilation combining new tracks, with unreleased Ellefson solo and F5 material.

ELLEFSON, featuring Ellefson on bass, vocalist Thom Hazaert, guitarists Andy Martongelli and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (SONS OF APOLLO, YES, ex-GUNS N' ROSES), and drummer Paolo Caridi, are joined on the album by a who's who of legendary guests including Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX), Eddie Ojeda (TWISTED SISTER), Brandon Yeagley (CROBOT), Dirk Verbeuren (MEGADETH), Frank Hannon and Troy Lucketta (TESLA), Mark Slaughter, Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, ex-WATCHTOWER, EVIL UNITED), Greg Handevidt (KUBLAI KHAN, ex-MEGADETH), Chuck Behler (ex-MEGADETH), Gus G., John Aquilino (ICON), Doro Pesch, Dave McClain (SACRED REICH, ex-MACHINE HEAD), Dave Alvin (WHITE TRASH), Todd Kerns (SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS, Andrew Freeman (LAST IN LINE), Jacob Bunton (Mick Mars), Al Jourgensen (MINISTRY), Russ Parrish (FIGHT), DEAD BY WEDNESDAY, and more.

Ellefson said: "Before any of us started writing our own songs, we all began playing cover songs by our heroes during our formative years as musicians. So it's fun to go back in time and revisit those songs which helped us to become the artists we are today, especially when, ironically, many of those artists have now become peers and friends.

"During the process of recording some covers for B-sides and bonus tracks for the upcoming ELLEFSON solo LP, Thom and I just said, 'This is a blast. Let's just do a whole album of covers.' Literally, within two weeks, we had the songs recorded, and began calling our friends to join us, many of whom we had just performed with on the Megacruise back in October. From there, the album just fell into place."

He continued: "A lot of our buddies have been playing covers and quarantine jams on the Internet during the pandemic, so this is really just an extension of that, but we took it the next level and actually recorded a full studio album. We've been working remotely anyway, as we're all over the globe, so it was easy to incorporate some guests jumping in with some outstanding performances of their own. It's been a really fun nod to making great music with our friends, who are kick-ass players, and many legends in their own right, which is the whole reason we got into this in the first place."

Said Hazaert: "It's all songs and artists that really mutually influenced both myself and David, especially a lot of early 'metal' and harder classic rock. Some stuff I picked, some stuff he picked, but for the most part is was all artists that we both loved. What's funny, as there's a bit of an age gap, we were sometimes more influenced by different eras of the same bands. But it was really him saying, 'Let's do this song,' and me saying, 'Yes!!! And let's do this song.' And before we knew it, we had over 15 songs. And it's a lot of album tracks, deep cuts, early tracks, stuff people might not expect, which was what was so fun."

He added: "It was also great that we were able to work in a lot of nods to David's history, getting Chuck Behler to play with us, bringing in original MEGADETH guitarist Greg Handevidt to play on 'Love Me Like A Reptile', a song they used to play in cover bands together before they moved to L.A. (which we wrote about in 'More Life With Deth'), and Randy Burns is going to mix a track or two. As a singer, these are literally bands I've listened to, and covered all my life, and for me, getting to play with Eddie Ojeda, the TESLA guys, Charlie Benante, Jason McMaster, Mark Slaughter, etc, and sing these songs that mean so much to me. I mean, literally, the entire record is my bucket list of people I'd love to play with, and some of my favorite bands. So, it's truly an honor to put together something so fun, and really as effortless as this was. It truly is a love letter to rock n' roll, an homage to what made us, musically, who we are today."

2019 saw the release of Ellefson's "More Life With Deth" memoir, co-written with Hazaert, which led to the pair collaborating on the ELLEFSON compilation release "Sleeping Giants", released as a companion album to the book. Ellefson and Hazaert followed up the release of "Sleeping Giants" with an extensive U.S. and European tour, dubbed "More Live With Deth", with HATCHET guitarist Clayton Cagle, as well as FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's Steve Conley, stepping in on second guitar in the U.S., including several now-legendary shows featuring MEGADETH alumni Chuck Behler and Chris Poland.

The European "More Live With Deth" tour saw the permanent addition of guitarist Andy Martongelli and drummer Paolo Caridi into the recording lineup, as well as the return of Bumblefoot to the fold, and ELLEFSON was born. March 2020 brought the release of the single "Simple Truth", which was premiered on SiriusXM by Eddie Trunk, followed in May by the release of their re-imagined Post Malone cover "Over Now", both of which garnered national airplay.

ELLEFSON is set to tentatively release its debut full-length studio LP in 2021.






Tonight at The Emerson - DAVID ELLEFSON of Megadeth + more!

Tickets: www.theemersontheater.com

ELLEFSON (Megadeth) & more LIVE at The Emerson Theater!

Posted by The Emerson Theater on Thursday, November 19, 2020

Wolfgang Van Halen has commented on a proposed memorial to his father, legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, in Pasadena, California.

Last month, a City Council meeting was held in Pasadena where a memorial honoring Eddie was discussed.

City manager Steve Mermell was directed to come up with ideas for how to best honor the musician, who died on October 6 at the age of 65.

Wolfgang addressed a possible Eddie Van Halen memorial during a November 20 appearance on Fox 11's "Good Day LA".

"I think it's incredible that the support is there to wanna honor him," the 29-year-old said (see video below). "Whatever it ends up being, it has my full support. If I could suggest something, I think something as simple as a street name would be amazing."

Among suggestions for the memorial are for alleyway Electric Drive to be renamed for Eddie; erecting a monument somewhere in the city; renaming a park; a life-size statue; and turning his childhood home into a historic landmark.

Councilmember Victor Gordo suggested that Mermell bring together a public group to figure out for the most appropriate way to remember Van Halen, who attended school in Pasadena with his drummer brother Alex, and played backyard parties in the area with VAN HALEN in the early 1970s before signing a record deal and achieving worldwide fame.

According to Pasadena Now, there may be other remembrance of Eddie Van Halen in the works. Pasadena City College will also consider a memorial at its next Board of Trustees meeting, and the Pasadena Center Operating Company has received an inquiry for a virtual concert to raise funds to build a statue.

In the first three weeks after Eddie's death, the city was bombarded with requests to pay tribute to the guitarist "to recognize both his local connection to Pasadena, as well as the impact that his artistry had on music," Mermell wrote in a report.

"Recognizing Van Halen the band and/or individual members should be considered," according to the report. "With his passing, Eddie Van Halen's international recognition as a musical artist is noted for the significant impact he had on the Rock & Roll genre and his legacy is a source of hometown pride for the city."

Following Eddie's death after a long battle with cancer, fans left flowers at his childhood home on Las Lunas Street in Pasadena. Additional flowers, candles and fan mementos were placed on Allen Avenue where Eddie and Alex scratched their band's name into the wet cement of a sidewalk when they were teenagers.

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.

In a new interview with Rod Ryan of the Houston, Texas radio station 94.5 The Buzz, Wolfgang Van Halen discussed his recent revelation that his father, legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, had contemplated a "kitchen-sink tour" that would have included bassist Michael Anthony, as well as vocal turns from both Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth. There was even talk about bringing back Gary Cherone, who sang with the band on one poorly received album, 1998's "Van Halen III".

"It was my idea," Wolfgang said (see video below). "Over the years, I'd been talking to Dad and introducing the idea of, like, 'Hey, hear me out. But this would be really cool. What if we had Mike come back and I could open?' And over the next year or so, he started to warm up to the idea, and he was into it. And then we started joking around with the idea of the kitchen-sink tour — everything but the kitchen sink — and just get everybody. Get Hagar, get Cherone, get Roth, Anthony, and we'd all get up on stage and just have a party. And we even spoke to Irving Azoff, the band's manager, and he got really excited about it, and hit up Anthony. I think that's how the rumors got out. But by that time, Dad's health was in such a decline that we were kind of waiting until we could over this hump to [where] we can get back to it, and we never got to that point, unfortunately."

According to Wolfgang, the original plan was for him to personally contact Michael and ask him to come back to VAN HALEN. "Unfortunately, Irving hit [Michael] up before I had a chance to," he said. "The plan was for me to [reach out to him]." Wolfgang went on to say that he was also the one who called Roth in 2007 to get him to return to VAN HALEN for a reunion tour.

Asked if there are any plans to stage an Eddie Van Halen tribute concert at some point in the not-too-distant future, Wolfgang said: "Not currently. But I wouldn't see something like that not happening at some point. But it's not on the horizon yet. But I certainly wouldn't be against that happening at some point. Once we're able to all be touring and actually get together and celebrate live music, I'm sure there's an opportunity for us to do something like that."

In early 2019, a rumor surfaced that the classic VAN HALEN lineup would reunite that summer for a run of stadium shows. This would have been the first time that Michael, Eddie, David and Alex Van Halen performed together since 1984.

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 Wolfgang on bass.

Anthony's THE CIRCLE bandmate Hagar — himself a former VH member — was the first to publicly confirm that Michael was contacted in 2018 by VAN HALEN's management about reuniting with the group for a tour.

Anthony took a pay cut and signed away all of his rights to the band name and logo in order to participate in VAN HALEN's 2004 tour, which featured Hagar.

During a June 2019 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", the former VAN HALEN bassist — who spent much of the last few years on the road with SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE — confirmed that he was approached by VAN HALEN's management two years ago about re-teaming with the group.

"I spoke with Irving Azoff [in] October [2018] — that's when I first heard from him — and he asked if I would be interested in any kind of a reunion, and I told him, I said, 'Yeah.' I was finishing up a couple of shows with Sammy and I said, 'Yeah, I'd be interested to hear what you guys have going on," Michael recalled. "I've got these few dates left, and give me a call.' And I never heard a call back. And then, right after the first of the year, I got… David Lee Roth's, Dave's business manager or lawyer, or something, got ahold of me about a meeting or something. And so at that point, I gave it over to our manager, because I didn't wanna start getting in this whole thing — I wanted to do it the correct way, especially after the way things went for me in 2004.

"From what I've heard, and I haven't spoken to any of the guys, they were gonna try to plan a thing for [that] summer," Anthony added. "And for whatever reason… I was never… My people were never… They never got in touch with us about any kind of a contract or any kind of a meeting to discuss or whatever. And the next thing I knew, the plug got pulled on it."

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.

In a new interview with Forbes, HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta was asked what he thinks turnouts at shows, specifically for hardcore and metal concerts, two genres that heavily rely on live performances and crowd interaction, will look like post-pandemic. He responded: "I'm hopeful, and I think it's going to be great. I have a half-glass full mindset, and it does remind me of the early days. Like back in the day, if you look at this SLIPKNOT tour that all the hardcore bands had kind of turned their nose up at, well, we did that tour, and every night, literally every night, we'd go to the crowd and we'd go to the fence where all the kids were lined up and every single kid was, like, 'This is my first concert.' Every single kid. And you could see the cars of the parents dropping off their kids and they were just hungry for music.

"I feel like just based off of my social media alone, a new generation of kids has been born. There was a 14-year-old who's now 15, and when this thing ends, he's going to be dying to go to a concert, and we're not 25 years old to him; we're a brand new band. I literally see this on my social media every day. And I have to say when I did this last JASTA record ['The Lost Chapters'], because I had guests from all of these different genres and all of these fanbases, like Matt Heafy from TRIVIUM was on it and George from CANNIBAL CORPSE was on it, just seeing how many people who had no idea who I was and had no idea how long I've been in the game and how many records I've done with HATEBREED, it was like I went back and I just started fresh.

"It's always going to be new to someone. And because I did these two JASTA records in 2017 and 2018, and I did it all DIY, I said, 'Hey, let's do all pre-orders for this new HATEBREED record totally DIY. Let's just act like we did back in the day when I was folding up the seven-inches and going to the post office and sending them all over the world. Let's do that now. And I think that helps you understand not only how much work goes into it, but also how many people are affected by it. And right now we have this incredible amount of pre-orders, and it's going to be a lot of work. We're going to be signing records for days and days and days, but it's great to have a real connection with it, and know that this going to be someone's first time hearing us."

HATEBREED will release its new album, "Weight Of The False Self", on November 27 via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover artwork was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

"Weight Of The False Self" was produced by frequent HATEBREED collaborator Chris "Zeuss" Harris and it arrives on the heels of the sold-out anniversary shows that HATEBREED embarked upon throughout 2019 and the unprecedented success of 2016's "The Concrete Confessional". Not only did the latter tally over 42 million Spotify streams, but the single "Looking Down The Barrel of Today" also clocked 30 million-plus Spotify streams. The band also covered Revolver and The Guardian bestowed a 4-out-of-5-star rating on the album, proving that over 20 years deep into its career, this Connecticut hardcore metal institution remains as vital as ever.

Renowned for their ability to provide an intense and cathartic release for their fans, HATEBREED challenged themselves and their writing style in order to produce material that is exceptionally relatable in a contemporary world flooded with overstimulation, emotional dampening, and lack of social patience.

This past February, HATEBREED released its first new single in four years, "When The Blade Drops". At the time, Jasta described the track as "just a taste of what's to come… The speed, intensity, and brutality that people have come to expect from us is on full display."

Cliff Williams spoke to Ernie Ball's "Striking A Chord" podcast about his decision to leave AC/DC four years prior to the release the of the band's new album, "Power Up".

The bassist announced his retirement at the end of AC/DC's 2015-2016 "Rock Or Bust" tour, which also saw vocalist Brian Johnson leaving because of hearing problems (he was replaced for the last 22 shows by GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose).

"It was my end with AC/DC," he said. "I just got to the point where I thought, for me, it was time to hang it up. And I was fine with that; I was fine with that. I didn't know what the guys were gonna do; I had no idea. I don't know that they did. That was a tough tour to finish up, that one."

According to Williams, he wanted to take part in the recording sessions for "Power Up" as a tribute to guitarist Angus Young's late brother, founding AC/DC rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, who died in 2017 from effects of dementia at age 64. Malcolm is credited as a writer on all 12 tracks on "Power Up".

Asked if there is any tour planned in support of "Power Up", which came out last week, Williams said: "No. I mean, no one's touring right now [because of the coronavirus pandemic]. When we [got] together in January and we shot a video and rehearsed for about two or three weeks, just to see how it was, and it came out really well, at the end of that, we sat around and talked about doing a few shows, and that was as far as it got. We all wanted to do that, but we can't book anything. We all went home at that point — 'Yeah, it's gonna be fun. We'll do a few gigs.' — and then the world went upside down for everybody. So right now, there's nothing planned. If we can do it next year, we will."

Cliff went on to clarify that he doesn't know if he will play a full tour with AC/DC. "We talked about a few shows," he explained.

Asked what it is about performing with AC/DC that he enjoys so much, Williams said: "Playing with the guys. It's just a great band to play with. And now we've got Phil [Rudd, drums] back. No disrespect to Chris [Slade, former AC/DC drummer, who played on the 'Rock Or Bust' tour]. Phil is the man. Angus and Brian, and Stevie [Young] is doing a great job [on rhythm guitar]. So this is as close as we could get to the old band."

Last month, Cliff told Dean Delray's "Let There Be Talk" podcast that he won't commit to playing more than "a few" dates in support of "Power Up" in order to protect his mental and physical health. "I definitely have some physical issues, which I won't bore you with the details of," he said. "But, yeah, it's tough. I'm very grateful for everything. It's been fantastic. But I just don't wanna do that anymore."

Williams recently revealed that a "terrible" bout with vertigo contributed to his 2016 retirement. He also admitted the return of both Johnson and Rudd convinced him to rejoin the group. "It was like the old band back together," he told Rolling Stone. "It was not like starting over again, but as close to the band that's been together for 40-plus years as we can possibly make it. I didn't want to miss that."

"Power Up" came out on November 13. The follow-up to 2014's "Rock Or Bust" 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 "Rock Or Bust".

HEART's Nancy Wilson talked to Meltdown of Detroit radio station WRIF about her upcoming debut solo album, which is tentatively due in February or March 2021 via Carry On Music. Asked if she has a title for the effort, Nancy said: "[The] title is 'You And Me'. That's a song on the album, called 'You And Me'. And it just turned out really great. It's a song my longtime collaborator friend Sue Ennis and [I] wrote together. We kind of blended two different songs that we had written about our moms, actually, and we made a new song out of it called 'You And Me'. And it's just so simple, I just thought, 'Okay, well, that's pretty easy to remember.'"

On the topic of whether there are any guests on the album, Nancy said: "I've got one song that I wrote with Duff McKagan [GUNS N' ROSES] and Taylor Hawkins [FOO FIGHTERS]. They had a jam that they shared with me, and I finished it. And it's called 'Party At The Angel Ballroom'. And actually, I covered [SIMON & GARFUNKEL's] 'The Boxer', which I did with HEART last year, with Sammy Hagar guesting on that. He's a buddy. He sounds really good on that. I have this other big rocker. I said, 'Do you wanna sing on this big rocker?' And he's, like, 'It's kind of expected. It would be a little less interesting.' I said, 'Okay. What about 'The Boxer'?' And he's, like, 'I love that song. I've loved that song forever.'"

Another song that will be included on "You And Me" is Nancy's cover of PEARL JAM's "Daughter", which she originally recorded for "I Am All Girls", a South African film which shines a light on human trafficking. "It's a real story," she said. "It's a really cool movie, and it should be in that too pretty soon."

Wilson described the experience of making her first solo album as "really rewarding. It's fun for me to sort of take hold of the first studio solo album and do all the singing," she said. "Not that I consider myself a premier ballerina kind of a singer like Ann [HEART's lead singer and Nancy's sister], but it's really fun. I love it — I love trying to be the singer and doing the harmonies and playing all the parts, pretty much. My band guys, from HEART mainly, are passing around files, and we're just taking notes and responding to the new parts that they put on. And it's coming together really great."

Last month, Nancy released the first single from the upcoming LP, her stunning rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising".

A guitar virtuoso from the age of 10, Nancy and her sister Ann lead the multi-platinum rock group HEART. Nancy is revered as an ingenious guitar player, a gifted lead vocalist, and as an award-winning songwriter. Nancy has co-written a collection of indelible songs that have earned their way into the classic rock canon ("Magic Man", "Crazy On You", "Barracuda", "Straight On"). She has also earned several nominations for her film scoring work.

During an era when females in rock 'n' roll were scarce, Nancy helped to carve out a place for women to front rock bands, dominate on stage. Her icon status was cemented when HEART, who have sold 35 million albums, was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2012. That same year, she and her sister received a star on the Walk Of Fame in Hollywood. In 2013, the Wilson sisters celebrated another career milestone when they performed LED ZEPPELIN's "Stairway To Heaven" at the Kennedy Center Honors. Their note-perfect performance was met with rousing cheers and a standing ovation in the staid concert hall, and brought members of LED ZEPPELIN to tears. The video went viral on YouTube.

Wolfgang Van Halen has told Entertainment Tonight that he and his family may eventually organize a tribute show in honor of his father, Eddie Van Halen, with proceeds going toward Eddie's favorite charity, Mr. Holland's Opus, which helps underprivileged students access musical instruments. Proceeds from the debut solo single from Wolfgang's solo band MAMMOTH WVH, "Distance", are also benefiting Mr. Holland's Opus.

During the same chat, Wolfgang once again shot down a rumor that a new version of VAN HALEN could be assembled featuring him on guitar in place of his late father. Late last month, a rumor started to make the rounds via a Wolfgang Van Halen private group on Facebook that the VAN HALEN "camp" was discussing the possibility of the band carrying with a revamped lineup that would consist of Sammy Hagar on vocals, Michael Anthony on bass, Alex Van Halen on drums and Wolfgang on guitar. Furthermore, it was suggested that Eddie Van Halen told his son and brother "I give you my blessing" with regard to the prospect of VAN HALEN continuing without him.

"No way. That'll never happen," Wolfgang told Entertainment Tonight (see video below). "I think a message to the VAN HALEN fans [would be that] some things just really suck. I don't have a dad anymore and I have to figure out how to process that and deal with it. And, that's the process that VAN HALEN fans need to go through and realize that you can't have the band anymore without Eddie Van Halen. The music will live on forever, but you can't have [the band] without him. Impossible.

"My dad would probably be really pissed off at me if I [tried to take his place,]" Wolfgang added. "He'd probably be, like, 'What are you doing playing my stuff? Go do your stuff.' He would've been really upset, like, 'You have all this music you're sitting on. Why wouldn't you go forward with that?'"

Hagar replaced David Lee 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.

Sammy, Eddie, Alex and Michael 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 Eddie was responsible for the tour not materializing.

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.

MAMMOTH WVH's full-length album will arrive in 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

L.A. GUNS drummer Steve Riley has reflected on the passing of Eddie Van Halen, saying that the death of the legendary VAN HALEN axeman was a "big loss."

Riley discussed his appreciation for the groundbreaking musician in a brand new interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio. He said (see video below): "It's huge — it's just huge — because he's not just a huge musician; he's a huge part of L.A., too, and all of us, too. I mean, QUIET RIOT opened the door in '82, but really VAN HALEN in '78, being an L.A. band.

"I was fortunate with Eddie, too, because when I moved out to L.A. in '77, I was friends with the '70s band ANGEL. I don't know if you remember ANGEL. They were from the '70s, and they were like the white KISS on Casablanca Records. And they were one of the bands that were kind of big out here from '75 to '80. VAN HALEN was really good friends with them, and it was before they got signed. And I came out here. I was such good friends with ANGEL, 'cause they're from the East Coast, and I grew up with them. I came out to play with Mickie Jones, the bass player from ANGEL, and he was really good friends with Eddie Van Halen. This is before their first album came out. So I got to hang with Eddie during the '77-early-'78 thing. A funny story is that I went to the Starwood — it's a club that used to be here in Hollywood — and, it was me, Mickie Jones and Eddie Van Halen, and we went to see Randy Rhoads play.' It's insane, looking back on it right now, because of how big and legendary those two guys [Randy and Eddie] have become."

Riley continued: "Eddie invited us to the Whisky to see his show, and I got to see the first [VAN HALEN] album at the Whisky. And I went to the Pasadena Civic Center to see one of their famous shows before the album came out. So I got to hang with Eddie in the early years. And then he became so big, and it was like a natural progression. You almost don't see see each other. You're working so much, and he became such a giant star that he landed on another planet. But losing him, and losing Frankie Banali [QUIET RIOT], were big, big losses this year. Frankie was a good friend of mine, and just losing both of them, it's huge."

Eddie died on October 6 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California at the age of 65. 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.

In a new interview with "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, Scott Ian clarified his previous comment that ANTHRAX likely won't release any music until the coronavirus pandemic has subsided and he and his bandmates are able to tour in support of the effort.

He said (hear audio below): "I know I said that in an interview [about not releasing an album if we can't tour], but it's not like anything is written in stone. That's where I am personally right at this moment. Six months from now, who knows where the world is gonna be? We don't know. Maybe things will be closer to being back to normal; maybe they'll be further away from back to normal. Nobody has an answer to this, so anytime someone asks me about that, I really don't have an answer.

"In my brain, I don't wanna put a record out until I can play shows," he continued. "That's what I wanna do, but, of course, I don't control the world and I don't control what's gonna happen with COVID. I think I can safely say we will certainly be ready to make a record next year. So I think we will probably go do that once we're ready to go do it. There would be no reason to have a record [written] and then just sit around and not record it. So, I think once we actually feel like we're ready to go into the studio, we'll do that, regardless of where things are at on the planet, and then just take it from there. At least it'll be in the can, and then we'll be able to make a decision on what the best course is for us to take at that point.

"[Everybody is] in the same boat. There's no rules anymore. It's a completely different playbook, and everybody's gotta figure out what's gonna work."

Asked to describe the musical direction of the new ANTHRAX material, Scott said: "It's always hard for me to answer that, because it's more ANTHRAX songs, 'cause it always just sounds like ANTHRAX to me. And I don't really go much deeper than that. If I had to describe it, let's say comparing it to the last record, it's definitely riffier. There's more riffs; the songs have more riffs, I feel like, than the last record. There's already definitely more uptempo and fast stuff, but then again, we also aren't finished writing. That doesn't mean the fast stuff we've written is gonna go away. We're gonna probably write more songs, and then we'll see what the album's gonna be. But it's definitely riffier, and I think it's definitely faster, if I had to come up with two ways to describe it compared to 'For All Kings'."

At last year's Download festival in the United Kingdom, drummer Charlie Benante said fans can expect to hear some surprises on ANTHRAX's next disc. "There's some extreme stuff on this record that we touched on," he said. "There's different things that we're gonna try and do that's gonna make it next level."

Earlier last year, Benante told Australia's "Everblack" podcast that ANTHRAX's new music is shaping up to be "a little more in the aggressive style."

"For All Kings" was called by some critics ANTHRAX's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the band experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the "Big Four" tour, and continuing with the 2011 release of comeback LP "Worship Music".

Discover the extraordinary story of legendary bluesman Joe Bonamassa in the inspirational documentary "Guitar Man", arriving on video-on-demand and for digital purchase December 8, 2020 from Paramount Home Entertainment.

From average Joe by day to guitar hero at night, "Guitar Man" tells the incredible rise of blues-rocker Joe Bonamassa, whose hard work and determination have made him one of today's top-selling blues artists. With more No. 1 blues albums than anyone else in history, Bonamassa pulls back the curtain on his incredible career, allowing us to see his remarkable musical achievements and pioneering style. Featuring behind the scenes interviews and live concert footage showcasing some of the biggest names in music, kick back and enjoy the exhilarating soundtrack of his phenomenal life.

"Guitar Man" showcases Bonamassa's astounding talent from his childhood as a "wunderkind" discovered and mentored by blues legend B.B. King. At the age of only 43, Bonamassa has an illustrious career spanning over three decades. Through highs and lows, Joe persevered, taking his musical journey into his own hands to overcome challenges and reach his goals. In 2009, Bonamassa fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall and was joined on stage by Eric Clapton, marking a pivotal moment that elevated his music to the next level.

Filled with an abundance of music, live concert footage, and interviews with music industry legends, "Guitar Man" chronicles a musician growing in his craft, traveling the globe, collaborating with top artists from across the world of music, and ascending to the heights of inevitable success.

Earlier this month, Bonamassa's new solo studio album, "Royal Tea", hit the Billboard chart with record-breaking numbers, as the blues-rock titan landed his 24th No. 1 album on the Blues chart; an incredible feat and more than any other artist in the history of the chart. Recorded at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London, "Royal Tea" features honorable nods to his British heroes Jeff Beck, John Mayall & THE BLUESBREAKERS, Eric Clapton, LED ZEPPELIN and CREAM.

Bonamassa is known for taking risks and venturing into uncharted territory throughout his wide-ranging career but now he has found a new way to surprise his fans and music lovers. Since his 2000 debut, "A New Day Yesterday", that founding influence has stayed close to the surface of Bonamassa's astounding solo album catalogue. Yet he's always let his choice of studio infuse his work, whether stirring the vibe of the Greek island of Santorini into 2010's "Black Rock", placing his bets on Sin City for 2014's Vegas-tracked "Different Shades Of Blue", or working with the cream of Nashville on 2016's "Blues Of Desperation".

Frontiers Music Srl has announced the signing of Danish vocalist Ronnie Atkins to a solo deal. The acclaimed PRETTY MAIDS and NORDIC UNION frontman is currently wrapping up work on a new solo album, "One Shot", to be released in the spring of 2021.

"To be honest, I initially had no intention to do a solo album to begin with, but for various reasons and in particularly my own personal health situation I finally decided to have a crack at it," says Atkins.

"Around Easter 2020 and only some six weeks after I was told that everything seemingly looked very positive for my health, I was, unfortunately, diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and told it was incurable, which was devastating news for me. Needless to say, that was a total game changer and I went into kind of a panic situation for a while. But when the dust had settled, I realized there were two ways to approach the situation. I could sit down, accept the facts, and feel pity for myself or I could pull myself up, set some goals, pursue my dreams, and carry on living. And with fantastic backup from my family and true friends, I went for the latter."

With the global pandemic shutting down touring for the foreseeable future, Atkins knew a tour promoting the latest PRETTY MAIDS album, "Undress Your Madness" (2019), was not going to be in the cards anytime soon. Suddenly, the timing for working on a new solo album seemed to have presented itself.

"Well, I couldn't change the way things were, by any means," he says. "The whole world was on a lockdown and the future prospects of concerts were very uncertain and still is to this day. Basically, that meant that if I was gonna carry out the idea of a solo album, it had to be now since I don't necessarily have all the time in the world. I had all these ideas recorded on my iPhone that I felt were too good to never see the light of day and I was writing a lot at the time to help ease my frustrations."

Ronnie's next step was that he hooked up with good friend and PRETTY MAIDS bandmate and producer Chris Laney to begin the work of putting these ideas together into songs. Chris is overseeing production, Jacob Hansen will mix, and musicians/singers appearing on the album include, in addition to Laney, Allan Sørensen, Morten Sandager, Pontus Egberg, Pontus Norgren, Kee Marcello, Olliver Hartmann, John Berg, Anders Ringman, Linnea Vikström Egg and Björn Strid.

The first single and more album details will be revealed in January 2021.

The 55-year-old Danish musician was diagnosed with lung cancer last year and underwent at least 33 radiation and four chemotherapy treatments last fall before being declared cancer-free. Last month, he announced that his cancer had returned.

Photo credit: Tallee Savage

EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee spoke to Holland's FaceCulture about the inspiration for the title of the band's upcoming album, "The Bitter Truth". "It's about a lot of things, not just political," she said (see video below). "That title, 'The Bitter Truth', what it really means is that who you are — bruises, scars, everything included — the real truth of who you are is better, is more important… We have to face who we are and the world that we live in as it is. It doesn't help anything to pretend about who you are or about the world around you. Nothing is, first of all, ever gonna improve if we deny the truth. We're never gonna save our planet by ignoring its needs; we're never gonna be able to improve as people if we can't ever admit when we're wrong. Just simply facing the truth, painful as it can be, it's the only way — it's the only way to healing.

"This has been a season of heading towards healing myself," she continued. "I lost my brother a couple of years ago, and that process, this mind-opening time, has been big on perspective and just this need to face it. I don't wanna escape; I don't wanna run away. I wanna lean in to love, and also the only way to heal I know is to take it and look at it and think about it and write about it.

"So, the bitter truth is just facing reality," Amy added. "It doesn't have to be bad. It can be the best, but life is complicated, and we are complicated. We're not all one thing. We can't know somebody just by looking at them or meeting them one time. People have a lot going on all at once.

"For me, personally, I'm — especially in music — always striving to be the truest version, most honest version of myself that I can be."

EVANESCENCE has been releasing singles from "The Bitter Truth" incrementally, with "Wasted On You", "Use My Voice" and "The Game Is Over" arriving over the course of the last few months.

EVANESCENCE's new music is being produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who also worked on 2011's self-titled LP.

"Use My Voice" was written to celebrate the power of speaking out in order to promote more justice in the world. The track, featuring contributions from THE PRETTY RECKLESS's Taylor Momsen and HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale, was chosen by HeadCount in the USA to encourage voters to register, check their registration, or find out about their remote voting options amid the COVID-19 pandemic at UseMyVoice.org.

EVANESCENCE spent much of the last two years recording and touring in support of 2017's "Synthesis", which contained some of the band's best-loved songs — as well as a couple of new ones — reinvented with full orchestra over a deep electronic landscape.

Former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted has relisted his ranch in historic Sula, Montana for sale at $4.95 million. The property, named "Rockin JN Ranch," which has belonged to Newsted for more than a decade, was previously put on the market for the same price three years ago, but that price came down by $450,000 in July 2019 to $4.5 million. It was eventually removed from the market before being relisted this past June.

Newsted and his wife Nicole have been longtime residents of Jupiter, Florida.

Last month, Newsted bought a home on Skaneateles Lake in the village of Skaneateles, New York for $6.1 million.

A year ago, Jason sold his Walnut Creek, California house for $2.3 million.

Six years ago, the now-57-year-old Newsted canceled an appearance at Australia's Soundwave festival with his band NEWSTED, citing "private and personal circumstances." The cancelation followed more than a year of intense touring and promotional activity surrounding the release of NEWSTED's "Metal" EP and follow-up album, "Heavy Metal Music", both of which were positively received by the critics and fans alike.

After staying mostly out of the public eye for a couple of years, Newsted rejoined Canadian metal innovators VOIVOD on stage during June 2016 concert at Slim's in San Francisco, California. He has since formed a couple of new acoustic projects, one of which completed a short West Coast tour.

Jason left METALLICA back in 2001 but was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, along with guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett, and the man who replaced him, bassist Robert Trujillo, in 2009.




Former Metallica Bassist Jason Newsted Lists Bucolic Montana Ranch https://t.co/spQ2lBW9f4 pic.twitter.com/JQFSfVdGK6

— Variety_Music (@Variety_Music) November 16, 2020

BMG mourns the passing of an enigmatic and hugely talented creator Ken Hensley, the Uriah Heep keyboardist, who passed away on November 4 at the age of 75 following a short illness.

"Hensley was the primary songwriter in the rock powerhouse between 1970 and 1980. He co-wrote Uriah Heep’s key hits of the time, including "Easy Livin’", "Lady In Black", "Stealin’", "Look At Yourself" and "Free Me". He massively contributed to their sound, providing not only keyboards but also guitars and vocals on some of the band’s most-loved tracks.

"Uriah Heep have sold over 40 million albums across their career and Ken went on to enjoy a successful solo career. He performed around the world to massive audiences across the decades - from the Seventies and until recently.

"With a renowned work ethic, he never ceased creating musical masterpieces; from his early band The Gods in the mid-1960s, through an illustrious decade with ‘Heep’, into his time in the US performing as a highly-respected solo artist, and finally settling in Spain to make new music whilst continuing the Uriah Heep legacy by performing those classic songs throughout Europe and beyond.

"From his ranch in Spain, Ken had most recently been working on his contributions to the Uriah Heep: 50 Years In Rock box set release and new solo material. He leaves a loving wife, Monica, who was with Ken in his final moments.

"Sincerest condolences go to all his family, friends, and loved ones.

"The news of Ken Hensley’s passing arrives terribly close to the untimely death of his friend and Uriah Heep drummer, Lee Kerslake’s, who died in September this year."

Hensley's passing was announced 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."




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IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, who is celebrating his 40th anniversary of joining the band this year, has told The Oakland Press in a new interview that he doesn't feel like four decades have passed. "I feel the same pretty much," he said. "I wish I could go back and have the body of the 20-some-year-old then and have the mind I have now. [Laughs]"

The musician, who left MAIDEN in 1990 and returned nine years later, continued: "In those days you're little more than kids; You're going out and doing all this crazy stuff, headlining stadiums and being on TV and getting all this attention. It affects people in different ways; it certainly got on top of me for awhile, and I had to sort myself out. But I did, and I'm very happy with what I've got now."

Smith is currently promoting his memoir, "Monsters Of River & Rock", which was released on September 3 via Virgin Books.

IRON MAIDEN's new double live album will be released on November 20 via BMG. Containing over 100 minutes of classic MAIDEN music and available in multiple formats, including a limited-edition Mexican Flag, triple-colored (180g) vinyl and a limited-edition deluxe two-CD book format, "Nights Of The Dead, Legacy Of The Beast: Live In Mexico City" was recorded during the band's three sold-out arena shows there in September 2019 and is a celebration of their "Legacy Of The Beast" world tour which began in 2018 and will finish next summer in Europe.

Hard rock legends, Def Leppard, celebrate 18 years sing the release of their 2002 album, X, with a new "Album Facts" video. Watch below:

The Stadium Tour, featuring Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, was postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

A joint statement from the bands reads as follows: "We are excited to share our new dates for The Stadium Tour. All tickets will be honored for the new dates. If you are a ticket holder and you cannot make the new show, you will receive an email from your ticket provider or you can visit livenation.com/refund. We look forward to seeing you in 2021."

New 2021 dates:

June
19 - Nashville, TN - Nissan Stadium
21 - Cincinnati, OH - Great American Ballpark
24 - Charlotte, NC - Bank of America Stadium
26 - Miami, FL - Hardrock Stadium
27 - Orlando, FL - Camping World Stadium

July
3 - Cleveland, OH - FirstEnergy Stadium
6 - St. Louis, MO - Busch Stadium
8 - Minneapolis, MN - US Bank Stadium
10 - Detroit, MI - Comerica Park
13 - Philadelphia, PA - Citizens Bank Park
15- Flushing, NY - Citifield
17 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park
18 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park
20 - Hershey, PA - Hersheypark Stadium
22 - Pittsburgh, PA - PNC Park

August
7 - Jacksonville, FL - TIAA Bank Field
9 - Washington, DC - Nationals Park
12 - Buffalo, NY - New Era Field
15 - Atlanta, GA - Truist Park
17 - Houston, TX - Minute Maid Park
20 - San Antonio, TX - Alamodome
22 - Arlington, TX - Globe Life Park
24 - Kansas City, MO - Kauffman Stadium
26 - Denver, CO - Coors Field
28 - Milwaukee, WI - Miller Park
29 - Chicago, IL - Wrigley Field

September
3 - Phoenix, AZ - State Farm Stadium
4 - Los Angeles, CA - Sofi Stadium
7 - Seattle, WA - T-Mobile Park
10 - San Francisco, CA - Oracie Park
12 - San Diego, CA - PETCO Park




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Danny Carey (TOOL), Les Claypool (PRIMUS), Claudio Sanchez (COHEED AND CAMBRIA), Bill Kelliher (MASTODON), Stephen Brodsky (MUTOID MAN, CAVE IN) and Jordan Olds (a.k.a. Gwarsenio Hall) have teamed up to record a quarantine cover version of RUSH's "Anthem" as part of "Two Minutes To Late Night"'s cover series. The video, which was edited by Drew Kaufman, can be seen below.

This past January, Carey spoke about late RUSH drummer Neil Peart's influence on his style backstage after he accepted TOOL's Grammy for "Best Metal Performance". He said: "Neil was so defined and he was such a precise composer in the way he played that that was a big influence on what I wanted to do with the band — to be in a band that did compositions, and it wasn't just jamming and stuff like that. So, luckily, I found the right bandmates to do that with."

Peart died on January 7 in Santa Monica, California after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. The iconic RUSH drummer was 67 years old.

Shortly, after Peart's death was made public, COHEED AND CAMBRIA drummer Josh Eppard said in a statement: "Neil was a force. He helped shape so many drummers, young and old, his passing will be felt forever. This is a devastating loss: Our sincere condolences to the Peart family and his RUSH family."

MASTODON's Brann Dailor spoke about RUSH's influence on his playing in an interview with Modern Drummer. He said: "When I was four or five, my mom was in a cover band, and they practiced in our living room. The drummer was her boyfriend, and he was a huge Neil Peart freak. He tried to replicate Neil's drumset, and they did 'Tom Sawyer' and a number of popular RUSH tunes of the day. So that's where it started for me.

"When I became able to start figuring out other drummers' parts, when I was nine or ten, I would give it a shot, but I never come anywhere close. You know, I'd try 'YYZ' or something like that. There were always a couple kids who could play the beginning of it. We'd go over to their house — 'Hey, he knows 'YYZ'! Let's go over there and hear him play it!' [Laughs] You'd end up at some kid's bedroom where there was only a bed and a drumset. The 'YYZ' thing became sort of the standard. If you couldn't do the opening of that, then you weren't even worth mentioning.

"The most inspirational thing to me about Neil Peart is that he was more than 'just' a drummer. His drumming has always been absolutely phenomenal; he's a huge inspiration to millions of players around the world. But there's also something to be said for his lyric writing. Not many drummers contribute in that sense to their groups. There's this thing of, everyone has their place: The singer writes the lyrics, the guitarist writes the songs…. But Neil's an incredibly intelligent human being, and I think he's a good writer. I do the majority of the lyric writing for MASTODON, so knowing that Neil wrote RUSH's lyrics gave me the inspiration to step forward, like, 'I have something to say too.' Vocals can be very percussive in their delivery, especially with heavier music. But even with melodic music, they should weave another rhythm through the song. So it makes sense for a drummer to have some sort of input in that department."

The AV Club has had the honor of being blessed with the presence of your Lords and Masters GWAR, five times so far. Taking part in the AV Club's "Under Cover" series, the Scumdogs Of The Universe gave their take on songs including: KANSAS's "Carry On Wayward Son", Billy Ocean's "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car", PET SHOP BOYS' "West End Girls", Cyndi Lauper's "She-Bop" and AC/DC's "If You Want Blood".

Since there is no band on Earth or anywhere else that can match the sheer awesomeness of GWAR's cover versions, the AV Club decided to task GWAR with their toughest challenge yet. An acoustic set. Yes, that's right, early during the quarantine, frontman The Berserker Blothar, guitarist Pustulus Maximus and guitarist Balsac The Jaws Of Death teamed up over Zoom from their Antarctic fortresses for an exclusive four-song acoustic set. Watch as they play stripped down versions of GWAR anthems "Fuck This Place", "I'll Be Your Monster", "Gonna Kill You" and "The Road Behind". Watch the epic performance below.

"I love the AV Club, and, as everyone knows, we are the undisputed heavyweight champions of their cover song contest, so it made sense for us to do this ridiculous acoustic project," says The Berserker Blothar. "I'm also hoping this helps bring ridicule on all the po-faced indy rockers groaning into their laptops and pretending to care. Look how easy it is to suck! Anybody can do it."

Pustulus Maximus adds: "Basically, I'm going to quit metal and play these unplugged wooden guitars from here on out. There was no better place to debut my new career choice of playing Antarctican folk music than the AV Club."

Since GWAR's formation in 1984, the band has released fourteen studio albums, two live albums, numerous music videos and have sold over 800,000 records in the United States alone. Known for its outrageous violence and sexual humor often incorporating social and political satire, GWAR has attracted acclaim and controversy for both their music and live performances.

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.

Anthrax drummer, Charlie Benante, has released the new video below, along with the following message:

"When Dave (Brownsound, Sum 41) asked me to be a part of a medley featuring Motörhead, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden, how could I say no? Then he told me Danko (Jones), Tom (Thacker, Sum 41, Gob) and Jean (Genus) would be a part of it! That added a whole other dimension to it. This was fun and it really takes me back to a time when heavy metal was great."

Dave Brownsound: "As a 1980 baby my first exposure to metal was the big four, my love for their music made me want to learn more about where they came from. Who were the innovators for them? Who moved an entire genre forward for their generation? This question lead me to the term “New Wave Of British Heavy Metal.” A genre within a genre so powerful that its music still inspires to this day. From artists, skaters and even the Rainbow’s video poker machine so many have had their lives touched by Motörhead, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. We chose these songs in our medley as a tribute to all the bands that are part of the infamous N.W.O.B.H.M. Our lineup for this one was something that I could only have dreamed of. Thank you, Tom, Jean, Danko, Charlie and please send love from our family to yours."

Tom Thacker: "What an honor to rock this metal medley with these very talented dudes whose bands I love and respect! And Dave Brownsound, my bro-in-sound! So stoked to be a part of this!

"Iron Maiden was one of my first musical loves and remain a favorite to this day. The first record I heard was Number Of The Beast. I listened on repeat until the tape wore out. It seemed much more substantial than a lot of the other bands, theatrical, literary, it was like a school course that fucking rocked. So much more than just killer riffs. But the riffs were enough for me!!

"'Electric Eye' is my favorite Judas Priest song. Halford’s voice sounds so sinister. It is the ultimate metal voice. And the Priest twin guitar attack... devastating. Like two tornadoes colliding.

"There is no band more badass than Motörhead. They scared the shit out of me as a kid. The riff for 'Overkill' has so much raw power just playing it will lay waste to an army of posers."

Jean Genus: "Motörhead, Priest, Maiden... If there are any bands that have changed the rock world, it is probably these. In their completely own ways. The first stadium show I ever went to was an Iron Maiden show. Just a little kid in a stadium with 75.000 people. I think that was one of those moments you think to yourself.. I wanna do that! And as a bassist...what can I Say Steve Harris, Ian Hill & Lemmy. Three fine British Gentlemen👌"

Danko Jones: "'Overkill' by Mötorhead is probably the most perfect rock song ever written. Lyrically, it keeps with its title, ending thrice! It also contains the drumbeat that laid the foundation for an entire genre of music. 'Electric Eye' is the clarion call for one of the greatest Priest albums in their canon. 'Murders In The Rue Morgue' is one of the best songs of the Di’ Anno era. Although I have a million miles to go chasing the three legends who sang these songs, I am grateful to be given a chance. Being able to sing alongside these fine gentlemen was an honor."




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See FOO FIGHTERS as they've never been seen before, as all six members subject themselves to "Times Like Those", a 25-year visual journey through the band's most memorable moments onstage and off. Featuring merciless firsthand commentary, "Times Like Those" finds FOO FIGHTERS making the most of their pandemic downtime, as they narrate a carousel of versions of the band and its individual members' various versions of themselves over the years — some with different hair, some bigger, some smaller, some with different numbers of toes…

In other news, the band beamed into "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" for a November 19 performance of "Shame Shame", the first single from its forthcoming 10th album "Medicine At Midnight". "Medicine At Midnight" is due out February 5, 2021 via Roswell Records/RCA Records, and "Shame Shame" was released November 7, the same night the song made its live debut on "Saturday Night Live".

Additionally, it was announced today that FOO FIGHTERS will be one of the global superstar acts keeping the spirit of the school holiday pageant virtually alive via Amazon Music's "Holiday Plays". On December 15, the guys will ring in the school concert season and spirit with an exclusive performance of something new, something festive, and a few everlong — sorry — evergreen numbers.

But before all that, kick back and spend 25 years packed into half an hour with Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear and Rami Jaffee, and relive "Times Like Those" with them. You're guaranteed to be impressed at their surprisingly intact memories of experiences on and off stage from 1995 to the present, from Seattle to Iceland, and numerous points on the globe and timeline between and beyond.

The first taste of the forthcoming debut album from SUNBOMB. the project featuring L.A. GUNS' Tracii Guns and STRYPER's Michael Sweet, is available below. The band recently recorded its debut album, to be released next year via Frontiers Music Srl.

This past May, Guns told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about the musical direction of the SUNBOMB material: "The SUNBOMB record is really kind of like [L.A. GUNS' 2019 album] 'The Devil You Know' times three. It's more on the heavy side of 'The Devil You Know' album. And Michael Sweet, he's a really fantastic metal singer."

The guitarist went on to say that he and Michael are able to work together without butting heads about religion or politics. "You have the biggest non-believer and the biggest believer," he said. "But that's the kind of guys we are — I'm able to separate the beliefs from the music; they're not one and the same. And Michael and I have talked about it. I'm an open-minded person and I respect [other people's perspectives]."

When Tracii first broke the news of SUNBOMB's existence in a March 2019 tweet, he described the project's debut LP as "the metal record I would have made when I was 17 years old."

A short time later, Sweet responded to Tracii's tweet, writing: "I'm excited to be a part of it Tracii. Who would have thought when we were young that we'd be working together. Thank you for trusting me with the vocal duties SUNBOMB is gonna be Bomb."




A little taste of things to come - @sunbomb 2021?

Posted by Michael Sweet on Monday, November 23, 2020

























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A post shared by SUNBOMB (@sun_bomb)

Gunnar Nelson says that he is strongly against celebrities using their popularity to speak out about politics, explaining that their job is to "take people away" from the hardship of their lives.

"Musicians — and actors, too — our job is to entertain," Gunnar said in a new interview with "Music Mania" podcast (see video below). "That's our job. Our job is to entertain and give people a place where they can forget about the pressures of the real world, about [how] their boss is a dick, or about what's going on politically in the world, or some phantom virus or all that stuff. Our job in moments like this is to take people away from that, not to immerse them back in it.

"When people start believing their own press releases… It's a dangerous thing when you surround yourself just with people who agree with you," he continued. "Look what happened to Elvis [Presley] and Michael Jackson — it's a dangerous thing to do.

"Our opinions are no more important than anyone else's, and I think there are a lot of artists out there that forget that. And I understand that they wanna make a difference. The problem is when they cross a line. No matter which side of the fence you're on — it doesn't matter. But their heads get big, they start believing their own press releases, and they think that they're some authority on people and have browbeat them, when, frankly, it's just kind of, like, shut up and do your job. Play the guitar, son. Write a great song. Make me happy. Remind me of the good old days, or introduce me to something that's brand new where I can forget all this crap that's going on. That's it.

"There'll be plenty of people who jostle for opinions on all topics," Gunnar added. "But I just personally… I'm one of those guys… I think my job right now is to deliver an amazing song to people, because that's what God put me on this earth to do. That's it."

Gunnar and his brother Nelson are the leaders of their band called NELSON which celebrated the 30th anniversary of the release of its double-platinum debut LP "After The Rain" this past June.

The Nelson are sons of rock royalty — their father was '50s and '60s rock and TV heartthrob Ricky Nelson — and grandsons of entertainers Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, and the nephews of celebrated actor Mark Harmon.

When Matthew and Gunnar hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart with NELSON's "(Can't Live Without Your) Love & Affection", it made the Nelsons the first family in history to have at least one No. 1 song across three generations.

NELSON had five Top 40 Billboard hits, four No. 1 MTV videos and has sold over 6.5 million albums worldwide.

POISON drummer Rikki Rockett has decried the divisive nature of today’s political scene in America after he was criticized for comments he made when it was announced the President-elect Joe Biden had won the White House.

On November 7, after it was reported that Biden was projected to defeat Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election, Rockett posted on his social media: "Congratulations to Joe Biden and especially Kamala Harris for being the first woman to become Vice President. I wasn't sure I'd ever see that in my lifetime." His comments were quickly met with backlash from some Trump supporters, who are struggling to accept that their candidate had lost his bid for re-election.

Less than two hours later, Rockett returned to his Facebook and made a lengthy post in which he defended his right to speak out on political issues, saying that he is not going to hide who he is from his fans so that they don't have to see him as a real person.

He wrote: "So, I congratulate the first woman to be elected to the Whitehouse. I pretty much have said nothing more than, 'Dare to dream' and certain people want to never listen to POISON again over it! If this describes you, then you don't want to really know me in any way shape or form in the first place. You just want the circus monkey to perform. Fine. If you go over to the POISON page, there is no politics whatsoever over there. Just POISON stuff.

"I never speak of politics in interviews, onstage or at meet 'n greets. I keep it away from POISON. However, as an individual, I do have personal views and opinions. Don't want to know anything other than the man behind the drums? Fine, but this is MY page.

"I am a person who's job is playing drums, I am not going to hide who I am from you so that you don't have to see me as a real person. Read that again... I am not going to hide who I am from you so that you don't have to see me as a real person.

"If we were all sitting at a table having coffee, I doubt most of you would get up and walk away or if I was just a random friend, tell me to fuck off and would never deal with me again. If you did, you wouldn't be my friend or share my table in the first place and I wouldn't want to be at yours. Same goes here. If you don't like me as a person, I have no idea why you are here. I'll me and you do you. I am open minded, but I won't be bullied because you think since you bought a ticket or a record that I have to mute myself on my own social media pages so you don 't have to deal with a difference of opinion.

"I am not shoving my opinion down anyone's throat. This is my page and I have my views. I will not try and tweak my likes and dislikes to appeal to my possible 'demographic' so that I maximize my social media. Do you really want that from me? Do you want me to be that fake?

"I bust balls and I don't mind it back, but when you threaten to never like what my life's work has been over simply giving props to what I see as historic, well then that is just too damn bad. If she turns out to be a bad Vice President, then she does. Still, this is historic and that in and of itself is the point of my post. I am so sorry if you missed it."

Rockett's words were met with support from his social media followers, one of who said that she did not vote for Biden but that she thought it was "cool" that we will finally have a female vice president. Rikki replied: "I understand. It's why I voted for Trump in 2016. However, my taxes were worse! I am not a Democrat only because of taxes and Government interference too much. Socially... I am pretty liberal. I'm in a glam band for fucks sake! Lol".

POISON's "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS

" was originally scheduled to take place this summer but ended up being pushed back to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.


Congratulations to Joe Biden and especially Kamala Harris for being the first woman to become Vice President. I wasn’t...

Posted by Rikki Rockett on Saturday, November 7, 2020



Wow, so on my "Like" page I made post. Check it out. However, it always seems to get bent out of shape, so please read...

Posted by Rikki Rockett on Saturday, November 7, 2020

Stephen Pearcy's upcoming sixth solo album will include a few songs which were originally written "with RATT in mind."

Tentatively due in 2021, the follow-up to 2018's "View To A Thrill" will feature 13 tracks which were composed as a collaboration between Pearcy and his longtime guitarist Erik Ferentinos.

On Tuesday (October 20), Pearcy tweeted: "New Stephen Pearcy (his 6th) solo record due 2021 TBA with co-writer, lead guitarist Erik Ferentinos. With all (13) songs written by the pair, Pearcy is finishing working on lyrics. A few songs were written with @theRATTpack in mind."

This past July, Ferentinos, who has played with Pearcy for nearly two decades, told All Music/All Bands about the musical direction of Stephen's next album: "The new record will have the '80s rock sound that fans have come to expect from us with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. There are some heavy bangers on there that the RATT fans will love. I try to keep it edgy, but I want us to have a hit. I'm always trying to top what we've done so far, with catchier riffs and melodies to get more fans interested in our music."

Stephen's most recent release was the "All That I Want" solo single, He told Marci Wiser of the 95.5 KLOS radio station: "I didn't know where that song was gonna end up — a RATT song or solo — so I decided it's just gonna be put out there."

Asked if the track will appear on a full-length album at some point in the future, Pearcy said: "No. It's just a song. That's all I do is write with Erik Ferentinos, a co-writer friend of mine, been in my band forever, solo band. And it's all good. We just write and if we feel it fits to be heard, we put it out."

As for the lyrical inspiration for "All That I Want", Pearcy said: "It's a relationship song, and it just felt right for the times. Everybody's locked up, and what's really important to you? Your partner — somebody close to you, somebody to dig, love."

This past March, Pearcy released another new solo song called "Making Crazy".

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.

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).

Pearcy told Sleaze Roxx that Erik was briefly considered for a position in RATT before Ziff and now-former RATT guitarist Chris Sanders (BRITNY FOX, KNIGHT FURY) came along. "He's literally been in my band for years, in my solo band," he said. "He's a big part of my life, my solo records, the mixing, the engineering, just everything. I mean, we're like a team when I go in to do my solo records with Matt Thorne in the studio, and Erik and myself. We get in there and there is no stopping us, so I wanted to keep that a little separate, but he's always ready to go at any moment. He's a total professional."

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




New Stephen Pearcy (his 6th) solo record due 2021 TBA with co-writer, lead guitarist Erik Ferentinos. With all (13) songs written by the pair, Pearcy is finishing working on lyrics. A few songs were written with @theRATTpack in mind. https://t.co/eYrBPUo57i pic.twitter.com/0CX3MIuaj0

— STEPHEN E PEARCY (@StephenEPearcy) October 21, 2020