Indigenous black metal master Blackbraid is sharing a cover of the song "Warriors," which was originally featured on the 2006 album Between Two Worlds. Now, Blackbraid gives this song his own twist, which can be heard and streamed across all digital services.





In addition, Blackbraid will be embarking on a European headlining tour this October. The On Wings of Sacred Death tour will kick off on Friday, October 11 at Soulcrusher festival in Nijmegen (NL) and will make its way through nine countries until the final stop on October 24 in Copenhagen (DK). Blackbraid will be joined by special guests Lamp of Murmuur and Dödsrit.




These will not be Blackbraid's only performances this year. Prior to the tour, Blackbraid will also be performing at C.Y. Festival in Los Angeles, CA on September 21. Find tickets here.





Blackbraid recently revealed that he is currently working on his third full-length.


Dates:


October
11 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Soulcrusher
12 – Brugge, Belgium – Cactus Club
13 – Hamburg, Germany – Knust
14 – Berlin, Germany – Lido
15 – Wroclaw, Poland – Transformator
16 – Vienna – Austria – Szene
17 – Munchen, Germany – Feierwerk
18 – Solothurn, Switzerland – Kofmehl Kulturfabrik
19 – Oignies, France – Tyrant Fest
20 – Essen, Germany – Turock
22 – Stockholm, Sweden – Kollektivet Livet
23 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Monument
24 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Pumpehuset 


(Photo: Wolf Mountain Productions)







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Swedish melodic death metal band Thermality have announced the release of their latest album, The Final Hours, a heavy, melodic masterpiece poised to make its mark on the world. Born in 2020 near the melodic death metal capital of Gothenburg, Thermality has quickly established itself as a torchbearer of the genre. With deep roots in the 90s and early 2000s melodic death metal, Thermality has crafted a sound that resonates with fans across the globe, blending nostalgia with innovation.


Each track on the album is a meticulously crafted labor of love, inviting listeners on a sonic journey that is both familiar and exhilaratingly new. The single accompanying today's album release is "Divinity Pt.1" - watch the lyric video below.


'The Final Hours' is not just a collection of songs, it is an evolution of melodic death metal through the lens of artists who respect its origins while daring to explore uncharted territories.




Here, Ludvig Sommar and Hampus Sätterlund comment on their new album:


"On The Final Hours we experimented a lot with clean guitars and acoustic guitar to make the album more dynamic whilst also giving the listeners to a chance to drift off and forget about reality for a little while. The album also has a lot more keys created by us in the band this time around which also helps add another layer to the music."


Thermality invites fans, old and new, to dive into this groundbreaking album and experience the evolution of melodic death metal. The Final Hours is a beacon for the genre's vibrant future, showcasing the band's sheer dedication and passion for their craft.





Following the acclaimed debut album 'Before I Get to Rest' in February 2023, Thermality continued to channel their creative energy, releasing the highly praised EP Tales From The North on June 30, 2023. Building on this momentum, the band returned to the studio, recording their latest album at the legendary Studio Fredman. Under the expert guidance of Fredrik Nordström, who mixed and mastered the album, Thermality has delivered a work that embodies the essence of traditional melodic death metal while pushing the boundaries of the genre.


The Final Hours pays homage to the pioneers of melodic death metal, such as In Flames, Children of Bodom, Amon Amarth, and Arch Enemy, yet transcends mere tribute. Thermality weaves together diverse styles and sounds, creating something truly unique and refreshing. Heavier than its predecessor yet rich in melody, the album features iconic old-school death metal drums and captivating melodies that are sure to enthrall listeners.





The Final Hours tracklisting:


"MMXXIV"
"Weeping Angels"
"Thorns Of Salem"
"Fire Will Reign"
"Stranger"
"Windigo"
"Clones"
"Forsaken"
"Nightfall"
"The Hunter & The Nightmare"
"The Guardian"
"Divinity Pt.1"
"Divinity Pt.2"


"Fire Will Reign":





"Stranger" lyric video:





Thermality are:


Hampus Sätterlund - Drums
Ludvig Sommar - Vocals
Noel Hoflund Jonsson - Guitar
Ture Skärfstad Stål - Bass
Walter Hamilton - Guitar


(Photo - Anna Synnerö)


 







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In a new interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the Scars And Guitars podcast, IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris was asked if he would ever like to write an autobiography. Steve responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'd love to do a book at some point. I know how much work would have to go into it to do one and the amount of time. So that's the problem. I've written a few forewords for other people's books and even doing those just takes time. So, I thought, wow, if it takes that much time to just do a foreword, then what's it gonna be like doing a book? But, yeah, I'm sure I'll do one at some point."

Harris previously discussed the possibility of an autobiography this past March during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said at the time: "I'd love to write a book at some point, but it's just a question of time. 'Cause there's so many other things that I do when I'm not on tour. So to do a book — I couldn't do like Bruce [Dickinson, IRON MAIDEN singer] does; I mean, he just does 10 things at once. He told me that he was writing [his book] like even in the dressing room before shows… I can't do that. I need to sort of set it out and do it really more methodical than that. So I know it would take me quite a bit of time to do. But, yeah, I would like to do one. I mean, I probably would write a book just about the early days, really."

As for the likelihood of an official MAIDEN documentary, Steve said that it was not out of the question. "I think there could be some bits and pieces we could do like that. Yeah," he said.

Back in October 2017, Dickinson's autobiography, "What Does This Button Do?", landed at No. 10 on The New York Times "Hardcover Nonfiction" best sellers list. It was released in the U.S. via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books),an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

"What Does This Button Do?" was Dickinson's third book. He has previously published two satirical novels, "The Adventures Of Lord Iffy Boatrace" about the English upper classes and "The Missionary Position" about televangelism.

Founded in 1975 by Harris, IRON MAIDEN has released 17 studio albums, 13 live albums and 47 singles which have sold in excess of 100 million copies worldwide. They have played over 2000 live shows in 59 countries and have been the recipients of a Grammy Award and a Brit Award, among others. The band's very own Trooper beer, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, has sold in excess of 35 million pints and is distributed in 68 countries.

MAIDEN's latest album, "Senjutsu", went to No. 1 in 27 countries and was crowned Rolling Stone's metal album of the year in the U.S.

The band's recent tour, "The Future Past World Tour", completed 37 shows in Europe and North America and is set to continue throughout 2024 to a projected 1.5 million fans.

Harris has been playing sporadic shows with his side project BRITISH LION, which released its second album, "The Burning", in January 2020 via Explorer1 Music (E1). The LP was recorded, engineered and mixed at Barnyard Studios by Tony Newton and produced by Steve Harris.

BRITISH LION's first U.S. tour took place in January and February 2020.

BRITISH LION comprises singer Richard Taylor, guitarists David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie, Harris on bass and keyboards, and drummer Simon Dawson.

Find Me, the AOR Trans-Atlantic alliance featuring Robbie LaBlanc and Daniel Flores, have unveiled the new single and Survivor cover “I See You In Everyone”, from their fifth studio album, Nightbound, set for release on September 13, 2024 via Frontiers Music Srl.


Robbie LaBlanc expressed his enthusiasm about the new single: “Jimi Jamison is one of my favourite singers. I never met him in person but he is part of my “musical soul”. I really loved singing this one, it's such a great song. Jimi nailed it, of course, I am just doing my best to revive it and keep it alive”.


“Remaking a beloved classic song is never an easy task but, as soon as I heard Robbie's soulful take on the song, I knew he had something special. Now it's my favourite song on the record” stated Daniel Flores.




Preorder the album here.


Find Me is the ongoing collaboration between Swedish musician, songwriter and producer Daniel Flores (Issa, The Murder of My Sweet, Seventh Wonder) and singer Robbie LaBlanc, the “voice from heaven” from Blanc Faces, who has also recently appeared on the T3nors’ debut album, Naked Soul.


Robbie La Blanc, best known as vocalist with Blanc Faces, Find Me and as a solo artist, has been singing and playing instruments since he was a young kid. His first influences (besides his dad always singing and playing the guitar) were Trini Lopez and the Beatles. Shortly after, bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and Grand Funk Railroad.


Robbie’s first break in the music business came when he met Rock and Roll Hall Of Famer Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals, who produced the album Fury with a slew of great musicians. Afterwards, Robbie signed with a management company that had Michael Bolton ties and the duo recorded at least four albums worth of material. A few years later, Robbie signed with Frontiers Records and the two Blanc Faces records were done in 2005 and 2009, followed by the Find Me project. Robbie’s singing credits also include East Temple Avenue and Cannonballz (with Vince Dicola, Doug Wimbish and Alan Friedman).


Accomplished musician, songwriter and arranger Daniel Flores made a claim to fame with bands such as Mind’s Eye, Find Me, and The Murder Of My Sweet. Flores.  He creates his magic at the Sound vs. Science studios located in Stockholm.


Envisioned by Frontiers President Serafino Perugino, in his relentless quest for the perfect melodic rock album, their partnership resulted in some absolute melodic rock gems, starting with Find Me’s debut album, Wings of Love and the follow-up release Dark Angel, that were greeted with rave fan and critical reviews.


The project went on to release Angels In Blue in 2019 and Lightning In A Bottle in March 2022, touching on both the classic melodic rock/AOR style, while also showing influences from the new guard of the genre.


Fans of the genre can expect another AOR jewel, a first class AOR album, featuring Robbie’s soaring vocals and an awesome performance from Flores and his musicians.





Nightbound tracklisting:


"Never Be Alone"
"I See You In Everyone"
"Can't Wait Here Anymore"
"Distant Lovers"
"Nightbound"
"Love Always Finds A Way"
"Speechless"
"Walk Through The Fire"
"Said And Done"
"Savage Blue"
"The Time Has Come"


"I See You In Everyone":





"Never Be Alone" video:





Lineup:


Robbie La Blanc - Lead and backing vocals
Andi Kravljaca - Lead and rhythm guitars, acoustic guitars
Jonny Trobro - Bass and fretless bass
Rolf Pilotti - Piano and organ
Daniel Flores - Keyboards, backing vocals and drums
Fernando Brito - Percussion







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Japan power metal act Galneryus will release their new album The Stars Will Light The Way on September 25 via Warner Music Japan. First single “The Reason We Fight” is now streaming below. 


Preorder The Stars Will Light The Way here.


The album includes many masterpieces that perfectly sublimate the aesthetics of Galneryus, including "The Reason We Fight," which was first performed at Pure Rock Japan Live 2024 held last June and sent the audience into a frenzy of excitement. A masterpiece worthy of celebrating the 20th anniversary of their major debut is born here.




Akane Liv (from Liv Moon) also appears on the chorus for "The Reason We Fight" and "I Believe". This is the first touching collaboration since "Angel Of Salvation" (2012).


The first limited edition Blu-ray includes 2 hours of exciting live footage, Live At KT Zepp Yokohama 2023/4/30.





Tracklisting:


“Go Towards The Utopia”
“The Reason We Fight”
“Lost In The Darkness”
“Finally, It Comes!”
“In Water’s Gaze”
“Heartless”
“Crying For You”
“Voice In Sadness”
“I Believe”
“Life Will Go On”


"The Reason We Fight":





Lineup:
Syu – guitars
Yuhki – keyboards
Taka – bass
Masatoshi Ono – vocals
Lea – drums 







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In a new interview with "Double T Mornings", the morning show on Rockford, Illinois's 96.7 The Eagle radio station, KK'S PRIEST frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens spoke about the band's second album, "The Sinner Rides Again", which came out last September via Napalm Records. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's classic metal with modern tones, and it's a lot of layers, a lot of versatility, aggressive, some mellow parts, some sing-along parts. Classic metal — it's a lot of classic metal, if you're into that, with a lot of the clichés and 'good versus evil' and this and that. It's got everything. I'll tell you, it's a fantastic sound, mix, songs. It's a really good record. They go over so well. You can go to YouTube and check out the videos — 'One More Shot At Glory', 'Strike Of The Viper', and so on. Just go to KK'S PRIEST and check 'em out, and check out the videos, too, and see what we're doing. There's a lot of live videos of us out there, so they can really see what's going on. But the records have just been — the reception has been unbelievable."

Regarding what it has been like sharing the stage with fellow ex-JUDAS PRIEST member K.K. Downing (guitar) again, after having originally worked together more than two decades ago, Tim said: "Well, it's great, because the thing about K.K. is he's just such a great guy and so friendly and so passionate, and he treats everybody the same, whether it's the crew or the band, and everybody just has a great time. Sometimes you have to realize this is K.K. Downing. I think people don't. My daughter was on tour with us for a couple of shows. She's 19. She was on the American tour. We went out to dinner, K.K. and myself and my daughter. Afterwards, I had to tell her, 'You've gotta realize, this guy changed the face of guitar playing — him and Glenn Tipton. This is why people play guitar, because of K.K. Downing.' But looking over at him, and he's so good and he's having so much fun, it's really enjoyable."

Extinction A.D., New York's relentless purveyors of ferocious hardcore tinged thrash metal, have released their new album, To The Detested, via Unique Leader Records.


Unwavering in its brutality and pulling no punches from a lyrical perspective, the band's fourth studio album sees them continue to expand and evolve their sound and embrace new influences. This evolution is most apparent on today's focus track, "Burnt Sienna", crafted in homage to frontman, Rick Jimenez' Puerto Rican heritage, incorporating elements of Bomba and hearing Rick sing in Spanish for the first time on an Extinction A.D. track. Rick's vulnerable experiences that shaped the song and the band's journey to creating the song have been captured in a mini-documentary, that will premiere on Monday, August 19.


Speaking on "Burnt Sienna", Rick Jimenez shares "This entire song was a crazy journey from start to finish. From conception of incorporating Bomba into our typical metal style, to singing in Spanish, to diving into the "personal turmoil turned pride in exploration” of my Puerto Rican heritage and my upbringing in an unwelcoming environment, to putting together the exposition video doc of the creation of the song, to choosing this as a single. It’s a lot of personal exposition and being raw about my own individual experiences and evolution as I grow older in this world while simultaneously coming to terms with some things and discovering others."







Speaking on the release of the album today, Jimenez continues "This album took on a life of its own very quickly and is by far the freshest one of our career. There was no second guessing or laboring over anything, it was pure unbridled energy from the first note of the first song we wrote to the final sound we recorded. We’ve never pulled any punches musically or lyrically but this is a whole new level of intensity, vitriol and honesty. It is not for the thin-skinned or the weak hearted. This record is in fact our declaration to the detested."





To The Detested tracklisting:


"Desperate Grasp"
"Escape From New York"
"Epidemic Of Mutation"
"Apocalypse Rising"
"Impervious (Unrepentant)" feat. Matthew Kiichi Heafy
"Fill The Void"
"Burnt Sienna"
"Shepherding Swine"
"Behind The Veil Of Sanctity"
"The Cure Or The Cause"


"Impervious (Unrepentant)" video:





Extinction A.D. is not for the faint of heart and the intensity of these New Yorkers has yet to be tempered. The bands signature level of ferocity has reached new levels on their fourth album To The Detested, which follows their EP Ruthless Intent from earlier this year.


So many different worlds shaped this band; from writers like Alan Moore and George Orwell; lyricists like Wreak Havoc and Chuck D; to directors like Tarantino and John Carpenter. But musically, Extinction A.D. hook up a tube of early 90s era of metal into their veins. Not just bands like Pantera and Machine Head, but the often overlooked 90s offerings from Testament, Sepultura and Slayer.


Thrashing just as hard as their predecessors, the band also break their surroundings down and deliver some heavy as hell riotous mosh; hitting that all-important sweet spot mixture of 80s thrash, 90s extreme metal and New York hardcore, all encompassed into one.


Never afraid to speak their minds amidst a divisive world, Extinction A.D. bring a decisive power to match their frenetic energy. The endgame is not just rebellion but revolution.







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Turbokill, the Saxon-based band formed around ex-Alpha Tiger singer Stephan Dietrich, returns with their second album, Champion, out September 27 via Steamhammer/SPV. The album will be released worldwide digitally as well as on CD and vinyl.


Today, Turbokill release the new single, “Go Your Way”, accompanied by a music video. Stream the song here, watch the video below:







Turbokill has dedicated itself to European power metal, characterized by strong melodies and Dietrich‘s memorable voice. A short tour at the beginning of the year, under the banner "New Wave of German Metal" with the bands Sintage and Fireborn in the package, highlighted the quintet‘s instrumental skills and first-class power metal.


Revitalized by the energy of their live performances, the band subsequently recorded a suitably inspired album under the direction of Lars Rettkowitz (Freedom Call) in his Emperial Sound Studio.


Stephan Dietrich comments on the new album Champion: "Our aim is to create a modern heavy metal sound that is catchy and captivates the listener. The right hooklines must not be missing. We want our audience to have a lot of fun listening and singing along at our concerts. We want our new album to have a lot of positivity and motivational vibes to encourage people to rise above themselves and become the best form of themselves. I think in times like these, which are characterized more than ever by negative headlines, this album is exactly what people need right now."


Champion will be released on CD digipak, LP version, download, and stream. Pre-order here.





Champion tracklisting:


"Inner Calling"
"A Million Ways"
"Time To Wake"
"Champion"
"Wings Of The Thunder Hawk"
"Tear It Down"
"Go Your Way"
"Mirage Mirror"
"Power Punch"
"Sons Of The Storm"
"Shine On"
"Overcome"


"Wings Of The Thunder Hawk" lyric video:





"Tear It Down" video:





Turbokill are:


Stephan Dietrich – Vocals
Ronny Schuster – Rhythm Guitar
Daniel Kanzler – Lead Guitar
Marco "Fox" Grünwald – Bass
Kevin Käferstein – Drums







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Following Ozzy Osbourne's two Grammy Awards in 2023 for "Best Rock Album" (his first-ever win in the category) and "Best Metal Performance" from his hugely successful and critically acclaimed "Patient Number 9" album (Epic Records) and a recent No. 1-charting Active Rock song "Crack Cocaine" — a collaboration with Billy Morrison and Steve Stevens — he is now setting his sights on the 2024 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. Osbourne has earned a solo induction for his nearly six-decade career in music. BLACK SABBATH was inducted in 2006. This honor makes Ozzy one of a handful of artists with multiple inductions into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

"It's still hard to believe I'm about to be a two-time inductee into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame," Ozzy says. "I'm really looking forward to attending the induction ceremony in Cleveland this October. More importantly, I am so blessed to have had such an incredible career with amazing fans who have stuck by me through thick and thin over the years."

The 2024 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction will be seen live on Saturday, October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The 2024 ceremony will once again stream live on Disney+ with a special airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day.

Speaking to Billboard, the 75-year-old Osbourne said getting a second induction "feels big. I'm more than honored."

He went on to reflect on his solo career, saying: "With every new music venture there's always a certain amount of surprise that comes when you see the fans embrace it, because no one wants to make a record and have it flop. I feel like I was invited to a party in 1980, and it hasn't stopped. Not bad for a guy who was fired from his last band."

Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne discussed his absence from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a solo artist during an appearance earlier this year on "The Adam Carolla Show". Asked by host Adam Carolla how the nomination process works and whether she has to lobby to get Ozzy in as a solo artist, Sharon said: "There are people on the board, and the people on the board have to go in, and it has to be on their list, and it has to be on more than, I think, half of the votes. More than half."

November 1, 2024 will see Swedish metal vikings BROTHERS OF METAL release their forthcoming album, entitled ‘Fimbulvinter’, via AFM Records. Following the previously-released first album appetizer "Heavy Metal Viking", today, BROTHERS OF METAL are premiering a lyric video for their latest single "Nanna's Fate"! Vocalist Mats Nilsson reveals: “‘Nanna's Fate is very special for me since some parts of the song was written already 25 years ago. The intro I wrote when I was 15 but I never found the right song to connect it with until me, Ylva Dawid started writing the song. The lyrical theme is about a love so strong that it persist even through death. The god Balder dies and on his funeral ceremony his wife Nanna dies from sorrow as his ship is set ablaze. She is put together with him on his ship so that they can reunited in death."

To celebrate the release of the 25th-anniversary deluxe edition of "Human Clay", iconic rockers CREED have shared a brand new music video for the album opener "Are You Ready?" The live performance music video was filmed over the first week of the band's sold-out "Summer Of '99" tour that is currently running through North America. CREED — comprised of Scott Stapp, Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips — has been playing to capacity audiences since the tour kicked off on July 17. Directed by Dan Sturgess, the video for "Are You Ready?" captures the band's triumphant return to the stage after 12 years.

In September 1999, CREED — a then-rising rock band from Tallahassee, Florida — released its sophomore album, "Human Clay". Full of anthemic hits, including "Higher", "What If", "Are You Ready?" and the Grammy-winning "With Arms Wide Open", "Human Clay" propelled CREED (Scott Stapp, Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips) to the top of the Billboard charts, going on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time. Now, 25 years later, CREED celebrates the anniversary of the diamond-certified album with a bonus-filled reissue. Arriving August 16, the deluxe 2-CD release features the newly remastered original album, plus a wealth of bonus material, including a complete, never-before-heard concert recording, captured in San Antonio, Texas in 1999. A deluxe digital edition of the album also features six additional bonus tracks, including alternate versions of "Higher" and "With Arms Wide Open", and a cover of THE DOORS classic "Roadhouse Blues" featuring THE DOORS guitarist and founding member Robby Krieger (recorded live at Woodstock '99). Fans who pre-save the album today can stream or download an advance three-track EP, which offers "With Arms Wide Open (Live)" plus a rare acoustic performance of the same track and the newly remastered album version.

The original 11-track album can also be found on a series of limited-edition two-LP pressings, available on color vinyl for the first time, including gray smoke (available wide),black-and-gray splatter (exclusively via the official CREED store),orange smoke (Walmart),red smoke (Barnes & Noble),gray opaque (Revolver),and black-and-gold marble (Spotify Fans First).

Released in September 1999, "Human Clay" cemented CREED as certified superstars, debuting at No.1 on the Billboard 200, where it remained for a record-breaking 104 weeks. The album's first single, "Higher", spent a whopping 57 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 7, and topping the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts for 17 weeks. The two-times-platinum single "With Arms Wide Open" became CREED's first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 — a spot it held for four weeks — and earned the band a Grammy for "Best Rock Song" and a nod for "Best Rock Vocal Performance".

"Human Clay" has sold over 11 million copies in the U.S. alone, achieving a rare diamond certification by the RIAA. In 2009, it ranked at No. 5 on Billboard's "200 Albums Of The Decade" roundup. Today, it remains one of the best-selling albums of all time in the U.S., while it has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

Scott Stapp says: "Twenty-five years ago, we could have never guessed we'd be celebrating 'Human Clay''s lasting impact while embarking on a whole new chapter together in 2024. Then and now, it's the fans who've embraced these songs and found a deeper connection to them as they've progressed in their lives. Now, we're reconnecting with these songs like it's the first time and seeing the impact on a whole new generation."

"Human Clay (Deluxe Edition)" track listing (2-CD, Digital)

Disc 1

01. Are You Ready?
02. What If
03. Beautiful
04. Say I
05. Wrong Way
06. Faceless Man
07. Never Die
08. With Arms Wide Open
09. Higher
10. Wash Away Those Years
11. Inside Us All
12. With Arms Wide Open (Strings Version)
13. Young Grow Old
14. To Whom It May Concern
15. Is This The End?
16. Roadhouse Blues (Live) #
17. I'm Eighteen #
18. Higher (Radio Edit) #
19. With Arms Wide Open (Single Version) #
20. What If (Radio Edit) #
21. With Arms Wide Open (Acoustic Version) #

Disc 2

01. Are You Ready? (Live) *
02. Ode (Live) *
03. Torn (Live) *
04. Beautiful (Live) *
05. Illusion (Live) *
06. Say I (Live) *
07. My Own Prison (Live) *
08. What If (Live) *
09. With Arms Wide Open (Live) *
10. Faceless Man (Live) *
11. What's This Life For (Live) *
12. One (Live) *
13. Higher (Live) *

Live from San Antonio, TX - 11/4/1999

* previously unreleased
# Expanded digital album only

"Human Clay" track listing (2-LP)

Side A

01. Are You Ready?
02. What If
03. Beautiful

Side B

01. Say I
02. Wrong Way
03. Faceless Man

Side C

01. Never Die
02. With Arms Wide Open
03. Higher

Side D

01. Wash Away Those Years
02. Inside Us All

During an appearance on a recent episode of the "Riffhard" podcast, TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick reflected on the band's early musical output and how it has stood the test of time in the three and a half decades since it was originally recorded. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "METALLICA found a way to make their music very popular, but they really kind of broke loose from the scene that they came up in. And it's brilliant what they did, but they're really the only ones that could achieve any mainstream popularity. They ended up being one of the biggest bands in the world. But the rest of the bands, the bands that were influenced by METALLICA — folks talk about the 'Big Six' or whatever: TESTAMENT, EXODUS, OVERKILL, DEATH ANGEL, maybe you could add FORBIDDEN, and then argue about who else would be there — but all of those bands, it was so left field and it wasn't a sign of the time. It got no mainstream attention other than an hour on MTV on Saturday nights where they'd play some of the videos. Yeah, somehow in the 2000s, it's almost like the times caught up with it. And then once you had the bands that were playing on Ozzfest, for example, guys that were a few years younger than me, not so much, but, yeah, LAMB OF GOD, SLIPKNOT and so forth, and they managed to reach pretty big audiences — still do. So it's weird. So then, just next to groups like that, if we play the songs that we had from back in the day — I don't know — it doesn't sound dated for some reason. Whereas you could play any number of songs from the time period, the late '80s that were very popular, that were on regular rotation on MTV and played on the radio and a little bit more commercialized and catchy and more image-based, and it feels much more dated. It's very strange."

TESTAMENT is working on the follow-up to 2020's "Titans Of Creation" album for a tentative 2025 release.

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

The remastered versions of TESTAMENT's seminal albums "The Legacy" and "The New Order" are available both digitally and now on vinyl via Nuclear Blast Records.

"The Legacy" and "The New Order" were remastered by Justin Shturtz at Sterling Sound. Each album is available digitally and on 180-gram vinyl. "The Legacy" on red and white swirl with black splatter and "The New Order" on blue and purple swirl with black splatter, both limited to 1500 units worldwide. These special, limited-edition remastered LPs include alternate cover artwork, gatefold packaging with new liner notes, and an oversized booklet with never-before-seen images.

This fall, TESTAMENT and KREATOR will join forces for the "Klash Of The Titans" North American tour. The 33-date trek will kick off on September 12 in Reno, making its way across the U.S., and will include seven Canadian dates before concluding in San Francisco on October 27. Special guests on the run will be Bay Area death metal pioneers POSSESSED.

In a new interview with Serbia's Agoraphobic News, bassist/vocalist Ron "Royce" Broder of Swiss technical thrash masters CORONER spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the long-awaited follow-up to 1993's "Grin" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, Tommy [Veterrli, a.k.a. Tommy T. Baron, guitar] can tell more about it, but we have some songs recorded, and my feel[ing] is the songs are much more polished and mature than it was in the first career. But Tommy can better answer."

Tommy chimed in: "I wouldn't agree [that it's] more polished. It's more mature, I would say. In the past, we wrote the music more to show off that we practiced a lot, and nowadays we write more from the heart and from the balls."

Asked what the next CORONER album will sound like, Tommy responded: "It's gonna sound like typical CORONER, but, yeah, a little more mature. There's a lot of technical parts in it as well, but it's a little bit more song-oriented, and it also sounds very weird, like it always did."

Regarding whether the new CORONER music will be similar to "Grin", Tommy said: "I would say maybe 'Grin' is the closest to the new one, but there is also a lot of stuff more from like the third [1989's 'No More Color'] or fourth [1991's 'Mental Vortex'] album. But it's not possible, 30 years later, you make the same [album], and it also would be totally stupid and boring."

Veterrli previously discussed CORONER's new music in a December 2022 interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Asked if the band's next LP will follow in the path of "Grin", a noticeably less thrash-oriented album than its predecessors, he responded: "It's hard to say. It's more 'Grin' than 'Reborn Through Hate'. For me, these are songs. It's a showcase of what we learned and practiced. Everybody who has heard the pre-production, including the record company, is really happy and thinks that's the way the band should sound. It's more about feel and is song-oriented. The technical stuff is still there, but not the main thing. It's going to be weird, like all CORONER songs. My goal is always to do something I didn't hear one-hundred times before. Most bands are a copy of another band. There are a lot of great bands, but I miss the freshness or originality."

In the 1990s, CORONER caused a stir in the music industry with its progressive and technically sophisticated music style. All over the world, CORONER was considered one of the most unconventional avant-garde metal bands. Today, CORONER is a cult band and is highly respected not only by musicians such as Max Cavalera (SEPULTURA),Franz Treichler (THE YOUNG GODS) and Mille Petrozza (KREATOR),but also by metal fans all over the world.

After the release of "Grin" in 1993, the band split up. Two years later, a best-of album, "Coroner", was released. Sixteen years passed. Then, in 2011, Vetterli, Broder and then-drummer and founding member Marky Edelmann returned to the stage, playing a potpourri of numbers from their albums at concerts.

CORONER in 2014 announced the addition of drummer Diego Rapacchietti to the group's ranks. He made his live debut with CORONER on May 29, 2014, at Salzhaus in Winterthur, Switzerland.

Image courtesy of Summer Dying Loud

DEAD ICARUS, the new band of former ATREYU lead vocalist Alex Varkatzas, as well as Gabe Mangold of ENTERPRISE EARTH and Brandon Zackey, is back with a new single, "The Unconquerable".

"It's been over a year since we released our debut single 'Sellout'," says Varkatzas. "As we prepare for our upcoming tour with NEKROGOBLIKON, we wanted to celebrate by dropping a brand new banger 'The Unconquerable'. This song showcases our affection for CRADLE OF FILTH-style, atmospheric black metal merged with the elements of metalcore and hardcore that we love. Lyrically, the song is about a feeling that is un-nameable and stronger than all else, something that propels you forward almost unconsciously with unrelenting drive and purpose. We hope you enjoy the track and ominous visualizer crafted by Riivata Visuals."

DEAD ICARUS leans on the uncanny creative union between vocalist Varkatzas, guitarist and producer Gabe Mangold, and drummer Brandon Zackey. The band truly gets its wings from the undying commitment made by its members. The musicians pursue their artistry with a resolute sense of focus, manifesting in the precise execution of airtight technical riffs, virtuosic solos, blast beat assault and battery, and hard-hitting vocals.

Countless fans worldwide initially got to know Varkatzas as co-founder and original frontman for influential Southern California metalcore stalwarts ATREYU. After two decades earmarked by chart-shaking success, a pair of gold albums and gold singles, sold-out shows around the globe, and critical renown, he embarked on his next chapter in 2020. Enter Mangold. Celebrated as guitarist for ENTERPRISE EARTH, he and Alex instantly clicked and forged a musical partnership, yielding their 2024-released "Ad Infernum" EP. Inciting critical applause, Revolver promised, "Fans of old-school ATREYU will definitely enjoy."

Stay tuned for more information about DEAD ICARUS's upcoming debut album for MNRK Heavy, the details of which will be announced soon.

DEAD ICARUS will embark on its first tour this September with ENTERPRISE EARTH and NEKROGOBLIKON. More worldwide touring is planned for 2025 and beyond.

DEAD ICARUS on tour with ENTERPRISE EARTH and NEKROGOBLIKON:

Sep. 11 - Midvale, UT - The Pearl On Main ^
Sep. 12 - Boise, ID - Shrine Social Club ^
Sep. 13 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon *
Sep. 14 - Vancouver, BC - Fortune Sound Club *
Sep. 15 - Kelowna, BC - Revelry Hub*
Sep. 16 - Calgary, AB - Dickens *
Sep. 18 - Winnipeg, MB - The Park Theatre *
Sep. 19 - Saint Paul, MN - Amsterdam Bar and Hall*
Sep. 20 - Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theatre *
Sep. 21 - Sioux Falls, SD - Bigs Bar *
Sep. 23 - Fort Wayne, IN - Piere's ^
Sep. 24 - Lexington, KY - Manchester Music Hall *
Sep. 26 - Flint, MI - Machine Shop *
Sep. 27 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall *
Sep. 28 - Hartford, CT - The Webster *
Sep. 29 - Hampton, NH - Wally's Pub *
Oct. 01 - Hampton, NH - Wally's Pub
Oct. 02 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Hall ^

^ with ENTERPRISE EARTH
* with NEKROGOBLIKON

A staple of Ozzfest in the mid-2000s with two gold albums, ATREYU is one of the defining bands of the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal, alongside groups like AVENGED SEVENFOLD and LAMB OF GOD. Metalcore classics like "The Curse" and "A Death-Grip On Yesterday" were powered by Alex's distinctive scream.

In October 2020, ATREYU surprise-released a new song called "Save Us". It was the first taste of the band's music since the departure of Varkatzas a month earlier. A couple of days before "Save Us"'s release, Varkatzas updated his Instagram stories with hashtags that seemed to throw shade at his former bandmates and their new material: #fakeheavy, #conartists and #justwaitandsee.

ATREYU's former drummer Brandon Saller, who is now focusing completely on singing after previously sharing lead vocals with Varkatzas for most of the band's two-decade-plus existence, discussed Alex's departure from ATREYU in an interview with Terry "Beez" Bezer of Knotfest.com's "Mosh Talks With Beez". Asked what he thought of Varkatzas implying in a social media post that "Save Us" was "fake heavy," Saller said: "I thought it was hilarious, because I think everyone heard it and then was, like, 'Hmm. Okay.'

"The four of us were very, very adamant on this whole thing" — referring to the split with Alex — "being very, very positive. There's no shitting on people that we wanna do. There's not a part of us that wanted anyone to shit-talk us or him. And our whole stance was, like, this is what it is, but we can still lift each other up and make our fans feel good about the fact that there's no beef; there's no whatever.

"He did his own thing, and it wasn't exactly the kind of idea of a narrative that we would have liked to put forward," Brandon continued. "We've always, still to this day, been fully positive. When people say stuff about Alex, I'm still, like, 'The dude's awesome. You should support whatever he does next.' He's learning guitar, he's taking interest in different things, and I will still, till I'm blue in the face, say, yeah, support him. If you like his voice, if you like what he did in ATREYU, he's probably gonna make more music. Now you have two bands you can listen to.

"The 'fake heavy' thing was — we don't know where that came from," Saller added. "Alex wrote 'Save Us' with us. He wrote probably seven, eight songs that are on the next record. He was a part of the beginning of the album, so for him to say it's fake heavy, then he wrote a fake-heavy song.

"I think 'Save Us' is one of the heavier songs we've ever written. It is two and a half minutes of facepunch. Another view we've had is no matter who says what, let's do what we've always done and just let the music talk. We're just gonna continue doing that and let the tunes do all the talking. And people will know what we're all about. They'll know everything they need to know from [listening to] the songs."

According to Brandon, he and his ATREYU bandmates wanted to avoid making the split with Alex more dramatic than it needed to be in the eyes of the public, preferring instead to give everyone a taste of the new music they were working on.

"A lot of people got really butthurt because of the lack of detail that we gave [in our statement announcing Alex's departure]," Saller said. "And I feel like we just felt so strongly that in this day and age, click culture and clickbait, every headline's looking for, 'Guitar player of ATREYU slept with the singer's wife' — some weird drama. But we had no interest in that. We just wanted to keep it about the music and keep it positive and let our fans know that this is what's happening, we're separating, it is what it is, and let's just think about the future."

"I think people think a lot of it is a lot more quick than the reality," Brandon theorized. "I think that people think that we just made this decision and posted it on the Internet, and that was it. But we've been going through this for months and months and months. When you're in a business and a relationship — a marriage, essentially — with someone for 20 years, there's a lot of steps to go through before you can say anything. We were very much wanting to say really nothing — just be positive and let's be adults. And luckily, we have so many people that really, really are showing us a lot of love."

In December 2020, Brandon implied in an interview with "Sappenin' Podcast With Sean Smith" that ATREYU was no longer on speaking terms with Varkatzas: "We'll call it a breakup," he said. "There's obviously a separation, so I think that's something that, in our hopes, the future will heal. But the five of us in the current situation are tighter than ever."

Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER),Stephen Pearcy (RATT),Tom Keifer (CINDERELLA),Tracii Guns (L.A. GUNS),Bret Michaels (POISON) and Jack Blades (NIGHT RANGER) are among the musicians who have reacted on social media to the death of original GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell. He was 63.

Russell's death was announced by his family in a social media statement on Thursday (August 15). The statement read: "With tremendous sadness, we announce the loss of our beloved Jack Patrick Russell — father, husband, cousin, uncle, and friend.

"Jack passed peacefully in the presence of his wife Heather Ann Russell, son Matthew Hucko, cousin Naomi Breshears Barbor, and dear friends Billy and Cheryl Pawelcik.

"Details of a public memorial will be announced at a later date.

"Jack is loved and remembered for his sense of humor, exceptional zest for life, and unshakeable contribution to rock and roll where his legacy will forever thrive.

"His family asks for privacy at this time."

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

"To my fans and friends, it is with the heaviest of hearts that I must announce my retirement from the road," Russell said in a statement on July 17. "After a recent diagnosis of Lewy body dementia (LBD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) in May 2024, I am unable to perform at the level I desire and at the level you deserve. Words cannot express my gratitude for the many years of memories, love and support. Thank you for letting me live my dreams. You have made my life a wonder."

Lewy body dementia is the second most common cause of neurodegenerative dementia after Alzheimer's disease.

Lewy body dementia impacts memory, decision-making and ability to solve problems. It has led to motor and muscle weakness and rigidity. It also can cause sleep disorders and hallucinations.

Lewy body dementia is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease due to its early similarity to those other neurodegenerative diseases.

After actor and comedian Robin Williams took his own life in August 2014, autopsy results revealed he was suffering from LBD.

Russell was performing with his version of GREAT WHITE when a pyrotechnics display sparked a nightclub fire that killed 100 people at a 2003 concert in Rhode Island. At the time of the fire, the group that was on the road was called JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE. Mark Kendall, who founded GREAT WHITE with Russell in 1982, later said he was asked to join Russell and his solo band on the tour to help boost attendance. Guitarist Ty Longley died in the blaze.

Russell exited GREAT WHITE in December 2011 after he was unable to tour with the group due a series of injuries, including a perforated bowel and a shattered pelvis. Jack largely blamed these injuries on his alcohol and painkiller addictions as well as the prednisone drug he was prescribed.

Russell sued his onetime bandmates in 2012 over their continued use of the GREAT WHITE name after Jack had taken a leave of absence from the band for medical reasons. A short time later, Russell was countersued by guitarist Mark Kendall, rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Michael Lardie and drummer Audie Desbrow, claiming the vocalist's self-destructive behavior was damaging the GREAT WHITE name (they also alleged he was charging promoters less for his own touring version of GREAT WHITE). The parties settled in July 2013 without going to trial, with Russell most recently performing as JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE while the others are continuing as GREAT WHITE.

In a December 2023 interview with Neil Jones of TotalRock, Russell was asked if he still enjoys going out on the road. He responded: "I enjoy the hour and a half of playing. The rest of it you could take it and do what you would with it. It's not fun. It's hard. The traveling is just a drag — it's a real drag. I mean, getting on airplanes and cars and buses and all that stuff is a real drag. We try to keep that to a minimum. We play maybe two, three shows a week. We try to play every weekend, 'cause I don't wanna do a job that I don't like. So just keep it to where I can function, have a good time doing it and I'm not complaining about my back."

Elaborating on his recent health setback, Jack said: "I've been having some issues with my back [in 2023 and 2022]. So I've had to take a little time off. It's finally starting to get better. But I had to have my back fused to my neck, actually."

Asked if this is "just because of the rigors of the road over the years," Jack said: "Yeah, [just from] pounding the boards for 47 years, just jumping up and down, acting like a fool."

Russell previously discussed his surgery in an interview last October with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station. At the time, he said: "I had a fusion in my neck and my back, so it was a pretty gnarly surgery. That kept me off stage for a while. I couldn't even move my neck. Somehow it screwed up my voice a bit and then it finally came back. But it was really weird, really strange… Yeah, it's coming back, slow but sure. I get people — they can't tell. They tell me, 'You sounded just like you did in 1985.' I'm, like, 'No.' It's, like, 'Okay, cool. Awesome.'"

In October 2022, GREAT WHITE officially named Brett Carlisle as its new lead singer. Carlisle joined the band as the replacement for Andrew Freeman, who sang for GREAT WHITE for only five months.

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

Russell's autobiography, titled "The True Tale Of Mista Bone: A Rock + Roll Narrative", was recently released via Gatekeeper Press. Penned by author Katelyn Louise "K.L." Doty, it features a sentimental foreword by Lita Ford, with additional commentary from Eric Singer, Eddie Trunk, John Kalodner, Kip Winger and others. The book, with a cover photo by legendary rock photographer Mark Weiss, is available in paperback, hardcover and e-book form.

On Thursday (August 15),ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna launched a four-date Florida tour with his tribute band to Ronnie James Dio at Captain Hiram's in Sebastian, Florida. The new group, in which Belladonna is joined by Mike Rivera on guitar, Ron Stokes on bass, and Jim McCourt on drums, is performing music from DIO, BLACK SABBATH and RAINBOW. Check out fan-filmed video of the concert below.

Remaining dates are as follows:

August 16 - Piper's Pub - Pompano Beach, FL
August 17 - OCC Road House - Clearwater, FL
August 18 - Conduit - Winter Park, FL

A decade ago, Belladonna spoke to Jay Nanda of the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner about the ANTHRAX frontman's involvement in "This Is Your Life", the tribute to album to Ronnie James Dio. Asked why ANTHRAX chose to record a cover version of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Neon Knights", Belladonna said: "I think I suggested it. When we talked about doing something, collectively, we all like the song, so it was a no-brainer. We could pretty much pick anything… I went for the heavier."

Asked if recording the "Neon Knights" cover was a more emotional experience than some of the other cover versions ANTHRAX had recorded over the years, Belladonna said: "For me, no. I just love doing that type of thing, and it was another day for me to sing something of his. Obviously, I'm excited, because it is a record, but I don't think I did it any different. In fact, I only did a couple of takes. I mean, I actually have on video the first time I tried it, and it pretty much sounds like what it sounds like already. It was business as usual for me."

Regarding what Ronnie meant to him, Joey said: "Ronnie's an inspirational singer for me." He added: "I really believe that as you grow up, you're inspired by the people that perform and things that you would like to hear yourself be in that kind of category and have such a talent like he did and just be inspired. [He was a] great human being, great musician — just all that… He was just the slickest. He was so heavy but melodic, as well as his attitude about everything. He had great charisma."

Belladonna also spoke about the first impression Ronnie made on him. "He made me laugh big time," Joey said. "He just want[ed] to be funny. And yet he [was] so sincere and [could] have that serious point of view. You need to be enthralled with that when you're around him, to have him speak to you with that kind of attitude and spunk that he had. And I'd been around him when things weren't so good, which I won't bring up right now, but to have him share that with me, which was more private, about being in his band — things like that. Just to engage in that with me and run that by me."

Belladonna, whose most recent return to ANTHRAX was officially announced in May 2010, was originally the lead singer of ANTHRAX from 1984 to 1992, and was considered part of the influential thrash metal group's classic lineup (alongside guitarists Dan Spitz and Scott Ian, bassist Frank Bello and drummer Charlie Benante),which reunited and toured during 2005 and 2006. His voice was featured on over 10 albums, which reportedly sold eight million copies worldwide.





Joey Belladonna of Anthrax -Tribute to Dio Sabbath
With Mike Rivera, Rob Stokes and Jim McCourt at Captain Hiram’s in Sebastian, Florida!

Posted by Susie Levin Fineberg on Thursday, August 15, 2024



Joey Belladonna of Anthrax Tribute to Ronnie James Dio 🤘 We Rock 🤘 #ronniejamesdio

Posted by Allen May on Thursday, August 15, 2024



Posted by Dave Wruble on Friday, August 16, 2024



Posted by Dave Wruble on Friday, August 16, 2024



Posted by Dave Wruble on Friday, August 16, 2024



Posted by Dave Wruble on Friday, August 16, 2024



Posted by Matt M Bailey on Friday, August 16, 2024



Joey belladonna of Anthrax Tribute to Ronnie James Dio 🤘 The last in line 🤘 #ronniejamesdio

Posted by Allen May on Thursday, August 15, 2024

Krista and I are proud to announce our new tribute band to Ronnie James Dio! A night of songs from Dio, Sabbath, and Rainbow!

@ronniejamesdio #ronniejamesdio #diocancerfund #anthrax

Posted by Joey Belladonna on Saturday, May 18, 2024

Super7 has announced ReAction figure of late TYPE O NEGATIVE frontman Peter Steele. The 3.75-inch scale figure comes complete with a bass guitar accessory and a real chain guitar strap.

The Peter Steele ReAction figure will be available in two versions: One inspired by TYPE O NEGATIVE's 2003 album "Life Is Killing Me" and the other celebrating the 25th anniversary of 1999's "World Coming Down".

The "World Coming Down" ReAction figure, inspired by the cover art, is available either on its own or packaged with the "Life Is Killing Me"-inspired Steele figure in the Brooklyn Vegan store.

Less than two years ago, former TYPE O NEGATIVE drummer Johnny Kelly was asked in an interview with Germany's Sonic Seducer magazine if there has ever been any talk of staging a tour in honor of Steele. He responded: "I don't know if I would ever wanna do something like take it on the road or… It could never be a reunion; Peter's not there, so it's impossible to call it a reunion.

"I think that Peter's work deserves some kind of celebration," he continued. "And how that can happen, I really have no idea. But we've never seriously considered doing any kind of reunion or putting something out there as TYPE O NEGATIVE without Peter. Peter, his musicianship, his character — without him there, you can't call it TYPE O NEGATIVE."

In February 2022, Kelly confirmed to the "Loaded Radio" podcast that there has been "coffee talk" about a possible Peter Steele tribute concert. But, he clarified, "There was never any serious consideration, like, should we do something? Is there even a point of doing it? Or also, is it just a blatant cash grab? So all these things go through your head.

"People celebrate [Peter] all the time," he continued. "They do it daily. I see it online all the time and the impact that he had.

"Maybe somewhere down the road there may be something that's… I don't know. But I know that for me, it would have to include Kenny [Hickey, guitar] and Josh [Silver, keyboards] as well. Anything that we do, it would have to be the three of us. And there's no way you're getting Josh to do anything like that. [Laughs]"

Asked who would handle Peter's vocal parts if they ever did end up doing a tribute concert, Johnny said: "I don't know. I'd want a girl to do it. I'd want a female vocalist — like Ann Wilson [HEART] or something like that. [Laughs] But even so, that's the first thing. When you think about doing some kind of tribute show, you're just gonna get all these people… Yes, Peter was very highly regarded by our peers and stuff like that, and you'll just get a bunch of dudes up there just trying to sound like Peter. And you can't do that. And it's, like, all right, so what's the most remote thing from Peter? You'd have to do something completely abstract. And I would say get a female vocalist. I think Peter would get a kick out of… He would get off on seeing a girl sing his songs, seeing a female sing them. And it would really stress the point of doing something as a tribute instead of trying to recreate something."

Steele passed away in April 2010 from heart failure at the age of 48. Born Petrus T. Ratajczyk on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York, he stood 6' 7" (201 cm) tall, and had a low, bass-heavy voice, which was one of the most recognizable features in TYPE O NEGATIVE's music.

Before forming TYPE O NEGATIVE, Steele played for the metal group FALLOUT and the thrash band CARNIVORE.

"Going through a midlife crisis and having many things change very quickly made me realize my mortality," Steele told Decibel magazine in 2007. "And when you start to think about death, you start to think about what's after it. And then you start hoping there is a God. For me, it's a frightening thought to go nowhere. I also can't believe that people like Stalin and Hitler are gonna go to the same place as Mother Teresa."

In a 2020 interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Kelly said about Steele: "Peter, for the most part, he was a clown. He was always joking around — sarcastic, very self-deprecating humor. Just the opposite of what the music portrayed. When we were working on music and stuff, the end result, he was very serious about what he wanted, how he wanted something to sound. Other times, he was a clown.

"I always said that he wanted to be a normal person, but because he was Peter, that was just not in the cards for him; it was completely impossible," he continued. "I bet he would love to just be able to hang out, go to the bar, have a few drinks. And we would try to do that, and the minute he would come out to the bar, everybody gravitated towards him. He couldn't go to the store by his house without something happening to him."

Asked if that was because of Peter's size, Johnny said: "I think so. He just had this very striking look. He didn't look normal. And he had fangs. [Laughs] He was six and a half feet tall, [had] long black hair and fangs. You're not gonna get the normal response when you're going grocery shopping."

https://super7.com/products/type-o-negative-reaction-figures-wave-01-peter-steele

Posted by Type O Negative on Friday, August 16, 2024

MOGGS MOTEL, the new band featuring UFO singer Phil Mogg, has released its second single and video, "Sunny Side Of Heaven". The track is taken from the group's self-titled album, which is due on September 4 via Cleopatra Records in the U.S. and Steamhammer/SPV outside North America.

Mogg said: "Motel update: We have just employed a new chef for the Motel: James Ormsby. He's from San Francisco and highly recommended. And as the Tonka Town Bar has just opened for our latest single release, he has created a new cocktail called 'Sunny Side Of Heaven'.

"I was figuring that after all that 'Apple Pie' you might want to wash it down with something special, and as the Devil's Angels in this particular song are related to a Mr. Way and a Mr. Chapman, it's an ideal way to celebrate being on the Sunny Side.

"I hope you enjoy it and don't forget now drink responsibly. Yes, I'm talking to you."

It's over 50 years since Mogg and co convened the first ever lineup of UFO, but it did not take long at all for them to establishing themselves among the crowned heads of metal, performing before hundreds of thousands of fans and riding the highs of chart success with singles such as "Doctor Doctor", "Lights Out" and "Only You Can Rock Me". Now, at an age when most artists would be hanging it up, Mogg is looking forward to an entire new chapter in his historic career, a new band project and a full-length album that delivers everything a fan could hope — stellar songwriting, slick production courtesy of bassist Tony Newton, and unmatched musicianship, including guitar from UFO alum Neil Carter, alongside guitarist Tommy Gentry and drummer Joe Lazarus.

The album's first single, "Apple Pie", has already previewed some of what lies in store, a dynamic blast of pure rock fury, complete with harmonizing guitar solos and heavy atmospherics, all topped off by that unmistakable Mogg voice.

"Sunny Side Of Heaven", if anything, is even more thunderous, a lascivious riff and blitzkrieg percussion. Mogg turns in a vocal for the ages, while guest vocalist Zoe Devlin Love sings her heart out behind him. It's a devastating combination… but what else would you expect?

Mogg previously said about the LP's first single: "'Apple Pie' is the first track off the MOGGS MOTEL extravaganza. It concerns the quest for a piece of the pie, namely 'Apple' because I would like a nice large creamy slice this time around. Also I would get to ride the pony while she's swishing her tail — how sweet is that! I just need that elusive pie. This track was conjured up towards the end of lockdown. This was our first get together as a team, and a very jolly affair it was too — so enjoy the ride and get a bite... not a nibble please."

UFO fans, watch out! Anyone who'd feared over the past two years that Mogg, one of the most influential rock vocalists worldwide, would disappear completely from the scene after the demise of his band, in addition to his health problems, has now thankfully been proved wrong.

After a brief hiatus to catch his creative breath, the 76-year-old British musician with the distinctive voice is ready to present his latest band and release, "Moggs Motel", which he composed together with Tony Newton (bass and keyboards) from the band VOODOO SIX, who had been touring partners with UFO previously, and long-standing associate Neil Carter (guitar, keyboards, vocals). The album was recorded at IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris's studio in Essex, U.K. In the studio, the band was joined by Joe Lazarus (drums) and Tommy Gentry (guitar) to complete the lineup.

The album's twelve timeless songs show that Mogg has lost none of his artistic charisma, uniquely expressive voice and love of unbridled creativity.

MOGGS MOTEL lineup:

Phil Mogg - vocals
Tony Newton - bass, keyboards
Neil Carter - guitar, keyboards, vocals
Joe Lazarus - drums
Tommy Gentry - guitar

In a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock to promote the 2024 remastered reissue of UFO's 1977 album "Lights Out", Mogg was asked if there was still "more to do" with the band. He responded: "No, no. I think it's come to a conclusion. We did that last U.K. tour in 2019, just before COVID. So that was kind of the end of it, and the time was right."

Mogg suffered a heart attack in August 2022. The musician was rushed to the hospital where he had two stents implanted into his coronary arteries. This is known medically as a coronary angioplasty and aims to re-open the blocked coronary artery by inserting one or more stents. This helps keep the narrowed artery open.

UFO's farewell tour was scheduled to kick off on October 15, 2022 at the De Casino in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium and run through a final show at the Fuzz Club in Athens, Greece on October 29, 2022.

In 2021, UFO announced that it would embark on its final tour featuring a series of exclusive concerts in summer 2022 to bid farewell to its fans in style. UFO was scheduled to play the very last concert of in Athens, where the band performed its first show featuring current guitarist Vinnie Moore in February 2004.

UFO guitarist/keyboard player Paul Raymond died in April 2019. He appeared on more than a dozen of UFO's albums, including "Lights Out" and the live classic "Strangers In The Night".

UFO's most recent lineup included original members Mogg and drummer Andy Parker, as well as Moore, who joined in 2003, and Rob De Luca (bass),a member since 2012.

UFO's latest release was the 2017 covers collection "The Salentino Cuts".

Photo by Charlie Smith

In a new interview with Bear Wiseman of Off The Record, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen was asked to name his favorite thing about each one of his bandmates, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley, singer Floor Jansen, drummer Kai Hahto and bassist Jukka Koskinen. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "They are the only other people in the world that I think about when I'm writing songs, because it's really important that they would be inspired about the stuff as well.

"I've known Emppu for more than 30 years, and he's just an incredible persona in the way that everything's always good with him," Tuomas continued. "He's the easiest-going bandmember there is. He does his job — his guitar playing is as professional as anybody — but other than that, it's always, like, 'Yeah, whatever.' 'Yeah, that sounds good. I'm fine.' He's so carefree, I'm almost envious about that because I worry about stuff constantly. So to get into his mind every now and then would be something else. He's a wonderful character. Same goes with Troy. He's just the most positive guy in the world. An incredible musician. Every time he enters the room, the room is filled with light and happiness and comedy. Yeah, he has definitely realized something thorough about life. Yeah, wonderful."

Tuomas added: "Floor is the best in the world in what she does. Really passionate about music, really understands the core of NIGHTWISH. And for me as a songwriter, that's such a relief because I know that whatever I do, whatever I want her to do, she's able to do. And a good example of this was when we recorded her vocals for this new album [the upcoming 'Yesterwynde']. We hadn't rehearsed once because we didn't have a chance. And we went to her home studio in Sweden. We had reserved two weeks for the recordings, and she was done in six days. Incredible, just incredible in what she does. Then Kai, too, again, the most amiable guy there is. I think he has like 25 guests on every single show we do and he doesn't know half of them. Yeah, everybody's his friend. So easy to be with. Pro musician, of course, obviously. What a drummer. But just fantastic guy. And same goes with Jukka. I mean, I've never, ever seen him angry or even agitated. He's just, like, 'Yeah, things will be okay. Let's talk about this.' And yeah, just a grounding personality. When you feel a bit agitated yourself, Jukka comes to you and you're, like, 'Oh, okay.' And a great bass player, of course. So lucky to be surrounded by these wonderful people. I really am."

NIGHTWISH's new album, "Yesterwynde", will be released on September 20 via Nuclear Blast. It marks the band's tenth studio LP, following on from the release of "Human. :II: Nature." in 2020.

In 2023, NIGHTWISH announced that the band wouldn't stage any tours in support of its then-unannounced tenth album. In a statement, Tuomas and his bandmates explained that "personal" reasons were the reason for the live hiatus and clarified that it had nothing to do with Jansen's then-pregnancy. The singer gave birth to her second daughter in October 2023.

In an interview with Metal Hammer last month, Holopainen said that NIGHTWISH still have no plans to tour after the release of "Yesterwynde".

"The reasons [for the live break] are personal," he said. "We're not going to go into it, but it was something that had to be done for this band to continue. There's no bad blood between the members, nothing like that. We just have to take a long breather."

The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", "Human. :II: Nature." was a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

In August 2022, NIGHTWISH announced the addition of Koskinen as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the previous year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.

In November 2022, Jansen revealed that she was "cancer free" after undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

Today Nightwish held a pre-listening session at Finnvox studios 🤘
Credits to: Mika Jussila - Mastering of the Universe

Posted by Nightwish Family on Friday, August 9, 2024

With guitarist Chris Bishop having made the decision that Crobot needs “one of those “MTV-style videos,” the band - Bishop, vocalist Brandon Yeagley, bassist Pat Seals, and drummer Dan Ryan - ventured out into the wilds of Pennsylvania’s woods to do just that.


Crobot’s brand new music video, “Nothing”, not only demonstrates the band’s ability to produce a seismic, sonic event, but to locate and feature one of the most sought-after legends in history - the seven-foot tall, hairy creature who stalks the woods - Bigfoot.


The “Nothing” video is loud and bombastic, with an unanticipated, happy ending, and you can check it out below:







Crobot’s upcoming album, Obsidian, is set for a September 13 release (Megaforce Records). Produced by Crobot, recorded at The Machine Shop Studios in Austin, TX, and engineered, mixed, and mastered by Alberto De Icaza, the 12 tracks on Obsidian dive into the deep, murky waters of the human condition, threading ancient myths with personal demons across its tracks.





Obsidian tracklisting:


"Obsidian"
"Come Down"
"Nothing"
"From The Ground"
"Disappear"
"Metal"
"The Flood"
"Ancient Druid Crown"
"Head Of The Beast"
"White Rabbit"
"Happiness"


"Obsidian" video:





"Come Down" visualizer:





Crobot will join up with CKY for a 16-date US tour that kicks off September 12 in Nashville, TN at The Mil at Cannery Hall.










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INFRARED - "Demon's Blood"




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Saskatoon, Canada’s Pythonic continues their metal assault with the release of their second single “Pills” – premiered exclusively through BraveWords – from their upcoming EP EP 1, due out on September 27, 2024. The single is the oldest song on the EP being the second song ever written by the band. It came out super quickly like the previously released “Love H8” and has a large emphasis on speed. The song tempo jumps up and down sporadically as does someone’s mood on opioids. 


The band comments further:


“The single Pills is another fan favorite song not as harped about as Epica is but still held in very high regard. This song didn't have a real solo for most of its life but when it came to recording the leads Ryan said he had a solo to throw in it so Vince had not heard the solo at all up until this point hit record on the track and watched Ryan lay down one the tastiest solos for the recording.”







The simplicity of the riffs in the song is what helps drive this song to listeners. It has a very catchy chorus backed with some catchy lyrics to draw the listener in. In the end, it has an unhinged-sounding solo which is a perfect close to the song almost as if the junkie is frantically looking for their next fix.


“Pills” delves deep into the struggles of addiction and the societal pressures that come with it. Dustin Reiner's searing vocals deliver a poignant narrative, perfectly complemented by the crushing riffs of lead guitarist Ryan Hunter and the unyielding rhythm guitar of Vincent Kohut. The Warriner brothers, Jayden on drums and Morgan on bass provide a relentless backbone that drives the song's intense momentum. It is recommended for fans of Devildriver, Machine Head, and Trivium.


EP 1 will be released on all digital platforms September 27.





Tracklisting:


“Positive Deconstruction”
“Love H8”
“Pills”
“Practice What You Preach”
“Epica”


EP Lineup:
Dustin Reiner - Lead Vocals and Bass
Ryan Hunter - Lead Guitar
Vincent Kohut - Rhythm Guitar and Backing Vocals
Jordan Gall Drums


Live Lineup
Dustin Reiner - Lead Vocals
Ryan Hunter - Lead Guitar
Vincent Kohut - Rhythm Guitar and Backing Vocals
Morgan Warriner - Bass and Backing Vocals
Jayden Warriner – Drums


(Photo: Mac Ulmer)







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Japanese metal band Nemophila, formed in 2019, performed a live cover of the Loudness classic, "Crazy Doctor", featuring Loudness members Akira Takasaki (guitar) and Minoru Niihara (vocals) in 2022.  Check it out below. 


Nemophila originally covered "Crazy Doctor" in 2022. The official video can be also be viewed below










On August 12, Loudness performed at Crash Crisis 2024 in Tokyo. Fan-filmed video of their entire set can be viewed below.


Setlist:


"Crazy Nights"
"Heavy Chains"
"Metal Mad"
"Yamato Damashii"
"Soul on Fire"
"Crazy Doctor"
"In the Mirror"
"S.D.I."













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In a new interview with Church Leaders, John Cooper, the frontman and bassist for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band SKILLET, spoke about the lyrical inspiration for the group's just-released single "Unpopular". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The song is not overtly preachy. It's not really proselytizing. It's almost like you can kind of take it to mean what you want.

"I think people that know SKILLET or have heard of the band are probably aware that we're Christians [laughs], because we're so vocal about it," he continued. "And so there's an assumption made there, but certainly this is something that, like the Joe Rogan crowd, the Kid Rock crowd, even the Bill Maher crowd, which Bill Maher is an atheist Democrat, would hear and be, like, 'Yeah, I get this,' because people have gone crazy. And I do think it's kind of a rock and roll thing to do, but rock and roll is always — there's lots to say about that, but it always had that rebellious tinge to it."

Cooper went on to say: "I'm not writing a song to please the crowd. I'm writing a song because it's what I believe, and rock and roll is inherently rebellious. That's true; it was when it began. But for SKILLET, it hasn't been about rebellion against God or rebellion against traditional values, or, as they would call them now, Western mores, Western sexual taboos or something like that. No, for us, it was, like, well, yeah, there's things I wanna sing about and I wanna do it the way we wanna do it. That's what I think is so cool about this song. It's got that rebellion to it, but I'm, like, yeah, this is something that everybody can relate to. Part of it is alluding to even just this idea of cancel culture too, that if you speak what's on your mind, you're gonna lose your friends."

Cooper added: "I've gotta tell you, it's been remarkable to me. I mean, I've got tons of friends who are not Christians and who are on the left and who are progressives and they say stuff against my faith all the time [laughs], and they're still my friends. I'm, like, yeah, that's who they are. I don't know. They're my friends. I love 'em. And if I don't like it, I'll tell 'em. But at the same time, I think that tolerance has kind of gotta work both ways. I'm not asking for them to be kicked off of social media because they said something that hurts my feel feels or something like that.

"So anyway, I guess that's kind of like going over the same territory as I already said, but there is that element. It's that rebellion. But I also think that the song just rocks. It's got a rebellious attitude to it that it's kind of funny and catchy."

Cooper also talked about SKILLET's upcoming album "Revolution", which will arrive on November 1 via the band's Hear It Loud imprint. He said: "If people see the artwork, which we've just released, you'll see there's a flag and it says SKILLET on there. And in the corner of the flag, if you look, you'll see it's got a verse, 1 Corinthians 13:13. I wanted to put that on there. In fact, I should just give a little bit of a nod to STRYPER. STRYPER always had their verse under their logo. And I thought, 'I wonder if we should do like a verse.' And I thought, 'STRYPER always did that. That was kind of clever.' And because they're just going, 'Hey, this is our motto,' or whatever. But I thought it would be important because we're in a time in this country of revolution."

John, who has said in the past that his Christian faith directs him to speak out on cultural issues, continued: "I wanna make sure that people know the kind of revolution that I am talking about is very different than some of the revolution that we often hear about on the news, which is a revolution against America, against God, against Western civilization, against the Bible. And I'm thinking, 'Well, certainly people will know that's not what I mean.' So I put that little verse. And that's the one that says we hold on to these things — faith, hope and love — that these things will never go away, and the greatest is love. And the reason that's so important is because the revolution we're talking about on this record is not a political revolution. It is certainly not a militaristic one, which I've never supported. It's a revolution of love. It's a revolution — I should say for love, is what I should say. It's a revolution to love your enemies. In fact, you could even really philosophically call it a counter revolution, really. It's revolution against the revolution that wants to tear down these traditional things that are so wonderful. I don't want to end freedom of speech and freedom to assemble, to go to my church and worship God, to preach the gospel unhindered. Now we're going to preach the gospel no matter what the government says, but it sure is nice to be able to preach the gospel without being fined or having penalties or worse, going to jail or something like that. This is a really wonderful thing. And so that's a revolution. But it's also a revolution, very much a spiritual awakening."

Cooper added: "We're living in a really atheistic time in our country. It used to not be like this. And so what you now have is a generation of people that are now becoming young adults who were raised in an America where people just don't believe in God. Because if you don't believe in God, then you don't believe in any sort of almost like eternal consequences to the way you live your life, because there are no consequences and we don't know what matters and what doesn't matter. And I just live for me. I live for the way I feel and I try to do what's right. And because of that, we now have a generation of just depressed people, and it makes sense that they're depressed. They are medicated — highly medicated. They have been told that their lives don't have any grand purpose outside of basically Darwin's evolution. Just basically either the strongest survive or they have to try to manufacture a reason that they matter. That's what I'm trying to say. When you believe in God, you know that you matter because you were created by a creator, and that gives you a sense of purpose and identity. And then you begin to go, 'Okay, well, if there is a God, then how does he want me to live?' Those are normal questions. And maybe there's eternal significance to my life. You take God out of it, and now you're dealing with young people — the highest rates of suicide in recorded history in America, depression, medication. It's just so sad. And so there is this revolution against these false ideologies that are so harmful — so harmful. And so it's a little bit of a, 'Hey, guys, we are losing the plot here, and it ain't going good.' And so you're gonna hear those kinds of songs on the record."

John has written in depth about his views in the two books he has released so far, "Awake & Alive to Truth", which came out in December 2020, and "Wimpy, Weak, And Woke", which became available in late 2023.

Cooper told Baptist Press about how his faith directs him to speak out on cultural issues: "If Jesus is the truth, then that means He has something to say about culture, politics, abortion and sexuality. The Bible has something to say about these things."

In various interviews over the years, John has said that he "always had faith in God" and that his mother was a "Jesus fanatic." He also claimed that he was willing to put his career on the line to take a stand for Christ.

In April 2021, Cooper told the "Undaunted.Life: A Man's Podcast" that it was perfectly fine for Christians to play rock music. "I would say that music is created not by the Devil; [it is] created by the Lord," he said. "All things were created by God. So instead of thinking that the Devil owns a genre of music, I would say capture that music and bring it back into subjection under the Lordship of Christ."

In a new interview with Guitar Interactive magazine, CREED guitarist Mark Tremonti was asked if he would like to work on some fresh music with his bandmates. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, I love writing music and I love doing it in many different ways. I love challenging ourselves, I love to be challenged, and writing for all these different acts, when you get into it, you're, like, how am I gonna differentiate this from my other projects? How are we gonna make this its own thing and not sound like this other band with just a different vocalist on it?"

Elaborating on CREED's possible mindset while working on new music, Tremonti said: "I think putting a fresh look, but also um realizing what people loved about the band and trying to trying to keep that intact and not get too progressive in any way with CREED. We keep that to [my other bands] ALTER BRIDGE and TREMONTI and we keep CREED a little more the way it was back in the day — the big melodies, just the stuff that worked back in the day. I think on [CREED's last album, 2009's] 'Full Circle' record, we got somewhat a little more — I think we strayed a little bit from our original sound with that album. So I think it'd be good to try to get back to that original sound a little more."

CREED kicked off its first tour in 12 years, "Summer Of '99", on July 17 at Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

With more than 53 million albums sold worldwide, CREED remains one of modern rock's most successful acts. Now, 30 years into their incredible journey, CREED is bigger than ever. In late 2023, the Texas Rangers made "Higher" their unofficial anthem, as it spurred them to their first World Series win. Earlier this year, the song appeared in a high-profile Paramount+ Super Bowl commercial, while a NASCAR Daytona 500 campaign also incorporated the hit single. Along the way, CREED has gained a new generation of fans, thanks to countless TikTok videos that feature their songs.

Last summer, after an 11-year hiatus, CREED announced their long-awaited reunion — returning to the stage for the first time in April 2024 at the sold-out Summer Of '99 cruise and Summer Of '99 And Beyond cruise. In May, meanwhile, the band's multiplatinum-selling "Greatest Hits" collection made its wide debut on vinyl (via Craft),this month landing the collection back into the Billboard Top 200 (currently No. 166, in a list of the most consumed albums in the U.S.),as well as hitting Top Hard Rock & Alternative Albums (No.48),Top Alternative Albums (No. 21),and moving up the Top Hard Rock Albums rankings (No. 11). Originally issued in 2004, the 14-track compilation spans the band's first three albums (1997's "My Own Prison", 1999's "Human Clay" and 2001's "Weathered"). In the months ahead, fans can catch the band on their "Summer Of '99" tour, running through September, where they are joined by the likes of 3 DOORS DOWN, FINGER ELEVEN, SWITCHFOOT, FUEL, BIG WRECK and DAUGHTRY. The band will be heading into arenas this November and December on the "Are You Ready?" tour with 3 DOORS DOWN and MAMMOTH WVH in the U.S. and MAMMOTH WVH and FINGER ELEVEN in Canada.

In a recent interview with Ryan McCredden of the I-Rock 93.5 radio station, singer Scott Stapp spoke about the fact that younger generations of fans have discovered CREED's music in the 12 years since he and his bandmates played their last concert. He said: "Yeah, a hundred percent. And the analytics don't lie. We've started seeing, in late 2020, CREED beginning to go viral on TikTok, Instagram and then Facebook. And then it just seemed like every two or three months… The first couple months in 2021, we went viral again, and it just kept happening every two or three months. And then you look at the analytics, and you realize that when you look at the numbers, it's three generations. And now it's gotten down into high school kids. And so, what a gift and what a blessing. And I do not take that for granted. I understand how rare that that is. And I think I can speak for all of CREED, because we've had these conversations in private, that it's something we definitely understand is a gift, it's rare and we're not taking it for granted and we're just so grateful and appreciative that this has happened. And I think we're in the nurture phase of this whole thing and not taking a single bit of it for granted and just want to just share how grateful we are and fortunate we are that all these years later [so many people are discovering our music."

Stapp went on to discuss the overwhelmingly positive response to the announcement of CREED's first shows together in 12 years.

"I learned this from Mark the other day in a Guitar World interview that we did together," Scott said. "One thing about Mark, and I hope he doesn't get mad at me for sharing, but he's always in touch with our long-term agent from day one, Ken Fermaglich at UTA. He started with us when we were doing clubs and nobody was showing up, and he's still our agent today. And Mark checks in with him to get analytics and get numbers. And Ken shared with him that right now we are bigger in terms of sales and how things are moving than we were at our peak in 2001, 2002, which blows my mind. It still doesn't seem that way to me, but Mark made a comment. He goes, 'Oh, well, you'll see it when you step out and there's 25,000 people in front of you.' And I said, 'Don't scare me, man.' It's been a long time since I've stepped in front of an audience that big."

When McCredden suggested that "the social media world of TikTok and Instagram" played a huge part in generating interest in a CREED reunion tour, Stapp said: "I've learned in my journey in sobriety and in recovery that… I believe in God and I believe that God has a plan. And looking at this from a thousand-foot perspective, it just all just seems, to me, without a doubt that God's had a hand in it. And I'm just grateful that I'm included on the ride and I'm just not gonna take a moment for granted and [I'm gonna] try to deliver every night and give the fans what they're asking for."

Photo credit: Chuck Brueckmann

Craft Recordings celebrates the 15th anniversary of ALICE IN CHAINS' seminal 2009 album "Black Gives Way To Blue" with a special vinyl reissue. The LP, out of print since its original release and a long-sought treasure for hard rock devotees, will arrive on September 27 and is available for pre-order today. In addition to the wide 2-LP release, fans can also pick up the album on three limited-edition color pressings: Black Widow (available exclusively through the ALICE IN CHAINS store),Black Smoke (via the Craft Recordings store),and Electric Smoke (available at Revolver).

"Black Gives Way To Blue" is ALICE IN CHAINS' fourth studio album, first released on September 29, 2009. The project marks a significant moment in the band's history, being their first record to feature William DuVall sharing vocal and guitar duties with founding member Jerry Cantrell, alongside bassist Mike Inez and drummer/founding member Sean Kinney.

Upon release, "Black Gives Way To Blue" was an instant smash hit, debuting at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and achieving gold certification from the RIAA by May 2010. It includes singles "Your Decision", "Lesson Learned", "Check My Brain" and "A Looking In View", plus the poignant title track "Black Gives Way To Blue", which features a guest performance from Elton John on piano. This song, a heartfelt tribute to late frontman Layne Staley, captures the band's process in coming to terms with their loss while finding a path forward. Both "A Looking In View" and "Check My Brain" were Grammy Award nominated for "Best Hard Rock Performance" in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Additionally, "Black Gives Way To Blue" won a Revolver Golden Gods Award for "Album Of The Year" in 2010.

Consequence praised "Black Gives Way To Blue" as "11 songs that will remind listeners of why ALICE was and is so vital to the hard rock scene," while BLABBERMOUTH.NET described the album as achieving "a newfound level of clarity and humanity that only comes from putting everything [in] the past where it belongs; this could mark the beginning of a new era of stellar music from the band that broke through the grunge barrier and redefined modern rock."

Despite the near unanimous acclaim, the band felt apprehension in pursuing new music after the tragic death of founding frontman Layne Staley. In a 2009 interview with Billboard, the band discussed the delicate balance between honoring their beloved band member and continuing to evolve the group's sound in new directions. "It took a lot to get through this process and to even take the chance, and stand-up and risk," Cantrell said.

DuVall added: "I think initially people came [with] arms crossed, sort of hoping against hope. I hear that a lot. I'm not trying to do a Layne. One of the things I loved about him was how individual he was. He was just being himself, so that's what I do."

Cantrell also reflected on that era in a 2024 interview with Metal Hammer, sharing details about the recording process, which took place at Studio 606 in Los Angeles, owned by the band's friend Dave Grohl. Cantrell explained that the new chapter of ALICE IN CHAINS was a pure artistic pursuit of creating excellent music: "There was no master plan, despite what people think," he said. "This felt right, so we did the next thing, and then the next thing… It's more than just making music and it always has been. We've been friends a long time. We're not doing this to please anybody. It had to be okay from here," he said, pointing to his chest.

Now, 15 years on, the band still feels deeply connected to "Black Gives Way To Blue", which signaled a significant turning point in their legendary career. All these years later, the album remains an important touchstone for the group and their millions of devoted fans. Blending heavy grunge with pummeling, unrelenting hard rock, the album was both a tribute to Staley's impact on the band and a map for moving forward.

Track listing:

Side A:

01. All Secrets Known
02. Check My Brain
03. Last Of My Kind

Side B:

01. Your Decision
02. A Looking In View

Side C:

01. When The Sun Rose Again
02. Acid Bubble
03. Lesson Learned

Side D:

01. Take Her Out
02. Private Hell
03. Black Gives Way To Blue

Over the course of their remarkable career, seminal rock band ALICE IN CHAINS (vocalist/guitarist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez and vocalist/guitarist William DuVall) have garnered multiple Grammy nominations, sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, and amassed a diehard international fanbase whose members number in the millions. Their discography features some of the biggest and most important albums in rock history, including 1990's triple-platinum certified "Facelift", 1992's quadruple-platinum-certified "Dirt", 1994's triple-platinum-certified EP "Jar Of Flies", which was the first EP in music history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and 1995's self-titled double-platinum-certified "Alice In Chains", which also entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1. They returned in grand style in 2009 with the critically acclaimed "Black Gives Way To Blue", which hit No. 1 across the rock and alternative charts, was certified gold, and was hailed by Vice as "a record that's as powerful as anything the band has done." ALICE IN CHAINS remains one of the most successful and influential American rock bands of all time.

Photo credit: James Minchin

In a new interview with Marcelo Vieira, HAMMERFALL singer Joacim Cans was asked if he has achieved everything he dreamed of in his musical career. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Absolutely not. Because in that case, it could only go down. [Laughs] There are always territories you wanna play, there's always venues you wanna play. So, no — absolutely not.

"I achieved a lot," he continued. "Let's say if the career would be over tomorrow, I would be happy because I have experienced so many good things in my career. So, hey, I couldn't ask for more, but I still have bigger dreams."

Asked what is still missing, Cans said: "I mean, the dream is still to do a world tour. Wherever you go, you play venues that you can come in with your full production that every fan, no matter where they live in the world, they will get the same show. That is my dream."

Earlier in the month, Joacim spoke to Roppongi Rocks's Stefan Nilsson about the Swedish metallers' latest LP, "Avenge The Fallen", which arrived on August 9 via Nuclear Blast Records. He said: "This is the album number 13. We've been around for quite some time, and I think HAMMERFALL, we stand for something. This is pure, solid heavy metal the way it's supposed to be played. It's as simple as that. At the same time, album 13 takes a lot of hard work to really dig deep into yourself to find the unique stuff that you haven't written before. I always say that [HAMMERFALL guitarist] Oscar [Dronjak] and I could probably write an album in five days with 10 okay songs, but okay is not good enough. Not even good is good enough. It has to be great. So this is a lot of hard work behind this.

"It's really hard to describe an album in a short period of time," he continued. "Musically, every song on this album belongs to the concept of the album. We still record and release albums. Take one song out — you can see that as a brick. The whole album will start to shake a little bit; something will be missing. There's also a concept, I would say, in the way I am thinking or my thought pattern when it came to the lyrics. This album is about freedom and about hope. The freedom, the right to be the person that you wanna be and live the life that you wanna live."

When Nilsson noted that "Avenge The Fallen" does not contain "cheesy" power metal lyrics about "dragons and stuff", Joacim said: "That's because, first of all, we play heavy metal and not power metal. I think it's a very big difference. If you listen to what we do, it is different. If you also read the lyrics… Unfortunately, nowadays people don't really have the lyrics at hand when they listen because it's on either on Spotify or whatever. The lyrics are not really there. So that is a problem.

"The opening track on the first album was 'The Dragon Lies Bleeding'," Cans explained. "But if you get into that song, the word 'dragon' is a metaphor for the enemy. So it's not even a real dragon in there. I always try to stay away from it. I try to describe things, but maybe using words that are familiar to the overall heavy metal listener, but there's always layers in there. You can interpret it in many different ways. So, of course, there are swords in there and sometimes actually a sword is a sword. We just have to live with that. And hammer will always be a hammer."

In a recent interview with Australia's Heavy, Dronjak stated about "Avenge The Fallen": "We've been working on it really hard. I've been living with the songs for — some songs are five years old, too, so I've had them around for a while. I've been living with the material for so long, and we actually recorded in November, December and January as well, a little bit. So it's been done for a while. Now I'm getting anxious to just — I wanna show people what we've done because I'm very proud of the album. I think we've done one of our strongest albums in recent years, in my opinion. Of course, this can vary a lot for everybody else."

He continued: "I'm very happy because of three things. First, all the songs on the album, they serve a purpose, so if you take one away, the whole is gonna collapse in the middle somehow, even if it's one of the the non-single ones, so to speak, the ones that we don't think are the strongest — even the other ones would have an impact if you take them away. And also I think that the production of this album is — and [by] production, I mean the performance as well from us. Because we start with the drums, recording the drums, and then everybody else builds their stuff on top of that. And David [Wallin] came into this so focused and so energetic and his drumming is so powerful that when he was done, everybody was, like, 'Whoa, shit. We've gotta step it up now as well,' 'cause he put the bar up here. So we kept on going and feeding off of that, of course, when we recorded the bass and guitars. And then during these recordings, Fredrik Nordström, the producer, and he was gonna do the mixing at the end as well, he said, 'Oh, shit, guys. I feel pressure now to take it up a level as well now, because you've already reached it.' So for us, the production is… I think when we recorded the previous album, [2022's] 'Hammer Of Dawn', we did a good job with that one too, but it was kind of hard to get the energy because we'd recorded that during the pandemic. So the pandemic had laid a bit of a filter on top. I mean, it's not noticeable when we released that album, but I think if you compare the two, you can feel the difference, 'cause this one is so much more energetic and so much more powerful in every way. And I think also the songs — I'm very happy with the songs this time. I think they are diverse, they are well written.

"Joacim and I write the songs together," Oscar added. "So I do a demo of the song with the instruments and a drum machine. Then whatever vocal melodies I have or a chorus, whatever it is, I send it over to him and then he finishes it. So I'm very happy with my work, and I usually am, 'cause if I'm not happy with it, I don't send it off to somebody else. But what I got back from Joacim this time is better than I think I've ever heard him do songwriting-wise. He gave every part on every song the perfect mix of the lyrics with the melodies that he created. That's part of the reason. 'Cause when I send off my songs, I know I think it's a good song, but I just don't know how good it will be until his stuff comes on top of it, 'cause we write the songs together. So once I got back these songs from him, the ideas, and we had a bit of a back-and-forth with both the music and the vocal melodies and lyrics and stuff, once we were all satisfied, I think we both felt that this is a strong album from start to finish."

When "Avenge The Fallen" was first announced in April, Cans said in a statement: "This is our 13th album. How do you still stay relevant after 13 albums? It's very much like the opening line to the song 'Avenge The Fallen': 'What is the worst, be the one who died, or be the one who survived.' Think about it, because it is a tough question".

He continued: "Do we want to be a band who releases new music just for the sole reason of getting out on the road again or do we want to keep pushing and challenging ourselves? In times where people have less and less attention span, we still think in the form of full-length albums. A few good songs don't make a strong album. A strong album comes from an album full of great songs and that's what we're delivering with 'Avenge The Fallen'."

In December 2022, HAMMERFALL, which started its career in 1997 on Nuclear Blast with its debut album "Glory To The Brave", announced that it was returning to the long-running German label.

HAMMERFALL's entire Nuclear Blast catalog, from "Glory To The Brave" to the 2014 album "(r)Evolution" was certified with a diamond award for over 1.5 million worldwide sales.

Following on from "Renegade" (2000),"Crimson Thunder" (2002) and "No Sacrifice, No Victory" (2009),HAMMERFALL's fifth studio album, "Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken" from 2005, became the band's fourth album to go gold in Sweden, while "Crimson Thunder" even went platinum, surpassing 60,000 sales in the group's home country.

In April 2023, HAMMERFALL released a special platinum edition of "Crimson Thunder" with tons of bonus material.

Hammerheart Records has announced that due to popular demand, they will finally repress Phlebotomized's Immense Intense Suspense on vinyl.


"It has been 9 years since we did a first edition and this classic Dutch death metal album is in high regard and demand. Several variants will be available. And it will be a last and final repress."


Pre-order here







Tracklisting:


"Immense Intense Suspense / Barricade"
"Desecration Of Alleged Christian History"
"Dubbed Forswearer"
"In Search Of Tranquility / Subtle Disbalanced Liquidity"
"Devoted To God"
"Mellow Are The Reverberations"
"Gone..."










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Today, Ripped To Shreds shares "Force Fed", the second single off their forthcoming new album, Sanshi, out September 27 via Relapse Records. Pre-order the album here.


Bearing all the blood-soaked hallmarks of their hellacious sound, Sanshi is an onslaught of frenetic duelling solos, blasting drums, and van Drunen-esque vocals that further fuse the grit and grime of old-school death metal and grind with the here and now. Helmed by guitarist and frontman Andrew Lee, Ripped To Shreds is as fierce and focused as ever.
Lee comments on "Force Fed": "In the infinite hells of the afterlife, you will be dismembered, steamed alive, made to crawl through knives, until your soul is purified of earthly sins. Then you're force-fed an elixir of forgetfulness so that you can be reborn to sin and to be tortured all over again."


Stream the song here, listen below:







Conceptually, Sanshi sees the band dig into a morbid fixation on death and the afterlife in the context of traditional Chinese folklore. Tracks like the lead single “Perverting The Funeral Rites, Stripped For The Dead” is a song inspired by obscure funeral rites in Taiwan, wherein exotic dancers perform lithe rituals for living and dead alike. Elsewhere, “Force Fed” delves into the legend of Meng Po’s "Elixir of Forgetfulness", which when drunk by the dead wipes their memories clean before they are reborn into their next incarnation. “Living In Effigy” was inspired by real life tales of photographers traversing remote rural China, taking funeral portraits of the elderly  who died in solitude.


Sanshi's cover art comes courtesy of Lee’s long-term collaborator, artist Guang Yang, and depicts a scene of Yan Luo Wang, The God of Hell, and the dead who must face his judgment in his demonic court.





Tracklisting:


"Into The Court Of Yanluowang"
"Force Fed"
"燒冥紙 (Sacrificial Fire)"
"孽鏡臺 (Visions Of Sin, Mirror Of Darkness)"
"Feast Of The Deceased"
"Horrendous Corpse Resurrection"
"Living In Effigy"
"冥婚 (Corpse Betrothal)"
"Cultivating Towards Ascension"
"Perverting The Funeral Rites, Stripping For The Dead"


"Perverting The Funeral Rites, Stripping For The Dead" video:





(Photo - Christopher Johnston)







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Lords Of The Trident are back with the third single off of their upcoming EP, V.G.E.P. (out October 1), with "Valerie," a cover of the Steve Winwood classic. The single is accompanied by a music video, paying homage to the original.


Frontman Fang VonWrathenstein explains: "When I was a kid, the local mall arcade - 'Aladdin's Castle' - was a short bike ride from my house, so I basically grew up there. I remember parking my bike, entering the mall out of the hot summer air, and listening to the canned mall music being played over the tiny, ceiling-mounted speakers as I walked toward the arcade. More often than not, 'Valerie' by Steve Winwood would be playing as I reached the doors of Aladdin's Castle, where the busy noises of the arcade machines would overtake the sound of Mr. Winwood belting out the name of his lost lover. That's why, for whatever reason, I associate 'Valerie' with the childhood thrill of exchanging my quarters for tokens and challenging the latest video game. We wanted to pay homage to the original hand-painted video by attempting to recreate the look and feel (and aspect ratio!) of Steve Winwood's legendary music video. How'd we do? Let us know in the comments of the video!"







The EP made its "sudden drop" as an exclusive release for Lords Of The Trident's Patreon supporters. Anyone who pledges $5 or more to the Lords Of The Trident Patreon gets immediate access to download the full EP as well as the band's last four albums, 25+ live albums, 10+ singles, and more.





Tracklisting:


“To Kill A God”
“Master Of Speed”
“Jet Set City”
“Valerie”
“The Ballad Of Jon Milwaukee”


"The Ballad Of Jon Milwaukee" video:





“To Kill A God” video:










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