On October 23rd, Heart legend Nancy Wilson will issue a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising,” the advance single from her forthcoming first solo album. She spoke with author and BraveWords scribe Martin Popoff a few days back and we will be posting the full feature on that day. Here’s an advance snippet from the interview, addressing the passing of Eddie Van Halen four days ago.

We just lost Eddie Van Halen. What do you think Eddie should be remembered for?

“Oh my God. Well, he scared the hell out of every other guitar player on earth," Wilson tells BraveWords. "And he was such an innovator. He invented a whole language of guitar playing, for everyone to try, never to be able to imitate. But also, I feel really honoured that I was able to know him. He was such a sweetheart, and I was able to gift him his first acoustic guitar. I go, ‘What do you mean, you’ve never played acoustic much?’ And he says, ‘Well, I don’t really have one.’ I go, ‘Oh, you have to have an acoustic guitar.’ So I got one of my guitars and I just handed it over to him and said, ‘Now you have an acoustic guitar.’ So early, early the next morning, as the dawn was breaking, and this was, you know, in the ‘80s, my phone in my hotel room rang, and it was Eddie, who called my room. He’d been up all night, partying of course, and he was like, ‘You gotta check this out! I wrote this piece of music on this acoustic guitar.’ And he played it to me over the phone, and I was just barely awake. But it was one of the prettiest pieces of music ever. It had like this melodic, sort of classical and ethereal kind of thing about it. And if I’d been a little more awake, I would’ve forced him to send me a recording of it (laughs). But I’ll never forget that moment. He just made such beautiful language out of his guitar playing.”

Watch for the complete BraveWords interview with Nancy Wilson later this month!




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Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, remembered her old friend, legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, during yesterday's episode of her talk show "The Talk".

She said (see video below): "I was lucky enough to know him. I've been following his career for so long — since before they even got signed. VAN HALEN used to have a residency at the Whiskey on Sunset. Once a week, I used to go and see him. Just an amazing, amazing band, Eddie and his brother — just phenomenal. But Ozzy knew him much better, obviously, being a fellow musician, and they toured the world together. VAN HALEN's first big tour was supporting BLACK SABBATH, and they went around the world with SABBATH.

"When they were in England, touring England, Ozzy took them to his local pub," she recalled. "And the pub was in the middle of the countryside where Ozzy lived, and it was full of farmers and local people. And he took them into the pub, and, of course, they didn't understand what anybody said. I can only imagine their thoughts. They must have been, like, 'Are we in 'The Twilight Zone'?' Young guys from Pasadena, in L.A., going to this old English pub in the middle of nowhere. But Eddie was always funny and nice.

"This one story I'll tell you quickly," Sharon continued. "VAN HALEN and Ozzy were on a festival in Germany. And in those days, you always would stay in the same hotel and we all were in the bar late. And Eddie and Ozzy were drinking up a storm and just telling jokes, one to one, being really funny. Suddenly, [VAN HALEN singer] David Lee Roth came in... and he's doing his kicks and singing and shaking his hair around, and another kick. And it's, like, 'Who are you doing this for? 'Cause nobody's here.' Anyway, cut a long story short, he really got on our nerves. And Ozzy got a pair of scissors, and every time he'd fly his hair around, Ozzy would go snip, snip, snip. And in the end, Eddie goes, 'Oh no, man. That's enough. That's enough."

She added: "He has done so much for music. But we have his music — it will live on forever. And just love to his family."

Eddie died on Tuesday (October 6) 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.

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

While much of the modern era of death metal is chided for not having a signature sound, groups like Dischordia have continued to thrive by building their own mold bit by bit since their inception in 2010. Drawing inspiration from such forward-thinking metal heavyweights as Decapitated, Gorguts, Meshuggah, and The Dillinger Escape Plan, Oklahoma City's Dischordia brings a fresh perspective to the progressive metal scene by combining tried-and-true US death metal brutality with far-flung ideas from a multitude of global influences.

After reaching new heights on their 2016 album Thanatopsis, the group recently announced Binge/Purge, an ambitious two-song effort clocking in at just over 24-minutes between two multi-part songs that stretch the band’s writing and playing to a whole new level. The EP will see release on Friday, June 15th. Esteemed scene veteran Colin Marston (Gorguts, Krallice) was tapped to work his magic on Binge/Purge and expertly handled the releases mixing and mastering.

Check out an excerpt of “Purge” below:

Excerpt of "Binge":

Dischordia guitarist Keeno comments on Binge/Purge:

"Binge/Purge is a modern take on Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy within our own political-cultural system. We enjoy telling stories with our music. Thanatopsis was a new level for us stylistically in searching for our sound. Binge/Purge builds on that progress and allows us to stretch our skills within a concept EP. "

Tracklisting:

“Binge”
“Purge”

Extended teaser:

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

The band adds about the track:

“The title song of the album, Illusion, is one of our faster tracks featuring some epic dueling guitar and keyboard action. This song really gives the musicianship skills of every individual member in Anthea a chance to shine. We have also noticed that, when played live, ‘Illusion’ always receives a phenomenal response from the crowd!”

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 Illusion:

"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!"

Vocalist Sarah Jezebel Deva, who was with Cradle Of Filth for 14 years before leaving the band in 2009, has checked in with the following update:

"I know it's been a very long time since I updated you, but because of this human pandemic going on, there hasn't been that much to report. However, I hope you are all safe, well and no one here has been affected by what's been going on. I do have some news for you, hopefully you will see this as positive!

It's been a very long time since I've seen or talked to Mortiis, until recently. He clearly missed me and I've brightened up his life by taking up his offer of working with him again next year. I will be honest, I'm honoured he has thought of me and I think he went through his list of good singers and no one was available, and he was desperate, so called me haha. I'm honestly happy about the future collaboration, both on stage and recording. So I will keep you updated and hope you will support him and I.

Be safe people!"

Sarah previously appeared on the Mortiis albums The Stargate (1998) and The Smell Of Rain (2001).

One of Australia's most sinister secrets has awoken from slumber to spew its venomous breath onto the world once again! The Amenta, well-known for their three albums Occasus (2004), Non (2008) and Flesh Is Heir (2013) seemingly went into a seven-year hibernation after releasing the aformentioned trilogy, but are now back and as they state, ready to pursue new goals:

"The triptych of Occasus, Non and Flesh Is Heir had an underlying common spirit, so once the touring cycle of Flesh Is Heir was complete, it felt like a logical time for the band to take a break to reinvent itself. During this time, we gradually began work on what the next phase of how The Amenta would look like, sound and feel. We analysed and disassembled our approach to our instruments, our sound, and our aesthetic. This work took place all over the world with members now spread out internationally, working in our individual home studios and meeting once or twice a year to collaborate in person. In 2018 the first clear vision of the new The Amenta began to take place. Now in 2020 we are ready to bring this new phase of black death noise rock to the world."

The Amenta have now signed to Debemur Morti Productions in order to unleash their new musical vision. Far from being a typical black or death Metal band, The Amenta aim to carve innovative paths through darkness and, therefore, share a common mission with their new label home, as The Amenta state themselves:

"Debemur Morti Productions has been on our radar for a long time. I’m not sure what the first release I was aware of was, but I do know that one particularly early one was Mescalyne by Spektr. Immediately I could see that Debemur Morti Productions was interested in the stranger and more artistic ends of the extreme music spectrum, so they became a label we would watch. One thing that we find very exciting about working with Debemur Morti Productions is that they are very focussed on the presentation of the music as an artwork. The roster of bands, past releases and the incredible support we have had so far suggest that experimentation, strangeness and left-of-centre music are the key common factors across these very different bands. To work with a label with a vision for boundary pushing music is very exciting to The Amenta."

The popular vinyl collectible company Funko — best known for its big-headed Pop! figures — will release a new figure based on the woman on the cover of BLACK SABBATH's first album.

The figure is available for pre-order now, with an expected ship date of December 26.

Earlier this year, "Black Sabbath" model Louisa Livingstone spoke to Rolling Stone about the shoot for the LP's cover. "I remember it was freezing cold," she recalled. I had to get up at about 4 o'clock in the morning. [Photographer] Keith [Macmillan] was rushing around with dry ice, throwing it into the water. It didn't seem to be working very well, so he ended up using a smoke machine. It was just, 'Stand there and do that.' I'm sure he said it was for BLACK SABBATH, but I don't know if that meant anything much to me at the time."

Macmillan decided to shoot the cover at the Mapledurham Watermill, a 15th-century structure in Oxfordshire, about an 80-minute drive from central London.

"[Louisa] was a fantastic model," he told Rolling Stone. "She was quite petite, very, very cooperative. I wanted someone petite because it just gave the landscape a bit more grandeur. It made everything else look big.

"She wasn't wearing any clothes under that cloak because we were doing things that were slightly more risque, but we decided none of that worked," he added. "Any kind of sexuality took away from the more foreboding mood. But she was a terrific model. She had amazing courage and understanding of what I was trying to do."

Released in 1970, BLACK SABBATH's self-titled album single-handedly created what would become known forever as "heavy metal" — a singular moment marking a paradigm shift in the world of rock. The term entered popular vocabulary to describe the denser, more thunderous offshoot of rock over which BLACK SABBATH still majestically preside.

Other artists who have gotten the Pop! Rocks treatment in the past include KISS, IRON MAIDEN, METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES, AC/DC, SLAYER, DEF LEPPARD, Rob Zombie, SLIPKNOT, GHOST and MOTÖRHEAD.




Coming Soon: @oringialFunko Pop! Albums: #BlackSabbath. Pre-order yours today! #Funko #FunkoPop #PopAlbum pic.twitter.com/N4t5swpmzj

— BlackSabbath (@BlackSabbath) October 12, 2020

Grammy-nominated metal band TRIVIUM has announced "The Deepest Cuts II", the second and final installment in its series of free, single-camera livestream shows that broadcast from the group's rehearsal room in Orlando, Florida.

The performance is scheduled for Saturday, October 24 at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT/ 8 p.m. U.K. / 9 p.m. EU time and will stream on frontman/guitarist Matt Heafy's ever-popular Twitch channel.

"We are taking you back into our jam room to give you more deep cuts that we rarely play and a few we have never played before," the band says. "If you have ever wanted to be a fly on the wall for one of our practices, this is your chance. Get in the chat and talk to us and TRIVIUM fans all over the world as we run through another unique set."

The setlist for "The Deepest Cuts II" is below. TRIVIUM is also allowing the fans to choose the order in which they want to hear the songs that comprise the setlist. There will also be a special merch drop to accompany the show.

This marks TRIVIUM's third livestream overall. The first was the massively successful global concert event "A Light Or A Distant Mirror", which was followed by the first "The Deepest Cuts" set a month later.

TRIVIUM is taking some time off from full band streams as its new Hangar HQ is built. They will return next year with more high-quality, programmed streaming content dispatched from the new location.

"A Light Or A Distant Mirror" marked the first show TRIVIUM played since the April 2020 release of its new album "What The Dead Men Say". The show featured brand new production and was an arena-style visual show at Full Sail Live, the state-of-the-art event and broadcast arena at Full Sail University in the band's hometown of Orlando. TRIVIUM debuted a new stage show that was cohesive with new album visuals and performed songs from the new album on stage for the first time. A portion of the profits of the show benefitted the music therapy program at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, a non-profit hospital. All told, the show earned into the six figures range with both ticket sales and merch.

"The Deepest Cuts II" setlist:

* "Wake (The End Is Nigh)"

* "The Calamity"

* "Drowning In Slow Motion"

* "Insurrection"

* "Declaration"

* "Drowning In The Sound"

* "Cease All Your Fire"

* "Incineration: The Broken World"

* "And Sadness Will Sear"

* "Broken One"

* "Washing Me Away In The Tides"

* "Falling To Grey"

ALTER BRIDGE guitarist Mark Tremonti has confirmed to Myglobalmind that he has used the downtime during the COVID-19 pandemic to begin work on a new solo album

"My producer lives here in Orlando, Florida, and Myles [Kennedy, ALTER BRIDGE singer] has been here the last two months recording his solo album," he said. "He just finished tracking it a day or two ago, so I'm next on deck to go into the studio for mine in November/December. Once that's done, Myles and I will start to work on writing the next ALTER BRIDGE album while touring for our solo projects. That's when we start compiling ideas for the next ALTER BRIDGE album."

Asked how far along he is with the songwriting process for the next TREMONTI album, Mark said: "I'm pretty very far along; I would say I'm 14 songs deep. I would get to about 20 songs before deciding which ones will make the final cut. It's not a question of which songs are good or bad; it's which work and have a good dynamic range.

Speaking about the musical direction of the new TREMONTI material and how it compares to ALTER BRIDGE, Mark said: "It has heavier elements, and it definitely has some of the moody, atmospheric stuff like ALTER BRIDGE. The TREMONTI band's rhythm section stands apart from ALTER BRIDGE, and any type of speed metal that I bring into TREMONTI might not necessarily fit into ALTER BRIDGE. Our vocal couldn't be any more different. Myles is a seasoned tenor, and I'm almost a baritone. That's the big difference in how the two bands sound different."

TREMONTI is comprised of Mark on vocals/guitars, Eric Friedman on guitars, Ryan Bennett on drums and Tanner Keegan on bass.

The band's fourth album, "A Dying Machine", was released in June 2018 via Napalm Records. The disc was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who had helmed all previous TREMONTI albums along with ALTER BRIDGE's last five long-players.

TREMONTI's third album, "Dust", was released in April 2016 via Fret 12.

"Dust", which was recorded during same sessions as 2015's "Cauterize", featured Wolfgang Van Halen on bass.

Although Wolfgang Van Halen was part of TREMONTI's touring band in 2013 and played on "Dust" and "Cauterize", he sat out TREMONTI's tour schedule because of commitments with VAN HALEN.

Ancient Thrones have a new single out “Divided/Dissolve”, taken off the anguish filled cosmic adventure found in their debut, under this new band name (formerly Abysseral Throne), the album The Veil. BraveWords is premiering the new single; check it out below!

“Divided/Dissolve” follows the character of the story into stage four of grief, where he is massively depressed by the revelation feeling the division from his world. From earth crushing riffs and face-melting guitar solos to the overarching theme of grief and devastation that the record encompasses, this single really ramps up the intensity. It stays a fairly constant onslaught of intense guitar riffs while still retaining a melodic edge.

Towards the end, it really shifts gears and slow things way down to some doomy type territory and a very textured fade out outro. The band explains the album in their own words:

“It is the face of endless tragedy through an impressive onslaught of exchanging guitar riffs which show the increased intensity of anguish in the latter half of the album. Pulling you through a hopeless path and digging through the painful burrow of crushing technical sharp death metal until you finally arrive at the earned and complete emotional climax of the record that is the Dissolve. This track takes no prisoners and tolerates no sympathy in its entirety, beckoning you to question your own sorrow and resistance to fulfillment.”

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

The full album will be available on Friday, November 6, with preorder on Bandcamp.

Tracklisting:

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

(Photo by: Matt LeBlanc)




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Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen has checked in with a new update on his latest album, Transitus:

"Dear Ayreonauts, I’m super proud to tell you Transitus ended up in the charts all over the world! Thank you all for making this a reality. Here’s a nice selection. Please don’t worry if your country isn’t in there, I love you anyway..."

Ayreon recently released the brand-new sprawling and epic studio album, Transitus, via Music Theories Recordings. A music video for "Daniel’s Descent Into Transitus" can be seen below.

Mastermind Arjen Lucassen states: "And finally the official video... the most outrageous mini-movie I ever made! Welcome to the mystical realm of Transitus with Simone Simons as the Angel Of Death, Tommy Karevik as Daniel, Marcela Bovio and Caroline Westendorp as the Furies... and listen to my story!"

The album is available on 2CD, 2LP gatefold red transparent vinyl and a 48-page Earbook which includes 5 discs; 2CD album, 1CD instrumental versions, 1CD guide vocal versions, and a DVD with bonus footage which includes a behind the scenes video, a videoclip, trailer and a 5.1 audio and hi-def stereo mix of the album. The release is accompanied by a 28-page graphic novel which is included in the Earbook as well as the 2LP.

Buy/listen/download the album here.

Tracklisting:

CD1
"Fatum Horrificum"
  A] Graveyard
  B] 1884
  C] Daniel And Abby
  D] Fatum
  E] Why?!
  F] Guilty
"Daniel’s Descent Into Transitus"
"Listen To My Story"
"Two Worlds Now One"
"Talk Of The Town"
"Old Friend"
"Dumb Piece Of Rock"
"Get Out! Now!"
"Seven Days, Seven Nights"

CD2
"Condemned Without A Trial"
"Daniel’s Funeral"
"Hopelessly Slipping Away"
"This Human Equation"
"Henry’s Plot"
"Message From Beyond"
"Daniel’s Vision"
"She Is Innocent"
"Lavinia’s Confession"
"Inferno"
"Your Story Is Over!"
"Abby In Transitus"
"The Great Beyond"

"Talk Of The Town" lyric video:

"This Human Equation" lyric video:

"Get Out! Now!" lyric video:

"Hopelessly Slipping Away" lyric video:




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Roaring guitars, a modern and fast rhythm section, catchy hooks, huge sing-along choruses and impressive vocals - Jaded Heart are back with another melodic metal album - and the first one ever in the band's history without keyboards!

The lyric video for the new single, and the album's title track, "Stand Your Ground", can be seen below.

The band's 14th album, Stand Your Ground, will be released on November 27th via Massacre Records, and will be available as CD Digipak, limited edition Vinyl LP, limited edition box set as well as in digital formats. Pre-orders can be placed now at this location.

Stand Your Ground was mixed and mastered by Erik Martensson at Mass Destruction Production. The front cover was created by Thomas Ewerhard.

Tracklisting:

"Inception"
"Stand Your Ground"
"One Last Time"
"Reap What You Sow"
"Break Free"
"Hero To Zero"
"Kill Your Masters"
"Embrace A Demon"
"Hopelessly Addicted"
"Self Destruction"
"Stay"
"Lost In Confusion"
"Inside A Hurricane"

For further details, visit Jaded Heart on Facebook.

 

 




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Sanctuary is now actively seeking a new lead guitarist! Sanctuary will embark on a 30th Anniversary celebration, a tour supporting their 1990 release Into The Mirror Black in 2021.

"We are also currently in the pre-production stages on a new album tentatively titled Transmutation, so we will need someone that can write epic guitar solos as well," states the band.

"To audition - record yourself playing rhythm and /or lead guitars for the songs: "Season Of Destruction", "Future Tense" and "Frozen". Send us a link to download the video (or upload it yourself to YouTube) and a brief bio by filling out the contact form at SanctuaryOfficial.com."

Sanctuary has announced new European dates for its 30th Anniversary tour celebrating Into The Mirror Black.

Originally planned for this year, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the tour to be pushed back into 2021 and it is now confirmed to take place in September and October hitting cities in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, The Netherlands and Belgium. Support from Halcyon Way.

2021 dates:

September
16 - Hamburg, Germany - Kronensaal
17 - Aarschot, Belgium - De Klinker
18 - Leiden, Netherlands - Metal Experience Fest
19 - Luzern, Switzerland - Schüür
21 - Mannheim, Germany - 7Er Club
22 - Munich, Germany - Backstage Halle
23 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos-saal
24 - Luenen, Germany - Lükaz
25 - Aalborg, Denmark - Studenterhuset
26 - Oslo, Norway - Krøsset
28 - Helsinki, Finland - On The Rocks
30 - Stockholm, Sweden - Slaktkyrkan

October
1 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Valand
2 - Malmö, Sweden - Babel
3 - Oldenburg, Germany - MTS Record Store (Special Record Store Show)

To further commemorate the timeless quality of Into The Mirror Black, Century Media Records has released vinyl, CD, and digital editions of this much revered classic, created with Lenny Rutledge and chock-full with previously unreleased audio and visual content.

Lenny Rutledge comments: “We are so excited to finally be releasing this special edition of Into The Mirror Black! The remaster of the original songs sounds awesome and the 1990 Black Reflections”live concert is finally going to be released in all its authentic live glory. The live material was mixed and mastered by Zeuss and is presented as recorded. No re-recordings or overdubs. Look for Sanctuary on tour in fall of 2021 playing the entire Into The Mirror Black set. We can't wait to bring the live show to Europe, USA and South America in 2021.”

Into The Mirror Black (30th Anniversary Edition) will be released as limited LP edition containing three 180 gram vinyls housed in a wide-spine Gatefold sleeve and includes an 8-page LP-sized booklet, the 2CD format comes in a digipak and slipcase packaging, and the entire set is available digitally as well.

Order your copy here.

Tracklisting:

Disc 1
"Future Tense"
"Taste Revenge"
"Long Since Dark"
"Epitaph"
"Eden Lies Obscured"
"The Mirror Black"
"Seasons Of Destruction"
"One More Murder"
"Communion"
"Future Tense" (Demo 1989) (5:16)
"I Am Insane" (Demo 1989) (4:04)
"Mirror Black" (Demo 1989) (4:56)

Disc 2
"Eden Lies Obscured" (Live 1990) (5:15)
"Seasons Of Destruction" (Live 1990) (5:01)
"Die For My Sins" (Live 1990) (4:05)
"Future Tense" (Live 1990) (5:15)
"White Rabbit" (Live 1990) (5:37)
"Taste Revenge" (Live 1990) (5:09)
"Long Since Dark" (Live 1990) (5:08)
"Sanctuary" (Live 1990) (4:25)
"One More Murder" (Live 1990) (4:13)
"Battle Angels" (Live 1990) (5:18)

Lineup (on this recording):

Warrel Dane - Vocals
Lenny Rutledge - Guitars
Sean Blosl - Guitars
Jim Sheppard - Bass
Dave Budbill – Drums

Lineup (current):

Joseph Michael - Vocals
Lenny Rutledge - Guitars
George Hernandez - Bass
Dave Budbill – Drums

(Photo - Dirk Behlau)




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The recording process for the new Torture Squad album, the ninth studio record, started in early 2020, but due to the pandemic, it was abruptly paused by rules of social isolation and for the safety and health of everyone those involved in this record.

Even with the pandemic in evidence, the band has announced they have resumed the recordings of this awaited album, following the rule all the safety protocols that are required by the ministry of health of the city of São Paulo.

That said, the band is already working hard at the studio Bay Área and the recordings of Mayara's vocals are in an advanced stage. The vocalist even reports how it was during this period of paralysis and how she prepared to record the new songs:

“We had finished recording the instrumental bases at the beginning of March, and then it would be the voices' turn. We had time to work on just two songs before social isolation started. We didn't know how long it would take to resume recording, so even though I was away from the band I was always in touch with our music so I could be prepared for the return as soon as possible. Everything is going very well in the recordings, and I feel very safe with my voice.”

Soon more updates about the new Torture Squad studio album will be revealed to the band's fans on their social networks.

Nick Menza's longtime manager has fired back at Dave Mustaine, insisting that "some of the content that's published" in the MEGADETH mainman's recent book is "fabricated bullshit to try and sell copies."

On Friday (October 9), Robert Bolger, who manages Menza's official Facebook page, shared a link to a recent BLABBERMOUTH.NET article about Mustaine's recent comments about Nick, made while Dave was promoting his "Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece" book, which details the making of the band's iconic "Rust In Peace" record.

Bolger wrote in an accompanying message: "I'm going to keep this short, brief and to the point without tea bagging anyone in the processes, just how Nick would have wanted it!

"Some of the content that's published in that book and in the press about Nick is fabricated bullshit to try and sell copies, nothing more, nothing less!

"The Menza family wasn't even aware of any book being in the works, asked to comment or even offered a copy, i wonder why.

"Dave and Junior [MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson] were NOT good friends of Nick no matter what they say now that Nick's not here to answer what's being said about him. Dave wasn't very nice to Nick towards the end before his passing...

"This act of betrayal is a huge blow to Nick, his family, friends and fans.

"I have all the documented proof, from e-mails to text messages that was never published in Nick's book out of respect for the integrity and legacy of the band. The truth will be displayed in a two segments of the official Nick Menza documentary that's in the works.

"YOU WILL NEVER DIMINISH NICK'S LEGACY - RIP NICK MENZA".

Last month, Mustaine said that he really wanted Menza and Marty Friedman to return to MEGADETH more than five and a half years ago.

The opportunity for MEGADETH's most celebrated lineup to regroup arose following the departures of guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover in 2014.

Menza was approached by Mustaine and Ellefson to replace Drover at the end of that year, and he started working out new tracks with the band. But the plan collapsed after he was offered a contract he described as "very unfair." A year and a half later, in May 2016, Nick died after suffering a heart attack during a concert with OHM: at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California.

In a video interview with Loudwire, Dave said: "The chemistry of Nick and Marty, don't get me wrong — that was amazing. And my heart aches when I think about that. And, in fact, that's why I wrote at the back of the book 'In Loving Memory' and not 'In Memory Of'.

"Nick said some shitty things about me at the end, especially to you guys and to Blabbermouth, where he would just wail on me," Dave continued. "And I would think, 'Nick, why are you doing this? I never did anything to you. I'm always fighting for you.

"When I would read the stuff that he would [say about me], I would just be so hurt. 'Cause when we went to do the reunion, you see Ellefson tell the story, I wasn't the one that said Nick wasn't ready — Dave said that. I was really bummed about that; I wanted things to work out with Nick. And then in fact, I even said, 'You know what? If it's not gonna work with him playing in the studio, let's have somebody else go into the studio and play, and then we can have Nick play live.' I was bending over backwards to get a place for Nick. And then he said he wanted this exorbitant amount of cash to work for us and to be able to sell all kinds of merchandise that he had."

Mustaine added: "Marty has a really successful career in Japan where he makes quite a lot of money. And this is the part where I thought it was a little weird, where he said he said that he has to pay all his team while he's gone instead of just himself. 'Cause I thought we'll pay you what you're making so that's switching horses in the middle of the river — it's no big deal unless you fall off. And then when we found out that he wanted to sell his merch, his this, his that, his this, his that, then he wanted this crazy amount of money and he wanted to fly first class everywhere. I said to our management, 'I can't deal with this.'"

Back in 2015, Menza explained to the "The Sick Room" podcast why his return to MEGADETH failed to materialize. He said: "I went out there [to Dave Mustaine's studio] and jammed with [Mustaine and Ellefson]. We played for, like, a weekend — like, three days — and on the third day, we were working on new songs. And everything was cool. They were telling me, 'You're back in the band. We'll do a press release.' And I'm, like, 'I don't wanna say anything until I have an agreement, a contract in writing of what's gonna happen.' And then they send me this ridiculous proposal stating that, 'You're not gonna paid anything until the touring starts.' So, basically, I was gonna work for nothing, doing the record. Which I was still kind of ready to bend in that direction anyway. But I'm, like, 'You know what?! I'm not gonna break or sell myself short with something that's gonna be huge. They've gotta realize the longevity of it.' And then they were kind of coming back at me the same way. So the whole thing was silly. I didn't even get a chance to negotiate with them about anything. They just put it off and said, 'That's it.' And I couldn't get hold of anybody."

Mustaine previously spoke about his attempt to reunite MEGADETH's "Rust In Peace" lineup during a 2016 interview with the "Eddie Trunk Podcast". Reflecting on his December 2014 jam with Ellefson and Menza, Dave said: "We started playing, and we did 'Rattlehead'. And we didn't get through the first chorus, and the song got messed up, so we stopped. We started again, it got messed up, we stopped. We started again, it got messed up, we stopped. I put my guitar down and I walked out of the studio. 'Cause I didn't wanna say anything mean to Nick. And David Ellefson came up to me and he goes, 'Man, this is a lot worse than I thought it was.''

He continued: "I had talked to Chris Adler [then-LAMB OF GOD drummer] about him playing on the new MEGADETH record. 'Cause I said, even if we do a reunion tour with these guys [Menza and Friedman], when we make a new record, we wanted to have someone who was just a monster on drums; we wanted [Chris Adler] to play [on it]. And when we did the rehearsal thing [with Menza] that didn't pan out, it was, like, 'Man, I'm worried.' So we were at the [January 2015] NAMM show, and we [Mustaine, Ellefson, Friedman and Menza] met there. And the guy that was managing us at the time had said something at dinner. We all had a band dinner with this guy. And he said something that really pissed Marty off really bad. And it was so obvious that it wasn't meant to be. It's like trying to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic; the boat's going down [and] there's no sense doing it."

Mustaine added: "I think it's better off that the fans just hold on to that wonderful memory of the four of us playing together and the music that we made than trying to do something that, obviously, there's a lot of history and a lot of scars and a lot of tension and stuff like that. 'Cause if you remember how everything ended, Marty had a nervous breakdown and wanted to play more J-Pop. And when we were doing 'Risk', he said that we needed to go even more alternative than that record was. And I said, 'No.' We needed to go back to our roots. And Nick had injured his arm, so his playing ability had been challenged. Now, do I still love those guys? Of course I do. They are my friends and brothers from the band's alumni. Now, do we all get along? Well, you know, what day is it?"

Asked whether Nick's playing was simply not up to par during his rehearsal with Mustaine and Ellefson, Dave told the "Eddie Trunk Podcast": "Don't get me wrong. Nick is a good player, but 'Rattlehead' is straight-forward all the way through the song, and the beats would get mixed up [when we tried rehearsing it with him]. As well as, he had said that I make him nervous and that he wasn't feeling well and this and that and the other thing. And it just wasn't meant to me. I think that Nick has got the talent and the capability to play whatever he wants, and if he does form a band, it'll be great. But it just wasn't happening. Maybe it was just that day. But it wasn't happening."

Mustaine also confirmed that MEGADETH didn't hold any rehearsals with Friedman while attempting a reunion of the "Rust In Peace" lineup.

"Marty had sent some e-mails saying, 'Oh, man, you know, the fans have this self-inflated importance of 'Rust In Peace' beyond what it really is. And I was, like, 'Huh?'" Dave said. 'So I didn't know if that was a backhand to the face of the fans or not, but he had basically said that if we were gonna do anything, it had to be better than 'Rust In Peace'. And he sent me over some links to some songs that he thought should be the direction that we were going in, and one of it was this J-Pop band with some Japanese girl singing, and I was, like, 'Uh-uh. This ain't gonna work.' More power to [Marty for being into that stuff]. Do what you want, Marty. He's a great guitar player. But I'm not gonna sing like a Japanese girl."

Menza's official autobiography, "Megalife: The Autobiography Of Nick Menza" by J. Marshall Craig, was released in December 2018 via Post Hill Press.


I'm going to keep this short, brief and to the point without tea bagging anyone in the processes, just how Nick would...

Posted by Nick Menza on Friday, October 9, 2020

The 50th anniversary of "Paranoid", the second studio album by the legendary British heavy metal band BLACK SABBATH, is being celebrated with a 5-LP/4CD edition, released today (Friday, October 9), featuring the vinyl debut of two 1970 concerts.

To mark the "Paranoid: Super Deluxe Edition" release, SABBATH drummer Bill Ward took to his social media to write: "In 1969 and 1970 my musical experiences were exciting, adventurous, heady, and inspiring. Days full of risk and being vigorously alive, BLACK SABBATH was a hardworking road band, getting tighter with each gig. Deep in my heart and with the recording of 'Black Sabbath' accomplished, I felt emboldened and awkwardly able to step out and play newer songs like 'Hand of Doom', 'Iron Man', 'Electric Funeral', and 'War Pigs'. I knew those songs were different and I felt remarkably assured within myself that we were making music that upon first listening might not be popular. However, those thoughts were outweighed by the overwhelming feeling I was part of a great band making great music. I was twenty-two years old, and to know that about our band was not only satisfying, but at times overwhelming. I didn't know if we would have hit records, which we did, but I did know I was in a place of purity and euphoria about how we played and sounded. Night after night we pummeled and released our aggression and emotions onto our audiences. We were whole, we were as one, time was in front of us and in our favour. To be of those times is an honourable place to look back on, and my memory ignites with great experiences of that period, I wouldn't change a thing, except that bass drum sound on 'Iron Man' LO.L.

"Love to Tony, Geezer, and Ozzy, and all our fans, Rock forever and ever and ever, Bill Ward".

"Paranoid: Super Deluxe Edition" includes the original album, in addition to a rare 1974 Quad Mix of the album folded down to stereo, plus two concerts from 1970, from Montreux and Brussels, that are pressed on vinyl for the first time. The five-LP set comes with a hardbound book with extensive liner notes featuring interviews with all four band members, rare photos, and memorabilia, a poster, as well as a replica of the tour book sold during the "Paranoid" tour.

After the success of the band's self-titled debut in early 1970, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward returned that fall with "Paranoid". The record became the band's first album to top the U.K. charts and has sold more than four million copies in the U.S. alone. Today, songs like "War Pigs", "Planet Caravan", "Iron Man" and, of course, "Paranoid", continue to inspire a new generation of musicians around the world.

"Paranoid: Super Deluxe Edition" first two LPs feature the original album plus a Quadraphonic Mix of the album. Originally released on vinyl and 8-track cartridge in 1974, but subsequently long out of print, the Quad Mix has now been made available as a fold-down to stereo mix on vinyl for this set.

The collection's final three LPs mark the official vinyl debut of two 1970 live performances. The first was recorded on August 31 in Montreux, Switzerland shortly before the release of "Paranoid". It captures the band, already a tight musical unit, thundering through new songs like "Hand Of Doom" and "Iron Man" while mixing in "N.I.B." and "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" from their debut album. The second concert was recorded a few months later in Brussels during the band's performance for Belgian television. Unofficial versions of this classic show have circulated in the past, but they've never sounded this good.

"Paranoid: Super Deluxe Edition" track listing:

LP 1: Original Album

Side A

* War Pigs / Luke's Wall

* Paranoid

* Planet Caravan

* Iron Man

Side B

* Electric Funeral

* Hand Of Doom

* Rat Salad

* Jack The Stripper / Fairies Wear Boots

LP 2: Quadradisc Mix in Stereo (WS4 1887) 1974

Side C

* War Pigs / Luke's Wall

* Paranoid

* Planet Caravan

* Iron Man

Side D

* Electric Funeral

* Hand Of Doom

* Rat Salad

* Jack The Stripper / Fairies Wear Boots

LP 3: Live in Montreux 1970 (Part One)

Side E

* Intro

* Paranoid

* N.I.B.

* Behind The Wall Of Sleep

Side F

* Iron Man

* War Pigs

LP 4: Live in Montreux 1970 (Part Two)/Live in Brussels 1970 (Part One)

Side G

* Fairies Wear Boots

* Hand Of Doom

Side H

* Paranoid

* Hand Of Doom

* Rat Salad

* Iron Man

LP 5: Live in Brussels 1970 (Part Two)

Side J

* Black Sabbath

* N.I.B.

Side K

* Behind The Wall Of Sleep

* War Pigs

* Fairies Wear Boots




BLACK SABBATH CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR ICONIC ALBUM ‘PARANOID’ VINYL DELUXE EDITION OUT TODAY. Five-LP Collection Includes Album Plus Rare Quad Mix Along With The Vinyl Debut Of Two 1970 Concerts Also Available As A 4CD Set

ORDER HERE: https://t.co/tgcQH5qzYO pic.twitter.com/5gbvGu2IQO

— Bill Ward (@billwarddrums) October 9, 2020

In a new interview with the "Aftershocks" podcast, legendary drummer Carmine Appice was asked if it's important for him to keep the legacy of John Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN) alive through his recordings and live performances. He responded (see video below): "Well, for me, it's different, because I was around before him. [LED ZEPPELIN] opened up for [VANILLA FUDGE], and when they did, John Bonham had told me I was one of his influences.

"I got a call from Steve Smith — you know, Steve Smith from JOURNEY — one day, and he said to me, 'I just VANILLA FUDGE's 'Renaissance' album, and what I heard on there was everything John Bonham ever did.' I said, 'Oh, thank you, Steve. I really appreciate it.'

"Drummers are like a different kind of breed — we all take from each other," he continued. "John Bonham did stuff I did because I was around before him. He used to listen to VANILLA FUDGE records. I used to listen to Max Roach and Joe Morello. I listened to Ginger Baker. I listened to this one, I listened to that one.

"When [LED ZEPPELIN] came on tour with [VANILLA FUDGE], I got him his drum set. I've got a picture of my drum set and his drum set, and it was the same drum set, which were big, oversized drums. I started that fad with the Ludwig drum company back in 1968, and they toured with us at the end of '68. When he saw my drum set — he had a little 22 bass drum. I had a 26 bass drum. I had a big tom in the middle and big toms on the side, a big, fat snare drum. And when he saw that, he said, 'Man, can you help me get a deal with Ludwig?' So I called Ludwig and said, 'Hey, I have this new band opening up for us, this guy John Bonham. I think they're gonna be big.' Now I say it's an understatement of five decades. So with that, they gave him the same set as mine. We had two blond maple kits — double bass drums even he had. And we did one tour in '69 with both those drum sets. I often wondered how silly it was when they went on, he had his double-bass drum set, and I went on, and I had mine. They took his off and they put mine on. But the audiences probably said, 'Why did they take that drum set off and they put it back on again?' It was the same exact drum set. After that tour, Robert [Plant] and Jimmy [Page] told him it was too busy with two bass drums: 'Take one away.' When he took one away, the LED ZEPPELIN drum set was born. So that's the story.

"But I've had this kind of drum sound ever since the beginning of my career with VANILLA FUDGE," Carmine added. "ZEPPELIN worked with the same engineers that I worked with — like, back in the day, Andy Johns was a tremendous engineer that helped develop that drum sound. But Jimmy Page had it in his head what the drum sound would be like. It was mostly ambient drum sound, using big rooms and a couple of mics, instead of everything mic'ed.

"My whole drum sound, ever since VANILLA FUDGE days, has been based on ambient room mics. And that's what Bonzo's drum sound was based on."

Back in 2014, Carmine said that he would love to play with a reunited LED ZEPPELIN, claiming that he is a better fit to replace Bonham than is John's son Jason.

"Everybody in that band there is legendary… They're old school and legendary. Jason isn't legendary, and he's not old school," Appice explained to the "Totally Driven Radio" podcast. "He's John Bonham's son, but he don't play like John Bonham. He plays more… He plays like him. He's not John. He's got that name, but he's not John Bonham. I'm not John Bonham either, but I think my style might be close, 'cause I came first, and John listened to stuff I did and did it his own way. And we took 'em on their first tour. It's very close-sounding stuff in feel."

Carmine previously said that Bonham took the bass drum triplets from the VANILLA FUDGE song "Ticket To Ride", telling Classic Rock Revisited in a 2006 interview: "When I first heard John Bonham do that triplet thing on the bass drum, I went up to him and said, 'John, that is amazing. I have to admit that I took that from you.' He looked at me and said, 'What are you talking about? I took that from you!' I replied, 'I don't do that. You couldn't have taken it from me.' He proceeded to tell me where I did actually do that on the first VANILLA FUDGE record and he was right. I only did it for a moment on that album and he took it and made something bigger and better out of it."

Last month, VANILLA FUDGE released a remastered version of its cover of LED ZEPPELIN's "Immigrant Song" via Golden Robot Records.

John Lydon from the SEX PISTOLS and PUBLIC IMAGE LTD. has confirmed that he will vote for Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

The British-born vocalist, who is better known as Johnny Rotten, told BBC's "Newsday" program he is "definitely" voting Republican in next month's contest between Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

"Yes, of course, I'm voting for Trump," he said. "I don't want a politician running this world anymore.

"He's an individual thinker, I'll give him that for a start," Lydon said about America's 45th president earlier in the conversation. "He's not the most lovable fellow on God's earth, but I cannot see the opposition as offering me anything by way of a solution.

"Joe Biden is, in all practicality, senile, and delinquently senile. My wife has Alzheimer's — I know the symptoms."

When the "Newsday" host told Lydon that there is no evidence that Biden is senile, Lydon countered with: "Oh, really? Have you seen him talk lately? I can only go on my vast experience, seeing as my wife is suffering from Alzheimer's."

Lydon, who became a U.S. citizen in 2013, also addressed the crushing economic damage that has resulted not just from COVID-19 itself but also from the lockdowns that have largely halted business activity around the globe.

"I don't think lockdown is doing any good for anybody," he said. "Wrecking an economy is not the smartest move to cure any illness or virus or disease. We're all capable of wearing masks. We're all smart enough not to want to give each other filthy, horrible viruses. Give people the chance to work. Don't just close everything down. This is not Stalin at work here. But, I swear, the governments are beginning to feel that way. We have to hold ourselves responsible at some point in order for our society to exist at all.

"Already there were rumors flying around that there was an even stronger strain of this COVID, or whatever you want to call it, coming down the pipeline. So we might as well just close everything down and collapse."

Asked how the coronavirus-related shutdowns have affected the music industry, Lydon responded: "What bothers me quite a lot, and I don't mean to sound selfish with this, 'cause it directly affects everybody equally, is that I can't function. Live performance was the essence of PUBLIC IMAGE LTD., and to be denied that, well, that's crippling us, and no doubt, at some point, if that continues, it will kill us off. It will kill off everything. It will kill off all industries. If we can't work, well, us working class are gonna get up and do something about that at some point. It seems to me that what the Democrats here in America are promising will be tax hikes beyond belief, more lockdowns, more confusion, more bureaucracy and less answers."

He said: "I have seen what Democrats have done to California. They have destroyed this place."

Lydon's remark about supporting Trump is in sharp contrast to his previous opposition to the billionaire real estate mogul. Back in 2015, Lydon urged Americans not to cast their ballots for Trump. At the time, he closed PUBLIC IMAGE LTD.'s performance on "Late Night With Stephen Colbert" with the following words of advice for would-be voters ahead of the 2016 election: "Don't you dare vote Donald Trump."

Photo courtesy of SiriusXM

The first time that producer Ted Templeman saw Van Halen playing at the Starwood in West Hollywood one night in 1977, he burst out of the club’s doors to find the nearest payphone," reports Kory Grow of Rolling Stone.

Templeman called Donn Landee, a recording engineer he worked closely with, and left several messages. “You’ve got to see this guy,” was all he could say, referring to the band’s flashy guitar player, Eddie Van Halen. At the time, Templeman was working at Warner Bros. and he had only one thought in his mind: “I had to make this deal.” He rounded up the head of the label, Mo Ostin, got him to the club the next night, and signed Van Halen immediately.

Right up until the guitarist’s death earlier this week, Templeman was in touch with Eddie. “He told me the day that he’d just had his first steroid shot,” Templeman says of Van Halen’s cancer diagnosis. “He was OK, and within two weeks, he was in the hospital. From then on, we would talk — but then pretty soon he couldn’t talk. He would send me texts every day. ‘Oh, God. The chemo’s terrible.’ Then it got down to the point where he would just send little hearts at the bottom of a text. ‘I love you, Ted,’ and that stuff. One time, he texted, ‘Ted, you were the first one who ever believed in me.’ He was all medicated, too, but he was always great.”

As Templeman reflects on the many years he spent with Van Halen and how they recorded some of rock’s most indelible hits, he finds it hard to separate work memories from those of a lifelong companion. “It’s more like your friend is gone than somebody you worked with,” he says.

What was Ed’s personality like when you first met him?
"He was really, really shy. Once he got his own studio going, he got really creative. It was great to see all that happening."

How was he the first time you got him in the studio?
"Here’s the big trick recording Ed: Just stick a mic in front of his amp because he already had a great sound, period. You didn’t have to do anything. Maybe a little EQ. When we did that first demo, we laid down 30 songs in one day, because I wanted to hear everything. After doing that, I decided, “We’ve got to do a [proper] deal,” so we went right in the studio. After that, anytime the red light would go on, it made him a little nervous. He was a little uneasy. But he never made a mistake ever. He played perfectly. He almost always played his solos live in almost every song. He’d be playing the chords and he’d knock the solo right down and he’d go right through. We never overdubbed the solos. It was pretty amazing."

At what point in all of that did you have the “Eruption” moment, where you heard him and Alex and said, “We’ve got to record that”?
"I walked out to use the restroom or get a coffee on the outside of Sunset Sound, and I heard him playing. It sounded like something you could only play on an organ, like a Bach fugue. I couldn’t believe it was coming from a guitar. I was like, “What is that?” He was like, “Oh, it’s nothing. Just something I warm up with before a show.” I yelled at Donn, “Roll tape!” And he said [flatly], “I’m already rolling.” He heard me talking to Ed."

Are there a lot of outtakes? Is there much left on the cutting-room floor?
"No, they’re really, really rare. I have the very first demo we did, and we took two days. The last one is 40 songs, I think. Dave said, “That’s all we got, unless you want to hear ‘Happy Trails.'” And then they did “Happy Trails” a cappella. I still have the demo. That was it. I knew halfway through the demo the first day; I didn’t have any doubts. I just had to make sure I had a company that was behind it."

Learn more at this location.

On October 6, 2020, Eddie Van Halen died at the age of 65, following a long battle with throat cancer. BraveWords offer our sincere condolences to Eddie's family, friends, and fans.

(Photo - Greg Renoff)

 

 

 




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Nuno Bettencourt says that Eddie Van Halen was "super excited" about the prospect of reuniting with Michael Anthony for a proposed VAN HALEN stadium tour

The EXTREME guitarist made the revelation while recounting the last time he met the legendary VAN HALEN axeman.

On Thursday night (October 8), Nuno took to his Instagram to write: "As a kid who's life was forever altered when the needle dropped on the fade in of Running With The Devil, I dreamed that one day I could earn my own stripes. But those stripes are only and forever Edward's. Today, 40 years later, I can only mourn those Stripes.

"Once upon a time in Hollywood, recently, while recording the latest EXTREME album in my home studio I got a call to come down to the front of my house, that someone is asking for me. I was like, damn that's annoying as I was in the zone cutting a guitar solo to a new song called RISE. I dropped my guitar and headed down. I walk out and... I was being summoned by the one and only... Edward. As usual I got a warm hug and kiss from Eddie. Even as a God, he always made you feel important.

"He was in great spirits. A proud dad, bragging about how Wolfie's new solo album is gonna blow minds, etc... What's cool though, was the last thing Eddie talked about. He said he was super excited about reaching out to Michael Anthony to finally put the original VH lineup back together. Saying that he wanted to do one final tour and have VAN HALEN go out the way they came in...Together... Guns Blazing!

"Finally as Eddie said his goodbye, he asked about the new EXTREME album that we were recording up in the house. As we hugged, he says: 'I'll be back to listen to it when you're done,' and with a sinister raspy laugh, adds 'it better be good'.

"Finished it. Then. PANDEMIC.

"Man, I was like a kid, counting the Covid Days down to when I could blare the new EXTREME album in the studio, sitting side by side with My Hero, the GOAT, selfishly wanting to play him all the new guitar work that shamelessly, but with pride has his DNA all over my playing. I guess that moment wasn't meant to be...

"It's incredible how as a young player, your guitar chord, is the umbilical chord that intimately connects you to someone you may never meet, moreso than even someone in your own family. At the drop of a needle or the touch of a space bar. They are there for you 24/7. As Eddie was... and forever will be.

"Thank you for shaping who I am today.

"Love you, Edward. You are the ONE."

Earlier this week, VAN HALEN manager Irving Azoff confirmed to Pollstar that a reunion of the band's classic lineup — featuring Anthony — very nearly happened for a 2019 stadium tour. Special guests like FOO FIGHTERS and METALLICA were tentatively scheduled to join VAN HALEN in select cities. Unfortunately, due to Eddie Van Halen's cancer-related health complications, the trek never materialized.

"We had lots of stops and starts, but there was every intention of doing a summer stadium tour [in 2019], and as the cancer moved around, [Van Halen] was physically unable to do it," Azoff said.

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 the four founding members of the band, including Michael, Eddie, Alex and singer David Lee Roth, 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."
























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As a kid who’s life was forever altered when the needle dropped on the fade in of Running With The Devil. I dreamed that one day I could earn my own stripes. But those stripes are only and forever Edward’s. Today, 40 years later, I can only mourn those Stripes. Once upon a time in Hollywood, recently, while recording the latest Extreme album in my home studio I got a call to come down to the front of my house, that someone is asking for me. I was like, damn that’s annoying as I was in the zone cutting a guitar solo to a new song called RISE. I dropped my guitar and headed down. I walk out and... I was being summoned by the one and only... Edward. As usual I got a warm hug and kiss from Eddie. Even as a God, he always made you feel important. He was in great spirits. A proud dad, bragging about how Wolfie’s new solo album is gonna blow minds, etc... What’s cool though, was the last thing Eddie talked about. He said he was super excited about reaching out to Michael Anthony to finally put the original VH lineup back together. Saying that he wanted to do one final tour and have Van Halen go out the way they came in...Together... Guns Blazing! Finally as Eddie said his goodbye, he asked about the new Extreme album that we were recording up in the house. As we hugged, he says: “I’ll be back to listen to it when you’re done, and with a sinister raspy laugh , adds “it better be good “. Finished it. Then. PANDEMIC. Man, I was like a kid, counting the Covid Days down to when I could blare the new Extreme album in the studio, sitting side by side with My Hero, the GOAT, selfishly wanting to play him all the new guitar work that shamelessly, but with pride has his DNA all over my playing. I guess that moment wasn’t meant to be... It’s incredible how as a young player, your guitar chord, is the umbilical chord that intimately connects you to someone you may never meet, moreso than even someone in your own family. At the drop of a needle or the touch of a space bar. They are there for you 24/7. As Eddie was... and forever will be. Thank you for shaping who I am today. Love you, Edward. You are the ONE. #edwardvanhalen

A post shared by Nuno (@nunobettencourtofficial) on Oct 8, 2020 at 8:37pm PDT

RATT bassist Juan Croucier has reflected on the passing of Eddie Van Halen, calling him "a true innovator" and "a leader."

On Friday (October 9), Croucier took to his official web site to share the following note: "My personal condolences on the passing of Eddie Van Halen to his loved ones, band mates, friends and fans. As a musician, everyone knows he was simply remarkable and ahead of his time. He forced other guitar players to try to keep up with his virtuosity and frustrated the rest who couldn't at that point in time and beyond. There will never be anyone quite like him. A true innovator. A leader. The best of the best.

"His passing hit me particularly hard because (among other things) we go all the way back to the mid-seventies club days together. Before they made their first record our bands often played together. I remember playing with them when they were a cover band with just a few originals. My band opened for them when they played the Starwood and Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley came to see them play. We all knew how special Eddie Van Halen and his band were. Even then they were absolutely amazing. I remember thinking (as I watched them perform back in the day), 'If these guys can't make it, no one in this town can.' They were that good, they had it all. I was also there the night they played the Whisky and executives from Warner Brothers walked in to see them — two or three songs into their set. I knew right then and there it was a done deal for them. A few weeks later, rumors started going around that VAN HALEN had signed to Warner Brothers. (Ironically, we were direct support for them on one of their last shows ever at Rock USA in 2013.) So, VAN HALEN getting their record deal back then gave all the other local bands hope…hope that we could also get a chance to prove ourselves worthy someday.

"Eddie Van Halen and his band were the ones that spearheaded that movement and opened the door for all the other rock bands getting signed from L.A. / Hollywood. They were the reason so many bands came from across the nation and even the world to try to make it in L.A. And the rest was history… Eddie Van Halen and his band were the forerunners of an entire movement in rock music. There is an immeasurable debt of gratitude owed to what he and his band accomplished for the genre. They will always be revered for that accomplishment. I can't imagine what the rock world would have been like without VAN HALEN at the forefront of that movement. God bless him.

"Thank you, Eddie. You will be sorely missed. RIP".

Eddie died on Tuesday (October 6) at the age of 65 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 passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

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

In a special bonus interview feature in the Blu-ray version of the upcoming documentary film "Mean Man: The Story of Chris Holmes", due out January 15, 2021 via Cleopatra Entertainment, former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes speaks in loving tones of his late, longtime friend and fellow guitarist Eddie Van Halen.

Said Holmes: "The one who inspired me a lot was Eddie Van Halen — not just as a guitar player, [but] just as a human being, the way he was to other people. Eddie used to borrow some of my equipment [even]. I had crashed a motorcycle [one time] and I was laid up in the hospital, and he came in and asked me if he could borrow my guitar for his new album ['Women And Children First']. I said, 'Yeah, just go by and tell my mom that I said that you could borrow it,' and he went over and picked it up."

Added Holmes's childhood friend Jack Van Furche: "It [Holmes's Ibanez Destroyer] had just that right raunch and crunch, and there it is. We all hear it — it's on the album. We know it."

Written and directed by French filmmakers Antoine De Montremy and Laurent Hart (whose music production career includes televised interviews with SCORPIONS, DEEP PURPLE, SLAYER, GUNS N' ROSES and more), "Mean Man: The Story Of Chris Holmes" was a project that was born in 2014 after they had an opportunity to meet and direct Holmes in a music video for the Holmes-penned song "Let It Roar" in Cannes, France. At that time, the former W.A.S.P. guitarist had more or less disappeared from the music scene, leaving his home in the U.S. to seek a new beginning with his wife Sarah in France. Not content with merely directing a music video for the reborn Holmes, De Montremy pursued his bigger dream of writing and directing a documentary film about this iconic metal guitar legend, and for the next several years shadowed him throughout Europe while filming everything from band rehearsals, to recording sessions to live performances.

By creatively combining archival footage, interviews with past and present band members and musical peers, family members and childhood friends — interspersed with beautifully filmed concert performances of Holmes's current solo band — De Montremy skillfully portrays the story of an iconic guitar player who has lived a life of extreme highs and lows. After losing the publishing rights of his own songs and combatting dangerous addictions, the legendary W.A.S.P. guitarist is shown starting over from scratch while living at his mother-in-law's in Cannes, France as he puts together, with his wife, a brand new band and a brand new musical role as not only the main guitarist, but now as the actual lead singer of this newly born musical project aptly named MEAN MAN.

Holmes joined W.A.S.P. in 1982 and remained with the group until 1990. In 1996, Holmes rejoined W.A.S.P. and stayed with the band until 2001. Holmes has not played with W.A.S.P. since.

Former ALICE COOPER, BROTHER CANE and BLACK STAR RIDERS guitarist Damon Johnson has shared a memory of him interviewing Eddie Van Halen 25 years ago for an issue of RIP magazine.

Earlier today, Johnson tweeted out a couple of photos from the resulting photo session, and he wrote in an accompanying message: "BROTHER CANE supported VAN HALEN on about 20 shows in 1995, on the heels of our radio success with 'And Fools Shine On'. Our friend @KatherineTurman at RIP Magazine organized an interview where 'the young up-and-comer interviews his hero, the legend' for a new segment in RIP.

"Ed was super chatty and funny, and Alex chimed in when we discussed lead guitarists that are also lead singers (Ha!). Photographer Steve Jennings came down to Shoreline Amphitheater that day (Oct. 14) to document the occasion with these photos.

"Were we having any fun???"

When Eddie's death was announced on Tuesday (October 6), Johnson told SPIN magazine about the legendary VAN HALEN axeman: "He was my hero, my #1 guy; no one came close. What Eric Clapton was to Eddie, Eddie was to me. I remember the first time I heard 'Eruption'. I remember every molecule of the moment, in my friend's Chevy Van with shag carpeting on the wall. It was like, 'what the fuck is THAT?!' Greatest of all time."

Johnson became an instant fan of THIN LIZZY when he attended a concert back in 1979 in his home state of Alabama. At 15 years old, he had gone to the concert to see Ted Nugent, he didn't even know who the opener was. Instantly a fan, Johnson bought the entire catalog and learned every song he could. Fast forward years later to 2011, Johnson was on tour as Alice Cooper's guitarist when he received a call from THIN LIZZY founding guitarist Scott Gorham, inviting him to replace their temporary guitarist on their tour. A dream job, and with Cooper's blessing, Johnson leapt at the chance. He continues to tour with Gorham and THIN LIZZY as well as release his own solo albums.

After incredible runs with the bands he co-founded, both BLACK STAR RIDERS and '90s chart-toppers BROTHER CANE, and his side hustles touring with Alice Cooper, THIN LIZZY, John Waite and others, Johnson found himself in spring of 2018 realizing there were two things he couldn't stop thinking about; his family and his music. Johnson made a deliberate decision; to give full focus to composing an album that truly reflects his personal vision and honoring his desire to have the final say about his tour calendar. The time was right to move forward with his solo debut.

"Memoirs Of An Uprising", Johnson's last studio album, was a collection that is both fierce and diverse — a powerful springboard for the musician to start his next chapter. It was released in March 2019 and saw Johnson embarking on a series of dates across North America including a pair of sold-out performances at New York's legendary Iridium as well as several shows with THE WINERY DOGS (a supergroup of rockers featuring Richie Kotzen, Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan) , a December run of shows supporting CLUTCH, and the U.S. leg of the UFO tour last February.




Brother Cane supported Van Halen on about 20 shows in 1995, on the heels of our radio success with “And Fools Shine On”. Our friend @KatherineTurman at RIP Magazine organized an interview where “the young up-and-comer interviews his hero, the legend” for a new segment in RIP... pic.twitter.com/Kd3tzI4D23

— Damon Johnson (@DamonJOfficial) October 10, 2020








...Ed was super chatty and funny, and Alex chimed in when we discussed lead guitarists that are also lead singers (Ha!). Photographer Steve Jennings came down to Shoreline Amphitheater that day (Oct. 14) to document the occasion with these photos.

Were we having any fun??? pic.twitter.com/vbZiOMFs1K

— Damon Johnson (@DamonJOfficial) October 10, 2020