Tucker Carlson conducted a live interview with Kid Rock this past Friday (September 20) at Grand Rapids, Michigan's Van Andel Arena as part of former Fox News host's arena tour. You can now watch the entire discussion below, courtesy of the Tucker Carlson YouTube channel.

Asked by Carlson why he decided to start publicly voicing his conservative political views, Kid Rock, a dedicated supporter of former U.S. president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I mean, part of it was I got older and wiser, but to be honest, I had the money in the bank. And at the end of the day, when I really thought about it — it sounds hokey, but I just care about this country too much. And it wasn't really a conscious thing; I just started kind of doing it, getting involved. And one thing led to another. I had a couple talks with just friends.

"I'm not one of these people that has this big-machine team, have this big team around them where every… Clearly every tweet's not screened. [Laughs] Everything that comes out of my mouth or the decisions I make, I take responsibility for it all. It's me. There's no filters in there. But when it came, it was, like, there's gonna be no corporate deals, this, that and the other. And I'm, like, 'Good.' I'm, like, I'm so sick of dealing with… the B.S. that goes on in these corporate things. And I've only aligned myself with — Coors Light; I deal with them. I deal with Jim Beam. I deal with Harley-Davidson and Chevy trucks. These are all things that I was involved in. And still, even though I used all those things, dealing with the corporate bullshit. I was, like, 'Yeah, if I never see that again, I could care less.' And there's no amount of money on the face of this earth, 'cause I've turned down tons of it, that would ever get me to be vocal or be somebody I'm not. And then people would see somebody different than who I really am."

When Carlson said that he thinks it was "a harder decision" for Kid Rock than the musician is admitting, Kid added: "Like I said, I had the money in the bank, so it was… A lot of people don't wanna mess with their bottom line. A lot of people — anybody, this goes for anybody — they're scared of their social standing. God forbid mom drops off the kids at school with a MAGA hat on, you know what I mean? All of a sudden, you're this polarizing, divisive person because you said, 'I wanna make America great again'? I was, like, 'How dare you?' [Laughs] People are scared. I've been a lot of things. One thing I've never been is scared, that's for sure."

Asked if he thinks his being vocal about his conservative political views has "cost" him anything, Kid said: "No. I was planning on it probably… Like, 'Hey, you have the potential to give up a lot.' And I'm, like, 'I don't care.' It's, like, 'Whatever.' This tells me it's the right thing to do. This is what my Lord and savior Jesus Christ tells me is the right thing to do. And I'm gonna follow my heart.

"The last full tour I did a few years ago, the only thing I did to promote it was the thing [interview] I did with you," he told Carlson. "That was it. I didn't do one piece of press. We sold out every city on that tour. And it just goes to show you, if you speak your truths, and I mean they have to be your truths — not something you heard, not something you're repeating to get somewhere, to get to a certain stature — but if it's really your truths, you, your families, your friends, things you believe in, good things will come."

Kid Rock made an appearance at the fourth and final night of the Republican National Convention in July, performing his track "American Bad Ass" but changing the song's lyrics to support Trump.

Kid Rock previously told Rolling Stone magazine that he knew it would be risky to publicly back Trump.

"When I doubled down on it, I knew that could be a career ender," he said. "But I was betting that there were a lot of like-minded people out there."

Other musicians who have come out in support of Trump include Ted Nugent, STAIND's Aaron Lewis and SYSTEM OF A DOWN's John Dolmayan.

Formerly of Fox News, Carlson currently publishes episodes of his long-form podcast "Tucker Carlson Show" each week. He is also the author of two New York Times bestselling books "Ship Of Fools" and "The Long Slide".

Carlson's guests in other cities during the 15-city tour include Russell Brand (Phoenix, September 4),Megyn Kelly (September 12, Kansas City),Alex Jones (September 16, Milwaukee),Roseanne Barr (September 24, Fort Worth) and Donald Trump Jr. (September 28, Jacksonville).

Tucker Carlson announced his first ever national arena tour, TUCKER CARLSON LIVE 2024

Kid Rock will sit down for a live...

Posted by Kid Rock on Monday, June 10, 2024

David Coverdale, the powerful voice behind Whitesnake and former Deep Purple frontman, sees his solo work shine brightly in a new collection featuring remixed, remastered, and revisited versions of his solo albums Whitesnake (1977), NorthWinds (1978), and Into The Light (2000).


Into The Light: The Solo Albums will be available through Rhino Records on October 25 as a 6CD boxed set. It comes packaged in a hardcover box featuring a 60-page book with rare photos, detailed liner notes, and a new interview with Coverdale. The newly remixed version of Into The Light will also be available separately as a double vinyl album presented in a gatefold sleeve.







The upcoming boxed set features two versions of Coverdale’s solo albums: one newly remixed to deliver a more dynamic sonic experience and a second remastered from the original recordings for those who want to revisit the classic sound. The remixed versions feature significant updates (particularly to Whitesnake and NorthWinds) and utilize cutting-edge audio separation software. The track "Time & Again" from NorthWinds benefited from innovative voice extraction technology, allowing for new string and piano arrangements that Coverdale has envisioned for decades.


Coverdale shares, “The remixes are modern, using new technology to squeeze the best out of them… Truly exciting to revisit and take care of any technical ‘issues’ I had with the tracks all those years ago.”


Into The Light, Coverdale’s third solo album, boasts an impressive musical lineup that includes guitarists Earl Slick (David Bowie) and Doug Bossi, bassist Marco Mendoza (who later joined Whitesnake), legendary drummer Denny Carmassi (Montrose, Whitesnake), and keyboardist Mike Finningan (Jimi Hendrix). The remixed version of the album expands the original with songs like "Let’s Talk It Over" and "All The Time In The World". The collection also offers additional remixes, demos, and outtakes from the album, including "With All Of My Heart". Coverdale wrote the song for his wife and considers it one of the best he’s ever written.


The set also revisits NorthWinds, and Whitesnake Coverdale’s first two solo albums recorded immediately after leaving Deep Purple. Both albums have been reimagined and re-sequenced for the upcoming collection. NorthWinds includes some new arrangements and additional tracks like "Sweet Mistreater" and "Shame The Devil, Tell The Truth", breathing new life into this classic. Whitesnake features impossible remixes thanks to AI sound separation softwares, courtesy of technology that has only been available in the last couple of years.


Pre-order here. Watch "Time & Again" (String Version - Official Video 2024 Remix) below.





6CD tracklisting:


CD1: Into The Light (Remix)
"She Give Me"
"River Song"
"Don’t You Cry"
"Love Is Blind"
"Slave"
"Cry For Love"
"Living On Love"
"Midnight Blue"
"Too Many Tears"
"Don’t Lie To Me"
"All The Time In The World"
"Wherever You May Go"
"Yours For The Asking"
"Let’s Talk It Over"


CD2: Into The Light (Additional Remixes)
"Love Is Blind" (Band Version)
"As Long As I Have You"
"With All Of My Heart"
"Wherever You May Go" (Strings Version)
"Love Is Blind" (Strings Version)


Demos & Unfinished Symphonies
"Lust"
"Oh No Not The Blues Again"
"Into The Light Intro"
"Into The Light"
"You Make It Hard On Me"
"Would You Be Happy"
"Fooling Yourself"
"Make The Best Of It"
"Veda of Cassandra Blues"
"I Can See The Light"
"Another Fallen Angel"
"Itchy Finger"


Original Demos 1997
"Crazy ’Bout Cha" (Original Version of "Whipping Boy Blues")
"If You Want Me"
"Lay Your Love On Me" (Original Version of "Lay Down Your Love")


CD3: NorthWinds (2024 Remix)
"Keep On Giving Me Love"
"Sweet Mistreater"
"NorthWinds"
"Give Me Kindness"
"Queen Of Hearts"
"Only My Soul"
"Time & Again" (String Version)
"Say You Love Me"
"Shame The Devil, Tell The Truth"
"Breakdown"
"Time & Again" (Piano Version)
"Time & Again" (Strings Only)


CD4: Whitesnake MCMLXXVII (2024 Remix)
"Lady"
"Blindman"
"Goldies Place"
"Time On My Side"
"Peace Lovin’ Man"
"Sunny Days"
"Hole In The Sky"
"WhiteSnake"
"Celebration"


Young Lad's Blues (DC’s 1968 Home Demos)
"Sunny Days" (Original)
"Love Me In The Morning"
"I Will Love You"
"Moment In Time"
"It Would Be Nice"
"There Was A Time"
"Why?"
"I Still Love You"

1976 is the new Thin Lizzy compilation boxset featuring seminal albums Jailbreak and Johnny The Fox as original mix, 2024 mix, and Blu-Ray Atmos mix. Also included are bonus discs including archive vault, radio, and live recordings alongside a booklet packed full of rare photos and memorabilia.


A new visualizer for "Don't Believe A Word" from Johnny The Fox is available for streaming below.







Due for release on September 27, and available as 5CD+Blu-Ray, and individual 1LP coloured album formats, you can pre-order here.





Additionally, Super Deluxe Edition will have an SDE-exclusive standalone version of the blu-ray which includes everything on the blu-ray in the box set but adds exclusive instrumental versions.

Chilean metal masters Sinner’s Blood have released their second album, Dark Horizons via Frontiers Music Srl. The band also shares the new single and accompanying visualizer, “Not Enough”, available now.


Guitarist Nasson describes the new single as “a very straight forward song, kind of like ‘Remember Me’ on the first album, but heavier. It also features some great vocal arrangements towards the end of the track, where I take the lead several times just like several songs on the album. The song talks about being stuck in the past and trying to recapture the light of brighter days.”


Sinner’s Blood emerged at the end of the ‘10s as a project conceived by James Robledo, Chilean vocalist and producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist Nasson (Chaos Magic). Robledo is renowned for always bringing a powerful and emotional performance rooted in the vein of heavy metal singers like Ronnie James Dio, Jorn Lande, and Russell Allen. He has also released two solo albums on Frontiers Music, Wanted Man in 2021 and Broken Soul in 2023.




Nasson is a Chilean producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist with over 15 years of work in the metal scene, collaborating with several world renowned artists. His most recent collaborations with Caterina Nix on the last two Chaos Magic releases and his solo record Scars (2022) received international acclaim and showcased the breadth of his talents.


Rounding out the lineup is bassist Nicolás Fischer, who has been performing for years as a singer and guitarist for a variety of progressive music acts.


Sinner’s Blood delivered their impressive debut album, The Mirror Star, in October 2020. Drawing influences from Symphony X, Primal Fear, Evergrey and early Masterplan, the band managed to create a truly fresh and exciting debut, a mixture of all of the band’s hard rock favourites with a touch of modern vertigo. The quartet supported the release with a Chilean tour, including shows with Symphony X and other renowned acts.


Their sophomore album Da

Toronto heavy metallers Scarlet Sins have released the music video for “Legends Never Die”, their first single in 16 years.


The band says in a statement on social media:


“Thank you for being part of the Scarlet Sins family. After a long hiatus since our 2019 reunion, we’re excited to share new music that resonates deeply with us.




“Some people we would like to acknowledge…


“Steve Haining, Creatof, who did an amazing job on directing the video and was so easy to work with.


“Richard Chycki for his magical production, engineering and mixing skills, always making our recordings sound top notch.


“Renee Beach, our stylist and makeup

JOURNEY frontman Arnel Pineda says that he will "step out for good" if enough people on social media request for him to leave the band.

The 57-year-old singer, who has been fronting the legendary rockers since 2007 when JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon discovered him leading a Manila cover band on YouTube, was apparently reacting to a professionally filmed video of JOURNEY's performance at the 2024 edition of Rock In Rio festival in in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil which was posted on the Behind The Songs Facebook page along with a caption criticizing Arnel's "bad voice" and "severe vocal failure".

Earlier today (Sunday, September 21),Arnel posted the following message on his Facebook page: "once again,thank u so much everyone who came to @journeyofficial show since #february this year ..i appreciate uou all do kuch..anf not only that,everytime that im on stage w/ the band, i feel this immense gratitude,humility and honor.."

Sharing a link to the Rock In Rio clip on the Behind The Songs Facebook page, Pineda continued: "i am very aware of this. no one more than me in this world feels so devastated about this…

"its really amazing how 1 thousand right things you have done will be forgotten just cause of THIS..and of all the place , its in Rock In Rio…

"mentally and emotionally, ive suffered already,and im still sufferring..but i'll be ok..

"so here's the deal here now..i am offering you a chance now ( especially those who's hated me and never liked me from the very beginning) to simply text GO or STAY right here.. and if GO reaches 1million… im stepping out for good..

"are you game folks? let's start…

"God bless all of you and thank you once again to all of the fans and friends who believed in me [s]ince Day1".

Pineda was a bar and club singer working in Manila, Philippines when he got an e-mail from Schon who had seen videos of Pineda performing on YouTube and asked him to come to San Francisco and audition to become the band's new frontman.

Classic JOURNEY singer Steve Perry left the band in 1998 and was replaced by Steve Augeri. Jeff Scott Soto replaced Augeri in JOURNEY in December 2006 after Augeri began suffering throat problems on the road. But Soto lasted less than a year, and in December 2007, JOURNEY hired Pineda, who fronts the band to this day.

A vocal doppelganger for Perry, Arnel helped put JOURNEY back in arenas once again. But some fans were not happy about the addition of Pineda, complaining about his ethnicity and dismissing his voice as a "copycat" of Perry.

Pineda and Perry finally crossed paths when JOURNEY and its former singer shared the stage at their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2017. While accepting the award, Steve spoke warmly about his former bandmates, as well as the man who replaced him. "I must give a shout-out to a man who sings his heart out every night, Arnel Pineda," Perry said.

Although Pineda did not get inducted with his bandmates, he did get up and join them at the Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, singing "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Lights".

Six years ago, Perry told SiriusXM that he didn't perform with JOURNEY at the Rock Hall ceremony because he is "not in the band. I haven't been in the band for quite some time," he explained. "Arnel's been in the band for almost 10 years, I think. He's a sweet kid — he's a wonderful kid. He sings his heart out every night. It's his gig."

As for meeting Pineda before the induction, Perry said: "There was something endearing about the way he looked at me. He was meeting, like, a grandfather. [Laughs] He's got the gig. It's his gig. He's doing great."

Pineda has overcome a tremendous number of obstacles throughout his life, including the loss of his mother at a young age, homelessness and borderline starvation, making him an inspiration and providing hope for millions of people around the globe. Blessed with the ability to give back, Pineda mobilized his team to join the battle against poverty and its ensuing havoc on Philippine youth.

once again,thank u so much everyone who came to @journeyofficial show since #february this year ..i appreciate uou all...

Posted by Arnel Pineda on Sunday, September 22, 2024

Mala voz de Ariel Pineda

Severas fallas vocales mostró Arnel Pineda en la presentación de Journey en Rock in Rio Brasil el pasado domingo 15 de septiembre.

Posted by Behind the Songs on Friday, September 20, 2024

In an interview with The Bailey Show, PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix was asked about LINKIN PARK's recent announcement that that the band was reforming with a new singer named Emily Armstrong. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I really like that new [LINKIN PARK] song ['The Emptiness Machine']. I really like that new song they put out, man. I put that thing on repeat I was, like, I'm vibing this.

"It's trippy 'cause one of our producers, Colin Brittain, who I've been working with now for probably the last six [to] eight years, he's playing drums [now] in LINKIN PARK," Jacoby continued. "He's tripping. He's just, like, 'Dude, I got an opportunity that I can't pass up.' I'm, like, 'Yeah, go do that, dude. People wanna hear this [music].' And so it's awesome that their music can be celebrated.

"I know people are very polarized about this, but I look at it like when STONE TEMPLE PILOTS lost [singer] Scott Weiland," Shaddix added. "Who stepped in? [LINKIN PARK's late singer] Chester [Bennington]. Chester stepped in to carry that flag for rock and roll. So it makes sense why somebody would step in in his place and in his absence to carry that flag and to bring that message to the people, because it's a hopeful message."

Asked by interviewer Jason Bailey if that is "the overall consensus from a musician standpoint" that if a member of a band, especially the lead singer, is unable to continue, for whatever reason, the music should continue to live, Jacoby responded: "It's interesting, because as I saw them coming back with a new singer, it really kind of stirred some odd emotions in me, to be honest. I was just thinking about my own band and, like, 'Fuck, man. If I die, do I want my band to continue this thing?' And honestly, I'm torn. I don't have a straight-up answer for it. I think it's a bit different 'cause LINKIN PARK has two singers. And I don't know, man. I don't really have a straight answer for you on that. I don't know. But I've got plans on sticking around. I don't plan on going out anytime soon. Hopefully I outlive everybody. I'm a cockroach. I ain't going nowhere."

"The Emptiness Machine" was released earlier in the month. The track will appear on LINKIN PARK's upcoming album "From Zero", which will arrive on November 15 via Warner. It will mark LINKIN PARK's first full-length effort since 2017's "One More Light", which was the last LINKIN PARK album before Bennington's death.

LINKIN PARK played the second concert of its comeback mini-tour last Monday night (September 16) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The show featured LINKIN PARK performing a two-hour set on a high-tech stage shaped like an aircraft carrier, allowing for a unique production as well as a greater-than-usual number of tickets sold at the venue.

As was the case with LINKIN PARK's September 5 one-hour global livestream of a concert in Los Angeles and the September 11 concert at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, the Brooklyn gig showcased Armstrong and Brittain, who have joined returning members Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and Joe Hahn in the band's new lineup. Guitarist Alex Feder was filling in for Delson for the livestream and the Kia Forum and Barclays Center shows and will continue to tour with LINKIN PARK for the foreseeable future instead of Delson.

The Los Angeles and Brooklyn concerts were the first two nights of a short international tour that will be followed by stops in Hamburg, Germany; London; Seoul; and Bogota, Colombia. A longer tour is promised for 2025.

According to a press release, Shinoda, Delson, Farrell and Hahn "quietly began meeting up again in recent years" and "rather than 'trying to restart the band,'" they worked with numerous musicians and "found a special kinship with Armstong and Brittain."

Photo credit: Bryson Roatch

During an appearance on the Your Mom's House podcast with Tom Segura and Christina Pazsitzky, SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor was asked to weigh in on the recent onstage fight between JANE'S ADDICTION members Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That was my wife waking me up and going, 'Have you seen this shit?' And I was, like, 'Uh, no.' It's sad, man, 'cause I know both of them. And Dave Navarro is one of the sweetest souls on the planet. Perry also is very sweet, man. He's never been anything but fucking kind to me. And seeing that, I don't know what's happening there. And obviously, I don't wanna make assumptions 'cause I don't want it to get fucking blown out. It looks — it could be chemical, it could be behavioral, it could be because they've known each other for fucking 40 years, man. There's so many myths about their relationship, who fucking knows what that would be at this point? So I just hope [Perry is] okay. I hope Dave's okay. I mean, I reached out to him to see if he was… I texted Dave to see how he was doing. He hit me back. He was, like, he's cool. But, obviously, he doesn't wanna say anything 'cause right now they're just trying to figure out what the fuck they're gonna do."

Lamenting the fact that the remaining dates on JANE'S ADDICTION's tour were canceled as a result of the altercation, Corey said: "I've been waiting to see the original four — me and Clown [SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn Crahan], actually. Clown's a massiveJANE'S ADDICTION fan, dude. He studied that shit like the Zapruder film. And he came to me, he's just, like, 'Dude, Taylor, you don't even fucking know.' It's crazy."

Praising JANE'S ADDICTION's unique sound, Corey added: "[Perry is] one of the most — there's no way to recreate his voice. And the people who try, it sounds like they're going to kill themselves. It's so high up there, but it was so perfect."

He continued: "I compare [JANE'S ADDICTION's debut album] 'Nothing's Shocking' with [GUNS N' ROSES' debut LP] 'Appetite For Destruction', to me. It's just one of those examples of a perfect album, because you can put that album on and just start it and never skip anything. Even 'Thank You Boys' is fucking wonderful to listen to. It's just a great, great album."

Circling back to the fallout from the JANE'S ADDICTION onstage fight, Taylor added: "I hope they're okay. And knowing how inter-band relationships can be, that's fucking tough, especially for a band that's been around that long, dude."

Speaking in general about the challenges of keeping bands together for several decades, Corey said: "I know bands that have been around for five years that have that shit happen. You just never know. When you spend that much time on the road with people, and you go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows and everything in between, shit's gonna get personal, and you just never know what's gonna happen on any given day.

"Sid [Wilson, SLIPKNOT turntablist] and I, who is one of my best friends, he's my brother, I almost killed him one night," Taylor explained. "We were recording [the] 'Disasterpieces' [concert video in February 2002] at — I wanna say it was London [Dockland] Arena, but I might be wrong. And he did exactly what we told him not to do. And I was so fucking pissed. I was also hammered, so that didn't fucking help anything. There's a clip online and it's so taken out of context. Most of us had body cameras. So what he would do is he would go out into the middle of the audience when we would do the sitdown part during 'Spit It Out'. And we told him not to do it this time, because we didn't want people to steal those cameras. And he did. And they did. And he didn't understand why we were mad. And he comes back and he goes — I'm fucking livid; I'm just, like, 'Aaargh'.' And he goes, 'Dude, you've gotta tell them to give the fucking camera back.' And I just whipped around on him. I was just, like, 'Shut your fucking…' It was one of the most evil moments of my life, and I just didn't give a shit. And to this day I feel bad about it. And it's a very real moment that's out there for everybody to see. And taken out of context, it's so fucking horrible."

JANE'S ADDICTION's September 13 show at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston came to a sudden end after Farrell bumped Navarro's shoulder with his own before seemingly yelling at the guitarist. Navarro then placed a hand between himself and Perry before Farrell appeared to throw a punch at him. Another man then jumped between them, breaking up the fight.

Farrell later apologized to his bandmates, fans and family, saying that his "breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation."

When JANE'S ADDICTION members Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins announced the early end of their tour, they wrote that they had "no choice but to discontinue the trek" due to "a continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell." They added: "Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative. We hope that he will find the help he needs."

The Boston show was part of JANE'S ADDICTION's co-headlining tour with LOVE & ROCKETS.

JANE'S ADDICTION frontman Perry Farrell is taking time "to reflect and to heal" following his onstage altercation with guitarist Dave Navarro which led to the cancelation of the remaining shows on the band's summer 2024 tour.

In a message posted Saturday (September 21) on her Instagram, Perry's wife Etty Lau Farrell offered an update on the singer's condition, writing: "As you know, Perry is the gentlest of souls. We are equally astonished at Perry's physical outburst as you are - but you must know that Perry must had been pushed to his absolute limit.. to that end we apologize.

"We are taking a bit of time to ourselves, to reflect and to heal. Perry already has appointments with a otolaryngologist and a neurologist."

Apparently referencing speculation that alcohol and substance abuse played in part in Perry's outburst, Etty continued: "If you know and love Perry well, you know there’s no need for me to address the other false narratives. Our souls know.

"With all of your love, kindness, compassion and support, you know, Perry will persevere.. He will recover. He will be happy again. He will once again be able to share his music, vision and artistry - unbridled.

"Make no mistake when he’s ready he will take another giant leap over obstacles to make us laugh, think, while changing the world together.

"We can rejoice together then. And you will know, we would not have been able to do it without you."

An otolaryngologist is a medical professional who treats conditions affecting the ears, nose and throat, while a neurologist treats conditions in the brain and nervous system.

JANE'S ADDICTION's September 13 show at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston came to a sudden end after Farrell bumped Navarro's shoulder with his own before seemingly yelling at the guitarist. Navarro then placed a hand between himself and Perry before Farrell appeared to throw a punch at him. Another man then jumped between them, breaking up the fight.

Farrell later apologized to his bandmates, fans and family, saying that his "breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation."

When JANE'S ADDICTION members Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins announced the early end of their tour, they wrote that they had "no choice but to discontinue the trek" due to "a continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell." They added: "Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative. We hope that he will find the help he needs."

On September 13, Etty provided a "first person account" of what happened during the Boston concert, writing in an Instagram post that there had been "a lot of tension and animosity between the members" and the "dynamite was lit" that night.

She went on to say that the altercation had been a culmination of Perry's "mounting" frustration due to the "extremely loud" volume of the band's playing, and that her husband felt that “his voice was being drowned out by the band."

"Perry had been suffering from tinnitus and a sore throat every night," she explained. "But when the audience in the first row started complaining [to] Perry, cussing at him that the band was planning too loud and that they couldn’t hear him, Perry lost it."

"The band started the song 'Ocean [Size]' before Perry was ready and did the count off," Etty continued. "The stage volume was so loud at that point, that Perry couldn't hear [past] the boom and the vibration of the instruments and by the end of the song, he wasn’t singing, he was screaming just to be heard."

Etty claimed that while Navarro had tried to keep her husband "at arm's length to de-escalate the situation," bassist Eric Avery "put Perry in a headlock and punched him in the stomach three times." She said a crew member was able to pull Avery away, and he "walked off to the front of the stage to apologize to [the] audience for the show ending early."

"Dave still looked handsome and cool in the middle of a fight," Etty wrote. "Perry was a crazed beast for the next half an hour — he finally did not calm down, but did break down and cried and cried.

"Eric, well he either didn't understand what de-escalation meant or took advantage of the situation and got in a few cheap shots on Perry," she added.

In a comment below her original post, Etty insisted that alcohol was not the real issue, despite the fact that Perry was seen drinking from a bottle of wine at some of the recent concerts.

"Unfortunately, that bottle of wine is more of a prop nowadays," she wrote. "I have gotten angry at him multiple times, that he would leave a beautiful bottle of wine 3/4 full on the stage, when I would've loved a glass after the show."

The Boston show was part of JANE'S ADDICTION's co-headlining tour with LOVE & ROCKETS.

Navarro had missed JANE'S ADDICTION's tours in 2022 and 2023 because of a battle with long COVID. To fill Navarro's spot, the band brought on QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen and ex-RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

Farrell admitted to the New York Post that he missed Navarro during the guitarist's absence.

"I wish I would have my dear guitar player around," Farrell said in September 2022. "[But] I live to bring entertainment and art to the world. And whatever I can do to entertain you, to blow your mind, that's what I live for."

In a recent interview with Guitar World, Avery was unsure if JANE'S ADDICTION would be still standing in 2025.

"I still don't know if we're a band that you ever assume will be here a year from now," he told the magazine.

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In a new interview with John And Heidi Show's "Something You Should Know!" podcast, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill spoke about the recently released remixed and remastered version of JUDAS PRIEST's classic debut album, 1974's "Rocka Rolla". Regarding the decision to reissue the LP, Hill said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's been a long time coming, really. Those first two albums ['Rocka Rolla' and 1976's 'Sad Wings Of Destiny'], they were with our first record company called Gull Records. They were both put together on very low budgets. They were recorded overnight because the studio time, it was cheaper back then. And things were let go really because we had time constrictions as well. I mean, the whole album was done [in] probably three, four weeks maybe, not much longer. And we finally got the rights to the songs, or Reach Music has now got the rights to the songs, so we can do something with 'em. We would've done this a lot earlier, but Gull kept the songs close to the chest. And like I say, now [that] Reach has got it, we can play around with it a little bit."

When the interviewer noted that there are a lot of moving parts that have to align in order to be able to re-release an album like "Rocka Rolla", Hill said: "When we did 'Rocka Rolla' back in '74, it was more straightforward then, but there's still a lot of people involved, from the artistic point of view, from the production point of view, and, of course, the business point of view as well. Everyone's gotta be on the same page. And like I say, after 50 years, we've finally been able to do it, and it's gonna end up with the production it should have had back then. [Producer] Tom Allom's on the case, and he's been recording the band since 1979. So, it's in a very, very safe pair of hands with him."

Asked if he remembers the making of "Rocka Rolla" like it was yesterday, Ian said: "Uh, no. There's been a hell of a lot of water under the bridge since then. [Laughs] You remember some of it — you remember the studios, obviously. Some of it sort of fades into a sort of the fog of time. Some things stand out vividly. I mean, it was the first time we actually went into a professional recording studio, so we were all sort of wide-eyed, big open mouths, in awe of… I mean, Island Studios, some of the most famous acts in the world had recorded there. And, of course, Trident, we did a part of it there. And the Olympic. We actually met [THE ROLLING STONES'] Mick Jagger and Keith Richards at the Olympic, which, for an up-and-coming band, that was an absolute bonus, absolute hoot to meet them. And things like that stand out."

The remixed and remastered version of "Rocka Rolla" was released digitally in the U.S. and Canada on September 13. The CD and vinyl versions of "Rocka Rolla - 50th Anniversary: Remixed And Remastered 1974 - 2024" will arrive on Friday, November 22.

In 1974, before the eternal metal flame was ever lit, JUDAS PRIEST — singer Rob Halford, guitarist Glenn Tipton, bassist Ian Hill, guitarist K.K. Downing and drummer John Hinch — were simply five young musicians in their 20s from the Black Country an area of working-class towns in England excited to have signed a record deal. With limited funds, the band recorded during the less expensive night shift hours. The album "Rocka Rolla" was born during these sessions, under the guidance of producer Roger Bain who was brought in by the label and who had previously produced BLACK SABBATH.

JUDAS PRIEST learnt over time how to record an album, and the experience of working in a professional recording studio helped prepare them for the next album to come, one of the most definitive and foundational heavy metal albums of all time, "Sad Wings Of Destiny". But with "Rocka Rolla", the band was not there for the mixing, the mastering process or any final approvals — they didn't have a say when it was finished or how it ultimately sounded. Although the band felt positive about how the songs sounded in the studio, they were particularly disappointed when they received a finished copy of the album in the mail to listen to for the first time.

Halford recalled: "I took the record and I put the needle onto the groove and I sat back. And I just slowly started to deflate, deflate. I was so disappointed with the way it was sounding. All of us were — we'd all worked so hard to get to this place. And now this music that we know when we play live is roaring — the heavy metal is roaring even in those early primitive days — none of that was coming out of the speakers"

The band never had a future say in "Rocka Rolla" in the intervening decades — the re-releases and early-era compilations… but that was about to change.

During JUDAS PRIEST's "50 Heavy Metal Years" tour in 2022, something remarkable was happening behind the scenes. The label that originally signed JUDAS PRIEST in 1974, Gull Records, and its owner David Howells, decided to sell the masters and publishing rights for the two albums the label owned, "Rocka Rolla" and "Sad Wings Of Destiny", and David contacted Tipton's music publisher, Michael Closter of Reach Music Publishing.

After discussing this opportunity and collaborating with JUDAS PRIEST's manager Jayne Andrews, a compelling offer from Reach Music was made to Gull Records. Terms were accepted. An acquisition agreement was prepared, and after almost 50 years from the release of these albums, Reach Music and its label Exciter Records, in partnership with JUDAS PRIEST, was now the owner of "Rocka Rolla" and "Sad Wings Of Destiny".

The first order of business was to retrieve the original multitrack tapes from storage (which miraculously still existed and kept in usable condition for all these decades) — and to begin the process of resurrecting "Rocka Rolla" from these multitrack recordings...

With the task of delving back into time and putting the tapes of "Rocka Rolla" back on the recording studio console, JUDAS PRIEST put their full faith in Tom Allom, known in the JUDAS PRIEST world for producing the iconic "British Steel" and "Screaming For Vengeance" albums, among many others.

As Allom stated: "What we did with the multitracks is quite unusual, to completely remix an album from that era, from scratch. So to clarify what we're doing, we're not adding anything musically. We're not re-recording any of the musical parts… We're remixing them, rebalancing them using the technology we have, the modern tools we have now, to sonically upgrade them, and make them sound more powerful."

The results of this remixed version are now available for posterity — the artist-approved version of "Rocka Rolla" is finally here for fans to add to their JUDAS PRIEST collection.

Halford said: "It's great to look back and see our future unfurl — from little metal acorns mighty metal oaks do grow. One small step for metal, one giant leap for metalkind — a lifelong metal journey began with these songs. This album lit the eternal metal flame — as real and fresh as ever five decades on.

He added: "I'm just thrilled… because it just goes to show you when you get an expert involved in a project, it's likely that you have a second chance. And I think that Tom Allom is giving us a second chance here with the way that a lot of the elements were lost in 'Rocka Rolla'. And it's also nice, like a really nice feeling, especially to attach it to what will be a 50th-anniversary moment. It's just a beautiful feeling."

Tipton said: "This is where it all started for us and 50 years later, we have a great re-mixed and re-mastered version of the original...and the band are still going strong!"

Hill stated: "Recorded during nighttime sessions to save costs, over a few weeks in June and July 1974, on a shoestring budget, 'Rocka Rolla' was always going to have its flaws! But walking into my local record store and seeing it on a shelf amongst all your idol's records was the proudest feeling in the world, and I thought, 'Whatever happens now, nothing can change that!' Now remixed by Tom Allom and remastered, 'Rocka Rolla' has finally got the production it deserved!"

Downing said: "At last! This! The first JUDAS PRIEST album can be listened to and enjoyed in the way it was always intended to be!"

"Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed & Remastered)" track listing:

01. One For The Road
02. Rocka Rolla
03. Winter
04. Deep Freeze
05. Winter Retreat
06. Cheater
07. Never Satisfied
08. Run Of The Mill
09. Dying To Meet You
10. Caviar And Meths

Photo courtesy of Chipster PR & Consulting, Inc.

Mike Portnoy says that the rehearsals for his first tour with DREAM THEATER in 14 years are sounding "like no time has passed".

The drummer co-founded DREAM THEATER in 1985 with guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung. Mike played on 10 DREAM THEATER albums over a 20-year period, from 1989's "When Dream And Day Unite" through 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", before exiting the group in 2010. Portnoy returned to DREAM THEATER last October after being replaced by Mike Mangini, who played with DREAM THEATER across five studio albums and accompanying world tours.

On Friday (September 27),Portnoy took to his social media to write: "Rehearsals have been sounding and feeling GREAT!!!!! Incredible how quick and seamless we have jumped right back into these songs together again after all these years…(in some song's cases, it been DECADES since playing them together!)

"I don't want to be overconfident, but I have to say it's already sounding and feeling so comfortable and natural…like no time has passed…a little over 3 weeks away from kickoff!!! Can't wait…"

DREAM THEATER's 2024-2025 40th-anniversary tour will kick off with a European leg this fall. The outing — presented as "An Evening With Dream Theater" — will launch on October 20 in London and run through November 24 in Amsterdam, hitting cities in numerous European countries along the way.

DREAM THEATER recently spent time in the studio recording the band's sixteenth album. The upcoming effort will mark the progressive metal legends' first LP since Portnoy's return to the group.

Mangini joined DREAM THEATER in late 2010 through a widely publicized audition following the departure of Portnoy. Mangini beat out six other of the world's top drummers — Marco Minnemann, Virgil Donati, Aquiles Priester, Thomas Lang, Peter Wildoer and Derek Roddy — for the gig, a three-day process that was filmed for a documentary-style reality show called "The Spirit Carries On".

In an interview with Chile's Sonar FM, Portnoy was asked if he missed playing with DREAM THEATER during his time away from the group. He responded: "Well, of course, I always missed DREAM THEATER and the music and the guys and the fans. Not all DREAM THEATER fans went on the ride with me with all of my other bands. So, every time I would tour with SONS OF APOLLO or WINERY DOGS or SHATTERED FORTRESS or NEAL MORSE BAND, I would see someDREAM THEATER fans, but there's a big portion of the fanbase that wasn't with me for all those years. So yeah, I missed them and I missed the guys and I missed the music. We were always a family first and foremost."

Regarding the fact that he is once again in charge of coming up with the setlists for DREAM THEATER's live shows, Mike said: "Yeah, it's an area that was always my department and my passion. I always wrote all the setlists for DREAM THEATER, as well as any of my bands or projects. That's an area that's very important to me. And yeah, when I came back to DREAM THEATER, a lot of the things we have to figure out who's gonna be in charge of what. There's a lot of areas that I used to be in charge of, which now John [Petrucci, DREAM THEATER guitarist] may do, or maybe the band makes band decisions. So I have to kind of find my place within the band's chemistry now. But yeah, one of the things that they did give back to me was the setlist and writing the setlist. So yeah, it was something that was a lot of fun and exciting — a great open palette to work with, really. 40 years of music, and I haven't played any of this music with the guys in almost 15 years. So it's all so fresh. Back in 2010, I might have been bored with it, but now in 2024, I'm just as excited to play those songs as any of 'em."

On the topic of how different it is to play with DREAM THEATER in 2024 compared to how it was 14 years ago, Mike said: "There's two sides to that question. The first I'll say, personally, I think we're just all older and wiser, more mellow. I am not as much of a control freak as I used to be; I'm a lot more easygoing, a lot more mellow. So, yeah, there's the one side of the natural age of everybody just — we're now in our fifties and sixties, and I think we're just more mature and experienced. But the other side to that question is, like I just mentioned, finding my place within this new chemistry and overseeing every area. And then when I left the band, they needed to take some of these areas and divide them up amongst themselves and have different people overseeing different areas. And now that I'm coming back, I have to kind of see what's comfortable. I have to very much respect that they've had 13 years without me and they may do things a certain way differently now. So it's up to me to really be very respectful to that and not try to force myself in any of the areas. So anytime something comes up, whether we're talking about a setlist or the merchandise or how they wanna record in the studio, no matter what the subject is, it's always now, like, 'Okay, well, how do you guys do it now? How do you want me involved? Do you want me to oversee it? Do you want me to stay out of it? That's fine too.' And it's kind of like a learning process to find myself comfortable with the way that the band works now."

Portnoy also talked about DREAM THEATER's upcoming sixteenth album, which is still in the process of being recorded. He said: "We started the new album in February of this year, and we figured that was about 15 years since we last made a record together with 'Black Clouds & Silver Linings' in 2009. So we got together — February 7th, 2024, I think is when we moved into the studio to begin — and it felt like it had only been one week since we finished 'The Count Of Tuscany' and wrapped the last album. It felt like it was only one week. It felt like only a week had passed. Like, okay, here we are 15 years later, but it felt like just yesterday. That's how familiar and comfortable the chemistry is with the five of us. We immediately felt comfortable, like not a day had passed, and immediately started writing ideas and bouncing ideas off of each other. And it just quickly snowballed and we were up and running and off and going."

Portnoy recently told the "So...You Want To Be A Musician?" podcast about his mindset when rejoining DREAM THEATER: "At our ages, we realized when we decided to reunite and get back together, I'd be lying if I didn't say we didn't start to look in the mirror and look at the clock and say, who knows how much time we have left? The clock is ticking, and we realize we're not gonna be here forever. And we wanna spend whatever time we have left together making music with the people that we grew up with and the people that we love. So, yeah, that's kind of where we're at at this stage."

Portnoy admitted to Mariskal Rock that he "needed to get used to was being the 'new guy'" after rejoining DREAM THEATER, "being the new guy in a band that I helped form when I was a teenager. So it's a bit of a transition for me to go from being a bit of the leader, as I was back when I left the band, now I have to kind of find my way back into the chemistry and I need to respect the fact that they've been doing this for 13 years without me and they have maybe new ways of doing things, new ways of making decisions," he explained. "So … I have had to be very respectful for my role as the new guy and finding my way back into the chemistry of the band."

This past June, Portnoy was asked by Brazil's Marcelo Vieira and Matheus Ribeiro if DREAM THEATER's upcoming sixteenth studio album picks up from where the last DT LP he played on, 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", left off or if it's a different thing entirely. He responded: "If I'm being honest, I think it picks up right where 'Black Clouds' left off, to be honest. There's a certain style that the five of us have when we write together. And if you listen to the album with this lineup from 1999, '[Metropolis Pt. 2:] Scenes From A Memory', through 2009's 'Black Clouds & Silver Linings', if you look at that string of five or six albums, that's the sound and style of these five people. So I think that's a good indication of what you can expect with the new DREAM THEATER album. It definitely sounds like classic DREAM THEATER."

My view at the office…🥁 Rehearsals have been sounding and feeling GREAT!!!!! Incredible how quick and seamless we have...

Posted by Mike Portnoy on Friday, September 27, 2024

CANNIBAL CORPSE guitarist Erik Rutan has left the band's European headlining tour after his home in St. Petersburg, Florida sustained "catastrophic damage from Hurricane Helene".

Hurricane Helene barreled through the Southeast on Friday, September 27, causing flooding in Florida, Tennessee and Georgia. The Tampa Bay area of Florida, particularly St. Petersburg, was hit hard.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg experienced more than six feet of storm surge, and more than 100 miles of flooded roads.

Earlier today, CANNIBAL CORPSE released the following statement via social media: "Due to catastrophic damage to his home from Hurricane Helene, Erik Rutan has left the tour to be present with his family at this time. Our hearts go out to Erik and his wife as they deal with this situation."

CANNIBAL CORPSE's European tour with MUNICIPAL WASTE, IMMOLATION and SCHIZOPHRENIA kicked off on September 20 in Oberhausen, Germany and is scheduled to end on October 20 in Frankfurt, Germany.

Rutan was named a permanent member of CANNIBAL CORPSE in 2021. He joined the band as the replacement for CANNIBAL's longtime guitarist Pat O'Brien.

Rutan, one of the death metal's most acclaimed guitarists, is known for his time as part of MORBID ANGEL throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, as well as handling vocals/guitars for HATE ETERNAL. He is also an acclaimed producer, working mostly out of his Mana Recording facility in St. Petersburg.

Hurricane Helene is one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the United States, with wind gust speeds of 140 mph and heavy rain.

Posted by Cannibal Corpse on Saturday, September 28, 2024

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH frontman Ivan Moody fractured his rib while performing with his bandmates this past Thursday (September 26) at the Louder Than Life festival at Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

The 44-year-old singer sustained the injury during the eleventh song of FIVE FINGER's set, "IOU", on the first day of the festival when the weather turned rainy toward the end of the day. Video of the incident (see below) shows Moody losing his footing as he makes way across the stage, before quickly lifting himself back up and continuing with the final song of FIVE FINGER's regular set.

Moody later took to his Instagram Stories to offer an update on his condition, explaining that he had a "bruise that's running from the inside of my armpit down to the side of my knee." In addition, he said that his hand felt "like it's shattered."

After visiting a local hospital, Moody said that the final diagnosis was a "fractured fucking rib." He added: "You've gotta be fucking kidding me. It's always something, man. Well, I will say this much: it was worth it. Louder Than Life. For real real."

Conditions at Louder Than Life worsened on Friday as heavy rain from Hurricane Helene pushed into the area, forcing the organizers to cancel the day's shows.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH recently completed a headlining U.S. tour with support from MARILYN MANSON and SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL. The trek kicked off on August 2 in Hershey, Pennsylvania and ran through September 19 when it concluded in Houston, Texas.

Prior to the U.S. run, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH toured Europe as the support act for METALLICA on the latter act's "M72" world tour in addition to headlining shows with special guest ICE NINE KILLS and select appearances at major festivals.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is continuing to tour in support of its ninth album, "AfterLife" which was released in August 2022 via Better Noise.

On April 5, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH released the digital deluxe edition of "AfterLife", featuring the original 12 tracks recorded with the band's longtime producer Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE) in addition to four bonus tracks: three acoustic versions of the album's songs "The End", "Judgement Day" and "Thanks For Asking" plus "This Is The Way", featuring DMX.

Former WHITESNAKE and DIO and current THE DEAD DAISIES guitarist Doug Aldrich has undergone a successful surgery being after diagnosed with a treatable throat cancer.

On Friday (September 27),Doug's wife Daniela "Danni" Aldrich shared an update on her husband's condition, writing on her personal Facebook page: "I just want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you who sent prayers, texts, and love for Doug. It truly meant the world to him to feel the outpouring of support. Your messages really lifted his spirits, and it made such a difference knowing how many people care about him.

"All your prayers were heard!" she continued. "The surgery went incredibly well—five long hours of multiple steps—but Doug pushed through like the fighter he is. Even the nurse called him a superhero for his strength and determination right after! He is the strongest person I know.

"It's going to be a long road ahead, but Doug is strong, and he is so loved. We are beyond grateful for all of you standing by his side through this. As soon as he's able, Doug will share more updates himself.

"Thank you again, from the bottom of our hearts!

"Also to everyone who cared about the kids and me. Thank you so much".

As a result of Doug's surgery, he will not be able to take part in THE DEAD DAISIES' upcoming European tour and will be temporarily replaced by Reb Beach (WHITESNAKE, WINGER).

Aldrich played with DIO for a short period between 2002 and 2006. He was also a member of WHITESNAKE from 2002 to 2014 before leaving to spend more time with his family. The guitarist played on two WHITESNAKE studio albums, 2008's "Good To Be Bad" and 2011's "Forevermore", and appeared on several live releases, including 2013's "Made In Japan" and "Made In Britain/The World Records".

Aldrich left WHITESNAKE 10 years ago, saying in a statement that he "had several recording and live commitments," so he "needed a more flexible schedule to conclude these before going full force as normal." He added: "Unfortunately, my schedule was not workable."

Having also played with LION, HOUSE OF LORDS, BAD MOON RISING, HURRICANE and Glenn Hughes, Aldrich joined THE DEAD DAISIES in 2016 and can be heard on that band's last five albums, 2016's "Make Some Noise", 2018's "Burn It Down", 2021's "Holy Ground", 2022's "Radiance" and 2024's "Light 'Em Up".

Thought we’d give you guys an update on Doug!🎸🎸
Doug’s wife Danni posted on her FB page today, it sounds like everything...

Posted by The Dead Daisies on Friday, September 27, 2024

Vocalist Lou Koller of New York hardcore legends SICK OF IT ALL has undergone his final pre-surgery round of chemotherapy after recently being diagnosed with an esophageal tumor.

Earlier today (Friday, September 27),Koller shared a video update via social media in which he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Hey, everybody. Lou here. I just wanna give you a quick update. Today was chemo session number four, last of the pre-surgery chemos. So now I have a month till the surgery, which is on October 24th. So far I feel okay. Little dizzy, little tired, body aches, same thing that happens all the time. Have my take-home pack of chemo right here. Mm-hmm. See, I get a bonus every time. I wear it for 24 hours and they then they take it out tomorrow. This is the one that really messes me up. So after tomorrow, I will be useless for, like, four or five days. So that's that.

"I'm really thankful that you guys sold out the benefit show [on Saturday, November 23 at Irving Plaza in New York City] that quickly," he continued. "The lineup is insane. It's gonna be an amazing show. I don't know if I can be there. Depends on how much I healed after the surgery. It's gonna be a good time in between the surgery and the show. But also, my doctor's advice was, 'Don't test your immune system in that environment.' What are you gonna do?

"But, like I said, I'm doing good. I got a lot of chemo side effects, like numbness in my fingertips, losing hair… At least I got my eyebrows still… And I got my eyelashes.

"I miss my hair. I hate looking in the mirror. I scare myself in the bathroom at night, like, 'Who the hell's that guy?' [Laughs]

"Anyway, just messing around. I hope you are all doing good. And thank you for supporting me and SICK OF IT ALL.

"I know Craig's [Setari, SICK OF IT ALL bassist] out on the road with Marky Ramone, so go see that," Lou added. "And I think he might be doing some shows with JUDGE. Just write to the guys — write to Armand [Majidi, SICK OF IT ALL drummer], Pete [Koller, SICK OF IT ALL guitarist] and Craig — and tell 'em hello. Keep their spirits up too. I'm doing all right.

"All right, guys. Thanks. And take care of each other."

After Lou went public in late June with the news that doctors discovered a cancerous tumor in his esophagus, his brother Pete, SICK OF IT ALL guitarist, set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover some of the costs of his cancer treatment and assist with living expenses while the group is off the road and unable to tour. That campaign has since raised more than $300,000, with fellow artists AFI, RANCID and DROPKICK MURPHYS contributing $5,000 apiece, and bands such as SNAPCASE and HOT WATER MUSIC also making generous donations.

The long-running New York Hardcore band subsequently canceled its previously announced European tour dates.

When Lou first posted about the diagnosis on social media, he said: "[Doctors] found a tumor in my esophagus that goes into my stomach, and I'll have to be getting treatment all summer — and of course, with full support of the band. As soon as they heard it, they were, like, 'Forget the tour. Just get healthy.' … They're all behind me staying home and us staying home."

Koller ended the message by saying: "I'll hopefully beat this thing and see you at the end of the summer … or maybe the winter."

SICK OF IT ALL's European tour was supposed to kick off in the Czech Republic on July 4.

SICK OF IT ALL's latest album, "Wake The Sleeping Dragon!", was released in November 2018 via Century Media.

Update

Here is an update! I had my last pre-surgery chemo on the 26th. Now I have to recover and get ready for the surgery on October 24th. Still dealing with insurance insanity etc. Thank you for your continued support. Don’t for get to go to our instagram home page and check out the post on the raffle that Pete is organizing. I’ve been told there are some rare and museum worthy items in there! Also check out Craig on tour with Marky Ramone this month. And go say hello to all the guy on their pages @armand.of.it.all @petesickofitall and @craigahead I feel like shit but that’s how you tell if the chemo is working haha. Thank you again and talk to you soon. #sickofitall #soianyc #nyhc #hardcoreworldwide #undergroundmusic #punk #thrash #metal #newyorkhardcore #itsclobberingtime #fuckcancer #

Posted by Sick Of It All on Friday, September 27, 2024

NYC! Saturday November 23 at Irving Plaza!Vision of Disorder (OG lineup) is playing a benefit show for Lou Koller of the...

Posted by VISION OF DISORDER OFFICIAL on Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Singer, poet, songwriter, visual artist, film producer, activist and author Serj Tankian, lead singer and lyricist for the Grammy Award-winning rock band SYSTEM OF A DOWN, has just released "Foundations", his EP of new music, worldwide via Gibson Records. Serj has also debuted the new video for the song "Cartoon Buyer" which begins with hushed, folk tones of Serj playing acoustic guitar, gradually building in intensity before exploding in sonic and spiritual catharsis.

"Foundations" track listing:

01. A.F. Day
02. Justice Will Shine On
03. Appropriations
04. Cartoon Buyer
05. Life's Revengeful Son

"Foundations" mines music and lyrics from previous decades and reframes them in a hard-hitting, intensely focused collection. Like all of Tankian's work, the five songs that comprise "Foundations" encompass a wide range of sounds and styles. It is music that traverses multiple eras and vast swaths of emotions. It is also very much a rock album — "music of rebellion," says Tankian.

"Foundations" kicks off with "A.F. Day", a raging, heavy-riffing track that sounds like classic Tankian. The origins of the song date back almost three decades, to his earliest days with SYSTEM OF A DOWN. Tankian never brought it to the band to record, and when he happened upon "A.F. Day" more recently he "felt it should finally be released." In doing so, he retained much of the original music, including his vocals — a decision that was partly pragmatic: "My voice has naturally changed over time," Tankian explains. As the lyrics demonstrate, his attitude has not. "Medieval educators locking horns at the playground at 5 / Real live police crime shows submission of the population at large," he rails, expressing disgust with indoctrination and blind deference to authority at every turn.

"A.F. Day" is followed the album's most anthemic track, and also its emotional centerpiece: "Justice Will Shine On". Another song whose compositional roots date back to the early SOAD days, the impassioned hard rocker is nonetheless instilled with a message that is as hard-hitting and vital today. Over potent riffs and pummeling rhythms, Tankian grapples with the atrocities of the Armenian genocide experienced by his grandparents firsthand. He addresses their suffering in jarringly personal and direct terms, singing, "Can you tell me dear grandfather of your childhood so far away / You can see the death of laughter in his teared eyes disarray / Can you tell me dear grandmother of your childhood from hunger and pain / Of the orphans you called brothers in her teared eyes disarray." As the song launches into its soaring chorus, Tankian declares that his grandparents' torment, and the anguish experienced by all Armenian victims, will not be in vain. "We are the children of all the survivors / Justice will shine on!"

Elsewhere on "Foundations", "Appropriations" (an older song I've 're-appropriated' to modern times," he says) juxtaposes a snake-y, arpeggiated verse with a crushing chorus in a clash of eastern and western modalities, as Tankian unspools lyrics that play off complementary sounds and contrasting sensibilities: "Resignation, provocation, segregation… imagination and creation," he croons. And "Cartoon Buyer", which dates to a period just prior to Tankian's first solo record, 2007's "Elect The Dead", begins in hushed, almost folk-y mode, and gradually builds — both in intensity and actual tempo — before exploding in sonic and spiritual catharsis. Throughout the track, Tankian scrutinizes the divides within humanity ("You see me without emotions / I see you across the oceans," he intones) before ultimately declaring our oneness: "California to Argentina…Saudi Arabia to Tunisia…Armenia to Australia…Israel to Indonesia / They are us and we are them."

Finally, "Life's Revengeful Son", originally recorded prior to Tankian's 2010 "Imperfect Harmonies" album, incorporates a variety of instrumentation, including acoustic and electric guitars and dramatic orchestration, into an epic closer with unmatched imagery: "The final revolution will occur when the arms of the clock fall," Tankian sings. "Jesus seen in the streets, dragging a car axel instead of the cross."

A true creative tour de force, Tankian recorded "Foundations" primarily at his own Serjical Strike Studios in L.A. He wrote, performed, orchestrated and produced all the material, as well as contributed the artwork — an original piece titled "Sunburst" — that adorns the album cover. Additional instrumentation on the record was provided by Dan Monti (guitars, bass and drum programming) and, on "Cartoon Buyer", by bassist Mario Pagliarulo and SOAD drummer John Dolmayan.

"Foundations", Tankian says, is "a retrospective of songs from different eras of my life, meant to complement the memoir," and caps what has been an incredibly prolific year for Tankian, from the release of his memoir The New York Times bestseller "Down With The System", to the massive, sold-out SYSTEM OF A DOWN headlining show at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco with over 50,000 fans. But even as he is now revealing his "foundations," Tankian is already looking ahead. "The next record will likely be a record of covers, collaborations and collages," he envisions.

Credit his restless, ever-curious creative spirit. "I'm always moving in different directions," Tankian says. "Repetition is boring, and the death of art."

As previously announced, on November 1, Tankian will release a diverse selection of limited-edition variants of the "Foundations" EP on colored vinyl with an etching featured on Side B of every package. The "Foundations" vinyl package includes a red-and-black starburst vinyl available on Tankian's own official webstore, and an opaque purple version only available in U.S. record stores nationwide.

In celebration of Tankian's fall 2024 Revolver magazine cover story, an exclusive and limited-edition vinyl in a striking dark blue marble, is bundled with a special edition of the cover story wrapped in a one-of-a-kind photo slipcase.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

During an appearance on the latest episode of "The Metallica Report", the podcast offering weekly insider updates on all things METALLICA, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield was asked if feels the influence of the band's late bassist Cliff Burton in his writing. James responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Absolutely. Cliffstill lives in all of us. The way he lives in me is I get to channel, you know, 'Cliff, what would be really cool right here?' And I do — I do hold him in such high regard that I ask for his help still. And I challenge myself, 'Would Cliff like this?' That, to me, is a pretty high standard. We already have high standards for ourselves, but you know, if I could impress Cliff, it was a good day."

Cliff was asked to join METALLICA in 1982 after the band saw him perform with his group at the time, TRAUMA.

The bassist was not willing to move to Los Angeles, where METALLICA was based, so they decided to move to the San Francisco area so that he would join.

Burton played on METALLICA's first three studio albums — "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning" and "Master Of Puppets" — and co-wrote classic songs like "Ride The Lightning", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Fade To Black", "Creeping Death" and "Master Of Puppets".

His life was tragically cut short at the age of 24 in a tour bus crash on September 27, 1986 in Sweden.

Burton's initial replacement in the group was Jason Newsted, who stayed in the lineup until 2001. Robert Trujillo joined in 2003 and remains in the band to this day.

February 10, 2018 was proclaimed "Cliff Burton Day" by Alameda County supervisors. The late METALLICA bassist would have turned 56 years old on that date had he lived.

Back in 2016, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke to Seattle's KISW 99.9 radio station about Burton's tragic loss when METALLICA's tour bus skidded on ice while the group was on tour in Scandinavia and Cliff was thrown out the window and crushed. Lars said: "We were so shocked and stunned that we didn't know what hit us. And, like most, I guess, kids in their early 20s who get ambushed with that type of thing, we jumped into a bottle of, in this case, vodka, for me, and stayed in there for quite some time. We weren't mature enough or seasoned in life enough to know how to deal with this other than just to sort of, basically, almost hide behind the alcohol and compartmentalized it. So the next few months were very difficult, and it was crazy, but we just put the blinders on and started auditioning bass players. And we knew in our hearts that Cliff would be the first one to kick us in the ass and tell us to keep going, if he could see us mope. And so there was no moping; we just kept going the best we knew how to."

Hetfield was asked in an interview with TeamRock what he thinks Burton might have thought about the drastic changes in its look and sound that METALLICA made through the 1990s and early 2000s with albums like "Load", "Reload" and "St. Anger". Hetfield replied: "Well, I certainly would have thought there would have been some resistance, for sure. I think the 'Black Album' was a great album and I appreciate the fact that we did have the balls to do that… I would certainly think that the 'Load' and 'Reload' [era], I would have had an ally that was very against it all — the reinvention or the U2 version of METALLICA."

Asked if Hetfield was personally comfortable with the more "alternative" image and music METALLICA made on those albums, the singer/guitarist replied: "No, no, not at all. There's some great, great songs on there but my opinion is that all of the imagery and stuff like that was not necessary. And the amount of songs that were written was… it diluted the potency of the poison of METALLICA. And I think Cliff would have agreed with that."

Burton's huge talent and achievements were chronicled in book form with the 2009 global publication of "To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Metallica's Cliff Burton", written by U.K.-based author Joel McIver and published by Jawbone Press. The foreword was provided by METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett.

In a new interview with Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece, NIGHTWISH multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley spoke about the band's announcement that it would take a break from touring and not hit the road in support of the band's just-released studio album "Yesterwynde". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH>NET): "Well, I was part of the decision, as we all were. We weren't forced into the conclusion, but we were pointed in the direction of it quite early on, even before the pandemic. We realized that we were in danger of burning out of doing too much. So we made the decision, and extraordinarily, the decision to have this hiatus, this time off, is for all of us. It has no time limit. We have absolutely no plans at all for when we will bring the band out again to play live."

He continued: "At the moment, we're just trying to, I suppose, personally, for all of us, recapture our balance, recapture, I suppose, our sense of direction for the band. It hasn't been easy — there's been lots of personal problems — but I must stress that we're an unusual beast, NIGHTWISH, in that we actually love being with each other. It's a rare thing for bands. A lot of bands, they'll have separate dressing rooms and all that kind of nonsense, whereas we actually enjoy our own company. And we socially mix with each other even when we're not working. We have fun with each other. Last year, Emppu [Vuorinen, NIGHTWISH guitarist] and Tuomas [Holopainen, NIGHTWISH keyboardist] came over to Yorkshire [England] and we went metal detecting for a week, just for the fun of it. Yeah, that's what we do. And have massive fun doing it."

Circling back to NIGHTWISH's decision to not play any live shows for the foreseeable future, Troy said: "So, it's not terminal. It's an extended time off. But I can envisage some more live work probably in 2027, which is the 30th anniversary of the band. I should imagine we'll do something live to mark that. We might do that."

When Fragos noted that NIGHTWISH's long album-tour cycles must have become more emotionally demanding as Troy and his bandmates kept doing it year after year, Donockley said: "That's a major part of it, but when you take that with six people, all of them feeling the same way, and you take it out on tour for seven weeks, or you travel to South America, three weeks in South America, then you're in Japan, then you're in America for five weeks. And we've all got families — all of us have families. Floor [Jansen, NIGHTWISH singer] has two tiny children. It's gonna cause confusion, with the lifestyle."

"Yesterwynde" was made available on September 20 via Nuclear Blast. It marks NIGHTWISH's tenth studio LP, following on from the release of "Human. :II: Nature." in 2020.

In August 2022, NIGHTWISH announced the addition of Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the previous year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.

In November 2022, Jansen revealed that she was "cancer free" after undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

Modern metal band, League Of Distortion, has unveiled their new track, “Chainsaw”, taken from the upcoming album, Galvanize, out October 25 via Napalm Records. The song features a powerful electronic intro, hard-hitting verses, a catchy chorus and showcases Anna “Ace” Brunner’s (Exit Eden) commanding vocals alongside Jim "Arro" Müller’s (Kissin’ Dynamite) dynamic guitar riffs and cutting energetic shouts.


With the lyrics, League Of Distortion are tackling the injustice and hypocrisy taking place every day all over the world. In combination with the official music video, that delivers finest horror movie vibes, it gets undoubtedly clear that “Chainsaw” is a modern metal hymn that fills the listeners with energy and hope.
 
Two years ago, the band entered the scene with their bombastic self-titled debut album, delivering a fresh sound and unique style that interprets modern metal in a creative way. Now, the German quartet is about to make a ferocious statement with their second album, Galvanize. Their most successful song, "Wolf Or Lamb”, reached over 1 million streams, and beyond this, they demonstrated their raging live performance at major festivals like Metalfest, Rock Harz, Baltic Open Air and Castle Rock, as well as an absolute kick-ass show at Summer Breeze in 2023. In addition, they took various stages by storm as support for German stadium rockers Kissin’ Dynamite, metalcore heroes Caliban on their German tour, and the legendary Kamelot on their European tour. Later this year, League Of Distortion will hit various stages for their very first headline tour in fall and winter, kicking off November 15 in Cologne.


League Of Distortion on “Chainsaw”: "Our new single ‘Chainsaw’ cuts deep with its unapologetic commentary on the brutality of life, injustice, and karma. It channels our rage and frustration of living in a world where greed and hypocrisy reign. The song serves as both a warning and a catharsis — reminding us that vengeance and consequence are inevitable. This track is a sonic explosion of rebellion, a visceral call for justice in a broken system.”




Watch the official music video:





League Of Distortion  is composed of the aformentioned, talented vocalist Anna “Ace” Brunner (Exit Eden) and exceptional guitarist Jim “Arro” Müller (Kissin’ Dynamite), who succeeds on this album as vocalist as well. Together with the strong and steady beats of drummer Tino “Aeon” Calmbach and edgy rhythm of bassist Felix “Ax” Rehmann, the quartet is ready to add to their wins with their newest onslaught.


Starting off, the brute title track sets the tone for this relentless album, as an electronic intro is followed by a stomping verse. This soon melds with a blasting chorus and catchy melody, as Ace’s forceful vocals unleash her power and incredible skills. Followed by previously released single "My Hate Will Go On”, the intense track is a raw onslaught embodying everything League Of Distortion stands for - sincerity, honesty and incredible power - topped by hard beats and bludgeoning guitar riffs. Interchanging and irresistible, soft and aggressive vocals fire with emotion, reflecting Ace’s inner “hate” that can no longer be contained. The indisputable center of the music is her voice, as the quartet bleeds the essence of League Of Distortion into the track - bravely reflecting on the painful, dark parts of life. But instead of falling deeper into despair, the musical force turns darkness into relentless power, taking these obstacles head on.


With intense and empowering tracks like the aggressive and forward stomping “My Enemy” and “Suck My Blood”, the band is self-assured with lyrics reflecting toxic relationships and defending against an oppressor. Thematically similar, speeding “The Crown” further impresses with incredible synthesizers evoking invincibility. Another standout track is “In our DNA”, featuring guest genre-mates Cypecore, which addresses the long-standing debate of nature vs. nurture and is underlined by stunning male and female vocal lines.  This potent combination can also be found on “Crucify Me”, which bribes with a stomping rhythm. Musically, the band doesn’t shy away from crossing genre-boundaries, proven on tracks like “What's Wrong With Her?”, which deals with the theme of envy and competitive behavior among women. The song boasts a reggae inspired intro before bursting into an intense modern metal wall of sound with electronic elements and rap-like vocals. Similarly, genre-fusing is “Anti-Hero”, with rap and hip hop-beats in the verses that build up to a hymnic metal chorus.


Galvanize is like a brutal thunderstorm of unbound energy, guiding the listener into eternal darkness while still shining with the bright, lightning-like energy that lies within. The quartet proves they’re a perfect modern metal match, combining creative performance, composition, provocation and pure emotion. It’s clear that this album is only the beginning of an untamable modern metal storm.


League Of Distortion on Galvanize: “We are excited and euphoric to share this second album with you. Yes, the relentless modern metal storm is raging on. Untamed and rampant we are again, openly and honestly speaking our minds, trying to process what's going on in this world, sharing very personal topics and lyrics and providing a badass sound-wall. Fearless of crossing lines and musically borders we created an album which has its own personality and sound.”





Galvanize will be available in the following formats:


- 1LP Gatefold Red
- CD Digisleeve + Shirt Bundle
- 1CD Digisleeve
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Galvanize tracklisting:


"Galvanize"
"My Hate Will Go On"
"Chainsaw"
"Suck My Blood"
"My Ene