Glenn Hughes paid tribute to Aretha Franklin, the "Queen of Soul," who died Thursday after it was reported last week that she was "gravely ill" in Detroit. Her family said that the cause of death was advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type.

During an interview with the "Talking Metal" podcast, the former DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist and current BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION frontman said (hear audio below): "My first girlfriend's brother was three or four years older than I. I was 14 years old; he must have been 18. He ran a discotheque in the West Midlands, in the Black Country, where I was raised, and I was just a preteen kid, and he would have me fetching music like a DJ and he'd be playing me Detroit songs and gospel songs. As you know, I've got a bit of an R&B education.

"So what I'm getting to here, Aretha was the first woman — white, black or whatever color; it doesn't make any difference to me — she was the first woman that raised the hair on the back of my neck when she sang," he continued. "And as you know, I'm deeply into all kinds of singers — I'm a big fan of other people's work. [Hearing her sing for the first time] did a number on me, 'cause of the tone of her voice and the deep well of emotion she brought to every song noun or verb or word she sang, this did a number on this 14-year-old little boy. And I kind of followed her all these years, and knowing she was sick a couple of weeks ago, but not realizing she was going to pass… I think her death is going to really, really [affect] a lot of people. It's a really difficult thing to think that she's no longer with us."

Franklin was 76 years old at the time of her death.

In 1987, Franklin became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and was later named the "Greatest Singer of All Time" by Rolling Stone.

Hughes will launch the next U.S. leg of the "Classic Deep Purple Live" tour on August 25 in Westbury, New York. The 18-city trek, which follows the recently completed South American and European festival tour, travels around the Northeastern U.S. before wrapping up in Tarrytown, New York on September 22. Glenn will be performing various hits and deep cuts from the DEEP PURPLE catalog, including "Burn", "Stormbringer", "Sail Away" and "Smoke On The Water", among others. Hughes will focus on arrangements from the live albums — not studio recordings — for these songs, "giving fans even more insight as to what it was like seeing a DEEP PURPLE show during the 1970s," according to a press release for the tour.

Two-time-Grammy-nominated blues-rock titan Joe Bonamassa has released the music video for his track "Evil Mama", taken from his upcoming studio album, "Redemption", which is due on September 21 via his own record label J&R Adventures.

"Redemption", Bonamassa's 13th solo studio album and third in a row of all-original material, sees him at his most ambitious yet as he continues to redefine and push the barriers of blues-rock. It features a staggering collection of 12 songs that weave effortlessly through an assortment of genres and reflect the artistic rebirth that he is currently experiencing.

"I'm going through some other stuff in my life I didn't expect to be going through," he explains. "It's a rising, it's contrition, it's acceptance, it's everything. It's painful, but knowing that there's a rising coming."


The album reunites Bonamassa with some of Nashville's finest music minds such as Tom Hambridge, James House, Gary Nicholson as well as Richard Page and American rock and roll legend Dion DiMucci (THE WANDERER, RUN-AROUND SUE) who adds his songwriting expertise to the title track. Joe also continues his long creative relationship with Kevin Shirley and together create an album bigger than ever before. "From a producer's perspective, this is far and away the most challenging and diverse album that Joe has ever made, " says Shirley.


The album was recorded at various locations, including Blackbird Studios in Nashville, The Cave Australia in Sydney, Studio At The Palms in Las Vegas, Criteria Hit Factory in Miami and Addiction Sound Studios in Nashville. It was once again recorded with a remarkable collection of musicians, including drummer Anton Fig (DAVID LETTERMAN BAND), bassist Michael Rhodes, keyboardist Reese Wynans, horn players Lee Thornburg and Paulie Cerra, harmony vocalist Gary Pinto, background singers Mahalia Barnes, Jade McRae, Juanita Tippins, and Kevin Shirley introduced two additional guitar players, Kenny Greenberg and Doug Lancio. "It was interesting, because having two extra guitar players involved, allowed me to play a certain way," Bonamassa adds.

The album opens with a tip of the hat to LED ZEPPELIN on "Evil Mama" that burrows into a deep groove before ripping into the rockabilly-tinged boogie blues of "King Bee Shakedown". Next, Bonamassa dips into his BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION influence to tell a tragic tale with timeless hard rock riffs for "Molly-O" and "Deep In The Blues Again" changes the course yet again with a driving rhythm meant for the car stereo.


"Self-Inflicted Wounds" is most telling of Bonamassa's progression as a true singer-songwriter, and Joe claims it as his best songwriting yet. "Pick Up The Pieces" channels Tom Waits for a late night after hours while "The Ghost of Macon Jones" sees Joe trade vocals with Nashville country singer Jamey Johnson as they recount a cautionary tale of a rural renegade. "Just Cos You Can Don't Mean You Should" channels Gary Moore for an upbeat taste of blues-rock euphoria before Bonamassa makes light of his trials and tribulations on "I've Got Some Mind Over What Matters".


Then Joe strips it down to only acoustic guitar and vocals on the heart-breaking tale of "Stronger Now In Broken Places", which promises that things will be better over time and features MIDNIGHT OIL's Jim Moginie providing soundscapes and Kate Stone on the hand pan. After this intense musical journey, Joe wraps it all up with a traditional blues rock tune with "Love is A Gamble".


There is a resounding theme of redemption and salvation on the album, but also very much a sense of strength and empowerment. "We all need to be redeemed at some point in our lives. It's this yearning to redeem yourself after just this tremendous loss and this tremendous feeling of pain," explains Bonamassa.

Bonamassa is at his ultimate creative peak with "Redemption", which follows the recent release of his last live masterpiece, "British Blues Explosion Live", that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues chart and marked his 20th No. 1 album. Bonamassa's fire is unstoppable both in the studio and live on the road.

Devoting his career to fronting such hit bands as RIOT, MESSIAH'S KISS and HOLY MOTHER, Mike Tirelli has been hailed as one of the most acclaimed metal singers of his time. But now, the highly versatile vocalist is debuting an EP with his new band RISING FIVE, which he formed with fellow MESSIAH'S KISS bassist Wayne Banks, that he says "represents a whole new direction" for him musically.

"No Death Reborn" will be released August 24 and, according to Tirelli, it's a slight departure from the signature sound he's become known for. Describing the EP as a "modern hard rock/metal mash up of power and melody with a message behind every song," the singer explains that he took many more creative liberties with this album that he has in the past.

"RISING FIVE represents a whole new direction in its great production and sound," said Tirelli. "The dynamics of the music are different and the lyrics represent a total different message. For this album, I was really able to express what I was feeling and what really meant a lot to me."

One of the messages woven throughout the record is about the youth today and their struggles and tribulations with opioid abuse and recovery. Evident in the lyrics of the title track, "No Death Reborn", Tirelli said it was important to him and the band to get the sense of urgency across.

To enhance the music's intensity and bring the production to the next level, Tirelli brought in award-winning producer Kane Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, DISTURBED, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) to co-produce, mix and engineer the entire EP. The band recorded in Germany, England and New York and sent the files to Churko after completion.

"Working with Kane Churko was extremely amazing. He co-produced mixed/mastered everything," said Tirelli. "Walking into his and Kevin Churko's studio, at first, was a shocking and over whelming experience. Witnessing all the success these guys have had and seeing all the gold and platinum records from all the artists like, DISTURBED, FIVE FINGER, PAPA ROACH, BAD WOLVES, IN THIS MOMENT, Ozzy, Shania Twain, and more was insane. He was great to work with and I am so proud of our album."

The track listing for "No Death Reborn" is as follows:

01. No Death Reborn

02. Today

03. Superstar (remake of the CARPENTERS hit)

04. Light The Fuse

05. Why Do You Hate Me

For more information, visit www.risingfivewithmiketirelli.com.

Steve "Zetro" Souza has revealed that EXODUS will mark the band's 40th anniversary next year with several special performances in its hometown. "I think that we're gonna do something in San Francisco next year; we're gonna do a residency there, back at home, for 40 years," he told Hungary's Impact metal channel (see video below). "We're talking about it right now. Maybe three or four nights at a certain place. We played there last year two nights, called The Chapel. Probably bring old members up — that sort of thing — and see what happens. It's in the talks; [it's] definitely in the works right now."

The original lineup of EXODUS consisted of guitarists Kirk Hammett and Tim Agnello, drummer/vocalist Tom Hunting, and vocalist Keith Stewart. Guitarist Gary Holt joined the band in 1981, while Kirk left in 1983 to join METALLICA, two years before EXODUS's debut album, "Bonded By Blood", saw the light of day.

In 2014, Hammett made an appearance on the latest EXODUS album, "Blood In Blood Out", delivering the solo in the song "Salt the Wound".

Souza is now on his third stint with EXODUS, having previously fronted the band from 1986 to 1993 and 2002 to 2004. A decade following his second departure, Souza returned to the fold in 2014, just in time to appear on "Blood In Blood Out".

Rob Dukes, who fronted EXODUS for nine years before Souza's most recent comeback, rejoined EXODUS on stage during the group's July 2017 concert in San Francisco. He sang several songs with the band on the second of EXODUS's two-night stint at The Chapel in what marked the group's first headlining Bay Area club shows since late 2013.

Souza has said in recent interviews that EXODUS will wait for Holt to complete his touring activities with SLAYER before they officially begin work on the follow-up to "Blood In Blood Out".

The official music video for the song "Goddamn Marathon" from Croatia's ANIMAL DRIVE can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's debut album, "Bite!", which was released on February 23 via Frontiers Music Srl.

ANIMAL DRIVE is a young and driven hard rock act founded in Zagreb, Croatia in 2012 by singer Dino Jelusic, who is the primary writer and driving force behind the band's sound. Dino was chosen by the late, great Paul O'Neill to be a featured vocalist on TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's 2016 U.S. tour. ANIMAL DRIVE's lineup is completed by Ivan Keller on guitar, Roko Rokindja Nikolic on bass and Adrian Boric on drums.

Influenced by legendary bands such as WHITESNAKE and SKID ROW with progressive rock and metal elements from DREAM THEATER thrown in the mix, ANIMAL DRIVE takes the listeners on a wild ride of hard rock bombast.

Dino says: "I am more than delighted and excited to present our debut album. I hope the fans can approach our music with curiosity and interest and we hope to come soon in a town near you to rock your asses off!"

"Bite!" track listing:

01. Goddamn Marathon

02. Tower Of Lies (I Walk Alone)

03. Had Enough

04. Hands Of Time

05. Lights Of The Damned

06. Time Machine

07. Father

08. Fade Away

09. Carry On

10. Devil Took My Beer Again

11. Deliver Me

AUAB (Artists United Against Bullying), the new project featuring former IN FLAMES bassist Peter Iwers, has released a video for the song "Hero". The track features Iwers alongside singer Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SONS OF APOLLO, JOURNEY), Swedish guitarist Paulo Mendonça as well as drummer Anton Roos from SAFFIRE and guitarist Fredrik Stenberg from ROAD RATT.

According to a press release, AUAB was launched by Mendonça and Iwers as a way to raise awareness about the "destructive consequences of bullying."

"People in all ages being treated unfair and disrespectful for different reasons," AUAB says. "It is something that we see in the schoolyards, in the locker rooms, at the offices, on the Internet and the social media platforms. And even in bands.

"Bullying is not always something that is easy to detect but if we can give attention to the problem, the awareness increases. By talking and telling each other's stories, we can make people aware and through that make a change together.

"So why do we do this?

"We want to put a spotlight on the problem and make people aware of the problem and consequences that come through bullying.

"So what do we have in common? We are two guys who share the view of human equality and the love for music. We want to make people aware through the music that we make.

"Our goal is to create a forum for people who want to share their stories and to create awareness all over.

"If we could contribute to a place where people can get support from each other, that would be something worth working for.

"You don't have to be a hero, just a friend to wash away the pain. A small compliment or just letting someone know that they're not alone can make the big difference.

"Join us, we can make that difference."

Iwers left IN FLAMES in November 2016 and has since been replaced by American bassist Bryce Paul.

"Héros", a new song from French metal veterans VULCAIN, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Vinyle", which will be released on September 28 via Season Of Mist.


VULCAIN comments: "We were born in the age of vinyl, and luckily the format is still here after almost losing it forever. By choosing 'Vinyle' as the title for the album, we want to pay tribute to the format that made us headbang, feel alive and dream. In this era of streaming and digital downloads, VULCAIN wants to show respect to the real rock fans put there!"

"Vinyle" track listing:

01. Vinyle (2:43)

02. Héros (3:15)

03. Backline Music (3:46)

04. L'Arnaque (3:48)

05. Darling (3:41)

06. Décibels (4:46)

07. Dans Les Livres (2:39)

08. L'Oseille (3:13)

09. Borderline (3:31)

10. Contrôle (3:19)

11. Motör (3:42)

Total playing time: 38:23


VULCAIN is one of the longest-running and most revered names on the French heavy metal and hard rock scene. The band was formed in 1981 by vocalist and guitar player Daniel Puzio and his brother Vincent Puzio (bass). The first demo, "Privat", was released in 1982 and was quickly followed by debut album "Rock 'N' Roll Secours" in 1984. Drummer Marc Varez joined the group shortly after, and from that moment on, they were quite rightly dubbed the "French MOTÖRHEAD" — a nickname that still applies to this day, even though VULCAIN's music encompasses many more influences.


After several lineup changes, VULCAIN continued its journey as a trio and released multiple full-lengths, EPs, and live albums. "Stoppe La Machine" (1998) marked VULCAIN's last release for more than a decade, as the band called it quits right after its release.


At the end of 2009, the band felt their hard rock roots still itching inside, and the power trio got back together. After touring the globe, performing at several European festivals like Hellfest, Headbangers Open Air and even supporting MOTÖRHEAD on a number of shows back in 2010, VULCAIN entered the studio once again. In 2013, by popular demand and some 15 years after the band's previous studio release, new album "V8" hit the stores.


After 30 years of rock n' roll and 13 albums so far, VULCAIN is feeling more energetic than ever.

VULCAIN is:

Daniel Puzio: guitar, vocals

Vincent Puzio: bass, backing vocals

Marc Varez: drums, backing vocals

Brazilian metallers EMINENCE have released a music video for the song "Obey". The clip was filmed in Dumbo, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

"Obey" is taken from EMINENCE's upcoming EP, "Minds Apart", which will be released on August 27 via all digital plataforms (Deezer, Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes). The band's first release since the 2013 album "The Stalker", the EP was produced by EMINENCE guitarist Alan Wallace and Tue Madsen (MESHUGGAH, HEAVEN SHALL BURN, SICK OF IT ALL)

"Minds Apart" EP track listing:

01. Obey

02. Minds Apart

03. Face It

04. Digi-Illusion

The EP artwork was created by Greek artist Viktor Koen and can be seen below.

Wallace is also involved with THE UNABOMBER FILES, the Brazilian extreme metal project featuring SEPULTURA bassist Paul Xisto Pinto Jr. alongside THE MIST singer Vladimir Korg and EMINENCE drummer André Márcio.

The official lyric video for "One Bad Mother", a new song from NASHVILLE PUSSY, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Pleased To Eat You", which will be released on September 7 via earMUSIC.

Lemmy personally blessed NASHVILLE PUSSY calling them "America's last great rock 'n' roll band" — and Lemmy should know.

Formed in 1997, NASHVILLE PUSSY preached its sleazy gospel over the past couple of decades alongside MOTÖRHEAD in every rock outpost from Asia to Europe and back again.


Raised on a diet of Marshall stacks, Gibson guitars, Jack Daniels, and weed, NASHVILLE PUSSY are the bastard offspring of foul-mouthed, demented hillbilly ice-cream man Blaine Cartwright and tractor-driving, nude art school model, and guitar prodigy Ruyter Suys. NASHVILLE PUSSY quickly gained a reputation for being like "AC/DC with a female Angus" in Ruyter's blues-meets-punk frenzied guitar solos and Blaine's hilarious "jailhouse nursery rhyme" lyrics.


The band's bass player — Bonnie "Bon" Buitrago — began as a teenage fan of the band sneaking into shows, determined to make the leap from audience member to member of the band by mastering her craft on bass. Atlanta native and ex-landscaper Ben Thomas on drums has quickly become known for his showmanship, precision, and all-around sensuality behind the kit.


"We are rock 'n' rolls' dirty little secret — blissfully outliving musical trends we never knew existed," says Suys. "More than ever, everyone needs to escape to a place where they can pretend they don't give a shit, let their hair down and get loud, sweaty and dirty. NASHVILLE PUSSY provides that unpretentious refuge. Everyone is welcome — just don't dress up 'cause it's gonna get messy."


The Gods of Rock smiled upon on NASHVILLE PUSSY in creating the band's brand new studio album, "Pleased To Eat You". Combining the talents of producer Daniel Rey (RAMONES, WHITE ZOMBIE, Ronnie Spector and RAGING SLAB) and studio engineer David Barrick (BLACK STONE CHERRY, THE KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS, MARSHALL TUCKER BAND), the band was fresh off an international tour and hungry for new songs to sink their teeth.


"Pleased To Eat You" is their seventh studio album and certainly another milestone recording by the band you'll need to share with your mom: Bourbon, BBQ, horse farms, good people, and a great fucking record. Seriously, you'll hardly find a band that manages to act so easy, so fast and yet so impulsive as NASHVILLE PUSSY — a band that is not shy about expressing opinions loud and clear.

"Pleased To Eat You" track listing:

01. She Keeps Me Coming And I Keep Going Back

02. We Want A War

03. Just Another White Boy

04. Go Home And Die

05. Low Down Dirty Pig

06. Testify

07. One Bad Mother

08. Woke Up This Morning

09. Drinking My Life Away

10. Endless Ride

11. Hang Tight

12. CCKMP

13. Trying To Pretend That I Give A Shit

The pro-shot footage below features Satyricon's August 17th set at this year's Summer Breeze festival in Dinkelsbuhl, Germany courtesy of WDR Rockpalast.

The setlist was as follows:

"Midnight Serpent"
"Our World, It Rumbles Tonight 
"Black Crow On a Tombstone
"Deep Calleth Upon Deep 
- Frost solo + "Now, Diabolical" 
"To Your Brethren in the Dark"
"Mother North" 
- intermezzo + "The Pentagram Burns" 
"Fuel For Hatred"
"King"

Satyricon drummer Frost (Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad) was interviewed by Hayley Leggs at this year's Hellfest in France. During their chat, which can be seen below, Frost offered further insight into why the band won't play any more club shows in America, why they're postponing their covers album to write new original material, and their stressful day losing all their equipment before the Hellfest show.

Elaborating upon Satyricon's decision to stop touring in The United States, Frost said, "We're not gonna have any more ordinary club tours happening. It's ridiculous the amount of bureaucratic work involved. What you have to document as a European band going to The US now is beyond irrational. It seems like American authorities try to prevent European bands from going to the US. It's like they say, 'Hire American musicians. Have the vocalist over and hire the rest of the band.' It's just weird; I cannot find a better word for it. And nobody I've been talking to — even Americans themselves — understands the very, very problematic process. You have to work for an entire year to plan for a four-week tour to happen, and you don't even know whether you can actually make it and get the paperwork done in time etc. etc. So it takes the fun out of touring, really."

Photo by WDR.

Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess recently performed his Explorations For Keyboard And Orchestra with the Karlovy Vary Symphonic Orchestra; Eren Başbuğ (conductor) and special guest Adam Markó (from Special Providence) on drums. Below is a small clip from the show.

In the video below from Sweetwater Sound, Jordan Rudess, "Best Keyboardist Of All Time", defends his title in an epic keyboard battle against an unlikely opponent in this Sweetwater exclusive worldwide key-off.

Mascot Label Group recently announce the signing Rudess. His remarkable career began at the age of nine, when he entered The Juilliard School of Music Pre-College Division for classical piano training. By his late teens he had grown increasingly interested in synthesizers and progressive rock music, and against the counsel of his parents and tutors, he turned away from classical piano and tried his hand as a solo progressive rock keyboardist. After performing in various groups during the 1980s, he was invited to join The Dixie Dregs, with whom he performed until joining Dream Theater in January 1999.

He has been the full-time keyboardist with Dream Theater since the recording of 1999’s Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory. He has pursued numerous collaborations and solo projects throughout his career, beginning with his solo debut Listen (1993). A relentless innovator, Rudess released All That Is Now (2013), a solo acoustic piano recording which works interactively with his app, “Jordan Rudess Explores” and his orchestral album, Explorations which features a 50 piece orchestra. The Unforgotten Path (2015) was a collection of original tracks as well as a collection of acoustic piano covers of songs that have inspired his musical life.

He owns the successful App development company Wizdom Music, which has developed numerous award-winning apps. He is also Chief Music Officer at CME Music, creators of the acclaimed XKey mobile keyboard, as well as the Director of Music Experience for the London-based technology company, Roli Labs, creators of the Seaboard and is an active Artist in Residence at Stanford University’s CCRMA (Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics).

"With the Mascot Label Group I have found the perfect home for myself and my music,” Rudess said. "The Mascot Team are bright, dedicated, inspired and are clearly passionate about music and the industry. They create a climate of respect and support for the artist and I couldn’t be more excited about becoming a Mascot artist."

“Jordan is an incredible virtuoso performer and artist,” said Mascot Label Group owner Ed Van Zijl. "I have admired him for a long time and we go back years. He is an exceptional and forward thinking musician and I am very happy that he is putting his faith in us with his new solo album, which will be released on our Music Theories brand.”

KORN guitarists James "Munky" Shaffer and Brian "Head" Welch have commented on the passing of frontman Jonathan Davis's estranged wife.

Deven Davis died on Friday at the age of 39. The former model's cause of death has not yet been revealed. However, she reportedly suffered with sobriety and substance abuse throughout her life.

In an Instagram post, Munky wrote: "Our prayers are with the Davis family at this difficult time. Jonathan, your wife will no longer suffer all of the demons. She is now with God. May she rest in peace and may you trust that me, your band, our families are here for you and will together help you and your boys to heal. We love you so much." He signed the message with "The Shaffer family."

Head shared an image which read: "Love, prayers for my bro, my homie Jonathan Davis and his family." He later shared another picture of a heart shattering into pieces and captioned it with a broken heart emoji.

Also commenting on Deven's passing was former KORN manager Jeff Kwatinetz, who wrote on Twitter: "My thoughts and prayers go out to one of my closest friends and a truly great human who I love, Jonathan Davis, on the death of his wife from an OD. I pray for his kids and family. I knew Deven and no one deserves to struggle w addiction and die. Too often, too much!"

In 2016, Jonathan, 47, filed for divorce from Deven and on Friday filed for a domestic violence restraining order, according to TMZ.

Jonathan was reportedly granted a temporary order, which prohibited Deven from visiting their two children or having any contact with the family's dog.

In his declaration, Jonathan claimed Deven has struggled with drug abuse for over 20 years.

The singer alleged Deven was addicted to prescription and illegal narcotics and has been around their children while under the influence.

He also claimed his estranged wife "is constantly under the influence of the nitrous oxide, cocaine and Norco," according to TMZ.

Jonathan alleged she had a drug dealer boyfriend who was passed out on the sofa in her living room when he brought the children to her house.

He also claimed he found a heroin pipe and cocaine floating in the toilet bowl while Deven was passed out on the floor upstairs.

According to the documents, Deven had been in a sober home but went missing a week ago and hadn't been seen since.

A former girl-on-girl porn star who married Jonathan in 2004, Deven and the singer had two kids together, Pirate and Zeppelin. (Jonathan's first son from his previous marriage, Nathan, will turn 23 this fall.)

Our prayers are with The Davis family at this difficult time. Jonathan, your wife will no longer suffer all of the demons. She is now with God. May she Rest In Peace & may you trust that me, your band, our families are here for you & will together help you and your boys to heal. We love you so much.-The Shaffer Family. @officialjonathandavis A post shared by MUNKY (@munky_korn) on Aug 19, 2018 at 12:53pm PDT

? #Repost @mr_q_unique with @get_repost ・・・ ...... A post shared by Brian Welch (@brianheadwelch) on Aug 17, 2018 at 7:48pm PDT

? A post shared by Brian Welch (@brianheadwelch) on Aug 18, 2018 at 3:35pm PDT

My thoughts and prayers go out to one of my closest friends and a truly great human who I love, Jonathan davis, on the death of his wife from an OD. I pray for his kids and family. I knew Deven and no one deserves to struggle w addiction and die. Too often, too much!— Jeff Kwatinetz (@JeffKwatinetz) August 19, 2018

Rob Halford has confirmed that JUDAS PRIEST is planning to mark the band's 50th anniversary in 2019 with a special celebration. "We are, yes," he told Sara Parker of Philadelphia's 93.3 WMMR radio station in a new interview (hear audio below). "We're already having these discussions every now and again in the band and with our label and with our promoters and management. We have some ideas and when we get close to [having something to announce], we'll let you guys know."

He added: "It's gonna be a great year. What a celebration. Another incredible milestone for JUDAS PRIEST that we're looking forward to sharing with everybody."

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of JUDAS PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then returned to PRIEST in 2003. Founding guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Richie Faulkner.

A month before the start of PRIEST's "Firepower" tour, Tipton bowed out due to the worsening of his Parkinson's disease, first diagnosed four years ago (after being stricken by the degenerative condition at least half a decade earlier). His spot in the band is being filled by "Firepower" album producer Andy Sneap.

Hill, who turned 67 in January, told The Pantagraph: "You roll with the punches, and we've had many over the years. You don't think about those things or ask yourself, 'Why the hell I'm still doing this after 60 years?' You keep doing it for the love of it, and I can say that we all still love doing this for our living. The people I know who've retired ... the next thing you know, they're going downhill quickly. This keeps you young and gives you something aim for. Touch wood, I'm doing well at the moment, and will continue along those lines."

PRIEST will return to the United States at the end of August for a co-headlining run with fellow classic heavy rockers DEEP PURPLE.

Photo credit: Mark Weiss

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have released a new video message thanking all the fans who came to see them during the just-completed "Legacy Of The Beast" tour.

IRON MAIDEN has been opening its concerts on the trek with "Aces High" and continuing with "Where Eagles Dare". Other notable tracks aired during the set included the Blaze Bayley-era classics "The Clansman" and "Sign Of The Cross", as well as three additional songs that were performed for the first time in years: "For The Greater Good Of God", "The Wicker Man" and "Flight Of Icarus".

The concept for the "Legacy Of The Beast" tour was inspired by MAIDEN's mobile game and comic book of the same name and the stage set design featured a number of different but interlocking "worlds" with a setlist covering a large selection of 1980s material with a handful of surprises from later albums to add diversity.

MAIDEN's "The Book Of Souls" world tour kicked off in early 2016 and hit North America last year. The band's Mayan-themed set saw Eddie, MAIDEN's omnipresent mascot, having his heart torn out of his chest by singer Bruce Dickinson, who threw the heart into the crowd.

"The Book Of Souls" is MAIDEN's first ever double studio album and their most successful chart-wise to date, debuting at the No. 1 spot in over 40 countries around the world and No. 4 in the U.S.A.

Marilyn Manson cut short his performance Saturday night (August 18) at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, Texas due to a reported case of "food poisoning."

According to HoustonPress, Manson's tour manager escorted photographers from the pit prior to the start of the shock rocker's concert, explaining that the singer was feeling very ill and did not want his picture taken. Manson "gave it his all" during the four-song set even though he was "mostly stationary and visibly shaking at times." Upon finishing "Sweet Dreams", Manson "collapsed on top of one of the monitors," the site reported. "Roadies could be seen on the side of the stage worriedly contemplating on whether or not to assist him."

Marilyn's tourmate Rob Zombie played his usual set, although the planned duet with Manson didn't materialize. "My dear friend Mr. Manson is feeling under the weather," Rob told the crowd, according to HoustonPress. "He's probably on the bus feeling like crap. I need a partner for the next song so let's sing it really loud and make him feel better. This is 'Helter Skelter'."

Late last month, Manson canceled a show in Toronto, Ontario, Canada minutes before showtime because he was suffering from "the flu."

Both concerts were part of the Manson's "Twins Of Evil: The Second Coming" tour with Zombie, which kicked off in July.

Marilyn is on the road supporting his latest album, "Heaven Upside Down", which was released last October.

The singer injured his lower leg in a freak accident on stage during a concert last fall in New York City, resulting in the postponement of nine tour dates.

A short time later, longtime Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez (real name Jeordie White) was fired from the group following allegations of sexual assault.

Manson returned to touring last November.