After the release of three new singles and much anticipation, Thy Will Be Done have unleashed another ferocious new track and music video, "Echoes & Narcissists" as well as the announcement of a new full-length album entitled, Pillar Of Fire, slated for a September 13 release date via the band’s own Eye.On Lion Recordings with KMG Distribution handling the world-wide distribution. It’s the band’s first studio-release in twelve years, and they recently released their entire back catalog on streaming platforms for the first time ever; all newly remastered by George Richter at Edestus Audio.


The music video for the new track, "Echoes & Narcissists" was once again directed by the visionary Chariot of Black Moth (Steve Von Till, Napalm Death) who worked with the band on their previous video and features live footage of the band, shot by Andrew Gargano and Nichol Coggins of 52Chill Productions. It’s a stunning fusion of Soviet montage theory and the mind-bending Kuleshov Effect, delivering an unforgettable journey that’s anything but ordinary.







“This song is coming from a perspective where one may see the rise in narcissism, vanity, and seemingly waining work ethic in contemporary society being largely attributed to the influence of social media and AI technologies”, says vocalist and lyricist J.Costa.


“Platforms designed to amplify individual visibility often encourage self-promotion and validation-seeking behavior.; an environment that can foster a culture of constant comparison and self-admiration, where personal ‘worth’ is frequently measured by likes and followers.”


As for the song title, J.Costa says,


“It’s a nod to the myth of Echo and Narcissus. A story that [allegorically] still has relevance today. Social media algorithms tend to create echo chambers by reinforcing users' existing beliefs and preferences, limiting one’s exposure to diverse perspectives and reinforcing self-centered viewpoints. Together, these dynamics could be contributing to a more narcissistic culture and hinder constructive dialogue. It may require a critical examination of how technology shapes one’s own social interactions.”


Thy Will Be Done is set to be one of the artists performing at the 10th Annual RPM Fest in Massachusetts along with Misery Index, Prong, Jasta, Bongzilla, and others on Saturday, August 31, in Montague, MA.

Dark Descent heralds the first coming of Aberrator – a yet unknown entity devoted to the ancient arts of death metal mastery. Founded in 2022 between G.P and N.H from New Zealand – with P.F from Canada on session drums, Aberrator pull no punches, unleashing Beckoning Tribulation, a devastating full-length, straight out of the gate. 


Influenced by the darkest of death metal and death/doom – particularly of US and Finnish origins – the band fit the Dark Descent roster like a key to a crypt.


“Beckoning Tribulation is a lens into the human condition, the inevitable decline due to the innate zealotry and hypocrisy within our species,” states N.H. “The triumphant proclamation of the death of god and the impending doom of mankind as it struggles within the vacuum this creates.”




The album comes clad in a masterful gravure/woodcut-style piece from the inimitable mind of Alex Shadrin from Nether Temple Design: “The artwork represents the above concepts. Betrayal hidden with the guise of civility; blades plunged into another’s backs to complete the ouroboros. Murder,

At some point in your life you just have to take account for your actions and Face The Music. Prophets Of Addiction mainman Lesli Sanders has taken that to heart. Prophets Of Addiction’s fourth album, Face The Music is set for a release on October 25 via BraveWords Records. The first single, "Superhero", from the upcoming album will be released on September 27.


Kicking things off with the downright dirty “Flavor Of The Danger,” the listener is immediately clued in to what they’re getting with Face The Music, an album loaded with catchy late 70s inspired glam punk n roll riffs, powerful and emotionally resonant vocals and a clever lyrical output. “Let’s Get High” sees the band slide slightly into a melodic goth route ala Sisters of Mercy. The song isn’t a drug reference, but a “recollection of the excitement that a new record would bring as a teenager and after the long wait finally able to hear it for the first time,” says Sanders. The band’s take on the Rod Stewart classic “Maggie May” is nothing short of punk magnificence, The band had the opportunity to play the track for drum legend Carmine Appice, who played with Stewart from 1976 - 1982. Appice was so impressed that he asked, “would you mind if I send this to Rod?” The album’s lead single “Superhero” comes complete with a hook that won’t leave your head for days. “Superhero is a song I have been sitting on for a few years and wasn't going to record until the right musicians were put in place, realizing the potential. I finally found that group of musicians,” the frontman states.


Face The Music, Prophets Of Addiction’s debut for BraveWords Records was recorded between 2022 and 2023 in Seattle, WA and Las Vegas, NV and produced, mixed and mastered by Phil Soussan (bass player for Ozzy Osbourne, Billy idol and more).




Drummer Wayne Stokely says of the album, “We wanted to make a classic 70's style rock n' roll album without losing our raw and punky vibe, but with a modern 2024 production. There's not a lot of records out there like this one, so I think we achieved our goal. The songs speak for themselves,” while Sanders adds “this is the record I have been wanting to record for years. The feel is right, the musicianship is right, the songs are right and now the time is right for you all to give us your thoughts.”


Of the band’s signing with hotshot upstart label BraveWords, Sanders declares “We were looking for the right label and the search was extensive, the most important aspect to me was getting it out there for people to hear – otherwise, what's the point, right?” while Stokely adds, “I've known Tim and Giles for years now. Plus, I'm already signed to the label with another act so it seemed like a natural fit.”





Face The Music tracklisting:


"Flavor Of The Danger"
"Let's Get High"
"Slippin' Away"
"Walk The World"
"Maggie May"
"Superhero"
"I Want You To Know"
"Hollywood"
"Wasted Tears"
"Last One In The Bar"
"Take Me To Your Leader"


The Players:


Lesli Sanders: Lead Vocals, Guitars
Phil Soussan: Bass, Piano, Mandolin,Percussion, Backing Vocals
Wayne Stokely: Drums,Backing Vocals
Tchad Drats: Guitar, Ebow, Backing Vocals
G.G. Guitar, Backing Vocals
Terry Bratsch, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Steel, Backing Vocals





About BraveWords Records:


There is a serious void which desperately needs to be filled, hard-working and creative bands that have yet to find a partnership and a mutual vision with a professional team. The music-fuelled minds behind BraveWords Records, Brian Adams, Giles Lavery, Tim Henderson and Michael Brandvold, have built the ultimate home for an artist that will take you where you want to be. Collectively, with nearly 100 years of music industry experience under our belts, the BraveWords Records team will take care of all the crucial aspects of your project from global distribution (digital and physical), publicity and media coverage (web, radio, visual), social media blanketing and streaming opportunities (such as Streaming For Vengeance). Where most labels have forgotten the concept of actually marketing a release sensibly, BraveWords Records will construct a viable and comprehensive marketing plan, including visibility at BraveWords.com, which attracts a million visitors monthly. BraveWords Records has all senses on high alert as the music industry continues its never-ending transitioning, so the artist will always be aware of new opportunities to build their brand and strive for world domination. BraveWords will also have a focus on licensing film and TV content, both contemporary and retrospective across many genres. As artists and labels transition to the many new mediums available today for their work, BraveWords intends to stay ahead of the curve in providing and actively seeking opportunities for our roster of clients.


With the rapid spread of the world wide web, BraveWords.com was born in 2000 and quickly became the CNN of heavy metal. With its team of global writers and photographers, the site flourished with 24/7 updated news, features, reviews, audio and video steams.


For nearly 30 years, BraveWords wears their metal heart loudly on their sleeve, as they celebrate the greatest genre of music with the most dedicated and passionate fans on the planet!







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Drumeo has shared a new video along with the following message:


"Watch Tommy Aldridge perform 'Crying In The Rain' by Whitesnake. This track was originally released on Whitesnake's 1982 record, Saints & Sinners, featuring Ian Paice (Deep Purple) on drums. Five years later in 1987, the band re-released the song on their self-titled record featuring Aynsley Dunbar on drums."







In 2023, Drumeo shared an hour-long clip featuring Aldridge going through breakdowns on key Whitesnake and Ozzy fills. Find out what it was like working with Randy Rhoads ('You couldn't make it heavy enough for Randy'), and watch the Bonham fan perform some of his favorite tunes.










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In a new interview with the "Everblack" podcast, drummer Stix Zadinia of California glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER — whose songs contain what some critics say are racist, misogynistic and lewd lyrics — was asked if he and his bandmates have been affected by "cancel culture", a term which describes efforts to shun, silence or demonetize people who express unpopular beliefs. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's a good question. And, actually, we get that question quite a lot now, or we have over the past couple of years. But no, we haven't had anybody come to us and go, 'Oh, guys, you can't do that.' And I think one of the main reasons for that is we're our own record company, we run everything, we are the merch company — we are truly 'do it yourself.'

"I think that we built this band on being irreverent, we built it on not giving a fuck, and people who are fans of our band generally, they celebrate that fact," he explained. "So I feel like there's a very conscious choice on our part to not follow the trend and not try to go be politically correct, 'cause that's the antithesis of our band. That wouldn't be organic and it wouldn't be natural for us. And the minute we start to do that, everybody who likes us for what we stand for and what we represent, which is freedom to say whatever the fuck you want, not hurt anybody, but just go be a freak, and the minute we do that, then the people who like us for that, they'd be bummed. They'd be, like, 'Oh, that's not my band anymore.' And we are forever grateful for people who are on the STEEL PANTHER bus. And to change the bus just because there's some people out there going, 'Oh, you can't say that. You're gonna hurt people's feelings' — fuck off. Don't listen."

Stix's bandmate, STEEL PANTHER singer Michael Starr, previously talked about cancel culture in a March 2023 interview with Canada's The Metal Voice. Asked if he and his bandmates had been affected by efforts to silence differing opinions and voices, he responded: "No, not really. I mean, I don't wanna say 'not really.' I would just say… I mean, the only pushback we got was for a plug-in that [STEEL PANTHER guitarist] Satchel designed called the 'Pussy Melter'. And it was on the TC Electronic web site and a girl guitar player saw it and she got extremely offended by it. And she wrote the company and they took the plug-in off because one person was upset with it. And so Satchel came up with the idea, and he said, 'Why don't we just make a fucking guitar pedal?' So we got into the guitar pedal business. Man, that thing flew off the shelves so quick. 'Cause people were trying to cancel us. We only made, like, I think, ten thousand of 'em or something — just a small order of 'em. Because it's expensive to get that capital to make 'em all. So we made, like, ten thousand and we made it a limited edition and it cut off at a certain number. And we sold 'em all in, like, two weeks. And so that [was a situation where] somebody tried to cancel us — like a subcategory of us — and it kind of backfired on them."

Starr went on to say that people who attend STEEL PANTHER concerts are fully aware of what they are going to see at the performances, including girls being invited girls up on stage to flash their breasts and single-entendre lyrics that seemingly objectify women and demean everybody.

"People that come to our shows, they know what to expect," Michael explained. "No one walks off the street and just goes, 'Oh, that looks like a fun show. I'm gonna go in.' And they buy a ticket and go in and go, 'Oh my God! I am so offended by them saying 'fuck',' or whatever. 'They said 'Asian hooker'. That's so racist.' People that come know what they're coming into. They know they're coming to a show where they're gonna laugh and hear some profane, politically incorrect humor. And if it's their first time [seeing the band], it's because their friend brought 'em. And people are pretty aware of what's going on. So I think everyone is there for the same party. So we really, really haven't experienced any of that [cancel culture]."

Starr added: "Our shows have been selling out on this tour. And I like to attribute it to how great my hair looks. But it's not that. It's more like people are sick of not being heard. And people are sick of fucking getting bullshitted and they want something that they can count on.

"You go to a sports game and, for the most part, you can count on it being an even match. The refs may fuck up a couple of calls. At the end of the day, at the end, somebody wins and somebody loses. There's truth to that. And when you come see us, at the end of the day, you're gonna get drunk, you're gonna laugh and you're gonna have a good time. You can't argue with that. And I think people really wanna just do that."

Three years ago, Satchel lamented the current stage of the world when asked about the future of comedy and entertainment during an appearance on the "2020'd" podcast. At the time, he said: "I know that wokeism is out of control and cancel culture is out of control right now, but people love to laugh and people love to be able to speak their fucking mind. And you can't be funny, I think, if you can't push the envelope a little bit and joke about shit that you're not supposed to joke about. And that's one of the things that is great about the differences in people — being able to joke about cultural differences. Because there's huge differences between black and white culture, there's huge differences between Asian culture and black culture, or gay culture and heterosexual culture. Gay guys are fucking hilarious; they're really funny. And I don't understand a lot of it, but they're funny as fuck. I'm not gay, so I don't suck dicks, but, to me, the whole idea of being gay is very funny, and there’s a lot of funny shit in that.

"Listen, stereotypes are stereotypes because they are fucking funny," he explained. "It's funny to joke about Asian people being bad drivers, 'cause there's a lot of 'em."

Satchel went on to say that STEEL PANTHER concerts provide a safe space for people to make fun of all situations and individuals equally without fear of offending someone.

"One of the things that I love about being in STEEL PANTHER, and one of the things I love about our shows, is that people who go to our show, and it doesn't matter whether they're white or black, or male or female, or gay or hetero, they go to our show because they love that they're in a place where everybody's… The playing field is level, because we make fun of everybody, and everybody can laugh at everything, and you don't have to worry about it," he said. "And you don't have to watch what you say because everybody can joke about everything. Everybody's in on it, so everybody has fun. And it really lets everybody let their guard down and everybody can have fucking fun.

"When you're out in public normally, most people are very aware of what they can and can't say in this day and age," he added. "And God, that gets fucking old after a while. Most people are just, like, 'Fuck, I just wanna cuss and make fun of a gay person for once. Come on.'"

STEEL PANTHER's sixth studio album, "On The Prowl", was released in February 2023.

In September 2022, STEEL PANTHER announced the addition of Spyder as the band's new bassist.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Sixteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.

Photo credit: David Jackson

Tito Santana has uploaded video of DEEP PURPLE's entire August 31 concert at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. Check it out below.

According to Setlist.fm, the setlist for the show was as follows:

01. Highway Star
02. A Bit On The Side
03. Hard Lovin' Man
04. Into The Fire
05. Guitar Solo
06. Uncommon Man
07. Lazy Sod
08. Keyboard Solo
09. Lazy
10. Show Me
11. Portable Door
12. Anya
13. Keyboard Solo
14. Bleeding Obvious
15. Space Truckin'
16. Smoke On The Water

Encore:

17. Green Onions (Booker T. & the MG's cover)
18. Hush (Joe South cover)
19. Black Night

During an appearance on the August 21 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan was asked if retirement is out of the vocabulary for him and his bandmates, more than seven years after they launched "The Long Goodbye" tour. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it is. That was a joke, actually, because it was the promoters. And someone said, 'We've gotta sell some more tickets.' And it's the good old standby, the farewell tour. So I said, Okay, we'll call it 'goodbye' tour, but let's call it 'the long goodbye', and let's make the emphasis on the word 'long',' so it's kind of an enigmatic phrase."

He continued: "There's no intention to stop. At the moment… I spoke to my manager the other day. I've got some solo project. He said, 'You're gonna have to put 'em back,' and I'm putting them back years. We're already booked to the end of '26, in the planning stage, in the diary, with all the projects we've got for DEEP PURPLE. So, yeah, years to come, hopefully."

Earlier last month, Gillan addressed the name of the band's current tour with YES, "=1 More Time" in an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock. Asked how close the end of the road — and, perhaps, DEEP PUPRLE — feels to him, the singer, who just turned 79, responded: "Well, you know what?! It was only recently that I heard somebody mention [the tour name]. I'd never heard that before. I'd never even spoken to anybody about it. No one asked me. That's rubbish. [Laughs] That's not the name of the tour. I think the tour is called 'Unleashed'. Not that it matters; it's a DEEP PURPLE tour and we're happy and whatever. But to answer your question: it is what it is. As soon as you start feeling unable to deliver at that level — of course, you adjust, of course, you adapt and make do the best you can. But when the energy level goes, that's time to stop because then it gets embarrassing and nobody wants that. But so far, so good. I think that's a much better title than what you just said. [Laughs]"

Last December, DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice, who turned 76 in June, was asked by Zoom when he and his bandmates will eventually retire from performing live. He responded: "We have never planned a date to stop working. We are realists. The guys are getting older, and there's gonna come a point where maybe one or two of us don't want to do it anymore or [it's] not physically possible for them to do it. But we don't think about that. We're still having a great deal of fun. A lot of people still enjoy what we do, and so long as those two things stay in harmony, we'll continue.

"I don't think we'll ever know what the last gig, what the last tour is," he continued. "I think it'll come and just smack us in the face. Unless there's a definite plan, which there isn't, to do something as a final bye-bye, I just think we'll just go, 'Sorry, guys. We're finished. We can't do it anymore. It's been wonderful.' But even then, I think if we stopped touring, there's no reason why we couldn't make more records. That's the easiest thing in the world. All you've got to do is have the ideas. That's the hardest thing in the world. But physically making a record is easy."

Paice added: "Touring only works if you enjoy it. You can't just enjoy the two hours a night when you're playing. You've got to be able to deal with the whole thing. You've got to be able to deal with a ten-hour flight, a hotel which is less than perfect, transportation which goes wrong. You've gotta deal with all that. And if you can, and still enjoy it, then why would you stop something that you got into as a kid 'cause it made you happy? And if it still makes you happy, why would you stop it?"

Paice's PURPLE bandmate Roger Glover expressed a similar sentiment about the band's final tour in a June 2023 interview with Rock Hard Greece. The bassist, who turned 78 last November, said: "I don't like the idea of announcing the last show: 'And here they are. This is their last show.' I mean, the stress involved in that would be ridiculous. Where would it be? When would it be? For me, the ideal ending for PURPLE is that we just carry on until it stops. No announcement. We're not gonna announce, 'This is the last one.' People would buy tickets: 'Oh, this is the last one.' It's an exercise in making money. It's not very good. I've never liked it. I'd rather go and play and play and play and play, and one day when something happens and one of us drops dead or gets really ill or whatever, [we say], 'Well, that's that.' And leave it at that."

In 2022, DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Don Airey, who turned 76 in June, told Rolling Stone magazine that there is no concrete plan for him and his DEEP PURPLE bandmates to stop playing live shows.

"We started the farewell tour in 2017. It was due to end in 2019," he noted. "But the thing is, when you're a musician in a band, you think you're in control of it, but you're not. The business is running you.

"Of course, there was so much demand for the band to continue from the promoters and agents that we said, 'Okay, we'll do one more year.'"

Regarding when he thinks DEEP PURPLE will finally call it quits, Don said: "The words of T.S. Eliot [the greatest English-language poet of his generation] come to mind: 'This is the way the band ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.' I think we won't know it's the last gig. We won't have a clue that this one is going to be the last one. That's how it's going to end. It's going to be no big scenario.

"I like what Buddy Guy said. He said, 'Musicians don't retire. They drop.' You do have thoughts about being in the garden and bouncing the grandchildren on your knee, but it's part of your blood system, playing and touring. It's an addiction. I hope I keep playing for a while yet."

In July 2022, guitarist Steve Morse officially left PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who is battling cancer. He has since been replaced by Simon McBride.

DEEP PURPLE's latest album, "=1", came out on July 19 via earMUSIC.

Brazilian/Italian metallers ANGRA have announced on social media that they will be taking a hiatus from touring and recording next year. Before that, the band will be on an extensive tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their acclaimed album "Temple Of Shadows", considered one of the most important progressive metal albums of all time.

ANGRA said in a statement: "Dear fans and friends, it is with mixed emotions that we announce a sabbatical period in ANGRA's activities. After more than 11 years of intense dedication, composing, recording, and performing in various cities and countries around the world, we feel it is time to stop and recharge our batteries. This break is necessary so that we can return even stronger and more inspired.

"We know it will be hard to stay away from the stage as ANGRA, and we will miss the friendship and great relationship we have as a band. We are deeply grateful for the unconditional support and passion you have always shown for our music. Without you, ANGRA wouldn’t be what it is!

"Before we enter this hiatus, we have some special events planned. Soon we will release our acoustic DVD, recorded at the Ópera de Arame, which we are extremely proud of. In October and November, we will embark on an European tour, and between late 2024 and March 2025, we will embark on the 'Interlude' tour, where we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album 'Temple Of Shadows' and perform the greatest hits of our career. We invite all of you to join us at these final shows before the pause, so we can celebrate these unforgettable moments together.

"During this period, the band members will focus on other personal and professional projects. We will always stay close to our fans in one way or another through these endeavors. We will remain connected through social media and promise to keep you informed about our next steps. Stay tuned to angra.net for information on show dates and Meet & Greet packs. See you soon, and may music continue to unite us!"

ANGRA's latest album, "Cycles Of Pain", came out last November 3 via Atomic Fire Records. The LP was produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by longtime ANGRA partner Dennis Ward (D.C. COOPER, PINK CREAM 69, PLACE VENDOME) at the Sonastério & Elephant Office in Brazil, while mixing and mastering took place at The TrakShak in Karlsdorf, Germany. The artwork was designed by Erick Pasqua before Jonathan Canuto took care of layout duties.

The album also featured a range of guests, including appearances by Amanda Somerville ("Tears Of Blood"),Brazilian artists Lenine ("Vida Seca") and Vanessa Moreno ("Tide Of Changes - Part II" and "Here In The Now"),and Juliana D'Agostini on piano ("Tears Of Blood").

Formed in 1991, ANGRA's current lineup includes vocalist Fabio Lione (ATHENA XIX, ex-RHAPSODY OF FIRE, ex-VISION DIVINE) alongside Rafael Bittencourt and Marcelo Barbosa on guitars, Felipe Andreoli on bass and Bruno Valverde on drums.

Photo: Henrique Grandi

The Mojo Dojo has released a new video for David Lee Roth's "Black Sand", featured on the DLR Band album from 1998. A message from animator Ramses Rios follows:


"Perhaps one of David Lee Roth’s greatest and most underrated tracks of his solo career, 'Black Sand' from the DLR Album is perfection. Matching the same type of vibe as 'Damn Good', Dave’s smooth voice and lyrical genius paired with Terry Kilgore’s guitar on this track is like combining JD & Coke.


"As you know, I am a die hard DLR fan. To me, DLR is not simply just legendary or my hero, like he is a hero to all. DLR is a lifestyle. My goal is to share my passion I have for illustration/art paired with tracks that many are unfamiliar with from Dave. You could say I’m trying to give a little life to these diamonds in the rough. This is how I became an ultimate fan, by receiving exposure to greatness.




"Just doing my small part in carrying this torch so that you all may enjoy DLR as much as I do."





Ramses Rios previously released a new video for Roth's "Mississippi Power".


"A very rare, but amazing track by David Lee Roth from the YFLM (Your Filthy Little Mouth) album (Non-LP track). It has been around for ages, but not many are aware of this gem the Diamond blessed us with. Dave has always had an incredible bluesy voice, and he hits it out the park every time. Enjoy this track if you have not already heard it. Illustration by myself - a little tip of the hat to the art portrayed on the YFLM booklet (Moon)."










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“Nightflower” is the new music video by Ross Valory from the recently released album, All Of The Above (OID Music). The video was once again directed by Michael Cotten. 





 




All Of The Above was produced by Valory and co-produced by Eric Levy and Jacob Stowe. The nine tracks on the album represent the full maturity of Valory’s musical gifts, cutting a broad swath through the instrumental territory the music travels. He plays keyboards, guitar, and, of course, many basses in a display of cultivated virtuosity acRoss a palette far broader than could be found in his work with Journey. He is stepping out from behind his bass and, for the first time in his more than half-century as a professional musician, representing his vision and his compositions.


Valory left Journey in 2020 and the band members worked out their issues in a peaceful mediated settlement. Valory, who spent most of his life as a member of Journey, has no regrets. He counts his blessings at having spent an amazing career with a remarkable group of musicians who succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.





"Low Rider" video:





"Windmill" video:





"Wild Kingdom" video:





"Tomland" video:





(Photo - Jérôme Brunet)







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American metalcore stalwarts ATREYU have shared "Becoming The Bull", another track from their new collection of eight reimagined greatest hits and two nostalgic tribute covers, "The Pronoia Sessions". The digital release will begin streaming on October 25 while vinyl and CDs will hit streets on November 8.

On the new version of "Becoming The Bull", ATREYU frontman Brandon Saller comments: "We tried to give a new approach to this song. As with all the songs on this album, we wanted to breathe new life into every aspect of this song that to me sounds like a desert sunrise. Enjoy."

ATREYU is a band with a legacy seamlessly intertwined with formative experiences for a diverse legion of listeners worldwide. 'The Pronoia Sessions' deconstructs, recreates, and reshapes the Orange County, California, band's beloved anthems (and cover songs) as a haunting and hypnotic new collection. What began as an acoustic album evolved into a grand re-imagining of ATREYU classics.

The genesis stretches back to a series of acoustic performances at special events on the road. "We had the idea to do a show similar to NIRVANA's MTV 'Unplugged' as a one-off thing," explains Saller. "Then we thought, 'Why not spend some time on it in the studio?' And it built from there. 'How far can we push this?' It spawned from there and unexpectedly turned into this monster."

The band shared this about the upcoming release: "This album, to us, was something that initially came from the fans. During COVID, we started toying around with doing acoustic performances for the first time in our career. Since the release of 'Gone (Reimagined)', the outpouring of love and interest from our fans was overwhelming. It got us thinking...what if we didn't just make some of our classics acoustic, what if we took them to a whole new place? We feel with this album we have carved out a new home for these songs to stand on their own. They are new entities in our musical landscape.

"Making this album brought us such a sense of joy and creativity. It was as if the universe handed us this moment and it was meant to happen…hence, 'The Pronoia Sessions'."

"The Pronoia Sessions" track listing:

01. Becoming The Bull (reimagined)
02. Save Us (reimagined)
03. Ex's & Oh's (reimagined)
04. Right Side Of The Bed (reimagined)
05. Like A Stone (AUDIOSLAVE Cover)
06. Drowning (reimagined)
07. The Theft (reimagined)
08. Gone (reimagined)
09. Warrior (reimagined)
10. Mary Jane's Last Dance (Tom Petty cover)

Commenting on the first single, an emotional rendering of AUDIOSLAVE's "Like A Stone", ATREYU had this to say: "The covers on this album presented us with the opportunity to take some of our favorites and make them our own. The album has an overarching, somber feel. We wanted songs that would stay in that realm. 'Like A Stone' is one of the most iconic rock songs of our time. Chris Cornell's vocal is a treasure. We hope to have done right by his legacy."

ATREYU's riffs, hooks, melodies, lyrics, and passion are essential parts of a vibrant subculture's emergence across theaters, clubs, festivals, radio, and playlists. The artistic fearlessness powering landmark albums like "The Curse" and "Lead Sails Paper Anchor" is even stronger in 2024. "Becoming The Bull", one of the two gold singles released in 2007, takes on new life on "The Pronoia Sessions".

The songs reimagined on "The Pronoia Sessions" stretch back to 2004's "The Curse" ("Right Side Of The Bed") and 2006's "A Death-Grip On Yesterday" ("Ex's & Ohs", "The Theft"). Two of their biggest hits, "Warrior" and "Save Us", are reworked from 2021's "Baptize". And there are new versions of "Gone" and "Drowning" from their most recent release, 2023's "The Beautiful Dark Of Life".

In addition to their own songs, ATREYU offers dark takes on TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS' classic "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and the enduring, Chris Cornell-led AUDIOSLAVE ballad "Like A Stone".

The band says: "Let's see how we can take what exits already and turn it on its head. With some of the older stuff, the vocals have a more melodic approach, but with much of the same phrasing," Saller explains. "We've also incorporated more members of the band. Porter sings, like on 'Ex's & Ohs'. On 'Right Side Of The Bed', there's a saxophone solo instead of a guitar solo, and it's Dan playing the saxophone."

Unbound by false restrictions about anything sounding "too heavy" or "too pop," ATREYU remains a creative beacon of hope for the people shaken by the suggestion that "rock is dead." They've broken into the Top 10 in the Billboard 200 more than once; two of their albums are certified gold.

ATREYU's unquenchable appetite for creative achievement and pursuit of a shared catharsis on stage drove them to form the band as teenagers around the turn of the millennium. It pushed them beyond their do-it-yourself beginnings to massive festival stages (including two runs on Ozzfest),sold-out headlining tours, movie and game soundtracks, and appearances alongside fellow genre standard-bearers, including LINKIN PARK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, DEFTONES, SLIPKNOT and BRING ME THE HORIZON.

A bold chapter in the band's never-ending story of determination, "Baptize" was a definitive work for a new era. Like 2018's "In Our Wake" (which produced the band's biggest song of the streaming era, "The Time Is Now"),ATREYU recorded "Baptize" with producer John Feldmann. Guests included Jacoby Shaddix (PAPA ROACH),Travis Barker (BLINK-182) and Matt Heafy (TRIVIUM). Songs like "Warrior", "Catastrophe", "Save Us" and "Underrated" are massive, standing confidently in the band's catalog.

Breaking with music industry convention, the band's ninth studio album, "The Beautiful Dark Of Life", arrived first as a series of three four-song EPs, eventually collected all together with three more tracks. The band co-headlined with MEMPHIS MAY FIRE and toured with GODSMACK around the EPs.

Distorted Sound hailed the album as "a therapeutic exploration of the insecurities that plague many of us, taking the knowledge of that shared experience and wielding it to their own strength."

Adeptly combining the sounds of thrash, hardcore punk, and the new wave of Swedish death metal, ATREYU quickly evolved to a place where fans of everything from LINKIN PARK to LAMB OF GOD could come to the party. Adventurous, ambitious; ATREYU is best described plainly as a loud rock band.

As one prominent hard rock critic observed early in the band's career: "If you haven't figured out these guys are aiming for a bigger sound by now, you might want to try cleaning out your ears."

ATREYU is:

Brandon Saller - lead vocals
Dan Jacobs - guitar
Travis Miguel - guitar
Porter McKnight – bass

In a new interview with SDTV - Stonedead Festival, former IRON MAIDEN frontman Paul Di'Anno, who has been performing in a wheelchair as a result of serious health problems for most of the past decade, discussed the progress of his treatment, two years after he underwent major knee surgery in Croatia. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's improving a hell of a lot. The only problem is, and I'm sad to say, with my own country, it's a piece of shit over here [in the United Kingdom] for the NHS [National Health Service, a comprehensive public-health service under government administration]. It's broken completely. I go away, I get — with the lymphedema [a chronic condition that causes swelling in the body's tissues due to a compromised lymphatic system] thing I've got here, it's like it's all full of fluid. Two hours with a medical staff over in Croatia, it's gone down. Come over here [back to the U.K.], they don't even do that, lymphatic drainage [a gentle massage that targets the lymphatic system, which resides just beneath the skin]. Or they wrap you up in bandages. We just took them all off yesterday and put compression stockings on them. And they won't even put that on unless you go through all these channels. Fuckin' England, you're finished, mate."

Paul also reflected on his recent meeting with the singer who replaced him in IRON MAIDEN, Bruce Dickinson, in Croatia. Bruce, who was promoting his new solo album, "The Mandrake Project", performed with his solo band on July 13 at Hala Zagreb in Zagreb, where Di'Anno had been receiving treatment after undergoing his knee surgery.

Paul said: "[Our conversation was] private, so I say no more. Everyone thinks that we hated each other, which is bullshit. That's the press for you. But we've known each other, obviously, from when he was in SAMSON and all that. So, yeah, it's all good."

Di'Anno also discussed his meeting with Dickinson during a recent appearance on "The Neil Jones Rock Show" on TotalRock. He said: "Well, I can't tell you too much. I came out of the clinic I was in, 'cause I was going on stage that night, in Zagreb as well, doing signings basically, and I was gonna go up and do three songs with a MAIDEN covers band sort of thing. All I remember is my transport came to pick me up from the clinic. I'm, like, 'Where are we going?' So I went down to this open-air concert thing. And Bruce was on stage. I was like, oh, I'm clueless. That was my initial thought. Anyway, so after it was all over, I went backstage. All of Bruce's band came down to say hello and all that stuff. They said, 'We're gonna come down and watch you later on, in about an hour or two.' And then next thing I know, Bruce came in. We just gave each other a hug, shook hands and had a little chat, which is private, obviously. But, yeah, it's all good. But the press have put the bad things up about us, that we don't like each other, et cetera, et cetera. But, yeah, it's all good. He's had a little snipe at me over the years, and I'd snipe back occasionally, but yeah, it just kept it all interesting. Yeah, he's a great singer, man. Absolutely brilliant."

Asked if that was in fact the first time he and Bruce had actually met in the flesh, as had been reported, Paul clarified: "No, because, obviously, [we had met when he was] with SAMSON [before he joined MAIDEN] and all that."

In a recent interview with Joel McIver for Record Collector magazine, Bruce was asked when he first encountered IRON MAIDEN. He responded: "The first time I saw MAIDEN was at what was then the Music Machine in Camden. SAMSON [Bruce's then-band] were headlining because our management had bankrolled the gig and said, 'We want the top slot,' although we didn't really deserve it. That became obvious when MAIDEN came on, because the whole place was rammed. I'd heard rumors about how good they were, and I thought I'd better see them. When they came out, I thought, 'I've never seen DEEP PURPLE, but this is what it must have felt like to see DEEP PURPLE in their prime, rocking up a storm.'"

Asked what he thought of MAIDEN's then-frontman Di'Anno as a singer, Bruce said: "He was okay, but he didn't have a lot of flex to his voice. I thought his voice had come as far as it was going to get. I saw what the rest of the band were capable of straight away, and I remember thinking, 'Good God, I'd love to front that band.' And as soon as they finished playing, everybody in the venue left and we were headlining to about three people."

Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN before being replaced by Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.

In 2005, Di'Anno was asked by Classic Rock Revisited editor Jeb Wright about his previous comment that Bruce is a better singer for MAIDEN than he was. He said: "Yeah, I did admit that Bruce is a better singer for MAIDEN than me. I still do think that but only related only to the MAIDEN albums that were made after my first two initial MAIDEN classic albums. My feeling is that I could never have stamped my mark properly on the MAIDEN albums that came after 'Iron Maiden' and 'Killers' because Bruce's voice is much better suited to that material than my voice ever could be. However, that aside, I am not actually comparing our voices against each other either, as I feel as much as I could not sing Bruce's period of MAIDEN songs, Bruce definitely does not have — and never did have — the voice to replace me on the first two classic albums either. My voice is, and always will be, mega aggressive and that is what helped make those first two classic albums what they are. On the other hand, Bruce's high-pitched, and sometimes operatic voice, is what has helped give the later albums their different character. I will say this though: Bruce sounds incredible on many later MAIDEN tracks such as 'The Trooper', 'Number Of The Beast' and 'Two Minutes To Midnight' but let's face it — without meaning to sound arrogant here, just saying what everyone knows — when Bruce tries to emulate me on classics such as 'Remember Tomorrow', 'Running Free', 'Wrathchild', 'Killers' or anything from the first two MAIDEN albums, he just does not have the tools for the job as the aggression just isn't there. Your voice can often explain a lot about your background, and I think my voice shows the kind of rough, lower-class background I came from. Bruce's voice kind of gives an impression of a public schoolboy background."

In a 2022 interview with Sakis Fragos of Greece's Rock Hard magazine, Di'Anno addressed the circumstances that led to his departure from MAIDEN and whether it's true that it has something to do with his vocal performance. He said: "My record stands for itself. I've played more shows than IRON MAIDEN have ever played… They play a lot of concerts, but I played a hell of a lot more than they ever had. So it was nothing to do with my voice. It was nothing to do with that. I was just upset about certain things, which were private things in the band. And the way I dealt with them maybe was not right, but I dealt with them. And that's the end of it. And that's as much as I'm gonna say."

Pressed about whether it's true that he wasn't properly compensated for his work on the first two IRON MAIDEN albums, Paul said: "I have nothing to comment on that at all, because, to be honest with you, it's nobody's damn business. I got paid very well. I'm very happy with that. See, if I try to say, 'Oh, IRON MAIDEN didn't pay me enough money,' it's a bad reflection on IRON MAIDEN. And I'm not taking that. I got paid very well. They looked after me. End of story."

In December 2022, Di'Anno spent time in Split, Croatia recording an album with his new project called WARHORSE. The band was formed earlier that year by Di'Anno and two guitarists/authors, Hrvoje Madiraca and Ante "Pupi" Pupačić. The resulting LP was made available in July 2024 under the PAUL DI'ANNO'S WARHORSE banner.

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN kicked off the 2024 Australian leg of "The Future Past" tour on September 1 at the RAC Arena in Perth.

The band's setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Caught Somewhere In Time
02. Stranger In A Strange Land
03. The Writing On The Wall
04. Days Of Future Past
05. The Time Machine
06. The Prisoner
07. Death Of The Celts
08. Can I Play With Madness
09. Heaven Can Wait
10. Alexander The Great
11. Fear Of The Dark
12. Iron Maiden

Encore:

13. Hell On Earth
14. The Trooper
15. Wasted Years

Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

"The Future Past" tour, which includes songs from both IRON MAIDEN's most recent studio album "Senjutsu" as well as 1986’s seminal album "Somewhere In Time", alongside other fan favorites, played to over 750,000 fans at more than 30 sold-out shows across Europe in the summer of 2023. The band also performed in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver alongside their highly praised appearance at California's Power Trip festival last October which had Consequence stating: "IRON MAIDEN set the bar high at Power Trip" and The Desert Sun saying "IRON MAIDEN didn't disappoint and delivered a hard-hitting performance to open the festival on a high note." Featuring one of the most spectacular stage productions of the band's career, it has received rave reviews in every city and country that IRON MAIDEN visited.

In a recent interview with Australia's "Everblack" podcast, Steve Harris was asked if there is any new music from IRON MAIDEN on the way. The MAIDEN bassist responded: "No, not at the moment. There's nothing in the works at the moment. But that's not to say there won't be.

"Bruce [Dickinson, IRON MAIDEN singer] has only just done his solo tour. So he spent quite a long time just doing that. So, I don't know. Yeah. I mean, maybe we'll find time to cram [a new album] in somewhere. You never know."

MAIDEN's latest album, "Senjutsu", was released in September 2021 via BMG. The band's first LP in six years was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Harris. It features three tracks whose running time exceeds 10 minutes each.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

In the U.S., "Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.

According to Billboard, "Senjutsu" logged the second-largest week of 2021 for a hard rock album in both equivalent album units earned and in traditional album sales.

"Senjutsu" topped the charts in several European countries upon its release, including in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.

Metallica have released official live footage of their performance of "The Day That Never Comes", filmed at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 18. Watch below:





Metallica also played U.S. Bank Stadium on August 16. Watch "Hit The Lights" and "Shadows Follow" from that show, below:

In celebration of their 10th band anniversary, German power metal act, Serious Black, will unleash their forthcoming, sixth studio album, entitled Rise Of Akhenaton, on September 27 via AFM Records. A video for their latest single, "Take Your Life", can be seen below.


Band mastermind Mario Lochert comments:  "For me personally, this song is something special, not just because my daughter Emilia sang in the 3-part children's choir. The song also describes my path in the music industry, when people laughed and said you crazy won't be able to do it. But at the end of the battle the dead are counted - these are the times when the heroes collide."







Ten years Serious Black, ten years of melodic power metal, with the license to create anthems. Since their founding in 2014 the band enthuses their fans not only with five studio albums to date (while their last offering, Vengeance Is Mine, charted at a phenomenal #16 in Germany), but also at frenetically acclaimed concerts and festival appearances around the globe.


To celebrate their decadal birthday in glorious style, Serious Black are currently not only gearing up for their upcoming tour with Sonata Arctica and Firewind, but of course also the release of their new offering, Rise Of Akhenaton.


All of the eleven tracks on their new album showcase, that Serious Black stylistically went back to their roots, but at the same time, due to the modern production by Mario Lochert und Bob Katsionis, Rise Of Akhenaton sounds more diversified than ever. The interim focus on progressive directives has now changed to more catchy arrangements. Anno 2024, straight, classic power metal - the style the band once got to be known for - reigns again.


"The return to what characterized us once, was already indicated on Vengeance Is Mine," Lochert recently said about the natural evolution of the band and adds, "Since his joining three years ago our singer Nikola Mijic has turned out to be a real jewel for us. Because of his expressive voice and his intuitive feeling for great melodies the songs got more clarity and a more direct pace."


Pre-order Rise Of Akhenaton here.





Tracklisting:


"Open Your Eyes"
"We Are The Storm"
"Silent Angel"
"Take Your Life"
"Shields Of Glory"
"When I'm Gone"
"United"
"Rise Of Akhenaton"
"Virtual Reality"
"I Will Remember"
"Metalized"


"Silent Angel" video:

Hailing from Montreal, Canada BornBroken, return with their potent third album Am I Invisible slated for release on September 20, 2024. They have already released the title track as a single and are now following it up with “How Strong You Are” – a motivational anthem that highlights personal strength, resilience, and self-belief. 


The band comments:


“The song encourages listeners to take charge of their destinies and overcome life’s challenges with unwavering conviction. Featuring powerful guitar riffs and a driving rhythm, the track underscores the importance of inner voices and truth in the face of adversity. It is a call to action, reminding fans of their inherent strength and the importance of staying true to oneself amidst life’s battles.”




With lineup changes and their own personal challenges, BornBroken are a testament to resilience as they forge ahead with writing new, more challenging music, taking on new roles within the band and further developing their musicianship.


BornBroken are going back to more of a roots approach with these songs, as they have been focusing on the style of songs that made them get into metal in the first place. Almost like a homage to their idols. They are recommended for fans of Decapitated, Testament, and Machine Head.


Am I Invisible is an album that dives deep into the human experience, exploring themes of existential despair, personal strength, societal division, and the relentless march of time. With each track, BornBroken delivers a powerful message, wrapped in their signature blend of aggressive guitar riffs, dynamic drumming, and emotive vocals.


Those familiar with BornBroken will be surprised by the band's new direction, although the tried and true structure remains, it comes with a twist of lemon and a dash of spice. They are recommended for fans of Chimaira, Machine Head, Slipknot, Decapitated, and Testament.


The Am I Invisible album is available to preorder on Bandcamp. Pre-save the album here.





Tracklisting:


“Time Pays No Respect”
“Am I Invisible”
“Will You Remember”
“How Strong You Are”
“Conflicting Lies”
“Scabs & Scars”
“7 Mondays”
“Fold”
“Age Of Anger”
“The Day I Die Inside”


"How Strong You Are":





"Am I Invisible":





BornBroken Album Lineup:
Mike Marino (Bass)
Michael Decker (Vocals/ All Guitars)
Carlos Ojeda (Drums)


BornBroken live and Official New Lineup:
Mike Marino (Bass)
Michael Decker (Vocals/Guitar)
Carlos Ojeda (Drums)
Rob Henx (Lead Guitar) Newest member after recording







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One Machine’s first single release in nearly nine years, “A New Plane Of Existence”, drops today available on all digital platforms for sale and streaming. A video release date for the single has been announced for Friday September 6. Listen to the single below.


Steve Smyth describes the meaning of the lyrics: “The song reflects my current perception of humanity, and the highly immersive digital world we find ourselves in, in 2024, as compared to when the song was written a few years ago. It feels much more dystopian by the day to me. Everywhere we go, we find many people stuck into their phone, tablet, laptop screen, TV screen, and now, visor screens. We are now more immersed than ever, locked into a digital world, where it seems that human contact has taken on a new role, in the form of video recordings, texted words, a new distal human interaction. Connected to the One Machine a bit more, day by day, and perhaps not even realizing it. Not all of this is a bad thing, mind you, if it’s being used for positive reasons.


"I decided to take a bit of a different turn with the lyrics for this song, reflecting on how the screens are the new dictator of humankind, and we are merely followers, ones left without a voice, while someone behind the screens leads us. Where or what are they leading us to? Stay tuned for the video to find out!




"It was a very long road to get this far! Our REAL fans, the ones who have stuck around through all of our challenges, with finding a new lead vocalist, the loss of my wife to cancer after a hard fought three year battle, Covid, not being able to tour, can now enjoy our very first bit of new music in nearly 9 years! Enjoy! And I know you’ll stream it first! But it’s my hope that you’ll like it enough to support One Machine and buy the single!"





One Machine embark on a European Tour, returning to the live stage for the first time since 2018, with Overkill and Angelus Apatrida September 1 with new lead vocalist Tasos Lazaris.





One Machine is:


Steve Smyth - Guitar
Jamie Hunt - Guitar
Stefano Selvatico - Bass
Matt “Spike” Cherry - Drums
Tasos Lazaris - Lead Vocalist


One Machine is the brainchild of critically acclaimed guitarist/songwriter Steve Smyth (Nevermore, Forbidden, Testament, Dragonlord, Vicious Rumors). One Machine is an international metal band with classic and modern influences, featuring members carefully selected by Smyth: Jamie Hunt (Biomechanical) sharing guitar duties,  augmented heavily by a powerhouse rhythm section with Stefano Selvatico (Savage Messiah) on bass guitar and Matt “Spike”Cherry (Biomechanical, Matt Mitchell and The Coldhearts) on drums, and welcoming new vocalist Ronny Munroe (Metal Church/Trans Siberian Orchestra) to it’s ranks.


The band’s debut album, The Distortion Of Lies And The Overdriven Truth was released world-wide February 2014 through Scarlet Records/eOne to great critical acclaim, and the band immediately hit the road, winning several high profile support slots in the UK and abroad with such luminaries and newcomers alike, as Nile, Vicious Rumors, Onslaught, Artillery, The Agonist, as well as headlining shows of their own.


The band also made several festival appearances, sharing the stage alongside bands such as Dani Filth’s Devilment, Pretty Maids, Illdispo

In a new interview with Lots Of Muzik, DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess was asked if his work on his latest solo album, "Permission To Fly", has in any way influenced the upcoming DREAM THEATER LP. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think that as a musician, always evolving and working on my craft, in that sense, yes. I probably had a lot of different harmonic ideas and rhythmic ideas in my head just from the time I spent focusing on my solo album. And I bring those in to DREAM THEATER.

"DREAM THEATER is a very different situation," he explained. "First of all, picture me in front of my speakers as a keyboardist and just creating this thing almost like I'm in a bubble. So that's that. And then imagine now I'm in the studio with all the guys of DREAM THEATER in a rehearsal room and we're just writing music together and wearing headphones, just kind of developing our own parts and everything like that. So my role is so different. But, yeah, certainly I would bring in wherever I was at musically to this role to work with all these amazingly talented guys.

"The DREAM THEATER thing is very unique, especially now because [original DREAM THEATER drummer] Mike Portnoy is back, and that's been a major thing in so many different ways for the band. Just having him back, it's deep because it was 13 years that he was gone. Then he comes back, so all the musical things that he brings, his drumming, his creativity, his mindset about music… I've been thinking about it a lot and I like to point out that he has kind of like a film director's mentality with the way that he looks at producing a work, like an album, and that talent all is going into this new album. And we're really a team. And John Petrucci [DREAM THEATER guitarist], not only is he one of the world's greatest guitar players, but he's also an excellent producer and really has a great way to work with everybody."

Rudess added: "I think everybody's gonna love this [new album]. I can pretty much guarantee it. We don't mess around. We're not people who take what we do lightly. We're really serious. We stay there and we work on things until they're absolutely right and until everybody thinks that, 'Okay, this is really great.' So I have a feeling that all the DREAM THEATER fans around the world, they're in for a really big treat. And, of course, you know, they're gonna have something to listen to, 'cause on September 6th, 'Permission To Fly' comes out. And they'll have that to listen to while they wait for the DREAM THEATER album. And there's no official announced release date yet, but they will have a little time to wait and sink their heads into some good prog and go on the Jordan ride while they wait for this what I think is forming to be an exceptional DREAM THEATER album."

"Permission To Fly" will be released via InsideOut Music.

While some previous releases were true solo pursuits, this time, Rudess assembled a core group of musicians to support and elevate his vision. The album features Jordan alongside That Joe Payne on vocals, Darby Todd (DEVIN TOWNSEND) on drums and Steve Dadaian on guitar, as well as guest guitar solos from Bastian Martinez.

With the music in capable hands, Rudess wanted to make sure to give the lyrics their proper attention. For that, he turned to a source close to home, his daughter.

Last month, Rudess was asked by Chris Akin Presents how the upcoming DREAM THEATER album compares to the rest of the band's discography. Jordan said: "Well, let's put it this way. There's this undeniable, almost unexplainable or inexplainable, whatever the word is, type of thing that happens with drummers. We survived beautifully in the 13 years that Mike Portnoy was not there. Mike Mangini was a supreme drummer, just incredible. And that said, all the albums with Portnoy, all the albums with Mangini, they have different flavors, because there's something about the back beat, if you will, of a band and the drummer that just gives an energy to the whole thing. And a lot of people speak of that. It's kind of hard to pin down. But you really notice it. Like on this new album, I listen to it and I go, 'Okay, I feel the Portnoy energy back there.'

"I would say what I'm hearing personally is classic kind of DREAM THEATER, whatever that means to anybody that's listening," he continued. "You'll have to wait and see. Think of it this way: the core band is back together again. It's classic DREAM THEATER. I also like to point out that we are a bunch of guys that we take what we do very, very seriously. We put every ounce, every bit of effort, energy into everything we do. We care so much about it, each and every one of us.

"The other day, I was talking to John Petrucci in the studio when I was doing my keyboard parts. And we were really deep and working really hard and spending long hours and just getting things to where we feel they're really, really right. And I said to John, I said, 'John, look at what we're doing. We're here late. We're working like crazy. Why? We could have been making pop music. Why are we doing this?' Just to really understand, because a lot of people don't put the kind of effort, I guess, especially these days when there tends to be a different kind of work ethic around, and maybe we're kind of like old school in that way. But to produce a product, to make something that's gonna last, that is gonna be shared with a large number of people, that's just gonna live on, in a way, forever, that, to us, is a really serious thing. And as artists, we're trying to make a statement."

Circling back to Portnoy's influence on the new DREAM THEATER music, Jordan said: "One of the beautiful things is Mike has brought with him all his incredible skills. He's not a guy who just plays the drums really well. He also understands this business. I always like to say that he's got kind of like a film director's mentality, he's looking at everything from a conceptual point of view, and he has skills that the rest of us don't. I mean, yes, we survived fine [without Portnoy], we did really well, we won a Grammy [while he was out of the band] and all that, but there's a magic there that we now have back. It's cool — it's really cool. We're super excited."

Portnoy co-founded DREAM THEATER in 1985 with guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung. Mike played on 10 DREAM THEATER albums over a 20-year period, from 1989's "When Dream And Day Unite" through 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", before exiting the group in 2010.

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

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

DOWN played the first of two Louisiana "pop-up" shows on June 20 at Southport Hall in New Orleans. Multi-camera video of "The Seed" performance from the concert is available below. The video was shot by Steven W. Richardson, Emily Blanke and Metal Dave Gonzales and was edited and produced by Mike Holderbeast.

The band's setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Lysergik Funeral Procession
02. Hail The Leaf
03. Lifer
04. The Seed
05. Ghosts Along The Mississippi
06. Rehab
07. Losing All
08. New Orleans Is A Dying Whore
09. Pillars Of Eternity
10. Swan Song
11. Eyes Of The South
12. Stone The Crow
13. Bury Me In Smoke

DOWN announced two pop-up shows in Louisiana after the band's previously announced concert in Mescalero, New Mexico was postponed due to a pair of rapidly growing wildfires which were converging on a village inside a tribal reservation in the state.

The long-running heavy metal supergroup, which features vocalist Philip H. Anselmo, guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein, drummer Jimmy Bower and bassist Pat Bruders, was supposed to perform on Thursday, June 20 at Inn Of The Mountain Gods Resort And Casino in Mescalero, New Mexico. But the show was called off after thousands of residents in southern New Mexico were ordered to evacuate their homes and the fires prompted the partial closure of U.S. Highway 70 south of the village of Ruidoso. The concert has since been rescheduled for September 27.

DOWN also performed on June 21 at Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

$5 per ticket from each of the DOWN pop-up shows went to Mescalero Apache Nation - South Fork Fire relief fund.

When DOWN's concert at Inn Of The Mountain Gods Resort And Casino was first announced in April, the band said that Windstein would sit out the show due to his commitments with CROWBAR. Filling in for him at the June gigs was former DOWN guitarist Bobby Landgraf.

Prior to Southport Hall, DOWN's last concert took place in September 2022 at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, Virginia.

DOWN made a handful of rare live appearances in the spring and summer of 2022. The band launched a three-date U.S. run of shows in May 2022 at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida. After playing in Atlanta and Dallas immediately after Rockville, DOWN took a three-week break before regrouping for three European festival appearances in June. The aforementioned appearance at that year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival followed in September 2022.

In August 2021, DOWN took part in a very special in-person live and virtual experience. "NOLA Town Throwdown" was held at the Fillmore in New Orleans, Louisiana and featured fans attending the show in person as well as watching it in real time from the comfort of their living room.

In August 2020, DOWN celebrated the 25th anniversary of "NOLA" with a special livestreamed event. Dubbed "The Quarter Century Throwdown", the high-production, multi-camera event took place using cutting-edge streaming technology to create a one-of-a-kind virtual concert experience.

A founding member of DOWN, Windstein left the band in 2013 in order to focus on CROWBAR and his family life. He was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, DOWN's former guitar tech who was previously in GAHDZILLA MOTOR COMPANY, a 1990s outfit also featuring Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER),and HONKY.

Windstein announced his return to DOWN in 2019, with the band confirming a number of festival appearances for 2020 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "NOLA", all of which were later canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which swept the globe.

Prior to the August 2020 livestream, DOWN's last live appearance took place in August 2016 at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in Las Vegas.

The supergroup hasn't issued anything since the arrival of the "Down IV – Part Two" EP in May 2014.

"Down IV – Part Two" sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release in May 2014 to debut at position No. 23 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous EP, "Down IV Part I – The Purple EP", opened with around 12,000 units in September 2012 to land at No. 35.

"Down IV – Part Two" was recorded at Nodferatu's Lair — Anselmo's home studio — and produced by Michael Thompson. It was released via Down Records/ADA Music.

AC/DC claims a trio of Top 10 hits on the same chart in the UK this week, reports Forbes. They easily fill the most spaces inside the highest tier on the Official Rock & Metal Singles tally this time around, as fans in the United Kingdom are still loving the tracks that made the outfit a household name years ago.


"Thunderstruck" holds as AC/DC’s loftiest win on the Official Rock & Metal Singles chart this frame. That tune, which has turned out to be the band’s most successful in many respects, is steady at #6.


Two spots further down, "You Shook Me All Night Long" advances slightly. The tune was present inside the Top 10 on the Official Rock & Metal Singles chart last frame, and now, it’s climbed again. This period, it pushes from #10 to #8.




AC/DC rounds out their trio of winners with "Back In Black", which finds its way back into the top region on the Official Rock & Metal Singles list. The smash improves its standing from #11 to #10, re-entering the space once more.


Read more at Forbes.
















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In a recent interview with Paul Salfen of AMFM Magazine, JANE'S ADDICTION drummer Stephen Perkins was asked what advice he would give to young musicians who are just starting out. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, as far as when I started, I wanted to replicate my heroes. And there became a moment where I knew I had to find my own sound. And I think that's the moment we're looking for, because technically we're all learning from the same book, how to fundamentally bounce a stick. Of course your record collection has a lot to do with it. When I was young, I played to records that I loved, and as I grew a little, maybe in my mid-teens, I started buying records that I wasn't familiar with, almost a cold-call record, and see what it would do to my drumming. And if it was a Latin record, or a hip-hop record, or if it was an Eastern Indian record with tabla drumming, try to perform to something that's kind of like out of your normal zone. I think that really helps. And then, of course, finding great musicians to play with. Then usually, it's a musician that's better than you that I think can help. 'Cause if you have a tennis match and the guy's just beneath you, it won't be a good game. If you have equal players, it's a great game. If someone's a little better, you're gonna have to try harder. So I love that experience of being surrounded by great musicians and having them pull me in directions that may be not comfortable, but that growth experience is part of learning your craft. So, surround yourself with some great players, challenge yourself with music that's not quite familiar and put yourself in that position and see if you can accomplish something with it. And then again, of course, that simple dedication to you and your craft where no one else is in the room and you have to spend a lot of time alone with your instrument. If it's a harmonica, it's a bongo, if it's an upright bass, saxophone, you have to do it — you have to spend time alone with it and have this relationship with your instrument. So I think those things are important. And I still use those tools to move forward."

Last month, JANE'S ADDICTION's classic lineup consisting of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, Perkins and bassist Eric Avery released a new studio single, "Imminent Redemption". The track was recorded at Sweetzwerland Studios in Hollywood, California.

Prior to "Imminent Redemption"'s arrival, Avery's last time in the studio with JANE'S ADDICTION was for the classic 1990 album "Ritual De Lo Habitual".

"Imminent Redemption" was first performed live when JANE'S ADDICTION's classic lineup played its first show in 14 years on May 23 at London, United Kingdom's Bush Hall.

At the London gig, Navarro, Farrell, Perkins and Avery – who had left the band in 2010 but returned in 2022 — also played another new track, "True Love", which they had premiered last year. They also opened with "Kettle Whistle", marking JANE'S ADDICTION's first performance of the song with Navarro since 2001.

"True Love" was reportedly written by Farrell, Avery and Perkins, with assistance from touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

Navarro sat out JANE'S ADDICTION's 2022 and 2023 shows due to his battle with long COVID. He was replaced at last year's gigs by Klinghoffer, a former member of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS who also records with Eddie Vedder and performs with PEARL JAM. 2022 saw QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's Troy Van Leeuwen step in for Navarro.

The fall 2022 "Spirit On Fire" tour marked the first JANE'S ADDICTION run of shows in more than a decade to feature returning Avery. Prior to that, Avery last played with the band for a short stint in the 2000s before departing again in 2010.

JANE'S ADDICTION and LOVE AND ROCKETS recently hit the road for their 2024 co-headline tour.

San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans TESTAMENT have tapped Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with OPETH, KREATOR, PARADISE LOST, SOILWORK and AMON AMARTH, among others, to mix their upcoming studio album. The LP will mark TESTAMENT's follow-up to 2020's "Titans Of Creation", which was co-produced by Juan Urteaga, who previously worked with TESTAMENT on "Dark Roots Of Earth" (2012) and "Brotherhood Of The Snake" (2016).

TESTAMENT guitarist and main songwriter Eric Peterson discussed the band's upcoming album in a new interview with Brutal Planet Magazine. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's, like, 90 percent done. And it's gonna get mixed in December by Jens Bogren. He's a producer from Sweden, and he's done — God, he's done KREATOR, he's doing the new BEHEMOTH right now, he's done IN FLAMES, ARCH ENEMY. A lot of European bands. We usually work with Andy Sneap, but he's [the touring guitarist] in JUDAS PRIEST and he's just, like, 'Bro, I need some time off.' It's a good switch, though. I think Jens will do a good job. And yeah, there's a lot of crazy stuff on this record. I'm excited for everybody to hear it."

Last month, TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy told Oran O'Beirne of Overdrive.ie about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's follow-up to "Titans Of Creation": "Eric and Chris [Dovas, TESTAMENT drummer] have been working together since around November. And we had a few shows thrown in there early in the year. We got into the studio, I believe, maybe end of April, beginning of May, we started recording 'em, about 11 tracks ready to go. All the music was done and [we] started the recording process. I still needed to go write some lyrics. We really wanted to get the record done before we came over to Europe [in early July]. I have seven tracks finished. Eric has a bunch of guitar tracks. The drums are finished. The only thing left is the bass and Alex [Skolnick, TESTAMENT guitarist], lead-guitar stuff. Between this tour, when we get home in two weeks, we'll go back in the studio and finish up, continue on, and then we start the American leg with KREATOR and POSSESSED. And then between that break, we'll try to get everything finished up. Then we go back to Europe, again with KREATOR and ANTHRAX. We plan to, I think, start mixing in December, January. That's the goal."

Regarding the musical direction of the new TESTAMENT material, Chuck said: "We always try to outdo ourselves or make a better record or write better songs. It's always a challenge for ourselves, and I think this time we really took a long time to create the record. We kind of got everybody in the same room to really go through the songs and kind of put their two cents in to the arrangements. I think by having Chris — he's a younger drummer, a really great drummer — but I think he brought you know a new fire to Eric in the writing process. And I believe because we're going on 37 years of making records, it's kind of full circle right now. We're kind of inspired by new generation, I guess, of music and metal. And Chris is a big part of that. He's a big fan of that. So I think he inspired Eric just to write some really aggressive, fast, creative riffs. And it really inspired me to really push myself to try to do a little more screaming, death vocals, melodic stuff. We even went as far as writing — I don't wanna say 'ballad', but it's something really catchy that's really slow that's something we haven't done in over 30 years. So I think just the overall songs and the confidence in the writing this time really is gonna stand out on this record."

When O'Beirne noted that TESTAMENT continues to "raise the bar" with each successive release, Billy concurred. "It's true," he said. "I think since 2000, 'The Gathering' record is where I think TESTAMENT kind of had a new life, I'd say the second life TESTAMENT. And then I became ill. And then after that, I didn't think I was actually gonna be playing music anymore. I just wasn't the same person. I'd look in the mirror and I didn't see the same guy. And after I beat it and survived it, I kind of thought, 'Okay, now it's time to continue on with life.' And then shortly after that we had the original[-lineup] reunion. And I think that's kind of what really set off the new life of TESTAMENT, because we were writing music, jamming with the guys who started it from the beginning and kind of taking the attitude, like, 'We're gonna finish this together, what we started.' But over time, Louie [Clemente, former TESTAMENT drummer] had to drop out 'cause of health reasons; he couldn't hold the sticks like he used to. So he had to drop out. And then shortly after that Greg [Christian, former TESTAMENT bassist] dropped out. But from then on, I think we've just kind of been writing for ourselves, maybe not really caring what necessarily the press thought. You always wanna impress the fans, but we were really writing to make us happy."

Earlier last month, Skolnick told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about TESTAMENT's upcoming LP: "Well, I think everybody knows we went through a couple different drummers the past couple years, I know it's very 'Spinal Tap'… Life imitating art. There were scheduling conflicts with Gene Hoglan. Then we got Dave Lombardo, who was amazing, but when it came to going all in on a next record, Dave was overbooked. And we needed somebody [who could step in]. And we've got a new drummer. His name's Chris Dovas. He wasn't even born when the first TESTAMENT record came out. But I've gotta say he is lighting fires. He's lit a fire under everybody and just great to play with. He nails everybody's parts from before, but he has his own style. And I'm excited about the next record. It's actually gonna come out next year. The drum tracks are done. Just rhythm guitars, bass, leads and some vocals need to be done. But it is in progress. It'll be turned in before the end of the year, and it will be listenable next year."

This past June, Chuck told Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone that TESTAMENT's next LP will likely contain 11 tracks along with "some covers".

On the topic of the songwriting process for the new TESTAMENT record, Chuck said: "Chris has been coming out since probably December, maybe a little before that, and going to Eric's house; he's got an electric drum set there. So they've been working, writing, putting all this stuff together. And at the beginning of May, once Eric started tracking, we decided that, let's bring Alex and everybody in' except for Steve [DiGiorgio, TESTAMENT bassist], 'cause he's on tour, let's bring Alex and everybody here to the studio and let's just go through all the music, all the songs and make sure we're all happy with the arrangements. And every song got changed as well. Once Alex got here, we all started putting our heads together till we were all happy with the arrangements. And then he left and we said, 'Okay, Chris, now here's the new stuff. Let's do it and track it.' And he knocked it out, and now it's the rest of us that [are tracking our parts]. So we've been a little more thoughtful on this record. We have the time to do it. So I think it's gonna be a killer record."

Speaking about Dovas's involvement in the songwriting process with Eric, Chuck said: "A lot of it is Eric's riffs, but they're put in the proper places or cut out if we don't need it. And it's good for me because I didn't really get to sit with Eric. I just let them guys jam and just come up with as much as you can and we'll sort it out later, which that's what they did. But once Chris came out, then we knew, okay, it has to change or we're gonna just have the same record, and maybe we wouldn't be happy when it was all done. And also Eric's actually been going to New York — he actually went to work with Alex out there, which he hasn't done that in the past. And I think having Chris be available because like Gene [Hoglan] or whoever we worked with didn't have the time to come up as much as Chris has. Chris has spent a lot of time here, which has been good and really pushing Eric to make music. And we're at a point now to where Eric's, like, 'You know what? This has been fun. I think I'm just going to keep bringing Chris out. Let's just keep writing songs. Even after this record's done, let's just keep making songs,' which I think is great because that means we can get a jump on the next record. 'Cause not spring chickens. It's, like, let's get it done now while we can."

As for the lyrical themes covered in the new TESTAMENT songs, Chuck said: "[It's] not as focused [on], like, the aliens, creating mankind and that kind of stuff, but there is some of that. There's a lot. Each song definitely has its own identity lyrically. And again, we're writing stuff that is real, that happens with the environment; we're singing about that again. A.I., we're singing stuff about that. That's a big thing. So, there's always an inspiration for songs. I think it's a little easier. There's so much going on in our world to write about now. It's a crazy world today, so there's a lot of stuff to talk about. And I like singing about what's real and what's going on instead of some fantasy lyrics, because, for me, I think when I sing 'em, I have more conviction, I believe in 'em a little more. And maybe it's easier for me to remember the lyrics live. [Laughs]"

Naming specific tracks, Chuck said: "There's a song, 'Havana Syndrome', which is about the Havana Syndrome. People, look that up. There's 'Infanticide A.I.', which is another song going A.I. direction. And there's actually a slower song. We haven't done a slower song. I'm not gonna say 'ballad', but I'm gonna say a slower song that has a lot of groove and soul, called 'Meant To Be'. And it's like a classic TESTAMENT-type ballad, I guess, if you wanna use that word. But we've got a little bit of everything, but, again, I think it's really sticking to TESTAMENT, having to have some melodic stuff, even though there's some really brutal lyrics and real brutal, more of a death voice. I still put the hook in with more of a melodic hook or something. It's still classic TESTAMENT. If you listen to it, you'll go, 'That's TESTAMENT, but a little more octane to it.'"

Also in June, Chuck told Canada's The Metal Voice that he writes most of TESTAMENT's lyrics with Del James. "Del, he works with GUNS N' ROSES," Chuck said. "He's been working with them and wrote with them a long time ago. I think he had big hits like 'November Rain' with them. And we've been working [together] for over 20 years. So I always go down and work with him because I come up with a lot of the ideas and concepts, but he really interprets and gets the right words, how to say what I'm thinking. And we work fast. When we get together, we'll knock out like two songs in a day. So we don't mess around. We get there, say hello to each other, we sit down and we go right to work. It's about what we do."

Chuck also talked about how TESTAMENT's songwriting approach has evolved in the last couple of decades. He said:  "I honestly have to say after I beat cancer [more than two decades ago] and we had the original lineup back together, everything kind of changed because… We've always been in a friendly competition with other artists, watching what's going on and who's doing what. And I think around that point, once we got together and I felt like… I didn't think I was gonna play music anymore, first of all, and once I had the chance to get back with the original band, I felt very blessed, like, 'Wow, I'm getting an opportunity to do what I love to do again, but also with the guys I started with. It's kind of odd that we're gonna go back at this now, maybe try to finish something that we all started together.' And once we did that, it was enjoying our company. We never fight. We never argue. It was just, like, relaxing. And the critics, we didn't care what the press thought or a lot of people. I mean, we wrote for ourselves. So a lot of those records were just making us happy. The songs we were writing, we weren't thinking about, 'Okay, this has to be, for this,' and 'where's our radio song?' and 'What's the fans gonna think if we went and did a ballad?' All that went out the door. And I think over the time, it's really just about making good music, having fun at this point. And every record is a challenge 'cause you always wanna do better and make the next record sound better, have better songs. And I think where we're at today, once again, especially having Chris, the new drummer, we are progressing. Me and Eric actually said, like, I don't know, about three weeks ago, we were hanging out and like I said, the music's pretty aggressive and we're doing some heavy stuff, and he said, 'Did you ever think, in our sixties, we're gonna be playing thrash metal music, writing songs like this?' And I'm, like, 'Actually, no,' but that's a good thing that we still feel young at heart and young in our minds and still we're not struggling to do it."

In August 2023, Dovas was asked by Pod Scum if it was "unnerving" to step into a group whose list of previous drummers includes such heavyweights as Lombardo and Gene Hoglan. He responded: "It was, especially at first because I knew that a lot of eyes were on me, and also I looked up to the band since I was a kid. Especially Lombardo and Gene — those are two of my favorite drummers right there. So to be put in that situation of taking over for them, I felt like I had a lot of responsibility and a lot of… I felt like I had something to prove a little bit, and I'm still practicing a lot and I just wanna do the best that I can do. Right now I'm not really nervous anymore because I've done two full tours with them now and we're working on the [new TESTAMENT] album and the friendship has been developing now and we all get along super well. They've welcomed me with open arms and it's been great and the fans have been great. I've been putting hours and hours of practice into it to make sure that I can do the best that I could do. And I look up to Dave and I look up to Gene as well, so, yeah, I just wanna play the songs well live and keep making the band sound good."

Prior to joining TESTAMENT as a full-time member, Dovas filled in for Lombardo on the first six dates of TESTAMENT's summer/fall 2022 leg of "The Bay Strikes Back Tour".

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral (courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records)

In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kerry King, who has spent the last few months touring with his solo band, spoke about SLAYER's upcoming reunion shows at three festivals in September and October. The concerts will come five years after the completion of what was being billed as the band's final tour

"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," Kerry said, 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 [who is also in Kerry's solo band] 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."

When Kerry's solo project was first announced, King told Rolling Stone that he was almost positive he and Tom would never resurrect the band. "I can pretty much a hundred percent say no because I have a new outlet, and it's not SLAYER, but it sounds like SLAYER," King said of a potential SLAYER reunion.

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!!!!!"

Three weeks before SLAYER's reunion was announced, Kerry told Rolling Stone that he didn't foresee SLAYER coming back together for the foreseeable future.

"Will SLAYER tour again? I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. Could SLAYER play a show again? I'm sure there's a scenario," King said, adding that he hadn't spoken to Araya since that final show. "Am I looking for it? No, I'm just getting ready to start my [solo] career. So if that happens, it happens. But I'm going to be doing this for the next 10 years at least."

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.

Dutch black/death metal icons, God Dethroned, have released a lyric video for "The Hanged Man", from the upcoming album, The Judas Paradox, out September 6 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM).


Frontman Henri "The Serpent King" Sattler: "An extremely catchy song which lyrics are based on the tarot card 'The Hanged Man'. The reason I decided to use tarot cards as a basis to write lyrics is because I like tarot cards and their meanings and it gave me the opportunity to write a different type of lyrics that I hadn’t used before. The Hanged Man tarot card is about sacrifice. Musically it's a groovy death metal banger with a middle part that shows Dave Meester's skills as a virtuoso on lead guitar. Especially in this song you get the feeling that the death metal version of Dave Murray is present in his utmost glory.







Eleven songs strong, The Judas Paradox was produced by the band themselves, with mixing being handled by their very own singer/guitarist Henri. Tony Lindgren took over mastering duties at Fascination Street Studios, rounding off the grandly sinister sound of The Judas Paradox.


The Judas Paradox will be available in the following formats:


- CD-digipak
- jewelcase-CD
- coloured 1-LP ("blasphemous purity," "divine heresy," & "hailing death")
- flexible bundle (choose from t-shirt, CD-digipak, vinyl & cassette)
- digital


Pre-order here.





The Judas Paradox tracklisting:


"The Judas Paradox"
"Rat Kingdom"
"The Hanged Man"
"Black Heart"
"Asmodeus"
"Kashmir Princess"
"Hubris Anorexia"
"The Eye Of Providence"
"Hailing Death"
"Broken Bloodlines"
"War Machine"


"The Judas Paradox" video:





"Rat Kingdom" video:

Over four decades after its debut, a deluxe edition of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers’ groundbreaking but often overlooked 1982 album, Long After Dark, will be released via Geffen/UMe/Universal Music Canada on October 18. Pre-order/pre-save here.


The Petty Legacy archives will share previously unseen newly remastered film and audio from 1982 to 1983 this year, beginning with a new video for the French TV version of “Straight Into Darkness” featuring footage of the band performing at the Record Plant by award-winning director Alan Bibby - watch the video below, and listen here.


“There was some music recorded for Long After Dark that didn’t get on the record, that I thought would’ve made it a better album,” said Tom Petty. “I left off…four things that I liked quite a bit. And probably a few more written that never even got in the door.”




Looking back on their third and final album together, legendary rock music producer Jimmy Iovine reflects, “Long After Dark, we thought we had it. Sounded like Positively Fourth Street, sounded like one of those records, you know. By the way, I think it is!”


Despite it being a golden era of The Heartbreakers playing at the height of their powers, it is widely known as the band’s most misunderstood and underrated success. The album features an edgy collection of rock ballads and guitar anthems backed by the unmistakable sound of The Heartbreakers, including founding members Mike Campbell (lead guitar), Benmont Tench (keyboards), Stan Lynch (drums), plus the new addition of Howie Epstein on bass and backing vocals.


Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition) will feature the songs that were lost in the debate over the album’s original direction. Notable highlights include finding Petty’s version of “Never Be You”—which was a #1 country hit for Rosanne Cash—pop anomaly “Don’t Make Me Walk The Line,” and an up-tempo version of “Ways To Be Wicked,” which was previously covered by Lone Justice, recorded at Applewood Studios in Denver, Colorado.  


Many of the additional tracks are taken from the French TV sessions, including acoustic gems, “Turning Point” and the Everly Brothers influenced “Keeping Me Alive.”


Long After Dark was a smash by the usual standards—Top 10 in Billboard, certified gold—and spawned three fan favorites, “You Got Lucky,” “Change Of Heart” and “Straight Into Darkness.” Though it remains an unsung gem amongst its predecessors, Damn The Torpedoes and Hard Promises. “It’s a good little rock & roll record” but also “a tough record because I never knew if we were making the right decisions about songs,” Petty shared in Paul Zollo’s interview anthology, Conversations With Tom Petty.


Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition) features the newly remastered original album from the original analog master tapes, plus 12 rediscovered bonus tracks newly mixed by Petty’s longtime engineer Ryan Ulyate and boasts packaging designed by Grammy Award-winning designer Jeri Heiden, liner notes by legendary rock journalist and Tom Petty Radio host David Fricke, with commentary from Jimmy Iovine and Cameron Crowe and iconic archival photographs by Dennis Callahan, Neal Preston and Aaron Rapoport. The set will be released in a variety of configurations, highlighted by a limited edition TomPetty.com 2LP pressing on 180-gram red with black splatter color vinyl, housed in a numbered foil tip-on jacket with an exclusive lithograph; a 3-disc set featuring 2 CDs, and a Blu-ray audio disc with additional hi-res stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes of the album and bonus tracks, also mixed by Ulyate; a variety of additional vinyl options includes a 2LP on 180-gram black vinyl; a limited edition 1LP 180-gram turquoise color vinyl pressing (main album only) with double-sided lithograph of Blaze Brooks’ illustrations (available exclusively at indie record stores).


The album will also be available at all streaming, download and HD audio download partners.


For more info, complete tracklisting and to pre-order 2 LP versions and 3 disc set visit the official Tom Petty store, here.

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill confirmed that there are plans to reissue the band's debut album, 1974's "Rocka Rolla", to celebrate the LP's 50th anniversary. Ian said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's just been re-engineered by [longtime PRIEST producer] Tom Allom after all of these years. The multi-tracks were in remarkably good condition, and he's changed some of the sounds, made it more modern and obviously remixed it. And he's done a great job. It's just coming out shortly, I believe. It's only a few weeks away, I'm sure it is. Yeah, but he's redone it. It's gonna be re-released, which is great news. It's finally got the production it's always needed."

Back in April 2023, it was reported that Reach Music Publishing had acquired both the master and publishing rights of both "Rocka Rolla" and JUDAS PRIEST's "Sad Wings Of Destiny" albums from Gull Entertainments.

Reach has been working in partnership with JUDAS PRIEST on these two albums and is planning a variety of projects, including special releases for the 50th anniversary of "Rocka Rolla".

"Rocka Rolla" and "Sad Wings Of Destiny" are JUDAS PRIEST's first two albums, released by Gull Records in 1974 and 1976, respectively. They are seen as important albums in the development of heavy metal music, beginning the band's 50-year history and containing classic songs such as "Victim Of Changes", "The Ripper" and "Rocka Rolla".

JUDAS PRIEST subsequently signed to CBS Records (now Sony) to release their third album in 1977, but the ownership rights of both masters and publishing to the first two JUDAS PRIEST albums remained with Gull for almost 50 years — until their sale to Reach.

Prior to this deal with Gull, Reach already had an existing relationship with JUDAS PRIEST as the co-publisher of band member Glenn Tipton.

In 2021, Reach Music announced the acquisition of a 50% copyright interest in, as well as worldwide administration rights to, the Glenn Tipton song catalog, beginning with songs released in 1977, and including iconic tracks such as "Breaking The Law", "Living After Midnight" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming". The current acquisition from Gull reunites the full catalogue with Tipton and Reach, to include compositions from the 1974 and 1976 JUDAS PRIEST album releases.

Furthermore, in addition to Glenn Tipton, the acquisition of the first two JUDAS PRIEST albums saw Reach enter into deals with the other members of JUDAS PRIEST from that time period — Rob Halford, Ian Hill and K.K. Downing — as Reach is representing the compositions co-written by them from those two albums.

Michael Closter, president and owner of Reach Music, said: "The acquisition of the masters and publishing for the albums 'Rocka Rolla' and 'Sad Wings Of Destiny' was a monumental opportunity for Reach Music, coming not long after JUDAS PRIEST's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. This deal happened with the approval of JUDAS PRIEST and their manager Jayne Andrews, and I'm so excited to begin working closely with them on a variety of special projects, including releasing high-quality reissues."

He added: "I want to thank David Howells, owner of Gull, who signed JUDAS PRIEST in 1974 and released their first two albums. He has had, and continues to have, a remarkable career spanning 65 years in the music industry. Thank you for your trust in doing this sale for these essential and historically important JUDAS PRIEST albums."

Howells said: "I'm very happy to have met Michael Closter and to pass the mantle on to Reach Music after Gull Records first released these JUDAS PRIEST albums almost 50 years ago. I'm looking forward to seeing what projects Reach and JUDAS PRIEST do together in the future with these iconic recordings."

In a November 2020 interview with "That Jamieson Show", Halford spoke about the fact that PRIEST still did not own the rights to "Rocka Rolla" and "Sad Wings Of Destiny", even though it had been four and a half decades since they were released.

"We've gone back and forth with the owners of those records," he said. "And it's a shame. I hope one day we can bring them back into the PRIEST fold, because they're valuable — they're like treasures, really. And I think that's probably why the people that still own them understand that, because they're keeping [the albums] rehashed and so forth.

"Like any band that's been privileged enough to have a long life like PRIEST — 50 years now — some extraordinary things happen in your first one, two, three albums. Especially the difference between 'Rocka Rolla' and 'Sad Wings Of Destiny' — it's just like this Grand Canyon effect in the way that the band really grew exponentially in such a short space of time.

"And yeah, we would love to get them back. We never say never. We keep going back to 'em every so often and say, 'Look, what's it gonna take?' Because they're important to us. And I'd like to feel that one day we'll own those masters again."

Progressive death metal entity, Horrendous, released their new album, Ontological Mysterium, last August via Season of Mist.   In celebration of the album anniversary, the band have released an official music video for "Preterition Hymn". Check it out below.





With Ontological Mysterium, Horrendous have built a towering death-metal thrill ride. The sheer size and scope of their new album is massive. Riffs twist and turn through labyrinthine arrangements, busting out into soaring melodic leads. Ontological Mysterium captures the true spirit of the halcyon days of extreme metal. It sounds timeless but marks a bold step forward for this rising band.







Tracklisting:


“The Blaze”
“Chrysopoeia (The Archaeology Of Dawn)”
“Neon Leviathan”
“Aurora Neoterica”
“Preterition Hymn”
“Cult Of Shaad’oah”
“Exen(en)esis”
“Ontological Mysterium”
“The Death Knell Ringeth”


“Cult Of Shaad’oah” lyric video:





“Ontological Mysterium” visualizer:










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Sven Gali's trademark blend of heavy riffs, gritty vocals, and anthemic melodies span decades. Cutting their teeth in the bar circuit of Southern Ontario, Canada in the late 80’s, Sven Gali’s live show was a full on circus of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll.


Emerging with a record deal with BMG, Sven Gali released their debut self-titled release in 1992. From the first chord of “Under The Influence” Sven Gali made their mark. Follow up singles “Tie Dyed Skies” and “In My Garden” paved the way for the ballad number 6 CanCon song of 1993 that also went Top 10 nationwide, “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore.”


As the album went Gold, Sven Gali won the MuchMusic Best Metal Video Award in 1993 for “Under The Influence” and was nominated for two Junos. With a worldwide release, Sven Gali toured with the likes of Def Leppard, Foreigner and April Wine.




Sven Gali’s follow-up, Inwire, was partly recorded in in Seattle with producer Kelly Gray and saw the band take on a more alternative experimental tone. The band broke up soon after the album’s release and played sporadic shows before solidifying a new lineup with original members Dave Wanless (vocals), Andy Frank (guitar) and TT (bass) bringing in guitarist Sean Williamson and drummer Dan Fila from former BMG labelmates Varga.


Sven Gali’s new release, Bombs And Battlescars, through Canadian label, Music In Motion Ent, combines the best of both Sven Gali eras. The album contains five new originals. “One Gun” is a relentless driver that sets the battlefield ablaze with its blistering guitar work and commanding vocals. The massive groove of “Coming Home” and fierce anthem “Monster” showcase Sven Gali's unapologetic attitude while the sonic prowess of “Life Inside” stands side by side with any current alternative metal peers. Closer “Nothing New” showcases the melodic side of the band with a catchy acoustic groove.


Bombs And Battlescars also brings the band full circle with a cover of Triumph’s “Spellbound.” Recorded at Toronto’s Metalworks studio where many of Sven Gali’s early songs were recorded and demoed, acclaimed Coney Hatch frontman Andy Curran produced the track bringing the song into the modern age. Triumph drummer Gil Moore also appears in the video. The album is filled out with three remastered unreleased tracks from the band’s 90’s recording vault.


Sven Gali celebrates the US and European releases of Bombs And Battlescars on Friday, September 13, for both physical and streaming. The band’s latest single, “Life Inside”, along with the video for the song is set to come out with the release.
 
Bombs And Battlescars on CD and limited edition army green vinyl are available through retail. Signed CDs and LPs are available here.





Tracklisting:


"One Gun"
"Coming Home"
"Spellbound"
"Life Inside"
"Monster"
"Hang Me Out"
"Hogs"
"All"
"Nothing New"


"Coming Home" video:





"One Gun" video:





"Monster" video:





On September 13, Sven Gali will play the legendary El Mocambo in Toronto, Ontario, where they will record the show for a live album release. Go to this location for details and ticket information.





Sven Gali lineup:


Dave Wanless - Vocals
Andy Frank - Guitars
Shawn Minden - Bass
Sean Williamson - Guitars
Dan Fila - Drums


(Photo - Al Piazza)







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In a new interview with June Archer, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist and founder Zoltan Bathory spoke about the origins of the band's name. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Basically, I'm a martial artist since I was a little kid. So all the Bruce Lee movies and all the martial arts movies were my favorites. I loved underground Hong Kong cinema, those old, old movies. And there was a movie of 'Five Fingers Of Death', so that was a a classic. And then when 'Kill Bill' came out, they had this five-finger exploding heart, whatever, technique. And so we were sitting in movie theater, I'm, like, 'Man, that sounds so stupid, that should be a band name.' And then pretty much here we go today. And, basically, we shortened this, because five-finger exploding lotus technique wouldn't be a good-sounding name. So I ended up picking FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH. It's sort of like an ode to kung fu and martial arts and this old-school Hong Kong martial arts cinema, basically."

Asked if he and his bandmates had to go through a myriad of different names before they found FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, Zoltan said: "So, basically, I started this project. I mean, all of us in the band were in various bands before, so we had a musical history before this particular band. And I started this band in 2005, and I started to record the first material that became our first album. And when you work on a new project — everybody can do it their way, but I always thought that don't name it yet because I think what you're saying, the musical content and your lyrics and how the band or the artist looks like and all those things together has to be a complete picture. So there [was] a list of names, and then this name, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, got on this list. And as the band was developing, our sound was developing, this was probably the closest [to what we sounded like]. And all the other good names were already taken. So you have to look at the dot com, [if it's] available. But you have to pick a name that sticks out, a name that when you say to somebody, people take a second and look, like, 'What?' If it's too average or it's too simple, it's really difficult to remember."

He added: "The world is really, really noisy — a lot of information coming at you — so you have to have a band name that both makes sense with who you are, so the look, the message, whatever you're saying fits this, and also it has to stick out somewhat. It has to make you feel some kind of a way."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH recently announced a headlining U.S. tour this summer with support from MARILYN MANSON and SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL. The trek will kick off on August 2 in Hershey, Pennsylvania and run through September 19 when it will conclude in Houston, Texas.

Prior to the U.S. run, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will embark on a tour of Europe in the spring for more stadium dates with METALLICA on the latter act's "M72" world tour in addition to headlining shows with special guest ICE NINE KILLS and select appearances at major festivals.

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

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

In a recent interview with U.K.'s Devolution magazine, vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe of English doom metal pioneers MY DYING BRIDE was asked about the recent revelation that he and his bandmates were canceling all of their previously announced 2024 tour dates, including an appearance at this year's Maryland Deathfest. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've worked relentlessly in MY DYING BRIDE — without a manager. Me and [guitarist] Andrew [Craighan] managed the band as best we could over the years. We've had people interested in managing, but it's never really [panned out]. And sometimes when you're doing the admin, it really takes away from the artistic side of things. You've got tax men to deal with and politics and blah, blah, blah. And me and Andy, we've argued the toss like a married couple for years and years and years — artwork, lyrics. I normally pretty much get away with lyrics, but artwork particularly. And I think we're both becoming grumpy old men. We've just got a bit loggerheaded like that. We said, 'Let's take a break before we have a massive bust-up.' Even though it's a rubbish time to take a break because the album is just coming out. But everyone just thought, 'You two just take your breather. Take some time away. It happens to loads of bands. And then come back.'"

He continued: "It's a bad time to take [a break]. We'd had gigs booked and everything. And I apologize profusely to people who bought tickets and were coming to see us. But we just needed a break before we blew our heads off. So we're taking a breather."

Aaron went on to deny that his involvement with his HIGH PARASITE side project had anything to do with MY DYING BRIDE's decision to take a break.

"I know some people are going to say, 'Oh, is it because of HIGH PARASITE?' Well, HIGH PARASITE has been going for three years. So how can it be HIGH PARASITE? It's not HIGH PARASITE," he said. "MY DYING BRIDE have huge gaps in the things that we do — three years between albums, 12 shows a year. I can fit three or four more bands in those spaces, no problem whatsoever. So HIGH PARASITE's got nothing to do with it whatsoever. We're just taking a breather because if we don't, MDB will be over. When we come back — we don't know yet. We will be coming back. I just don't know when. But weirdly, the timing is almost perfect for me because HIGH PARASITE, it's like one door closes, another one opens. And it's just, like, this is amazing. I've got more breathing room than I expected I would have."

Aaron acknowledged that "it's a shame" that MY DYING BRIDE was unable to tour in support of its latest album, "A Mortal Binding". "As I say, we had live gigs booked for MY DYING BRIDE," he said. "That's not fair on the fans, but I'm afraid it was either save the band or lose the band. So we decided to save the band. So I've now got some breathing space, so I'm shoving HIGH PARASITE in and the poetry reading. And this could be an exclusive — myself and Mark Deeks, the songwriter from [U.K. doom band] ARÐ [pronounced 'Arth'], myself and Mark are looking at forming a band between us. So I'm gonna be very busy in the next couple of years. And when MY DYING BRIDE comes back into it, MY DYING BRIDE will always get priority. You can't dismiss 33 years of — they're so well established, they're so legendary, you can't say, 'Oh, this is more important than that.' And so I suspect the next maybe 10 years are gonna be the busiest years of my entire career, which I think is really exciting — slightly nerve-racking, but super exciting. And it's allowing me to do things… As I say, I didn't realize I wanted to do them until someone's given me the opportunity. 'Why don't you have a go at this?' 'Oh, I'm not really sure.' And then friends and family have said, 'Do it, because you'll kick yourself if you don't do this later on.' So I'm now open to other ideas and I'm doing these things and thoroughly enjoying it."

In a recent interview with Brazil's Headbangers News, Craighan was asked when MY DYING BRIDE fans can expect to see him and his bandmates on tour in support of "A Mortal Binding". He responded: "I'm sorry. I really, really don't have a real answer for that. To try and give you some understanding that MY DYING BRIDE is not a full-time band. We all have very much normal jobs and sadly that drags on our time, as you can imagine. And, obviously, it means we have to ask permission to leave work and all those kind of things. So that's one difficulty. And also the distance, because we would need more than one gig for the promoters to make it make sense and all those kinds of things. So the sad and real answer is I don't have an answer. But on the plus side on this, if there is a light at the end of this well, we do think about it. We do try, and our agent does listen to various promoters and tries to get things going. But like everybody else, we're at the mercy of how it all works and how our professional jobs keep us sort of — not necessarily held back, but it's all got to align."

He added: "I mean, we have some problems to sort out. Some people have some personal problems that we need to sort of overcome. It's not insurmountable… I know people are concerned because obviously people, they care for the band in ways that we didn't expect. But I reckon we'll be okay. Everything's a little bit messy right now. We have some things that we have to organize and iron out, let's say, but it's not insurmountable."

This past April, MY DYING BRIDE issued an official statement regarding cancelation of all of their previously announced 2024 tour dates. The band said: "The production of this latest album was arduous and challenging to such an extent that it has revealed fractures within the band. These tensions had already been observed during the creation of the previous 2 albums and were only exacerbated during the Covid period. Over the past few months, they have intensified, causing a profound sense of discontent among the band members. The resulting stress and the pervasive feeling of burnout, along with the physical and mental malaise it creates, necessitated a period of time off which unfortunately impacts on live shows.

"The reason for the lack of an official statement until now is because the band has truly hoped to resolve these internal issues and perform some shows this year while trying find a resolution in time to satisfy all parties involved. Sadly, this resolution is yet to be found.

"Regrettably, a lack of understanding and poor communication from our professional partners has resulted in an untimely and chaotic mess from which a recovery is challenging. However, the promoters have now been officially contacted and it is hoped that steps can be taken to minimise the impact on you all.

"We apologise for keeping you in the dark, but these are indeed challenging times."

The follow-up to 2019's "The Ghost Of Orion", "A Mortal Binding" came out on April 19 via Nuclear Blast Records.

MY DYING BRIDE hired "The Ghost Of Orion" studio wizard Mark Mynett to produce, mix, and master "A Mortal Binding". The group holed up at Mynett's Mynetaur Productions (PARADISE LOST, ROTTING CHRIST) in Manchester, U.K., where they tracked the album consecutively from July to September 2023.

MY DYING BRIDE is:

Aaron Stainthorpe - vocals
Andrew Craighan - guitars
Lena Abé - bass
Shaun MacGowan - keyboards, violin
Neil Blanchett - guitars