Hydrogyn guitarist / founder Jeff Westlake has posted the following tribute to former bassist Chris Sammons, who recently passed away:

"Chris Sammons came into the picture at the end of May, first part of June 2006. The bass position in Hydrogyn had just become vacant and we needed to fill it because we had a string of dates coming up that ran us every where from New York City to Baltimore to Nashville and in between. Within the first couple weeks of being in the band Chris learned our entire set list, and was part of the session for 'Candles Light Your Face' that was recorded with Michael Wagener. One of the band's best songs.

Chris’s live debut with the band was at the world renowned CBGB’s in New York City. What a first gig for a person to walk into but Chris was amazing, made no mistakes and was very much a force from the first show on.

The band spent the rest of 2006 touring for its North America release Bombshell. During the touring time the band was also writing for what was to become 2008’s studio follow up by the name of Deadly Passions. This time included touring in the Midwest , the East Coast and Europe as well. Right near the end of 2007 and the writing process for the new album, the band had to pack up and go back to Europe for one more tour of that year. For this album Chris had brought a couple of riffs that were really stellar riffs that while on tour were worked out into songs that made the new album.

After recording in January and February 2008 for the new album the band quickly packed up and headed back out on tour before the release of the album in June 2008. During this touring cycle of 2008, the band played many places in front of tons of people with really good reaction on the radio to the release in 2008. The band went on to tour all through 2008 and 2009 in support of the new studio album, Deadly Passions.

Chris was a magnificent person to be on the road with. He was fun, full of energy and even very unpredictable at times. I still remember losing him in Brussels, Belgium the night before the tour was supposed to start in Europe and we found him in a pub in the middle of Brussels, drunk, eating spaghetti and playing guitar for the patrons. But that was Chris Sammons, that is who he was and always would be throughout the time that I’ve known him. Chris was an integral part of the band's live show as we figured out some really cool stuff to do at the show; they can only have happened with the musician of his caliber. No matter if we were a four piece or a five piece the things that we could do having him in the band were quite amazing.

Chris was always the guy that was willing to do whatever is needed in order for something to happen. Never one who was too fond of work but to him, music, like myself, is never work as a high passion of his. His abilities on the bass guitar we’re unparalleled, especially in the region that we live. I’ve had the pleasure of having some very big names associated with what we’ve done in this band and I can honestly say that Chris stood out just as brightly as any of them. Unfortunately, after 2010 Chris’s place in the band was on again off again by his own discretion and decisions. He would play randomly here and there on things and we would see him from time to time but he was off doing his own thing.

Chris will be sorely missed not only by myself but all the other people that he played alongside with not only in this band but the other bands that he’s played with locally as well. Once you played in a band with Chris as a bass player you do not want to play with anybody else no matter how good they are and there are plenty of good bass players out there but Chris just locks in and has a feel that, I can tell you as a guitar player, gives you all the comfort that you could ever want in a live situation. I never remember him hitting a wrong note, going to the wrong progression or anything glaring of any type.

On the road when everyone else was asleep, Chris and I were awake making fun of people driving down the road, watching him hang his ass out the window traumatizing people, and always having my back no matter what the situation was. We had our differences but that was OK because at the end of the day he was a great bandmate when he was there, loved to rehearse, and loved to play music all the time.

I never thought that I would be talking about this or have to eulogize somebody who is 17 years younger than me, but here we are unfortunately remembering a person who is great at what he did; passionate, loyal and always ready to go. Again, nobody’s perfect and Chris had his problems, but his injection into this band and into my life and Jeff Boggs’s life, Julie’s life, Davo’s life, Erica’s life, John Cardilino’s life, and all the people that we toured with and had fun with can never be replaced. I don’t know that would’ve happened on the high-level that it did without all the people who were involved in the band when things really were going good and big.

Until there is a meeting again, I bid your passage to be safe and energetic, and I hope a good one to wherever it is that we go, Chris. There is no question that you will be missed by many people not only in music, your everyday friends, your girlfriend, your parents, your brother and so many more. 

It is with a very deep regret that we all let go of you to move on, but know that you are appreciated and loved for your contributions in all of our lives."




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Miami, Florida based hard rock band Gears has released the official music video for their single, "Tango Yankee" featuring Sevendust vocalist Lajon Witherspoon of Sevendust. "Tango Yankee" was produced by Corey Lowery (Blacktop Mojo, Saint Asonia).

"With 'Tango Yankee', we just really wanted to write something dedicated to several members of our families that have served in the Military, Law Enforcement, and First Response," explains Gears drummer Jimmy Wooten.

"We really wanted this to be special, so getting one of our favorite vocalists from one of our favorite bands was very exciting and made this track just that, special. Lajon came in and absolutely crushed the track vocally. I really love the way it turned out. Trip and LJ complimented each other so well. Put that together with Clint's epic solo and of course, Corey at the helm, this really turned into something spectacular."

"I believe that the thought behind the song is something that most Americans can relate to as many of us have or have had loved ones serve. Maybe even a little something that can get us past all of our political disagreements, unify, recognize the sacrifice and just say a simple 'Thank You' to all those who fight for our freedom, protect us and keep us safe."

For further information, visit Gears on Facebook.




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On April 19, Fractal Universe will release their new album, Rhizomes Of Insanity, via Metal Blade Records. Watch a guitar playthrough for the new single, "Masterpiece's Parallelism", below:

A drum playthrough video for the single follows:

Rhizomes Of Insanity can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:

- jewelcase-CD
- ltd. digipak-CD w/ bonus track (EU exclusive)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- light yellow vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- yellow / white splatter vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 120 copies)
- orange / red marbled vinyl (US exclusive - limited to 150 copies)
* exclusive bundles with shirts, plus digital options are also available!

Fractal Universe's sophomore full-length, Rhizomes Of Insanity, hits as hard intellectually as it does sonically, affirming the French quartet's place on the progressive death metal map.

"Rhizomes Of Insanity is a concept album based on a thought experiment around the concept of insanity," asserts vocalist/guitarist Vince Wilquin. "It questions the origins of it, and tries to define where we set its boundaries with 'reason'. It eventually questions its place in our modern society and surmises that it has turned into an intrinsic, unavoidable but also necessary part of it and of every human being, which we're trying to repress at all costs."

From start to finish, the album is an immersive, complex yet wholly accessible collection rich in melody, invention, and packed with decimating riffs - wielding ten tracks, all of which hit their mark.

Rhizomes Of Insanity tracklisting:

"Oneiric Realisations"
"Flashes Of Potentialities"
"Rising Oblivion"
"A Reality To Foreclose"
"Masterpiece's Parallelism"
"Parabola Of Silence"
"Madness' Arabesques"
"Architectural Aberrations"
"Fundamental Dividing Principle"
"Chiasmus Of The Damned"
"Collective Engram" - Unplugged (Bonus Track)

"Masterpiece's Parallelism":

"Oneiric Realisations" video:

With a headline French tour scheduled for April followed by a European run later in the year, plus the intent to play as many festivals as possible this summer, metal fans can expect to hear a lot more from Fractal Universe in 2019 and beyond.

"Since the beginning of the band, we've always given ourselves a 100% to offer our fans the best possible music and memorable live performances. With 'Rhizomes Of Insanity' and our forthcoming collaboration with Metal Blade Records, I believe we now have the perfect cards in hand to bring Fractal Universe to the next level."

Tour dates:

April
19 - Nilvange, France - Le Gueulard+
20 - Limours, France - Asylum Metal Fest
23 - Nantes, France - La Scène Michelet
25 - Toulouse, France - La Cave à Rock

(Photo - Vilvain Pictures)




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Annihilator frontman / founder Jeff Waters has posted two more video clips from his new Watersound Studio UK, teasing music from the band's forthcoming studio album.

As explained by Waters in a Facebook post about postponement of the band's fall 2018 tour, the new dates are in the poster below. He has checked in with the following:

"This tour is going to KILL. Just going through the zillion bands to tour with us on this one... gotta make a special line-up here for many reasons. Since we postponed the For The Demented touring until the below dates, we will play some songs from it and songs the upcoming NEW studio CD! That should come out in Sept/Oct 2019, if we are lucky... and of course, some Alice In Hell gems and tributes, in honor of our fallen metal brother, Randy Rampage. Bigger production than usual, lots of energy, as always and some cool people joining us! Get tix now! Love to you all!

Waters' original Facebook post can be viewed below.

"So, I have been quiet about the passing of one of our previous and legendary singers, Randy Rampage, and as well about the upcoming headline tour(ing) next month. Hopefully, this video will explain the silence, why current tour dates are postponed and hint to you about new dates coming to you on Tuesday. On an unrelated note, construction on Watersound Studios UK (Durham, UK) is coming along nicely and will be a dream come true. Love to my Canadian family and love to my new UK family!"




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Canadian multi-instrumentalist Robb Finlayson has checked in with the following update:

"The Beauty of Rage is now available everywhere on all streaming platforms. A whole year of writing and recording boils down to these 10 songs. Crank it up and enjoy! The title track The Beauty Of Rage is below."

Special thanks to:

Ryan Van Poederooyen - Drums
Jon Howard - Vocals
Jess Ruin - Vocals
Brett Reid - Producer
Young Bros. Productions - Co-Producers
Jason Van Poederooyen - Mix and Master Engineer

Finlayson recently spoke with BraveWords scribe Carl Begai about the follow-up to his Winter's Apprentice album, which is currently in the works, and his Skye Asylum project.

Finlayson: "My second solo album, The Beauty Of Rage, is in the middle of being mixed right now and is a much heavier album than my first one, with Jon Howard (Threat Signal, Imonolith) doing the majority of the vocals. Ryan Van Poederooyen (Devin Townsend Project, Imonolith) plays drums on all the tracks. I went all out as I felt the material I wrote was strong and needed the best I could find to support the music. Plus, Ryan is good friend of mine. I don’t have a release date yet but I'm sure it'll be some time in March. I recorded The Beauty Of Rage at the famous Sunset Sound Studio in Hollywood in Studio 2, which was used by Led Zepplin, Slipknot, Van Halen and Rage Against the Machine.

I created Skye Asylum, which again is just me doing the songwriting and playing. I created a different name so I can explore the symphonic / cinematic  music with a metal edge; something along the lines of Nightwish and some of the gaming music from things like Skyrim, etc. It’s going to be heavy in spots, symphonic throughout, and follow a strict storyline. One song I have called 'Eberron' is almost 20 minutes long. I will start recording mid-next year as I have most of the material written and scored but needs arranging and lyrics added.

My 'solo' stuff will remain heavy metal and the Skye Asylum stuff will have elements of that but be more experimental and symphonic."




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Multi-platinum, Massachusetts-based rock band, Staind, will reunite for a few select dates this fall after a five-year hiatus. With more than 15 million albums sold worldwide, original members Aaron Lewis, Mike Mushok, and Johnny April along with long-time drummer, Sal Giancarelli, will be playing some select shows, including the Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, KY this September.

From the late 90s to the early 2000s, Staind gained worldwide recognition as one of the most powerful rock bands in modern music. Aaron Lewis’s raw, authentic lyrics combined with dynamic hard rock energy, resulted in a multi-platinum career spanning more than two decades. Accolades include RIAA Platinum-certified albums Break The Cycle, Dysfunction, Chapter V, and 14 Shades of Grey, and the chart-topping smash singles, “It’s Been A While” and “Right Here”.

Frontman Aaron Lewis will continue his solo country music career while coinciding with upcoming Staind dates. His third country album, State I’m In will be released April 12. Lewis says, “I love everything about being a country artist, but it’s going to feel great to get heavy with Staind.”

“I’m really excited to get back to work with the band we started 25 years ago,” says guitarist Mike Mushok. “This is the 20th anniversary of our first major label debut, Dysfunction, and I’m excited to see what the future holds. Can’t wait to get out there and play these songs again, and connect with our awesome fans that have allowed us to do what we love... create and play music.”

Stay tuned for upcoming tour announcements.




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The war rages on! Little more than one year has passed since album the The Silent Vigil was released, but as we all know, there’s no standing still in the Memoriam camp. Their third studio album, Requiem For Mankind, will be released on June 21 - and fans can banish any doubt that this is going to be one of the strongest albums of 2019.

While their debut album For The Fallen (2017) was heavy, depressing and marked by grief, the second work The Silent Vigil (2018) showed a relentlessly aggressive side. It was without question another great album, created by musicians who blindly understand their craft yet do not repeat themselves.  This also applies to the third and latest string to their bow Requiem For Mankind.

Once again, the groove is monstrous, the riffs are merciless, and the atmosphere is oppressive, paralyzing, even overwhelming. Willett's aggressive vocals are rousing and relentless.

The band states: "Well here we are with our 3rd album Requiem For Mankind. On our previous albums we have experimented with different musical and vocal styles which have finally got us to the here and now with what we think is the definitive Memoriam album. It's death metal, it's all we know, it feels like the previous albums were a build up to this one. We finally have all the right ingredients in one place. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it. Onwards!"

The album's impressive artwork was created again by Dan Seagrave (Benediction, Dismember, Suffocation, etc.).

The terrific songwriting and the first-class recordings have been immortalized through the awesome production work of Russ Russell (Napalm Death, Dimmu Borgir, At The Gates, Amorphis, etc.) at Parlour Studios, giving the record raw production values, whilst providing the perfect scenario to showcase the musicianship so beautifully displayed on the album.

Memoriam were also pleased to announce their debut London show last week - which will also be the release show for their upcoming studio album. The gig will be taking place at The Underworld, Camden on June 22 this summer. Supports to be announced in due course.

Stay tuned for more info.




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Long-running Italian groove thrash metallers, Extrema, will release their seventh studio album, Headbanging Forever, on May 10 via Rockshots Records. The album will be available in CD digipack deluxe or vinyl gatefold limited coloured edition. Pre-order here.

The band has released their music video for the track "For The Loved And The Lost". Vocalist Tiziano Spigno comments: “I’m really excited for 'For The Loved And The Lost' being the first single taken from the new album, as it's one of my favorite tracks. It is a tribute to the friends and the great artists who left us in the last years. The lyrics are full of quotes and I believe that fans will have fun trying to sort them out. The chorus takes inspiration from the Vikings prayer to Odin before the battle and I really hope this will become a great aggregation moment during the next shows, with all the fans raising their glasses of beer, paying tribute to all these terrific artists and their immortal art.”

For this album, the band enlisted Gustavo Sazes to create the album artwork. Guitarist Tommy Massara commented on the cover, “We had a list of artists in mind with which we would like to work with, in the end we decided for two. With one it didn’t work, with Gustavo, after some emails and some ideas exchange, we decided to leave him blank paper to let his own vision and concept free,  and the result is awesome! A cover with a strong impact.”

Headbanging Forever was produced by Tommy Massara and Gabriele Ravaglia. Recorded and mixed by Gabriele Ravaglia and Maxx Canali at the Fear Studio in Italy, it was mastered by Alberto Cutolo at Massive Arts studios in Milan.

Headbanging Forever tracklisting:

"The Call"
"Borders Of Fire"
"For The Loved And The Lost"
"Heavens Blind"
"Pitch Black Eyes"
"Headbanging Forever"
"Believer"
"Invisible"
"Paralyzed"
"The Showdown"

Album trailers

Extrema’s original lineup was established between 1985 and 1986 in Milan, Italy. In a very short time, the band led by guitars player Tommy Massara achieved a huge success. Tommy is the only remaining member of the original lineup, and over the years he also played the role of artistic and executive producer.

Hundreds of concerts made the band more and more close-knit and open towards a constant growth path, capable from the beginning of welcoming influences external to heavy metal, a consistent choice within an evolutionary framework which saw Extremas tart from the rebellious attitude of Motörhead to later incorporate the style of Californian thrash metal, a scene with which the band shared the utmost care for the technical side of music and a devastating presence on stage.

The band’s reputation as musicians and performers kept growing in a perpetual live context, with extensive tours and the participation to prestigious festivals with the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Motörhead, and Korn, among many others.

Extraneous from the beginning to political and ideological implications of any kind, Extrema’s lyrics have always strived to alternate challenging and contemporary themes with lighter subjects, true to rock 'n' roll form.

In May 2017 the band welcomed the new frontman Tiziano Spigno. Thanks to his entry, Extrema can finally release all the creativity repressed in recent years: a violent, direct and engaging approach which is -at the same time- also varied, courageous and experimental, resulting in the new album Headbanging Forever.

Lineup:

Tiziano “Titian” Spigno - Vocals
Tommy Massara - Guitars
Gabri Giovanna - Bass
Francesco “Frullo” Larosa - Drums




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Marko Pukkila, former Altaria and current Stargazery / Shadow Tribe bass player, will release his debut solo album on May 10th. Kiss My Covers is a cover album featuring a long list of legends such as Vinny Appice, Frankie Banali, Phil Lewis, Keri Kelli, Erik Turner, Rowan Robertson among others. The album is a tribute to all the great bands that had a big influence on Pukkila's life and musical career. Pukkila has been around the European rock scene for over two decades and has worked with a lot of renowned musicians with whom he has toured worldwide.
 
A big change in Marko Pukkila´s musical career happened in 2000, when he co-founded Altaria with his former Blindside bandmate, drummer Tony Smedjebacka. The band also featured two legendary guitarists: Jani Liimatainen from Sonata Arctica and Emppu Vuorinen from Nightwish. Altaria released four albums and one compilation worldwide. They also toured Europe with Doro and Sonata Arctica, and played big festivals such as Monsters Of Rock Kick Off (Germany), Pestpop (Belgium), Nummirock (Finland), Jalometalli (Finland) and Springtime Rockfestival (Germany).
 
In 2005, Pukkila formed Wicked Outlaw together with former Dio guitarist Rowan Robertson. They wrote songs together, but no official release was ever made.
 
In 2009, Pukkila teamed up with former Europe guitarist Kee Marcello, Twisted Sister drummer AJ Pero, and Bob Gilmartin to record a song called Elephant Man for an upcoming Eric Carr album called Unfinished Business. Elephant Man was intended for KISS'  Revenge album in 1992, but Eric only managed to finish the lyrics and sadly passed away due to cancer in November of 1991. Making this recording even more touching are backing vocals by Eric's sister Maria and niece Sara-Jean.
 
Pukkila has also done a lot of all-star tribute recordings, mainly for the USA market. A few years ago, he got an idea of releasing some of the tribute recordings he has done throughout the years as a solo cover album. The album is now finally ready to be released and it will also include some new recordings.
 
This release features current / former members of Dio, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, LA Guns, W.A.S.P., Saigon Kick, Quiet Riot, Warrant, Slash´s Snakepit, Vince Neil Band, Britny Fox, Doro, Waysted, Lillian Axe, White Lion, Night Ranger, Faster Pussycat, Hanoi Rocks, Skid Row, Pennywise, Bonham, Foreigner, Bulletboys, Gilby Clarke Band, 220 Volt, Red Dragon Cartel, Lynch Mob, The Misfits, Bang Tango and Near Life Experience.

The album tracklist is as follows:

"Dream Warriors" (Dokken)
"Dr. Feelgood" (Mötley Crüe)
"That Time Of Year" (Vinnie Vincent Invasion)
"Black Diamond" (KISS)
"Nightrain" (Guns N' Roses)
"And The Cradle Will Rock" (Van Halen)
"Tears Are Falling" (KISS)
"Rock N' Roll Children" (Dio)
"November Rain" (Guns N' Roses)
"I Don't Believe In Love" (Queensryche)
"Finish What Ya Started" (Van Halen)
"Just Like Paradise" (David Lee Roth)
"Pour Some Sugar On Me" (Def Leppard)
"Rock And Roll" (Led Zeppelin)
"Late Nights In Voodoo" (Buckcherry)

Check out two tracks below.

For more information and updates check out Pukkila's official Facebook page here.




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Danko Jones — the singer/guitarist of the Canadian hard rock trio of the same name — recently appeared on the "Cobras & Fire" podcast. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the influence of KISS:

Danko: "I did join the Kiss Army when I was six. I got KISS 'Alive!' – that was my first rock album. I guess that would be a big deal, especially when KISS wrote me back. That was actually the biggest thing. Once they wrote me back, I kind of became a fan for life, so to speak... I am a fan, but my fandom isn't blind. There's people who will buy everything. Maybe 10 years ago, or even further back, I would have bought stuff that I could [have], anything, but [now], I don't need it. Once I got the 'Kisstory' books, I'm done. That's all I need, really. I don't need anything else. What else is there after that? Especially 'Kisstory I'. Nobody needs 'Kisstory II'. It's pretty garbage, but just having those two things, I don't need anything else. Plus, I honestly feel [that] with Tommy [Thayer] and Eric [Singer], they're cool and very capable musicians, but if they're to join KISS, they have to have their own makeup. That's a big thing to me. When Eric [Carr] joined and when Vinnie [Vincent] joined, they had their own makeup, and it made sense to me. I accepted them easily, but you can't wear Ace's makeup. That's Ace Frehley's makeup. They set the precedent when they made Eric 'The Fox'. I'm not going by my own rules. These are the rules they set. That's just how I feel. I'm not into it, man. The new music is cool, and they can do whatever they want — it's their band — but I don't have to be, like, a huge booster like I was growing up, and like I am up until about, I don't know, 'Lick It Up' [and] 'Asylum'. That's where I pretty much say, 'Bye.' I like 'Revenge', but that's about it."

On the vinyl revival:

Danko: "I don't really understand how people who just started [buying] vinyl are suddenly collectors now. I find the notion ridiculous. It's just a pose... For me, collecting vinyl wasn't because I wanted to look cool and have a big collection so I could show off. My whole reason for collecting vinyl was because CDs were exploding and people were unloading their record collections, and you could get them for, like, $3. Albums that now go for $40 or $50, you could buy them for five bucks. For $20, I could walk into a used record store and come out with three or four albums. To me, it was more of a way — this is before the Internet — to listen to as much music for as little money as I possibly could. I didn't have a lot of money at all, so $10, if I could get two albums instead of one, then I win. I didn't care if it was used; I didn't care if the speakers I had weren't the best. In fact, they were probably the worst. As long as I could hear the music, that was all that counted."

On cassettes:

Danko: "I grew up with cassettes. That's another fetishized piece of furniture now. People think they're so cool... They unraveled. The worst is when they would unravel, and that was the only cassette you brought and you're two hours away from home, so now, you have to go home on the bus in silence. That's why when I hear people fetishizing cassettes, I [know] they didn't live through it. They don't know how really bad it is, because if they did, they'd never touch it."

On judging his own discography:

Danko: "We're our greatest critics. I think you ask most people that, they'll tell you [the same thing]. What I don't like is when we're in a room or in some place that's public where there's a stereo system, and whoever's there decides to start playing a mix of our songs. I can't even concentrate, because then I start fixating on the sound and if it's any good. I don't like to hear it back publicly like that. I can do it privately, but I can't do it publicly. Sometimes, the errors and the mistakes start really sticking out for me in those situations, so it's hard for me to listen to our albums in that setting. There's albums in our discography where I think we missed the mark. Sometimes, I can't go into it publicly why we did, but I know why we did. Privately, we all know why. I think [2008's] 'Never Too Loud' was a weak album — the mix was terrible, but the demos were great. If everybody had heard the demos and we had stuck to the demos, then it would have been a great successor to [2006's] 'Sleep Is The Enemy'. [2012's] 'Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue', that was the result of a recording session that was rife with tension and arguments, and it just wasn't cool. It wasn't a good time. I had a terrible time. J.C. [bassist John Calabrese] had a terrible time. There's a lot of takes on that session that were rushed. It was just terrible. It wasn't organized well time-wise. We spent too much time talking about stupid shit when we should have just been, like, recording. There's other albums like [2017's] 'Wild Cat' and [2015's] 'Fire Music' and our new one, 'A Rock Supreme', where... the vibe is better in the band, we all laugh and have a good time together, and we don't have to talk shit out — we just get to the business of making some rock with really talented people who are helping us, like [producers] Garth Richardson and Eric Ratz. It just makes a better album. Just concentrate on fucking tones rather than, like, 'I don't like how you spoke to me about my take playing my instrument yesterday.' That only happens if there's someone with a huge, giant ego that is as fragile as you can imagine, so everybody has to walk around [on eggshells]. That's happened in several situations, several times over the years in our band. For one reason or another, there's always been one person that kind of fucks up a really possibly great situation, but now, everybody's got a level head and is pretty grounded to know that, 'Hey, not everyone gets to do it, so let's put our stupid shit aside and have fun.'"

On the difficulty of being in a "rock" band in today's music industry:

Danko: "Being in a metal band or a punk band, even an indie-rock band, there's an infrastructure behind that. There's a scene and a community that helps support it, or at least puts you in the right context. When you're put in the right context, you automatically get, if not a fan base, a certain amount of curious listeners, whereas a rock band, there is no community in hard rock music the way there is in metal and punk. There's no community; there's no infrastructure; there's no websites dedicated to it... Even within heavy metal — take DEAFHEAVEN or DEATHSPELL OMEGA or EMPEROR. That is as wide and far from a band like METALLICA or ANTHRAX, but it's still under the umbrella of metal, so it's still within the community. You can have disparate sounds within the community and still, the fan base remains, and you still have at least curious parties who will check out your band. In rock, there's nothing like that. Even though a band like KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD sound a million miles away from, let's say, GRETA VAN FLEET, to me, they're still two rock bands — but there's really no community that binds those two bands together, like there is a community that binds METALLICA to EMPEROR or METALLICA to MAYHEM. Even though it's two different scenes [and] two different types of people who would even end up going to those shows, it's still under the umbrella of metal, whereas in rock music, there's no such thing... It's hard to call yourself a hard rock band or a rock band these days."

"A Rock Supreme" will be released on April 26 via M-Theory Audio (U.S.), Rise Above (UK), Indica (Canada, AU, NZ) and AFM (rest of the world). The album was produced by Garth Richardson (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) and features cover artwork by Ulf Linden (GRAVEYARD, EUROPE).

According to RÚV (the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service), SLAYER is suing the organizers of Iceland's Secret Solstice music festival, claiming it hasn't been fully paid for appearing at last year's event.

The legendary thrash metal band, which is in the middle of its farewell world tour, says it is still owed around $134,000 (16 million Icelandic króna).

Local media has reported that a significant number of people and companies have not been paid for their work at Solstice Productions, which has handled Secret Solstice's operations.

Earlier this year, feminist rap collective REYKJAVÍKURDÆTUR said that it also hadn't been paid for its performance at the 2018 Secret Solstice, according to Iceland Review.

Víkingur Heiðar Arnórsson, the new manager of the festival, later said that while the festival has struggled financially, it has plans to pay the remaining artists they owe money in due time.

A new company, Live Events, has been founded to run Secret Solstice. The company is registered to Guðmundur Hreiðarsson Viborg, an economist who resides in the Canary Islands. Guðmundur initially explained to Vísir that paying old debts was the job of the old managers.

SLAYER's lawyer, Jón Gunnar Ásbjörnsson, reportedly wrote a letter to the City of Reykjavík about the matter, stating, among other things, that in addition to not having paid the aforementioned claim, the organizers of the festival retained 20 percent of the band's income to pay withholding tax to the tax authorities.

According to Bjarni Brynjólfsson, information officer of the City of Reykjavík, the matter is under review and will be discussed in the City Council next week.

For last year's event, Secret Solstice offered an ultra-luxurious $1 million ticket, which included transportation in a private jet, daily access to a glam squad, a VIP yacht party, a helicopter tour over the glaciers and volcanoes of South Iceland.

Last November, it was reported that the 2019 edition of Secret Solstice would be smaller than in previous years. This was decided by a majority of the city council at a council meeting after the number of public complaints had risen due to the fact that the festival takes place in a quiet residential area. The length of the festival will be shortened to three days, the price of tickets will be reduced, and each day's events will wrap up by 11:30 p.m.

MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, who launched EMP Label Group in 2015, says that he doesn't find it more difficult to promote his artists in the digital era of the music industry. "It all works digitally," he told the "Heavy Demons" radio show (see video below). "It's funny that all fans buy or listen to things digitally. I still buy everything — I buy everything on iTunes — 'cause I still like to have it on my phone. Usually I listen to music when I'm flying, when I'm traveling, and then I'll buy vinyl, just because it looks cool. But I usually don't listen to it, 'cause I hate the way vinyl sounds. It sounds like shit. I never liked it. I was actually glad when digital came [around]. But I find most artists, they have still the merchandise booth, and fans go to buy things. And sometimes even if the CD and the vinyl is just a place to put a signature, it's a great memorabilia piece to take home."

Last year, Ellefson told Metal Wani that "one of the hardest things" for young artists was getting on high-profile tours. "We sign them to the label and then, if they're really gonna sell any units — especially if they're rock/metal bands — they have to be on the road," he said. "They have to be touring. Then comes the next hardest part, which is, 'How do we get a tour?' Well, that's why we formed the Ellefson Touring Agency, called ETA."

He continued: "Always with these things is - you're walking around the industry with your tin cup out, practically begging people to listen to your band and, 'Hey, can we get a record deal?' And I think, in our wheelhouse, we try to be a sort of full-service entity that does all of that. And it's a lot of work. Again, we require the artists to do their share. There's no free lunches here. Nobody's gonna sit back while [we] do all the work. But at the same time, if I can use the [reputation] that I've been blessed with in my career to sort of knock down some doors and help walk some people in the room behind me, I'm happy to do it."

In 2017, Ellefson relaunched Combat Records, the classic independent label that once released music from MEGADETH, AGNOSTIC FRONT and EXODUS.

Ellefson's label group is home to such acts as DOLL SKIN, GREEN DEATH and CO-OP, a band fronted by Alice Cooper's son, Dash.

David has also launched a touring agency, coffee company and is about to release his second memoir — co-written by business partner Thom Hazaert.

Slash has told Chile's Futuro 88.9 FM in a new interview that he really enjoyed MÖTLEY CRÜE's recently released Netflix biopic "The Dirt", which charts the band's meteoric rise to fame in the 1980s. "I thought the MÖTLEY movie was great, 'cause I just saw it a couple of days ago," the GUNS N' ROSES guitarist said (hear audio below). "It really took me back to the early days in the '80s and all the way through their career, because I just remember everything that happened along the way. And then it gave me some insights as to internal details that I wasn't really aware of. But I thought that came out great."

Despite the fact that he was full of praise for "The Dirt", Slash — who started his own film production company nearly a decade ago — said that he has no interest in making a GN'R biopic. "I wouldn't wanna do a GUNS movie like that," he said. "I couldn't imagine trying to find somebody to play [laughs] the different members of the band. It just doesn't even seem possible."

A more likely scenario is a documentary film featuring material shot at the height of GUNS N' ROSES' success more than two and a half decades ago. "I think we have a lot of concert footage from the '90s in the can — like, 24-7 footage from 1991 to 1994, of just every day on the road with GUNS N' ROSES," Slash said. "And it's been sitting in a vault for years. And I would love for that to be edited at some point and put out. So we'll see if that ever happens."

Slash's latest comments echo those he made several years ago when he told the Belfast Telegraph that he "would not like to see a GUNS N' ROSES biopic." He explained: "It's really rare where you see actors portraying live musicians [well]. I don't think rock and roll translates in the movies, I don't think they really get the gritty vibe of what it's like."

Back in April 2012, former GUNS N' ROSES drummer Matt Sorum revealed that he was in discussions for a possible biopic about the band. He said: "I've talked about doing a screenplay, and that's actually something that I'm in talks about with a couple of pretty big people."

Sorum added that the film would have a different energy to most rock biopics of the past, saying: "If you look at rock and roll movies, they've never been done right... If there was a film about GUNS N' ROSES, the thing about GUNS N' ROSES that was different than all the butt rock bands in Hollywood was that it was down and dirty and punk rock and real.

"As much as anyone wants to say they want to try to lump it in with hair metal, it never was because it was a different kind of energy," he said. "There was a much sort of more street, dark undercurrent happening that could be great on film."

Last week, GUNS N' ROSES was announced for the 2019 edition of the Louder Than Life festival, which runs between September 27 and September 29 at the Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky. This will mark the first live appearance for GUNS since they played in Hawaii in December 2018.

L.A. GUNS singer Phil Lewis has dismissed the notion that rock is dead, saying fans can look forward to "a thriving, crazy rock scene like we've never seen before."

While rock 'n' roll has been king of the music world for decades, in the past few years, it's been unseated by the growing popularity of hip-hop. This has caused many pundits to proclaim the genre "dead" from an industry perspective, noting that it has been eclipsed in all measures by pop, hip-hop, and EDM.

Lewis, whose band released a new album, "The Devil You Know", last month, spoke about rock's supposed diminishing status during a brand new interview with Music Legends.

Addressing the whole "rock is dead" debate, Lewis said: "That phrase 'rock is dead,' Gene Simmons [KISS] has been bandying that around for a while now, thinking he's really edgy and how astute he is.

"If Gene Simmons had made an album as good as [L.A. GUNS' 2017 LP] 'The Missing Peace' or 'The Devil You Know', he wouldn't be talking that stupid shit. Because it's not dead. And I'm optimistic, I'm thrilled that GRETA VAN FLEET won a Grammy. I love those guys. Not just the music — just the fact that it's that generation, it's inspiring of 12- and 13-year-olds to pick up a guitar. And I've been waiting for that for so long.

"There's nothing cooler than being in a band," he continued. "There's nothing cooler than being able to pick up a guitar and play for people. And chicks just dig that. And the sooner that these guys in their late teens and early 20s realize that… They don't wanna sit and watch you play a fucking video game. They want you to play 'em a song. Learn to play a fucking song — even if it's one song, learn how to play it. And you'll be amazed how it improves your life."

As for where he sees rock going in the future, Lewis said: "I think it's gonna be a thriving, crazy rock scene like we've never seen before. It just comes in cycles — whether it's gonna be five years, 10 years, I don't know. But it's not done, I can guarantee that. It's definitely not over."

The "rock is dead" argument has popped up again and again throughout the years, most recently after MAROON 5 lead singer Adam Levine told Variety magazine that "rock music is nowhere, really. I don't know where it is," he said. "If it's around, no one's invited me to the party. All of the innovation and the incredible things happening in music are in hip-hop. It's better than everything else. Hip-hop is weird and avant-garde and flawed and real, and that's why people love it."

A few years ago, Simmons told Esquire magazine that "rock did not die of old age. It was murdered. Some brilliance, somewhere, was going to be expressed and now it won't because it's that much harder to earn a living playing and writing songs. No one will pay you to do it."

A number of hard rock and heavy metal musicians have weighed in on the topic in a variety of interviews over the last couple of years, with some digging a little deeper into Simmons's full remarks and others just glossing over the headline.

SANTA CRUZ has returned with a new single, "Changing Of Seasons". The song — which was co-written and produced by Kane Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, DISTURBED, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) — is now available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and other digital platforms. A lyric video designed by Rafael Ortega of Ecliptic Visions can be seen below.

"Changing Of Seasons" provides the first taste of SANTA CRUZ's new album, which will be released in the fall. The group will celebrate its launch with a performance alongside GUNS N' ROSES at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky, which takes place from Sept. 27-29. In the months prior, the band has a number of high-profile European shows scheduled, including a German date with WHITESNAKE and several festivals in the group's native Finland.

Says vocalist/guitarist Archie Cruz: "'Changing Of Seasons' is about going through hell in life, and fighting your way back to the surface no matter what. This is for all the fighters and survivors out there. Musically, I found a perfect partner in crime in Kane Churko, with whom we managed to create a totally new sonic landscape for SANTA CRUZ which marks a huge step forward for the band."

"Changing Of Seasons" marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the story of SANTA CRUZ, which made impressive waves on both sides of the Atlantic in the five-year period following the release of its acclaimed 2013 debut. In Europe, the group scored two Top 5 albums in its home country, supported the likes of AC/DC and delivered memorable performances at major events such as the U.K.'s Download festival. In America, meanwhile, the band appeared on the AXS TV program "Breaking Band", played notable gigs such as Rock On The Range and the inaugural Motörboat cruise and toured alongside I PREVAIL, AMARANTHE and Sebastian Bach.

Halfway through an American tour with FOZZY last spring, however, founding member Archie Cruz and his then-bandmates parted ways. Soon after, Archie vowed that "the saga ain't over yet" and temporarily relocated to Las Vegas to write and record the band's new album with Churko at the city's Hideout Recording Studio (IN THIS MOMENT, PAPA ROACH, HALESTORM).

"'Changing Of Seasons' is a powerful rock song about transforming and taking back control of your life," says Churko. "I think it really sums up a lot about Archie's journey leading up to the new album and how he was able to reinvent himself in the face of adversity. This song is a testament to his focus and strength as an artist, and I think audiences and listeners will pick up on that immediately."

After finishing the album, Archie and new lead guitarist Pav Cruz relocated to Hollywood, where they recruited new members Ero Cruz (bass) and Toxy Cruz (drums) and began rehearsing religiously for what will be an extensive touring campaign around the globe.

"The 'Cruz 4' project — from doing demos in Finland, to the Las Vegas studio sessions with Kane, to the audition and rehearsal period in Hollywood — has been an amazing journey," says Archie. "I am super-exited to continue the journey and hit the road with Pav, Ero and Toxy. The band is sounding amazing and better than ever, and we will hit the festivals like a hurricane."

More information about SANTA CRUZ's new album will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The official lyric video for "Why I Dream" from DREAM THEATER's Jordan Rudess can be seen below. The song is taken from his brand new spiralling and stunning solo album, "Wired For Madness", which will be released on April 19 via Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group.

"Wired For Madness" bursts and flows forth with all of the drama, technique and melodicism that have become his musical hallmarks, the album also features the keyboard wizard handling many of the vocals. Renowned guests include drummer Marco Minnemann, DREAM THEATER frontman James LaBrie, guitarists Vinnie Moore, Guthrie Govan, Joe Bonamassa and John Petrucci. There are appearances by notable players including drummers Rod Morgenstein and Elijah Wood, among others.


Jordan dispels any notion that it's a concept record. "It is not a concept album," he says. "However, the title track does have a story that I was envisioning while writing it. The idea was about a guy who wanted to go about a transformational process involving becoming partially computerized and robotic. His functionality as a human was noticeably diminishing and he takes advantage of a modern medical procedure to 'upgrade' and extend his physical and mental capabilities. Through the course (or curse) of this process he becomes more and more separated from the outside 'normal' world, allowing the computer front end to take over much of his day to day tasks and decisions. This leaves his mind free to travel between madness and spiritual enlightenment. After an angel visited him, the listener is left wondering whether he is experiencing true enlightenment or if he is moving out of the physical world to the next dimension."


"There's even some blues!" says Rudess, "'Just Can't Win' is a dirty blues song! The DREAM THEATER guys call me Blues Man because, at 8 a.m., after sleeping on the tour bus, I sound like a reincarnation of an old blues man soul. I called in Joe Bonamassa and a full brass section to help make this song really happen. For my prog fans, this is Jordan Rudess in an alternate universe!"


Rudess has been the full-time keyboardist with DREAM THEATER, since the recording of 1999's "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory". Beyond DREAM THEATER, he has released a number of acclaimed solo works and has also blazed a trail in helping to evolve the art and science of keyboard controllers. He created the successful app-development company Wizdom Music, which has developed award-winning apps including; MorphWiz, which won the first-ever Billboard award for Best Music Creation App. Wizdom Music has also built apps for Intel, Microsoft and RIM.


Rudess just keeps absorbing and processing what happens around him into new music and ideas. "I live to be creative," he says. "Give me my space and freedom to do my music and I'll be like an antenna to the thoughts and feelings around me. Of course, I get inspired by other music I hear. Could be anything from wild electronica, like Richard Devine or APHEX TWIN to classical music like a beautiful Chopin Nocturne."


It all started with a curious mind and a furious set of little hands. He has gone to change the world of music in many wondrous ways, and his latest solo release is the next dynamic chapter in a book that's still being written.

"Wired For Madness" track listing:

01. Wired For Madness - Part 1

02. Wired For Madness - Part 2

03. Off The Ground

04. Drop Twist

05. Perpetual Shine

06. Just Can't Win

07. Just For Today

08. Why I Dream

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT founding member Eric Bloom has confirmed to MassLive.com that the band is planning to release its first new album since 2001's "Curse Of The Hidden Mirror".

"We're not exactly working on it yet, but the ink is going on the contract soon," he said. "We've all been working on songs over the years, but there's a lot of negotiation, because it's not just about the new product but also about the back catalog."

Two years ago, Bloom told OC Weekly that he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about working on new music, especially considering that "Curse Of The Hidden Mirror" didn't exactly light up the charts.

"In the economic reality, it costs money to make a record," Bloom said. "The time it takes to make a record, if you want to make it right, is time we would have to take off from working and we'd rather be out there working than making a record that nobody's going to buy. We're a classic rock act with a paradoxical future: the current buying public is not really going to care what we put out.

"Classic rock radio probably won't play anything new from us," Bloom added. "Pop stations won't play anything from us. So people finding out we have anything new is unlikely. I know the hardcore people would love to have new stuff from us and eventually we're going to do it, but for a decade, there's really been no reason to do it."

Bloom also wondered whether it makes sense for a band like BLUE ÖYSTER CULT to release full-length albums in a digital age when streaming seems to dictate the dominance of singles and extended play formats.

"Obviously when we started, making records was all vinyl," Bloom said. "The technology of everything has changed hand over fist. Every decade is something else. Cassette to CD, and now all streaming, and nobody seems to care about albums anymore. People just pick a song that they like and download it or stream it. The industry has totally changed. Record labels have come and gone. Now artists make their own label or just put their own songs up on YouTube. It's all totally changed. The music business has collapsed."

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT has been active since 1967 and has released a number of critically acclaimed albums without ever reaching the top of the Billboard chart. (The highest any of their albums has ever placed is 24, for 1981's "Fire Of Unknown Origin"). The band's most successful single is the iconic "(Don't Fear) The Reaper".

Photo courtesy of Chuffmedia

BODY COUNT, the metal band fronted by hip-hop legend, actor and director Ice-T, has entered the studio to begin recording its new album, "Carnivore". A late 2019 release is expected.

Earlier today, Ice-T tweeted about the upcoming disc: "This one is gonna be vicious!'

Last June, Ice-T told Iain Chambers that BODY COUNT wanted to up the ante with its next album after setting a high standard with its last two studio releases.

"When we did [2014's] 'Manslaughter', it was 20 years [since the previous record], and I just wanted to see if we had a fanbase, and we did," he said. "We outdid 'Manslaughter' with 'Bloodlust', and the posse grew. So now we've gotta outdo 'Bloodlust'. That's our only goal — not to make the greatest rock album in history; it's just to outdo 'Bloodlust'."

According to Ice-T, he decided to call BODY COUNT's new album "Carnivore" because "people are getting so soft. It's okay for me to say, 'Oh, I'm a vegan,' or, 'I'm a vegetarian,'" he explained. "I say I'm carnivorous — I only eat meat. People go, 'What the fuck?' I think the person that's gonna come get you won't be a vegetarian; it will be [someone] carnivorous."

"Bloodlust" was released in March 2017. The disc included contributions from MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine, SOULFLY and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's Max Cavalera and LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe.

"Bloodlust" was recorded with producer Will Putney (MISS MAY I, UPON A BURNING BODY), who also helmed "Manslaughter". The effort contained BODY COUNT's medley of the SLAYER songs "Postmortem" and "Raining Blood".

BodyCount News: We officially started writing and recording the new album ‘Carnivore’ today... This one is gonna be vicious! ??@BodyCountBand pic.twitter.com/cNk1SFk2cs— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) April 8, 2019

FALLING IN REVERSE has released a new single and video. The track "Drugs" features a guest appearance by SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor.

The song is the third and final track in the band's recent trilogy of standalone songs, which also includes "Losing My Life" and "Losing My Mind". Those videos have accumulated nearly 28 million combined views since dropping last year.


FALLING IN REVERSE will embark on a headline North American tour in April and May. The tour kicks off on April 20 in the band's native Las Vegas and wraps up May 24 in Los Angeles. Joining FALLING IN REVERSE for this cross-country trek are ICE NINE KILLS, FROM ASHES TO NEW and NEW YEARS DAY.

FALLING IN REVERSE's latest full-length album, "Coming Home", is out now via Epitaph Records.

Austrian symphonic metallers EDENBRIDGE have finished recording their tenth studio album, "Dynamind", via Steamhammer/SPV. The disc will be mixed starting next week at Thin Ice Studios in England with longtime collaborator Karl Groom (THRESHOLD).


Guitarist/composer Lanvall previously stated about the new EDENBRIDGE LP: "The whole songwriting process for the new album took around 18 months, and I soon realized that we could bring the band sound to a new level. Our trademark sound, of course, is still there. Nevertheless, we have numerous interesting experiments on the album, where we explore new shores. Let it be the irish sounding song 'On The Other Side', the half-ballad 'Tauerngold' with its doom elements, or the 12-minutes epic long track 'The Last Of His Kind'. Even after the long songwriting and arranging process, I am still super excited with the new songs."

EDENBRIDGE has launched a crowdfunding campaign where fans can be part of the new album. Lanvall said: "Many of the packages we offer proved themselves over the years. This goes from normal name sponsoring to personal dedications, handwritten lyric sheets and guitar tabs, a personal telephone call to larger packages. Come to England to visit me in the studio during the mix and have a listen to the album long before its release. Come to our hometown Linz (Austria) and have an exclusive typical Austrian dinner with us, cooked by Sabine and myself. Spend a whole sightseeing day with Sabine and me in Vienna, where we guide you through this great city, or become 'executive producer' of the new album!"


EDENBRIDGE's ninth album, "The Great Momentum", was released in February 2017 through SPV/Steamhammer.

British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have confirmed that they will be on the bill when their previously postponed European tour with Ozzy Osbourne gets rescheduled in 2020.

Ozzy originally postponed the European leg of his "No More Tours 2" tour in January due to illness. The tour was set to kick off on January 30.

This past week, Ozzy announced that he was canceling his 2019 tour after aggravating years-old injuries (from his 2003 ATV accident) that required surgery last month.

JUDAS PRIEST released a statement earlier today assuring fans that they will be part of Ozzy's tour when the new dates get announced later in the year.

"We all wish Ozzy a really speedy recovery and hope he's back to 100% health very soon," JUDAS PRIEST tweeted. "The OZZY/JUDAS PRIEST UK/European leg will be rescheduled in 2020 and as soon as everything is in place we will be announcing the dates."

Osbourne, 70, had been dealing with pneumonia, and "will remain under doctor's care in Los Angeles as he recovers," a press release stated.

Late last year, Osbourne had to postpone a number of dates in the U.S. after contracting a staph infection. He then rescheduled those dates for this summer, when he was supposed to be touring the U.S. with MEGADETH. After performing at a New Year's Eve one-off Ozzfest, he popped a blood vessel in his eye before saying he got pneumonia.

JUDAS PRIEST will return to the United States this spring for a run with fellow classic heavy rockers URIAH HEEP. The 32-date trek will kick off on May 3 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida and wrap on June 29 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

We all wish Ozzy a really speedy recovery and hope he's back to 100% health very soon - the Ozzy/Judas Priest UK/European leg will be rescheduled in 2020 and as soon as everything is in place we will be announcing the dates....— Judas Priest (@judaspriest) April 7, 2019

QUEENSRŸCHE was joined by FATES WARNING singer Ray Alder on stage at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle, Washington to perform the classic QUEENSRŸCHE song "Take Hold Of The Flame". The April 3 concert marked the final show of the two bands' joint U.S. tour. Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.

QUEENSRŸCHE latest album, "The Verdict", was released on March 1 via Century Media Records. The disc was produced, mixed, and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, ICED EARTH, HATEBREED) at Uberbeatz in Lynwood, Washington; Planet-Z in Wilbraham, Massachusetts; and Watershed Studio in Seattle, Washington.

"The Verdict" marks QUEENSRŸCHE's third full-length release with singer Todd La Torre, following the departure of Geoff Tate in 2012.

For the past two years, drummer Scott Rockenfield has been taking time off from QUEENSRŸCHE's touring activities to spend time with his young son, who was born in early 2017. Filling in for him is former KAMELOT drummer Casey Grillo.

La Torre, who has played drums since the age of 13, laid down the drum tracks on "The Verdict".

JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES — the band led by world-renowned guitarist John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON) — was joined by Michael Anthony (VAN HALEN, CHICKENFOOT, THE CIRCLE), Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR), Shavo Odadjian (SYSTEM OF A DOWN) and Fred Coury (CINDERELLA) during its concert last night (April 6) at Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. Odadjian played a cover of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" with John 5 and drummer Logan Miles Nix, while Anthony, Taylor, Coury and John 5 tackled several VAN HALEN classics: "Runnin' With The Devil", "Take Your Whisky Home" and "You Really Got Me" (originally by THE KINKS).

In introducing Anthony to the crowd, John 5 called the former VAN HALEN bassist "my hero," saying that he has "listened to this guy more times than anybody — more times than KISS, more times than anybody. My favorite, favorite guy in the whole word, Mr. Michael Anthony."

Fan-filmed video footage of the show can be seen below (courtesy of Alex Vigil).

Last year, John 5 told Loudwire's "Gear Factor" that he was "blown away" when he first heard VAN HALEN's debut album. "I couldn't believe it," he said. "I was just, like, 'Oh my God, that's so incredible.' It just moved me and it was totally an epiphany for me. I still listen to it all the time. It was a game-changer. It was something that changed music forever.

"I don't think any of us had ever heard a guitar sound like that before," he added. "Everyone's trying to get the sound, and the right amp and the right pedal and the right cord and the right pick and the right strings and I really do believe it's just all in his hands. Because I've heard him play through a little practice amp, and it sounds just like Eddie Van Halen!"

He continued: "Not only was Eddie an unbelievable musician and songwriter, but think about this: what an inventor he was. Look at the design he came up with: the striped guitar. Dude, it's unbelievable. That's one of the most iconic symbols: you see that [guitar], and you're like, 'Oh! Van Halen!' The black and white, and then the black and yellow, then the red, white and black one, it's just totally iconic."

JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES — John 5, Logan Miles Nix and bassist Ian Ross — kicked off their North American "Invasion" tour on February 26 at Club Red in Mesa, Arizona. At the opening-night concert, they were joined by Alice Cooper for a performance of the JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE classic "Foxy Lady".

JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES' new album, "Invasion", will be released this summer. Just like 2017's "Season Of The Witch", the new disc — produced and mixed by Barry Pointer — is being made available via a series of music videos.

AEROSMITH kicked off its "Deuces Are Wild" Las Vegas residency Saturday night (April 6). Prior to the band's performance at at the Park Theater at Park MGM, a half-hour documentary was shown to attendees, featuring interviews with members of AEROSMITH, along with various other artists and celebrities.

AEROSMITH's 16-song set included early classics such as "Mama Kin", "Back In The Saddle" and "Sweet Emotion" as well as later hits such as "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" and "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)". The show concluded with "Dream On" and "Walk This Way".

Grammy Award-winning producer Giles Martin, known for creating the soundscape for "The Beatles Love" by Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas is working on the show as producer.

AEROSMITH teamed up with THX and L-Acoustics for the residency at Park Theater to deliver the world's first THX Certified live performance presented in L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound.

"Deuces Are Wild" opening-night setlist:

01. Train Kept 'A-Rollin

02. Mama Kin

03. Back In The Saddle

04. Kings And Queens

05. Sweet Emotion

06. Hangman Jury

07. Seasons Of Wither

08. Stop Messin' Around (FLEETWOOD MAC cover)

09. Cryin'

10. Livin On The Edge

11. I Don't Want To Miss A Thing

12. Love In An Elevator

13. Toys In The Attic

14. Dude (Looks Like A Lady)

15. Dream On

16. Walk This Way

AEROSMITH will play 34 more shows in Las Vegas dates before the end of the year — eight in April, five in June, four in July, four in August, four in September, four in October, seven in November, and two in December. The band also has multiple-night "Deuces Are Wild" engagements booked at MGM properties in National Harbor, Maryland; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and Springfield, Massachusetts.

In addition to the "Deuces Are Wild" shows, AEROSMITH is scheduled to make two festival appearances in July: July 14 at the Roxodus Music Fest in Edenvale, Canada; and July 19 at the Twin Cities Summer Jam in Shakopee, Minnesota.

In 2017, AEROSMITH announced a run of dates called "Aero-Vederci Baby!", but stopped short of calling it a final tour.

AEROSMITH hasn't released a new studio album since 2012's "Music From Another Dimension!"

THE END MACHINE, the new band featuring three members of the classic DOKKEN lineup — George Lynch (guitar), Jeff Pilson (bass) and Mick Brown (drums) — along with former LYNCH MOB and current WARRANT singer Robert Mason, made its live debut this past Thursday night (April 4) at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. Brown was unable to make the current run of shows and is being temporarily replaced by EVANESCENCE's Will Hunt.

The group's setlist was as follows:

01. Leap Of Faith

02. River Of Love

03. Unchain The Night

04. No Game

05. Tangled In The Web

06. Hold Me Down

07. Into The Fire

08. Alive Today

09. Ride It

10. It's Not Love

11. Tie Your Mother Down

12. Wicked Sensation

13. Tooth And Nail

Fan-filmed video footage of the entire Whisky A Go Go concert can be seen below.

THE END MACHINE's debut album was released on March 22 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Pilson said: "We think that, notwithstanding the obvious nod to our past experiences together, THE END MACHINE sound has a unique identity. Sonically, this is not just ex-DOKKEN members with a different singer or a rebooted incarnation of LYNCH MOB. This is a new sound. Everyone has been doing great on the album and there is a lot of energy and a lot of focus."

Mason concurred, saying: "This is decidedly not me 'stapled' on to a DOKKEN record. I wouldn't have been involved if that was the intent. Fans will hear bits of our styles in this collection of songs, and while reminiscent signatures are undeniable, THE END MACHINE was purposely built to stand apart and on its own merit."

Asked if the songs for THE END: MACHINE's debut album were written for the recent reunion of DOKKEN's classic lineup, Pilson told "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon": "I will say that the very early songwriting sessions, with George and I writing the music, we were thinking, 'Well, this could be DOKKEN. Who knows?' We just got together and started writing. But the thought in the back of our mind was, 'Well, maybe there is…' There was a lot of talk, and there was business talk about a possible DOKKEN record. So we wanted to just start writing. We wanted to write and that was kind of probably foremost on our mind. But we also realized very quickly, 'Well, this is kind of becoming its own animal.' And then when Robert got involved, it totally became its own animal. So, I would say it's kind of branched out of the writing that we did for the [recent DOKKEN CD, DVD and Blu-ray, 'Return To The East Live (2016)'], but not very much — only a slight degree."

Pilson also talked about the musical and songwriting chemistry between him, Lynch, Brown and Dokken, saying: "What's so funny about the bonus track ['It's Just Another Day'] on the DOKKEN record ['Return To The East Live (2016)'] is that was one of the least painful recordings DOKKEN has ever made. [Laughs] It was so comfortable and natural — Don's vocals happened very quickly. It's ironic, really, because the band supposedly has so much strife within it or whatever. But on a musical level, chemistry-wise, we kind of can't help but do what we do. Don has a very distinctive voice, and very distinctive melodic sense, George has such a distinctive way of playing, and I think when Mick and Don and I sing, it's very unique. I mean, that is the chemistry — but that was the beauty of DOKKEN, and we appreciate that; we all do. And the thing is, [fans] have to realize is we're still kids at heart, so when George and I get together and start writing, we wanna keep writing. So if the DOKKEN thing doesn't happen for whatever reason, we wanna keep writing. And that's kind of where [THE END: MACHINE] sort of came into being, and that's a good thing — that's music happening organically. And I love that. And that's how I feel about this whole record — it just organically became what it is. It goes from very simple, straight-ahead groove-oriented rock to some kind of musical little adventures that are very, very cool. And, like I said, I'm just really, really proud of it."

According to Jeff, who has been a member of FOREIGNER since 2004, the plan is to develop THE END MACHINE into a full-fledged band, with more albums and touring activity to follow. "I look at it in a very long-term way, 'cause I love playing with these guys — I just do," he said. "And yes, for the time being, the amount of live shows we could do will be limited — there's no question. I mean, FOREIGNER has no signs of slowing down yet. But I love playing with these guys and I love making music with these guys. So, yeah, I'm looking at it in the long term; I'm not just thinking of us as a side project for one record. We're looking at it as a band — a band that has contraints because of everyone's schedules, but that doesn't mean we don't have plans and hope in the future to nurture this into something more. There's only one challenge, but it is by far the biggest, and it's very overwhelming, and that's scheduling. The amount I tour with FOREIGNER, which, as I said, will not slow down, at least for the next couple of years. That's a very daunting challenge — it's very hard to work things out."

DAY OF ERRORS, the three-piece band led by original BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward, will enter the studio later this month to record some new music.

The news of DAY OF ERRORS' recording plans was revealed by KILL DEVIL HILL singer Jason "Dewey" Bragg at last month's "Rock Against MS" benefit concert in Los Angeles.

Asked by "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" if there will be more music coming out soon and possible live shows from DAY OF ERRORS, Bragg said (see video below): "I know that we're going in the studio [next] month to record some more. I believe there will be music to download and/or purchase. Tour, I don't think that's gonna happen. But there will be some music coming out soon."

Bragg also shared what he gleaned from playing with Ward for the past two years. "Honestly, Bill is a phenomenal songwriter — singer and songwriter," he said. "He's written all the lyrics, all the melodies, all the music, all the guitar parts, obviously, the drum parts… It's an inspiration to see someone that you've listened to your whole life, and then you get to actually stand in a room with the guy and watch him perform and write and produce. It's amazing. I'm very blessed and happy to have that opportunity to do that with him. Especially one of the members of BLACK SABBATH. I mean, that's like hanging out with one of the dudes from LED ZEPPELIN, man. Give me a break. It's awesome."

In November 2017, DAY OF ERRORS released its first two songs, "Day Of Errors" and "Blaspheming At Creation" via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3 and Google Play.

The band made its live debut in June 2016 at Gaslamp in Long Beach, California.

The group, which was formed by Ward "in the desire to have my drumming spirit continue to live," also features Joe Amodea on guitar/vocals and Bragg on vocals.

Bragg joined DAY OF ERRORS in early 2017 following the departure of bassist/vocalist Nick Diltz (ALL HAIL THE YETI).

Ward was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced in November 2011, but backed out soon after. He later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

It was rumored that SABBATH wanted to bring a second drummer on the road to share duties with Ward, which he allegedly balked at.

Ward in 2015 released his first solo album in 18 years. Titled "Accountable Beasts", the record can be purchased on iTunes.

Multi-camera video footage of LAST IN LINE performing on March 23 at the Token Lounge in Westland, Michigan can be seen below (clips edited and produced by George S Pogacich).

LAST IN LINE's sophomore album, "II", was released on February 22 via Frontiers Music Srl. As with 2016's "Heavy Crown", the new disc was produced by DOKKEN and FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson.

LAST IN LINE was formed in 2012, when Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain and Vivian Campbell — Ronnie James Dio's co-conspirators and co-writers on the "Holy Diver", "Last In Line" and "Sacred Heart" albums — teamed up with esteemed vocalist Andrew Freeman. The debut album "Heavy Crown" was released in February 2016, landing at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Initially, the release had been preceded by tragedy when bassist Jimmy Bain unexpectedly passed away at the age of 68 on January 23, 2016. LAST IN LINE, honoring what they knew would be Bain's wish to keep the band moving, brought in renowned bassist Phil Soussan (ex-OZZY OSBOURNE) and committed to sustained touring in support of the album, hitting festivals, headlining clubs, and sharing the stage with metal luminaries such as SAXON and MEGADETH.


In late 2017, the band gathered in Los Angeles to start the recording of the second album, which was produced by the band members and Jeff Pilson (FOREIGNER, DOKKEN), who also helmed the debut album. Having really jelled as a band while touring in support of the first disc, the songwriting came readily to the members. They've created a record that shows a big progression in sound, while immediately being recognizable as LAST IN LINE thanks to Appice's rhythms, thunderous bass from Soussan, amazing vocals from Freeman, and the roaring guitars of Campbell.

"The musical style of 'II' is different from 'Heavy Crown', but it wasn't something that we planned to do," explains Campbell. "Phil is a more intricate player than Jimmy was and that, together with the natural growth and development of the band led us to the songs on the album. As always, we simply started to jam on ideas and see where they led us. But it's fair to say that the songs on this album sound more developed, with more parts and more experimentation than the songs on 'Heavy Crown'. The first album set a tone, but on 'II' we developed that idea and took it to the next logical stage."


Appice, on the sound of the new record and songwriting process, says: "I always sound like me. Viv and I have been playing together for years and have the same feel and pulse and attitude. Now with Phil on bass, he allows a more melodic approach on the bass parts making the songs even more interesting. He fits in perfectly being from the same musical family and time as me and Viv. Mr. Freeman sings from his soul and completes the band's sound with his melodies and amazing range."


He continues: "The songwriting process was the same as DIO's 'Holy Diver'. First, we have fun writing together. We get in a room and jam on riffs and chords until we hit on something good, then continue to build it into a song. Andy puts his magic on it and it all works out very well."


Soussan says about how it was joining LAST IN LINE and the development of the songs: "It was refreshing to be able to write songs in such an organic fashion — by jamming and developing ideas as a group, without bringing in preconceived songs — something I haven't done for ages. The result was a true collaboration, a concept that is so rare these days! Vinny has a unique style of drumming that, beyond keeping beats, inspires riffs and arrangements and Vivian has a way of playing that has a conviction to every note. He is able to turn every riff into a signature. Andrew was creative and unrestricted, focusing his contemporary influences into vocal stylings and hooks that are outside the classic rock clichés. He is very much a perfectionist. Beyond trying to remain true to Jimmy's playing and to the heritage of the relationship between Viv and Vinny, everyone was completely open to exploring any possible idea. I am honestly prouder of our efforts on this album than anything in which I have been involved in for a very long time. With 'II', I would like to think that we have stretched out from 'Heavy Crown' to test some uncharted waters.... the evolution of LAST IN LINE!"

Hear the roar from the hard rock kings of northern Sweden. "Meant For Trouble" is the second single from Pretty Wild's upcoming album, Interstate 13.

Swedish hard rock act Pretty Wild started their journey back in 2007. The road has been long since then and Pretty Wild have conquered their way through Europe and across the sea to The States. Twelve years later and they are releasing their third album, Interstate 13. Pretty Wild have put all their energy, blood and sweat into this album, by spending two years working on it. 

Interstate 13 contains twelve tracks of pure hard rock; the album will be released on May 31st via Black Lodge Records / Sound Pollution Distribution. Pre-orders can be placed now at this location.

Interstate 13 artwork and tracklisting:

"Let’s Get It Out"
"Meant For Trouble"
"Superman"
"Wild And Free"
"Give It All Tonight"
"Stand My Ground"
"The Way I Am"
"Thanks To You"
"Shot Me Down"
"Walk The Edge"
"I Love It"
"Break Down The Walls"

For further details, visit Pretty Wild on Facebook.

(Photo: Agnes Orre, Felicia Püshl)

 




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Former Annihilator bassist Russ Bergquist, who was with the band from 1999 – 2003 and 2005–2007, has released a new solo album under The Russ Bergquist project. It is now available for purchase via CDbaby. Following is an update from Bergquist:

"This track is called 'Caged'. Track 5 off The Russ Bergquist Project. This is the shortest track on the album. Mark Petri on vocals, Scott Webb on lead guitar, Ryan Van Poederooyen on drums and me on bass, rhythm guitars and background vocals."

The complete tracklist of the album is as follows:

"Suicide Shift"
"Lost At Sea"
"Shreddies"
"Hunted"
"Caged"
"Stabbed In The Back"
"Cassini"
"What I Say"
"Who You Are"

Purchase the album here.




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