In celebration of the band's 20th anniversary, SEETHER has announced the release of three of its classic albums — "Disclaimer II", "Karma And Effect" and "Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces" — on vinyl for the very first time on November 13 via Craft Recordings. Released early in the band's remarkable run, these three albums exemplify the distinctive musicianship and song craft for which SEETHER is best known and helped solidify them as one of the most successful hard rock bands in the world.

SEETHER continues to prove their staying power and add to their expansive catalog with the release of its eighth studio album, "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" (If You Want Peace, Prepare for War) via Fantasy Records last month. Lead single "Dangerous" is currently No. 3 at Rock Radio, marking the band's 18th Top 5 single over the course of its impressive career.

"Disclaimer II" is SEETHER's second studio album originally released in 2004 and serves as a recompilation of their debut album, "Disclaimer". It includes the 12 original tracks (although slightly remixed) as well as eight additional tracks including the smash hit and RIAA-certified platinum electric ballad "Broken" featuring Amy Lee of EVANESCENCE. The album is now RIAA-certified platinum as well. This new two-LP set is available everywhere on raspberry red opaque vinyl, and a limited-edition pressing on pink splatter opaque vinyl is available in the band's webstore.

"Karma And Effect" was the follow-up to "Disclaimer II" and upon its release in 2005 debuted in the Top 10 globally and is now RIAA-certified gold. This two-LP set features artwork etching on side D and is available everywhere on burgundy opaque vinyl, and a limited-edition pressing on translucent red splatter vinyl is available in the band's webstore.

"Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces" is SEETHER's fourth studio album and was originally released in 2007 and is RIAA-certified gold. It features the band's biggest single, "Fake It", as well as "Rise Above This" and "Remedy", all of which were Top 10 singles with the former two reaching #1 on several Billboard charts. This 2-LP set features artwork etching on side D and is available everywhere on lavender opaque vinyl, and a limited-edition pressing on translucent purple splatter vinyl is available in the band's webstore.

Since forming in Pretoria, South Africa in 1999, SEETHER has amassed a global fan base that has grown organically with the quartet's sense of purpose and commitment spreading outwards, offering their fans around the world camaraderie, comfort and a sense of personal power. While others of their ilk faded away, SEETHER maintains a strong sense of self, ignoring trends and critics in favor of a consummate devotion to their craft. Their impressive sales and chart history includes three platinum and two gold albums, 15 No. 1 singles (including 2017's "Let You Down", 2014's "Words As Weapons" and 2011's "Tonight"); 19 Top 5 multi-format hits, with U.S. singles sales topping 17 million and over 1.5 billion streams worldwide across all platforms.

They are also creators of the Rise Above Fest, founded in 2012 to raise awareness for suicide prevention and mental illness. Past headliners of the annual gathering include SLASH, GODSMACK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, PAPA ROACH and many more. Since conception, the Rise Above Fest has turned into a broader movement, expanding its presence at additional music festivals around the globe. All SEETHER shows donate $1 of ticket sales to benefit the SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices Of Education) organization.

Former Scorpions drummer, Herman Rarebell, is featured in a new interview with Robert Cavuoto for Sonic Perspectives. An excerpt from the chat follows:

Robert Cavuoto: You made a difficult decision to leave the Scorpions in 1995, was their concerns about your career outside of the band?

Herman Rarebell: "Everything I wanted to do with the band I did, we had hits, played the Madison Square Garden, stadiums, and everywhere in the world.

Robert Cavuoto: Like many other bands in the mid-90, the Scorpions saw a down-swing in good musical content, and fans wavered. If you were still with them, do you think there would have been more musical successes for them?

Herman Rarebell: "Yes, I remember I when Nirvana came on the scene, we were working on a new CD, Face The Heat, with Bruce Fairbairn as the producer. I can remember him saying, 'Do you want to do an album with songs like 'Wind of Change'?' The whole band was like 'No,' we want to do a heavy album, and that is how the song 'Alien Nation' came together. But as you know, that album was a flop. A heavy album was also not the way to go; bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam were the bands of the time for that generation. Every band has its time."

Read more at Sonic Perspectives.

The Seeing Tree is the alternative rock band led by Herman Rarebell. The Seeing Tree was formed as the world hit lockdown and have been creating their debut album across borders and despite the global pandemic. Herman believes in the John Lennon adage write a song one day, record it the next, release it the day after. His vision and determination has knocked his co-writers and fellow performers in the band into shape. The Seeing Tree are Brighton-based singer and performance artist Eugenie Arrowsmith (who had a solo deal with Virgin and worked with Steve Hillage and Glen Nightingale) and producer Pepper (who has worked with Creation 23, Geffen, BBE, Warner, EMI), both of whom had a mass of songs that Herman has helped them finish and get out there.

First single / video "I Can See The Signs" was released in August. Check it out below.

Check out The Seeing Tree via Facebook here.




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Video footage of drummer Mike Heller playing his tracks for FEAR FACTORY's long-awaited comeback album can be seen below.

Earlier this month, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares was interviewed by Dave "Higgo" Higgins of Australia's MMM Hard N Heavy radio station about his decision to launch a GoFundMe campaign to assist him with the production costs associated with the release of the new LP.

Speaking about wanting to take the already-completed 2017 recordings for the new FEAR FACTORY album and update them before releasing the effort next year, Dino said: "One thing I wanted to make clear is that, at the time, it's public knowledge that we were all going through a lot of legalities regarding the FEAR FACTORY trademark, the FEAR FACTORY name. So, when we were recording this record, there was no guarantee that it was gonna be called FEAR FACTORY at all, because at the time that we were going through these legalities, everything was on hold and the courts owned the FEAR FACTORY name — they controlled the FEAR FACTORY name. So, when we were actually recording the record, there was absolutely no certainty whatsoever that it was gonna be called FEAR FACTORY. As a matter of fact, fans had found this out, and they were actually trying to help us come up with a name, and they had come up with some pretty creative names that I was definitely considering. But, luckily, things worked out and I won my lawsuit and I was able to regain ownership of the FEAR FACTORY name. Now, fast forward to 2020, again, I regained the name in July. I went back and revisited what we recorded, and I was, like, there are some things that are just missing on this record that I just wanna improve and make better for everybody — for everybody to enjoy a great FEAR FACTORY record."

Regarding recent statements posted on the social media pages of FEAR FACTORY singer Burton C. Bell which were of a derogatory nature with respect to the GoFundMe campaign, calling it a "scam" and insisting that Bell would not "benefit" from the fundraising effort, Dino said: "I don't really know who made those comments. Those are on Burton C. Bell's Instagram and other places that he's commented on, but that's not the guy that I know; that's not the Burton I know. Burton does not lash out at people on Instagram or Facebook — none of his social media is like that. That's not the person I know. So whoever is controlling his social media might be the one that's misinformed. Now, those comments didn't sound like it came from somebody who's been in the music business for 30 years. Those comments sound like somebody who had no knowledge of how the music business works. And the reason I say that is because of the comment that said that they don't benefit from this GoFundMe page. And the person [who wrote that] is wrong, because, in the long run, Burton does benefit from this GoFundMe page, and he benefits from a great record when it comes out."

Asked if he has spoken to Burton directly about his decision to update the 2017 recordings and release them, Dino said: "No, I have not spoken to him. He's made it clear that he's distancing himself from FEAR FACTORY because he is working on [his] ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS [project]. Now, I'm quoting him, and he's [told the] media and [gone] on record [as] saying that. We have tried to reach each other over the years, but we do not have exactly the perfect relationship. Usually when Burt's working on a project, he disappears and he focuses on that. That I know from 30 years of knowing him and being in the business with him — those things I know. And that's it. There hasn't been any communication between us two at all whatsoever — lately."

On the topic of the musical direction of the new FEAR FACTORY album, Dino said: "Right now, as of right now, it's got a very, very 'Genexus' vibe, the last record. But we do have some aggression on this record that comes from the 'Mechanize' [2010] era, but I would say a close second to 'Genexus'. It has the groove, it has all the amazing industrial elements that we've had over the years, new stuff. Again, we've got the production team back, and I'm very excited about that. We've got Mike Heller, who's been with us for the past seven years as our drummer. He slams on this record — he sounds amazing... I don't wanna give too much away, because it's not gonna come out till next year. But I can't wait for people to hear it. I can't wait to be on the road. I hope the world opens up. I hope we can get back on the road and start touring again. Those are my aspirations that I wanna see happen."

FEAR FACTORY's fundraising campaign marks the first public activity from the band since it completed a 2016 U.S. headlining tour on which it performed its classic second album, "Demanufacture", in its entirety.

In a November 2018 interview, Bell said that FEAR FACTORY had completed a new album tentatively titled "Monolith". He also said that "legal technicalities" needed to be sorted out before the record could be released.

FEAR FACTORY was the subject of breakup rumors in May 2017 when the band's former bassist-turned-guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers posted a since-deleted eulogy for FF on his Instagram. He wrote "RIP Fear Factory" and appended that post with the hashtag #GrownAssMenThatCantWorkOutShit.

In a brand new interview with "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz", former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was asked about the band's infamous October 1979 appearance on Tom Snyder's "The Tomorrow Show" when a visibly irritated Paul Stanley (guitar, vocals) and Gene Simmons (bass) tried to contain the bombastic (and drunk) Frehley, whose nonstop laughter and joking overshadowed the rest of the group. He said (hear audio below): "It's a funny interview. Obviously, I was slightly inebriated. [Laughs] But I had fun with Tom, and Tom had fun with me. And I pretty much upstaged the rest of the guys in the band, especially Gene, who didn't seem too thrilled about it. But it was a live show; there was nothing they could do about it. I was really nervous about doing that show, because it was live, and I'd never done live TV before, and I knew it was a popular show and millions of people were gonna be watching. So I drank a little too much and got silly, but it ended up working out for the better."

Back in 2012, Stanley told LA Weekly that he was less than amused by Frehley's antics on "The Tomorrow Show".

"It wasn't that big of a fun time because you have to respect your position," Paul said. "You have to respect your job. You have to respect the people that you're trying to communicate with. It may seem funny that somebody is drunk... but the fact is that the root of it was, I believe, a contempt and a lack of respect for the audience and the fans. So, sure, can you look at it and chuckle? Yeah. I can, too, but I see deeper. And I look at it and say, what a shame to take this lofty position that somebody gave us and spit in it. Spit in its face. By showing up inebriated or unable to connect a sentence. It may be funny on the surface, but what's below the surface is a lack of appreciation for a gift that you've been given."

Some of the footage from KISS's appearance on "The Tomorrow Show" was later included on the "Kissology - The Ultimate Kiss Collection Vol. 2 1978 - 1991" DVD, which came out in 2007.

In a 2009 interview with KissFAQ, Frehley was asked about his track "The Return Of Space Bear", which was included on the iTunes version of his "Anomaly" album and which contained some of the dialog from "The Tomorrow Show" appearance.

"The associate producer of 'Anomaly', Frank Munoz, and I were throwing out ideas about a concept for this song I had called 'Skels', which was essentially a soundtrack song," he said. "The initial idea was that we were going to use soundbites to tell the story of me being chased in my Porsche by the cops and by flying saucers. There's actually a demo I have with that concept, but we thought it might go over people's heads [laughs] — no pun intended. Then Frank suggested that I re-create my 'one-liners' from my appearance on the 'The Tomorrow Show' in 1979. We watched it on YouTube, laughed our asses off and then I recorded it. Frank does some of Tom's parts and, the fans who have heard it love it."

Ace has just released a new covers album, "Origins Vol. 2". The sequel to his 2016 album "Origins Vol. 1" features renditions of songs by various artists who influenced and inspired the former KISS axeman.

Reformed Florida death metal veterans MASSACRE have announced their new lineup. Joining original singer Kam Lee and bassist Michael Borders are guitarists Rogga Johansson (PAGANIZER), Jonny Pettersson (GODS FORSAKEN, WOMBBATH, HENRY KANE) and Scott Fairfax (MEMORIAM, AS THE WORLD DIES), along with drummer Brynjar Helgeton.

Says Borders: "WHO IS READY FOR REAL OLD SCHOOL DEATH METAL!!!? We promised you new MASSACRE music and we are not going to let you down!!

"Despite recent setbacks, plans for a new MASSACRE album are still moving full speed ahead and with all guns blazing!

"Prepare for the raw, uncompromising sound you expect from MASSACRE!! #deathmetal #oldschooldeathmetal".

Earlier in the month, drummer Jeramie Kling (VENOM INC., THE ABSENCE, GOREGÄNG) and guitarist Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE, GOREGÄNG) announced their departure from MASSACRE. The duo had joined the group less than a year ago and were said to be working on MASSACRE's fourth studio album at Kling/Nordberg's own Smoke & Mirrors Productions in Spring Hill, Florida.

Kling and Nordberg said in a statement that "what was presented as a democracy turned out to be a dictatorship with an excruciating lack of communication."

MASSACRE's forthcoming album was supposed to be the first to feature Borders, as well as the band's first recording in 24 years to feature Lee (ex-DEATH, ex-MANTAS).

When Kling and Nordberg's addition to MASSACRE was first announced last December, Lee said that the duo brought "a sensibility and professional mindset that the band was lacking before and so urgently needed." Borders concurred, saying that he and Lee were "giving these guys free rein to be themselves, do their thing, not clone sounds and styles of past members."

MASSACRE parted ways with guitarist Rick Rozz and drummer Mike Mazzonetto in September 2019. At the time, Lee and Borders blamed the split on "contract infringement violations," "poor performance, incompetence, and lack of professionalism."

MASSACRE's latest album, 2014's "Back From Beyond", featured Rozz and Mazzonetto alongside bassist Terry Butler and vocalist Ed Webb.

In early 2017, Butler — who is now playing bass for OBITUARY — told Metal Wani that Rozz and Mazzonetto "destroyed" MASSACRE with their "behind-the-scenes backtalking and backstabbing." He went on to make it clear that Rozz and Lee's then-collaboration could not be called MASSACRE. He said: "They can do all they want and write all the songs in the world they want, but it's not gonna be called MASSACRE."


WHO IS READY FOR REAL OLD SCHOOL DEATH METAL!!!?

We promised you new MASSACRE music and we are not going to let you...

Posted by Michael Borders on Monday, September 21, 2020

Swedish post-punk multi-instrumentalist songwriter Henrik Palm, who was a member of GHOST from 2015 until 2016, will release a new solo album, "Poverty Metal", on October 16 via Svart Records. The official music video for the disc's latest single, "Given Demon", can be seen below.

"Poverty Metal" track listing:

01. Bully

02. Sugar

03. Concrete Antichrist

04. Given Demon

05. Destroyer

06. Nihil

07. Nihilist

08. Last Christmas

From his work with an almost limitless multitude of acts such as IN SOLITUDE's renewal of heavy metal, darlings of the underrated underground PIG EYES, his stint in GHOST, prog rock grandmasters GÖSTA BERLINGS SAGA, punk veterans ISOTOPE SOAP and experimental weirdos SÖDRA SVERIGE, Palm is a post-punk, heavy-pop sonic contortionist of the finest order. From being hand-picked for Tomas Lindberg's (AT THE GATES) curated Roadburn festival performance to opening for acts like VOIVOD and winning the hearts of well-known fans such as Jacob Bannon (CONVERGE) and Scott Carlson (REPULSION), Palm has been blowing all of us away for good a while now. Everything we're looking for in a fresh and modern genre clash, Henrik's music is catchy, well-crafted, beautiful and ugly in the same intense and challenging moment. Impossible to define, Palm is a perfect reflection of his eclectic tastes and infamously insatiable vinyl collection, fitting Svart's groundbreaking roster perfectly.

Tomi Pulkki from Svart says: "What Henrik Palm creates with his songs of diverse influence is a rare explosion of outlandish and captivating rock that we're really excited to present to a wider world. It's not often that an artist can have us dancing to VOIVOD-ian discordant riffs and prog excursions with that Swedish knack for a well-crafted song. We're getting ready to administer 'Poverty Metal' to the masses."

Palm moves freely between record collections and worlds. Between KILLING JOKE, CRASS and PSYCHIC TV, but also between HP Lovecraft and Dr. Who. Decibel dubs his sound as "raw rock and roll with a punk edge and a profound sense of weirdness," and his undiscovered terrain lies between the deeply private and the anarchist spiritual, intertwining cronky, angular postcore riffs with kraut and shoegaze influences. The songs lie in the room like a ghost, heavy breathing.

Henrik says: "I love to experiment with weird instruments, tunings and anything that makes the song better, creepier, more beautiful or whatever. Fuck genres. Identity and feeling is more important," and his music is a wildly fresh distortion of conventions.

According to Palm, seventy percent of his musical diet consists of raw punk with some TROUBLE, CELTIC FROST, THROBBING GRISTLE and MY BLOODY VALENTINE to round things out.

Palm is one of four former members of GHOST who filed a lawsuit against the band's founder and main songwriter, Tobias Forge, in 2017. The four musicians accused the vocalist, who performs under the stage names Papa Emeritus and Cardinal Copia, of cheating them out of their rightful share of the profits from the band's album releases and world tours.

In a statement explaining the lawsuit, the ex-members officially revealed their identities as Palm (Eather), Simon Söderberg (Alpha; member of GHOST from 2010 until 2016), Mauro Rubino (Air; member of GHOST from 2011 until 2016) and Martin Hjertstedt (Earth; member of GHOST from 2014 until 2016).

The Swedish-based act underwent a complete overhaul at the end of 2016, when Forge fired the entire lineup and recruited new players.

Forge — who does all the band's interviews as a Nameless Ghoul — has said that GHOST has always been essentially a one-man project, with many session musicians coming and going over its 12-year existence.

STATIC-X has released the official music video for the song "Dead Souls". The track is taken from the band's latest album "Project Regeneration Vol. 1", which came out on July 10.

The first of two volumes, "Project Regeneration Vol. 1" features 12 brand new tracks, containing many of the final vocal performances and musical compositions of late STATIC-X frontman Wayne Static, along with the original "Wisconsin Death Trip" lineup of bassist Tony Campos, drummer Ken Jay, and guitarist Koichi Fukuda. Both volumes are being worked on by longtime STATIC-X producer Ulrich Wild.

In total, "Project Regeneration" volumes one and two will consist of more than 20 brand new or previously unreleased STATIC-X songs and will feature all of the remaining works left behind by Wayne Static, along with the original "Wisconsin Death Trip" band lineup. The individual albums are expected to contain creative packaging elements that will allow fans to marry the two volumes together.

Last year, STATIC-X wrapped up a world tour comprised of nearly 100 mostly sold-out dates in celebration of the 20th anniversary of its platinum-selling debut album "Wisconsin Death Trip". The shows also served as a traveling memorial for Wayne, who passed away nearly six years ago.

While the identity of STATIC-X's touring singer Xer0 has not been officially revealed, strong rumors suggest that DOPE frontman Edsel Dope is the one performing with Jay, Fukuda and Campos and appearing in all of STATIC-X's promotional videos.

Static died after mixing Xanax and other powerful prescription drugs with alcohol, according to the coroner's report. The 48-year-old Static, whose real name was Wayne Richard Wells, was found dead in his Landers, California home on November 1, 2014.

Static founded STATIC-X in 1994 and achieved commercial success with "Wisconsin Death Trip", which included the rock radio hit "Push It".

The group issued five more studio albums before disbanding permanently in June 2013. Static had been pursuing a solo career at the time of his death.

Do you have a favorite STEEL PANTHER song? How cool would it be if you could personalize the lyrics? Even take part in creating a custom version just for you or someone special?

Now you can.

For a limited time — until the band can tour again — STEEL PANTHER has a very special offer. Pick any one of the group's songs and tell STEEL PANTHER whom or what you want the rewrite to be about. Take part in a custom rewrite of one of your faves.

For the price of $7,500, you can pick any song from STEEL PANTHER's catalog and they will record a NEW version with lyrics inspired by you, just for you. The band will deliver a full rock song finished to a quality comparable to songs on their albums. The band will do up to two lyric revisions prior to recording the song. Once lyrics have been approved, this product is non-refundable.

Please fill out the questionnaire so that the band can write you custom lyrics. Please provide the band with as much information as you can about what you want STEEL PANTHER to write about. Once you have purchased and submitted your answers, a Zoom meeting with the band will be arranged to talk about what you want in your song and pry as much information out of you as humanly possible.

An example of what your song will sound like is available below.

Last month, STEEL PANTHER played its second virtual concert event, "Rockdown In The Lockdown", from the ultra-sanitized, production-filled, multi-camera Drum Channel Studio at Drum Workshop, located in Oxnard, California. The performance was streamed live globally.

STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Twelve years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.






Do you have a favorite Steel Panther song? How cool would it be if you could personalize the lyrics? Even take part in...

Posted by Steel Panther on Tuesday, September 22, 2020

SYMPHONY X bassist Mike LePond spoke to Italy's Poisoned Rock about the band's plans to work on the material for the follow-up to 2015's "Underworld" album. He said (see video below): "I think as soon as the virus stuff passes by and goes away, I think we'll start getting together and we'll start writing songs.

"I'm looking forward to writing songs, because, as you probably know, we haven't done an album since 2015.

"The way we work is we're not the type of band that puts out an album every year, because, for us, the albums take so much work, and we really wanna try to make every song as great as possible. So a lot of times, our fans, they get upset because we put out albums every five years, but once we do put the albums out, people are happy."

Last month, SYMPHONY X announced the rescheduled dates for its "25th Anniversary North American Tour". The 28-date trek, which was originally scheduled to kick off in Englewood, New Jersey on May 14 and and conclude on June 17 at The Masquerade in Atlanta, will now take place in May and June 2021. Support on the trek will still come from PRIMAL FEAR and FIREWIND.

SYMPHONY X completed an extensive tour behind "Underworld" in 2016, including a U.S. run of shows with OVERKILL and a pair of headlining performances in Australia.

In July 2017, SYMPHONY X vocalist Russell Allen and his ADRENALINE MOB bandmates were involved in a crash that killed the group's bassist, David Zablidowsky.

Last fall, Allen — who has toured with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA since 2013 — was injured during the rehearsals for TSO's annual winter trek and was unable to make the tour.

In his new autobiography "Confess", JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford reveals that he was once arrested for cruising Venice Beach toilets (in a case of police entrapment), yet the cops didn't release the information to the media because they were PRIEST fans. Asked by NME what effect he thinks being "outed" would have had on him, the singer — who came out as gay on his own terms in 1998 on MTV — said: "The police did me a favor by keeping it out of the press because it would have been big news. I always refer to that, slightly tongue in cheek, as my George Michael moment. I was lucky, because the sad thing is it makes people who don't understand the gay community just go, 'Obviously, they're all just a bunch of perverts.' And that's horrible.

"I'd like to think for the most part if that incident had broken into the press, then a great proportion of my fans would have said, 'We'll support you and stand with you.' A few years later, when I came out on MTV, that was a proven fact because the feedback from around the world was positive — they just wanted me to continue being the singer for JUDAS PRIEST and get on with the job."

A few years ago, Rob told The Press Of Atlantic City that he expected metal fans to alienate him when he first spoke about his sexual orientation. "I probably deluded myself into thinking I would get rejection," he said. "Nothing could have been further from the truth."

He continued: "When you make that choice of stepping out and facing the issue of disclosure, you do create this kind of self-imposed negative fear. It's unfortunate it still happens today. 'Do I step out and say I'm a gay guy?' But you have got to do it and live your life on your terms and no one else's terms. Don't say you can't do this and you are worried about people being offended. If they push you away, then they push you away. Grab life by the horns and tell them, 'Take me for what I am and who I am and if you don't like it, that's your thing. Not my thing.'"

He added: "If I had been in the band at the time … I think when it happened was a good moment. The fans were amazing."

In April 1998, Michael was caught engaging in a sexual act by an undercover police officer in a public toilet in Beverly Hills. The fallout from his actions made front pages on both sides of the Atlantic, with the U.K.'s The Sun famously running a front-page story headlined "Zip Me Up Before You Go Go."

"Confess" will arrive on September 29 via Hachette Books. The book has already been described by the U.K.'s The Telegraph as "one of the most candid and surprising memoirs of the year."

"Ophiacantha Oceani", a new brittle star fossil discovered by palaeontologists Dr. Lea Numberger and Dr. Ben Thuy at the Natural History Museum of Luxembourg, was named after Berlin progressive metal band The Ocean to celebrate their palaeontology-inspired music.

"Musicians who so skillfully combine arts and science, composing albums like Precambrian (with songs named after the periods of the Precambrian), Pelagial (with songs named after the bathymetric subdivisions of the water column) and Phanerozoic as well as the song ‘Turritopsis Dohrnii’ referring to the immortal jellyfish from the Mediterranean, are more than deserving of being immortalized in the fossil record," comments Dr. Ben Thuy, Natural History Museum of Luxembourg, Palaeontology - Research & Collections Curator.

Watch the video below, and read more here.

On September 25, The Ocean will release their 8th full-length, Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic, via Metal Blade Records (CD / digital) and the band's own Pelagic Records (vinyl).

In 2018, The Ocean released Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic - the first half of a sprawling but superbly cohesive palaeontology concept album. Now, the group is ready to release the concluding parts of the Phanerozoic journey.

For a preview of Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic, a video for the new single "Pleistocene" (directed by Craig Murray) can be found below.

The new album can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:

- Deluxe edition CD (tri-fold digipak)
- Instrumental CD (Remus spine digipak w/ UV gloss)
- Box set completion bundle (tri-fold vocal version CD digipak, instrumental version CD digipak, 2 posters, pin, and sticker)
* Exclusive bundles with shirts and merch items, plus digital options are also available

Widely hailed as their finest work to date, Phanerozoic I brimmed with moments of wide-eyed melodic brilliance, alongside the expected warping and weaving of post-metal conventions. "The first part of Phanerozoic really is a 'no-regrets' album, which is quite rare," says guitarist Robin Staps. "Maybe even the first time I can ever say that."

In contrast with the compositional directness of Phanerozoic I, the new album - Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic - is a vastly more progressive and perverse piece of work. "Phanerozoic II is more experimental, more eclectic in musical style and direction, and more varied in terms of tempos, beats, guitar work and the use of electronics," notes Staps. "This was an intentional choice: we wanted Part I to feel rather streamlined and to have a strong cohesion between the individual songs. We wanted to create a certain vibe to linger from the first until the last note throughout the whole record. We kept the weirder, more daring and more progressive material for Part II."

Tracked in Iceland, Spain and Germany and produced by esteemed studio guru Jens Bogren, Phanerozoic II is underpinned by some of the most imaginative and challenging music that The Ocean - completed by drummer Paul Seidel, keyboard maestro Peter Voigtmann, bassist Mattias Hagerstrand and guitarist David Ramis Åhfeldt - have made yet. Divided into two sections - Mesozoic and Cenozoic - the album once again showcases the detail and depth that have become two of The Ocean's most enduring trademarks. While ostensibly delving into the extraordinary realities of the Earth's shifting temporal tides, Staps and his comrades have long drawn hazy parallels between their chosen subjects and the emotional experiences that their music strives to convey. Phanerozoic II is essentially an album about time, with some very poignant and pointed allusions to the modern world woven into the new music's spiritual fabric.

Staps explains, "The outcome is a record that is a real journey. It starts in one place, and concludes in a totally different place. In a way, it relates to 2013's Pelagial, which was similar in that it was also a journey: but a more guided, focused and predictable one. Phanerozoic II on the other hand is closer to the experience of free fall."

Tracklisting:

“Triassic”
“Jurassic | Cretaceous”
“Palaeocene”
“Eocene”
“Oligocene”
“Miocene | Pliocene”
“Pleistocene”
“Holocene”

"Pleistocene" video:

"Oligocene" video:

“Jurassic | Cretaceous” feat. Katotonia’s Jonas Renske:

(Photo - David Robins)




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On September 18th, the late Chris Cornell's daughter, Toni Cornell, celebrated her 16th birthday. As a present to her daugher, and all of Chris' fans, Toni's mother Vicky Cornell shared a previously unreleased clip of one of Cornell’s solo songs via social media.

Below is a section of the original version of  “Only These Words” from Cornell’s 2015 solo album, Higher Truth. The following message accompanied the music:

"Toni,
Your dad would be so proud of the smart, strong, beautiful, and confident woman you are growing up to be.
You are so very loved, and you give so much love, freely and unconditionally. Your first sentence was 'I love you' to your baby brother when you first met him. As your dad so perfectly sang and what it’s always all about - 'Only these three words repeating…I love you...' Continue to do great things, my sweet girl. He is always with you! And to celebrate you with everyone- I’m sharing part of daddy’s original version of 'Only These Words' Happy 16th Birthday, Toni! [❤️] Mama Vicky, Christopher"

 

 

 

 



View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toni, Your dad would be so proud of the smart, strong, beautiful, and confident woman you are growing up to be. You are so very loved, and you give so much love, freely and unconditionally. Your first sentence was “I love you” to your baby brother when you first met him. As your dad so perfectly sang and what it’s always all about - “Only these three words repeating…I love you...” Continue to do great things, my sweet girl. He is always with you! And to celebrate you with everyone- I’m sharing part of daddy’s original version of “Only These Words” Happy 16th Birthday, Toni! ❤️ Mama @vickycornell, @tonivasil, @cball.cnc

A post shared by Chris Cornell (@chriscornellofficial) on Sep 18, 2020 at 12:22pm PDT

 

 

 
 

 




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Swedish metallers HAMMERFALL will release a new live set, "Live! Against The World", on October 23 via Napalm Records. A performance video of the song "Keep The Flame Burning", taken from the effort, can be seen below.

With an absolutely impressive, grand live production, huge arenas and overwhelming pyro shows, HAMMERFALL took over the world in 2019/2020 with its "World Dominion" tour. Now, they make their splendor available to every Templar around the globe. Recorded on February 15 at the MHP Arena in Ludwigsburg, Germany, "Live! Against The World" contains songs fresh off HAMMERFALL's latest album, "Dominion", mixed with a ton of band classics and a hand-picked selection of songs that rarely appear on HAMMERFALL's setlists to fulfill the needs of both new and old fans.

HAMMERFALL did not only celebrate the great chart success of "Dominion", but also the 20th anniversary of its "Renegade" album with a phenomenal medley during the nearly two-hour-long concert. The show had everyone on their feet and banging their heads within no time and marks one of the many unforgettable evenings of pure Swedish heavy metal in the legendary HAMMERFALL manner.

Singer Joacim Cans comments: "I am so damn proud that we are able to present a full blown, up-to-date, live show in these extremely difficult times. A time when real live shows in front of a 'real' live audience have ceased to exist.

"The show at MHP Arena Ludwigsburg was nothing but epic and really captured the strength and power of the band as a live act and shows the joy we are experiencing together on stage every night, no matter where we play. This is the biggest stage production we ever had and now you can experience this at home anywhere, at any time.

"HAMMERFALL is and always will be a live band and together with the greatest fans in the world we are an unstoppable force!”

Guitarist Oscar Dronjak adds: "The live act that HAMMERFALL is right now blows everything we have done previously out of the water, and I am super happy that we got to document it in this way on the biggest tour we have ever done.

"The setlist speaks for itself — every album is represented with at least one song; there's stuff we have never performed live before, songs we haven't played in a long time and of course all the classics. It's a great testament to where we stand today, and an added bonus is that we finally got to record something major in Germany, in front of the fans who have been with us literally since day one."

"Live! Against The World" starts off with the smashing song and first single "Never Forgive, Never Forget", fresh from "Dominion". The Swedish heavy metal institution presents itself in top shape and starts the show in Ludwigsburg, Germany with a big bang — they take the screaming templars by storm. This absolutely impressively produced live version of one of their biggest new hits marked one of the highlights of the legendary show at the MHP Arena. Adding in classics like "Any Means Necessary", "Last Man Standing" and "Let The Hammer Fall" that show off HAMMERFALL's legendary prowess on both vocals and instruments, the performance continues on to be both surprising and astounding. Special guest Noora Louhimo (BATTLE BEAST) made it possible for HAMMERFALL to display their emotional side with their power ballad "Second To One" live on stage. The show ends with the one song that belongs in every HAMMERFALL experience: the beautiful and heavy "Hearts On Fire".

"Live! Against The World" will be available in the following formats:

- Blu-ray + 2 CD Digipak

- 3 LP Gatefold Vinyl Ink Spot Blue / White

- 3 LP Gatefold Vinyl Orange Transparent

- 48-page Earbook, including 2CDs + Blu-ray

- Digital album

Track listing:

01. Never Forgive, Never Forget

02. One Against The World

03. Heeding The Call

04. The Way Of The Warrior

05. Any Means Necessary

06. Hallowed Be My Name

07. Blood Bound

08. Redemption

09. Hector's Hymn

10. Natural High

11. Second To One

12. Renegade Medley

13. Keep The Flame Burning

14. Dominion

15. The Dragon Lies Bleeding

16. Last Man Standing

17. Let The Hammer Fall

18. Hammer High

19. (We Make) Sweden Rock

20. Hearts On Fire

HAMMERFALL is:

Joacim Cans - Vocals

Oscar Dronjak - Guitar

Pontus Norgren - Guitar

Fredrik Larsson - Bass

David Wallin - Drums

Season Of Ghosts vocalist / founder Sophia and guitarist Zombie Sam returned on Saturday, September 20th for yet another round of bickering. This time, Sophia accidentally hurts herself and Lady, the cat, comes to the rescue to soon flip the script and turn into an impromptu cam girl (?). Vanilla Cookie joins the stream, they speak about the band's new video releases, new merch launch and future releases. Sam has two fresh hateful love songs, keeps brainwashing people about Sophia. They also try to recreate 'A Hallow Tale' and mostly fail, Sam throws his socks and threatens to flash his bum on camera. 

Season Of Ghosts have released an official video for "What A Time To Be Alive", taken from the band's second studio album, A Leap Of Faith, released in October 2018. The video was made with footage submitted by the fans.

Guitarist Zombie Sam has checked in with the following update:

"To commemorate the release of our latest video, 'What A Time To Be Alive', we are launching a new, limited t-shirt design. The video was created entirely with fan-made footage, you lovingly sent us and serves as a reminder that although we may be apart right now, we are always together! 2020 has been tough so far, but we gotta keep pushing forward.

We designed it as a sign of resilience, for people to bring this message around and to be honest to be a bit sarcastic as well... during these difficult times, What A Time To Be Alive? This is a true statement piece of clothing and most probably a fine conversation starter, too (hopefully you haven't forgotten how to socialise in 2020?!).

Grab yours!"

The shirt is available for worldwide pre-order here.




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After three decades, it’s time for No Return to show their live prowess on record. Thus, they bring you, Live XXX, which is much more than a “simple” live record. With a chronological setlist, which traces the career of the French band from the debut album Psychological Torment (released back in 1990) to the latest The Curse Within, Live XXX was recorded in La Manufacture, in the French city of St. Quentin, in December 2019.

“Live XXX is the first live album in the history of the band. People have been asking us for it for a long time and we are very happy to finally be able to release it,” guitar player Alain Clément comments. “We are very excited by the release of this live concert because it really shows the energy and aggressiveness of No Return on stage.”

Live XXX will be released in digital and CD formats by Mighty Music on December 18th.

Tracklisting:

"Mutants' March"
"Vision Of Decadence"
"Memories"
"Civil War"
"Fanatic Mind"
"Disillusion"
"Disease"
"Don't Judge Me"
"News Item"
"Inquisitive Hegemony"
"Stronger Than Ever"
"Submission Falls"
"Paint Your World"
"The Crimson Rider"
"Despise Your Heroes"

Pre-orders can be placed now at this location.

 




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Karkaos / Kittie vocalist Morgan Lander recently performed a lockdown cover of the Prong classic "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" with Jeff Phillips (guitar, bass) and Michael Sage (drums / samples). Check it out below.

The track was mixed and mastered by Doug Fury at Fortissimo Sound. The song is taken from Prong's 1994 album, Cleansing.

Karkaos has taken their mastery of the Quebec metal scene to the next level with the addition of new vocalist, Morgan Lander of Kittie. The band is coming back more fierce and focused than ever, ushering in a devastating new era of power, presence and brutality. On September 21st, 2019 they hit the stage at Théatre Fairmont in Montréal, Quebec with Lander leading the charge. Fan-filmed video is available below.

Lander is thrilled to be brought into the fold. "Joining Karkaos has been a true honour for me. It feels so incredibly good to be back in the metal game after a number of years away, and I cannot wait to step on the stage once again with these amazing musicians."

The rest of the band feels the same. “We already knew how talented Morgan was when we began talking to her about joining the band,” says band founder, Vincent Harnois. “When she sent us her first demos, we realized that this was going to be something extremely special. She is an absolute pleasure to work with and she brings a whole new dimension to our songs. It is an honor to have her with us and we are thrilled to start the next chapter or our band together.”

Forged out of the ashes of a much earlier band incarnation by Harnois in 2003, Karkaos has quickly evolved into one of the most respected and celebrated metal acts from Montreal, Canada. Mixing elements of death metal, power metal and hard rock, this female-fronted band succeeds in bridging the gap between extreme darkness and light, beauty and terror. Karkaos has performed alongside international acts such as Into Eternity, Enslaved, The Agonist, UneXpect, Unleash the Archers, Delain and Leaves Eyes. The band is brutally punishing audiences with an incredible live show, enabling them to establish a strong following both locally and abroad within a few short years.

The band released their first EP, entitled In Burning Skies, in 2010, closely followed by a professionally shot music video and a live appearance on Montreal’s prestigious music television station Musique Plus. Striking while the iron was hot, the band returned to the studio to record their critically acclaimed debut full-length album Empire, in 2013, led by the single and subsequent music video for “Depths Of Madness”. After years of crafting their live show and refining their sound, once again Karkaos managed to come back stronger and more accomplished than ever with the release of their second full length album, Children Of The Void, in 2017, a testament to their work ethic and strength as a band, diversifying their sound with the addition of the immensely talented and seasoned drummer Justine Ethier (Blackguard, Sykode).

Karkaos is ready to push the boundaries of extreme melodic metal with their upcoming follow up to Children Of The Void. The band entered Silverwings studio in September 2019 to demo and work on pre-production on eight new songs, looking to record the full length album.




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John Bush has indicated that a solo tour of his ANTHRAX era may take place in 2023, celebrating not only his time with the band, but the anniversary of the release of two of their key releases. Bush made the comments while speaking to Eonmusic about the new ARMORED SAINT album "Punching The Sky", which is scheduled for release on October 23 via Metal Blade Records.

On how the idea behind the "Bushthrax" shows, which first came up in a 2017 interview, had been developed, he said: "We talked about it, and then nothing really happened, really because I don't think there was enough of interest at the time, and I went back to what I was doing in life. It was really just my agent throwing out some feelers. But you know, one day maybe that can happen. I don't think it’s something that should happen in some kind of grandiose way. If it happens, it would be maybe a couple of select festivals or a few headline shows here or there. It has to be the right time, and there has to be enough of a desire for people to want to hear it. I mean, hey, all of these things are challenged by my age at this point. Not that I fell that old — because I really don't — but I’m also honest with my age, and I think that this material, it's not easy when your older, so you have to be ready to tackle those things."

On the possibility of re-teaming with guitarist Paul Crook, who played on ANTHRAX's "Stomp 442" and "Volume 8" albums, Bush said: "I said something about wanting to do it with Paul if I did it, because I really love Paul. He's a really great guy, he's an amazing player, and he was involved in those couple of records. And I just like him as a person; he's just one of the nicest guys and fun to be around."

Although the project never came to fruition, John revealed that it's still a possibility, and even offered a timeframe.

"There is something cool about, well, '[Sound Of] White Noise', I guess in 2023, that would be 30 years [since its release], so you know, who knows? Maybe something in conjunction with that, at that point. And 'White Noise' came out in '93, and 'We've Come For You All' came out in 2003, so it was 10 years later, so there's an anniversary of both of those albums, because they both fall on the same year. So, I don't know."

ANTHRAX has had a number of vocalists — including Bush, Joey Belladonna, Neil Turbin and Dan Nelson — over the last 39 years, with guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante remaining the sole bandmembers who have appeared on every one of the group's studio albums.

Turbin sang on ANTHRAX's debut LP, 1984's "Fistful Of Metal", before getting booted and being replaced by Belladonna. Belladonna performed on four ANTHRAX albums, including the fan favorite "Among The Living" (1987) before he himself was fired over creative and stylistic differences. Bush fronted ANTHRAX between 1992 and 2005 but was sidelined when the band reunited with Belladonna for a 20th-anniversary tour. When that collapsed, and relationships disintegrated with next frontman Nelson, Bush returned for a time before Belladonna took the job back in 2010.

Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager Sharon is in quarantine after their two-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter, Minnie, contracted COVID-19.

While co-hosting Monday's (September 21) episode of "The Talk" via video link, Sharon explained why she was not able to appear live in studio.

"I was meant to be in the studio — I was so looking forward to it — and then, unfortunately, one of my granddaughters has come down with COVID," she said (see video below).

"She's okay; she's doing good," Sharon continued. "I don't have it. Her daddy [Jack Osbourne] doesn't have it. Her mommy doesn't have it. Her sisters don't. She caught it from somebody that works for my son. And it just goes to show you — she's three years of age — that children can get COVID."

Revealing that she has one more week left of quarantine before she will be back to work on the show, Sharon added: "And as I say, I don't have it. I keep testing negative, but, you know, you have to be safe."

Minnie is one of three daughters Jack Osbourne shares with Lisa Stelly. The couple were married seven years before divorcing in early 2019.

Earlier this month, Ozzy said he won't have a coronavirus vaccine despite his Parkinson's disease putting him at greater risk. Speaking on Rock Classics Radio on Apple Music Hits, he said: "I'm trying to recover so I can get... The only good thing about this pandemic, I couldn't work anyway because of my injuries. I'm hoping that I'll be booking 2022, I think.

"To be honest with you, I don't think it's gonna get ship shape until the end of next year. I think this winter is gonna be fucking bad, because you're gonna have the flu. People are, 'I'm not taking the flu shot.' You know what?

"You can give me anything, but I'm not gonna be number one on that fucking new vaccine. I don't know want to be the first one to wake up with a set of fucking antlers in the morning."

This past July, Ozzy said that he was still "not back to 100 percent" after suffering from several medical issues last year, including a fall, neck surgery and hospitalization for the flu. Ozzy also said that he was looking forward to performing again once he has regained his health and the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.

Last month, Ozzy blasted Donald Trump's coronavirus response, saying that America's 45th president is "acting like a fool." In an interview with Rolling Stone, Ozzy said: "In my lifetime, I've never known anything like this. It's getting worse, not better. And this guy's acting like a fool. I don't really like to talk politics that much, but I've got to say what I feel with this guy. There's not much hope left. Maybe he's got a trick up his sleeve and he's going to surprise us all, and I hope he has. [Recently], over a thousand more people died in one day [in America]. That's fucking crazy. People got to get with this social distancing and mask-wearing or else it's never gonna go away."

When the pandemic struck, Ozzy had just released his first solo album in a decade, "Ordinary Man", which he recorded late last year while recovering from surgery and related illnesses. The BLACK SABBATH singer had previously canceled all his 2019 tour plans, and the rescheduled 2020 shows have also been scrapped.

British alternative rock masters ANATHEMA have announced plans to "go on an indefinite hiatus" as a result of the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

The band broke the news of its upcoming inactivity in a social media post on Tuesday (September 22). They wrote: "Dear ANATHEMA family, this year is one like no others. We've all — every one of you included — faced unpredictable challenges, which impacted both our professional and personal situations. in this hardest of times, events over this year have left us with no option but to go on an indefinite hiatus. As individuals, it is now time to pursue other paths in life.

"We are beyond grateful for everyone's support over the years. There is no end to the love and respect we have for our fans for giving us the best years of our lives. The generosity you all showed following the unexpected cancellation of our tour will always stay with us.

"We could never have anticipated how this year would turn out.

"Many, many thanks. ANATHEMA".

ANATHEMA has released 11 studio albums of fearless and uncompromising beauty. Ever since their debut, "Serenades", in 1993, they've refused to be pigeonholed and have continuously evolved; all the way up to their most recent studio album, 2017's conceptual masterstroke "The Optimist", which revealed some of the darkest, most challenging music they ever put their name to, as well as a series of live albums and compilations.

Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, ANATHEMA — led by brothers Daniel (vocals, guitar, keys) and Vincent Cavanagh (guitar, keys, vocals) along with John Douglas (percussion), Lee Douglas (vocals) and Daniel Cardoso (drums) — was scheduled to head into the studio in 2020 to work on a new album.


Posted by Anathema on Tuesday, September 22, 2020

In a recent interview with DEATH ANGEL's Ted Aguilar, SEPULTURA's Andreas Kisser once again recalled his experience auditioning for METALLICA as James Hetfleld's temporary replacement (on guitar only) while James recovered from being burned onstage back in 1992. He said: "What a privilege, man. Phil Rind from SACRED REICH, very good friends from [then-METALLICA bassist] Jason Newsted. And me and Phil Rind, of course, were good friends — SACRED REICH and SEPULTURA were touring together during 'Arise' — and we love METALLICA. Me and Phil, we always loved METALLICA. I remember we were the only ones, maybe, that were defending the 'black' album when it came out… The more 'thrashy' people [said], 'Ah, METALLICA sold out,' whatever. And me and Phil were always defending METALLICA.

"I love to play covers," he continued. "That's how I learned how to play guitar, electric guitar, with the power chords and leads and stuff. And METALLICA is one of my best features, let's say, especially to play the right hand, the thrash metal. Phil Rind knew that I could play a lot of METALLICA, but to play with METALLICA is something else. [Laughs] It was, like, the pressure… And it's so different, of course. You go with your friends in your practice room and you play 'Seek & Destroy' — yeah, it's fine. And then you go there and you see Lars [Ulrich]: 'All right. No 'Seek & Destroy'. Let's play 'The Shortest Straw'.' [Laughs] Then we did it. I mean, 'The Shortest Straw', 'One', 'Nothing Else Matters', 'Enter Sandman'… Oh, man. It give me goosebumps only to remember. And I was so welcomed there. Jason Newsted, of course, called me. 'Hey, we are in Denver, Colorado. We have the setup here at the arena. And we are trying out everyone.' [Guitarists from] METALLICA cover bands and friends and everything… Which I thought was fantastic. METALLICA is huge because they are huge in every respect — their attitude. They really looked for every type of possibility. Even myself, a guitar player from Brazil."

Kisser added: "I took the plane by myself with my Charvel guitar. I went to Colorado. There was a limousine waiting for me with my name, and then I went straight to the arena to the practice room. The first one I saw was Kirk Hammett: 'Hey, you came from Brazil. Are you all right, man?' [Laughs] And then I was listening to some guys playing, and I was next. I came in, and I played so calm. It was so weird. Because they really let me feel at home. And I played 'Enter Sandman', I think, was the first one. And it was perfect. Even the crew people said, 'Wow! We were listening from outside. We felt that the band was doing the practice.' And then I stayed for the final, for the next day. It was me and John Marshall" — METAL CHURCH guitarist and onetime METALLICA roadie, who had already filled in before when James broke his arm skateboarding — "only, which I felt was a big victory for me, even though I didn't get the job. But the songs from the 'black' album were still very new for me. 'Unforgiven', a lot of details that I didn't know how to perform and stuff. And John Marshall was ready. [He is] an American, and they're all friends and stuff. But they actually had a meeting after the rehearsals. So it was really close — it was really, really close that I didn't get the possibility to tour with them and GUNS N' ROSES. And FAITH NO MORE was opening; the tour was amazing. But it was one of the best experiences of my life. And still nowadays, we're friends. It's fantastic."

In the end, METALLICA ended up using Marshall once again, with Hetfield handling lead vocals at all dates while sporting an arm-length bandage.

Nearly four years ago, Kisser was asked by Metal Temple magazine for his opinion of METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct". He responded: "I love it, man. I think it's the best work they did in a few years. Of course, they took so many years to release an album, but I like this better than 'Death Magnetic'. I think it feels a little more loose. It feels that they are enjoying themselves and they're really writing music with no other stuff in their heads — just really enjoying themselves as musicians and as a band. And it's really great."

He continued: "METALLICA is a fantastic band, man. They still influence so many people. And the way they put out the album — one video clip for each song. It's amazing, you know — so inspiring. And it's great. They deserve everything. They still are the biggest metal band in the world, and they're gonna keep their way for a long time, I guess."

DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover was the featured guest on BBC's "The Rock Show With Johnnie Walker" during the "Rock God" segment. Glover picked Gary Moore and stated about his choice: "When we had the reunion in 1984 — DEEP PURPLE, that is — Paicey [PURPLE drummer Ian Paice] came in — he'd been with the Gary Moore band for a couple of years, or several years — and he said, 'Gary Moore's gonna be huge one day. He's brilliant.' And I'd never thought about it. I was aware of him, of course, in THIN LIZZY and stuff, but I never thought about it much until he moved to America where I was living at the time. Not only moved to America, but he moved one road away from me. I had a little studio there in my house, and I helped him do a demo, 'Cold Day In Hell'. After about a year, he decided to move back to England, but he had nowhere to stay for the last night, so he and his family stayed in my house. He came down to the studio and he said, 'What are you up to?' So I was playing him a song — a very simple chord sequence, with just drums and bass — and he said, 'Oh, would you like some guitar on it?' I said, 'Well, yeah.' And the next day, about an hour before the limo came to take him to the airport, he reminded me, he said, 'Oh, did you want some guitar on that song?' I said, 'Oh, yeah. Okay.' He played three versions — three takes, I should say — of the song without having heard it before — it was just a chord sequence to him — and somehow he plucked a beautiful melody. I sat there and listened to what he had done, and I was just blown away with the power of his fingers. I picked up a guitar and tried to bend the notes like he had, and there was no way I could do it. And he does it with such pitch control and such feeling. I mean, I had a whole new respect for Gary."

He continued: "Since that day, which is a long time ago now, it's rested on my computer, and I will be releasing it one day. One day, I will release an album of studio bits and pieces and demos that I did, and it'll be included on that. We worked together since then a few times, and he was just an absolute force of nature when it came to playing the guitar. Very underrated. And I'd love to have worked more with him."

Moore passed away in his sleep on February 6, 2011, hours after checking into the five-star Kempinski Hotel in Estepona on the Costa del Sol, Spain with a female friend. He reportedly suffered a heart attack brought on by a massive amount of alcohol he consumed prior to being found dead in bed.

Moore made a name for himself in the late 1960s with the Dublin-based SKID ROW, before following bass player Phil Lynott in 1974 to play with classic rockers THIN LIZZY.

Throughout his career, Moore recorded numerous solo albums, and shared the stage with the likes of B.B. King, Albert King, Jack Bruce, Albert Collins and George Harrison.

French blackened death metal outfit, Bliss Of Flesh, will release their new album, Tyrant, on October 30 via Listenable Records. Pre-order the album here, and listen to the title track below.

"The cover of this new album is a hand drawing made by the Hungarian artist Balázs Jacsó especially for us," says the band. "Inspired by medieval artists, he tried to imitate the techniques of this area, creating an infinity of details. In the vein of the Etienne de la Boétie’s concept dealing with the voluntary servitude, the artist tried to enlighten the overwhelming power of a tyrant, placing the viewer in the situation of the servant. As you can notice, he has no face. Everyone is free to see the tyrant he has accepted to serve obediently. We’re all someone’s bitch.

“The three circles drawn around the frame symbolize the three elements of the submission: the whip for the oppressive strength, the crown for the symbol of power and the key for the illusional hope of freedom. It’s like the holy trinity. The tyrant also wears broken chains, underlining his past as a servant himself… and the fact that we are most of the time our own tyrant, prisoner of a vicious circle."

Tracklisting:

“Serve”
“Genesis”
“Vanitas”
“Krieg”
“Hexis”
“Panem”
“Tyrant”
“Mors”
“Naturae”

“Tyrant”:

(Photo - Emmanuel Brillet)




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Epic power metal outfit Human Fortress has returned to Massacre Records, and will release a new album, entitled Epic Tales & Untold Stories, this winter on December 4th.

The band's history began in the late 1990s. Comprised of vocalist Gus Monsanto, guitarists Todd Wolf and Volker Trost, bassist André Hort, keyboard player Dirk Liehm, as well as drummer Apostolos Zaios, Human Fortress has released six studio albums and an EP.

With the upcoming album, Human Fortress express gratitude towards their fans, who have stood by their side for more than 20 years now. The album's front cover - available below - was created by Kristijan Kuliš. More album details, including the track list, will be revealed soon.

(Photo credit: Tom Row / Frontrow Images)




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Oceanhoarse started their year with a successful European tour with Marko Hietala (Nightwish) and released The Damage Is Done - LIVE! live album (recorded by Kimmo Ahola) at the beginning of June. Today it is time to hear something new, as Oceanhoarse reveals their first studio single, "Locks", taken from their upcoming studio album.

Recorded at the East Sound Studios & Scandal Studios by Kari Huikuri and mastered at the Chartmakers by Svante Forsbäck, "Locks" represents a new side of the band. Raw and powerful, live-in-studio-style recorded guitar riffs are now accompanied with extra layers of vocal harmonies in the choruses to highlight the lyrics compared to the previous releases. 

The story behind "Locks" is about every one of us during the known human history.

Guitarist Ben Varon: "We begin to accumulate different kinds of locks inside us almost as soon as we’re born. By the time you’re an adult, these locks have a tremendous effect on how you view the world and live your life. They color the way you see things, while preventing you from seeing some aspects altogether. Things like wealth, status, the status quo and social pressure all play a part in how you think, what you feel like you can say or do, what you believe is accepted behavior, and which of your dreams are possible to go after."

"I’ve had a few rare moments where I’ve been able to see past some of these locks, but it is not easy. Still, I believe it is something worth pursuing, and I’ll keep trying to break these locks off one at a time until it’s my time to go!"

By the end of the summer, the pandemic situation turned better in Finland and a handful of festivals were organized in August with new, restricted safety distance limits and hand-hygiene cautions. Oceanhoarse got a chance to get back on stage not only once, but twice after a six months long break from live shows.

Bassist Jyri Helko: "For me, Saarihelvetti and Dark River festivals were the personal highlights of the summer. We played 'Locks' for the first time in front of an audience and I gotta say that this song feels very special: I sensed the same feeling of blowing off some steam in the crowd as I recall I had when hearing the song for the first time at our rehearsal place!"

Check out the official video for "Locks" below.

For information and updates on Oceanhoarse go to their official Facebook page here.




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The 25th-anniversary reissue of PARADISE LOST's fifth studio album, "Draconian Times", will be released on December 4 via Music For Nations. It will be lovingly pressed onto heavyweight audiophile approved vinyl, housed in a gatefold artwork sleeve, and presented on select and limited vinyl variants. The special 25th anniversary edition also sees the vaults opened to provide a deluxe CD version that comes with a definitive disc of bonus, rare and unreleased material from the "Draconian Times" era. Furnished with new liner notes, delving deep dive into the album's lyrical themes and exclusive memories from PARADISE LOST, this is a must for fans and completists alike.

Says PARADISE LOST: "We can finally reveal what we've been up to. A 25th-anniversary reissue of 'Draconian Times'! Featuring the content you, our fans, have submitted; exclusive artwork, unheard tracks, memories from all of the band members and more.

"Pre-order your copy here. The 2LP red vinyl is exclusive to the band's official store and all pre-orders of this variant via Omerch will be entered into a lucky dip draw to win a handwritten lyric sheet from vocalist Nick Holmes. Good luck!"

Track listing:

Disc 1

01. Enchantment

02. Hallowed Land

03. The Last Time

04. Forever Failure

05. Once Solemn

06. Shadowkings

07. Elusive Cure

08. Yearn For Change

09. Shades Of God

10. Hands Of Reason

11. I See Your Face

12. Jaded

Disc 2

01. Shadowkings (BBC live session)

02. Sweetness (BBC live session)

03. Once Solemn (BBC live session)

04. Yearn For Change (BBC live session)

05. The Last Time (demo)

06. Forever Failure (demo)

07. Shadow Kings (demo)

08. I See Your Face (demo)

09. Hallowed Land (demo)

10. Hand Of Reason (demo)

11. Last Desire (demo)

12. Masters Of Misrule (demo)

13. Walk Away (SISTERS OF MERCY cover)

Australian thrash/grind/punk misfits KING PARROT, who recently announced their new EP "Holed Up In The Liar", have re-emerged with a brand new single, "Nor Is Yours", featuring Philip Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN) on guest vocals. This is the second installment to be revealed prior to the EP's release date of October 9 via Agonia Records in Europe. Housecore Records will release the EP in North America and Dead Set Recordings in Australia.

Matt Young of KING PARROT has this to say about the new track: "When we came up with this song, it was distinctly different to anything we had written previously on any of our records. It has an up-tempo groove that reminded me of an AC/DC riff if it was played by a grind or hardcore band. My head was busy trying to write lyrics for the other tracks, and this one through me a curve ball. Luckily, we had our ol' mate and one of the most prolific heavy metal vocalists of all time, Phil Anselmo, lounging around in the studio. He accepted the challenge to write and direct the lyrics and also add some vocals in for good measure. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did writing and recording it."

Appreciated for their unique blend of thrashy, punked out grindcore that spawned nominations for Metal Hammer Golden Gods and ARIA awards, the five-piece returns with a blistering material of four tracks. The EP was recorded with engineer Steve "Big Fella" Berrigan (DOWN, EYEHATEGOD) at Nodferatu's Lair (Louisiana, USA) with the simple attitude of: "Four days, four tracks, write em', record em' and be done with it…". The band explains more: "Usually KING PARROT always try to write music together in the same room, but that just hasn't been possible for us because of the lockdown. We were planning on re-working these tracks for a new album eventually, but when all the restrictions came about, we thought why not get these tracks out there as a special limited-edition seven-inch release? We think KING PARROT fans will be happy with these tracks: it's rude, loud, fast and grimey and we poured our heart and soul into them; there's no doubting its unabashedly KP!"

Track listing:

01. Banished, Flawed Then Docile

02. Blunder To Asunder

03. Nor Is Yours

04. Kick Up A Stink

Dutch psychedelic rock formation Molassess (featuring members of The Devil's Blood), will be releasing their debut full-length, Through The Hollow, on October 16. The record will be released via Season Of Mist, making it the band's debut to the label. A video for the song "The Devil Lives" can be found below.

Featuring four musicians from The Devil's Blood, Molassess was formed upon being commissioned for a performance during the 2019 edition of Roadburn Festival. Yet, Molassess is not a continuation of a buried past, nor a celebration of a cherished collaborator, but a culmination of heartache, requisite resolution, a rediscovery of rage and the relighting of a fire that never really burned out.

Through The Hollow can be pre-ordered here.

The cover artwork, which was created by Max Rivers, can be found below along with the tracklisting.

Tracklisting:

"Through The Hollow"
"Get Out From Under"
"Formless Hands"
"Corpse Of Mind"
"The Maze Of Stagnant Time"
"I Am No Longer"
"Death Is"
"Tunnel"
"The Devil Lives"

"The Devil Lives" video:

"Death Is" video:

"Through The Hollow":

Lineup:

Oeds Beydals - guitar
Ron van Herpen - guitar
Job van de Zande - bass guitar
Bob Hogenelst - drums and percussion
Matthijs Stronks - keys
Farida Lemouchi - vocals

(Photo - Esther van Waalwijk)




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Finnish Wacken Metal Battle 2018 winners, Awake Again, have released a new single, “Into Two”. It's the first of a four-single-series, and is the beginning of a new chapter in Awake Again’s career.

“'Into Two' is an explosive wave of heavy drums, big guitars and eclectic synths with beautiful and harsh vocals. The end result is a perfect marriage of relentless metal and catchy pop music,” says the band.

The song was co-written by Danish producer Christopher Stjerne. Lead vocals were recorded at Christopher’s studio in Copenhagen and the rest of the song was recorded in Turku. "Into Two" was mixed by Grammy nominated producer and mixing engineer Jacob Hansen. The song sounds huge and epic but at the same time intricate and precise.

“The song is about personal development. It’s when you transform from old to new, from negative to positive. You leave the old and corrupt behind and you are left with a new and more complete self. This is also the process of the band since the last release almost two years ago.”

Stream the song here, and below:

What do you get when the craziness of System Of A Down meets the electronic mayhem of Enter Shikari wrapped in the production of Bring Me The Horizon? You get Awake Again.

Awake Again is a four piece alternative metal band hailing from Turku, Finland formed in 2013. Their music a distinctive mixture of metal, post-hardcore and pop. Known for their huge and catchy songs accompanied with live performance like a nuclear bomb Awake Again has been making a steady rise in Finnish metal scene.

Having played over 100 shows the band has conquered smaller and bigger stages with their wildfire like energy. Most notably they won Wacken Metal Battle Finland in 2018 and got to show their alternative metal madness at the global finals in Wacken Open Air.

The fall of 2020 will start a new chapter in Awake Again's career as the band releases highly anticipated new music. Bigger, heavier and more melodic than ever before Awake Again is ready to conquer the hearts of music lovers around the world.

Awake Again is:

Matti Österman - Lead Vocals
Markus Puranen – Drums
Kasper Hellström - Guitar & Keyboards
Ville Loukola – Bass

(Photo - Juha Kurri Photography)




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Joe Satriani has released the new video below, along with the following message:

"Joshua De La Victoria improvs over 'Hands In The Air' with mind-blowing progressiveness and precision. And he makes it look so effortless! He keeps it fun, but full of melodic and harmonic complexities I never would have thought of."

"At the heart of it is my love for composing unique and moving music for the electric guitar. I love the journey as much as the end result. With this compilation of backing tracks you get to peak behind the curtain a bit and experience that journey as I built the songs in the studio. And, of course, you can play along!" - Joe Satriani

Stripped x Three features full backing tracks from the complete Shapeshifting, Black Swans And Wormhole Wizards and"Is There Love in Space? albums, a special digital compilation booklet with original liner notes and credits and it is all packaged within a replica Joe Satriani Ibanez signature guitar USB stick and custom case. Pre-order here.

Satriani on Stripped x Three: "This collection represents three albums of backing tracks released years apart from each other spanning 16 years: Is There Love In Space? from 2004, Black Swans And Wormhole Wizards from 2010, and 2020's Shapeshifting. Three remarkably different albums recorded and mixed in remarkably different locations. At the heart of it is my love for composing unique and moving music for the electric guitar. Each album project I undertake pushes me to discover new ways to write , play, produce and record. I love the journey as much as the end result. With this compilation of backing tracks you get to peak behind the curtain a bit and experience that journey as I built the songs in the studio. And, of course, you can play along!"




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Thomas Zwijsen has released the new video below, featuring an acoustic fingerstyle ukulele cover of the Dio classic, "Rainbow In The Dark".

Thomas has performed this song frequently (on guitar) with Ben Woods on the Master Guitar Tour, but this time it's an unplugged solo ukulele arrangement. "Rainbow In The Dark" was released as a single with an official video in 1983 and was featured on the Holy Diver album.




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