Marilyn Manson will release his eleventh studio album, "We Are Chaos", on September 11 Via Loma Vista Recordings. Produced by Grammy Award winner Shooter Jennings (Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker) and Manson, the ten-track opus was written, recorded, and finished before a pandemic blanketed us all.

The second single from "We Are Chaos", a song called "Don't Chase The Dead", can be streamed below.

Manson's painting "Infinite Darkness", which can be seen on the album cover, was specifically created to accompany the music. His fine art paintings continue to be shown all over the world, including gallery and museum exhibitions from Miami to Vienna to Moscow.

Manson says of the album: "When I listen to 'We Are Chaos' now, it seems like just yesterday or as if the world repeated itself, as it always does, making the title track and the stories seem as if we wrote them today. This was recorded to its completion without anyone hearing it until it was finished. There is most definitely a side A and side B in the traditional sense. But just like an LP, it is a flat circle and it's up to the listener to put the last piece of the puzzle into the picture of songs.

"This concept album is the mirror Shooter and I built for the listener — it's the one we won't stare into. There are so many rooms, closets, safes and drawers. But in the soul or your museum of memories, the worst are always the mirrors. Shards and slivers of ghosts haunted my hands when I wrote most of these lyrics.

"Making this record, I had to think to myself: 'Tame your crazy, stitch your suit. And try to pretend that you are not an animal' but I knew that mankind is the worst of them all. Making mercy is like making murder. Tears are the human body's largest export."

"We Are Chaos" track listing:

01. Red Black And Blue

02. We Are Chaos

03. Don't Chase The Dead

04. Paint You With My Love

05. Half-Way & One Step Forward

06. Infinite Darkness

07. Perfume

08. Keep My Head Together

09. Solve Coagula

10. Broken Needle

"We Are Chaos" is the follow up to Manson's 2017 album, "Heaven Upside Down", which marked his seventh consecutive Top 10 debut on the album charts.

In April 2019, Manson said that his upcoming album was nearly done, later adding that he wouldn't compare his new record to his past work.

"I'm in a mode in life where I wanted to tell stories with this record, and it's sort of like a wax museum of my thoughts, a study of the chamber of horrors in my head," he said. "All the romance and hope you can have in the world, here in the End Times where it can be a different kind of apocalypse for each person listening to the record. I tried to paint it with words, and Shooter with sounds, so you can see and hear all of your longing, your passion and despair. That's sort of a dramatic explanation of it. But it is full of drama. I wouldn't compare it to any of my other records, but you hear a bit of everything. It's like I've focused everything into one spot, finally."

Manson and Jennings previously teamed up in 2016 to record a cover version of "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" for Jennings's "Countach (For Giorgio)" LP, a covers collection featuring songs by electronic-music pioneer Giorgio Moroder.

Manson continues to infiltrate fashion, film, and music, leaving his fingerprints on modern culture. Saint Laurent tapped him for a campaign, Travis Scott personally invited him to perform at the sold-out Astroworld festival, GQ named him one of the most fashionable men of 2019, he appeared as an actor in everything from "Sons Of Anarchy" to "American Gods" to "The New Pope", and also co-headlined several "Twins Of Evil" tours with Rob Zombie.

Photo by Perou

The "Pumpkins United" lineup of HELLOWEEN has just finished filming the first video from its forthcoming studio album.

The new LP was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg (where everything started in 1984). The same recording console used for such HELLOWEEN albums as "Master Of The Rings", "Time Of The Oath" and "Better Than Raw" was utilized to record the band's new material, which will feature singer Michael Kiske and guitarist Kai Hansen. Due in the coming months, the disc was produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward.

"The 'Pumpkins United' world tour 2017-2019 forged us into a real band," singer Andi Deris previously said. "We are all very keen in recording a new studio album now. Artistically, it's extremely thrilling."

HELLOWEEN's new album saw the legendary German power metallers going "back to the roots," with the band recording fully analogue and Dani Löble playing the drum kit previously used by HELLOWEEN's original drummer, the late Ingo Schwichtenberg, on the legendary "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" recordings.

The "Pumpkins United" tour marked the first time Kiske had played live with HELLOWEEN since 1993. Hansen, who departed HELLOWEEN in 1988, had been joining the band onstage on various tours and festival appearances throughout the years. The set featured several duets with Kiske and his replacement, Deris, along with many rarely played songs, including "Kids Of The Century", "Rise And Fall" and "Livin' Ain't No Crime". Hansen — who fronted HELLOWEEN until late 1986 — sang a medley of several early HELLOWEEN classics, including "Ride The Sky", "Judas", "Starlight" and "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)".

HELLOWEEN's European "United Alive World Tour Part II", which was originally scheduled to take place in September and October will now take place next spring.

Photo credit: Franz Schepers


? ? It's a wrap! First video shooting's done - and there's much, much more to come soon! Stay tuned, pumpkinheads!

?: Kriss Jakob

Posted by Helloween on Thursday, September 10, 2020

PANTERA's final opus, "Reinventing The Steel", represented a recommitment to everything the band loved about heavy metal. Released in 2000 at the peak of nu-metal's popularity, the album's back-to-basics approach flew in the face of the trend and served as a potent reminder of the enduring power of primal metal. PANTERA's swan song turns 20 this year and Rhino will celebrate with two new versions that feature an unreleased mix of the album by longtime producer Terry Date.

The first is "Reinventing The Steel: 20th Anniversary Edition", a three-CD set that includes a newly remastered version of the original album and a selection of rarities. A major highlight is the new mix by Terry Date, the legendary producer who was behind the console for the band's previous four landmark albums: "Cowboys From Hell" (1990), "Vulgar Display Of Power" (1992), "Far Beyond Driven" (1994) and "The Great Southern Trendkill" (1996). The set will be released on October 30 and will also be available through digital and streaming services. Three of Date's new mixes ("Revolution Is My Name", "Death Rattle", and "We'll Grind That Axe For A Long Time") are available today digitally. Listen below.

"Reinventing The Steel: 20th Anniversary Edition" will also be released as a double-LP set on silver vinyl that features the new Terry Date mix on one album, plus eight rare bonus tracks making their vinyl debut on the other. Limited to 5,000 copies, the 180-gram audiophile vinyl collection comes in an embossed, foil jacket and will be available on January 8.

Philip Anselmo, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, Rex Brown and Vinnie Paul Abbott had already earned a No. 1 album and several Grammy nominations by the time PANTERA began recording "Reinventing The Steel" in 1999. The album would prove to be a celebration of the skull-rattling strain of metal the quartet had cultivated through the years with songs like "We'll Grind That Axe For A Long Time", "Goddamn Electric" and "I'll Cast A Shadow". Certified gold and embraced by fans and critics alike, the album would unexpectedly become the band's last.

The three-CD and digital versions open with an unreleased mix of the album by Terry Date, who had been helping PANTERA perfect its piledriving sound since 1990. Date — who likes Sterling Winfield's original mix of the album — says he was initially apprehensive about remixing "Reinventing The Steel" for this reissue. Eventually, he agreed knowing that diehard fans would be curious to hear his take on the album. He says: "I'm just trying to remember what we used to do as I'm going through this stuff. But the riffs and performances are strong. It's just classic PANTERA."

The CD and digital collections also include a newly remastered version of the original album, which was co-produced by Darrell, Vinnie and Winfield. It's joined by radio edits for singles ("Revolution Is My Name", "Goddamn Electric"); covers (BLACK SABBATH's "Electric Funeral" and "Hole In The Sky", Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever"); soundtrack contributions ("Avoid The Light", "Immortally Insane"); and previously unreleased instrumental rough mixes for every album track.

In a 2012 interview with Revolver magazine, Vinnie Paul stated about "Reinventing The Steel": "I felt like things had turned a corner. I felt like Phil [Anselmo, vocals] had discovered some of these demons and maybe had some people around him that wanted to help instead of taking the other direction. We kind of wanted to go back and really grab some of the things that people liked the most about 'Vulgar ['Display Of Power]' and 'Cowboys [From Hell]', and Phil's exact words were that he wanted to make a record that was 'more anthemic,' lyrically. More stuff that people could sing along to. Dime [PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott] spent a lot of time in the studio with Phil working with him on his vocal arrangements and melodies."

Anselmo concurred, telling the magazine: "I had kind of cleaned my act up. I had a new fire lit under my ass. Dimebag and I were very close on this one. I showed up for the jam sessions, and I think they were impressed with how I was. I wasn't all fucked up constantly. It was a breath of fresh air. I guess I was dealing with the pain in a better way at the time, and if I was using, it was minimal and very spotty. But there was a renewed bit of brotherhood. There was a renewed sense of enjoyment with the songwriting. I spent a lot of time at Dimebag's house on the particular run. I remember his mother passed away, when we were doing that record, from cancer. I was a pallbearer at the funeral. So it was a bonding thing as well. Somebody's mother passes and it's a big thing. Especially her. She was a big part of their lives, in my life, and in Rex's life. It was a heavy deal. I was there for it. I love that record."

Rex said that he found it difficult to look back on "Reinventing The Steel" knowing that it marked PANTERA's final studio effort. "This record is the end, so it's hard to talk about," he said. "To me, it's a great last performance. One thing we always said is, 'You're only as good as your last show.' Or your last note, or the last thing you do. Because you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. It could all end. And I'll be goddamned if it didn't."

"Reinventing The Steel: 20th Anniversary Edition" 3CD track listing:

Disc One: New Terry Date Mix

01. Hellbound

02. Goddamn Electric

03. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit

04. You've Got To Belong To It

05. Revolution Is My Name

06. Death Rattle

07. We'll Grind That Axe for a Long Time

08. Uplift

09. It Makes Them Disappear

10. I'll Cast a Shadow

Disc Two: Original Album Remastered

01. Hellbound

02. Goddamn Electric

03. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit

04. You've Got To Belong To It

05. Revolution Is My Name

06. Death Rattle

07. We'll Grind That Axe for a Long Time

08. Uplift

09. It Makes Them Disappear

10. I'll Cast a Shadow

Bonus Tracks

11. Goddamn Electric – Radio Mix

12. Revolution Is My Name – Radio Edit

13. I'll Cast A Shadow – Radio Edit

14. Goddamn Electric – Radio Edit

Disc Three: Bonus Tracks

Non-Album Tracks & Covers

01. Avoid The Light

02. Immortally Insane

03. Cat Scratch Fever

04. Hole in the Sky

05. Electric Funeral

Instrumental Rough Mixes

06. Hellbound *

07. Goddamn Electric *

08. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit *

09. You've Got To Belong To It *

10. Revolution Is My Name *

11. Death Rattle *

12. We'll Grind That Axe for a Long Time *

13. Uplift *

14. It Makes Them Disappear *

15. I'll Cast a Shadow *

"Reinventing The Steel: 20th Anniversary Edition" 2LP track listing:

LP One: New Terry Date Mix

Side One

01. Hellbound

02. Goddamn Electric

03. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit

04. You've Got To Belong To It

05. Revolution Is My Name

Side Two

01. Death Rattle

02. We'll Grind That Axe for a Long Time

03. Uplift

04. It Makes Them Disappear

05. I'll Cast a Shadow

LP Two: Bonus Tracks

Side One

01. Avoid the Light

02. Immortally Insane

03. Cat Scratch Fever

04. Hole In The Sky

Side Two

01. Electric Funeral

02. Goddamn Electric – Radio Mix

03. Revolution Is My Name – Radio Edit

04. I'll Cast a Shadow – Radio Edit

* previously unreleased

Connecticut hardcore/metal masters HATEBREED will release their new album, "Weight Of The False Self", on November 27 via Nuclear Blast Records. The album's first single will be made available tomorrow (Friday, September 11). The cover artwork, which can be seen below, was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

"Weight Of The False Self" was originally expected this past spring but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

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

"When The Blade Drops", which won't appear on the forthcoming album, arrived on the heels of the sold-out anniversary shows that HATEBREED embarked on throughout 2019 and the unprecedented success of 2016's "The Concrete Confessional". Not only did the latter tally 42 million total Spotify streams, but single "Looking Down The Barrel Of Today" also clocked 25 million-plus Spotify streams.

"Weight Of The False Self" track listing:

01. Instinctive (Slaughterlust)

02. Let Them All Rot

03. Set It Right (Start With Yourself)

04. Weight Of The False Self

05. Cling To Life

06. A Stroke Of Red

07. Dig Your Way Out

08. This I Earned

09. Wings Of The Vulture

10. The Herd Will Scatter

11. From Gold To Gray

12. Invoking Dominance

German thrash metal veterans KREATOR are working on material for their new album, tentatively due in 2021.

Earlier today (Thursday, September 10), KREATOR mainman Mille Petrozza posted an Instagram photo from the studio and he included the following message: "In case you have wondered what @kreatorofficial was up to in the last couple of months. Songwriting for a new album. Vocal recordings today! METAL! #kreator #thrash #zfe #altenessen #metal #vocals #vegan #satan #thiswillkillcovid1"

This past March, KREATOR surprise-released a new single, "666 - World Divided". The song was produced by Andy Sneap and Markus Ganter and was recorded at Hansa Tonstudios in Berlin, Germany.

The music video for "666 - World Divided" was created under the direction of Jörn Heitmann, who was responsible for the music videos for "Radio" and "Ausländer" by RAMMSTEIN.

KREATOR played its first show with the band's new bass player, Frédéric Leclercq, last October in Santiago, Chile.

Before joining KREATOR, Leclercq rose to fame with U.K.-based extreme power metallers DRAGONFORCE for whom he handled bass duties from 2005 until August 2019.

When his addition to KREATOR was first announced in September 2019, Leclercq said: "Joining KREATOR is an honor as well as a huge step up in my musical journey. I've been friends with Mille for over 15 years and a lifelong KREATOR fan. I have to pinch myself every day to believe that I'm now a part of one of the best and most influential bands in the genre. I look forward to the many adventures ahead and getting well acquainted with the legendary KREATOR Hordes!"

KREATOR's previously announced "State Of Unrest" European tour with LAMB OF GOD has been rescheduled for 2021 in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

KREATOR released a new live set, "London Apocalypticon - Live At The Roundhouse", in February via Nuclear Blast. The effort was professionally filmed and recorded on December 16, 2018 at the Roundhouse in London, England.

The band's most recent album, "Gods Of Violence", arrived in early 2017.
























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In case you have wondered what @kreatorofficial was up to in the last couple of months. Songwriting for a new album. Vocal recordings today! METAL! #kreator #thrash #zfe #altenessen #metal #vocals #vegan #satan #thiswillkillcovid1 9

A post shared by Mille Petrozza (@mille.petrozza) on Sep 10, 2020 at 6:30am PDT

QUIET RIOT has announced plans to continue, less than a month after the death of the band's drummer Frankie Banali.

The veteran rockers revealed their plans to carry on in a social media post on Wednesday. They wrote: "QUIET RIOT - 2020/2021 Because life goes on!

"It was Frankie Banali's wish that the band continue and we keep the music and the legacy alive.

"[Bassist] Chuck Wright has been in the band off and on since 1981 and played not only on the song 'Metal Health' but many other QUIET RIOT Albums. [Guitarist] Alex Grossi has been in the band since 2004 touring and recording. [Singer] Jizzy Pearl has been a member of the QUIET RIOT family since 2013 and [drummer] Johnny Kelly [DANZIG, TYPE O NEGATIVE] has been doing a great job filling in on drums this past year with Frankie's blessing.

"We are happy to have shows on the calendar with many more TBA and very much look forward to celebrating the history and legacy of QUIET RIOT with all of you in 2021 and Beyond...!!"

2020 tour dates:

Oct. 09 - Urich, MO - Grand Stage Amphitheater

Oct. 23 - Reading, PA - The Reverb

2021 tour dates:

Mar. 20 - The Dalles, OR - Granada Theater

Apr. 17 - Woodford, VA - The Groove Music Hall

Apr. 24 - Arnold's Park, IA - The Roof Garden

Jul. 02 - Menahga, MN - Mid Summer Music Festival

Jul. 25 - Pownal, VT - Green Mountain Race Track

Jul. 28 - Redmond, OR - Des Shuttes City Fair

Jul. 31 - Wilmington, OH - Rock The Block

Aug. 07 - McMinville, OR - Yamhill County Fair

Oct. 30 - Larchwood, IA - Grand Falls Resort Casino

Date To Be Announced - Des Plaines Theater - Des Plaines, IL

Date To Be Announced - Grover Hill, OH - Wetzel Motor Rally

Frankie was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer on April 17, 2019 and given six months to live. He put up an inspiringly brave and courageous 16-month battle to the end and continued playing live as long as he could. Standard chemotherapy stopped working and a series of strokes made the continuation on a clinical trial impossible. He ultimately lost the fight at 7:18 p.m. on August 20 in Los Angeles surrounded by his wife and daughter.

Banali was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after going to the emergency room for shortness of breath, leg pain and loss of energy. A scan of his lungs caught an image of his liver, which is where the first spots were seen. Then came the discovery of a tumor on his pancreas.

He had been in treatment since the spring of last year and recently completed his 21st round of chemotherapy with the hopes of shrinking or controlling the cancer.

Banali played his first show with QUIET RIOT since he announced his cancer diagnosis last October at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

At some of QUIET RIOT's 2019 and 2020 shows, Banali was replaced by Kelly or Mike Dupke (W.A.S.P.), depending on each musician's availability.

QUIET RIOT's shows last year with Kelly and Dupke marked the first time ever that the band performed without any of the members from its classic lineup: Banali, singer Kevin DuBrow, guitarist Carlos Cavazo and bassist Rudy Sarzo.

Banali resurrected QUIET RIOT in 2010, three years after the death of founding member DuBrow.

QUIET RIOT went through two vocalists — Mark Huff and Scott Vokoun — before settling on Pearl in 2013. Pearl announced his exit from QUIET RIOT in October 2016 and was briefly replaced by Seann Nichols, who played only five shows with the group before the March 2017 arrival of "American Idol" finalist James Durbin. Pearl returned to QUIET RIOT in September 2019.

QUIET RIOT's latest studio album, "Hollywood Cowboys" — featuring Durbin on vocals — was released last November via Frontiers Music Srl.


QUIET RIOT - 2020/2021 Because life goes on!

It was Frankie Banali's wish that the band continue and we keep the music...

Posted by Quiet Riot on Wednesday, September 9, 2020

MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson recently teamed up with the four members of SEPULTURA to record a quarantine version of the SEPULTURA classic "Territory". Check out video below. The original version of the track appeared on SEPULTURA's 1993 album "Chaos A.D.".

SEPULTURA's latest LP, "Quadra", was released in February via Nuclear Blast Records. It is a concept effort created at Sweden's Fascination Street Studios with renowned producer Jens Bogren.

SEPULTURA comprises vocalist Derrick Green, guitarist Andreas Kisser, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr., and drummer Eloy Casagrande.

SEPULTURA was formed in Belo Horizonte by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, who are no longer with the band.

"Quadra" is the follow-up to "Machine Messiah", which was SEPULTURA's fourteenth studio album and the eighth since Green joined the ranks.

Columbus, Ohio metalcore band LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES has dropped a new single, "YOTM". The track propels you through each verse while highlighting the group's ability to seamlessly bring listeners to a melodic and catchy chorus.

"Over the last few years, you might've seen MOTHS posting around YOTM," says frontman Chris Roetter. "We've been no stranger to hardships throughout the bands career and YOTM kinda became the motto and driving force for the band to better itself.

"'Year Of The Moth' is about giving one more glimpse into those struggles and finally allowing myself to move on. You can either fall victim to your problems or you can work yourself out of them."

"YOTM" joins "Habitual Decline" from the band's fifth full-length album "No Eternity In Gold", which will be released October 30 via UNFD. Produced, mixed and mastered by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland (AUGUST BURNS RED, RIVERS OF NIHIL), this is a record that showcases LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES like never before. Displaying their trademark foundations of incisive technical dexterity and uncompromising heaviness — all underpinned with earworm melodies — their fifth studio album is the result of challenged perspectives, fully realized ideals and lessons learned.

Each track on the forthcoming album carries a specific weight and personal connection to Roetter, making this LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES' most personal and creative record to date.

"The 11 tracks focus on overcoming 11 separate issues that I'm dealing with when I wake up every day," he explains. "Most prevalently, it's about struggling with yourself and your own feelings about your ultimate worth. These songs probably showcase more of my own mind than our previous work. I live my life like an open book, and we in the band are all very spiritual people who are in touch with their emotions. I feel that is something that society neglects; we are taught to bury and suppress negative feelings, when we believe that by embracing those emotions, you learn a huge amount about yourself."

"No Eternity In Gold" track listing:

01. The Anatomy Of Evil

02. Habitual Decline

03. Burn In Water, Drown In Flame

04. Fluorescent White

05. God Complex

06. YOTM

07. Killing What's Underneath

08. A Servant Of Plague

09. Demon Of My Own

10. Selective Sacrifice

11. Spiritual Eclipse

With 63 million streams and a decade of global touring to their name, LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES have long been metalcore scene stalwarts; now, they're making their bid to lead its charge.

LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES is Chris Roetter (vocals), Jeremy Smith (guitar), Zach Pishney (guitar) and Aaron Evans (bass).

Sebastian Bach has uploaded a video of him singing along to the JUDAS PRIEST song "Solar Angels", which originally appeared on the band's "Point Of Entry" album.

In a statement accompanying the YouTube release of the video, the former SKID ROW frontman wrote: "Happy belated birthday to Mr Rob Halford - absolutely cannot wait for your book 'I Confess' later this month! Lord knows we have time to read books and I can't think of one I'd rather read than yours! I am going to sing a song with you here. This is one of my favorites from 'Point Of Entry', thank you for a lifetime of inspiration!"

In a 2014 interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Bach said that he uses JOURNEY and JUDAS PRIEST albums to prepare for a tour. "I sing along to JUDAS PRIEST records because of Rob Halford," he said. "Those high notes that I am known for…I can only really find those on a couple of records."

SKID ROW's 1992 EP "B-Side Ourselves" included a cover version of the PRIEST classic "Delivering The Goods" with a special guest appearance by Halford.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has admitted that money was a major motivator for him when he was approached about taking part in a reunion of the band's "Rust In Peace" lineup more than five 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.

Friedman had met with mainman Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson at the 2015 NAMM show in Anaheim, California to discuss a reunion of the "Rust In Peace" lineup, which would have seen him and drummer Nick Menza back in the mix.

Friedman, who moved from America to Japan in 2003, opened up about about his reasons for turning down the MEGADETH reunion in Mustaine's new book, "Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece", which details the making of the iconic record "Rust In Peace".

"My main thing was I'd be happy to do it, but I'm not going to take less money than I'm already making to do it," Marty said in part.

"I'd been in Japan for more than ten years cultivating a career with solid rewards. I was making money not only for myself but also for my management and staff. My manager has been with me fifteen years.

"Everything was sound and solid professionally, and when the offer came up to all of a sudden join MEGADETH again, as long as I would not be making less money, I was ready to go," he said. "But I was certainly not going to take a loss to join a band that, frankly, at that point, didn't seem like they had too much to offer musically. A couple of members of the band had recently quit, and musically I hadn't heard anything that they've done in a long time. I didn't know about how relevant they continued to be in the music business. It wasn't like MEGADETH was on the tip of people's tongues, at least not in Japan. I had reached the point where people stopped immediately connecting me to MEGADETH and were talking about the things that I had done in Japan."

According to Friedman, part of the reason he turned down the MEGADETH reunion is the fact that the group is largely seen as Mustaine's solo project, with members coming and going every couple of albums.

"Had it been more of a band situation and not such a one-man, Dave Mustaine-main-man party, I might have considered doing it for a little less," Marty said. "But, at the end of the day, MEGADETH is so much Mustaine because that's the way he engineered it. I didn't feel that kind of camaraderie, the four-man diamond, THE BEATLES, KISS, METALLICA. I felt like I would be going out there and tour and it was going to be Mustaine's big success. If I'm going to do that, I'm certainly not going to lose money to do that; I was doing great on my own in Japan."

Mustaine told Loudwire that he was put off by Friedman's financial demands when the topic of a "Rust In Peace" reunion was broached.

"Marty has a really successful career in Japan where he makes quite a lot of money," Dave said. "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.'"

In a 2016 interview with the "Eddie Trunk Podcast", Mustaine 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 was approached by Mustaine and Ellefson to replace Drover at the end of 2014, 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.

"Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece" was released on September 8 via Hachette Books.

In a new interview with the U.K. edition of GQ, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was asked when the first time was that he heard a song he wished he had written. He responded: "When I was 15 or 16, I was living in L.A. — I'd moved over from Denmark a year or two before — and I was going to school in Orange County. The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal [NWOBHM] was going on. It was around 1979-81 and I would get all these records sent from England. There was this mail-order thing called Old Records, where you'd send your money and all the latest releases would show up. So I got an MCA Records compilation album called 'Brute Force'. I'd recently read about this band called DIAMOND HEAD in [U.K.'s] Sounds [magazine] that I hadn't heard of before, then they were the opening cut on this compilation album — the song was called 'It's Electric'. When I heard that song, I think I subsequently ended up playing it, like, 9,000 times for the next month. If there was ever a song that made me want to be in a band, that was it. I wasn't in a band at the time — I was still fussing around with tennis, although that was going down the drain quickly — and that song was, like, 'Holy hell, if I could just play that song or be in some sort of set-up where I could live my life playing a song like that, that's what I want to do.'"

METALLICA recorded a cover of DIAMOND HEAD's "Am I Evil" as a B-side to its 1984 "Creeping Death" single and again included it on the band's multi-platinum 1998 covers album "Garage Inc." METALLICA would record three additional DIAMOND HEAD songs: "Helpless" ("Garage Days", 1987), "The Prince" ("One" single B-side, 1989) and "It's Electric" ("Garage Inc.", 1998).

Back in 2016, DIAMOND HEAD guitarist Brian Tatler reflected on how he met a young Lars Ulrich back in 1981.

"I think [Lars] found out about DIAMOND HEAD through Sounds," Brian said. "He bought an album called 'Brute Force', which was a compilation by MCA. We had signed to MCA in 1982 and 'Brute Force' came out, possibly before that, in '81 and it had 'It's Electric' on, off our first album. Lars loved that track. We sold the album by mail order and we put six adverts in Sounds. You could go into any newsagent in L.A. and you could order specialist items, and he would have done that and then he sent off for his copy of 'Lightning To The Nations' for £3.50. He wrote back to the same address where he'd obviously sent his money and said how much he loved the album. He was just this über-fan. Then he came over to see us. He introduced himself backstage at this gig at the Woolwich Odeon in London, he was 17 and he'd flown over from L.A. to London to see DIAMOND HEAD. We were so impressed with that. No one had ever done that before. I let him stay with me for a week and he stayed at Sean's [Harris, then-DIAMOND HEAD singer] for about three weeks, we sort of took him under our wing a bit and made sure he was okay. We just liked him; he was full of beans. He was like a Duracell bunny. And, of course, he had this fantastic accent, which was a cross between Danish and American and we'd never heard anything like it. We'd laugh at this this young guy saying things like 'awesome.' To us, it was brilliant."

Tatler went on to say that "stayed in touch" with Ulrich after METALLICA was formed and found success of its own. "He wrote letters and wanted to know what was happening with DIAMOND HEAD," Brian said. "Then he told me in one letter about METALLICA. He said, 'We rehearse six hours a day, six days a week,' and I thought, 'Wow, that's a lot more than us.' But I didn't think these guys were gonna be the biggest heavy metal band of all time, obviously. They were just Lars's band, and they just grew and grew. I watched them rise from nothing. They covered 'Am I Evil', which was very flattering. It was the first time any band had covered a DIAMOND HEAD song. And I remember reading that 'Master Of Puppets' sold a billion copies. I thought, 'Bloody hell, they're much bigger than DIAMOND HEAD now.' And it just went on and on, never ending, through the roof."

In 1985, the Parents' Music Resource Center (PMRC), led by Tipper Gore, was trying to introduce a parental warning system that would label all albums containing "offensive material." The system was to include letters identifying the type of objectionable content to be found in each album (e.g. O for occult themes, S for sex, D for drugs, V for violence, etc.), which resulted in the "Parental Advisory" sticker now found on new album releases with "questionable content." The incongruous trio of Dee Snider, Frank Zappa and John Denver were called before Congress to testify in defense of music.

Dee spoke about the experience in a new interview with "Hardcore Humanism With Dr. Mike". He said (hear audio below): "For every reaction, there's a reaction, and during the decade of decadence, which is how they refer to the '80s as, and that's all the hair bands. And you look at the all the '80s music — it was very sensational and outrageous at times, but it also reflects the time… It was the Reagan era, and it was very conservative at the time. And for every action, there's a reaction, and kids were pushing back, young people were pushing back on conservatism by acting out in a very outrageous [way], with the party lifestyle and all that stuff. Parents, a couple of senators' wives, Al Gore's in particular, started looking at song lyrics and decided that they need to protect their children by reading song lyrics, so parents are making parents' job easier as parents to protect their children from our words.

"It gets very complicated, because it's a First Amendment issue, it's freedom of speech," he continued. "Who's gonna judge what words actually mean? You're talking about art. You're looking at a painting and saying, 'What did the artist mean?" Sometimes it's just a bick dick on the page, and you're pretty sure he meant to draw a dick, but other times it's interpreted — a lot of times it's interpreted. But the bigger problem, it wasn't for me. And I was a parent, which really shocked them. I was married, and I already had a kid, and I was one of the rockers that they were worried about. I said what I do mind is how this could be used in the wrong way, and that is to prevent people from accessing art, to prevent people from getting the music. And that is what happened ultimately — the sticker that was put on there, 'Warning: Parental Advisory', was used to segregate records; stores would not carry albums. That's not informing parents; that is keeping art from the general public, and certain parties deciding what people will listen to and not listen to. That's unacceptable."

Snider released "For The Love Of Metal Live!" on July 31 via Napalm Records. The DVD/Blu-ray and accompanying live album (available in various formats) features audio captured from several Snider festival performances worldwide — from the United States to Europe, Australia and beyond. In addition to tracks from Snider's solo catalog, like "I Am The Hurricane" and "For The Love Of Metal", TWISTED SISTER favorites such as "I Wanna Rock" and "We're Not Gonna Take It", and even a cover of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell", the audio portion of "For The Love Of Metal Live!" also features a brand new original studio track, "Prove Me Wrong".

TWISTED SISTER called it quits in 2016 after completing a farewell 40th-anniversary tour.

Nearly two months after attempting to write a SABATON-style and a ALESTORM-style song in 10 minutes, DRAGONFORCE guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman returned to Twitch to take a stab at composing a song in the vein of Finland-based symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH. Video of the resulting session has since been uploaded to DRAGONFORCE's official YouTube channel and can be seen below.

In a statement accompanying the YouTube release of the video, DRAGONFORCE wrote: "DRAGONFORCE live attempt to write a @Nightwish song in 10 minutes, with guitarists @Herman Li & Sam Totman on Twitch. Is this a livestream fail? Which era of NIGHTWISH is this song? Tarja Turunen, Anette Olzon or Floor Jansen? How will NIGHTWISH rate this song if they hear it? Will they find it funny or hate it? Hit LIKE, TAG & SHARE to NIGHTWISH to let them know so we can find out! What bands should we do next? We already made songs for SABATON and ALESTORM."

Li recently told Nuclear Blast's "Saturday Night Lockdown" that he and his bandmates have stayed creative during the coronavirus downtime.

"We played our first show [in support of our eighth full-length LP, 'Extreme Power Metal'] on the album release date [last September], which was on TwitchCon, which is a Twitch convention," he said. "And we got that streamed to, like, 1.7 million people. Everything started out great — it was awesome. We had a sold-out tour happening. Everything was going well. We were gonna film a music video for every single DRAGONFORCE song on the album, and we got halfway through it, and COVID-19 happened. So the tour stopped. And some videos, we can't complete them. We filmed all of it, but we need some more footage. So we've got videos on hold now. And instead, we're writing a new album. Why not? Just like everybody — you just write a new album when you're sitting at home. And strangely enough, it's almost finished. [Laughs]"

DRAGONFORCE's 2020 European and North American tour dates marked the band's first with new bassist and backing vocalist Alicia Vigil (VIGIL OF WAR), who joined DRAGONFORCE in January. In August 2019, DRAGONFORCE parted ways with longtime bassist Frédéric Leclercq. Playing bass for the group at some its shows late last year was Damien Rainaud, who produced "Extreme Power Metal".

In a new interview with Consequence Of Sound, Marilyn Manson spoke about how the coronavirus pandemic has been handled and its effect on society. He said: "It's somewhat terrifying to actually think about, in a way, that I suppose our parents and their parents have been through much harder tribulations and trials in life, from wars to financial depression and other illnesses that have destroyed many parts of the world and different countries, not just ours. For me, it's a beam of hope that possibly if we all stopped concerning ourselves with focusing on negative elements of our culture, in general as Americans, we can try to come together as much as possible. I don't mean to sound like John Lennon, just the concept that if any time, people of different cultures and different lifestyles and different ages and personalities and sex and race and whatever the case might be, even religion, now would be the time to … at least agree that we all need to try to save this together.

"And if anything that I did on a record contributes to anyone's personal mental health and happiness in some way, [that would be good], because I think that's a concern that really worries me is that being locked up in a house for so long can really weigh on somebody's mental health," he continued. "And that's something that I've struggled with throughout my life. And, coming from [someone with] a mother who had schizophrenia and things like that, that was undiagnosed for so many years, it's gotta be really trying for people who can't get the type of proper support and attention that they might need from their family or from healthcare people. I guess that's about as political or possibly any type of intelligent response to that that I can offer, if that makes any sense, for me at least, as an observer and as a participant, as well."

Marilyn Manson will release his eleventh studio album, "We Are Chaos", on September 11 Via Loma Vista Recordings. Produced by Grammy Award winner Shooter Jennings (Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker) and Manson, the ten-track opus was written, recorded, and finished before a pandemic blanketed us all. Manson's painting Infinite Darkness, which can be seen on the album cover, was specifically created to accompany the music.

"We Are Chaos" is the follow up to Manson's 2017 album, "Heaven Upside Down", which marked his seventh consecutive Top 10 debut on the album charts.

Manson continues to infiltrate fashion, film, and music, leaving his fingerprints on modern culture. Saint Laurent tapped him for a campaign, Travis Scott personally invited him to perform at the sold-out Astroworld festival, GQ named him one of the most fashionable men of 2019, he appeared as an actor in everything from "Sons Of Anarchy" to "American Gods" to "The New Pope", and also co-headlined several "Twins Of Evil" tours with Rob Zombie.

Photo by Perou

ICED EARTH founder, songwriter, guitarist and producer Jon Schaffer has shot down speculation that former ICED EARTH vocalist Matt Barlow is returning to the band.

After Schaffer and Barlow announced last month that they were reuniting as the SCHAFFER/BARLOW PROJECT, some ICED EARTH fans assumed that the renewed collaboration between the two musicians would lead to Matt being reinstated as ICED EARTH's lead singer, a position he hasn't held in nearly a decade. However, that doesn't appear to be the case, as Schaffer made clear in a Facebook Live chat on Tuesday (September 8).

Addressing the rumors directly, Schaffer said (see video below): "There's a lot of theories about whether Matt's coming back to the band, and he's not. Stu [Block] is the singer of ICED EARTH — period. That doesn't need to be discussed or theorized.

"The SCHAFFER/BARLOW PROJECT is not some signal that Matt's coming to the band," he continued. "Matt has a long history with the band and a very important history with the band. And that doesn't that maybe some day he won't make a guest appearance on a record; that would be awesome. I have really cool ideas.

"Stu Block is the lead singer of ICED EARTH, and he's absolutely one of the dearest people in my life," Jon reiterated. "So nobody's getting pushed out. None of that's happening."

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

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

Block (formerly of INTO ETERNITY) made his live debut with ICED EARTH in November 2011.

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

SCHAFFER/BARLOW PROJECT will release its debut EP, "Winter Nights", in November. The effort sees the two musicians putting their unique spin on five Christmas classics and two ICED EARTH songs. The EP features holiday classics like "Silent Night" and "Little Drummer Boy", as well as new interpretations of the ICED EARTH tracks "Watching Over Me" and "I Died For You".

Jon Anderson has spoken about the failure of YES to replicate the success of 90125 in the 1980s, his hopes for a new YES 'Union', and his disappointment that an album from YES featuring ARW never materialized. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer made the comments while speaking to eonmusic about his new album, 1000 Hands.

On the commercial disappointment of 1987's Big Generator, the follow-up to mega-hit 90125: "When we got around to doing another album, my brain was; ok, let's extend the musicianship and the music of this band. Now we have a bigger audience, why don’t we try something more adventurous?”

But that didn’t happen: "Trevor Horne, who was producing it, basically didn’t want that. I was asked to stay away from rehearsals for two months, and it wasn’t very good energy at all, so we sort of scrambled to make the album. It never really had a direction. There was a lot of talk, and just general, searching for that hit record. There were some good songs, but it was just not meant to be."

On his hopes to reunite with YES: "Getting so many good musicians on a stage at one time is fantastic. That’s why in my heart of hearts, if we all did it together, and ‘kumbaya’ - which is not easy - but if we did it, the fans of the world would feel really, well, thank god we’re still alive. You know, get a hologram of Chris! God, it would be a fun-filled tour!"

On his disappointment that YES featuring ARW (Anderson with Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman) never recorded an album: "Well, the problem was, when you have a group together like that, if you have outside influences, things change, you know? We’d sit together and talk about doing this and doing that, and outside influences would say whatever they say - managers sort of thing. And it got to a silly point where we were supposed to record, and I was talking to my brother in Accrington, and he asked me what am I doing, and I said; 'oh, we’re going to record in L.A. next month', and he said; 'well, Rick’s touring here next month', and I said; 'really?! He never told me!' So that didn’t work. No matter how hard you force things together, outside influences change things."

Read the entire interview at eonmusic, here.

Anderson's new solo album, 1000 Hands, is available via his new partnership with Blue Élan Records. The album is available digitally as well as on CD and a deluxe 180-gram double vinyl package, and can be ordered here.

Tracklisting:

"Now"
"Ramalama"
"First Born Leaders"
"Activate"
"Makes Me Happy"
"Now Variations"
"I Found Myself"
"Twice In A Lifetime"
"WDMCF"
"1000 Hands (Come Up)"
"Now And Again"

"First Born Leaders":

"WDMCF" video:

(Photo - Joe Kleon)




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In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne reflected on the hardships of their decades-long romance. Check out the video below.

Asked how he is still alive after everything he has been through, Ozzy said: "You know, it catches up with you in the end. I've got no complaints. I've had a great time. And I ain't done yet."

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.

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.

This past May, Ozzy's son Jack said that his father will "probably" retire "within the next five to ten years." But Ozzy, who turned 71 last December, has repeatedly said that he is not calling it quits, despite the fact that his "No More Tours 2" — whenever it ends up happening — is being billed as his last major global trek.

Ozzy was also forced to cancel an April trip to Switzerland to see a doctor who specializes in treatment of Parkinson's disease. The singer revealed earlier this year that he was diagnosed with the condition.

"Lose Your Head" is a fan favorite from BAD RELIGION's critically acclaimed 2019 album "Age Of Unreason". Today, the legendary punk rock band has released a demo version of the song, with a faster tempo and alternate lyrics, that provides a unique glimpse into the band's creative process.

Co-songwriters Brett Gurewitz and Greg Graffin developed this version of the song at Gurewitz's home studio in Pasadena, California. When producer Carlos de la Garza was brought on board, he suggested trying a slower version. The band liked both versions equally so, when they entered Sunset Sound to record "Age Of Unreason", they decided to work on basic tracks for both and choose later. It was a close call but ultimately the band chose the slow version which is the one they completed.

This demo version is the result of taking previously unreleased rhythm tracks from the Sunset Sound sessions and combining them with the original home demo recordings to bring the fast version of the song to life.

Longtime fans will enjoy this rare look into the evolution of a BAD RELIGION song.

Graffin told New York's Q104.3 radio station that he and his bandmates have been using the coronavirus downtime to work on new music.

"A band is a lot more than just playing live, so we've tried to maintain our sanity and offer something to the fans," he said. "We just put out a single called 'Faith Alone 2020'; you can find it on streaming services. And we've got a string of other singles that are gonna be coming out during this time. Because when we're not on tour, we spend a lot of time in the studio. And now we all have music rooms and we all have Pro Tools studios at our houses. And we're trying to fill in the time by doing creative, collaborative works like that."

Last month, BAD RELIGION released its autobiography, "Do What You Want: The Story Of Bad Religion", written with the group's full cooperation and support. It reveals the ups and downs of the band's 40-year career, from their beginnings as teenagers experimenting in a San Fernando Valley garage dubbed "The Hell Hole" to headlining major music festivals around the world. The book predominantly features the four principal voices of BAD RELIGION in a hybrid oral history/narrative format: Graffin, Gurewitz, Jay Bentley and Brian Baker. It also includes rare photos and never-before-seen material from their archives.

According to Rolling Stone, PEARL JAM has just launched "PJ Votes 2020", an initiative which involves asking the band's audience to accept the Take-Three Pledge of "Vote by Mail," "Recruit Three Friends" and "Don't Wait."

Outspoken critics of President Donald Trump — at times, controversially so — the PEARL JAM members are making no attempt to mask their preference in the contest between Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

"I think it's so fuckin' obvious right now who you should vote for that we don't even have to talk about it this time around," bassist Jeff Ament told Rolling Stone. "I think 16 years ago, maybe to some people [George W.] Bush seemed like a guy you'd want to have a beer with. I think people based a lot of who to vote for on stupid things like that.

"The fires burning in California and the deregulation of environmental regulations is reason enough to go out and vote," Ament continued. "We really have to put a finger in the dam right now and stop the bleeding with a lot of this stuff. Voting is the beginning of it."

In addition to the Take-Three Pledge initiative, the band is also partnering with leading national organizations like People For the American Way, the League of Conservation Voters as well as select regional organizations like Make the Road Pennsylvania to promote voting by mail. (Head to www.pearljam.com for more info or or text PJVotes to 52886.)

Last week, PEARL JAM frontman Eddie Vedder took to social media to share with his followers his thoughts on voting by mail, as well as a lesson on how to do it. The singer explained that he and his bandmates have been requesting absentee ballots since 1992 "'cause we were always away from home touring."

Vedder's comments came after Trump has repeatedly attacked mail-in voting and falsely claimed it will lead to widespread fraud — despite evidence showing such fraud is extremely rare. Experts say mail voting has proven remarkably secure.

PAINTED SHIELD, the new band consisting of Stone Gossard, Mason Jennings, Matt Chamberlain and Brittany Davis, has released its debut song, "I Am Your Country". The group's self-titled debut album arrives on November 27 via Gossard's revived Loosegroove Records.

"The song tries to encapsulate what a country might say to its people," Gossard tells Rolling Stone, which announced the project this morning. "It's the least worked-over song on the record and that makes it really visceral and immediate."

PAINTED SHIELD is a bold and cohesive portrait of its creators. The origins of the group go back seven years ago, when Gossard began working with Chamberlain on a series of instrumental demos. Chamberlain, a powerhouse drummer (whose credits include Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Fiona Apple and Elton John), had played with PEARL JAM for a brief time in the early '90s.

"I love making music, and I especially love collaborating with other musicians," says Gossard. "That's the fun part, when you experience synchronicity between the music and the people you're involved with."

For Jennings, the opportunity to step completely outside his wheelhouse was an artistic challenge he relished.

"I've been a huge fan of both Stone and Matt for years," he says. "I listen to a lot of electronic and heavy rock music, but most of what I do is my voice and an acoustic guitar. I was excited by the idea of bringing that intimate side of what I do to this mega sound they were creating."

Gossard sings the praises of his PAINTED SHIELD bandmates but he also stresses the importance of other friends and artists who contributed to the album, chief among them keyboardist/singer Brittany Davis and mixer John Congleton.

"Brittany Davis is a Seattle singer-songwriter and force to be reckoned with," says Gossard. "Her voice and incredible keyboard playing is foundational to PAINTED SHIELD's sound. And John is a brilliant mixer and musician. His interpretation of the songs and the way he built dynamics really floored everybody."

Driven by pulse-racing electronic and live drums, bursting with gritty and sometimes psychotic guitars that weave in and out of luxurious keyboard soundscapes, and brimming with glorious melodies that fill the senses and hang on tight, everything about PAINTED SHIELD's self-titled album — a genre-bending mix of roots rock, electronica and contemporary folk-pop — feels effortlessly assured.

The release of "Painted Shield" on Loosegroove Records also marks the reboot of the influential indie label that Gossard founded back in 1994 with Regan Hagar (who also played drums in Gossard's longtime band BRAD as well as the seminal glam-punk band MALFUNKSHUN). Throughout the '90s, Loosegroove issued records from acts such as CRITTERS BUGGIN, MALFUNKSHUN, WEAPON OF CHOICE and DEVILHEAD, and significantly Gossard and Hagar signed QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and released the band's debut album in 1998.

"It felt right that now was the time to start Loosegroove back up," says Hagar. "And once I heard the PAINTED SHIELD record, I knew that it had to be the first album we put out. It's a brilliant album — the performances, the sound, everything about it — and it speaks to our history of releasing music that's empowering while it also fits into our future-forward agenda."

"Painted Shield" track listing:

01. Orphan Ghost

02. Time Machine

03. Knife Fight

04. Ten Years From Now

05. On The Level

06. I Am Your Country

07. Evil Winds

08. Painted Shield

09. Raven

Scranton, Pennsylvania rockers MOTIONLESS IN WHITE have released a cover version of THE KILLERS' 2004 song "Somebody Told Me".

Frontman Chris "Motionless" Cerulli stated about his band's rendition of the track: "We've always wanted to take a shot at covering an iconic alternative song, and 'Somebody Told Me' has always been one of those tracks that oozes pure energy, and has crazy good hooks that we felt we could transform into a great rock version.

"We are very happy to present this cover as one of the projects birthed out of the COVID down time and hope it's fun for all fans to check out and tap their feet too."

The "Somebody Told Me" cover comes less than a month after MOTIONLESS IN WHITE released a new EP titled "Another Life/Eternally Yours: Motion Picture Collection". For the project, the band reimagined, and reinvigorated two fan-favorite singles: "Another Life" and "Eternally Yours". Additionally, they included brand new cinematic instrumental tracks for both. For this big screen-worthy interpretation of "Another Life", they recruited dark pop Estonian artist Kerli to contribute an emotionally charged vocal. Elsewhere, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE enlisted Australian vocalist Crystal Joilena to join this nocturnal take of "Eternally Yours".

A highlight of the group's latest album "Disguise", the original "Another Life" ascended to the Top 15 at Active Rock radio, becoming MOTIONLESS IN WHITE's highest-charting single to date. It has notably gathered 9.5 million views on the official music video, not to mention BEARTOOTH frontman Caleb Shomo recently remixed "Another Life".

Raging Speedhorn return to action with the release of their killer new studio album, Hard To Kill, which will be available on vinyl, CD, download and all streaming platforms via their own Red Weed Records label on October 23. The album can be pre-ordered here.

Recorded with Russ Russell (Napalm Death, At The Gates) at Parlour Studios in Kettering, UK, Hard To Kill sees Raging Speedhorn once again upping their own ante in terms of song-writing finesse... playing riff-fuelled dirty heavy metal with aplomb.

“This album is straight-up Raging Speedhorn - with added extras,” says founding co-frontman Frank Regan. “Right now, the band is on fire, the vibe is amazing, and we’re so happy to be back playing music. Six albums in and we’re still loving what we do.”

The album - the follow-up to 2016’s Lost Ritual is the first to feature new vocalist Dan Cook who replaces long-standing co-vocalist John Loughlin. John stood down after 21 years during the recording of Hard To Kill leaving the mantle open for Dan. RSH also welcome new guitarist Dave Leese and former Hundred Reasons bassist Andy Gilmour who join founding drummer Gordon Morison and guitarist Jim Palmer.

The title track, for which the band recently unveiled a new, high-octane video (see below), is as monstrous and infectious as the sentiment itself, “Spitfire” is a groove-fuelled beast, while “Doom Machine” and “Hammer Down” are slow-paced, sludge behemoths that deliver with the ferocity that you’d expect from RSH.

Tracklisting:

"Snakebite"
"Doom Machine"
"Spitfire"
"Hard To Kill"
"Hammer Down"
"Hand Of God"
"Brutality"
"The Best"
"Children Of The Revolution" (T. Rex Cover)

"Hard To Kill" video:

Over the course of 20 years, Raging Speedhorn have built a solid and long-standing reputation as one of the UK’s leading metal outfits. Since the release of their eponymous debut in 2000, the sextet have enjoyed a career built on stunning, raucous live shows and albums to boot. A career that has seen the sextet play worldwide shows and festivals and sharing stages with the likes of Slipknot, Clutch, Enter Shikari and many more.




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According to NME and several other media outlets, the US Department Of Homeland Security has announced that visa fees for foreign artists touring the US will increase by over 50% before the end of 2020.

The fee increases were first proposed in November 2019. These changes affect the P and O visa types, which are generally used by touring artists. The visas allow artists to return to the country within one and three years respectively.

Filing fees for an O visa, which applies to “Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement” will increase from $460 to $705 US, an increase of 53%. The P visa, which can also be used by family members of the individuals, will increase by to a total cost of $695 US.

Visa application waiting times will also increase to 15 business days, and a fast-track service costing  $1,000 US will be available for those needing their application to be dealt with more quickly. The new fees will take effect on October 2nd. 

All information regarding these changes is available via the Federal Register website, found here.

Photo by Dante Marshall




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Milan-based power metal combo, Drakkar, has announced the release of a new EP in November. The Falling Down EP will be released digitally via the band’s Bandcamp page and will be available in both physical and digital versions, with one additional song, exclusively on the band’s Patreon page.

“We’ve had a new album ready for a while, and it was supposed to come out this year”, said Dario Beretta, Drakkar’s guitarist, “But the pandemic situation and the impossibility to play live has convinced us and the label that will put it out - whose name we cannot reveal yet - to wait until early 2021 to do a proper launch. However, we didn’t want to end 2020 without a new release, especially for our Patreon subscribers, so we’ve recorded 3 new songs and 1 cover version of 'Toss A Coin To Your Witcher' from the popular Netflix show. The EP will be available in digital version on our Bandcamp page in November, with 2 new songs plus the cover. Subscribers of our Patreon page will also get the digital version, plus a special, limited physical edition with one additional song. This version won’t be available anywhere else - only on www.patreon.com/darianmetal. It’s our way to thank our subscribers on Patreon for their support, which is more important than ever at a time like this, when live shows are very hard to come by."

The EP also marks the first release of the new, 5-piece lineup of the band. “We decided to go on without a regular keyboard player”, said Dario. “We would like to give the biggest possible thanks to Emanuele Laghi for 5 years of incredible work. Our decision to go on as a 5-piece has absolutely nothing to do with the great contribution he’s brought to the band for as long as he’s been on board. In fact, he has also played on the aforementioned new album which will come out next year, and will continue to collaborate with us in the future as a special guest. However, our sound has evolved in a way which made keyboards less and less relevant, and it wouldn’t have been fair to Lele - or to any other keyboard player - to be officially in the band, and at the same time put to the sidelines in terms of actual contribution to the songs. We wish him the best for the future, and of course, he will keep being an integral part of my other band Crimson Dawn, so all his fans can rest easy, nothing has changed there!"

The artwork for the new EP was created by Alessandro Bragalini, who’s been in charge of all Drakkar’s artwork since their comeback release from 2012, When Lightning Strikes. The new EP was recorded by Mat Stancioiu at Elnor Studio, who also worked on all the band’s releases since 2012.




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"Just dusted this one off from the archives. The official 'Elected' video from 1972," states a message from Alice Cooper.

Released in September 1972, "Elected" is featured on Alice Cooper's sixth studio album, Billion Dollar Babies, released the following February. Watch the video below:




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Society 1 has revealed the first collaboration in the band’s 20-year career in the single “It’s Life”, which sees the unlikely pairing of the industrial-fused metal band with hip hop legend DMC of Run-DMC.

“Collaborating with DMC was an absolute dream come true,” says Society 1 frontman Lord Zane. “Before I knew about The Doors or Jimi Hendrix, Run-DMC were my gods. I showed up to my very first guitar lesson with a copy of Raising Hell because my teacher asked me to bring in music with my favorite artist. I swear to you, I almost cried when I heard his iconic voice over my music for the first time. It was a religious experience.”

DMC likewise has praise for Zane’s musical artistry. “Lord Zane creates music that is insane,” DMC says. “Powerful, energetic, fun, and captivating. The beat and the guitars for the collaboration we did grabbed me in a headlock! The sound, arrangements and vibe are a force to be reckoned with. He has allowed me to continue to live my rock ‘n’ roll dream.”

Check out the track and its accompanying lyric video by Scott Kennedy at 12 Inch Media below. The song is also available here.

Zane first connected with DMC when the late Static-X frontman Wayne Static introduced the two, believing Zane, who also heads the production company Lord Zane Production, would be a good fit for directing the music video for the DMC track “Noise Revolution”, which featured guest vocals from Static. Years later, after re-focusing on his music career, Zane wrote the music for Society 1’s first intended collaboration, keeping DMC specifically in mind. Zane handled guitar duties on “It’s Life”, and DMC himself contributed the song’s lyrics.

“Life is to be lived,” DMC says. “Believe in yourself. Create your own adventure. In life there are ups and downs, good days and bad days. Lord Zane captured a feeling with this track that is empowering, invigorating and inspiring. Attack each day’s struggles and adversity like a superhero. Life isn’t easy so it’s up to us to make it fun!”

Stay tuned for possible further collaborations and live performances with Society 1 and DMC.

Society 1 is:

Lord Zane - Vocals
Jimmy Minj- Bass
Zhenya Pro- Drums
Johnny Pilz - Guitar




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Respected metal vocalist, Mark Boals, will release a two album ‘best of’ collection, All The Best!, covering his work both as a solo artist and with his band Ring Of Fire, on October 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. Pre-order/save the album here, and listen to "Circle Of Time" below.

Doug Aldrich, Tony MacAlpine, Jeff Kollman, Neil Citron, Vitalij Kuprij, Vinny Appice, Virgil Donati, Erik Norlander, Chris Brooks, and Steve Weingart are the list of musicians who have recorded with him on these efforts over the years.

Mark Boals says, "I am very happy and proud to announce the release of this collection of my solo and Ring Of Fire band albums! Included are songs from my first solo album, which was only released in Japan and is very hard to find (rare), with guitars by the great Doug Aldrich. My second solo album turned into the band Ring Of Fire later on, because the lineup was too good to only work together on one album, and I wanted it to continue, which it did, for four more studio albums. With Tony Macalpine and Virgil Donati working together, there was a chemistry of genius, and with the addition of Vitalij Kuprij, it made a magnificent blend of magic!"

Continues Boals, "On my Edge Of The World solo album, I worked with several other great musicians and a hero of my childhood and the best hard rock drummer in history, Vinnie Appice! When I listen to all those very high notes I had sang, and the incredible amount of virtuoso notes played per song, I surprise myself sometimes, hahaha! We were all pushing ourselves to newer heights of excellence in those days. A lot of good memories come back when I hear these songs... Riding motorcycles around Los Angeles with Tony Macalpine and always ending up hanging out on the beach drinking beers til the wee hours... Having Snoop Dogg in the next room of the studio we were recording in (Paramount Studios), and having him listen to our music and telling me that I needed to smoke something with him, LOL, and it DID help hahaha. Recording keyboards in a Beverly Hills mansion belonging to a famous movie star friend, with Vitalij Kuprij, and drinking rare whiskey together after the sessions and talking all night..."

Boals concludes, "I really enjoyed making these albums and I hope you will enjoy just as much listening to them too! Wishing good times, good health, and happy listening to all!"

Mark Boals is one of the signature voices of the neoclassical metal subgenre. This is no surprise to fans of the genre as Mark fronted Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force in 1986, releasing the now legendary album “Trilogy” along with five more albums and some long-form videos over the years.

Mark has also recorded three solo albums: Ignition (originally released only in Japan in 1998), Ring Of Fire (2000), and Edge Of The World (2002).

In 2002, he launched his own band, Ring Of Fire (based off the title of a previous solo album) with members Tony Macalpine, and later on George Bellas, on guitar, Virgil Donati on drums, Philip Bynoe on bass, and Vitalij Kuprij on keyboards (and on The Oracle album George Bellas). The band went on to release four milestone albums and one live CD/DVD recorded in Japan.

Most recently, Mark recorded a melodic metal album with Vision Divine and Labyrinth guitarist Olaf Thorsen under the name Shining Black.

Mark Boals is a classically trained singer and has performed classical concerts with various orchestras as a Tenor solo and has performed and recorded opera arias on some of his albums and tours.

Tracklisting:

CD1 - Mark Boals

"Jane"
"Broken Heart"
"I’m Sorry"
"My Turn"
"Find Our Way"
"Ring Of Fire"
"Death Row"
"Keeper Of The Flame"
"Alone"
"Battle Of The Titans"
"Betrayed"
"Lady Babylon"
"Between Two Mirrors"
"Through The Endless Night"
"Up To You"
"Garden Of Pain"

CD2 - Ring Of Fire

"Circle Of Time"
"The Oracle"
"Take Me Home"
"My Deja Vu"
"Blue Sky"
"Ghost Of America"
"Invisible Man"
"Lapse Of Reality"
"You Were There"
"Perfect World"
"Darkfall"
"Mother Russia"
"Land Of Frozen Tears"
"Our World"

"Circle Of Time":

"Ring Of Fire":




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Enslaved are set to release their 15th studio album, Utgard, on October 2 via Nuclear Blast. In a trailer released today, guitarist Ivar Bjørnson discusses the themes explored on the upcoming album.

Utgard will be available in these formats:

- CD jewel case (available with signed insert from Recordstore.co.uk)
- Limited Edition Black Vinyl (available with signed insert from Recordstore.co.uk)
- Limited Edition Grey Vinyl (300 copies)
- Limited Edition Blue Vinyl (300 copies)
- Limited Edition UK Exclusive Transparent Green Vinyl (300 copies + available with signed insert from Recordstore.co.uk)

Pre-order here.

Utgard tracklisting:

"Fires In The Dark"
"Jettegryta"
"Sequence"
"Homebound"
"Utgardr"
"Urjotun"
"Flight Of Thought And Memory"
"Storms Of Utgard"
"Distant Seasons"

"Urjotun" video:

"Jettegryta" video:

"Homebound" video:

Enslaved are:

Ivar Bjørnson - guitars
Grutle Kjellson - vocals
Arve 'Ice Dale' Isdal - guitar
Håkon Vinje - Keyboards, Clean Vocals
Iver Sandøy - Drums

(Photo - Roy Bjørg)




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On September 18, Behemoth will release CD and vinyl reissues of their debut EP, And The Forests Dream Eternally, which can be pre-ordered here.

Available formats:

- digibook 2CD (hardcover digibook, 48-page booklet)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- white vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 666 copies)
- clear sepia marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- forest green marbled vinyl (EMP exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- silver / black splatter vinyl (Kings Road exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- clear / black dust vinyl (Kings Road exclusive - limited to 100 copies)
- cool grey marbled vinyl (US exclusive)

Originally released in 1995, And The Forests Dream Eternally is available as a double LP or 2CD Mediabook, both containing bonus vintage audio material and exclusive archival content. See below for details:

Gatefold 2LP

- Audio: Disc 1: And the Forests Dream Eternally; Disc 2: bonus vintage material
- 24 page booklet includes: lyrics, old photos, old flyers, old interviews from magazines, liner notes from bands around the world, interviews with two Behemoth founding members (Nergal and Baal), interview with owner of Entropy Records (original label in 1995), J-cards of rare rehearsal from 1993 (given only to close friends at the time - features some songs from And the Forests Dream Eternally), scans of old signatures and descriptions from old photos

2CD Mediabook

- Audio: Disc 1: And the Forests Dream Eternally; Disc 2: bonus vintage material
- 40 page booklet includes: lyrics, old photos, old flyers, old interviews from magazines, liner notes from bands around the world, interviews with two Behemoth founding members (Nergal and Baal), interview with owner of Entropy Records (original label in 1995), J-cards of rare rehearsal from 1993 (given only to close friends at the time - features some songs from And the Forests Dream Eternally), scans of old signatures and descriptions from old photos




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Dianthus is currently in the midst of recording their brand new album, Realms, with producer Steve Evetts (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Symphony X, Butcher Babies, etc.), and they will be releasing a series of singles monthly leading up to the full release tentatively due in early 2021. The first single, “Realms”, was released in July and quickly gained the attention of press and fans alike.

Now Jackie and Jessica are back with their second single, “Creeping In”, and had this to say about it, “'Creeping In' is a song that deals with the pressures of self-doubt and negative thoughts. At times, we are all faced with lies about ourselves, whether it is from our own thought process or the words of others. Those inner feelings can create a war within our minds and we must find a way out. Harvest the true, good beliefs you have and never feed the harmful voices. Feelings of angst, determination, and optimism set the tone for this song.”

You can view the brand new lyric video below. Download/stream “Creeping In” here.

Due to the overwhelming response to Dianthus, Deko Entertainment have re-released their debut self-released album, Worth Living For. Completely repackaged, and re-mastered by Alan Douches, Worth Living For was produced by Black Veil Brides guitarist “Jinxx” at Matt Sorum’s (Guns N’ Roses, The Cult) Drac Studios in Los Angeles, CA in 2017.

You can order it now and also get the exclusive new Dianthus T-shirt from Deko Entertainment, which can be ordered here.

This bundle includes:

- One (1) Dianthus - Worth Living For CD
- One (1) Dianthus Logo Shirt

Dianthus manager, Jeff Keller, states “'Creeping In' is the perfect second single as it continues to capture the essence of Dianthus. The reissue of the band’s self released debut album made a lot of sense to do following the great response we have had with Realms. Worth Living For is a fantastic album and shows the band’s evolution from where they started to where they are now with Realms. I am very pleased that Deko asked us to reissue it with new packaging and a remastered sound.”

Deko Entertainment president, Bruce Pucciarello, continues, “Deko is really excited to bring new Dianthus’ music to a quickly expanding fanbase.  Jackie and Jessica create songs that are undeniably catchy. Creeping In is another great example... (spoiler alert) the video is killer too.”

Tracklisting:

Intro
"Within Hazel Eyes"
"Please Say (You're Pretending)"
"Before The Rain"
"Black Snow"
"The Unveiling"
"Interlude"
"When The World Says 'Give Up'"
"Chrysalis"
"Every Ounce"
"While We Live"
"Sincerity"




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