Italian goth metallers LACUNA COIL have released a new single, "Hosting The Shadow". After their successful collaboration with Ash Costello of NEW YEARS DAY on previous single "In The Mean Time", the new track includes a guest appearance by Randy Blythe from LAMB OF GOD.

LACUNA COIL comments: "'Hosting The Shadow' is a trip through light and dark, where silence reveals its hidden secrets. Obscure moments can become occasions to evolve, to learn to master one's own shadow — which is crucial in order to prevail.

"Randy Blythe did an incredible job on this track. We absolutely adore his voice and his evil laugh! Our admiration for him is infinite and to have him as a guest on this song is a dream come true. Partnering with a friend you respect immensely, that also kicks ass on stages around the world: it doesn't get any better than this. We're looking forward to the day we can perform 'Hosting The Shadow' live together!"

Blythe adds: "I was super excited when LACUNA COIL asked me to sing on a song with them. Not only am I a big fan of their music, they are truly beautiful souls who have been like family to me for 20 years now. We've played shows together all over the world, and I've always wanted to jump onstage and sing with them. I can't wait until it actually happens with 'Hosting The Shadow'!"

This past June, LACUNA COIL announced the departure of guitarist Diego Cavallotti.

Cavallotti, who joined LACUNA COIL in 2016, initially as a fill-in guitarist following the exit of Marco "Maus" Biazzi, later said in a social media post that "this decision is not the result of my dissatisfaction or desire to explore new opportunities."

When LACUNA COIL announced Cavallotti's departure on June 17, the band wrote in a statement: "As we step into a new cycle, writing and recording our next album, we are parting ways with Diego 'DD' Cavallotti. We thank him for the many unforgettable moments shared over the years and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.

"All future live plans remain unchanged and the new songs are taking form, we can't wait to share them with our fans."

LACUNA COIL recently completed the "Ignite The Fire" U.S. tour with support from NEW YEARS DAY and OCEANS OF SLUMBER.

In April, LACUNA COIL released "In The Mean Time", featuring Costello. The song's title is a reference to the mean times the world is living in, as well as a reference to the state the band itself is in, between cycles.

In July 2023, LACUNA COIL released the official lyric video for a new track called "Never Dawn". For the song, the band partnered with CMON, the renowned board game publisher behind the popular game "Zombicide".

In a recent interview with Brazil's Sonoridades Inc., LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia spoke about the progress of the writing and recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2019's "Black Anima" album. She said: "I can't really tell you a lot. I can tell you that we are progressing very fast. We are almost, like, 100… We completed, let's say, the demoing. We still have to record the rest of the songs, but we will soon — probably after the tour, after the [May 2024] North American tour. And if everything goes as projected, before the end of the year [it] will be released. And that's already a big news, because we always say, 'We don't know. Maybe.' … I absolutely love the songs. I'm part of the process. But I'm very pleased."

Asked if "Never Dawn" will be on the upcoming album, Cristina said: "I think it will be. I think it will be, 'cause it will make sense. And it also fits with the other songs — it really fits with the other songs. Many heavy songs."

LACUNA COIL has spent some of the last couple of years promoting "Comalies XX", the "deconstructed" and "transported" version of the band's third album, "Comalies".

"Comalies XX" was made available on October 14, 2022 via Century Media Records.

LACUNA COIL celebrated the 20th anniversary of "Comalies", by performing it in its entirety at a one-night-only concert on October 15, 2022 at Fabrique in Milano.

"Comalies" was originally released on October 29, 2002 through Century Media Records. The LP, which featured the band's breakthrough single "Heaven's A Lie", has reportedly gone on to sell over 300,000 copies in the United States alone.

Photo credit: Cunene

On Friday, July 26, RATT singer Stephen Pearcy appeared on the KLOS Helpful Honda Rock Room stage, the exclusive concert series featuring private interviews and performances. Check out Pearcy's performance and interview with Matt Pinfield below. Pearcy and Pinfield discuss Stephen's love of rock and roll growing up, the Sunset Strip in the 1980s, the early days of RATT, the 40th anniversary of RATT's "Out Of The Cellar" album and a whole lot more.

Pearcy is joined in his current solo band by drummer Blas Elias (SLAUGHTER),bassist Matt Thor (ROUGH CUTT),guitarist Johnny Monaco (ENUFF Z'NUFF) and longtime guitarist Erik Ferentinos.

In a recent interview with Rockin' 101's "The Johnny Rock Show", Pearcy spoke about his ongoing tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of RATT's classic debut album, "Out Of The Cellar", by performing it in its entirety and in sequence for the first time. Asked if he is really playing the entire record top to bottom, Stephen replied: "Yes, I am. And the difference here is I am literally playing the record top to bottom, which means I will be playing [RATT's biggest hit] 'Round And Round' third. I'm not gonna save it for the encore, because what we do is you kick your ass with the record top to bottom, which is insane because even the original band didn't try to take on that endeavor. So it's actually way cool because after we're done with 'Out Of The Cellar', we don't stop. We're gonna lay it down and go into the next, what would be 40 years of [1985's] 'Invasion [Of Your Privacy]' [RATT's second album] tour."

When the interviewer noted that Pearcy has to play the songs from "Out Of The Cellar" in the order in which they appear on the album "or it doesn't make any sense," Stephen concurred. "Correct. Correct," he said. "And people kind of trip out, they're, like, 'Whoa,' but I kind of explain [from the stage why we're doing it that way]. What's really refreshing is I haven't played these songs, nor have the original band, tried to do that with Robbin [Crosby, late RATT guitarist] in the band with the original guys. So it's very cool to go back and play some of these songs. They're so refreshing. 'Scene Of The Crime', 'She Wants Money', these are great songs that we never really played."

Prior to the launch of this year's "Back In The Cellar" tour, Pearcy most recently performed "Out Of The Cellar" in its entirety with his solo band on December 29, 2023 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. It marked Stephen's first time playing the LP from front to back.

RATT exploded on to the national scene in 1984 with the release of "Out Of The Cellar". Featuring an undeniable hook and legendary music video, lead single "Round And Round" hit No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Out Of The Cellar" reached No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified triple platinum. Two more charting singles followed with "Back For More" and "Wanted Man". RATT started the tour as an opening act, but by the end of the tour had climbed to arena headliner.

RATT returned in 1985 with its second full-length album, "Invasion Of Your Privacy". Certified double platinum and also reaching No. 7 on the Billboard 200, "Invasion Of Your Privacy" also featured the classics "Lay It Down" (No. 40 on Billboard Hot 100) and "You're In Love".

"Dancing Undercover" followed in 1986 as RATT toured North America with a then-brand new Los Angeles band called POISON as the opening act. Lead single "Dance" hit the Billboard Hot 100 and spawned another music video hit with "Slip Of The Lip", while "Body Talk" was featured in a key scene in the Eddie Murphy film "The Golden Child". "Dancing Undercover" became RATT's third consecutive platinum album and reached No. 26 on the Billboard 200.

1988's "Reach For The Sky" saw RATT return to the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 album charts, peaking at No. 17. Driven by the bluesy hit and MTV favorite "Way Cool Jr.", "Reach For The Sky" was also certified platinum and became RATT's fourth album in a row to move well over a million copies. "I Want A Woman" was also a successful single and the video captured the excitement and energy of RATT live.

RATT released its last full-length record of the Atlantic era, "Detonator", in 1990. Music was changing, but "Detonator" was still a success, peaking at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 and going gold. It was the first RATT album to feature major outside songwriting contributions (Desmond Child, Diane Warren) and guests (Jon Bon Jovi, Michael Schenker). Lead single "Lovin' You's A Dirty Job" hit No. 18 on the rock chart while the power ballad "Giving Yourself Away" reached No. 39.

In 1991, they released the single "Nobody Rides For Free" from the hit film "Point Break", starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze.

In January 2021, Pearcy told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he was open to the idea of making a new RATT album with all the surviving members of the band's classic lineup.

RATT hasn't released any new music since 2010's "Infestation" LP.

Detroit punk rock pioneers MC5 have released "Can't Be Found", the second single from their upcoming album, "Heavy Lifting", due out October 18. The track showcases the album's funky heavy rock fusion with electrifying guitar riffs, highlighting the soul of founding member Wayne Kramer. Kramer, alongside original MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson and LIVING COLOUR guitarist Vernon Reid, deliver a refreshing signature anthem, setting the stage for the album's release.

Emerging from the gritty streets of Detroit in the mid-1960s, MC5 revolutionized rock and roll with their blistering fusion of garage rock, blues, soul, free jazz, and proto-punk. Infamous for incendiary live performances and a radical left-wing stance, their status as pioneers of punk and protest rock has inspired many musicians like RAMONES, THE CLASH, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, THE WHITE STRIPES, Slash and countless others and continues to shape the sound of punk and alternative rock for generations to come.

earMUSIC will release the first new music from MC5 in more than 50 years (following 1971's "High Time") with the album "Heavy Lifting" due October 18 — one day prior to the band's induction into 2024's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame when they will receive the "Musical Excellence Award."

"Heavy Lifting" features guitar and vocals by founding MC5 member Wayne Kramer, who also co-wrote 12 of the album's 13 songs together with Oakland singer/songwriter Brad Brooks. Prolific for five decades, Kramer was the last remaining active member of MC5. He passed away suddenly in February, followed by the death of drummer Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson in May. It is Thompson's final studio recording.

In an interview with Uncut in November 2023, Kramer discussed the album and said: "Live long and stay creative. This is my attitude. And this album continues from where 'High Time' left off. In that, I think it's an artist's responsibility to reflect the times they're going through. And I think that we made an album that is in sync with where we're at today and the challenges that we're facing, and that carries a positive message."

"Heavy Lifting" was recorded with iconic producer Bob Ezrin (LOU REED, ALICE COOPER, KISS) and features an all-star lineup of Kramer's friends and musical colleagues, including Slash (GUNS N' ROSES),Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE),William DuVall (ALICE IN CHAINS),Vernon Reid (LIVING COLOUR),Don Was and Tim McIlrath (RISE AGAINST),allowing for a collaborative effort that bridges the gap between generations of musicians inspired by MC5's fearless approach to music and activism. The breadth of MC5's impact can be heard by all the album's players, including Vicki Randle (ARETHA FRANKLIN),Stevie Salas (PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC, ROD STEWART),Abe Laboriel Jr. (PAUL MCCARTNEY),Winston Watson Jr. (BOB DYLAN) and Joe Berry (M83). Far more than a trip down memory lane, "Heavy Lifting" is a resounding affirmation that the spirit of punk endures.

"It's very heavy," Ezrin reports on "Heavy Lifting". "It has a revolutionary message but also a good sense of humor. There's a little bit of heavy metal. There's quite a bit of funk. But it is a heavy record, and it's a guitar record left, right and centre. Just a wall of guitars most of the time, and mostly driven by Wayne and his ethos. It's a snapshot of a guitar man at the height of his powers. We all feel a responsibility to make sure that his work is heard, and he is celebrated. We poured our hearts into the project."

In addition to the 13-track album, a 2CD / 2LP bonus disc will be released including previously unreleased live recordings from the MC50 tour in 2018 celebrating the 50th anniversary of MC5's revered 1969 debut album "Kick Out The Jams", which features classic anthems like "Kick Out The Jams" and "Ramblin' Rose". Alongside Kramer, the MC50 live band features SOUNDGARDEN guitarist Kim Thayil, FUGAZI drummer Brendan Canty, FAITH NO MORE's bassist Billy Gould, and frontman Marcus Durant (ZEN GUERRILLA) with a special guest appearance by Mark Arm (MUDHONEY). See the full track listing below.

"Heavy Lifting" track listing:

01. Heavy Lifting (feat. Tom Morello)
02. Barbarians At The Gate
03. Change, No Change
04. The Edge Of The Switchblade (feat. William Duvall and Slash)
05. Black Boots (feat. Tim McIIrath)
06. I Am The Fun (The Phoney)
07. Twenty-Five Miles
08. Because Of Your Car
09. Boys Who Play With Matches
10. Blind Eye (feat. Dennis Thompson)
11. Can't Be Found (feat. Vernon Reid and Dennis Thompson)
12. Blessed Release
13. Hit It Hard (feat. Joe Berry)

Additional track listing (2CD/2LP):

01. Ramblin' Rose
02. Kick Out The Jams
03. Come Together
04. Motor City Is Burning
05. Borderline
06. Gotta Keep Movin'
07. Future/Now
08. Poison
09. Shakin' Street
10. Sister Anne

Photo credit: Jim Newberry (above) / Margaret Saadi Kramer (below) (courtesy of The Outside Organisation)

In a new interview with Portugal's Caminhos Metálicos, frontman Vorph (real name: Michael Locher) of Swiss industrial metallers SAMAEL was asked when fans can expect a new studio album from him and his bandmates. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're on it. Part of the recording is finished. I did the vocal. Xy's [drummer Alexandre 'Xytras' Locher] still doing some editing. My original idea was to release at least one song this year, but as I see how it is working now, I think it's gonna be early next year. But we will have one song, at least, released before anything else."

In June 2020, SAMAEL announced the addition of bassist Ales Campanelli to the group's ranks.

A former member of SYBREED, OBSYDIANS and THE ERKONAUTS, Ales had been playing with SAMAEL guitarist Thomas "Drop" Betrisey for many years. He was no stranger to the machines-versus-humans music of SAMAEL and had known the band since its early black metal days.

Campanelli made his live debut with SAMAEL as part of Tohuwabohu, a worldwide, pay-what-you-want streaming metal event, in June 2020.

Ales joined SAMAEL as the replacement for Pierre "Zorrac" Carroz (SCARS DIVIDE, HEROD),who had played with the group since July 2018.

Longtime SAMAEL guitarist Marco "Makro" Rivao left the band in April 2018 "to do something different." Bassist Drop has since taken over guitar duties in the group.

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

Photo credit: Johan Vergères

In a new interview with Joe Rock of Long Island's rock station 102.3 WBAB, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell spoke about the band's latest single, "Just Like 73". The official lyric video for the track, which features a guest guitar solo from Tom Morello, can be seen below.

Regarding the inspiration for the "Just Like 73" title, Vivian said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're all of a similar age, within a few years. And [the year 1973] was the time when we all came of age musically. That was our musical awakening. For me, it was Marc Bolan and T. REX. It was also the start of the 'Ziggy Stardust' era. I mean, '73 was an exceptional year for music. Some stunning albums were released that year. So, it was a great time to become aware of the magic of music, and we all share that in common, we all have that frame of reference in DEF LEPPARD, because we all sort of blossomed through that era of music. And 'Just Like 73' is just this tongue-in-cheek homage to that era and that time in our life. The drum beat of the song that that opens it is reminiscent of the glitter band or something. And then everything else, like the huge vocals, is typical DEF LEPPARD. And it's a catchy song, so it fits right in there. We've been playing it [live] right from day one. You can tell that only a certain amount of people in the audience are immediately familiar with it, but it has a familiarity. By the time you get to the second chorus, people are, 'Oh, yeah, here we go.' So it's it fits right in there."

He continued: "We don't wanna burden people with new music, per se, in this day and age. It's very, very difficult to get that across. You've gotta to be very strategic about how and when, where you place new music. For us, it's just the one new song this year. So it's not a big problem. We've slotted it in there. But we realize there's a fine balance to walk between playing new music and playing deep album cuts and playing the huge hits that most people know. But we've gotten very good at that. We've had a lot of practice."

When Rock noted that DEF LEPPARD likely doesn't have plans to release a new studio album, based on what Vivian just said, the guitarist clarified: "Well, there is [a plan to release an album], actually. I mean, 'Just Like 73' was actually left over from [DEF LEPPARD's latest album, 2022's] 'Diamond Star Halos'. The song just wasn't quite finished a few years ago. Plus we had an abundance of songs for 'Diamond Star'. And yes, we are constantly writing music, and yes, there will be another record."

Elaborating on what keeps him and his DEF LEPPARD bandmates motivated to keep creating new music, Vivian said: "We do it for ourselves. I mean, we make albums and record new music and write new music for selfish reasons. I mean, we sort of have to do it. That is what we do, and it keeps a relevance to DEF LEPPARD. Even if we have no expectations whatsoever that we're gonna have a hit song or anyone's gonna buy an album — that's a bonus if any of that happens — but there's a percentage, a core of our audience that craves us doing new music, and that's great, we absolutely appreciate that, but we do it for ourselves. We're a bunch of selfish bastards. But it keeps it relevant. We don't wanna just be a nostalgia act. And yeah, we realize that the great majority of people who come to DEF LEPPARD shows in this day and age wanna hear 'Animal', 'Hysteria', 'Rock Of Ages', 'Photograph', '[Pour Some] Sugar [On Me]', all these great, great songs. They're not necessarily coming to hear 'Just Like 73', but when we present it to 'em, they're going, 'Oh, okay. Yeah, that's good. I can hang with that.' You've gotta keep exercising the muscle. We are creative musicians and that's how we started and that's how we intend to end. So it's an ongoing journey."

Last month, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about "Just Like 73": "We started it when we were doing 'Diamond Star Halos', and anyone who doesn't know, that's a line from a Marc Bolan song [from] T. REX. He says 'hubcap diamond star halo'. And me and Joe [Elliott, DEF LEPPARD singer] have always used that phrase to describe the time that we got really baptized into music. I remember seeing [David] Bowie on 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' and 'Top Of The Pops' and was, like, 'Oh my God. This is my guy.' I was, like, 14 or 15. I'd already seen DEEP PURPLE; it my first concert, which was amazing. So, then all of a sudden this glam stuff came out. So we would always describe that as 'Diamond Star Halos'."

Phil continued: "I was writing a song with Dave Bassett, who I wrote 'Kick' with. And the same deal — I really want to put a SLADE slant on the backing vocals and just make it very much about '72 or '73. And Joe heard the demo and he's, like, 'Why can't you have both?' So we did, and then Joe started writing some lyrics because he's obviously really tapped into that, and all the verse lyrics and all the imagery from exactly that 'Diamond Star Halos' period ends up on this song. We actually hadn't finished it, so the rest of the band hadn't even heard the demo, and we played it to everyone and they all loved it. They all put their stuff on it. Viv [guitarist Vivian Campbell] played guitar, Sav [Rick Savage] did [his bass tracks], Rick [Allen, DEF LEPPARD drummer] put his part on and then we had some vocals — everyone had sung on it — and before you know it, it came out like this. So, we're really thrilled. It actually sounds better than the stuff on 'Diamond Star Halos', to my ears. So I'm really excited about that. And it seems that everyone really digs it as well."

Asked if this is a one-off single or the seed of another DEF LEPPARD full-length album, Phil said: "Oh, it's absolutely the seed of another DEF LEPPARD record. I mean, it was a leftover from the album before, but it was also the start of a new album. So, without a doubt. [Joe and I] write all the time. We send each other things. Sav gets in on there. Just between the three of us, there's just a lot of stuff floating around already. So we've, yeah, got a bunch of stuff. It's really exciting. And it's a great place to be. It's never that thing where, 'Well, we've got to sit down and write an album.' It's, like, 'Wow, I can't wait to play this to the guys and see what the reaction is.' And we keep pushing the boat out even further."

Regarding whether he envisions a new DEF LEPPARD full-length album coming out this year, Phil said: "This year would be pushing it, I think this year. But once we kind of get into the groove, I think — yeah. Who knows? Next year [or] early the year after. But you know how these things go. We have these tours and everything, but we've got a new song. So that's really exciting. So that'll be on the go pretty soon."

"Just Like 73" will arrive on seven-inch vinyl on August 2, 2024 and will be available in a special color variant only through the band's D2C store and in black at all retailers.

"Just Like 73" notably marks the first collaboration between the iconic rock titans and the legendary guitarist, sonic innovator and co-founder of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and AUDIOSLAVE. The single revolves around a classic DEF LEPPARD stomp fueled by a robust stadium-size beat, thick riffing, and a signature chant, "Rock with me, just like 73!" Meanwhile, a knockout gang vocal gives way to a signature fret-scorching solo from Morello. The instantly recognizable whammy bar wheezes as he shreds at lightspeed into one last head-nodding hook.

Of the collaboration, Elliott previously shared: "It encapsulates a time that burned deep into our DNA. We wanted to celebrate that very important and glorious time."

Morello said: "I had a blast rocking a solo on 'Just Like 73'. I played 'Rock Of Ages' in my college cover band almost 40 years ago and here DEF LEPPARD are still killing it in stadiums with a brand new tune that's one of their best."

DEF LEPPARD teased "Just Like 73" on social media in June, sharing an image with two different phone numbers for U.S. and U.K. fans to call.

"Light up the fuel. Just Like 73. Hotline Now Open," the band wrote in an accompanying caption.

Fans who called the phone numbers were able to hear Elliott singing lyrics from the song, which marks the band's first new original music since "Diamond Star Halos".

DEF LEPPARD's 23-city trek with JOURNEY is kicked off on July 6 in St. Louis, Missouri and will continue through September 8 in Denver, Colorado. Along the way, the two Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees will bring their show to stadiums in major cities like Chicago, Nashville, Boston, Toronto, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and more.

Elliott previously shared that DEF LEPPARD's set on the 2024 tour will celebrate specific parts of the rockers' history. "We may even have a surprise or two up our sleeves," he said in a statement.

The DEF LEPPARD/JOURNEY tour is being promoted by AEG Entertainment.

Both bands are offering VIP packages through their respective web sites.

DEF LEPPARD's VIP experiences include a premium seat, personal photo with the band, exclusive merchandise and more.

DEF LEPPARD's 12th studio album, "Diamond Star Halos", came out in 2022. A year later, the band followed it up with "Drastic Symphonies", a collection of reimagining of some of DEF LEPPARD's greatest hits with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road. The album spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Current Classical chart.

DEF LEPPARD's 2022 stadium tour across North America with MÖTLEY CRÜE reportedly sold more than 1.3 million tickets.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

During an appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, LAMB OF GOD's Mark Morton was asked what the most surprising thing was that he discovered about himself in the process of putting together his memoir, "Desolation: A Heavy Metal Memoir", which came out last month via Hachette Books. Co-written with Ben Opipari, the book explores both Mark's life in music and his tumultuous path through addiction and into recovery. Mark said: "Yeah, that's an interesting question. I went into this wondering, I went into the book project wondering if it would be cathartic or therapeutic or this process of self-discovery, as you alluded to. I'm not sure that it was, Jackie. I think the big takeaway for me… I essentially wrote the book just to see if I could do it, and it wound up being a mountain of work. And it was kind of — the joke was on me, because, yeah, I could do it, but it was a monumental project. But also, I think the big takeaway for me was just this sense of relief and gratitude that I had gotten past so much of the stuff that happens in the book.

"My life has by no stretch been a sob story," he continued. "There's a lot of just absolutely thrilling things that I've been fortunate enough to be a part of, and there's a lot of humor in the book, but there's some tragedy and some trauma as well. And so for me to be sitting where I'm sitting now and being able to reflect on that informs all of those experiences with a sense of hope. And I'd like to think that's one of the takeaways of the book, is that there's always hope and there's always a chance to get better."

When Full Metal Jackie noted that it must have been "a tough line to walk" in terms of how much of his "personal tragedies and low points" he wanted to share in the book, Mark concurred. "Yeah, it's a scary thing to try and balance how much you wanna let go of," he said. "'Cause there's some really, really personal stories in here. And those can be handled a lot of different ways, and you can go for shocking or you can go for guarded; there's a lot of different angles you can take with some of those stories. And that was a learning process for me. I'd never written a book. And I barely read books, frankly. When I do, they're usually rock memoirs. So I had some point of reference. So I think I had to learn that as I went.

"The big thing I found was to just be genuine and to try to tell those stories with a sense of respect, not only for the experience that I had, but for people who may have had a similar experience," Mark added. "So to try and be respectful of people who have lived through similar things as I have, but to also be genuine and not wear things as a badge or water things down to take the weight out of them, just to be authentic with it."

In a separate LiveSigning discussion with Opipari to promote "Desolation: A Heavy Metal Memoir", Mark revealed that the "hardest" chapter for him to write for the book was the one about the passing of his daughter. In 2009, Morton's baby, Madalyn Grace Morton, died the day after she was born after developing an infection during delivery. He wrote about the loss on the song "Embers" which came out on LAMB OF GOD's 2015 album, "VII: Sturm Und Drang", and in an essay that Noisey published.

Regarding why that chapter was especially difficult for him to write, Mark told LiveSigning: "It's not because I discovered anything new about that situation. I just think that I struggled to honor it and word it just right. And I remember telling you, 'I don't want a lot of notes on this one.' That was one of the things I was, like, 'If there's grammatical stuff…' I spent some time with that one. I was in a really bad mood those few days. So, in that sense, it just drummed up stuff. It's not something I bury. It's not something I forget. It's not something I wanna commodify either. I didn't want this to be a book about that, but I can't tell my story without touching on that. So it was more about finding the balance of all those things and kind of making it feel like I honored that, but didn't exploit it and told my authentic version of that. And I think that's what we did."

Morton also talked about the chapter that was "the most fun" for him to write, saying: "I really, really enjoyed kind of going through all the memories of the BURN THE PRIEST era of LAMB OF GOD and then the early LAMB OF GOD stuff and just really trying to characterize what an absolute just cyclone of chaos and idiocy we were back then. And that was fun to explore and to revisit. And even with the stuff before that, like my high school bands, I did a lot of checking in with folks and seeing if I was remembering this right. I even — when I talk about some of the early LAMB OF GOD days when we were playing, like, squats and warehouses in Philly and that kind of underground punk metal scene that we were a part of down there, I had a guy that I spoke to — he had reached out via one of my social media platforms and was saying he was at certain shows that I was kind of referencing as a touchstone from that point in time. And we got on the phone and I just checked my memory of that show versus his, and he gave me some real insight. And that was pretty cool. I thanked him in the book."

"Desolation" was described by the publisher as "the story of Morton's lifelong quest for clarity and self-acceptance, and shows how the pressures of career success and personal battles eventually came into conflict with Morton's dedication to the creative process. Intertwined with addiction, self-destruction, and the path to eventual surrender and recovery, Morton also reveals the greatest personal tragedy of his life: the death of his two-day old daughter, plunging Morton further into hopelessness. Surrounded by bandmates living their wildest dreams, Morton wanted nothing more than to disappear, ingesting potentially lethal cocktails of drugs and alcohol into his system on a daily basis.

"And yet, amidst the harrowing heartbreak, there were moments of triumph, hope, and incredible personal connection. Morton developed close relationships with his bandmates and crew members, sharing experiences that have made for some strange and hilarious tales. He's also gained a greater sense of purpose through interactions with his fans, who remind him that his work reaches people on a deeply personal level. Through the highs and the lows, Morton learns how to find presence and gratitude where he once found fear and resentment, a process that he considers a gift of spiritual awakening.

"'Desolation' is, at its core, about Morton's journey as a musician navigating self-doubt, anxiety and the progressive disease of addiction, and ultimately finding relative serenity. Perfect for fans, new and old, as well as anyone who has ever been tested and brought to their limits, "Desolation" is a highly satisfying, full-throttle investigation of the human experience."

When the book was first announced, Morton commented: "Initially, I started writing this book just to see if I could do it. But as the writing process unfolded, it quickly took on much more meaning. Unpacking my story, I was able to observe events in my life with an objectivity that I hadn't experienced while I'd lived them in real time.

"Through a lens of hindsight and recovery, I made friends with my past and found value in my most difficult days," he continued. "I hope that by offering my experiences, I can create a point of connection and commonality. There are a lot of fun stories in here and a few really sad ones. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to share them."

Morton co-founded LAMB OF GOD, which was initially called BURN THE PRIEST, in 1994.

In 2019, Morton released his debut solo album, "Anesthetic".

LAMB OF GOD's latest LP, "Omens", came out in 2022.

Earlier this month, Morton and the rest of LAMB OF GOD embarked on the "Ashes Of Leviathan" tour with MASTODON.

According to The Republic, a federal judge has agreed to push back Jon Schaffer's sentencing hearing to September 13 from the previously announced August 2.

The decision came less than a month after the Supreme Court sided with a January 6 Capitol riot defendant in a ruling that could affect hundreds of prosecutions, including the criminal case against Schaffer. U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves asked the judge to delay's Schaffer's hearing for 30 to 60 days in light of the Supreme Court decision.

"The United States seeks a brief continuance to assess the impact of the (Supreme Court) decision," Graves stated in his request earlier in the month. "Such a continuance would not prejudice the defendant or the Court; to the contrary, it would help to ensure a uniform and consistent approach before each judge of the District and Circuit. The United States has consulted with the defense, and they do not oppose this continuance request."

U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta had previously moved Schaffer's sentencing date from February 20, as the ICED EARTH guitarist was scheduled to undergo an undisclosed medical procedure "with the need for a recovery afterwards."

In January 2022, Mehta granted the U.S. government's request to share sealed materials from the case involving Schaffer's role in the U.S. Capitol riot case as discovery to the three main Oath Keepers cases.

In May 2023, Mehta handed down an 18-year prison sentence for the leader of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election that ended with the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol.

As part of his April 2021 plea deal, Jon entered into a cooperation agreement with the government.

The government agreed not to oppose Schaffer's release during the sentencing phase.

Although Schaffer was initially charged with six crimes, including engaging in an act of physical violence and targeting police with bear spray, he pleaded guilty to only two charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress; and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The first charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, while the second carries up to a 10-year prison term. Each of the charges carry fines of up to $250,000. The Department Of Justice said it would recommend a sentence between 41 and 51 months in prison and fines somewhere between $15,000 and $250,000.

In his plea agreement, Schaffer acknowledged that on January 6, 2021 he was in Washington to attend the "Stop The Steal" rally at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. to protest the results of the presidential election, which he believed were fraudulent. Schaffer wore a tactical vest and carried bear spray, a dangerous weapon and chemical irritant used to ward off bears. When the rally finished, Schaffer joined a large crowd that marched from the Ellipse to the Capitol, where a joint session of Congress, presided over by Vice President Michael Pence, was in session to certify the electoral college vote results. Shortly after 2:00 p.m., members of the mob forced entry into the Capitol building, disrupting the joint session and causing members of Congress and the Vice President to be evacuated from the House and Senate chambers.

In his plea agreement, Schaffer admitted that after arriving on Capitol grounds, he walked past barriers intended to restrict access to the public and to a set of locked doors on the Capitol's west side. At approximately 2:40 p.m., Schaffer positioned himself at the front of a crowd that broke open a set of doors being guarded by four U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers wearing riot gear. Schaffer admitted to being among the first individuals to push past the damaged doors and into the Capitol building, forcing officers to retreat. Schaffer and others advanced toward five or six backpedaling USCP officers while members of the mob swelled inside of the Capitol and overwhelmed the officers. The officers ultimately deployed a chemical irritant to disperse the mob. Schaffer was among the people who were sprayed in the face, after which he exited while holding his own bear spray in his hands.

As part of the plea deal, Schaffer agreed to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify in related criminal cases, according to CNN. In return for Schaffer's assistance, the Justice Department might later urge the judge to show leniency during his sentencing.

Also as part of the agreement, the Justice Department has offered to sponsor Schaffer for the witness protection program.

The 55-year-old musician was the first Capitol riot defendant to reach a plea deal.

The Indiana chapter of the Oath Keepers distanced itself from Schaffer after his arrest, claiming he was not a member of the local group. But the national organization, which sold lifetime memberships for $1,200, had not commented on his alleged affiliation with the group.

At a November 2020 Donald Trump rally in Washington, D.C., Schaffer was videotaped walking behind a Florida couple, Kelly Meggs and Connie Meggs, who were accused of being among 10 members of the Oath Keepers to have played a leading role in the Capitol assault. In May 2023, Kelly Meggs was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his participation in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and was sentenced to spend 12 years in prison.

Following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates distanced themselves from his actions. Singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton later posted separate statements on social media announcing their resignations. BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch also quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer. The allegations also apparently affected Schaffer's relationship with his longtime record label Century Media, which had released albums from both ICED EARTH and DEMONS & WIZARDS. As of mid-January 2021, the Century Media artist roster page did not list either band.

In a new interview with DifferentStagesRadio focusing primarily on his WHITE STONES side project, OPETH bassist Martín Mendéz spoke briefly about the status of the progressive metallers' long-awaited new studio album. Asked if the follow-up to 2019's "In Cauda Venenum" is "done", Martín said: "It's still in process." Pressed about whether he has finished recording his bass parts for the LP, Mendéz said: "Oh, yes. I'm done." Asked if OPETH fans can expect to hear some new music before the year is out, Martín said: "I think you will hear some news pretty soon."

Earlier this month, OPETH leader Mikael Åkerfeldt told Greece's metal TV show "TV War" about the band's upcoming album: "What I can say is that we haven't made like an official announcement of a release date or anything like that. But I can say over the year and a half that we've been off the road, we haven't been doing nothing; we've been working on stuff. Actually a lot of work has happened over the years. But we will still keep the cards close to our chest for a little while longer. But, I mean, yeah, there will be stuff coming at some point."

Åkerfeldt also talked about his songwriting process, explaining: "When I write music, most of the time, in the best scenario for me, I have an idea of what I want to do. But usually it's hard for me to stick to that idea, because I write music, it's very stream of consciousness in a way. I just write… So I write fast. And I decide fast what's good, what's shit, what to keep and what to throw away and that kind of stuff. And in the end, it's, like, 'Hmm, [I have] no memory writing that song.' So I don't really know how it works. But usually I'm set off by an idea that I want to try out… I try everything and I try to, so to speak, polish turds, if you know what I mean. I might have an idea, like I hear something that's good, but it's really sounding bad to me. I still continue working with it for a little while and then, three weeks later, I [am], like, 'It's still shit. I'm gonna throw it away.' But I have to exhaust every idea."

After "TV War" asked Åkerfeldt about the fact that JETHRO TULL founder Ian Anderson recently revealed that he will make a guest appearance on OPETH's next album, Mikael said: "No comment. I love Ian. Of course, he knows. He talked a little bit about it. It's better that he spilled the beans than we. We're still gonna wait for a little while. But, yeah, Ian is involved. There has been some e-mails going back and forth between Ian [and us].

Asked if he has met Ian in person, Mikael said: "Yeah, I met him in person. But I didn't meet him in the studio… I did reach out to him 15 years ago or so for the 'Heritage' [2011] record. There was like a flute thing on that record and he didn't reply then. So we got another flutist, a Swedish guy, which, it was a happy accident, actually, that Ian didn't reply. We got this Swedish guy, a got guy called Björn J:son Lindh. He worked closely with ABBA. He was an arranger, a great pianist and a great flute player. And he has since passed, passed away. So our recording, 'Heritage', was his last recording. So I'm happy that we got to work with him. He was some type of genius, a proper idol for me. So I'm really happy Ian didn't reply, actually, then."

Asked if he has ever experienced the so-called "writer's block", Mikael said: "Pretty much all the time. But you persevere and you continue writing. For me, a great idea doesn't have to be a complex idea or an elaborate idea. I like to have what I call stupid riffs next to a very elaborate, experimental piece. I like both aspects of music. For some reason, I like the really complicated shit, but not only."

On the topic of using artificial intelligence (A.I.) during the songwriting process, Mikael said: "I don't like it. Of course, I would say that. I haven't tried [it]. I haven't even sent one question to ChatGPT or whatever it's called, or used A.I. for anything. I don't really know how it works, to be honest. But I heard A.I.-constructed music. My girlfriend, she was working as a journalist and she was interviewing Swedish folk musicians who were playing A.I.-generated folk songs. And I was, like, 'Oh my god. It sounds good. Sounds great.' But for me, I don't want to know about it, because that's one of my favorite aspects of being in this band, is to write music. So a writer's block, I welcome writer's blocks. You go through those hard times, you come out at the end and you have something. It's very rewarding. Besides, A.I., I mean, no matter how you fucking turn it, it's cheating. It's shit. It's not music. It's just someone picking, like a computer picking sounds. So a real musician would not be interested in A.I. Only if you're interested in making money, and if you're a complete idiot."

Anderson, who will turn 77 in August, revealed his contribution to the upcoming OPETH LP in February while talking to Italy's "Mystery Tour" radio show. Asked about his non-JETHRO TULL musical activities, Ian said: "Well, from time to time I play on other people's records, if they're interesting to me. I just did — last week I played on three or four tracks from a prog metal band called [OPETH]. [They're] Swedish."

OPETH will embark on a North American tour this fall. The trek, which will kick off on October 11 in Milwaukee, includes stops in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, New Orleans, Austin, Denver and more.

"In Cauda Venenum" was released in September 2019 via Moderbolaget / Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Recorded in 2018 at Stockholm's Park Studios, the effort was made available in two versions, in both Swedish and English languages.

In May 2022, OPETH issued "In Cauda Venenum (Extended Edition)" via Atomic Fire Records. This release, available on digipak, contained the English and Swedish versions of "In Cauda Venenum", with new illustrations by internationally renowned Travis Smith in the booklet. In addition, there was also a third CD including three previously unreleased bonus tracks, both in English and Swedish: "The Mob" / "Pöbeln", "Width Of A Circle" / "Cirkelns Riktning" and "Freedom & Tyranny" / "Frihet & Tyranni".

OPETH played its first concert with new drummer Waltteri Väyrynen (PARADISE LOST, BLOODBATH, BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT) in September 2022 at Helitehas in Tallinn, Estonia. Väyrynen replaced stand-in drummer Sami Karppinen who had been the temporary replacement for Martin "Axe" Axenrot since the fall of 2021.

Photo by Scott Robinson

Muti-camera video of KK'S PRIEST performing the JUDAS PRIEST classic "Breaking The Law" on June 15 at the July 13 concert at the Z! Live festival in Zamora, Spain can be seen below.

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

01. Hellfire Thunderbolt
02. Strike Of The Viper
03. One More Shot At Glory
04. The Ripper (JUDAS PRIEST song)
05. Night Crawler (JUDAS PRIEST song)
06. Burn In Hell (JUDAS PRIEST song)
07. Beyond The Realms Of Death (JUDAS PRIEST song)
08. Hell Patrol (Judas Priest cover)
09. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown) (FLEETWOOD MAC cover)
10. Breaking The Law (JUDAS PRIEST song)
11. Victim Of Changes (JUDAS PRIEST song)

Encore:

12. Raise Your Fists

As previously reported, KK'S PRIEST, which features former JUDAS PRIEST members K.K. Downing (guitar) and Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals),alongside guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE),and German/American metal legends ACCEPT will join forces this fall 2024 for a North American tour. Both bands are touring in support of their brand new albums, out now via Napalm Records.

The massive run will begin on August 31 in Los Angeles, California, visiting a slew of major cities in the USA and Canada — such as Toronto, Montreal, New York and Nashville — before coming to an end in San Francisco, California on October 7.

KK'S PRIEST's first-ever U.S. headlining tour, which featured support from L.A. GUNS and BURNING WITCHES, kicked off on March 7 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and concluded on March 24 at Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

KK'S PRIEST's sophomore album, "The Sinner Rides Again", came out in September 2023 via the Austrian label Napalm Records.

KK'S PRIEST made its live debut on July 6, 2023 at Downing's KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

K.K. formed KK'S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his offer to rejoin the band for their 50th-anniversary tour. It followed a couple of celebrated stage appearances, first with former MANOWAR guitarist Ross The Boss in the summer of 2019, then with a one-off lineup that included former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former PRIEST drummer Les Binks later that year.

KK'S PRIEST released its debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Downing spent four months writing and recording "Sermons Of The Sinner" and, along with new ideas, he even resurrected a few archived riffs from the 1980s.

Downing was reunited with JUDAS PRIEST for a performance at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in November 2022 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, nearly three decades his junior.

In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band's 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

The self-titled debut album from STORM CORROSION, the collaboration between OPETH mastermind Mikael Åkerfeldt and PORCUPINE TREE's Steven Wilson, will be reissued on September 27 via Kscope on colored vinyl LP in a gatefold sleeve, CD and Blu-ray which features a new Dolby Atmos mix of the original album's six tracks by Wilson, plus high-resolution stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD Surround Sound mixes and instrumental mixes of each track, a mini-documentary plus more. This new 2024 edition of "Storm Corrosion" features a bonus track, a live version of "Drag Ropes", recorded when Mikael guested with Steven and his band at London's Royal Albert Hall in September 2015, the only song they have performed live to date.

A trailer for the 2024 edition of "Storm Corrosion" is available below.

Issued in 2012, "Storm Corrosion" sold 9,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 47 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD also landed at No. 45 on the official U.K. chart.

In a 2019 question-and-answer session posted on the YouTube channel of Nuclear Blast Records, Åkerfeldt was asked about the possibility of a second album from STORM CORROSION. He said at the time: "I had dinner with Steve yesterday, and we talked a little bit about it. We always talk a little bit about it, if we're gonna do another one. But yeah, I think we'll try; at some point, we'll try. I can almost say a hundred percent that we will try, without really knowing — but just judging from how we talk about this project. That was a fun thing for both of us and a new thing for both of us. But the problem, when you have one record, is that there's a reference point. So it's likely that if we do another record, maybe there'll be another name for that project. And it's likely it will sound completely different.

"We wanna make another record, [and] if we do that, it has to be on the same premise as how we did the first one," he continued. "Nobody knows. There's no record label that knows. We don't even know if it's gonna work out and we don't know what we're doing, basically. I mean, that was almost written in real time and recorded in real time. We just had a riff. 'Okay, let's record that riff, that part, and then piece it together.' And then, in the end, it was, like, 'My God, this is strange. But we love it. What is it?'

"We had some common inspirations and common artists and bands that we said, 'Maybe around there, that's where we meet up and do something,'" Mikael added. "And it ended up sounding like nothing I can compare it to, to be honest. For good and worse, for fans. It's a weird record. And it sold a lot in the first couple of weeks, because Roadrunner picked that up. And I assume it sold a lot to fans of PORCUPINE TREE and Steven Wilson fans, who must have gone, 'What the hell is this?'

"I love that album — love it. But, yeah, we're gonna do something, I'm sure. But it's probably gonna be different."

Åkerfeldt and Wilson have been friends since the late '90s, when Wilson co-produced OPETH's revered "Blackwater Park" album. Over the years, they'd often spoken of working on a project together, but it wasn't until about a decade ago that they managed to make something happen, when Mikael flew over to visit Steven in the U.K. and they ended up in Wilson's home studio throwing ideas around. That visit was the nascence of a whole self-titled album, written and produced by the pair, and mixed by Wilson.

California rockers PAPA ROACH have recruited country-pop superstar Carrie Underwood for a new version of their song "Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark)", to be released this Friday (August 2).

PAPA ROACH announced the collaboration earlier today (Wednesday, July 31),sharing a few photos from the studio on social media and including the following message: "We're continuing the mission to raise awareness for suicide prevention and the @afspnational's 'Talk Away The Dark' campaign, now with the incredible Carrie Underwood by our side.

"Enjoy @paparoach x @carrieunderwood 'Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark)', out this Friday!"

This past February, PAPA ROACH achieved its 12th career No. 1 single with "Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark)" , which was originally released in October 2023 at Active Rock radio.

"Leave A Light On", a band favorite, was first performed live during the "The Revolutions Live Tour" starting in September, with 250,000 attendees at 30 shows. In each city, the song was preceded by an emotional video PSA delivered by frontman Jacoby Shaddix, who pledged a donation to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) on behalf of each city’s attendees, culminating in a $155,000 donation at the end of the tour in Denver, Colorado. Following the tour, the band officially released the official video recorded on tour and subsequently renamed the single to radio as "Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark)", in conjunction with the AFSP's "Talk Away The Dark" campaign. Following the critically acclaimed tour, they pledged a perpetual royalty from the song's use, in any manner, to the AFSP, continuing their mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide long after the "Revolutions Live Tour" finished.

"We had a passion for this song from the time we finished it over three years ago," Shaddix said. "When creating the set list for the final leg of the 'Ego Trip' album cycle, we really wanted to see if the live audience would connect with 'Leave A Light On' the way we did — and the best way to do that is to perform it to ten thousand fans a night! From that first show, it connected. We could see it on their faces. We instantly knew the power of this song and its ability to help ‘leave a light on’ for those who needed it most."

"Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark)" is taken from PAPA ROACH's tenth studio album, "Ego Trip", which came out in April 2022 . The LP (produced by Colin Brittain, Nick Furlong and PAPA ROACH) also achieved three previous No. 1 singles: "Kill The Noise", "No Apologies" and "Cut The Line" featuring BEARTOOTH's Caleb Shomo.

Released via the band’s own label, New Noize Records, distributed by ADA Warner Music, PAPA ROACH celebrated the initial global launch of "Ego Trip" in Mexico that led to a series of unique integrations for the album. The "trip" started with a two night performance at Pa'l Norte festival in Monterrey. The band partnered with Vans and invited fans to an exclusive album listening event at the House Of Vans in Mexico City and then featuring those in attendance in a music video shot for the album's title track and concluded the takeover of Mexico with a co-headline arena performance with SIMPLE PLAN. The following week was followed by a TikTok-presented global live-stream performance at an unsuspecting Shakey's Pizza Parlor in Hollywood, California for invited fans, Amazon Music Originals then partnered with the band to release the "Battle Drum Marching Band" version of the track "Stand Up" alongside a campaign for the UFC on ESPN+, culminating in the monumental growth in the band's streaming and social media imprint, which earned "Ego Trip" a 2022 MusicAlly Best Marketing Campaign honor. Since "Ego Trip"'s release, the band's digital footprint has grown exponentially in metrics such as Spotify Monthly Listenership, Instagram following and Tiktok following.

On tour, the "Ego Trip" album cycle has seen the launch of the massively successful "Rockzilla" tour alongside co-headliners FALLING IN REVERSE. The two-leg tour dominated mid-cap arenas in 46 cities across the USA and Canada. The album cycle has included over 150 headline and festival performances across the world.

PAPA ROACH is already planning an extended world tour for 2025-26, with next year marking 25 years since the release of the band's iconic debut album "Infest". Shaddix commented, "We have a lot in store for fans next year. We will be celebrating that occasion and more with a few surprises thrown in."
We’re continuing the mission to raise awareness for suicide prevention and the @afspnational’s "Talk Away The Dark" campaign, now with the incredible Carrie Underwood by our side.

Enjoy @paparoach x @carrieunderwood
"Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark)," out this Friday!💙💡 pic.twitter.com/v9KkQzFmI3

— Papa Roach (@paparoach) July 31, 2024

In a new interview with Joe Rock of Long Island's rock station 102.3 WBAB, LYNYRD SKYNYRD guitarist Rickey Medlocke spoke about the possibility of new music from the iconic rockers. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I mean, I guess I can go ahead and let it out of the bag. Johnny [Van Zant, LYNYRD SKYNYRD singer] and I had spoken going back probably before the end of last year and talked about doing a new LYNYRD SKYNYRD record as a tribute to Gary [Rossington, late LYNYRD SKYNYRD guitarist]. It's been about a year and a half now since Gary passed away. We really felt we have all these songs that were written during all those years that he was with us. And we have about — oh my gosh — maybe two dozen either finished, unfinished, half finished, whatever songs laying around that he was part of. It's kind of interesting to hear these old tapes and stuff with Gary talking in the background and all of us laughing and having a lot of fun. Even Hughie Thomasson [late LYNYRD SKYNYRD guitarist] is in them. So, fast forward, it's been brought to our attention, we're gonna be able to record a SKYNYRD record. And I hope that after this [summer/fall 2024] tour, SKYNYRD will get busy and we'll lock into it and see what we get done."

Rickey went on to say that he is "excited" about the prospect of making a new LYNYRD SKYNYRD album. He explained: "After being in this band, and this is my second go-around in this band, and after spending, collectively — what? — over 30 years with the LYNYRD SKYNYRD brand, I think it's, I guess, needed or wanted. What we should do is put out new music, like we've been doing all these past years since I've been back with the band. Starting in '96, we did LYNYRD SKYNYRD 'Twenty' record, and here we are today getting ready to do another record, and for me, I'm excited about it. And it is a tribute, basically, to Gary, because we're gonna include a lot of these songs that he wrote, co-wrote. And you know what, man? I'm really looking forward to this. I really am. Not too many people can say that they're still a part of an all-time, incredible band, classic band that has gone through everything that LYNYRD SKYNYRD has gone through and still come out on the very end of it. Back when Gary got me back in the band, I promised him that I would be here until the last note of 'Free Bird' was played. So here I am."

This past March, Medlocke told Iridium Rock And Metal Reviews that LYNYRD SKYNYRD may not go down the traditional route when releasing new music. "I do have I do have a thing about putting out whole albums now, because I think that people will go online or go to iTunes or go to Spotify or whatever, they'll see a whole album, but they're only gonna play one or two songs," he said. "They might scan over the rest of them, but they'll pick out one or two of their favorite and then that's it. My thing is that's one of the reasons why I like putting out one song at a time, and you see how people would accept it, react to it, or maybe they don't react to it at all. Maybe they don't like it for whatever reason. But I find that you get a lot of mileage out of one song instead of a collective of 10 to 12 songs or more… You can release one every three months or whatever and then you get a collection of it and release the collection. So, all of a sudden, everybody's got a collection of five songs that they can go and grab after they've loved, like, maybe three or four of 'em. And then you've got the collection and you're all the better for it. But we have thought about that. And we've also thought about how long are we gonna take this?"

Elaborating on how long he thinks LYNYRD SKYNYRD can carry on, Rickey said: "I will put this out there. There's one more guy — he's such a hero to me. And I know you're gonna laugh about this, but Gary, Johnny and I figured, people used to ask us, 'How long are you guys gonna take this?' And I always said, 'Hey, look. If THE ROLLING STONES can do it, we can do it.' And I'm telling you — come on, Keith [Richards]. If you can do it, I know I can do it. Come on, Keith. Join us in LYNYRD SKYNYRD and play on stage with us, because there's another one I'd love to see climb up there with us."

If a new LYNYRD SKYNYRD album materializes, it will be the group's first since 2012's "Last Of A Dyin' Breed". The band released a single, "Last Of The Street Survivors", in 2020.

"Last Of The Street Survivors" — which shares its name with what was the time of the song's release supposed to be LYNYRD SKYNYRD's farewell tour — was penned by Rossington alongside Van Zant, Medlocke and songwriter Tom Hambridge, and found the Southern rockers reminiscing about their career and the bandmates they lost.

After four SKYNYRD members were killed in an October 1977 plane crash, Rossington recruited Johnny to fill his brother's shoes a decade later.

Medlocke, who played drums in SKYNYRD in 1970-71 before leaving to lead his own band BLACKFOOT and coming back to SKYNYRD in 1996, defended LYNYRD SKYNYRD's decision to carry on, telling Cleveland.com in May 2023: "People have beat us up over the years: 'Ah, you guys ain't nothin' but a freakin' tribute band' and blah, blah, blah.

"There's a lot of tribute bands out there to LYNYRD SKYNYRD, but none of them holds it as dear to their hearts as the guys who have been there as long as we have," he explained. "We have the history; I played on the first (recording) sessions. We just know that we have to portray the music with the integrity and the sound and the love as close as we can to when it was originally created."

Rossington was the last surviving founding member of LYNYRD SKYNYRD. On March 5, 2023, his bandmates announced the news of his death in a statement shared on their social media.

The guitarist had previously dealt with various heart problems throughout the years, including emergency heart surgery in 2021.

Ted Nugent and his gritty guitar appear on a song produced by none other than Ted's son Rocco for a 2024 patriot summer anthem, "Who Shot Trump".


You can find the clean and explicit versions both on all streaming platforms. Listen below.










 




 

 
 

 


View this post on Instagram

 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

A post shared by Ted Nugent (@tednugentofficial)







 

Fleetwood Mac's Mirage Tour '82 album, out September 20, features live recordings from the band's Mirage Tour, captured at The Forum in Los Angeles on October 21-22, 1982.


The set includes the classic Mirage singles "Gypsy" and "Hold Me", along with six previously unreleased tracks including "Don't Stop", "Dreams", "Oh Well", "Landslide", "Never Going Back Again" and "Sara".


Available on 2CD, 3LP & digitally, pre-order your copy here.










Tracklisting:


"Second Hand News"
"The Chain"
"Don’t Stop" *
"Dreams" *
"Oh Well" *
"Rhiannon"
"Brown Eyes"
"Eyes Of The World"
"Gypsy"
"Love In Store"
"Not That Funny"
"Never Going Back Again" *
"Landslide" *
"Tusk"
"Sara" *
"Hold Me"
"You Make Loving Fun"
"I’m So Afraid"
"Go Your Own Way"
"Blue Letter"
"Sisters Of The Moon"
"Songbird"


* Previously Unreleased

New Sepultura drummer Greyson Nekrutman - replacing Eloy Casagrande, who left the band to join Slipknot  - has shared live drum cam video of "Propaganda", shot during the Sepultura's recent 2024 Latin American Tour. Check it out below. 





As part of their massive "Celebrating Life Through Death" farewell tour, metal legends Septultura will be hitting the North American roads; you can witness the ambassadors of Brazilian metal with a career-spanning set that will honour the band’s 40 years of existence.




Joining them on this momentous tour will be Florida-based death metal veterans Obituary, iconic New York hardcore pioneers Agnostic Front, and Sao Paulo’s death/thrash metallers Claustrofobia. Together, this package will unleash an electrifying display of power, passion, and raw emotion.


Andreas Kisser comments: “We are so excited to announce the North American concerts of the 'Celebrating Life Through Death’ farewell tour. We are having a blast doing these shows and celebrating 40 years of history, and now it is your turn! Happy to share the stage with our brothers from Obituary, Agnostic Front, and Claustrofobia! Do not miss this! See you all on the road!”


Fans can purchase pre-sale tickets and VIP upgrades are on sale now through Soundrink, here. General sale will start Friday, June 7, June at 10 AM, local time, here.





Dates:


September
17 - Chicago, IL - ConcordMusic Hall
18 - Minneapolis, MN - UptownTheater
20 - Denver, CO - The Ogden Theater
21 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
22 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
23 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox SODO
25 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
26 - Los Angeles, CA - The Novo
27 - San Diego, CA - House Of Blues
28 - Tucson, AZ - RialtoTheatre
30 - Dallas, TX - The Factory


October
2 - Tampa, FL - JannusLive
3 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theater
4 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
5 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
6 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall
8 - Cleveland, OH - The Agora Ballroom
9 - Toronto, ON - Rebel*
10 - Montreal, QC - L’Olympia*
11 - Worcester, MA @The Palladium
12 - New York, NY - The PalladiumTimes Square


* - Harvest to open and no Claustrofobia

In a new interview with Victor Ruiz of Signals From Mars, frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow of Canadian metal legends ANVIL addressed the fact that his band never quite hit it big despite being musically ahead of their time, due to a combination of poor management, shady record labels and bad luck. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "How do you think it looked to [ANVIL drummer] Robb [Reiner] and I to watch, in 1983, the whole world pick up on what we did and leave us behind? We were doing it before… Metal didn't exist in North America. They didn't call it metal. We were doing something that they were doing in England, and we were one of the very first metal bands to play in America. Yeah, you've got hard rock, but there was a difference. There was a difference between hard rock and metal because hard rock was still attached to rock and roll. It still used rock and roll progressions. Metal used more of a prog attitude. You had songs that were much more complicated than just rock and roll. Certainly, IRON MAIDEN's 'Phantom Of The Opera' and songs like that, or ANVIL's 'Mothra'. It's not rock and roll. It's a form of it, but it's metal, that turned it into metal, what we call metal. And riff rock. That's what it is. And you can put titles on it, but you can also talk about it in musicality, what things we're actually doing. So that's how I kind of see it. So there was a difference. And some of the problems that I've been faced with is that I'm kind of the bridge between hard rock and heavy metal, because I was one of the pioneering bands that created that bridge. So I had songs — I still have songs that venture back into the rock and roll world, but at the same time, there are songs that are not rock and roll."

Lips continued: "We can sit and discuss how hard rock became metal and certainly BLACK SABBATH and DEEP PURPLE and LED ZEPPELIN were the forerunners of all of it, really. Because that's the biggest influence after [Jimi] Hendrix, the use of distorted guitars and stuff, and all of a sudden, everybody's doing it. Nothing stays sacred. Everything is stolen by the next generation and regurgitated in a new fashion. And that's what's been going on in the music industry for decades now. But I think we might've gone the full circle. You certainly can't go much further with guitar. The guitar's done its thing, man. It's done. And that's part of where the downslide for the interest in it went. Once you got to the point where the guitar playing is so phenomenal that everybody starts sounding the same — you can't tell one guitar player from the next — it's done. It's over. The race is finished. You know what I mean? For many, many years in hard rock and metal, it was who had the best guitar player in their band. Everything was revolved around the lead guitar. I mean, otherwise what would VAN HALEN mean without Eddie Van Halen? It's centered around the guitar, which we all know, obviously. We all know that. But we're at a point in history that they've done everything. Every possible way of playing lead guitar has been done. So what do you do? What is there left to do? Write good songs. That's all that's left. It's not about the guitar solo anymore. It's about the fricking song. The riffs last forever. The solos are here temporarily. It's the way it is, man."

ANVIL released its 20th studio album "One And Only", on June 28 via AFM Records. The effort was recorded in the summer of 2023 with longtime producer Martin "Mattes" Pfeiffer and Jörg Uken at Uken's Soundlodge studios in Germany. The same production team was responsible for ANVIL's last four albums, "Anvil Is Anvil" (2016),"Pounding The Pavement" (2018),"Legal At Last" (2019) and "Impact Is Imminent" (2022).

Released in 2008, the ANVIL rockumentary "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" was the directorial debut of screenwriter Sacha Gervasi ("The Terminal") and was produced by Rebecca Yeldham ("The Kite Runner" and "The Motorcycle Diaries"). The film follows Kudlow and Reiner and their band, ANVIL, which released one of the heaviest albums in metal history, 1982's "Metal on Metal". The album influenced an entire musical generation of rock bands, including METALLICA, SLAYER and ANTHRAX, who all went on to sell millions of records. ANVIL, on the other hand, took a different path — straight to obscurity. The film was both entertaining and touching as it followed their last-ditch quest for the fame and fortune that has been so elusive to them.

The King Dunn Tour, a 45-date US outing that sees the Melvins’ King Buzzo and Mr. Bungle’s Trevor Dunn joining forces, launches tomorrow at Pappy & Harriet’s in California’s High Desert before winding its way across the US.


In advance of the tour kick off, the pair have shared a cover of the Dicks’ classic, “Sidewalk Begging”. The newly released song, which is available exclusively as a tour only flexi-disc, arrives with a gritty black and white video, created by Jesse Nieminen.


“The Dicks were one of the best bands ever and it was sad hearing of Gary Floyd’s passing,” King Buzzo shares. “‘Sidewalk Begging’ was recorded completely live in one take!”







Osborne and Dunn have collaborated several times over the years, including Dunn’s participation in King Buzzo’s 2020 album, Gift Of Sacrifice, as well as both being members of Fantômas, and Dunn’s work as a part of Melvins Lite. On the King Dunn Tour” Dunn will play a stand-up concert bass, while Osborne will sing and play acoustic guitar.


Tickets are available now. J.D. Pinkus (Butthole Surfers/Melvins) opens on all dates. For additional information, and ticketing links, head here.





Dates:


August
1 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy + Harriet’s
2 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
3 - Long Beach, CA - Alex’s Bar
5 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room
6 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
7 - Sacramento, CA - Harlow’s
9 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
10 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
11 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory Spokane
12 - Bozeman, MT - The ELM
14 - Salt Lake CITY, UT - Urban Lounge
16 - Fort Collins, CO - Aggie Theatre
17 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
19 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown
20 - Saint Paul, MN - Turf Club
21 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
22 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean
23 - St. Louis, MO - Old Rock House
24 - Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
26 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Pyramid Scheme
27 - Detroit, MI - The Shelter
28 - Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop
29 - Columbus, OH - The Basement
30 - Bethlehem, PA - Musikfest Café at the ArtsQuest Center
31 - Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Music Hall


September
1 - Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall
3 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
4 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
5 - Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom
6 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
7 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
9 - Charlottesville, VA - The Southern Café & Music Hall
10 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle – Back Room
11 - Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theatre
12 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
13 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade – Hell Stage
14 - Nashville, TN - Exit In
16 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn
17 - New Orleans, LA - Siberia
18 - Baton Rouge, LA - Varsity Theatre
20 - Houston, TX - House of Blues – Bronze Peacock
21 - Austin, TX - Antone’s
22 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues – Cambridge Room
25 - Tucson, AZ - 191 Toole
26 - Phoenix, AZ - The Rebel Lounge


King Buzzo, a.k.a. Buzz Osborne, is the singer, guitar player and founder of the enormously influential band, the Melvins. His innovative approach to songwriting, and guitar playing, has influenced countless musicians, and turned leagues of music lovers into ardent fans. Renowned for his pioneering use of down-tuned strings, Buzzo masterfully blended his punk and metal influences, and in turn, he created a groundbreaking new sound in heavy music. Over Osborne’s extensive career, which originated in the small hamlet of Montesano, Wash. in 1983, he has released over 30 albums under the Melvins’ moniker, two solo albums [Gift of Sacrifice (2020) and This Machine Kills Artists (2014)], as well as a number of collaborative projects including Fantômas and Crystal Fairy.


Trevor Dunn might be most widely known for his work with Mr. Bungle, the eclectic and unpredictable Northern California band he co-founded in 1985, but his career outside of Mr. Bungle has been just as notable. Also a member of Fantômas, Trevor Dunn’s Trio-Convulsant, Tomahawk and Melvins Lite, Dunn has also written music for various ensembles, performed extensively with John Zorn, and recently formed Riverworm Records, a label home for “discarded, forgotten, and misunderstood music.”


(Photo - Mackie Osborne)

Drumeo, the studio and YouTube channel that is known for putting professional drummers through their paces, has shared a new video along with the following message:


"Watch Mike Portnoy perform the ending of 'Finally Free' by Dream Theater. This song is featured on Dream Theater's fifth studio album, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory, released in 1999. This song concludes the album which is widely regarded as one of the greatest progressive metal albums of all time."







Previously, Drumeo challenged Portnoy to learn Tool's 12 minute masterpiece, "Pneuma" from the 2019 album, Fear Inoculum. The session lasted more than six hours.

A month after completing their Stateside run as openers for Sebastian Bach on his What Do I Got To Lose? Tour, Classless Act is setting their sights on entering the studio to record a few new songs. Recent updates from several band members read as follows:


"It’s been a little over four weeks since our last show of tour," begins Classless Act guitarist Griffin Tucker. "I hope you were able to see us last month! You may have gotten to hear a new song or two in the works! Speaking of which, while we were on the road, many people came up to us at our merch table after each show and asked, 'When can we expect to hear new music?' Well, after making two rounds of the country this year already and working out some of our new material live, we’ve decided to put some serious time and effort into recording this new music with the intent of releasing it unto you! It's been too long!"  


"Are you ready for new music?," asks Classless Act drummer Chuck McKissock. "Cause we are, and we’re getting ready to start recording some new tunes that we’ve been extremely excited about! For about a year, we’ve been hard at work writing a lot of material. And lately, we’ve gathered a few gems that we believe are pretty special. You all have been so patient while we’ve shed some skin at home, and we’ve been dying to do something new and now’s the time! We’re ecstatic to get back into the studio, and bring the new Classless Act to life!"




"So… we’re going to the studio to record a lil EP for y'all," adds Classless Act bassist Franco Gravante. "We’re super excited to finally be able to show you what we’ve been working on! So expect new music before the end of the year."


For further details, visit Classless Act on Facebook.


(Photo: Enzo Mazzeo)