The official music video for the song "Anybody Out There" from reactivated Norwegian progressive metallers CONCEPTION, who feature in their ranks former KAMELOT singer Roy Khan, can be seen below. The track is taken from CONCEPTION's latest album, "State Of Deception", which was released on April 3. The band's first full-length offering in over two decades follows on from 2018's successful EP "My Dark Symphony", and was once again released via CONCEPTION's own Conception Sound Factory label.

"State Of Deception" follows a 20-year interval during which bandmembers Khan, Tore Østby, Ingar Amlien and Arve Heimdal remained friends throughout, and the album release marks a full-circle evolution of the band.

Khan says: "The reception we've had from fans made recording a new album almost inevitable; they'd have rioted if we didn't get this out. But we're mightily proud of what we have put together here; I actually think it's the best thing I've ever been involved in."

Reflecting CONCEPTION's desire for an entirely direct relationship with its fans, the album is wholly fan-funded. Moreover, "State Of Deception" was wholly produced by the bandmembers themselves, with mixing duties handled by Stefan Glaumann (RAMMSTEIN, WITHIN TEMPTATION, EUROPE). The nine-song effort perfectly captures the band's trademark breadth of progressive sound, from symphonic melodrama to rock riff utopia, and features a guest appearance by AMARANTHE vocalist Elize Ryd.

Guitarist Tore Østby explains: "Producing this new album has been an emotional and exciting process, digging deeper into the heart and soul of the band than ever before. The result is dynamic and intense, it really feels like we managed to capture the state of CONCEPTION 2020.

"We've always said that we have a need to do what we feel is right for our music. We couldn't limit the musical scope of CONCEPTION even if we wanted to.'

"If we didn't think we were capable of surpassing our previous work, we wouldn't be here. We're super proud of every single track on this album."

"State Of Deception" track listing:

01. In Deception

02. Of Raven And Pigs

03. Waywardly Broken

04. No Rewind

05. The Mansion (featuring Elize Ryd)

06. By The Blues

07. Anybody Out There

08. She Dragoon

09. Feather Moves (remastered)

Regarding the decision to release the new album through CONCEPTION's own label, Khan says: "We've worked with record companies in the past, and by definition, the artist sits at arms length from their fanbase. We felt that was an unacceptable compromise."

"For an artist to see the reaction from a fan the first time they hear a new song is an extraordinarily powerful experience," offers Østby. "Whatever happens, these are shared encounters that will never leave us, band member or fan alike."

"State Of Deception" is both a definitive album release statement, as it is also a career milestone, recognizing a lyrical depth that acknowledges the current social climate.

Says Khan: "The lyrics of the album revolve around human error and betrayal, hence the album title, but also touch upon everything from people's facade to climate change, religion and politics."

California rockers PAPA ROACH have released a 2020 version of the song "Tightrope", which originally appeared on the band's multi-platinum, classic album "Infest". Check it out below.

"Infest" peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for sales in excess of three million copies in the U.S. alone. The album featured the iconic hits "Last Resort" and "Broken Home" plus fan favorites "Blood Brothers" and "Between Angels & Insects".

On Saturday (June 20), PAPA ROACH took part in its second live streaming experience iteration called "Infest In-Studio", a special virtually ticketed, live HD broadcast. The program featured PAPA ROACH performing "Infest" live in its entirety to celebrate the LP's 20th anniversary, along with exclusive discussions and reflections in a unique studio environment.

PAPA ROACH's first live streaming event, "Infest In-Conversation", broadcast on the 20th anniversary of "Infest"'s release (April 25, 2020), drew 1.8 million live viewers on five platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, YouTube and VK. That program featured the band showing rare videos and photos and reminiscing with each other for nearly four hours along with members of DEFTONES, LINKIN PARK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, KORN, as well as with Dave Buckner (the band's original drummer and founding member) and director Marcos Siega (Grammy-nominated director of the "Last Resort" and "Broken Home" music videos).

This past February, singer Jacoby Shaddix said that plans were afoot for PAPA ROACH to mark the LP's two-decade milestone.

"We've done some really cool things in the studio around some of the previous recordings, and we have some awesome stuff to release here throughout the year, so we're going to celebrate this album for sure — one hundred percent, definitely," the singer said.

Shaddix also spoke about the enduring popularity of "Infest"'s rap-rock anthem "Last Resort", which recently passed 100 million views on YouTube.

"That's our classic," he said. "That thing, it's given us such a relevance, even in pop culture. People are making memes — 'Cut my life into pizza.' I love that. 'Cause now I don't take it all too seriously, because it's embedded itself into pop culture, but then also the reality is that it's spoken to a lot of people's hearts that have been in that darkness, and going, 'Hey, man, there's some hope. You can come out of this. You don't have to stay in there.'"

Earlier in the year, PAPA ROACH completed a European tour with ICE NINE KILLS and HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD.

DEATH DEALER will release its third full-length album, "Conquered Lands", in the fall of 2020 via Steel Cartel. The band has also announced the addition of bassist Mike LePond (SYMPHONY X, ROSS THE BOSS, SILENT ASSASSINS).

"We had a great time with Mike Davis and he will always be a brother," says guitarist Ross The Boss about the bassist switch. "Due to both of our upcoming schedules, we mutually decided another guy might have to come in and handle what we had coming up. Mike Davis will be missed, but we are very excited about the addition of another bass superstar, Mike LePond."

Joining Ross and Mike LePond are Sean Peck (CAGE, THE THREE TREMORS, DENNER/SHERMANN) on vocals, Stu Marshall (NIGHT LEGION, DUNGEON) on guitar, and Steve Bolognese (ROSS THE BOSS, INTO ETERNITY) on drums.

"I have recorded the new album already and really dug the material," explains Mike. "I went back and listened to their first two albums and there is a lot of high-powered stuff there too. I already have a great chemistry with Ross and Steve so I can’t wait to get on stage with Sean and Stu and play some of this material live."

Adds Ross: "I have been super-busy touring and recording with my solo band. And everywhere I go, I am asked when is DEATH DEALER coming back, when will another album be out, etc. So the work we have done for five years, with the albums and touring, is really standing the test of time. I can see the impact that we made with our first two albums with the diehard metal fans. It is really great to see and now here we go again."

Sean says: "We had 'Conquered Lands' 80% done for the last thre years. And we finally had the chance to spend some time and get it finished up. We have been spending a lot of quality time online with each other lately and the fires are really burning hot to get DD back out crushing it again."

According to Sean, the material on "Conquered Lands" will please longtime fans.

"The new album has a great variety of metal flavors, but overall, it is fairly speedy. There are tons of killer heavy metal hooks as usual and some really great performances by all the musicians. There is a ballad too, which we did not have on the last record, but it is one of my favorites on the record, so it will be interesting to see how the fans react to that one."

As always, the album will be supported with live dates (in 2021), including a festival appearance in March in England, at Hard Rock Hell. Understandably, the band is eager to perform the new material on stage, as Sean adds that the material on "Conquered Lands" is "definitely 100% pure DEATH DEALER."

Photo credit: Paula Anderson

SLIPKNOT drummer Jay Weinberg recorded a cover version of the Bruce Springsteen classic "Candy's Room" as a Father's Day gift for his dad, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND drummer Max Weinberg. He has also created a quarantine-style video for the track featuring Mlny Parsonz (ROYAL THUNDER), Jeff Matz (HIGH ON FIRE), Stephen Brodsky (MUTOID MAN, CAVE IN, OLD MAN GLOOM), Emily Lee (SHEARWATER, LOMA, SNAKE OIL, DRONEFLOWER) and Jordan Olds (a.k.a. Gwarsenio Hall). Check it out below.

Jay Weinberg discovered SLIPKNOT when he was a pre-teen, through his father. He was hooked immediately and was a huge fan of SLIPKNOT by the time he was invited to Los Angeles to try out as replacement for Joey Jordison in 2013.

Asked what his father's initial reaction was when he told him that he was joining SLIPKNOT, the now-29-year-old drummer told the official SLIPKNOT fan club Outside The 9: "I don't know if he believed me, to be honest. No — when we had conversations about that's what had happened, I actually couldn't even tell him what band I had auditioned for, truthfully, for a while, till I asked the band if I could tell my dad. But once I did, he was very happy considering this is a band that he introduced to my life. I'm sure I would have crossed the path of SLIPKNOT's music at some point, but he really made that initial connection between myself and the members of the band. So, for him to have done that for me and did me that solid of introducing me to these guys at nine or 10 years old, and then 13, 14 years later, I joined the band, he was overwhelmed and overjoyed, I'm sure. It's something we still talk about to this day when certain benchmarks are met, or certain interesting things are happening, like playing on late-night TV, where I grew up watching him work and stuff like that, and now we're on a late-night TV program. It's very interesting. So, yeah, when I first told him I was joining SLIPKNOT, I think he flipped his shit."

For the first few months after the release of 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter", the members of SLIPKNOT had declined to name the musicians who were playing drums and bass on their tour, despite the fact that their identities were revealed as Weinberg and bassist Alessandro "Vman" Venturella by a disgruntled former drumtech for SLIPKNOT who posted a picture of a backstage call sheet on Instagram.

SLIPKNOT announced its split with Jordison in December 2013 but did not disclose the reasons for his exit. The drummer subsequently issued a statement saying that he did not quit the group.

MEGADETH guitarist Kiko Loureiro will release his fifth solo album, "Open Source", on July 10.

A new video in which Kiko shows you how to perform "the hardest phrase" in the disc's first single, an instrumental titled "EDM (e-Dependent Mind)", can be seen below.

The new track features Loureiro on guitar and keyboards, as well as Felipe Andreoli on bass and Bruno Valverde on drums.

"Open Source" will be the follow-up to "Sounds Of Innocence", which was released in June 2012.

The cover art for "Open Source" was created by Gustavo Sazes (MACHINE HEAD, AMARANTHE, ARCH ENEMY) and can be seen below.

Loureiro said: "By definition, 'open source' is related to softwares which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. It brings us a higher sense of community, enhances our creativity and creates new possibilities. So why not take this concept to our art, our music? How much richer a song could be if others had access to its source code? What if the song's original composition wasn't the final product? What if it was just the beginning? Something that could be constantly updated and evolve over time. And as well as a machine, we as humans are also minded to enhancements, being an open source ourselves, constantly moving and growing, through technology, science, spirituality… and art."

"This is the mindset which I bring now to my fifth solo album, that was named... guess what? OPEN SOURCE!

"My compositions and recordings are not the final objective of the album, but rather the start. I want you to have access to the way I created the album concept, to the songs and to how I played them. In addition, I will make the stems available for download. So you can remix, recreate and make new versions of it. And I can't wait to see what you're gonna create from that. I can expect different approaches and better versions than mine.

"To make all this possible, I'm doing a crowdfunding campaignand stretching goals to be able to create and share even more with you. Some of the perks are unique. Brings us closer, we can collaborate together and I'm very excited to have this possibility through this campaign.

"When you participate in this limited-time exclusive crowdfund, you officially become a partner of mine. And you're helping to launch this album worldwide. And if you're not the composer kind, don't worry, the backing tracks will also be available. So weather you play an instrument or are a music producer, you can put your own spin on it."

"I'm looking forward to sharing this project with the world. Stay healthy and stay safe!"

Kiko started composing his new solo album last year. The recordings started in September 2019 and he has been working on the LP ever since, in between MEGADETH's activities.

"Sounds Of Innocence" featured guest appearances by Virgil Donati on drums and Felipe Andreoli (ANGRA, ALMAH) on bass. One track also featured LIVING COLOUR bassist Doug Wimbish. The effort was produced by Kiko, mixed by Dennis Ward and mastered by Jürgen Lusky.

Kiko made his recording debut with MEGADETH on 2016's "Dystopia" album. The "Dystopia" title track was honored in the "Best Metal Performance" category at the 2017 Grammy Awards.

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine told Revolver magazine that finding Loureiro "was really a mind-blower. It was the first time since Marty Friedman joined the band that I was really intimidated as a player," he said. "He's such an amazing talent, and he's been coming in with all of these fresh ideas." Mustaine has also called Loureiro the "best guitarist we've ever had," adding that he was a good fit personality wise. "Chris [Broderick] and I had a good chemistry, but we weren't really as close as I would have wanted us to be," Mustaine explained. "Kiko, I feel like I've known him for years."

A video of DEEP PURPLE guitarist Steve Morse teaching you how to play the band's new single, "Man Alive", can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Whoosh!", which will be released on August 7 via earMUSIC.

"It's an abstract concept," frontman and lyricist Ian Gillan told Billboard about the song. "There was an apocalyptic quality to the (music of) 'Man Alive', and the idea developed lyrically from there — the scenario of this event that took place and everyone got killed, and you get this picture of 'all creatures great and small grazed on blood red soil, and grass that grows on city streets.' So it's a post-humanity scenario. And then all of a sudden something's washed up on the beach, and it turns out to be a man, and it's the only living man — but it's just a man, so...That's the end of humanity, because what use is one man? That was the idea. If it was a painting, you'd call it impressionistic."

DEEP PURPLE's 21st studio LP was once again helmed by Canadian producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, PINK FLOYD, ALICE COOPER), who also worked on the band's last two studio albums, 2017's "Infinite" and 2013's "Now What?!" Together they created the most versatile album in their collaboration. DEEP PURPLE "stretched out in all directions" without any limitation, letting their creativity go.

"DEEP PURPLE is putting the Deep back into Purple" was the half-joking motto in the studio after the first songs made it clear that Ezrin and PURPLE were on their path to creating an album pushing the boundaries of time, while voicing their resentment about the current situation of the world and addressing all generations.

"Whoosh!" will be available as limited CD+DVD mediabook (including the one-hour feature "Roger Glover And Bob Ezrin In Conversation" and, for the first time, the full live performance at Hellfest 2017 as video), 2LP+DVD edition, limited boxset and digital.

"We've included everything that made the whole band smile, including Bob Ezrin. We've always enjoyed making music and having the incredible luxury of a loyal audience," said Morse.

Track listing:

01. Throw My Bones

02. Drop The Weapon

03. We're All The Same In The Dark

04. Nothing At All

05. No Need To Shout

06. Step By Step

07. What The What

08. The Long Way Round

09. The Power Of The Moon

10. Remission Possible

11. Man Alive

12. And The Address

13. Dancing In My Sleep

DOKKEN has announced a pair of socially distanced concerts next month that will feature special guest guitarist Reb Beach (WINGER, WHITESNAKE). Support at the shows will come from LYNCH MOB, which is led by former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch. Both dates will include an "encore performance" with Lynch and DOKKEN leader Don Dokken.

The shows are as follows:

July 17 - Dr. Pepper Park - Roanoke, VA

July 18 - Timberwood Amphitheater, Magic Springs Water And Theme Park - Hot Springs, AR

Beach is best known for his work in the band WINGER and for being a member of WHITESNAKE since 2002.

After WINGER disbanded for a period in the mid-1990s, Beach first joined Alice Cooper's band and later replaced Lynch in DOKKEN. With DOKKEN, he recorded one studio album, titled "Erase The Slate", and a live DVD, titled "Live From The Sun".

Since leaving DOKKEN, Beach has been a part of several different recording and touring projects. In addition to sporadic touring with WINGER, he released a solo effort titled "Masquerade" in 2002. Since 2002, he has been a member of David Coverdale's current incarnation of WHITESNAKE and has been the longest-serving guitarist/member of the band to this day, excluding Coverdale.

In a 2019 interview with The Aquarian Weekly, Beach stated about stepping into another guitar hero's shoes in both WHITESNAKE and DOKKEN: "It might cross my mind for two seconds. I don't sound anything like [DEEP PURPLE's] Ritchie Blackmore and I don't sound anything like George Lynch. I never will. I was more nervous stepping into DOKKEN than with anything else, 'cause it was right after Lynch left. During our first live show together, this guy took off his sneaker and whipped it at me, striking me right in the head. He came to the show expecting to see George Lynch and not me. There were a few people not happy to see me. By the end of the show, however, they were happy."

This past March, Lynch rejoined DOKKEN on stage at the Hard Rock Live in Biloxi, Mississippi to perform three of the band's classic songs: "Kiss Of Death", "When Heaven Comes Down" and "Tooth And Nail". The reunion was the first of several planned DOKKEN live appearances this year which include what is being billed as a "special encore performance" featuring Lynch and Dokken.

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

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

Since completing the Japanese reunion dates, DOKKEN has continued to perform with the group's current lineup — including bassist Chris McCarvill and guitarist Jon Levin. Levin also works as an attorney specializing in entertainment contract law, as well as the occasional divorce case.
























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JUST ANNOUNCED... DOKKEN with special guests LYNCH MOB July 17th in Roanoke, Virginia and July 18th in Hot Springs, Arkansas with special guest former Dokken guitarist Reb Beach and special ENCORE performance with Don Dokken and George Lynch! #dokken #lynchmob ?

A post shared by Dokken (@dokken_official) on Jun 20, 2020 at 4:41pm PDT








We. Can’t. Wait.

? ? DrPepperPark.com!

Posted by Dr Pepper Park at the Bridges on Saturday, June 20, 2020

Due to "serious health concerns," QUIET RIOT has elected to cancel its previously announced "socially distanced" concert on July 4 month at Magic Springs Theme And Water Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas as part of the Magic Springs Summer Concert Series. MOLLY HATCHET and BLACKFOOT will still perform as planned.

This past Tuesday (June 16), the wife of QUIET RIOT's Frankie Banali denied that he was on his death bed and said he would "come home" soon after being hospitalized for an infection.

On Monday, Banali was admitted to the emergency room at the Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center in Woodland Hills, California. The drummer, who has been battling stage IV pancreatic cancer for the past 14 months, took to his personal Facebook page to share a photo of him on a hospital bed. A short time later, he expressed his affection for two of his longtime bandmates, writing: LOVE YOU Chuck Wright LOVE YOU Alex Grossi".

Frankie later said: "I have an infection that needs to be dealt with along with several procedures that need to be addressed. Hopefully this 'Disneyland' visit will not be too long and i can return home to make my green tea… do my flower arrangements, work on my art and get into my usual home quarentine trouble…. My sincere thanks to everyone for their love, well wishes, prayers and concern! I know you all rock…. but you already knew that!"

Banali was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer after going to the emergency room for shortness of breath, leg pain and loss of energy. A scan of his lungs caught an image of his liver, which is where the first spots were seen. Then came the discovery of a tumor on his pancreas.

He has been in treatment since last spring and recently started his 21st round of chemotherapy with the hopes of shrinking or controlling the cancer.

On June 10, Banali told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation" about his cancer battle: "I'm still fighting the good fight. I'm still doing the chemotherapy. I switched to a different chemotherapy a few months ago. And the side effects on this one are pretty brutal, and they pretty much last into the next round of chemo. So you kind of don't get a break for about three weeks, and then you get about maybe 10 days off, and then the cycle starts again. But it's part of what I'm doing."

Asked if doctors are seeing positive results from the chemotherapy, Banali replied: "It really depends on any given cycle, whether things are going up or whether things are reducing. The situation that I'm in is not a sprint, really — it is the longest race I can possibly make out of my situation. So you have to be really, really careful how you read into some of these things, because something can look elevated, but then if you look at a scan — one of my internal scans — it's not as bad as the numbers say. But it's a deadly disease — there's no question about it — and I know that that's what eventually is gonna kill me. In the meantime, I'm just trying to put that day off as far back as I possibly can."

Banali also talked about how his latest chemotherapy sessions caused him to lose his trademark hair. He said: "I knew that when we were switching from the first chemo formula that we were doing for almost a year to the new chemo formula, I knew in advance that the different formula was really gonna wipe out the hair. So right now you probably wouldn't recognize me because not only did it take all the hair on the top of my head, but it took my beard, my eyebrows, my eyelashes. Let me put it to you this way: I have just really improved my Olympic swimming chances with the loss of body hair."

Banali went public with his diagnosis last October, writing in a social media post that the cancer treatment had forced him to miss several live shows with the band. He was replaced at those gigs by either Johnny Kelly (DANZIG, TYPE O NEGATIVE) or Mike Dupke (W.A.S.P.), depending on each musician's availability.

QUIET RIOT's shows last year with Kelly and Dupke marked the first time ever that the band performed without any of the members from its classic lineup: Banali, singer Kevin DuBrow, guitarist Carlos Cavazo and bassist Rudy Sarzo.

Banali played his first show with QUIET RIOT since he announced his cancer diagnosis in October at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

The drummer resurrected QUIET RIOT in 2010, three years after the death of founding member DuBrow.

QUIET RIOT's latest studio album, "Hollywood Cowboys" was released in November via Frontiers Music Srl.

Drummer Jason Bittner (Overkill, ex-Flotsam And Jetsam) has released the new video below, along with this message:

"FIRST OF ALL - THIS IS NOT THE BAND! Jason Ward  and I are NOT back in the band!! We simply did this video for fun - Mike and AK are still the only original members (and writers of this song) - therefore they are "Flotsam" and "Jetsam" - I don't know who is who but you get the point. I always loved Jason Ward's bass playing so I asked him to jam on this one too! This song probably my all- time favorite by the band and I always loved playing this one - we changed the last chorus a little cause that's how Mike always "heard" the drum part too!! FLOTS TIL DEATH!!!!"




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Calgary’s Osyron has a new album on the way, the explosive and thought-provoking Foundations releasing on July 10, 2020 via SAOL/The Orchard.

According to the band, Foundations is meant to be digested as an immersive exploration of Canadian history and identity, speaking on topics on the country's colonization to the mistreatment and recognition of Aboriginals to the country's participation in global warfare. Although it is not a conceptual release, it does bear a consistent theme across nearly the entirety of the record.

The band notes that this is the first album where each band member has contributed to the writing processes, which has resulted in a stronger, more refined production overall. Osyron shares their expectations for the album’s reception:

"We believe that the album will both surprise and challenge our current and new fans while still bringing back the big elements we are most known for (hooks, huge layered sections, melodies, and finger-twisting riffs, etc). We would like to think that our fans would accept this as not only the next iteration and evolution of us as a band but also as the artistic progression of the music.”

Today, Osyron brings their next video for the second single "The Ones Below", a track that stands alone from the themes of the album as a whole and pays tribute to the loss of a loved one or friend who has left our world. This is a track everyone can pay homage to the good times and not dwell on the bad. It's an upbeat song of hope that is inspired by the cheers of frosty mugs with a gentle touch down on the table soon followed. A salute to the ones below. BraveWords is premiering the heartfelt new video; watch below!

For fans of Nightwish, Dream Theater, and Wintersun; Osyron is progressive, powerful metal with a knack for engaging storytelling. Album preorders available here.

Tracklisting:

“The Cross”
“Ignite”
“Battle Of The Thames”
“The Ones Below”
“Foundations”

“The Ones Below” video:




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“Lies” is the new lyric video from The Jeremy Edge Project and it’s being exclusively premiered through BraveWords! “Lies” is the first single from their new self-titled LP, due for release on August 28, and the track features blues master Josh Smith as an additional guitarist and Crobot’s Brandon Yeagley on vocals. Preorder the album here.

"I wanted to do a heavy, slow blues in the vain of ‘Tea For One’ by Zeppelin. Not exactly like that but a similar vibe to it. I wanted it to have the extended, bar room, blues jam type of feel and capture that on record. This song needed two guitars to do that!"

For this track vocal duties were served up by vocalist Brandon Yeagley and additional guitars by blues guitarist master Josh Smith. While Brandon delivers a dynamic vocal performance while Edge and Smith trade leads. Smith opens the song with a hook on the Telecaster and sets up the ending dueling jam at the end of the song. Edge providing contrast with the Les Paul and wah wah to Smith's signature tone.

The song appears on the new album featuring an all-star lineup of guest musicians for Edge's debut solo release.




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Hydrogyn guitarist / founder Jeff Westlake has checked in with the following update on the band's forthcoming album, The Boiling Point.

"This is a mission. A love of emotions and creativity that has been in our bones since we were born. It has been a sincere pleasure to create and express emotions for all of you since 2004. This process for the new release has been under trying times and conditions. It has fueled our creativity and we hope it translates to you, the fans in great light.

We are in the final mixing stages now for what will be an October release. Photo shoot done and the machine has been put in gear. Stay tuned for info concerning product, bundles, release date and much more.

It has been a pleasure making and creating these emotions for you for the past 16 years and I and we have no intentions on stopping anytime soon.

The Boiling Point, this October. It’s a monster!"

Hydrogyn, featuring new vocalist Holly Hines Freed, recently released a new single / lyric video, "Hostage". Check it out below.




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Ohio-based melodic death metal three piece, Astralborne have unveiled a new video for the track "Centuries In Agony", taken from their recent album, Eternity's End. 

Astralborne came into being when Jayson Cessna (drums) and Derik Smith (guitars) had wrapped up work on Hammer Horde's third album, and they found themselves with an excess of time and an abundance of creativity. However, they knew that their artistic leanings were not suitable for their Viking-themed band, and set out on the path that led to them forming Astralborne, with Paul Fuzinski (bass, vocals). 

The trio wrote and arranged songs that comprised of both new and old material, revisiting and reimagining missives from their past lives, former bands and long forgotten periods of creativity. The resulting material was recorded in April of 2017 and forms an 11 track opus that fuses melodic death, black and thrash metal into a diverse aural assault. The outcome is an uncompromising tribute to melodeath's forefathers, with enough modern-day aggression to satisfy both old-school and new-school listeners alike. 

Eschewing the historical and fantastical lyrics of their Viking themed work, Astralborne have found freedom to explore more personal and raw concepts on Eternity's End. By embracing realism and rooting themselves firmly in the present day, the tracks on the album explore the symbolism of death - plus various offshoots from that central theme. Be it divine punishment, the bubonic plague or the feeling of watching everything around you perish - Astralborne have explored the many facets of death in a myriad of ways.

Eternity's End artwork and tracklisting:

"Eulogy In Black"
"Attending The Funeral"
"Transcendence Of Flesh"
"Paragon Amiss"
"Centuries In Agony"
"Architect Of Suffering"
"Inglorious 20XX"
"The Obliterators"
"Eternity’s End"
"Reflections"
"Hell Patrol" 

"Eternity’s End":

Get your copy of Eternity's End now at this location.

 




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Southern California's Goatsnake has unveiled two rare tracks from the recording sessions of their Black Age Blues LP. The band has issued the tracks to raise money for the Color Of Change organization, in conjunction with Bandcamp's no-fee charity day this week.

The two Goatsnake tracks, "Breakfast With The King" and "Deathwish," are two burners from the Black Age Blues album sessions. They were previously only available as bonus tracks on the double vinyl version of Black Age Blues and have been introduced to the digital realm for the ongoing charity drives the band is supporting for Juneteenth 2020. The songs are only available at Bandcamp for a limited time.

The band writes, "Greetings Goat fiends! We hope all of you are keeping your heads up during these challenging times. We are making available two rare 'Snake tracks that have not been available digitally until now! Proceeds will be donated to the Color Of Change organization to help further the absolutely vital work they do. Racial justice is an issue for everyone, and we all need to be proactive in working towards the goal of equal justice and fair treatment for everybody."

Join Goatsnake in making a heavy donation to Color Of Change and check out "Breakfast With The King" and "Deathwish" here.

Breakfast with the King b/w Deathwish by Goatsnake

 




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UK rockers Bad Touch have released a video for their version of "I've Got The Music In Me", taken from their upcoming studio album, Kiss The Sky. 

"I've Got The Music In Me" was originally done by The Kiki Dee Band, and cracked the Top 20 when it was released in 1974.

Speaking to Planet Rock about the track, Bad Touch vocalist Stevie Westwood commented, “That’s right we’ve got a cover on our album. What? It’s a banger! We took what Kiki Dee was going for, and we amped it up, threw it in the dirt and gave it a whole lot more sex. I challenge anyone to listen to our version of this great song and not be smiling from ear to ear. They’ll be screaming the chorus to the heavens by the end!”  

Bad Touch’s highly anticipated fourth studio album Kiss The Sky will be released by Marshall Records on June 19th on CD, white vinyl and digital download and is available for pre-order at this location.

Kiss The Sky is a no-nonsense rock and roll album at heart. For their fourth album, Bad Touch have stripped everything right back and looked at what the essence of what makes a great album and at the core, great songs. They've stuck to what they do best, which is writing catchy, feel good rock music.

The songs were initially written in their practice studio "The Cabin" in Norfolk where the band feels most comfortable and can focus on the songs without outside world interference. The band have really nailed their sound on this album. When you turn it on you will instantly know it's Bad Touch.

The production side of the album is about capturing the performance within the band themselves and capturing the "moment" and energy the band produce during their live shows. More plugging straight in, turning everything to 10 and going for it.

Tracklisting:

"Come A Little Closer"
"I Get High"
"Let Go"
"Strut"
"I’ve Got The Music In Me"
"Can You Save Me"
"Kiss The Sky"
"See You Again"
"Before I Die"
"Read All About It"
"Too Much Of A Good Thing"
"Sun And The Moon"
"Something About Your Kiss" (CD bonus track)

"Strut":

"See You Again":

(Photo - Joby Sessions)

  




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Nuclear Blast are offering Metal Church's Classic Live album on mint green, crystal clear, and transparent red vinyl editions.

Strictly limited to 100 LPs of each colour in a lush gatefolds, you can order a copy of your choice here.




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GUNS N' ROSES has released video footage of the band's June 2018 performance at the U.K.'s Download festival. The 30-minute clip is part of the new GN'R web series dubbed "Not In This Lifetime Selects" featuring highlights from nearly four-year "Not In This Lifetime" tour.

Featured songs:

00:00 Slither (VELVET REVOLVER cover)

04:16 Rocket Queen

15:00 You Could Be Mine

20:46 Attitude (MISFITS cover)

23:26 Sweet Child O' Mine

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

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

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

As previously reported, GUNS N' ROSES' previously announced summer 2020 North American stadium tour has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe. The nearly two-month-long trek was scheduled to kick off on July 4 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and run through August 26 on Missoula, Montana.

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

On Friday, July 3, Swedish doom metal legends CANDLEMASS will perform live from Studio Gröndal in Stockholm. The band will play songs from its highly successful 2019 "Door To Doom" tour as well as trying out some brand new material.

"I got some really cool riffs that would be great to jam away on that evening," says bass player and songwriter Leif Edling. "Why not offer the fans something new nobody never heard before? Make the livestream a bit more interesting."

The CANDLEMASS livestream will be available on July 3 at 8:00 p.m. CEST / 11:00 a.m. PDT / 2:00 p.m. EDT at this location.

CANDLEMASS's latest EP, "The Pendulum", was released in March via Napalm Records. The effort is fully comprised of never-before-heard, unused tracks cut from "The Door To Doom" recording sessions.

CANDLEMASS's 12th album, "The Door To Doom", was released in February 2019 via Napalm Records. The disc includes the song "Astorolus - The Great Octopus", which features a guest guitar solo by none other than BLACK SABBATH's Tony Iommi.

"The Door To Doom" marked the recording comeback of returned singer Johan Längqvist, who replaced CANDLEMASS's frontman of the six years, Mats Levén.

Längqvist sang on CANDLEMASS's debut album, 1986's "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus", before exiting the group and being replaced by Messiah Marcolin.

Multiple Grammy and Emmy-winning hitmaker Narada Michael Walden, who has produced multi-million-selling smashes for superstars Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and many others, has been signed to Quarto Valley Records. On August 8, he will release the dynamic new solo album, "Immortality", a progressive music masterpiece that recalls his early days as the drummer for the groundbreaking jazz-rock fusion band MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA.

Listen to the first single "We Can Live Forever" below.

The writer/producer of seven consecutive No. 1 songs for singer Whitney Houston, Narada Michael Walden's stature as an authentic musical renaissance man is a matter of record. Producing hits for artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin (including the platinum "Freeway Of Love"), Steve Winwood, Ray Charles, Wynonna Judd, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Mariah Carey, Barbara Streisand, Lionel Ritchie, Lisa Fischer, Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones, Jeff Beck and THE TEMPTATIONS, his music flows freely from pop, rock and soul, to the rarified realms of jazz, fusion and world music. With Jeff Beck, Narada wrote and played drums on the seminal album "Wired" that earned them both their first gold Album. Walden was an integral part of introducing Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey to millions of fans worldwide, producing and writing their breakthrough hits that first brought these divas to the spotlight. Billboard magazine honored him as one of the Top Ten Producers of all time.

As impressive a production and songwriting resume as Narada Michael Walden has assembled over the past 40 years, he has earned equal acclaim as a recording and performing artist in his own right. His career as a drum virtuoso began at 19 years old in the second incarnation of the pioneering MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA. Narada also toured with Jeff Beck, Tommy Bolin and WEATHER REPORT, to name a few. Through eleven acclaimed solo recordings, along the way he has branched into a wide range of sonic arenas. Walden's music includes groundbreaking soundtrack work on such blockbuster films as "The Bodyguard", "Free Willy", "Beverly Hills Cop II", "9½ Weeks" and "Stuart Little" to the Emmy-winning "One Moment In Time", the theme to the 1988 Olympic Games.

Walden recently joined JOURNEY as the replacement for Steve Smith.

Guitarist Neal Schon told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation" about his new bandmate: "Narada is an extremely talented, amazing musician. Not only has he had great producing credentials and huge records that he worked on — most of them were R&B, but then you have Jeff Beck 'Wired' that he wrote and played a lot on. Then he goes back to MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA with John McLaughlin."

Photo courtesy of Quarto Valley Records

Ozzy Osbourne is featured in a new interview with Louder, in which he discusses his difficult year, fallen friends, his new album Ordinary Man, and more.

During the interview, Ozzy is asked what is the meaning of life, to which he replies: "At the end of the day, you can look back down the road and say: “Well, I did it my way.” I’m seventy-one now. Looking down that road, there’s so many people that have gone. Gary Moore, he was a good friend of mine. I used to go drinking with John Bonham, and the drink killed him years ago. But there’s so many great musicians gone."

Does that make him nostalgic or even melancholic? "No," says Osbourne. "As I say, I don’t know why I’m still alive. They didn’t do any worse than I did, I didn’t do anything less than they did. We all drank the same, we all partied the same, we all did the same. I was lucky I didn’t choke on my vomit. Like Bon Scott. He was a good friend of mine. He was a great singer."

Read more at Louder.

AXS TV will air all three seasons of the popular reality series, Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour, this summer. The show features everyone’s favorite heavy metal father and son Ozzy Osbourne and Jack Osbourne. The series joins the network’s sizzling summer lineup and will premiere on July 2 at 9 PM, ET/6 PM, PT. A+E Networks, Osbourne Media, and T Group Media produce the series. Watch a trailer video below.

The fun-filled series will follow the duo as they strike out on a journey across the country and around the globe. The indelible rockers will be hitting the road in an RV to take viewers along as they check off items on their unique bucket list.

According to a press release, they’ll count on local experts at various sites and legendary landmarks like “a funeral museum, a medical oddities collection, an abandoned penitentiary, a Sin City summit with Billy Idol, a dip in the Fountain of Youth,” and more.

The pair will visit a lengthy list of interesting and quirky locales on their trek. Some of the places they’ll stop at include The Alamo, and a trip to the alleged extraterrestrial crash site just outside of Area 51 in Roswell, NM. International hotspots include checking out Superhenge in the UK, crafting a kitana blade in Japan, and a visit to Ernest Hemingway’s estate in Cuba – complete with an effort to snag some authentic Cuban cigars. They will race around a NASCAR track, sail on a Noah’s Ark replica, visit haunted houses in New Orleans and the adventures keep rolling along.

The pairs daughter/sister Kelly Osbourne will also pop in now and then, along with Ozzy’s grandchildren. The heavy metal family will pull out all the stops to experience the trip of a lifetime.

“Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour is the perfect summer series, packed with fun, adventure, and some truly incredible sights,” said Sarah Weidman, Head of Original Programming, Development and Multi-Platform Content for AXS TV in a statement. “We’re excited to be able to provide our viewers with unique programming that celebrates the celebrity lifestyle, taking fans beyond the stage and into the personal lives of some of their favorite entertainers, as we show them a side of these larger-than-life figures that few ever get to see.”

Watch the Osbourne expeditions unfold every Thursday, starting on July 2 at 9 PM, ET/6 PM, PT on AXS TV.




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ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante says that he is "tired" of not being recognized as a pioneer of the "blast beat."

A type of fast drum beat characteristic of extreme heavy metal styles such as black metal, death metal and grindcore, a blast beat is basically a single stroke roll broken up between the snare drum and the bass drum, with the hi-hat/ride hand playing unison strokes with the bass drum.

Benante discussed his role in developing the blast beat during an August 2019 interview with Drumtalk, the video podcast by German drummer and videographer Philipp Koch, which has just been uploaded to YouTube.

Charlie said (see video below): "There's this style of beat called 'blast beat,' and I will say that the first time ever that type of beat was recorded and played on a record was on this S.O.D. [STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH] record that we did in 1985. And I'm tired of people not crediting that that was the first time. And, of course, people perfected it and play it way better, but that was the first time that a blast beat was on record. If you can prove me wrong, prove me wrong, but I believe that that was the first time. And, like I said, other people have mastered it and done it way better, and I never took it any further — that was it. It fit in that song 'Milk'. Like, when we would play it live, the more I played it, the more I started to develop a different way of playing it. Because I would always play it with a single kick drum, and I would either reverse it, which I think Paul [Mazurkiewicz] from CANNIBAL CORPSE played more of that style of blast beat. I would play it either with the ride or I would play it with the hat, reversing it. When S.O.D. would play more and more shows, I would always develop it and not just do a single kick — I would throw in a double. And then I discovered that some of the black metal bands, later on, were doing it [slightly differently]. So it was being developed even more. And then when I heard the DIMMU BORGIR record 'Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia', Nick Barker's drumming on that record was, to me, one of those moments where another door opened and he took the blast beat style to a whole other level."

Asked if it felt like he was doing something new when he first came up with the drum beat for "Milk", Charlie said: "I remember when that song came out, 'Milk', with the blast beat in it, and many people were saying, 'What are you doing here? What are you doing?' And there was a part of me that was, like, 'I can't really tell you what I'm doing.' [Laughs] When we would play it, I would always see people watching me play it. And S.O.D. didn't play many shows, of course, but when we did play, we played the whole record. And it was never at the same speed that the record was recorded — it was live and it was just fast, so it was always moving forward."

STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH was a satirical 1980s metal band which consisted of Benante, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian, NUCLEAR ASSAULT/ex-ANTHRAX bassist Dan Lilker and M.O.D.'s Billy Milano (vocals).

STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH are commonly credited as being among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal into a style sometimes called "crossover thrash." The track "March Of The S.O.D." from the group's debut LP, "Speak English Or Die", was the "Headbangers Ball" intro song for many years.

STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH was formed shortly after Ian finished his guitar tracks on the ANTHRAX album "Spreading The Disease". He would draw pictures of the face of a character known as "Sargent D," and the pictures would be accompanied by slogans such as "I'm not racist; I hate everyone" and "Speak English Or Die." Ian would then wrote lyrics about this character. He decided to form a hardcore band based on Sargent D, so he recruited Benante, Lilker and Milano.

The 30th-anniversary edition of "Speak English Or Die" was made available in November 2015 via Megaforce. The set included the original album as well as the demo recordings from the pre-STROMTROOPERS OF DEATH project CRAB SOCIETY NORTH.




Hahahaha! Please give me the credit ???- #ClickBait I also invented the Internet and the Flowbee #trolllife https://t.co/tqrGPxjHk7

— Charlie Benante (@skisum) June 20, 2020








Dirty rotten Ep for sure has fast blast like beats but not sure if I’d classify it as a “ blast beat”. They were one of the first to do short songs with all of them blasting

— Charlie Benante (@skisum) June 20, 2020








Also NYC Mayem, had those blasts, thought they were explosive

— Charlie Benante (@skisum) June 20, 2020








Also says prove him wrong if you can...#clickbait https://t.co/BjhWzhYbJv

— Anthrax (@Anthrax) June 20, 2020

ZZ TOP is preparing to enter the studio to begin work on its sixteenth studio album. The follow-up to 2012's "La Futura" will reportedly once again be produced by Rick Rubin, who has previously worked with everyone from Adele, Kanye West and Justin Timberlake to METALLICA, AC/DC and Johnny Cash.

Asked in a recent interview with LiveSigning if there is a song that, during the writing and recording process, he thought was going to be a hit, but unfortunately never was, Billy Gibbons said (see video below): "Well, it's funny you should ask. We're getting ready to go back in the studio, and after five decades of attempting to record and complete a song that we started when the band first got together, maybe this go-round we'll have some success. I'll tell you what — this new, revised edition of the book," referring to "Rock + Roll Gearhead", a book about his life, his amazing collection of guitars and the many custom cars and hot rods he has amassed over the years, "this thing has given us some real impetus to get back in the studio and start peeling the onion. That's a good question; it's something to certainly follow up on. I'll tell you what — stay tuned and we'll get back in touch with you when we wrap that one up."

Asked if ZZ TOP will record again with guitar legend Jeff Beck, the vocalist/guitarist replied: "Now there's a guy that not only is still doing it like we'd like to do it, he is inventing things on the guitar that probably wasn't really designed to be done and yet he's doing it. Jeff's a great guy. I had a chance to see him last summer while we were over in London, and we've been in touch ever since. And chances are once we get back in the studio that he's sitting on the ready. So I think we oughta try it."

Gibbons previously said ZZ TOP had enough material left over from "La Futura" sessions to release a companion album. But "the label didn't really want to release a dual disc in this rather topsy-turvy musical landscape, where promoting new material is so challenging," he explained. "So we're sitting on 10 more songs… We have that big ball of wax waiting to roll."

A documentary covering ZZ TOP's 50 years together, "ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band From Texas", was released on February 28 via Eagle Rock Entertainment on DVD, Blu-ray and digitally. Produced by the award-winning Banger Films ("Super Duper Alice Cooper"; Peabody/international Emmy award-winning Netflix series "Hip-Hop Evolution"), the film originally premiered at a sold-out showing at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood last year and experienced a successful 10-week theatrical run via 150 screens nationally.

Inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, ZZ TOP claims to be the longest-running major rock band with original personnel intact. The Texas trio is still comprised of Gibbons, bassist/vocalist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard.

ZZ TOP's catalog includes 15 studio albums.

Julien's Auctions' marquee two-day music auction event "Music Icons" culminated today in a world-record-breaking sale of one of the most recognized and important guitars in rock 'n' roll history: the acoustic-electric guitar played by Kurt Cobain during NIRVANA's acclaimed "MTV Unplugged" performance.

The legendary instrument played by one of rock's most influential musicians and icons in one of the greatest and most memorable live performances of all time sold for $6,010,000 million, far surpassing its original estimate of one million U.S. dollars. The sale set five new world records for world's most expensive guitar, world's most expensive acoustic guitar, world's most expensive martin guitar, world's most expensive piece of memorabilia and world's most expensive nirvana memorabilia. This makes it one of the rarest and most valuable acoustic guitars in the world. The buyer was Peter Freedman, founder of RØDE Microphones, who attended the live auction in Beverly Hills and successfully won the guitar in a bidding war among collectors and bidders all across the globe who participated live on the floor, online and on the phone.

Freedman plans to display the guitar in a worldwide tour of exhibitions to be held in distinguished galleries and art spaces, with all proceeds (including the guitar) going to the performing arts.

"When I heard that this iconic guitar was up for auction," says Freedman, "I immediately knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure it and use it as a vehicle to spotlight the struggles that those in the performing arts are facing and have always faced."

He continues: "The global arts industry has been shattered by the impact of COVID-19, with musicians and artists being amongst the most affected. The last few months were the straw that broke the camel's back, and for many in the arts brought forth the harsh reality that they work in an industry for which there is little support in times of need.

"For most, access to financial and health services — particularly mental health services — is very limited. While many industries are gradually returning to normal, it's going to take a long time before this industry can begin functioning as it was. The toll this has taken and will continue to take is enormous and requires more than just lip service. It requires action now, and I am a man of action."

In a live taping for the popular "MTV Unplugged" series on November 18, 1993, approximately five months before his death, Cobain chose this guitar to paint what Rolling Stone called "his last self-portrait." NIRVANA's acoustic performance that night produced one of the greatest live albums of all time, "MTV Unplugged In New York", with recordings of the most celebrated and defining versions of NIRVANA's songs. The multi-platinum "MTV Unplugged In New York" debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard charts and won the Grammy Award for "Best Alternative Music Album" in 1996.

"NIRVANA's 'Unplugged' is one of my favorite records of all time," says Freedman, "and easily one of the best live performances ever captured on film. They were a huge influence on me; the early-90s were RØDE's formative years, and NIRVANA's music was very much the soundtrack to that time in my life and that era of the company."

The guitar was the seventh of only 302 D-18Es built by Martin and was customized by Cobain who added a Bartolini pickup to the soundhole. Accompanying the sale of the guitar is its original hard-shell case personalized by Cobain with a flyer from the punk rock band POISON IDEA's 1990 album "Feel The Darkness", three baggage claim ticket stubs, an Alaska Airlines Fragile sticker affixed to the case, a partial set of Martin & Co. Phospher Bronze guitar strings, three Dunlop 60mm guitar picks, and a small black velvet pouch containing a miniature silvertone knife, fork, and spoon lapel pins each with pinbacks.

Julien's Auctions has broken world records with the sale of Kurt Cobain's memorabilia, including Cobain's cardigan worn on "MTV Unplugged", which sold for a record $334,000, his "In Utero" tour Fender Mustang guitar which sold for $340,000, his cardigan worn on his last photoshoot which sold for $75,000 and a NIRVANA paper plate set list written in Cobain's handwriting which sold for a record $22,400.

Video of the auction of the "MTV Unplugged" guitar can be seen below.

Other NIRVANA items sold at the auction included a signed "Nevermind" poster ($56,250); the camera, original negatives and signed original prints, and the copyright from NIRVANA's 1992 SPIN magazine photoshoot ($35,200); and NIRVANA all-access passes ($512 each).

Chris Adler opened up about his exit from LAMB OF GOD during a live interview this past Thursday night (June 18) with AndrewHaug.com, Australia's first-ever dedicated 24/7 rock and metal online radio station. The chat coincided with the release of the self-titled new album from LAMB OF GOD, which officially parted ways with Chris last July. 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.

Chris said (hear audio below): "I think everybody parted on good terms. I'm really excited to hear their new record, which also happens to be coming out today. So I'm thrilled to hear what's going on with them. I'm sure they're doing very well.

"I left my drum throne in good hands with Art, who has been a friend," he continued. "I think I met Art when he was 17 years old — I've got a picture of me and him standing outside the bus when he stood there waiting for an autograph. So he and I have been friends for a long time. And, obviously, the guys in the band are not only family," referring to the fact that his brother Willie plays guitar for LAMB OF GOD, "but became great friends over 25 years. And it was quite a career that we had. It didn't end — I don't think anybody from either side would say it ended really particularly well in that I think we all hoped and dreamed and wanted all the same thing but just couldn't seem to get ourselves on the same page, for whatever reason.

"As much as I loved doing what I was doing, it certainly seems like it was kind of a good time to maybe step away," he added. "And I think everybody wins in that regard. And I wish the best for them, and I'm sure they do… You have to speak to them — I'm not sure — but I hope they do for me.

"I didn't leave because I didn't want to be involved with music or play the drums. [And] I didn't leave the band because I was wanting to do something too heavy or too light or anything like that. It was just kind of a mutual crossroads… The shoe didn't fit anymore on either side.

"I'm happy to have had been a part of it. I think if I was [still] in that band, I would be pushing even further than what we've ever done before."

Regarding what he has been doing since his departure from LAMB OF GOD, Chris said: "It's been a great time for me to settle back into normal life, if you will, and explore some other things. I've done some clinic tours, and I've connected with other artists and just kind of been really connecting at home with my family. I missed a lot of birthdays and a lot of barbecues over those 25 years, so it's been great to be home. I've done a lot of volunteer work around the area. I've really just kind of kept myself busy. And then, of course, as we're all kind of subjected to, dealt with this coronavirus and then [watched] all this incredible movement around the world of people rise," apparently referring to mass protests which broke out after George Floyd's killing in police custody.

"I have done some other projects," he continued. "I worked with the band HAIL!; I've done some independent recording here and there and definitely [been] keeping my chops up and doing stuff at home. But one of the things that I think really came about during this whole thing has been an incredible opportunity for me to kind of reach out and branch out and take things more as they come instead of kind of working with the same machine — seeing what else is out there and collaborating with people that I wouldn't have had the chance to, necessarily, with LAMB OF GOD.

"LAMB OF GOD is its own thing," Adler added. "I'm very, very proud of not only what we accomplished but my part that was played in that band and what we were able to accomplish together and certainly with each other's help in doing it. I'm very proud of that — I don't think there's anything anybody anywhere that could take away from that. And going forward, I think a lot of people would expect me to jump into something very similar to LAMB OF GOD or some sort of METALLICA-versus-MEGADETH kind of vibe. And that's not really in the cards for me. I would love to do something exactly the same as LAMB OF GOD, but I don't imagine that can fill my creative interests at this point. That is what it is."

This past Friday, 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.

When Adler's absence from LAMB OF GOD's summer 2018 tour was first announced, he released a statement saying that he had been undergoing physical and occupational therapy for injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident in late 2017. Chris later said that he was "unwilling to paint by numbers," explaining in an interview: "I had a dream when I was 14 years old, and I've been very fortunate to go around the world several times, and we've played the arenas, we've had the headline slots, we've kind of done everything there is to do, and I just don't really feel the need to continue to do it and miss time from my family."

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

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

EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt has defended BABYMETAL against the "gimmick" tag given to them by critics.

Established in 2010, BABYMETAL is the offshoot of the Japanese pop idol group SAKURA GAKUIN that performs a distinctly Japanese mix of schoolgirl J-pop and heavy metal.

BABYMETAL's members — Suzuka Nakamoto (a.k.a. Su-Metal, who handles vocals and dancing) and Moa Kikuchi (a.k.a. Moametal, who screams and dances) — admit that they had never listened to metal before joining the group. The girls wear gothy schoolgirl costumes, do choreographed dance routines and bang their heads violently.

Many heavy metal fans have been reluctant to embrace BABYMETAL — which also includes producer Kobametal and a backing band of corpse-painted virtuosos — with some Internet forums calling them "the definition of a gimmick", "awful" and "metal for hipsters."

Holt offered his views on BABYMETAL during a June 17 question-and-answer session on the Marshall Amplification Instagram. Asked for his opinion of the Japanese outfit, he said (see video below): "Why not? People wanna talk shit? They're out there. They have more energy than a lot of metal bands that don't like 'em. And if it turns a bunch of kids into metalheads, then all the better, right?"

A few years ago, Jeff Walker of British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS said that he was "starting to warm to the idea" of what BABYMETAL is doing. "It's actually fun, you know — like GHOST, to be honest," he said. "Some people get very reactionary about a band like GHOST or BABYMETAL. It puts a smile on people's faces. That's what music's about, isn't it?! Enjoying it and not being so serious." CARCASS guitarist Bill Steer added: "I mean, obviously, we don't cover this ourselves, but the fun, entertainment angle [in music], it is important."

GHOST frontman Tobias Forge was also quick to defend BABYMETAL, telling TeamRock: "They obviously attract so much attention wherever they go, and for a reason, of course — they are bizarre in many ways. I mean, we obviously like bizarre, so they are obviously doing something right… They seem to be a cool band, I guess. I've seen their 'Gimme Chocolate!' video, and I don't really know what to say about it. Someone really knows what they're doing behind it, but I'm not sure if [the girls] themselves know what they're doing."

In 2017, KORN frontman Jonathan Davis told Germany's MusikExpress, about BABYMETAL: "I dig BABYMETAL. It's just wrong on every level. It's just entertaining as hell. The whole Asian pop mixed with metal and the dance they do, it's just… I mean, how can you not be entertained watching that? It's the whole vibe, just the whole thing — it's not necessarily the music or the girls themselves or what you're looking at. It's the whole package, it's the whole thing."

He continued: "When I first heard them, I was, like, 'Oh, this is amazing!' 'Cause I like things that are different and go against the grain. And everyone was flipping the hell out, freaking out about it — hatin' it or lovin' it. It was one way or the other — you either love or hate it. I thought I'd seen it all, but after I saw them, [I was], like, 'Wow! This is pretty intense.'"

Asked if he can understand why some people believe that BABYMETAL is destroying music, Davis responded: "It's just closed-minded people. I mean, from both sides of it — there's purist metal people that are just pure about their music and want this, and it's gotta be a certain way. And then there's the other people that just… It's music, and if you dig it, you dig it. Who cares? It's not that big of a deal to like something like that. Calm down."
























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A post shared by Marshall Amplification (@marshallamps_uk) on Jun 17, 2020 at 11:55am PDT

In a recent interview with Australia's Silver Tiger Media, DEVILDRIVER frontman Dez Fafara spoke about "Dealing With Demons I" — the band's first release of new, original material since 2016's "Trust No One". He said: "The [album's first single] is 'Keep Away From Me'. The record is called 'Dealing With Demons'. It's a double-volume staggered release. The reason is I'm dealing with a lot of issues that I've gotta get out before I move to another lyrical style. And the first song, 'Keep Away From Me', deals with my agoraphobia that I've been going through my whole life. So I'm not the guy who's gonna go to the Grammy Awards. If you invite me to a barbecue and there's more than five or ten people there that I don't know, I'm probably gonna tell you I'm gonna come, and ten minutes beforehand, I'm gonna call you and bullshit you and tell you I can't find my keys and I'm not gonna come."

Speaking about how his life has changed during the coronavirus crisis, Dez said: "Nothing — not a thing — has changed for me, other than the fact that I can't jam with my band and I can't tour. So, nothing — absolutely nothing — has changed. Other than your heart goes out to what is happening around the world.

"I mean, you've gotta understand the place that I'm in," he continued. "In 2019, for us, we were in the middle of recording, we had to leave twice [due to] wildfires. We didn't know if we were gonna come back to our house, our car or anything we have here. You guys know very well what wildfire is like in Australia. After that, we've come through that as a family, and my wife [was diagnosed with] cancer. She goes through surgery, she beats that. After that, just as we're ready to release the record, we come into pandemic world. Now that we're gonna release the record, we come into social unrest, social upheaval world. So, if you're not a glass-half-full and you're a glass-half-empty guy, you're done — you're gonna drown in that mud. But I've never been that guy. I've always been the guy, like, 'Listen, man, keep your head above water. Keep breathing. Keep treading water.' And that's how it it is."

According to Fafara, the original plan was to release "Dealing With Demons I" a few months ago. "The record that was done — mid-2019, it was in the can, done, both records — [but it was pushed back] because of everything we were going through as a family," he said. "I wasn't about to leave my wife and go on tour or do any of that... Also, I've gotta say, a lot of bands now are pulling back their records, pulling back their music, [because] it's not a good business move to release a record — you can't tour on it, et cetera. I'm doing the exact opposite. It's what I've done my whole life. And I'm releasing music during this time.

"I feel if you're quarantined, if you're going through social unrest, social upheaval, if you've got emotional stuff happening around you, what do you need more than food and friendship? You need music," he explained.

"The topics on this double album staggered release are so heavy for me, and actually very poignant… Every single song has a different meaning… And agoraphobia happens to be 'Keep Away From Me'. That's my number one thing."

Due on October 9 via Napalm Records, "Dealing With Demons I" features Dez along the rest of DEVILDRIVER: guitarists Mike Spreitzer and Neal Tiemann, drummer Austin D'Amond and bassist Diego Ibarra.

"Dealing With Demons I" track listing:

01. Keep Away From Me

02. Vengeance Is Clear

03. Nest Of Vipers

04. Iona

05. Wishing

06. You Give Me A Reason To Drink (feat. Simon Blade Fafara)

07. Witches

08. Dealing With Demons

09. The Damned Don't Cry

10. Scars Me Forever

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Matt Sorum has expressed his bewilderment over the fact that President Donald Trump was allowed to host a campaign rally in Oklahoma amid warnings from health officials about the coronavirus.

The former GUNS N' ROSES drummer tweeted out his comments as Trump held his first rally since early March inside Tulsa's 19,000-seat Bank Of Oklahoma Center.

The Trump campaign had refused to cancel or significantly scale down the event despite warnings about the fear of spreading COVID-19 at one of the largest public gatherings since the outbreak began.

"Musicians aren't allowed to work and tour but our president can throw a Rally to 20k people in an Arena ? ?" Sorum wrote. "I'm very confused !!! @POTUS can you explain"

According to NBC News, few of the president's supporters wore masks inside the BOK Center. Event organizers had reportedly asked attendees to put on their masks before entering the arena, but said they were free to remove them once inside.

Although the campaign had said as many as a million tickets had been requested ahead of the rally, vast sections of empty seats were visible in the upper decks at the arena as the scheduled time for the president's remarks approached, NBC News reported.

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of concerts and festivals have either been postponed or canceled, as social distancing and self-quarantining make performing live music and attending live shows all but impossible.

More than 8.7 million coronavirus cases have been reported worldwide and more than 463,000 deaths so far, putting public health systems and emergency services under immense pressure.

U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Americans to heed what federal, state and local officials are asking of them in order to curtail the spread and dampen the impact of the virus on the population.

Photo credit: Michael Segal




Musicians aren’t allowed to work and tour but our president can throw a Rally to 20k people in an Arena ? ? I’m very confused !!! @POTUS can you explain

— matt sorum (@mattsorum) June 21, 2020

Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess has checked in with the following update:

"Hey Everybody! I’ve unleashed my musical madness on a Chopin Nocturne. It’s no longer nocturnal but it might blow your mind. 

Rudess recently launched a new page on Patreon.

Rudess states: “First of all, thanks so much for listening to my music and supporting my musical life.

“This time at home has been the longest stretch that I can remember ever going without having to pack a suitcase. I've been keeping myself really busy working on new music, playing livestreams and enjoying my Steinway piano. THE MUSIC NEVER STOPS!

“Today, I launched my Patreon page. If you aren't familiar with Patreon, it's a really great platform for creators to connect directly with the people who support their work. There are membership options for listeners and learners. All of my Patreon tiers include behind-the-scenes content, early access to my new music and other ways to directly connect with me. You can choose to have access to my livestreams or join the new Wizdom Music Academy… or both!”

Rudess performed a solo concert from lockdown on May 8th, which was streamed on Dream Theater’s official Facebook page. As a part of The Mercury Insurance Concert Series, the show featured Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, and other prog rock classics.

Check out the entire show below.

The setlist was as follows.

"Hey You" (Pink Floyd)
"Act I: Scene Five: Through Her Eyes" (Dream Theater)
"Blood On The Rooftops" (Genesis)
"Moonchild" (King Crimson)
"Wait for Sleep" (Dream Theater)
"And You and I" (Yes cover - II. Eclipse)
"Hourglass" (Liquid Tension Experiment)
"Entangled" (Genesis)
"The Silent Man" (Dream Theater)
"Life on Mars?" (David Bowie)
"The Cinema Show" (Genesis - Part I)
"The Court of the Crimson King" (King Crimson)
"Soon" (Yes)
"Tarkus" (Emerson, Lake & Palmer cover) (I. Eruption)
"Act II: Scene Seven: I. The Dance of Eternity" (Dream Theater)
"Begin Again" (Dream Theater)
"Supper's Ready" (Genesis)
"Over the Rainbow" (Harold Arlen)




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Mike Portnoy says that he has no plans to write an autobiography.

The ex-DREAM THEATER drummer addressed the possibility of a tell-all book while filming a new video message on Cameo, which lets users hire celebrities to record brief, personalized video messages about virtually any topic.

Asked if he has ever thought of penning an autobiography, Mike said (see video below): "Well, not really, to be honest. I've had some different offers from different publishers about doing that through the years, and, to be honest… I don't know. It seems like everything's been said already. All my 25 years in DREAM THEATER — '85 to 2010 — that is well documented. The 'Lifting Shadows' book that Rich Wilson did covers all of those years in detail. And then everything I've done since then — in the last 10 years, I've done so many interviews — it's all been done to death. And to be honest, I've stopped doing interviews this year. I'm just kind of tired of words being taken out of context and used as clickbait on all these metal web sites and stuff like that. So doing a book or an autobiography would just be feeding them — they would be running off with all these toxic, negative, out-of-context clickbait quotes. And I don't know… I just don't need that drama. And the bands that I play with and played with don't need that drama either. So [I'm] better off just avoiding all that."

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER 35 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, STEVE VAI). Portnoy later revealed that he tried to rejoin DREAM THEATER, only to be rebuffed.

Mike told Loud that he left DREAM THEATER because he wanted to expand his musical horizons. "[I didn't] want to go to my grave and just be the drummer from DREAM THEATER," he said. "I knew there was way more to what I had to offer."

Portnoy is currently the drummer in SONS OF APOLLO, THE WINERY DOGS, TRANSATLANTIC, FLYING COLORS, THE NEAL MORSE BAND and METAL ALLEGIANCE. He has also recorded and/or toured/performed live with AVENGED SEVENFOLD, TWISTED SISTER, ADRENALINE MOB, PSMS, LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT, OSI, BIGELF, HAIL!, STONE SOUR, FATES WARNING, OVERKILL and his four tribute bands with Paul Gilbert: YELLOW MATTER CUSTARD, HAMMER OF THE GODS, AMAZING JOURNEY and CYGNUS & THE SEA MONSTERS.

Mike's long list of awards includes 30 Modern Drummer magazine readers' poll awards including Hall Of Fame inductee in 2004, MVP Of The Year in 2010 and 2013, Best Progressive Rock Drummer (for the magazine's record of 13 times), Best Clinician (twice), Best Educational Video/DVD for "Liquid Drum Theater", and Best Recorded Performance Of The Year (eight times) for DREAM THEATER's "Awake", "A Change of Seasons", "Falling Into Infinity", "Scenes From A Memory", "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence", "Score", AVENGED SEVENFOLD's "Nightmare" and THE WINERY DOGS' debut. He also holds the distinction of currently being the youngest drummer in Modern Drummer's Hall Of Fame. He also is the recipient of 16 Drum! magazine Drummie Awards, including "Drummer Of The Year" three times (2011, 2012 and 2014) and was honored with a Revolver Golden Gods award in 2011 for Drummer Of The Year.

Openly Christian hard rockers STRYPER will release "Even The Devil Believes", the first single from their forthcoming album, on Friday, June 26. The single cover artwork can be seen below.

A week ago, STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet described the song in an Instagram post as "metal," "powerful," "relevant" and "life changing." He added: "It is most definitely one of the best tracks we've ever recorded and it couldn't come at a better time."

STRYPER's new LP will be released in late 2020 via Frontiers Music Srl. Most of the recording sessions for the disc took place at SpiritHouse Recording Studios in Northampton, Massachusetts with engineer Danny Bernini.

Among the other tracks set to appear on the LP is "For God And Rock & Roll".

Last September, Sweet told The Metal Voice about the musical direction of STRYPER's follow-up to 2018's "God Damn Evil": "It's gonna be aligned with the last album, but taking it a step further. We're gonna do some things where people are gonna hear it and go, 'You've gotta be kidding me,' that's gonna surprise and shock people in a really good way. It's gonna be a metal album — it's not gonna be a pop album or pop-rock or glam metal and all these silly terms. It's gonna be a metal album. And we're gonna really pull some things out of the hat, man, and try to blow people's minds."

Formed 37 years ago, STRYPER is the first overtly Christian metal band to go mainstream. The group's name comes from Isaiah 53:5, which states: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

STRYPER's albums include "To Hell With The Devil", "Second Coming", "No More Hell To Pay", "Fallen" and the aforementioned "God Damn Evil".

Sweet's tenth solo album, "Ten", was released in October via Rat Pak Records in North America and Frontiers Music Srl in Europe.
























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Stryper "Even The Devil Believes." New single and album details coming next Friday, June 26th!

A post shared by Michael Sweet (@michaelsweetstryper) on Jun 19, 2020 at 9:08am PDT