Freshly signed to the legendary label, Century Media Records, Love Is Noise has released their new single “Jawbreaker”. The second new track to come from a forthcoming album (more about that soon…), “Jawbreaker” finds the band in musically glorious form and lyrically reveals a real inward look at dealing with life in an ever-growing digital world.


“'Jawbreaker' talks about my quest towards self-love” says vocalist/guitarist Cameron Humphrey. “In a world full of distraction, as I grow older, I’m trying my best to truly appreciate the world around me and the people I love the most."







Love Is Noise began its journey in 2021 as a collaboration between Cameron Humphrey and guitarist Tom Mellon balancing the ethereal and intense. While sonic signposts include modern-day shoegaze as well as the likes of Glassjaw and Deftones, the band’s 2022 EP, Euphoria, Where Were You? (released on Fever 333 frontman Jason Aalon Butler’s 333 Wreckords) pointed towards a soul-crushing sonic heartache all their own. A string of singles led to this inking with Century Media and beginning on their debut album.


A string of singles led to the band inking with Century Media and beginning work on their debut album. They released the first taste of new music with the acclaimed single “Soft Glow” which appeared on numerous playlists across the streaming platforms.


"Jawbreaker":





"Soft Glow":





Love Is Noise are:


Cameron Humphrey – Vocals, Guitar
Thomas Mellon – Guitar


(Photo - Carl Battams)

NightWraith is a melodic death metal band from Denver, CO that explores the genre with an eclectic and intuitive approach. Using haunting melodies and triumphant anthems, NightWraith offers listeners a sonic pilgrimage into the heart of being human. They have two albums under their belts already and this year, they unleash a third: Divergence on September 13, 2024. 


Leading up to this release they whet the palette of melodeath enjoyers with the video single “Whispers Of Dragonflies”, which they comment on:


“This song was so much fun - from writing it to jamming it live to producing it, and then shooting a video - it was a blast every step of the way! The music is super melodic, the lyrics are meaningful, and we got to shoot the video in a beautiful performing arts center on the DU (Denver University) campus. Kelly (Dreadnought) was awesome to work with too! I’m super glad she was involved with the video production, as well as the guest musician work she did on the track.”




“Whispers Of Dragonflies” is a prime lead single as it really showcases NightWraith’s musical range, and has a cool ‘circular’ song structure which makes it really stand out on the album. The song kicks off with a John Carpenter-style synth intro which leads into intense riffs, clean guitars, and dynamic vocals that vary from growls to cleans. There is also a clean guitar solo, a rock fusion section with a synth interlude that sends you to outer space, and a lovely flute solo to round out the variety. 


Vocalist/guitarist Benjamin Pitts further explains that lyrically the song is a poem he wrote about an area in Colorado called the Lost Creek Wilderness.


Pulling inspiration from a wide array of bands and genres, NightWraith has been sonically refined into something truly unique. They are recommended for fans of Tribulation, Opeth, and Mastodon.


Preorder on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Fruitless”
“Perpetual Night” feat. Cole Rudy
“One Flower” feat. Andreas Wild
“Whispers Of Dragonflies” feat. Kelly Schilling
“Invocation” feat. Joey Truscelli
“Fallen Kings And Queens” feat. Dan Phelps & Chuck French
“Nothing Left To Lose”
“Divergence” feat. Jeremy Portz & Xander Galvin-Soto
“Us And Them” (Pink Floyd cover)


“Whispers Of Dragonflies”:





(Photo: Josh Massara)

German black metal collective Groza will release their 3rd album, Nadir, on September 20 with AOP Records. Today, the band has unveiled the record's 2nd single, "Daffodils", which features their first collaboration with members from Harakiri For The Sky and Karg.


Conjuring a sound that melds intense atmospheric soundscapes and enraged melodic vocals with blistering blast beats and catastrophic riffs that invoke powerful emotions of anger and sadness, Groza has crafted six songs on Nadir that defy boundaries and create a new benchmark for modern black metal. 


Preorder/presave Nadir here.







Tracklisting:


“Soul: Inert”
“Asbest”
“Dysthymian Dreams”
“Equal. Silent. Cold.”
“Deluge”
“Daffodils” feat. JJ & MS // Karg & Harakiri For The Sky


"Daffodils":





“Dysthymian Dreams” video:





Groza live:


October
2 - Munchen, DE - Backstage
3 - Essen, DE - Turock
4 - Hamburg, DE - Kronensaal
5 - Berlin, DE - Badehaus
6 - Copenhagen, DK - Stengade
7 - Arnhem, NL - Willemeen
8 - Wasquehal, FR - The Black Lab
9 - Paris, FR - Glazart
10 - Aarburg, CH - Musigburg
11 - Bologna, IT - Arcanum Fest
12 - Vienna, AT - Vienna Metal Meeting
13 - Ljubljana, SI - Orto Bar
14 - Zagreb, HR - Mocvara
15 - Belgrade, SR - Zappa Baza
16 - Budapest, HU - A38
17 - Ostrava, CZ - Barrak
18 - Dresden, DE - Blauer Salon
19 - Poznan, PL - 2Progi
20 - Krakow, PL - Kamiennal2

Billy Idol and Steve Stevens performed "Rebel Yell" live from the secret balcony on the 103rd Floor of the Empire State Building to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the iconic Rebel Yell album. Watch the video below:





Billy Idol is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his landmark album, Rebel Yell, with a deluxe expanded edition, out now via Capitol/UMe.




Available to order here, the reissue includes a selection of previously unreleased songs and demos, the Poolside remix of Idols smash hit "Eyes Without A Face", and the never-before-heard Billy Idol/Steve Stevens original "Best Way Out Of Here" from the original sessions.


Originally released in November 1983, Rebel Yell is the twice-platinum follow-up to Idols self-titled debut. The album features the iconic singles "Eyes Without A Face", "Flesh For Fantasy", "Rebel Yell", and "Catch My Fall". The reissue is available in 2xLP, 2xCD, and digital formats. See below for complete tracklistings.





Rebel Yell (Expanded Edition) tracklistings:


2xLP:


Disc 1, Side A
"Rebel Yell"
"Daytime Drama"
"Eyes Without A Face"
"Blue Highway"


Disc 1, Side B
"Flesh For Fantasy"
"Catch My Fall"
"Crank Call"
"(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows"
"The Dead Next Door"


Disc 2, Side A
"Best Way Out Of Here"
"Love Don't Live Here Anymore"
"Daytime Drama" (Demo)
"Flesh For Fantasy" (Demo)


Disc 2, Side B
"Catch My Fall" (Early Version)
"Crank Call" (Demo)
"(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows" (Demo)
"Eyes Without A Face" (Poolside remix)





2xCD/Digital Album:


Disc 1
"Rebel Yell"
"Daytime Drama"
"Eyes Without A Face"
"Blue Highway"
"Flesh For Fantasy"
"Catch My Fall"
"Crank Call"
"(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows"
"The Dead Next Door"


Disc 2
"Best Way Out Of Here"
"Love Don't Live Here Anymore"
"Daytime Drama" (Demo)
"Flesh For Fantasy" (Demo)
"Catch My Fall" (Early Version)
"Crank Call" (Demo)
"(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows" (Demo)
"Rebel Yell" (Session Take)
"Blue Highway" (Original Demo)
"Flesh For Fantasy" (Session Take)
"Catch My Fall" (Original Demo)
"Motorbikin" (Session Take)
"Eyes Without A Face" (Poolside remix)


"Best Way Out Of Here" visualizer:





Flesh For Fantasy” demo:





"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" visualizer:





Billy Idol will embark on his transcontinental Rebel Yell Canada 2024 arena tour this summer, beginning tonight, July 30, in Vancouver and running through August 25 in St. John’s, Newfoundland.


Produced by Live Nation Canada, Idol’s show will include a myriad of hits from across his career with a focus on the landmark Rebel Yell album, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Joining Idol is his longtime backing band, including his lead guitarist and collaborator of over 40 years, Steve Stevens. Canadian Walk Of Fame inductees Platinum Blonde will appear as special guest across all stops.





Dates:


July
30 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena


August
1 - Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place
2 - Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Saddledome
5 - Saskatoon, SK - SaskTel Centre
6 - Winnipeg, MB - Canada Life Centre
9 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
10 - Ottawa, ON - Canadian Tire Centre
14 - London, ON - Budweiser Gardens
16 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
19 - Quebec City, QC - Videotron Centre
21 - Moncton, NB - Avenir Centre
23 - Halifax, NS - Scotiabank Centre
25 - St. John’s, NL - Mary Brown’s Centre

Today, Finnish-Ecuadorean melodic heavy metal band, Black Sun, shares "Rise", the third single from their forthcoming self-titled album, out September 6.


Fronted by the formidable Netta Laurenne, Black Sun is completed by founding members Nicolas Estrada (drums), Christopher Grünberg (guitar), and Santiago Salem (bass) as well as the band's producer, Thunderstone guitarist Nino Laurenne. As a result, Ecuador and Finland are now bonded and represented by a band that is one of a kind. With this new lineup, Black Sun entered the studio to record a full-length album, which was recorded at Hi Noiz Studio and Sonic Pump Studios, produced and mixed by Nino Laurenne, and mastered by Svante Forsback (Rammstein, Apocalyptica, Volbeat, Amaranthe).


Like their previous singles "Slay The Queen" and "Drown In Sin", "Rise" is available in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music and other supporting platforms.




About the track, Black Sun shares: “This song is a catchy anthem of empowerment, urging you to rise above the struggles within yourself.”





Black Sun is an Ecuadorian-Finnish melodic heavy metal band that was originally formed in Ecuador by Nicolas Estrada (drums), Christopher Grünberg (guitar), and Santiago Salem (bass). The band worked with Finnish producer/mixing engineer and Thunderstone guitarist Nino Laurenne (Amorphis, Lost Society, The Rasmus) on their previous release 'Silent Enemy' and started to talk about making music together. As a result, Black Sun joined forces with Nino.


"After working with the guys as their producer, we became really good friends, which finally led me to become a guitarist in the band. Joining Black Sun really got me stoked about playing in a band again, and I can't wait to hit the stage with Santiago, Nicolas, and Christopher. And with Netta on vocals, it's going to be the biggest kick in the butt!" says Nino.


Along with Nino, vocalist Netta Laurenne (Smackbound, Laurenne/Louhimo) also joined the band as the new lead singer.


“Black Sun is a band born and based on friendship. Getting to spend time and play music together is awesome,” adds Netta.


Santiago, Nicolas, and Christopher comment on the new line-up, “The songwriting approach was completely refreshed when Nino and Netta joined the band. We were able to explore a bit more complex rhythmical and heavier approach. Having Netta on vocals allows us to explore wider ranges and navigate into different waters. We’re super excited for people to get to know our new sound."





Black Sun tracklisting:


"Slay The Queen"
"With Them Devils"
"The Mercenary"
"Drown In Sin"
"Reapers Of The Underworld"
"Awake"
"Stars"
"Rise"
"Revolution Now"
"Man Without A Shadow"


"Drown In Sin":





"Slay The Queen":





(Photo – Jose Xavier Cuesta)

Legendary thrashers, Under The Oak, have issued the following update in regards to their forthcoming new album:


"2024 is the year we release our third album, have our international live debut, and continue to be good buddies who enjoy each other’s company. The album, The Last Of A Dying Breed, will be released in September, once again through our friends in Wormholedeath.


"Now that we are closing in on 40 years in the business as metal musicians, it’s no secret that we feel the title reflects ourselves. We still prefer to work like we always have, and physical format and regular rehearsals are second nature. It’s natural for us to be a live band, and our goal will always be to be even better live than in the studio.




"As always, we have one foot in traditional heavy metal and the other foot in the world of thrash metal. The music must be melodic, ruthless, fast, and furious. We still pay tribute to our old heroes with the odd cover tune. There was only room for one of those on the new album, but in return, it will be one that you all recognize.


"For the first time, we are joined by a guest musician Jan-Erik Johansen, who plays triangle on the album. The album consists of ten original Under The Oak tunes and will be available on CD and vinyl in the fall of 2024."





The Last Of A Dying Breed tracklisting:


"Inner Truth Of Denial"
"When The Sirens Call"
"Grim Reaper"
"Nightmare"
"Shadow Of Darkness"
"The Last Of A Dying Breed"
"Death By Cutlery"
"Keyboard Warrior"
"Playing Dead"
"Wobblehead"
"Ride The Sky" (Cover)


Lineup:


Jostein - Vocals (ex-Fury, ex-Testimony)
Marius - Drums (ex-Terrazone, ex-Mecalimb)
Hillbilly Bill - Bass (ex-Excelsis, ex-Dressed To Kiss, also plays in Rövballebandet and Nostalgic Groove)
Thomas Bolverk - Guitar (ex-Darkness, ex-Black Currant, ex-Images At Twilight, ex-Ragnarok, also plays in Bolverk and Venom tribute band Welcome To Hell)


Combining the antics of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest with vintage Benny Hill, Under The Oak filmed a video for the title track to their third album, the forthcoming Last Of A Dying Breed. The song is something of a departure, offering a doomy vibe, with a nod to Candlemass.


BraveWords was present on the first day of video shooting. The band are not young pups, their insistence on issuing physical product (vinyl, CDs and even the occasional cassette) has often been ridiculed by younger, digital-only acts. Yet, through make-up and (over) acting, the video storyline sees them aged 30 years in the future, as cantankerous geriatrics, examining the travails of old age, especially within an assisted living facility. Not content to sit by quietly, the "old-timers" start ripping it up, causing mayhem and playing music. Watch for "Last Of A Dying Breed", which is sure to be a much talked about clip!





(Photo - Jan-Erik Johansen)


A record release party, at Oslo's famous John Dee (basement of Rockefeller music hall) is scheduled for October 11, and there will be a members' only performance for the Oak Metal Club, a group of friends (some of whom will appear in the finished video) who regularly convene in the converted grocery store/turned concert venue beneath frontman Jostein Sandaker's out-in-the-country/away-from-everyone home. The tiny room (less than 80 capacity), comes complete with backline, drums and soundman provided and has already offered a cozy tour respite for the likes of Blaze Bailey, Exciter, Legion Of The Damned and Anvil, with word-of-mouth inquires building within the industry.


On November 30, the band will take their initial foray outside Norway, as part of the True Thrash Fest, at the Bambi Galore club, in Hamburg, Germany.

In a new interview with Metal-Rules.com, Pretty Maids vocalist Ronnie Atkins discusses the state and future of the band, his work with Avantasia, and his health status.


On the future of Pretty Maids: "We’re back together, or at least we’re back together for a couple of gigs this year and hopefully for some more gigs and festivals next year. That’s where it’s at. Everything is a little bit up in the air because we haven’t really made any final decisions about whether we’re going to continue or what we’re going to do. But when the vibe in the band is good, like it is right now, we’ll continue. I think we owe it to the fans because the way everything ended in 2019 was kind of a bad way to end it. It was due to everything, including my illness, internal problems within the band and stuff like that.


"So, we just thought we owed that, and we got a good offer to do a couple of festivals, and here we are. That’s basically it. I can’t say much about the future because we haven’t really decided on anything. We’re probably going to do some more gigs in the fall, maybe up here, and we might do some festivals in 2025, but I cannot confirm anything yet. We’re also going to do the Monsters of Rock cruise in February next year. It leaves Miami, goes to the Bahamas, and then to Nassau. It’s going to be great."




On Avantasia: "Yeah. I’ve been a part of the Avantasia family since 2013. People come and go and stuff like that, but we still got like a… There’s still like a foundation. Of course, Tobias is the focal point. I love those guys. And I have a very good relationship with Tobias Sammett; he’s a super nice guy, which I learned, well, I knew that, but actually much more than that during my illness and stuff. I don’t want to go into details. But I’ve got a great relationship, I love them all. Not just the band members, the singers, and the crew. It’s just a good, fantastic vibe in that band.


"And that’s important - very important. It’s especially important for me because I don’t want to waste my time with bad vibes. Not where I’m at in life; that’s also my point when talking about Pretty Maids. Generally, whatever I do, I want to feel good about it, and I do with Avantasia. As long as they want me, I’ll be there, provided I feel good about everything else. It’s a great vibe, and it’s a great bunch of guys. No ego issues, nothing like that. Despite the fact that the singers include many well-known names - Michael Kiske, Jorn Lande, Bob Catley, Geoff Tate, Eric Martin, and now new members like Kenny Leckremo and Adrienne Cowan - it’s always a good band. I’ve never had any issues with anyone, so it’s just cool. It’s proof of how easy things can be if you approach a project with the right attitude."


On his health: "It’s the same thing, but I’ve been pretty stable for some time, and I feel great. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here today. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing this tour this summer. So, I got stopped by cancer again, and it’s a different story. Just to make it clear, a lot of people think, ‘Ronnie kicked cancer’s ass.’ No, that’s not the case. I have survived so far for four years. It’s been four years now. I haven’t had cancer since April or May… actually, in May or June 2020. When I did the ‘At the Movies’ single, that was when I was just told that it was gone again. That was after it had spread to the bones. So, my diagnosis is still the same. It’s the same thing.


"I had tons of treatments and chemotherapy, but I haven’t had any treatments since November 2021. My diagnosis was that it started with lung cancer, spread to the bones, and it was stage four cancer. When it spreads from where it originates to another part of the body, that’s just how the story goes. But these days, the doctors are so great, and I’m so fortunate. I really don’t know who to thank. I’m kind of a Christian. I don’t go to church every Sunday, but I believe in the higher powers of God. Somebody must have been watching over me. The doctors are good, and they find new treatments all the time."


Read more at Metal-Rules.com.


(Photo - Tallee Savage)

Metallica have released more official video footage from their concert at Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain on July 12. "Orion" joins the previously posted clip for "Cyanide". Watch both videos below:










Metallica perform next on August 2 & 4 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Find the band's complete live itinerary here.

During an appearance on "The Downbeat Podcast", the podcast hosted by STRAY FROM THE PATH drummer Craig Reynolds, NICKELBACK bassist Mike Kroeger spoke about why his band faced a huge backlash in the 2000s despite becoming a quintessential part of the music industry. Kroeger said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was the training ground for cyber bullying. Everybody was learning how to pick on people online, and we got to be patient zero of cyber bullying on social media. It sucked. But it turns out it was the trial run of what would become sort of how things work."

Referencing the fact that people are finally starting to move away from performative "worst band ever" admonishments when there are far easier targets out there," Mike continued: "If I look at the trajectory of our career versus the hatersphere, I don't want the hatersphere to stop. Because we have never done as well as we did when everybody hated us. So, now that people are starting to try to like us, I don't care one way or the other. But now that people are starting to like us, I'm worried our career might be over. I hope not."

Addressing the fact that hate and negativity unfortunately go hand in hand with many social media platforms, Mike said: "I know music is a very emotional thing for people — I get that — but it also exposes a real weakness in the human condition that we'd much rather talk about the things we don't like than the things that we do like, the fact that humanity really has a real addiction to negativity. We really like negativity, really like to see people get hurt. Especially people that are successful and doing well, we wanna see them go down the hardest. Look at the royal family. These people catch cancer, and it's, like, that's all anybody wants to talk about. Somebody gets killed, and it's, like, 'This is great news.' Like, what the fuck is wrong with you?

"Troll culture is very profitable," he added. "I mean, people have gotten into elected office with it. It works. If you wanna generate interest, it doesn't have to be positive and the negative interest actually sells better."

Kroeger also touched upon the fact that humans have what social psychologists call a "negativity bias": we tend to pay more attention to bad-seeming information than good-seeming information.

"It's humanity," Mike said. "I say it's Roman [in nature], because it is. When you look back at the activities in the Coliseum in Rome, they weren't going there to see somebody win; they wanted blood. They wanted to see people die. And we're no different now. We love to watch people die. It's just in a more cowardly way. We don't wanna actually see it happen."

NICKELBACK recently released "Hate To Love: Nickelback", a feature-length documentary film which explores why "the most hated band in the world" has been the subject of so much vitriol.

Premiering last September at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF),the film tells the authentic story of the band from their humble beginnings in Hanna, Alberta to their explosive global success in 2001 and the highs and lows that followed. Directed by Leigh Brooks and produced by Ben Jones, the film celebrates the loyalty of NICKELBACK fans and delves into the years of online vitriol while exposing the personal impact it had on each of the band members. The film also unveils the rock group's decision to return after a five-year break with a new record and a hugely successful sold-out tour, finding themselves riding a sudden wave of online love that has introduced their music to an army of new fans and audiences worldwide.

"Hate To Love: Nickelback" offers fans and audiences 90 minutes of translucence — an unvarnished and emotionally revealing look into the career of one of the world's biggest rock bands. Combining never-before-seen archival footage, concert footage, interviews and enthusiastic celebrity advocates like actor Ryan Reynolds and SMASHING PUMPKINS' Billy Corgan, NICKELBACK's Chad Kroeger, Ryan Peake, Mike Kroeger and Daniel Adair don't shy away from the band's topsy-turvy legacy as they share compelling and real-life stories alongside life-changing moments that have never before been divulged publicly.

"Hate To Love: Nickelback" is produced by Ben Jones for Gimme Sugar Productions and directed by British filmmaker Leigh Brooks, who has previously worked on films about LIFE OF AGONY and TERRORVISION.

In an interview with Robin Nash of Tucson, Arizona's KFMA-FM radio station, Chad Kroeger was asked why he thinks so many people love to hate his band. He responded: "That kind of used to be a thing. I shouldn't say 'that kind of used to be' — that was definitely a thing for a long time. And I think there's been a softening — there really has, thankfully. I'm not sure if it's because we receive a ton of love on TikTok or whatever the hell it is, but for whatever reason the teeth have kind of been removed. It's really nice, it's really nice to not be Public Enemy Number One.

"I think that with the range of songs that we write — from rock to all the softer, melodic stuff, all the way down to… Well, I know that 'Far Away' got played on country stations even and I know that 'Rockstar' — the heavily redacted version — got played on CMT," he continued. "So when you're going that far and the scope is that wide, it makes it tough to get away from the band if you're not into the band. And if you're trying to switch the radio station three times, and it's just, like, 'Ah, there they are. There's their rock song on the rock station. There's their pop song on the pop station. And oh my God, I can't even go to the country station and get away from these guys.' That type of oversaturation could piss people off. But at the end of the day, we're just a band that makes music.

"I can't stand a couple of bands, but I don't go online and turn into a keyboard warrior and just start hating on them," Chad reasoned. "I just change the channel or I put on something that I wanna listen to."

In February 2023, Chad told "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, that all the negative attention surrounding NICKELBACK has actually contributed to the band's longevity. "Well, I've been saying that for years," he said. "All the detractors, all the haters, all the keyboard heroes, they have no idea how much they keep us in the press loop. It's hilarious. Those people that would love to see us go away, if they really wanted to see us go away, they would just shut up. Because all those bands that came out with us at the same time are all gone, because nobody said anything about them. They all just sort of disappeared. But we've really kind of spun this whole negative thing into a positive thing. And here we are. [Laughs]"

Kroeger also talked about all the memes poking fun at NICKELBACK that regularly pop up on the Internet, explaining that "if it's music oriented and we think it's funny, we just leave it there, 'cause the band, collectively, has a great sense of humor. I mean, funny's funny. Just rude and ignorant, that's different. And yeah, obviously, there's tons of that too. But funny is funny. And as the Brits would say, we have no problem taking the piss out of ourselves."

Arguably the most disliked band in America, NICKELBACK has earned a type of hatred so potent it's hard to fathom what they did that was so terrible to the public consciousness. It's gotten to the point that people who enjoy NICKELBACK are denying their fandom and hiding their CDs like criminal contraband.

Asked by Jorge Botas of Portugal's "Metal Global" if he understands how NICKELBACK came to be so disliked by so many people, Chad said: "I think I've got a pretty good grasp of where things kind of went off the rails for us. I think that because we write so many different kinds of music, I think that if you were listening to a radio station any time between 2000 and 2010, '11, '12 even, we were kind of tough to get away from," he explained. "'Cause if you didn't wanna hear it and you changed to a different radio station, you'd probably hear it on there, and then changed to a different radio station, you probably were gonna hear it in so many different places. And we were really tough to get away from. And that's not my fault. [Laughs] We just write the songs. And so with that comes backlash. And then what happens is then comedians start making jokes, and then it starts making it on to TV, and then it makes it into movies and stuff like that. And then it just turns into this wave of, it's fun to pick on and it's an easy joke. And I get it. I understand. There are bands that when I hear them on the radio, I… And they're very popular bands… I mean, we all have those. No one is exempt from that. There are certain bands where you just hear them and you just don't like 'em. And other people may — half the world may love them, and I'll just be, like, 'No. I just cannot hear this band one more [time].' And just like everyone else does, I just change the channel. But we became the whipping boy of the music industry for a while there. But whatever. It's just part of the history of the band."

According to Chad, NICKELBACK is not the first group to experience the kind of severe backlash that has earned him and his bandmates the title of "the most hated act in the world."

"It's funny because we were at the American Music Awards, and we were presenting, and we presented to DEF LEPPARD," Chad recalled to "Metal Global". "And when we walked backstage afterwards, Joe Elliott and Phil Collen turned to me, and they were just, like, 'Dude, thank you so much.' I'm, like, 'For what?' They were, like, 'For taking the trophy. We get to pass the baton to you for being the most hated band in the world now.' And I was just, like, 'Oh, yeah. 'Cause I want that.'

"And it's funny — we went for dinner with AC/DC in Chicago years and years and years ago," Chad added. "And this whole thing came up. And Brian Johnson said when they released 'Back In Black', they were the most hated band on the planet. So I feel like we're in good company. [Laughs]"

In December 2022, Mike Kroeger was asked by Germany's Rock Antenne if he pays attention to all the online comments about his band. He responded: "I don't really do social media anymore. I have my own Instagram, but I got off Twitter. I never did Facebook, thank God, but I got off Twitter a couple of years ago — three years ago, I guess, now. I'm thinking about getting back on, just because since Elon Musk bought it, it looks like a hilarious, fun time. All these people are so scared, I love it. I might even rejoin, just to see what happens with that guy at the helm, so to speak.

"I'm not scared of comments 'cause I think sometimes even the ones that are assholes can be really funny," he continued. "To me, if something is truly funny, it's funny. Obviously, just to throw hate at something, like us, that's not kind of funny; that's just negative. But sometimes the haters can say some pretty funny things.

"There's a lot of times when you see people… And that's one thing that the Internet kind of has fostered with sites like Reddit, et cetera, is giving people a platform to try to be funny," Mike added. "And a lot of people try to be funny, and that's kind of the problem, because a lot of people aren't funny. So I have to kind of weed through the amateurs to get to the good ones, 'cause there are some good ones in there. There are people who make fun of our band and are funny about it — I'll have a great laugh when I see that — but there is also a contingent of people online who, they want to be funny, but they're just not. And that's just very sad to me."

Back in 2016, a student named Salli Anttonen at the University of Eastern Finland conducted a study to find out why there is so much hate directed towards NICKELBACK. Anttonen analyzed Finnish reviews of the band from 2000 through 2014 for her paper, which was titled "Hypocritical Bullshit Performed Through Gritted Teeth: Authenticity Discourses In Nickelback's Album Reviews In Finnish Media".

Anttonen found that critiques of the band became harsher as they became more popular, noting: "It became a phenomenon where the journalists were using the same (reasons) to bash them, and almost making an art out of ridiculing them."

Even though the study was based solely upon Finnish reviews of the band, the critics' animosity toward the group has been a global phenomenon.

Anttonen concluded: "NICKELBACK is too much of everything to be enough of something. They follow genre expectations too well, which is seen as empty imitation, but also not well enough, which is read as commercial tactics and as a lack of a stable and sincere identity."

NICKELBACK's latest album, "Get Rollin'", was released in November 2022 via BMG.

Sweden's extreme metal titans, Arch Enemy, ring in a new musical chapter with a surprise single and video drop, "Dream Stealer", which marks the first new music since their successful album Deceivers, which was released in August 2022.





Listen to "Dream Stealer" on your favorite DSP here, and watch the official video below.




Michael Amott shares about the new single, "First new Arch Enemy song we release in a little while and it feels good to be back! It was a blast working on 'Dream Stealer' in the studio, this song just has the high energy and twisted atmosphere that makes it so fun to play! Crank it up, loud and heavy! Metal is immortal!"


"Dream Stealer" was mixed by Jens Bogren and mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios. The video was directed and produced by Patric Ullaeus.





In October, Arch Enemy will embark on their "Rising From The North" co-headline tour with Swedish melodic death metal pioneers In Flames, as well as special guests Soilwork, before they head over to Mexico for another extensive headline run. Both official tour posters can be viewed below.








Arch Enemy is:


Alissa White-Gluz - Vocals
Michael Amott - Guitars
Joey Concepcion - Guitars
Sharlee D'Angelo - Bass
Daniel Erlandsson - Drums


(Photo - Patric Ullaeus)


 

In a new interview with Dawn Osborne of TotalRock, Richie Kotzen was asked about the status of SMITH/KOTZEN, his collaborative project with IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith. He responded: "[There's] quite a bit [going on]. Yes, we got together and we did some writing. And we've got a few surprises looming in the not-so-distant future."

Earlier this month, Smith joined Kotzen on stage at the Islington Assembly Hall in London, England to perform THE YARDBIRDS classic "Shapes Of Things". Fan-filmed video of Adrian's appearance can be seen below.

SMITH/KOTZEN released the "Better Days …And Nights" EP in September 2022 via BMG. The effort comprised five previously unreleased live tracks, plus for the first time ever on CD, the four studio tracks featured on their sold-out, limited-edition 12-inch vinyl EP, "Better Days", released in conjunction with Record Store Day in November 2021.

The live songs were recorded during SMITH/KOTZEN's inaugural whistle-stop tour of the U.S. and U.K. at the start of 2022, which attracted unanimously rave reviews from fans and media alike, celebrating the duo's debut on stage together with stellar back-up from Richie's wife, internationally acclaimed bass player Julia Lage (VIXEN),and drummer Bruno Valverde of ANGRA.

Japan's metal bible Burrn! magazine reviewing the Whisky A Go Go show in Los Angeles pronounced it, "An amazing night….this rock n' roll band is very different from any other…totally unique …and bringing you great songs!". U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine said the show was a, "masterclass in guitar playing and performance".

The original EP tracks were produced by Kotzen and Smith and mixed by Kevin Shirley. The live tracks were produced and mixed by Kotzen and Smith.

SMITH/KOTZEN's eponymous debut album was released globally through BMG in March 2021 to media and fan acclaim, charting No. 10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart in the U.S., Top 20 in the U.K. as well as in other major markets such as Germany, Japan and Canada.

Smith is best known as one of IRON MAIDEN's principal guitarists, having also enjoyed success as a solo artist. Kotzen is the frontman for THE WINERY DOGS as well as having been the guitarist for both MR. BIG and POISON during his long and acclaimed career, which has to date seen him release more than 20 solo albums. Both artists are also prolific songwriters.

In a new interview with Portugal's Caminhos Metálicos, OVERKILL frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth spoke about the band's touring schedule, having played around 50 gigs during 2023 and early 2024. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "If you're in shape for it, you're in shape for it. It doesn't matter. When it ends, it ends. That's the thing. Something's gotta break. And so far nothing's broken. I mean, you can hear it on the on the [latest OVERKILL] record [2023's 'Scorched']. I'm talking about me personally. But then, to the contrary, D.D.'s [Verni, OVERKILL bassist] got a shoulder issue that's been going on for this entire time, even back to the last record, [2019's] 'The Wings Of War', it was beginning back then. So I think that the amount of shows that we did was actually a light amount. We would normally do more shows, if he was healthy enough to do them. And he's gotta rehab that shoulder, so he can only do so much, put so much stress on it… Then we do another tour coming up in September, and he's only gonna do — I think he's gonna do maybe 10 shows and then he's gonna go home and we're gonna have a replacement for him. So I suppose unless it breaks, in my situation, I can just keep going. My voice is clean. It's powerful. You can hear it on the record. I can bring that to the live stage. I can still move around. No broken bones. [Laughs] So let's play. This is what we do."

He added: "If you listen to 'Scorched', you can tell that we're in this for life, that we're lifers, that it's a lifestyle as opposed to just a career. So, to not be able to play 100 shows a year, it's a little bit disappointing because that's what I'm used to doing."

Verni sat out OVERKILL's April 2024 Latin American tour as he was recovering from shoulder surgery. Filling in for him on the trek was former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson. Verni returned to the live stage on May 17 at the Milwaukee Metal Fest at The Rave/Eagles Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

OVERKILL's 10-date "Scorching Latin America 2024" tour kicked off on April 11 in Guadalajara, Mexico and included stops in Costa Rica, Chile and Peru before closing on April 28 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

OVERKILL will support KING DIAMOND on a North American tour this fall. The "Saint Lucifer's Hospital 1920" trek will commence on October 15 in San Antonio, Texas and run through December 6 in Dallas, Texas. Additional support on the tour will come from NIGHT DEMON.

"Scorched" was released in April 2023 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP offered a new recording environment for OVERKILL as all members were able to record on their own. The mixing of the record was handled by Colin Richardson and his assistant engineer Chris Clancy. Johnny Rodd helped with producing vocals, and finally, Maor Appelbaum took over mastering and adding finishing touches. The band returned to artist Travis Smith to create the album cover art.

Richardson previously worked with OVERKILL on 1997's "From The Underground And Below", 2000's "Bloodletting" and 2003's "Killbox 13" albums.

Photo credit: Frank White

Rochester, New York's UNDEATH will release its third album, "More Insane", on October 4 via Prosthetic Records. The music video for the LP's lead single, "Brandish The Blade", which was directed and edited by Errick Easterday, can be seen below.

UNDEATH comments: "'More Insane' is the biggest, baddest, nastiest UNDEATH record yet by every conceivable metric. It's a fucking sick death metal record for sick death metal freaks and anyone out there who can appreciate the transcendent power of a good riff played fast on distorted electric guitars. No bullshit whatsoever — not even for a second. Ten tracks of death metal earworms crafted by five guys who shower just irregularly enough to invoke the spirits of the death metal ancient ones.

"Follow me on this one for a sec: In weightlifting terms, if our last record, 'It's Time...To Rise From The Grave' was our cut cycle record, where we trimmed the fat and honed things down to the raw essentials, 'More Insane' is us entering our bulk cycle, where we built a big, filthy record on top of a canvas of pure death metal muscle. We co-produced it with Mark Lewis, who engineered, mixed and mastered the whole thing and made the best sounding album we've ever made. It'll sound absolutely killer on literally anything you play it on, and it'll sound even better if you turn it way the fuck up. There's songs about advancing armies of the undead, demonic bounty hunters, homicide, perverse experiments gone horribly awry, dead people screaming and crying tears of blood, homicide (again),and so much more. Matt [Browning, drums] painted the cover art and this marks the end of the trilogy of paintings starting back with 'Lesions Of A Different Kind', where we've zoomed out far enough now to reveal that the entire fucked up universe of these covers has taken place entirely within the collapsed and bursting skull of a rotting godhead floating in a soulless void.

"To put a bow on it all: 'More Insane' is the sickest shit we've ever done, full stop. Death metal reigns supreme forever and we are but its humble servants. Enjoy and smoke em if you've got em."

The band adds: "'Brandish The Blade' was one of the first songs that came together for 'More Insane' and it's easily one of the most anthemic songs that we've ever written. Specifically it's about a conquering army (probably of the undead, as is our M.O.) moving from battlefield to battlefield and annihilating anything and anyone who gets in their way, but broadly speaking I've always felt that it was a call to arms for all those who believe that death metal in all its unadulterated glory is something worth fighting for. The chorus repeats the line 'The time is now', and I see that as a natural evolution from the chorus of 'Rise From The Grave', which was the first single from our last record. We've risen from the grave, and now it's time to brandish the fucking blade."

UNDEATH's previous album "It's Time...To Rise From The Grave" caught a wave of acclaim on TheNeedleDrop's YouTube channel, earned "Best New Music" from Pitchfork, and, most impressively, rocketed to the top of Decibel magazine's "Top 40 Albums Of 2022", along with a coveted cover feature. On "More Insane", UNDEATH — featuring Kyle Beam (guitars),Alexander Jones (vocals),Tommy Wall (bass),Jared Welch (guitars) and Matt Browning (drums) — feast on the rotten flesh of brutality, complexity, and depravity.

If the gross-out teenage hallucinations of "It's Time..." rattled death metal's caved-in cranium, "More Insane" explodes with even sicker vistas. Lyrically, UNDEATH pick up, in part, where "Necrobionics" and "Enhancing The Dead" left off. Indeed, the undead armies (from space) cause more carnage in "Sutured For War" and "Dead From Beyond". Elsewhere, the New Yorkers summon nightmares from video games ("Bloodborne", etc.) on "Cramped Caskets (Necrology)", turn to high fantasy on "Brandish The Blade", and man-eating laboratory demons on "Disattachment Of A Prophylactic In The Brain". Unifying themes of murder, weirdos, psychotic people (who kill others),and more lunacy prevail on "More Insane". Browning's eye-catching cover art of a splayed head atop an optic white background engulfs all in graphic, blood-soaked glory.

The recording of "More Insane" was hearsed over to American studio wizard Mark Lewis (CANNIBAL CORPSE, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER) at Mark Lewis Audio in Nashville, Tennessee.

UNDEATH and Lewis met after a gig in Alabama. They became fast friends. With the basics out of the way, the group set up a month-long residency at Lewis's studio to nail down "More Insane". UNDEATH and Lewis co-produced, while Lewis handled engineering, mixing, and mastering.

"More Insane" track listing:

01. Dead From Beyond
02. More Insane
03. Brandish The Blade
04. Disputatious Malignancy
05. Sutured For War
06. Cramped Caskets (Necrology)
07. Bounty Hunter
08. Wailing Cadavers
09. Disattachment Of A Prophylactic In The Brain
10. Bones Clattering In The Cave

UNDEATH is:

Kyle Beam - guitars
Alexander Jones - vocals
Tommy Wall - bass
Jared Welch - guitars
Matt Browning - drums

Photo credit: Nick Karp

VENDED, the band fronted by Griffin Taylor, the 21-year-old son of SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor, will release its self-titled debut album on September 20.

Since VENDED's inception in 2018, the band came out swinging with singles replete with relentless energy and unparalleled ferocity that lit a firestorm of excitement. Now, the five-piece is ready to unleash a level of fury unseen in modern metal. This band gives no fucks; just pure unrestrained mayhem.

Today, VENDED reveals the details of the forthcoming record arriving in the midst of their North American tour dates with SLIPKNOT and KNOCKED LOOSE and subsequent headline run with WRISTMEETRAZOR and LIE.

Commenting on their debut full-length, Griffin says: "There’s a level of aggression and emotion that's missing from music right now, and we aim to fill that void on this album. It represents everything that VENDED are about. 'Fuck your ignorance, just grab ahold of it.' You're either with us or against us. VENDED is a unit aimed at world domination, and this album is the first step. Welcome to VENDED."

VENDED's LP was produced by Chris Collier (KORN) and features 13 rage-fueled tracks, including previously released singles "Am I The Only One", "The Far Side" and "Nihilism", that restores some faith in the metal scene.

"Vended" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Paint The Skin
03. The Far Side
04. Am I The Only One
05. Going Up
06. Nihilism
07. Pitiful
08. Serenity
09. Disparager
10. Where The Honesty Lies
11. Ones'...
12. Downfall
13. As We Know It

VENDED's lineup is completed by Simon Crahan (son of SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan) on drums, Connor Grodzicki on rhythm guitar, Jeremiah Pugh on bass and Cole Espeland on lead guitar.

In an interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, Corey spoke about Griffin's work with VENDED, saying: "I cannot tell you how proud I am of that boy. And, of course, being a typical Taylor, on one hand I'm super proud of him, but I still can't get him to clean anything, dude; he's just such a nightmare.

"The funny thing is you and I were talking the day after he was born. And I keep going back to that night, going, 'What's he gonna be? Who's he gonna be in life?' And now [21] years later, , and he is this crazy metal pirate, just like I was," Corey continued. "And I'm just, like, 'Oh, I failed as a father. What did I do?' I kept trying to push him to be anything other than what I do. And, yeah, dude, he's crushing.

"I've heard the new stuff that he just recorded with [producer] Chris Collier, and it is so good," Corey added. "VENDED, their new stuff is so rad. Not only Griffin, man, but Simon's [Crahan] drumming sounds incredible. All of the guys — Cole [Espeland] and Grod [Connor Grodzicki] sound great [on guitar]. The guitars have just gone above and beyond. J.J.'s [Jeremiah Pugh] crushing it on bass. I'm really, really proud of those guys, man. And then to be able to watch my boy get out there and just be himself and crush. It's so easy for him, and it just makes me angry. Because he's got all the great stuff that I never had when I was… He can wear anything. It's just criminal. I'm just, like, 'You don't know how good you've got it, kid. The carbs haven't caught you yet.'"

VENDED's five-track debut EP, "What Is It / Kill It", arrived at DSPs in November 2021. The collection was recorded with Griffin Landa of THE ACACIA STRAIN. The two singles bookended VENDED's first U.S. headline tour, after which the band went on to open the day's proceedings at the huge Knotfest Los Angeles show at the Banc Of California Stadium, playing alongside SLIPKNOT, BRING ME THE HORIZON, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, FEVER 333, CODE ORANGE and CHERRY BOMBS.

Formed in February of 2018 in Des Moines, Iowa, VENDED had its first mainstream exposure in 2020 when they performed as part of Knotfest.com's virtual "Pulse Of The Maggots" festival.

VENDED played its first headlining show in March 2020 at the iconic local club Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines, Iowa.

Griffin, who looks a lot like his father, previously showcased his skills when he joined Corey onstage during STONE SOUR shows in 2017 and 2018. He's also played cover tunes with Simon Crahan, while Clown's daughter Alexandria Crahan-Conway has snapped some of VENDED's previous press pics.

Photo credit: @ras_visual

In a new interview with Neil Jones of TotalRock, CLUTCH frontman Neil Fallon spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to the "Sunrise On Slaughter Beach" album, which was released in September 2022. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we've been getting together, on and off this year, just writing. And then that sometimes that just means writing a riff, not necessarily a song. But right now, as we speak, behind me, [producer] Tom Dalgety, he flew in from Bristol [United Kingdom] a couple nights ago and he's done a load of albums, he did our last record, 'Sunrise On Slaughter Beach'. We're doing a pre-production session this week. We'll do another one probably in January. And then again, right before we record, hopefully in March. And what that means is we're just kind of fleshing out these demos. So when it comes time to record them, we know them and don't have an excuse to say, 'I don't know how to play this song.'"

Asked how far back the musical ideas on those demos were originally captured, Fallon said: "I think maybe the first ones are maybe from March of last year, but it was pretty piecemeal 'cause we'd go out on the road and then no one really wants to get together after a show and say, 'Hey, let's jam.' So, it was kind of piecemeal, like I said. But there's a riff that Tom said we did on the last session almost three years ago that he'd like to kick around that was actually from — I think we've been kicking that riff around since [2015's] 'Psychic Warfare'. It's sort of like this orphan riff that — it's good; it just needs to find some friends to live with."

Regarding how he comes up with the themes for his lyrics, Fallon said: "I wish I knew there was a very succinct system on doing this. But I'll come up with lyrical ideas. I'll jot 'em down in a notebook or in a voice memo on my phone and I'll come up with an idea for lyrics. And sometimes they seem to write themselves. Other times I'll say, 'Well, they don't really sound that good. Let's try it on this song.' And eventually, it's like… I don't know. You whittle away at stuff until you find its final form. I find that songs that have stood the test of time are the ones that were the quickest to write. The ones that take months, but usually those don't last very long as far as live rotation on stage."

Asked if he and his CLUTCH bandmates are thinking at all, while they are working on new material, about how the songs are going to go down in a live setting, Fallon said: "No. And I think that's one of the things that CLUTCH fans like about us. I think there's a sincerity. If you kind of premeditate it, then it becomes less of an artistic enterprise and more of a marketing scheme. And I think because if we like it, then by extension CLUTCH fans like it, because that's what we're all here for, as far as this band goes. There's been occasions where we've had songs and I've listened to it, and I said, 'I don't know. I don't know about this thing.' And then that became to be some of the most popular songs that we put out. And so I'm not a good judge of that."

Earlier this month, CLUTCH drummer Jean-Paul Gaster told Colombia's El Expreso Del Rock about his relationship with his bandmates: "We see each other all the time… Typically, we will finish a tour and maybe take a week, maybe two weeks off. We just kind of go home and do home stuff, but then we're back in the jam room again, and it's usually three times a week. And usually when we get together, we're writing new music. Unless there's a show coming up, we just start playing riffs. And we have all the equipment always mic'd up, the computers, they're ready to go. So the minute somebody has an idea, boom, I go push 'record' and we document that idea. And sometimes that idea becomes a song, and sometimes that idea is just something that we did for an hour. But it's okay, because you have to keep playing."

He continued: "Sometimes I play with musicians in projects and stuff, and they become sort of very focused on one idea: 'Oh, this is the song and this is the idea, and this is the only one that there is.' We try not to do that. We try to come up with many ideas. 'Okay, that idea is cool. Great. Let's try something else. Let's see what this idea will be like.' And we just try to put as many of these things together. And then when it comes time to make a record, then we go through those things. We say, 'Oh, well, that thing we did last month was really cool.' And then, 'Neil, you have this new riff. Okay, well, let's put those together. That might be cool.' And that's the way it works. It's very organic. There's not a set way that things come together."

In a separate interview earlier this month, CLUTCH bassist Dan Maines told Chile's iRock that he and his bandmates were "in the middle of some deep writing sessions. We've been getting together quite a bit, but it's all focusing on new material, trying to write songs for a new album," he revealed. "It's going really well. We get together in a studio and we are just recording every single idea that we have. If it gets to the point where we've got two parts together that kind of resemble a verse and a chorus, and everyone's happy with it just music-wise, we'll record those ideas. And then we put that aside and move on to something else. And we upload those files so that all four of us can listen to them at home. And Neil will take a good hard listen to them and think about vocal ideas for those parts. And we start piecing together things. Sometimes he'll listen to something from one day that he thinks might work really well with something from the previous week. And if it requires tempo changes or key changes to kind of blend those two parts together, we'll work on that. But, yeah, it's kind of a very organic process. Right now I would say we have probably about a solid 10 ideas that you could call songs, but they definitely need a little more fleshing out. But, yeah, it's exciting."

Offering a rough timetable for the rest of the writing sessions for CLUTCH's next LP, Maines said: "We'll go down to South America for the week's worth of shows [in late July 2024] and then come back and try to do some more writing before we get into full kind of tour mode, which is summertime. We're heading over to Europe for European festivals, and then we have a lot of touring that picks back up in the fall here in the U.S. So we're trying to get all of our writing done now as much as possible. And it's going pretty good."

Asked what music inspires him and his CLUTCH bandmates these days, Dan said: "Anything, everything. Between the four of us, we kind of draw from a lot of different sources and we try to take those influences, whether it's blues or something more heavy, doom-oriented or something funky, and just kind of put it in a blender and create something new out of it. But sometimes, like the last time we got together, we were thinking, 'Well, let's try to write something uptempo, something above 100 beats per minute.' And at the end of the day, we came out with something that we all thought was great, but the tempo was, like, 70. So you can go in with one idea or one direction, but at the end of the day, what you end up with could be completely different. You just never know what's gonna come out."

"Sunrise On Slaughter Beach", which was recorded at the The Magpie Cage Recording Studio in Baltimore, Maryland, was produced and mixed by Grammy-nominated producer Tom Dalgety (GHOST, ROYAL BLOOD, PIXIES),with additional engineering by J Robbins (JAWBREAKER, AGAINST ME!, THE SWORD).

This past April, Fallon confirmed to TotalRock's "Hobo On The Radio" show that he and his bandmates were working on new music. "I am definitely the slowest out of the bunch as far as writing lyrics, 'cause I try the same lyrics on different songs and try to find out where they can live," he said.

He continued: "We probably — we won't be recording until next year. And I'm gonna say hopefully the album will come out in the third quarter or fourth quarter of 2025. Which sounds like it's far away, and I guess it is, to a degree, but that's gonna come around pretty quick for us. We're gonna do it with Tom Dalgety again. He was awesome. But that never stops us from playing these [new songs] live, which they'll inevitably will be everyone's favorite version and they'll hate the record's version, but that's just the way it goes."

In a new interview with TotalRock's "Louder With Ore B" radio show, STITCHED UP HEART frontwoman Alecia "Mixi" Demner spoke about the band's plans for the follow-up to 2023's "To The Wolves" album. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think the more we create music, the happier we wanna go. Part of it is [guitarist Merritt Goodwin's] fault, and my fault. 'Cause I feel so brutal — I feel so brutal when I scream. But now the next record — we're already about 20 songs into the next record. We're just going for it. And I'm just, like, 'Just write a breakdown after a breakdown after a breakdown.'"

Added Merritt: "I grew up like listening to melodic death metal from Sweden and Finland and stuff. So, back in America when people are, like, 'Oh yeah, this is metal,' but it's just, like, AC/DC or whatever, I'm, like, 'No, no, man.' We have to really, really downtune and do all the cool pedal notes and stuff.

"But yeah, so the next album, we're just trying to get it the next step to go a little bit heavier and a little bit heavier," he explained. "We're just gonna continue to try to push that boundary a little bit."

Elaborating on when fans might be able to expect new music from STITCHED UP HEART, Mixi said: "Yeah, we're just writing [right now]. We were writing before the record came out. We were ready. [Merritt's] super inspired, and we've got a home studio set up. And so we're just having all the pre-production done now. We haven't decided on a full-on producer yet, but as soon as we figure out who's gonna fully produce the record, then we're just gonna go for it."

"To The Wolves" arrived on September 1, 2023 via Century Media Records.

Formed in Los Angeles, California in 2010, STITCHED UP HEART has gained recognition for its intense live performances and deeply personal songwriting.

Mixi is joined in STITCHED UP HEART's core lineup by James Decker on drums, Merritt Goodwin on guitar and Randy Mathias on bass. They released their album titled "Never Alone", which debuted in the Top 10 of both the Billboard Heatseekers and Hard Rock charts. With their single "Finally Free" organically gaining hyper rotation on active rock radio the band paved the way to success for the next two singles "Monster" and "Catch Me When I Fall".

In 2020, STITCHED UP HEART released its sophomore album, "Darkness". Produced by Matt Good, the LP delved further into the band's introspective songwriting and showcases their growth as musicians. Tracks like "Lost" (featuring Sully Erna of GODSMACK) and "My Demon" highlighted the band's ability to blend heavy guitar riffs with anthemic choruses, making a lasting impact on the rock genre.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian spoke to RIFF Magazine about his new band SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET, in which he is joined by vocalist Taylor Barber (LEFT TO SUFFER),WINDS OF PLAGUE guitarist Michael Montoya (a.k.a. Morgoth Beatz, a producer and songwriter who has previously collaborated with Travis Barker, JuiceWrld, Lil Xan, Jonathan Davis, ISSUES and many more),guitarist/backing vocalist Alejandro Aranda (a.k.a. Scarypoolparty, "American Idol") and Josh Johnson (WINDS OF PLAGUE). Asked how SYSTEM OF A DOWN came about, Shavo said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was funny. My number's 22, so that's why I have the [cannabis] brand 22Red. So on February 22nd, 2022, we threw a party and the day of the party, I did a live radio show on KROQ here in Los Angeles. And that evening, we were throwing the party for 22Red, but I did that show before and I invited the host to the party. He asked me if he could bring a friend. I said, 'Sure.' He brought his friend. It was Morgoth Beatz who ended up being the producer and now my rhythm guitar player in the band and co-songwriter in some of them songs and stuff. So he and I decided we can write music that day together. So we exchanged numbers and we got together like a month later, wrote a song, and then we did another one a week later. And then it just became this thing where it was gonna be like one song we were going to sell to another artist, 'cause that's what he does; he writes a lot of music and he passes it on. But it became this thing. And he mentioned, he's, like, 'Man, why don't you do a Shavo record? Like something with all of the songs that you wrote instead of just one or two songs. These are coming out great.' And at that point, I wasn't really thinking about doing my own record like that, 'cause I've done so many other projects. And another thing is I've never done heavy music outside of SYSTEM. It's been heavy, but never the same genre. I've always tried to stay against the grain, and I've done EDM, I've done hip-hop, I've done rock-metal shit, but I haven't really just focused on that, which actually is my forte. I close my eyes and it just happens, which is how we did this."

Shavo continued: "So I was at his studio. I have my own studio. I gave him the key. I said, 'Come through. We're gonna start working on this record.' And a year and a half later, we have a full record, plus another half a record for album two. We have a full band. I started my own label and I signed it to Sumerian, who has worldwide distribution to Virgin, which is amazing for me. That's what I kind of wanted with the control. I've been doing this for 30 years, so I kind of knew how I wanted it, and I'm building it. And that's how it started. And that's where we're at right now. It started off as a passion project [and it] became my thing."

Regarding how the songwriting process for SYSTEM OF A DOWN was different from how he approached his previously projects, Shavo said: "Yeah, usually I'll write at home and then I'll bring it to the band. Or my other projects, I've just written at home and then brought it to the rest of the guys. This one, I would just have him play a beat that he made, or even just a 4/4, or even a loop or something, and then I just kind of… I mean, I just started strumming and the music just came out of me. So we just recorded everything I did. And whenever something was amazing, we knew it. I was, like, 'Okay, make that a thing.' So we highlighted that moment. And then afterwards I wrote a part that goes with that, and then kind of arranged it, wrote it all in the studio. So artistically it was really refreshing. There was no boundaries, no law, no rules. I just did it. It just came out so organically. Everything about it has been organic and not planned. And that's what the beauty of SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET."

On the topic of how he came up with the name of the SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET, Shavo said: "He [Morgoth Beatz] wanted to call it SHAV or SHAVO, so people know it's me, and I wrote 95 percent of it. But still, I always like a unit, I like a band. I think it's cooler. And plus he helped me a lot. These guys, they came in and did their part, and it just works perfectly. So I like the collaboration. I've never had the ego, where it's, like, 'me, me, me.' I've never done that. I've never said that. So I like it. It's us. And it became a band. And SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET, the acronym, is S.H.A.V. So that's cool. So they got what they wanted and I got what I wanted. I got a band, the cool name mysterious, but it also has a meaning, but I'm never gonna explain the meaning. It's kind of one of those things. There's many meanings you can think of what 'Violet' is — it could be a female, it could be a thing, the color, an event, it could be anything, and it's kind of cool. So there is some deep meaning to it and maybe one day we'll explain it, but at the moment, I like it where we are."

Shavo also talked about the first single from SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET, "Paradise", which was made available last month. The release marked the launch of Shavo's new joint label venture 1336 Records in partnership with Sumerian Music Group.

"That's one of the heaviest songs on the record," Odadjian said. "I have a few really heavy ones. But I wanted to release something brutal first, 'cause… I don't know… I just kind of like the heaviness of it, and I think the world needs to hear really heavy music from me right now. They've heard a lot, so I kind of wanted to drop that first. I feel like after that we can move into the other stuff, because it does have the melodic, it has the grooves, it has the heavy, heavy stuff."

Regarding the other members of SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET, Shavo said: "My singer, Taylor Barber, he comes from the world of deathcore and the growling. His voice is an instrument, and he's a wonder. He's like the new wonder of the world that no one knows yet that's there. He does have a following and he comes from another band called LEFT TO SUFFER, which is a grindcore band. But he sings like a canary as well. His range is so huge. He's the perfect member. He's the perfect singer that came in and can do all the parts. And then also we got Alejandro Aranda, who, he is just this musical genius who came in. He was the last member, and I didn't even know I needed that member, but, now it's, like, of course I needed him. Of course he fit perfectly. He does side vocals. He sings along with Taylor perfectly. So it's like a two-vocal band now, two-vocalist band. And we got Josh Johnson on the drums, and he's amazing. He hails from a band called WINDS OF PLAGUE; he used to play with them. So he's talented as hell. So, yeah, I'm honored and lucky to have these guys around me and for us to be able to do this music together."

SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET will make its live debut at this year's Mayhem festival, set to take place on October 12 at the Glen Helen Amphitheatre in San Bernardino. "And we are gonna do some shows around it, and then we do have some outside-of-the-U.S. stuff already planned," Shavo explained. "So, yeah, this will be a touring band. 'Cause that's kind of the purpose why I put the band together the way I did. The original idea was to make the music and then have like a DJ Khaled kind of album, but rock and metal, where I have features, guest vocalists coming on; each song has somebody else. But when the songs started developing, I was, like, 'This should be a tour. This should be a touring road band as well.' But you could never do that with guest vocals, so we needed someone to be the singer. So that's why we went ahead and searched for the singer. And that's how we got Taylor. So, yeah, we got the Mayhem coming up. That one's announced, but we are booking a little U.S. thing around it. 'Cause you don't wanna just do one show, but that would be the big one. We're on the main stage. I can't wait. And then we've got some outside-of-the-U.S. ideas too. So yes, more coming."

The music video for "Paradise" is a collaborative effort with creative direction being overseen by Shavo and Adam Mason, who also shot the video. Editing was handled by Arben and Kuj Durollari of BOND, who are also working with the band to design their creative assets.

When the universe aligns, magic happens. This was certainly the case when Odadjian, the legendary bass player of SYSTEM OF A DOWN, crossed paths with platinum-selling producer, songwriter and guitarist Morgoth at a party on 2.22.22. Their initial sessions were a spontaneous combustion of creativity, transforming from a potential solo venture into a full-fledged band. Shavo recalls: "We wrote a song right away. It wasn't like any writing session I had been part of before; riffs were just flowing out of me without me even having to try. Every time I felt like I couldn't write anything. Morgoth would hand me a guitar and say, 'Go, go, go'. I needed that, you know? I needed someone to push me when I wasn't pushing myself. "

As music continued to pour out in torrents, with Shavo writing and performing all the guitar and bass parts and Morgoth producing and providing the beats, atmospherics and FX, Morgoth suggested they turn it into a Shavo solo project. However, with his eye now firmly set on the live arena, Shavo decided to create a full band.

Finding the right vocal talent to complement the musical landscape created by Shavo and Morgoth was crucial. Morgoth's recommendation of Taylor Barber from LEFT TO SUFFER was a game changer. Shavo was blown away. "He was singing in falsetto one minute and growling the next — it was ridiculous," the bassist states. "He became the singer because he knocked every song out of the park."

With Shavo on bass and Morgoth on guitar, the band also brought in Morgoth's WINDS OF PLAGUE bandmate Josh Johnson on drums and Alejandro Aranda, known for his solo project SCARYPOOLPARTY and as runner-up on "American Idol", as lead guitarist and backing vocalist.

Once the new music was complete, mixed by Zach Jones and mastered by Maor Applebaum, Shavo partnered with Avildsen to create 1336 Records, with SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET being the first signing.

SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET is:

Taylor Barber - Vocals
Morgoth - Guitar, Production
Shavo Odadjian - Bass
Alejandro Aranda - Guitar/Backing Vocals
Josh Johnson - Drums

In April 2023, Odadjian spoke to the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire" about his solo LP, saying: "I started this solo project with Morgoth Beatz; he's my producer and he's also the guitar player for the group. And it's heavy. I'm back to my roots — no hip-hop. I think it's the heaviest I've ever been, and it's just flowing out of me.

"We have a track with — I'm gonna say it — Jonathan Davis [of KORN]," Shavo revealed. "I'm working on that one right now. We have the choruses and the first verse, and I'm gonna do a little breakdown, and I think we've got one. That's 12 — number 12. So we're 12 songs into the solo record. I'm very excited about that."

Photo credit: Max McGuire

Gene Simmons and his solo band kicked off their summer 2024 European tour on Saturday, July 27 at the Kuopiorock festival in Kuopio, Finland. Fan-filmed video of the entire performance can be seen below.

Featured songs:

00:00 Are You Ready
05:15 I Love it Loud (KISS cover)
12:53 Ace Of Spades (MOTÖRHEAD cover)
18:30 Communication Breakdown (LED ZEPPELIN cover)
29:59 Parasite (KISS cover)
35:14 Never In My Life (MOUNTAIN cover)
40:12 Shout It Out Loud (KISS cover)
44:26 Rock And Roll All Nite (KISS cover)
50:38 Deuce (KISS cover)
59:59 War Machine (KISS cover)
1:05:04 House Of Pain (VAN HALEN cover, Gene Simmons demo version 1976)

The current lineup of Simmons's solo band features guitarists Brent Woods (SEBASTIAN BACH, VINCE NEIL) and Jason Walker plus drummer Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER).

The GENE SIMMONS BAND played its second concert of 2024 on April 26 at the Summer Breeze festival at Memorial Da América Latina in São Paulo, Brazil. The setlist included a number of KISS classics alongside covers of MOTÖRHEAD's "Ace Of Spades" and LED ZEPPELIN's "Communication Breakdown".

Three days earlier, the GENE SIMMONS BAND performed at the grand opening of the Rock & Brews restaurant at the Ilani dining and entertainment destination in Ridgefield, Washington. It marked the KISS bassist/vocalist's first live appearance since the legendary rock act concluded its "End Of The Road" farewell tour at New York's Madison Square Garden in December.

Back in 2017 and 2018, the GENE SIMMONS BAND played a number of shows with a lineup that consisted of Simmons alongside guitarist/bassist Jeremy Asbrock, guitarist Ryan Cook, guitarist Phil Shouse and drummer Brent Fitz.

Six years ago, Simmons stated about his solo shows: "Doing these smaller concert halls, which hold a thousand to three thousand people, means they get filled up by real diehard fans. They don't want to hear the 'same old, same old.' They want to hear nuggets, as they say. It's a hoot for me because I've never really had a chance to do this stuff live. It's been a lot of fun." Gene told the Chicago Sun-Times: "By the end, I get the chance to bring as many people from the audience as we can fit on the stage to sing with me."

Regarding how the idea for a solo tour came about, Simmons told Australia's Advertiser in a 2018 interview: "The GENE SIMMONS BAND was not a plan or anything. About a year ago, a corporate event asked me to be keynote speaker … then they said, 'Won't you get up and sing a few tunes?' I explained that you can't just do that, you've got to have a band and rehearse and all that. They said, 'Well, we'll pay you X dollars more,' and I said, 'I like you!' "So I put together a band from Nashville — these guys back up Kid Rock and lots of other people — and without a single rehearsal, I just told them which songs I wanted to do and they learned them. It just sounded natural — there is such a thing called chemistry. They don't teach that anywhere — I mean, they do teach 'chemistry' but not the kind I'm talking about. It felt right and as soon as the videos went on YouTube and such, people were calling. This little GENE SIMMONS BAND never tried to be KISS… It was just a little bit of fun and stuff. Now all of a sudden, we're headlining festivals in the Czech Republic, Canada, Germany… It's crazy."

KISS played the final concert of its "End Of The Road" farewell tour on December 2, 2023 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Video of SEETHER performing the band's new single, "Judas Mind", live at the studios of SiriusXM Octane can be seen below.

"Judas Mind" is taken from SEETHER's ninth studio album, "The Surface Seems So Far", which will arrive on September 20 via Fantasy Records.

"'Judas Mind' is a song about reaching an understanding that there are bad actors in our lives that are trying to force an outcome for us that we don't see as our destiny," SEETHER frontman and songwriter Shaun Morgan said. "It's about rising up against people who have a vision for you that you don't share."

Known for their enduring anthems like "Broken", "Fake It" and "Words As Weapons", SEETHER returns with "The Surface Seems So Far", showcasing their trademark blend of aggression and introspection. The track list for the new album — the follow-up to 2020's "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum", which boasted three No. 1 hits — sets the tone for an honest and exhilarating journey through themes of melancholy ("Regret"),self-reflection ("Same Mistakes"),and raw emotion ("Dead On The Vine"),with catchy hooks and driving bombast emphasizing its many twists and turns. Adding to SEETHER's impressive catalog, Morgan and his bandmates — Dale Stewart (bass),John Humphrey (drums) and Corey Lowery (guitar) — sound alternately confident and confessional, full of vitriol and vulnerability throughout "The Surface Seems So Far", which Morgan produced with veteran producer Matt Hyde (DEFTONES, SLAYER) as engineer and mixer.

SEETHER, known for their authentic and electrifying live show, will support the release of "The Surface Seems So Far" on the road this fall on a co-headlining tour with SKILLET. The 18-date outing launches September 17 in Asheville and will travel across the U.S. stopping in such cities as Baltimore, Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, Houston, Dallas, Albuquerque, Denver, Omaha, and more before wrapping October 20 in Minneapolis. SEETHER is also set to perform at Louder Than Life and Aftershock festivals during the fall tour.

With five gold and platinum albums and two dozen Billboard Rock Airplay Top 10 hits including 20 No. 1s at U.S. radio throughout a career spanning over two decades, SEETHER is as vibrant and relevant as ever. Hailing from South Africa, Shaun Morgan proudly draws inspiration from his grunge and hard rock roots, crafting a unique sonic identity that propelled the band's gold-certified American debut and continues to resonate deeply with fans worldwide. The rock quartet, who also founded the annual Rise Above Fest for nearly ten years to raise awareness for suicide prevention and mental illness, remains a beacon of integrity on "The Surface Seems So Far", which promises to captivate both loyal fans and newcomers alike with its blend of memorable hooks, driving rhythms, and unapologetic rock spirit.

"The Surface Seems So Far" track listing

01. Judas Mind
02. Illusion
03. Beneath The Veil
04. Semblance Of Me
05. Walls Come Down
06. Try To Heal
07. Paint The World
08. Same Mistakes
09. Lost All Control
10. Dead On The Vine
11. Regret

This past May, Morgan explained to Ronni Hunter and Lewis of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station why he and his SEETHER bandmates weren't ready to perform any of the material from their follow-up to the "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" album. He said: "We live in such a horribly overconnected world that even the smallest things that make life slightly more exciting, even for us, I think it's cool. So, if we played [the first single] live, it would be all over the Internet by the next day, and then it kind of blows the surprise. And maybe we should, so we don't talk it up too much. And [people will be], like, 'Oh, this is what it was about.' But I think anticipation is a good thing.

"We finished this in January, we mastered it in the beginning of February, so we've been sitting with us for a long time too," he explained. "So we're also excited to get out and play it. But, again, I think anticipation is not to be underestimated as far as just how much it can mean when you finally get to the day… You used to wait for album releases, like, 'Oh, my God. Finally we can go to the store and we can buy the album. We can go home. We can read the lyrics,' all those kinds of things. Those don't exist anymore. More often than not, albums just kind of arrive and [you'll] be, like, 'Oh, they have a new album? I had no idea.' And that's kind of a sad world. We used to all line up around the block to go get a new album when it came out, so any bit of anticipation we can [build is what we intend to do]."

Asked if there is an increased amount of pressure every time he and his SEETHER bandmates go into writing a new album, Shaun said: "The idea is not to put any pressure on yourself with a deadline. And when it's ready, it'll be ready and you'll know. So if you had a deadline, you'd panic and you'd write stuff for the sake of writing it. But I think, at the end of the day, as long as you understand that once it's finished, it'll present itself as finished, and then you can go, 'Okay, it's finished,' and you can move on. But, having said that, then you get into recording, and you're done recording, and you're, like, 'Ah, I should've changed that,' and now it's too late. You can't change those words anymore. So it's always evolving, and it's always a process. But I think, as far as from, 'All right, we're done with that tour. Let's take a couple months off, and then we'll start again.' It's always a thing of, like, 'All right, well, let's see what happens.' And the first three months might be garbage, but at least it's starting to get the gears moving again. And then eventually there's a stride that you find yourself in. And then, again, it'll complete itself and you'll know when it's done. And then it's, like, 'Hey guys, label guys, we've got this album for you.' And, thankfully, they're not a very intrusive A&R company; they pretty much leave us to our own devices. And that's great too, 'cause you don't have some guy breathing down your neck and trying to put his thumb on the scale to make you sound a certain way or do a certain thing."

SLAYER guitarist Kerry King has launched the sixth in a series of interview videos to promote his recently released debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise". Check it out below.

Joining Kerry in his new band are Mark Osegueda (vocals; DEATH ANGEL),Phil Demmel (guitar; MACHINE HEAD, VIO-LENCE),Kyle Sanders (bass; HELLYEAH) and drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER, TESTAMENT, EXODUS).

Asked about the term "supergroup" as it relates to King's solo band, Osegueda said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think [that term has] been overused, and for this band, I don't feel it's that. I think Kerry knew what he wanted on his record, and he knew what he wanted it to sound like, and he basically handpicked the people that he thought could do it. Sure, we all have pedigrees for being in other bands, but it's just because we're good at our craft and we take it seriously. And we also all get along really well, so that helps. And when you're living on a bus for weeks or months at a time, you wanna be surrounded by people that you enjoy their company, but you also wanna respect how good they are at what they do. And there's definitely a mutual respect between all of us for what we do. And we do get along well. So I don't think 'supergroup' applies to this. I think it's a group that just brings it."

Regarding how he got involved with Kerry's new band, Mark said: "I wanted the gig when I knew it was put out that Kerry was putting together a band. And when SLAYER said they were calling it quits, Kerry made it very well known right off the bat that he wasn't done. And I sent him a random text one time, I cold texted him that 'I know that you're putting together a project. I just wanna let you know that I'm very interested in this. I'm throwing my hat, or hat-slash-throat, into the circle.'"

On the topic of his vocal approach on "From Hell I Rise", Mark said: "I came in with confidence. I have to say, I came in with confidence. And I had to. And I wanted to deliver original vocal performances, and let it be known that this record's gonna be the best record it could be, vocally, for me. And I know people didn't know what to expect, 'cause people started getting inklings of who else was in the band. And vocals were like a big, big secret kind of thing. And when I came in, I wanted to make him confident that he picked the right guy. He picked the right guy. And my approach to this was just aggressive and intense. And also I know live we're gonna be doing probably some SLAYER songs. Is that daunting to me? It's not. It's not. Because I love the band so much. And I know people will be critical about it, but I'm also confident enough that I will do those songs justice. I will definitely do them justice, to say the least. So, I think when people see this, when they hear this whole album, it's gonna have its own identity, for sure. And when we get out there live, the energy's gonna be undeniable. And I'm confident that everyone in this band is gonna make it a live force to be reckoned with."

Kerry told Rolling Stone about Osegueda's addition to the band: "With Mark, he was on board early on. I just didn't pull that trigger. I was like, 'Let's see what happens.' Say for instance, [JUDAS PRIEST's] Rob Halford calls me and says, 'Hey, I would love to be your singer,' I'd have to go that way."

King also confirmed that PANTERA's Philip Anselmo was "considered" as a possible singer for his new project. "My management, my promoter, my record label all wanted Phil," Kerry said. "Phil's a good friend of mine, but I always thought he's not the right guy. That has nothing to do with his ability; I just knew he wasn't the right guy. When you hear Mark on this record, you know that's the guy.

"I had to do due diligence, because at the end of the day, had Philip been the guy, we'd be in arenas immediately because we could play new stuff, we could play PANTERA, we could play SLAYER, and fans would've been happy. It ended when the PANTERA thing came up.

"I saw Mark a few years back singing covers of MINOR THREAT and cameo in THE WEDDING BAND with members of METALLICA," King added. "It was different from what he does in DEATH ANGEL, and he sounded great. He's super versatile. He took steps to make this different than DEATH ANGEL. I don't touch on probably 50 percent of what he can do on the album.

"Mark knew how I expected the songs to be performed. On my demos, I sing with very good conviction, but I don't have pipes; that's why I don't sing. With 'Residue', he sounded so good I had to ask him, 'Is this sustainable? I don't want you to blow your load on this record and then blow your voice out every third show.' And he swore up and down he could do it. He went on to some of the harder ones and did the same thing on those, so I went, 'Okay.'"

The SLAYER guitarist's solo band played its first concert as the support act for LAMB OF GOD and MASTODON on July 19 at the Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas.

The six-week "Ashes Of Leviathan" tour will wrap on August 31 in Omaha, Nebraska.

In early May, the KERRY KING band performed its first live show at Reggies in Chicago. In the days following, the band went from playing an intimate venue to performing at the huge U.S. festivals Welcome To Rockville (Florida) and Sonic Temple (Ohio).

KERRY KING launched a European tour on June 3 — King's 60th birthday – in Tilburg, The Netherlands. The trek combined headline shows in the U.K., The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Spain but also festival appearances such as Rock Am Ring, Hellfest, Tuska, Download, Sweden Rock Festival and many more.

"From Hell I Rise" was released in May. All material for the LP was written by the 60-year-old SLAYER guitarist. Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles last year was producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.

Steve Albini has been honored with a street in his longtime hometown of Chicago.

Thanks to an ordinance passed by Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, the 2600-2700 block of West Belmont Avenue in Avondale, between North Rockwell Avenue and North California Avenue, will officially be declared "Steve Albini Way." Not coincidentally, this stretch of land is where the legendary producer and engineer's recording studio Electrical Audio, which was founded in 1997, stands.

Albini died on May 8, 2024 of a heart attack at the age of 61.

Though he was born in Pasadena, California, and raised in Missoula, Montana, Albini has been deeply embedded in Chicago's music scene ever since he moved there in 1980 to attend Northwestern University.

In addition to fronting underground rock acts SHELLAC and BIG BLACK, Albini produced albums by NIRVANA, PIXIES, PJ Harvey and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. He was an aggressive critic of musicians and others who he felt were in it for the money or popularity rather than the music and he famously refused to take royalties from the recordings he produced for other artists.

In 2004, Albini estimated that he had engineered the recording of around 1,500 albums. According to Mix With The Masters, he continued to work almost entirely in the analog domain, being known for recording "live in the studio" as much as possible. He also placed particular emphasis on the selection and use of microphones in achieving a desired sound, and to best capture the ambience.

"A lot of people making records don't have a grasp of the process," he once told Billboard. "They do it thinking that it's some abstract art form that doesn't need to be comprehended on a technical procedural level. [In those cases] you'll end up with a record that isn't formally completed, but that's finished when the bell rings."

In a separate interview with Musician, Albini lamented what he called the industry's assembly-line mentality. "The sound of contemporary rock records, especially those made with big budgets, is so homogeneous," he said. "You hear exactly the same mix balance, the same dynamic, the same production techniques brought to bear on every single band."

Albini also pointed out that the quality of his own records had improved, largely because he had resisted the "fiddling impulse" with the music.

"In quest of a distinctive sound, people endlessly process things," he told Billboard back in 1995. "But because so many people use that method, those sounds have become quite commonplace. In the last few years, I've learned to leave things alone. Now when I set up a microphone and like the way it sounds, I consider the job done."

SHELLAC's first album in a decade, "To All Trains", was released a week after his death.

Tomorrow it will be official: In Steve Albini’s honor, Chicago’s Belmont Avenue will be named “Steve Albini Way” on the...

Posted by Maureen Herman on Sunday, July 28, 2024