Southeast Wreck Metal conducted an interview with URIAH HEEP guitarist Mick Box on November 29 at the House Of Culture in Helsinki, Finland. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about how he and his bandmates manage to keep such an intense touring schedule five decades into URIAH HEEP's career, Box said: "I think it's 'cause if you've got passion for something you do… If you wanna continue what you're doing, look after yourself. If you wanna carry on the full rock and roll lifestyle, there's only one ending to it, and it's not a very nice ending. So we look after ourselves; we make sure we get enough sleep and stuff. It's hard enough work anyway for an 18-year-old, let alone people of our age. But because you've got that passion that drives you on, it gives you the energy to keep doing it every night."

Asked if he has ever thought about retirement, the 71-year-old guitarist said: "The only thing you retire is the tires on the wheels of your car when it's winter. [Laughs] We don't retire. We never think about those things. I think if you start putting blocks at the end of the road, then you're heading for trouble. We're always forward-thinking' we're always bringing out new music; we're continually writing; we'll record another album; and we'll just keep doing what we love doing. But you never give yourself those mental blockages, which is madness, really."

URIAH HEEP's 25th studio album, "Living The Dream", was released in September via Frontiers Music Srl. The disc was helmed by the widely respected Canadian producer Jay Ruston, known for his work with STONE SOUR, ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER.

Box is the original guitarist and sole remaining founding member of URIAH HEEP. He, vocalist Bernie Shaw and keyboardist/vocalist Phil Lanzon have formed the nucleus of the band for more than 32 years and released 17 albums together.

URIAH HEEP debuted in 1970 with the release of one of hard rock's milestones, "Very 'Eavy, Very 'Umble", and has since sold in excess of 40 million albums worldwide. They constantly tour the world, playing up to 125 shows a year to more than 500,000 fans. The band's live set features the classic tracks from the '70s and is a musical journey from the band's beginnings to the present day.

Fan-filmed video footage of former SKID ROW singer Johnny Solinger performing on December 20 at The Ballroom at Warehouse Live in Houston, Texas can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user "txsurfer4u").

Solinger, who joined SKID ROW in 1999, was fired by the band in April 2015 and replaced by TNT singer Tony Harnell. Tony quit the group only eight months later, and was succeeded by the South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.

SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan confirmed to the "One On One With Mitch Lafon" podcast that Solinger was kicked out of the band, contradicting the singer's claim that he "decided to leave SKID ROW to pursue [his] solo career."

Asked what led to Solinger's departure from SKID ROW, Rachel said: "It was evident. There were certain things going on out on the road that kind of set us thinking… Things had been going on for a little bit. And, you know, I'm not here to say anything bad about the guy.

"At certain times, you just get the feeling someone isn't putting a hundred percent into things," he added. "And SKID ROW is very important to the rest of us. And we wanted to carry on with quality performances and quality songs, so we decided to make a change."

Asked if there was ever a time where they felt things were "clicking" and "100 percent right" between Solinger and the rest of the band, Rachel told "Eddie Trunk Live": "We were clicking big time. I thought we made a lot of great music together. And even with [the ongoing trilogy of] EPs, when we were in the studio, we were making great music. Snake [guitarist Dave Sabo] and I would write, and everyone came in and really sunk in. I think it was when we were in the studio that it really became evident that we all didn't have the same heart and soul… We weren't all putting the same heart and soul into it. And it's just one of those things, man. It's rough to make a decision like this, but we did."

Added Snake: "This has nothing to do with Johnny not being a good person; he's a really good person, and we all got along well. There's no animosity at all from our end. And these are terrible decisions to make, man. They're awful. The guy's been with us for fifteen years, and we saw a lot of miles of road together, and I feel extremely fortunate to have spent that time in a band with him. And he's a great singer and he's gonna be fine. He's gonna pursue his solo stuff, I guess, and that's what he should do."

On the topic of how Solinger reacted to being fired from SKID ROW, Snake said: "There was no screaming and shouting. We were both very respectful to one another. And we should be. I mean, like I said, we've traveled a lot of miles together, and this is not something that is easy in any way, but yet it's something that was necessary."

Asked how parting ways with Solinger was different to the split with Sebastian Bach in 1996, Rachel said: "That was a completely different situation. There was a lot of bad blood there, and… Yeah, it was a completely different situation. This is something, like Snake said, there's no animosity. It's just… We all didn't have our eyes on the same prize at this point, and it interfered. It interfered with moving forward. And that's why we made a change."

Ozzy Osbourne has told Pasadena Star-News that the name of his "farewell tour," "No More Tours 2", is a bit misleading as he has no plans on "retiring" from music, just easing up on the hectic tour schedule that would have him constantly traveling from country to country, state to state and not spending nearly enough downtime at home.

"People have gotten that all wrong," he said. "The tour should have been the Ozzy Osbourne 'Slowing Down Tour'. What I'm actually doing is not going out on January 1 and coming back on December 31. I'll still tour, but not as extensively like I have been for the last 50 years. I mean, I have grandchildren now and I'm 70 years old and I don't want to be found dead in a hotel room somewhere. I'm going to do it at a more leisurely pace and do some shows in Vegas … but I'll never stop. The whole lifestyle I have lived, it has all come down to the fact that there are people who want to hear me and as long as they want to hear me, I'm there."

Ozzy previously told Rolling Stone magazine that he wanted to "slow it down a little" and be there for his family. "I enjoy being a grandfather," he said. "I don't want to go through another generation of Osbournes without seeing them grow up."

"No More Tours 2" is a reference to Ozzy's 1992 "No More Tours" trek, which marked the first time the singer announced the end of his days as a touring artist. The tour name was a pun based on the title of his then-most recent solo album, "No More Tears". Ozzy returned to action three years later and has been on the road ever since.

Last year, Ozzy reunited with guitarist Zakk Wylde, who played on studio albums such as "No Rest For The Wicked", "No More Tears" and "Ozzmosis" and who has toured on and off with Ozzy for nearly 30 years.

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Bret Michaels says that POISON will return in 2020 "with some new songs."

Earlier this year, POISON completed the "Nothin' But A Good Time 2018" tour with CHEAP TRICK and POP EVIL.

POISON's last album of new material was 2002's "Hollyweird". An album of covers, "Poison'd", followed in 2007.

In a brand new interview with Newsday, Michaels promised the iconic glam rockers have not yet taken their final bow.

"There's never going to be a day when I say, 'I'm done with POISON,'" he said. "The band is looking forward to returning in 2020 with some new songs. We are still having the time of our lives on stage."

This past summer, POISON bassist Bobby Dall said that the band "should" be making a new studio album but claimed that he didn't know if it would happen. "I'm not going to bullshit you and say there's any [new music] in the process [of being made]," he told All That Shreds. "Would I like there to be? Yes. But, it's a matter of everyone having the time. Everybody in the band has other commitments. Some members have younger children than others. So between those two issues, it's difficult, and, you know, [there are] health issues as we get older. Should we be making a new record? Yes, definitely. But will it happen? I don't know."

In a 2017 interview, POISON drummer Rikki Rockett acknowledged that part of the reason the band hasn't been motivated to work on new music has been the fact that fans rarely show interest in hearing fresh material performed live when classic rock groups go on tour. "We could write the second coming of 'Talk Dirty To Me', and I don't know if people wanna hear it or not, and that's a frustrating thing; it really is," he said. "AEROSMITH was able to do it, but not everybody is. I mean, even THE ROLLING STONES have had problems with that in the last few years. So… I don't know. But I do think it's important to stay viable. For the 'über fans,' it's always a really, really good thing. And that's what you do it for — you do it for you, you do it for the real fans, the real true fans."

More recently, Rockett admitted that he and other members of POISON harbor some resentment toward Michaels, whose frequent tours as a solo artist caused the band to take a five-year break from the road.

"I think we need to get away from each other and do other things, but at the same time, I think he spent a little too much time away," Rockett said. "There's definitely some resentment, but not resentment like I want him to fail. I want him to do good. I just want POISON to be important too, and I would like [him] to put a little more energy into POISON."

Fan-filmed video footage of L.A. GUNS performing a new song called "The Devil You Know" on November 29 at Warehouse Live in Houston, Texas can be seen below.

"The Devil You Know" is apparently the title track of L.A. GUNS' new album, which will be released in 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

L.A. GUNS has spent the last year touring in support of 2017's "The Missing Peace" — the first L.A. GUNS album since 2002's "Waking The Dead" to feature founding guitarist Tracii Guns and vocalist Phil Lewis.

Earlier this week, Guns revealed that the new L.A. GUNS album was completed, describing it as "pissed off," "nasty" and "pure L.A. GUNS." Those comments echoed what Lewis recently told Midlands Metalheads Radio, to whom he described the new album as "like [BLACK] SABBATH, but blacker."

When "The Missing Peace" was released in October 2017, it added a new and unexpected chapter to the long and often confusing history of L.A. GUNS, who, along with W.A.S.P., are the longest-running, continuously active group of the 1980s Sunset Strip scene.

Since being founded by guitarist Guns and drummer Rob Gardner in 1983, more than 50 musicians have performed under the L.A. GUNS moniker, including Axl Rose (who fronted the group prior to forming HOLLYWOOD ROSE, and then again for a brief period after that band's breakup), Ralph Saenz (better known as Michael Starr of STEEL PANTHER), Jizzy Pearl (LOVE/HATE, QUIET RIOT), Chuck Garric (ALICE COOPER), Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.) and Keri Kelli (NIGHT RANGER, RATT).

In 1987 — two years after Guns left the original lineup of GUNS N' ROSES to restart L.A. GUNS with a group of musicians, including Mick Cripps — the band 's "classic lineup" was solidified with the additions of vocalist Lewis (GIRL), bassist Kelly Nickels and drummer Steve Riley (W.A.S.P.). Those five members appeared on the group's first three albums — its eponymous 1988 debut, 1989's "Cocked & Loaded" and 1991's "Hollywood Vampires".

When Riley left the band in 1992, it began a rotating door lineup that continues in full force in 2018, a year in which four guitarists have performed alongside Guns. The group's current lineup officially features Guns, Lewis, drummer Shane Fitzgibbon, bassist Johnny Martin and bassist-turned-guitarist Adam Hamilton, who played with the band from 2001 to 2007 and rejoined earlier this year after the departure of Johnny Monaco (ENUFF Z'NUFF). Because Hamilton is unable to tour extensively, however, the group recently announced that FASTER PUSSYCAT guitarist Ace Von Johnson will join them on longer tours.

For a number of years after Guns left the band in 2002 to focus on BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION — a group that also featured MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx — there were two competing versions of L.A. GUNS: one featuring Lewis and Riley, and another featuring Guns. After the latter incarnation disbanded in 2012, Guns and Lewis gradually began making amends, performing a full set of L.A. GUNS material together at a Las Vegas concert in 2015 before officially joining forces (while initially being billed as L.A. GUNS' PHIL LEWIS & TRACII GUNS) for a handful of concerts the following year. For the past two years, the group has toured and recorded simply as L.A. GUNS.

In 2019, however, there will once again be competing incarnations of L.A. GUNS, as Riley — who was in the group for a total of 27 years and is said to own 50 percent of the band's name — will perform at the M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, Maryland in May under the L.A. GUNS moniker with a lineup that will include Nickels, guitarist Scott Griffin (who played bass for the band from 2007 until 2009, and then again from 2011 to 2014) and vocalist Jacob Bunton (ADLER, LYNAM).

Since the M3 performance was announced, Guns and Riley have traded barbs on social media. "Some guys would rather headline a sports bar than play on a great bill like M3," Riley wrote on December 6. "L.A. GUNS is back to being a fantastic band and Steve Riley is still a drummer," Guns responded. He subsequently added, "What would you have done without my name [for] the last 15 years, you ungrateful punk?"

While working hard on the production of the band’s next album, SnakeyeS returned to the studio to record a cover version of Rainbow’s classic, "Kill the King", released as a present to all fans during this year’s winter holidays season.

The song is available via the YouTube video below. Fans can also freely download it in mp3 format here.

The song was recorded, mixed and produced by the band's bass player, José Pineda, in his own Area 51 Studio. “Kill The King” was originally written by Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio and Cozy Powell.

Following this festive release, SnakeyeS will continue working on the band’s new studio album. Their next live show will take place at Palacios Metal Fest on March 9th, while the delayed co-headlining shows with Kilmara will be rescheduled.

More info about SnakeyeS is available on the band’s official Facebook page, here.

On November 1st, the Headstones performed at First Ontario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario. During their set they performed the Teenage Head classic "Let's Shake" with the band's guitarist, Gord Lewis. On December 22nd they did it again at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, Ontario. Check out the fan-filmed video below.

The song is taken from Teenage Head's Frantic City album from 1980.

Headstones frontman Hugh Dillon recently spoke with CFOX about the band's resurgence and the 25th Anniversary of their debut album, Picture Of Health.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of their critically-acclaimed debut Picture Of Health, Headstones reissued the album on October 26th via Cadence Recordings. 

Picture Of Health was Headstones breakthrough debut album that went Certified Platinum in Canada. Originally released on June 1st, 1993, the reissue package will include remastered versions of the 13 original tracks plus four bonus tracks - demos of "Sweet Pea" ", "When Something Stands For Nothing," "Cemetery" and the newly re-recorded "Skin Me Alive," all originally featured on their Demo Gods cassette, which ignited their career. Leading up to the release on October 26th, follow the band on their social channels to see some rare footage and photos from the Picture Of Health era, including  this video of the band performing "Judy" on MuchMusic in 1993.

Picture Of Health follows the Headstones release of their critically-acclaimed album Little Army (2017 Cadence Recordings). The album was their highest debuting full-length in over a decade, hitting #3 on the Alternative Album Chart and #13 on the Current Album Chart. The lead single "Devil's On Fire"  was the #6 most played track at Active Rock radio in 2017, spending 20 weeks on the chart and reaching #1 for three weeks.

Prog rockers Lux Terminus have checked in with the following update:

"Merry X-mas and a very Happy Holidays to all you beautiful people! To celebrate the season, please enjoy this brand new documentary, Inside The Courage To Be! Contributors to our crowdfunding campaign have access to an exclusive extended version of this documentary - check your emails!"

Lux Terminus is proud to announce a new merch item, a limited edition T-shirt featuring lyrics from the second single from The Courage To Be album, 'Epilogue: Fly' (featuring Anneke van Giersbergen). In the interest of supporting a cause dear to the band's hearts, and to give back during this holiday season, profits from sales will go towards supporting the National Alliance On Mental Illness.

Comments Lux Terminus keyboardist Vikram Shankar: "When I wrote the song 'Epilogue: Fly,' I was inspired by my own struggles with mental health, and put into words my own resolve to always choose life, regardless of how difficult things may get. Hearing so many of our fans talk about how they've related to this message and drawn inspiration from it, combined with watching what seems like an ever-increasing epidemic of people in the public eye and in my personal life struggling with mental health, has inspired us as a band to look at ways we can continue to support the cause and help others fight through the darkness.

The National Alliance On Mental Illness, or NAMI, is a grassroots mental health organization and advocacy group based in the USA. Working at the state and local levels, they work to influence public policy, spread awareness, fight stigma, and work with community outreach to directly help those struggling with mental health. Their motto is 'You Are Not Alone', and for me that is emblematic of how we have the power to heal each other through love, friendship, and support.

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to support NAMI by donating profits from the sales of our new 'I Will Choose Life' shirts, featuring the handwriting of yours truly and the raw unprocessed vocal waveform images of guest singer Anneke van Giersbergen's voice. We hope you'll join us in our fight to support the fight against mental health and help us spread the healing power of light and love!"

Order the extremely limited edition "I Will Choose Life" t-shirt on Lux Terminus's Bandcamp here. Learn more about NAMI at nami.org.



The Courage To Be was released on August 24th, 2018, and features a 21-minute orchestrally driven epic, high-octane jazz fusion, and a variety of other diverse influences including swing and electronic music. In addition, The Courage To Be includes a four-part musical suite that thematically tells a story of separation and hardship, but also hope and transcendence. The album features guest performances from vocalist Anneke Van Giersbergen, guitarist Timo Somers (Delain, Vengeance), and cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne (Leprous, Musk Ox). The Courage To Be was produced by the band and mastered by Brett Caldas-Lima (Ayreon, The Gentle Storm, Devin Townsend Project). Pre-order The Courage To Be now here.

For information and updates on Lux Terminus check out their official Facebook page here.

ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was recently interviewed on the "Focus On Metal" podcast. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.

Asked which is his favorite ACCEPT album from the Mark Tornillo era of the band, Wolf said: "You always tend to say the last one is. I'm not sure, but there was something very magical about 'Blood Of The Nations' [2010], the very first one — mainly because it is the first one. Here we found Mark, and we were working with him for the first time together ever, and there was a certain energy in the room that was kind of unique. And I think that sort of somehow translates on to the album as well. And there's always one time as the first one — it's almost like first love or whatever. When you first get together, there's something very special about it."

Hoffmann went on to say that he was surprised by the overwhelmingly positive reaction to "Blood Of The Nations". "Especially since, before people had heard the album, there was a lot of negative vibes in chatrooms and online and everywhere," he explained. "Everybody had an opinion. You know, like it is nowadays with social media and such, everybody had some idea of what ACCEPT's gonna be like or what Mark is gonna be like, and why it will work or will not work. People were just gossiping like crazy. But then when the album came out, all that went away and people were super excited and everybody was… yeah, uniformly praises everywhere."

Late last month, ACCEPT's founding bassist Peter Baltes announced his exit from the band. A replacement bassist has not yet been announced.

ACCEPT's latest studio album, "The Rise Of Chaos", was released in August 2017 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2014's "Blind Rage" was the first ACCEPT album to feature the band's latest additions, guitarist Uwe Lulis (GRAVE DIGGER, REBELLION) and drummer Christopher Williams.

ACCEPT has just released a live set, "Symphonic Terror - Live At Wacken 2017", via Nuclear Blast. It features a unique ACCEPT show, shot on August 3, 2017 at the legendary Wacken Open Air festival, where the band played the biggest and most extraordinary show of its career in front of 80,000, on top of thousands more fans watching via a live stream.

Interview (audio):

During a recent interview with "The Five Count" radio show, URIAH HEEP guitarist Mick Box was asked why his band has not yet been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He responded: "I've never even thought about it, because all I hear about how they choose bands and people to be in it, I'm not quite sure it's good or bad; I can't make up my mind about it. But, saying that, just recently, a campaign has been started for us to be in the Hall Of Fame. Whether it disappears into the ether, I have no idea. If it comes to fruition, it'll be great — it'll be a nice moment to savor. But, you know, life goes on regardless. And if it comes, great; if it doesn't, then that's great too."

He continued: "Wouldn't it be nice to have [the trophy]? But if it don't come, then life will continue. And as it is, it's a pretty good life already. I mean, the thing they do overlook is that we were pioneers for a lot of bands throughout our career. For instance, we were the first band to play in Moscow when Glasnost sent us an official invitation to be the first Western rock band to play over in Russia. We went to Moscow and played to 180,000 people in the Olympic stadium over a 10-day period. It was just immense. And through our success, other bands could follow in the following years. And similarly in Czechoslovakia, before it became the Czech Republic and Slovakia, we were the first to play there, and then bands followed us there, and then Bulgaria and South Korea, Hungary… All these Eastern Bloc countries — even East Berlin before the wall came down. And it allowed other bands to follow in our wake, which opened up the world a lot more, certainly to good music."

URIAH HEEP's 25th studio album, "Living The Dream", was released in September via Frontiers Music Srl. The disc was helmed by the widely respected Canadian producer Jay Ruston, known for his work with STONE SOUR, ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER.

Box is the original guitarist and sole remaining founding member of URIAH HEEP. He, vocalist Bernie Shaw and keyboardist/vocalist Phil Lanzon have formed the nucleus of the band for more than 32 years and released 17 albums together.

URIAH HEEP debuted in 1970 with the release of one of hard rock's milestones, "Very 'Eavy, Very 'Umble", and has since sold in excess of 40 million albums worldwide. They constantly tour the world, playing up to 125 shows a year to more than 500,000 fans. The band's live set features the classic tracks from the '70s and is a musical journey from the band's beginnings to the present day.

Along with LED ZEPPELIN, BLACK SABBATH and DEEP PURPLE, URIAH HEEP helped invent a decorative and uniquely British form of heavy metal with "Very 'Eavy, Very 'Umble", offered as a self-titled on American shores, but whatever the titling, historically massive in the invention of a music format that would rule the '70s and only intensify in the '80s.

Drummer Simon Wright, currently of DIO DISCIPLES and also known for his work in DIO, RHINO BUCKET and UFO, was recently interviewed by the WSOU 89.5 FM radio station. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below.

Asked how big of a role legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio played in his life, Simon said: "He was a massive part. When I joined [DIO] in 1990, it was a little. short [run]. [I] was only about three years with him when I first joined. And then I rejoined again in '98. And I ended up moving into his house. There were a few people staying there as well. I went through a horrible divorce — blah blah blah — and I was gonna quit. I said, 'I'm going back to England. I've had enough of all this. I'll stop playing drums.' So he said, 'No, don't do that. Just come over and just hang at my place and stuff, and get your head together.' And I ended up staying there for about 14 years. [Laughs] So he was quite a big part of my life. We got to know each other. We kind of bonded a bit more. We did a lot of work on the house together — not doing music, but just building things and stuff. And I looked after him a lot when he got really, really sick at home."

Wright went on to say that Ronnie's death eight years ago was "a massive loss to me and to a lot of people. He was such a clever, smart, funny, funny guy. And what a singer and what a songwriter — you know, amazing."

Asked what it was like living with Ronnie for such a long period, Simon said: "It was good at the house. He had a studio downstairs and stuff. And when the writing process started for the albums, that was always great. He had some incredible ideas. To actually be there and see that process happening was something I'll never forget. It's amazing stuff."

Ronnie passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

This past fall, Wright defended DIO DISCIPLES' decision to go on the road with a hologram of Ronnie James Dio, saying that "there are so many people who didn't get a chance to see Ronnie live, so now they will get to see him as live as is possible. It's gonna be a big show, big production," he added. "It's gonna be good."

The Dio hologram production uses audio of Ronnie's live performances from throughout his career, with the DIO DISCIPLES band playing live, consisting of Wright on drums, Craig Goldy on guitar, and Scott Warren on keyboards, along with Bjorn Englen on bass. Also appearing with them are former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens and ex-LYNCH MOB frontman Oni Logan.

Paul Tadday of Australia's AMNplify recently conducted an interview with Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, SEPULTURA). You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below.

Speaking about SOULFLY's return to the groove-laden sound of the band's early material on the group's latest release, "Ritual", Max said: "I feel that it is a little bit a return to that [type of sound], but it's not really that much, not that dramatic. The record, to me, is just really exciting. It's a really cool record. It does celebrate 20 years of SOULFLY, so we did try to get some of that spirit back from the beginning, in tracks like 'Ritual' and a little bit on 'Bite The Bullet'. But I think overall, the record just has a lot of other [kind of] stuff, like 'Dead Behind The Eyes' and 'Under Rapture' and 'Feedback!'. It's a really exciting record. It might take more than one listening to absorb everything, 'cause there's a lot of stuff going on. But I'm very happy, I'm very pleased with the result. It's a solid SOULFLY record. All the real, true SOULFLY fans are gonna love this one."

On the topic of the various collaborations that are featured on "Ritual", Max said: "On this album, we have the great Randy Blythe [LAMB OF GOD], [who] doesn't need any introduction. He's a great guy from a great band. I like Randy very much — I like his style, I like his vibe. I read his book — a really interesting book. It was really cool that he lent his vocals for 'Dead Behind The Eyes'; he made the song even more interesting, more exciting. And then Ross [Dolan] from IMMOLATION, that's my old personal love of death metal, man, that I have from the beginning, when I used to tapetrade with Chuck [Schuldiner] from DEATH. It never went away. I love death metal my whole life. And having Ross on the album means so much to me, because I'm a big fan and I'm a big IMMOLATION fan. And I wrote that song ['Under Rapture'] for him especially, for him to sing, and he killed it, man — his vocals are just brutal and amazing. Especially when he's saying 'rapture,' it's earth-shatering. I fucking love it, man. I love the collaborations. I love the fact that two guys from two different bands are on 'Ritual'. I love them both, and I think it's great… I still wanna do stuff with different people. Henry Rollins would be cool, or [Glenn] Danzig. Even Bruce Dickinson [IRON MAIDEN], to me, would be classic. Or even Brian Johnson [AC/DC], if [he decided] to come back and sing again, would be great. I'm a big AC/DC fan as well. I would love to have Angus Young on a track, man. That be the fucking ultimate for me; that would be really cool."

"Ritual" was released in October via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2015's "Archangel" was produced, recorded and mixed by Josh Wilbur (KILLER BE KILLED, LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA). Cover artwork was painted by artist Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH, SODOM). Additional booklet art was handled by Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER, HATEBREED, KREATOR), who also handled the package design.

SOULFLY has announced its first tour in support of "Ritual". The trek, which will take place in January/February, will feature support from KATAKLYSM, INCITE, CHAOSEUM, ALUKAH and SKINFLINT.

WHITESNAKE has released an official slideshow video for the song "Comin' Home", taken from the band's 2015 album, "The Purple Album". The effort was billed as "a re-imagination of classic songs from frontman David Coverdale's time as the lead singer for DEEP PURPLE's Mark III and Mark IV studio albums." Coverdale was DEEP PURPLE's vocalist from late 1973 to early 1976 and sang on the albums "Burn", "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste The Band". Other PURPLE classics revamped for "The Purple Album" include "Stormbringer", "Lady Double Dealer", "Soldier Of Fortune" and "Sail Away".

Coverdale said that there was never any intention to compete against the original recordings. "We just wanted to play the damn songs," he explained. "Each member of the band brought their incredible individual talents and a real band identity to this music. We've all done the best we can with this project with respect to the music, and the legacy of DEEP PURPLE Mk3 and Mk4."

WHITESNAKE was formed in England in 1978 by Coverdale. The band has released multi-platinum selling albums throughout the years and is known for such hits as "Slide It In", "Here I Go Again", "Still Of The Night" and "Is This Love".

WHITESNAKE's current touring lineup — David Coverdale (vocals), Joel Hoekstra (guitar), Reb Beach (guitar), Michael Devin (bass), Tommy Aldridge (drums) and Michele Luppi (keyboards) — made its live debut in May 2015.

WHITESNAKE's 13th studio album, "Flesh & Blood", will be released in May 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl. The first single and video from the disc, titled "Shut Up & Kiss Me", will be released in early 2019 prior to the "Flesh & Blood" trek.

"Lux Mundi" (which translates as "Light of the World"), the 2011 album from Swiss industrial black metallers SAMAEL, will be reissued in early 2019.

A new version of the song "Antigod", taken from the "Lux Mundi" reissue, can be streamed below.

SAMAEL previously stated about "Antigod": "['Antigod'] was the first single [from 'Lux Mundi'] released on November 19, 2010. Lyrically, the song is a firm stand against any kind of religion."

"Lux Mundi", which took almost three years to be completed, was recorded in 2010 after the band spent a few days in pre-production in Germany with with longtime collaborator Waldemar Sorychta (MOONSPELL, LACUNA COIL, TIAMAT, GRIP INC.). The actual recordings took place in two different locations in Switzerland and the mix was handled by extreme metal specialist Russ Russell in Kettering, England.

This past July, SAMAEL recruited Pierre "Zorrac" Carroz (SCARS DIVIDE, HEROD) as its new bassist.

Longtime SAMAEL guitarist Marco "Makro" Rivao left the group in April "to do something different." Bassist Thomas "Drop" Betrisey has since taken over guitar duties in the band.

SAMAEL's latest album, "Hegemony", was released in October 2017 via Napalm Records.

"Here’s Lisa and I with our 2018 Holiday Greeting for you all to enjoy. 'The Christmas Waltz', one of my faves done BK style," says former KISS, and current Grand Funk Railroad guitarist Bruce Kulick. "Happy Holidays from our house to yours."

Earlier this year, Bruce Kulick and his solo band, featuring Todd Kerns on lead vocals and guitar, Zach Throne on bass / vocals and Brent Fitz on drums / vocals, performed aboard the KISS Kruise VIII. Fan-filmed video of the group doing "Jungle" and "Heart Of Chrome" can be seen below:

 

(Photo by TourBusLive.com)

 

Arizona-based blackened death thrashers, Autumn’s End, have just released their new video for the title track of their latest EP, Burn The Earth. Watch the clip below.

Filmed in multiple locations including a lava field in Northern AZ, by Jason Wyatt and Jason Cakebread of Fatcake media, Autumn’s End show off their darker and more aggressive side with this blast beat entwined single. A perfect precursor to their new album, slated for a March 2019 arrival on Combat Records (recently obtained and launched by David Ellefson of Megadeth).

Stream Autumn’s End music on all active streaming sights like iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, etc.

Guitarist Richie Kotzen (THE WINERY DOGS, POISON, MR. BIG) recently spoke with Ryan Witting of the "Rockin' You All Night" podcast. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On his plans from now until late April, when THE WINERY DOGS will reunite for an American tour:

Richie: "I want to stay home and fiddle around with my new house, and see if I can electrocute myself. Hopefully, in that downtime, I'll come up with some new ideas and write an album. My goal would be to put a record out sometime in June next year, because I know that I'm already being booked on a few festivals in Europe, so that would be a perfect way to kick off the new album cycle. That's kind of in the back of my mind, but I can't really control that, because the songs come when the songs come. I'm not in a hurry, and I'm not really worried about it."

On his international success:

Richie: "It's a weird thing. Something happened where a lot of guys couldn't get record deals in the '90s, so they were getting record deals from other territories. What they would do is do licensing deals. I was one of them. I was signed to two major labels — I was signed to Interscope, and then I went to Geffen — and then right around that time, everything changed in the music business, and it was very difficult for me to find another major label. I had a name for myself, so I started making my own records — producing them, recording them — and I would do licensing deals to foreign territories to get the record out. Japan was one of them, and back then, Japan would actually fork over major-label money for these records for a lot of us, a lot of people. I did well in Japan — I would go over and play in front of a thousand people; two nights in Tokyo, I could sell out a thousand a night — but I wasn't big. MR. BIG was big. MR. BIG would go there and play three, four nights in Budokan, sell it out. They're big in Japan. I was like a lot of the other guys that were just kind of trying to find their footing, who had a name, but who were kind of going through it with the record companies in America, and then what happened is when the Internet really got to the level that it is, guys like us were able to get our records out without a record company. That was really, really cool, because now I can make the music I want; people that are interested in me can get it, they can hear it; and so then, things start to really open up, so I was able to go all over and tour. South America became a big market for me; Europe became a strong market; and then, the United States is going really, really well, finally. I think THE WINERY DOGS really helped that a lot, because a lot of people knew my name, but they didn't know what it was that I really did.... It was kind of shocking. It was great. My career's actually gone — if you can call it a career — it's actually been going up as I get older, which is good."

On his music's accessibility:

Richie: "I think I have many, many, many songs that could have done very, very well commercially had I been a part of the machine. There's a machine — there's a gatekeepers, and there's a machine in the music business, and that's really how it works... The people that decide are the people, they're gatekeepers in the business, and they can't force you to like something, but what they can do is present you with something and sell it to you and make you aware of it. You need that machine. Otherwise, you're just kind of out there. Thankfully, I've been able to make this career by just doing the same thing over and over — writing songs, making records, touring — and it's been working for me, and it's great. I don't feel like I'm really missing much."

On when he decided to not be a part of the "machine":

Richie: "I would love to be a part of the machine. The machine didn't like me. I was a part of the machine when I was very young. I got signed to Interscope. I was moved from Reading, Pennsylvania to L.A. by Interscope. I was playing football with Bruce Springsteen in Malibu on Jimmy Iovine's front lawn... I was in the machine, but the problem then was, I was very, very young, and there was a huge gap between why the record label signed me and what they thought I could do, and who I was really was... After that, I got signed to Geffen, and it was more shenanigans there. The A&R people said some of the dumbest things I've ever heard in my life. On my original demo that got me signed to Geffen — and this is in '94 — I had my at-the-time-wife sing background vocals on the demos, because I wanted that kind of gospel-y, Bob Seger-y, BLACK CROWES and kind of ROLLING STONES [vibe]. All the bands I love have female background vocals. I wanted to produce my own record, but they wouldn't let me, so I had a meeting with Mike Clink, who produced 'Appetite For Destruction'. He said to me, 'Those background vocals sound very gospel-y. Do you want that?' I'm like, 'Obviously — I recorded it that way'... I go into a meeting with my A&R guy, and he goes, 'You didn't tell me that your wife was signing background vocals on your demo. I'll tell you something — there will be no female singers on your record. You're making a rock record. There's no female singers that matter in rock.' At that moment, I'm like, 'I'm fucked,' because every band I thought was cool had those kind of background vocals. I was constantly in the machine, but in the wrong side of it."

Kotzen released two singles in 2018 — "The Damned" and "Riot". The songs feature his longtime bassist Dylan Wilson and drummer Mike Bennett.

Kotzen's most recent solo album, "Salting Earth", was made available in April 2017 via his own custom label, Headroom-Inc.

Kotzen will re-team with Billy Sheehan and Mike Portnoy for a month-long American tour with THE WINERY DOGS next spring.

W.A.S.P. guitarist, Douglas Blair, is offering a free download of "The First Noel 1988 To 2018", featuring former KISS guitarist, Bruce Kulick. The popular traditional Cornish Christmas carol gets an 80's power ballad instrumental makeover.

According to the CD notes: In 1988 Blair, then the lead guitarist for East Coast rock trio Run 21, recorded and mixed “The First Noel” at Courtlen Studios in Hanson, MA - Extreme’s home base studio. The recording utilized cassette, 2” and 1/4” analog tape - along with early computer-automated mixing - yet was never officially released.

Thirty years later, Blair, now the longest-tenured lead guitarist for W.A.S.P., teams up with Kulick, arguably KISS’s consummate former lead guitarist, who recently recorded an “unplugged-style” magical counter-melody to Blair’s long-lost analog masterpiece. Kulick’s acoustic session was done at Robby Krieger’s (The Doors) studio in Glendale, CA, and engineered by Brian Virtue (Jane’s Addiction).

Get the song now at CD Baby.

Dark Star Records has announced that they have just signed a licensing deal with Underground Power Records for the release of Prophecy by Chicago-based metal band Rival, on vinyl and CD in Europe and Asia. Also, to be released on vinyl is the Rival EP, and the Modern World album.

The album is currently available on CD here, and digitally via iTunes, GooglePlay, and Amazon. The single, "Black Widow", is available for streaming below.

Tracklisting:

"Retaliation"
"Vigilante"
"Black Widow"
"Prophecy"
"Paralyzed"
"Blind Fury"
"About You"
"Crash And Burn"

"Black Widow":

Catch Rival at their CD Release Party, at Reggie’s in Chicago, Illinois on December 29th. Click here for tickets and more info.

On December 22nd, Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx joined Chevy Metal during an outdoor charity concert at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank where they performed "Looks That Kill" and "Live Wire".  

Chevy Metal is the cover band led by Taylor Hawkins and Wiley Hodgen of Foo Fighters. Fan-filmed video can be seen below:

In other Crüe news, Vince Neil recently posted the following brief message on Twitter that is sure to please the band's diehard fans:

Wow!!! Just left Netflix offices. Just saw “The Dirt” movie!! Fuckin awesome!! Can’t wait for everyone to see it! Released March 22!! Yea!!!— Vince Neil (@thevinceneil) December 2, 2018

In a recent interview with Billboard, producer Howard Benson discusses working on music for the biopic The Dirt, the film adaptation of the Mötley Crüe biography The Dirt: Confessions Of The World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Neil Strauss.

"I had the greatest time ever doing that," says Benson. "I haven’t done that many films but I loved the process. You had to be on your A-game the whole time. You’re constantly going back and forth between the music supervisors, the director, the producers; you have to make changes on the fly. I would do it again in a second.

"The secret weapon we found was this kid named Timmy [Craven], he was the lead singer of a band called Motley Inc., which is a Mötley Crüe cover band. I think the supervisors found him. He’s an LAPD underwater rescue guy. He’s like six-four; he could break you into pieces. And then he opens his mouth and he’s Vince Neil."

Asked if he's ever crossed paths with Mötley Crüe, Benson responds: "I did once because I was in a really bad band in L.A. when I first got out here. We used to play across the street at the Viper Room [then called the Central] and they were playing at The Whisky. I remember we had nobody at our shows, and they had people around the block. I remember looking at them all dressed up in their stuff and I remember saying to my guitar player, “Ah, that stuff’s so of-the-moment. It’ll never last. We’re real musicians over here!"

Read more at Billboard.

Mötley Crüe have been working on four new songs with producer Bob Rock for The Dirt. Nikki Sixx recently took to Twitter, posting the following: "Fück can I just say it? I’m listening to the roughs of the new Mötley Crüe and it feels real and raw. Everybody is playing like mad and the songs crush. Bob Rock brought the sounds. Plus we have a surprise that will confirm that we’re outta our minds."

In response to a question on how the new songs will fit in, since the film is based on the band's past, Nikki Sixx responded: "You can trust us these are ball busters. Everybody can relax. We're soon gonna smack you upside the head with some killer new tracks. Bob Rock is producing. Its our movie. We know what we're doing."

Horror-punk stalwart Wednesday 13 spoke to Music Interview Corner about the status of his next studio album, "Necrophaze", tentatively due in early 2019 via Nuclear Blast.

"It's going to be really cool," he said (see video below). "I'm doing something totally different. All my records are different. It's still a little too early to say — I don't want to give it all out — but I think the fans are gonna love it. I think it's gonna be the ultimate horror record that I've ever done. And it's something different. I can't explain it yet. It's not a concept record, but it's something no one's ever [done] before that I know of, and it's gonna be cool… It's all coming together… We'll be making an announcement about it soon. And it's gonna be awesome. There's so much cool stuff beyond the music, if that makes sense. We've got some cool stuff going on with it. I'm excited."

According to Wednesday 13, the "Necrophaze" artwork and packaging will be designed to appeal to old-school fans who appreciate the physical product and its specific traits.

"If I get my way, there's gonna be two different album covers — one for vinyl, one for the CDs," he said. "Totally different artwork. CDs are dying. I still like CDs. I like vinyl. I still prefer CDs. I love to look at vinyl, and I like listening to vinyl sometimes. But CDs are kind of dying — a lot of people don't care about CDs anymore — so I'm putting extra work into the package, so our fans will care about it. 'Cause our fans do — they appreciate the packaging. And I'm one of those guys that used to buy a record and I wanted to open it up and see what this band was about. That was awesome to me. Some bands don't care. So, this is gonna tell the story, and I'm doing it in two different formats. And it's gonna be cool."

b>Wednesday 13 also talked about the songwriting for "Necrophaze", saying that it was a more collaborative effort than in the past.

"My band's very involved with the writing and the recording part, especially with this new one and the last record," he said. "They've written more of the music than I have, as far as when I used to write the guitar parts. But, of course, I still do all the vocals and give ideas. I wrote a few songs on the record, and our drummer wrote a few songs, Roman [Surman, guitar] wrote a few songs. So it's a collective thing, just like 'Condolences' was — same people. But I brought in Jack [Tankersley, guitar] and Troy [Doebbler, bass] this time, so they got a few songs. So this is really a collective thing this time. And it's different — it's different, but it's the same, if that makes sense. Old fans will like it, the newer fans will like it, and the fans that don't even know who we are yet — the unknown ones — will love it; we'll be their favorite new band."

Wednesday 13's latest album, "Condolences", was released in June 2017 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The follow-up to 2015's "Monsters Of The Universe" was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who previously worked with Wednesday 13 and guitarist Roman Surman on the 2010 MURDERDOLLS album "Women & Children Last". The artwork was created by Travis Smith (OPETH, KATATONIA, NEVERMORE).

As it nears the end of a successful two-year tour in support of "The Missing Peace" — the first L.A. GUNS album since 2002's "Waking The Dead" to feature founding guitarist Tracii Guns and vocalist Phil Lewis — the group has announced that it has finished recording a follow-up effort, apparently titled "The Devil You Know", to be released in 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

According to a December 22 Instagram post by Guns, the new album was completed earlier this week. "It's finished. It's pissed off. It's nasty and pure L.A. GUNS," he wrote. Those comments echo what Lewis recently told Midlands Metalheads Radio, to whom he described the new album as "like [BLACK] SABBATH, but blacker."

When "The Missing Peace" was released in October of 2017, it added a new and unexpected chapter to the long and often confusing history of L.A. GUNS, who, along with W.A.S.P., are the longest-running, continuously active group of the 1980s Sunset Strip scene.

Since being founded by guitarist Guns and drummer Rob Gardner in 1983, more than 50 musicians have performed under the L.A. GUNS moniker, including Axl Rose (who fronted the group prior to forming HOLLYWOOD ROSE, and then again for a brief period after that band's breakup), Ralph Saenz (better known as Michael Starr of STEEL PANTHER), Jizzy Pearl (LOVE/HATE, QUIET RIOT), Chuck Garric (ALICE COOPER), Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.) and Keri Kelli (NIGHT RANGER, RATT).

In 1987 — two years after Guns left the original lineup of GUNS N' ROSES to restart L.A. GUNS with a group of musicians, including Mick Cripps — the band 's "classic lineup" was solidified with the additions of vocalist Lewis (GIRL), bassist Kelly Nickels and drummer Steve Riley (W.A.S.P.). Those five members appeared on the group's first three albums — its eponymous 1988 debut, 1989's "Cocked & Loaded" and 1991's "Hollywood Vampires".

When Riley left the band in 1992, it began a rotating door lineup that continues in full force in 2018, a year in which four guitarists have performed alongside Guns. The group's current lineup officially features Guns, Lewis, drummer Shane Fitzgibbon, bassist Johnny Martin and bassist-turned-guitarist Adam Hamilton, who played with the band from 2001 to 2007 and rejoined earlier this year after the departure of Johnny Monaco (ENUFF Z'NUFF). Because Hamilton is unable to tour extensively, however, the group recently announced that FASTER PUSSYCAT guitarist Ace Von Johnson will join them on longer tours.

For a number of years after Guns left the band in 2002 to focus on BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION — a group that also featured MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx — there were two competing versions of L.A. GUNS: one featuring Lewis and Riley, and another featuring Guns. After the latter incarnation disbanded in 2012, Guns and Lewis gradually began making amends, performing a full set of L.A. GUNS material together at a Las Vegas concert in 2015 before officially joining forces (while initially being billed as L.A. GUNS' PHIL LEWIS & TRACII GUNS) for a handful of concerts the following year. For the past two years, the group has toured and recorded simply as L.A. GUNS.

In 2019, however, there will once again be competing incarnations of L.A. GUNS, as Riley — who was in the group for a total of 27 years and is said to own 50 percent of the band's name — will perform at the M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, Maryland in May under the L.A. GUNS moniker with a lineup that will include Nickels, guitarist Scott Griffin (who played bass for the band from 2007 until 2009, and then again from 2011 to 2014) and vocalist Jacob Bunton (ADLER, LYNAM).

Since the M3 performance was announced, Guns and Riley have traded barbs on social media. "Some guys would rather headline a sports bar than play on a great bill like M3," Riley wrote on December 6. "L.A. GUNS is back to being a fantastic band and Steve Riley is still a drummer," Guns responded. He subsequently added, "What would you have done without my name [for] the last 15 years, you ungrateful punk?"

The original six-piece lineup of Syracuse, New York-based heavy rockers BRAND NEW SIN will reunite for a sold-out hometown concert at the Lost Horizon on May 4, 2019.

BRAND NEW SIN was formed in the early 2000s after members of the metalcore band GODBELOW joined forces with vocalist Joe Altier. The group's self-titled debut album — their only release to feature the six-member lineup that included three guitarists — was originally released in 2002 by Now Or Never Records.

In 2004, the band signed with Century Media Records, which released BRAND NEW SIN's sophomore album, "Recipe For Disaster", the following year. Their third album, "Tequila" — which was produced by Joey Z (LIFE OF AGONY) and featured a guest appearance by late TYPE O NEGATIVE vocalist Peter Steele — followed in 2006.

That same year, the group recorded a rendition of "Crank It Up", the entrance theme music of the World Wrestling Entertainment professional wrestler known as The Big Show. The song continues to be used by WWE a dozen years later.

In 2008, Altier left BRAND NEW SIN to begin a successful career as an in-demand "piano man" who performs regularly in upstate New York under the moniker JUST JOE. The group carried on, self-releasing their fourth album, "Distilled" — which featured guitarist Kris Wiechmann (ex-EARTH CRISIS) taking over on lead vocals — in 2009. A fifth album, "United State", arrived in 2011 via Goomba Music.

According to a post on the band's Facebook page, the Lost Horizon concert will see the group perform "a huge set featuring songs from the entire BRAND NEW SIN catalog." A subsequent post made on December 15 following the reunited group's first rehearsal noted that they "cranked through 15 songs, including the entire first album."

"It felt great, sounded good and brought back a lot of great memories," the band wrote. "We can't wait for May!"

BRAND NEW SIN 2019 is:

Joe Altier - vocals
Kris Wiechmann - guitar
Brian "Slider" Azzoto - guitar
Kenny Dunham - guitar
Chuck Kahl - bass
Mike Rafferty - drums

Jake E. Lee has clarified his recent comments about Yngwie Malmsteen, insisting that he has never questioned the legendary Swedish axeman's ability as a guitar player.

This past October, Jake made headlines when he said in an interview that Malmsteen is "an arrogant fucking asshole" who is "only really good at one minute aspect of the art of playing guitar."

The former OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist made his comments during an appearance on the "Talk Toomey" podcast, where he was promoting the second album from his RED DRAGON CARTEL project, "Patina".

Asked by "The Eddie Trunk Podcast" to clear up his statement that Yngwie was, in host Eddie Trunk's words, a "shit guitar player," Jake said: "I never said he was a shit guitar player… I don't remember how it came up. As you know, doing interviews, you get the same questions over and over… and, for some reason, Yngwie came up. And it was a left turn that I relished, because it wasn't your standard question. And I won't say I regret it — I stand by everything I said. And I never questioned his ability as a guitar player, really. He's a phenomenal guitar player. I question his person, his being.

"Like I said, I kind of wish I never said it, but he's an arrogant asshole," Jake continued. "He is. Everybody in the industry knows it. Nobody really says anything. And I brought it up and I shouldn't have. 'Cause it's a personal opinion and it probably should have stayed personal.

"I love sloppy rock 'n' roll guitar players," he added. "Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Ace Frehley — yeah, they're a little sloppy, but that's a part of their charm; that speaks to me. It's passionate and it moves me. And then you have your technical players, and they're cool too. And then, occasionally, you have the rare guy that has the fire of a Johnny Winter and the technical proficiency all in one — my ultimate example being Uli Roth. He's amazing. His technical abilities are amazing, and he still plays with such fire and passion. And I put Yngwie in that category.

"I'm not backtracking here," Jake insisted. "I never said he sucked as a guitar player. I don't think his rhythm playing is all that great, but his soloing is… No. There's no question there. He's a phenomenal guitar player."

While reiterating that he never questioned Yngwie's musical proficiency, Jake doubled down on his belief that Malmsteen is "an asshole." He said: "On behalf of all the people that have played with him, that I've spoken to, and all the technicians and crew that I personally know and have heard all these stories about him — that's where I'm coming from.

"And I'll tell you, 'cause my wife Amy, she works as a bartender in a bar. A couple of days after that interview came out, I went to her bar. And there's a lot of people in [Jake's hometown of Las] Vegas that work as technicians — riggers, lighting, sound... I didn't have to buy a drink all night, because they were buying me drinks, because they loved what I said about him. And it's about his person, not about his abilities."

Asked by Trunk if he had any personal experiences with Yngwie that might have shaped his opinion of the Swedish musician, Jake said: "Yeah. It was a very brief encounter. I think it was pretty soon after I had joined Ozzy. I think it was in L.A. He was backstage. There was some band playing at a club, and we were introduced. I mean, it wasn't bad, but he looked at me and said, 'Oh, I saw you play in Sweden,' which was maybe the second show I had played with Ozzy… And the first show was a disaster. I've gone into that in other interviews, where it was not my fault, but I could see where people thought I was the worst guitar player in the world, because of other things that happened for that first show. The second show, I think, was in Sweden, and I was just getting my footing. Anyway, he said he saw the show in Sweden. I said, 'Oh. Well, I hope it didn't piss you off too much. Do you want a refund?' And he looked at me and cocked an eyebrow and said, 'Eh, it's okay...' That's my personal experience with him. It wasn't that bad. But just from all the people that I know that have worked with him… I've heard stories. And I remember reading an interview where he said the reason that he is not considered the giant musical genius that he is is because his music is too sophisticated and it goes over people's heads. Now that right there — right there — gives me pause."

Jake added: "Anyway, I think I've expressed what I think about Yngwie. And, like I said, it's nothing about his guitar playing; it's about his being. And maybe he's a nicer guy now. I don't know… But even then, I kind of wonder whether it's for his image or if it's a true change of heart."

After Trunk said that Yngwie has definitely toned down what many people have perceived to be his openly arrogant and pompous attitude in recent years, Jake offered: "People can change. And I apologize if I've judged him on his past and not his present."

"Patina" was released on November 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. The follow-up to RED DRAGON CARTEL's eponymous 2014 debut marks the group's first release with drummer Phil Varone (SAIGON KICK, SKID ROW) and bassist Anthony Esposito. The band's current lineup is rounded out by singer Darren James Smith.

KISS frontman Paul Stanley has checked in from the production rehearsals for the band's "End Of The Road" tour, which is scheduled to kick off at the end of January. In a short video message (see below), Stanley said: "Okay, so I'm standing here on the new 'End Of The Road' KISS stage, and all I can tell you is it's freakin' phenomenal. Is it anything like anything we've done? No. This is brand new from the ground up.

"I've gotta tell you," he continued. "People say is this bittersweet? No. If the tour is anything like this stage, it's totally sweet. We always try to raise the bar — that's just for us — but when other bands would see us, they would feel they had to up their game. Let me tell you something: everybody better start working out, because we're upping the game that much more. This is absolutely mind-bogglingly good. It's totally KISS. And I'll be looking for you on the 'End Of The Road' tour."

KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer recently told Australia's Hysteria Magazine that the group's farewell tour will be "the biggest" one the band has ever done "in terms of production." It will be "a whole new thing for KISS," the guitarist said. "It's just gonna be the bombastic show KISS has always been famed for."

In September, KISS announced its "End Of The Road" farewell tour on NBC's "America's Got Talent", and a month later, the band revealed the first set of dates and cities in North America, produced by Live Nation. International markets were announced simultaneously.

The first North American leg of "End Of The Road" will launch January 31 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at Rogers Arena and will hit an additional 43 cities.

"One thing for sure is that this is the last tour," Stanley told Billboard. "What goes beyond that is really hard to say. The tour may go three years, but once we play your city, it is done. That is our big thank you."

The lineup features the current version of the band — Stanley, Thayer, Gene Simmons and Eric Singer. But Stanley has hinted that former members like Ace Frehley and Peter Criss could make appearances.