In a new interview with Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco Bay Area radio station 107.7 The Bone, Kerry King was asked about the rehearsals he and his SLAYER bandmates will hold prior to playing their first reunion concert at the Riot Fest in Chicago, Illinois on September 22. The guitarist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I saw the e-mail today. I think it's six [or] seven days. But full stage rehearsal — everything. 'Cause we haven't played in five years."

Regarding where the rehearsals will take place, Kerry said: "It's a private facility. I don't know much about it. It's in Nowheresville, Pennsylvania, and I'm gonna be fucking stranded for a week. [Laughs] But we'll be burning shit every day [with pyrotechnics], so I'll be excited for a little bit."

When Blakk noted that Kerry wants to make sure that he doesn't miss the pyro cues after all these years, King said: "Yeah. And there'll be different ones. 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."

SLAYER's three festival appearances in September and October will come five years after the completion of what was being billed as the band's final tour.

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 SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom 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."

Drummer Paul Bostaph, who was part of the most recent SLAYER touring lineup and will play alongside King, Araya and guitarist Gary Holt at the upcoming festivals, said he was surprised when the reunion dates were lined up.

"I'm, like, 'You're kidding, right?' I really put that to bed," Bostaph 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 was asked by Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio if he is looking forward to playing with SLAYER again. He responded: "I haven't seen — I've texted Gary off and on and Paul's with me all the time, so I'm looking forward to playing with Holt 'cause we were together, like, 10 years. But me and Phil [Demmel, KERRY KING guitarist] on this run are holding down the fort every bit as well as Gary and I did in SLAYER. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to the largeness of the stage. I'm looking forward to burning everything."

Regarding the fact that SLAYER is playing shows again five years after the completion of the band's final tour, Kerry said: "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 told Metal Injection about the fact that SLAYER's upcoming 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 upcoming 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 upcoming 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."

On the topic of whether he has spoken to Araya since SLAYER's reunion shows were announced, Kerry said: "I'll tell you the truth, 'cause you know that's how I roll. No, we haven't. But you know what's weird about that? It's not weird. [Laughs]"

He continued: "We'll go probably rehearse off and on for a couple weeks [before the first show], 'cause even though me and Paul will be sharp from playing, playing with different people, you've gotta get sharp together."

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."

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

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 upcoming SLAYER 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."

Kerry also explained in more detail why he still has not spoken to Tom since the news of SLAYER's reunion was announced. "It's not like I'm angry with him or anything," King clarified. "We're very different people, and we evolved into business partners at the end of the day. He has very different interests from me, and very different outlooks. Does that make me hate him? No. But I don't need to talk to him every day… We just don't have much in common. When it comes time to rehearse, I'll have no problem showing up. We're professionals, and that's what we do."

The lineup for SLAYER's comeback will be the same as the one which last toured in 2019: Araya and King, along with Holt (also of EXODUS) and Bostaph.

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. Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles last year was producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.

In a new interview with Brazil's Alma Hard, frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow of Canadian metal legends ANVIL was asked what inspired the lyrics for songs like "Truth Is Dying" and "World Of Fools" from the band's latest album, "One And Only". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Frustration with having to deal with stupidity of watching… Watch the news. Just sit back and observe the world, and it frustrates you. So how do you get that frustration out? Write it in a song. [Laughs]

"I don't understand this world in the sense that stuff that's right in front of you, and you're in denial that you're seeing it, hearing it, knowing what the truths are," he added.

Referencing the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks involving the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Lips said: "Everybody watched three buildings in New York City get demolished — perfectly demolished — by airplanes hitting it. But meanwhile, those buildings were built specifically — specifically — to withstand an airplane hitting it. But then you ask your question, how can the top 10 floors take out every floor all the way down to the bottom perfectly? How does that work? When there's no fire down there. The fire's all at the top. Why is the floor and all the support from that building giving out? Because it was detonated by set-off internal explosions all the way down the building, and that's why it fell perfectly. That's a demolition job.

"What does that mean? What does that mean?" he continued. "Well, it means a lot of stuff. And the world is going, 'It's okay. We believe the truth. The truth is two airplanes hit it and it just went down.' Well, no airplane hit the other building over on Building Seven. Why did that collapse? 'Oh, it had a fire.' Okay. Looked like a demo job to me. Completely flattened from a fire? How many fires do you see completely flatten buildings? Usually they're able to extinguish a fire and salvage a lot of things. This, nothing? Right to powder? Yeah, right. You watch an airplane apparently hitting the Pentagon — you can watch it on YouTube — and you're going, how the hell does an airplane fly like three feet off the ground without landing? Well, that's a good question, because it's not an airplane."

Lips went on to discuss the assassination of then U.S.-president John F. Kennedy, who was struck by two bullets — one in the head and one in the neck — while riding in a parade through downtown Dallas in November 1963. He said: "Hey, who killed President Kennedy? How many bullets was he hit with? They said one. You watch the video and you can see it, plain as day, he's been hit twice. What the hell? And no one does anything about it. No one says anything. Nothing changes. And then you've gotta ask yourself the question, even important than anything else: does knowing make any difference? Is the truth gonna even make any difference? No. It won't. It won't. It doesn't. All the false flag, the craziness that this world has been capable of — all along, all kinds of things. And it gives me a wealth of things to write about. So, that's part of what I do. I'm alive and it's my take on what I've seen and observed. That's what I do when I write music. And sometimes it's a way of actually cleansing myself."

Asked who he thinks is behind spreading these supposedly false narratives about what happened on 9/11 and with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Lips said: "That's a good question. I don't think that you can even begin to answer it, because it's only speculation. You can only guess. And even a guess, it doesn't mean anything. Even if they came out and divulged the fact that it was an inside job, well, who exactly inside and what was the motive? We already know what the motive was. What happened as a result of 9/11? The whole world changed. That was the motive. To change the world. And it did. Eventually, everything comes out in the wash, but not everything. Not everything. What they allow or what we even care about. Because I think if we cared more, we'd find out more things, because we'd be demanding it."

Earlier in the month, Kudlow lamented the fact that social media has given everyone the ability to speak their minds with reckless abandon and little consequence. He told Chris Akin Presents: "The worst thing that's caused this is the fact that everybody's got a soapbox to stand on, and all the voices are of equal volume. So the sensible people are at the same volume as the idiots, but not only are the idiots at the same volume, there's more idiots. So then what happens to the truth? It's lost in the stupidity, man. And it's up to you as the individual to somehow discern the difference — wipe the shit off the fucking gold to find the gold. Pardon all my expression, but sometimes it feels like that. You're looking for the information. Like, can all this garbage get out of the way so I can find out the facts?"

Addressing some of the specific conspiracy theories which have emerged on social media in recent years, Lips continued: "What has brought all this on is the craziness of the pandemic, and it comes down to the vaccine or no vaccine, it comes down to the 5G technology and then mixed with nanobots and you put all this shit together and the next thing you know, government has got remote controls on everybody who gets the vaccine because the vaccine's got nanobots in it, which is 'Star Trek' technology. And they can control you, so if you don't comply, they can put you to death just by pressing a button.

"And this was some of the garbage that was being spread around during the pandemic," he added. "You just think about what level of insanity is that. It sounds like a sci-fi novel. Like, come on. People have got too much time to sit around and think of crazy stuff. That's completely nonsense and you're making it up, making it up as you go. I mean, there are people that were saying that it's alien technology or alien disease, that COVID was put here by aliens. You name it. And what the problem is, and what I'm saying is, initially you've got social media where everybody gets a soapbox. Anybody can say anything about any subject, whether they know what they're talking about or not. And they do. [Laughs] And then because they didn't effectively check the facts or even read about what they're talking about, they're just parroting what somebody else parroted. And it's like a broken telephone, and the conspiracy gets even more cloudy and more crazy as it moves along."

ANVIL released its 20th studio album, "One And Only", on June 28 via AFM Records. The effort was recorded in the summer of 2023 with longtime producer Martin "Mattes" Pfeiffer and Jörg Uken at Uken's Soundlodge studios in Germany. The same production team was responsible for ANVIL's last four albums, "Anvil Is Anvil" (2016),"Pounding The Pavement" (2018),"Legal At Last" (2019) and "Impact Is Imminent" (2022).

ANVIL, a Toronto-based group, was formed in 1978 by childhood friends Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner. Both came from Jewish families and had been playing music together since their teens.

Though initially a four-piece band, ANVIL's current lineup includes Kudlow, Reiner and bassist Chris Robertson.

ANVIL gained popularity and new fans since the 2008 theatrical documentary, "Anvil: The Story Of Anvil", which is currently available on Netflix. The film focused on how ANVIL got together, and stayed together, through decades of hard work and setbacks.

In a new interview with Czech Republic's Project Backstage, Max and Igor "Iggor" Cavalera were asked about the decision to revisit SEPULTURA's earliest releases and re-record them under the name CAVALERA while maintaining a similarly named separate project under which they release new music, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY. Igor responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's actually a bit simple, but also it can be a bit confusing if you're just picking up the stuff and you're reading. But the way I look at it, and it makes sense to me, is that CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, me and Max, we write completely new songs, and then with CAVALERA, we are having these re-recordings and then performing them live. So they're not like completely different projects. They're the same project, but maybe just different faces of the same project. And in a way, at the end of the day, it's all Cavalera — from the beginnings of SEPULTURA, it's always been about me and Max. So Cavalera is the soul of the whole thing. And there's a bit of mutations in there, with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY [and] CAVALERA with the re-recordings and the live show. So it can be a bit confusing, but at the end of the day, it's quite simple."

Max added: "It's all from the same root. It comes from the same spirit that we had. And the most important thing, the coolest thing is that the spirit of the original SEPULTURA is here with CAVALERA. I think that is what the fans feel it most. And I think that is the greatest thing we have, is that what they wanted to feel is what we had in the soul and the spirit of the original SEPULTURA. And we're doing that with this — mostly with CAVALERA, because we get to play the SEPULTURA material. CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, we get to do new music, which we'll do in the future as well. We plan to keep rocking for a long time. Nobody has plans for retirement. That don't exist. I don't know what that is. We are rockers — lifers, as they say."

SEPULTURA fell apart in 1996 with the exit of Max after the rest of the Brazilian four-piece split with the vocalist/guitarist's wife Gloria as their manager. Max's brother, drummer Igor stuck around with the group for another ten years before leaving SEPULTURA and re-teaming with Max in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY.

In 2023, Max and Igor revisited their earliest SEPULTURA releases, "Morbid Visions" and "Bestial Devastation", and re-recorded them with bone-breaking intensity. Earlier this year, they entered the final chapter of their early-days trilogy by releasing a re-recorded version of SEPULTURA's "Schizophrenia".

The Cavalera brothers enlisted Travis Stone (PIG DESTROYER) on lead guitars. The full lineup would consist of more Cavalera alumni, as Igor Amadeus Cavalera (GO AHEAD AND DIE, HEALING MAGIC) once more brought his talents on bass to the fold.

CAVALERA's version of "Schizophrenia" was recorded from April 15, 2023 to June 5, 2023 at Focusrite Room in Mesa Arizona. Mixing and mastering was handled by Arthur Rizk (SOULFLY, GO AHEAD AND DIE, TURNSTILE). The original "Schizophrenia" cover artwork was restored in hand-painted watercolors by Eliran Kantor.

Although SEPULTURA has maintained a diehard fanbase in all parts of the world throughout the band's nearly four-decade history, Max-era albums "Roots" and "Chaos A.D." were by far SEPULTURA's most commercially successful, having both been certified gold in the U.S. for sales in excess of five hundred thousand copies.

In December 2023, SEPULTURA announced that it would celebrate its 40th anniversary this year by embarking on a "farewell tour" which will cover the entire globe.

SEPULTURA's current lineup comprises guitarist Andreas Kisser, vocalist Derrick Green, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and touring drummer Greyson Nekrutman, who officially replaced SEPULTURA's longtime drummer Eloy Casagrande in February.

Disorder Recordings presents Pariahs, the new EP from Chicago-based death/extreme metal act Contrition.


Formed following the demise of former act Doomsday, Contrition recorded their debut LP Broken Mortal Coil during the COVID-19 lockdowns, releasing the album in October of 2011. The band sees vocalist Jerome Marshall (Yakuza, Cobalt-live), guitarist/synth player Jeff Wilson (Chrome Waves, Deeper Graves, ex-Nachtmystium), bassist Jon Woodring (Bones, ex-Usurper), and drummer Garry Naples (Trouble, Novembers Doom, Wolvhammer) creating a monstrous onslaught auditory hostility where ‘90s death metal takes on the streetwise demeanor of a back-alley stabbing.


With three damaging new songs, Pariahs was recorded by Chris Lee Smith and Contrition, mixed and mastered by Jeff Wilson, completed with cover art by Andre Trindade, and features a guest solo on "Trauma Queen" by Sammy Duet (Goatwhore).




Jeff Wilson reveals, "Some things just don't work out as planned. We've been sitting on these songs for well over a year now. If it wasn't my hand injury, it was someone's other band touring, or another guy's work schedule, or another one of our projects in the studio. The delays were endless, and a full album just never came to fruition... That being said, the three songs we ended up with this time around are potent, they're abrasive, they're downright nasty; and that's just the way we like them."


Opening murder anthem “Not Today” is streaming below.


Pariahs wi

Dreamless Veil, featuring members of Inter Arma, Artificial Brain, and Psycroptic, will release their debut full-length, Every Limb Of The Flood, on September 20 via Relapse Records.


Today, the trio shares the album’s second single, “Saturnism”. Stream the single here, and listen below:







Pre-order Every Limb Of The Flood on LP/CD/Digital via Relapse.com here.


Dreamless Veil Is an extreme metal band composed of Artificial Brain guitarist Dan Garguilo, Inter Arma / Artificial Brain vocalist Mike Paparo and Psycroptic drummer Dave Haley.


The band's debut, Every Limb Of The Flood, is a blackened concept album that follows the travails of Grief, a character who awakens from extended debauchery and begins the slow and torturous process of trying to disappear completely.


Through tracks such as "A Generation of Eyes", "Saturnism", and "Cyanide Mine" Vocalist Mike Paparo and co. task the listener to consider what it would be like for an individual to fully disappear. Dreamless Veil delves into this murk through eight tracks - dramatic swells, melodic crescendos, and abrasive blast-beat poundings make way to more introspective moments ultimately resulting in pure horror.


Paparo explores the concept of corporeal disintegration with pained shrieks and disembodied bellows, resulting in one of the most unchained performances of his storied career. Lyrics for the record show, but don't tell. Dreamless Veil's concept alludes to misery leading to grotesquery - the opener "Dim Golden Rave" throws the listener into an ambiguous time and place: "Grief, spiritless, collapses against the filth-ridden street". The second track, "A Generation of Eyes" follows this narrative by invoking Neil Young, quoting him to the extent of "rust never sleeps." What ensues is a grief so powerful it decomposes from within. The end result manifests in the album closer "Dreamless" - the body is now fully discarded, hinting at a possible enlightenment through a horrible, gruesome process.


Sonically, Every Limb Of The Flood is a caustic, corrosive journey. Critically acclaimed drummer David Haley flexes some of his most creative drum work to date, dragging the listener through wild tempo changes, breakneck speeds that come to sudden halts, while guitarist Dan Gargiulo (Artificial Brain) interweaves disorienting guitar madness.  


Recorded by Brett Bamberger (Revocation) Every Limb Of The Flood was mixed by Gargiulo and mastered by Colin Marston (Gorguts, Krallice, and more.)





Every Limb Of The Flood tracklisting:


"Dim Golden Rave"
"A Generation Of Eyes"
"Saturnism"
"The Stirring Of Flies"
"Cyanide Mine"
"Every Limb Of The Flood"
"Glossolalia"
"Dreamless"


"A Generation Of Eyes":





Dreamless Veil Is:


Dan Gargiulo - Guitars, Bass, Synth and Vocals
Dave Haley - Drums
Mike Paparo - Vocals


(Photos by Julie Ferguson and Robert Brens)







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Featured Video

New KINGDOM COME vocalist Ezekiel "Zeke" Kaplan spoke to Big Talk Nation about how he landed the gig in the long-running rock band. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In December, around Christmas of last year, I was reached out to by somebody I know who happens to know a couple of the KINGDOM COME guys. And I guess they were looking for a new vocalist and he knew that I sang and he thought that I was a great fit. So he reached out to me. And then kind of on the spot the next day, he scheduled an impromptu audition with the manager and the members of KINGDOM COME. And I kind of had to learn 'Get It On' on the spot. And we jammed, we did a few tunes, and then shortly after that, I was reached out to, and they were, like, "Hey, there's all these songs that we want you to learn. And we think that you're our guy.' And it just kind of went from there. My first show with them was in March of this year."

Kaplan went on to say that he was "familiar" with KINGDOM COME "from a working at record stores for a long time. I remember filing their records and really cool font on the cover of the LP," he explained. "And I knew that those first two records were classics. I had heard the singles. I wasn't familiar with the whole albums. So I really acquainted myself with all the music within those weeks that I was prepping for these shows, and I learned that it's really, really cool, original classic rock-sounding stuff at a time when everyone was really cheesy, and they were kind of just very blues-oriented. And I really dug it, and it really it matched my voice a lot. I grew up singing a lot of classic rock, a lot of Roger Daltrey [THE WHO] and Robert Plant [LED ZEPPELIN] and all of that stuff. So I was able to hit those notes that are insanely difficult, honestly. [Original KINGDOM COME singer] Lenny Wolf is probably the most difficult vocalist I've ever had to sing. His range goes way beyond Plant, honestly. But — I don't know. I think I'm doing an okay job."

The new lineup of KINGDOM COME — featuring original guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier, and bassist Johnny B. Frank, along with the band's latest additions, Kaplan and drummer Matt Muckle — played its first two shows on March 15 at The Lamp Theater in Irwin, Pennsylvania and on March 16 at The Mercury Music Lounge in Lakewood, Ohio.

Regarding the response from KINGDOM COME fans to his first two gigs with the band, Kaplan said: "I have had really, really great feedback. I'm very happy with the feedback. There's been a lot of YouTube videos on the return of KINGDOM COME. And I've been reached out to a lot saying that this is the best that the band has sounded since the olden days with Lenny. So, certainly, it's a good ego boost. [Laughs] I'm very proud of what we have accomplished and how we sound after only a number of months of rehearsals and kind of really quickly getting the ball rolling."

Zeke added that KINGDOM COME has been working on new music, with tentative plans to premiere it when the band returns to the road later this month.

"So we pretty quickly went into the studio," he said. "There's some songs that Danny Stag and J.B. Frank wrote back in the day that they were planning on making KINGDOM COME material and it just didn't come to fruition. And we went back to the studio and worked on that stuff, kind of reworked it for a more modern sound, and I laid down the vocals for some of those tracks just very recently. And we're very excited to actually premiere them hopefully [in September] — that's the plan — at a show that we have planned."

Upcoming KINGDOM COME shows:

Sep. 18 - Buffalo, NY @ Iron Works
Sep. 19 - Columbus, OH @ Skully's
Sep. 21 - Belle Vernon, PA @ Vinoski Winery

In a February 2024 interview with "The Pennsylvania Rock Show", Muckle stated about KINGDOM COME's current formation: "We started rehearsing back in August in search of a new frontman. And we auditioned a bunch of guys and we found some great singers and maybe some that weren't so great. So we've been working a little bit to get this up and going, and so we found a new guy. He's amazing. His name is Zeke Kaplan, and he's from L.A. A 29-year-old kid, man. He's like [ex-MÖTLEY CRÜE singer] John Corabi on 'Hooligan's Holiday' meets [CINDERELLA's] Tom Keifer and he plays rhythm guitar. He's just an animal. And no one will ever replace Lenny, 'cause he was the best singer, to me, as a kid. When I had KINGDOM COME posters on my walls, I just knew he was special, man. I knew that dude was no joke. I think he's one of the best rock singers that ever walked on stage, in my opinion. But this new dude is killing it. We're super excited. And, yeah, we're ready to go play some shows do some touring."

In February, singer Keith St John announced his departure from KINGDOM COME after a five-year run with the band.

St John joined KINGDOM COME in 2018 after Wolf opted not to be involved in the group's reunion alongside drummer James Kottak, Stag, Steier and Frank.

St John's exit from KINGDOM COME came just a month after Kottak died at the age of 61.

Earlier in February, Stag, Steier and Frank launched a new web site at kingdomcomerockband.com where they revealed that they would carry on under the KINGDOM COME banner with the addition of Kaplan and Muckle.

Regarding the split with St John, KINGDOM COME wrote: "KINGDOM COME has decided to part ways with vocalist Keith St John in order to allow him to devote more time to BURNING RAIN, 'Raiding The Rock Vault', and his solo projects. We sincerely wish him only the best, and thank him for his invaluable contributions to getting KINGDOM COME back up and running again in 2018."

Kottak, who was open about his battle with alcoholism, died on January 9. No cause of death has been given.

KINGDOM COME had used a different drummer, SLAUGHTER's Blas Elias, instead of James for most of the band's shows in the last year and a half due to Kottak's deteriorating health.

KINGDOM COME's most recent touring lineup consisted of St John and Elias alongside Stag, Steier and Frank.

Kottak's daughter Tobi told TMZ her father passed away in Louisville, where he lived until 1987, although further details about the exact circumstances weren't immediately available.

In addition to SCORPIONS and KINGDOM COME, Kottak had toured with such bands as WARRANT and even DIO for a short run. James was also involved in various other projects, including the 1990s band KRUNK in which he sang lead vocals and played guitar.

Kottak was married to Athena Lee, the sister of MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee, from 1996 to 2010.

CASANDRA'S CROSSING, the new musical alliance between guitar legend George Lynch and powerhouse singer Casandra Carson, has released its second single, "Impatient". The track is taken from CASANDRA'S CROSSING's debut album, "Garden Of Earthly Delights", which will arrive on October 25 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Casandra comments on "Impatient": "'Impatient' was one of those songs that kind of wrote itself when it came to the lyrics and the melodies. I would let the music play and just sing along in the moment to see what would come out, and I found myself singing about the hardships of being in a long-distance relationship. Wishing that person was there to celebrate the good times, help you through the bad times, and holding off on experiences so you can enjoy them together once they're back, all require an insane amount of patience, and it's really difficult to sustain sometimes. If anyone in a long-distance relationship hears this song, I just hope they know that they're not alone."

The musical chemistry between these two talented artists has created a magnificent modern hard rock album that showcases Lynch's trademark riffage driven by the outstanding voice of Casandra Carson, who is set to be the next rock singing sensation.

About "Garden Of Earthly Delights", Casandra adds: "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever meet, let alone collaborate with such a legend as George Lynch! It was an absolute honor and pleasure to work with him on this record. George's tracks were so cool and inspiring, it was probably some of the most fun I've ever had writing lyrics and melodies. I truly couldn't be more proud of this album, and I'm so excited to finally share it with the rest of the world."

Lynch emerged from the 1980s hard rock scene with the Los Angeles-based group DOKKEN and went on to become a world-renowned guitarist. Aside from DOKKEN, he has also enjoyed great success with LYNCH MOB, the group he founded after leaving DOKKEN.

Lynch has gone on to become a prolific music creator, continuing with LYNCH MOB, releasing solo albums, and a wealth of collaborative efforts over the decades. Those include but are not limited to, KXM with Doug Pinnick (KING'S X) and Ray Luzier (KORN),THE END MACHINE with Jeff Pilson (FOREIGNER, ex-DOKKEN),Mick Brown (ex-DOKKEN) and Girish Pradhan (GIRISH & THE CHRONICLES),SWEET & LYNCH with Michael Sweet (STRYPER),ULTRAPHONIX with Corey Glover (LIVING COLOUR),and THE BANISHMENT with Joe Haze.

Carson is best known for her work fronting the Midwestern hard rock band PARALANDRA. Founded in 2013 with a strong DIY ethic, PARALANDRA found themselves on radio charts and festival stages in no time and by 2018 had a record deal, national tours supporting the likes of SALIVA, TANTRIC and DOKKEN, and even found themselves performing aboard the Kiss Kruise. The band remains active and their most recent studio album, produced by the legendary Michael "Elvis" Beskette, came out in April of this year.

"Garden Of Earthly Delights" track listing:

01. Stranger
02. Impatient
03. Closer To Heaven
04. Ring Me Around
05. Devastatiing Times
06. Waltzing Nites
07. Just Business
08. Mind Eraser
09. Run For Your Life
10. Wicked Woman
11. Kneel Before You

When the song "Stranger" was first released in August, Carson said: "'Stranger' was a really fun one to write to. I always wanted the lyrics to match the vibe of the music, and every time I listened to George's demo, I got 'War Of The Worlds' / alien-invasion vibes. I was second-guessing myself and thought it might be kind of dumb to write a song about that, so I asked my boyfriend his opinion, and he simply said, 'Why not? Show me your ideas so far.' He actually liked what little I had, and proceeded to help me write the rest of the song that night! Little did we know, it would end up being the first single. So thank you, Jaron Gulino!"

The remixed and remastered version of JUDAS PRIEST's classic debut album, 1974's "Rocka Rolla", will be released digitally in the U.S. and Canada on September 14. The CD and vinyl versions of "Rocka Rolla - 50th Anniversary: Remixed And Remastered 1974 - 2024" will arrive on November 22.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo courtesy of Chipster PR & Consulting, Inc.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, the hard rock powerhouse founded by guitar icon Zakk Wylde, has unleashed a brand-new single titled "The Gallows" via MNRK Heavy (formerly eOne Music). The track showcases the band's signature blend of bone-crushing riffs, soulful melodies, and a relentless energy that fans have come to expect. "The Gallows" is available across all major streaming platforms.

Wylde, renowned for his exceptional guitar prowess and commanding stage presence, continues to make a lasting impact with this latest release. "The Gallows" captures the dark, brooding essence of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's catalog while infusing it with a renewed intensity that reflects the band's evolution. "The Gallows" embodies the core of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY — raw power, emotional depth, and a commitment to pure, unfiltered hard rock and roll.

Wylde comments: "Berzerkers!!! Here's a new BLACK LABEL song called 'The Gallows'.

"What do you call a fake noodle??? An impasta!!!

"See You ALL at the Berzerkus on Saturday September 14th at Poconos Park, PA!!!"

"The Gallows" exemplifies what BLACK LABEL SOCIETY fans should expect, blistering guitar solos and lyrics that will spark the heart and soul of the heavy metal community.

This past April, Wylde confirmed to Scott Davidson of Chicago's Rebel Radio 92.5 FM that he and his BLACK LABEL SOCIETY bandmates were working on the group's next album. BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's twelfth studio LP will be the follow-up to "Doom Crew Inc.", which came out in November 2021 via MNRK Heavy.

Regarding where BLACK LABEL SOCIETY was in the recording process as of five months ago, Zakk said: "Actually, when I get done talking to you, I'm going to [my studio] Black Vatican. I'm tracking some more stuff today right now. So during the times I'm home, I'll be doing some recording and stuff like that for the next album. I've gotta pick my spot for when I'm home. Then [I] can do some recording, and then, before you know it, we're back out on the road again."

In a separate chat with Metal Mayhem ROC, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY drummer Jeff Fabb stated about the band's next album: "I don't know exactly when it's gonna be released, but I heard some time in the new year. So I would assume that we're gonna tour it. So we're working on it right now. Actually. I'm about to go to [Zakk's] house in the next few days and finish up a few more songs that he wrote. And then, yeah, that's pretty much it. We've got that show in September and then I would assume that we're gonna hit the road at some point."

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY will headline Zakk's inaugural music festival, Berzerkus, on September 14, 2024 at Poconos Park in Bushkill, Pennsylvania. Berzerkus will be co-headlined by outlaw country music's Cody Jinks. Also scheduled to appear are CLUTCH, RIVAL SONS, BLACK STONE CHERRY, ZOSO (the ultimate LED ZEPPELIN experience),THE ATOMIC PUNKS (a tribute to early VAN HALEN) and THE IRON MAIDENS (the world's only all-female tribute to IRON MAIDEN).

Three years ago, Wylde told the Morristown, New Jersey radio station 105.5 WDHA about the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY songwriting process: "The way it always goes, it's always the music first and then a melody. And then I've gotta find out something I wanna sing about. So then I'll write the lyrics. That's usually always the way it goes. And then, when it's all done, then the solos go on it. The painting's all done, and the solo is the frame that goes on the thing. So you can sit back and look at the whole thing. That's the way we pretty much always do it… I would just have a cup of coffee and just start writing riffs. You always get inspired by — for me, it's always Mount Riffmore, which is CREAM, MOUNTAIN, [LED] ZEPPELIN, [BLACK] SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE… If you're not getting inspired by the riffs those guys have created, it's just like… So I'll just go fishing and just start writing till you get to something you like."

Wylde formed BLACK LABEL SOCIETY in 1998 and has kept the band busy in between touring and recording with Ozzy Osbourne, whose backing group he first joined more than three and a half decades ago.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's "Order Of The Black" (2010) and "Catacombs Of The Black Vatican" (2014) both broke into the top five on the hard rock album charts.

Since first joining Ozzy, Zakk has played on all of the BLACK SABBATH singer's solo albums except for 2020's "Ordinary Man", including such classic efforts as "No More Tears" (1991),"Ozzmosis" (1995) and "Black Rain" (2007).

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is:

Zakk Wylde - vocals, guitar, piano
John "JD" DeServio - bass
Jeff Fabb - drums
Dario Lorina - guitar

Photo credit: Jen Rosenstein

Peaceville Records has announced a limited corona vinyl edition of the Darkthrone classic Transilvanian Hunger to celebrate the album’s 30th anniversary. 


Famously written and recorded over a period of just two weeks, Transilvanian Hunger features primitive guitar riffs over a monotonous drum beat creating a feel of hypnotic starkness bringing to mind the rawness of early Bathory. 


Originally released in 1994, during what is often deemed to be the peak of the "Second Wave" of Black Metal, over the years the album has become representative of the definitive ‘90s Norwegian black metal sound and style, often copied but never bettered, and also contains lyrics by Varg Vikernes on half of the tracks. 

From Brush & Stone is a studio album by guitarist Gordon Giltrap and keyboardist Rick Wakeman. The album is the first opportunity to record together for Gordon Giltrap and Rick Wakeman. Both are longtime friends who have been on separate musical paths for forty years.


“Having known Gordon for more years than we both care to remember and having great admiration for both his musical and technical ability plus his unique style of composing, it was a no-brainer for us to produce this album together. Logically, I played exactly what I felt was needed on Gordon’s compositions and he played exactly what he felt was needed on mine - another no-brainer. It’s one of those albums where every time you listen to it you discover something new in the music. Each track evokes a different emotion for the listener which indeed it did for Gordon and myself when we recorded the tracks. An album I think we can be rightly proud of.” - Rick Wakeman


“In 1963 at age 15 I was forced to leave school by my well-meaning father, suggesting that I learn a trade thus abandoning any hope I had of going to art college. Since becoming a writer of tunes I think subconsciously I have been using music as my creative canvas. I have always found that paintings have been a great source of inspiration culminating in 1976 with the William Blake inspired Visionary album and then in 1981 with Peacock Party followed by the Pre-Raphaelite inspired Brotherhood Suite. When the opportunity came along to make an album with my old friend and towering keyboard genius Rick Wakeman I put forward my Brotherhood Suite as a concept and starting point. Rick responded very positively and came back with his idea of classical sculpture as an inspiration. This he did superbly. I was given the luxury of time to work on his compositions, about 6 months in fact, and I hope I did justice to his creations. It was and continues to be an honour to have worked with one of the great Godfathers of progressive rock.” - Gordon Giltrap




Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


Side One
"The Savannah Bird"
"Caesar Augustus"
"The Kiss"
"Hermes"


Side Two
"The Thinker"
"David"
"The Discus Thrower"
"The Last of England Spring"


Side Three
"The Death of Chatterton"

Aries Descendant - an electrifying collaboration forged by the musical synergy of two virtuoso studio musicians, Jonah Weingarten and Nicklas Sonne - proudly announce the release of their debut album, From The Ashes Of Deceit, out on October 18 via Frontiers Music Srl.


A video for the new single, "Aflame The Cold" can be viewed below. Jonah Weingarten describes the new song: “Aflame the Cold” is our second single and music video and the first song we ever wrote together for Aries Descendant. This song means so much to both of us as it became the beginning of what we were to become. It personifies our sound with its hard hitting and epic orchestration, dynamic and soaring vocals, and shredding guitars.







“From The Ashes Of Deceit” is our grand statement. This album has come from a great friendship that has been formed between us as well as combined decades of experience in the music industry. Aries Descendant is all about overcoming personal struggles and turning those things into art. We are so excited to share our vision with all of you!,” continues Jonah.


Jonah Weingarten started his career with highly acclaimed international progressive metal band Pyramaze. Over the years, he has collaborated with artists such as Dave Ellefson (Megadeth), James Murphy (Testament, Death), Matt Barlow (Iced Earth), Bill Hudson (Trans-Siberian Orchestra, NorthTale), and Grammy nominated producer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe).


Jonah has been a full time member of Pyramaze since 2002, and in 2020 joined international cinematic symphonic metal band Catalyst Crime (Massacre Records). On top of all his work in the metal/rock worlds, Jonah is also an accomplished composer of independent films, video game soundtracks, sports team anthems, and epic trailer music.


Nicklas Sonne began his musical experience as a drummer before moving onto the guitar and ultimately becoming a singer songwriter in an array of metal and hard rock projects, starting with Defecto – created in 2010 along with Frederik Møller. Other bands include Evil Masquerade, Theory, Hank Shermann, One Machine, Waving Memories, Section A, Metallica Jam, Wasted, Omvendt Korstog and now his own self-titled project too. His long career has included international tours in places such as Japan, and opening for Metal heavyweights including Metallica and Rammstein.


United by a common vision, Jonah and Nicklas decided to embark on a groundbreaking musical journey, giving birth to the phenomenon that is Aries Descendant. This dynamic duo seamlessly fuses the evocative allure of film music with the raw power of heavy metal, creating an auditory experience that is nothing short of extraordinary.


Within the realm of Aries Descendant, audiences can anticipate colossal symphonic arrangements, adorned with grand yet gritty vocal melodies, and propelled by an unyielding rhythm section. While the combination of symphony and metal is not unprecedented, Aries Descendant elevates this fusion to uncharted heights, delivering a sonic tapestry that is unparalleled in its innovation.


Step into the world of Aries Descendant, where musical boundaries are shattered, and the convergence of genres takes on a new and awe-inspiring form. Brace yourself for an auditory odyssey that transcends expectations and leaves an indelible mark on the landscape of contemporary music.

In a new interview with Bill Hartel and Marcos De La Cruz of the Drum Syndicate Podcast, legendary drummer Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, LAST IN LINE) was asked if he wears ear protection while playing. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wear little swimming plugs that cut out the top end, and that's it. And my hearing sucks. The TVs in this house are all closed captioned. And I'm always asking my beautiful girlfriend Leslie, 'What? What did he say?' So, yeah, my hearing is terrible."

Asked how far back in his career he started wearing the earplugs, Vinny said: "I wore 'em — probably first started with SABBATH, 'cause it was so loud. We played with monitors, the first SABBATH tour, 'Mob Rules'. There were fucking refrigerator-sized cabinets, two of 'em, behind me, just cranked. But you can't play that stuff through in-ears. It's BLACK SABBATH and [Ronnie James] Dio, and you've gotta feel the power. Unfortunately, it takes a toll on your ears.

"It's funny. I don't hear great — like on the TV, if they're talking, I'm better off with the closed captions, or in a room with a lot of noise, forget it," he explained. "It's hard to hear anything. But I can hear bad tuning, wrong notes, wrong key, wrong movements, whatever, timing and music while we're on stage. I'll be playing, it's loud. 'What the fuck? That's the wrong note.' And somebody's hitting the wrong note and stuff like that. I could hear that, like, perfect. But everything else is screwed up."

Vinny has recorded and co-written songs on several dozen albums and CDs, including many multi-platinum records. Vinny's drumming can also be heard on numerous movie soundtracks, including "Wayne's World 2", "Heavy Metal", "Iron Eagle" and "Bedazzled". Vinny, the author of drum instruction book "Rock Steady" and DVD "Hard Rock Drumming Techniques", has performed incredible powerhouse drum clinics around the globe. Numerous books have been written about BLACK SABBATH and DIO with the authors always mentioned Vinny's drumming style.

Vinny's unique drumming approach has influenced many artists over the last few decades. Never one to rest on his laurels, he is constantly putting out new music and is currently recording and touring with LAST IN LINE.

Vinny currently endorses Sawtooth drums, Evans drumheads, Istanbul Mehmet cymbals and Chromacast drumsticks.

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF 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 currently writing whatever the next record is gonna be. I'd say we're roughly halfway through. I've recorded, I think, six [or] seven songs for it. I know there's active writing going on right now. I think Brent [Smith, SHINEDOWN singer] actually might be up in Charleston [South Carolina] right now [at bassist/producer Eric Bass's studio]. I can't keep track of him. He's always bouncing around from hotel room to hotel room. But we're actively writing. I expect to, and the plan is to release some music this year, some new music this year, and then [full] record probably early spring of next year or springtime of next year and start touring March of next year. I mean, we're not slowing down."

Barry continued: "I think with the awesome success of [the] ['A'] Symptom [Of Being Human]' [single] and how broad that new audience got, it would be a shame to go away and not let them experience a live show. I personally think with SHINEDOWN, yes, I'm very proud of our records and I think our records are great, but you don't really become a superfan until you see us live and get that whole vibe and really see it. 'Cause Brent's so good at interacting with the crowd and bringing them into the show, you go to the concert going, 'I really wanna hear that 'Symptom' song. And then you go, 'Oh, they're that band. This is fun.' And then they're hooked."

Asked if he usually works out his drum parts to demo versions of the SHINEDOWN songs, Barry said: "For me, a lot of times, Eric 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

Melvin Zoopers has uploaded video of Mike Tramp's entire September 6 performance at the Rocktember Music Festival at the Grand Casino Amphitheater in Hinckley, Minnesota. Check out the footage below.

In a recent interview with The Rock N' Roll & Coffee Show, Tramp was asked what his former WHITE LION bandmate, guitarist Vito Bratta, thinks about Mike releasing two albums of reimagined WHITE LION songs with a lineup that includes guitarist Marcus Nand. Tramp said: "I can't sit here and completely honestly confirm what Vito thinks. He did give Marcus his blessing and so on. I have a feeling that it might awaken a few wounds. I mean, there are times when I sit and watch a JOURNEY [video] with Arnel Pineda singing, and I close my eyes and go, '[Steve] Perry's back.' And I think, man, how does Steve Perry feel? Probably one of the greatest voices next to Freddie Mercury. How does he feel? Has it really, really ever been completely confirmed that that's where he wanted to be, that's what he wanted to happen?

"You almost feel like my woman went away with the pool boy," Mike continued. " It's, like, 'Well when he can do it, we'll bring someone in who can do it and he's gonna be 100 percent.' And there will be people in the 25th row that [do] not know it's Steve Perry up there, I'll guarantee you.

"I haven't really gotten the chance to really say this in any interviews, and that is that when I turned to Vito three days before we were playing the final [WHITE LION] show on the first tour with the new rhythm section, and something had happened, and we were backstage waiting for the power to come back, I turned to Vito and go, 'When we play Boston the day after tomorrow, it's the final show. I'm done.' And Vito, with the classic Vito look, just goes to me. 'Okay.' Just like that. The day after the show, I fly back to Los Angeles, he flies to New York and stuff like that. And I've said this many times, but I don't think people listen. There [was] not one person in the big WHITE LION machine — record company, managers, publishers, merchandisers, road crew and Vito — who said, 'Let's just give Mike a couple of days to fucking calm down. And then we'll say, 'Okay, how about a break right now? And let's regroup and see where we're going with the next…' And up until today, and up until also tomorrow, not one single time in even in between the lines, in a hidden way or a sign in the sky has Vito ever come out with even anything that just smelled like, 'I would like to do something with Mike.' Not necessarily a WHITE LION reunion."

Tramp added: "If Vito had called me and [said], 'Let's do what Robert Plant and Jimmy Page did.' They knew they weren't gonna put LED ZEPPELIN back together because they felt John Bonham was [impossible to replace]. 'Let's do an album together. We're not gonna go out touring. Let's do something, let's see how strong our songwriting is.' Not a single word, but I have had to defend every time I brought WHITE LION back in one way or another — either with lawsuits, that I came too close to, 'Oh, you're calling it…' and stuff like that, all those things. And every time, after the smoke clears, I call Vito and he tells me 'you're my friend' and stuff, and we talk and we don't fucking get any further than just the weather today. But I still have to defend. And Vito has not done the courtesy, both to me and the fans… And as I say that, I consider Vito my friend, and I would do almost anything for him. He has not gone out and told the fucking world that 'I'm not coming back on stage. I'm not recording anything else. There will not be a reunion.' Instead, there's this old interview [that Vito gave to] Eddie Trunk. Eddie was part of WHITE LION at the beginning, so him and Vito and I have always been very, very, very close. And Vito is up there talking to Eddie — it's almost probably even 10 years ago — [and saying] 'Oh, well, the door's not closed.' Door's not closed? But it leaves me being sort of the bad guy, but I'm not gonna feel like the bad guy. I'm just going out there. I've been the only person keeping WHITE LION alive since WHITE LION broke up. One way or another, you can't do an interview or anything with me without WHITE LION being mentioned."

Tramp released "Songs Of White Lion - Vol. II" on August 23 via Frontiers Music Srl.

MIKE TRAMP'S WHITE LION, the band fronted by the former WHITE LION singer, is touring the U.S. tour this summer.

Last year, Tramp was asked in an interview about the possibility of WHITE LION reforming for a tour. He said: "When we broke up in '91, we always knew we would never go back together. And a lot of people always talk about reunions. WHITE LION reuniting would not be a better WHITE LION than WHITE LION was, so I'm out there performing the songs, not trying to recreate WHITE LION."

Asked if he has ever thought of calling his solo band WHITE LION and touring with new members, Mike replied: "I can't call it WHITE LION." Pressed about whether he would call his band WHITE LION if he could, Mike said: "I tried, and it cost me money. [Laughs] I think that the audience now is understanding that I'm just keeping the songs alive, and I'm able to perform it in a different way. I'm able to show the image that I'm not coming out there and doing a show but I'm gonna take them through like a greatest hits. I like to tell stories about what the songs are. You can't always do that on a festival when you have one hour, but that is my goal, that I will keep the songs alive. And I think that all the fans and the music fans know who Mike Tramp is and it doesn't need to be called WHITE LION. But it's called 'Songs Of White Lion'."

Back in 2019, Tramp revealed in an interview that he had apologized to Bratta for trying to resurrect his former band without his onetime songwriting partner and bandmate.

The Danish-born singer hasn't played with Bratta since WHITE LION performed its last concert in Boston in September 1991.

In the 33 years since WHITE LION broke up, Bratta's public profile has been virtually nonexistent, while Tramp has remained active, recording and touring as a solo artist and with the bands FREAK OF NATURE, THE ROCK 'N' ROLL CIRCUZ and, more recently, BAND OF BROTHERS. Tramp also attempted to revive WHITE LION with the 2008 album "Return Of The Pride", featuring new members. Two years later, Tramp ceded ownership of the name WHITE LION to Bratta in an out-of-court settlement.

Speaking to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation", Tramp said that he and Vito are once again on speaking terms following his ill-fated attempt to bring back WHITE LION a decade and a half ago.

"I have, over the past couple of years, been the one out there basically both admitting and apologizing that the only thing that I never planned to do in my career and wanted to do was go back and rehash a version of WHITE LION that had nothing to do with WHITE LION, nothing to do with the guys that played in the band," Mike said. "Mike Tramp's heart was not in it. It was just a moment of weakness, not believing enough in my solo albums. [You listen to] some guys saying, 'Hey, if you put a new WHITE LION together, you can play festivals and get much more money.' And then you fall for that and you engage in it and you go out there, and then you realize it's not what you wanna do. And then, of course, Vito did not want the name WHITE LION to be used without him being in the band. And it actually took a couple of years for me to really understand how much it meant to Vito. And when Vito one day told me in one of these conversations… First of all, he told me, 'Mike, I'm not against you. I just don't wanna turn YouTube on and see the title 'WHITE LION live in so and so,' and somebody doing 'When The Children Cry' solo and it's not me. WHITE LION was you and me, it was our band, we wrote the songs. That is the memories I want for the rest of my life.' And when he told me that, I had tears in my eyes and I totally understood it, because I had also gotten to that point that when we closed WHITE LION, we felt that this is where we wanted to stop it. There was something, going into the '90s, that didn't agree with the things we were looking at, and we wanted to somehow end it on a higher level than something that would not represent us in the future. But it just took many years to really understand it."

Asked if he understands why Vito doesn't want to play music professionally anymore, Mike said: "Yes, I do, because there are actually times when I also don't feel like doing it anymore. When all the magic around us, the stuff that made us fall in love with rock and roll — first of all, our heroes, then the industry, then the touring stuff — when all of that was really exposed that it was a two-faced kind of thing, that the people we thought loved us — and I'm not talking about the fans; I'm talking about the people that made money from us, and stuff like that — turned their back on us and stabbed us in the back, it really ripped us apart. And maybe it's just that I came from a different background than Vito, that I maybe was a little bit stronger or just of a different nature that I just fought back, but Vito just said, 'I just don't wanna deal with this.' And I understand now — I understand it from every conversation that I have with him."

Tramp also once again closed the door on a possible WHITE LION reunion, saying: "I can't be Mike Tramp 1988. I can't sing like that, and I'm not going up on stage and doing a half-assed job, which most of the bands out there are doing."

Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, WHITE LION released its debut album, "Fight To Survive", in 1985. The band had its breakthrough with the double-platinum-selling "Pride" album, which produced two Top 10 hits: "Wait" and "When The Children Cry". The band continued its success with the third album, "Big Game", which achieved gold status.

By the time WHITE LION released its final album, 1991's "Mane Attraction", alternative rock was in the ascendancy, leading to a swift decline of the so-called "hair metal" scene in terms of sales, popularity, radio play, and most importantly, relevance.

Mike released "Songs Of White Lion", in April 2023 via Frontiers Music Srl.

In a new interview with "The Morning After With Nic & Big J" on the 100.3 The X Rocks radio station, HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2022's "Back From The Dead" album. Lzzy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We'll be getting everything, like final wrap-ups are in the beginning of December. And so we'll be wrapping that up and then literally — we'll probably be pushing something out a little sooner than that, hopefully. But all best-laid plans, as you know. So I'm really excited. I'm ready for it to be done."

She continued: "It's been a really crazy whirlwind making it. We ended up going in with Dave Cobb, the producer. And it's something completely different than what we've ever had. We literally rolled in with all of our baggage, all of our songs, our riffs, the whole thing, and he's, like, 'No, we're not gonna do any of that. We're just gonna start.' And I'm, like, 'What? There's no plan? What's happening.' And it's kind of beautiful 'cause all of us are very ADHD, and we're locked together in this house in Savannah, Georgia, which, if you've ever been to Savannah, Georgia, there's no scene. It's a spooky historic town with a lot of Spanish moss. And we're locked — literally I'm saying locked, because we locked the doors — we're locked in this house full of every piece of equipment you could ever need. It's all set up. The board is there — everything — and we're all unsupervised. Which I can't tell you the last time that has happened making an album — probably since the first record, [when] we were all living in an apartment together. So, all of our inner children are screaming and we're all just getting into the sandbox and playing, 'Hey, I brought some LEGOs. You brought a rocket. Let's see if we can get it to space.' And so all of this stuff has really been coming together in such a weird and organic way, to the point that it's very much peeling back the onion of what is HALESTORM.

"My brother [HALESTORM drummer Arejay Hale] and I have had many moments while making this record where we look at each other and we're, like, 'This reminds me of when we were 14.' It's just wild," Lzzy added. "So, I'm very excited for everyone to hear it and I'm excited for it to be done. And so hopefully we wrap it up in December and get get it the hell out — out of my house. [Laughs]"

Elaborating on the songwriting process this time around and how it was different to some of HALESTORM's previous records, Lzzy said: "I think that the big lesson in the front of the race here that has been answered is that usually the weirdest ideas are the best. And sometimes it's the things that you don't think are very good that everyone collectively is, like, 'No, that's actually great.' And I think that that's been the beautiful thing is that the four of us, even though… I mean, my brother's 37 — he's the young gun, but we're all in our early forties — and we've been doing this a long time together. And so to have that kind of reconnection to who you are as people and as friends and really having that kind of come out in the music and it not be this kind of assembly line, like, 'Okay, Lzzy wrote 12 songs. We all really like 'em. Let's record 'em.' Or, 'Hey, we have this collection. And we have a month to be in the studio. Let's just go and bang it out.' We've really kind of taken the time to really let the music tell us what to do and honestly let our weird brains tell us what to do, because we're all terrible adults [laughs], and I think that we were never meant to be. So it's been nice to just kind of have the freedom to do whatever the hell we want and then worry about the consequences later. [Laughs]"

This past July, Arejay was asked by The VORTX Podcast with host Ethan Jackson about HALESTORM's decision to work with Cobb this time around. Arejay said: "It's always good for a band to, if you want your sound to evolve, bring in some fresh minds into it. And the cool thing about Dave is that he's a total hard rock and metalhead at heart. A lot of his most successful projects have been a lot of country, a lot of alternative — I mean, he's all over the spectrum — so when works with us, you can tell… There's a really great mutual respect between [us], 'cause we've been doing this long enough and he's been doing it for so long. We've been a huge fan of his as well, so there's a lot of mutual respect between the two of us, and you can feel it in the room."

Asked if he and his HALESTORM bandmates set a date for themselves for when they want to be done with a record, Arejay said: "It used to be a lot more stringent in the early days. 'Cause when you're trying to get the band off the ground, you really wanna kind of keep that momentum going. But our last couple of records have been a little bit more laid back, which is nice. It kind of gives it room to breathe. It gives us time to like really assess where we wanna go. And definitely COVID changed everything."

On the topic of whether the HALESTORM members do more work remotely now or if they still all get together in the studio and collaborate on ideas in one room, Arejay said: "Oh, it's so much more effective for us to be in the same room. I think it kind of forces you to just… I guess we work well under pressure, 'cause, going back to your last question… We definitely feel the pressure to get the album out at a certain time, but what really cranks up the pressure is the fact that we're leaving Nashville and going to Savannah for only a set period of time, 'cause Dave [only has certain] windows [of availability]. And it really forces us to just dig into your gut and just pull things out. And when we're all together in the room and Joe [Hottinger, HALESTORM guitarist] starts playing around with the riff and I start jamming with them, things just come out, things just happen. There's a magic there."

In June, Lzzy told Decker of the rock station Razor 94.7/104.7 (WZOR) that she and her HALESTORM bandmates initially "got a lot of pushback" from their team about the prospect of working with Cobb. She recalled: "We were saying, 'Oh, wouldn't it be cool to do a record with Dave Cobb? Because that would be something that nobody would really expect from us. And I bet you he would come up with some crazy ideas. Don't know the guy, but let's figure it out.' And everybody on our team was, like, 'No, no, he's too busy. That's not you. He's got this stuff going. He's got, like, nine Grammys with Chris Stapleton. That's not your scene.' And so we kept pushing back. We're, like, 'No, no, no. Just ask him. Just ask him. We can handle rejection, but just ask him.' And so finally, our A&R guy at our label is, like, 'Fine, I'll reach out. Whatever. Just stop bugging me.' And so he reached out, and then he called me, like, the next day. He's, like, 'Hey, I heard back from Dave Cobb. And guess what? Not only does he absolutely know who you are, but he's been wanting to make a record with you for, like, seven years. And he has a plan already of how he wants to do it.' And we're, like, 'What? This is sick.' So anyway, we went to go test the waters, and we go into the studio. And look, I write every day. When I die, there's gonna be so much that everyone has to sift through, just gibberish songs, all that. So I always have, like, a bank with me, like, 'Here's riffs, here's songs, here's subject titles, here's poetry.' And he was, like, 'No, no, no. We're not gonna do anything that you already have. Nothing.' I'm, like, 'Uh. What?' And he's, like, 'No, we're just gonna start.' Everyone's sitting in a circle and we're, like, gonna kumbaya. So everyone got an instrument, like, 'All right. So what are we feeling today?' I'm, like, 'Is this a therapy session?' And we ended up — it's crazy, 'cause then we'll like grab on to something 'cause of that pressure of, like, 'Well, I was thinking about this as this is happening.' 'Cool. Let's go there.' And so he has this amazing instincts that are very, like, you can't see it when you're in it. And then, as soon as we start like putting stuff together, we kind of zoom out and, like, 'Oh, wait a minute. This is so wild and awesome and exactly what we do.' So it's very strange. But we're all very free. And then the other thing is that while we're writing it, we're recording it at the same time. So these tracks are, like, us discovering the song for the first time as well as we're performing them. There are some things that we're performing them all at the same time. There's one track in particular that we completely forgot to put the click track on, and we did like three takes like that, and then we're, like, 'Oh, wait. We don't even have a click going.' Arejay said something, like, 'Were we supposed to have like a click track so we all are on time together?' And everyone's, like, 'We didn't even notice it was gone.' And so we did another take with the click. We're, like, 'No, we like that other one better.' So there's stuff like that. A lot of weird surprises. There's a lot of space. And we're really excited because we're not going country or anything like that, or Americana. This is such a new — it's got so much teeth, and it's so different than what we just did with 'Back From The Dead', but in this almost weightier, heavier way. And the lyrics are — I'm tackling subjects I've never tackled before because I'm having the freedom to do so. So I'm very excited."

HALESTORM and I PREVAIL recently embarked on summer 2024 co-headlining tour. Produced by Live Nation, the trek kicked off on July 9 in Raleigh and ran through August 17 in Las Vegas. HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD and FIT FOR A KING served as support. The tour was also the catalyst and the creative spark for HALESTORM and I PREVAIL's collaborative track "Can U See Me In The Dark?", which was released in June.

"Back From The Dead" has tallied over 100 million streams worldwide. Rolling Stone called the title track "a biting but cathartic howler about overcoming all obstacles," and that song as well as "The Steeple" marked their fifth and sixth number ones at rock radio, respectively. Associated Press said the album "will definitely be in the running for best hard rock/metal album of the year." Their previous album, "Vicious", earned the band their second Grammy nomination, for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for the song "Uncomfortable", the band's fourth #1 at rock radio, and led Loudwire to name HALESTORM "Rock Artist Of The Decade" in 2019.

Fronted by Lzzy with Arejay, guitarist Joe Hottinger and bass player Josh Smith, HALESTORM's music has earned multiple platinum and gold certifications from the RIAA, and the band has earned a reputation as a powerful live music force, headlining sold-out shows and topping festival bills around the world, and sharing the stage with icons including HEAVEN & HELL, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett and JUDAS PRIEST. Additionally, Lzzy was named the first female brand ambassador for Gibson and served as host of AXS TV's "A Year In Music".

DEVILDRIVER guitarist Mike Spreitzer says that he hasn't spoken to frontman Dez Fafara about his decision to leave the band.

Mike was the second-longest-lasting member of DEVILDRIVER following the departures of all original members except Fafara. Spreitzer co-wrote and performed on DEVILDRIVER's albums "The Fury Of Our Maker's Hand" (2005),"The Last Kind Words" (2007),"Pray For Villains" (2009),"Beast" (2011),"Winter Kills" (2013),"Trust No One" (2016),"Outlaws 'Til The End: Vol. 1" (2018),"Dealing With Demons Volume I" (2020) and "Dealing With Demons Volume II" (2023).

In December 2023, Spreitzer announced the launch of his VERONA ON VENUS project and released the debut single "Rodent", followed by a second single, "Monarch Acid Test". The band's debut album "Popular Delusions" was released in January. VERONA ON VENUS's most recent single, "War Baby", arrived in August.

In a new interview with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio, Mike stated about his decision to exit DEVILDRIVER (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It is bittersweet for sure. I will never regret my time in DEVILDRIVER. The good always outweighed the bad. I still have a lot of love for all the guys in the band and I wish them well. And I'm even kind of excited to see who ends up replacing me. And I will always offer — whoever that person may be, I'm here to help with whatever they need. And I wanna see the band succeed. There's no negative feelings on my side."

He continued: "I wanna get back to being a full-time musician, like I said. I went to music school in college — I was a music major — and music, ever since I was six years old, has always been the plan. I would say that was my first moment of real clarity in my life when I was watching MTV and I saw the video for 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' by DEF LEPPARD, and for some reason, that just made something go click in my brain, and nothing's changed since that moment."

Asked how the rest of the guys in DEVILDRIVER reacted to his announcement that he was leaving, Mike said: "Honestly, I haven't spoken to Dez about it. No, I haven't. I've seen how things have went when other members have left the band, and I honestly felt like this was the best way to do it.

"I don't really wanna get into it much more than that because of obvious reasons, but all the other guys understood where I was coming from," Spreitzer continued. "And I wanna work more, and as of now, unless someone comes knocking on my door that wants me to join a band, which, depending on the band, I would definitely take into consideration, but right now I just wanna go full throttle with my new project VERONA ON VENUS.

"I'm excited to do things my own way and mix things up. Obviously, VERONA sounds a lot different than DEVILDRIVER — it's a completely different style of music — and it's time for something new for me. It's been 20 years, and it's been a lot of fun, but sometimes people just feel like moving on, and that's how I feel right now."

Asked if his previous comment that his decision to launch VERONA ON VENUS was "met with a heavy amount of negativity from a specific individual," apparently referencing Dez, was part of the reason he left DEVILDRIVER, Mike said: "Unfortunately, yes. I really hoped it wouldn't be a problem, and I have a lot of friends that get a lot of support from the bands that they're in, who they would consider their boss. Like Nita [Strauss] and Alice Cooper; Ozzy [Osbourne] has always been cool with Zakk Wylde doing BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and ZAKK SABBATH. Cesar [Soto] from MINISTRY — I remember when he first released MAN THE MUTE record that he did, I bumped into [MINISTRY leader] Al Jourgensen at an art show once and he just couldn't stop talking about how proud he was of Cesar. Monte Pittman, he's in MINISTRY, and Madonna seems to be just fine with him doing that. And even Zakk Wylde with his drummer Jeff Fabb; [Jeff] just released a record on his own. And so I really didn't see it being a problem. I never intended to make VERONA a priority over DEVILDRIVER. I had a lot of time during the pandemic, and I just wanted to keep on writing, so I did."

After Penfold noted that it's "odd" that Fafara was seemingly opposed to the existence of VERONA ON VENUS when Dez himself had spent much of the past year and a half touring with a reunited COAL CHAMBER, Mike said: "Yeah, unfortunately, it is, because I really gave him my blessing, when COAL CHAMBER started doing — even when they were at their first reunion. And at their first reunion, quite honestly, I needed the break at the time. Unfortunately, I think that was a big reason which led to John Boecklin and Jeff Kendrick leaving the band [in 2014], because DEVILDRIVER went on hiatus and it was not in their best interest at the time to stick around."

Spreitzer announced his departure from DEVILDRIVER in a social media post on September 3. He wrote at the time: "After 20 years of playing guitar for DEVILDRIVER, I have decided it is time to go my own way.

"Since around 2014, DEVILDRIVER gradually started to feel more like a part-time job. Our touring schedule is not what it used to be and I want to get back to being a full-time musician. In addition, the mere creation of my side project was met with a heavy amount of negativity from a specific individual that made things extremely uncomfortable for me.

"Ever since I was six years old I wanted to play in a metal hand and live the majority of my life on a tour bus with my friends traveling from city to city. Show up, set up, perform, leave, and repeat. I miss the camaraderie with my band and crew. I miss my bunk. I miss waking up and walking to a coffee shop with whoever would join me. I miss playing guitar all day in the dressing room before the show. I miss laughing my ass off every day with the guys. I miss the summer festival runs where I get to see all my friends from other bands that I have toured with over the last two decades. I miss the aroma of the venues. I miss the putrid smell of the bathrooms in a European dive bar. More than anything else, I miss the look of joy on everyone's face while you lovingly kick the crap out of each other in the crowd.

"I've waited patiently for DEVILDRIVER to become full-time again. I respectfully understand that since 2019 serious issues had to be dealt with that were out of anybody's control resulting in keeping the band off the road. We had a pandemic, there were family emergencies, and health issues that had to be addressed. But these dilemmas started in 2019. DEVILDRIVER became part-time long before this unfortunate chain of events. I would rather not sit at home waiting for this to become a full-time job any longer.

"In an attempt to fill the downtime. I started VERONA ON VENUS. It was never my intention to make VOV a priority over DEVILDRIVER. The only way I can see myself touring as much as I would like is by getting VERONA ON VENUS up and running or perhaps an opportunity to join another band.

"To all the DD fans out there, I love you with all my heart. You are some of the most dedicated humans I have ever met. The vitality in all of you has been the brightest light in my life. You filled my soul with happiness. l am forever grateful for every single one of you and will never forget your unwavering devotion.

"I wish Dez, Jon, Alex and Davier the very best."

In April 2004, DEVILDRIVER was about to embark on its first European tour opening for Swedish heavy metal band IN FLAMES. Two days before the tour began, then-DEVILDRIVER guitarist Evan Pitts was forced to withdraw from the tour due to personal reasons, leaving the band without a second guitar player. At the time, Jon Miller and Jeff Kendrick lived with Spreitzer when not touring with DEVILDRIVER. When Mike heard that Pitts would not be going on the European tour, he immediately offered to fill in temporarily for the duration of the tour. Shortly after DEVILDRIVER returned to its then-home base of Santa Barbara, Pitts had decided not to continue with the band and Spreitzer became a permanent member.

Since joining DEVILDRIVER in 2004, Mike has continued to tour with the band and contribute to all of the group's albums. He has also written and recorded music for small movie projects, including the documentary "Tokyo Comedy Store" that has been featured on the Documentary channel in the United States. In 2009, Mike co-wrote three songs featured on the video game "MX vs ATV Reflex" soundtrack alongside Raymond Herrera, Christian Olde Wolbers and Jeff Kendrick. In 2012, Mike worked with London-based alternative rock band ESO and featured on their debut single, "We Are Watching You".

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer (courtesy of Napalm Records)

In a new interview with Sam Acevedo of El Planeta Del Rock, David Ellefson was asked if MEGADETH is "a closed chapter" for him at this point. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, look, it's never a closed chapter. I mean, look, I helped start the band. I was there from the beginning. My heart and soul was in it. You'll hear that in those songs forever. And, look, that way of life, our lifestyle, our work ethic has influenced me forever. It's part of how I still roll now moving forward. So, you can't just take that piece of your life and just pull it out and stick it on the shelf. It's part of me. I'm always part of that. And, hey, look, we're not sharing the stage together, we're not doing that right now. But, yeah, my thing is, why ever close doors? It wasn't my idea to not be there. So I'm, like, 'Yeah, whatever. Maybe another time. Anyway, let's go to Rome. Let's play a show. Let's go jam some tunes with OVERKILL.' So, to me, it's kind of, like, just keep moving, man. Just keep moving."

Ellefson continued: "Look, when I went back to [MEGADETH] in 2010, it wasn't in my rearview mirror; it was now in the front view. And that's kind of how I viewed it the first time around [after MEGADETH temporarily split up in 2002, only to reform a couple of years later without Ellefson]. It was, like, 'Well, don't sit here and focus on the little rearview mirror. Look out the big windshield in the front and see what's coming around,' and that was SOULFLY and all these other kind of cool things that came around. And then one day, next thing you know, hey, wow, MEGADETH's in the front view again. All right, well, let's do that for a little while. So, that's my outlook on it."

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.

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Dave Mustaine, alleging the MEGADETH frontman shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

In June 2023, Ellefson told Andrew McKaysmith of the "Scars And Guitars" podcast that he was prepared for his latest exit from MEGADETH.

"When my departure from MEGADETH happened, a lot of people were hitting me [up and saying], 'Oh my God. It's so terrible. It's so terrible,'" he recalled. "[And I said], 'Yeah, believe me, it's not.' [Laughs] It really isn't. I was ready for it. I didn't think it was gonna go down that way; I didn't see that coming. But the fact that it happened, I was not sad about it. I was okay with it. Because I knew there's another journey ahead, and that journey wasn't gonna start until I was out of the old one.

"When you're in a group, you're in a setting, you've gotta play company man and you kind of go along with the narrative that's been set forth.

"There was a lot of things, a lot of the narrative in that band that I never agreed with," Ellefson admitted. "A lot of that band was started on a grudge and a hardship of the firing [of MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine] from METALLICA. That was never my story. I was always a METALLICA fan and I became friends with those guys. I have nothing but gratitude for that group and those gentlemen for what they've done for all of us, and I think they deserve the biggest applause. So it was hard to be in a band that always had this saltiness around that whole narrative, because it was never my narrative. So I went along to get along, but now I don't have to do that. And now I can be on my own path. These are my words; it's my story now. And maybe the events that happened a couple of years ago, I needed to have my own story to tell. 'Cause when you quit a band, everyone's pissed at you; they hate you: 'Oh, fuck you. You quit. You quit my favorite band.' But when you get tossed out… And I'm not looking for the sympathy card. You don't have to feel sorry for me; you don't have to do any of that. But it's interesting that, I guess the way it happened… it went down in a way that it was certainly visible enough and on a level that… It was sort of, like, okay, well, what's gonna happen next? And I just tried to be faithful to just following my heart, following the path."

Fan-filmed video of MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil's September 1 concert at Fulton County Fair in Wauseon, Ohio can be seen below (courtesy of Krista Lambert, dan ginn and adlap015).

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.

Spend Sunday Sept 1st with me and Vince Neil at the Fulton County Fair. Tickets available at www.acefrehley.com Swing by the merch booth if you're interested in VIP meet/greet info.

Posted by Ace Frehley on Saturday, August 31, 2024