Legendary rock photographer Neal Preston joined QUEEN as official tour photographer at a crucial stage of their evolution into one of the greatest rock bands in history. Preston captured QUEEN at their most intimate and ecstatic, never missing a beat, committed to revealing the passion and dedication of the band on and off stage. "Queen: The Neal Preston Photographs" is the official photographic volume documenting the band's rise to glory. Preston and members of QUEEN, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, have collated over 300 hundred images — many of which have never been seen before — along with Preston's personal account, to offer a glimpse into the exhilarating life of QUEEN. The book will be published on October 29 by Reel Art Press.

A promotional video for "Queen: The Neal Preston Photographs" can be seen below.

Neal Preston joined QUEEN in 1977 after having previously been on tour with LED ZEPPELIN. From the beginning of his time with QUEEN, Preston had the freedom and access to move seamlessly in and around the band, never putting the camera down or a single moment escape his gaze.

With acute observational skill, Preston became familiar with each band member, capturing their personalities and quirks, and very soon became one of their family having been dubbed "Linda Lens" by Freddie Mercury.

"QUEEN taught me something extremely important: good is only good enough, great is only great, but there is always room to excel," Preston said.

May said: "Neal just has the knack, or the skill to always be in position at the right moments. He became part of the life of the band."

"Queen: The Neal Preston Photographs" covers some of the most significant QUEEN tours, from "News Of The World" tour in North America 1977 to South America "Bites The Dust" tour and "Gluttons For Punishment" tour in South America in 1981, Live Aid in 1985 and finally "The Magic" tour, Europe, 1986 — Mercury's last tour with the band. Each photograph of the band on set is an explosion of movement and intense feeling. Freddie Mercury striding across the stage in a diamond leotard with unparalleled precision or the famous shot of him leaning back as far as he could go at Live Aid; the frenzied expression of Roger Taylor at his drumkit, the cool confidence of Brian May riffing off Mercury and the serious vigor of John Deacon, makes the energy in each shot palpable.

The band's dynamic on stage makes the images look almost choreographed. For the live concerts, Preston's keen eye managed to capture the most iconic poses, with smoke rising hazily through vivid red and green lighting, casting the band, particularly Mercury in his bold costumes, into a smoky luminous aura. He also caught the band members at their most focused, and these profile shots capturing the expression in their faces create a contemplative feel to some of the most powerful stage moments.

"Each tour, from 1977 on, got bigger and bigger," Preston said. "They had become known for their bombast, and the fans came fully prepared for anything the band dished out."

Preston found that every angle suited QUEEN. In many ways his photographs of the band live are extensions of the band behind the scenes, carefully and diligently working hard every day and with purpose — soundchecking, rehearsing, interviewing, travelling and revelling at parties.

"They were the hardest workers I've ever seen on tour," Preston said. "Photographically, I couldn't have asked for more... The productions were full of thunder and lightning and bigger was definitely better. For me it was like being a kid in the ultimate candy store and many of the photographs in this book bear that out."

One of the most significant historical moments for QUEEN was at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium in 1985; their performance establishing them as the biggest rock bands of the century. Preston was one of the official photographers for Live Aid and was the only photographer allowed on stage when QUEEN performed.

Preston is a celebrated rock photographer who has worked closely with artists such as LED ZEPPELIN, QUEEN, THE WHO, Bruce Springsteen, FLEETWOOD MAC, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. At a young age, Preston was already shooting rock shows throughout the New York City area earning assignments from a variety of publications. Over four decades his work has been featured in countless magazines and used on the covers of hundreds of music-related releases.

Preston was an official photographer at Live Aid at Wembley in 1985 and was the official tour photographer for Amnesty International's "A Conspiracy Of Hope" in 1988, which included a lineup featuring Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Peter Gabriel.

Preston has had a long association with People magazine and has shot covers of Newsweek, Time and Rolling Stone, and many more. He has photographed six Olympic Games and covered heavyweight boxing, NBA basketball, World Cup soccer, professional figure skating and Major League Baseball.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, who first saw VAN HALEN perform in 1976 at Starwood in Los Angeles, has opened up to People about his initial reaction after he heard the news of Eddie Van Halen's death.

"When I was shocked to find out Eddie had passed, the first image that hit me — so help me God — was Eddie Van Halen grinning from ear to ear with that big, huge, million-dollar smile," Gene said. "He always had that on, whether he was onstage playing for packed houses or in videos or meeting a stranger. He just smiles and says, 'Hey, how you doing?' He would smile and his eyes would disappear. His cheeks would shoot up and they would take his whole face, like a little 12-year-old kid smiling when you're not trying to impress anybody or you're not aware of what you look like. It was a full-face smile. It was catchy. It grabs you off-guard."

Simmons went on to praise Van Halen for being a standout individual.

"He was unabashed and just comfortable in his own skin," Simmons said. "I was not just amazed by his talent, but I admire him so much as a human being.

"Eddie was aware that he had this God-given talent, but I never saw him push that in anybody's face," Gene continued. "At the core, Eddie just seems to be a happy guy.

"Every once in a while, God gets it right," Simmons said. "He did a good job with Eddie Van Halen, I'll tell you that. He was a far better man than I'll ever be. That's the truth."

Simmons has claimed in several interviews that he once had to talk Eddie out of leaving VAN HALEN and teaming up with KISS. Asked in the April 2014 issue of Guitar World if it was true that Van Halen wanted to join KISS around the time of 1982's "Creatures Of The Night" album, Simmons said: "That is true. And he was very serious. He was so unhappy about how he and [David Lee] Roth were — or weren't — getting along. He couldn't stand him. And drugs were rampant. And so he took me to lunch, to a diner right across the street from the Record Plant. Vinnie Vincent, who was not yet in KISS, tagged along, too. Sneaky guy. And Eddie said, 'I want to join KISS. I don't want to fight anymore with Roth. I'm sick and tired of it.' But I told him, 'Eddie, there's not enough room. You need to be in a band where you can direct the music. You're not going to be happy in KISS.' I talked him out of it. It didn't fit."

During the 2018 "Kiss Kruise", KISS frontman Paul Stanley was asked by a fan if there is any truth to the rumor that Eddie nearly ended up in KISS. Paul responded: "No. Eddie Van Halen did not almost join KISS. Eddie [came down to] the studio. I think there was some strife within the band [VAN HALEN] at that point, for him, and Eddie came down just to see what was going on. And I remember he was really blown away by the solo in [the song] 'Creatures [Of The Night]'. He said, 'Get that guy.' That guy who played the solo in 'Creatures' was a guy named Steve Farris, who was in a band called MISTER MISTER, who had a bunch of hits. But the guitar player was great. And at that point, Eddie was getting into keyboards. And I remember he brought some tapes of some of the songs he was working on. And it was, like, this guy is this unbelievable guitar player. [I thought], 'Eddie, what are you doing on keyboards?' But that was the start of 'Jump' and all that other stuff that came afterwards. But Eddie was never going to join KISS and was never almost in KISS."

In a 1995 interview with The Times Leader, Eddie was asked if it was true that he met with Gene and Paul in Los Angeles 13 years earlier to discuss the possibility of him joining KISS. He responded: "Not that I know of… Unless I was so fucked up [that] I don't remember. They might have asked me… They might have just asked me in passing, and I just kind of laughed it off, probably. If it happened, I'm sure I would have remembered. Maybe they did ask me and I just thought they were joking."

Simmons has repeatedly taken credit for "discovering" VAN HALEN and flying the band to New York to record a 15-song demo at Electric Lady Studios, with Gene at the production helm. But he ended up not working with the group after his KISS bandmates and manager, Bill Aucoin, expressed little interest in his demos. "I gave the demo back to the band, told them I had a tour to go on and afterward I would try to get them a record deal, but until then, I tore up our contract and set them free," he said. "It didn't take them long to get on Warner Bros."

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 Wolfgang, and Alex, Eddie's brother and VAN HALEN drummer.




??... pic.twitter.com/m9wRNfRQSr

— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) October 6, 2020

Tommy Lee says that it would be an "honor" for MÖTLEY CRÜE to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame one day.

Despite the fact that artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like MÖTLEY CRÜE (which has been eligible since 2006), IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility.

CRÜE won last year's "Voice Your Choice" in-museum Rock Hall fan vote but failed to make the list of nominees for the Class Of 2020. The band saw its votes surge when its biopic "The Dirt", premiered on Netfix in March 2019.

Asked in a new interview with "CLE Rocks" podcast about CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx previous assertion that he would "probably decline" the Rock Hall nomination, Tommy said (hear audio below): "I get Nikki's, like, you know what? There's a bunch of people that are in there that he doesn't agree with, and, yeah, I might not agree with that either. And it seems like just fucking anybody's in there now. I get his disappointment with that. But at the end of the day, for me, dude, it would be a fucking honor regardless. Because there is a bunch of people that deserve to be there. I wouldn't kick it out of bed, you know? [Laughs]"

Last year, Sixx said that CRÜE was told by the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame that it will never be inducted into the institution because of how he and his bandmates "acted." Tommy, for his part, told "CLE Rocks" that he doesn't believe the band's exclusion has anything to do with CRÜE's notorious 1980s partying lifestyle.

"MÖTLEY's always been that kind of band that just, (a) won't go away, and (b) with some of those kind of people, we've always butted heads with that kind of stuff," Lee explained. "People sometimes don't think that we're the fucking real deal, I guess. I don't know what their deal is. Who knows, bro? Who knows?"

Back in 2015, Sixx said that if his band was ever honored into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, he would "probably decline" the nomination, explaining that the Rock Hall "has lost touch with art, songwriting craft, lyrics and influential music." He explained: "It's a fixed old-boy network that has lost touch with art, songwriting craft, lyrics and influential music and usually has other agendas at hand. Young bands tell me it's a joke, and these bands are the future."

Three months later, CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars told Rolling Stone that he didn't think the band would ever get the Rock Hall nod. "We were there when the thing was being built; we had to wear hard hats while we were walking around the building site. They were like, 'One of these days, you guys will be in here!' Right. [Laughs] I'd have to say, 80 percent no, 20 percent yeah. But it's like when you're a kid in kindergarten, and you take a nap and get a gold star as a reward. I don't need a few handful of people to say that I got a gold star, because I already got it from my fans. I see the crowds, I see the enthusiasm, I see all that stuff, and that's already satisfying enough for me."

Lee told Rolling Stone that he was somewhat torn on the question of even wanting to be in the Hall in the first place. "I do give a shit about it, because it's a time-stamp, it's the acknowledgement of your peers and fans and the music industry," he explained. "But then again, there's a part of me that goes, 'If we don't, that's fucking cool, too!' In my heart, I know that we came, we saw, we kicked its fucking ass; I don't need a pat on the back, or an induction, or another platinum album or two. Maybe I'm just not good with compliments."

Singer Vince Neil chimed in: "We'll probably go in at some point, but we might not all be alive when it happens. Our grandkids will probably have to pick up the awards."

Photo credit: Paul Brown

JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon has reflected on the passing of Eddie Van Halen, saying he did things on the guitar things that "nobody had seen before." The legendary VAN HALEN axeman died on October 6 at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer.

During an appearance on the October 13 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Schon said: "[JOURNEY] took VAN HALEN on their first tour. It was in '78. Their record was just being released. And a couple of months, three months, prior to the tour starting, I had received a little promotional EP. It had 'Eruption' on it and 'You Really Got Me'. So I proceeded to put it on my turntable in my bedroom, with a guitar amp, and I'm sitting there listening to 'Eruption' and I'm going, 'What the fuck is this guy doing for real?' I could not figure it out. I had been listening to MAHAVISHNU [ORCHESTRA] — all kinds of people — and breaking things down. I could just not figure out what he was doing with the hammer-ons. It drove me nuts. And we finally got out there, and I got to know Ed, and watched him night to night just kill it. And all I can say is I was very happy not to be following him. Ronnie Montrose was in the middle — so VAN HALEN opened, then MONTROSE, then JOURNEY. It was a pretty incredible tour… But Eddie was just so on fire and doing new things that nobody had seen before. Everybody was just kind of, like, 'What is going on?' It was great, man. And we had a lot of fun on that tour. We hung out a lot. Watched them trash a lot of hotel rooms. [Laughs] It was a great time, man — a great period in my life."

Schon also spoke about two-hand tapping, Eddie's signature technique, and how Van Halen did not want other guitar players to see what he was doing in order to get that sound.

"He would hide it a lot," Schon said. "In the beginning, he would turn his back, a lot of times, to the audience, or hold the guitar in a certain way where you couldn't see exactly what he was doing. So about halfway through, I remember being in his dressing room, or he came in my dressing room, and I said, 'Show me what it is, man.' And he did it. And I did it pretty immediately, but I was just, like, 'Son of a bitch. That's so crazy.' I never would have thought of that. And I had heard it before — the sound of it — but not doing the triplets and what Ed was doing.

"Harvey Mandel was a great guitarist, and there was a record back in the '70s, 'Crystal Redemption'," he continued. "And I had heard doing the one finger on and the sound of it, but he wasn't doing triplets and using it in a classical sense. So Ed set the bar so high, but also he was such an innovator in the sense of being able to know what sound he needed to use. The fact that he needed to be in E flat was like a big secretive thing, because it's not so easy to do in E. You can still do it when the guitar is tuned up a half a step, but when it's in E flat, the strings become more like rubber bands, so it's easier to get a lot more speed off it, off your index finger of your right hand. So little tricks of the trade of what he developed into his own style. And also the power alternator that he used on the old Marshall heads that actually soaked the power down in the heads that made it easier to dig in. When the tube's heated up from a little less power — rather than running on 110, it was probably running about 100. So the tubes would heat up and everything would compress a bit more. It's like built-in natural amp distortion — it gave him that beautiful brown sound."

Schon went on to say that he was "so sad to hear the news" of Van Halen's passing. "I was really, really hit hard by it, like a lot of people," he said. "But I realized that Ed and I were very, very close in the '80s and hung out a lot. Not just on tour, but when he would come into town, we'd hang out, just talking music in a room, playing music for each other and checking things out."

Neal recalled one particular episode which may have indirectly led to VAN HALEN hiring Sammy Hagar as its new lead singer following the departure of David Lee Roth.

"I completed the record with Sammy, the HSAS [Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve] record, and [Eddie and I] were playing each other's music one night after [VAN HALEN] played in San Francisco at the Cow Palace," he said. "And he wanted me to give him a ride to the hotel, so he grabbed a bottle of vodka, jumped in my Porsche and he proceeded to chug it while I'm driving down the freeway. I'm, like, 'Dude, hold that thing down. Keep it down.' Anyway, we got to the hotel, and we had a cassette machine. And he was playing me some stuff, and I slapped in the HSAS cassette, and he kept going over to the machine and stopping it, backwards and forwards, going over this one guitar riff, like, 'What are you doing there?' I said, 'Ed, let it run, man.' [He did] it, like, 20 times in a row. And finally he goes, 'Who's the singer, man? I really like the singer.' And I go, 'It's Sammy Hagar.' And he goes, 'Who?' And I go, 'Sammy Hagar.' And I said, 'You know MONTROSE, right?' And he goes, 'Yeah.' He goes, 'That's the guy?' And I go, 'Yeah.' And so that's where he kind of found out about Sammy, with me playing [the cassette for] him that night. I mean, he knew who Sammy was through MONTROSE, through that first record, but he didn't know anything beyond that."

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

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

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

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




Just a couple of corrections as I think they couldn’t make out what I said. Harvey Mendel’s Crystal Redemption also Eddies (brown sound)not ground sound ??

— NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) October 17, 2020








Short clip of my #TrunkNation interview Tues w/ @NealSchonMusic . Always great having Neal on. We discussed @VanHalen on their first tour w/ @JourneyOfficial , new Journey music, and what he played that @eddievanhalen couldn't figure out! Now on @SIRIUSXM app pic.twitter.com/oM291faRQ2

— Eddie Trunk (@EddieTrunk) October 16, 2020

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory has denied the band's new music video has an anti-mask message.

Late last night (Thursday, October 15), FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH released the official clip for "Living the Dream", a song off the group's latest album, "F8". Almost immediately, the Las Vegas-based metallers were accused of taking an anti-mask stance with the video, which includes a scene where mask-wearers are given a button that says "Compliant" and features the hammer-and-sickle logo often associated with communism. The female political figure handing out the buttons, meanwhile, doesn't have to wear a mask, as her button reads "Exempt". There are also zombies hoarding toilet paper, and gimps who are walked on a chain by the "Exempt" leader. The American flag can be seen later seen in the video with the stars replaced by the hammer-and-sickle logo.

Earlier tonight (Friday, October 16), Bathory released a statement via his Facebook page in which he shot down criticism of the video's supposed "anti-mask" message, insisting that the clip portrays "a fictional story" based on "a dystopian nightmare of one of the founding fathers," and explaining that the video is meant to highlight "hypocrisy on the highest level."

Zoltan wrote: "As much as some *news sites* used 'anti-mask' as a clickbait title (And I must applaud the capitalist in them or I myself would be a hypocrite) Let's make this crystal clear: In a fictional story, Amongst shopping cart zombies, Tide Pod eating fat superheroes and all the other metaphors, why would anyone think the mask scene isn't one.

"The scene in question is not about the masks... it's NOT an Anti-Mask message... in fact you can go to FiveFingerDeathPunch.com right now and buy some cool ones...

"If I must explain this, the whole video is in the frame work of fiction, a dystopian nightmare of one of the founding fathers - right before he signs the constitution.

"Just as I prefaced it: We as artists, have a unique opportunity to portray and ridicule the absurd to prevent it from *becoming* reality.

"The mask segments are about hypocrisy on the highest level. When the rules are made for you but those who made them are exempt. Pretty much the standard in all dictatorships and totalitarian regimes (I had the displeasure of growing up in one) hence the reference.

"I often say, ask us!!! The immigrants... the Cubans, the Venezuelans, the North Koreans, anyone from the former Soviet block... Talk to us and we will tell you .... WE were lucky, because we had a place to escape to. We are fortunate that we could come here.... but If America is gone, where will you go? We immigrants also remember how our freedom slipped away, how our rights were ripped from us, how we were kept under the thumb and in fear of our own governments. So maybe, just maybe... we have valuable experience we can tell you about, we can forewarn you of the things we have seen before.

"So We the people must do everything in our power to stay free as a society. We must prevent the rise of tyranny in all shapes and forms, we must resist the would be dictators and the totalitarian ideals. This is what the founding fathers worried about and tried to prevent by creating the constitution.

"Believe it. America is a miracle, and I LOVE this country... and I will never shut up about it.

"Anyway - not anti mask - and If you reduced this entire video to that scene and missed the metaphor behind it ... Well... the good news is - It is STILL America so you have the right to have and even print your own opinion."

Mask wearing has been a hot-button issue in the U.S. as lawmakers continue to push for their constituents to wear face coverings to limit the spread of coronavirus. Months after his own advisers recommended it, President Donald Trump finally wore a mask in public for the first time in July during a visit to wounded service members at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

This past summer, the U.S. Surgeon General urged people to wear face coverings, saying they will promote freedom during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a study published in June, researchers from Texas A&M University, the California Institute of Technology and the University of California San Diego, concluded "that wearing of face masks in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent interhuman transmission."

Earlier this week, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH confirmed that it officially parted ways with guitarist Jason Hook back in February 2020, during the band's sold-out European arena tour. He has since been replaced by renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who is also featured on "Broken World", one of the five previously unreleased tracks on FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's latest greatest-hits collection, "Decade Of Destruction, Volume 2".


As much as some *news sites* used “anti-mask” as a clickbait title (And I must applaud the capitalist in them or I...

Posted by Zoltan Bathory - Official on Friday, October 16, 2020

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx, who celebrated the 19th anniversary of his getting sober in July, was asked in a new interview with Forbes when he first realized it was cool to live his life alcohol-free. He replied: "I know it doesn't make fans happy to say I don't really care about being in a band. That's really not my life purpose. This is my life purpose. Being in a band is fun. And, for me, it's just a way to express myself. But I also paint, I write poetry, short stories, books.

"I don't define myself by this thing of being a rock star, which is fake by the way," he continued. "There is no such thing as a rock star. I define myself by what I'm gonna do after I die.

"No one's going to be listening to MÖTLEY CRÜE going, 'That guy made a difference.' They're gonna be maybe going, 'That guy raised tens of millions of dollars for people and helped open up organizations to pop culture, to legislation, to getting it into schools, getting the stigma diminished or erased.' And it's why I left Los Angeles; it's a fucking cesspool of narcissism. I needed to get out there and move to Wyoming, where I've got hundreds of acres and I just think about what I want to do, because if I'm gonna talk to somebody, I want to talk to somebody about something important. I don't really want talk about what we did on the jet in 1987. That's come and gone. What are we really doing here? And that's what I'm really doing here."

Sixx struggled with substance abuse for years and was even supposedly declared clinically dead after a heroin overdose in 1987 made his heart stop for two minutes. He has since become actively involved in a recovery "program," which he credits for helping him transform his life and relationships.

"By letting go of self and ego, working a program that connects you to a higher power and giving back to those still struggling are just some of the important things you learn through sobriety," Sixx wrote when he celebrated nine years of sobriety in July 2013. "You get to repair the damage done from drink, drugs and horrific behaviors (that broke people's hearts who loved you."

The rocker, who detailed his near-fatal drug addiction in the best-selling book "The Heroin Diaries", added: "For me, taking away the substance just gave [me] an honest view of who I had become and then the healing started. I do believe without any program to help, many are just dry drunks and there is always a danger of them going out again. I've been there. It's not pretty. This is no joking matter to me, so I take it seriously."

Asked by The Guardian about a diary entry in "The Heroin Diaries" where he described himself as an "alcoholic heroin and coke addict getting into pills" and how he spent Christmas Day 1986 naked under the Christmas tree, clutching a shotgun, Nikki said: "Well, if you shoot enough cocaine, you go into a kind of psychosis, and I believed people were coming to get me. Scary place, let me tell you. It reads like some kind of a dark horror story or bedtime thriller. But in real life, the trauma that psychosis puts your body through is on a cellular level. You believe that you're going to have an experience even though it’s not really happening. I can remember those, because you come out of them, and it's scary. But you can only imagine what it would be like to be insane and not come out of it, or a version of that, like dementia."

Sixx is not the only member of MÖTLEY CRÜE who has battled alcohol addiction. Singer Vince Neil's 1984 drunk-driving accident killed HANOI ROCKS drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley and seriously injured two others. He spent 15 days in jail and received five years probation.

"It was rough for everybody after that accident," Neil told USA Today last year. "I tried to stay sober for a few years, but it's tough when there's no support system around you. They were still doing coke and drinking and carrying on, and I just couldn't be a part of it."

Earlier this month, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee revealed that before he got sober nearly a year ago, he was "drinking two gallons" of vodka on a daily basis.

"I didn't notice it until towards the end of it, when I was, like, 'Oh dude, I've got to stop,'" he said in a video interview with Yahoo! Entertainment. "Like, I was drinking just out of boredom. I would just wake up and be just building, just all vodka and just a little eyedropper of cranberry or lemonade. I was drinking two gallons — not pints, not quarts, but gallons, the big-handles."

Decibel Books has announced the publication of "USBM: A Revolution Of Identity In American Black Metal".

In parallel with the blazing European scene of the 1990s, the American wasteland birthed its own wayward souls who found their own uses for blast beats, tremolo picking, ghoulish shrieks and satanic leanings. Over the span of 30 years, Americans have clung to black metal's core tenets and cast them off in equal measure, always in search of a sound that could give voice to our uniquely predatory demons.

Over three years in the making, this new 544-page hardcover book chronicles the stateside movement via first-hand accounts from genre progenitors VON, PROFANATICA and ABSU through revolutionary acts like LEVIATHAN, WEAKLING and XASTHUR to present-day progressives PANOPTICON, DEAFHEAVEN and WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, along with dozens more black metal musicians. Including hundreds of rare and never-before-seen photos and a special foreword from extreme metal godfather Thomas Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. Tom G. Warrior; HELLHAMMER, CELTIC FROST), "USBM" is a thorough and definitive tome from longtime Decibel contributor Daniel Lake and is available for pre-order exclusively through Decibel at this location.

In the new issue of Metal Hammer, on sale now, DEVILDRIVER frontman Dez Fafara answered questions from readers in the magazine's regular "People Vs…" feature. Asked by one reader if there will ever be a new record from COAL CHAMBER, the band that put him on the musical map and gave him his first and only gold-certified album in the shape of the group's 1997 debut, Dez replied: "I'm not gonna say yes or no. I'm not gonna say no, because we've all spoken. The main thing for me is that the relationship is all good after numerous fallouts in the beginning and after sone stuff went horribly wrong when we got back together to release [2015 comeback album] 'Rivals'. The vibe in that camp is very cool at the moment, and we all have each other's backs. I wouldn't put it past us, but right now I'm definitely concentrating on DEVILDRIVER."

COAL CHAMBER existed for ten years before disbanding in 2003 to pursue other musical projects. They reunited in 2011 for touring purposes but it wasn't until 2014 that the band began work on a new studio album of original material, the aforementioned critically acclaimed "Rivals". Several months of touring activity followed before Dez returned to DEVILDRIVER to make a new record, 2016's "Trust No One".

DEVILDRIVER's 2019 co-headlining tour with STATIC-X saw the Fafara-fronted outfit performing material from COAL CHAMBER for the first time.

In an interview with KCAL 96.7's "Wired In The Empire" radio show, Dez stated about his decision to perform COAL CHAMBER songs with DEVILDRIVER: "I've kept those things separate for so many years, man. It's just time for me to embrace everything that I've done."

He continued: "COAL CHAMBER's not coming back. It is what it is. And I'm not gonna wait another 15-20 years to sing the songs that gave me gold records and allowed me a career. And I say it every night, 'Look, this song gave me gold records on my walls and you people out here gave me a career. Thank you for both of them. Let's get loco.'"

Fafara painted a bleak picture of COAL CHAMBER's future during a 2016 interview with Revolver magazine. He stated at the time: "I had a lot of fun doing that record and playing shows with them again. But there were some circumstances that were not ideal and that's why that thing is not continuing as of right now. If something comes up and I have time and want to make a record and the members have their shit together, I'll do it. But as of now, there's some deep-seated shit that certain dudes in the band still need to work out. And if they work it out and want to tour or make another record, they can come back and give me a call. But right now, everyone in DEVILDRIVER is stoked. No one's fighting. And I feel lucky to be where I am."

Dez had stated in previous interviews that COAL CHAMBER's original split happened because "I did not want to be around the band's hard drug use and I realized that going onstage every night that the money was feeding their habit, so I walked to save my friends." He added that his COAL CHAMBER bandmates were "clean" as of 2012, which made him realize that "it was the right thing to walk [away from the group back in 2003]."

FOREIGNER and ex-DOKKEN bassist Jeff Pilson went on the "Side Jams" podcast this week to discuss his love for meditation with host Bryan Reesman. Pilson says he has been actively practicing meditation since the 1980s, and it has helped keep him focused and not go off the rails during the platinum heyday of DOKKEN and after. He also spoke about the time that FOREIGNER opened for LED ZEPPELIN in 2007 for their London reunion show.

When he began meditating:

"I got into yoga exercises — the postures, the stretching first — in the late '70s. And the reason I got into it is I was staying at a friend's and doing some kind of exercising. I fell on the floor for hours, and I was only 20 years old. My back — I couldn't even move, I was paralyzed. And after that, I said to myself, I've got to do something and somebody recommended yoga. So I got books, started doing it, and was hooked immediately. I got associated with a guy by the name of Richard Hittleman who had workshops. Richard's no longer with us. He died in 1991. I started going to the workshops in the '80s. So I've been into meditation since somewhere in the mid to late-'80s. I don't think I could do it without to be honest with you. You get sleep on the road, but it's not always restful sleep. It helps you in performing and staying focused, it helps you just your overall health. I think it just set me up for a nice run on the road without killing myself. And I partied in the '80s, man. I was doing a lot of drugs and alcohol.”

How it affects his mental health:

"I've always flirted with mild depression. The meditation has helped keep that way in check. Part of the reason I got into meditation as well is I was a pretty neurotic guy, pretty up and down, angry. I was very hard on myself a lot. I noticed that once I started even getting into the postures, but especially with meditation, that all just backed off. And I wouldn't say it went away. But now my perspective on it is way different. When those dark thoughts come in, I say, 'Oh, yeah, that's just the dark thought floating by, you know.' It doesn't paralyze me like it did when I was younger."

How it altered his view of life:

"As much as I love meditation, I'm not what you'd call a naturally chill kind of guy. I think it's kind of given me this other perspective. It even kind of ties into mortality. I feel like I understand mortality in a better way now, which is an odd thing to say. It makes me see – wow, when the end comes, it's okay. It's inevitable. And it's alright. I can't explain it beyond that, other than I just feel one notch more accepting of mortality. And that feels good to me."

Does he ever get into a meditative state on stage?

"A great performance kind of has that aspect to it, where it just feels like it's flowing. It just kind of flows. A great show does that for both the audience and the performer. But because I'm a performer and because I do it so often, I'm very aware when it's in that place. It's not exactly like meditation, but it is a similar state in that you're kind of selfless at that point. You're just flowing, what's happening is coming naturally. And that's a beautiful state. And again, that gives you the kind of bliss that meditation does as well.”

What has been his most transcendent moment on stage?

"In 2007, FOREIGNER got to open up for LED ZEPPELIN when they did their reunion show [at the O2]. We played right before ZEPPELIN. I wouldn't say I was stressed out necessarily, but I sort of wrote off the gig. 'God, this is 22,000 people that just want to see LED ZEPPELIN. They're not gonna give a crap about us up there.' And we ended up getting up there and the people were so into it, it was the most shocked I've ever been at a show. They were just so gracious and into it."

Jeff teaches meditation every Monday at 5 p.m. Pacific / 8 p.m. Eastern at www.hotforyogascv.com.

Puck Hcky, the unique hockey-themed brand, has joined forces with industrial metal legends MINISTRY on an awesome collection of items.

"We are so excited and proud to launch the new Ministry X Puck Hcky collection," says Matt Marini, CEO of Puck Hcky. "MINISTRY has been one of our favorite bands for a long, long time... Plus the fact that Al [Jourgensen, MINISTRY leader] is a huge hockey fan just ties it all together perfectly! We hope you all enjoy the collaboration as much as we enjoy bringing it to you!"

The Ministry x Puck Hcky collection contains many pro-level quality hockey-themed items like hockey jerseys, pullover and zip-up hoodies, flannels, raglans, t-shirts, hats and decals.

The collection has dropped and is available at the Puck Hcky store.

Mercedes Lander says that it would be "hard" for KITTIE to continue without the band's late bassist Trish Doan.

After the London, Ontario, Canada-based metallers completed the touring cycle for 2011's "I've Failed You" album, KITTIE entered a long period of inactivity during which the drummer worked in real estate and more recently at a software company, while her sister, guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander focused on a marketing job for a chain of fitness clubs. The group also began work on a career-spanning documentary, "Origins/Evolutions", which finally saw the light of day in 2018 via Lightyear Entertainment in North America.

Asked in a new interview with the "Thunder Underground" podcast if there are any plans for KITTIE to do anything at some point in the future, Mercedes said (hear audio below): "I know that we're lucky to have the experiences that we have had. And we had a really amazing time when we did that 'Live In London' show a couple of years, where we brought everybody back that wanted to come back. And we did like a 'travel through time' with all the different members and stuff like that. So that was really cool. We had a lot of fun doing that. But at this point, unless we got a really good offer… I don't think we would do anything unless it was a really great offer and we could include everyone, in one fashion or another. And I think because at this point, we're kind of one of those legacy bands, I feel like it would probably really help, or it would be really cool, if we could something with some of the past members as well. 'Cause right now, we don't necessarily have… I mean, besides my sister, myself and Tara [McLeod, guitar], it's just the three of us, technically, in the band.

"It's kind of hard for us to continue on without Trish, because it would feel kind of weird not to have her there," she continued. "So there's a lot of stuff going on with that. But you never know what might happen. If somebody decides that they wanna give us a good offer, and it works out for us, and it's feasible for us and we're able to do it, I don't see why not. But at the same time, we wanna make sure that things are good for the fans as well. We wanna make sure that the people that are coming to the show are getting a good experience, 'cause it might be the last time. [Laughs] We don't wanna shortchange anybody and have a 'lesser than' experience, if that makes sense — we wanna make sure that everybody that comes to a show gets blown away. So we kind of have to outdo ourselves.

"But we'll see what happens. You never know," she added. "The documentary is on Amazon Prime right now, and people are losing their mind. Our Instagram and our Twitter and all of our other social media has basically exploded since the documentary got added to Amazon Prime, I guess, like a month or two ago."

Doan passed away in February 2017. The KITTIE bassist was only 31 years old at the time of her death.

Born in Gwangju, South Korea (about 270 kilometers from the capital Seoul), Doan joined KITTIE in 2005 and was in the band for two years before leaving in 2007 and then rejoining in 2012. She can be heard on KITTIE's 2006 EP "Never Again" and the 2007 full-length album "Funeral For Yesterday".

In early 2008, it was reported that Doan originally left KITTIE due to the eating disorder anorexia-athletica-nervosa, which she had been struggling with for almost two years.

Doan relocated to Australia in 2009 to get a degree and try to surf before returning to Canada in 2011. She apparently moved back to Australia in 2013 and kept an active Twitter account and Facebook page where she frequently posted about her life struggles and battles with depression.

"I've Failed You" sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 178 on The Billboard 200 chart.

BUCKCHERRY singer Josh Todd spoke to Ned of the Waterloo, Iowa radio station Rock 108 about how he and his bandmates have spent their downtime during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said (hear audio below): "We had to do a lot of gear shifting, like everybody. We've done already over a handful of shows this year, but it's not enough when this is your livelihood. So it's been challenging — I can't say that it's been easy — but we shifted gears into making a new record, because, basically, this year was a wash; we were going to be touring a lot this year. The good news is we made a really great new BUCKCHERRY record. After we do these three shows [this month], we go in end of October. We're flying to Nashville — we're gonna do it in Nashville. And then we'll be done with that. And then it all is a waiting game until we figure out, after the elections and what's going on, what's gonna happen with live entertainment. But once we figure that all out, we have a great new record, and we'll be touring all next year, hopefully."

Asked about a possible release date for the new BUCKCHERRY album, Josh said: "That's the big question. It has a lot to do about us getting out there to promote it. We don't wanna drop a record and not be able to get onstage and start playing. So it all depends. I'm thinking maybe early summer release, possibly. But you never know what's gonna happen. The good news is that we did our due diligence. We wrote 27 songs for a 10-song record, and, man, we put in the work. And it's really good. I can't wait for people to hear it. But it's all about, 'Okay, when is the timing gonna be right?' Because I'm sure every artist out there is gonna be releasing music next year, because everybody's just been sitting around."

This past summer, BUCKCHERRY has JETBOY's Billy Rowe as its new guitarist. He joined the group as the replacement for Kevin Roentgen, who left BUCKCHERRY in July.

Roentgen, who joined the California-based band in 2017, made his exit official in a social media post. He wrote: "Bottom line, I made this decision to come off the road and spend more time with my family. The guys understood this, and for that I'm thankful. Though my wife and daughter always one hundred percent supported me in this gig, they are quite happy now to have me home."

Roentgen joined BUCKCHERRY as the replacement for original guitarist Keith Nelson. He can be heard on BUCKCHERRY's latest album, "Warpaint", which was released in March 2019 via Century Media/RED Music. The 12-song record was produced by Mike Plotnikoff, whose previous collaboration with the band was BUCKCHERRY's multi-platinum third album, 2005's "15".

Last year, BUCKCHERRY recruited Francis Ruiz as its new drummer. He joined the group as the replacement for Sean Winchester, who exited BUCKCHERRY after laying down the drum tracks on "Warpaint".

Steve Lukather (aka Luke) and Joseph Williams are life-long friends since they were kids, and bandmates sharing a deep colourful history that has thrived professionally on a global basis over the past decades.

Today, the duo has announced the formation of a new band, with world class players. They will continue to tour as Toto, and are in motion to bring their Dogz Of Oz tour worldwide as the pair looks forwards. Planned concerts across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia / New Zealand and other geographical destinations will be staged where the ensemble will perform all the hits, deep cuts, and solo music from Lukather and Williams individual catalogs.

Joining Lukather and Williams for this next chapter in their indelible history are bassist John Pierce (Huey Lewis And The News), drummer Robert “Sput” Searight (Ghost-Note / Snarky Puppy), and keyboardist / background vocalist Steve Maggiora (Elvis, Moms Mabely). Keyboardist Dominique “Xavier” Taplin (Prince, Ghost-Note) and multi-instrumentalist / vocalist Warren Ham (Ringo Starr) have segued over continuing their tenure in the ensemble alongside Lukather and Williams. This marks the fifteenth incarnation of the Toto lineup in consideration of band members or sidemen who joined or exited.

Luke shares, “We could not be more at peace with this move. There is a refreshing, optimistic enthusiasm to step in to the future. At this moment, Joe and I are the only long-tenured members of the band that want to be on the road continuing to bring music to our multi-generational fan base. I’ve spent almost four and a half decades of my life as the only original member who never missed a show or an album nurturing this legacy while enabling the music to continually exist in the live concert setting. That is something I’ll never stop doing, and the Dogz Of Oz global tour offers a rare opportunity to reimagine our personal futures while simultaneously preserving the deep connection that exists with the audience while likewise yielding continual discovery. The hope is to move forward with the planned itinerary for Summer, 2021 that will bring us back to our fans across The World.”

Williams offers, “Luke and I have been through a lot with one another. He’s like a brother to me. Our creative partnership has always enriched our lives. As we look towards what’s to come in unison, there is nothing but anticipation to bring everything in our minds to life. I can’t think of anyone else on Earth I’d rather launch the next chapter with this lifelong, loyal and gifted friend and band mate. We’re the last men standing... The Dogz Of Oz!”

Luke adds, “Joe and I have been friends since I was 17, and Joe was 14. During the course of this pandemic we’ve been reevaluating our career and how to move forward. People are either not with us anymore or have retired. We still feel like kids who want to be back on the road as soon as possible. It’s where we live. Joe’s growth as a producer, songwriter, engineer, singer and performer is inspiring. The timing of this move is perfect as Joe is at the top of his game, and he amazes me every day. We are enjoying this collaboration, and could not be more enthusiastic about the future.”

On Saturday, November 21 the new lineup will make their global debut. The band has planned a one-night only concert event that will broadcast prime time in three geographical regions to super-serve the fans: Asia, Australia / New Zealand; Europe; North America.

For more information, tickets, and available bundles click here.

Direct links on a territory by territory basis:

- UK/Europe
- Australia/Asia
- US

In 2021, both Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams will release solo albums that feature one another performing on some of the songs featured. The forthcoming titles will be issued globally in partnership with Mascot Label Group.




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Los Angeles metal band, Ænly, has released their official music video for the single "Up In Smoke", exclusively right here at BraveWords.com. Watch the clip below.

"Up In Smoke is a depiction of ones internal anger, frustration and feeling of suffocating in the midst of a chaotic world filled with tension and uncertainty. The song touches on a lack of control in our current situation and the ability to renew our selves, bounce back and settle with our past," says the band.

They add, "The video was filmed on location at Tigerlab Studios in Van Nuys, CA. It was directed and edited by Wackoe flims."

Ænly is a metal core band, with heavy riffs, pounding breaks and bridges, catchy melody lines and aggressive vocals. With a positive message and outlook on current topics, sure to catch the listeners attention from the moment they hit play.

Ænly formed in September of 2018. It's founding member Riggs was set to turn his life around and started Ænlythe day he got sober. With the positive mindset of "All Aays Forward" and moving ahead. Riggs added several members to the lineup from local talent - Andrew Lopez on vocals, Manny Cave a bandmate from another project on bass. This would be the beginning members of the band. The EP Allways Forward would follow and was released in December 2019. Longtime friend and previous band mate, Art Diharce (lead guitar) joined the group in January 2020.

Watch a video for the previous single, "Up In Smoke", below:




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Dutch symphonic black metal outfit Misanthropia will release its new album, Convoy Of Sickness, on December 4th, 2020 via Massacre Records.

For the upcoming album, Misanthropia once again teamed up with sound wizard Mike Wead and renowned graphic artist Jan Yrlund. Get ready for brutal and fast, as well as heavy and melodic songs, and an album that's even more bombastic than its predecessor Omerta. Pre-order Convoy Of Sickness now at this location.

Tracklisting:

"Convoy Of Sickness"
"Silent War"
"Pathological Desire To Kill"
"Nicodemus Narcissus"
"Sorrow Made Flesh"
"Aan De Herwijnse Zijde"
"The Unburied"
"The Eagle And The Hare"
"Roze Balletten"
"Through The Eye Of The Needle"

The first single from Convoy Of Sickness will be released on November 3rd. 

(Photo credit: Rick Jacops) 

 




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AURI, the project featuring NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen and his wife, popular Finnish singer Johanna Kurkela, has completed work on its second album. The effort will be the follow-up to AURI's self-titled debut LP, which came out in March 2018 via Nuclear Blast.

On Friday (October 16), NIGHTWISH's Twitter account was updated with a photo of AURI in the studio, and it was accompanied by the brief message: "It's done. Auri II is done!"

AURI began its life with three people, united through their shared need to hear a kind of a music which can't be described by words alone. The first song born of this mindset, "Aphrodite Rising", appeared in 2011.

Kurkela lent her unique voice, while Holopainen and English composer and multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley (also of NIGHTWISH) cast their spells with various other instruments.

In a 2018 interview with Dead Rhetoric, Donockley stated about AURI's formation: "It was always there for us, since 2010. We decided back then that the three of us wanted to do something together. Tuomas and I are huge fans of Johanna's voice. I had been involved in one of her albums as a guest musician, and Tuomas had written a song for her on a solo album. So the three of us realized pretty early on that we wanted to do something together, musically. It was obvious that it couldn't be like NIGHTWISH. But it was something we felt really strongly about, that we had to release this atmosphere we all felt, and were tuned into. I know that sounds fairly vague, but that's truly what it was. It was a kind of music that we wanted to get out of ourselves. We are close friends and have very similar tastes and attitudes towards life so we made our plans, but NIGHTWISH is a behemoth. We have our commitments there and we did 'Imaginaerum' and 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful' after our decision to work together on some music. As it turned out, fortune smiled on us with a sabbatical year. We decided to dive in and work on it."

Asked how he would compare the spirit/essence of AURI with that of NIGHTWISH, Donockley said: "We don't see it as very different from NIGHTWISH at all. Sonically it is, for sure. We were struggling to find a label for it, as it usually happens, so I just tossed out 'celestial metal.' So this Polish journalist said to me, 'I know what you mean about celestial metal. It's kind of heavenly music. It has the metal attitude, but without all of the electric guitars and bass.' Metal is an attitude. The metal scene — the metal fans are open-minded, as I said before. The Italian [NIGHTWISH] fan club, I did an interview with them, and this was brought up and she told me that she was a fan of DIMMU BORGIR as well as Ed Sheeran. That's it right there! So I think the NIGHTWISH connection is inevitable because of Tuomas and I are in it, so there are those elements. But I think the spirit is the same as NIGHTWISH. It does cover a lot of the same themes, it's just not obviously NIGHTWISH. It's down to the sonic side, honestly."

AURI is:

Johanna Kurkela: Voices, viola

Tuomas Holopainen: Keys, backing voices

Troy Donockley: Acoustic and electric guitars, bouzouki, uilleann pipes, low whistles, aerophone, bodhran, keys, voices

Holopainen and Kurkela have been married since October 2015.




It's done.

Auri II is done! pic.twitter.com/sfucNUVp1b

— Nightwish (@NightwishBand) October 16, 2020

Sammy Hagar has spoken out in more detail about his renewed friendship with Eddie Van Halen in the months leading up to the legendary guitarist's death.

Hagar, who previously said he hadn't talked to Eddie since since the conclusion of VAN HALEN's 2004 reunion tour, discussed his former bandmate in a new interview with Rock 105.5's "The Angi Taylor Show".

Hagar said (hear audio below): "I think that the word is pretty much out that Eddie and I buried the hatchet earlier on this year. We didn't go around talking about it. He asked me not to talk about it, and I did not talk about it. But now, looking back, if we wouldn't have come to terms with that feud we were having after the reunion tour, I wouldn't have been able to come to grips with it. It would have been way too much for me, 'cause I'm still grieving my ass off… But the grieving is starting to make… It feels like, hey, we had a great thing. This music will live on forever — beyond me. I'll sing it for the rest of my life. When I'm gone, hopefully some young bands come up and play that music. And you can always play it in your homes."

Asked to recall one of his favorite Eddie moments, Sammy said: "When I called him, after years of not speaking, back in February, I think, or January, whatever it was — before COVID — he said, 'What took you so long?' [Laughs] It put the biggest smile on my face. I said, 'Oh my God. Don't ask me.' That was just very touching to me: 'Hey, I've been waitin'.'"

In a separate interview with Marci Wiser of 95.5 KLOS, Hagar said that Eddie's death was "hard to accept" when he first got the news. Two days after the guitarist's passing, Sammy and fellow ex-VAN HALEN member Michael Anthony (bass) paid tribute to Eddie Van Halen at Hagar's annual birthday bash, which was moved to Catalina Island in California due to the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to launching into a rendition of the VAN HALEN classic "Right Now" with the rest of THE CIRCLE band, Hagar led the audience in a moment of silence as they stood quietly for 20 seconds in memory of Van Halen, who died on October 6 at the age of 65 following a long cancer battle.

"The moment I heard 'Right Now', the beginning, the piano part to that, and I was about to sing it, I realized how great it was, the music that Eddie Van Halen [co-wrote]," Sammy said (hear audio below). "He was just a genius musician, songwriter, bandmate. And when you hear the music, you realize it's immortal — it lives forever.

"We were left with a beautiful gift. And having 11 years of my life standing on stage next to Eddie Van Halen, writing all those songs together, at the peak of my rock and roll career in that band, I'm grateful for it. I'm just so glad that it happened."

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

In his autobiography, "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock", Hagar slammed Eddie, saying the guitarist was unkempt, hunched over, frighteningly skinny, drinking wine straight out of a bottle, missing part of his tongue (after a cancer scare) and several teeth. He told an interviewer in 2012: "What happened on that reunion tour in '04 was some of the most miserable, back-stabbing dark crap I've ever been involved with my whole life."

In a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Eddie questioned an "embellished" portion of "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock" that painted the guitarist as a "very angry drunk" during the group's 2004 reunion tour.

Early last year, rumors were rampant that the classic-era lineup of VAN HALEN would reunite for the first time since 1984. It's unclear why the tour didn't happen, though there has been online chatter that a health setback involving Eddie might have been responsible.

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

Eddie died from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

The guitarist was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2000 and had tongue surgery. He later battled throat cancer and reportedly had been receiving radiation treatment in Germany.

Listen to "Sammy Hagar Interview" on Spreaker.

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen has reflected on the passing of Eddie Van Halen, calling him "one of the most amazing influences ever." The legendary VAN HALEN axeman died on October 6 at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer.

Speaking to Everyone Loves Guitar, Collen said (see video below): "We're talking about Eddie and the amazing impact he had on musicians, influences on guitar players and everything. It wasn't just the guitar playing, obviously. He was one of the most amazing influences ever. There was Jimi Hendrix in the '60s, and then Eddie Van Halen. Anyone who plays electric guitar would know about those two and what impact they had.

"I think when I first heard Eddie, it sounded like someone could fly — someone was literally like Superman," he continued. "They were doing this stuff that was amazing. The feel was incredible — it was just firepower. And the technique was, obviously, amazing, but the vibrato was just out of this world. Everything about it was what you wanted to hear in a guitar player. He was doing things — obviously, the tapping and all these other things — he just made everything work for him. So that's why it was so influential. It's not often someone comes along and just makes you wanna play guitar. With Eddie, it really made me wanna play guitar.

"That was the wonderful thing about Eddie, if you ever saw him play — he is the guitar, and the guitar is him… He was constantly upping the game of the guitar — not just the playing, but the actual tool that you use to get that. And I love that.

"I met him just very briefly a couple of times," Phil added. "And the first time I met him was on VAN HALEN's first headline tour of the U.K. I was in a band called GIRL, and we got back to see him, and I was talking to Eddie. I had this Fender Strat that was a gift from my mum on my 21st birthday. And I knew that it should have a Humbucker, because I couldn't quite get it. I was using fuzz boxes and that. I wanted to sound like Ritchie Blackmore, which was kind of cool, but I really wanted the Eddie thing. And I met him, and I was talking to him, and I said, 'I've got this Strat.' And he said, 'You know you're never gonna be happy with that guitar until you put a Humbucker in that, right?' So I did. So I went and got it fixed. That guitar, it was the main guitar on the 'Hysteria' album, so anytime you hear any of them songs — 'Rocket', 'Pour Some Sugar On Me', 'Armageddon It', 'Animal', 'Love Bites' — that's on there… So it was kind of cool that [Eddie] kind of gave me the okay and told me to butcher it in the first place. It sounds amazing. You've heard it. And it was incredible.

"We're really gonna miss Eddie — the playing, the influences. Just amazing stuff. But we've got the sounds. We've got all that stuff to still listen to."

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

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

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

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

US groove rockers, Clutch, have revealed details of The Obelisk, a special, limited edition box set to be released exclusively for the next Record Store Day, on Saturday, October 24.

The Obelisk is a box set that consists of all of Clutch’s Weathermaker Music vinyl releases. There are six double LP's, three 12" LPs, and three 12" picture discs all together in a beautifully designed box set. In addition, the box contains a turntable mat and a square, artist signed lithograph. The rigid box has a magnetic closure and the silver foil is stamped on black Sierra cloth. This is a premium collector's item and only 2000 exist in the world.

The Obelisk contains these albums:

1. Full Fathom Five (WM052 - 2xLP)
2. Live At The Googolplex (WM059 - LP picture disc)
3. Jam Room (WM060 - LP picture disc)
4. Pitchfork and Lost Needles (WM061 - LP picture disc)
5. La Curandera (WM053 - LP)
6. Strange Cousins From The West (WM013 - 2xLP)
7. Blast Tyrant (WM018 - 2xLP)
8. Robot Hive / Exodus (WM019 - 2xLP)
9. From Beale Street To Oblivion (WM020 - 2xLP)
10. Earth Rocker (WM028 - LP)
11. Psychic Warfare (WM042 - LP)
12. Book Of Bad Decisions (WM067 - 2xLP)

Clutch is:

Neil Fallon - Vocals/Guitar
Tim Sult - Guitar
Dan Maines - Bass
Jean-Paul Gaster - Drums/Percussion




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Ex-Stratovarius guitarist Timo Tolkki proudly announces Erik Kraemer as vocalist for his Infinite Visions lineup. Erik states: "I am happy to say that I will be part of Timo Tolkki's Infinite Visions. It is a huge honor to be a member of a band full of very talented musicians. I'm very excited, and I will utilize my vocal abilities to the maximum to create the best music possible for people to hear". 

This past summer, Erik played an acoustic show in Finland with Timo where they performed several Stratovarius classics including "Black Diamond", "Hunting High And Low", "Forever" and "Eagleheart". Video of Erik and Timo performing an acoustic version of "Black Diamond" can be viewed below.
  

Erik is known for his impressive vocal range, and also sings for the Finnish progressive metal band Simulacrum (Frontiers Records). 

Infinite Visions has finished recording a 4-song demo which will now be presented to labels worldwide. This demo includes the tracks "Dangerous", "Sonata Black", "You Rock My World" and "Infinite Visions", songs which will be featured on their upcoming album, "Union Magnetica", to be released in 2021. They plan to tour and perform select festival dates next year.

The band will be starting a crowdfunding campaign early next month to help finance the making of their album. To kick off the crowdfunding they will release a video for a song from their 4-track demo, with this song also streaming on the band's website.

Infinite Visions' lineup includes Timo Tolkki (guitars), Jari Kainulainen (bass / Masterplan, ex-Stratovarius), Pawel Jaroszewicz (drums / ex-Hate, Vader), and Jimmy Pitts (keyboards / Eternity's End, NorthTale). Infinite Visions would like to thank Jorge Segersbol, a great vocal talent who due to the global COVID-19 pandemic could not logistically continue with Infinite Visions as he was located in Peru and the band in Europe.

For more information, follow the latest news on the Infinite Visions Facebook page here.




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Italian groove metal band Six Degrees has unveiled the first single from their debut album No One Is Innocent, coming out next month on November 27, via Rockshots Records.

"'Restart/Erase' is one of the latest songs we wrote," says Six Degrees. "It has got all the characteristics of our way to write music. Maybe that's why we chose it as the opening song of this album. It talks about how sometimes, to put an end to all those things that cause you pain and make you feel bad, you need to erase everything and start living again. Insisting without understanding is useless. Maturity leads you to live things with much more wisdom and this attitude saves you time and above all makes your life easier."

No One Is Innocent" is an album that brings together all the creative aspects of Six Degrees. It's aggressive, simple, direct groove-death metal, but filled with melody. All of this gives the compositions a dual-purpose appeal, with a mix of violence and impact but also catchy melodies, thanks to Luca's scratchy growls and Valentina's sweet and effective vocals.

The introspective lyrics also play a fundamental part. Certainly this is not a concept album, but an intense collection of emotions: anger, love, frustration, death, faith, disappointment, indifference, social criticism, inner discomfort, lack of communication, trust, courage, imperfection: all elements and/or sensations inspired by the emotional events that we live and that belong to the experience that each of us carries on our shoulders.

The album includes a cover version of "The Power Of Love" by Huey Lewis And The News, taken from the legendary trilogy Back To The Future original soundtrack.

Tracklisting:

"Restart/Erase"
"Malaka’s Multiple Choice Answer"
"Imperfect"
"May, 10"
"The Unexpectable"
"Stuck In The Middle"
"Night Is Over"
"Silent Glance"
"Stillness"
"None Of Us"
"The Power Of Love" (Konka Version)

Pre-orders can be placed now at this location. For further details, visit Six Degrees on Facebook.

 




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Antiqva, the black metal supergroup founded by Xenoyr (Ne Obliviscaris) and Lindsay Schoolcraft will release their debut single, "Funeral Crown", in December. 

Lindsay commented, “We are very happy to announce this debut single will finally be released to the world in December 2020. After a long year of co-ordinating logistics from over five different countries, we have this first offering for those who have eagerly awaited all these years."

To get notified when the band releases new material, sign up for their newsletter by clicking here.

Antiqva is:

Lindsay Schoolcraft (formerly Cradle Of Filth)
Xenoyr (Ne Obliviscaris, Omega Infinity)
Justine Ethier (Karkaos, Blackguard)
Urzorn (Negator)
Memnock (Susperia, Abyssic)
Dalai Cellai (The Ocean Collective, Dirty Granny Tales)
Andy Thomas (Black Crown Initiate)

For further details, visit Antiqva on Facebook.

(Artwork created by Xenoyr)
 

 




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On Thursday, November 5th at 20:00 GMT, Paradise Lost will live stream a show from The Mill. 

Tickets go on sale Tuesday, October 20th via StageIt. VIP tickets will be available with extra content; including an interview with the band, featuring fan questions submitted via social media.

"Just a quick few words to thank everyone for the ongoing great response to our latest album, Obsidian, and to announce that as there are still no stages for us to play on, we have decided to perform live from our rehearsal studio at The Mill in Bradford, West Yorkshire," says Paradise Lost.

This one time live event will feature a regular set from the band alongside a VIP option, which includes three extra songs plus a pre-recorded interview with the band. The Regular set will include the world premiere of two new songs from Obsidian, and the VIP set will feature three.

Note: the show can only be watched live and not played back at a later date. For further details, including your local stream time, visit paradiselost.co.uk.

 




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Nitesoil have released another new track from their upcoming studio EP. "Odio", which features Orange Is The New Black star and Brujeria + Alekhine's Gun frontwoman Jessica Pimentel on vocals, is available for streaming below.

Nitesoil's debut effort, Abusement Park, will be independently released on November 6. Abusement Park is available for pre-order here. 100% of all proceeds from the EP will go to the Cancer Research Institute.

Commenting on the formation of Nitesoil and the process behind their studio debut, Godla states, "We started this band as a joke we thought no one would hear; a folder of sick riffs from Nick titled "Slammy Sosa". Once I spent weeks rearranging and tracking grooves, black mailing some killer death metal vocalists to come over to my house and participate, and kidnapping one of the sickest engineers in the game to mix and master this shit in order to be released...we're still a joke. But at least it sounds legit, and it's all for charity you chumps!"

Abusement Park tracklisting :

"Odio" Featuring Jessica Pimentel (Brujeria/Orange Is The New Black)
"The Extinction Gene" Featuring Dave Davidson (Revocation)
"Burn Me Down" Featuring Aaron Heinold (Hivesmasher)
"The Abusement Park" Featuring Trevor Strnad (The Black Dahlia Murder)
"Mother of Lust" Featuring Gost (GOST)
"D.S.I.T.S." Featuring Doug Moore (Pyyrhon)

"Odio":

"D.S.I.T.S.":

"Burn Me Down":




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Sacramento, California-based thrash veterans, Psychosomatic, have released an official video for "Personality Agenda". The song hails from the band's seventh LP, The Invisible Prison, out now via Nefarious Industries..

The new video was filmed and edited by Jesse Davis at DVC Studios. Offers bassist/vocalist Jeff Salgado, "'Personality Agenda' was written about online falsehoods and personas. A depth into the digital age of opinions without consequences. The raw aggression of style displayed on this video is to give our listeners a view of our stage performance."

(Photo - Michael Alvarez)




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The CJSS track, "World Gone Mad", is the title track from the band's debut classic metal album. The video below features a live performance 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, "Destiny", "Welcome To Damnation" and "Praise The Loud", also recorded at Bogart's in Cincinnati, can be seen below:




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Los Angeles symphonic power metal band, Anthea, are sharing their new music video for "Reach", off their upcoming Illusion album, due out on October 23 via Rockshots Records.

Says the band: "We start the album with 'Reach', a catchy mid-tempo song with inspirational lyrics about taking initiative and fulfilling your dreams. We feel that this song really captures what Anthea is all about, therefore making it the perfect song to open our debut album with.”

Creating coherent yet diverse cinematic, theatrical metal music with many influences from film scores and established metal acts such as Kamelot, Nightwish, and Wintersun, Anthea offers up a gothic symphonic progressive sound that can appeal to a wide variety of fans with their range from clean operatic vocals to black metal like screams. Anthea have shared the stage with bands such as Smile Empty Soul, September Mourning, Helion Prime, Graveshadow, Abigail Williams, and many more.

The band comments on the release of the album: "We are so incredibly excited to finally be releasing our debut album!  We especially want to thank Roberto Giordano and Rockshots Records for giving us the opportunity to release this record under their label.  Years of dedication and perseverance have gone into making the band what it is today and we are stoked to see it all paying off!  So much work and passion were put into the making of this record and we are extremely proud of the end result!  What we hope to achieve is to give the listener a vast cinematic and theatrical experience so that by the end, they feel like they have just gone on this epic journey with us. A huge thank you to all of you who have supported us throughout the years, and to those of you who are just finding us for the first time!"

Tracklisting:

“Reach”
“Eclipse”
“Moirai” (Feat. Chiara Tricarico)
“Illusion”
“The Light Divine” (Feat. Eric Meyers)
“Discovery”
“The Expedition”
“Reflections”
“Moirai” (Orchestral Version)

“Illusion” video:




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Volbeat have released a new video trailer for the upcoming Rewind, Replay, Rebound: Live In Deutschland, available digitally worldwide on November 27 via Republic Records. Watch below.

The new 27-song set features songs recorded during the sold-out German leg of last year’s Rewind, Replay, Rebound World Tour, along with two additional tracks recorded earlier on the tour. The album marks the first official live recordings of 11 songs from the band’s latest studio release, Rewind, Replay, Rebound as well as fan favourites from throughout the band’s career played in front of the their die-hard German fans in cities such as Stuttgart, Cologne, and Hamburg. The set, mixed by long time Volbeat collaborator Jacob Hansen, will be available for streaming and download from your favourite digital service. Click here to pre-save.

Leading up to the release of Rewind, Replay, Rebound: Live In Deutchland, Volbeat will also be streaming three full shows from the Rewind, Replay, Rebound World Tour via their YouTube channel. The first of these, Live at the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany, will be streamed on Thursday, October 22. Watch volbeat.dk for complete details.

Germany holds an important place in the story of Volbeat. From playing their first note on German soil at the Rock Hard Festival in Gelsenkirchen 14 years ago, Germany has embraced the band and lovingly christened themselves the band’s “second home.” Says vocalist/guitarist Michael Poulsen, “the German audience has always had a special place in our hearts, since the very beginning. They have always supported us and still do. It’s amazing to see the impact the fans have had on Volbeat, we’ve become fans of theirs, too.”

Recently, Volbeat announced their Record Store Day Black Friday release, Hokus Bonus: a vinyl-only compilation of ‘bonus tracks’ from special and international editions of the band’s previous albums. Limited to 3,000 copies, the LP features brand new cover art from long-time Volbeat illustrator Karsten Sand and will be pressed on “Magician’s Smoke” coloured vinyl. Hokus Bonus will also be available November 27 at independent record stores participating in Record Store Day.

Rewind, Replay, Rebound: Live In Deutschland tracklisting:

Intro/"Lola Montez"
"Pelvis On Fire"
"Doc Holliday"   
"Sorry Sack Of Bones"   
"The Garden's Tale"
"Ring Of Fire"    
"Sad Man's Tongue"                
"When We Were Kids"  
"Slaytan"                       
"Dead But Rising"
"Fallen"
"Die To Live"
"Seal The Deal"
"For Evigt"
"7:24"
"Cheapside Sloggers"
"Lonesome Rider"         
"Parasite"
"The Everlasting"
"Cloud 9"
"Last Day Under The Sun"         
"The Devil's Bleeding Crown"   
"Leviathan"
"Let It Burn"      
"Pool Of Booze, Booze, Booza"
"Boa [JDM]"
"Still Counting"

Trailer:

"Cheapside Sloggers" (Live In Stuttgart) video:




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Relapse Records presents 2R0I2P0, the brand new collaborative album from Boris and Merzbow. The 10 track album showcases every bit of the excitement and pulse-pounding rock and metal heard throughout the inimitable, expansive Boris catalog, as it meets the signature harsh noise and soundscapes of the equally prolific Merzbow.

Watch the video for 2R0I2P0’s opening track, “Away From You”, below. Listen on all streaming services here.

An album that is at once familiar and unique for its time, melodic and harsh in equal parts, 2R0I2P0 aims to find sonic harmony. After all, 2R0I2P0 translates to "Twenty Twenty R.I.P." "This year was a period of trial for everyone in the world," Boris comments. "This work becomes a monument to the requiem of the previous era. From here, a new world begins again."

2R0I2P0 is out December 11th on CD/2xLP/Digital via Relapse Records. Physical Pre-Orders are available here and Digital Downloads / Streaming here.

2R0I2P0 tracklisting:

"Away From You"
"To The Beach"
"Coma"
"Love"
"Absolutego"
"Journey"
"Uzume"
"Evol"
"Boris"
"Shadow Of Skull"

"Away From You" video:

(Photo - Miki Matsushima)




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