Finnish cello rockers APOCALYPTICA have collaborated with HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale on their new single, "Talk To Me". The track will be released digitally on Friday, August 21.

APOCALYPTICA's latest studio album, "Cell-0", came out in January. The effort was the band's first fully instrumental record in 17 years.

2015's "Shadowmaker" was APOCALYPTICA's first album to feature just one singer — former SCARS ON BROADWAY guitarist Franky Perez — instead of guest collaborators. The disc was recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, DEFTONES, MASTODON).

Prior to enlisting Perez, APOCALYPTICA released eight albums that melded the classically trained cello mastery of the three core bandmembers with the harder elements of the rock world, including drums and guest vocalists, such as Gavin Rossdale from BUSH, and Corey Taylor of SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR fame.

Back in 2018, APOCALYPTICA's Eicca Toppinen stated about the band's decision to make an all-instrumental album at this point in the group's career: "On the previous ones, we always combined the instrumental songs with the vocal songs, and it was great to have the featuring artists, it was great to work with Frank Perez for the 'Shadowmaker' album. But then, on the other hand, it became a bigger interest for us, like, okay, it would be interesting to make a full instrumental album, so there's no compromise with anything."




Do you want to know who will be featured on our new single "Talk To Me"? It is the amazing Lzzy Hale of Halestorm⚡ You can now pre-save the song here: https://t.co/CIiaSK1BFb pic.twitter.com/redQRrG56u

— Apocalyptica (@apocalypticafi) August 17, 2020

In the shadow of the coronavirus and a lull in touring, a supergroup of top musicians assembled to record new music that reflects the angst, isolation, and explosive energy of these strange times. The project is called BAD PENNY, and it features former JOURNEY lead singer Steve Augeri, current QUEENSRŸCHE frontman Todd La Torre, QUEEN's former bassist (and BLUE ÖYSTER CULT member) Danny Miranda, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT drummer Jules Radino, and guitarist/project mastermind Mike Holtzman.

BAD PENNY's first track, the heavy rocker "Voices In My Head", sung by La Torre, captures the mood of the country. "The country is kind of going nuts," Holtzman laughs. "We are social people, trapped indoors. We face uncertainty about the future. This song reflects that anxiety and the bottled energy we are all feeling."

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's legendary rhythm section of Miranda and Radino bring the groove, and of course, more cowbell.

New York metro rock radio station 102.3 WBAB is hosting a Facebook Live listening event for the debut of "Voices In My Head" on August 24 at 8 p.m. EST. Check it out, along with an interview with the band, on BAD PENNY's Facebook page.

A follow-up song, a ballad called "Lose Myself", sung by Augeri, drops September 1, along with a video shot by Foad Farid (Lady Gaga's "Marry The Night").

IRON MAIDEN's Adrian Smith has commented on the passing of producer Martin Birch, expressing his shock and calling it "very sad."

The guitarist, who worked with Birch for almost a decade during his initial tenure in IRON MAIDEN in the 1980s, made the comments while speaking to Eonmusic about his book "Monsters Of River & Rock", which is due on September 3 via Virgin Books.

Birch, who passed away on August 9, was perhaps best known for his 11-year stint with MAIDEN, serving as the producer and engineer of such classic albums as "Killers", "The Number Of The Beast", "Piece Of Mind" and "Somewhere In Time".

Adrian said: "Well, firstly, it was very sad when he passed away. I was shocked, really, I mean, he was quite young still. He was only 71."

The guitarist went on to recall his first encounter with Martin, with whom he first worked with during the 1981 "Killers" session. He said: "Martin obviously did a lot of great bands; before us, he did [DEEP] PURPLE and [BLACK] SABBATH. He was great, but he was a bit intimidating at first, because he had this big reputation."

Adrian continued: "I'd never been in the studio to do a proper album before. I mean, I could hardly eat in the week leading up to going in the studio. But he had an air of authority about him because of his reputation."

Smith also discussed Birch's martial arts prowess, which, he said, the producer would demonstrate at the most inopportune moments. "He also — as he reminded us on many occasions — he was a karate black belt, and there's a few stories about that in the book. If he had a few drinks after a [recording] session, he'd start doing his karate routine and practicing his kicks and his chops in the studio. You'd see all the roadies scurrying around, moving the guitars out of the way in case he kicked the headstock off a vintage Les Paul or something."

Eonmusic's interview with Smith, where he chats about "Monsters Of River & Rock", songwriting, studio sessions, "Somewhere In Time", A.S.A.P. and more, will be available from Tuesday, August 18.

The day after Birch's death, MAIDEN bassist and founder Steve Harris said about the producer: "He was just absolutely brilliant. He wasn't just a producer, he was a hands-on engineer too, so he knew how to get a great sound. He was also fantastic at motivating people; he just had a knack of getting the best out of you. He was also a really nice man, great fun with a terrific sense of humor and that made him easy to work with. We all got along with him really well and the whole band is very saddened by today's news."

Added singer Bruce Dickinson: "To me, Martin was a mentor who completely transformed my singing: he was a psychotherapist and, in his own words, a juggler who could mirror exactly what a band was. That was his special talent as a producer. He was not a puppeteer, he did not manipulate the sound of the band, he just reflected it in the best possible way. Apart from all of that, he was a wonderful, warm and funny human being.

"Martin and I shared a passion for martial arts — he for karate and me for fencing which gave us another bond too.

"I'm so very sad to hear this news. It's incredible that he has passed away at such a young age for a man who was so full of life."

MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood said: "He was a fantastic guy who always shared a mutual respect with the band. He never, ever, let us down in the studio. He was a true gentleman and he will be hugely missed by everyone in the MAIDEN family."

IRON MAIDEN albums produced by Martin Birch:

1981 - Killers

1982 - The Number Of The Beast

1983 - Piece Of Mind

1984 - Powerslave

1985 - Live After Death

1986 - Somewhere In Time

1988 - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

1990 - No Prayer For The Dying

1992 - Fear Of The Dark

1994 - Maiden England '88

Birch, who began his career in the late 1960s as an engineer, also worked on recordings for DEEP PURPLE ("In Rock", "Machine Head"), RAINBOW ("Rising", "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll"), WHITESNAKE ("Saints & Sinners") and BLACK SABBATH ("Heaven And Hell", "Mob Rules"). He retired in 1992.

Speaking with Classic Rock about "The Number Of The Beast", Birch said: "I had the same feeling on 'The Number Of The Beast' as when we did DEEP PURPLE's 'Machine Head'. It was the same kind of atmosphere, the same kind of feeling, like, something really good is happening here.

"I remember we spent ages getting the vocal intro to the title track right. We did it over and over and over until Bruce Dickinson said, 'My head is splitting. Can't we move on and do something else and come back to this?' But I wouldn't let him do anything else until he'd got it perfect. It drove him crazy."

On March 14, 2020, MANOWAR played its long-awaited first-ever concert in Mexico, headlining the Hell & Heaven Metal Fest in Mexico City. This historic event was recorded in highest definition, with over 15 8K and 4K cameras, a drone and immersive audio setup. The resulting footage will soon be released on Blu-ray, DVD and digital platforms under the title "The Final Battle". The first trailer for the set is available below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Manowar

02. Brothers Of Metal Pt. 1

03. Blood Of My Enemies

04. Call To Arms

05. Hand Of Doom

06. Sons Of Odin

07. Swords In The Wind

08. Bass Solo

09. Battle Hymn

10. Thor (The Powerhead)

11. Kings Of Metal

12. Fighting The World

13. Hail And Kill

14. House Of Death

15. King Of Kings

Encore:

16. Joey's Speech

17. Warriors Of The World

18. Black Wind, Fire And Steel

MANOWAR released a new EP, "The Final Battle I", in March 2019. Parts II and III of the trilogy will arrive at a later date, inspired by MANOWAR's adventures on the remainder of "The Final Battle".

Last year, MANOWAR recruited Anders Johansson as the band's new drummer.

The Swedish musician made his live debut with MANOWAR in March 2019 in Brno, Czech Republic.

Johansson can be heard on "The Final Battle I", which was initially made available in an exclusive pre-sale at the merchandise booth of the band's "The Final Battle" world tour.

Former MANOWAR guitarist Karl Logan was arrested in August 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina and charged with six counts of third-degree exploitation of a minor. He was jailed after pleading guilty to two child-pornography counts.

A few days after Karl's arrest was made public, MANOWAR issued a statement saying that he would no longer perform with the group. He has since been replaced by E.V. Martel, who previously played in a MANOWAR tribute band.

Thrash metal legends SLAYER have once again partnered with designer toy and apparel company Super7 to create the "Live Undead" three-pack set. Inspired by the band's 1984 "live" EP, it features the undead band members as 3.75-inch ReAction figures with the bleeding headstone right out of the record's cover art. The set comes with two guitar accessories packaged in a graveyard window box.

The "Live Undead" three-pack will be made available this Wednesday, August 19.

Super7 is the premier pop-culture design house and producer of lifestyle-oriented collectibles, toys and apparel based in San Francisco. Led by designer Brian Flynn, Super7 has harnessed the graphics, aesthetics and energy of his youthful obsession with science fiction, giant monsters, comic books, punk rock, skateboarding, robots and rebellion to build a unique and innovative business that crosses all categories and is not bound by traditional manufacturing boundaries. Besides its own branded products, Super7 has also designed, manufactured, and distributed officially licensed programs for "Star Wars", "Masters Of The Universe", the original "Alien" and "Planet Of The Apes" movies, as well as for music legends IRON MAIDEN, MISFITS and KING DIAMOND.

When the SLAYER "Show No Mercy" ReAction figure was first released in February 2019, Flynn described his personal connection to the band, saying: "Growing up in the '80s, punk rock, skateboarding and metal were heavily intertwined. I learned about SLAYER first from their ads and reviews in Thrasher magazine. Needless to say, as teenage kids we were hooked on all things extreme, and SLAYER took it to the next level. Still to this day, SLAYER is on heavy rotation both personally and at the office, and 14-year old me could not be happier than to make a figure out of the artwork I drew onto folders, notebook covers, and blue lined paper for years."
























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Emerging this Wednesday (8/19): SLAAAYEER! The collaboration of Super7 with heavy metal legends @slayerbandofficial continues with the Live Undead 3-Pack! Inspired by the band's 1984 "live" EP it features the undead band members as 3.75" ReAction Figures with the bleeding headstone right out of the record's cover art. The set comes with 2 guitar accessories packaged in a graveyard window box. #slaaayeer #slayerband #slayer #liveundead #reactionfigures #super7

A post shared by Super7 (@super7) on Aug 17, 2020 at 6:49am PDT

Canadian singer, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend will release "Order Of Magnitude - Empath Live Volume 1" on October 23, a document of his winter 2019 European tour that saw him taking on possibly his most ambitious live show to date.

Recorded in December 2019 in London, U.K. on the penultimate night of the tour in support of his latest album "Empath", this run of shows saw Devin joined by an incredible lineup of musicians. The band was made up of guitarists Mike Kenneally (ex-FRANK ZAPPA) and Markus Reuter (STICK MEN, THE CRIMSON PROJECT), drummer Morgen Agren (KAIPA, MATS & MORGAN, FRANK ZAPPA), bassist Nathan Navarro, HAKEN keyboard player Diego Tejeida, and guitarist/vocalist Ché Aimee Dorval, as well as vocalists Samantha and Anne Preis and Arabella Packford.

Devin's plan for the "Empath" touring cycle was to divide it up into three "Volumes," and this was Volume 1. The idea behind the shows was a simple one: none of the backing tapes or click tracks that had long been necessary to bring the kaleidoscopic cacophony in his head and on his records to life in the flesh. This would just be Townsend and a band of genius-level musicians getting up there and trying to keep it from spinning off into outer space. Or maybe just letting it spin off into outer space for the sheer hell of it.

"The whole objective was that I wanted to make that statement: This is by the seat our pants," he says. "Because it's important to me to represent this hyper anal-retentive music that I've made over the years, but in a human way. Rather than it just being, 'Well, here it is, perfectly done.'

"I was overwhelmed by the fact that all these brilliant people that I have so much respect for were willing to come together and play this weird shit with me," says Devin. "I had these unique players and this interesting instrumentation that allowed us to interpret the music in different ways. It was clear to me that I could just have fun and be me and know that they would be effortlessly be able to follow that."

That sense of fun and freedom was evident to anyone who was there on the night. Visually, it was an assault on the senses in the best possible way. A digital screen projected vivid images throughout the show. A giant gleaming mirrorball hung from the ceiling. There were multiple costume changes and a tiki bar onstage (a tiki bar!).

"Order Of Magnitude - Empath Live Volume 1" will be released as a limited deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray+DVD artbook (including expanded artwork and photos), limited 2CD+DVD digipak, standalone Blu-ray, gatefold 3LP+2CD vinyl box-set and as a digital Album. The Blu-ray disc includes a bonus behind-the-scenes documentary, and both DVD and Blu-ray feature a 5.1 Surround Sound mix.

The track listing is as follows:

01. Borderlands

02. Evermore

03. War

04. Sprite

05. Gigpig Jam

06. Coast

07. Gato

08. Heavens End

09. Ain't Never Gonna Win

10. Deadhead

11. Why?

12. Lucky Animals

13. Castaway/Genesis

14. Spirits Will Collide

15. Disco Inferno

16. Kingdom

Look out for the first clip and pre-order start on August 28.

In June, "Empath – The Ultimate Edition" was released, the definitive version of Devin's latest studio album. It features a glorious 5.1 Surround Sound mix with accompanying visuals, plus a host of bonus material including mixing lesson, documentary, as well as a live set filmed during his April 2019 acoustic tour.

Last month, Townsend announced a new virtual event dubbed "Empath Volume 2: By Request". Set to take place on September 5, it will see him run through the set he was due to perform at this year's edition of United Kingdom's Bloodstock Open Air festival. Townsend will be joined by drummer Samus Paulicelli, guitarist Wes Hauch and bassist Liam Wilson.

On Saturday, August 15, Morrison Hotel Gallery and its partners presented (De)Tour, a daylong charity music festival featuring an all-star lineup of artists working in association with MusiCares, National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), and Spotify in support of fellow artists, crew members, and independent venues and promoters.

(De)Tour brought together the brightest stars of the music world in order to combat widespread tour cancelations and continued financial uncertainty faced by thousands of music industry professionals.

The video below contains performances of two songs: a rendition of THE BEATLES classic "Come Together" featuring Lzzy Hale, Linda Perry, Slash, Gilby Clarke, Mike Garson, Rob "Blasko" Nicholson and Matt Sorum; and a version of AC/DC's "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)", as performed by Lzzy Hale, Robin Zander, Gilby Clarke, Rob "Blasko" Nicholson and Matt Sorum.

With (De)Tour, Morrison Hotel Gallery took the new normal to the next level, offering patrons all-day, unlimited access to YouTube Live streamed performances of festival headliners. Stars delivered intimate performances from their own homes, as well as stunning shows from the otherwise vacant stages of legendary music venues throughout the nation, including New York City's Bowery Electric, West Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go, The Roxy Theatre, and the Viper Room — with numerous surprise stops and celebrity guests along the way. (De)Tour was hosted by Spotify global head of rock Allison Hagendorf and famed MTV/VH1 personality Matt Pinfield.

An all-access experience tailored for music fans, (De)Tour was created to honor and assist music’s unsung heroes. With no cost for admission and donations accepted in real time via YouTube Live and Facebook Live, Spotify matched donations to MusiCares dollar-for-dollar up to a collective total of $10 million through its COVID-19 Music Relief project, with all proceeds being split between MusiCares and NIVA. Spotify also created a special (De)Tour playlist featuring songs from the performers.

The Recording Academy and its affiliated charitable foundation MusiCares established the COVID-19 Relief Fund to help their peers in the music community affected by the coronavirus pandemic. While The Recording Academy is best known for the Grammy Awards telecast, it serves the music community year-round by providing emergency aid through MusiCares, as well as performing advocacy work to protect musicians’ rights.

Formed in the days following the shutdown, NIVA works to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent live music venues and promoters throughout the United States. Independent venues exist in every state across the country. They were the first to close, have zero revenue, enormous overhead, and there’s no view into when they can reopen. When surveyed, 90% of NIVA members reported that if the shutdown lasts six months or longer and there’s no federal assistance, they will be forced to shutter forever. To enable their 2,500 members' survival, NIVA is advocating for the passage of the bipartisan Save Our Stages Act and RESTART Act. People can contact their elected representatives through SaveOurStages.com to ask them to support these bills.

(De)Tour was made possible by a long lineup of festival sponsors and partners, including Rolling Live Studios, MusiCares, Sports Illustrated, Volcom, Roland Corporation, Jack Daniels, YouTube, Spotify and the Condé Nast Collection.

Morrison Hotel Gallery is the world's leading brand in fine art music photography representing over 125 of the world's finest music photographers and their archives. Their vast catalog of photography encompasses jazz, blues, and rock imagery spanning several generations through to today's contemporary music artists and now includes iconic photographs in the world of celebrity and sports as well. MHG has a robust online presence, featuring over 100,000 images searchable by photographer, music artist, band or concert.

Finnish folk metal legends Korpiklaani and filmmaker Kimmo Kuusniemi made an extended and hectic tour of Russia in 2016, traveling from St. Petersburg to Siberia and back. His unseen documentary is now available online.

Kimmo: "I did not need to think twice when Jonne (vocalist) asked me if I would like to make a documentary about the Korpiklaani’s extensive Russia/Siberia tour. I knew instantly this would be a one of kind trip. I have travelled the world extensively making films but this journey was completely different from anything else I have experienced. Due to the relentless schedules, all the time on the road on planes, trains and automobiles forced me to re-think the film equipment and filming techniques. This turned out to be great gamble that paid off royally as the look and style to the documentary ended up like something you never seen before."

Tuomas Rounakari (violinist): "During the live shows Kimmo blended in with the crowd and was almost un-noticable with his gimbal camera setup. He was able to really deliver the real live show feeling of the packed clubs. When I look at these documentaries they really have captured the essence of the journeys, audiences and the band on stage."

Kimmo: "The latest development in camera technology has really taken away a lot the limitations of film making. Now I can do things I was dreaming about 10 years ago!"

Tuomas: "The Russian tour allowed me to visit exceptional places for the first time. I had dreamt of visiting Lake Baikal for decades because of its unique nature and strong shamanism that is still alive among the indigenous peoples. While I was dreaming of seeing these places, our fans had been dreaming of seeing us live. So this tour was full of win-win situations, different dreams coming true. I am very grateful for our fans, who at the end, made this trip possible."

Kuusniemi, himself of heavy metal fame and known as "The Godfather of Finnish Heavy Metal, is a filmmaker by trade. Packing his equipment he set out with Korpiklaani – on an amazing road trip all over Russia. The result was unforeseen footage of Russian heavy metal fandom and the wonders of this huge country of diverse cultures.

Tuomas: "In Khabarovsk, we (me and Kimmo) wanted to visit the Amur river and the Nanai tribe people. I posted this wish on Facebook and that's how one of our fans, Boris, contacted us and arranged everything. It would have been very difficult to do this without local help."

Kimmo: "Meeting the Nanai people was one of the many highlights of the journey through Siberia. Travelling through Siberian landscapes on a skidoo in -30 C, hearing the stories about the ancient petroglyphs by the frozen Amur river, eating frozen raw fish with vodka and trying at the same time to film as much as possible before the cameras froze over was an unforgettable experience."

The documentary is available as a Video On Demand stream here. Check out the Made In Russia homepage here.

 




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For this week's #MetallicaMondays (August 17th), Metallica streamed their full concert from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NY on September 14, 2011.  The cover of Motörhead's "Overkill" featured members of Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax including Kerry King, Dave Lombardo, Gary 
Holt, David Ellefson, Chris Broderick, Shawn Drover, Scott Ian, Rob, Caggiano, Frank Bello, Charlie Benante, and Joey Belladonna. The clip features an intro by drummer Lars Ulrich.

The setlist was as follows:

"Creeping Death"
"For Whom the Bell Tolls"
"Fuel"
"Ride the Lightning"
"Fade to Black"
"Cyanide"
"All Nightmare Long"
"Sad but True"
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
"Orion"
"One"
"Master of Puppets"
"Blackened"
"Nothing Else Matters"
"Enter Sandman"

Encore:
"Overkill" (Motörhead cover) 
"Battery"
"Seek & Destroy"




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Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz has checked in with the following update:

"I’m so incredibly proud to share the project that has kept me bubbling with ideas and not sleeping for the past couple weeks - 'Lizzie'! Now, on both Charlotte Wessels and my own Patreon pages, we shared the music video for our song 'Lizzie', which is actually a three-way, all-woman collaboration with the deceased artist, Elizabeth Siddal.

Doing this kind of thing on top of our main bands is an incredible amount of work, but so rewarding! It is made possible by the support of our patrons (my Beastlings!). So - in return, the members of my Fan Club and Charlotte’s page get all sorts of perks and today they get the whole song, the whole music video and even isolated stems so they can remix the song or sing and play along with us.
 
Thank you, Charlotte, for this amazing experience!!

Please feel free to head over to Patreon.com/AlissaWhiteGluz and  Patreon.com/CharlotteWessels to check out more, we would love to have you. Enjoy!"




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Japanese drum prodigy Yoyoka, who has become a YouTube sensation and has attracted the attention of KISS icon Gene Simmons and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl. She has posted a brand new cover of the Rush classic "YYZ" with the following message:

"My name is Yoyoka, I'm a 10 year old drummer from Japan. I have a lot of respect for Neil Peart. I am sorry he has gone to heaven, but I would like to dedicate a cover of this wonderful song to him. R.I.P."

Below are a few more rehearsal room performances from Yoyoka's library of covers. 




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Swedish prog-power band Tad Morose's record company, GMR Music, has issued the following update:

"On August 21, we are releasing the Tad Morose album Chapter X on a nice Gatefold - 2LP Vinyl. It will also come as a limited edition 100 copies each on two different colours: red and gold / brown. You can pre-order your copy in our webstore here."

Chapter X was released in June 2018 via GMR Music. 

The tracklist is as follows:

"Apocalypse"
"Come Morpheus"
"Deprived Of Life"
"I Am Night"
"Leviathan Rise"
"Liar"
"Masquerader"
"Nemesis"
"Salvage My Soul"
"Slaves To the Dying Sun"
"Turn To Dust"
"Vaunt The Cynical"
"Where Stars Align"
"…Yet Still You Preach"

The Bollnas based outfit followed the release of 2015's St. Demonius with a successful European headline tour as well as making the rounds on the festival circuit, before launching into the early stages of writing the material that now comprises Chapter X. Ronny Hemlin reflects, ”This is still fun for us! The past few years - as always with these guys - was filled with lots of touring, playing clubs, both big and small and destroying festivals of various calibers. You could say we spent that time gaining new fans. Or, as we like to call it, 'collecting souls.'"

Feeling no need to rush the recording process, the band entered Studio Claustrophobic, which is owned by Tad Morose frontman Ronny Hemlin and Johan Lofgren, formerly of Steel Attack, working at a comfortable steady pace. Mastering of Chapter X was handled by Jonas Kjellgren at Black Lounge Studios and the band turned to an old friend, Mr. Rainer Kalwitz (A Mended Rhyme) to take care of the album's artwork. The Spring of 2018 then saw the band sign their new deal with GMR.




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Leaves' Eyes have released their new single and video "Dark Love Empress", the first track from their upcoming album The Last Viking, which is due for release on October 23rd via AFM Records.

England in the year 1066. The decisive battle near Stamford Bridge. Warriors fighting death, the grounds soaked in blood. Norway’s king Harald III, called Hardrada ("the hard ruler") lies dying. His whole life flashes before his eyes: cruel wars, fights over power, journeys to exotic worlds guiding to powerful women, emperors and kings falling into ruin. The last Viking King is dead - the Vikings’ age is over. Long live the Vikings.

The Last Viking is the 2020-monumental-piece from Leaves' Eyes. The setting of the symphonic metal masterpiece couldn’t be more tremendous. With their cult-albums Vinland Saga (2005) and King Of Kings (2015) they already turned Leif Erikssons discovery of America and the life of Norway’s first king into music. Now, Leaves' Eyes bring the Viking Sagas to their bombastic finale.

The album was produced by Alexander Krull at Mastersound Studio. The cover is an artwork masterpiece created by Stefan Heilemann, which perfectly fits to the collection of top-class Leaves' Eyes covers so far.

The Last Viking will be available on 2CD Digipak (incl. instrumental bonus CD), 2CD Digipak “Collector’s Edition” (incl. instrumental bonus CD, alternate cover artwork & hand signed autograph card), Ltd. Gtf. Vinyl (pinewood green, hazy orange - ltd. to 533 units each) and Ltd. Hardcover Artbook (exclusive cover, 30x30cm, 60 pages, incl. album, Viking Spirit DVD featuring the original film documentary about the growing Viking re-enactment scene of which Fronter Alex and the band is part of since many years, Studio Making Of, Official Videoclips, Soundtrack Bonus-CD & handsigned autograph card - limited to 1066 units).

Pre-order here.

The Last Viking tracklisting:

"Death Of A King"
"Chain Of The Golden Horn"
"Dark Love Empress"
"Serpents And Dragons"
"Black Butterfly" (feat. Clémentine Delauney)
"War Of Kings"
"For Victory"
"Two Kings One Realm"
"Flames In The Sky"
"Serkland"
"Varangians"
"Night Of The Ravens"
"The Last Viking"
"Break Into The Sky Of Aeon"

 




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Five years have passed since Incinerate ravaged our minds with the alien invasion horrors of Eradicating Terrestrial Species, but those who assumed these weavers of nightmares had fallen into an eternal void of silence are in for a rude awakening. Incinerate have returned, more potent and more powerful than ever before and with new dark tales of conflict and suffering to tell. It’s time to gaze upon the battlefields of an endless war, where gods and devils, angels and beasts are locked in never-ending combat, where the blood never stops flowing and the screams echo on forever. Welcome to Sacrilegivm!

Incinerate have been in the frontlines of death metal for over twenty years now, but anyone who thinks they have the measure of this band, thinks they have heard all that Incinerate have to offer needs to think again. The five years since Eradicating Terrestrial Species have not been wasted, because Sacrilegivm is overflowing with some of the most accomplished and engaging death metal you’ll hear anywhere. Songs like "Absence Of Divine Power" are loaded with moments of perfect synchronicity where the right notes, the right feeling, the right delivery combine to create something staggeringly heavy but also utterly memorable. This is where the new breed of intense, technical death metal meets the song craft and atmosphere of the old masters.

Signed once again with Comatose Music, Incinerate are ready to plunge the world into a new age of chaos and carnage. The sirens are howling, the trumpets have been blown and eternal war is nigh. On October 9th Sacrilegivm will be unleashed! Behold the previously unseen cover art:

For a first taste of the fires of war, check out the track "Lux In Tenebris":

 




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Metalville Records has announced October 16th as the international release date for Freaks And Clowns' second album, Justice Elite.

Classic hard rock meets modern power metal: this is the sound of Freaks And Clowns. The band, founded by Astral Doors drummer Johan Lindstedt and singer Chrille Wahlgren, who is popular in his homeland of Sweden, is completely dedicated to honest, straightforward heavy metal.

It all begin in 2017, when the two met in the studio in their hometown of Borlänge to exchange some song ideas. It soon became clear that the influences of classic heavy metal combined with modern sounds would be the path they wanted to follow together in the future. In addition to guitarist Mathias Henrysson, guitarist Mats Gesar and bassist Ulf Lagerström were two more Astral Doors musicians who joined the band.

After the self-titled debut album, released by Metalville in October 2019, Freaks And Clowns set about putting the still-abundant ideas for new songs into practice. The 11 tracks on the follow-up, Justice Elite, which will be released on October 16th, are once again taking no prisoners and pushing forward at full speed from the very first moment. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

"Justice Elite"
"Man With The Power"
"Welcome To The Freakshow"
"Guardian Angels"
"I'm Alive"
"The End Song"
"One For All - All For One"
"Hell Yeah"
"Flames Of Fury"
"Am I The One Or The Victim"
"Madman On Vacation"
"More Than Meets The Eye"

 




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Frontiers Music Srl will release Simon Collins' new album, Becoming Human, on September 4. Pre-order the album here, and listen to the song, "The Universe Inside Of Me", below.

Simon Collins has literally spent his life immersed in music. Inspired by his legendary father, the one and only Phil Collins, Simon picked up the drumsticks at a very early age. And like his dad, his creativity and musical instincts eventually led him to the piano, where he began penning original material. Collins’ diverse tastes and burgeoning interest in songwriting weren’t reflected in some of the earlier bands in which he played, bands far more interested in simply utilizing his undeniable strength behind the drum kit.

Collins has been grappling with heady subjects while writing his new album. He can spend hours discussing astronomy, cosmology, and quantum physics. He loves a good conspiracy theory too, but the rollercoaster that we all face as we become human, is the focus of the album's theme. The album ultimately is a conversation about surrender, renewal, uplift, and mortality. Not surprisingly, the album is called Becoming Human.

Collins paints with a range of emotional colors on Becoming Human. "I'm proud of these new songs," says Simon. "They reflect the person I am, the person I’m becoming, the person I'm striving to be. Writing songs on ”becoming," not just “being” is a powerful tool, it’s about evolving in time and space. The music is generous, intimate, openhearted. There's a lot of me living in these songs. They're deeply personal for me or anyone listening that has been through those experiences of fear, love and hope. The joy of freedom, of acceptance and forgivingness. Of figuring out who I am or anyone is, and how we relate to the world. What is really going on? What is the truth behind the truth?"

"Maturing as an artist and human being has enabled me to find my own voice and confident musical direction no matter what people say," explains Simon. Growing up on tour around being his Genesis, Simon naturally gravitated towards the drums as a child. "It's part of my musical DNA," he explains. As a teenager, he also became proficient on the guitar and the piano, which is how he usually writes. As children of famous parents often do, Collins has grappled with core questions about the meaning of success and failure. It also took years for Simon to create his own identity through his music, and he now looks out onto a wide scope of opportunity he has created for himself through much hard work and dedication.

Of the album, Simon says, "This body of work reflects a deep, wild existential journey and sonic evolution. The soundscape explores a progressive fusion of electronic and rock Influences, a cross-pollination of genres melding space atmospheres and ambient moods with progressive pop song craft, creating a futuristic progressive sounding album."

Guest musicians on the album include original Sound Of Contact guitarist Kelly Avril Nordstrom, the outstanding bass player Gaz Williams, and lastly guitarist Robin Boult. Robbie also brought his bespoke keyboard and sound design to the mix. Simon plays some keys too, along with drums and of course, all vocals. Being Phil Collins’ son, Simon naturally gravitated towards the drums as a child. "It's part of my musical DNA," he says.

"Robbie and I collaborated on many of the songs, the album also features co-writes with Dave Kerzner and Kelly Avril Nordstrom on songs I initially brought to the mountain of material earmarked for the second Sound Of Contact album," adds Simon.

Becoming Human is Simon's fourth solo release, following his debut All Of Who You Are (2000), sophomore effort Time For Truth (2005), and his third album U-Catastrophe (2008). In 2010, Collins co-founded the critically acclaimed band Sound of Contact. Featuring Simon on lead vocals and drums, the rest of the band included keyboardist/co-producer Dave Kerzner, guitarist/bassist Kelly Nordstrom, and bassist/guitarist Matt Dorsey. The band received the Limelight Award (essentially "Best New Band") at the Progressive Music Awards in 2013. Their debut album, Dimensionaut, ended up being the fastest selling debut album by any band in the 20 year history of InsideOutMusic.

Tracklisting:

"Into The Fray"
"Becoming Human"
"The Universe Inside Of Me"
"Man Made Man"
"This Is The Time"
"Thoughts Become Matter"
"I Will Be Waiting"
"No Love"
"Living In Silence"
"40 Years"
"So Real"
"Dead Ends"

"The Universe Inside Of Me":

"Becoming Human" video:

Lineup:

Simon Collins - vocals, drums, keys
Robbie Bronnimann - keys, programming, sound design
Gaz Williams - bass guitar
Kelly Avril Nordstrom - electric & acoustic guitars
Robin Boult - electric & acoustic guitars




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

Says the band: "Today, we lift the veil some more. This time accompanied by the visual magic of S. De Jager. A glimpse of what is to come. Hold up harden die!"

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

Through The Hollow can be pre-ordered here.

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

Tracklisting:

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

"Death Is" video:

"Through The Hollow":

Lineup:

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

(Photo - Esther van Waalwijk)




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Ghosts Of Sunset features rock veterans John Merchant and Todd Long who have made music for 30+ years for 615 Records Nashville, IDOL/RCA Records, and independently.

Their first single “Miles In-Between”, out now via Golden Robot Records, is a hark back to the glory days of hair metal, and one listen will transform you right back to when the Sunset Strip was the place to be.

The track features John Merchant (vocals, guitar), Todd Long (bass, harmony vocals), Johnny Monaco (ex-Enuff Z’Nuff - lead guitar), Kent Slucher (Luke Bryan - drums) and Brian Roth (keyboards).

"The story behind ‘Miles In-Between’ is once you’ve signed the big record deal, it’s time to take it on the road and share it with the world. The road is unrelenting. It changes lives, crushes relationships and can lead a trail of career ending destruction." - Ghosts Of Sunset

Stream/buy “Miles In-Between” here, and watch a lyric video below:




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UK-based thrash metal trailblazers, Onslaught, burst into the official German charts for the first time ever and landed at # 52 with their brutal new album, Generation Antichrist.

A message states: "We are all so proud and thankful and say to everybody who was involved in this success, thank you for your work and effort and belief!!"

Onslaught’s new album was recorded at Dugout Studios in Uppsala, Sweden, with Grammy Award winning Daniel Bergstrand (Behemoth, In Flames, Meshuggah) at the helm, capturing the innovative band’s classic sound with a pristine modern production. On first listen, tracks such as the vicious album opener, “Strike Fast Strike Hard”, “Bow Down To The Clowns”, and “Religiousuicide” pin ears to the speakers and prove that a move to involve Bergstrand has given Onslaught an edge that even their definitive ‘80s years couldn’t quite capture.

Generation Antichrist is the first album to feature new vocalist Dave Garnett, replacing longtime frontman Sy Keeler. Garnett, who has stepped in on occasion to perform live with Onslaught, delivers a vocal performance on par with the brutal musical attack that is Generation Antichrist.

Order Generation Antichrist at this location.

Tracklisting:

"Rise To Power"
"Strike Fast Strike Hard"
"Bow Down To The Clowns"
"Generation Antichrist"
"All Seeing Eye"
"Addicted To The Smell Of Death"
"Empires Fall"
"Religiousuicide"
"A Perfect Day To Die"

“Bow Down To The Clowns" video:

“Religiousuicide” lyric video:




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Sojourner have released their new single, "The Apocalyptic Theater”, along with an official lyric video, cut from their latest dark full-length, Premonitions.

Singer Emilio Crespo states: “These are actually the first lyrics I wrote for Premonitions. I definitely wanted to emphasize this subject that I feel strongly about; our actions in many different aspects of life are detrimental to the continued thriving as a species in our own home. Also, that while it’ll revitalize itself when we’re gone, there IS a point of no return for us and we could approach it quicker than we realize. We continue to act in such ways while believing that catastrophes and the like won’t happen to us or in our lifetime and we prove over and over that they do. Therefore, if we continue down this path we will eventually watch it all crumble with lifeless eyes.”

Rising somber soundscapes introduce their newest melodic black metal offering, quickly coalescing into a rousing cascade of riff driven blast beats, drawing the listener into Sojourner's unmistakably sonic atmosphere. Emilio Crespo’s bloodcurdling growls harmonize with Chloe Bray’s clean vocals whilst underlining the tracks’ message with its critical, current reference. “The Apocalyptic Theater” reflects our way of life, leading to a point of no return.

Guitarist Mike Lamb adds: "'The Apocalyptic Theater' was the first song we wrote for Premonitions, and it's definitely the most traditional Sojourner song on the album. It bridges the gap between the sound we've established on previous releases and the new territory we explored further elsewhere on Premonitions. It carries the spirit of the more fantasy-driven elements of our sound into what turned out to be a much darker album, both musically and lyrically, something that will always be core to Sojourner as a band regardless of what we explore musically album-to-album. We're proud to present 'The Apocalyptic Theater' as the fourth and final single, and we hope you enjoy it!"

Premonitions can be ordered here.

Tracklisting:

“The Monolith“
“Eulogy For The Lost“
“The Apocalyptic Theater“
“Talas“
“Fatal Frame“
“The Deluge“
“Atonement“
“The Event Horizon“

“The Event Horizon” visualizer:

“The Deluge” video:

Lineup:

Emilio Crespo: vocals
Mike Lamb: guitars, piano, synth/keyboards
Chloe Bray: guitars, vocals, tin whistle/piano
Mike Wilson: bass
Riccardo Floridia: drums
Scotty Lodge: live bass

(Band photo - Katrina Witt)




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German rock band, Serum 114, have released their new single, “Jeden Tag Jede Nacht” (English: “Every Day Every Night”), along with an expressive music video, fresh off the upcoming album Im Zeichen der Zeit (English: Signs Of Time), to be released via Napalm Records on September 18. Pre-order the new album here.

The hard-hitting blend of punk, pop and modern rock will pierce straight into your eardrums: With an unmistakably catchy chorus and Esche’s remarkable vocals the German rock combo showcase that the mixture of modern rock and edgy punk simply flows through their veins. The accompanying audio-visual presents a different side of the bands artistic work and underlines their visual versality without losing their unique Serum 114 trademark.

Serum 114 on their new single “Jeden Tag Jede Nacht”: “It seems kind of crazy how long one can carry a broken heart. 'Jeden Tag Jede Nacht' touches upon a very personal note: Each of us knows it, each of us has experienced it once or will experience it in the future. No matter how long it’s been and no matter how much you want to stay strong - it tears you up inside and you can’t hide - no matter how much you are trying to hide. Losing a person who once meant “everything” to you is one of the most painful and difficult challenges - it remains a part of us forever. But you can find the inner power to try something new and to create great things. We personally celebrate the new single for its honesty and the authenticity it carries within.”

Im Zeichen der Zeit, presents 14 energetic modern rock tracks: In an honest and authentic punk rock manner, "Freiheit" (English: “Freedom”) invites the listener to reflect on moments filled with happiness, to center themselves and find balance within, even if it’s just for a short amount of time. The mid-tempo anthem “Abgefucktes Leben” (English: “Fucked Up Life”) is driven by its unmistakably catchy chorus and dedicated to the simplicity of daily life. Esche’s rough vocals classify the band’s unique trademark, whilst pushing their songs, such as “Meine Band” (English: “My Band”), to a highly energetic level.

Despite wearing their punk rock attitude on their sleeves, Serum 114 is also capable of slowing down: “Wir scheitern voran” (English: “We Fail”) is a powerful ballad of failure and unveils an unusually calm side of the band.

Tracklisting:

"Abgefucktes Leben"
"Freiheit"
"Punk Rock Show"
"Zuhause ist schön"
"Ein Teil"
"Zeichen"
"Wir scheitern voran"
"Jeden Tag Jede Nacht"
"Meine Band"
"Nein"
"Biest"
"Was kann der Mond dafür"
"Zeit steht still"
"Unzerbrechlich"

“Freiheit” video:

Lineup:

Esche - vocals / guitar
Markus - bass
Nils - drums
Thorsten - guitar

(Photo - Christian Eschweiler)




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Two Minutes To Late Night have released their latest video, along with the following message:

"Crudy kisses! We got a bunch of sensitive Satanists to cover a song for the ladies. Hopefully, this is your Type o'cover, ya dig?

"This is our 18th bedroom cover made with the support of Patreon (hot damn). With so many musicians stuck at home with no outlets, we're going to keep producing these style videos and use the Patreon to give some money to everyone who has a part in them. Please support our friends by donating to our newly redone Patreon at here."

This cover features:

Leanne Martz (Darling), Dorthia Cottrell (Windhand, Darling, and solo), Lisa Mungo (Fucked And Bound, Daughters), J.R. Conners (Cave In, Nomad Stones), Stephen Brodsky (Mutoid Man, Cave In, Old Man Gloom), Jordan Olds aka Gwarsenio Hall.




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KAMELOT vocalist Tommy Karevik spoke to Bandbond about how he has been dealing with the coronavirus crisis and what the touring circuit might look like post-pandemic.

He said: "Everything's pretty much been business as usual for [KAMELOT]. Everything was planned this way when we had a kind of gap that we thought that we would work on the new album, and it's scheduled to be released next year. So we had this gap to work on it now.

"The way it works for, I think, most bands now is that you work the Internet way," he said. "And that's what we do. Except for I usually go down to Germany to put the bits and pieces together in the end with all the vocals and the last arranging and everything for the album. We don't know what that looks like yet.

"We've been pretty lucky. We didn't have a lot of touring scheduled for this year due to the work on the album, so it's been pretty good for us. We've been in a really lucky situation."

As for how he thinks concerts will be once the pandemic has subsided, Karevik said: "It's a little alarming. This just keeps on going — it kind of stretches out over time. When it all started, we thought that [it would last] a couple of months maybe, and now it looks like years maybe.

"It's not an amazing time to be an artist at this point. Of course, [if] you're gonna release an album, you wanna see all your fans.

"I don't know, to be honest — I really don't know," he admitted. "I think no one knows what it's gonna be like. But for sure, it's a little scary time to be depending on a vaccine, I think.

"I hope that when this ends — 'cause it will end at some point — I don't think it'll look the exact same as it did before COVID, but I think it's gonna get back to a good level of people being able to tour and stuff.

"I think people will be starved for music and entertainment, 'cause I think it's really important," Tommy added. "Even if that's the last thing to come back to people, 'cause it's not necessary to survive — it's not like food or a roof over your head — but it's more important, maybe, than you think for people to actually be able to see their favorite band or go to a social gathering. So I hope people will be coming out to the shows when it's time."

KAMELOT's new DVD and Blu-ray, "I Am The Empire - Live From The 013", was released on August 14 via Napalm Records. The 21-song set was recorded at 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands and includes more than 100 minutes of live music and multiple exclusive extras, including backstage interviews of all guests, bandmembers and fans. Featured guest musicians include Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY), Elize Ryd (AMARANTHE), Charlotte Wessels (DELAIN) and Lauren Hart (ONCE HUMAN).

KAMELOT's latest album, "The Shadow Theory", came out in April 2018 via Napalm Records.

The first official book by and about KAMELOT, "Veritas: A Kamelot Legacy", marking the 30th anniversary of the founding of the band, will be released later this year via Rocket 88.

THE DEAD DAISIES — the hard rock "collective" founded by Australian musician and businessman David Lowy — will release its fifth album, "Holy Ground", on January 22, 2021. The LP was recorded at La Fabrique Studios in the south of France with producer Ben Grosse. The follow-up to 2018's "Burn It Down", will be the band's first to feature Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION), who joined the group last year as its new bassist and vocalist, replacing John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE) and Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY).

In a new interview with Rock Titan, THE DEAD DAISIES guitarist Doug Aldrich discussed the band's latest personnel shuffles, explaining (see video below): "When you make a change, obviously, you always have a possibility that you're gonna alienate some fans, and some fans are gonna be super happy, and some won't be. 'Cause everyone loves Corabi. Corabi and Glenn are friends, and Marco and Glenn are friends. But the thing, I think, you don't wanna do is just try and replace somebody with the same kind of a thing; I think it's really good to mix it up a little bit. And that's why I was really excited about Glenn, 'cause I knew that the sound of THE DAISIES' music is gonna alter a little bit, but we were gonna have Deen [Castronovo, drums] and David and I as a common thread. And then bringing Glenn in on top of that, it just worked out amazing.

"I'll tell you what really helped, too, for us to jell," he continued. "We went to the south of France to write and record the record, 'Holy Ground', last year. We were writing in the fall, and I'd go down to Glenn's and we'd do a bit of writing there, and he had some songs I helped him demo, so he could present those. Then we went to France, and we all sat down and put in our ideas, with the producer Ben Grosse, and put together the songs that we thought were gonna be the best ones. I think there was probably 15 songs at the first break, and then we went back in December and recorded 12, and that's what you have on the album. It just turned out really well. The cool thing was we were locked in this French kind of — it was like a country home. The thing is I never even left the facility. We would sleep there, we would come down for breakfast and have breakfast, lunch and dinner together as a band and a team, and it really helped us jell and focus. It wouldn't have been the same if we had done it in L.A. Now we've gone through the process, and we feel like a band already with Glenn, although we haven't done any shows. So that's the next step."

Last month, THE DEAD DAISIES released a new digital EP, "The Lockdown Sessions", via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort contains four acoustic tracks, all of them exclusive to this EP: "Unspoken", "Righteous Days" and a cover version of the HUMBLE PIE classic "30 Days In The Hole", along with a stripped back version of "Fortunate Son", featuring Castronovo on lead vocals.

Drummer Donald Tardy of Florida death metal veterans OBITUARY spoke to Australia's Riff Crew about how he is dealing with the coronavirus crisis and what the touring circuit might look like post-pandemic. He said (hear audio below): "I'm basically staying away from everybody — even the band. The band has not been together [since the pandemic started]. Everyone has children — there's a lot of children involved in this band. So we're kind of just staying away from each other at this point. Ken's [Andrews, guitar] over in Orlando, which is a hundred miles away. Trevor [Peres, guitar] lives about an hour away from the studio. So we're basically just writing riffs on our own and recording them and tucking them away, and we're gonna begin the process of writing songs together over the Internet."

He continued: "We've never done that before; we've always been a band to write riffs and come up with ideas and talk to each other on the phone and stuff, but we're realizing that we've gotta do this. There's no sense to be getting together every day or every other day when we don't if and when one of us catches this thing. So we're trying our best to be super safe. So what I'm doing is I'm writing. Trevor and I are going over stuff — he's sending me riffs, I'm sending him drum beats and we're kind of compiling some new stuff for the OBITUARY album. I'm also writing new TARDY BROTHERS stuff. And to keep myself busy, when I'm at the studio, I'm filming with my GoPro [camera], just some of my performances, and when I get back to my place, I'm doing a lot of editing and spending a lot of time on some TARDY BROTHERS videos that I'm doing now. Because we did an album a long time ago — a decade ago — and I've had new songs that I had not recorded yet. So I'm really diving into that as well. I'm just keeping myself with music, because that's really all I know. I take care of my house, my girl, my colonies of cats, and after that, it's on to playing drums and writing riffs and coming up with new music."

Tardy went on to say that he and his bandmates are faced with a sobering reality that live concerts may not be possible until well into 2021.

"Sadly, even though it's going on four months now, I don't think it's really dawned on us how long we're about to sit home as a band and as a touring group, because until venues are allowed to do shows and promoters are booking shows and we're feeling safe to go do something, we're gonna be home," he said. "And from the looks of it, and from what my agents are saying, we very well might be home for a year before we get to play one note of one show. So, what a scary reality. We're trying to stay positive; we're trying not to panic. Besides the finance part of it, and we don't really know what's gonna happen if we are having to sit home for a year, what we're gonna try and do is we are gonna try and write a monster of a new OBITUARY album. And that's kind of what our goal is. No matter what happens with us financially, we're still gonna try and find a way to get music started, because when you write a song or a part of a song, if you can tuck it away for a week or two and then you come back and listen to it, any songwriter knows, you always come up with a better idea and you say, 'You know what? We need this part. Something here is needed.' So we're really gonna just focus on getting an album done, getting it written, getting it recorded, and being ready for 2021. And that's really the only thing we can do. Our only job at this point is gonna be getting prepared for 2021, when the gate opens and we're allowed to go unleash the mayhem again."

OBITUARY's latest, self-titled studio album was released in 2017 via Relapse.

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.

During an appearance on the "Behind The Vinyl" podcast, TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider revealed that he is recording a Christmas song with ex-NIGHTWISH frontwoman Tarja Turunen.

"I wrote this song for my wife many years ago," he said (hear audio below). "You guys may or may not know that Celine Dion recorded a Christmas song I wrote [called 'God Bless Us Everyone']. I wrote it as a gift for my wife; I never wrote it for commercial purposes. And I can't — it's just out of my range to sing it. But long story short, I decided to do my own rendition of it, and I asked Tarja to sing it as a duet with me, 'cause it's got some really high parts in it. So Jeff Pilson from DOKKEN and FOREIGNER, he's producing it. And we're just finishing the tracks right now, so we're gonna start doing the vocals. That'll come out later this year."

Dion reportedly heard "God Bless Us Everyone" from a sound engineer and wanted to record it for her first Christmas album, 1998's "These Are Special Times". Snider gave his blessing, but he asked that nobody reveal his identity, because he feared Dion would change her mind if she discovered the man behind the tune was a controversial rocker. The song, retitled "The Magic Of Christmas Day (God Bless Us Everyone)", went on to sell 10 million copies worldwide.

In a 2002 interview with the Washington Post, Dee revealed that he wrote the tune at the request of his wife, Suzette Snider, who asked her husband to write her a Christmas song as a present.

"And I told her she was insane," Dee said.

But he did, a lovely song he titled "God Bless Us Everyone". Unfortunately, Snider couldn't sing it — it wasn't in his range — so he had some studio musicians record it for Suzette. Producer Ric Wake, who's worked with such pop divas as Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez, kept a copy and called Snider to tell him Dion wanted to record it.

"I asked 'Does she know it's me?' He said no. And I said, 'Well, don't tell her. I don't want to jinx this.'"

Dion included it on "These Are Special Times", though she changed the title. Which, Snider says, "was fine. Just send me my 7.5 cents per record." The album credit reads D. Snider.

The next year, Dion and Rosie O'Donnell redid the song as a duet on Rosie's Christmas album and opened O'Donnell's Christmas special on ABC with it.

"I'm sitting at home watching it, my wife's crying, and I'm thinking 'This is just too much,' " Snider said. "At the end, the camera pulls away and they're broadcasting into Times Square with Rosie and Celine and the children's choir holding candles, singing 'God Bless Us Everyone… '

"I just wanted to pop out from behind the curtain: It's me! It's me! Merry Christmas!"

Back in 2018, Snider and Turunen were among the guest musicians who performed with Finland's annual, all-star symphonic Christmas rock project RASKASTA JOULUA, which translates to "Heavy Christmas."

Corey Taylor says that STONE SOUR has "run its course."

The SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman, who will release his debut solo album in October, discussed STONE SOUR's current status during an appearance on "The Green Room With Neil Griffiths" podcast.

He said: "I feel like STONE SOUR has kind of run its course for now. We all talked as a band and decided to kind of put STONE SOUR on indefinite hiatus. That's the way it is. We've put it on the shelf for now. Everybody's kind of going and doing their own thing."

Corey's latest comments echo those he made in June, when he told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk": "Yeah, [STONE SOUR is] kind of [on] the backburner right now. We all kind of felt that we did exactly what we wanted to do on [2017's] 'Hydrograd' [album] and we're just giving it a minute. I talked to the guys in the band about the solo thing and what I wanted to do, and they were all totally onboard with it. Everybody else has kind of got things going on, so they're all cool. Josh [Rand, guitar] is actually working on a solo thing of his own, which is great. So, yeah, I think STONE SOUR is kind of on hiatus right now, which is fine. If someday we wanna get back together and do some stuff, it'll be bigger than it was. But for right now, we're all kind of focused on kind of doing our own thing. But you never say never in this business."

Rand recently said that he has "no idea" when STONE SOUR will release a new studio album. Asked in an interview with Guitar World if the band has started working yet on a follow-up to "Hydrograd", Rand replied: "To be honest, the band is on hiatus right now with no timetable on a return. It's a mixture of needing a break, plus Corey wants to do a solo album, so I don't know when there will be new STONE SOUR music."

Rand confirmed to the "Behind The Vinyl" podcast that he is working on a new solo project. Rand explained, "As of right now, I have 12 songs musically done. Right now I'm looking at vocalists — different vocalists."

Regarding the musical direction of his new solo material, Rand said, "It definitely is different than what I think most people would expect. I decided if I was gonna do anything that I wanted it not to sound like STONE SOUR 'cause it's going to, to some degree." Rand added that much of the music is "piano-based."

STONE SOUR has been off the road and out of sight since completing the touring cycle for "Hydrograd". Taylor has been working with SLIPKNOT since then, recording and touring behind that group's sixth effort, "We Are Not Your Kind", although all plans are on hold right now due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rand has been promoting STONE SOUR's new live album, "Hello, You Bastards: Live In Reno", which came out in December.

Taylor's recorded his solo album, "CMFT", with his solo band consisting of Jason Christopher on bass, Dustin Schoenhofer on drums, and Zach Throne and Christian Martucci (STONE SOUR) on guitar.

MASTODON drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor spoke to Revolver about the progress of the songwriting sessions for 2017's "Emperor Of Sand" album. He said: "We have too much material at the moment. We have enough for probably a couple of albums, so that's good. But also we need to focus now. We're at the point where we're ready to go in and do it for real, I think. We just started jamming the new stuff as if we were gonna go in and do it, so that's where we're at."

He continued: "We'll narrow it down. We'll probably do 45 to 50 minutes of new stuff and pick the cream of the crop, the stuff we're all gravitating towards. There's gonna be some hard decisions because I think we're liking more than what we need for an album. And we don't wanna do a double album. It doesn't make sense to do that, currently. I don't know why, but I feel like those types of records can get kinda chubby. We want a svelte MASTODON album. [Laughs]"

Regarding the lyrical themes covered in the new MASTODON material, Brann said: "As far as the subject matter is concerned, it's gonna be about [MASTODON's late manager] Nick John after everything's said and done. Of course, it's going to be a fantastical representation to mask the true emotion of the situation, but it's probably going to be Nick John-centric because that was our guy and we lost him and he deserves nothing less than an album's worth of material that's centered around his passing. That was a huge blow to us. We lost one of our favorite human beings, and it just came out of nowhere. It really sucks. So that's what we're thinking about — plus all this shit that's happening now. It's the craziest time that we've experienced as human beings, so how are you not gonna reflect that in what you're creating artistically? It would be impossible to sidestep it. It's going to be about going insane in your fucking house."

MASTODON will release a rarities collection titled "Medium Rarities" on September 11. The compilation includes one brand new song, "Fallen Torches" (featuring a guest appearance by NEUROSIS's Scott Kelly), along with a bevy of classic covers, soundtrack contributions, instrumentals, B-sides, and live recordings on one complete package for the very first time.

"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."

Earlier in the year, MASTODON wrote and recorded a new song for inclusion in the upcoming "Bill & Ted Face The Music" movie.

"Bill & Ted Face The Music", which reunites Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves in the title roles for the first time since 1991's "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey", is scheduled for a September 1 release.

As part of WRIF's "Virtual Rock Room" interview series, SEVENDUST frontman Lajon Witherspoon spoke to Meltdown about his upcoming debut solo album. He said (see video below): "I'm working slowly but surely. I'm very excited about it. You know the band RA — the lead singer Sahaj [Daniel Ticotin] is a very good friend of mine, and we're writing songs together. And I've got another couple of people I'm collaborating with, but Sahaj right now is definitely the main guy. I'm just taking my time with it right now. I've got about nine songs, and I'm excited about the input that I've been getting and the response. So that'll come on down the line. I hope that everyone will enjoy that."

Last month, Witherspoon told the 97.7 QLZ radio station that his solo material is "different. It's got some rock in there, but [it's] a lot more soulful," he said. "I think it's even a little bit more radio friendly, if it's okay to say it. Also, there's some country in there. It's a different avenue than SEVENDUST, but I think that some people who like SEVENDUST can hang out on the avenue and jam and still rock out. But I definitely feel like I'm going down a different — I'm just doing something a little bit different."

Witherspoon released the standalone solo single "Love Song" in 2017.

SEVENDUST has set "Blood & Stone" as the title of its 13th studio album, due 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" marked the group's first album for Rise Records, the Oregon-based metal and hard rock label which was purchased by BMG in 2015.

SEVENDUST released four singles and videos from "All I See Is War": "Dirty", "Not Original", "Medicated" and "Risen".

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".