From the eerie mists of the Blue Mountains, Australia, Carmeria combine the haunting sounds of dark symphonic metal with the lovelorn energy of gothic rock. Their sophomore LP, Tragédie D'amour, is available now and to celebrate, Carmeria unveil the new video for their latest single, "A Thousand Winter Rains". This atmospheric and intense track delves into themes of longing and sorrow, perfectly complemented by the evocative visuals in the clip below, showcasing the band’s dedication to exploring the more melancholic aspects of the human experience.





Singer / songwriter Jordan von Grae shares: "The past three years have been a monumental journey through the peaks of love, and the valleys of loss, and reflecting on these experiences in the writing and production process for this album was both haunting and beautiful. As a writer, Tragédie D'amour took me out of my comfort zone, and the result was a series of wonderful lessons in songcrafting and production, and a newfound appreciation for the vast range of emotions and experiences held in the dichotomy of love and grief. It is my hope that those who listen to our record find solace in the fact that they are not alone in their experiences - the good, and the bad." 




Since reforming with a new lineup in 2018, the band has been on a momentous warpath through the Australian music scene. Carmeria's debut album Advenae (2021) saw the five-piece garner international acclaim. In the summer of 2021/2022, the group embarked on their first nation-wide tour, culminating in a sold out show in their hometown capital, Sydney. The following years saw the ensemble write and record music for their second opus, titled Tragédie D'amour, which consists of ten new songs and sees the band’s sound taking on a more energetic gothic rock approach than its predecessor. 





Tracklisting:


"Call Forth My Sorrow"
"A Thousand Winter Rains" 
"Thorns"  
"Leading The Lyre"
"Whispers Of Forgiveness"
"Shadow’s Throne"
"Immortal"
"Burning Ships"
"The Hoping Heart"
"A Vision In Passing" 





For further details, visit Carmeria on Facebook.


 







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Cypriot thrash / death metallers Blynd unleashed a new official video for the song “Infernal”, taken from their fourth studio album Unbeliever, out now via Pitch Black Records.


Directed by Anthony Frangous, the “Infernal” video is set in a forest, in the middle of winter, where a bloody river flows and where crows fight for survival. The song proceeds with its heavy and rhythmic pace. Andrea Paraschos's full-bodied growl and the wall of guitars will delight the palates of the most uncompromising lovers of thrash / death metal.







The band’s latest opus Unbeliever delivers an onslaught of blistering riffs, thunderous drums, and thought-provoking lyricism that fans have come to expect from Blynd.


Musically, the album has an overall dark atmosphere with both slow and fast-paced songs, some progressive passages, epic choruses and outros. Lyrically, the album deals with a variety of issues that have plagued (still plague) humanity - from war themes to Orwellian mass surveillance, propaganda, rewriting history and the suppression of free speech.


Unbeliever is available on CD and Digital and can be ordered at PitchBlackRecords.com.





Tracklisting:


"Infernal"
"Between Two Worlds"
"Primordial Hunter"
"One Last Dance"
"Until We Die"
"1984"
"Fire In The Sky"
"Uncrowned"
"Ground Zero"


"1984" lyric video:





For further details, visit Blynd on Facebook.


(Photo by Antonia Maria)










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Australia's head-banging rock‘n’roll powerhouse Emergency Rule are stoked to announce that they will be touring Japan in November. The tour signals the first time the Aussie rockers are heading out on an international tour.


Their debut album was released in February to rave reviews, followed by a June release in Japan. Starting in Tokyo on November 5th, they will play five shows across Japan:


November 
5 – Tokyo – Moonstep
6 – Tokyo – The Wall
7 – Nagoya – Huck Finn
8 – Osaka – Hokage
9 – Kobe – Blueport







To celebrate the occasion, Emergency Rule unleashed their new lyric video for the powerful track "From The Grave":





Emerging from the pulsating heart of the Aussie rock scene, Emergency Rule has shattered genre boundaries, forging a unique sound that weaves together rock, stoner, and metal influences into a sonic tapestry of raw power and innovation.


"We are absolutely stoked to be joining the WormholeDeath family," said the band in an exuberant statement. "Our debut album, The King Of Ithaca, is the culmination of numerous recording sessions completed throughout Covid lockdowns. It comprises riff-laden songs we have honed live on stage over the course of several years, and Jarrad Nettle (co-producer, engineer) has managed to perfectly capture the sound and energy of our live shows in a studio environment.


With lyrical themes of corporate greed, revenge, heartache, domestic violence, drug addiction, death, mental health, religion, and regret, this album truly is a reflection of the world and a sign of the times we live in. We can’t wait for everyone to hear The King Of Ithaca, and we are thrilled to be partnering with WormholeDeath to deliver it to the masses."


It’s Sabbath with attitude, Down with a swagger, Skynyrd with power. The band’s laid-back vibe is a smokescreen to the musicians’ earth-shaking riffs. Bringing heavy grooves, V8 style booming bass lines, and pounding room-quaking drums, Emergency Rule is a foot-stomping, head-banging rock ‘n’ roll sensation.


They’re a band of gifted musicians with a diverse history featuring Doug Clark (Universum) on bass/vocals, former 63 Stone guitarists Chris George and Cal Wegener, with Travis Dragani (Bruce Kulick, Mike Tramp) on drums. They have supported acts as prestigious as Corrosion of Conformity, Suicidal Tendencies, Buckcherry, Sasquatch, Dozer, and Hardcore Superstar. Whether it’s the deal with the devil ‘Snake Eyes’ or the bar room barfly ‘Bartender’, Emergency Rule is a good time, no-nonsense-boogie-grooving infectious vibe. Pull up a chair, get a drink, and roll that dice.





Tracklist:


"The Hook"
"Garden"
"Bartender"
"Something To Say"
"Abuse"
"Corporation"
"From The Grave"
"Ulysses"


"Garden"





For further details, visit Emergency Rule on Facebook.


 







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On August 11th, Swedish deathglam kings Deathstars performed at M'era Luna 2024 in Hildesheim, Germany. You can now watch professionally-filmed footage of the band's full set, courtesy of ARTE Concert.


Setlist:


"Night Electric Night"
"Death Dies Hard"
"Tongues"
"Midnight Party"
"Synthetic Generation"
"Metal"
"Fire Galore"
"Chertograd"
"Everything Destroys You"
"Blitzkrieg"
"Cyanide"







Deathstars released their fifth studio album, Everything Destroys You, in late 2023 via Nuclear Blast Records. The band released the video for the album’s title track, "Everything Destroys You", which is directed by Damon Zurawski, who also did the video for "Midnight Party". It was filmed in the cold, hard surroundings of an old, abandoned slaughterhouse in Stockholm.


Whiplasher comments the video: "'Everything Destroys You' is a video that literally destroys the band. We have killed the band in quite a few of our videos, and for those who want to see us dead once again this is another excellent opportunity to see that happen. On one hand you could see Nightmare busy behind swaying chains in the cellar, while Skinny is working on a double bass at the same time as I got electric shocks from a depraved nurse."





The album is available in the following formats:


- CD jewel case with 16-page booklet
- 1LP Sleeve + A2 Poster white
- 1LP Sleeve + A2 Poster splatter dark green & yellow


Order here.





Tracklisting:


“This Is”
“Midnight Party”
“Anti All”
“Everything Destroys You”
“Between Volumes And Voids”
“An Atomic Prayer”
“Blood For Miles”
“The Churches Of Oil”
“The Infrahuman Masterpiece”
“Angel Of Fortune And Crime”


"Angel Of Fortune And Crime" lyric video:





"Midnight Party" video:





“This Is” video:










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Stone Horns have released a new official video for "Terra Genesis", from their third studio album Chimaira, issued in January 2024.


The video, which can be seen below, was filmed live on July 7, 2024 at Espace Julien in Marseille, France, when Stone Horns opened for Cavalera Conspiracy.







The Chimaira full-length features seven groove-laden hell-bent tracks, that tell the story of an odyssey of being rejected by all and thirsting for revenge. It explores life's thirst for recognition, whatever its form. Through its various acts, the story continues in different states, colors, and landscapes. A raw, merciless finality that leaves little room for breath in this torment of violence. We're all chasing a chimera, but isn't it the chimera that's chasing us? That's the question this album tries to answer, combining freshness and warmth, violence and peace, waves, and digressions.


With their headbanging groove, this third studio offering Chimaira is a culmination of all the band's experiments to date. This is the band's most accomplished album, both in terms of composition and production. Each track has its own universe on this full-length, but it's also part of a whole, because like their previous albums, Chimaira is a concept album.


"There's something for every metal taste and color. The aim of this album is for fans of every sub-genre of metal to be able to say to themselves at some point when listening to it: 'I really like that beat.' Chimaira is a bit like the child of The Beast Inside (2018) and Rise Of Apophis (2021)," says the band.





Tracklisting:


"Grasping The Embers Of Exile"
"No Mercy" 
"Terra Genesis" 
"Age Of Chimairas" 
"Chrysalis" 
"In The Clutches Of The Abyss" 
"Echoes Of A Fallen Empire" 


For further details, visit Stone Horns on Facebook.


 







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New England extreme metal powerhouse, Escuela Grind, will release its new LP, Dreams On Algorithms, on October 18th via MNRK Heavy (High On Fire, Zakk Wylde). Recorded at Salem, Massachusetts' GodCity Studio with producer Kurt Ballou, and mastered by Nick Townsend (Dr. Dre, Betty Davis) the record is the follow-up to Escuela Grind's celebrated 2022 full-length debut, Memory Theater. Pre-order / save Dreams On Algorithms now at this location.


Escuela Grind has released a video for their new single, "Concept Of God", directed by Seby X Martinez for Negative Kitty (Body Count, [adult swim]). Speaking on the track, the band offers, "'Concept Of God' is about the chaos that ensues when humans come together; the good and bad things that happen when opposites and like-minded individuals attract. The main lyrics in the song are, 'The concept of god only exists because of people.'"







Speaking about the album title, Dreams On Algorithms, vocalist Katerina Economou says, "We wanted to write an album that identifies what it’s like to consume in this era we live in: what we receive through our phones, the social media landscape, and personalized algorithms, and how it is translated by our subconscious. I think most people can relate to something in their online sphere infecting their dreams. This transfer was something we really wanted to expand on, and all of the songs have themes relating to dream analysis and technology."


Striking cover art by AC Tremblay foreshadows the inherent power and thematic investment contained in Dreams On Algorithms. "We have collaborated with the incredible AC Tremblay once more to create this vision of Dreams On Algorithms," says the band. "We wanted a similar expression as our last album, but with a different color palette. The art of Kurt Seligmann, Bauhaus theater sets, Nightmare On Elm Street, Eiko Ishioka, and the Cremaster Cycle were source materials of inspiration for this visual storytelling. The amount of detail and attention that AC Tremblay pays to his drawing is what we love most about working with him. You’ll be able to find many Easter Eggs from the album's lyrics within the artwork. We’re still finding new details."





Tracklisting:


"DOA"
"Always Watching You" 
"Constant Passenger"
"Moral Injury"
"Concept Of God" 
"Animus Multiform"
"Scorpion"
"Planned Obsolescence"
"Toothless"
"Turbulence" 


Dreams On Algorithms is also advanced by the single and video, "Turbulence", which showcases clean vocals over an earworm chorus -- a first for Escuela Grind --  without pulling away from unhinged brutality.


"I had the idea for the 'Turbulence' title during a plane ride where I thought I was actually gonna die," says Escuela Grind drummer Jesse Fuentes. "My mind was fixated on landing and playing the next show. It helped me cope, and then it kept happening on a couple of flights after that. My last in-person conversation with Napalm Death's Shane Embury was very emotional; he suggested we add clean vocals after he overheard Katerina doing some clean singing on the tour bus (after shows, on our winter 2023 European tour with NxDx, everyone would sing along together. it really was magical). The vocal hook and melody on 'Turbulence' was created a day before vocals were to be recorded at GodCity. We took that airplane experience, and wrote some straightforward, but meaningful lyrics."


"It will be immediately obvious when you first hear this song that it is a departure for us," offers Economou. "We wanted to take a risk with 'Turbulence', and after performing so many live shows over the last year we were ready to compile all that influence. The clean singing may take some people off-guard coming from a grind/hardcore band, but after touring with Napalm Death, we realized we wanted to incorporate that aspect into our music in a similar way. We definitely wanted a grungy, catchy chorus to sing at all of our upcoming festival appearances, and I hope the fans like the song as much as we do."





The first single released from Dreams On Algorithms is the ominous "Always Watching You", a video for which can be enjoyed below.


“Most of 'Always Watching You' was written in a practice space by Jesse and Krissy, and refined during soundchecks we had over the year," details Economou. "I've had this desire to write a song where I could portray the obsessive-stalker-girl archetype through lyrics for a while. Although not physically threatening, it's really interesting that society is so terrified of this stereotype. In 'Always Watching You', I wanted this fantastical, Nightmare On Elm Street-style imagery that was rooted in the gore and horror of death metal. Themes of parasocial relationships, anxieties from social media, and an omnipresent algorithm are strongly observed in this song and throughout the entire album."





For further details, visit Escuela Grind on Facebook.


 







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On August 9, 2024, Brazilian thrash band Nervosa performed on the Ronnie James Dio Stage at Bloodstock Open Air in Derbyshire, UK. 


After their set, Nervosa vocalist / guitarist Prika Amaral and drummer Gabriela Abud spoke wtih Bloodstock TV’s Oran O’Beirne about the band's latest lineup changes, new music, and Sepultura’s retirement. The complete interview can be seen below; an excerpt has been transcribed as follows:


Prika Amaral: "All the girls that played in Nervosa were good for a certain period, and then things changed, like everything in our lives... But this time for me particular it was completely different because I have to start to sing; something that I never did before. Everything came up last minute, so I had to learn very quick. It's a huge challenge, because also I had new members in the band. So, it's many things to manage. So, this was a really big challenge for me. That's why it was the difference. Like, wow! Now I felt the difference of the lineup change."







Nervosa's setlist at Bloodstock 2024 was as listed; fan-filmed video follows:


"Seed Of Death"
"Death!"
"Kill The Silence"
"Perpetual Chaos"
"Venomous"
"Masked Betrayer"
"Jailbreak"
"Guided By Evil"
"Endless Ambition"





In other news, Nervosa is about to embark upon their first ever headline tour of the USA and Canada, beginning in late August. On the road for nearly a month-and-a-half, the tour will visit major locations such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Brooklyn, Montreal and Chicago - including seven total stops in Canada - coming to an end in mid-October. The tour will feature support from Lich King and Hatriot. Get your tickets here.


Nervosa's Prika Amaral about the upcoming North American tour: "We're excited to be coming to North America with an awesome lineup of new wave thrash metal. We have waited so long to get back and will be bringing a very special show for you all! Don't wait, get your tickets & VIP now. It's our jailbreak!"





Tour dates:


August
29 - Milwaukee, WI - Blades Of Steel Festival
30 - Minneapolis, MN - White Rock Lounge
31 - Iowa City, IA - Wildwood


September
1 - Lincoln, NE - Cosmic Eye
2 - Denver, CO - HQ
4 - Salt Lake City, UT - Aces High Saloon
5 - Boise, ID - The Shredder
6 - Vancouver, BC, Canada - The Rickshaw Theater
7 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon / Funhouse
8 - Portland, OR - Dante's
10 - Sacramento, CA - Harlow's
11 - Las Vegas, NV - The Usual Place
12 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
13 - Los Angeles, CA - Whisky a Go Go
14 - Mesa, AZ - The Nile Underground
15 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock
16 - El Paso, TX - The RockHouse
18 - Austin, TX - Come and Take It Live
19 - Houston, TX - The White Oak
20 - Dallas, TX - RBC
21 - Fayetteville, AR - George's Majestic Lounge
22 - Nashville, TN - The End
24 - Atlanta, GA - Boggs Social & Supply
25 - Orlando, FL - Conduit
27 - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero
28 - Greensboro, NC - Hangar 1819
29 - Jacksonville, NC - Hooligans


October
2 - Mechanicsburg, PA - Lovedraft's
3 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz
4 - Brooklyn, NY - The Meadows
5 - Quebec City, Quebec, Canada - La Source
6 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada - Les Foufounes Électriques
8 - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada - The 27 Club
9 - Kingston, Ontario, Canada - The Mansion
10 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Hard Luck
11 - London, Ontario, Canada - Rum Runners
12 - Detroit, MI - The Sanctuary
13 - Chicago, IL - Reggies


For further details, visit Nervosa on Facebook.


 







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Greek melodic metal outfit InnerWish have signed to Reigning Phoenix Music and released their new standalone single "Cult Of The Blind". Stream / download the song here, and check out the visualizer below.


"This song goes full throttle and is one of our heaviest tracks ever! It blends thrashy riffing and drumming with melodic vocals and various influences. The lyrics critique modern society's distortion by social media and mainstream media, highlighting how the trivial overshadows the essential, leading us into a cult-like loss of individuality and thought," says drummer Franki Samoilis.







"We think we can say that InnerWish went thrashy up to a point here! It's one of our heaviest tracks ever; it features some thrashy riffing and drumming, but it's melodic through the vocals and a combination of influences that actually turned out great... at least for us! The lyrics are about the modern society where social media, 'influencers' and the control of media offer a reality far from the actual one. They all create a world where the important has become unimportant and lows of life become number one. As if we were in a cult, deprived of individuality and thought led to destruction."





For further details, visit InnerWish on Facebook.


(Single artwork: Giannis Nakos / Remedy Art Design)


(Photo credit: Dimitris Marinis / The Storyteller Studio)


 







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On August 16, Whitechapel performed at Summer Breeze 2024 in Dinkelsbühl, Germany. ARTE Concert has uploaded professionally-filmed footage of the band's full set, which can be viewed below.


Setlist (as per Setlist.fm):


"Let Me Burn"
"Forgiveness Is Weakness"
"Brimstone"
"We Are One"
"Black Bear"
"Prostatic Fluid Asphyxiation"
"Possession"
"Ear To Ear"
"This Is Exile"
"A Bloodsoaked Symphony"
"I, Dementia"
"Our Endless War"
"The Saw Is The Law"







Whitechapel will join Lorna Shore on their upcoming North American tour with Kublai Khan TX and Sanguisugabogg this September/October.





Tour dates:


September
19 - Montreal, QC - MTelus
20 - Toronto, ON - History
21 - Moon Township, PA - UPMC Events Center
22 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Special Events Center
24 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live Orlando
25 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
27 - Louder Than Life Fest - Louisville, KY*
28 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
29 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
30 - The Midland Theatre - Kansas City, MO*


October
2 - New Orleans, LA - The Fillmore New Orleans
3 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues
4 - San Antonio, TX - Boeing Center at Tech Port
5 - Dallas, TX - Southside Ballroom
7 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
8 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
10 - Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues
11 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
12 - Aftershock Fest - Sacramento, CA*
14 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
15 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
17 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
18 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
19 - Omaha, NE - Steelhouse Omaha
20 - Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore Minneapolis
22 - Chicago, IL - Radius
23 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit
24 - Cleveland, OH - The Agora*
25 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore Silver Spring
27 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
28 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway
29 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia
30 - Wallingford, CT - Toyota Oakdale Theatre      


* Not A Live Nation Date







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US hard rockers, SteelCity, have released a video for "I Ain't Dreamin' 'Bout You", the new single from their upcoming studio album, Reverence, out September 20 via Frontiers Music Srl. Watch the clip below, and pre-order the album here.


Bassist Jason Cornwell comments about the new single: “The song invokes the passion of the ultimate arena rock song with soaring melodies and harmonies, making it a true heavy rock journey for the ages!”


Guitarist Mike Floros adds: “From the opening, it's clear this song will be the infectious little earworm it was intended to be.  There's a reason it's the album opener. For true fans of melodic hard rock, the song has a sing -along, gang-style chorus; melodically-driven leads, and memorable lyrics that will surely have this little ditty on repeat!  Here's a tune that will definitely have folks remembering some of the great, anthemic KISS songs of the mid-80s."







Initially started as a solo project by founding member, principal songwriter, and guitarist Mike Floros, SteelCity evolved into the band that it is today. Their influences include such melodic and hard rock heavyweights as KISS, Europe, and Winger. The name SteelCity is derived from the hard-working, blue-collar, Mid-Western town of Youngstown, Ohio.


By carefully assembling the most skilled, talented rock musicians available, Mike molded a band that became a vaunted force in the melodic hard rock underground. Enter Roy Cathey, lead vocalist extraordinaire. As a member of the early-90s sensation Cold Sweat, his Herculean voice has been appreciated by audiences worldwide.


Holding down the bottom end is Jason Cornwell, an experienced studio and touring musician, “The Boston Bassman” has shared the stage with such luminaries as Eric Martin. Skilled drummer Anthony White, also of Cold Sweat fame, completes the rhythm section.


Rounding out the group is Tony Stahl, whose keyboards bring texture and depth to SteelCity’s songs, thus completing the shape of their sound.





“Reverence” Tracklist:


"I Ain’t Dreamin’ Bout You"
"Hammer’s Fallin’"
"No Angel"
"Dizzy"
"Walk Away"
"B.A.N.K."
"Midnight Dancer"
"Broken"
"Losing Control"
"Blinded"
"The Journey"


"Walk Away" visualizer:





Lineup:


Roy Cathey - Lead Vocals
Jason Cornwell - Bass
Anthony White - Drums
Tony Stahl - Keys
Mike Floros - Guitars


(Photo - Jimmy Taaffe)







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In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist John 5 was asked if there are plans for the group to release a new full-length album or if he and his bandmates are focusing on issuing standalone singles and EPs. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "You know what? I'm not sure. I think we're gonna just drop songs. That's what I've been doing personally [in my solo career] for a long time. And then what I do is I'll just drop new songs, drop new songs, and then I'll take all those songs and put 'em in a record and sell 'em at my shows or whatever, the full record. But I personally really like doing it this way.

"When you drop these songs individually, it's like every song's a single, and it's really cool," John 5 explained. "And I think, like, just imagine if VAN HALEN did that. You would never know about 'Take Your Whiskey Home' or any of these deep cuts. You're, like, 'Oh, wow.' Like 'D.O.A.' or something. What if these were all singles? 'Cause in my eyes, all those songs are singles. I like those maybe more than 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love' or something like that. I think those deep cuts are just as good as the singles they put out. And these bands worked so hard on these songs. And nowadays you just listen to the singles and things like that. So, I like doing it that way. So I don't know. I don't know what they're gonna do. I'm just along for the ride."

Asked if the April 2023 recording sessions that produced the band's upcoming "Cancelled" EP marked his first time working with legendary producer Bob Rock, John 5 said: "Yes, with 'Dogs Of War' and these other songs, it was the very first time. 'Cause I've worked with everybody under the sun, but it was something special, because you go into the studio and you think, 'Okay, this is how it's going to be. I'm gonna go track in the control room.' But I was completely wrong. Everybody was set up in the live room. And that's something that's, like, from the '70s — even '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, and then somewhere in the '90s, everyone started tracking in the control room, except for the drummer, of course. But we did it that way. And I'll tell you, I've only done that one other time, but it was so cool because you're all playing like a band, you're all playing at the same time. And that's how we tracked these songs. 'Dogs Of War' is a completely live track. Those are just like live off-the-floor tracks. And that's what's so cool about it. So it was really exciting for me. I really enjoyed it. And I had my notes here and Nikki [Sixx, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist] had his notes and Bob was in the middle of the floor and we would just cut it like that. And it was super cool."

The "Cancelled" EP will be released on October 4. The three-song effort contains the title track, MÖTLEY CRÜE's cover version of the BEASTIE BOYS classic "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" and "Dogs Of War", which was made available in April.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's version of "Fight For Your Right" has quickly become a fan favorite since the band first debuted the song live during their secret 2023 club show at The Underworld in London, U.K. At its premiere, 450 lucky, sweat-drenched fans who came out to see a band advertised as DÖGS OF WAR got the surprise of a lifetime when MÖTLEY CRÜE took the stage with the BEASTIE BOYS classic in their set list.

The veil of speculation surrounding the DÖGS OF WAR pseudonym was finally lifted when the band released their first new single since 2019 by the "Dogs Of War" name in the spring of 2024. "Dogs Of War" subsequently became a Top 5 Rock Radio hit, accompanied by a highly acclaimed music video by director Nick DenBoer. The cutting-edge visual, which is entirely CGI-based, features the members of MÖTLEY CRÜE navigating an exhilarating post-apocalyptic world.

"Cancelled" EP track listing:

01. Cancelled (Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, John Lowery)
02. Dogs Of War (Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, John Lowery)
03. Fight For Your Right (Adam Horovitz, Rick Rubin, Adam Yauch)

MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee told Bill Maher's "Club Random" podcast last year that he and his bandmates felt inspired to write a song called "Cancelled" because they were surprised it never happened to them.

"There was this article that was like, 'How did MÖTLEY CRÜE ever not get cancelled?'" he said. "And we were like, 'Fuck, we've gotta write a song about that because we didn't ever get it.' We snuck in under the whatever threshold, wherever that was, where we got away with fucking murder."

The "Cancelled" EP will be made available via MÖTLEY CRÜE's new deal with Nashville's Big Machine Records

MÖTLEY CRÜE's deal with Big Machine sees the band and the label working together again after making the 2014 project "Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe", which featured CRÜE tracks covered by country stars RASCAL FLATTS, FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE, Darius Rucker and more. Big Machine also partnered with MÖTLEY CRÜE's new guitarist John 5 for the release of his 2021 album "Sinner".

MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.

In 2018, MÖTLEY CRÜE recorded four new songs for "The Dirt" movie, including the single "The Dirt (Est. 1981) (Feat. Machine Gun Kelly)", "Ride With The Devil", "Crash And Burn" and the band's own spin on Madonna's "Like A Virgin".

John 5 joined MÖTLEY CRÜE in the fall of 2022 as the replacement for the band's co-founding guitarist Mick Mars. Mick announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

Vocalist Lou Koller of New York hardcore legends SICK OF IT ALL has undergone his first round of chemotherapy after recently being diagnosed with an esophageal tumor.

Earlier today (Monday, August 26),Koller shared a video update via social media in which he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Hey, everybody. It's Lou. I'm here in my recovery room. Hope you're all doing good. Give you a little update. The first week of chemo was almost two weeks ago. It's like a week and a half since I had it. And the first three days were brutal. Not fun at all. It got gradually better, and now I feel more like myself. I feel really good this past weekend and today. Luckily, nothing, no complications. And the second round starts this weekend coming up. Hopefully won't be as bad, but who knows?"

He continued: "Anyway, I will keep you updated a lot more often, but it's kind of hard for me to come on here for my vanity because I can't dye my hair, my beard. I feel like I look like shit. But thank you all for your support, thank you for your continued support, emotionally, financially, whatever. You don't know how much this is helping me. And please look out for the guys in the band, and take care of each other. Thank you."

After Lou went public in late June with the news that doctors discovered a cancerous tumor in his esophagus, his brother Pete, SICK OF IT ALL guitarist, set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover some of the costs of his cancer treatment and assist with living expenses while the group is off the road and unable to tour. That campaign has since raised nearly $300,000, with fellow artists AFI, RANCID and DROPKICK MURPHYS contributing $5,000 apiece, and bands such as SNAPCASE and HOT WATER MUSIC also making generous donations.

The long-running New York Hardcore band subsequently canceled its previously announced European tour dates.

When Lou first posted about the diagnosis on social media, he said: "[Doctors] found a tumor in my esophagus that goes into my stomach, and I'll have to be getting treatment all summer — and of course, with full support of the band. As soon as they heard it, they were, like, 'Forget the tour. Just get healthy.' … They're all behind me staying home and us staying home."

Koller ended the message by saying: "I'll hopefully beat this thing and see you at the end of the summer … or maybe the winter."

SICK OF IT ALL's European tour was supposed to kick off in the Czech Republic on July 4.

SICK OF IT ALL's latest album, "Wake The Sleeping Dragon!", was released in November 2018 via Century Media.

Update

Just a brief update! Thank you for all your well wishes and your support!!!

Posted by Sick Of It All on Monday, August 26, 2024

In a new interview with Sh!t Talk Reviews, SHADOWS FALL frontman Brian Fair spoke about the band's plans to release its first new music in more than a decade. Asked if SHADOWS FALL is shopping for a new record label at the moment, Brian said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've got something locked up. I don't know if I'm allowed to announce yet, but we definitely have a great partner for the music. We have a very progressive kind of view. They're gonna let us kind of release it in a way that makes sense. So, yeah, we're very excited that we got kind of the infrastructure."

He continued: "It's very different now. The traditional sort of record deal, it doesn't have to be the way it used to be. There was such an industry standard of, like, record a full-length, tour for a year and a half, record a full-length, tour for a year and a half, that kind of cycle. And it's been totally decimated now, 'cause you don't need to do the… The first-week [sales] numbers don't mean what they used to, all that type of shit. So it's cool. But, yeah, we've got a good partnership that hopefully we can announce soon."

Regarding the progress of the songwriting sessions for the fresh SHADOWS FALL material, Brian said: "I'm very excited to be making new SHADOWS FALL music, which we'd always thought would happen, but didn't know for sure. When we kind of stopped touring, it wasn't 'cause we didn't wanna make music together or didn't want to play. We were so burnt out. Life was taking different turns. People were having kids. Jon [Donais, SHADOWS FALL guitarist] ended up in ANTHRAX, so he was in the 'Big Four' [of 1980s thrash metal] all of a sudden. So once we finally got together to start playing shows again a few years ago, the idea of new music came up almost right away. And Jon just had a stockpile of riffs. And so far we've probably, instrumentally, got, say, seven-ish songs recorded that are pretty done. I know there's gonna be some overdubs and some candy tracks. Vocally, I've recorded two all the way through that are done and then have probably four more that are written that are, I'd say, 90 percent there. There's always changes while we track, like little new ideas that pop up, but it's going along super well.

"We're gonna take our time, 'cause there's really no deadline involved," he explained. "Also, I don't think we're gonna release it all at once. I think now, thankfully, modern ways of doing things, you don't have to just drop a 10-song album. You can do a few just like little chunks here and there. So we're hoping to probably get some music out late fall, I'm hoping, at least a couple songs. And my plan, if it all goes according to me, would be to do that, drop two or three songs every chunk and then put 'em all out on vinyl at the end like as one. So in my world, that's what we're doing. We'll see if it actually happens. But, yeah, getting back with [producer] Zeuss [Chris Harris] is just awesome. We've been working with him, really, since the demos before [2000's] 'Of One Blood' [album]. And we're recording most of it at Matt's [Bachand, SHADOWS FALL guitarist] house as well. So when I get back to Massachusetts, it's super comfortable, just get in his basement and just work on tunes. And it's been a blast. So I'm heading back for the New England Metal Fest with OVERCAST and I'm probably gonna do a few more vocal sessions during that weekend as well. So hopefully things keep moving the way they are and we'll get some new tunes out hopefully before the end of the year. That's if everything goes perfect."

Noting that SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner recently announced his departure from OVERKILL, one of the Sh!t Talk Reviews interviewers then asked if it is "safe to say" that SHADOWS FALL "is back" and is "not going to go anywhere anytime soon." Brian responded: "It's not going anywhere, but I don't think we'll ever be the full-time touring band we were. It's a lot of family stuff and people have just got different things going on. Jon, being in ANTHRAX, that's gonna be kind of his main gig most of the time. Jason, yeah, he left OVERKILL, but he's also got CATEGORY 7 with John Bush and Phil Demmel and all those guys, and that new record's killer. So they'll be busy with that. But we're definitely gonna keep playing shows. We're gonna keep doing festivals. We probably will hopefully do some short tours here and there, especially when new music comes out, but we're gonna kind of pick and choose our battles, which is, again, also a nice place to be in.

"When the band was our full-time job, you couldn't stay at home for too long or there wasn't gonna be a home to come home to," Fair explained. "You've gotta go out and grind. So it's nice to not have that pressure, but also to do it because it's fun again. Each show that we've done have all been blockbusters in our minds because there's just enough time between each one that you get that excited again. It ramps up and then it's just like an explosion.

"Me personally, I was so burnt out by the time we stopped touring in 2015. We'd been on a 15-year run where I hadn't been home for more than a few weeks through that whole thing. And physically, my neck was shot, my back was shot. I was burnt mentally as well, so it was time to come home for a while. But then, now I'm, like, 'Okay, cool. Let's go have some fun.'"

"The only way to survive in a band like us… We're not gonna sell 10 million records and have all that stuff," Brian added. "So you've gotta go out there and stay on the road to keep your name in front of people, keep everything exciting. You've gotta sell t-shirts — that's how you make your money, [by staying] out there on the road. And, yeah, if a label is gonna spend a bunch of money to drop a record and do videos, they're, like, 'You've gotta go promote it now. You've gotta get out there and hit it.'

"What's driving us to record now is that we love the songs we're writing. It's not 'cause there's a deadline. And the shows we're playing is because we're just, like, 'That sounds like a party, man. Let's do it.'"

Elaborating on how he and his SHADOWS FALL bandmates chose their new record-label partner, Brian said: "It's totally changed things where they've kind of realized their best role is as a promotional partner and a manufacturer, if you're doing vinyl or whatever. CDs, they still make 'em, I guess, but not in the numbers they used to. And a lot of them downsized, because they had to. So it's more about partnering with the band and label relationship and finding a way to make it make sense for everyone.

"The old model doesn't work," the 48-year-old singer, who now lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and their two kids, added. "It's broken. You can't just throw money at things and think it's gonna hit. People have too many choices. You can put out music yourself, so there's definitely an oversaturation, unfortunately, as well because of that. So there's just so much content, you've gotta find new and innovative ways to share it and keep it special. And I think the labels that are surviving and thriving are the ones who are flexible, willing to evolve, willing to work with the artists' vision as opposed to just, 'Cool, man. Let's stick to the old method.'"

Fair and his SHADOWS FALL bandmates have played a number of reunion concerts so far, including at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, Virginia, at the Furnace Fest in Birmingham, Alabama, and at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The long-running Massachusetts-based metallers, who were at the forefront of the New Wave Of American Metal scene that dominated the '00s, celebrated the 20th anniversary of their "The War Within" album by playing the LP in its entirety on March 16 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, the site of the band's many classic shows. It also marked the first time the band has performed in the Garden State in a decade.

In a recent interview with the WSOU 89.5 FM radio station, Fair stated about SHADOWS FALL's new music: "You can tell it's SHADOWS FALL, but, man, it's got new vibes, it's got new influences and it's just kind of a very fresh approach.

"When we first started working on it, we were worried," Brian admitted. "We were, like, 'Is this gonna sound like us?' We hadn't written songs together in five to six years, where it's gonna be. And, man, right out of the gate, we were, like, 'This is the SHADS. We're back.'"

Elaborating on the musical direction of the new SHADOWS FALL material, Fair said: "Honestly, it's gonna be everything that we've always done, plus more. And we're probably about — I'd say we've got six or seven songs that are actually songs. They're still gonna get some some tweaks here and there, with a few other ideas still floating around that need to be worked on."

He continued: "But I'm super excited about these songs. I've also been pushing myself as a singer to really expand my range to try new ideas, and having the time to work through that has been really helpful. 'Cause even when SHADOWS FALL was doing downtime, I was doing different projects and trying to really bring some new elements to what I do, and I'm putting all that into this record. So it'll sound like SHADOWS FALL, but there'll definitely be some some new interesting ideas and approaches and stuff. So it's really exciting."

He added: "For us, it's just been great to be back in the room jamming on new material, 'cause when we got together to do these [reunion] shows, when we're rehearsing, we were, like, 'If we're putting this work in, why not see what happens with new music?' And I couldn't be happier with how it's coming out. So, really exciting."

Last December, Fair told RichardMetalFan about SHADOWS FALL's decision to reunite: "We'd wanted to play shows again for a while and we just wanted the time to be right. And once the pandemic kind of hit, we sort of realized, like, 'Why are we waiting around? It's the time.' So we were lucky that we were able to kind of get everyone's schedules together. And it was incredible. As soon as we started jamming together again, it just felt fun, it felt right. So the shows were a blast. We really rehearsed like crazy for it. And we're probably better prepared for that than anything we'd ever been for before that. And we also realized, like, man, we should have been practicing more when we were together. We used to hate practicing. We always were, like, 'Ah, we tour enough. We don't need to.' And then after we practiced a bunch, we were, like, 'All right. Maybe we really should have.' [Laughs] But then also when we started practicing, we figured if we have ideas, why not write new music as well? If we're gonna get together, let's see what we've got. So that started leading to some new stuff. So [I'm] looking forward to seeing where it heads."

Asked if the next SHADOWS FALL release will be stylistically similar to the band's last album, 2012's "Fire From The Sky", or if it will be "a new beginning" for the band, Brian said: "If you heard these songs, you'd be, like, 'Oh, that's SHADOWS FALL.' But no, it doesn't sound like… It's different. It definitely sounds different."

Fair previously discussed SHADOWS FALL's plans for new music during an episode of "Drinks With Johnny", the Internet TV show hosted by AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ. At the time, he said: "We're pretty deep into the process. I'd say I'm kind of a slacker, but I'm really focusing on getting things as good as I can vocally because we have no agenda. We have no time frame. We have no record label pressure. We're just trying to write the best music we can. And it all kind of came about as we started jamming to do the reunion shows. And these guys have — Jon's been playing in ANTHRAX and Jason's been playing in OVERKILL, so their chops are still at top-notch level. But they had riffs, man. And I was, like, 'If we've got riffs and they sound like SHADOWS FALL, if we're gonna get together and jam, let's make some new music.'"

He continued: "It's been a blast, man. It's funny, 'cause the older we've gotten, it's gotten a little more brutal, which was not a surprise, 'cause I just figured that would happen. We're, like, 'If we're gonna do it, we're gonna drop the hammer.' So it's been fun, man. I forgot how much of a riff machine Jon was. And he's just like — ideas are just flying out of him. And also in ANTHRAX, he just gets to solo in the studio. So he's just, like, 'Finally I get to write some riffs.' [Laughs]"

In July 2023, Bittner told the "Nothing Shocking Podcast" about SHADOWS FALL's decision to work with Zeuss again: "[Zeuss] did all of our records except for… Well, he had a hand in all of them except for 'Fire From The Sky'… So he's always been involved with SHADOWS FALL in some way, shape or form. Once this whole reunion thing kind of morphed from being just a one-show thing, we started talking with him, 'cause he still lives two minutes away from Paul [Romanko, bass]. So, it's, like, 'All right. Well, if you guys are getting back together, what's the next step? Are we making another record?' We're, like, 'Well, we don't know.' And he was, like, 'Whatever we're doing, let's get on it.' So kind of, like, we just sort of figured, 'We don't have any money to pay you, because we don't have any money because we don't have a record label or anything.' But he was just, like, 'Well, let's just start doing this and let's do it together.'"

SHADOWS FALL released a statement in August 2014 in which the bandmembers explained that financial difficulties made it virtually impossible for the group to continue as a full-time concern.

In August 2015, SHADOWS FALL played a few reunion shows on the U.S. East Coast, one year after completing what was being billed at the time as the band's "final" European tour.

"Fire From The Sky" was released in May 2012 via Razor & Tie. The CD sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart.

SLIPKNOT's new drummer Eloy Casagrande has shared a drum-cam video of him performing the song "Eeyore" on August 9 at the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. Check it out below.

In an interview with Tone-Talk, SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root spoke about how Casagrande came to join SLIPKNOT and his impact on the band's overall sound. He said: "We didn't even try anybody else. Eloy's name came up. He contacted us, actually, about wanting to be a part of it and started sending a bunch of videos in. I think him and our bass player [Alessandro 'Vman' Venturella] might've had a little bit of a relationship before. I think they knew each other. They had mutual friends. And Vman's really in tune with a lot of really great, proggy, heavy musicians that are passionate about their instruments. And it just seemed like a no-brainer. And he's really respectful of the legacy of [SLIPKNOT's original drummer, the late] Joey [Jordison], and Joey was a huge influence on him. And he's so humble. The dude has so much humility. And you could tell he just lives and breathes his craft, to the point where I see his passion and it ignites my passion for my instrument. And Brazilians, South Americans in general, are so passionate about what they do. Our manager told me, he was out to dinner with four or five promoters from South America, and they were all really stoked. They're all, like, 'It's so good you've got a Brazilian drummer in SLIPKNOT now. We kind of feel like we've won the World Cup.' It's a cool feeling. And God, he just fits in so well. I don't know, man. I mean, there's a lot of things I can say about it. I'm just glad it happened when it did. And we're lucky to have him — we are really lucky to have that dude."

For its 2024 gigs so far, SLIPKNOT adopted a classic look, bringing back the 1999 red jumpsuits and elements of their early masks into their modern versions, tying into the fact that SLIPKNOT is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

After parting ways with Jay Weinberg last November, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer more than five months ago, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption "Rehearsal."

The band explained in a statement that the split with Weinberg was a creative decision. Jay followed up with a statement of his own, saying that he was "heartbroken and blindsided" by his dismissal.

Weinberg has since joined SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and INFECTIOUS GROOVES.

Casagrande abruptly quit SEPULTURA six months ago, shortly before he was supposed to begin rehearsals for the band's recently launched 40th-anniversary farewell tour.

"February 6th, a few days prior to the first rehearsal, drummer Eloy Casagrande informed the band that he was leaving SEPULTURA to pursue a career in another project," the band said in a statement.

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA nearly 13 years ago as the replacement for Jean Dolabella.

SLIPKNOT's latest album "The End, So Far", arrived in August 2022. It marked the band's the last full-length LP before the departure of both keyboardist Craig Jones, who left the group in June 2023, and Weinberg.

SLIPKNOT recently kicked off the North American portion of the "Here Comes The Pain" tour. The band is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its seminal debut album, "Slipknot", which catapulted the band back in 1999. The "Here Comes The Pain" tour, produced by Live Nation, includes arena plays nationwide this summer. Highlights include New York City's Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles's Intuit Dome, Austin's Moody Center and more with direct support from Kentucky's young and vibrant hardcore/metal forerunners KNOCKED LOOSE. ORBIT CULTURE and VENDED are confirmed as support on select dates.

CANDLEBOX frontman Kevin Martin joined ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell on stage on August 23 at the Hard Rock Live at the Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey to perform the ALICE IN CHAINS classic "Would?" Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

The next day, Kevin shared a photo of his performance with Cantrell and he included the following message: "What a blast last night. Got to sing with my bro on one of the greatest songs ever written! Yep!"

Cantrell's tour with BUSH and CANDLEBOX launched on July 26 at Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend, Oregon.

Martin has said in the past that he was friends with Chris Cornell of SOUNDGARDEN and Layne Staley of ALICE IN CHAINS. Cornell died in 2017, Staley in 2002 from a drug overdose. Martin said he met Cornell because he worked with Cornell's wife at the time, Susan Silver, at a Seattle shoe store where she printed SOUNDGARDEN's flyers to post on telephone poles and walls in the city about upcoming shows.

In a 2019 interview with Grungery, Martin talked about his friendship with Cornell and Andy Wood (MALFUNKSHUN, MOTHER LOVE BONE). Asked if he got any tips from them, Kevin responded: "Just from Andy. I mean, Chris was an interesting person. Eddie [Vedder] and I only met briefly when he first moved to Seattle when they were just starting the TEMPLE OF THE DOG record. I don't really have a gauge on Eddie but I know Jeff [Ament] and Stone [Gossard] very, very well. Chris just happened to become a friend because I was working with his wife Susan at a shoe store… She managed a shoe store called [John] Fluevog, Susan did. Plus, she also had a management company called Susan Silver Management. So, her office was out of the back and through the shoe store. So, on First Avenue there's also a hotel there called Inn At The Market, with apartments you can rent out or hotel rooms, and Fluevog was like on the corner. Susan had one of the apartments there as her office so she'd walk through the back and get the flyers for whoever was playing that day. So, that's how I met Chris. That's how I met Andy. That's how I met Layne. It's how I met Jerry [Cantrell], and I was sixteen years old working in a shoe store. It was really amazing for me to meet guys that I admired musically and at the same time I was playing drums in a band. I never thought it would turn into friendship because I was so much younger… I mean, what 21-year-old guy wants to hang out with a sixteen-year-old kid? So, we were just basically acquaintances through the store and then as the years progressed and CANDLEBOX became what it did, Chris and I became relatively good friends. We were able to have conversations about things. Layne and I became really good friends just through parties and stuff. We rehearsed next door to them at the Music Bank. He and I would sit and shoot the shit all the time about singers and rock and roll. Andy was the one who would come into the shop and would love to talk about music when he did come in. I mean, I was a huge MALFUNKSHUN fan and Andy inspired the shit out of me. I've probably stolen I don't know how many phrasings from him just the way he sings, the way he moved through music lyrically and melodically was what I was most attracted to as a singer. More so than Chris, I mean. Chris was just powerful. Andy was just able to move through shit so brilliantly as a singer and he was always making music, constantly. I think I just connected with him on a visceral level musically and we would talk about all kinds of band shit and stupid stuff."

CANDLEBOX is currently in the middle of a farewell tour, following the release of the band's final album, "The Long Goodbye", which came out in August 2023 via Round Hill Records.

CANDLEBOX released "A Little Longer Goodbye (Tour Edition)", the digital deluxe version of the album "The Long Goodbye", on all DSPs on July 12 via Round Hill Records. The digital release features the 12 tracks on the record plus two bonus live songs, "Elegante" and "Cellphone Jesus" (recorded at Club Amanda in Santiago, Chile on October 27, 2023),as well as the official launch of the single "Washed Up".

"A Little Longer Goodbye (Tour Edition)" follows CANDLEBOX's eighth studio album, which was quite a swan song for the veteran band. "The Long Goodbye" was praised by critics for its hard-hitting, groove-infested beats and mature, soul-searching themes of love, loss, redemption, and the journey in between.

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After many years and many requests from fans, long-running British hard rockers WOLFSBANE will release a re-recorded version of their first album, "Live Fast, Die Fast", titled "Live Faster". The record is scheduled for release towards the end of 2024 and is an entirely new recording, not a remix or remaster of the original.

WOLFSBANE guitarist and producer Jase Edwards said: "You've asked, we've listened. None of us know how long we'll be here on this earth, especially me, so it felt like the right time to remake the album in the way the band first envisioned it. It's going to be brutal."

The record is currently in its final stages of production, with Jase having already blown up two amps trying to get the intensity he's looking for.

"The original recording was lost years ago," comments singer Blaze Bayley. "It's great to be able to go back to the vibe of these songs and use the experience we have now to re-record and reimagine them with Jase producing it all. It's been one of the most exciting things we've done and we didn't expect it to be so much fun."

Steve Danger, WOLFSBANE's dynamic drummer's take is a little more pragmatic. He says: "BLACK LEATHER JACKET! A new one, because old faithful no longer zips up due to a life full of experiences. Experiences equals cake!"

Finally, bassist Jeff Hateley summed it up well: "People have asked us to do this for years, we've always said no. But then we realized we still play most of these songs live and they've evolved over the years. The 35th anniversary seems like a good time to do it all again, our way. The same but different, different but the same."

The band recently shared a teaser video from the studio on their social media and YouTube channel with the caption, "Name That Solo?!?!".

WOLFSBANE burst out of the Midlands in the mid-1980s, signed to Rick Rubin's Def American label in 1989, built up a massive following of (self-titled) "howling mad shitheads" (HMS) and released three raucous albums before imploding in 1994, when Bayley joined IRON MAIDEN.

WOLFSBANE reformed in 2011 to record its first studio album for 17 years, "Wolfsbane Save The World", released in January 2012 to huge acclaim.

WOLFSBANE's first album in a decade, "Genius", was released in June 2022. The artwork for the LP was designed by Simon "Mackie" Piasecki, who also created the covers for WOLFSBANE's 1990 EP "All Hell's Breaking Loose Down At Little Kathy Wilson's Place" and 1991's album "Down Fall The Good Guys".

WOLFSBANE August 2024 press photo above (left to right): Jeff Hateley, Jase Edwards, Steve Danger and Blaze Bayley

In a new interview with Czech Republic's Metalshop TV, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE frontman Chris "Motionless" Cerulli was asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2022's "Scoring The End Of The World" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "We're kind of in a situation right now where what I mentioned [earlier in the interview] about the last record having the time from the pandemic, that was amazing. And I feel like it's so obvious that that's the biggest factor why the last record was what it was. So, to me, I'm just, like, well, thankfully we're in a period of our career right now where I hope that we can afford that kind of time away where fans are, like, they understand that that's why we're gone because we're putting the time towards the album to make the best album we can make."

He continued: "Doing an album in three months just is not realistic anymore, at least not for us. And that's what we were used to back in the day. But that's not our reality anymore. We're taking our time with it. We're doing tours in between. And honestly, when it's done, it's done. I have no date that I'm announcing. It will be next year, that's for sure. But I'm not even thinking about a date. I'm just writing the coolest songs that we could write. And we're really excited about what we have."

Chris added: "Yeah, it's scary 'cause you're always worried that you're gonna lose momentum and fans are gonna kind of move on if you take too long. But I'd rather write the coolest record that we could write and lose fans because we took too long than put out a half-assed record and have that be part of our discog[raphy]. It just doesn't make sense to me. So, wait, goddammit."

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE will return for their second annual Scranton / Wilkes-Barre Apocalypse Fest on October 31 at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza. The festival will feature a headlining set from MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, who will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of their breakthrough album "Reincarnate" by playing the LP in full along with fan favorites from their catalog.

With over one billion cumulative streams and views to date, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE has notched four consecutive Top 5 debuts on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums chart and Top Rock Albums chart with "Reincarnate" (2014),"Graveyard Shift" (2017),"Disguise" (2019) and their latest effort, "Scoring The End Of The World" (2022),the latter debuting at No. 12 on the Billboard 200, marking the band's second biggest sales week ever. "Scoring The End Of The World" is highlighted by the singles "Masterpiece" which reached No. 1 at Active Rock radio, becoming the band's first chart-topper at the format, and "Werewolf", which reached Top 10 at Active Rock radio and an impressive one million music video views in just four days after its debut.

Last September, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE released "Scoring The End Of The World (Deluxe Edition)", a special deluxe reissue of "Scoring The End Of The World", which saw the Cerulli-fronted outfit expanding on its acclaimed 2022 album with new four new bonus tracks, including "Hollow Points", "Fool's Gold", "Timebomb" (STEOTW Mix)" and "Porcelain: Ricky Motion Picture Collection".

"Scoring The End Of The World (Deluxe Edition)" is available in multiple formats and on vinyl for the first time ever in several different color variants, including black, orange, hellfire, scorched earth, and electric purple, the latter of which comes with exclusive alternate cover artwork.

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE is Chris Motionless (vocals),Ricky Olson (guitar),Ryan Sitkowski (guitar),Vinny Mauro (drums) and Justin Morrow (bass).

In a new interview with IndiePower.com, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill commented on the fact that he and his bandmates sound rejuvenated, full of energy and passion on their recently released album, "Invincible Shield". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think a lot of it is probably down to [PRIEST guitarist] Richie [Faulkner]. He's had a lot of input in, especially the last album, the new album, 'Invincible Shield'. He came along to sort of breathe new life into the band. Things were getting a little bit jaded back there at one point. I think it might have been one of the reasons Ken [former PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing] left. But [Richie] came along with boundless enthusiasm and it's all rubbed off on the rest of us. He came, and the first thing he did was the 'Epitaph' tour [in 2011], and the whole idea behind that was to slow down. That didn't quite happen. We've been working harder than we've ever done. Like I say, a lot of that's down to him and, of course, the enthusiasm of everyone else. We love what we do. We really do. That's why we do it. And it would be strange if we didn't do it. So, like I say, he's allowed us to continue at this level anyway."

Hill also talked about the feeling in the PRIEST camp as he and his bandmates prepare for the second North American leg of PRIEST's tour in support of "Invincible Shield", which kicks off in early September in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He said: "Like I say, we love what we do. And at the end of a leg of a tour, you get your instrument, you put it in a cupboard and say, 'Okay, that's it.' A couple of weeks later, you're starting to open the cupboard and peek in: 'Is it still there?' The next thing you know, you're just itching to get out there and get on with it. So the feeling in the band is great. Morale is high, and we're loving it. We're still loving it. And we're looking forward to getting back out and playing to you guys. We did most of the East Coast and part of the Midwest on the first leg, and we're getting down to the West Coast, and, again, Midwest, the Southern part, on the second leg."

JUDAS PRIEST recently announced leg two of its "Invincible Shield" tour with special guest SABATON. The all-time greats will take over new markets in North America this fall with an additional 23 performances.

Produced by Live Nation, the tour kicks off on September 13 at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec and makes stops in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Omaha, Nebraska; Spokane, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles, California; Phoenix, Arizona and more before wrapping up with three shows in Texas on October 22, 24 and 26.

JUDAS PRIEST kicked off the spring 2024 U.S. leg of the "Invincible Shield" world tour on April 18 at Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Connecticut.

"Invincible Shield" entered the U.K. chart at No. 2, just behind Ariana Grande's "Eternal Sunshine".

Prior to "Invincible Shield"'s arrival, PRIEST's highest U.K. chart achievement was with 1980's "British Steel", which reached No. 4.

PRIEST's 2018 album "Firepower" entered the chart at No. 5.

"Invincible Shield" was JUDAS PRIEST's fifth Top 10 album, after the aforementioned "British Steel" and "Firepower", as well as 2014's "Redeemer Of Souls" (No. 6) and the 1979 live album "Unleashed In The East" (No. 10).

"Invincible Shield" landed at No. 1 in Germany, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as No. 5 in France, No. 8 in Italy and No. 16 in Australia.

Mercury Studios will release DEF LEPPARD "One Night Only Live At The Leadmill Sheffield May 19, 2023" on October 11, 2024.

Following a hugely successful "Record Store Day" release in April 2024, DEF LEPPARD "One Night Only Live At The Leadmill Sheffield May 19, 2023" will be available on CD, DVD+CD, Blu-ray+CD, limited-edition two-LP pressed on orange vinyl, digital audio and digital video. The DEF LEPPARD store is offering copies of the CD with a signed card (limited to 100 copies),and a "Live At The Leadmill" shirt.

On the eve of the band's largest European run ever — including a sold-out night at Wembley Stadium — and on the heels of launching their critically acclaimed and chart-topping new album "Drastic Symphonies" (recorded at the renowned Abbey Road),DEF LEPPARD streamed a one-off live performance from the historic Sheffield venue, The Leadmill. This unique set was from one of the most intimate shows the band has played in Europe in over 35 years, giving their fans the chance to hear and see the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame-inducted band up close performing an extraordinary stadium style set in a club setting.

"One Night Only Live At The Leadmill Sheffield May 19, 2023" track listing:

Side A

01. Action
02. Fire It Up
03. Let It Go

Side B

01. Too Late For Love
02. Excitable
03. Mirror Mirror

Side C

01. Slang
02. Kick
03. Bringin’ On The Heartbreak
04. Switch 625

Side D

01. Hysteria
02. Pour Some Sugar On Me
03. Wasted

DEF LEPPARD wanted to shine a light on The Leadmill, a vital part of the Sheffield and national U.K. music scene which is among many of the small U.K. music venues threatened with closure. Net proceeds from ticket sales from The Leadmill show are being donated to Music Venue Trust who diligently work to help struggling U.K. music venues.

When the show was first announced, DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott said: "Sheffield is in the very DNA of this band!

"We are ecstatic to be starting the European leg of our world tour at home at Bramall Lane!

"When thinking of a warm-up, it made sense to do a special set at The Leadmill, in the city where it all started.

"We know there are a lot of small music venues struggling across the U.K., so we wanted to give back to what gave to us.

"The net proceeds from the evening will go directly to Music Venue Trust in an effort to keep U.K. clubs alive…and to coincide with the release of our symphonic record, 'Drastic Symphonies'. It's all very special!"

DEF LEPPARD and JOURNEY recently joined forces for a summer 2024 North American tour. The 23-date trek launched on July 6 in St. Louis, Missouri and is hitting cities including Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles and more before wrapping in Denver on September 8. Openers include STEVE MILLER BAND and CHEAP TRICK, which will vary by city.

DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE have completed several legs of "The World Tour", which included U.S. dates with Alice Cooper.

DEF LEPPARD's latest album of all-new material, "Diamond Star Halos", sold 34,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release in May 2022 to land at position No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked the band's eighth top 10 LP.

Of "Diamond Star Halos"' 34,000 units earned for the week, album sales comprised 32,000, SEA units comprised 2,000 (equaling 2.7 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs) and TEA units comprised less than 500 units.

DEF LEPPARD's previous Top 10 albums included "Pyromania" (which peaked at No. 2 in 1983),"Hysteria" (No. 1 for six weeks in 1988),"Adrenalize" (No. 1 for five weeks in 1992),"Retro Active" (No. 9; 1983),"Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection" (No. 10; 2005),"Songs From The Sparkle Lounge" (No. 5; 2008) and "Def Leppard" (No. 10; 2015).

Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes launched his Scandinavian tour, billed as a "Special And Unique 40 Years Anniversary Of W.A.S.P. by Chris Holmes in Scandinavia", on Friday, August 23 at Drottningtorget in Trollhättan, Sweden.

The setlist for the concert was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. On Your Knees
02. Hellion
03. L.O.V.E. Machine
04. Blind In Texas
05. Sleeping (In The Fire)
06. I Wanna Be Somebody
07. Tormentor
08. The Headless Children
09. 9.5.-N.A.S.T.Y.
10. Wild Child
11. Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)
12. I Don't Need No Doctor
13. Rockin' In The Free World
14. Highway To Hell

Fan-filmed video of the entire show can be seen below.

Earlier this month, Holmes told Canada's The Metal Voice about his Scandinavian tour: "These shows I'm doing are completely different. I haven't done this for years… I'm not singing [at] these shows. I'm playing on the normal side that I play at. I've got a guy called Sleazy — he's taking the Randy [Piper, former W.A.S.P. guitarist] side, doing exactly what Randy did, and our bass player is in the middle singing, and we're doing exactly the London Lyceum songs [which were included in W.A.S.P.'s video recorded at London's Lyceum on October 24, 1984], except 'School Daze' and 'The Flame'. I took those out, I put in 'Wild Child' and '9.5.-N.A.S.T.Y.' and 'I Don't Need No Doctor'."

Holmes went on to say that his tour is celebrating "40 years of the first [W.A.S.P.] tour. Kind of like what Blackie's [Lawless, W.A.S.P. frontman] doing [with the upcoming W.A.S.P. tour]," he explained. "Blackie's doing the first record. I'm not. I'm doing the Lyceum show, without all the torture and the blood and stuff. Our bass player, he won't do that. And I don't blame him. I don't blame him. But we're gonna do the songs like that."

Regarding his mindset going into playing the W.A.S.P. classics, Holmes said: "It's been 40 years. I'm not gonna play… I don't know. I can't say I'm not gonna play with the same intensity. Maybe I might — I don't know. I've been going through all the songs, just making sure that I know that the old parts. Plus I have the other guitar player playing all of Randy's parts, that Randy played. One other song we put in there's is also 'Blind In Texas', which is not on the Lyceum, but I put that in there too. But, yeah, it's gonna be cool."

Asked how he feels about Blackie embarking on a tour to celebrate the 40th anniversary of W.A.S.P.'s debut album by performing the LP in its entirety. Chris said: "More power to him, if he can. I mean, you've gotta understand, the singing on there, it's not nice and pretty, and he's screaming the whole time and screaming over every song. The whole length, except for 'Sleeping (In The Fire)' he sang, but everything else is just screaming. I even told him that after [we recorded] the album, I go, 'You're gonna have problems singing this.' Hey, more power to him. If he can do that, and that's what the people wanna hear or see or whatever, more power to him."

Holmes joined W.A.S.P. in 1982 and remained with the group until 1990. In 1996, the guitarist returned to W.A.S.P. and stayed with the band until 2001. Chris has not played with W.A.S.P. since.

In 2022, Holmes completed seven weeks of radiation therapy in his battle with cancer in throat and neck.

In September 2022, Chris told Canada's The Metal Voice that he hadn't heard from Blackie since his diagnosis. He said: "Blackie could have helped to pay for some of my treatment, but [he didn't]. But Nikki Sixx [MÖTLEY CRÜE] did. He gave me a lot of money. He was the first one; he forked over 500 bucks, and I love the guy for it. Thank you, Nikki. I love him for that."

A few hours after Chris's diagnosis was made public in February 2022, Lawless released a statement via W.A.S.P.'s social media in which he said: "The entire W.A.S.P. family are all optimistic of a positive outcome concerning the diagnosis for Chris. I certainly wish him the very best."

In 2021, Holmes told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that W.A.S.P. was "a group, a band" on the first LP. "And after that, the second album, it wasn't a group — it was a one-man show," he said. "And it's been a one-man show after that ever since. It's the way it is. Look at the records. It's the way it is in that band."

According to Chris, he, guitarist Randy Piper, drummer Tony Richards and Blackie were all part of W.A.S.P. initial management contract, but Blackie was the only one signed to the record label. "Everybody thinks we [all] signed to the label, but it wasn't [like that]," Holmes told "Trunk Nation".

Despite the fact that he only got songwriting credit on a couple of the songs on each of the first four W.A.S.P. records, Holmes was adamant that his input was essential to the band's overall sound.

"If I would have quit after the first album, the way I play guitar, the way I play is really important to writing those songs," he told "Trunk Nation".

"If I hadn't joined in the beginning, it would have never worked. Blackie told me that the first day, when he came and talked to me to play in W.A.S.P. He says, 'I've got this band. It's not gonna work unless you're in it.' He told me that to my face."

In February 2022, Lawless shot down Holmes's claim that the guitarist was "screwed" out of receiving royalties on the W.A.S.P. albums that he performed on. Lawless discussed Holmes's tenure with W.A.S.P. in an interview with "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Asked to respond to Holmes's assertion in Chris's recently released documentary "Mean Man: The Story Of Chris Holmes" that he was financially taken advantage of during his time in the band, Lawless said: "I don't really know much about… I spoke to [former W.A.S.P. guitarist] Randy Piper a couple of years ago. I don't really know what's going on with the rest of the guys. And I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about with Chris about not being paid.

"Chris, at two different points in his musical career, received settlements from this band; he signed documents as such," Blackie explained. "And he was paid quite well.

"I haven't seen what you're talking about. The answer I'm giving you right now is based on what you just said to me."

The W.A.S.P. frontman went on to confirm that he hadn't seen Chris's documentary and was once again asked about Holmes's claim that there is money and songwriting credits that he didn't get that he's due. Lawless said simply: "That is not true."

During a November 2017 press conference in Moscow, Russia, Lawless was asked what he would say to those W.A.S.P. fans who continue to call for the band to reunite with Holmes. He responded: "People get divorced for certain reasons, and there's times when the kids want the parents to get back together, but sometimes it never happens. And this is one of those [times]. Sorry."

America's daily coffee routine is about to get rocked. On August 28, 7-Eleven, Inc. will debut an exclusive "anniversary" blend of GREEN DAY's coffee brand, Punk Bunny Coffee, at 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes stores nationwide for a limited time. This epic collaboration was brewed up to commemorate the 60th anniversary of 7-Eleven originating the idea of freshly brewed coffee in to-go cups and the 30th anniversary of GREEN DAY's breakout album "Dookie", and 20th anniversary of "American Idiot".

To celebrate the launch, 7-Eleven and Punk Bunny are offering the chance to win big by honoring the tradition of GREEN DAY fans solidifying their fandom in ink — with a twist. On August 28 starting at 8:00 a.m. ET, the first 50 fans to show up at 7-Eleven at 800 6th Ave in New York City and get inked with a custom 7-Eleven x Punk Bunny tattoo will receive free 7-Eleven coffee for 711 days.* The unique, semi-permanent tattoo is designed by Lady Cobra, a fellow Bay Area native and tattoo artist who will be on-site at the event inking some fans herself.

"This year, we celebrate the 60th anniversary of 7-Eleven as the first national retailer to offer freshly brewed coffee in to-go cups, making us the OG To-Go coffee destination," said Dennis Phelps, senior vice president, merchandising (vault and proprietary beverages) at 7-Eleven. "What better way to celebrate than by teaming up with Punk Bunny to bring new and exclusive coffee options to our customers and offering a one-of-a-kind coffee experience?"

The Punk Bunny Coffee "anniversary" blend is the perfect way to start the day off with a bang, featuring hints of citrus to awaken the senses along with undertones of rich stone fruit. The warm cocoa with a gentle hint of spice finish creates a multi-layered coffee experience. In addition to the exclusive "anniversary" blend roast, Punk Bunny is bringing Fair Trade Certified coffee to 7-Eleven with bagged blends and K-Cups of the Sound Check and Last Ride In roasts, available in stores. Fans across the country can score a limited-edition Punk Bunny-inspired collectible refill mug in 7-Eleven and Speedway stores while supplies last.

"When we first came together as a band back in high school, the 7-Eleven in our hometown was our go-to spot," said Billie Joe Armstrong, frontman of GREEN DAY. "As we celebrate the anniversaries of two of our biggest albums, it's a full circle moment to have our coffee company Punk Bunny available at 7-Eleven stores."

Not in New York City, but still want to show your fandom? Punk Bunny Coffee has teamed up with 7-Eleven's online merch shop 7Collection to create a capsule of limited-time merch to celebrate the collaboration. The capsule includes co-branded tees, totes and stickers.

"As a GREEN DAY fan myself, I am particularly excited to share this collaboration with our customers," said Marissa Jarratt, executive vice president and chief marketing and sustainability officer. "The addition of Punk Bunny to the 7-Eleven coffee lineup continues our commitment to bring new, exclusive items to stores. Together with Punk Bunny, we hope to excite coffee and music fans everywhere and celebrate 60 years of our to-go coffee."

*Tattoos are only available to the first fifty (50) participants. First come, first served. Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C., 21 and older and present in New York City, NY on August 28. Begins 8:00 a.m. ET on August 28 and ends 4:00 p.m. ET on August 28.

Formed in 1986 in Berkeley, California, GREEN DAY is one of the world's best-selling bands of all time, with more than 75 million records sold worldwide and 10 billion cumulative audio/visual streams. The five-time Grammy Award-winning Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees released their breakout album "Dookie" in 1994, which sold over 10 million and achieved 10-times-platinum diamond status, is widely credited with popularizing and reviving mainstream interest in punk rock, catapulting a career-long run of No. 1 hit singles. Entertainment Weekly calls GREEN DAY "the most influential band of their generation," while Rolling Stone attests, "GREEN DAY have inspired more young bands to start than any act this side of KISS, and that doesn't seem to be changing." In 2004, GREEN DAY released the rock opera "American Idiot" which captured the nation's attention, selling more than eight million copies in the U.S. alone and taking home the Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album". Mojo declared "It's exhilarating stuff, the kind of record that sets new parameters as to what is possible from a punk rock'n'roll band in the 21st century." In 2010, a stage adaptation of "American Idiot" debuted on Broadway to critical and commercial acclaim. Released in 2020, GREEN DAY's thirteenth studio album "Father Of All…" debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Album Sales chart and No. 1 in both the U.K. and Australia. Pitchfork declared, "GREEN DAY's most fetching and youthful songs in ages. The trio sounds reinvigorated, more like hungry newcomers staking their claim." In July 2021, GREEN DAY embarked on "The Hella Mega Tour" (with FALL OUT BOY and WEEZER). The global tour included 29 sold-out stadium gigs — including renowned venues like London Stadium and Los Angeles's Dodger Stadium. On January 19, 2024, the band released their highly anticipated 14th studio album, "Saviors", which includes hit singles "The American Dream Is Killing Me", which reached No. 1 on Billboard's Rock & Alternative Airplay, and "Dilemma". The album debuted at No. 1 on seven different Billboard charts and marked their fifth No. 1 in the U.K. "Saviors" received widespread critical praise, with Rolling Stone describing it as "huge songs and snotty satire for a world on fire," while The New York Times hailed it as "a decisive, even overdetermined return to form." The New Yorker summed it up best with "It's GREEN DAY's world now." GREEN DAY is currently on their massive global stadium tour — "The Saviors Tour" — where they play "Dookie" and "American Idiot" in their entirety, along with other "Saviors" cuts and fan favorites. The tour will conclude on September 28 at Petco Park in San Diego.

Press photo courtesy of 2b Entertainment

Legendary Canadian rocker Bryan Adams released the official music video for his version of "War Machine", one of two songs he co-wrote in the 1980s with Jim Vallance and KISS's Gene Simmons.

"War Machine" and "Rock And Roll Hell", which Adams released earlier this month, both originally appeared on KISS's 1982 album "Creatures Of The Night".

Adams will release "War Machine" and "Rock And Roll Hell" as a limited-edition double A-side seven-inch single on August 30 via his new independent label, Bad Records.

"War Machine"'s signature riff was developed from a bass riff played to Adams by Gene Simmons.

Bryan explained: "Here are two songs I co-wrote when I was a 22-year-old struggling songwriter. I got a call out of the blue from producer Michael James Jackson to see if I would like to write for KISS, which I was thrilled to do, and these are a couple of the songs that were the result, written with both Gene Simmons and Jim Vallance.

"While sitting with the band, Gene played me this fantastic bass riff, which ended up being the backbone of 'War Machine'. I was trying to think of a theme that could possibly match the riff and came up with the title. Seeing as the other song we'd written was about hell, War was the obvious theme to coincide with it.

"'Rock And Roll Hell' was actually Jim's song that had been released a few years earlier with BACHMAN TURNER OVERDRIVE, and I suggested that we re-write it for KISS. It's incredible to think these themes are unfortunately still playing out for real in the world today, but I'm very grateful to the KISS guys for giving me the chance back then."

Regarding the accompanying "War Machine" video, he added: "I aimed to create something monumental for the 'War Machine' video, and I'd been collaborating with CGI director Ben Ib on a peace-themed video entitled 'What If There Were No Sides At All'. To contrast the peace message of that video, I proposed to Ben that we develop the 'War Machine' video showcasing chaos and destruction. In the video, the tyrant that is leading the war ultimately faces consequences for his actions."

Adams previously stated about his collaboration with KISS: "I was thrilled to work with them back then. I was a broke songwriter, it came at the perfect time. While sitting with the band, Gene played me this fantastic bass riff, which ended up being the backbone of 'War Machine'. I was trying to think of a theme that could possibly match the riff and came up with the title, which was actually an homage to a comic book character."

Adams told Classic Rock magazine in 2014: "KISS's deal was they had to have their name on the songs if they were gonna record it. They put some bit in the song that would qualify for a credit, but they had nothing to do with writing the songs. At the time — this was around '81 — Jim and I were just young songwriters looking for a break. I guess we were grateful for that."

Adams's music has achieved No. 1 status in over 40 countries. He has garnered many awards and accolades, including three Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, a Grammy Award and multiple Canadian awards such as Companion Of The Order Of Canada and 18 Juno Awards, among others. His recent songs have been the peace track "What If There Were No Sides At All" and two songs from the Comedy Central film "Office Race". Adams co-wrote all the music and lyrics for "Pretty Woman: The Musical" and released the Grammy-nominated "So Happy It Hurts" (Best Rock Performance) album in 2022.

Semiramis propose an old looking postcard from the past as first single taken from the album “La fine non esiste”: the image of Airship Italia standing out against “Tenda Rossa” (Red Tent), that is the song subject.

The track is about the Italian long-haul aviator Mr Umberto Nobile who wanted to “cercare l’impossibile” (look for the impossible) in 1928, but unfortunately fell down with his airship on the North Pole pack. Nobile managed to survive together with few men of his crew thanks to the Red Tent.

The lyrics celebrate, illustrate, question: “dov’è la verità di quel disastro? “ (where does the truth about that disaster lie?); music, on the other hand tries to describe the characters’ feelings: anguish, terror, resignation and final relief in a pure prog evolution.

In a new interview with Chuck Armstrong of "Loudwire Nights", MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine was asked how the dynamic within the band since last year's addition of guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari. Mustaine responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we are a band again. It doesn't feel like me and some side players or some session guys. Not that it felt like that with any of the previous lineups, but that was one of the fears that I had. I feel like Kiko [Loureiro, MEGADETH's previous guitarist] did us a really huge courtesy by helping us find Teemu because with Kiko needing to step down… I thought I was gonna finish my career out with Kiko, and when things came up with him, he couldn't tour anymore because he needed to be home for his kids. So I see he's touring again, which I'm happy that he's still playing. But he had to go home. And when he did, he introduced us to Teemu. And it was an even closer connection between me and Teemu than Kiko and I had. We'll [Kiko and I] always be friends, but this new relationship I have is — it harkens me back to the days when we had Marty Friedman in the band and the four of us actually felt like a band."

Mustaine also talked about a possible follow-up to MEGADETH's 2022 album "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" which arrived six years after its predecessor, 2016's "Dystopia". Asked if he is thinking about the next MEGADETH full-length album at this point, Mustaine said: "Yes, we are. We're not gonna be taking as long in between offerings as we did this time. There were a lot of setbacks — the pandemic, the blockade, you name it. It's just so many things that went on. [My throat] cancer treatment, the lineup change, having to start from scratch with a new bassist. And the cancer treatment also was difficult on the guys because they were watching me go through all this stuff. And one day, I would be seemingly normal. The other day, I would be so medicated that I couldn't stay awake. And that was hard for the guys to see. I had two days that I was really, really sick that I threw up. Out of the whole treatment, I thought that was really good. I was fighting with everything, every moral fiber of my being, to make sure that I stayed in the game, because they kept saying over and over again, 'If you don't eat, if you lose weight, we're gonna put a tube in you.' And I got so serious. And we started to pick up the pace when we were doing the ['The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!'] record."

Reflecting on the decision to fire longtime bassist David Ellefson during the final recording phase of "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!", Mustaine said: "I don't like getting into the details about it because Dave was my friend for many, many years and even still, in a matter of faith, we're still brothers, but this was something we needed to change, and I painfully did so. And we had Steve DiGiorgio come in from TESTAMENT [to play on the album], and he really delivered. He was a great guy and just masterful player. I really liked him a lot. We talked a lot about his availability to play with us if we had tour dates come up until we found a permanent player. And I thought about that, and I just thought, 'No, I don't wanna do that to Eric [Peterson, TESTAMENT guitarist] and the guys in TESTAMENT,' 'cause Eric and I and Alex [Skolnick, TESTAMENT guitarist], we're guitar players, so we're close with one another. And poaching somebody's player I don't think is cool. Plus, Steve had integrity, where he was there to play on the record and everything. And any talk of anything other than that, it just never germinated. And just to be clear for the record, we never tried to steal Steve. I think he would tell you that. We were talking about situations where if we had a concert, we needed him to come in and do a one-off."

Mäntysaari stepped in last September for Loureiro, who announced earlier that month that he would sit out the next leg of MEGADETH's "Crush The World" tour in order to stay home with his children back in Finland. It was later revealed that the 37-year-old Finnish musician would continue to play guitar for MEGADETH for the foreseeable future, with Loureiro seemingly having no plans to return.

Mäntysaari was born in Tampere, Finland and began playing guitar at the age of 12. In 2004, he joined the band WINTERSUN. He has also been a member of SMACKBOUND since 2015.

Earlier this month, Mustaine was asked by Kyle Meredith what Mäntysaari has brought to MEGADETH that wasn't there before. Mustaine responded: "God, he's such an amazing talent. And as far as being a human is concerned, he's a really humble guy. He's fun to be around because he's kind of — there's this 'greenness' to him, if that's a word, greenness. He makes it really fun because he's gone from being in a band that was pretty well known to being in MEGADETH. And so everything's very new for him at this level. And for us, we get to kind of enjoy ourselves, because we sometimes forget where we're at and then you see other people that, 'Wow, the bread is round and so is the meat,' that kind of shit. And it just makes him really happy, and it just reminds you of how good you have it."

Regarding how much a lineup change like that actually alters the musical DNA of the band, Dave said: "Well, it depends on who the new player is. If they're willing to learn the parts, then the songs either, they stay where they are or they get better. And a lot of times when you have a new player, like when Teemu came in, he played everything identical to the original players. So, he's been one of the best guitar players to step in and play somebody else's stuff. I don't know what his stuff's going to sound like yet, which I'm looking forward to finding out."

This past June, Mustaine told Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece that he thinks Teemu will contribute to the songwriting process on MEGADETH's next studio album. "I think he's gonna be a great addition to MEGADETH," Dave said. "He already has. We're playing more songs now than we were playing before. And that has nothing negative to say about any of the previous lineups. It just says that he knew more about the band and understands the metal backbone of so many of these songs more than some of the other people would understand it."

He continued: "When you're a metal guy, I think you understand metal compositions more than somebody who, say for example, knows progressive rock like [former MEGADETH guitarist] Chris Broderick does, or somebody who knows bossa nova, which Kiko does, or somebody that plays jazzy, like [former MEGADETH guitarist] Glen Drover would play, maybe Al Pitrelli. These guys all have their strengths."

Mustaine added: "I've often thought, although I've never said it, I do believe that when somebody gets singled out by me, that's pretty much it for them. They've been indoctrinated into the world of great guitar players, and from that moment on, their life will change."

In early October, Mustaine told Shaggy of the 94.9 and 104.5 The Pick radio station in Idaho Falls, Idaho about Teemu's addition to MEGADETH: "People are losing their minds over how things are going right now 'cause we have a really good chemistry together."

In September, Mustaine was equally full of praise for Mäntysaari, telling Wes Styles in a separate interview: "He's really great. And I'm super excited with what Teemu has brought. And it's uncanny because he plays a lot like Marty. And it's really exciting. At certain times I just close my eyes during the set and I just hear these songs played, whether like Kiko in the past or Teemu now, it just sounds really magic because these guys have learned these songs and they're not just going out there and just banging their guitar around; they actually learned the solos from some of the virtuosos that I've played with over my career."

Photo credit: Ryan Chang

Skilled laborers and tradespeople have long been the backbone of America, shaping the economic health and hard-working spirit of the country. However, the U.S. continues to face a widening skilled labor shortage, with young workers experiencing societal barriers to entering the trades, as 79% of young Americans say their parents want them to pursue a college education after high school and only 5% say the same about vocational school. Carhartt, America's iconic workwear brand, is continuing to help eliminate barriers and close the skilled trades gap this Labor Day by dedicating its fall 2024 "For The Love Of Labor" grant to support METALLICA's All Within My Hands foundation and its Metallica Scholars Initiative.

Created by the members and management of METALLICA, All Within My Hands is a non-profit, philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting workforce education by connecting future workers with trade programs in their local community. Carhartt's For The Love Of Labor grant donation will benefit the foundation's Metallica Scholars program to support 60 community colleges across all 50 states — including the 18 new schools that joined the program in July 2024. Funding provided by Carhartt will support not only school tuition at local community colleges, but also wraparound services like childcare and transportation to eliminate barriers that may prevent candidates from pursuing skilled trades education.

"The Metallica Scholars Initiative was born from our collective passion to dismantle the stigma associated with the skilled trades, and we are so proud of how this program is changing lives across the nation," said METALLICA's Lars Ulrich. "The importance of skilled trades education cannot be overstated, and we are immensely grateful for organizations like Carhartt that are making a meaningful difference by breaking down barriers and investing in the future of skilled labor."

Through All Within My Hands' partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges, the Metallica Scholars Initiative is uniquely positioned to provide direct support to enhance career and technical education programs at a local level and help foster stronger pathways for workers to develop the skills needed to enter a traditional trade or other applied learning program. Now entering its sixth year, the Metallica Scholars initiative has impacted the lives of approximately 6,000 students, contributing to 30 fields of study and investing over $10.5 million to-date to support America's skilled workforce.

"All Within My Hands and Carhartt share a common mission to strengthen communities by closing the skilled trades gap," said Todd Corley, senior vice president of inclusion, sustainability and community at Carhartt. "Skilled trades education can be the start of a life-changing career path, and when workers and their families are taken care of, they are able to invest themselves back into their communities. We are proud to support the organizations that are inspiring the next generation of workers from diverse backgrounds by showing them how they can make their own history through the skilled trades."

This isn't the first time Carhartt and All Within My Hands have teamed up to support workforce development within the skilled trades. In March 2024, the workwear brand donated all proceeds from Carhartt.com, Reworked.Carhartt.com and all of its retail locations to All Within My Hands on International Women's Day to foster stronger pathways for women to enter the skilled trades. Timed with Labor Day in 2021, the two like-minded partners also collaborated on a nationwide campaign, "Hard Rock Is Hard Work," aimed to recruit a new generation of workers to the trades, in live events — such as concerts — and beyond.

Since its inception in Aug. 2020, Carhartt's For The Love Of Labor grant program has received hundreds of applications and awarded 24 grants — totaling nearly $2.7 million — to eligible U.S.-based 501©3 designated organizations in recognized apprenticeship industries that serve at least 100 individuals annually. With Carhartt's funding, recipient organizations have been able to provide hardworking participants with durable gear, tools, childcare and transportation. Several recipient organizations have also added new programs, instructors, resources, and ultimately, graduated more apprenticeship students that are equipped to close the country's skilled trades gap.

Established in 1889, Carhartt is a global premium workwear brand with a rich heritage of developing rugged products for workers on and off the job. Headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, with approximately 3,000 employees worldwide, Carhartt is family-owned and managed by the descendants of the company's founder, Hamilton Carhartt.

For more information, visit www.carhartt.com.

All Within My Hands (AWMH) is a non-profit, philanthropic organization conceived by the members and management of METALLICA and dedicated to creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services. 100% of donations go directly to local organizations that the foundation supports. All Within My Hands' collective efforts have raised over $15 million — providing $8.2 million grants to career and technical education programs, over $3.6 million to combat food insecurity, and more than $3.5 million to disaster relief efforts. As always, METALLICA covers all administrative costs.

Jeff Waters says that METALLICA approached the ANNIHILATOR camp to ask him to audition for METALLICA as James Hetfleld's temporary replacement (on guitar only) while James recovered from being burned onstage back in 1992. METALLICA's guitar tech John Marshall, who previously filled in for Hetfield in 1986 when Hetfield broke his wrist in a skateboarding accident, eventually stepped in on rhythm guitar while the METALLICA star's arm healed.

On Friday (August 23),Waters took to the ANNIHILATOR social media to write: "August 8, 92, Montreal. METALLICA & GNR [GUNS N' ROSES] are on their infamous tour. A Pyro accident burns James Hetfield; luckily, he was ok. 17 days later, he rejoined the tour, singing-only, while tech John Marshall filled in on guitar for him. HOWEVER... here's a little-known, cool story.

"Fast-forward to 2013 at the London, UK Golden Gods/Metal Hammer Award show. I was a guest, along with 5FDP, Duff (GNR) and others, presenting awards and hanging out, honoring MOTÖRHEAD and alot more. I arrived early, being a punctual Canadian, in a then, foreign land. There was a nice, fancy bar up in the back of the venue and I was told to go up there and relax, before the storm of Metal and Rock n Roll hit hard. I get up there and not a soul was there. I ordered a bottle of water and then looked around to find a seat. Out of nowhere, a 'snarly' voice said 'Hey, Waters, is that you?'. I hadn't noticed anyone except the bartender but there was a guy sitting by himself, had glasses on and had a smile on his face. I walked towards him and (my exact words) 'Holy shit, you're Jason Newsted!'. So as a TALLICA/Jason fan, I was pleasantly shocked... that stopped quickly, though, as his next words were 'WTF happened to you, back when James got burnt in 92?'. I had no idea what he meant and asked him to explain. I then sat down beside him and he told me something pretty cool that I WISH I'd known! He said that, back when James had ben injured, they had a band vote as to who should temporarily replace him on guitar. I said to Jason 'ya?'!. Jason said 'we voted to get you but you never called us back'. Needless to say, I was in shock. C'mon. It is fkn METALLICA. Turns out, Jason said that one of their managers had called MY management office (I had 2 managers at that time, as did METALLICA) and they wanted me to do it. Jason said that their mgmt. was told MY mgmt. would get back to them... they never did! Now, after a short time, I figured out that MY mgmt. was likely worried that I might join METALLICA and they would lose their 'hold' on me OR that maybe the run with METALLICA might lead to me realizing that things were NOT right, regarding finances, mgmt., etc... Maybe they had no idea that James was irreplaceable! Either they didn't realize who he was OR it was the fear that I might realize that my business was not being run well! So now back to 2013 in London: Jason said 'we were all pissed that you never got back to us.' WOW! I was stunned and kept apologizing to Jason! He shook his head in disbelief that a manager would have not seen the benefits to even just having that on an artist's resume! haha! I told him, if he ever talks to the guys, to please tell them that MY MGMT. NEVER TOLD ME THAT YOU CALLED! WOW!!!

"So there ya go. Hope the other 3 METALLICA dudes hear this! I wonder if that would have changed anything or would have been simply a fun and honorable, temp-job!"

He added: "PS, this pic was taken, literally, 15 minutes after Jason told me I had that gig in 92 haha! Still in shock."

Among the other guitarists who actually auditioned for METALLICA as Hetfleld's temporary replacement in 1992 were SEPULTURA's Andreas Kisser and Bobby Gustafson, best known for his work with OVERKILL.

In a 2008 interview with Metal Rules, Waters confirmed that he had once been approached by Dave Mustaine about joining MEGADETH. He said: "With MEGADETH, it was a cool connection because in '89 we were touring with TESTAMENT and Chuck [Billy, TESTAMENT singer] storms into my hotel room and when he storms into your hotel room you stand up at attention and listen. And he's, like, 'Waters. Dave Mustaine's on the phone,' and I remember telling him to fuck off. He goes, 'No, seriously. He's on the phone.' [Dave] was looking for a guitar player and he was looking at Dime [PANTERA's 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott], myself and Marty Friedman, and he obviously made the right choice. He got the right guy for that one. Over the years, I've got a call from him or someone around him saying, 'Yeah, Dave needs you or Dave wants to talk to you about...,' you know, this kind of stuff. So I was always the guy that was sort of there but never really went past being the guy he was talking to. After joking about that for long enough, we finally became friends a couple of years ago. We started talking and hanging out a bit so my goal some day is to write a song with him."

Cool METALLICA/Jeff Waters (ANNIHILATOR) story? Annihilator/Amerikan Kaos' JEFF WATERS: "Why not, eh?! :)
August 8,...

Posted by Annihilator on Friday, August 23, 2024

During an appearance on the August 23 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", GREAT WHITE rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Michael Lardie confirmed that he and his bandmates are working on material for the follow-up to 2017's "Full Circle" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, every time we get together, we try to flesh out two or three ideas. It's hard to say how many we're gonna get, how big a record it's gonna be or if we're just gonna put out a couple of tunes at a time — we're still deciding all of that — but it's a great process with [new GREAT WHITE singer] Brett [Carlisle] because he is really involved. Even back in the day with [original GREAT WHITE singer] Jack [Russell], as great a singer as he was, sometimes he'd have a little ADHD and not want to sit still very long. So he would kind of not be a part of us hashing out the arrangements and stuff. Brett is there all the time, listening to everything we're doing, making suggestions. So it's a great process. We enjoy his thing. He's such a good little dude, man."

This past April, GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall talked to George Dionne of KNAC.COM about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's next album. He said: "I've been having [Brett Carlisle] out recording new stuff. Because I want him to be inspired and just not singing our [old] songs perfect but put his name on some new stuff. So we've been recording. I got a friend, his studio is a little bit more upgraded than mine. This guy Tracy G [Grijalva], he's like a teenage friend of mine who was in DIO. He just has a better studio. So I go down there and lay down ideas and then I have Brett out and go, 'Check this out,' and we sit together. And it's coming out amazing."

Regarding how GREAT WHITE is planning to release its new music, Mark said: "We're not sure how we're gonna put it out, with this day and age. We're talking to a lot of people about it. 'Cause we don't want the music to kind of get lost, with this downloading world. It's not like when we were growing up, we'd buy a record and sit there and listen to [LED ZEPPELIN's] 'Physical Graffiti' all day. Now they just download a couple of songs from this [album], a couple of songs [from that record]. So we're thinking maybe the idea could be [to] just put two or three songs out, maybe a video, and just keep coming with three at a time or something. That way, the music isn't wasted; it actually gets to the people. That's all we're concerned about. We know it's gonna be free on the Internet immediately."

He continued: "Even in our heyday, I was always more interested in the feedback. I want people to tell me, 'Man, I really like this song' or, 'I hate it,' or whatever. I used to go straight to a friend of mine, as soon as we were done, before it was out or anything, because you've gotta wait about four months. So I'd ask him, I go, 'Man, please tell me I'm great. Tell me something good.' He would always pick the singles. And the guy can't — he can't hold a tune in a bucket. I mean, he's so tone deaf, it's insane. But he can listen and he could always pick the singles. I'm going, 'What are you judging by? Is it the beat?' He goes, 'I don't know.' So there's no answer there. But I always like to get the feedback 'cause I wanna know… You have to wait this waiting period after you finish a record to find out if you're good or not, or if people are gonna be accepting. So it is a frustrating time. So I always race all my friends and play it for 'em. So that's what I'm more interested in than the dollars, really, is what people think. And maybe we have a chance to create some more memories."

Asked if he and his bandmates were "a little bit apprehensive" about the fact that Carlisle is only 27 years old while GREAT WHITE, as a group, has been in existence more than four decades, Mark said: "He's in his late 20s, but, believe it or not, he's kind of an old soul in a way. Nothing overwhelms the guy. He just goes out and just totally handles it every night, engages the crowd. He's real good with the interaction. He sings perfect all the time. And he's got really good song sense for a young man. I'm used to feeding people melody ideas when I write a song because that's the way I do it. Everybody has their own way to do it, but I always know that there's a lot of melody available, and he sometimes comes up with something way better than I had. So that's a good sign. And the way he delivers the new stuff, he really has a good handle on the music. And I don't know — I think he was born in the wrong time or something. In other words, we can stand together. It's not like he's standing next to his grandpa or something. It's not like we're CROSBY, STILLS & NASH, and, 'What's that 13-year-old doing there?' When we stand together, it just looks like a band. It doesn't look like we're with a little kid or anything. He's a little better-looking than us, but apart from that…"

Carlisle was officially named GREAT WHITE's new vocalist in October 2022. Brett joined the group as the replacement for Andrew Freeman (LAST IN LINE),who sang for GREAT WHITE for only five months.

Regarding what it has been like working with a singer who wasn't even born when some of GREAT WHITE's classic songs were written, Lardie told Robert Miguel of Uvalde Radio Rocks: "Well, I think he gets what we're trying to do. It's been a godsend to have someone with his youth, but at the same time he has what a lot of people would deem as an older soul. His parents did a great job bringing him up on '70s and '80s rock, so he's pretty well versed in that. And he comes from the South, so he's got a little bit of that blues and gospel edge to him."

Michael went on to say that he is "really looking forward" working on the new GREAT WHITE album with Carlisle. "In fact, before we were going on the other night, I was playing him a little bit of a thing that he and I are working on, and he's going, 'Oh, yeah, I got this idea,'" Lardie said. "So he's really psyched about working with us. And it's a joy to be onstage with him. He's turned into a great little performer, and when he's offstage, he's the most down-to-earth, righteous young man that I've come across in a while. And it's been a joy."

Michael added that Carlisle has the singing ability to handle anything from GREAT WHITE's catalog. "With his energy and his vocal range, we can do pretty much anything," he said. "If somebody throws out a tune, no matter how obscure it might be or how high it might be in terms of range, he's, like, 'Yeah, I can do that.' Like one of the songs we are doing from the very, very first record is 'Stick It'. And he hits every one of those notes spot-on every night. So it's awesome."

Regarding the musical direction of the new GREAT WHITE material, Lardie said: "It's hard to say. I would love the album to be kind of an amalgam of '...Twice Shy' [1989], 'Hooked' [1991] and 'Psycho City' [1992]. I mean, that, to me, would be a great combination of things."

In March, Kendall told The Logan Show about Carlisle: "Even though he's younger than us, he's kind of, like… Nothing overwhelms the guy. He's respectful and everything, but he's not, like, 'Oh, my god. Look at this. Oh, my god. [Look at] that.' He just goes out and just totally handles it every night. Yeah, he's younger than us and whatnot, and, like you said, he wasn't even born in our heyday or whatever, probably, but he just goes out, he really brings the crowd into the show. He's really good and natural at… He doesn't have a script when he goes out there; he just kind of whatever he's feeling, and he sings like perfect, no matter what. It's pretty incredible, really. We're looking forward to doing an album with him, I can tell you that much."

After interviewer Logan Crosland noted that "quite a few people online" have commented that Brett is "probably the closest-sounding singer to Jack Russell," GREAT WHITE's original vocalist, and asked if that was a criteria when hiring Brett to front the band, Mark said: "Not necessarily. What it was is he just sang the songs correctly and he has the range to sing 'em. I don't think his voice sounds that much like Jack, but he has the range of Jack in his heyday. And so we're able to play anything we want, and we really haven't been able to do that in the past. Like we're playing 'Stick It' off the first album, which is up in the astral planes with the vocal range, and he's hitting all those notes full power. I mean, it's not like a falsetto, weak high notes. He's like straight from the gut just like screaming these notes, like full power from A to Z. There's not a song in our catalog that he can't totally handle. And I've been writing with him."

Regarding whether he has any songs already completed, Mark said: "Oh, yeah. I probably have seven complete songs on tape right now. [They're] just absolutely killer. But we haven't collaborated. The way we do it is we get together and we sit in a circle and say, 'What do you got? Let's hear it. What do you got?' And if a riff kind of pokes out, we say, 'Let's work on that. That's badass, dude. That's killer.' And that way it's more of a group effort."

Carlisle made his live debut with GREAT WHITE on September 24, 2022 at the Cannery Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to Brett, he felt welcomed by his new bandmates and the GREAT WHITE fans from the get-go.

"After meeting [the GREAT WHITE guys], they're all super-cool dudes," he told Kevin McKay of the 99 Rock WKSM FM radio station. "In Vegas, we had a rehearsal the day before, and I already knew half the songs well enough to be able to do it. So I wanted to do the best that I could on 'em. But after we hung out, everybody was cool and stuff. I mean, it's a big crowd. I love big crowds; they're fun."

Carlisle has been playing guitar and singing since the age of eight and counts bands like VAN HALEN, SKID ROW and METALLICA as his main influences.

In May 2022, GREAT WHITE announced that it had parted ways with singer Mitch Malloy and had replaced him with Freeman. Malloy had been in GREAT WHITE for nearly four years, having joined the group in 2018 following the departure of Terry Ilous.

Ilous, frontman of '80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after stepping in for touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and 2017's "Full Circle", before Terry was dismissed from the group.

This version of GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE, which featured Russell.

In January 2023, Kendall told the "Mark 2.0" podcast that he was surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response to Carlisle's addition to GREAT WHITE. "It was world news," he said. "I'm seeing stuff on the Internet from Italy, Germany, the U.K. And even some of the more online dirt-seeking-type entities that normally are just huntin' for the headline to say, 'He said his singer sucks'. That's the article. That's the way it starts. These guys actually said good things and posted some of the [fan-filmed videos]. They're cellphone cameras, so the quality probably isn't… But you can hear it. You need to sing great."

In October 2022, Carlisle was asked in an interview with AL.com about his approach to singing GREAT WHITE's classic songs. He said: "I just want to do the songs justice, because that's what people expect to hear. They want to go to the shows and hear the songs the way they remember them, the way they know them. It's not about me and how many high notes I can hit or anything like that. I just want to do the give the people, and the band, what they want."

Brett went on to say that he is honored to be singing for a band whose songs — including "Save Your Love", "Rock Me" and "Lady Red Light" — he had previously covered with his other band ALL OR NOTHING.

"I just want to learn from them," Carlisle said of his new bandmates "It's just really cool to be included in what I've grown up listening to, like looking at the CDs and everything. And then now people are coming up after the shows asking me to sign like original GREAT WHITE cassettes and stuff. And I'm sitting here feeling like I'm not worthy. Because I didn't record that. But I'm like, I just sang with them, so, sure, if you want me to."

Jack Russell died earlier this month at the age of 63.

The news of Jack's passing came less than a month after he announced that he was retiring from touring following a diagnosis of Lewy body dementia.

GREAT WHITE press photo courtesy of Jeff Klein / Atomic City PR

MEGADETH performed the song "Washington Is Next!" live for the first time since 2009 during the band's August 24 concert at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

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

01. The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!
02. Dread And The Fugitive Mind
03. Angry Again
04. Hangar 18
05. She-Wolf
06. Washington Is Next! (first time since 2009)
07. Skin O' My Teeth
08. Liar
09. Sweating Bullets
10. Countdown To Extinction
11. Trust
12. Tornado Of Souls
13. We'll Be Back
14. Symphony Of Destruction
15. Mechanix
16. Peace Sells

Encore:

17. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

"Washington Is Next!" originally appeared on MEGADETH's eleventh studio album, "United Abominations", which was released in May 2007 via Roadrunner Records.

MEGADETH kicked off the "Destroy All Enemies" summer 2024 U.S. tour on August 2 at Walmart AMP, Rogers, Arkansas. Produced by Live Nation, the trek, which features MUDVAYNE and ALL THAT REMAINS as support, is hitting 33 cities, including Las Vegas, Boston and St. Louis, before wrapping up on September 28 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Finnish guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari joined MEGADETH last September after the band's longtime axeman Kiko Loureiro, announced earlier that month that he would sit out the next leg of MEGADETH's "Crush The World" tour in order to stay home with his children back in Finland. It was later revealed that Mäntysaari would continue to play guitar for MEGADETH for the foreseeable future, with Loureiro seemingly having no plans to return.

The 37-year-old Mäntysaari was born in Tampere, Finland and began playing guitar at the age of 12. In 2004, he joined the band WINTERSUN. He has also been a member of SMACKBOUND since 2015.

MEGADETH played its first concert with Mäntysaari on September 6, 2023 at Revel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Loureiro officially joined MEGADETH in April 2015, about five months after Chris Broderick's exit from the group.

Since its inception in 1983, MEGADETH has ascended from its raw thrash metal roots to become an unstoppable force in the heavy metal world. With founder Dave Mustaine at the helm, MEGADETH's journey has been marked by a penchant for pushing the boundaries of speed, technicality, and complexity in their music. Their groundbreaking album "Rust In Peace", released in 1990, is frequently cited as a seminal work in the thrash metal genre. Along with the critically acclaimed "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", it cemented MEGADETH's place in the annals of metal history.

Over four decades, the band's discography has earned numerous certifications, including platinum and multi-platinum awards, with albums like "Countdown To Extinction" and "Youthanasia" achieving widespread critical acclaim. 2016's "Dystopia" not only marked a high point with their first Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" after twelve nominations but also set the stage for their latest triumph, "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" in 2022. MEGADETH's status as part of the "Big Four" of thrash metal underscores their trailblazing role in the genre, laying the groundwork for countless bands and musicians who have followed in their wake.

MR. BIG played the last show of its "The BIG Finish" farewell tour on Friday, August 23 at the Way Too Far Rock Festival 2024. Bistrița, Romania.

After the concert, MR. BIG bassist Billy Sheehan took to his social media to share a picture from the gig and he included the following message: "Romania!!! Crowd was a little bit light, but they made up for it in enthusiasm! The last MR. BIG show (not MY last show, goddammit!!)

"What a great run we've had since 1988. We made Great memories and millions (literally) of friends all around the world. My unlimited love and respect to all who listened, watched, purchased records, tickets and T -shirts. — without you we would have been nothing. Fact. Moving on now to other adventures, but never forgetting this amazing experience."

Guitarist Paul Gilbert added: "What an adventure! MR. BIG wraps up over a year of touring! Many thanks to ALL! I'll get home just in time for my son's 10th birthday. I hope he remembers who I am! And special thanks to Ibanez guitars for getting beautiful instruments to me after my touring guitars were stolen."

Drummer Nick D'Virgilio, who joined MR. BIG in 2023 as the replacement for the late Pat Torpey, commented: "It has been an amazing run with @billysheehanonbass @paulgilbert_official and @iamericmartin I've been able to rock n roll all over the world with the guys and I will be forever thankful. Big Love for MR. BIG!"

In a recent interview with Joe Rock of Long Island's rock station 102.3 WBAB, MR. BIG frontman Eric Martin admitted that he was "second guessing" the announcement that that the group's "The BIG Finish" farewell tour would in fact mark the last time he and his bandmates hit the road together. He said: "Now since we're all getting along perfectly and the band's so super tight, I'm thinking, why are we dissolving our partnership? I'm second guessing now. I hope we do more records, but I get it. Paul probably doesn't want to tour as much, just like I don't. We've been on this road trip for a year. I don't wanna do the really lengthy tours. I'm not 30 years old anymore. I'm not even 40. I'm not even 50 anymore."

Eric continued: "I love people when they go, 'Oh, what about THE ROLLING STONES? Yeah, what about THE ROLLING STONES? They're super butt rich. They play one gig a week and they fly in, in a jet and five-star hotels. They're a little older now and they still rock out, but I'm thinking Mick Jagger gets carried to the stage. Come on."

Asked if he and his MR. BIG bandmates have considered the idea of doing a residency type of thing somewhere in the future, Eric said: "Well, I would. I would. I know that we've all agreed that — I hope there's a one-off here and there, but after August 23rd, that's all she wrote. And we're gonna stick to our guns — try to stick to our guns. I hope that we do one or two more shows. It's funny that you say residency because our drummer, our new drummer, Nick D'Virgilio, that's his idea lately, going we should do a residency — in Japan, for God's sake. We could do that. Las Vegas, move over Elton [John] and Celine Dion, and we could just maybe get in on the off strip and do a month or do a couple of weeks a year. That would be — in the immortal words of my father — that would be swell."

MR. BIG's tenth studio album, "Ten", was released on July 12 via Frontiers Music Srl. The LP features 11 new original tracks written by Martin and Gilbert, along with André Pessis and Tony Fanucchi. "Ten" was produced by Jay Ruston and MR. BIG.

D'Virgilio missed most of the final European leg of MR. BIG's "The BIG Finish" tour due to his commitments with his band BIG BIG TRAIN. He was temporarily replaced on the trek by Edu Cominato, an experienced drummer from São Paulo, Brazil who has previously played with Sheehan and Martin, Jeff Scott Soto and Geoff Tate (QUEENSRŸCHE),among others.

MR. BIG recently completed the European leg of "The BIG Finish", which saw the veteran band performing MR. BIG's 1991 album, "Lean Into It", in full, along with other cuts from the group's history.

When MR. BIG announced "The BIG Finish" tour last year, the bandmembers said that it was "time to mark the end of this chapter of their legacy" after drummer Pat Torpey lost his battle with Parkinson's disease in 2018. The first leg kicked off in Japan and Southeast Asia in July and August 2023, where the band performed for hundreds of thousands of loyal fans at 11 sold-out shows including Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.

MR. BIG's last-ever live album release will be "The BIG Finish Live", which is due out September 6 via the Evolution Music Group.

"The BIG Finish Live" is a brand-new live album and concert film of MR. BIG's "The BIG Finish" farewell tour, where the band played their million-selling "Lean Into It" album in its entirety, plus additional MR. BIG classics.

Romania!!! Crowd was a little bit light, but they made up for it in enthusiasm! The last Mr Big show ( not MY last show,...

Posted by Billy Sheehan on Friday, August 23, 2024

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A post shared by Paul Gilbert (@paulgilbert_official)



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A post shared by Nick D'Virgilio (@ndvirgilio)