3 DOORS DOWN singer Brad Arnold is promoting a narrative pushed by conservative media and disputed by health experts that suggests the official death count from the coronavirus is inflated.

On Saturday (August 29), Arnold took to his Instagram to share a screenshot of a small section of the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention web site showing how many people who died from COVID-19 had underlying medical conditions that attributed to their death. The graphic Arnold shared includes the headline: "This week the CDC quietly updated the Covid number to admit that only 6% of all the 161,392 deaths recorded actually died solely from Covid."

In the latest update, the CDC pointed out that only 6% of deaths related to COVID-19 listed COVID-19 as the only cause of death. The vast majority of patients that were listed as COVID-19-related deaths also suffered from serious comorbidities.

In sharing the graphic on his Instagram, Arnold captioned it using lyrics from his new solo single, "Wicked Man": "A never ending circus to distract us from their lies." The song was written earlier this year and was inspired by Brad's observation that much of what we see on social media and on TV is "orchestrated" by what he believes "is proverbially a wicked man," he said in a recent interview. "We're trying to be manipulated to move in such a way that benefits a very, very few people," he explained. "And this song is just describing the moves that they make to make us move."

The CDC has reported 167,558 COVID-19-related deaths in the United State as of August 28, 2020. Out of the 167,558 COVID-19-related deaths, 10,053 (6%) have COVID-19 listed as the only cause. The other 94% of the COVID-19-related deaths had comorbidities associated with those deaths.

For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death.

There are theories that medical experts are inflating the number of coronavirus-related deaths to scare residents into complying with various states' executive orders, such as one that requires residents to wear masks in public places. There have also been claims that the lockdowns weren't designed for public health, but rather to destroy the Trump economy.

According to Forbes, the number of Americans who believe the death toll is inflated is highest among those who get their news from Fox News (61%) and Republicans (59%), while only 9% of Democrats and 7% of those getting their news from CNN and MSNBC believe the same.

Many health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading member of the Trump administration's Coronavirus Task Force and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have rejected claims that coronavirus deaths are being exaggerated.

Back in January 2017, Arnold defended 3 DOORS DOWN's decision to perform at then-President-elect Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration", saying that "it's all about America."

The band's manager, Angus Vail, told Vice that 3 DOORS DOWN played the event because they are conservatives.

"They come from conservative families," Vail explained. "When Obama got elected, the singer [Brad] said, 'Please don't talk to my father about Obama because he thinks the world has ended.' He was just as horrified and depressed about Obama as many are about Trump. They were, like, 'It's going to be Armageddon, the whole world is going to communism and he's going to give everything away to the welfare state.'"

Asked what 3 DOORS DOWN's political beliefs are, Vail said: "3 DOORS have that 'God, guns, and country' black-and-white sort of viewpoint, and they spend a lot of time going to Iraq, doing service, playing for the troops. They believe it, and that's just the way they see America. It's pretty hard to argue with. You say, 'What about the nuances, what about the gray areas?' and they say, 'No, no, God, guns, America is the greatest country on earth.' They stick to that viewpoint."

Photo courtesy of Rock 100.5 The KATT
























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..........a never ending circus to distract us from their lies. #wickedman

A post shared by Brad Arnold (@brad3doorsdown) on Aug 29, 2020 at 6:17pm PDT

In a new interview with "Two Doods Reviews", SEVENDUST singer Lajon Witherspoon was asked what he and his bandmates want to do differently to reinvent or break the mold of the past 20 years, or if they just want to continue the momentum. He replied (hear audio below): "I just wish definitely that we can stay on the avenue that we're on, but also just go down different avenues and make it bigger — open more minds to what's going on in our community.

"A lot of people say it's metal — I think it's soul rock and roll, soulful music that we play. And I just hope that it gets bigger," he continued.

"I've always said with a new album, I feel like it's a beginning again, and I definitely feel like there's a new beginning that can happen for not only SEVENDUST but for every band out there and every artist, with what's going on with this pandemic and the craziness in the world. It's opened up our eyes to not only the pandemic but the equality and what's going on. There's so many new avenues for us all to go down and to make it good together. And I really believe in that."

SEVENDUST will release its 13th studio album, "Blood & Stone", on October 23 via Rise Records. The follow-up to 2018's "All I See Is War" was once again tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who has previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH, among others.

"All I See Is War" was released in May 2018. It marked the group's first album for Rise Records, the Oregon-based metal and hard rock label which was purchased by BMG in 2015.

In 2016, SEVENDUST received its first-ever Grammy nomination after two decades together as a band. "Thank You", the debut single from 2015's "Kill The Flaw", got the nod for "Best Metal Performance".

Photo credit: Travis Shinn / Chuck Brueckmann

BON JOVI's music video for the song "Do What You Can" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "2020", which will be released on October 2 via Island Records.

"Shooting a video on nearly empty streets of Manhattan amid a global crisis really told the story of 'Do What You Can' from the place where I lived it," Jon Bon Jovi said in a statement. "And I know those empty streets look similar to so many parts of America battling this pandemic. But the story of everyday heroes showing amazing courage was inspiring to see and the video, much like the song, has a great deal of hope in it too."

Originally set for release on May 15, "2020" was a completed album with a breadth and depth of songwriting, titled for a challenging and pivotal election year. Along with all of America, Jon Bon Jovi found himself unexpectedly experiencing a world-altering coronavirus pandemic, followed quickly by the staggering events of George Floyd's death and the ensuing national movement for racial equality. He knew there was even more to say about 2020. Writing from a home studio, two new songs were born: "American Reckoning" and "Do What You Can" encompass these events and made the album a complete body of work.

"I am a witness to history," said Jon Bon Jovi. "I believe the greatest gift of an artist is the ability to use their voice to speak to issues that move us."

Well known for his extensive philanthropic work, Jon spent the initial quarantine days and weeks helping feed those in need at his JBJ Soul Kitchen Community Restaurant in Red Bank, New Jersey. Calling himself the "hall-of-fame dishwasher" at the restaurant, Jon was captured by his wife Dorothea in a photo, which was later posted to social media with the caption "If You Can't Do What You Do… Do What You Can." The songwriter's mind immediately went into action and a complete song was created the next day. In the spirit of togetherness that embodied the early days of quarantine, instead of releasing the complete song, Jon asked fans to "write their verse" and tell their story. Jon sang the first verse and chorus and went on to receive thousands of fan-created verses, both heartbreaking and heartwarming, in a flood of responses across band socials with the #DoWhatYouCan hashtag.

"No band has stirred more empathy, articulated the feelings of uncertainty, and comforted fans with reassurance than the Jersey rockers in the first weeks of the outbreak," USA Today said of the storied band's impact during those historic weeks.

The final version of "Do What You Can", written by Jon Bon Jovi, was performed acoustically for the first time on the star-studded Jersey4Jersey benefit special, raising $6 million for the state which was hard hit during the pandemic. In the weeks that followed, the full band was able to record the song in the studio and add it to the forthcoming album.

"2020" track listing with songwriter credits:

01. Limitless (Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Falcon, John Shanks)

02. Do What You Can (Jon Bon Jovi)

03. American Reckoning (Jon Bon Jovi)

04. Beautiful Drug (Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Falcon, John Shanks)

05. Story Of Love (Jon Bon Jovi)

06. Let It Rain (Jon Bon Jovi)

07. Lower The Flag (Jon Bon Jovi)

08. Blood In The Water (Jon Bon Jovi)

09. Brothers In Arms (Jon Bon Jovi)

10. Unbroken (Jon Bon Jovi)

Sure, "2020" is filled with fist in the air anthems and ballads that have rocked stadiums for the last 35 years. However, "2020" bears witness to the events that are shaping the world today.

Jon Bon Jovi delves into socially conscious matters such as soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder ("Unbroken", featured in the documentary "To Be Of Service"), gun violence ("Lower The Flag"), our shared social experience ("Let It Rain", "Brothers In Arms") and the political climate ("Blood In The Water").

The album — which follows the band's 2016 No. 1 release, "This House is Not For Sale" — also finds the group coming out of the other side of a period of great change.

Once again co-produced by John Shanks and Jon Bon Jovi, the record features the entire touring band — keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, bassist Hugh McDonald, guitarist Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley, and guitarist John Shanks.

"I have a very clear vision of who and what the band is, and what this record was meant to be," said Bon Jovi.

The title, an allusion to the forthcoming presidential election year, features Jon on the album cover standing in front of the New York City courthouse in sunglasses, with an image of the American flag waving inside the frames. The imagery was inspired by a photograph of President John F. Kennedy, deep in thought before addressing a crowd.

"It's not a distinctly political record, but it's an election year so there is a wryness in the title 2020. This record had to encompass different themes, not just politics, but the state of our world today, life, love and loss," said Bon Jovi.

"2020" starts with a clear perspective, launching with the first explosive rock song "Beautiful Drug". Enveloped by crunchy guitars, Jon asks the listener to "hear my confession, it's a blessing/ it's a curse," but ultimately surmises, "love is a beautiful drug."

The band makes its mission statement extremely clear with the lead single, "Limitless", an upbeat anthem encouraging optimism in an uncertain world. The listener is implored to seize the day, as everyone is "trying to keep your head above water," and don't be afraid to go through that open door, because "life is limitless."

Jon pulls the listener closer for a real conversation with "Unbroken", written for the documentary "To Be Of Service". Jon sings of a soldier's journey through training, war and returning home with "dreams the devil shouldn't see", asking the eternal question "was it worth it to be of service in the end?" "It was a difficult song to write because I had never served and I wanted to honor those who served in a very honest way," Jon said. "I wanted to write something those men and women could be proud of. I was looking for a twist in the lyrics where the soldier who is an idealist, comes back and finds that once they hang up the uniform, the thing that they're so identified by is no longer what identifies them. These men and women come back and have to adjust to being a civilian. They are certainly never going to be the same. I wrote the song and at the very end, I was moved when the soldiers in the film said 'I'd do it again'."

"Luv Can" is a simple prayer, with Jon singing "I wish I could fill your empty/right that wrong/make it fair." While the song on the surface could be taken as romantic love, Jon explains the context as "more spiritual." There's a religious undercurrent here. It doesn't have to just be a relationship. It really can be your Creator." The song ends on a hopeful note, that "luv will let you live again."

That quiet reflection is shaken up with the next track, "Brothers In Arms", which opens with a swampy riff and lyrics of social relevance and a not-so-subtle reference to NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, with Jon singing "don't you step out of line/don't re-write or define/ what it means to see a man take a knee." The song came to Jon while in Alabama during football season, and the lyrics started pouring out. "where's my better days? where's my Jesus saves?" "We all have this shared social experience called America. Who is going to finally bring this nation, to a place where we can all be brothers and sisters? That's what I was thinking when I wrote the song."

"The Story Of Love" touches on the theme of parenthood, opening with the lines "Fathers love daughters like mother love sons." That touching lyric was inspired by Jon's own family. " I sat down to write a song for my children." The song takes a journey through the circle of life, where suddenly the child becomes the parents and the parents are getting older "I realized I was writing it about my entire family, my children, my wife and my parents. From Hello to Goodbye, that's the story of love.

With that beautiful family portrait in mind, Jon then forces the question: what if that family were ripped apart by senseless tragedy? That nightmarish scenario is at the heart of the haunting track "Lower The Flag". The song opens solemnly, "Word just came from Upstate Joe/Lower the flag again/this time it's Dayton, Southwest Ohio/ Last night El Paso, Texas, counted 22 dead." The lyrics then lament that the news cycle will move on before there is even time to grieve, while the narrator questions "what if it was your loved one lying in the ground?" The song simply features Jon on guitar and concludes with the narrator reciting the names of cities caught in the crossfire, including Las Vegas, Nevada, Sandy Hook Elementary, Orlando, Florida, and Columbine. I was thinking, what if it was my own family? Imagine the pain you would feel if it was your wife, your kids, your husband."

With that, Bon Jovi calls for a cleansing of the spirit with "Let It Rain", asking "who is going to stop the rain from falling down?" and reminding us that "wherever there is hurting/ there is healing on the way/like sunshine breaking through a cloudy day." The last verse — "somewhere there's a church bell/ that's summoning the choir/somewhere there's a dreamer who would walk 1,000 miles" is a throwback to the "Young Guns" era. "I hadn't written anything like that in a long time. I like it because of the social justice of it, and taking a stand and saying let's purge ourselves of all of the hurt and hate and division, but who's going to be the one to stop it? Who's going to be the ones that unify us? So, let it rain and let's let the sun shine through."

When those clouds dissipate and the stars come out, the band returns to the personal with "Shine", the penultimate track on the record. A classic BON JOVI love song, it sweetly states "nothing lights up my sky like watching you shine." "You can think of it as your significant other or a child that's grown up in front of you," Jon says of the song.

The album closer, "Blood In The Water", was written in 2018, highlighting the gravity of the lyric "I'm no cable news reporter/ they got nothing new to say/I'm the voice of the new order/ the star of Anarchy today. I'm the comments you keep reading/ at the bottom off the page/I'm real power/I'm a Patriot/I'm a Russian hack by trade."

Over an illustrious career spanning more than three decades since its formation in 1983, BON JOVI has earned their place among global rock royalty and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as well as the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. With over 130 million albums sold worldwide, and extensive catalog of hit anthems, thousands of concerts performed in more than 50 countries for more than 35 million fans, and ticket grosses well over $1 billion around the world in the last decade alone, BON JOVI is the consummate rock and roll band.

A new six-minute video of Don Dokken discussing DOKKEN's upcoming album called "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" can be seen below. In this second episode, Don talks about moving to Germany, jamming with Eddie Van Halen and more. The LP will be released on August 28 via Silver Lining Music.

It wasn't always multi-platinum sales and stadium gigs for DOKKEN. There was a first-phase and there were early days, and it is those bold first steps to stardom which are celebrated comprehensively on "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" LP.

Featuring spectacular sleeve art by renowned U.S. artist Tokyo Hiro (MOTÖRHEAD, MOTLEY CRÜE), "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" show the crackle and craft of a hungry young Don Dokken as he embarked upon a journey which started in Southern California and Northern Germany. It is a trek which is testimony to the sheer endeavor and perseverance Don Dokken showed in those few years between 1978 and 1981, starting from when he spent time at a guitar store called Drake's Music, owned by Drake Levin in Manhattan Beach, California.

A fair selection of the treasure on "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" are from these early European days. "Felony" carries a thuggish fuzz-coated riff -think early VAN HALEN in really greasy embroidered denims, while "Day After Day" showed that Don could pen a radio-slaying ballad.

The writing and creation of "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" are further tribute to enduring early days of struggle in both Germany and L.A., Don would return to L.A. for a spell after those brief European gigs, and he worked with Juan Croucier on material, including perhaps the truest view of DOKKEN's then-future "Hit And Run", which incredibly did not end up on the eventual "Breaking The Chains" release. From the sunbaked SoCal hook of "Step Into The Light" to the furious, fledgling, late-Sunset Strip sound of "Back In The Streets", "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" shows Don in his unfettered early days of balls-out attitude, qualities doubtless forged in the sheer nature of the adventures undertaken in writing, recording and deciding Europe was the place to keep cutting his teeth.

"The Lost Songs: 1979-1981" not only shares that magic with the fans, it gives them the final, vital and undeniably missing (until now) early album in the DOKKEN collection.

A year ago, Dokken spoke to the WSOU radio station about the "The Lost Songs" collection, saying that it was a "fun" release that would include "songs recorded in the '70s when I was a little pup in my early 20s. And I have 12 songs that I haven't released," he explained. "So we're gonna go in and remaster them and all that, and I might put out that record and call it something like 'Dokken: The Early Days' or 'Dokken: The Lost Tapes', or something like that. 'Cause it was just an accident. I was cleaning out my locker and I found a bunch of master tapes from '77 to '79. And I said, 'What the heck are these?' And it turns out it was all these demos I did in the early '70s, before we had a record deal… It's kind of fun record. My voice sounds a lot younger. I listen to it, and I go, 'God, I sound like I've got helium in my voice.' I was 23 years old. I sound like Mickey Mouse."

Musicians who appear on "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981":

Don Dokken - vocals, guitar

Jon Levin - guitar

BJ Zampa - drums

Juan Croucier - bass

Greg Leon - guitar

Gary Holland - drums

Mick Brown - drums

George Lynch -guitar

Rustee Allen - bass

Bill Lordan - drums

Greg Pecka - drums

"The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" track listing:

01. Step Into The Light

02. We're Going Wrong

03. Day After Day

04. Rainbows

05. Felony

06. No Answer

07. Back In The Streets

08. Hit And Run

09. Broken Heart

10. Liar

11. Prisoner

Longtime DOKKEN guitarist Jon Levin recently confirmed that the band was working on material for the follow-up to 2012's "Broken Bones" album.

DOKKEN's new LP will be released via Silver Lining Music, the label owned by Thomas Jensen, one of the founders of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival.

DOKKEN's classic lineup — Dokken, drummer "Wild" Mick Brown, guitarist George Lynch and bassist Jeff Pilson — reunited for a short Japanese tour in the fall of 2016. The trek marked the first time in 21 years the four musicians had hit the road together.

A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band's reunion tour, "Return To The East Live (2016)", was made available in 2018.

Since completing the Japanese reunion dates, DOKKEN has continued to perform with the group's current lineup — which also includes bassist Chris McCarvill and drummer BJ Zampa (HOUSE OF LORDS).

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, NICKELBACK bassist Mike Kroeger spoke about the band's plans to return to the studio to make the follow-up to 2017's "Feed The Machine" album. He said: "We're looking at some new music, and we're taking our time. And there's a few ideas cooking right now. We just released that single, [a cover of THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND classic] 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia'. And we actually have a documentary that we're right now just putting the finishing touches on and looking for a distribution partner for to make sure that we get it out to everybody. And that's really what's going on — we're trying to get that thing polished up and out."

NICKELBACK guitarist Ryan Peake said in April that the band's documentary — which has been in the works for at least a couple of years — was "very close to being released."

Earlier in the month, NICKELBACK released a music video for its aforementioned cover of "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". Honoring Daniels, who passed away in July, NICKELBACK invited guitarist Dave Martone to join them on a cover of the infamous classic story — paying homage to Daniels's influence on their careers and the legacy left behind.

As previously reported, NICKELBACK's "All The Right Reasons: 15th Anniversary Expanded Edition" will be released as a two-CD set on October 2 and will also be available digitally on all streaming platforms. The collection features a newly remastered version of the original 2005 album, a selection of B-sides and a 2006 live concert recording.

NICKELBACK's third consecutive No. 1 album, "All The Right Reasons" topped the charts in the band's native Canada, the U.S., U.K., Germany, Australia and New Zealand. To date, it has sold more than 19 million copies worldwide and has been certified diamond by the RIAA. The record produced seven singles, including five Top 20 hits: "Photograph", "Savin' Me", "Far Away", "Rockstar" and "If Everyone Cared".

Israeli progressive wizards, Scardust, follow up their critically debut masterpiece Sands Of Time with Strangers, an intriguing concept album recorded against all odds in the first half of 2020. Mixed by Yonatan Kossov (Orphaned Land, Amorphis) and mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Devin Townsend, Arch Enemy), the album - which is now available for pre-order on CD and limited-edition gray smoke vinyl - will be released October 30 via M-Theory Audio. A 60-second teaser video can be seen below.

Vocalist Noa Gruman explains, “Strangers deals with the concept of being estranged. Written from multiple perspectives, it explores the ways in which people can be estranged from one another, from themselves, from society, from their loved ones and even from their own subconscious. After the overture, which introduces musical themes, the album separates into two parts. Every song from the second part is a mirror image of a parallel song in the first. Each pair of songs tells the story of a pair of strangers. They can be played together as a standalone piece, as individual songs or as part of the album, whatever the listener’s heart desires.”

Strangers was written and composed jointly by singer and band leader Noa Gruman and Orr Didi, who also collaborated with Gruman on Sands Of Time, and Scardust’s debut EP Shadow.

The recording sessions for Strangers began in the winter of 2020. From there, the band was faced with the outbreak of COVID-19, which brutally destroyed their recording plans, ironically forcing them to continue the process in isolation, estranged from one another, in their individual home studios.

The album’s guest of honor is Patty Gurdy, a fantastic German folk musician and a dear friend of the band. The band’s relationship with Patty began two years ago after mutual admiration led to a guest appearance at a Berlin concert by the band. Friendship blossomed into a combined Scardust/Patty Gurdy UK tour in 2019 and now culminates in the track “Concrete Cages” on this album. Inspired by Patty’s unique playing, singing and character, this song was tailored by the band especially for her. They planned to record, perform a show and shoot a video together in Tel Aviv, but unfortunately, just days before Gurdy was due to travel, all flights between Germany and Israel were banned, forcing them to change their plans and adapt to the new reality. Eventually, Gurdy recorded in her home studio in Germany with support by Gruman via video chat from Israel, in tune with the times.

Strangers also continues Scardust’s tradition of featuring lush and expansive vocals by the Hellscore choir. Gruman founded Hellscore for the recordings of the band’s previous album, and they have returned to reprise their role on Strangers. Since forming, Hellscore have also recorded and performed with Amorphis, Therion, Ayreon, Orphaned Land and many more.

In addition, the album features the vocals of England’s prestigious Westbrook Hay Prep School Chamber Choir, who have performed at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall.

Says Gruman, “Recording the Westbrook Hay Prep School Chamber Choir led by Chris Wagstaff was one of the highlights of the recording process for me, and delivered a magical moment on the album. I flew to the UK especially to conduct and record them with Tony Wilson. The choir, made up of about 40 kids between the ages of 8 and 11, had prepared with great diligence and dedication, and their wonderful voices add magic to the song ‘Huts,’ which speaks about the wish to return to a simpler way of life.”

Tracklisting:

"Overture For The Estranged"
"Break The Ice"
"Tantibus II"
"Stranger"
"Concrete Cages" (feat. Patty Gurdy)
"Over"
"Under"
"Huts"
"Gone"
"Addicted"
"Mist"

Teaser:

Band lineup:

Noa Gruman - Vocals
Yanai Avnet - Bass
Yadin Moyal - Guitar
Itai Portugali - Keyboards
Yoav Weinberg - Drums




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On October 30, BMG will release URIAH HEEP's "Fifty Years In Rock".

British hard rock legends URIAH HEEP are one of the "big four" rock bands, along with LED ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE and BLACK SABBATH, and certainly one of the most intriguing bands both musically and lyrically, to emerge from heavy rock.

This extensive and ambitious super deluxe box set celebrates URIAH HEEP's remarkable career and was created with the full collaboration of URIAH HEEP themselves and curated by founding members Mick Box, Ken Hensley, Paul Newton and Lee Kerslake.

The beautifully presented box set contains 23 CD albums, including four CDs compiled by the original members. This set also includes "The Magician's Birthday" LP, remastered by renowned engineer Andy Pearce of Lou Reed and BLACK SABBATH fame, with reimagined artwork by Roger Dean, two art cards and a 64-page book featuring rarities from the band's personal archives.

"This 50th-anniversary box set fills me with immense pride and takes me on a musical journey I could never have imagined," exclaims Mick Box. "We are still on that magical adventure, but reaching our 50-year anniversary is something to be proud of and an amazing achievement. It has been a roller-coaster ride that as we stand today has no ending, so we proudly celebrate our 50th anniversary with this stunning box set that BMG have worked so hard to put together, while remembering all of the wonderful musicians including those that are in rock 'n' roll heaven, that have been a part of this fantastic milestone. 'Appy days!"

Adds Hensley: "Sitting here, just a few days from my 75th birthday, it's easy for me to flash back 50 years to when me, Mick, David, Gary and Lee really knew we were on to something big and amazing. What makes it even easier is the incredible boxed set that BMG has put together to celebrate this massive milestone. The box is a perfect tribute to a band that achieved what so few have done, to Mickie and the boys who keep the legend rolling and of course, to all of you who made it possible. My sincere and humble thanks to all concerned."

Evoking an era when prog, hard rock and heavy metal co-existed in an era of glorious, boundary-breaking music, the box set traces the evolution of URIAH HEEP from inexperienced studio musicians with everything to prove to bona fide limo inhabiting rock stars.

After selling over 40 million albums worldwide, over the years URIAH HEEP has influenced many different metal bands around the globe, among the most popular being DIO. Bands including A-HA, KING DIAMOND, KROKUS, DEMONS & WIZARDS, FIFTH ANGEL and Axel Rudi Pell have all cited URIAH HEEP as a band of personal influence, while W.A.S.P., TESLA and BLACKMORE'S NIGHT have all covered the band’s songs.

URIAH HEEP continue to tour until this day, with Box, while Hensley tours extensively as a successful solo artist.

This ultimate collection of URIAH HEEP albums, released between 1970 and 2019, exists for a reason. This is not the first time that the work of the mighty Londoners has been brought together, of course, but never has the band's entire career, covering every album, been collected together and presented in this truly celebratory box set.

Contents in full:

* 25 CD albums and four CDs compiled by the original members

* Each of the following have curated a disc of their favorite URIAH HEEP choices

Ken Hensley's Choices: 14 tracks

Lee Kerslake's Choices: 14 tracks

Mick Box's Choices: 15 tracks

Paul Newton's Choices: 14 tracks

* "The Magician's Birthday" LP featuring reimagined artwork by Roger Dean

* 78-page book featuring rarities from the band's personal archives

* Includes new notation by the original members and fully updated band member timeline.

* 2 x Roger Dean art cards including original and reimagined artwork for "The Magician's Birthday" and "Demons And Wizards"

* Includes every studio album and "Live '73"

Due to the COVID-19 situation around the world, Norwegian rockers TNT do not have the opportunity to come together to hold concerts. But while we wait for the borders to open and TNT can once again be in studio and on stage, guitarist Ronni Le Tekrø has worked in his studio with his good friend Tim Scott Mcconnell — also known as Ledfoot.

Says Ronni: "I met Tim in 2009 when he went up to my studio to record 'Damned'. We immediately connected as artists and as friends. In 2018, we started talking about seriously doing a record together and experimented by improvising in the studio. The result was 'Imperfect World' and 'High Time', both of which have ended up on our debut record, 'A Death Divine', out on the 2nd of October. Two guitarists with dramatically different approaches and both being prolific writers make for a very interesting landscape and chemistry. This reflects in our record. No rules, no category. Just music from the heart. This collaboration has resulted in an album that will soon be ready for release."

"A Death Divine" is a meeting of giants between two unique guitarists, Le Tekrø and Ledfoot. Le Tekrø is best known for his unique playing style and as one of the founders of legendary TNT, and he has several times ranked as one of the world's best guitarists regardless of genre. In addition to TNT, Ronni has released several solo albums and collaborated with a number of artists, including Terje Rypdal.

Ledfoot recently won Spellemann (Norwegian Grammy equivalent) in the blues class for his latest album, "White Crow". Ledfoot has developed his own playing style using a 12-string guitar with extra thick strings, steel plates and brass slide, often accompanied by stomp-box. In addition to four albums as Ledfoot, he has released several solo albums under his full name, played in THE HAVALINAS, been covered by Bruce Springsteen ("High Hopes") and played in the NRK series "Exit".

TNT's latest studio album, "XIII", came out in June 2018 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band's thirteenth LP was TNT's first to feature new vocalist Baol Bardot Bulsara, who replaced Tony Harnell. Baol is a Spanish vocalist whose debut with TNT happened in front of 8,000 fans in November 2017 when the band opened for German hard rock legends the SCORPIONS in Oslo, Norway.

MASTODON drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor has blasted Donald Trump, calling him "the worst person."

Dailor offered his views on America's 45th president while speaking to U.K.'s Rock Sound magazine about the uncomfortable complexities of the limbo COVID-19 has left artists in.

"Our fucking president is just the worst person," Brann said. "I remember being a kid and seeing Donald Trump on TV, on 'Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous', being eight years old and going, 'That guy sucks. That guy's a dick. He doesn't care about anybody but himself. He's just a rich, spoiled brat.' And I knew that as a kid, you know what I mean? How could [anyone] think that guy cares about anybody but himself?"

Dailor's comments come just three months after his bandmate, MASTODON guitarist Bill Kelliher, called Trump an "orange shitstain" and "fucking scumbag" who is "a total racist." "It's unfathomable that we live in a country in 2020 and this fucker is still in charge. He's an idiot," Bill said.

Kelliher went on to say that he is "losing faith in the American people." He said: "I'm, like, 'Man, what is wrong with our country? Why is everybody so into this guy?' He's a fucking failed reality-show host. I hated him then."

According to Bill, the reason Trump's overall job approval rating still stands at more than 40% is the fact that "America is dumb — people are dumbed the fuck down so hard, especially compared to other countries. I travel all over the world and I just see how much better it is," he said.

"Believe me, I love my country, I love it here — it's just the people I can do without. [Laughs] Not everybody," he clarified. "The people I know and I associate with, we're all kind of on the same page.

"I'm sure me speaking like this, someone will be, like, 'America, love it or leave it.' No — you fucking leave it, man. You're the fucking idiot," he continued.

"The whole 'snowflake' argument about, 'Well, let's reverse abortion.' It's, like, no, abortion is legal, dude, in America. You're the one who's wrong if you're trying to reverse it. You're the fucking snowflake. You can't handle it. Get the fuck out. You don't want abortion? Then don't fucking have one — period. Stay the fuck out of my business."

MASTODON is currently working on material for the follow-up to 2017's "Emperor Of Sand" album for a tentative 2021 release.

"Emperor Of Sand" debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. That album was nominated for the 2018 Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album," and its opening track, "Sultan's Curse", won the Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance."

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its debut album this year. The first self-titled album, which originally arrived on July 4, 2000, will be released on vinyl for the first time on October 9. The vinyl release will be available in two different color variants: clear with mint splatter and a Coke bottle clear/olive green split. It will also include expanded artwork by bassist Mike D'Antonio and four bonus tracks from their 1999 demo.

"I had a lot of fun taking this artwork apart and putting it back together," says Mike. "I especially had a good time searching through all the old photos and reminiscing. It was a simpler time in 2000 and the 'hunger' in the music still shines through to this day."

"I wrote lyrics and did vocals for this album in a handful of days," explains singer Jesse Leach. "From what I can I recall, it was raw, emotive, and filled with a certain cathartic power. This was us at our most primal and most stripped down stage. This was the beginning and still holds the core of what I believe to be the heart of what this band still is deep inside."

He adds: "I am honored and privileged to be a part of this album. Before any big labels, world tours, and even the term 'metalcore,' it was just us four guys playing metal steeped in hardcore roots. We had no regard for a career, ambition, or any thought of longevity or legacy."

A limited amount of both color variants will be available and bundled with an exclusive t-shirt at the band's official store.

Both color variants will also be available at Metal Blade's pre-order and at retailers nationwide.

"Killswitch Engage" vinyl track listing:

Side 1:

01. Temple From The Within

02. Vide Infra

03. Irreversal

04. Rusted Embrace

05. Prelude

06. Soilborn

Side 2:

01. Numb Sickened Eyes

02. In The Unblind

03. One Last Sunset

04. Prelude (Bonus 1999 Demo)

05. Soilborn (Bonus 1999 Demo)

06. Vide Infra (Bonus 1999 Demo)

07. In The Unblind (Bonus 1999 Demo)

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE recently celebrated two decades as a band with a comprehensive and in-depth 20-year timeline that documented so many of the band's memorable career milestones and storied history with plenty of captivating images. The clickable, scroll-through timeline boasts flyers from early shows, live shots from festival appearances, and fan tattoos. It also traces major tours, video shoots, album releases, Grammy nominations, lineup changes, and beyond. The timeline functions as a digital museum that effectively tells the complete KILLSWITCH ENGAGE story The timeline was created specifically for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE fans to enjoy and to reminisce.

Get ready to wind the clock back to the glory days of big hair, big guitars and big metal! Deadline Music, the metal imprint of Los Angeles-based indie label giant Cleopatra Records, presents the first ever vinyl pressing of the “lost album” from metal outfit King Kobra.

The band was founded in 1983 when superstar drummer Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge / Rod Stewart) recruited vocalist Mark Free and guitarist Earl Slick, fresh from a stint as David Bowie’s guitarist on the Serious Moonlight Tour (stepping in for Stevie Ray Vaughan) for a set of demos that got the group a deal with Capital Records. They would go on to record two blockbuster albums for Capital including the smash hit single “Iron Eagle (Never Say Die)” featured in the 1986 film of the same name.

Membership and label changes followed but the band soldiered on releasing what was thought to be their final recordings of the 20th century, King Kobra III (1988). However, there was another set of recordings done, a “lost album” that first saw the light of day when Cleopatra released it on CD in 1999 as The Lost Years. But now these supercharged tracks find their rightful place - pressed onto glorious colored vinyl.

Appice had this to say about the release: “This King Kobra vinyl has got songs that show different formations of the band after the first two albums. I’ve always tried to have great singers and musicians surrounding me in King Kobra - and tried to write great rock songs! I hope you enjoy this!”

Order the album here.

Tracklisting:

Side A
"Mean Street Machine"
"Fool In The Rain"
"Young Hearts Survive"
"Your Love's A Sin"
"Number One"

Side B
"Walls Of Silence"
"Lonely Nites"
"Red Line"
"Perfect Crime"
"Poor Boy (You Are My Life)"




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DOWN celebrated the 25th anniversary of its classic debut album, "NOLA", with a special livestreamed event on Saturday, August 29. Fittingly dubbed "The Quarter Century Throwdown", the high-production, multi-camera event took place using cutting-edge streaming technology to create a one-of-a-kind virtual concert experience. The show will be rebroadcast August 30 at 6:00 p.m. EST until September 1 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

Plans for select shows featuring vocalist Philip Anselmo, guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein, drummer Jimmy Bower and bassist Pat Bruders performing the record in its entirety were sidelined due to the global pandemic. In its wake, the band took part in the livestream.

Your virtual ticket livestream tickets and packages are available at this location, with additional merch designs available here.

10% of ticket sales will be donated to the United Houma Nation (UHN), a state-recognized tribe of approximately 17,000 members residing within a six-parish (county) service area encompassing 4,570 square miles. The six parishes — Terrebonne, Lafourche, Jefferson, St. Mary, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines — are located along the Southeastern coast of Louisiana. Within this area, distinct tribal communities are situated among the interwoven bayous and canals where Houmas traditionally earned a living. Although by land and road these communities are distant, they were historically very close by water. However, boat travel is no longer a viable option due to the effects of coastal erosion, which has left these waterways either nonexistent or impassable and, in many cases, completely open water that requires larger vessels for safe travel. The tribe today is presented with the unique challenges of preserving and maintaining its culture and way of life when the land is disappearing. The United Houma Nation is committed and dedicated to doing exactly that. In addition, 10% of proceeds raised from a special, limited DOWN/United Houma Nation t-shirt will also be donated to the UHN.

A founding member of DOWN, Windstein left the band in 2013 in order to focus on CROWBAR and his family life. He was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, DOWN's former guitar tech who was previously in GAHDZILLA MOTOR COMPANY, a 1990s outfit also featuring Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER), and HONKY.

Windstein announced his return to DOWN last year, with the band confirming a number of festival appearances for 2020 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "NOLA", all of which have since been canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

Prior to yesterday's gig, DOWN's last live appearance took place in August 2016 at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in Las Vegas.

Wymer Publishing has set a November 20 release date for "Van Halen: A Visual Biography".

Millions of fans would attest that VAN HALEN is a band eminently deserving of a visual biography. From the single sleeves through the passes, posters and promo items and, of course, most especially David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen themselves (as well as Sammy Hagar, Gary Cherone and Wolfgang Van Halen), VAN HALEN was an explosion of color and action, resulting in a feast for the eyes within the pages of this sumptuously appointed book.

As one celebrates this legendary band in karate-kicking action, from the mid-'70s all the way up until the last tour in 2015 and many solo points and projects in-between, provided for your reading pleasure is one of Martin Popoff's celebrated detailed timelines, stuffed with trivia that swiftly moves us through forty years of massive rock history from one of the storied greats of the genre.

"Runnin' With The Devil", "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", "Jamie's Cryin'", "Unchained", "Jump", "Panama", "Hot For Teacher", "Why Can't This Be Love", "Finish What Ya Started", "Right Now"... these are some of the biggest anthems of all time, and accompanying the tunes is the narrative of two opposing lead singers, Diamond David Lee Roth and Sammy "Red Rocker" Hagar, both of whom are also represented in detail vis-à-vis their solo careers among the celebration of the core band at hand. The end result is a beach-balling an' sun-tanned symphony of words and pictures, indeed a book that differs from previous VAN HALEN photography projects through the inclusion of so much rare memorabilia, side ephemera and otherwise nifty pictures of paper goods perking up each page as one basks in what this band managed to accomplish over four decades of white-knuckle rock on the edge.

The first 250 orders come with a set of give matt prints on premium 400gsm coated board.

Pre-order by September 23 and have your name printed on a dedicated fan page.

A representative for the Chris Cornell estate says that the recently announced film, "Black Days", based on true events about the last days in the life of the SOUNDGARDEN singer, is "not sanctioned or approved by the estate." The rep adds in a statement to Pitchfork: "No one contacted the estate for any information."

Helmed by Los Angeles-based film production company AmeriFilms LLC, "Black Days" will star John Holiday ("Walk The Line", CMT's "Sun Records").

Filming for "Black Days" is set to begin first week of October.

Chris Cornell was found hanged in his room at the MGM Grand Detroit hotel in May 2017, following a SOUNDGARDEN show at the city's Fox Theatre. His body was found soon after he had spoken with a "slurred" voice to his wife, Vicky Cornell, by phone. The death was ruled a suicide.

But his family has questioned the medical examiner's ruling, saying that he had a prescription for Ativan and that a higher than recommended dosage may have caused him to experience suicidal thoughts.

Cornell was honored at a tribute concert called "I Am The Highway: A Tribute To Chris Cornell" in January 2019 at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

In addition to SOUNDGARDEN, Cornell found success with other projects, including AUDIOSLAVE, TEMPLE OF THE DOG as well as solo albums.

GUNS N' ROSES has released video footage of the band's 2016 performances from Mexico City and Houston. The 34-minute clip is part of the new GN'R web series dubbed "Not In This Lifetime Selects" featuring highlights from four-year "Not In This Lifetime" tour.

Featured songs:

00:00 - Intro + You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory

00:51 - New Rose

03:17 - My Michelle

06:40 - Coma

16:59 - This I Love

21:19 - Out Ta Get Me

25:18 - November Rain

Last month, GUNS N' ROSES announced the rescheduled dates for its North American stadium tour.

GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" tour, which began four years ago, recently became the No. 3 highest-grossing tour in the history of Billboard Boxscore.

Launched in April 2016, "Not in This Lifetime" featured classic-lineup members Slash, Duff McKagan and singer Axl Rose backed by guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

GUNS kicked off its long-rumored and long-awaited reunion tour with a club show in Hollywood and appearances in Las Vegas and at California's Coachella festival.

The band is now reportedly working on a new studio album — the first under the GUNS banner since 2008's "Chinese Democracy" and the first to feature Rose, Slash and McKagan since 1993.

Photo credit: Katarina Benzova

Parlophone Records will issue a very special limited-edition 12-inch vinyl version of IRON MAIDEN's iconic self-titled debut album on October 9. The release honors both the 40th anniversary of the album, which came out on April 14, 1980 and reached No. 4 in the U.K. chart, and also 2020's National Album Day, on October 10 — a celebration of the long-player in association with the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA).

"Iron Maiden" was the album that saw the East London band start the journey that has led them over the course of four decades, 16 studio albums, over 90 million album sales and more than 2000 concerts around the globe, to become one of the biggest and most acclaimed metal bands on the planet. It features vocalist Paul Di'Anno and includes songs such as "Phantom Of The Opera", "Running Free" and "Iron Maiden" that have long been considered classics in the MAIDEN canon and still feature in many of the band's live sets today.

Di'Anno told Metal Hammer magazine about the making of "Iron Maiden": "There was too much excitement to feel any pressure.

"We knew that what we had was unique compared to every other band around, and we had spent the previous couple of years playing every shithole in the U.K., also some decent venues as well.

"The only person who might have had any doubts was me. Though I was a cocky frontman, I was all mouth and no trousers, and when I got into the studio, I realized I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing."

The limited-edition crystal clear vinyl picture disc is available to pre-order here.

Side One

01. Prowler

02. Remember Tomorrow

03. Running Free

04. Phantom Of The Opera

Side Two

01. Transylvania

02. Strange World

03. Charlotte The Harlot

04. Iron Maiden

Photo credit: George Bodnar Archive / Wilful Publicity

MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren has released a new song from his long-running BENT SEA project.

"Nothing Blasts Forever", a collaboration with DRUGS OF FAITH's Richard Johnson on vocals, is the third in a series of songs Dirk has dubbed "Instagrind".

Three months ago, Verbeuren released the first "Instagrind" song from BENT SEA, "Grind To A Halt", a collaboration with MIDNIGHT mastermind Athenar on vocals. It was followed by "Sycophant Legions", a collaboration with FEASTEM's Petri Eskelinen on vocals and NASUM's Jesper Liveröd on bass.

In a 2016 interview with All About The Rock, Dirk stated about BENT SEA: "BENT SEA is a spur-of-the-moment type thing without any business plan. The idea from the get-go was basically 'no pressure' and I intend to keep it that way."

Back in 2012, Dirk told PureGrainAudio about BENT SEA's formation: "It just sort of happened. I used to play guitar, but in recent years my focus was exclusively on drums. My wife had been encouraging me to write my own music, so I decided to give it a shot. The result turned out to be BENT SEA."

Regarding the project's name, the 45-year-old Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based musician said: "It's taken from a song by British experimental duo ENDVRA which I accidentally came across in my tape-trading days. Their music has absolutely nothing to do with grindcore, but somehow BENT SEA popped up in my mind. I like that it's atypical, and that it conjures apocalyptic images echoing the intensity of my music."

Verbeuren had been playing with SOILWORK for more than a decade before joining MEGADETH in 2016 as the replacement for Chris Adler (LAMB OF GOD), who called Dirk "probably [one of the] top three drummers in the world."

In interview with the KATT Rock 100.5 FM radio station, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine described Dirk as "one of the most pleasant, easy-to-get-along-with guys I've ever met in my life. I'll walk up to him and he'll smile and lean forward and pat me on the back. He goes [adopts thin accent], 'How's it going, buddy?' I could say, 'Oh, man…'… anything. 'Oh, okay, buddy.' [He] smiles and pats me, 'cause he's just a happy guy. I've never, ever, ever seen him not smile."

Dream Theater legend, John Petrucci, joined Loudwire's Gear Factor to play his favourite riffs. Watch the video below:

Petrucci recently announced the forthcoming worldwide release of his second all-instrumental solo album, Terminal Velocity, the first solo album by the Dream Theater guitarist to be released in 15 years. The album will be released through The Orchard Music on his Sound Mind Music record label on all digital and streaming platforms on August 28th and on CD and Vinyl on October 30.

Terminal Velocity was written and produced by John Petrucci, recorded by James ‘Jimmy T’ Meslin and mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap (Judas Priest, Killswitch Engage, Arch Enemy). The artwork was created by Sean M. Smith at Echo Designlab (Stone Sour, Hollywood Undead, In This Moment).

The album sees the return of bassist Dave LaRue (Dixie Dregs, Flying Colors) who played on John’s debut solo album and subsequent G3 tours, as well as, an eagerly anticipated reunion with former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy (Transatlantic, Winery Dogs, Sons Of Apollo). “It was awesome bringing Dave back to play bass on this album. He is just such a monster player who can handle anything you throw at him with tastefulness and unmatched musicality. His melodic approach to bass lines along with impeccable technique and groove for days really stands out on these tunes.”

Portnoy’s appearance on Terminal Velocity marks the first recording of the guitarist and his former bandmate in over a decade and the first since Portnoy left the band in 2010. “Having Mike play drums on this record was really special for me and he did an absolutely incredible job navigating the various styles and technical challenges my music presented in the way that only he can do. It was very cathartic for the both of us, I think, to be playing music together again after all these years and it really felt great! Mike’s spirited, intuitive and energetic playing truly helped to elevate these new songs to a level that I couldn’t be happier with.”

The video for “Terminal Velocity” can be seen below. John Petrucci on the track and video: “Terminal Velocity was actually the first new song that I wrote for the album when I entered the studio in March of this year. It stemmed from one of the many ideas and seeds that I had collected over the past several years. I literally began with the opening motif and built the rest of song from there. I think it’s a great lead-off single and nicely represents a few of the different stylistic sides of this record that I wanted to explore as a guitar player; The melodic/thematic side, the riffing side, and the shred side.

“Mike and Dave both did an amazing job bringing this song to life as well, with all of the energy that they injected when recording their performances.

“The video was created by Wayne Joyner who made all of the promotional videos for Dream Theater’s Distance Over Time album as well as all of the 2019/2020 DT live tour visuals including all of the updated Scenes From A Memory video content. The tracking footage of me, Dave and Mike in the studio has a play-through sort of vibe while Wayne did his magic adding amazing 3-D graphics and special visual effects to help tell a story. I think the end result is a really unique and engaging video that captures the song's energy and definitely does the first single justice. Really excited for people to see and hear this!”

In the beginning of March 2020 while the COVID-19 global pandemic was unrelentingly reeking it’s havoc on the world and especially NY, John started working on the music that would make up Terminal Velocity at the DT Headquarters on Long Island with engineer Jimmy T at the helm. “All DT touring for the rest of the year was either being cancelled or postponed and even though I had already planned on starting the project this Spring, I suddenly found myself with many unanticipated months at home. Jimmy T and I would head into the DTHQ 5 days week for about 2 and a half months and, as I wrote and constructed the new tunes, he was right there capturing it all and turning it into a record. Initially, we programmed drums and shared bass playing responsibilities just to get the ideas to a place where they sounded like completed and cohesive songs but we always anticipating that ‘work in progress’ drums and bass would eventually be replaced.”

The nine songs on Terminal Velocity showcase John’s affinity for writing tightly-weaved guitar instrumental powerhouses that feature everything from monster riff breaks to passion-filled melodic themes worthy of film soundtracks, to all-out shred extravaganzas that leave the listener feeling like they just stepped off of a thrilling musical roller coaster ride. “Much like the songs on my first solo album, Suspended Animation, I wanted the new tunes to really showcase what I’m all about as a player and to give an up-to-date depiction of where I am musically and how I like to express myself on the instrument. It’s about capturing the attitude of the performances and of course as always, very much about capturing the tone that I’ve worked so hard over the years to develop and refine.”

Although a few of the songs that make up Terminal Velocity were actually written quite a long time ago and even played live but never properly recorded, over half the album’s content is new music that John created while in the studio during the quarantine. “I believe that making this record when I did really helped me to maintain a sense of stability and normalcy during such a crazy time in our history.” “It was encouraging for me and my family to embrace something so hopeful and positive as we faced a very uncertain future in the music industry and in the world and for that, I am truly grateful for having music be such a big part of my life.”

Pre-order the album here.

Limited colored 2LP vinyl (clear & black metallic and metallic silver & black) signed by John Petrucci, as well as signed CD digipaks (limited to 200 copies) will be exclusively available at Newbury Comics and can be ordered here.

Tracklisting:

"Terminal Velocity"
"The Oddfather"
"Happy Song"
"Gemini"
"Out Of The Blue"
"Glassy-Eyed Zombies"
"The Way Things Fall"
"Snake In My Boot"
"Temple Of Circadia"

(Photo - Larry DiMarzio)




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TogethermenT Records announces the release of the third full-length studio album by the critically acclaimed rock band, Anyone. The album is entitled On the ending earth... and was released on August 21. The album is available in download, streaming and CD on over 200 digital distributors including iTunes, Spotify and Amazon.

Anyone was formed by Riz Story, along with Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) and Jon Davison (YES) in the mid 90’s in Laguna Beach, California. Hawkins and Davison left and were replaced by the time the band signed with Roadrunner Records in 2000. Their self-titled debut album received much critical acclaim.

In October of 2016 the single “Fly Away” was featured in Story’s debut feature film A Winter Rose, and became the most listened to rock song in the nation on digital formats, hitting #1 on the DRT National Airplay Rock Chart. Other musicians of note that have been members of Anyone include David Silveria (Korn) and guitarist Gretchen Menn.

For this new release, Riz plays all of the instruments. The album features three guest musicians; Jon Davidson (YES) played fretless bass on “Thought I Was” and Miles Martin played bass on “Sip The Pleasure of Days” and Ethereal played piano on “A Brief Sparkle In The Nothingness”.

Says Riz, “On the ending earth...' deals with the themes of the collapse and extinction. Lyrically it is filled with references to the annihilation of nature and the senseless destruction and suffering mankind brings upon itself. Songs like ‘It’s Already Too Late’ and ‘Lament’ express the mourning of vanishing species and consider that humanity is dooming itself to the same fate. ‘Mother Superior’ is a meditation on how mankind has so greatly damaged ‘Mother’ earth. These themes run throughout the entire album and clearly reflect the troubling times we live in, in which everything from civic order to the planet's biosystems seem to be in full collapse. The album’s longer tracks, ‘All That Lives is Born to Die’ and ‘A Brief Sparkle in the Nothingness’ both explore the human reaction to living in such dystopian times. And the final track, ‘Fade To Black’ is an apocalyptic ode to humanity with its recurring lyric, ‘Fade away, because you’re only a stain on the time.’”

Tracklisting:

"It’s Already Too Late"    
"Mother Superior"  
"Sip The Pleasure Of Days"  
"All That Lives Is Born To Die"  
"Thought I Was"
"A Brief Sparkle In The Nothingness"  
"Lament"
"Sister Wrongway"
"Want "
"Sip"
"A Love Letter To Humanity"
"Die With Me  "
"Fade To Black"




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On November 6, FATES WARNING will release its new album, "Long Day Good Night", via Metal Blade Records. The disc's first single, "Scars", can be streamed below.

FATES WARNING has been a formidable presence in progressive metal for more than 35 years, helping to shape and drive the genre without ever compromising its integrity or losing relevance. They return in 2020 with "Long Day Good Night", the most epic and longest album of its storied career, mixed by Joe Barresi.

"The styles of music we've written distinguish this record from the rest of our catalogue," states vocalist Ray Alder. "There are some songs with electronics and some with a nice ethereal feel, as well as some pretty straightforward grooves, at least for us. And there are also some pretty heavy songs. We tried to give the listener a host of different things to listen to, as opposed to an album where every song sounds the same." As such, the album is something of a rollercoaster ride, moving through various moods and making for perhaps their most vital release to date.

Guitarist Jim Matheos began writing the album in mid-2019, working closely with Alder for about a year, honing the songs, completing 13 for their 13th full-length — which, uncoincidentally, has a total running time of 72:22. Despite their long history of making records, Alder makes it clear that the songs take a lot of work to realize.

"Like all albums, nothing comes easy," he says. "It's quite a process to go from the idea to the actual finished song. Sometimes you think you're done with it, then you hear something else and you have to try that. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but you at least have to try it just so you know that in the end you've done everything possible to make it as good as it can be. Jim and I spent practically every day for the last year writing this album. I am very happy with the outcome, and with the blend of styles. I guess I could say that this album represents all of the years that we have been together."

The record also features guest appearances from touring guitarist Mike Abdow, who contributed some solos, plus PORCUPINE TREE/THE PINEAPPLE THIEF drummer Gavin Harrison, who plays on "When Snow Falls". "Under The Sun" sees the band incorporating a full string section for the first time.

"Long Day Good Night" track listing:

01. The Destination Onward

02. Shuttered World

03. Alone We Walk

04. Now Comes The Rain

05. The Way Home

06. Under The Sun

07. Scars

08. Begin Again

09. When Snow Falls

10. Liar

11. Glass Houses

12. The Longest Shadow Of The Day

13. The Last Song

After being forced to cancel its world tour and delay a highly anticipated album, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame band BON JOVI announced today that the LP, "2020", has officially been set for release on October 2, 2020 on Island Records. The band also released a new single, "Do What You Can", available everywhere now.

Originally set for release on May 15, "2020" was a completed album with a breadth and depth of songwriting, titled for a challenging and pivotal election year. Along with all of America, Jon Bon Jovi found himself unexpectedly experiencing a world-altering coronavirus pandemic, followed quickly by the staggering events of George Floyd's death and the ensuing national movement for racial equality. He knew there was even more to say about 2020. Writing from a home studio, two new songs were born: "American Reckoning" and "Do What You Can" encompass these events and made the album a complete body of work.

"I am a witness to history," said Jon Bon Jovi. "I believe the greatest gift of an artist is the ability to use their voice to speak to issues that move us."

Well known for his extensive philanthropic work, Jon spent the initial quarantine days and weeks helping feed those in need at his JBJ Soul Kitchen Community Restaurant in Red Bank, New Jersey. Calling himself the "hall-of-fame dishwasher" at the restaurant, Jon was captured by his wife Dorothea in a photo, which was later posted to social media with the caption "If You Can't Do What You Do… Do What You Can." The songwriter's mind immediately went into action and a complete song was created the next day. In the spirit of togetherness that embodied the early days of quarantine, instead of releasing the complete song, Jon asked fans to "write their verse" and tell their story. Jon sang the first verse and chorus and went on to receive thousands of fan-created verses, both heartbreaking and heartwarming, in a flood of responses across band socials with the #DoWhatYouCan hashtag.

"No band has stirred more empathy, articulated the feelings of uncertainty, and comforted fans with reassurance than the Jersey rockers in the first weeks of the outbreak," USA Today said of the storied band's impact during those historic weeks.

The final version of "Do What You Can", written by Jon Bon Jovi, was performed acoustically for the first time on the star-studded Jersey4Jersey benefit special, raising $6 million for the state which was hard hit during the pandemic. In the weeks that followed, the full band was able to record the song in the studio and add it to the forthcoming album.

"2020" track listing with songwriter credits:

01. Limitless (Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Falcon, John Shanks)

02. Do What You Can (Jon Bon Jovi)

03. American Reckoning (Jon Bon Jovi)

04. Beautiful Drug (Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Falcon, John Shanks)

05. Story Of Love (Jon Bon Jovi)

06. Let It Rain (Jon Bon Jovi)

07. Lower The Flag (Jon Bon Jovi)

08. Blood In The Water (Jon Bon Jovi)

09. Brothers In Arms (Jon Bon Jovi)

10. Unbroken (Jon Bon Jovi)

Sure, "2020" is filled with fist in the air anthems and ballads that have rocked stadiums for the last 35 years. However, "2020" bears witness to the events that are shaping the world today.

Jon Bon Jovi delves into socially conscious matters such as soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder ("Unbroken", featured in the documentary "To Be Of Service"), gun violence ("Lower The Flag"), our shared social experience ("Let It Rain", "Brothers In Arms") and the political climate ("Blood In The Water").

The album — which follows the band's 2016 No. 1 release, "This House is Not For Sale" — also finds the group coming out of the other side of a period of great change.

Once again co-produced by John Shanks and Jon Bon Jovi, the record features the entire touring band — keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, bassist Hugh McDonald, guitarist Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley, and guitarist John Shanks.

"I have a very clear vision of who and what the band is, and what this record was meant to be," said Bon Jovi.

The title, an allusion to the forthcoming presidential election year, features Jon on the album cover standing in front of the New York City courthouse in sunglasses, with an image of the American flag waving inside the frames. The imagery was inspired by a photograph of President John F. Kennedy, deep in thought before addressing a crowd.

"It's not a distinctly political record, but it's an election year so there is a wryness in the title 2020. This record had to encompass different themes, not just politics, but the state of our world today, life, love and loss," said Bon Jovi.

"2020" starts with a clear perspective, launching with the first explosive rock song "Beautiful Drug". Enveloped by crunchy guitars, Jon asks the listener to "hear my confession, it's a blessing/ it's a curse," but ultimately surmises, "love is a beautiful drug."

The band makes its mission statement extremely clear with the lead single, "Limitless", an upbeat anthem encouraging optimism in an uncertain world. The listener is implored to seize the day, as everyone is "trying to keep your head above water," and don't be afraid to go through that open door, because "life is limitless."

Jon pulls the listener closer for a real conversation with "Unbroken", written for the documentary "To Be Of Service". Jon sings of a soldier's journey through training, war and returning home with "dreams the devil shouldn't see", asking the eternal question "was it worth it to be of service in the end?" "It was a difficult song to write because I had never served and I wanted to honor those who served in a very honest way," Jon said. "I wanted to write something those men and women could be proud of. I was looking for a twist in the lyrics where the soldier who is an idealist, comes back and finds that once they hang up the uniform, the thing that they're so identified by is no longer what identifies them. These men and women come back and have to adjust to being a civilian. They are certainly never going to be the same. I wrote the song and at the very end, I was moved when the soldiers in the film said 'I'd do it again'."

"Luv Can" is a simple prayer, with Jon singing "I wish I could fill your empty/right that wrong/make it fair." While the song on the surface could be taken as romantic love, Jon explains the context as "more spiritual." There's a religious undercurrent here. It doesn't have to just be a relationship. It really can be your Creator." The song ends on a hopeful note, that "luv will let you live again."

That quiet reflection is shaken up with the next track, "Brothers In Arms", which opens with a swampy riff and lyrics of social relevance and a not-so-subtle reference to NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, with Jon singing "don't you step out of line/don't re-write or define/ what it means to see a man take a knee." The song came to Jon while in Alabama during football season, and the lyrics started pouring out. "where's my better days? where's my Jesus saves?" "We all have this shared social experience called America. Who is going to finally bring this nation, to a place where we can all be brothers and sisters? That's what I was thinking when I wrote the song."

"The Story Of Love" touches on the theme of parenthood, opening with the lines "Fathers love daughters like mother love sons." That touching lyric was inspired by Jon's own family. " I sat down to write a song for my children." The song takes a journey through the circle of life, where suddenly the child becomes the parents and the parents are getting older "I realized I was writing it about my entire family, my children, my wife and my parents. From Hello to Goodbye, that's the story of love.

With that beautiful family portrait in mind, Jon then forces the question: what if that family were ripped apart by senseless tragedy? That nightmarish scenario is at the heart of the haunting track "Lower The Flag". The song opens solemnly, "Word just came from Upstate Joe/Lower the flag again/this time it's Dayton, Southwest Ohio/ Last night El Paso, Texas, counted 22 dead." The lyrics then lament that the news cycle will move on before there is even time to grieve, while the narrator questions "what if it was your loved one lying in the ground?" The song simply features Jon on guitar and concludes with the narrator reciting the names of cities caught in the crossfire, including Las Vegas, Nevada, Sandy Hook Elementary, Orlando, Florida, and Columbine. I was thinking, what if it was my own family? Imagine the pain you would feel if it was your wife, your kids, your husband."

With that, Bon Jovi calls for a cleansing of the spirit with "Let It Rain", asking "who is going to stop the rain from falling down?" and reminding us that "wherever there is hurting/ there is healing on the way/like sunshine breaking through a cloudy day." The last verse — "somewhere there's a church bell/ that's summoning the choir/somewhere there's a dreamer who would walk 1,000 miles" is a throwback to the "Young Guns" era. "I hadn't written anything like that in a long time. I like it because of the social justice of it, and taking a stand and saying let's purge ourselves of all of the hurt and hate and division, but who's going to be the one to stop it? Who's going to be the ones that unify us? So, let it rain and let's let the sun shine through."

When those clouds dissipate and the stars come out, the band returns to the personal with "Shine", the penultimate track on the record. A classic BON JOVI love song, it sweetly states "nothing lights up my sky like watching you shine." "You can think of it as your significant other or a child that's grown up in front of you," Jon says of the song.

The album closer, "Blood In The Water", was written in 2018, highlighting the gravity of the lyric "I'm no cable news reporter/ they got nothing new to say/I'm the voice of the new order/ the star of Anarchy today. I'm the comments you keep reading/ at the bottom off the page/I'm real power/I'm a Patriot/I'm a Russian hack by trade."

Over an illustrious career spanning more than three decades since its formation in 1983, BON JOVI has earned their place among global rock royalty and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as well as the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. With over 130 million albums sold worldwide, and extensive catalog of hit anthems, thousands of concerts performed in more than 50 countries for more than 35 million fans, and ticket grosses well over $1 billion around the world in the last decade alone, BON JOVI is the consummate rock and roll band.

MORBID ANGEL will get the jigsaw puzzle treatment this fall.

"Altars Of Madness" will be made available on November 6, 2020 as a 500-piece puzzle.

Zee Productions will release the album cover as a jigsaw via its Rock Saws imprint. The iconic arts of some of rock's most influential and highly regarded albums is presented in puzzle form for the first time ever. All puzzles come in a vinyl-box-set-sized box, perfect to fit alongside a vinyl record collection.

Back in April 2019, Zee Productions launched its new range of rock and metal jigsaw puzzles, Rock Saws.

The first collection included jigsaws based on some of the greatest albums in heavy metal history from IRON MAIDEN, MOTÖRHEAD, JUDAS PRIEST and SLAYER.

Released in September 2019 were the first four classic METALLICA album covers as 500-piece jigsaws ("Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets" and "…And Justice For All") as well as four classic RUSH album covers ("Fly By Night", "A Farewell To Kings", "Permanent Waves" and "Moving Pictures").

For more information, go to this location.

Former MARILYN MANSON and current ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 will release "Live Invasion" next week.

Captured at different locations all over the USA during John's 2019 "Invasion" tour, the set includes — for the first time ever — the full JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES experience on DVD, bringing the fans closer than ever before. The performance also includes a guest appearance by Michael Anthony (VAN HALEN), Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR) and Fred Coury (CINDERELLA).

Pre-orders are available now for the CD/DVD set, 2LP colored vinyl and exclusive merch bundles at John5store.com.

"Live Invasion" will be released for full digital streaming on September 4, along with the full concert film also available for digital purchase in 4K ultra HD. The CD/DVD, LP and bundle will arrive in October.

All pre-orders will be hand-signed by John 5.

JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES' latest album, "Invasion", was released in July 2019. The disc was produced and mixed by Barry Pointer at Riot House Studio and is described in a press release as "a diverse progression of the sound that John 5 fans have grown to expect from the eclectic virtuoso."

Asked in a 2019 interview whether he planned on being a solo artist when he got his start in the music industry, John said: "I just wanted to be a musician. I just love playing guitar, and, I wanted to make instrumental albums but I never thought to tour because I really didn't think anybody would care. But people are coming out in droves. It's incredible and I'm so lucky and I'm so thankful for that. People are just coming out and they're having such a great time. There's a big show, like, we do a bunch of stuff and people really enjoy it. To answer your question, I'm not really sure. I just love playing guitar. [Laughs] I just love playing guitar and I'm so thankful for what I do. It's hard to explain; it's so from the heart and honest, again. I'm so happy to be doing what I'm doing."

John 5 has worked with a varied range of artists, performing as guitarist for some of the biggest headlining rock bands in the world such as ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON, as well as playing session with Paul Stanley, Rod Stewart, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and more. Slash has called John 5 "one of the most mind-blowing guitarists around," and Rob Zombie has dubbed him "a fucking shredder." John 5 has released nine solo albums to date, as well as a remix album, and has written music for the likes of Avril Lavigne, GARBAGE, Ricky Martin and others.


























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I am super excited about 'Live Invasion’!! Captured at different locations all over the USA during John’s 2019 Invasion tour. Included in this release and for the first time ever is the full John 5 and Creatures live experience on DVD bringing the fans closer than ever before. The performance also includes a guest appearance by Michael Anthony, Corey Taylor and Fred Coury Pre Orders now CD/DVD Set, 2LP Colored Vinyl and an exclusive merch bundles at John5store.com Live Invasion will be released for full digital streaming on September 4th along with the Full concert film also available for digital purchase in 4K ULTRA HD - john5store.com The CD/DVD, LP and Bundle will arrive in October - All Pre Orders will be hand signed by John 5! #john5 #john5official #liveinvasion

A post shared by john5official (@john5official) on Aug 29, 2020 at 11:09am PDT

ICED EARTH founder, songwriter, guitarist and producer Jon Schaffer and former ICED EARTH vocalist Matt Barlow have recruited former KAMELOT and current QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Casey Grillo to lay down the drums on their forthcoming "Winter Nights" EP. According to Barlow, Grillo "just slayed it, man — just absolutely slayed it."

"Winter Nights" was born out of a long-standing desire between Schaffer and Barlow to work together again. The idea to work on holiday songs was interesting to both guys. The EP features their unique spin on five Christmas classics, including "Silent Night" and "Little Drummer Boy", as well as new interpretations of two ICED EARTH songs, "Watching Over Me" and "I Died For You".

"Winter Nights" is available in numerous configurations on Kickstarter and every CD purchase comes with a second bonus 5.1 Surround Sound mix of the EP. The artwork was created by Sun Khamunaki. The SCHAFFER/BARLOW PROJECT plan to release all versions of the EP in time for the holiday season barring any delays due to recent global events. Regardless of the global situation, backers of the campaign will receive their album in 24-bit digital audio as a download on November 15.

Schaffer and Barlow's first collaborative recording since 2008 will feature the following songs:

01. We Three Kings

02. Silent Night

03. Do You Hear What I Hear?

04. Little Drummer Boy

05. I Died For You (Winter 2020)

06. Watching Over Me (Winter 2020)

07. Silent Night (Traditional)

In a video message announcing the project, Barlow said: "This is something that Jon and I had been talking about for many years. It just so happens that it's the right time. These are some Christmas classics that we've decided to do, and also add some reimaginings of some ICED EARTH songs in there with it. So it's really gonna be pretty damn cool, man."

Schaffer added: "The idea, for whatever reason, popped in my head, and I called Matt. And I was in the middle of another production, so we had this short window of time; we couldn't bring you, really, a full-length album at this moment. But if you guys are into the idea, we definitely would like to do more of this in the future. There's other classic songs that we can rework from our past and from holiday songs and new originals and whatever. So, basically, everything's on the table; we just wanna see if you guys are into where we're going with this. And as weird as this year has been, hopefully it will give you guys some hope. So it's gonna be really awesome.

"We're taking some classic big holiday songs and doing our thing with it — making it very theatrical and epic sounding, and heavy in some parts and spooky in others, beautiful," he continued. "We have two versions of 'Silent Night' — one more traditional and one very much something we would do, kind of what you would expect from us."

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.

Current ICED EARTH singer Stu Block (formerly of INTO ETERNITY) made his live debut with the band in November 2011.

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




A big thank you from Matt to you guys!!!! Plus some news about the drummer!!!!

Posted by Iced Earth on Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Alternative rock band CANDLEBOX has released a brand new song titled "Let Me Down Easy" via Pavement Entertainment. This is the first glimpse of new material since CANDLEBOX's 2016 critically acclaimed album "Disappearing In Airports", which delivered the chart-topping single, "Vexatious", and found the band touring for over two years in support of the release.

Lead singer Kevin Martin reflects on the message of the song, saying: "We're all sinners. Ain't a saint amongst us, and you can only hope that when your time comes it's not a struggle, that maybe you might be lucky enough to be forgiven for your sins and allowed into the gates of heaven because you are aware — that is… if that's what you believe in."

The track was written by Peter Cornell — brother of the late SOUNDGARDEN and AUDIOSLAVE singer/songwriter Chris Cornell — and CANDLEBOX frontman Kevin Martin as a special collaboration between the two.

"Peter Cornell and I had been chatting about doing something together and he sent me the song," Kevin says. "I really loved writing this one with Peter. He's incredibly talented and has an innate ability to produce something that is easy to sing to… I really loved this process with him. I think it's an amazing song. We put it together as a full band in pre-production pretty quickly because it was so well-structured, which in turn allowed/inspired me to write the lyrics."

"Let Me Down Easy" will be featured on CANDLEBOX's recently completed new full-length (and currently untitled) album.

"The band's priority right now is the health and safety of our families, friends and fans throughout the world," Kevin says, "so we are postponing the release of the new album until 2021 when the band can tour to support it."

"Let Me Down Easy" is available for streaming and download on all digital outlets here.

Despite the fact that it's been nearly three years since he announced his latest farewell tour — dubbed "No More Tours 2" — Ozzy Osbourne continues to insist that he is not calling it quits.

The legendary heavy metal singer tells U.K.'s Mirror: "You know the time when I will retire? When I can hear them nail a lid on my box. And then I'll fucking do an encore. I'm the Prince Of Darkness."

He adds: "When you feel that audience jumping, it's a better feeling than orgasm. It is the best love affair of my life.

"The party is on, man. I feel honored people still want to see me."

"No More Tours 2" is a reference to Ozzy's 1992 "No More Tours" trek, which marked the first time the singer announced the end of his days as a touring artist. The tour name was a pun based on the title of his then-most recent solo album, "No More Tears". Ozzy returned to action three years later.

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 frontman 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."

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.

Metal Hammer is reporting that a species of venomous snake has been named after Metallica frontman James Hetfield.

Atheris hetfieldi was discovered by a team of metal-loving scientists led by Dr Luis Ceriaco. The species of African Bush Viper, which grows up to 52cm in length, lives at the base of a volcano on Bioko island in Equatorial Guinea and is characterised by “a triangular-shaped head and strongly-keeled scales, which gives them a dragon-like appearance, which certainly is consonant with the image of a singer of a Heavy Metal band.”

Ceriaco spoke with Metal Hammer about the snake and their reason for naming after Hetfield. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Why did you name the snake after James Hetfield?

Ceriaco: "Both me and Mariana Marques, the second author of the paper, are big fans of Metallica and James Hetfield since a very young age. We wanted to honor him, as a thank you for all the good vibes his music has transmitted to us during all of our personal lives and careers. Also, we think that a mysterious venomous and cool looking snake, who lives in the base of a volcano lost in the middle of the tropical forest is very relatable to heavy metal! On another hand, naming a new species after someone as James brings more attention to the much needed biodiversity studies and field surveys. We are in race against the extinction of a large proportion of the world's biodiversity, and many species may go extinct before we even know they exist!"

Read more here.

Artwork by Arthur C. Wandeur

Photo by Luis Ceríaco




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Paul Bostaph has confimed that he is involved in a brand new project headed up by his SLAYER bandmate Kerry King. The duo has spent the last few months working on music with the hopes of recording it properly once the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.

The drummer opened up about his latest collaboration with King in a brand new interview with Australia's Riff Crew.

Asked to describe the musical direction of the music he has been working on with the founding SLAYER guitarist, Bostaph said (see video below): "I guess the best way to put it is Kerry writes what he writes. Is this gonna be a rock and roll record? No. Is it gonna be what you want it to be? Yes. Is it gonna be what you expect it to be? Yes. It's not gonna be some rehashed stuff… It's gonna sound like SLAYER without it being SLAYER — but not intentionally so. I mean, Kerry's been writing songs in SLAYER his entire career, and he has a style. And that style, as a songwriter, you just don't change your style because your band is done. But that's what you love to write.

"Are things gonna maybe morph over time? Yeah. I would imagine so," he continued. "I don't think the first song Kerry wrote as a kid is the same as the last song he wrote for [SLAYER's final album, 2015's] 'Repentless'. Songwriters do change over time based on their influences and how they feel at the time.

"Kerry's on fire right now. So, all I can say is if you like heavy music and you like SLAYER, you'll like this. Is it gonna be SLAYER? It's not gonna be SLAYER — SLAYER is done; they retired…

"The thing about it is that we don't wanna sound like 'Baby SLAYER,' you know what I mean?" he added. "There is SLAYER. But it's gonna be good — it's gonna be really good. I've been listening to the music and I just cannot wait to get into the room and start jamming with Kerry.

"Part of it for me is that I don't have to… And this is not an insult; it's definitely a compliment… I don't have to drum under the show of [original SLAYER drummer] Dave's [Lombardo] drumming badassery. That's a good thing to do, but I might be able to stretch out a little bit and do some things that I like to do and still make it fit within the framework of what we're doing. I'm looking forward to trying some things that I've wanted to try within SLAYER but couldn't, just because I didn't have it developed well enough. And we'll see if I can make some of that stick in some of the new music."

Asked if his songwriting approach with King has changed compared to how it was within the confines of SLAYER, Bostaph said: "Right now, the formula's gonna be the same. I know how Kerry writes.

"When I first joined SLAYER, before we did [1994's] 'Divine Intervention', Kerry and I were roommates, and we barely knew each other," he explained. "And we spent a lot of time together, on a friendship level and jamming musically. I know what he wants out of a song, and we have that formula, and it's a good formula that works, and we're not gonna change it. If it's not broke, don't fix it. You know what I mean?"

Earlier in the week, Kerry told Dean Guitars that he had plenty of musical ideas for his upcoming project. "I've been very, very lucky with riffs in 2020," he said. "Maybe because I can't go anywhere — I don't know — but riffs have certainly not been a problem. And looking forward into the future, what that means for me is I'm gonna be able to cherrypick the best stuff. And it's good stuff. I've got more than two records' worth of music, but to be able to go through that and cherrypick the best 11 or 12 [songs]… That first record should be smoking."

According to Kerry, who recently partnered with Dean Guitars as a signature artist, most of the songwriting for his next project so far has been a solitary effort.

"Right now, I'm the only lyricist, because I'm the only one writing music, because I'm not positive who everybody is that's gonna be playing with me," he said. "So it's all on me at the moment. So, actually, I've actually gotta cherrypick those songs, pick my 10 or 12 favorites and actually start trying to put lyrics on them, just to move the process forward."

SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour last November at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, Kerry's wife, Ayesha King, said that there is "not a chance in hell" that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances.

When SLAYER first announced that it was embarking on its final tour back in January 2018, Ayesha assured fans that they would "always get music" from her husband.

King has said in previous interviews that his post-SLAYER musical efforts would not be much different from the sound fans have grown accustomed to hearing from him.

"If someone quit, I'm not going to go around with a made-up SLAYER," he told AZCentral.com back in 2010. "But my next band would sound like SLAYER, that's all I know."

Riff Crew is a new media outlet servicing music lovers across the globe. It was launched by Australian metal radio veteran and ex-Triple J radio host Andrew Haug, along with videographer Steven Mitchell. The outlet will feature in-depth interviews, commentary and exclusive live multi-cam footage of some of the finest metal, punk, hardcore and rock bands in the world.

Kerry King's wife says that there will never be a SLAYER reunion.

Ayesha King shot down the possibility of her husband and Tom Araya sharing the stage ever again under the SLAYER banner while responding to a fan on Instagram.

After Ayesha shared three photos of Kerry holding their cat in slideshow-type Instagram post, a fan wrote: "No Tom, No SLAYER Kerry. Stop thinking SLAYER without @tomarayaofficial". Ayesha then replied: "don't worry, they'll never be SLAYER again! You can rest easy".

Earlier this week, SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph confimed that he is involved in a brand new project headed up by Kerry King. The duo has spent the last few months working on music with the hopes of recording it properly once the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.

Bostaph told Australia's Riff Crew that the new band will "sound like SLAYER without it being SLAYER — but not intentionally so. I mean, Kerry's been writing songs in SLAYER his entire career, and he has a style," he explained. "And that style, as a songwriter, you just don't change your style because your band is done… So, all I can say is if you like heavy music and you like SLAYER, you'll like this."

Just a few days earlier, Kerry told Dean Guitars that he had plenty of musical ideas for his upcoming project. "I've been very, very lucky with riffs in 2020," he said. "Maybe because I can't go anywhere — I don't know — but riffs have certainly not been a problem. And looking forward into the future, what that means for me is I'm gonna be able to cherrypick the best stuff. And it's good stuff. I've got more than two records' worth of music, but to be able to go through that and cherrypick the best 11 or 12 [songs]… That first record should be smoking."

SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour last November at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, Ayesha King said that there is "not a chance in hell" that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances.

When SLAYER first announced that it was embarking on its final tour back in January 2018, Ayesha assured fans that they would "always get music" from her husband.

King has said in previous interviews that his post-SLAYER musical efforts would not be much different from the sound fans have grown accustomed to hearing from him.

"If someone quit, I'm not going to go around with a made-up SLAYER," he told AZCentral.com back in 2010. "But my next band would sound like SLAYER, that's all I know."


























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I swear when @beezle_is_evil hugs Kerry, she looks a me as if to say “I got your man hahaha!” ? Swipe??

A post shared by Ayesha King (@slaywhore) on Aug 28, 2020 at 11:10am PDT

German extreme metal band, Scorged, have released a music video for the new single "Black Crowned Enemy", the track is taken from their self-titled debut album, which will be released on September 25th, 2020 via El Puerto Records.

The video, in which singer Denis Horbach took over the reins from the start, shows impressively what can be expected from the upcoming album.

With ten songs and a total playing time of 44:53 minutes, they “ruffle and punch” ears, which are definitely used to harder things. It is to be hoped that the band will soon be able to show this live again.

Towards the end of the year 2016, the five-member formation rises out of pure animosity. Their music is based on a mixture of extreme metal subgenres and stands out with its bone-shaking aggressiveness and high-speed riffing combined with catchy groove parts. Every song has its own identity and great recognition value – not least because of the very intense and demonic vocals, a drilling guitar sound in addition to striking rhythms and ruthless drum fills. The lyrics deal with very personal experiences, social criticism as well as personal strength and they are performed with a great deal of authenticity and showmanship. It will be exciting to see where the journey is heading.

After 24 months of hard song writing, studio drudgery and a few concerts, an album is created which brings ten massive brutal songs and it is more than ready for the crowd. At the beginning of 2020 Scorged enter the port of the renowned record label El Puerto Records and look forward to future collaboration with the entire team.

Tracklisting:

“Vengeance”
“Black Crowned Enemy”
“Wasted”
“Hell Glows Hot”
“Surveillance”
“Oppressor”
“Malignant Psychosis”
“Deep Contempt”
“Integrity”
“Materialism” 

"Black Crowned Enemy":




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