OVERKILL drummer Jason Bittner has confirmed to BODS Mayhem Hour in a new interview that the band is "hard at work" on a new studio album. "Technically, we were supposed to already be done with it by now, if the world hadn't changed back in March," he said, referring to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe. "But now, due to the fact that we're not pushing for a release that quickly, it's given us a little bit of time to hone the songs a little better and spend some more time and whatnot.

"I'm at about the song-seven mark right now out of 11 demos that we have," he continued. "So I have about seven of them wrapped up so far. I'll be working a little bit more on a couple of more new ones later this weekend and next week.

"I think right now, the last time I talked to D.D. [Verni, bass], our idea is to try to start getting drums done, like, September-ish, depending on what happens. The problem is that we really can't do our regular pre-production right now, because we all don't live in the same state. I mean, D.D. is in New Jersey, and I'm only three hours away. Blitz [singer Bobby Ellsworth] is two hours away from where D.D. and Derek [Tailer, guitar] are, but Dave [Linsk, guitar] lives in Florida. So the problem is even if he comes up for pre-production, we can't even do any of that for two weeks, because he'd have to quarantine first.

"The way we normally do records is we work on everything ourselves, and then we take a week where we go down to New Jersey and everybody gets together," Jason explained. "And we'll work on, like, two songs a day and just bust it out for five or six days and then get everything together. But this one may be a little bit more of us getting it together from our homes and doing a lot more online discussion and stuff about things rather than us actually playing it. So, we'll see."

Asked if the 11 tracks are pretty much the ones that will make up the next OVERKILL album or if there will be more material written for the LP, Jason said: "My guess would be that what we have right now is what's gonna be on the record. We're generally not a band that writes extra songs. It's kind of like you write what you need for the album and you write another one for Japan, [which] always needs an extra B-side. And that's pretty much it. We don't do that METALLICA thing of, 'Let's write 30 songs and pick 10 of the best ones.' I think it's definitely a better idea to just concentrate on doing 10 great songs rather than having six throwaways or whatever."

This past June, Ellsworth told A&P Reacts about the musical direction of the new OVERKILL songs: "I see it as a natural progression from 'The Grinding Wheel' [2017] and 'The Wings Of War' [2019]. It think when we had done the 'Ironbound' record [2010], it almost became like a trilogy in there — it was kind of like 'Ironbound', 'The Electric Age' [2012] and 'White Devil Armory' [2014], and they seemed to be the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost kind of a thing. I think we kind of broke the mold a little bit with 'The Grinding Wheel', and then I think a little bit more with 'The Wings Of War'. And on this one, I see it way more. And what I mean by that is that we've used other tools from our toolshed in the past, and that's the slow grind that is coupled with that fast gallop. So it feels like a natural progression, but maybe two records ahead of what 'The Wings Of War' is. And that's probably as objective as I can be."

The next OVERKILL album is tentatively due in April 2021 via Nuclear Blast.

OVERKILL has spent most of the last year touring in support of its 19th studio LP, "The Wings Of War", which was released in February 2019.

Mike Shinoda says that LINKIN PARK is planning "something very cool" for the 20th anniversary of the band's debut album, "Hybrid Theory".

"Hybrid Theory" — the band's original name before it was changed to LINKIN PARK for legal reasons — was issued in October 2000 and was a breakout success for the group, which had formed in 1996 and had played the Los Angeles club scene for several years. The album yielded four massive hit singles — "One Step Closer", "Crawling", "Papercut" and "In The End" — while going on to sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Speaking to an audience of Kerrang! magazine readers as part of a Kerrang! Face-To-Face video, Mike said about the upcoming "Hybrid Theory" 20th-anniversary celebrations (see video below): "I don't know what I should say about it. We're planning some fun stuff. All I'll say is that we've put some work in — not just the band. In fact, I'd say the label and management and the folks who have been with us for a long time and worked on our stuff along the way… We've done our best to kind of go to a lot of people who are family, in a sense, and say, 'What do you think we should do? What would be a good kind of celebration of 'Hybrid Theory'?' and try to do our best to actually do a bunch of those ideas.

"The LINKIN PARK fanbase is one of the most creative and active fanbases out there," he continued. "The problem, for me, is that if I'm not allowed to divulge information because I want it to be a surprise, then the creative fanbase starts jumping out and imagining things. They come up with their own great ideas, and then once in a while, those great ideas are better than our ideas. [Laughs]

"So I would urge the fanbase to just let it happen. And don't come up with ideas of what we ought to do, because your ideas might be better than ours. But we do have something coming that I think is very cool. And I'm excited for — what is it? The end of October, right?"

LINKIN PARK singer Chester Bennington and Shinoda spoke to The Pulse Of Radio a while back about some of the challenges of making their debut album.

"We walked into every song with a fresh, you know, outlook on it and we focused equal amounts of energy on every song," Bennington said. "And that at times was quite interesting, and also difficult at the same time. So we really learned how to push ourselves to new levels, and that was an accomplishment."

"Our biggest obstacle was putting something together that we felt was strong from beginning to end and doing our best to give each song its proper attention," Shinoda added.

Bennington was found dead in his Los Angeles-area home on July 20, 2017 after hanging himself. LINKIN PARK headlined an all-star tribute concert for Bennington in October 2017 in Los Angeles but has not announced any future plans for recording or touring.

Death metal pioneers Incantation have shared the third single and official “Entrails Of The Hag Queen” music video from their highly anticipated new album, Sect Of Vile Divinities, coming August 21st. Watch the Nader Sadek (Morbid Angel) directed video below.

Says the band: "We present another offering unleashed from Sect of Vile Divinities, aptly named ‘Fury’s Manifesto'. A more crushing choice from the album to express blasphemy towards religious ethics and its failure to the very evil that the faiths themselves created.”

Sect Of Vile Divinities will be released on CD/LP/Digital. Physical pre-orders are available here, and Digital Downloads/Streaming here.

For over 30 years Incantation has consistently remained one of the underground's most influential and respected artists in the genre. True to form, Sect Of Vile Divinities sees the legendary band adhering to the ways of the old school, unleashing twisted, mangled, and utterly disgusting death metal once again.

A pitch-black mix of unrelenting death metal and imposing funeral doom, each track on Sect Of Vile Divinities is a dirge dedicated to different ancient evils across various cultures. At a point where the world's most vile converge, tracks such as "Propitiation" see the band's driving riffs and pummeling drums crush the very foundations of religious zealotry, while standouts such as "Entrails Of The Hag Queen" and "Fury's Manifesto" champion no-frills death metal in its purest form.

Tracklisting:

"Ritual Impurity (Seven Of The Sky Is One)"
"Propitiation"
"Entrails Of The Hag Queen"
"Guardians From The Primeval"
"Black Fathom’s Fire"
"Ignis Fatuus"
"Chant Of Formless Dread"
"Shadow-Blade Masters Of Tempest And Maelstrom"
"Scribes Of The Stygian"
"Unborn Ambrosia"
"Fury’s Manifesto"
"Siege Hive"

"Entrails Of The Hag Queen" video:

"Fury's Manifesto" video:

"Propitiation" lyric video:




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US hard rock band, Anti-Mortem, have released a lyric video for their new single "Old Washita". The song was recorded by Bob Marlette (Alice Cooper, Texas Hippie Coalition, Black Stone Cherry). Lyric video by RMG. 

With the release of the single, “Old Washita”, the Oklahoma quintet have returned to action - better than ever! “Anti-Mortem is back; older, wiser, and road tested.”

For the Romo Brothers, Rado (vocals) and Nevada (guitar), the time is now...

Although they’re from the small town of Chickasha, Oklahoma, Anti-Mortem is no stranger to the spotlight. In 2012, while still in their teens, the young band began turning heads throughout the heavy metal genre when they released their critically acclaimed, debut album, New Southern, via Nuclear Blast. While on tour in support of their new LP, they shared the stage with a laundry list of “heavy-hitters” including Black Label Society, Machine Head, Lacuna Coil, and Monter Magnet, among others, gaining valuable experience and industry knowledge along the way.

But the pressures of life on the road as a major-label recording artist began to take its toll, and like a lot of young bands that find success early on in their careers, Anti-Mortem eventually succumbed to internal strife and musical differences just as they began finding their way. It seemed like the dream was over before it ever started.

During the hiatus, Nevada and Rado each fed their musical appetites by putting out solo material, as well as both have been permanent members of Texas Hippie Coalition (Nevada on guitar: 2016 - present / Rado on bass: 2018 - present), allowing them to stay active on tour and in the studio.

After returning to the stage in the winter of 2018, and having drawn upon the experiences of the highs and lows in their young careers, the message is simple; Anti-Mortem is back for Round 2… older, wiser, and battle tested. The new single, “Old Washita”, is a throwback to the band's eclectic roots as a gritty, groove metal band driven by riffs, growling vocals, and memorable song writing. A backwoods story taken from an old Native American River that runs through the band’s hometown of Chickasha; “Old Washita” is the epitome of the “New Southern” energy. It sounds like the band hasn’t skipped a beat.

With the new single and a retooled lineup, consisting of Timmy “The Hitman” Braun (ex-Texas Hippie Coalition, ex-Rikets) on drums, Coleby Thompson (ex-Nine Left Dead) on bass, and Arik Hanradton (Sign Of Lies) on guitar, Anti-Mortem have their sights set on picking up right where they left off.

For further details, visit Anti-Mortem on Facebook.

 




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Manticora, the Danish prog-thrash veterans, have released the first single/video from their upcoming album To Live To Kill To Live, the follow-up and second part of a huge concept, to 2018's To Kill To Live To Kill - both albums, based on the 334-page horror/thriller novel that lead singer Lars F. Larsen wrote (also released in 2018).

The video for the song "Eaten By The Beasts" deals with the brutal murder of a young criminal, who has raped the daughter of a farmer. The farmer hires a hitman to get rid of the rapist, and the rapist is eaten alive by a number of huge, hungry pigs, owned by the farmer. It's all karma, and the video is based on the concept. 

The music on both albums was recorded partially in the band's own studio and recorded / mixed in Hansen Studios, with producer, Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Destruction) who also produced the first two Manticora albums back in the last millenium.

To Live To Kill To Live artwork and tracklisting:

"Katana - The Moths And The Dragonflies/Katana - Mud"
"To Nanjing" (Instrumental)
"The Farmer's Tale Pt. 3 - Eaten By The Beasts"
"Slaughter In The Desert Room"
"Through The Eyes Of The Killer - Filing Teeth"
"Katana - Death Of The Meaning Of Life"
"Tasered/Ice Cage"
"Goodbye Tina"
"Tasered/Removal"
"Stalin Strikes" (Instrumental)
"Ten Thousand Cold Nights"
"Katana - Beheaded"

 




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Canadian-based progressive metal band Pyramid Theorem have officially released the music video for “Closer To The End”, the sophomore single from their Beyond The Exosphere album (out August 21). Preorder Beyond The Exosphere  here.

Sam Ermellini comments on the single:

“I believe that closer to the end is a great representation of our darker writing style. It’s a deep cut, with catchy riffs, fantastic keyboard work, great drums, and excellent bass lines. I think we really hit home with this one lyrically and sonically.  The writing of this song was particularly smooth. We wanted a track that was epic sounding! I personally wanted to have that Ozzy Osbourne feel, which I think it totally has.  It's definitely a 'must listen to' track off Beyond The Exosphere.”

Founded in the late 2000s, the band - bassist/vocalist Christian Di Mambro, keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Stephan Di Mambro, percussionist Vito De Francesco, and lead guitarist/vocalist Sam Ermellini - have already established themselves as unquenchably imaginative, determined, and skillful on their first two full-length statements (2012’s eponymous debut and 2017’s Element Of Surprise) and prior EPs. As stellar as those records are, however, Pyramid Theorem’s forthcoming collection, Beyond The Exosphere, surpasses them in every respect.

Take, for instance, the wonderfully melodic, dynamic, symphonic, and heroic opening title track. It undeniably conjures Rush, Spock’s Beard, and Dream Theater, but it’s very idiosyncratic as well, with a level of performance, production, narrative, and songwriting quality - including fluid, emotional, and cosmic transitions from movement to movement - that many of the most established progressive metal outfits can’t match. It really is a tour-de-force of everything Pyramid Theorem has been working toward thus far, and at just under eighteen minutes in length, it deserves to be regarded as one of the greatest epic tracks of its generation.

“Under Control” offers a more concise slice of glorious density (with superb interplay between guitar and keyboard) whose 1980s-esque multilayered chorus is ripe for stadium sing-alongs. Afterward, “Freedom” is gruffer and more sinister, yet it still packs enough moving respites and inventive effects (namely, bells) to keep it satisfyingly flexible. Next, the penultimate “Closer to the End” works as a chameleonic ballad, juxtaposing flamboyant theatrics, hard-hitting intensity, and plenty of haunting atmospheric introspection with expert precision. Naturally, “Intonate” serves as a breathtaking finale that coats its brutal core with stirring vocal harmonies, empowering strings, calming acoustic guitar strums, and poignant piano motifs. Its larger-than-life jam fades away patiently during its final moments, leaving you with the sense of awe and catharsis that comes from completing a life-changing journey.

Beyond The Exosphere tracklisting:

“Beyond The Exosphere”
“Under Control”
“Freedom”
“Closer To The End”
“Intonate”

“Freedom”:




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Former LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler is appearing as a guest music celebrity judge on Banger TV's original competition series "Shredders Of Metal" this summer as part of the show's third season.

Eight drummers entered the contest and only one will be left standing and named this season's "Shredders Of Metal" champion.

Each episode features a one-versus-one drum duel, with the winner moving on until the final episode crowns the season's champion.

Adler said in a statement: "[I] took a few breaks from my band FIRSTBORNE to head up to Canada to meet up with my good friend Sam Dunn and crew at Banger Films.

"I loved the time spent filming the entire new #shreddersofmetal season 3 DRUM edition. Incredible talent and personalities."

The first six episodes of "Shredders Of Metal"'s third season are available below.

Chris officially left LAMB OF GOD in July 2019. His replacement is Art Cruz, who has previously played with PRONG and WINDS OF PLAGUE, and filled in for Adler on several LAMB OF GOD tours in 2018 and 2019.

This past June, Adler announced the formation of a new project called FIRSTBORNE, also featuring fellow MEGADETH alum James LoMenzo.

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

In addition to LAMB OF GOD and MEGADETH, Adler has played drums with a number of metal artists, including NITRO, BLOTTED SCIENCE and PROTEST THE HERO.

In 2018, Adler launched a management agency, Kintsugi Management.

Obsidian Kingdom will be releasing Meat Machine on September 25 via Season Of Mist. The full-length is a harsh sonic journey, abject and stentorian like a love letter from a school shooter. The perverse album is a rough drop into a nightmarish world of forbidden desires, frustrated sexual urges and the dark realms of the subconscious mind. .

In conjunction with the announcement, the band has unveiled the intense and heavy first single, "Meat Star", along with a stunning new music video. Directed by Ferran Ureña (Vivir Rodando) and Eric Morales (Universal Music Group), the video features a top-notch production that weaves together a tale of humankind's primal nature. The video can be viewed below.

Pre-orders for Meat Machine are now live, here.

The band comment: "Reminiscent of the magickal works of Alejandro Jodorowsky or Kenneth Anger, 'MEAT STAR' is a bizarre dream-like odyssey where symbols old and new walk hand in hand to convey a powerful message: the meaning of your existence will eventually find you, and the price will be some kind of death. 'MEAT STAR' is a song about accepting hardship and pain as a means of discovering your true purpose, and the transformation and sacrifices you must undergo once you've committed yourself to that very goal. It is the soundtrack to the crucifixion, to the dismemberment of Dionysus and to the drowning of Osiris. It is an ode to the regenerative power of endings, once you’ve realized that surrendering is the only way to win."

The cover artwork was created by Ritxi Ostáriz And Elena Gallén.

Tracklisting:

"The Edge"
"The Pump"
"Mr Pan"
"Naked Politics"
"Flesh World"
"Meat Star"
"Spanke"
"Vogue"
"Womb Of Wire"
"A Foe"

"Meat Star" video:

Lineup:

Rider G Omega: Guitars, Vocals
Ojete Mordaza Ii: Drums, Beats
Om Rex Orale: Bass
Viral Vector Lips: Guitars, Vocals
Jade Riot Cul: Keyboards, Synths




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US death metal pioneers, Autopsy, performed at Hellfest in Clisson, France on June 16, 2017. Watch professionally filmed video footage of the band's set below.

Setlist:

"Twisted Mass Of Burnt Decay"
"In The Grip Of Winter"
"Severed Survival"
"Strung Up And Gutted"
"Voices"
"Fleshcrawl"
"Arch Cadaver"
"Critical Madness"
"Burial"
"Pagan Saviour"
"Embalmed"
"Ridden With Disease"
"Destined To Fester"
"Gasping For Air"
"Service For A Vacant Coffin"




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Professionally-filmed footage of Children Of Bodom's set from the 2015 edition of France's Hellfest can be seen below.

Setlist:

"Are You Dead Yet?"
"Sixpounder"
"Hate Me!"
"Silent Night, Bodom Night"
"Everytime I Die"
"Halo of Blood"
"Scream for Silence"
"Hate Crew Deathroll"
"Lake Bodom"
"Downfall"
"Angels Don't Kill"
"In Your Face"




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Dying Vision has unleashed their second single "Human Condition" ahead of their second album release set for August 27th this year. They have launched the single with a very impactful video showing how the 'Human Condition' is to 'Consume and devour.'

"I was very pissed off with the world when writing this," begins Dying Vision vocalist Richard Ashton. "It was when I was watching way too much news and just hated the world around me. The song is basically holding a mirror up to humanity and showing its true reflection. When I wrote this, I imagined a death figure sat on a throne watching how we destroy each other. Not everyone, but a lot of people are just a virus on this world, I envisioned the first part of the song to show nature and the world turning in its natural beauty. When the first vocal hits, it is almost like when the humans bought the industrial age and its destructive ways. The intro describes this perfectly. Each verse describes the downfall of humanity, I saw this part very similar to how the people in power are playing a game of chess with the working class and how they are downtrodden." 

"Very much like puppets to use to their amusement, constantly feeding and manipulating them to control the masses. It's very similar to a lot of what is happening recently. How the real enemys are in their towers and enjoying the chaos... from the NRA watching people kill each other, to the people charge hiding in their bunkers and still pushing for death and destruction. This quote may sound that way but it's not political, we are not a political band. It's simply my perception of how messed up our world is, how we destroy what should be held precious and and take it for granted. How those we trust to lead us forward are equally behind destruction in the name of progression."

"The theme of our album, The Death And Its Slaughter is about death and the forms that have represented it, for example in personification and the ceremonies such as weighing of a soul," continues Ashton. "Such metaphors appear in the historical accounts from superstitious citizens. Part of the song 'Plague Bringer’ was inspired by one from the catastrophic bubonic plague (or ‘black death’ as it became known) that referred to citizens inviting death to relieve them from suffering – hence the lyric ‘I hear you calling my name’."

"The global pandemic that emerged recently has made this song an apt choice for our first release and it bears relevance today – in relation to the fear of dying, resignation in the face of death and surrounding superstitions or misinformation."

"We have come together as a collective of influences and styles and created something that we feel really tells a story on each track. We have infused our different characters and created something that we feel truly encompasses what, and who we are."

(Photo credit: Taruza)




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In the last few days, the world’s three biggest label groups have all sent out internal memos alerting their US employees that remote work will continue through to January 2021.

In the memos, obtained by Rolling Stone, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, and Warner Music Group all said they do not foresee employees returning to offices for the remainder of 2020, due to the persistence of new COVID-19 cases in the country.

Universal notified employees on Tuesday evening that “at this point, it’s our best judgement [to] not have a widespread return to our U.S. offices at least through late January, 2021, if not longer.”

Warner wrote to employees on Wednesday that it had initially planned on welcoming back significant numbers of employees around September, but is now to “postpone those dates, at the earliest, until January for our U.S. offices and October for our U.K. offices.”

“As we’ve all shown what’s possible when we work remotely, it means that we can see how things develop, rather than needing to be among the first to return,” Warner told employees.

Later on Wednesday, Sony also emailed employees to say it does not anticipate a broad return to its U.S. offices “before the end of the calendar year.” While it will hold some in-office meetings, it said, those meetings will be in compliance with government guidances. “You will hear well in advance from your division leaders if you are requested to be part of these meetings so that you can share any concerns you might have with participating in the office,” Sony wrote.

Read more at RollingStone.com.




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LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia has criticized "Lulu", METALLICA's controversial collaborative disc with Lou Reed, saying "sometimes experiments fail."

Released in 2011, "Lulu" polarized fans around the world and earned METALLICA some of the most scathing reviews of its career. The effort featured the late THE VELVET UNDERGROUND frontman's spoken-word poetry and lyrics combined with METALLICA's musical assault for a jarring experience that didn't sound like anything METALLICA had ever attempted before.

Asked by Metal Hammer magazine to name one album "that should not be," Scabbia picked "Lulu", explaining: "I hate to bash other people's art, because it's their expression and everyone should be free to do whatever they want. I really appreciate the fact that they tried to do something different. I'm convinced that they did it because they wanted to have a good time, and they wanted to experiment. But sometimes experiments fail."

During the same chat, Cristina credited METALLICA's self-titled 1991 album with getting her into heavy metal. "The music, the attitude, the spirit of it," she said. "It was one of the first albums that really changed music. Before that, it was different in terms of riffs, rhythm, lyrics — everything was different."

Cristina is not the first metal musician to be publicly critical of "Lulu". Back in 2012, MACHINE HEAD guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn told Metalshrine: "Well, the 'Lulu' thing sucks. It's fucking horrible… If those guys need to do that stuff to get their ya-yas out, that's cool and I respect them, but eeehhh… was Lemmy not available? Was fucking Iggy Pop not available? [Laughs] I think there are so many people that might've been a better choice. I don't know the dude [Lou Reed], but maybe he's the most charismatic guy in the world, I don't know."

The collaboration between METALLICA and Reed was sparked by their performance together of Reed's "Sweet Jane" and "White Light/White Heat" at the 25th anniversary of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame at Madison Square Garden in October of 2009.

The songs were all written by Reed with extensive arrangement contributions by METALLICA.

Only two songs on the album are under five minutes in length, while two are more than 11 minutes long and the closing cut, "Junior Dad", clocks in at 19 minutes.

Reed died in October 2013 at the age of 71, five months after he had a life-saving liver transplant, according to his wife, Laurie Anderson.

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor will release his debut solo album, "CMFT", on October 2 via Roadrunner Records. Taylor recorded the solo effort with his band consisting of Jason Christopher on bass, Dustin Schoenhofer on drums, and Zach Throne and Christian Martucci (STONE SOUR) on guitar. The LP was completed at Kevin Churko's The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER and STONE SOUR, among others.

Speaking to Dave "Higgo" Higgins of Australia's MMM Hard N Heavy radio station, Taylor stated about the musicians on his solo album (hear audio below): "I've played with all of these guys in one form or another, but never all at the same time, and I knew not only that they'd all be able to crush it talent-wise and creatively, but we would all be able to get along and really have a great time.

"I just got to the point in my life where I don't care about the romance of tension making a great album," he continued. "I don't even believe in that anymore. I believe that a great album comes from great material. And when you have good songs and great people playing it, you can have a great time and you're still gonna get a great album.

"I've reached a point in my life where I'm tired of being miserable making music, and I only wanna do music with people who love it just as much as I do."

Corey also talked about "CMFT Must Be Stopped", one of the first two singles from the LP, which was released on Wednesday. On the track, Taylor's rhymes run alongside bars from multi-platinum artist Tech N9ne and U.K. MC Kid Bookie. The track is joined by a Djay Brawner-directed music video, which sees Taylor taking the CMFT championship belt as friends such as Marilyn Manson, Lars Ulrich, Rob Halford, Chris Jericho, ZillaKami and more making cameos.

"You know what's crazy, man — when I wrote that and when I demoed it, I did not have a clue how big that song was gonna be, to be honest — how blown away people were going to be by that song," Taylor said. "It was something that I really wanted to put on there because I just had this great idea for a song. I had my verse and the choruses, those ideas, probably for about 15 years, and I just never really had taken the time to really flesh it out and do whatever until I was putting this solo album together, and I just realized it was just time for me to do something like that. And it's got that throwback kind of Rick Rubin-meets-RUN-D.M.C. vibe. That's what I was really trying to go for, and yet I really exceeded that and did something really, really special."

Taylor previously worked with Tech N9ne on a song called "Wither" in 2015, and with Kid Bookie on a reworked version of the rapper's track "Stuck In My Ways" last year.

SLIPKNOT recently canceled all of its previously announced summer 2020 tour dates, including the "Knotfest Roadshow", Knotfest UK and Knotfest At Sea, due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

FROM ASHES TO NEW has debuted a new version of "Scars That I'm Hiding" that was created for the soundtrack for the Better Noise Films release "The Retaliators" (out on demand in late October 2020). With guest vocals from Anders Fridén of IN FLAMES, this version of "Scars That I'm Hiding" is the newest focus track from "The Retaliators Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". A version without Fridén's vocals will be included on the band's upcoming release titled "Panic", due out August 28.

Of the track and film, frontman Matt Brandyberry says: "There is nothing more badass than being able to act alongside so many talented artists, and 'The Retaliators' gave us that opportunity.

"As kids, we grew up with dreams to be musicians and actors, and we are beyond grateful to be able to bring both dreams to fruition through this project.

"We can't help but feel that all of this is building the hype we know our new album, 'Panic', deserves. This is only the beginning for what FATN is about to do!"

The video for "Scars That I'm Hiding" features the members of FROM ASHES TO NEW, Anders and footage from the upcoming film. Horror spectacular "The Retaliators" will star, among many other prominent rockers, the members of FROM ASHES TO NEW. The film revolves around a single father and local pastor, John Bishop (Michael Lombardi; "Rescue Me") who serves as a righteous role model for his faithful flock and his two daughters. When tragedy strikes, detective Jed Sawyer (Marc Menchaca, "Ozark") offers him a secret chance for vengeance, forcing not only a reckoning with himself, but the unleashing of a terrifying underground horror. Also featured in the film are members of MÖTLEY CRÜE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and PAPA ROACH, among others.

Fridén says of the collaboration: "We've had the pleasure of touring with FROM ASHES TO NEW a few times, so I was excited when they asked me to do a feature on their new song. The end result sounds awesome. Can't wait to hit the road together again hopefully soon."

The title track to FROM ASHES TO NEW's third full-length release, "Panic" has hit the Top 20 at active rock radio. The song has amassed over 1.5 million streams and 1 million video views in less than a month and has been featured on playlists like Rock Hard, Adrenaline Workout, New Metal Tracks, Kickass Metal, Metal Charge 180 BPM and Rock Rotation on Spotify as well as Apple's Breaking Hard Rock playlist.

"Panic" features the same lineup as FROM ASHES TO NEW's 2018 breakthrough release "The Future" — vocalists Brandyberry and Danny Case as well as guitarist Lance Dowdle and drummer Matt Madiro. Brandyberry credits the undeniable musical magnetism of these eleven songs to the enduring lineup.

"The chemistry between us is there and fans who have seen us recently have been very vocal about the fact that we are firing on all cylinders," he says.

That unified feeling was solidified on the road, performing songs like the Billboard-charting single "Crazy" and enabling the band to further refine their sound and move creatively to the next level.

"We know what our vision is and we know what we want to do, so we were able to really accomplish that on this album because the structure is there," he adds.

MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren spoke to MetalSucks's "The Quarantinecast" about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia" album. He said (see video below): "What happened is, basically, last year, I would go back [to Nashville] a little bit for [the songwriting sessions]. We got together for about three months in the summer to work on a bunch of demos we had and put down some new ideas. So we were for three months together in Nashville [working on] music before we had to cancel our shows the rest of that year so [MEGADETH mainamn Dave Mustaine] could just really focus on getting better [after being diagnosed with throat cancer], doing the treatment, healing [and] resting — that needed to be done. And then the plan was, obviously, to finish that up earlier this year and get the album out and tour. But then the pandemic happened, so what we decided to do is just focus on the record. So, as soon as it was possible to kind of safely travel at this time — I'm talking a few months back — and if he didn't have a lot of cases where Dave Mustaine lives… So even though I was a little bit reluctant to travel, I decided to just make it a road trip. So since I didn't wanna fly, I just got a rental car and drove from L.A. to Nashville, spent about 10 days there recording the drum tracks for the record. David [Ellefson, bass] at the same time was there doing the bass, so we got that done. And now Dave Mustaine is working on the guitars. And Kiko [Loureiro, guitar] is in Europe currently, 'cause he went to see his wife's family in Europe after our last tour in February and kind of got stuck there. So as soon as he can come back to the States, as traveling is opening up hopefully soon — we'll see — he's gonna come and record his guitar parts. So that's where we're at."

Verbeuren confirmed that extra precautions were taken to protect Mustaine from contracting the novel coronavirus. The MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist reportedly underwent 51 radiation treatments and nine chemotherapy treatments before being declared "100 percent" cancer-free last October.

"We did get together in the studio, at Blackbird studios in Nashville, to do the drum and bass tracking, and Dave was also there, but we were all very cautious the whole time, and we made sure that if anybody felt anything whatsoever, they wouldn't show up," Dirk explained. "It was pretty much a closed session. So it was all set up to be especially cautious around him, but just in general. I'm sure you, like me, have been observing the strictest rules you possibly can. I don't go out without a mask. I mean, it's a time wjere you just have to do what's right."

Asked if there was any talk of MEGADETH possibly recording the new album remotely, Dirk said: "We definitely discussed the option of doing it remotely, but Dave is not a fan of that; he's never really worked that way. He's co-producing the album with Chris Rakestraw, who also worked on 'Dystopia'.

"Dave is a little bit of the conductor of the orchestra in the room, so he's not this annoying presence at all," the drummer said. "He's more just very involved with everything that's happening at the right time. So as an example, when we were doing the drum tracking, it's not like he was sitting there watching me play every beat, because sometimes he'd have other things that he'd have to go do. But as soon as I laid something down, [we'd tell him], 'Hey, Dave, the song is ready. Come check it out. What do you think?' And he'd come in and he'd give great feedback. Sometimes he'd be, like, 'This is awesome — keeper.' Other times, he'd be, like, 'Hey, how about you try this here?' He has a great vision, obviously, of MEGADETH, as we can all imagine. It's really something that's so close to his heart that he's so intimately familiar with every little detail of what everybody's played on each album throughout the years. So he knows exactly what works and what doesn't. And in that sense, as much as I was, like, 'Oh, for safety reasons, it might be better if I record here and we discussed it,' at the same time, it makes more sense, just the way this band has been its entire existence, to do it together. So we made it work."

MEGADETH's new album is tentatively due in early 2021.

Mustaine recently told SiriusXM's Jose Mangin that the upcoming MEGADETH album will be "up there with 'Countdown [To Extinction]', 'Rust In Peace' and probably 'Peace Sells' and 'Dystopia'."

The effort will be MEGADETH's first to feature Verbeuren (ex-SOILWORK), who joined the band four years ago.

As previously reported, MEGADETH's North American tour with LAMB OF GOD, TRIVIUM and IN FLAMES has been rescheduled for 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to Rock Candy magazine for the cover story of issue 21, DEEP PURPLE stalwarts Ian Gillan and Ian Paice have revealed what fuels their enduring passion for rock music — and it has nothing to do with money. It's their abiding love for being in DEEP PURPLE, not the pots of cash, that has ensured the legendary rock band has survived for more than 50 years — and it also means that PURPLE is still making exciting and creative music with new album "Whoosh!"

"The early days were fabulous," says vocalist Gillan in his interview with writer Dave Ling. "Everything was new and wonderful and shocking. Things got bigger and bigger and bigger, so we became very confident. But as young men, we were also wealthy. We had more money than we could ever imagine. In those circumstances, you can end up becoming surrounded by sycophants who tell you you can't do a thing wrong. At that age I thought I knew everything. How wrong I was."

Despite not knowing everything, the PURPLE singer has nevertheless navigated a tremendous career. The secret, says Gillan, is in remaining true to yourself.

"We never try to second-guess what the public wants, or what the business might desire from us in terms of the records we make," he says. "What we do is what pleases us, and we cross our fingers and put our hands together in prayer that the public will like it."

Given DEEP PURPLE's exalted position as a live draw even now, it appears that their public is still as excited about PURPLE performing as the band are about playing. The coronavirus pandemic put paid to the band's plans to undertake a major tour in 2020, "and that's a lot of time to sit around doing nothing," says an exasperated Paice. "Sitting on my arse until June next year really doesn't appeal to me." There are currently two dates pencilled in for September in Sweden, which may stop Paice getting itchy. But there's no doubt that PURPLE's loyal fans will turn out in droves to see them when they hit the road in earnest in 2021, especially given that the band acknowledge that they can't simply go on forever.

"If the skill or the energy should drop away then that's the end of it for me," insists Gillan. "I don't want to go out there and do anything that's sub-standard."

Read the whole of this revealing article in issue 21 of Rock Candy magazine.

For more information, visit www.rockcandymag.com.

Multi-camera fan-filmed video footage of AC/DC's entire last concert with GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose, which took place on September 20, 2016 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user markit aneight).

The setlist for the show was as follows:

01. Rock Or Bust

02. Shoot To Thrill

03. Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be

04. Back In Black

05. Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder

06. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

07. Rock 'N' Roll Damnation

08. Thunderstruck

09. High Voltage

10. Rock 'N' Roll Train

11. Hells Bells

12. Given The Dog A Bone

13. If You Want Blood (You've Got It)

14. Live Wire

15. Sin City

16. You Shook Me All Night Long

17. Shot Down In Flames

18. Have A Drink On Me

19. T.N.T.

20. Whole Lotta Rosie

21. Let There Be Rock

Encore:

22. Highway To Hell

23. Riff Raff

24. Problem Child

25. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

AC/DC postponed the last 10 dates of its spring 2016 North American trek after singer Brian Johnson was advised to stop playing live or "risk total hearing loss." The band went on to complete the European and North American legs of its "Rock Or Bust" tour with the GUNS N' ROSES frontman as a "guest vocalist."

AC/DC's North American tour ended in Philadelphia in September 2016, and despite initial fan trepidation, Axl got generally good reviews for his performances. Guitarist Angus Young said at the time: "I mean, under the situation that we had, it was very good that he volunteered and said, 'Hey, if I can help, let me try.' So he's been very good. And he had to learn a lot of songs very quickly, and he's done a great job."

Duff McKagan, who is one-third of the reunited partial classic lineup of GUNS N' ROSES, got a chance to watch Rose and AC/DC play in June 2016 in London, England and in September 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Duff spoke about Axl's collaboration with AC/DC during a 2019 appearance on "The Church Of What's Happening Now" podcast. He said: "The way [Axl] did that was amazing. He was, like, 'If you guys don't mind, I'm gonna go try out. They need a hand here.' [Late AC/DC frontman] Bon Scott's his all-time [hero]. [We said], 'Dude, you know you don't really have to try out for AC/DC.' But he was really nervous. 'I'm gonna go try out. It fits in with our touring perfect.' And Slash and I were, like, 'You've got the gig.' But he went to Atlanta and tried out, quote-unquote, and got the gig. I saw him twice on that tour. I flew to London to see him, and I flew to Cleveland to see that. It was great."

McKagan added: "I think what it did for [Axl]… We got to know Angus through that. Angus has now come out and played with us a bunch of times. That was that thing when he was 14 or 15, 'Man, one day, if I ever got to be in AC/DC…' He was singing with a broom, and he finally got to do it. Amazing."

Two years ago, Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd, along with guitarists Angus Young and Stevie Young, were photographed outside Vancouver's Warehouse Studios. Based on the pictures, the assumption was that AC/DC was in the midst of making — or at least planning — another album, with Rudd and Johnson both back in the lineup.

Ever since AC/DC completed the tour cycle for its 2014 album "Rock Or Bust" four years ago — a turbulent trek that weathered the forced retirement and eventual death of co-founder Malcolm Young, plus the departures of Johnson, Rudd and bassist Cliff Williams — fans have wondered whether sole remaining founding member Angus Young would keep the band going or decide it was time for AC/DC to pack it in.

In February 2019, a photo surfaced on social media suggesting that Williams has also returned to AC/DC and will appear on the rumored comeback album.