In a recent interview with Rock Music Alliance, KING'S X frontman Doug Pinnick was asked to what he would attribute the band's longevity. He replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):"I can [attribute] it to the same thing that I think Robert Plant said about LED ZEPPELIN. We aren't friends. We don't hate each other. We're brothers. We don't have any competitiveness going between us. There's no real attitudes. We just — we get together and we know something special happens when the three of us get together and we find joy in it, I think. And we continue to do it. Like I always say at the end of every show, we hate each other as much as we love each other and we would die for each other and we would kill each other. And that that is us. And it's a great family. All our friends and close friends, they all understand us and know us. And it's just a beautiful family of KING'S X people. [Laughs]"

Last October, Pinnick was asked by Manchester Ink Linkhow he and his bandmates — guitarist Ty Tabor and drummer Jerry Gaskill — have managed to remain together for over 40 years. He responded: "It's the lack of fame. [Laughs] If we were rich rock stars, we would have broken up a long time ago. We're not broke rock stars because we can still make a living at what we do, so we just keep going. It's sort of like a marriage, this is what we decided to do for the rest of our lives. There's never been any thought on anything other than making another record for the people who love to hear us, it's always been that way."

Pinnick previously KING'S X's longevity in a 2022 interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station. At the time, Doug stated about what has kept the band together: "We're idiots. I always say that. We're dumbasses stuck together. For all the reasons to quit, and we stayed together. And it was not a conscious effort to say, 'Oh, we're not selling records,' or, 'Oh, this bad happened and that's happened' or 'Somebody's sick. Maybe we should give it up.' It's never even in the conversation. I don't know. We're just married to it. We've been doing it blindly. And I always say we stay together for the kids. Not one of us in the band is gonna break the band up 'cause we're not gonna take the credit for it. So this band will stay together till somebody dies. I believe that."

He added:  "When we started doing this, we naturally wanted to be super-big rock stars like everybody else, but we had no clue how to do it, who to find to help us do it or what it was like to be there. We were just dumb. We were just making music like everybody else, and we kind of still do. We've played for lots of people and then very few people all within the same time scope, so for us it's like we've just got to experience it all in some way or another. And I think that's what keeps us going."

KING'S X released its 13th studio album, "Three Sides Of One", in September 2022. The LP was recorded during 2019 at Black Sound Studio in Pasadena, California with Emmy Award-winning producer Michael Parnin.

The latest KING'S X LP was mastered in June 2021 at the Bernie Grundman Mastering facility in Hollywood, California,

KING'S X was sidelined by several health scares in recent years, including Pinnick's two hernia operations and two near-fatal heart attacks suffered by Gaskill.

In October 2019, KING'S X canceled all of its previously announced tour dates for the year so that Gaskill could undergo undisclosed heart "procedures."

2008's "XV" was KING'S X's highest-charting album since 1996's "Ear Candy".

In 2005, VH1 included KING'S X in its list of "100 Greatest Artists In Hard Rock.

Photo credit: Derek Soto

Guitar legend Steve Vai, who is currently touring with former King Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin, and Tool drummer Danny Carey under the Beat moniker, has shared the following message:


"When the opportunity to do this gig was presented to me, I saw myself on the stage in my minds-eye and I knew it would be good, but the way it is turning out for me has surpassed my expectations. I’ve come to discover a passion that the audience has for this music that is palpable. Every night, the enthusiasm and support from the audience is remarkable and more and more, I feel so comfortable being on this stage playing this absolutely superb music and being a part of something that offers the fans of this music an opportunity to hear it live after over 40 years of its release.


It usually takes a week or so on tour to gel, but the band is coming together beautifully, and playing with these musicians is a delight every night. Once you are on tour and living in a bus together, there’s no secrets at sea and you really get to know and bond with the people you are with. And I’m happy to report that these gentlemen are stellar individuals. Just wonderful, considerate, funny and warm people.




I watch Danny’s solo every night and am completely drawn into his inspired connection with his drums. I sometimes find myself stumbling to get to my next part after being dazzled by experiencing his mastery. And what a wonderful man he is. All that you can ever hope for in a touring bandmate.


And Tony Levin… forget about it! I’m falling madly in love with this man. A total and complete gentleman with an amazingly warm disposition and sense of humor, and forever present camera enthusiasts that is constantly documenting this tour from the inside. Every night, the huge round sound of his bass fills our inner ear monitors like a warm comfortable bed we all get to lay our souls on. His playing is magical and his intro solos to some of these songs is uniquely different and inspired every night. It’s so fulfilling to see and hear.


I always respected and marveled at Adrian Belew’s contributions through the years, but having the opportunity to work closely with another guitarist reveals things that distant admiration is unaware of, and as such, I have discovered a truly bright star. Nobody is like anybody else, but Adrian Belew is the one alone. I have never heard anyone even in his neighborhood when it comes to his creative mastery of guitartronics. I watch and listen to him take solos and find myself giggling in disbelief. I hear that warm zephyr like quality in his voice still after over 40 years that he laid his original voice down on these tracks and it fills my ears and heart with delight. And the songs themselves… I have no words to express how brilliant these songs are to me, and the fans!


He is also an excellent guitar buddy to mangle a whammy bar with. And his quick wit sense of humor has me throwing my head back and laughing out loud a lot! Adrian has been our dutiful leader and with his co-producer, Angelo “Scrote” Bundini, they have created this entire exotic adventure.


My deep appreciation to them and all who have been involved in getting and keeping this mighty BEAT train rolling. And I must admit what I call the Vai advantage in all this, and that has been the support, wisdom and guidance I have received from Father Robert Fripp.


I was a fan before I was a teenager, but my innocent and naive ears had no real idea what was going on under the hood of his legacy. But once I started to look under the hood and attempt to learn his guitar parts, it became very clear to me that this man is a monolith of discipline, innovation and creative insight.


For me, Robert Fripp is the Father of Prog music. He ushered it in in the late 60s and reinvented the genre in the 80’s with KC. My instincts tell me that in a distant future, Father Robert’s contribution will be studied and celebrated for the quiet, yet colossal magnitude that it is. His musical mind and unique approach to his guitar craft makes him one of our industry’s most precious geniuses. And I cannot feel more honored that he has supported me in all this and offered vital guidance in the heavy lift I have had in attempting to traverse the gauntlet of translating his mind and finger melting guitar parts through my own gifts and limitations.


And I want to thank the fans for being so warm to me in all this. I can feel the support at the shows and this means everything to me. It was the one missing element in my thoughts on doing this gig being that Robert’s playing style is such an integral part of the music and so deeply beloved by the fans. It’s impossible to conceive of 'replacing' Father Robert, but it has been a completely fulfilling and satisfying journey for me in representing and honoring his brilliant notes within my wheelhouse.


In other words, I’m reeeeeeealy diggin’ this gig!"


Fan-filmed video of Beat's entire kick-off show in San JOse on September 12 can be viewed below.


Setlist


Set 1:
"Neurotica"
"Neal and Jack and Me"
"Heartbeat"
"Sartori in Tangier"
"Dig Me"
"Model Man"
"Man with an Open Heart"
"Industry"
"Larks Tongues in Aspic, Pt. III"


Set 2:
"Waiting Man"
"The Sheltering Sky"
"Sleepless"
"Frame By Frame"
"Matte Kudasai"
"Elephant Talk"
"Three of a Perfect Pair"
"Indiscipline"


Encore
"Red"
"Thela Hun Ginjeet"








From the moment Beat went on-sale, tickets flew out of box offices across North America. Tour producer Angelo “Scrote” Bundini shares, “Due to overwhelming demand, Adrian, Steve, Tony and Danny have decided to extend the Beat tour with an additional 21 shows in order to perform these incredible King Crimson albums for even more fans. We are adding many additional cities alongside second and even third appearances in various regions. Sixty five dates in total! The audience has spoken loudly so Beat is responding in kind.”  


Visit BEAT-tour.com for tickets.


Former King Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin band together with guitar virtuoso Steve Vai and explosive Tool drummer Danny Carey for the first time to create Beat, a creative reinterpretation of the three iconic 80s King Crimson albums - Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair.





Adrian Belew reflects: “The 1981 through 1984 King Crimson created a music all its own. Timeless. Beautiful. Complex. Fierce. For the fans who lived through it then, and the ones who never got to witness it, our aim is to bring it to life again. A monumental task but we’re going for it!  There are not enough exclamation points to express my excitement!”


Steve Vai states: “Being a part of this ensemble is an extraordinary privilege and opportunity to perform some of the most beloved, timeless, and monumental music of the 80’s (and beyond) with truly inspired musicians. This music resonates deeply with me. Adrian, Tony and Danny are unique musicians with an otherworldly insight into presenting rich musical complexities in a very accessible way, and I am looking forward to searching each other’s musical minds in real time on stage. I’m sure sparks will fly.” He continues, “Father Robert Fripp is one of our historical geniuses. His highly specific and exceptionally brilliant guitar technique is studied and revered. His contribution to the quality of my musical life, and so many others is supreme. I can assure the fans of KC that I will be putting my best foot forward to respect this great music with the care and intensity it deserves. Did I say ‘sparks will fly?’”


Tony Levin offers: “This is going to be quite a tour. Revisiting some of my favorite music is a treat in itself, but in company of this stellar lineup, I expect to have my musical butt kicked! And it’s also great that we’re not just playing a few shows, we’re hitting it hard. So, Road Dogs are coming to your area soon.”


Danny Carey shares: “I am very excited to share the stage with three of my favorite musicians on the planet. Tony, Steve and Adrian have always been a source of inspiration for me since the beginning of my career, and now to be able to share a bit of my musical journey with them is a dream come true. There’s nothing better to make some sparks fly and light a fire under your ass than getting out of your musical comfort zone, and I can’t think of any other three guys I’d rather do this with.  I think I can speak for all of us when I say I hope all of our fans are as excited as we are about this tour.”


The vision for this undertaking emanated from initial dialogue between Angelo Bundini aka Scrote and Adrian Belew. Tour Producer Bundini recalls, “When Adrian called me to help bring his idea to fruition, I immediately thought it best to focus on the 80s albums: Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair. These three records famously marked Adrian and Tony's entry into King Crimson. Their fluid, melodic virtuosity, and Fripp's and Bruford's dramatic precision created a totally unique, dynamic push and pull that would influence nearly every rock musician and/or band going forward for years, if not decades, to come.”  


Both a meet & greet and a VIP tour package are available for purchase. The M&G includes one premium ticket in the first five rows, early entry, pre-show meet & greet, personal photograph captured, limited edition autographed poster, Beat challenge coin, tote bag, an exclusive merch item, and an official laminate and lanyard. There is limited availability with pricing set at $200.00. For the VIP tour package, buyers will receive one premium reserved seat in the first 15 rows, a limited edition Beat tour poster autographed, the challenge coin, an exclusive tour merch item, and a commemorative laminate and lanyard. Availability is limited at a cost basis of $100.00. For all new appearances being announced today, a third VIP option has been made available. For $300.00, fans will receive the complete package detailed above, with front row seating guaranteed.





Tour dates:


September
22 - Dallas, TX - Majestic Theatre (Sold Out)
24 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern (Sold Out)
26 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - The Parker (Sold Out)
27 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
28 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
29 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Music Hall


October
1 - Charlotte, NC - Knight Theater (Sold Out)
2 - Durham, NC - Carolina Theatre of Durham / Fletcher Hall (Sold Out)
4 - Washington, DC - Warner Theatre (Sold Out)
5 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
6 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre (Sold Out)
8 - Richmond, VA - Carpenter Theater in Dominion Energy Center
9 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Center (Sold Out)
11 - Boston, MA - Shubert Theatre (Sold Out)
12 - Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom (Sold Out)
14 - Halifax, NS - Rebecca Cohen Auditorium (Sold Out)
15 - Moncton, NB - Casino New Brunswick
17 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Maisonneuve (Sold Out)
18 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall (Sold Out)
19 - Rochester, NY - Kodak Center (Sold Out)
21 - Albany, NY - The Egg (Sold Out)
22 - Greensburg, PA - Palace Theatre (Sold Out)
23 - Reading, PA - Santander Performing Arts Center
25 - Cleveland, OH  - Agora Theatre
26 - Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theatre (Sold Out)
27 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
28 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
30 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre


November
1 - Chicago, IL - Copernicus Center (Sold Out)
2 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
3 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theater
4 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
6 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre (Sold Out)
8 - Las Vegas, NV - The Theater at Virgin Hotels
9 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey’s Concerts
10 - Los Angeles, CA - The United Theater on Broadway


NEW DATES:


November
18 - Thousand Oaks, CA - B of A PAC
20 - San Jose, CA - San Jose Civic
21 - Reno, NV - Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort
22 - Port

Today, Kings Of Mercia share the second single from their new album, out October 25 via Metal Blade Records. The track is entitled "Aftermath" and it has a new music video. Watch below.


"'Aftermath' is "very dark," vocalist Steve Overland comments. "It's about what will be left behind in the end. What will be left on the planet. It's a very dark track and very dark subject matter."


"I almost didn't send this one to Steve, and when I did I was certain he wouldn't like it," says guitarist Jim Matheos. "I'm glad I did though, as it's one of my favorites on the album now. It's quite different for us and I think Steve really shines on this one."







Now and again, art offers up the perfect storm. When creative worlds collide with a furious cacophony of power, licks, and lyrics, magic happens. Such is the case with KINGS OF MERCIA, whose second album, 'Battle Scars,' is the continuation of a story as unlikely as it is glorious. The band is helmed by guitarist Jim Matheos (Fates Warning) and singer Steve Overland (FM) who are joined by drummer Simon Phillips (The Who, Toto) and bassist Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Fates Warning).


Kings Of Mercia's 2022 approachable, world-class self-titled debut was termed "truly a hybrid: it's heavy, but not metal. It's got tones of melodic AOR hard rock but with an edge." Now, 2024 brings the band's sophomore album written and recorded throughout 2023, Battle Scars sees the core writing team of Matheos and Overland expanding on their obvious chemistry.


"I think it was a bit easier this time around because we've established a good working rhythm," states Matheos, "I'll send Steve at least a few songs every couple of months, and I try to keep them varied. This allows him to work on whichever ones he feels strongly about."


"What Jim sends me is the first draft of that song," says Overland. "So once he's heard all the melodies and the harmonies I sing, he can chop it about and make it how he thinks it should be. He always sends me three or four different versions. He'll say, 'What do you think? Which do you like?' Then we work it out between us and come up with the one we're both happy with."


"Steve and I started working together in 2021," says Matheos. "I was aware of FM-they came up around the same time as Fates Warning - but I'd lost touch with them and wasn't familiar with their more recent work. When Steve was recommended to me, I checked out some of the newer releases and felt Steve was exactly what I was looking for."


"It's a different genre of music that I'm normally involved in," says Overland, whose voice has been likened to other British greats Paul Rodgers and Glenn Hughes. "Obviously, I'd heard of Fates Warning - they're a very big cult band in their field. Jim and I touched base, and I told him to send me one backing track. If it sounds great, then it's a win-win. If it doesn't, we'll just call it a day, knock it on the head, not take it any further. That song became 'Humankind' from the first album. I wrote the melodies and the title and put it all together. Jim got it and he was blown away. So we made a couple more. I loved doing it. It was just such a different challenge for me."


Those songs would become the self-titled debut album, which was released in 2022. Written during lockdown, bouncing tracks across the Atlantic, Kings Of Mercia found its mojo. Fans of Fates Warning, FM, and Armored Saint all rejoiced at the common ground on Kings Of Mercia, the sweet spot in the middle of the Venn diagram.


It's a true collaboration that has led to KOM's Battle Scars. However, despite the unfolding sound and clear chemistry between the four Kings, Overland has never met his bandmates in person. 'Battle Scars,' like its predecessor, is a slab of transatlantic magic.





Pre-order Battle Scars here.

Symphonic metal outfit AEVUM has joined forces with OCTO CRURA to release their powerful new single, “Be a Lady”, now available on all platforms. This dynamic collaboration blends symphonic metal, djent, and industrial metal into a fierce anthem of empowerment. Featuring both clean and growl vocals from three powerful singers, “Be a Lady” challenges societal expectations and rejects conformity, delivering a bold message of self-determination and individuality.

The track is a rallying cry for every woman to embrace her identity and shape her own path, celebrating strength and defiance in the face of outdated standards. AEVUM and OCTO CRURA invite listeners to join them in rejecting the pressures to conform and to proudly embrace their own voices.


“Be a Lady” is part of AEVUM’s upcoming album Kaleidoscope, set to release on January 17, 2025, via DarkTunes Music Group.

Tracklist for Kaleidoscope:

D20
BE A LADY
NIGHTSHADE
DARK TUNES
FOG OF FEAR
THE INQUISITION
ASCHES TO ASCHES
D20 (Instrumental)
FOG OF FEAR (Instrumental)

Credits:

Featuring KATLIN and VELENIA from OCTO CRURA
Mixed and Mastered: Aurora Recording Studios – Emanuele Viglietti
Video by: ALEX BUFALO (Violex Video)
M.U.A: Martina Salmaso

Former Megadeth guitarist, Kiko Loureiro, has released the new video below, along with the following message:


"This is a music video for the song 'In Motion' from the Open Source album. The footage is from Kiko Loureiro's live performance at the stunning Ópera de Arame in Curitiba, Brazil. This unique performance captures the energy and passion of the audience, set against the beautiful backdrop of one of the country's most iconic venues."







Kiko recently shared his new single, "Out Of Nothing". He followed up with a playthrough video, which can be viewed below. Guitar tabs are available for free here.


Says Kiko: "My new single 'Out Of Nothing' emerges not from a plan but from the mystery of creation itself. When I compose, I do not think, nor do I theorize - I let my hands glide over the fretboard, as if they already know the way, discovering paths, rejecting others, always searching for the feeling that satisfies, even for a moment.


"'Out Of Nothing' kicks off with a bold tritone interval - “Diabolus in Musica,” that notorious interval known for its tension. It’s a simple, direct statement that immediately shifts the key, setting up a dynamic riff alternating between A and D with their tritones. The intensity ramps up with 16th notes that launch the track into high gear.


"The verse is simple, almost baroque in its harmony. A Tonic and Dominant, Am to E7, arpeggiated with hybrid picking over the rhythm of Baião, a syncopation from the northeastern reaches of Brazil. The original music from this area also incorporates many arpeggiated themes from European heritage.


"And then, bringing contrast, the chromatic lines arrive to challenge this basic cadence, introducing the mediant progression—Am to Fm.


"For the chorus, I take things up a notch, moving to the fifth degree and playing with the tension between E major and minor, As I didn’t feel the chorus should be completely happy and uplifting.


"In the middle of the song, I let the existing elements repeat, develop, and transform, as one might do in a symphony or a sonata. The arpeggios return, expanding the baroque spirit, and then, unexpectedly, nylon strings echo from a distant past. Before long, the tritone chord progression returns, but now with more complex lines and a mix of techniques.


"But I will not leave you lost. The verse and chorus return, as familiar as old friends. For in this song, though I take you far, I am careful never to lose you entirely.


"Check it out, and let

The release date of "The Last Will And Testament", the fourteenth studio album from Swedish progressive metallers OPETH, has been pushed back to November 22 from the previously announced October 11 due to unforeseen delays in the manufacturing process.

OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt comments: "We strive to deliver the highest quality product possible, and to achieve that, we need a bit more time to ensure the final release meets our standards. We understand this may come as a disappointment, but we sincerely appreciate your patience and continued support. We can't wait to share this new music with you, and we are confident it will be worth the wait."

"The Last Will And Testament" will be made available via Reigning Phoenix Music/Moderbolaget. The LP was written by Åkerfeldt, with lyrics conferred with Klara Rönnqvist Fors (THE HEARD, ex-CRUCIFIED BARBARA). "The Last Will And Testament" was co-produced by Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman (GHOST, THE HELLACOPTERS),engineered by Boman, Joe Jones (KILLING JOKE, ROBERT PLANT) and OPETH, with Boman, Åkerfeldt and the rest of OPETH mixing at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe Studios in Stockholm. The strings on "The Last Will And Testament" were arranged by Åkerfeldt and returning prog friend Dave Stewart (EGG, KHAN) and conducted by Stewart at Angel Studios in London. Not one to miss a beat, visual artist Travis Smith returns to the fold, crafting his 11th cover, a haunting "photograph" reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's infamous "Overlook Hotel" photograph. Miles Showell (ABBA, QUEEN) also revisits mastering and vinyl lacquer cutting at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Åkerfeldt rolls out the red carpet for storied flautist and JETHRO TULL mainman Ian Anderson. Not only do Anderson's signature notes fly on "§4" and "§7", he narrates on "§1", "§2", "§4", and "§7". Joining Anderson, EUROPE's Joey Tempest lends a backing vocal hand on "§2", while Åkerfeldt's youngest daughter, Mirjam Åkerfeldt, is the disembodied voice in "§1".

"The Last Will And Testament" is a concept album set in the post-World War I era, unfolding the story of a wealthy, conservative patriarch whose last will and testament reveals shocking family secrets. The narrative weaves through the patriarch's confessions, the reactions of his twin children, and the mysterious presence of a polio-ridden girl who the family have taken care of. The album begins with the reading of the father's will in his mansion. Among those in attendance is a young girl, who, despite being an orphan and polio-ridden, has been raised by the family. Her presence at the will reading raises suspicions and questions among the twins.

"The Last Will And Testament" is the darkest and heaviest record OPETH has made in decades, and it is also the band's most fearlessly progressive. A concept album recounting the reading of one recently deceased man's will to an audience of his surviving family members, it brims with haunting melodrama, shocking revelations and some of the wildest and most unpredictable music that Åkerfeldt has ever written.

The follow-up to 2019's widely acclaimed "In Cauda Venenum", "The Last Will And Testament" is set in the shadowy, sepia-stained 1920s. It slowly reveals its secrets like some classic thriller from the distant, cobwebbed past, with each successive song shining more light on the stated machinations of our dead (but definitely not harmless) protagonist. The emotional chaos of the story is perfectly matched by OPETH's vivid but claustrophobic soundtrack, which artfully winds its way towards a crestfallen but sumptuous finale. Masters of their own idiosyncratic musical domain, OPETH have never sounded more unique.

"The Last Will And Testament" is destined to be a milestone in OPETH's illustrious recorded history. The band's first out-and-out concept record, it features guest cameos from JETHRO TULL legend Ian Anderson and Joey Tempest, frontman with Swedish rock gods EUROPE. Only one of the album's eight songs has a title: closing ballad "A Story Never Told". The rest are simply labeled as numbered chapters in this slowly unfolding saga of deceit, recrimination and betrayal. Enigmatic, unsettling and immersive, "The Last Will And Testament" is a turbulent, prog metal tale like no other.

Making his recorded debut alongside OPETH's long-established lineup of Mikael Åkerfeldt, guitarist Fredrik Åkesson, bassist Martin Mendez and keyboard maestro Joakim Svalberg on "The Last Will And Testament" is new drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who joined the band in 2022.

In a recent interview with Bloodstock TV's Oran O'Beirne, Åkerfeldt was asked if "§1", which contains growling vocals from Mikael, is representative of the entire record. He said: "Yeah, I think so. Maybe. I mean, in that sense, yeah. There is some screams on the other songs — not all of them, but on some of the other songs. Good screams, I must say. It's a very restless record. Somebody said claustrophobic. And it's not a very happy record. It's very — I mean, every metal band says the word 'dark', but it's… restless, it is my best, to sum it up. We don't linger on anything. It's just like an explosion of ideas. It's like TikTok."

Regarding the "The Last Will And Testament" album title, Mikael said: "Yeah, well, it is a concept record that basically starts with the… The whole record is about the reading of the last will and testament of this main character that's passed away — a rich, old fuck. Conservative, old, stern, noble patriarch who passed away, and the record starts when he summoned his three children to go through with solicitors, his last will and testament."

Asked how he came up with the concept for the new OPETH album, Mikael said: "It's not completely my idea. I got interested in the topic even on the last record. There's a song on there called, the English title was 'Universal Truth' — I think we did a video for that one — which also dealt with kind of those types of, like how blood's not always thicker than water, how money can drive family members into chaos. So I got interested in that topic. And also along comes the TV series 'Succession', which is, I'm not sure if you've seen it, but a great TV series about a power struggle between siblings taking over after their Murdoch-type father."

He added: "It's interesting. And it also helps me if I have a theme of sorts if I'm gonna write lyrics. Otherwise, I end up writing stuff, I don't even know what they mean."

In a separate interview with Marcus Schleutermann of EMP, Åkerfeldt was asked how "The Last Will And Testament" is different from other OPETH albums. Mikael said: "I don't know. It's weird. That's not really different for us, I guess. But I'm doing some of the screams again, which I haven't done for a long time. And there's some guests on there. Ian Anderson from JETHRO TULL is on there doing spoken word and playing flute. And Joey Tempest [of EUROPE] is on it. But, yeah, it's a concept record. Somebody said it sounds claustrophobic. It's a claustrophobic-sounding record. And there's a lot of ideas. It's a restless record. There's not meandering stuff happening all the time. Even I don't really know the songs yet. But, of course, I would say that, but I think it's good — it's a good record."

Regarding Joey's contributions to "The Last Will And Testament", Mikael said: "Tempest doesn't sound like Tempest on [EUROPE's biggest hit] 'The Final Countdown'. I had him over at my house. I asked him, 'Could you sing a few lines?' 'Let's push the record button,' he said. At the time I didn't have the lyrics ready, so I was, like, 'I'm sorry. I have to record it from somewhere else.' But he's really going for it. He sounds amazing. I mean, I'm a big EUROPE fan, being Swedish. I love them. And I think for him to be on this record, it's a bit different by his standards because it doesn't really sound like a EUROPE record at all."

Asked if he and Joey are friends, Mikael said: "I guess. I guess we're friends. Yeah. He sent me a text one day. It's, like, 'What's up?' And I was, like, 'Hey, Joey Tempest.' And we met at festivals, and he invited me over to his house. I mean, we know the EUROPE guys. Fredrik, one of his best friends is [John] Norum, the [EUROPE] guitar player. So, we're good friends with the whole band. But, yeah, Joey Tempest, we hang out every now and then."

On the possibility of a OPETH/EUROPE joint tour, Mikael said: "We talked about it, but it's hard to know… Ultimately, we make the calls for who we gonna tour with. For instance, we gonna tour in North America soon with TRIBULATION, and they're friends. And then we're going to tour in Europe with GRAND MAGUS, which is also friends. And EUROPE, we have talked about touring together, but it's hard to know if people like that package or not. I'm not sure… I think [EUROPE] would have to play after us then, because you don't want to go up after 'The Final Countdown'."

Asked if the songs on "The Last Will And Testament" all stand on their own or if they are all connected in some way, Mikael said: "They are connected lyrically, but also to a certain extent that one song bleeds into the other, which I always liked anyways. It's basically the reading of a testament. So it's like paragraphs. There are no real songtitles on there. It's a bit odd by our standards even. But you could, of course, extract any song from — we don't have to play the whole record."

OPETH will embark on a North American tour this fall. The trek, which will kick off on October 11 in Milwaukee, includes stops in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, New Orleans, Austin, Denver and more.

Photo by Terhi Ylimäinen

During an appearance on The Surfer's Journal's "Soundings" podcast, Robert Trujillo spoke about a scene in METALLICA's "Some Kind of Monster" documentary where, at an early meeting with his new bandmates, he struggles to maintain his composure as he's awarded a $1 million signing bonus. Asked what that experience was like, the bassist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, that was weird and that was surreal. I guess I didn't believe it. It didn't seem real. It's funny, 'cause you don't actually ever… It's there, but it's not there. Everybody says, 'Wow, man.' After taxes, it's a little different than a million dollars. I guess I got so consumed with the workload to where I was, like, 'Okay, that's cool.' But then in my head, I'm, like, 'It's time to get to work. I've got this mountain of catalog to learn.' And then there was this new album, 'St. Anger', that they hadn't even played live yet, 'cause that album was created in the studio. So now I've gotta learn these songs. And I just saw it as, like, 'I've got a lot of work ahead of me. I'm not gonna worry about… I'm not gonna think about the money. I'm not gonna celebrate what's going on because I've got work to do.' I remember I didn't go home for, like, six months, almost. I might've gone home for a night or two to go get some clothes or whatever I needed and to bring it back up north, but I basically moved to San Francisco right at that moment. And my life changed forever."

Trujillo, who was a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band when he was offered the METALLICA gig, went on to say that "there were two auditions" for the James Hetfield-fronted outfit. 'And it wasn't two in a row. There was one and then there was another one — I don't know — five months, four months, three months later; I don't remember. But when things got more serious after the second audition, it was interesting because I had gotten a call from Ozzy, and Ozzynever called me. You always hear from someone from the management team or maybe Sharon might call — Sharon Osbourne, his wife. But Ozzynever called me. And I get this call from him, and he's, like, [imitates Ozzy's speaking voice] 'Hey, Rob. Hey, listen, let's go on the road, man. I'm ready. Ozzfest. We're playing, right?' And I'm, like, 'Yeah.' 'Cause I hadn't heard from METALLICA [about whether I got the gig yet]. So I was, like, excited. 'Yeah, I get to go back to work.' 'Cause he started doing [BLACK] SABBATH at the time — they reunited, and so everything was revolving around SABBATH, which is awesome. But I wasn't working. So I was, like, 'Wow, it's exciting. I get to go back on the road and get back to work.' And literally, like, two days later or the next day, I get a call from [METALLICA drummer] Lars [Ulrich] saying, 'Hey, we want you to come up here and we wanna talk to you.' So I'm, like, 'Okay.' They're not telling me I got the gig. I always think worst-case scenario. And they're the kind of guys that would have you fly up there to tell you you didn't get the gig. They're just kind of wired that way. Like, 'We just wanted to tell you in person, 'cause we respect you, you didn't get the gig' — something like that. So I'm preparing for that. But I'm not sure. And Ozzy had just called me, so I was, like, 'Wait, this is crazy. This is weird.' So I go up there, and, yeah, that's where the meeting was with the money offer and all that. And, again, my head's spinning, like, 'Okay, I've gotta learn 30 years of catalog.' It was like just kind of like a washing-machine rinse cycle going off in my brain. And so, basically, now I'm thinking about Ozzy, and I told 'em — and I don't even know why I said this, but I was always trying to be loyal to Ozzy and Sharon; they did so much for me. So I was, like, 'Well, I don't think I can do those dates. But when I finish my commitment with Ozzy' — whatever, eight-week run it was — I'll jump on board. And I remember Lars goes, 'We respect your loyalty. It's very honorable. But this train is leaving, and it's moving fast, and you've gotta jump on board and jump on with us.' I'm, like, 'Okay.' So I flew home that night, and I actually went to Sharon and Ozzy's house and met with Sharon and said, 'Yeah, I'm gonna join METALLICA.' And it was heavy. Yeah, it was just heavy 'cause I think when it's all said and done, every musician, you're writing music, you're creating, you're performing, so it's all passion driven. So it's hard when you're losing a team member. Especially I had been [playing with Ozzy] for, like, seven years. So it was difficult, but I also felt that I needed to be there in person to tell him and tell her. And so that's basically kind of how that went down. There was never any bad vibes… Usually when that happened in the past, it could get pretty ugly with anybody. I mean, you're leaving a team, and it's not good. And then, again, like I said, my life changed. All of a sudden I was a part of a new family, and I was living in a new area and it was just a different existence."

Trujillo, who was born on October 23, 1964 in Santa Monica, California, tasted success as the bassist in SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and Ozzy Osbourne's band. But in 2003, he successfully auditioned to replace Jason Newsted in METALLICA, a process chronicled in the aforementioned warts-and-all documentary "Some Kind of Monster".

METALLICA's much-loved former bassist Cliff Burton died in 1986 when the band's tour bus crashed travelling through Sweden on the "Damage Inc. Tour" in support of "Master Of Puppets".

Trujillo told Exclaim! in a 2016 interview that he feels no pressure when compared to his low-end predecessors.

"Whether it's Jason or myself or Cliff, we're all different types of players coming from a different place, but delivering what is best for the band," he said. "That's all I ever do, just try and do the best I can and cater to the song, cater to the music."

Hetfield praised Trujillo during a 2017 interview with the 94.5 The Buzz radio station, saying: "Who else could [have come in and done the job]? I mean, there were a few people we auditioned, I know. It might have worked out with other people, but it's hard to find people that are, say, your age; kind of your upbringing, musically, obviously; ability-wise; they've been on the road. It's not like you're bringing some kid out for his first time, and it's, 'Oh my God!' He's going through all the stuff that you did twenty-five years ago. He's got kids. He's married. It just jelled, and it's still jelling. And his personality is probably one of the best contributions, I think, to the band, 'cause he's so chill, he's so up for anything, he's always in there rehearsing. So he does fit in."

During a July 22, 2024 KINGS OF THRASH question-and-answer session at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, Victoria, Australia, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson once again confirmed that he got Dave Mustaine's "blessing" to audition for the bassist position in METALLICA after Jason Newsted left the band nearly 24 years ago.

Newsted exited METALLICA in January 2001, after he clashed with James Hetfield over the release of an album by ECHOBRAIN, Jason's side project. He was replaced by producer Bob Rock in the studio, for the recording of 2003's "St. Anger" album, and then permanently by former OZZY OSBOURNE bassist Robert Trujillo.

Asked if he ever wonders what would have happened if he had landed the bassist gig in METALLICA, Ellefson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "[In] 2001, [MEGADETH] had just recorded 'The World Needs A Hero' [album]. And Dave called me, and he said, he goes, 'Hey, Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] called me, and you're on a shortlist, and asked if it would be okay if they reach out to you.' And Dave said, he goes, 'There's no way I could stop you from that opportunity. You have my blessing. I gave Lars my blessing.' Now, they never called me. And I think they have the right man for the job with Robert. Robert's fucking great; he's amazing."

Ellefson went on to say that his preparation for the METALLICA audition saw him learning how to play METALLICA songs for the first time. "And not 'Kill 'Em All' and 'Ride The Lightning', which was more similar to what we were doing in MEGADETH, but the later stuff, even the Black Album, and just really played the bass lines and listened to how James put his phrasing of the vocals over top of the riff," he said. "It was like a whole other genre. It was shocking how different it was. And I actually had to ask myself, I go, 'I wonder if I'm… I might not be the right guy for this.' And not that I would say no, 'cause what do we do? We say yes, right? That's the lesson of the day — say yes. But it really was an eye opener to me of how their music had transitioned from the early days. And they'd had great producers, with Bob Rock. They were able to make very expensive albums and take the time to write and really dig deep and make records like they did with the Black Album and stuff. But it really taught me how different they were from what I was used to doing in MEGADETH and working with Dave and how he would write and how he would put his phrasing of his of his vocals over top. 'Cause let's face it — when the singer starts singing, that's who we listen to, whether it's Dave or Paul Stanley or Bruce Dickinson or Ronnie Dio. The riffs could be awesome, but when the singer starts singing, whether you're a girl or a guy or whatever, you fucking listen to the singer. And, look, it was my idea for Dave to be the singer in MEGADETH. I was the one who said, 'Dude, you've gotta sing.' 'Cause he was writing the stuff at that time, and I said, 'There's no one who's gonna come in here and sing that shit the way you're hearing it, the way you're feeling it. You're never gonna be able to teach anyone how to do that.'"

In a 2021 interview with Doc Coyle's "The Ex-Man" podcast, Ellefson was asked if he took part in the METALLICA bassist tryouts once it was announced that Newsted had split with the group. "I did not," Ellefson said. "Lars had contacted Dave to ask him permission, which I thought was kind of him, to say, 'Hey, would it be okay if we reach out to Ellefson?' 'Cause Dave called me. And he said, 'Listen, I would hate to lose you, but, as your friend, I certainly couldn't hold you back from an opportunity like that. So he gave it his blessing. I never did get the call."

Ellefson also once again discussed the differences in the musical approach of METALLICA and MEGADETH, especially as the two bands progressed and eventually became two of the biggest metal bands in the world.

"I'm a bigMETALLICA fan, starting with [the] 'No Life 'Til Leather' [demo," he said. "In fact, quite honestly, 'No Life 'Til Leather', that's my heart of METALLICA. I love 'Kill 'Em All'. I really love 'Master Of Puppets'. There's a different vibe about ['No Life 'Til Leather'], 'cause, obviously, Dave played on that. So that's why I heard it first — because when I met Dave, 'Kill 'Em All' wasn't even out yet. They had let Dave go, then they recorded 'Kill 'Em All', but that album wasn't out yet. So this is June of '83. What I liked was the bass player, Ron McGovney. As much as everybody's really into Cliff [Burton], my METALLICA was with Ron McGovney. And that's why on 'Mechanix', when we put it on 'Killing Is My Business', I played Ron's bassline."

David went on to say that he learned how to play some of METALLICA's songs in preparation for what he thought would be an audition for the bassist position in the band.

"I sat down in 2001… I thought, 'If I do get the call, I should probably be kind of prepared,'" he explained. "So the first time I sat down and I actually played along with something simple, like stuff off the 'Black' album — 'Holier Than Thou'; stuff like that. And that was the first time I realized, man, for as much as METALLICA and MEGADETH are so similar — seemingly similar — riffs… Dave obviously having been in the band, so there's a piece of the DNA inside of MEGADETH, for sure, the way Dave phrases his vocals over the riffs versus how James phrases his vocals… Dave's almost like Geddy Lee does it."

He continued: "What I noticed, sitting down to it, playing bass to it — like playing bass to Jason Newsted's, on the 'Black' album, to how he played over the riffs, okay, musically, I grasped that, but to hear the vocal over it. Because now you're playing it as an instrumentalist inside the composition, not listening to it as a fan, kind of paying attention to the vocal and the vocal melody. Now all of a sudden, I'm going, 'Woah! This is so, so different than anything that I'm…' I mean, forget about thrash metal or us being from the same family tree; it was an entirely different gig."

Back in 2011, Mustaine said that he was relieved that Ellefson wasn't invited to join METALLICA after the tragic death of Cliff Burton.

Burton died on tour in 1986 in a tour bus crash, three years after Mustaine was kicked out of METALLICA and went on to form MEGADETH.

Mustaine told CBS: "When Cliff died, there was a moment where Dave's name had come up [as Burton's possible replacement in METALLICA] and I was a little concerned. I didn't want to lose my bassist and I certainly didn't want to have another reason to be upset. God knows I had my reasons, even though they weren't all real. A lot of them were caused by myself."

He admitted: "I just don't think I would have done well if I'd have known that had happened. Fortunately for me, I think those guys took that into account and just said, 'Let's find someone else.'"

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, when the group briefly broke up because Mustaine suffered severe nerve damage that left him unable to play. After Mustaine reformed MEGADETH with an all-new lineup in 2004, Ellefson sued his former bandmate for $18.5 million, alleging that Mustaine still owed him substantial merchandise and publishing royalties. In January 2005, the case was dismissed in court, and five years later, Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH.

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH more than three years ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

STORACE, Swiss rock legend Marc Storace's eponymous band, has released the official music video for his new single, "Rock This City", out now via Frontiers Music Srl.

Commenting on the single, Marc had this to say: "'Rock This City' is about a relationship gone wrong saved by a young man's ability to snap out of his negative state of mind to win back the love of his life. A great song for our live shows!"

Maltese-born-Swiss musician Marc Storace started his exceptional musical career in 1970, with the Swiss cult progressive band TEA, which became a very successful band and with whom he released five LPs. Marc gained attention for his frontmanship and high-pitched raunchy vocal tone.

In 1979, Marc became the voice of KROKUS, the most successful hard rock band from Switzerland. After their first album with Marc, "Metal Rendez-Vous", KROKUS played several world tours, sold over 15 million records, and won many gold and platinum awards.

After the group disbanded, Marc formed the band BLUE, who released their self-titled album in 1991, including the widely known hit "You Can't Stop The Rainfall".

In the 1990s and 2000s, Marc acted in two feature films ("Anuk" and "Handyman") and reached gold status with various KROKUS formations and three LPs. With many guest appearances such as on "Rock Meets Classic", SWEET 50th anniversary, Ken Hensley live in Switzerland, "Schubert In Rock", and on Manfred Ehlert's albums "Amen" and the rock opera "Test", Marc remained present with his fans.

In 2008, fans were surprised by the news that the original KROKUS formation would be touring again. The success was tremendous: tours in USA, Japan, Europe and South America as well as two new studio LPs, which, in turn, earned platinum status. In December 2019, KROKUS played a farewell concert at the sold-out Hallenstadion in Zurich.

At the beginning of 2021, Marc started working on his solo career as STORACE and at the end of 2021, he released his first solo album "Live And Let Live". In the middle of the pandemic, Marc started his first tour in Switzerland accompanied by the album's studio band. Since May 2022, Marc has been performing with his new band and rocking the stage like never before.

STORACE is:

Marc Storace - Vocals
Dom Favez - Rhythm Guitar
Serge Christen - Lead Guitar
Patrick Aeby - Drums
Emi Meyer - Bass

KROKUS has been playing sporadic shows in recent years, including the Riverside Aarburg festival in August 2023.

In September 2022, KROKUS played a special concert on the steps of the St. Ursus Cathedral in Solothurn, Switzerland. In addition, Solothurn honored the band with a "Stone Of Honor" on its 2000th anniversary. KROKUS also returned to the "holy ground of rock" in Switzerland, the Hallenstadion in Zürich, on May 6, 2023.

Four years ago, KROKUS postponed what was supposed to be the band's last-ever concerts in USA and Canada due to the coronavirus pandemic that was sweeping the globe.

When KROKUS first announced its decision to embark on a farewell tour in September 2018, the band explained in a statement: "KROKUS shows have always been special and should stay that way. That's why we decided to stop when it's still really good. That's how the fans should remember us."

Formed in 1975, KROKUS has sold over 15 million records, toured the world, and received gold and platinum discs in the USA and Canada. KROKUS was also the first Swiss band to sell out Hallenstadion and has received a diamond disc for selling one million albums in Switzerland alone.

In the course of its career, KROKUS has rocked over 2,000 shows on five continents, countless cities, unique locations, crazy gigs, and loyal fans.

English rock journalist Malcolm Dome quite rightly said: "If you look at the long-term output of this band, KROKUS is clearly one of the best hard rock bands of the last 40 years."

Photo credit: Frank Kollby

Big Machine Label Group and MÖTLEY CRÜE have released a 10th-anniversary edition of their chart-topping tribute album "Nashville Outlaws". Out everywhere today via Big Machine Records, the re-release of the countrified homage to the legendary rockers features a brand-new track, with rising country star Chase McDaniel covering the CRÜE's latest Top 5 Rock Radio hit "Dogs Of War".

"The 'Nashville Outlaws' album introduced us to a whole new group of country music fans and showed day-one CRÜE members some of the best country music has to offer," MÖTLEY CRÜE said in a statement. "We've always tried to break down boundaries in our career, and we're proud to commemorate one of those milestones with this 10th-anniversary re-release."

"I was honored to participate in a 'country-rockified' version of 'Dogs Of War'," Chase McDaniel explains. "MÖTLEY CRÜE is legendary. Their era of heavy guitars, drums, and unforgettable stage presence heavily influenced the country genre I'm in today, and I admire them as writers, rebels, and people who stand up for what they believe in. This song is about not letting the naysayers get in your head, and that's a narrative I've lived my whole life."

Originally out on August 19, 2014, "Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe", features classic CRÜE tracks covered by some of country music's biggest artists, including RASCAL FLATTS, FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE and Darius Rucker, among others. The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200, No. 2 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, and featured the Top 30 hit "Home Sweet Home", performed by Justin Moore and Vince Neil.

The release laid the groundwork for MÖTLEY's eventual signing to Big Machine Label Group earlier this year. Ushering in a new era for the band, their debut album with the label, the "Cancelled" EP, is set to hit platforms on October 4. The release will precede a historic run of shows, dubbed the "Höllywood Takeöver", as MÖTLEY returns to the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles with three exclusive gigs at Los Angeles's Troubadour (October 7),Roxy (October 9),and Whisky A Go Go (October 11).

In addition to releasing the 10th-anniversary edition of "Nashville Outlaws", limited-edition merch, including vinyl, apparel, and band-signed instruments, is now available for purchase exclusively in the Big Machine webstore. Visit bigmachinelabelgroup.com for additional info.

"Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe (10th Anniversary Edition)" track listing:

01. Dogs Of War - Chase McDaniel (4:05)
02. Kickstart My Heart - Rascal Flatts (3:54)
03. If I Die Tomorrow - Florida Georgia Line (3:41)
04. Smokin' In The Boys Room - LeAnn Rimes (4:52)
05. Home Sweet Home - Justin Moore featuring Vince Neil (3:51)
06. The Animal In Me - Cassadee Pope featuring Robin Zander (4:12)
07. Afraid - Aaron Lewis (3:52)
08. Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S) - Big & Rich (4:22)
09. Without You - Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio (3:27)
10. Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) - Eli Young Band (3:58)
11. Looks That Kill - Lauren Jenkins (4:32)
12. Live Wire - The Cadillac Three (4:08)
13. Dr. Feelgood - The Mavericks (5:14)
14. Girls, Girls, Girls - Brantley Gilbert (4:04)
15. Wild Side - Gretchen Wilson (4:41)
16. Time For Change - Darius Rucker (3:34)
17. Home Sweet Home (Single Edit) - Justin Moore featuring Vince Neil (3:32)
18. Home Sweet Home (Live) - Justin Moore featuring Vince Neil (4:02)

MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.

In 2018, MÖTLEY CRÜE recorded four new songs for "The Dirt" movie, including the single "The Dirt (Est. 1981) (Feat. Machine Gun Kelly)", "Ride With The Devil", "Crash And Burn" and the band's own spin on Madonna's "Like A Virgin".

John 5 joined MÖTLEY CRÜE in the fall of 2022 as the replacement for the band's co-founding guitarist Mick Mars. Mick announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

Thrash metal veterans DEATH ANGEL will take over the San Francisco Bay Area for their ninth annual "Xmas Shows" on December 13 and December 14. Taking place at the Great American Music Hall and livestreamed around the world, the holiday shows will feature guests NECROT and TAUNTED (December 13) and VIO-LENCE and DIANTHVS (December 14). Tickets are on sale now at www.deathangel.us/tour.

Commenting on the Xmas Shows, DEATH ANGEL lead vocalist Mark Osegueda says: "Wonder no more! Goddamn right they're still happening!! We've reached that time of the year… A Bay Area thrash metal tradition! The time of the year that we announce the lineup for the ninth annual 'Another Death Angel Christmas Show(s)'!!

"Friday, December 13th and Saturday, December 14th at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Friday we'll be joined by the brutal NECROT from Oakland, and San Jose thrashers TAUNTED! Then on Saturday we'll be joined by none other than our Bay Area brothers VIO-LENCE! Marking the first time that we've shared the same stage since 2001! And rounding out the bill that night will be DIANTHVS from Southern California bringing their original style of progressive rock and metal!

"Both shows will be available to be viewed via live stream! And as always there will be exclusive merchandise only available at the shows and from the live stream online broadcast virtual merchandise booth! As well as plenty of surprises! And of course! Bay Area Thrash!

"Stay tuned for more details! And mark these dates on your calendars NOW!

"We look forward to wiping off the ridiculous and unnecessary dirt of the year from our heels and unleashing with all of you soon! Thrash!"

Last month, it was announced that DEATH ANGEL would "no longer be able" to support W.A.S.P. on the Blackie Lawless-fronted outfit's North American tour, dubbed "Album ONE Alive", this fall. Replacing them on the bill will be ARMORED SAINT.

When it was first announced that DEATH ANGEL was pulling out of the W.A.S.P. tour, the only reason given for the cancelation was "unforeseen circumstances", with no further information offered. However, DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll later shed some light on the circumstances that led to DEATH ANGEL pulling out of the tour, writing on his personal Facebook page "it's pretty fucking obvious" why his band was no longer taking part in the trek. "The word BETRAYAL comes to mind," he wrote, adding, "We knew there would be problems at some point but not so immediately," apparently referring to scheduling conflicts related to Osegueda's involvement with Kerry King's solo group.

DEATH ANGEL has spent the past few months working on material for the follow-up to the Grammy-nominated "Humanicide" album.

DEATH ANGEL released a new live album titled "The Bastard Tracks" in November 2021 via Nuclear Blast. Recorded live at The Great American Music Hall in their hometown of San Francisco on May 22, 2021, and streamed live soon after, "The Bastard Tracks" was described in a press release as "a deep-cuts collection of rarely and never performed songs from the band's catalog" that was released digitally and on CD, vinyl and Blu-ray.

In October 2020, DEATH ANGEL released a four-song EP, "Under Pressure". The effort included a cover of QUEEN + David Bowie's "Under Pressure", followed by a new track titled "Faded Remains", plus acoustic versions of "Act III"'s classic "A Room With A View" and "Humanicide"'s "Revelation Song". The EP was mixed by Max Norman (OZZY OSBOURNE, MEGADETH, BAD COMPANY) and mastered by Ted Jensen (LAMB OF GOD, MACHINE HEAD, HALESTORM).

Released in May 2019 via Nuclear Blast, "Humanicide" saw DEATH ANGEL returning to producer and friend Jason Suecof (DEICIDE, TRIVIUM) of Audiohammer studios for the recording and mixing, along with the mastering of the legendary Ted Jensen (SLIPKNOT, PANTERA) of Sterling Sound, who added the final touches and brought it all to life, with artist Brent Elliott White (LAMB OF GOD, MEGADETH) providing the cover artwork.

DEATH ANGEL was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the "Humanicide" title track. It was the group's first Grammy nomination.

In a new interview with the 100.3 The X Rocks radio station, SHINEDOWN drummer Barry Kerch spoke about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the follow-up to 2022's "Planet Zero" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're hoping to release some new music by the end of this year and then an album spring of next year. We're about, I'd say, halfway through the record, give or take. I know I've recorded, like, seven songs for it so far."

He continued: "Every record's different, and this one's gonna be different as well, but you're never gonna change [SHINEDOWN singer] Brent's [Smith] voice. So I'm excited. With the success of ['A'] Symptom [Of Being Human]' [single] and how well that did, we don't wanna really take too much time off 'cause we have a whole new audience with that song that deserve to see us live. 'Cause I think, yes, our records I'm very proud of, and I think they're great, and people latch on to 'em, but they really don't become a SHINEDOWN superfan until they see the live show. So it's time to get out there and let people see the show."

Earlier this month, Kerch was asked by Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station if he usually works out his drum parts to demo versions of the SHINEDOWN songs. Barry said: "For me, a lot of times, [bassist and producer] Eric [Bass] will send the demos over to me with just basic drum machine tracks, just placeholder tracks, and I'll listen to it. Sometimes, depending on the song, I'll make a small cliff-notes chart of, 'Okay, verse, chorus, how many beats per fill here,' that kind of thing, and write out my little Nashville chart. Sometimes I just wing it, and sometimes when we go in, we have the song, but we might wanna make a change or we accidentally stumble across something. So then we'll take it piece by piece. 'Okay, let's get some really good verses. Let's get the choruses, and then let's work on this new section that we're thinking about and just vibe back and forth on it till we make that transition,' maybe a pre-chorus or something like that. So, it varies, but I'm usually sent some sort of a demo form of the song to listen to 'cause I like to come in prepared. Can I play it right then? Yeah. But I wanna be prepared so I've thought about the vibe of the song and drum tones and, 'Hey, maybe this snare would sound good. Maybe these symbols would be the symbols I'd wanna bring and use. And this fill might be cool. This fill might be better.' And then Eric and I fight over it for hours. And then we come up with what we come up with."

Barry went on to say that Brent is "pretty early on the game" in terms of working out the lyrics and the melodies for the SHINEDOWN songs. "The lyrics are usually 98 percent done, if not fully done," he said. "And sometimes in the demo, they're completely done. Those vocals you hear on the final products were the demo vocals. He's just kind of prolific that way. And he really wants to get the vibe out."

He continued: "The way I've always played drums with SHINEDOWN is to the vocals more than anything. So I'm trying to really support what the vocals are and give lead-ins and lead-outs to whatever — I don't wanna step on those vocals. And you can hear it when singers put their lyrics on after the music's been written, that sometimes there can be this battle between drum fills and lyrics and maybe where it should have gone. And I think it steps on it sometimes. Sometimes it makes it cool. Like you listen to a band like TOOL. Most of the music is written, then it's handed to Maynard [James Keenan], and then he writes his vocals over that. So that's how they get that cool… It's just different. And it's, like, only Maynard would have thought to sing that because the music's already there. We're the polar opposite. I wanna support what vocals are already there."

Last month, SHINEDOWN's single "A Symptom Of Being Human" became the first song by a band or solo artist to chart in the top 10 on three major Mediabase charts: Active Rock, Alternative, and Adult Contemporary (AC).

In addition to holding Mediabase chart history with the most No. 1s, Top 5s and Top 10s in the Active Rock category, SHINEDOWN has achieved a record-breaking 23 chart-topping songs.

It's rare for a rock band to break into pop music, but SHINEDOWN has always believed that music is universal and doesn't have to be put in a genre box. "A Symptom Of Being Human" is resonating with listeners worldwide because of its uplifting and important message about how we are all a work in progress. Collectively, "A Symptom Of Being Human" has amassed tens of millions of streams across all versions including a live version, pop remix, acoustic version and piano version.

"A Symptom Of Being Human" is the fourth No. 1 Active Rock single from SHINEDOWN's acclaimed seventh studio album, "Planet Zero". The set debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart in July 2022.

Photo credit: Sanjay Parikh

The BLANDINI videos by Eric Hutcheson YouTube channel has uploaded a multi-camera video of Vince Neil performing the MÖTLEY CRÜE classic "Home Sweet Home" with his solo band. The clip, which can be seen below, was produced from a six-show, back-to-back tour with the Vince Neil band, using five cameras and seven audio recordings mixed and edited together.

Neil's backing group still consists of bassist Dana Strum and guitarist Jeff "Blando" Bland from SLAUGHTER, along with drummer Zoltan Chaney.

A few years ago, before CRÜE's 2019 reunion, Neil acknowledged to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he was the only member of MÖTLEY CRÜE who was waving the flag for the band's music by performing CRÜE songs as a solo artist.

"It's a cool thing, because I love MÖTLEY CRÜE, I love MÖTLEY CRÜE's music, and I love singing, and I love the fans' reactions when they hear the songs," he said. "Whether we're playing in front of a thousand people or twenty thousand people, I can only see the front row anyway. So I'm happy for me and for the fans to be able to still hear that music after MÖTLEY CRÜE is finished."

As previously reported, MÖTLEY CRÜE will release the "Cancelled" EP on October 4. The three-song effort contains the title track, MÖTLEY CRÜE's cover version of the BEASTIE BOYS classic "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" and "Dogs Of War", which was made available in April. All three songs were recorded in April 2023 with longtime producer Bob Rock.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's version of "Fight For Your Right" has quickly become a fan favorite since the band first debuted the song live during their secret 2023 club show at The Underworld in London, U.K. At its premiere, 450 lucky, sweat-drenched fans who came out to see a band advertised as DÖGS OF WAR got the surprise of a lifetime when MÖTLEY CRÜE took the stage with the BEASTIE BOYS classic in their set list.

The veil of speculation surrounding the DÖGS OF WAR pseudonym was finally lifted when the band released their first new single since 2019 by the "Dogs Of War" name in the spring of 2024. "Dogs Of War" subsequently became a Top 5 Rock Radio hit, accompanied by a highly acclaimed music video by director Nick DenBoer. The cutting-edge visual, which is entirely CGI-based, features the members of MÖTLEY CRÜE navigating an exhilarating post-apocalyptic world.

MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee told Bill Maher's "Club Random" podcast last year that he and his bandmates felt inspired to write a song called "Cancelled" because they were surprised it never happened to them.

"There was this article that was like, 'How did MÖTLEY CRÜE ever not get cancelled?'" he said. "And we were like, 'Fuck, we've gotta write a song about that because we didn't ever get it.' We snuck in under the whatever threshold, wherever that was, where we got away with fucking murder."

The "Cancelled" EP will be made available via MÖTLEY CRÜE's new deal with Nashville's Big Machine Records

MÖTLEY CRÜE's deal with Big Machine sees the band and the label working together again after making the 2014 project "Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe", which featured CRÜE tracks covered by country stars RASCAL FLATTS, FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE, Darius Rucker and more. Big Machine also partnered with MÖTLEY CRÜE's new guitarist John 5 for the release of his 2021 album "Sinner".

MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.

In 2018, MÖTLEY CRÜE recorded four new songs for "The Dirt" movie, including the single "The Dirt (Est. 1981) (Feat. Machine Gun Kelly)", "Ride With The Devil", "Crash And Burn" and the band's own spin on Madonna's "Like A Virgin".

John 5 joined MÖTLEY CRÜE in the fall of 2022 as the replacement for the band's co-founding guitarist Mick Mars. Mick announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues.

MEGADETH has dismissed Peter Frampton's claim about why both artists had their concerts canceled last week at Virginia Credit Union Live! at the Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.

On Sunday, September 15, MEGADETH announced that the band's show at the venue was being called off, writing in a social media post: "Due to unexpected and unpredictable circumstances, our show tonight, Sunday, Sept. 15, in Richmond, Virginia, has been canceled and will not be rescheduled." Two days later, Frampton, who was scheduled to perform on Tuesday night, also called off his show. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, our show tonight at Virginia Credit Union Live has been cancelled," a post on Frampton's Facebook page read. "We apologize for the inconvenience. Refunds will be available at point of purchase."

After Frampton's cancelation, AEG Presents, which handles booking for the 6,000-capacity venue, did not respond to requests for comment from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. But the English-American guitarist and songwriter addressed the cancelations while performing at the The Met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania last Thursday (September 19). Frampton told the crowd at the gig: "So, we had a show canceled the other day because of weather. And also MEGADETH did a soundcheck, I think a couple of days before our show, and after they finished their soundcheck, there was structural damage to the stage. I'm not blaming them — could have been another band — but it looks pretty like it. So, sorry, MEGADETH. I had to rat on you."

Earlier today, MEGADETH's publicists at Schneider Rondan Organization released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "Based on Peter Frampton's recent statement, MEGADETH feels it's important to clear up some misinformation about the group's recent show cancellation (Sunday, September 15 at Virginia Credit Union Live! at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia). As recently reported, Frampton stated that MEGADETH's soundcheck damaged the venue, forcing Frampton to also cancel his show there a few days later.

"MEGADETH did not even get a chance to sound check at all in Richmond, Virginia contrary to what Peter Frampton reports. MEGADETH's rigger was in the venue's steel grid system above the stage getting ready to hang the lights when he noticed there was damage to the venue's grid. He pointed this out immediately to the promoters and the venue. It was determined that it was unsafe for MEGADETH to hang their production or put the band on stage at the risk of in-house grid failure to support the weight of the touring lighting and sound which could fall on the band, crew members, or audience, as it could cause serious injury or death. Therefore, MEGADETH, the local promoter, the venue, and booking agents had no other option than to cancel the show."

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine added in a statement: "It seems Frampton was misinformed about our show being canceled. The decision was purely based on safety. It's disappointing when someone you admire talks out their ass about you."

In 2017, Virginia Credit Union Live! celebrated its 25th anniversary by forging a multi-year partnership with AEG Presents. The partnership brought new acts to the venue as well as continued the tradition of being the hub for outdoor concerts in Richmond.

Richmond Raceway and AEG Presents are in the eighth year of an exclusive 10-year booking agreement for Virginia Credit Union Live!, which is said to be the only covered amphitheater in the greater Richmond region.

Virginia Credit Union, a financial cooperative serving more than 320,000 members, continues its multi-year agreement on the naming rights of the amphitheater. As a partner since 2018, Virginia Credit Union is actively a part of the concert experience with the distinctive Virginia Credit Union Live! brand represented throughout the facility to colorfully convey the energy and excitement of the venue. Virginia Credit Union members also get exclusive access to pre-sales and free parking for concerts.

In May 2019, Richmond Raceway unveiled a completed $500,000 amphitheater redevelopment at Virginia Credit Union Live! The capital investment included a reseating of the venue to create flexible seating and additional aisles to offer fans the best views and concert experience. The new removable padded seats in the front half of the venue have provided flexible options for the amphitheater to offer reserved seating, general admission seating or a standing pit area. The expanded pit area has allowed more rock and alternative shows to perform at the venue.

Additional improvements to Virginia Credit Union Live! include a new stage, speaker system on Commonwealth Mall, new landscaping along the seating entrance, new restroom open on the hill and new backstage fencing. Past improvements include a porta bar on the hill overlooking concerts, public WiFi, updated public restrooms and redeveloped back of house to improve the experience for entertainers with updated star rooms and other new features.

Due to unexpected and unpredictable circumstances, our show TONIGHT, Sunday, September 15th, in Richmond, Virginia, has...

Posted by Megadeth on Sunday, September 15, 2024

Legendary thrashers SLAYER played their first concert in five years Sunday night (September 22) at Douglass Park in Chicago, Illinois. The band took the stage just after 8.30 p.m. local time and ran through a 20-song set that included opener "South Of Heaven", "Seasons In The Abyss", "Angel Of Death", "Hell Awaits", "Raining Blood" and the title track of SLAYER's final album, "Repentless".

SLAYER's setlist was as follows:

01. South Of Heaven
02. Reborn (first time live since 2014)
03. Blood Red
04. Postmortem
05. Repentless
06. Payback
07. Temptation
08. Jihad
09. Seasons In The Abyss
10. Born Of Fire
11. War Ensemble
12. Hate Worldwide
13. Disciple
14. Dead Skin Mask
15. Hell Awaits
16. 213 (first time live since 1998)
17. Mandatory Suicide
18. Raining Blood
19. Black Magic
20. Angel Of Death

Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

SLAYER will next perform at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky on September 27, followed by an appearance at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California on October 10.

Five years after SLAYER played the last concert of what was being billed as the band's farewell tour and just weeks after SLAYER guitarist Kerry King unveiled the details of his solo project, Kerry and his longtime bandmates announced that they would play at Aftershock, Riot Fest and Louder Than Life.

The lineup for SLAYER's comeback is the same as the one which last toured in 2019: King and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, along with guitarist Gary Holt (also of EXODUS) and drummer Paul Bostaph.

In a recent interview with Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco Bay Area radio station 107.7 The Bone, King stated about SLAYER's stage show for the reunion shows: "There's some things you've seen before, things you haven't seen before. It's definitely the biggest SLAYER show that I've ever seen on paper."

Kerry went on to say that although he "liked" the stage production on SLAYER's farewell tour in 2018 and 2019, "this is still bigger. But we're headlining big-ass festivals, so we've really gotta show up."

Asked how he will go about choosing a setlist for the upcoming SLAYER reunion shows, Kerry said: "I think I've already got it. It's tough. I worked on it — I probably made, like, three or four different ones before I landed on the one that I sent to everybody."

Asked if the setlist is something where SLAYER will "give everybody what they want, but still trying to have a couple surprises," Kerry replied: "That's fair [to say]. There's definitely a few songs I still have to learn, so… ['Cause] I haven't played [them] in a while."

Last month, Kerry, who has spent the last few months touring with his solo band, told the Los Angeles Times about the SLAYER reunion dates: "I wasn't ready to hang it up, but there's really no point in going on with someone that doesn't want to do it anymore, because then you've got a half-hearted person onstage," referencing Araya, who was the bandmember most anxious to retire from the stage. "We won the Super Bowl and we left. That's pretty cool. Now we've got these three anniversary shows. Will there be more? I don't know. Will we ever record again? Definitely not. Will we ever tour again? Definitely not. But a show here and there to make some people happy, I'm not against that."

Bostaph said he was surprised when the reunion dates were lined up. "I'm, like, 'You're kidding, right?' I really put that to bed," the drummer told the Los Angeles Times. "When something like that ends, I'm not going to do that to myself: Gee, someday it'd be great to get back together again. Life is life and this is how it is, and I'm moving on to whatever the next thing is. I put that to bed and then all of a sudden the call comes.”

Last month, Kerry told Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio about the fact that SLAYER is playing shows again five years after the completion of the band's final tour: "Yeah, at the end of the day, it wasn't bad blood. Tom was just done. And when Tom told me he was done, I went, 'Okay, well, I'm not gonna try to talk you into it,' because if you're trying to talk somebody into it, their heart's not in it. So it was over for me. And, of course, a month after we were done, offers come in because people think you're done. So what we retired from was touring. We never said we were done playing. We said, 'This is our final tour', and I don't think three shows constitute a tour. So if you wanna get technical, I think we're in the ballpark of being truthful."

In July, King spoke to Metal Injection about the fact that SLAYER's reunion shows were announced just weeks after he told Rolling Stone magazine that a SLAYER comeback was unlikely. He said: "I turned [SLAYER reunion offers] down for the longest time. You can imagine we've been turning down offers since December 1st, 2019. And at that point, I thought, 'No, we're never gonna play again.' Tom retired. So it's written. And then offers keep coming, offers keep coming, the money goes up. And this one came around and it was when we were booking shows from my [solo] band, and I go to my manager. I'm, like, 'Are we talking about my band or SLAYER? What are we talking about here?' He's, like, 'SLAYER.' And I'm, like, 'Yeah, but that's done. We hung that shit up. I dropped the chains. Done.' But then it started getting to where this is really gonna be the five-year anniversary of [SLAYER's] last tour. And I went, 'That's kind of cool. Three shows, five-year anniversary. Okay.' That's about all I thought about it."

King continued: "The funny thing about this story is I didn't tell anybody in my [solo] band [that the SLAYER reunion shows were happening]. I'd never been in that situation. And the news dropped that we were doing three shows and everybody blows me up. I'm, like, 'Goddamn it.' 'It never occurred to me to tell you guys.' Never fucking occurred to me. It wasn't a secret. They can keep secrets. I know that. And I felt so bad. It never occurred to me. Paul knew, of course. But poor Phil and Kyle [Sanders, bassist in Kerry's solo band] and Mark [Osegueda, vocalist in Kerry's solo band], they all texted me and blew me up. I'm, like, 'I'm so sorry, man. It never occurred to me. This is what's up. This is what's gonna happen. If it happens again, it's gonna be the same thing. We're never gonna fucking make a record. We're never gonna fucking tour. This is my band.'"

Kerry went on to say that he doesn't rule out more SLAYER shows in the future beyond the three festival appearances this summer and fall. "I'm trying to be real and definitely say, hey, we're not gonna tour again," he explained. "And we're certainly not gonna record again, 'cause I have a means of doing that now with my band. [We're doing] three shows for now. And I say 'for now' because I know Europe's gonna come knocking, 'Hey, man, you guys played America. Come see us.' So it wouldn't surprise me if something like that happened, but it's certainly not on my books right now."

Earlier in July, Kerry told Guitar World magazine that he "was very surprised" when Araya agreed to play three SLAYER shows this year. "I made my comments [about SLAYER being finished] based on [Tom] not wanting to play anymore. As far as I was concerned, we were done and never going to play again. To be honest, I don't know what switched.

"We've been turning down offers to play shows for at least three years. So, one came up that, I guess, enticed Tom to the point where he wanted to roll the dice and try a couple. I don't know, but that's all it is."

Kerry added that he would be open to more SLAYER gigs in the future.

"There could be an instance where there's another one-off,” he said. "It just has to be the right offer at the right time, maybe someplace everybody loves to go. But touring, no, I don't see touring. But, you know, who's to say a one-off can't happen again?"

King previously told Total Guitar magazine about SLAYER's reunion shows: "It caught me off guard too. Do I wish the timing was different? Absolutely, but that's completely out of my hands."

King went on to say that fans shouldn't get their hopes up about a full-scale SLAYER reunion.

"Everyone thinks SLAYER are getting back together, but that couldn't be further from the truth," he explained. "We've been turning down gigs ever since we stopped. This one came and I thought, 'If we're ever going to do one, this could be cool because it's the five-year anniversary of our final tour.'

"We're not going to record anymore," he added. "That final tour was definitely our final tour. This is just a reason to have some fun the guys, play a few shows and then jump back in the coffin…"

In June, King was asked by Jonathan Clarke, host of "Out Of The Box" on Q104.3, New York's classic rock station, about how SLAYER's reunion shows came about. He responded: "I'll put it in the perspective everybody can understand. We've been turning down offers since beginning of 2020, pandemic and all. And then it started getting near the five-year anniversary of us stopping playing, so I'm, like, 'You know what? This is a three-show package. I think it would be fun to do.' It's kind of a five-year anniversary of our last tour. We're never gonna tour again — it ain't gonna happen. We're never gonna record again; that's not gonna happen either. But to do commemorative shows, I think that's kind of fun. I don't have to be married to it for a long time. Kids don't have to worry about it coming around on tour because we said we wouldn't. There's not a whole lot of weird diabolical shit going on here. I think people have just gotta say, 'Hey, it's anniversary celebration shows.' That's gonna be the end of it."

Kerry also discussed the SLAYER comeback in May in an interview with Andrew Daly of ClassicRockHistory.com. Asked for about his outlook on the reunion shows, he said: "It's not really much different at all. It's the same heads, same cabs, same pedals, same guitars. You know, there will be a lot of fire when SLAYER plays, and I think, yeah, those shows will just be fun. It'll be fun to play with Gary Holt for a few gigs; I haven't seen him in almost five years, so that will be cool. And it'll be cool to get together with Tom Araya and spit some hate out at people, but don't get used to this being a yearly event."

Earlier in May, King was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he thinks SLAYER's reunion dates will have a positive or negative impact on the promotional efforts for his debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", which arrived on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music. He responded: "I see it both ways. We've [SLAYER] been turning down [reunion] offers for the last four years. Unfortunately, when the right offer came around, this one, it was right as my project was releasing. So there's certainly people, like my management and booking agents, who say, 'Oh, that's great. It's gonna boost your solo thing.' And I'm, like, 'Well, I don't know the business side of it, but it is what it is.' And every time I talk about it to journalists and magazines and stuff, I say, 'Listen, SLAYER is not gonna make another record. SLAYER is never gonna tour again.' May SLAYER do a one-off here or there? Maybe. I told my [solo] band when [the SLAYER reunion shows] came up, I'm, like, 'Listen, this is a blip on the radar to me. This isn't a solo project that's gonna recycle musicians every record cycle. You guys are with me till you don't wanna be.'"

Asked if he envisions SLAYER as the type of thing where the band will do one or two shows a year when a great opportunity comes up, Kerry said: "I'm not even talking yearly. I'm, like, every two years, every three years, every five years. I don't know. 'Cause I'm gonna be super busy with [my solo band] once 2025 rolls around."

Elaborating on his belief that SLAYER's comeback shows will not lead into a full-fledged reunion for the legendary thrash metal act, Kerry said: "The way I look at it, and when I tell you this, it puts it into perspective for a lot of people, I see it as three five-year anniversary shows of our last tour."

King also talked about the SLAYER reunion while speaking to Revolver magazine about "From Hell I Rise". Asked if he had known about these shows well before they were officially announced, King said: "If you ask promoters, they're going to have another answer. If you ask booking agents, they'll probably have a third answer. But to me, it kind of came out of nowhere. Have we been getting offers the past few years? Yeah, we turn down offers every year, probably every month of every year. These three festivals are right around the five-year anniversary of our last tour, which I thought was kind of cool. So, I thought this might be the right time to test the water. It will be great to play for the fans again."

Regarding whether the SLAYER reunion shows will steal some of the thunder away from the touring his solo band will do in support of "From Hell I Rise", Kerry said: "Well, time will tell, and my answer would be, 'hopefully not'. The funny thing is, it never occurred to me until the day the SLAYER announcement came, but Demmel said, 'Dude, is this real?' And I'm, like, 'It's just a few weekends and that's it.' Of course, Paul knew. But I didn't tell Phil, I didn't tell Kyle and didn't tell Mark — and I said to the guys, 'There's no master plan here.' I didn't want anybody to start getting cold feet. I said, 'This is a little moment in time, and yeah, KERRY KING is going to be touring, you know, hopefully later in the year, as well. But SLAYER is an entity and I'm just a person.' But hopefully, we drive on with the solo project."

King also spoke about the SLAYER reunion in an interview with U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. Admitting that the announcement of SLAYER's comeback "was not my favorite timing", Kerry said that the SLAYER reunion "is not going to translate into recording and it's not going to translate into touring. For me, it's three shows marking five years since our final shows, a fun, 'Hey, remember us from before the pandemic?' celebration."

Days after SLAYER's reunion was announced, Tom Araya's wife wrote on social media that she "harassed him for over a year" before he "agreed finally" to play more shows with the band. "We shared that news with SLAYER's awesome managers and they did the rest!" she explained. "So yes without Tom it wouldn't have happened.. without me BUGGING HIM it wouldn't have happened."

Both Gary and his wife Lisa Holt were among the hundreds of people who "liked" Sandra's Instagram post, with Lisa sharing three heart emojis in response to Sandra's message.

In a statement confirming SLAYER's return, Tom said: "Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we're on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans, and to be honest, we have missed that." King added: "Have I missed playing live? Absolutely. SLAYER means a lot to our fans; they mean a lot to us. It will be five years since we have seen them."

The same day that SLAYER's comeback was announced, Holt's wife Lisa Holt took to her social media to write: "Yes, it's true..and an exciting adventure for the band and fans !

"To all the people saying 'they are liars' 'they must have ran out of money' 'its not SLAYER without so and so' ..I have an idea for you all...DON'T GO.. and for all the people who did go to the final tour dates and enjoyed it...awesome!!

"This isn't a 'TOUR' it's some dates..and GREAT NEWS!!!" she added. "And everyone that thinks they know all the inside info..you can't possibly know. so just enjoy the fact that this amazing band will play some amazing shows this year...go or don't..nobody cares!!!!!"

SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, Kerry's wife Ayesha said that there is "not a chance in hell" that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances.

SLAYER's final world tour began on May 10, 2018 with the band's intention to play as many places as possible, to make it easy for the fans to see one last SLAYER show and say goodbye. By the time the 18-month trek wrapped at the Forum, the band had completed seven tour legs plus a series of one-off major summer festivals, performing more than 140 shows in 30 countries and 40 U.S. states.

All material for Kerry's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", was written by King, who was accompanied during the recording sessions by Bostaph, Demmel, Sanders and Osegueda.

Danish-Swedish quartet VOLA has released a pulverizing new single, "Cannibal", which features IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén on vocals. The song is taken from VOLA's upcoming album, "Friend Of A Phantom", which will be released on November 1 via Mascot Records. You can watch the official "Cannibal" music video below, also featuring Fridén.

Talking about the song, the band says: "VOLA's music is heavily shaped by melodic death metal, so having Anders Fridén from the legendary IN FLAMES featured on 'Cannibal' is a dream come true for us. We feel truly fortunate and are enormously proud of the result."

Fridén explains how he got involved with the song, saying: "I have been a fan of VOLA since their first album. They are constantly evolving and, to me, are one of the most interesting bands out right now." He continues: "During the recording of our last album, I had the opportunity to meet the band and witness an incredible show at The Troubadour in L.A. Cut to a few months later, I was approached if I would be interested in being on a song for their next album. It was a yes without hesitation. It's an honor to be part of this monster of a song. Bang your head if you know what's good for you!"

VOLA elaborates on how the collaboration and song came about: "When we toured North America in the fall of 2023, Anders and Björn from IN FLAMES attended our concert at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. They came backstage before the show to chat with us, and it turned out they were big fans of the band. Quite a surreal experience, given that IN FLAMES have played a huge part in forming our musical DNA. When we came home from the tour, we dug deep into recording 'Friend Of A Phantom', and during that process, we began discussing whether 'Cannibal' would benefit from having guest vocals. We all agreed that having some really powerful screams in there would elevate the song, and having just created a bond with Anders meant that it was the easiest decision in the world to ask him if he wanted to be a part of the track. Anders quickly said yes to participate, and eventually, he both recorded vocals and came to Denmark to shoot the video with us. We were thrilled, to say the least!"

The song marries the euphoric and epic but complex and crushing sound that has become distinctively VOLA with a visually stunning video to accompany the song.

"Working with Vertigo and Riivata Visuals on the music video was incredible," VOLA adds. "We filmed the video in a gigantic hall in Denmark, with plenty of big lights and lasers, including a large triangle light at the back of the hall. To top it all off, Anders came to Denmark to join us and be part of the video. It was a fantastic experience, and the footage captured the heavy side of VOLA in its essence."

VOLA has already released three singles from the album. "Paper Wolf" sees an old-school metal atmosphere creep into their blend of sounds. "Break My Lying Tongue" offers a deep dive into themes of misalignment and emotional vulnerability, whereas the most recent single, "I Don't Know How We Got Here", interweaves stories about tragic events in society with a story about a relationship slowly dying out. "It seeks to portray the feeling of disbelief that follows when something valuable vanishes right in front of us," explains Asger Mygind.

It has been three years since the release of VOLA's defining album, "Witness". They've since wrapped up two tours of the US with several venues upgraded due to overwhelming demand, as well as sold-out shows in New York, L.A., and Chicago. Their first tour of Canada resulted in sold-out shows in Toronto and Montreal, and they rounded off the continent with triumphant South American shows in Mexico, Brazil, and a sold-out show in Chile. The quartet — Asger Mygind (vocals/guitar),Martin Werner (keys),Nicolai Mogensen (bass) and Adam Janzi (drums) — are now to set free their fourth studio album. Their strength has always been combining a multitude of ideas within a single song, packing it in with a grandiose power that can be as ferocious as it can be delicate.

"Friend Of A Phantom" track listing:

01. Cannibal (feat. Anders Fridén of IN FLAMES)
02. Break My Lying Tongue
03. We Will Not Disband
04. Glass Mannequin
05. Bleed Out
06. Paper Wolf
07. I Don't Know How We Got Here
08. Hollow Kid
09. Tray

Riot V vocalist, Todd Michael Hall, will release his highly-anticipated sophomore rock album, Off The Rails, via Rat Pak Records on October 18. Aligning himself once again with Metal Church founding member and guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, Todd offers the listener 10 new studio tracks and two bonus tracks of straight-forward classic-rock-inspired music.


As to the inspiration for the album, Todd explains, "Some crazy things have happened over the last few years, so Off The Rails seemed like a great title for a new album. No matter how crazy life gets, music always has the ability to get us back on track and people will find an overall uplifting theme throughout my newest album.”


"Kurdt and I enjoyed working together so much on the first album (Sonic Healing), that we both wanted to create a second album. Off The Rails has the same awesome classic rock energy with great riffs and melodic vocals, but with a bit more emotion interspersed throughout," commented Todd.




Regarding Kurdt's approach to the songwriting on this album, “I wanted to focus on creating guitar-driven music that delivers something outside the realm of what most people would expect from a metal guitarist. I wanted the compositions to stand on their own,” explains V

In a new interview with Erin Molan of Sky News Australia, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons — born Chaim Witz in Haifa, Israel to Hungarian-Jewish immigrants — spoke about the war between Israel and Hamas which erupted nearly a year ago after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "Above and beyond, whether you're Hamas or Israel or Gaza or Arabs or Iran or everything else, the one thing you have to agree on is that there are innocents on all sides. A child is a child that has no idea what Hebrew or Arabic or English or anything means. They're just innocent. They're born.

"I am a firm believer in generational cures," he continued. "Not too long ago, and some of my best friends, business associates, are Germans whose mothers and fathers and grandfathers were incinerating my people in gas chambers and killing them. It's generational. Just seeing different ways that people live can open up the next generation asking questions like, 'Why can't I do that?'"

Asked about the student protests over the Israel-Hamas war which have popped up at many college campuses after being inspired by demonstrators at Columbia University, Gene said: "I think it's well intentioned. I really do. They're not informed. I'm fully supportive, first one in line, of trans rights, gay rights, any and all variations of the hundreds of variations that people define themselves and all that kind of stuff. But don't kid yourself, if any one of them was in any country in the Middle East, they would be thrown off buildings or stoned to death. I think you're carrying the wrong flag, but I fully respect and support your right to do so in a democracy."

Simmons was born in August 1949, at Rambam Hospital in Haifa to Jewish immigrants from Hungary. He was the son of Holocaust survivor Flora Klein and a father, Feri Witz, who soon abandoned his family, leaving them penniless prior to emigrating to America in search of a better life.

Simmons's mother died in December 2018 in the United States at age 93. She survived living in a ghetto in Budapest and three Nazi concentration camps.

"When I was growing up, my mother hardly ever talked to me about Nazi Germany and the concentration camps because she didn't want to upset me, and I hardly ever asked her about it," Simmons told The Jerusalem Post over a decade ago. "But over the years, I started to learn more about it and about how my entire family was killed and how my mother saw her mother go with her grandmother to the gas chambers."

Even though he hadn't returned to Israel until 2011, Simmons had always been an ardent supporter of the country, including sending a televised message to an IDF soldier (and KISS fan) wounded during the 2006 war with Hezbollah, in which he called the soldier a "hero."

The sister-trio from Monterrey, Mexico, The Warning, have shared pro-shot video of their performance of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" at Pepsi Center WTC in Mexico City, Mexico on October 28, 2023. Check it out below. 





The Warning have announced a string of shows for Mexico in February 2025. Dates are as follows:




February 
6 - Mexico City, Mexico - Auditorio Nacional
11 - Mexico City, Mexico - Auditorio Nacional
13 - Guada

“I never intended to pick up with The Gates Of Slumber ever again in 2014. While I did start the band and wrote most of the first album, it was never intended to be a one man show.” - Karl Simon, 2024


Indiana’s true doom metal legends, The Gates Of Slumber, return with a new album, out on Svart Records in November. The self-titled album is the band’s first full length offering since The Wretch from 2011. First taste from the upcoming sixth album is out today. Listen to the new single, "Embrace The Lie", an ode to the lying news media and political talking heads. Stream the single here, and check out a visualizer below.


The Gates Of Slumber was formed by Karl Simon in 1998. Various people were in and out of the group between 1998 and 2001, when the Blood Encrusted Deth Axe demo was recorded with Jamie Walters of Boulder on drums and Dr. Phibes/Athenar (later to form the cult black metal band Midnight) on bass. In 2003 Jason McCash took over the bass duties and was a long-time member of the band until his untimely demise in 2014, after which Simon decided it was time to call it quits. That was until 2019 when the renowned metal festival Hell Over Hammaburg wanted to bring the band back on stage to perform at the festival’s 2020 edition. Simon reformed the band with its original member Chuck Brown on drums and Steve Janiak on bass and got back to work. “We’d been asked several times to play Hell Over Hammaburg. But there was no “we” to play. The germ of the idea started. We started re-learning songs from the first LP. It wasn’t too long into the rehearsals that we started coming up with new songs,” states Simon.




After a reunion tour was finished, Covid kicked in to slow down the process. Half of the album was already written but the remaining half took its time, and the songs were left to stew in their juices. With bastard heavy songs honoring the doom metal greats Saint Vitus and Penance, straight forward bangers, lyrics inspired by the black death and John Carpenter’s The Fog, The Gates Of Slumber is a truly crushing album and a must listen to any doom metal fanatic.


The Gates Of Slumber is available on Svart exclusive black/white marble vinyl, limited transparent blue vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and digital platforms on November 29. Pre-save the digital edition here, and pre-order the physical edition here.