DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci has confirmed to Spain's Metal Hammer magazine that the band is planning to use some of its coronavirus downtime to work on the follow-up to last year's "Distance Over Time" album.

"There's a lot going on musically this year," Petrucci said (see video below). "Obviously, everybody's trying to be creative.

"The DREAM THEATER schedule is different now. We would have been touring in the spring, we would have been touring now, and then we probably would have been off for the fall and winter. But now that that's all changed, we'll go back in the studio, because nobody wants to sit around and do nothing.

"We're musicians, we're creative people, so we're gonna make music," he continued. "So, yeah, our schedule has been sort of shifted, I guess, because of the pandemic… We're gonna do what we do, which is make music. So we're not gonna sit around, and we're gonna move our schedule up and start working on new music in the fall."

"Distance Over Time" marked DREAM THEATER's first album for for Sony Music's progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.

The "Distance Over Time" artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). The disc was produced by Petrucci, mixed by Ben Grosse and mastered by Tom Baker.

Petrucci will release his second all-instrumental solo album, "Terminal Velocity", on all digital and streaming platforms on August 28 and on CD and vinyl on October 30 through The Orchard Music on his Sound Mind Music record label.

"Terminal Velocity" was written and produced by 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, THE WINERY DOGS, SONS OF APOLLO).
























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John Petrucci habla con nosotros sobre su nuevo disco “Terminal Velocity”, que se edita el próximo 28 de agosto en todo el mundo.

A post shared by Metal Hammer España (@metalhammeresp) on Aug 6, 2020 at 10:22am PDT

Chris Jericho (FOZZY), Nita Strauss (ALICE COOPER), Phil Demmel (VIO-LENCE, ex-MACHINE HEAD), Johnny Christ (AVENGED SEVENFOLD) and Nita's longtime boyfriend Josh Villalta, who also plays drums in her solo band and manages her career, have formed a new "supergroup" called THE WHEELBLOCKS. The official music video for the band's first recording, a cover version of the IRON MAIDEN classic "Aces High", can be seen below.

Jericho said: "Once again in the middle of a pandemic, I had the honor of getting together with some amazing musicians to play a cover of one of my favorite bands best songs! 'Aces High' is not only one of the hardest vocals I've ever had the pleasure of singing in a studio, they were even harder to record while I was flying a fighter plane! As a result, I think the power (slave) of this song fits perfectly into the hard rock world of today and I'm excited to see 'Aces High' fly as high up the charts as the protagonist of the song itself! So head up the runway, let off a shot burst and UP THE WHEELBLOCKS!"

Asked by Loudwire if there are any plans for THE WHEELBLOCKS to record more material beyond "Aces High", Jericho said: "Absolutely. The idea was one and done, record it, put it online. It was mixed by Kile Odell, who did the last FOZZY Top 10. I wanted it mixed properly and I told him the same thing I told him when I did the KUARANTINE songs. I said, 'Pretend IRON MAIDEN is a brand new band and this is their song in 2020. I don't want it mixed like it's 1985. Let's take the song and mix it like it's now.' It's going to sound great on the radio as our song. Same with the video, it was edited by a great editor out of Seattle called Dima Levanchuk. I wanted it done professionally and to make something out of this and I think that's why it's going to go further than just your regular supergroup-Instagram-YouTube thing. We're going to take it to radio and put a little bit of steam behind it and see how far that goes. If we end up with a hit like we did with KUARANTINE, I’d love to do more with WHEELBLOCKS. It's a great collection of people and musicians, for sure."

Jericho is also a member of another rock "supergroup", the aforementioned KUARANTINE, which performs cover versions of songs from the non-makeup era of KISS. That band has released two singles so far, "Heart Of Chrome" and "No No No", via Madison Records with distribution by The Orchard. Jericho is joined in KUARANTINE by drummer Kent Slucher (LUKE BRYAN), guitarist Joe McGinness (KLASSIK '78) and bassist PJ Farley (TRIXTER).

San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans HEATHEN will release their fourth studio album, "Empire Of the Blind", on September 18 via Nuclear Blast Records. The lyric video for the second single, the title track, can be seen below.

HEATHEN comments: "We are very proud to announce the second single, title track from our new album 'Empire Of The Blind'. This song refers to the ongoing manipulation of people through political and social propaganda in the mass media. Behold the rising empire!"

"Empire Of the Blind" was for the most part engineered, produced, mixed, and mastered by Christopher "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z Studios. Additional details — rhythm guitars, etc. — were put to digital "tape" by Kragen Lum at SubLevel Studio in Little Rock, Arkansas. The album features guest appearances by Gary Holt (EXODUS, SLAYER), Rick Hunolt (ex-EXODUS) and Doug Piercy (ex-HEATHEN). The cover art to "Empire Of the Blind" was once again handled by renowned artist Travis Smith (OVERKILL, EXHORDER).

The band commented: "It's been another 10 years but we are finally back with a new HEATHEN album. Fine wine takes time! Everyone in the band worked their asses off on this record. Zeuss absolutely nailed it and more than realized our vision for the sound. Travis Smith perfectly captured the bleak atmosphere that we imagined for the artwork. It was a year in the making and we couldn't be more proud of the outcome."

"Empire Of the Blind" track listing:

01. This Rotting Sphere

02. The Blight

03. Empire Of The Blind

04. Dead And Gone

05. Sun In My Hand

06. Blood To Be Let

07. In Black

08. Shrine Of Apathy

09. Devour

10. A Fine Red Mist

11. The Gods Divide

12. Monument To Ruin

"Empire Of The Blind" is the follow-up to "The Evolution Of Chaos", which was released as a 10th-anniversary remastered reissue on January 31 via Mascot Records. The effort was made available on CD/DVD, 2LP and digitally with a previously unreleased bonus track, "Seasons Of Purgatory". The CD/DVD was accompanied by a two-hour "making-of" documentary on the album as well as a live performance from 2009's Thrash Domination in Japan.

When "The Evolution Of Chaos" was originally released back in January 2010, it was HEATHEN's first full-length collection of new material in 18 years and saw them ride a wave of the resurgent thrash scene.

HEATHEN is often credited — alongside EXODUS, TESTAMENT, FORBIDDEN, DEATH ANGEL and VIO-LENCE — with being one of the leaders of the Bay Area thrash metal scene of the mid-to-late 1980s.

Since its 1984 inception, HEATHEN has gone through several lineup changes, leaving Altus as the only constant member.

To date, HEATHEN has released three studio albums: 1987's "Breaking the Silence", 1991's "Victims Of Deception" and the aforementioned "The Evolution Of Chaos".

HEATHEN in 2012 inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records.

Altus has been a member of EXODUS since 2005. He joined the group as the replacement for Rick Hunolt, who left EXODUS to concentrate on his family life.

HEATHEN is:

David White - Vocals

Lee Altus - Guitar

Kragen Lum - Guitar

Jason Mirza - Bass

Jim DeMaria - Drums

Metal band REPENTANCE has released "God For A Day", the title track of its debut album, due out September 25 via Art is War Records/Intercept Music.

REPENTANCE came together in 2018 when Shaun Glass, a veteran guitarist of SOIL, BROKEN HOPE and DIRGE WITHIN, recruited Mike Sylvester on bass and began songwriting with lead guitarist Markus Johansson of the group THEM. Robb Rivera of NONPOINT introduced STUCK MOJO frontman Robby J. Fonts and from there... REPENTANCE was born.

"It came together very naturally, which was a very cleansing experience," states Glass. "At this point in my life, I was hoping to start working and creating new music with an almost entirely new group of people and this crew organically locked into place."

"It's crazy how things happen," comments Fonts. "I was looking to start a new band since Rich [Ward] and Frank [Fontsere] are currently busy outside of STUCK MOJO [touring with FOZZY], so the timing for REPENTANCE came perfectly. One phone call later, we were stoked to get this show on the road. Shaun sent me demos, I wrote lyrics and vocals and our songs started coming together quickly."

REPENTANCE made its live stage debut by opening up for TRIVIUM. Within its short time together the band would go on to share the stage with DEVILDRIVER, JINJER, SKULL FIST, TOXIC HOLOCAUST and SACRED REICH.

In October 2018, REPENTANCE released its debut single, "Enter The Gallows", and by the end of the year, Kanky Lora, of SOULFLY and STRAIGHT LINE STITCH fame, would join the band on drums, thus solidifying this powerhouse line-up.

"The band's sound is definitely very aggressive, pummeling metal and we can't wait to share some music with everyone soon," adds Glass. "Everyone is bringing their own style to the table and the uniqueness of each is helping to shape our sound. We're creating a style that we enjoy ourselves first and foremost."

In 2019, REPENTANCE signed with Art is War Records and released the single "Only The Damned Die Young", which was recorded at Electroworks Recording with Chuck Macack (BORN OF OSIRIS, OCEANO) as well as mixed and mastered by engineer Chris Collier (PRONG, WHITESNAKE).

"You know you're onto something special when everyone connects instantly and the creativity keeps on flowing," says Fonts. "I think fans of our previous work will be in for a pleasant surprise."

Bringing the best of classic American thrash with elements of European-styled melodic death metal and a tinge of modern hardcore. This eclectic group of seasoned musicians is providing a straight punch to the face for your metal fix with their unrelenting brutality of Midwestern American metal.

Leaving no room for nonsense, the band brings forth their exhilarating brand of heaviness led by visceral guitar riffs and hard-hitting attitude, which is sure to obliterate fans of extreme music everywhere.

When talking about the bands debut album, REPENTANCE said: "We think we really captured true energy!! The songs fly by but are so aggressive and energetic that We hope it makes the listener crave repeat playbacks."

"God For A Day" track listing:

01. Repentance (Intro)

02. Only The Damned Die Young

03. Clarity

04. God For A Day

05. Snake-Oil Humanitarian

06. Enter the Gallows

07. Where Vultures Gather

08. Born to Choose

09. Deliverance

Photo credit: Armin Lang

The official music video for "Torch The Faith", the title track of the debut album from PSYCHOSEXUAL, the new rock band fronted by former FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH drummer Jeremy Spencer, can be seen below. The disc was released on July 31 through Spencer's own independent label 6ex Records. The effort was co-produced by Spencer with DROWNING POOL producer Shawn McGhee.

"This year has been uniquely challenging, to say the least — for all of us — but releasing 'Torch The Faith' is an actual dream come true," said Spencer, who sports a Mephistophelian mask as singer/frontman Devil Daddy alongside guitarist Crucifier, bassist Astaroth and drummer Volac.

The platinum-selling drummer's loyal fan support has been overwhelming, with PSYCHOSEXUAL's eye-popping music videos for "Baby On Fire", "Lady Killer" and "Let The Sin Begin" amassing over 340,000 views on YouTube.com/Psychosexual.

"To be able to write, create, produce, shoot videos and release your first album on your own label during these uncertain days under months of lockdown and fear is an incredible accomplishment," Spencer added. "I can't wait to finally share my new music with fans."

Spencer left FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH at the end of 2018, but in his mind the persona of Devil Daddy had occupied part of his creative consciousness for several years. Never one to rest on his laurels creatively, he released a series of '80s-like new wave originals in early 2019 as a precursor to the band — including some arresting and entertaining videos such as a remake of TYPE O NEGATIVE's "Love You To Death".

Spencer said: "I've been such a fan of so many types of music from Bowie to DEVO to black metal bands, PSYCHOSEXUAL really is the outlet I've needed to bring all these things together in one big Evil Stew."

Jeremy, who co-founded FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH with guitarist Zoltan Bathory, left the band so that he could undergo back surgery in the fall of 2018 that required a significant recovery period.

Spencer's replacement in FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is Charlie "The Engine" Engen. Engen made his recording debut with the band on the "F8" album, which came out in February.

ELLEFSON, the solo band of Grammy-winning MEGADETH bassist/co-founder David Ellefson, will release "No Cover", an LP featuring more than 13 cover songs, including classic tracks from MOTÖRHEAD, W.A.S.P., DEF LEPPARD, CHEAP TRICK, QUEEN, JUDAS PRIEST, TWISTED SISTER, FASTWAY, FIGHT, DEAD KENNEDYS, and more, on October 2 via Combat Records. The LP once again features cover art by Melody Myers, who has previously worked with ALTITUDES AND ATTITUDE and ESCAPE THE FATE, among others.

ELLEFSON's cover version of the JUDAS PRIEST song "Freewheel Burning", taken from "No Cover", can be streamed below.

"Freewheel Burning" recording lineup:

* David Ellefson - Bass

* Thom Hazaert, Jason McMaster - Lead Vocals

* Andy Martongelli, Gus G., Andy James - Guitar

* Dave McClain - Drums

"No Cover" sees ELLEFSON, featuring Ellefson, Hazaert, guitarists Andy Martongelli and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and drummer Paolo Caridi, joined by a laundry list of legendary guests, including:

* Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX)

* Eddie Ojeda (TWISTED SISTER)

* Dave Lombardo (ex-SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES)

* Brandon Yeagley (CROBOT)

* Dirk Verbeuren (MEGADETH)

* Frank Hannon and Troy Lucketta (TESLA)

* Mark Slaughter (SLAUGHTER)

* Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, ex-WATCHTOWER, EVIL UNITED)

* Greg Handevidt (KUBLAI KHAN, ex-MEGADETH)

* Chuck Behler (ex-MEGADETH)

* Gus G. (FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE)

* John Aquilino (ICON)

* Doro Pesch

* Dave McClain (SACRED REICH, Ex-MACHINE HEAD)

* Dave Alvin (WHITE TRASH)

* Todd Kerns (SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS)

* Andrew Freeman (LAST IN LINE)

* Jacob Bunton (Mick Mars)

* Al Jourgensen (MINISTRY)

* Russ Parrish (FIGHT, STEEL PANTHER)

* DEAD BY WEDNESDAY

Produced by Ellefson and Hazaert, with Martongelli, and engineers Alessio Garavello, Matt LaPlant (NONPOINT, LIL' JON, SKINDRED), and John Aquilino, and mixed by Alessio Garavello, Randy Burns, and more, the process is described by Ellefson as a collaborative tribute, and a loving homage, to some of his favorite artists.

"No Cover" track listing:

01. Freewheel Burning (JUDAS PRIEST) (featuring Jason McMaster, Gus G, Andy James, Dave McClain)

02. Tear It Loose (TWISTED SISTER) (featuring Eddie Ojeda, Dave McClain)

03. Love Me Like A Reptile (MOTÖRHEAD) (featuring Doro Pesch, Greg Handevidt, Chuck Behler)

04. Holiday In Cambodia (DEAD KENNEDYS) (featuring Charlie Benante)

05. Rebel Yell (BILLY IDOL)

06. Wasted (DEF LEPPARD) (featuring Frank Hannon, Jacob Bunton, Dave McClain, Bumblefoot)

07. Riff Raff (AC/DC) (featuring Jason McMaster, Dave Lombardo)

08. Nailed To The Gun (FIGHT) (featuring Andrew Freeman, Russ Parrish, Jimmy DeGrasso)

09. Not Fragile (BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE) (featuring John Aquilino)

10. Say What You Will (FASTWAY) (featuring Troy Lucketta, Mark Slaughter)

11. Love Machine (W.A.S.P.) (featuring Dirk Verbeuren, Dave Alvin)

12. Love Hurts (NAZARETH) (featuring Brandon Yeagley, Chuck Behler, Tyson Leslie)

13. Sheer Heart Attack (QUEEN) (featuring Bumblefoot, Doro Pesch, Charlie Benante)

14. Sweet FA (SWEET) (featuring Todd Kerns, Bumblefoot, Shani Kimelman)

15. TBA

16. TBA

17. Auf Wiedersehen (CHEAP TRICK) (featuring Al Jourgensen, Brandon Yeagley, Charlie Benante)

Bonus tracks

18. Eat The Rich (KROKUS) (featuring DEAD BY WEDNESDAY)

You can pre-order now on CD, LP and cassette, or in a deluxe bundle with an exclusive t-shirt.

Ellefson says: "Before any of us started writing our own songs, we all began playing cover songs by our heroes during our formative years as musicians. So it's fun to go back in time and revisit those songs which helped us to become the artists we are today, especially when, ironically, many of those artists have now become peers and friends.

"During the process of recording some covers for B-sides and bonus tracks for the upcoming ELLEFSON solo LP, Thom and I just said, 'This is a blast. Let's just do a whole album of covers.' Literally, within two weeks, we had the songs recorded, and began calling our friends to join us, many of whom we had just performed with on the Megacruise back in October. From there, the album just fell into place."

He continues: "A lot of our buddies have been playing covers and quarantine jams on the Internet during the pandemic, so this is really just an extension of that, but we took it the next level and actually recorded a full studio album. We've been working remotely anyway, as we're all over the globe, so it was easy to incorporate some guests jumping in with some outstanding performances of their own. It's been a really fun nod to making great music with our friends, who are kick-ass players, and many legends in their own right, which is the whole reason we got into this in the first place."

Says Hazaert: "It's all songs and artists that really mutually influenced both myself and David, especially a lot of early 'metal' and harder classic rock. Some stuff I picked, some stuff he picked, but for the most part is was all artists that we both loved. What's funny, as there's a bit of an age gap, we were sometimes more influenced by different eras of the same bands. But it was really him saying, 'Let's do this song,' and me saying, 'Yes!!! And let's do this song.' And before we knew it, we had over 15 songs. And it's a lot of album tracks, deep cuts, early tracks, stuff people might not expect, which was what was so fun."

He adds: "It was also great that we were able to work in a lot of nods to David's history, getting Chuck Behler to play with us, bringing in original MEGADETH guitarist Greg Handevidt to play on 'Love Me Like A Reptile', a song they used to play in cover bands together before they moved to L.A. (which we wrote about in 'More Life With Deth'), and Randy Burns is going to mix a track or two. As a singer, these are literally bands I've listened to, and covered all my life, and for me, getting to play with Eddie Ojeda, the TESLA guys, Charlie Benante, Jason McMaster, Mark Slaughter, etc, and sing these songs that mean so much to me. I mean, literally, the entire record is my bucket list of people I'd love to play with, and some of my favorite bands. So, it's truly an honor to put together something so fun, and really as effortless as this was. It truly is a love letter to rock n' roll, an homage to what made us, musically, who we are today."

2019 saw the release of Ellefson's "More Life With Deth" memoir, co-written with Hazaert, which led to the pair collaborating on the ELLEFSON compilation release "Sleeping Giants", released as a companion album to the book. Ellefson and Hazaert followed up the release of "Sleeping Giants" with an extensive U.S. and European tour, dubbed "More Live With Deth", with HATCHET guitarist Clayton Cagle, as well as FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's Steve Conley, stepping in on second guitar in the U.S., including several now-legendary shows featuring MEGADETH alumni Chuck Behler and Chris Poland.

The European "More Live With Deth" tour saw the permanent addition of guitarist Andy Martongelli and drummer Paolo Caridi into the recording lineup, as well as the return of Bumblefoot to the fold, and ELLEFSON was born. March 2020 brought the release of the single "Simple Truth", which was premiered on SiriusXM by Eddie Trunk, followed in May by the release of their re-imagined Post Malone cover "Over Now", both of which garnered national airplay.

ELLEFSON is set to tentatively release its debut full-length studio LP in spring 2021.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has confirmed that he is putting the finishing touches on his new solo album. Speaking to Bob Nalbandian of the "Shockwaves/HardRadio" podcast, he said: "I'm still working on the record. I haven't really got anything to report as for when and where it's gonna get released, because, obviously, COVID changed a lot of release dates and event things.

"I haven't really talked about the record anywhere yet, because I wanna wait till I can tell people when it's coming out and stuff," he continued. "But I'm still working on it. It's really close to being done, but since we got so many exensions because of the COVID thing, I've been able to go in and re-tool it and just have the luxury of doing remixes and replaying stuff. It's really kind of the ultimate way to make a record."

Asked what fans can expect to hear on the follow-up to 2017's "Wall Of Sound", Marty said: "Any record that I do, as you know, as everybody who listens to my stuff knows, it's gonna be — at least in my opinion — one step further, deeper, more, above, whatever it is; just a new step farther ahead, advanced — just something I've never done before. And I've had the luxury of much more time and much more of other people's time as well.

"Usually, it's really hard to track down and nail down members and studio people," he explained. "You really wanna have your 'A team,' but sometimes the 'A team' is very busy. But now it's been a lot easier to get people on board who are usually really, really busy, so scheduling has been just a breeze. And [I] love that."

As previously reported, Marty's long-awaited documentary, titled "Spacefox", will tentatively arrive in 2021. The film, which is being directed by Jeremy Frindel, the founder of Substratum Films, follows Friedman's reinvention from lead guitarist in MEGADETH to one of the most famous TV personalities in Japan.

This past June, Friedman released a "Home Jams" version of his song "Self Pollution", which originally appeared on "Wall Of Sound". The new rendition of the song features Friedman, along with his longtime bandmates Kiyoshi (bass) and Jordan Ziff (guitar), plus Anup Sastry (drums). The split-screen video was filmed in Tokyo, Osaka, Phoenix and Baltimore, with each musician separated in his or her home.

Friedman's latest record, "One Bad M.F. Live!!", came out in October 2018. The album was recorded in Mexico City on April 14, 2018 during the final concert of Friedman's world tour in support of "Wall Of Sound".

"Wall Of Sound" was released in August 2017 via Prosthetic Records.

Alice Cooper will release a strictly limited "Don't Give Up" seven-inch vinyl picture disc on August 14 on earMUSIC. A short preview video can be seen below.

Alice wrote in a social media post: "Cannot wait for you all to see the new #DontGiveUp 7" vinyl picture disc. They came out absolutely stunning. Here's a little preview for my Minions."

Cooper spoke to the KSHE 95 radio station about "Don't Give Up", which is offering up a message of encouragement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The legendary rocker stated about the inspiration for the track: "I saw THE [ROLLING] STONES '[Living In A] Ghost Town' thing, which is great — I think that's one of the best songs they've ever done. And then I saw Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck [covering John Lennon's classic track 'Isolation'], and that's very cool. And I said one point of view that has not come out yet is what about us talking back to this virus and telling it it's limited — it has a short lifespan — and yeah, it's dangerous but we're not scared of it, and we're gonna survive and it will not survive. It's sort of like punching the bully in the nose and saying, 'Hey, we're tired ot being victims, okay?' And I think a lot of people like that attitude, because it gives them a sense of power over this virus."

"When we wrote the song, the B section and the chorus, I think, really pay off, just saying, 'We're looking at the razor's edge, but don't step off the ledge; don't give up,'" he continued. "I think a lot of that goes to people that just feel like, 'I just can't take this anymore.' And you go, 'No, no, no. You don't get it. We're beating this thing. Just hold on. We're gonna win.'

"When I look at CNN, I only see the death toll — I never see the recovery toll," he added. "Four percent of people die from this, and they're usually dying because they had other things wrong — diabetes and things like that — whereas it should say also people recovering. It would be a huge number. And I think that that's important to make people feel better. I don't like the scare tactic."

Cooper has completed work on his new album, "Detroit Stories". The LP, which was once again produced by Cooper's longtime collaborator Bob Ezrin, features contributions by such Michigan talent as the MC5's Wayne Kramer, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD's Mark Farner and Johnny "Bee" Badanjek of MITCH RYDER & THE DETROIT WHEELS. They also used the Detroit Horns and Detroit background singers.

Last September, Cooper released a six-track EP called "Breadcrumbs", described as a tribute to the garage-rock heroes of his hometown of Detroit.


Don't Give Up Vinyl Teaser

Cannot wait for you all to see the new #DontGiveUp 7" vinyl picture disc. They came out absolutely stunning. Here's a little preview for my Minions.

Pre-order now at https://alicecooper.lnk.to/DontGiveUp

Posted by Alice Cooper on Thursday, August 6, 2020

Tom Morello has shared a previously unreleased song from his THE NIGHTWATCHMAN solo project. "You Belong To Me", which the RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist originally performed on SiriusXM this past June, can be streamed below.

Last month, Genesis announced it will release Morello's photographic memoir, "Whatever It Takes".

As the cofounder and guitarist of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, AUDIOSLAVE and PROPHETS OF RAGE, and as a solo artist and collaborator with artists as diverse as Bruce Springsteen and WU-TANG CLAN, few musicians have been as groundbreaking as Morello. In "Whatever It Takes", he tells his story through original commentary, handwritten notes, set lists and a wealth of photographs, to make this jam-packed photographic memoir fascinating, honest, and completely unique.

"Whatever It Takes" is available as a signed limited edition and a bookstore edition. The large-format, hardback edition will be available in all good bookstores from October. The limited edition is also available now. Presented in a Solander box, each copy is individually signed by Morello, and includes an exclusive seven-inch vinyl and a "Little Red Songbook", a booklet of songs and chord charts from his time performing as THE NIGHTWATCHMAN.

"I'm both blessed and cursed to be a guitar player," Morello said. "I didn't choose it, it chose me. The challenge was to find a way to weave my convictions into my music in a meaningful way."






Thanks. That was an unreleased Nightwatchman song that I played today on @SIRIUSXM https://t.co/hfOTa5sbbG

— Tom Morello (@tmorello) June 16, 2020

California rock heavyweights BLINK-182 have dropped their brand-new track, "Quarantine". This relevant and timely song features strong drums and killer guitars matched with angsty vocals to stress just how hard we all have been hit by this time spent in isolation and social distancing. Alongside the song comes a music video that intermixes the lyrics and raw footage of the band shot on iPhones.

"This song is about the sadness, confusion, anger and frustration we are all experiencing right now," says Mark Hoppus. "I hope that everybody is safe and that we can get through this very soon. Can't wait to see you all on the other side." Travis Barker adds: "The song was inspired by the quarantine and the crappy punk rock music we have loved to play since day one. All the drums are one take and I even sang some backup vocals. Mark sounds more pissed off than I've ever heard him, and I really like it."

Alongside the brand-new song, BLINK-182 has scored two MTV VMA nominations for "Best Rock" and "Best Music Video From Home" for its fan-driven montage to the song "Happy Days".

BLINK-182's latest album, "Nine", is out now on Columbia Records and includes singles "I Really Wish I Hated You", "Darkside", "Happy Days", "Generational Divide" and "Blame It On My Youth".

Since its humble beginnings in 1992 in San Diego, BLINK-182 has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and rocked audiences around the globe, becoming one of the defining and inspirational rock bands of its generation.

BLINK-182 is Mark Hoppus (vocals/bass), Travis Barker (drums) and Matt Skiba (vocals/guitar). A guitarist and singer with ALKALINE TRIO, Skiba replaced original BLINK-182 singer Tom DeLonge in 2016.

BLINK-182 released its first post-DeLonge album, "California", in 2016.

KING MOTHERSHIP, the new band featuring PERIPHERY's Spencer Sotelo and Matt Halpern with SLAVES' bass player Tai Wright, will release its debut album, "The Ritual", on October 2 via 3DOT Recordings. The first taste of the driving, melody-laden collection comes via digital single "Cosmic Meltdown".

"Very excited to finally share this record with the world," says Sotelo of the release that finds him expanding beyond vocals by recording all guitars and keyboards. "These ideas have been around for about eight years and it's such an amazing feeling to have sculpted them into songs we're all so proud of as a band. We had a blast making this record and I think it's gonna be the first of many to come."

KING MOTHERSHIP is a project Sotelo has been working on for a number of years, recording bits and pieces for a project that had yet to take shape. Taking inspiration from bands like MUSE, JAMIROQUAI, THE MARS VOLTA, THE DEAR HUNTER, and, yes, QUEEN, a distinct sound emerged but the record remained in hard drive purgatory for nearly a decade.

"I just got sick of hearing it in the demo form," he says of the album. "But I would have some PERIPHERY fans hit me up every now and then, and they'd be like, 'What happened?' Somebody hit me up in my direct messages like, 'What's the deal with that?' And I was like, 'Yeah, what is the deal with that?' A couple years ago, I went back and started opening the sessions. I was like, 'This is fucking cool.' I was re-inspired."

PERIPHERY bandmate/drummer Matt Halpern soon signed up for the band, while former SLAVES' member Tai Wright laid down most of the bass. There's also a guest solo from Australian prog guitarist Plini on closer "I Stand Alone".

"The Ritual" track listing:

01. Hope

02. Cosmic Meltdown

03. Gold

04. Only You

05. Babby

06. Goodnight My Darling

07. Death Machine

08. The Ritual

09. Ego 101

10. The Devil's Train

11. Imminent Distortion

12. I Stand Alone (feat. Plini)

NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen has released an English-language version of her recently recorded solo song, "The Fight Goes On". The original Dutch-language version of the track, "De Beelden Blijven", was written by Han Kooreneef and recorded for the documentary "Kinderen In Oorlog: 75 Jaar Later" in cooperation with War Child.

War Child is an organization that provides education and psychological care for children in conflict zones across the world.

Says Jansen: "War Child is providing aid in Beirut as we speak and that makes this song extra important. Because the fight goes on. In so many places on this beautiful green earth help and support is vital for the future of children hurt by war and other forms of terror.

"War Child helps children worldwide who suffer from the traumas of war. They want to help them with their invisible scars, to break the silence about their experiences on a child-friendly way through music, play and interaction with other children. So called psycho-social help."

Jansen spoke about her contribution to the track during a live video chat with fans in May. She said: "That was a huge honor, and I cannot start to tell you how amazing I thought it was to see all the reactions. I think now it's 25 languages the lyrics got translated in. It's fantastic to see everybody worldwide so engaged and so touched by the song.

"War, unfortunately, is a worldwide phenomenon, but it's music that does the wordless talking sometimes," she continued. "And even though it's cool to see it in your own language, I think one of the first reactions that I saw was that a lot of people felt it before they actually knew what it really meant. And to know the words, of course, if amplifies the actual meaning, but it was wonderful to see the initial reactions. It came in so strong. That was the intention, of course."

Jansen went on to say that she is "very grateful" to have been asked to sing on the song. She added: "It's War Child doing all the helping, and trying to help, in this case, children to cope with the effects of war and make sure that, or try at least to make it so that it's not a sentence for life mentally, which is quite a challenge that I can only imagine."

Jansen made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon.

Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013 and made her recording debut with the group on 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album.

NIGHTWISH's ninth studio album, "Human. :II: Nature." , was released on April 10 via Nuclear Blast. The long-awaited follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" is a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters on CD 2.

Finnish troll horde FINNTROLL has an animated music video for "Forsen", the second single from its highly anticipated seventh studio album — the first in long seven years. "Vredesvävd" will be out on September 18 via Century Media Records. The title translates to "Wrath-woven," which aptly implies what the vigorous, unapologetic and ill-spirited record is all about.

Says the band of the beautifully animated video, which was created by Animaatiokopla: "The shaman's journey into the other is portrayed in myriads of ancient art. Often symbolized by a stream that flows into the earth, riding the rapids one can unravel mysteries, deep within the layers of consciousness. There one can find oneself, if one dares to search deep enough."

Recorded and mixed at the renowned Sonic Pump Studios, mastered at Chartmakers and produced by keyboardist-composer Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali with vocalist Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns acting as his right hand, "Vredesvävd" presents the pointy-eared gang of misfits at their finest.

FINNTROLL stated about the new LP: "'Vredesvävd' is shamelessly untrendy, fierce and a catchy album. Raising a mushroom-cladded middle finger towards lazy rock music, it whips and whacks the poor listener in a way that only FINNTROLL is capable of delivering. Combining something old, something new and a ton of something black."

"Vredesvävd" track listing:

01. Väktaren

02. Att Döda Med En Sten

03. Ormfolk

04. Grenars Väg

05. Forsen

06. Vid Häxans Härd

07. Myren

08. Stjärnors Mjöd

09. Mask

10. Ylaren

FINNTROLL is:

Trollhorn - Keyboards, Orchestrations, Guitars, Banjo, Mouth Harp

Tundra - Bass

Skrymer - Guitars

Routa - Guitar

Vreth - Vocals

Virta - Keys

MörkÖ - Drums

Photo credit: Henry Soderlund

SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian has officially launched NORTH KINGSLEY, his long-awaited and hotly anticipated new musical collaboration with producer Saro Paparian and lyricist/vocalist Ray Hawthorne. The collective has released its debut single, the hard-hitting "Like That?" and has announced the release of the first three-track collection of music, "Vol. 1", which will drop on August 14.

"Like That?" is a perfect introduction to the NORTH KINGSLEY musical aesthetic; cutting-edge beats combine with gnarly metallic riffs and a wildly dexterous lyrical flow to create a crisp-but-gritty sound born in the Los Angeles underground.

The dawn of NORTH KINGSLEY is a challenge to the very system itself. The way music is released, distributed and marketed is all being approached in a unique and creative way relevant to today's world and showcases a determination to revolutionize arcane structures. Instead of a full album release, NORTH KINGSLEY will instead be releasing miniature volumes of three tracks every few months, the first of which, "Vol. 1", will drop next week.

Shavo says: "We're giving you songs you can marinade on, instead of 12 songs all at once. There's going to be a clip for every song, something visually for you to vibe on.

"I directed videos for SYSTEM, I do stage production visuals for the band, so that's important to me.

"Saro has an incredible eye for creating new things visually and I act almost how a producer would on that and we are going to drop merch with every release, so it's more than just music."

When Shavo began experimental studio sessions with producer Saro Paparian and New Jersey lyricist Ray Hawthorne, he had no idea that it would turn into anything more than a creative outlet to jam with like-minded musicians. The result was a genre-bending mix of deep, cinematic instrumentals and thought provoking, socially charged words.

"I love to collaborate," says Odadjian. "I love to hear my ideas come through other people. There is strength in numbers. Saro would make the beats, and I would play guitar and bass — and not in a way that you'd usually hear in rock. When Ray came in, he was very turned on to what's going on socially and politically. They both know their way around the studio with what's new and fresh. I played hard to get for a little while with them, but the vibe and what we were working on was so cool that it became the start of NORTH KINGSLEY."

Capitalizing on a musical legacy that includes musical collaborations with the likes of funk master George Clinton, spiritual hip-hop guru RZA and legendary production accomplice Rick Rubin, Odadjian's sonic blueprint for his new project takes in everything from crisp and hard trap beats to gritty rock flavors.

"I'm known for playing metal but you can't say it's just metal — it has a lot of other influences in there," Odadjian points out. "I did ACHOZEN with RZA and that was straight hip-hop. NORTH KINGSLEY is right in the middle. The kick and the hi-hats and the snare sounds punk.

"To me, punk rock isn't a style of music, it's something you live. It's a lifestyle and it means going against the grain and I heard that there, and we are putting it all together to create something exciting and new for today.”

In 2018, Odadjian came to Paparian, who provided him with an education in the latest, cutting edge studio techniques. As an Armenian-American raised on everything from SOAD to surf rock, Paparian took that base principal and spent years around the underground Los Angeles hip-hop community, going to club nights where people would manufacture beats and he and Ray would lose themselves for hours as often as they could.

Speaking about the new project, Paparian says: "Our sound is very L.A. Ray and I were raised in those dirty clubs for years and you have Shavo who's part of one of the biggest L.A. bands of this century.

"I want people to know that this came from L.A. You can hear it in the griminess of both the rock and the beats.

"The three of us align across the spectrum and bring different things. It's like these musical and cultural nodes that center and become NORTH KINGSLEY. We have specific creative identities. It's like watching those three things clash and meld together like steel rods being sculpted by friction.

"I'm stirring this witch's brew with Ray's lyrical intellect and Shavo's exceptional songwriting talent. It's in his DNA to know when a song feels right and I throw my flavor into that and that's us."

Hawthorne, the final component to join the inner workings of NORTH KINGSLEY, is a longtime associate of Paparian. Armed with knowledge of today's political, social and entertainment landscapes and showcasing a lyrical dexterity that can take him anywhere from Hemmingway to animation and scholars to psychopaths, nothing is off limits when it comes to how he communicates his ideas.

"I grew up on SYSTEM and had lots of albums by socially conscious bands and that spoke to me," he says. "We are all focused and are all hard on ourselves to challenge one another and make something that's great musically and that, I hope, extends to our message."

With this razor-sharp approach to both the creative and business output of the project, NORTH KINGSLEY is a socially conscious, creative force shaped by the modern age. Drawing on a multitude of cultural, visual and political influences, they aim to create a musical movement that is both rooted in what's come before, but that focuses on creating what's next.

Night Demon have released a new single "In Trance" Live In Germany, featuring Uli Jon Roth.

Says the band: "Dreams do come true… were you there? Relive this special moment in heavy metal history by picking up your limited-edition vinyl copy of 'In Trance' performed live in Hamburg, Germany with legendary Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth.

"You can purchase the vinyl directly from the band at nightdemon.net/shop. There are also links there to our officially licensed worldwide merch outlets.

"This 7” single is limited to 800 copies - 250 in red, 250 in yellow, and 300 in black - colors which represent the German flag!"

Listen to the single here, and watch the video below.

March 2, 2019 will be remembered as one of the most important nights in Night Demon history. The location was Hamburg, Germany, long a second home for the band on their frequent European sojourns through the years. The occasion was the sold-out Hell Over Hammaburg Festival, which Night Demon had the honor of headlining. That night, the famous Markthalle venue was teeming with 1,000 die-hard metal maniacs from around the globe, waiting impatiently for the Ventura, California-based trio to put an exclamation point on the weekend’s festivities. But Night Demon had a special surprise up their sleeves for the Hammaburg faithful. You see, on this night they did not come alone.

Over the previous few months, Night Demon had been working in a spine tingling cover of the Scorpions’ classic “In Trance” into their live set for certain high-profile gigs, to rapturous crowd response. For the Hammaburg gig, revered former Scorpions guitar slinger Uli Jon Roth, who was an integral part of the In Trance album in 1975, agreed to join Night Demon onstage for a two-song vintage Scorpions encore consisting of “In Trance” and “Top Of The Bill.” Roth’s appearance was a scrupulously guarded secret, unknown to all outside of the inner circle of band and fest organizers. When the big moment finally arrived at the end of a sweat-soaked, 15-song pummelling, it was nothing short of magical.




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Mixing country music with the hard-hitting stomp of rock and roll, Canadian star Cory Marks makes his debut on Better Noise Music with the release of his album "Who I Am". Also available now is the video for one of the standout tracks on the album, "Out In The Rain", a duet with Lzzy Hale, frontwoman of the band HALESTORM.

"What inspired me to be featured was really Cory's heart; you could really hear that he was speaking from his truth and you could just feel the pain and the purgatory of whatever was happening to him at the time that inspired him to write that song," says Hale. "And my favourite part of the whole song is this conversation that Cory and I are having. It's such a realistic look at love and a couple's journey together. My favorite part is that you can't really tell no matter how many times you listen to it. Are they breaking up? Are they getting back together? Are they just weathering the storm? I think you should decide."

The album also features the global hit "Outlaws & Outsiders", which not only hit the Top 10 at rock radio in the U.S. and Top 12 in Canada, but spent over a month at No. 1 in the UK on Kerrang's Airplay chart as well as being one of the most played tracks on Planet Rock radio of 2020. It is currently at No. 5 at rock radio in Germany.

"Who I Am" was produced by award-winning Kevin Churko (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, Shania Twain, Ozzy Osbourne) and his son the Juno Award-winning producer, songwriter and engineer Kane Churko (PAPA ROACH, SKILLET). All together, the album consists of 13 songs, including other fan-friendly tracks like "Blame It On The Double", "Devil's Grin", "Better Off" and the latest single, "Drive" — telling stories of heartbreak, hell-raising, and everything in between.

"I'm really excited to finally have this record out! 'Who I Am' tells stories of the last 5 years of my life," says Marks. "The good, the bad and the ugly. The highs and lows of life and I think everyone is going to relate to at least one song on this album. It's a mix of rock, country and a bit of metal. I like to think of it as if Ozzy Osbourne, Merle Haggard and Eric Church created an album it would sound like this. There's nothing out there both in country or rock like this and I'm really proud of that. I hope to steer country music in a whole new direction with this project, turn it up and enjoy!"

"Outlaws & Outsiders" (featuring Ivan Moody of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, Travis Tritt and Mick Mars of MÖTLEY CRÜE) has over 12 million streams and over 17 million video views globally. It is trending globally on the Shazam discovery charts ranking among the greatest songs of all genres — including songs by BLACK EYED PEAS, Billy Joe Armstrong and G-Easy — illustrating the appeal of country rock music that transcends beyond genre lines. The song is also included in the "sno babies" movie soundtrack, a powerful film that deals with the topic of substance use disorder in the places you would least expect — middle class suburbia. Cory's song "Blame It On The Double" will appear in the soundtrack of another Better Noise Films release, horror spectacular "The Retaliators".

"Growing up on country and rock music — being inspired by songs like THE ROLLING STONES' 'Honky Tonk Woman', bands like DEEP PURPLE and the iconic Ozzy Osbourne, the original outlaws and outsiders Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings — shaped my musical style. It's a true honor to be working with the country music outlaw of my generation the great Travis Tritt," explained Cory. "He is such a down-to-earth guy and a great pleasure to work with, he's the real deal and I'm very thankful to be working with him".

"I was flattered to be asked to contribute my vocals to the Cory Marks single, 'Outlaws & Outsiders'. I'm excited to see what the future holds for this talented young artist," Tritt explained.

Savatage / Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Chris Caffery is now offering "Sick Of This Shit" Summer Tour 2020 T-shirts, his tongue-in-cheek salute to COVID-19 and the global pandemic. They are available via Zazzle here but you need to create an account in order to view and purchase a shirt. Check out the details below.

Caffery is currently working on a new single called "Sick Of This Shit". Details of the release will be available soon.

Caffery recently checked in with the following:

"Had some fun this evening doing my first ever Zoom thing. My good friend Peter Pardo from Sea of Tranquility and I, along with Wilbur The Metalphant, did our Top Ten list for favorite Savatage songs. Pete and I went to high school together! Our history goes back at least 10 years!

This was challenging since I have way more than 10 favorites so I had Wilbur help. I threw in some history and memories. I hope you enjoy this. It was a fun escape from the madness for a short while. I’m fortunate to be a part of the history of one of the greatest metal bands in history.

Stay safe!"




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In 2018, The New Black guitarist Fabian "Fabs" Schwarz took a bold step out of his comfort zone by launching a solo project dubbed Who Brought The Dog in collaboration with BraveWords writer Carl Begai. With two albums under their belt, they are gearing up to release a new single, "Little Johnny Sunshine".

Carl: "A few of months ago a fellow Canucklehead by the name of Jeff Waters - he has a little thrash legend band called Annihilator - called out the beachgoing Legion Of Stupid in Florida for gathering in droves in spite of this little global pandemic we have going on. I was inspired by Jeff's rant, and the news footage that went with it, to write about that destructive mentality. All those thoughts in my head created a fucktard I call Little Johnny Sunshine. So it goes that Fabs worked his musical magic for our next Who Brought The Dog single. Stay tuned for something special."

The independently released Who Brought The Dog debut album, Welcome To The Man Cave, was a far cry from anything he had recorded before in that he consciously kept his metal roots locked away while experimenting with a rock sound that found its way into the realms of indie, blues, alternative, funk, jazz, punk and even pop. Comfortable as a multi-talented musician and vocalist but concerned about having lyrics of matching calibre, Fabs enlisted the help of Canadian heavy metal journalist, Carl Begai (BraveWords), a partnership that ultimately shaped the musical direction of the album. This collaboration continued through 2019 as Who Brought The Dog found its footing as a live act with drummer Philipp Klinger and guitarist Benjamin Haupt, resulting in a new and equally schizophrenic album, No World Order. It was released on October 4th, 2019 via MDD Records.

Check out the official video for "Dark Side Mary" below.

"'Dark Side Mary' is a tribute to a real person, someone who is without question the biggest Star Wars nerd in the galaxy. That said, there are intentional references to the classic films / characters in the lyrics. Call it praise to the ultimate fan."

Another labour of love for Fabs and Carl, No World Order features 10 songs that follow a similar path to the debut and expand on the Who Brought The Dog sound. Lyrically based in the world of real people and real situations - and in the case of "Who Brought The Dog", a shameless tribute to the project - the songs are based on a solid rock foundation with Fabs building on it in unexpected directions. Combining jazz-oriented grooves with Bollywood soundbytes ("When The World Stops Turning"), an AOR big band vibe ("Saviour To None"), or dance club beats gone rock ("Dark Side Mary"), these are just a few examples of the "no fear" attitude that makes Who Brought The Dog stand out in a cluttered music scene.

Heading into 2020, Who Brought The Dog will take things to the next level with official videos and more live shows. The songs earmarked to bring the Fabs' new music to the world - "Celebretard", "No World Order" and "The Music Man" - showcase various facets of his musical personality, from quirky fun, to straight ahead rock, to provocatively dark. No matter the respective musical direction of the 10 songs on the album, however, there is never a dull moment.

As cliché as it sounds, it's best to go into No World Order expecting the unexpected, which is what the world needs right now.

Tracklist:

"Who Brought The Dog"
"Choking On Your Halo"
"Dark Side Mary"
"No World Order"
"Celebretard"
"The Music Man"
"Saviour To None"
"Your Careless Spark"
"In Case You Missed It"
"When The World Stops Turning"

"Who Brought The Dog"

"No World Order"




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Wintersun frontman / mastermind Jari Mäenpää has checked in with the following update:

"There's been many requests for updates on what's been happening. We have been updating and answering questions, but apparently people are not seeing these updates because of the Facebook algorithms. We hope that this update would reach as many people as possible, so there would be less confusion about what's going on with Wintersun. In order to reach many people, please do share this post, comment and like! This will kick the algorithm's ass!

Since the release of The Forest Seasons we have been dealing with the aftermath of our crowdfunding and we've been on touring mode for almost 3 years. The touring period was also quite the challenge with lot of big changes going on in the band: Introducing a new guitar player to the band (Asim), Jari dropping the live guitar, finding a new live crew, new live gear setups, rehearsing with new members, creating and dealing with new merch, all the tour arrangements and logistics, etc.

Also, we had to find session players to cover for Kai, since he has been very busy with Nightwish. We were very lucky to have such great drummers like Timo, Rolf and Heikki to help us out! Also we were lucky to find amazing people for our live crew. So with a lot of "moving parts" the three years were a big challenge and the busiest we've ever been, but luckily in the end everything went quite smoothly, so we are very thankful!

I've been dealing with a lot of big life changes too. One of them has been moving to a new place where I am currently building a temporary 'semi studio' and also building a whole new DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) setup from scratch in order to make albums more efficiently. The 'semi studio' and the new DAW are almost finished and hopefully won't take too much time anymore. There will be more updates on this when everything is finished.

About new music and Time II

You want the good news or the bad news first? Ok, let's go with the bad first...

So right now the music making is just starting after the long and intensive touring period. I have still worked on music every chance I've gotten (which hasn't been a lot unfortunately). Right now I'm working on four new albums. Yes, one of the four albums is Time II. I've tried to work on it with the new Mac Pro and I was really hoping that the new Mac Pro would solve the issue of lack of CPU power, but even the new 16-core Mac Pro can't really handle these huge projects very well. Which was a huge disappointment. The projects open with 90% CPU usage without even plugins in the projects yet. So the projects already are very slow and once I start to add plugins in order to mix the CPU starts to spike, so I don't know what to tell you. I don't want to compromise to mix it only with couple of light plugins, like I had to mix Time I. Also I haven't found a proper kick, snare and rhythm guitar sound for this album yet and I've been looking like crazy! So I'm not really excited at all to start mixing Time II until I find these essential sounds and have more CPU to mix. And without a proper studio (a proper mixing room with proper acoustic treatment) it is incredible difficult to mix this kinda heavily layered stuff anyways.

Here's the good news...

There are also three other new albums that I'm working on and I'm very excited about these projects. One is the 'space metal' project that I've already talked about a little bit. One is a more 'traditional Wintersun' style album, kinda mix between the debut and Time albums, but also with lots of new dimensions and some of the best melodies I've ever written! The third album style I want to keep a secret for now, gotta have some mystery! But it's probably the one that I'm the most excited about currently and the one that has been progressing the fastest. I've got a whole concept for it (a whole new Wintersun world) and I've already written a lot of lyrics for it as well, but I don't know yet if it will be the next one. I'm working on all these albums in turns, because I get bored and 'foggy' if I work on the same project / same songs for too long. But right now this project already has a killer mix going, it has the RIGHT sounds. Which is great, because that's always the hardest part for me making an album (especially finding a good kick, snare and the rhythm guitar sound).

Now, I don't know when any of these albums will be finished or released, there are no promises! I'm just starting out after a long chaotic period. A new Wintersun album might come sooner or later or it might not ever come! You'll never know the future! I want to make these albums without too much pressure and enjoy the process, so there won't be compromises like there always have been in the past, which have left me in huge disappointments and taken away some of the enthusiasm to make music.

I can say this though... thanks to our crowdfunding and the amazing support from you guys, things have been progressing much more nicely than ever before. I'm really having goosebumps again and chills working on new music and having fun with it! Being able to build this 'semi studio' is helping me and the process a lot! It's not a full on studio yet, but parts of this 'semi studio' is already a dream come true for me! So thank you! You guys are the best!

Once any of these albums is finished, we will start updating more about the release and the new crowdfunding. So please stay patient for now. There will be more updates here and there about the progress. So stay EverTuned!"

Thanks!"




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Innerstrength Records is preparing to issue Texas melodic deathcore quartet Crafting The Conspiracy's The Cosmic Key II on August 28th. With the record's release less than a month away, the new single, "Equilibrium (Earthbound II)", can be heard now.

The middle story in their ongoing Cosmic Key trilogy, Crafting The Conspiracy's The Cosmic Key II delivers seven encompassing, dynamic tracks. The album was recorded by Connor Reibling of Hollowed Studios and Brojob and is completed with cover artwork by Caelan Stokkermans of Caelan Stokkermans Arts (The Acacia Strain, Soreption, Lorna Shore). Additionally, the album features guest vocals from Michael Alvarez (Flub), Jamie Hanks (I Declare War), and Christina Rotondo.

Reveals bassist Marcus Denzel Williams of the "Equilibrium (Earthbound II)" single, "I wrote the lyrics to this song in a way that could both tell the story clearly as well as be relatable in a real-world sense! At this point in the story our two characters are coming to terms with accepting that the only way to defeat the villain Serenisis is that they both must sacrifice themselves to create a power strong enough to take him down. Their love for each other and the bond they created were keys needed to do just that. The main idea I wanted to get across in this song is that love truly does conquer all when it's all said and done!"

The Cosmic Key Part II tracklisting:

"Prologue" (feat. Berry)
"Autonomy Of Ascension" (feat. Michael Alvarez of Flub, Jamie Hanks of I Declare War)
"Serenisis"
"Equilibrium/Earthbound II" (feat. Christina Rotondo)
"Cosmic Key I: Aberration"
"Cosmic Key II: Polymerization"
"Cosmic Key III: Dream Sequence"

Pre-order your copy of The Cosmic Key Part II now at Bandcamp.

"Cosmic Key III: Dream Sequence":

 




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Velvet Viper are going to re-release the remastered first Zed Yago album, From Over Yonder, on August 21st via Massacre Records

You can now listen to the second single "Queen And Priest" via the YouTube clip below, as well as on various streaming platforms.

The album was remastered by Alexander Krull at his Mastersound Studio, and will include bonus tracks. From Over Yonder is available as Jewel Case CD as well as limited edition Vinyl LP in two different colors. You can pre-order it here. 

From Over Yonder artwork and tracklisting:

"The Spell From Over Yonder"
"The Flying Dutchman"
"Zed Yago"
"Queen And Priest"
"Revenge"
"United Pirate Kingdom"
"Stay The Course"
"Rebel Ladies"
"Rocking For The Nation"
"Rebel Ladies" (Live München Theaterfabrik 1989 - Bonus Track)
"Rockin’ For The Nation" (Live London Hammersmith Odeon 1989 - Bonus Track)
"The Schmied" (Bonus Track)

"The Spell From Over Yonder":

(Photo credit: Volker Wilke)




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Horror Pain Gore Death Productions have signed Ghoulhouse , the newly formed old school grindcore / death metal, horror obsessed act from the minds of Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Ribspreader, Revolting) and Håkan Stuvemark (Wombbath). The debut album, Rigor Mortis Intermezzo, is up now for pre-order and will be released September 11th on CD and Digital formats, with merchandise and bundles. Below is the official description:

What happens when a couple of old school Swedish Death Metal heads decide it's time to play something even more rotting than they usually do? Ghoulhouse! Horror Pain Gore Death Productions is proud to present the filthy debut album Rigor Mortis Intermezzo, the brainchild of Sweden's own Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Ribspreader, Revolting) and Håkan Stuvemark (Wombbath). Ghoulhouse is heavily influenced by legends Impetigo and Repulsion, with the intent to blend crust with an old school mixture of traditional grindcore / death metal, complimented by deadly and horrific lyrical themes. Easily the most rotten release of 2020... for true necroholics only! For fans of Autopsy, Boneyard, Dismember, Exhumed, Haemorrhage, Gruesome Stuff Relish, Impetigo and Repulsion.

Rigor Mortis Intermezzo artwork and tracklisting:

"Maze Of Human Bones"
"The Beast Of The Morgue"
"Necroholics Anonymous"
"Rigor Mortis Intermezzo"
"Loveshack Graveyard"
"Ghoulhouse Theme"
"Rotten Flesh Ballet"
"Needle And Thread For The Rotting Undead"
"Sawlaw"
"Zombified And Berserk"
"Ghoulhouse"
"Decomposition Beat"

"Maze Of Human Bones":

 




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Legendary Dutch death metallers Pestilence have commenced recording their ninth studio album titled Exitivm, tentatively slated for release later this year on Agonia Records.

Pestilence have kicked off 2020 with plans to both accelerate work on their ninth album and reconnect with fans on the road, yet the unforeseen virus outbreak made them postpone most of their goals. First their North American tour with Possessed got cancelled (and is currently on-hold until better times arrive) and later drummer Septimiu Harsan quit the band due to pandemic-related matters. Fortunately, the last month has finally seen things take a turn for the better. Together with new drummer Michiel van der Plicht (also known for being the live drummer for Carach Angren) as well as new bass player Joost van der Graaf (Creep Mime, I Chaos and Dew Scented), Pestilence raises its head again, having completed drum recordings, and being well in the process of recording guitars.

Pestilence's main composer Patrick Mameli is known to constantly reinvent his musical self and it's no different in the case of Exitivm. The album is set to explore new musical soundscapes, with emphasis on sick and twisted riffs, heaviness and brutal grooves. He had this to say on the progress they made so far: "Pestilence is very pleased how the ten new compositions are developing and taking shape. Not even in my wildest dreams I could have ever imagined this monster taking shape like it is doing right now. I think it has something to do with this line-up and sound engineer too. Not only are the new guys: Rutger (lead guitars), Joost van der Graaf (bass guitars) and Michiel van der Plicht (drums) extremely talented but they fit the Pestilence style. They fill in their parts on a high professional level." 

"My guitar sound for this new album Exitivm is more brutal and heavy than on previous albums so that it crushes the skull and pierces right through the soul. The collaboration with studio engineer Jory Hogeveen at Pitchnote Productions, has been very relaxed since he is a musician himself (guitar player for Shinigami), so we speak the same musical language. So far we finished recording drums, guitars, bass and some leads. It already sounds devastating! Up next are vocals and the rest of the leads. Then we add some intros and soundscapes to further take the whole concept to a much darker place because the lyrical concept is about mental illness and inner and outer entities aka demons."

Pestilence was established in the Netherlands in 1986 and is considered to be a progressive death metal phenom, labeled on the same genre-defying scale as Death, Cynic and Atheist, but also Obituary and Deicide, with whom they shared the same label-home throughout the '90s. The group is led by founder, guitarist and mastermind Patrick Mameli, who's been the band's binding factor through two breakups (in 1994 and 2014) and reunions (2008 and 2016, respectively). 

Pestilence's last album, Hadeon, was released in 2018, taking everyone by surprise with a nod towards the band's early death metal years, while still nourishing their experimental expression. The album was followed by extensive tours of Europe and South America, alongside many other shows throughout 2018. In 2019 the band hit the road again and performed to crowds in UK, Europe, USA, Singapore and Japan. Earlier this year, the virus outbreak forced Pestilence to postpone all of their their touring plans, including a North American run with Possessed.

For further details, visit Pestilence on Facebook.

 




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The "not so distant future" has arrived and with it comes Night Cobra. The Houston heavy metal band - featuring current and former members of Necrofier, Venomous Maximus, Killer Hearts and The Satanic Overlords Of Rock N Roll - plays uncaged music for an age of discontent.

Night Cobra's fiery blend of scorching rock 'n' roll and blistering metal is on full display with the unit's debut EP, In Praise Of The Shadow, available now via Bandcamp and streaming via the audio player below.

In Praise of the Shadow by Night Cobra

"These Night Cobra songs have been forged in the concrete and steel of punk and heavy metal," says vocalist Christian Larson. "The world burns and we look for an escape, an escape from Earth!"

In Praise Of The Shadow artwork and tracklisting:

"Chains Of The Beast"
"Escape From Earth"
"In Praise Of The Shadow"
"Nightmare Eternal"

For further details, visit Night Cobra on Facebook.

 




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METALLICA has uploaded video to its Instagram stories showing the the four members of the band playing together at their headquarters in San Rafael, California.

James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo can be seen playing the intro to "Creeping Death", with everyone except Hetfield wearing face masks.

It is not presently clear if METALLICA is rehearsing for a specific event or if it is preparing to take part in a recording session.

In early May, the four members of METALLICA overcame social distancing to record a new version of their song "Blackened", with each member separated in his own home. The split-screen video was posted to the band's social media channels.

Back in April, Ulrich revealed in an online chat that the band could get together to write and record a new album while in quarantine.

Discussing METALLICA's plans to potentially get together to write and record a follow-up to 2016's "Hardwired...To Self-Destruct", Ulrich said: "The guys in METALLICA... we sit here and go, well, maybe in a month or two from now, is there a chance that the four of us can be together maybe at our studio here in Northern California, if the quarantine and stay-at-home orders subside — so on and so forth."

The drummer continued: "Will there be a METALLICA quarantine record? I can't tell you, because, again, I don't know how long the quarantine will last. But if you and I and the rest of the world are sitting here six months from now or a year from now, I'd say there's a very good chance."

METALLICA has been largely out of the public eye since last fall when the band canceled an Australian tour and announced that Hetfield was returning to rehab for the first time since 2002 to battle his addictions.

In March, METALLICA announced that its South American tour, which was originally planned for April, has been postponed until December. In addition, the band's appearances at five Danny Wimmer Presents-produced festivals in May, September and October have been canceled: Epicenter in Charlotte, Welcome To Rockville in Daytona, Sonic Temple in Columbus, Louder Than Life in Louisville and Aftershock in Sacramento.

"Metallica And San Francisco Symphony: S&M²", featuring METALLICA's 2019 performance with the San Francisco Symphony will be made available in August. The "S&M²" concerts featured METALLICA reuniting with San Francisco Symphony for the first time since the original "S&M²" performances in 1999 documented by the Grammy-winning live album "S&M" — plus the first-ever METALLICA/San Francisco Symphony renditions of songs written and released since those shows.

The official video for THE ROLLING STONES' new song "Scarlet" can be seen below. The clip features Emmy-nominated actor Paul Mescal, who starred in critically acclaimed television series "Normal People".

A love letter to "Scarlet", the video was directed by directing duo Us and filmed with a socially distanced shoot at London's iconic Claridge's hotel.

"Scarlet" will appear on THE ROLLING STONES' multi-format release of their 1973 classic "Goats Head Soup". Due on September 4, the album will be available in multiple configurations, including four-disc CD and vinyl box set editions, with a treasure trove of unreleased studio and live material.

The reissue follows the huge success and acclaim for THE STONES' "Living In A Ghost Town" single and their universally admired lockdown performance of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in Global Citizen's April special "One World: Together At Home".

The box set and deluxe CD and vinyl editions of "Goats Head Soup" will all feature ten bonus tracks, which include alternate versions, outtakes and no fewer than three previously unheard tracks.

STONES devotees worldwide will be thrilled by the inclusion, on the box set and deluxe editions, of the previously unheard "Scarlet", featuring guitar by Jimmy Page, and a third newly unveiled song, "All The Rage".

The layered guitar textures of "Scarlet" make for a track that's as infectious and raunchy as anything the band cut in this hallowed era. As well as Jimmy Page guesting alongside Mick and Keith on the track it also features on bass Rick Grech of BLIND FAITH fame.

"All The Rage" has a wild, post-"Brown Sugar" strut and the percussive "Criss Cross" rocks and swaggers as only THE STONES can. The bonus disc of unreleased material also sheds new light on tracks such as "100 Years Ago" and "Hide Your Love", with further unissued mixes by STONES insider and acclaimed producer Glyn Johns.

The box set editions of "Goats Head Soup" will also include "Brussels Affair", the 15-track live album recorded in a memorable show in Belgium, on the autumn 1973 tour that followed the album's late August release. This much-sought-after disc, mixed by Bob Clearmountain, was previously available only in THE ROLLING STONES' "official bootleg" series of live recordings in 2012.

The Brussels show features the already-classic "Tumbling Dice", "Midnight Rambler", "Jumping Jack Flash" and many others, and includes a sequence of tracks from the then-new album. "Star Star" is followed by "Dancing With Mr. D", "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" and "Angie".

Additionally, the CD and vinyl box sets offer the original ten-track album in 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res mixes, along with the videos for "Dancing With Mr. D", "Silver Train" and "Angie". An exclusive 120-page book will feature a remarkable array of photographs, essays by writers Ian McCann, Nick Kent and Daryl Easlea and faithful reproductions of four tour posters from 1973.

As McCann writes: "'Goats Head Soup' was released with plenty of fanfare. Despite what you may read today, the kids weren't entirely absorbed by glam rock, metal, prog and Philly soul back in 1973, and they bought the album in their thousands, sending it to No. 1 in the USA and in the UK, their fifth consecutive British chart-topper."

Their 11th U.K. studio album, recorded in Jamaica, Los Angeles and London as their last collaboration with producer Jimmy Miller, "Goats Head Soup" came in the wake of THE STONES' landmark 1972 double album "Exile On Main St." The new set was introduced by the single that became one of their most exalted ballads, the endlessly elegant "Angie", completed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards during a songwriting sojourn in Switzerland.

The timeless love song, showcasing Jagger's yearning lead vocal and Nicky Hopkins' beautiful piano motif, topped the charts in the U.S., where it was certified platinum, and went to No. 1 across Europe, Australia and beyond. "We decided to do something different, and it worked," Richards told Rolling Stone of "Angie". "Maybe a lot of people bought it that would never buy a STONES LP." Interestingly in a recent interview with The New York Times, Bob Dylan chose "Angie" as one of three ROLLING STONES songs he wished he had written.

"Goats Head Soup", with its famous David Bailey sleeve, featured THE STONES' vintage 1969-1974 line-up of Jagger, Richards, Mick Taylor, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, with the addition of some essential collaborators. On an album on which their trademark rocking sound was often augmented by more low-key, reflective material, there were no fewer than four featured piano players: Hopkins, Billy Preston, Ian "Stu" Stewart and Jagger himself.

"Angie" was the only single to be released from the LP in the U.K., where it spent two weeks at No. 5 in September. In the U.S., the exhilaratingly funky, horn-filled "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)", featuring Mick Taylor's wah-wah lead guitar, followed it into the top 20 in February 1974.

The many other highlights of the album included the majestically brooding opener "Dancing With Mr. D", the lithely strutting "100 Years Ago" and "Star Star" and the graceful "Winter". Richards' rueful lead vocal on "Coming Down Again" featured another STONES stalwart, saxophonist Bobby Keys. "Silver Train", the b-side of "Angie", would be revived after a gap of some 40 years, during THE STONES' "14 On Fire" tour of 2014, when Mick Taylor reprised his original guitar part in shows in Tokyo and Brisbane.

When the album was first released, reviewers lined up to sing its praises. "This is music which could only come from good musicians who know each other really well," ruled the late and esteemed writer-broadcaster Charlie Gillett in Let It Rock. "THE STONES succeed because they rarely forget their purpose — the creation of rock & roll drama," said Bud Scoppa in Rolling Stone. "It's deepening and unfolding over the coming months will no doubt rate as one of the year's richest musical experiences."

Stephen Demorest in Circus said that the album "rushes and rambles with all the power and finesse that have become the signature of the hardworking band in performance." Forty-seven years on, the expanded reissues of "Goats Head Soup" prove that's still true, and then some.

2CD deluxe track listing:

2020 Stereo Mix

01. Dancing With Mr D

02. 100 Years Ago

03. Coming Down Again

04. Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)

05. Angie

06. Silver Train

07. Hide Your Love

08. Winter

09. Can You Hear The Music

10. Star Star

Rarities & Alternative Mixes

01. Scarlet

02. All The Rage

03. Criss Cross

04. 100 Years Ago (Piano Demo)

05. Dancing With Mr D (Instrumental)

06. Heartbreaker (Instrumental)

07. Hide Your Love (Alternative Mix)

08. Dancing With Mr D (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)

09. Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)

10. Silver Train (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)

The official lyric video for the song "Roll The Dice" from FIRSTBORNE, the new band featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Chris Adler and fellow MEGADETH alum James LoMenzo, can be seen below.

FIRSTBORNE's self-titled debut EP marks the acclaimed drummer's first dedicated band release since his departure from MEGADETH and LAMB OF GOD.

FIRSTBORNE features Girish Pradhan on vocals and guitar, Myrone on guitar, LoMenzo on bass, and Adler on drums.

The FIRSTBORNE self-titled EP includes five songs and two lyric videos. The EP represents several years of dedicated introspection and refined effort to the idea of a heavy and positive message.

The track listing is as follows;

01. Primordial

02. Anthem

03. Roll The Dice

04. Apocalypse

05. Hunter Hunted

The debut EP from FIRSTBORNE is now available at Bandcamp and across all streaming services.

As might be expected, Adler chose his bandmates in this endeavor meticulously.

Recently, Adler shared the stage across the Middle East with LoMenzo in HAIL! Prior to that, LoMenzo and Adler orbited each other for years traveling together on tours crossing the globe. The connect was inevitable.

Adler and Myrone began collaborating in early 2019 after Myrone noticed Adler's e-mail address attached to a Bandcamp sales notification email. Adler had been a fan of Myrone's talent for years prior and as soon as they connected, it was game on.

A chance meeting in India, almost a second home to Chris after eight visits, was the spark needed to form the international group FIRSTBORNE and for Chris to return to the studio. Adler met and shared the stage with Pradhan during a six-week clinic tour of India in the fall of 2019. After the first show of the clinic tour, Adler immediately called Myrone, noting he'd "struck gold" in their search for a singer for the then-unnamed project.

Girish Pradhan is the glue that united FIRSTBORNE. Pradhan on vocals represents an almost unprecedented international collaboration.

FIRSTBORNE represents a community. The message speaks to no one being excluded. It's a soundtrack for all, meant to be a positive beacon in this dark time. The first single and lyric video, "Anthem", speaks directly to this.

Pradhan had this to say about it: "'Anthem' is about how governments use the people for their own benefit. Instigating and dividing communities against each other, using age-old concepts such as religion, race and caste. While the people fight amongst themselves, the ruling governments and opposition play scripted hands for their benefit. Unfortunately, many can't see that or even worse, give it a blind eye. How you speak against injustice is a personal choice. Some go to the streets while some use music and art. Injustice is turning a blind eye and ignoring the wrongs within our societies. However big or small of a contribution you make is irrelevant. What matters is that we all do our part — in our own way — and contribute to the whole."

Pradhan is an established and well-known recording and touring artist in India and resides in Bengaluru. His band GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES made international headlines earlier this year with their new album "Rock The Highway" and music videos "Rock 'N Roll Is Here to Stay", "Identity Crisis" and "Rock The Highway".

Speaking on his experience creating with FIRSTBORNE, Myrone explains: "Every single part of this experience has been extremely surreal for me. Girish is one of the best metal vocalists on the planet, Chris is one of the most influential drummers of the last 25 years, and JLO can play anything from MEGADETH to John Fogerty to Motown and everything in between. I can't believe I get to share space on a .wav with them."

Myrone is a Los Angeles-based producer/guitarist who pioneered the "soft shred" genre. In the last six years, he has released seven albums and two EPs of instrumental guitar music and racked up millions of Spotify streams. In addition to his own recordings, he has collaborated with Rivers Cuomo (WEEZER), SZA, Little Boots, Michael Christmas and Deaton Chris Anthony. Most recently, Myrone was Guitar #1 in the L.A. production of "Rock Of Ages", the 29th-longest running show in Broadway history.

LoMenzo is a veteran touring/recording musician since his multi-platinum band WHITE LION in the 1980s. Lomenzo is one of the most in-demand rock bass players in the world. His list of credits includes WHITE LION, Zakk Wylde's BLACK LABEL SOCIETY/PRIDE & GLORY, MEGADETH, Jerry Cantrell, David Lee Roth, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT, LYNCH MOB, FREHEY'S COMET and more. Recently he's been the touring/recording bassist for the legendary John Fogerty and can be seen in the live concert film "John Fogerty : My Fifty Year Trip" recorded live at Red Rocks last summer.

LoMenzo had this to say about his collaboration within his new band, FIRSTBORNE: "I first met Chris in 2006 on MEGADETH's 'Gigantour'. I was playing bass with MEGADETH at the time. Watching Chris on that tour, I recall being struck by the creativity, speed and power of his drumming with LAMB OF GOD. In contrast, I found him to be a gentle, thoughtful soul. Years later, I had the opportunity to finally play with Chris, performing in the Middle East with the all-star metal band HAIL! We had a great time. At this time, Chris mentioned he was looking forward to exploring making all kinds of music. I suggested he keep me in mind. Next thing I know I'm being introduced to Myrone through a demo that Chris forwarded to me. I was immediately drawn to the music. Myrone's guitar is uniquely untethered to any one style. He's a brilliant and capable amalgam of classic rock, new and classic metal. Girish on top of all this had me stunned! A soaring, powerful voice that while uniquely his own, conjures images of the greatest singers of metal, blues and classic rock. His voice is a powerful, emotive vehicle to inform through his heartfelt and socially conscious lyrics. To my ear, the combination of all this musical talent is wonderfully unique and perfectly familiar. I'm very proud and excited for music fans to hear this new musical collaboration."

Adler added: "I've been incredibly fortunate in my creative endeavors. From the start, I sought out the best players I could find to work alongside. It's been an incredible journey that is clearly not over. Some things have changed. This may not be exactly what people expect from me right now, and I'm aware and embrace that. It's time for something new. I'm have a platform to present something important, true and collaborative. Creating FIRSTBORNE beckons cohesiveness as a mission statement. This is not about being mad all the time, egos or fabricating polarizing drama. 'This is right' is now my alarm clock. Girish, Myrone and James have the exact locker room mentality of 'kill 'em all! but let's make sure everyone is okay and having a kick-ass time' that I try and bring to everything I do. FIRSTBONE is the result of all of my experiences, both positive and negative, and I'm proud of what we are doing together."

Adler is a Grammy-winning American metal drummer from Richmond, Virginia. Chris founded LAMB OF GOD in 1994 and helped usher in what critics have dubbed the "New Wave Of American Heavy Metal." LAMB OF GOD's discography with Chris includes multiple gold records and platinum DVDs as well as five Grammy nominations.

Chris received a Grammy for playing drums on legendary thrash metal band MEGADETH's 2016 record "Dystopia". Chris also toured with MEGADETH in support of the record while juggling and occasionally combining tour dates with LAMB OF GOD.

Chris has collaborated and contributed to records with PROTEST THE HERO, TESTAMENT, THAIKKUDAM BRIDGE, Michael Angelo Batio and Ron Jarzombek.

In 2018, Chris created an artist management firm Kintsugi Management.

FIRSTBORNE is working exclusively with longtime friend Marwan Aylouche, a Boston-based industrial designer and digital artist.

FIRSTBORNE is:

Vocals: Girish Pradhan

Guitar: Myrone

Bass: James LoMenzo

Drums: Chris Adler

FIRSTBORNE will make its live debut in 2021, appearing at several international festivals and tours being scheduled/rescheduled now. A second EP has already been completed, with a fall 2020 release planned.

Texan riff masters THE SWORD have released the third and final installment of their three-song mini-series — "Conquest Of Quarantine" lockdown session — a bone-rattling cover of the RUSH classic "Working Man".

THE SWORD bassist Bryan Richie comments: "In the early 2000s, we were given a CD by one of Kyle's record store buddies, with SLUSH scrawled across it, and little did we know what a wild ride awaited us. This dude had taken his favorite RUSH songs and dropped the pitch control on his record player as low as it would go — taking these classic RUSH tracks and turning them into a C-standard sludge fest with the most air drumable drums!! Does it doom? Heck yes, it does. Enjoy our cover of the classic RUSH track 'Working Man' with a SLUSH-y spin."

The "Conquest Of Quarantine" lockdown session marks THE SWORD's first live performance together since the band went on hiatus in 2018. The group rolled out a track a week over the last three weeks — including its own inimitable spin on the T.REX classic "Children Of The Revolution" and a new rendition of its mammoth hit "Winter's Wolves" from its debut album, "Age Of Winters".

THE SWORD's triumphant live return from hiatus was scheduled to be with PRIMUS this summer as part of their mammoth "A Tribute To Kings" U.S. trek. But the pandemic had other plans. Not wishing to deprive fans of the live performances they've been waiting so long to see, THE SWORD got creative and so was birthed the "Conquest Of Quarantine" lockdown session.

Explains bassist Bryan Richie: "It was a lot of fun getting together with Kyle and Jimmy to record these tracks, and thanks to the miracles of modern technology, we were able to lay down a wicked session with JD all the way from North Carolina. Crank this from the comforts of your couch, 'Conquest Of Quarantine' brought to you with minimal overdubs and maximum rocking."

When the Portland, Oregon-based blackened progressive metal group Vintersea normally films a music video, the band typically does so in grand fashion, whether deftly capturing the darkened majesty of their native Pacific Northwest or filming in striking settings such as abandoned nuclear power plants.

While the group – whose latest video, “Befallen”, has received nearly a half million views on YouTube – is currently working hard to complete their next mini-epic, they recently also put the finishing touches on what they describe as a “quarantine playthrough video” for the Illuminated track “Fiery Tongue”.

Says bassist and videographer Karl Whinnery, “Most of our fans don’t know that we were just about to announce a huge summer tour as the world started to shut down. When we were able to get back together for the first time, I really wanted to capture something unique for our fans. We’re in the middle of preparing a huge music video/short film for release later this year, so for now, we went for something fun and simple.”

Adds guitarist Riley Nix, “Like millions of people around the world, we have been separated from our musical family for most of the year. Going months without getting together to play concerts, record, tour or make videos has been difficult for everyone in different ways. 'Befallen' helped a massive new group of people find our music, and we wanted to reach out to our friends and fans the best we could, from afar, to show everyone how much we love and appreciate everything they have done to keep us going during these past few months.”

“Fiery Tongue” is one of six epic tracks featured on Illuminated, which was released in September 2019 on CD, digital and limited-edition blue/white vinyl. The album was engineered and mixed by Gabe Johnston (Idle Hands) and mastered by Troy Glessner (Devin Townsend, Intervals), while the cover artwork was designed by Xenoyr of Australia's Ne Obliviscaris.

Tracklisting:

"Spawn Awakening"
"Old Ones"
"Illuminated"
"Crack Of Light"
"Fiery Tongue"
"Befallen" 

"Befallen" video:

 

 




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