John Cooper, the frontman and bassist for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band SKILLET, has blasted the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony for including a crew of drag queens and dancers performing an apparent "parody of 'The Last Supper'".

Among the drag queens included in the performance was "RuPaul's Drag Race" star Nicky Doll, who strutted the Passerelle Debilly bridge alongside "Drag Race France" favorites Paloma and Piche, plus dozens of other models and performers in a rendition of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper", which the Olympics called "interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings." The drag queens appeared on screen positioned similarly to how Jesus and his Twelve Apostles are depicted in da Vinci's mural painting.

Cooper, who has said in the past that his Christian faith directs him to speak out on cultural issues, took to his Instagram to share a two-and-a-half-minute video in which he ripped the Olympic Games for "mocking" Christianity and accused the "global elites" of being "perverts" who are "coming after your kids."

Cooper said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Hey, guys. What's up? I'm about to go on stage right here, but my phone's blowing up from all these people sending me videos of the opening ceremony for the Olympics of insane, crazy stuff because we don't live in a normal world any longer, okay?

"For all the people that are always saying it's so polarized, we gotta get along, everybody stop yelling at each other, we just gotta agree we all want the same things. Do we, though? Do we?

"Let me explain this to you," he continued. "This is what tolerance looks like in the new world. According to all of these global elites that want to change all of Western civilization and remake the world in their image, this is the way tolerance works for them. You sit down to watch the Olympics with your kids. They're going to start the show with drag queens who come out and mock Christianity. They're going to mock the number one largest faith in the world. They're gonna mock it on TV in front of the whole world.

"The way that tolerance works is this: if you're sitting with your kids and you go, 'What the heck's going on? I don't want my kids watching drag queens. That's not my values.' If that's what you say, well, then you're a bad person. You need to change. You're old school. You're the person that is causing all the hate in the world and they gotta shut you up. At the same time, the way tolerance works in the new world is that it's okay for the drag queens to mock Christianity. Christianity is okay to mock. All right? So they can do whatever they want to, but you can't.

"You see, this isn't normal," Cooper added. "This is not normal. It's not the world that I wanna live in. I don't think it's the world that most people in the Western civilization wanna live in.

"They are, in fact, coming after your kids, because the global elites are perverts. They are coming after your kids. The question is, what are you gonna do about it? Are we gonna stop watching? Are you gonna stop watching? Say, 'No, we're not doing that.'

"What in the world does sexuality have to do with the Olympic Games?" John said. "Can we just leave your sexuality out of the opening for the Olympics? Something we all try to do together around the world, and they make it a celebration of sexuality. That should tell you something.

"So I reject the new world. I reject their false tolerance. It's not real tolerance anyway. I reject it and I say this: God will not be mocked. Go for it. Go for it. God will not be mocked. You will reap what you sow.

"I don't know about you, but I am not bowing down to this new regime."

Cooper is not the only conservative personality who was critical of the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony. Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, who was recently called out by his transgender daughter for his "cruel" words, deemed "The Last Supper" performance as "extremely disrespectful to Christians."

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who was widely panned for his May commencement speech where he lambasted gay rights and told a class of college graduates that one of the "most important" titles a woman can hold is homemaker, shared a screenshot of the performance on his Instagram Stories and wrote: "This is crazy." Butker then cited Galatians 6:7, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked."

The Catholic church in France also criticized the segment, saying in a statement: "This ceremony has unfortunately included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we very deeply deplore."

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

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

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

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

SKILLET's latest album, "Dominion", was released in January 2022 via Atlantic.
The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings. #Paris2024#OpeningCeremonypic.twitter.com/FBlQNNUmvV

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024


NEW: The Paris Olympics is under fire for including a *child* in their hyper-s*xualized, blasphemous rendition of The Last Supper.

An apparent child could be seen joining the drag queens during the performance.

Instead of bringing people together, the planners of the event… pic.twitter.com/5nUSmE72Oe

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 26, 2024



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A post shared by john cooper (@johnlcooper)

Former Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen performed at the 2022 edition of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival. Professionally-filmed footage of "Innocence", "I Walk Alone" and "Until My Last Breath" performed live can be viewed below.





What Lies Beneath is the second rock studio album by Finnish solo artist, Tarja. Originally released in 2010, the best-seller is a true fan favourite and one of her most successful releases to date.




Considered a classic and must-have for both fans and critics, it includes timeless Tarja hits like "Until My Last Breath," "I Feel Immortal," and "Falling Awake."


This year, the album was reissued for the first time as 2CD Special Edition and, for the first time, as heavyweight 2LP vinyl (Gatefold, 180g, black). Both formats feature a beautifully restored artwork and all tracks were remastered at Sterling Sound for superb sound quality for the ultimate 2024 What Lies Beneath experience.


In this new retrospective video, Tarja discusses What Lies Beneath:





The 2CD Special Edition includes the 14 original album tracks and a special bonus CD including alternative versions, single edits, and remixes - for the first time all combined on this Bonus CD. It also includes "The Good Die Young" performed by the Scorpions and Tarja, originally included as bonus track on 2010s Limited Dreamers Box Set.


Very few copies of the 2010 Limited Dreamers Box Set are still available via Tarja's official web shop here.





Tracklisting:


CD1:
"Anteroom Of Death" (Feat. Van Canto)
"Until My Last Breath"
"Naiad" (Feat. Marzy Nyman)
"Dark Star" (Feat. Phil Labonte)
"Underneath"
"Little Lies"
"Still Of The Night" (Feat. Toni + Timo Turunen)
"Rivers Of Lust"
"In For A Kill"
"I Feel Immortal"
"We Are"
"Falling Awake" (Feat. Joe Satriani)
"The Archives Of Lost Dreams"
"Crimson Deep"


CD2:
"Dark Star" — Tarja Vocal Version
"Montañas de Silencio"
"If You Believe"
"The Crying Moon"
"Underneath" — Orchestral Version
"I Feel Immortal" — Single Version
"Falling Awake" (Feat. Jason Hook)
"The Good Die Young" (Perf. by Scorpions + Tarja)
"Naiad" — Instrumental Extended Version
"Underneath" (Feat. Jyrki Linnankivi) *
"If You Believe" — Piano Version
"Falling Awake" (Feat. Julian Barret)
"Underneath" — Radio Version
"I Feel Immortal" — Radio Remix
"Until My Last Breath" — Single Version


* First physical release

As October 3rd, the start of their We Shall Remain European headline tour, draws ever closer, Swedish symphonic dark metal luminaries Eleine have released a surprising digital 2-track single, "Through The Mist". The song (incl. instrumental version) is available on all streaming platforms and can be listened to here.


Brute riffing and pounding drumming open "Through The Mist", which also features Rikard Ekberg's rarely heard clear vocals. However, this gradually changes into his distinctive growling before Madeleine Liljestam takes the lead and presents the band's (fan) legion with a truly redeeming chorus, which gives new hope to all those who currently seem to see no end to the light of the tunnel.


Madeleine and Rikard comment:




"Sometimes you are aware that you will not win a battle. But even if you don't win a fight, that doesn't mean the whole war is lost. 'Through The Mist' deals with the situation in the middle of a fight, physically or mentally, where you realize that you just can't win it. Nonetheless, you don't give up and keep fighting tooth and nail until the bitter end. There's a good reason that the motto 'United we stand' is so common in Eleine's music: the relationship between us as a band and our fans is extremely strong and should always be a two-way street where we help each other and fight side by side against any problems. So this song even contains a section that is explicitly addressed to our followers and in which we once again make it clear that we are incredibly proud of all those who face the fight against their demons on a daily basis." 





Eleine have announced their 2024 We Shall Remain Tour through Europe and the UK for October. Find tickets at eleine.com.





Eleine are:
Madeleine Liljestam | vocals
Rikard Ekberg | guitars, vocals
Victor Jonasson | guitars
Filip Stålberg | bass
Jesper Sunnhagen | drums

Drumeo has shared a new video from their studio along with the following message:


"We put Eloy Casagrande of Slipknot to the test by having him learn 'Blood And Thunder' by Mastodon as fast as possible! Known for his speed and precision, Eloy steps out of his comfort zone to tackle Mastodon's complex rhythms. Watch as he listens to the original drum part and tries to nail it on the spot."







Slipknot recently announced their first new song since the addition of Eloy Casagrande. The band took to social media to announce the new track.


Says Slipknot: "Slipknot fans are talking amongst themselves about “Long May You Die” being a new song written during the recent recording sessions. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”





Slipknot’s global Here Comes The Pain Tour celebrates 25 years of their self-titled album and will heavily draw from their 1999 debut. The North American portion, produced by Live Nation, includes arena plays nationwide this Summer. Highlights include New York City’s Madison Square Garden, two back to back nights at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome, Austin’s Moody Center and more with direct support from Kentucky’s young and vibrant hardcore/metal forerunners, Knocked Loose. Orbit Culture and Vended are confirmed as support on select dates.





There actually was a time when Slipknot and the maggots (the loving name for their fans) did not completely rule the world. 25 years ago, the Des Moines band were just some guys trying to get their new LP noticed– a record that would start their metamorphosis into the most crucial band of the 21st century. That record would change rock as we know it, measuring success with a yardstick bigger than music, one for the influence on youth culture writ large. But these faceless demons from middle America would not only capture the hearts of the youth, they would help guide their tastes, and challenge them and their kin towards a new future.


Released on June 29, 1999, Slipknot’s self-titled debut was a smash hit with critics and an instant classic with fans. It was, and is, a molotov cocktail signaling a revolution – embracing a creative direction that eschewed metal traditions in favor of fresh ideas. While the jaw-clenching riffs coupled with Ross Robinson’s venomous production were crucial to the album’s success, it was the care and attention to detail in the songcraft that moved the needle from “great” to “benchmark.” Not too shabby for a bunch of guys that only hoped to be heard.


“We loved what we did with the first record but we didn't even know if there was gonna be anything after that,” recalls guitarist Jim Root. “We just wanted people to hear it. Selling out of records and shows, having successful tours– those are goals for any band. But the dream scenario in some ways, came true for us.”


In the years following, Slipknot’s popularity nipped at the heels of elder statesmen and even the band’s heroes, eventually navigating this brave new world with unending drive, fresh ideas and a bloodlust for odometer clicks. Tens of billions of streams and tens of millions of subscribers and followers later, the accolades tell the story: 64 award nominations and 27 wins including a Grammy for “Before I Forget“ from Vol. 3.  A seemingly endless number of tour dates. Headlining slots at some of the biggest festivals in the world such as Download, Rock In Rio, Hellfest, Wacken and many more. Not to mention RIAA certifications by the truckload – 14 platinum certifications and 40 gold across more than 30 million in record and video sales.


In addition, Slipknot positioned themselves for success with the creation of their own festival Knotfest in 2012, a traveling, multi-stage and experiential event that has appeared 28 times across several countries and locations. The festival has since spun off into a successful entertainment media hub – Knotfest.com, which became a juggernaut of its own making, giving a platform to young freethinkers and like-minded artists.


All of Slipknot’s achievements have helped them claim their rightful seat as pioneers and thought leaders, establishing them as a generational talent– loved by parents AND their children alike. And of course with all those incredible live performances, all that influence, and all that history of playing all those incredible songs, Slipknot has only attracted the most dedicated of fans, reaching all the way back to that fateful self-titled effort.


Slipknot is approaching this 25th anniversary by making the conscious decision to connect to fans as closely as possible, in a similar way to how they encountered Slipknot all those years ago. “Every time I've walked on stage, it's never been about how many people have been there because my culture, the maggots, always show up,” says founding member Shawn “Clown” Crahan with a smile.


“But as we’ve grown as a band, we have had fewer and fewer of those intimate, personal moments, trading them for massive ones. So we're gonna make it more personal on the anniversary, but how remains to be seen. Just get ready to have your face kicked in. Because we just do what we do, spread that maggot culture – that disease. And you've been infected.”


Slipknot 2024 live dates:


August
6 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center *
7 - Burgettstown, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake *
9 - Baltimore, MD - CFG Bank Arena *
10 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion *
12 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden *
14 - Gilford, NH - BankNH Pavilion *
15 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center *
17 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena *


September
1 - Pryor, OK - Rocklahoma
7 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre #
8 - Ridgefield, WA - RV Inn Styles Resorts Amphitheater #
9 - Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life
11 - Nampa, ID - Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater #
13 - Inglewood, CA - Intuit Dome # SOLD OUT
14 - Inglewood, CA - Intuit Dome #
15 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre #
17 - Austin, TX - Moody Center #
18 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion #
21 - Des Moines, IA - Knotfest Iowa at Waterworks Park #


October
11 - Sacramento, CA - Aftershock Festival
19 - São Paulo, BR - Knotfest Brasil


November
8 - Guadalajara, Mexico - Calle 2
9 - Mexico City, Mexico - Parque Bicentenario


December
5 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
6 - Dortmund, Germany - Westfalehallen
8 - Stuttgart, Germany - Schleyerhalle
9 - Leipzig, Germany - Quarterback Immobilien Arena
11 - Zürich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion
12 - Paris, France - Accor Arena
14 - Leeds, UK - First Direct Arena
15 - Glasgow, UK - Ovo Hydro
17 - Manchester, UK - Co-op Live
18 - Birmingham, UK - Utilita Arena
20 - London, UK - The O2
21 - London, UK - The O2


* with Special Guests Knocked Loose and Orbit Culture
# with Special Guests Knocked Loose and Vended

Ignescent have released the deluxe edition of their debut album, Fight In Me, available digitally via Frontiers Music Srl. Their new single and accompanying video “Under Attack”, are also out now.


Jennifer Benson comments on the release and on the new video: “We are stoked to present you our digital DLX edition of our album Fight In Me. The new music video to ‘Under Attack’ was directed by J.T. Ibanez. The song is about the attacks, lies, and betrayals I've endured. But, in the end, we will come out fighting and stronger for it.”







Ignescent is a dynamic new hard rock band hailing from Chicago. Fight In Me, originally released on November 10, 2023, includes songs co-written with Sameer of Flyleaf, along with Jeremy Valentyne and Brandon Wolfe of New Years Day among others. The band is fronted by the multi-talented singer Jennifer Benson and have released several singles and an EP in the past few years showcasing their contemporary metal sound, akin to Flyleaf, Evanescence, Jinjer and Skillet.


Since 2018, the band has been primarily touring throughout the Midwest and Nashville area. Ignescent’s last single, “Remnant” hit #46 on Billboard Rock Charts, while Ignescent’s first EP, Electrified, was produced by 4-time Dove Award winning & Grammy Nominated producer Travis Wyrick (10 Years, P.O.D.). The first song on the CD, “Calling Out to You”, was co-written with former lead guitarist of Skillet, Ben Kasica, and hit the top 30 on Billboard Rock Charts.





Tracklisting:


"Monster You Made"
"Unholy"
"Fight In Me"
"You're Not Alone"
"Under Attack"
"Triple Threat"
"Shadows"
"Carries Me"
"The Hurt"
"Woman On Fire"
"Not Today" (Featuring Kevin Young Of Disciple)
"Goodbye"
"Radio Gaga"


"Goodbye" lyric video:





"Monster You Made" video:





Lineup:


Jennifer Benson – lead vocals
Tyler Hensley - guitars
Joel Seidlitz – bass guitar
Dusty Winterrowd - drums


(Photo - Jennifer Gerstner)

During an appearance on the BREWtally Speaking podcast, KITTIE drummer Mercedes Lander spoke about the Canadian metal band's first album in over 13 years, "Fire", which was made available on June 21 via Sumerian Records. She said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "There's so many songs that I like on this record. We picked 10 out of the 16 or so that we wrote. And I think that was the hardest part of this experience, was only picking 10 songs… It's so hard because I personally think that they're all so good, but I'm clearly biased. I think they're all great. And it was really hard to make that decision to pick those songs, so much so that we [told our producer Nick Raskulinecz], like, 'Nick, what do we do?' And he was, like, well, 'If it were me, let's pick these songs.' And we were, like, 'Okay, you know what? Let's just do it.' 'Cause we couldn't make a decision."

Addressing KITTIE's future plans, both in terms of recording and touring, Mercedes said: "So right now there are other things that are going to happen that I think that some older KITIE fans are gonna be really excited about. So there's some things coming down the pipe that will be, I think, really exciting for everyone involved. So you're just gonna have to wait to see what happens. Unfortunately, I can't talk more about it. But other than that, I think we're probably gonna go back and take those six songs that we didn't record [during the 'Fire' sessions] and maybe rework them and then maybe we'll put 'em on the next record."

In April, KITTIE announced an exclusive run of North American headline dates. The long-awaited shows will see the band perform in five cities across the U.S. and Canada this July and August, giving fans a very special and rare chance to see the band play a full headline set that will include their recently released singles "We Are Shadows" and "Eyes Wide Open" as well as classic hits and some deep cuts not played live since the band's early days.

Last November, it was revealed that KITTIE was working on a new studio LP with Raskulinecz at Nashville's Sienna Studios.

Raskulinecz, who moved to Nashville from Los Angeles around 16 years ago, had previously worked with such acts as RUSH, ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN, RISE AGAINST, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, SKID ROW and the DEFTONES.

KITTIE played its first concert in five years in September 2022 at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Joining Mercedes and guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander in KITTIE's current lineup are guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Ivana "Ivy" Vujic.

Prior to Blue Ridge, KITTIE had not performed since its reunion show at London Music Hall in the band's native London, Ontario in 2017, celebrating the group's documentary "Kittie: Origins/Evolutions".

Vujic joined KITTIE in 2008 and appeared on the band's fifth studio CD, 2009's "In The Black". She also wrote and recorded bass for KITTIE's sixth album, 2011's "I've Failed You".

After KITTIE completed the touring cycle for "I've Failed You" album, the band entered a long period of inactivity during which Morgan focused on a marketing job for a chain of fitness clubs while Mercedes worked in real estate and more recently at a software company. The group also began work on a career-spanning documentary, "Origins/Evolutions", which finally saw the light of day in 2018 via Lightyear Entertainment in North America.

"I've Failed You" sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 178 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Photo credit: Jim Louvau

From the depths of Norway looms a new rising beast of hate and misanthropy in the form of Avmakt. Featuring the duo of Kristian Valbo and Christoffer Bråthen - known for their work with such acts as Aura Noir, Obliteration, and Condor - their debut album, The Satanic Inversion of…., is a grim and revelatory offering. Primitive in a way that captures the early magic of Kolbotn’s metal kings, Darkthrone, as well as the stark chaos of early-era Bathory along with their very own distinguishable stamp on the genre, The Satanic Inversion of…. is a masterclass of real black metal feeling, wrapped up in a hypnotic frenzy of ice-cold riffing.


Though both members had played in bands covering different genres since their early teenage years, black metal had always been one of the most important as a vehicle for an honesty and fierceness that resonated deeply within the duo, without the need for extravagant clothing or pretentious concepts. And so Avmakt itself was born as the vessel for channelling this stripped down raw feeling.


Formed in 2020 and with their one and only demo release gaining traction in the underground, the Norwegians quickly came to the attention of Darkthrone’s Fenriz and Peaceville Records, and Avmakt was swiftly included on Peaceville’s Black Metal Compilation, Dark Side Of The Sacred Star which launched at the end of 2022.




“Underground metal the way it should sound returns to Kolbotn!” - Fenriz (Darkthrone)


Avmakt itself means “powerlessness”, the sense of being overwhelmed and not able to have any influence - without choice, voice, or hope. And so it is from far down in this psychological abyss that Avmakt’s ideas and expressions manifest with the completion of their debut studio release; 6 sprawling epic tracks recorded with the assistance of Arild Torp, also of Obliteration, and encapsulating such themes as emptiness, desolation, and alienation in a powerful display of sinister, uninhibited black metal.


Preorder at burningshed.com.





Tracklisting:


“Ordinance”
“Poison Reveal”
“Sharpening Blades Of Cynicism”
“Towing Oblivion”
“Charred”
“Doubt And The Void”


“Poison Reveal”:

Magic the Gathering-inspired power metal band Planeswalker (ft. members of Helion Prime, Gloryhammer) have returned with their newest single “Compleated”. This single tells the story of the Father of Machines - Yawgmoth and about his departure from the Thran empire and becoming the ruler of Phyrexia, as well as his experiments with flesh and machine.


Musically we see a darker turn to naturally fit the theme of the song. Complex riffs and soaring vocals are nothing new with Jason Ashcraft (Helion Prime) and Sozos Michael (Gloryhammer). The pair is joined by Carlos Alvarez (ex-Power Theory, Behölder, Shadowdance) on bass and Stefanos Meletiou (The Zilla Project, Private Garden) on drums this time around and the two helped bring the big bombastic sound to this song.







Jason Ashcraft comments:


"I’m stoked to get some new Planeswalker material out into the world. This stand-alone single serves as a slight hint of what’s to come. We are working on a second album but have no immediate details on it just yet, but we hope this little slice can hold people over. I was also excited to contribute to writing this time around and I think this is a good example of what can be expected to come when Sozos and I riff together!"


Sozos Michael adds:


"Planeswalker is back! We took our time with this one but I'm excited to share our new song with everyone. This one is about one of MTG's big baddies, and I feel that both Jason and I had a strong and unified vision of what this song should sound like given the subject matter. It is a stepping stone to our next album and connected to its story in a way that will be revealed in time. Please enjoy this release while we are hard at work on PW2!"





Planeswalker is:
Sozos Michael (Gloryhammer) - Vocals
Jason Ashcraft (Helion Prime) Guitars
Guest Musicians:
Carlos Alvarez (Shadowdance) - Bass
Daniel Carpenter (Celestiv) - Keys & Orchestra Arrangements
Stefanos Meletiou - Drums

Canadian heavy rock/metal juggernaut Oni recently revealed his single "Control," which has since garnered mass acclaim and growing support from active rock radio stations throughout North America. Now, mastermind, founding vocalist Jake Oni returns to break it down for an emotionally charged acoustic version available for streaming everywhere now and accompanied by a lyric video.


Commenting on the acoustic rendition, Oni says:


"This song is definitely some of my best work yet. Josh Gilbert wrote the song with me, and I tracked vocals at my studio in Cayman with Joe McQueen. 'Control' has a different vibe than anything I’ve written before in terms of range of vocals. I wanted to show a different side to this song, and felt this acoustic reimagining was a great way to present this."







"Control" was written with Josh Gilbert (SPIRITBOX, WOVENWAR) and encapsulates Oni's skillful songwriting and ability to craft heavy, mesmerizing anthems. The track is paired with an animated clip created by Ben Watanabe and 555 Comic and is the first episode in an animated series that explores the struggle within oneself. Centered on the main character Jake, the story follows his struggles with internal and external forces as he battles to overcome adversity and adversaries. 


Jake's journey will continue to unfold in future episodes/music videos revealing a dystopian world and developing characters. Stylistically, you can expect traditional anime components woven together with Oni’s ever evolving sound. The color palette is inspired by the muted tones of Afro Samurai, and the story arc has been written by Jake Oni himself. Each new song released will be an episode in the series.





Oni will kick off their summer tour on August 2 supporting Crown The Empire, with Dark Divine and Capstan.

ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell performed his new solo single, "Vilified", live for the first time on Friday (July 26) at the opening concert of his tour with BUSH and CANDLEBOX at Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend, Oregon

Jerry's setlist for the show was as follows:

01. Brighten
02. Vilified (live debut)
03. Atone
04. Them Bones (ALICE IN CHAINS song)
05. Psychotic Break
06. Cut You In
07. Sea Of Sorrow (ALICE IN CHAINS song)
08. Had To Know
09. Would? (ALICE IN CHAINS song)
10. Rooster (ALICE IN CHAINS song)

"Vilified" is taken from Cantrell's upcoming solo album, "I Want Blood", which will arrive on October 18 via Double J Music.

"This record is a serious piece of work. It's a motherfucker," Cantrell said of the collection. "It's hard, no doubt, and completely unlike 'Brighten'. And that's what you want, to end up in a different place. There's a confidence to this album. I think it's some of my best songwriting and playing, and certainly some of my best singing."

Album opener "Vilified" showcases an energy that rivals any of Cantrell's previous work — powerful, nuanced, and electric — setting the tone for the 45-minute album.

"'Vilified" travels a lot of places in just four and a half minutes," Cantrell continued. "It's got a ferocity and really aggressive vibe to it."

"I Want Blood", co-produced by Cantrell and Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, MELVINS),was recorded at Barresi's JHOC Studio in Pasadena, California. The album also features contributions from bass heavyweights Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) and Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),drummers Gil Sharone (TEAM SLEEP, STOLEN BABIES) and Mike Bordin (FAITH NO MORE),and backing vocals from Lola Colette and Greg Puciato (BETTER LOVERS, ex-THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN).

Album pre-orders, which include CD, digital and multiple 2LP variants are available here. Exclusive to the 2LP vinyl versions of "I Want Blood" are atmospheric, spoken-word versions of each song on the album.

Cantrell's latest solo album, "Brighten", came out in October 2021. The LP was Jerry's first project without ALICE IN CHAINS in 19 years. "Brighten" was co-produced by Jerry with film composer Tyler Bates and Cantrell's longtime engineer Paul Figueroa. They welcomed a dynamic cast of supporting players, including drummers Gil Sharone and Abe Laboriel, Jr. (Paul McCartney),pedal steel master Michael Rozon, Vincent Jones on piano, Wurlitzer, and organ. Other rock legends added to the fun of this LP, including Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) on select bass tracks, Puciato handling all of the background vocals and Barresi overseeing the mixing of "Brighten". Together, they recorded eight originals and the LP closes with an approved-by-Elton John cover of his classic "Goodbye" as the finale.

Cantrell's band for his 2022 "Brighten" solo tour consisted of Tyler Bates (guitar),Greg Puciato (backing vocals),Gil Sharone (drums),George Adrian (bass),Michael Rozon (pedal steel) and Jason Achilles (keyboards). The set included songs from "Brighten", along with favorite hits from Jerry's catalog.

Jerry's career outside of ALICE IN CHAINS has consisted of two other solo albums and contributions to major film soundtracks. Cantrell's first solo album, "Boggy Depot", was released in 1998, followed by his second album, the aforementioned "Degradation Trip". In addition to his solo artist work, Jerry has released music on soundtracks for several films, including "Spider-Man", "The Cable Guy", "John Wick 2", "Last Action Hero" and "The Punisher".

ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with William DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, "Rainier Fog", in August 2018.

Earlier this month, it was announced that STONE SOUR and MINISTRY drummer Roy Mayorga wouls sit behind the kit for Cantrell during the ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist's summer 2024 tour.

The trek, which is headlined by BUSH, will conclude on September 15 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Also appearing on the bill will be CANDLEBOX.

Mayorga announced his addition to Cantrell's band in a social media post on July 8. He wrote: "Super excited to announce that I'll be hitting the road this summer with Jerry Cantrell supporting BUSH for their 'Loaded: The Greatest Hits' tour, which means I'll be taking break from MINISTRY for a while, but I shall return at some point. Look forward to rocking out with you all this summer."

Mayorga joined STONE SOUR in 2006 and was a touring drummer for HELLYEAH after Vinnie Paul Abbott passed away in 2018. Five years ago, he played drums on three tracks on LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton's solo album.

Mayorga played on MINSTRY's last two studio albums and has toured with the group since 2021.

French progressive metallers GOJIRA performed at today's (Friday, July 26) Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, making them the first metal band to ever play at the Olympic Games.

GOJIRA's morbid production paid bloody tribute to a historically famous dead lady, Marie Antoinette. Vulture described the performance, a collaboration with opera singer Marina Viotti, as "a full musical, metal–opera–Cameron Mackintosh mash-up tribute to … the guillotine," featuring "decapitated faces painted clown-white [singing] the French revolutionary song 'Ça ira'" during the "Liberté" portion of the ceremony.

GOJIRA's version of "Ça ira" was reworked alongside French composer and producer Victor le Masne, according to The New York Times.

In a phone interview, GOJIRA vocalist-guitarist Joseph Duplantier told The New York Times of the song choice, "It was a very bloody era of French history, so it was very metal," adding, "The song's going to be in your face."

According to the biography on her web site, Marina has previously "experimented with jazz, gospel and heavy metal".

Video and photos of GOJIRA's performance can be found below.

Also performing at the ceremony were Céline Dion, Lady Gaga and Aya Nakamura.

"The opening ceremony is orchestrated by renowned stage director Thomas Jolly," Time Out reports, "who has invited a stellar cast of local and international stars to celebrate the rich history and diversity of French musical culture."

GOJIRA is considered a standard-bearer for French rock and bringing French rock to an international audience. Metal Hammer declared GOJIRA "metal's most important band" in 2016.

GOJIRA has been nominated for a Grammy Award three times — twice in 2017, for "Best Metal Performance" and "Best Rock Album" ("Magma") and once in 2022 for "Best Metal Performance".

GOJIRA's latest album, "Fortitude", entered Billboard's Top Albums chart at No. 1 in May 2021, while also claiming the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Current Albums, Current Rock Albums and Current Hard Music Albums tallies. The release also marked a career high debut on the Billboard 200 for GOJIRA, arriving at No. 12, with several career high chart positions and Top 10 debuts in countries around the globe including: France (No. 2),United Kingdom (No. 6),Australia (No. 3),Germany (No. 8),Belgium (No. 2),Netherlands (No. 4),Denmark (No. 3),Portugal (No. 4),Finland (No. 2) and Norway (No. 10).

Furthermore, GOJIRA concluded a month-long fundraising initiative in support of the indigenous-owned NGO The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) who advocate for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Working with the social good-focused digital platform Propeller, the charitable campaign raised over $300,000 through an auction and raffle of one-of-a-kind items from the band and their friends in METALLICA, TOOL, SLIPKNOT, SLAYER, Slash and more. All proceeds were donated to APIB to support their work aiding the indigenous tribes of the Amazon who have suffered immensely — victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment.

Recorded and produced by Joseph Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA's Ridgewood, Queens, New York headquarters — and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE),"Fortitude" is GOJIRA's first album in five years and the follow-up to 2016's Grammy-nominated LP "Magma". A collection of songs urging humanity to imagine a new world and then make it happen, "Fortitude" has been earning widespread critical praise with Rolling Stone naming it one of their best albums of April 2021 and remarking "It's all the rage of death metal mixed with the conscience of punk rock and the musicality of progressive rock." NPR hailed "Another World" as "an apocalyptic banger," and Paste called "Into The Storm" a "much-needed revolutionary anthem." Stereogum declared, "hearing this band operating at their peak is a life-affirming thing," while Revolver attested "Fortitude" "could spark a revolution."

Germany’s greatest export Scorpions have uploaded classic footage performing Lovedrive track “Can’t Get Enough”. The song opens Side B of the 1979 album.





1985 was the first edition of the Rock In Rio festival. It was held from January 11-20 and an estimated 1.4 million attended. Scorpions performed on two days of the festival – Tuesday, January 15 and Saturday, January 19.




More from Rock In Rio 1985:


Iconic track "The Zoo", the single earned the most success in the U.K., peaking at #75:





Energetic Blackout tune "Dynamite":





Blackout song "Can't Live Without You":





Love At First Sting classic "Still Loving You":





Animal Magnetism track “Make It Real”:

Deep Purple recently released their new studio album, =1. The record enters the UK's Official Albums Chart this week at #12.


Says Official Charts: "British heavy metal legends Deep Purple see their 23rd studio album =1 become their 26th UK Top 40 LP this week (12)."


You can view the complete chart here.




The enigmatic album title, =1, encapsulates Deep Purple’s philosophy of unity amidst complexity, promising an album that resonates deeply with their five decades spanning hard rock legacy.


=1 is available via earMUSIC as Ltd. CD+DVD (Digipak), CD (Jewelcase), 2LP Gatefold (black, 180g), Ltd. Purple 2LP Gatefold (180g), Ltd. Crystal Clear 2LP (180g) and Ltd. Box Set (CD+DVD Digipak, 2LP black Gatefold, 3x exclusive 10” vinyl editions feat. live recordings from Deep Purple’s 2022 tour, exclusive Collector’s T-shirt, 2x exclusive guitar picks, 1x exclusive art print, 1x exclusive lanyard, and the chance to win a Golden Ticket giving access to all shows on the Deep Purple =1 More Time tour).


All LPs include a rich 12-page vinyl sized booklet. The bonus DVD features the approx. 60min documentary ‘Access All Areas’ joining Deep Purple backstage on tour and providing an exclusive look behind the scenes.


Further exclusive items are available via the official album store (here): Ltd. 2LP Picture Disc, Ltd. Cassette, strictly limited canvas signed by all band members - limited to 50 items only and various other merchandise items.





Tracklisting:


"Show Me"
"A Bit On The Side"
"Sharp Shooter"
"Portable Door"
"Old-Fangled Thing"
"If I Were You"
"Pictures Of You"
"I’m Saying Nothin’"
"Lazy Sod"
"Now You’re Talkin’"
"No Money To Burn"
"I’ll Catch You"
"Bleeding Obvious"


"Lazy Sod" video:





"Pictures Of You" video:





"Portable Door" video:





=1 More Time tour dates:


August
14 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live
15 - Tampa, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Event Center
17 - The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
18 - Durant, OK - Choctaw Casino - Grand Theater
19 - Fort Worth, TX - Dickies Arena
21 - Cincinnati, OH - PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
22 - Sterling Heights, MI - Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
23 - Tinley Park, IL - Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
25 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage
27 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
28 - Gilford, NH - BankNH Pavilion
30 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
31 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center


September
1 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
3 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
4 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Broadview Stage at SPAC
6 - Bethel, NY - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
7 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
8 - Scranton, PA - The Pavilion at Montage Mountain


Tickets are available at deeppurple.com.

The Troops Of Doom, the Brazilian death metal supergroup led by Jairo "Tormentor" Guedz, former guitarist of the original Sepultura lineup, have released an official lyric video for "The Grotesque", featured on their new studio album, A Mass To The Grotesque, released back in May via Alma Mater Records, the Portuguese label run by Moonspell singer, Fernando Ribeiro.





The Troops Of Doom was formed in 2020, during the pandemic, by the original Sepultura guitarist Jairo “Tormentor” Guedz. He recorded the albums Bestial Devastation (1985) and Morbid Visions (1986). Jairo left the band in 1987, making way for Andreas Kisser, who continues with the band to this day. The Troops Of Doom’s lineup also includes other significant figures from the Brazilian metal scene, such as guitarist Marcelo Vasco (Patria, Mysteriis), a globally renowned graphic artist known for his work with bands like Slayer, Dee Snider, Kreator, Machine Head, Soulfly, and many others. The vocalist and bassist Alex Kafer, former live guitarist for Matanza, and drummer Alexandre Oliveira, a former member of the band Tianastácia, complete the lineup.




Acclaimed by specialized media as a supergroup, The Troops Of Doom emerged to revive the classic death metal of the 80s, inspired by Sepultura’s early era with Jairo and other influential bands such as Slayer, Celtic Frost, Kreator, and Possessed. It serves as a time machine for those nostalgic for the golden age of death metal. In just two years since its formation, the band has released three EPs: The Rise of Heresy (2020), The Absence of Light (2021), and Prelude to Blasphemy (2023), along with their debut album, Antichrist Reborn, that was released in 2022 on CD, LP, and Cassette by Alma Mater Records and lauded by both fans and music press alike.


A Mass To The Grotesque was produced by André Moraes, a multi-talented musician known for his work on Sepultura’s Dante XXI and the soundtrack of the film “Lisbela e o Prisioneiro,” at Audio Porto studio in Porto Alegre/RS. The mixing and mastering of the album were done by Jim Morris at the legendary Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida, known for producing some of the greatest death metal classics of the 80s and 90s.


The cover art was painted by the acclaimed artist Dan Seagrave, responsible for numerous classic death metal album covers. Guedz reveals: "The title A Mass To The Grotesque carries the symbolism of a true ode to the ugly, the evil, the feared. It encompasses everything and everyone that doesn't fit into the molds of a so-called 'evolved' society, choosing to live in the shadows. A dark liturgy to the rejected and their followers, who find shelter and comfort in the absence of light and in the supposed dictatorship of the divine word, whatever it may be. The grotesque is resistance, where nothing is sacred!"


Order the album here.





Tracklisting:


"Solve Et Coagula" - Introduction
"Chapels Of The Unholy"
"Dawn Of Mephisto"
"Denied Divinity"
"The Impostor King"
"Faithless Requiem"
"Psalm 78 - God Of Bizarre"
"Terror Inheritance"
"The Grotesque"
"Blood Upon The Throne"
"Venomous Creed"


Full album visualizer:





"Dawn Of Mephisto" video:





"Chapels Of The Unholy" video:





(Photo - Cissa Flores @cissa_flores)

MR. BIG — Eric Martin (lead vocals),Paul Gilbert (guitar, vocals),Billy Sheehan (bass, vocals),Nick D'Virgilio (drums, vocals) — will release its last-ever live album, "The BIG Finish Live", on September 6 via the Evolution Music Group.

"The BIG Finish Live" is a brand-new live album and concert film of MR. BIG's "The BIG Finish" farewell tour, where the band played their million-selling "Lean Into It" album in its entirety, plus additional MR. BIG classics. Filmed in 4K at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan on July 26, 2023, this historic performance will be available in many different multiple high-quality formats: 180g black vinyl (3-LP),Hybrid Stereo Multi-Channel SACDs (2),MQA-CDs (2),MQA-CDs + Blu-ray (2),4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (featuring behind-the-scenes and interview footage),and cassette (2). All of these formats will come with a booklet/insert that includes previously unreleased photos from their Budokan performance, as well as a sticker or postcard gift for fans.

The official "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song)" performance video, taken from "The BIG Finish Live", can be seen below.

Last year, MR. BIG put on their signature top hats and old shoes for the launch of their last worldwide tour, aptly titled "The BIG Finish". The first leg kicked off July 20, 2023 in Nagoya, Japan, which took them throughout Southeast Asia where the band performed for hundreds of thousands of loyal fans at 11 sold-out shows. MR. BIG then brought "The BIG Finish" to South America, an initial run of European shows, and two separate East Coast/West Coast tours of the U.S.

One particular aspect of this final run that MR. BIG have been most excited about is the decision to perform the entirety of their breakthrough platinum-selling 1991 album "Lean Into It" from start to finish as a featured highlight of the live setlist, along with other MR. BIG classics.

Joining MR. BIG on drums for this special final world tour has been longtime friend of the band Nick D'Virgilio (SPOCK'S BEARD, BIG BIG TRAIN),stepping in for founding drummer/vocalist Pat Torpey, who sadly passed away in 2018 following his heroic battle with Parkinson's disease.

After 35 years of bringing the MR. BIG sound across the world and back, it's time to come together for one final, extended curtain call with a live album to live on for the ages.

"The BIG Finish Live" track listing:

01. Addicted To That Rush
02. Take Cover
03. Undertow
04. Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song)
05. Alive And Kickin'
06. Green-Tinted Sixties Mind
07. CDFF - Lucky This Time
08. Voodoo Kiss
09. Never Say Never
10. Just Take My Heart
11. My Kinda Woman
12. A Little Too Loose
13. Road To Ruin
14. To Be With You
15. Big Love
16. The Chain
17. Promise Her The Moon
18. Where Do I Fit In
19. Wild World
20. Paul Gilbert Guitar Solo
21. Colorado Bulldog
22. Billy Sheehan Bass Solo
23. Shy Boy
24. 30 Days In The Hole
25. Good Lovin'
26. Baba O'Riley

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

SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan joined HALESTORM on stage on Friday (July 26) at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey to perform the SKID ROW classic "Slave To The Grind". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

Lzzy Hale, who has fronted her band HALESTORM for more than two and a half decades, handled the vocal duties for SKID ROW for four shows in late May and early June after the group's fourth frontman since Sebastian Bach's departure — "Swedish Idol" contestant Erik Grönwall — quit the band to focus on his health.

On June 3, Hale took to her social media to share a few photos of her time with SKID ROW and she included the following message: "My soul is still buzzing from the crazy ride I was just on.

"Thank you so much to Rachel, Snake, Scotti, Rob, their amazing crew and the entire SKID ROW fan base for putting your trust in me. Thank you for bringing me into your tribe, and allowing me to live inside your legacy for a moment.

"What started out as friends helping out friends, bloomed into something bigger than any of us could've imagined.

"I'm overflowing with gratitude.

"This experience of getting to deep dive into SKID ROW has given me a rare opportunity to deepen my love for these men I get to call friends. And the soul bonding moments we created together musically will live with me forever.

"And even though this particular time in my life prevents me from committing to a permanent role in SKID ROW…I am sending in my official request to the universe that we will be able to join forces again down the road.

"With Love and Loud Music, Lzzy Hale".

During an appearance on the May 23 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Lzzy stated about what it was like to play her first two shows as the vocalist of SKID ROW: "The response has been amazing. And I'm hearing from people that have been seeing SKID ROW since 1987 and are just raving about what I bring to the table. So, for me, it is friends helping out friends, but it's also this beautiful milestone in my life where I'm literally being challenged to fill in the shoes that I've always wanted to fill from being a kid. So it's wonderful."

Asked by host Eddie Trunk if Sebastian Bach's singing on SKID ROW's classic records had an impact on her as a vocalist, Lzzy said: "Oh, absolutely. All I wanted to be as a singer growing up was a dude in an '80s hair band. Not a chick in an '80s hair band, but I wanted to be the dude. I wanted to be Sebastian Bach, I wanted to be Tom Keifer [CINDERELLA], these men that held the world in their hands when they hit those high notes… But, yeah, it's crazy because I think about it. Then after it was made official, I'm feeling in for these dates, Rachel and Snake [SKID ROW guitarist Dave Sabo] sent me the set and 'here's all the songs we're gonna sing.' And this is such a beautiful opportunity because I get to deep dive. Now I am forced into having to deep dive on these records and the inflections of Sebastian Bach's vocals, the arrangements, the timing. So I was literally treating it like it was an Olympic sport. I'm on the stationary bike singing SKID ROW, making sure I can get through a set, making sure the high notes are there. And it was crazy, 'cause I've been annoying the hell out of my bandmates because they've been widowers to SKID ROW for the past couple weeks, 'cause that's all I've been doing and listening to. So they know all the words too. But, yeah, it's just really wonderful. And then to be able to perform these songs with these guys who are the same… It's the same thing. These boys are perpetually 15. We're all in a bus together. I'm on tour with the band. This is crazy to me. So my young self is screaming, because it's, like, 'Can you believe it?' And I also feel this immense calm and comfort with these guys. And to be able to deep dive with Rachel and Snake on the lyrics and how certain songs came about. We talked about 'Quicksand Jesus' and how 'Monkey Business' was made and recorded with [producer] Michael Wagener. So it's been a beautiful experience for me. And I would have done it just for the sake of helping somebody out, but now it feels almost selfish to me, because I'm getting so much out of this experience. [Laughs]"

Regarding what the most challenging aspect has been about performing with SKID ROW, Lzzy said: "I think the most challenging aspect for me — actually, there's a couple of things, because, really, in a whole, all of this has been a challenge for me. But a few things are… I really wanted to see what it was like to perform an entire set without playing an instrument except for vocals, which I've never actually done. I've guested with people and got up and sang songs without playing a guitar or a keyboard, but I've never — literally like stepping into somebody else's shoes. Not only am I getting up and singing these songs, but I'm also fronting the band. I'm in charge of keeping the energy levels up and the breaks in between the songs, making sure everything's said. And so that's a challenge. But I think that the biggest one for me is, in the moment, making sure that I'm not freaking myself out too much over… Songs like 'I Remember You', everybody knows that song inside and out. So there's a there's a fine line between… I really wanted to honor everything in that song and not take liberties and make it into my own these. These are songs that everybody knows. So really just kind of keeping conscious of that, whereas I'm not getting up and covering SKID ROW songs, I'm getting up and making them into the best versions of what they actually are. So that's been a beautiful challenge as well. And you know me, I like saying yes to adventure. [Laughs] I'll usually say yes to jump off the cliff before I know if there's a parachute. [Laughs]"

Lzzy made her live debut with SKID ROW on May 17 at Walker's Bluff Casino Resort in Carterville, Illinois.

Bolan spoke about SKID ROW's pairing with Hale during a recent interview with Fox 26 reporter Ruben Dominguez and Margot Hogan. Regarding how Lzzy was approached about doing the gig, Bolan said: "When we knew Erik made the decision that he made to prioritize his health and leave the band, I said to the [other] guys [in the band], I go, 'You know what? She's like a sister to me, and I'm just gonna ask Lzzy. I know they have a really busy schedule, and they just have a lot going on. We have these four shows. I'm just gonna ask her. And if she says no, no harm, no foul.' And Nick Raskulinecz, who produced our last record, produced a couple of HALESTORM records, and it was his birthday party. I happened to be in Nashville because painters were painting the inside of the house that I'm putting up for sale. So I was just there, and he's, like, 'Hey, dude, it's my birthday. We're having Lzzy, Joe [Hottinger, HALESTORM guitarist] are coming… Everyone's coming. You've gotta come by.' And I was, like, 'Okay, cool.' So I got the painters out of the house a little early, and I went there, and that's when I asked Lzzy. I just said, 'Hey, would you wanna fill in on vocals or you wanna come sing with SKID ROW?' And she thought I meant like at the Mercy Lounge [in Nashville] or something like that. It's, like, 'Yeah, we've jammed a million times. Sure. The guys gonna be in town,' type of thing. And it's, like, 'No, no. We have four shows on the books. And Erik can't do them. So would you come in?' She's, like, 'Hell yeah.' She's, like, 'Let me just double check with my team.' And I hit her up a couple of days later, I go, 'Hey, were you serious about that?' She's, like, 'I was dead serious. And I am good to go for that.'"

Rachel went on to say that he and his SKID ROW bandmates are "really excited" about performing with Lzzy, "because she is a powerhouse, without a doubt. And above all of it, above the band's name and everything involved, she's my friend," he explained. "And it means a lot to me. So far above anything cool someone could do for a friend, she's doing for us. And it means it really means a lot to me that she's doing it. And the reaction has been unreal. Unreal. It's great."

Elaborating on why Hale is the right singer to play with SKID ROW at these four shows, Bolan said: "Lzzy, she is her own person. We asked her not for any other reason than how good she is and how powerful she is and how much she means to people. And I've gotta be completely honest. I knew this was gonna get attention, but I didn't know people were gonna be snapping out. And it's making me, like, 'Wow, my mind is completely blown.' It's a matter of a friend coming in to help friends. And even though we came out before and may have influenced her with stuff, she's helping us a lot, a lot in a situation we're in, and it is becoming something bigger than both of us. And I'm using her words. She's, like, this has become really bigger than the both of us. And so everyone is really excited — her team is excited, SKID ROW team is excited. The fans are just losing their minds."

More than two months ago, Lzzy was asked in an interview with Terrie Carr of the Morristown, New Jersey radio station 105.5 WDHA how her pairing with SKID ROW came about. Lzzy said: "Well, first I'll give a statement for the beginning, because it just goes so much deeper for me than just helping out some friends.

"I'm from PA [Pennsylvania]. I know all about you Jersey boys. And I know we talk a lot about lifting up women and that's been very important in my life. But I can't forget about the men who raised me. And them being the SKID ROW boys, inadvertently, by my friends from Jersey who were listening to SKID ROW.

"I was always kind of an in-betweener in my interest in music," she explained. "So in the '90s, and like '96, it was BOYZ II MEN and Mariah Carey, BACKSTREET BOYS, Britney [Spears] was about to come out, that whole thing. I wasn't interested in that. I was interested in '80s, big hair, rock and metal. I loved Alice Cooper, BLACK SABBATH, CINDERELLA, JOURNEY, SKID ROW. And as that transition happened in the '90s, where all of a sudden I started getting into heavier music, a lot of the bands, except for a very small group of bands, helped me with that transition. And SKID ROW was one of them, because they were not so in their '80s bubble and in the time that came before that they couldn't see what was happening in the world and they couldn't see what the dark-seated underbelly that we were all feeling in the '90s. So they really helped bridge that gap for me.

"I can honestly tell you right now that I would not be the rocker that I am today without SKID ROW and those albums, because not only did they have those beautiful melodies and the vocal prowess and the riffs and the loud noise that I loved, but then the subject matter they were talking about was always very real and it hit me at the right time in the right place," Lzzy added. "And so this is just a beautiful example of that age doesn't matter. Time doesn't matter. Whenever you discover music, it doesn't matter. It's when it hits you. And so again, those men that raised me, the men from Jersey, the men from PA that all put these records in my hands. Then years later, I'm living in Nashville for the first time and I meet [SKID ROW bassist] Rachel Bolan and I meet [SKID ROW guitarist] Snake [Dave Sabo], and they're, like, 'Oh, man, there's more to Nashville than country. Let me introduce you to this guy.' Then I got to meet Tom Keifer from CINDERELLA and all those boys, and now I'm up playing AEROSMITH songs with all these weird guys that I grew up listening to. Then fast forward to a couple months ago when my good buddy Rachel — we were just at a birthday party, and Rachel's, like, 'Hey, would you ever consider singing with us?' And I'm, like, 'Oh, yeah, you mean like we do all the time down at Mercy Lounge?' He's, like, 'No, like actually be like our front person for some shows. There's some stuff going on.' And so I said, 'Well, yeah, sure. Just let me know when.' And then, you know, a couple of months later he goes, 'Hey, were you serious about that? Because this is going down now, and we've gotta know.' And so I cleared my schedule and I told everybody that that is on my team, 'Let me put up all these dates because I really wanna do this for these guys,' And so I'm helping my buddies out and they're helping me out and it's all full circle. But then we announced it, and I'm hearing from people I haven't heard from in 15 years saying, 'Oh my God, this is gonna save my life.' And we're bringing these two worlds together. It's giving everybody reason to smile and an event for someone to look forward to. And like generational gaps be damned. And it's just all gonna be great. And it's just wonderful.

"For me, I joked with the boys. I said, 'Oh, so my audition tape from '96 finally made it in the mail. Thanks for finally opening it up. My revised audition is in the mail.' So now I have all their songs on a playlist in the order of how they're doing their set. And I'm on the stationary bike trying to make sure I can hit the high notes. And I'm turning it like it's an Olympic sport. It's gonna be great."

Regarding the possibility of more SKID ROW shows with her on lead vocals, Lzzy said: "You never know. I will say something that most likely will happen is that these will not be the only four dates you ever hear. I will say that. As far as me being the permanent member of SKID ROW, we're gonna all have to find a plateau [laughs] in our schedules to do that. But you never know. Sounds like a pretty good gig for me, if I ever get to that point."

She added: "But, yeah, I'm just so grateful for the guys. And then think about it coming full circle. And it all comes from the right place. I mean, Erik, what an amazing voice and what a perfect fit for them and brought them into a whole new game changer. There's everything going on with his health, and how wonderful is it that amicably both parties can be, like, 'Hey, we're looking out for each other.' 'Hey, I can't give you what you need.' And also, 'Hey, us as a band, we can't give you what you need to look after yourself. So, hey, let's do that.' And 'Hey, let's bring in our buddy Lzzy.' I'm helping out my buddies. Everybody's doing it for the right reasons. And so it's a beautiful thing."

HALESTORM covered SKID ROW's "Slave To The Grind" for the 2011 EP "ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP". The band has also performed the track live.

Grönwall, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021, is immunocompromised, which made touring difficult.

"I'm getting stronger and healthier every day but after consulting my doctor I need to allow myself more time to recover, which I can't do as the lead singer of SKID ROW," he said in a statement. "That's why I have reached the tough decision to move on."

In late March 2022, SKID ROW released its first single with Grönwall, "The Gang's All Here". The song is the title track of the band's latest album, which arrived in October 2022 via earMUSIC.

SKID ROW played its first show with Grönwall on March 26, 2022 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as the support act on the rescheduled dates for SCORPIONS' "Sin City Nights" residency.

Since bursting on to the music scene in the early 2000s, SICK PUPPIES — Bryan Scott (guitars/lead vocals),Emma Anzai (bass/vocals) and Mark Goodwin (drums/vocals) — have sold over one million albums, including a gold certification for "Tri-Polar", had five rock radio hits, including "You're Going Down", which reached No. 1, amassed over 310 million global streams, and have had their music featured on hits shows like "NCIS" and WWE.

The band kicks off the next era of its career by partnering with ONErpm for its next album, "Wave The Bull", which arrives in early 2025. SICK PUPPIES has also shared the video for the first single "There Goes The Neighborhood".

"We are all familiar with what it means to 'take the bull by the horns,' but to 'wave the bull' is a different take on approaching life's most difficult times," the band states. "To wave the bull is to provoke, embrace, and surrender to the battles that will inevitably scar us — a battle cry for the emotional masochist. Antagonizing adversity, afraid of nothing. This is the central theme, and philosophy behind our fifth studio album, 'Wave The Bull', as we reflected on the thick skin grown from the trials, and tribulations of our band's history and hardships, both professionally and personally."

SICK PUPPIES continue: "This concept album is a collection of songs that thematically, lyrically, musically, and sonically double down on the narrative that it's not about what life throws at you, it's about the way in which you face it. So, wave the bull!"

"Wave The Bull" track listing:

01. There Goes The Neighborhood
02. Friends Like You
03. Creature
04. Going Places
05. Fix Me
06. Knock Your Lights Out
07. Find A Way
08. Feel Again
09. Hurricane
10. Dead & Buried
11. Fuck 'Em All
12. Halfway Home

In addition to being known for their extensive range of pivotal accomplishments, SICK PUPPIES are a formidable live act that has clocked in over 1,000 live shows in the U.S. alone over time, sharing the stage with the likes of MUSE, THE KILLERS, BREAKING BENJAMIN, INCUBUS and TOOL. Notable festival plays include Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, Welcome To Rockville, Louder Than Life, Download (U.K.) and Aftershock.

Igniting HELLOWEEN's 40th-anniversary celebration, the German power metal pioneers will re-release their early albums represented by BMG. Remastered by Sascha "Busy" Bühren, mastering engineer of the band's self-titled No 1 album "Helloween" from 2021, the albums will contain additional bonus tracks and the original artwork restored.

HELLOWEEN guitarist and founding member Michael Weikath comments: "It was important for us to present our fans the work of the early days in a contemporary acoustic and visual form. Sascha did an exceptional job and adapted the recordings to today's quality standards."

The first batch of albums, released July 26, 2024, contains some real heavyweights, rightly described as genre-defining milestones:

* "Walls Of Jericho" is the debut full-length studio album by the German power metal band, initially released in 1985 . It is the only full-length album featuring Kai Hansen as the lead vocalist. On 2 CDs, this classic also contains the songs of the mini-LP from 1985 and several bonus tracks.

* "Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part I" is the band's second studio album, released in 1987. It marks the first appearance of vocalist Michael Kiske and is considered the album that created the genre of European-style power metal.

* The band's third studio album, "Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II" from 1988 was hugely successful worldwide and went gold in Germany. It includes the singles "Dr. Stein" and "I Want Out", the latter remains the band's best known song until today.

Further release dates are:

August 30, 2024

* "Pink Bubbles Go Ape"
* "Chameleon"
* "Master Of The Rings"

September 27, 2024

* "Time Of The Oath"
* "Better Than Raw"
* "Metal Jukebox"

For more information, click here.

This past February, he reunited expanded classic lineup of HELLOWEEN signed with Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM) for the release of their next studio album. The band will enter the studio this summer to begin work on the follow-up to 2021's acclaimed self-titled effort, with plans to issue the LP in 2025.

After playing 60 extremely emotional shows in support of their chart-topping album "Helloween", returning singer Michael Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen along with Deris, guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Daniel Löble are now working on material for their next album.

HELLOWEEN's recent "United Forces" world tour took the band to 26 countries on three continents, bringing together more than 800,000 fans. The trek included sold-out headline shows in Los Angeles, New York and São Paulo, as well as highlights like the show at the Prague O2 Arena, the Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart, or in front of 14,000 metalheads in Santiago de Chile and HELLOWEEN's first-ever sold-out concert at the iconic Budokan in Tokyo, Japan — the Holy Grail and the ultimate accolade for every rock band. Without a doubt, there were tears in everyone's eyes at the bombastic Hell & Heaven festival in Mexico City, which closed the tour.

Upon its release in June 2021, "Helloween" landed in the Top 10 in more than 10 countries, including Germany, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria. The cover artwork for the LP was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, the latest HELLOWEEN LP was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg (where everything started in 1984). The same recording console used for such HELLOWEEN albums as "Master Of The Rings", "Time Of The Oath" and "Better Than Raw" was utilized to record the band's new material. The effort was mixed at the Valhalla Studios of Ronald Prent (IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, RAMMSTEIN).

"Helloween" saw the legendary German power metallers going "back to the roots," with the band recording fully analog and Daniel Löble playing the drum kit previously used by HELLOWEEN's original drummer, the late Ingo Schwichtenberg, on the legendary "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" recordings.

The "Pumpkins United" tour marked the first time Kiske had played live with HELLOWEEN since 1993. Hansen, who departed HELLOWEEN in 1988, had been joining the band onstage on various tours and festival appearances throughout the years. The set featured several duets with Kiske and his replacement, Deris, along with many rarely played songs, including "Kids Of The Century", "Rise And Fall" and "Livin' Ain't No Crime". Hansen — who fronted HELLOWEEN until late 1986 — sang a medley of several early HELLOWEEN classics, including "Ride The Sky", "Judas", "Starlight" and "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)".

During an appearance on Thursday's (July 25) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Joe Satriani spoke about his participation in Sammy Hagar's summer 2024 tour, which kicked off on July 13 at the 20,000-capacity iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida.

For "The Best Of All Worlds" tour, Hagar and his bandmates in THE CIRCLE — ex-VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Jason Bonham — are being joined by Satriani, who has recorded and performed with Hagar and Anthony in the band CHICKENFOOT, and multi-instrumentalist Rai Thistlethwayte.

The 21-song setlist for the tour consists largely of VAN HALEN material, including the opening track "Good Enough", from 1986's "5150" album, as well as two songs from 1991's "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge", "Poundcake" and "Runaround", and a pair of David Lee Roth-era VAN HALEN classics, "Panama" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", as well as a section of "Jump".

The rest of the set includes Satriani's "Satch Boogie", the rousing rock-swing guitar instrumental that put him on the map in 1987 and helped propel his second album, "Surfing With The Alien", to platinum status. and several of Hagar's solo classics, such as "There's Only One Way To Rock", "Eagles Fly", "Heavy Metal" and "I Can't Drive 55".

Asked by "Trunk Nation" host Eddie Trunk how the first few shows on "The Best Of All Worlds" tour have gone, Joe said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, it's a thrill. It is so difficult to explain the complexity of emotions that I have playing this role in the band. First of all, they're just fun shows. They're just completely rock and roll fun shows with an amazing setlist to play with every night. I mean, that's obvious, and the fans are right there with us celebrating all this great music with us. But just me being with my buddies, celebrating Sam's legacy and Mike's legacy — we have a lot of years together, so there's this great feeling of friendship, and I'm just happy to be there to help them celebrate. And I'm a huge Eddie Van Halen fan, as you know, and so I approach this gig with this feeling of a huge responsibility to do it right, to be respectful, but to keep the spirit that Eddie invented alive when I play these songs."

Satriani went on to admit that, while preparing for "The Best Of All Worlds" tour, he watched YouTube videos of other guitarists playing Eddie Van Halen's parts. Asked why he chose to do that rather than focus exclusively on studying videos of Eddie playing the same songs, Joe explained: "Well, here's the interesting point about some of the simplest pieces that Eddie would do, is he'd do the album version, and from the stories that I've heard from the bandmembers there was that Eddie and Alex [Van Halen] would work on these things, let's say, one song for two or three weeks, and then the other guys would come in to add to the track. And so the recordings would be like this culmination of the brothers jamming. And then once they took it out on the road, I couldn't find one live clip of Eddie playing the same song that was remotely similar. He was just so creative, every show he would just do it a little different. And so I thought, 'Okay, I should just embrace every different version. And I really do wanna see how other guitar players work around the fact that their hands are not Eddie's hands.'"

Joe continued: "Eddie held his guitar in a certain place. A lot of guitar players don't hold it like that these days. He would hold his pick in a different way. He would pick in a different way. And there were all these things that were part of his physicality that were quite different. So when somebody does, like you go and you check out a VAN HALEN tribute band, you're looking at a different person with a different body and they have to deal with the fact that they're different, they hold their pick differently, they position the guitar and their body at a different height or something. It all makes a difference. It all adds up to creating that right vibe, the rhythm, the tone. And then then there are the amps. I mean, my god. There's a great picture of Eddie's rig from in the mid-to-late '80s, and it's insane what he put together. He was so gifted in pushing the envelope of how he put his gear together to attain this really unique sound. And I think that there's that — I'm gonna say maybe 50 percent; maybe this is a bold statement, but I think 50 percent of what we hear really came from his hands, because when you really do the deep dive into the amps and you realize, well, he's played all these different amps in the course of a couple of decades, but he never lost that intensity, the snap, just the overall aggressive-yet-beautiful sound that he created. So it was in his hands. And so you can get the amp — the EVH amp, the Soldano, the vintage Marshalls — but you're not gonna be there; you're not gonna be able to really do a great impression of Eddie Van Halen without his hands. He was that special, that unique. And I would think anyone who's done it, and I saw it online, which is basically anyone who's decided, I'm gonna try to play, let's say, the first VAN HALEN record live in front of an audience for a tribute, they realize this right away that it's impossible to copy that element of him. So you learn the songs, you try to learn the fingerings and then you go, 'Now, how am I gonna do it, 'cause these are my hands?' And I think Eddie would have wanted anyone who played any of his music to inject a healthy portion of their own personality and not to try to imitate him. So maybe that's the thing — don't imitate, but pay homage, be respectful. Try to memorize the stuff, but at the same time celebrate it the way it was intended. Don't be like a parrot."

Produced by Live Nation, the 28-date "The Best Of All Worlds" tour will conclude on August 31 in St. Louis, Missouri.

During an appearance on the July 18 episode of "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Hagar stated about Satriani's approach to performing the material originally written and recorded by Eddie Van Halen: "Oh, I gotta tell you, Joe is a scholar. I can't tell you how good of a musician Joe Satriani is. He's as good as any musician on the planet. He's got his own style. It's a little different than Eddie's. Eddie was a genius musician too, but he had a different style and he had his thing. Joe's got his thing. Joe went in the closet. Well, not in the closet — he went into the woodshed, and since the announcement [of the tour on 'The Howard Stern Show' last November]… I threw a couple songs at him and said, 'Hey, why don't you just learn this song or that song?' And then Stern laid songs on us, that we're going, 'Well, shoot, we didn't think about those. Joe, do you know that one?' He goes, 'Oh, I'll try it.' He's that good. So now he's dialed them in."

Hagar continued: "What [Joe has] done, for any of you guitar players out there that wanna come and see what Joe's doing, or wanna criticize Joe or wanna praise Joe, whatever you want to do, he has taken the essence of Eddie's guitar solos and parts and he plays the necessary parts to make sure it sounds just like the record, the way it's supposed to. The solo on a song like 'Jump' — I hate to use that one 'cause it's not my song, but we do 'Jump'; we do a piece of 'Jump' on the encore. We do a five-song encore that's got a little bit of 'Jump' in it. And when he plays that solo, he plays it like the record. And then he'll go off in the middle somewhere. He'll do a little tiny thing. He'll do little things that says, 'No, this is Joe Satriani playing Eddie,' but he's doing Eddie right. No one could complain. He's hitting all the right notes that make the essence of what Eddie invented. And he puts his own heart and soul into it, which makes it so much different and so much better, in my opinion, than a guy just mimicking him exactly. And his tone is different. It's kind of like Eddie's, but I don't know — Joe's just so good. I don't know how he's doing this. I really don't know how he's doing this."

Regarding the setlist for the tour, Sammy said: "This setlist is deep, brother. We're playing two hours and 20 minutes. We're only playing like five of my songs, one CHICKENFOOT and one MONTROSE. The rest is VAN HALEN. Get out of here, man. That's a hour and a half, about a buck 40 of VAN HALEN. In VAN HALEN, we didn't play as many songs as we're playing, 'cause Eddie did a big 20-minute solo, Al [Alex Van Halen] did a 20-minute solo, Mike did a 15-, 20-minute solo, and I did 'Eagles Fly' by myself. So, you add that together, we did about 12 songs."

As for how the tour has been going so far, Hagar said: "Honest to God, I haven't felt like this about a show since walking off the stage at some of the greatest VAN HALEN shows in my life. And I'm telling you — I'm not just saying that, I'm not trying to hype nobody, and 90 percent of these shows are sold out, so it's not like that. It's from the bottom of my heart. Mike and I walk off stage so exhausted — 2:20 in Atlanta the other night; we played two hours and 20 minutes — and I just haven't done that. I just haven't had this deep of a setlist. I haven't had this big of a production. I don't know. I've been having fun, but now I've stepped it up and Mike and I, like I said, we look at each other every night walking off stage, and we hug backstage for about 20 minutes. It's just fantastic. The whole band is — they came to the party. Joe came to the party. Jason came to the party. Rai came to the party. The people are happy, we're happy, and I just never felt like this walking off stage since VAN HALEN. I can say that. I can honestly say that."

Hagar and Anthony previously worked with Satriani in the supergroup CHICKENFOOT. They recorded two albums between 2009 and 2011 and toured across America but never performed any VAN HALEN material. More recently, Hagar and Anthony have played some of the VAN HALEN catalog with guitarist Vic Johnson and Bonham in SAMMY HAGAR AND THE CIRCLE.

Hagar mended his relationship with Eddie Van Halen months prior to the legendary VAN HALEN guitarist's October 2020 passing.

Sammy, Eddie, Alex Van Halen and Michael last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S. summer tour. In exchange for taking part in the tour, Anthony reportedly had to agree to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the band name and logo.

Eddie Van Halen died in October 2020 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

Professionally filmed video of QUEEN guitarist Brian May joining forces with THE OFFSPRING for a performance of "Gone Away" and a cover of QUEEN's "Stone Cold Crazy" can be seen below.

The unique collaboration was held on Day 3 (May 15) of the Starmus VII festival at the Tipos Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia as part of the "Sonic Universe" concert following the Stephen Hawking Medal Ceremony.

May joined the Dexter Holland-fronted pop-punk band for a performance of THE OFFSPRING's 1997 track "Gone Away" and followed that with a cover of QUEEN's classic "Stone Cold Crazy".

Confirming itself once again as the world's most ambitious science and music festival, Starmus, in partnership with ESET, brought the most inspiring debate on the future of the planet to Bratislava turning the Slovak capital into the world's science capital for a whole week.

The multi-day event brought a spectacular opening concert, four days of exclusive lectures; its exclusive musical program with the Starmus signature night events "Sonic Universe" concert and the popular Star Party; the open campus Starmus Camp, with which science took to the streets of the city, and its prestigious award, the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication.

The prestigious Starmus festival kicked off with a spectacular performance, followed by a four-day program of the unique Starmus exclusive talks with more than 50 world-class speakers and world-renowned artists in the popular Ice Hockey Stadium, Ondrej Nepela Arena.

This was the first edition of Starmus which focused on Planet Earth, as the most amazing planet in the universe. As in previous editions, the festival brought together a large cast of Nobel Prize winners and world icons such as Dr Jane Goodall DBE and the music legend Brian May, also co-founder of the festival. The festival also brought an unprecedented musical program with exclusive performances by the popular Californian punk-rock band THE OFFSPRING, Tony Hadley — the former lead singer of the British pop icon from the 1980s SPANDAU BALLET — and more one-off live performances.

As if this were not enough, the festival brought to Bratislava its signature prestigious Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication which awards excellence across four categories: Music & Arts, Science Writing, Films & Entertainment, and Lifetime Achievement. The winners are selected by the Starmus Advisory Board made up of a prestigious cast of eminent figures such as Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Peter Gabriel, David Eicher, Emmanuelle Charpentier, Richard Dawkins, Tony Fadell, Jill Tarter and Starmus co-founders Brian May and Garik Israelian.

In addition, the Starmus organization signed agreements with the main Slovak universities and academic institutions, like the Comenius University in Bratislava and the Academy Of Fine Arts & Design, the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, the Alexander Dubcek University of Trencin and the Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia. Through these academic collaborations, Starmus carried out its "City Program" with exclusive activities between the speakers and the Slovak academic environment as well as several volunteer programs to be part of the festival.

Since the very first homo sapiens looked up at a star-filled sky, we have been awestruck by the vastness of the cosmos. Even today, we remain humbled by the sheer immensity of space, especially as progress in physics and astronomy has made us aware of the tremendous distances involved — even to our closest neighboring stars.

Created by Garik Israelian PhD, astrophysicist at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) and Sir Brian May PhD, astrophysicist and the lead guitarist of the iconic rock band QUEEN, Starmus is a festival of science, art and music that has featured presentations from astronauts, cosmonauts, Nobel Prize winners and prominent figures from various scientific disciplines and musical backgrounds. Starmus brings Nobel laureates, eminent researchers, astronauts, thinkers and artists together to share their knowledge and experiences, as we search for answers to the great questions.

Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Morrison — the longtime rhythm guitarist in Billy Idol's band and former bassist for THE CULT — have released the latest episode of their new Internet TV show, "The Madhouse Chronicles".

Episode description: "Join Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Morrison in this episode of 'The Madhouse Chronicles' as they dive into the evolution of fashion over the years. From David Bowie's controversial album cover to the glam rock era's spandex to punk and hair metal styles, they reminisce about iconic fashion moments and personal experiences. Featuring clips of Vivienne Westwood, discussions about the influence of musicians like Alice Cooper and SLIPKNOT, and hilarious anecdotes on personal style from the 1960s to now. Don't miss the rapid-fire questions on fashion preferences and discover the story behind some of Ozzy's most memorable looks."

00:00 - Introduction to "The Madhouse Chronicles"
00:36 - Fashion icons and influences
01:44 - Rock and roll fashion evolution
03:31 - Punk and the 1970s fashion scene
03:59 - Vivienne Westwood and the SEX PISTOLS
06:14 - Personal fashion stories
08:21 - Fashion rebellion and parenting
11:46 - Fashion through the decades
12:38 - Ozzy's 1980s fashion highlights
17:43 - The Met gala and outrageous fashion
19:38 - Rapid fire fashion choices
22:11 - Conclusion and farewell

Morrison spoke about "The Madhouse Chronicles" in a recent episode of "The Osbournes Podcast", saying: "Our new show, 'The Madhouse Chronicles', is dropping this April. Join us as we sit back in the Osbourne madhouse, reacting to the wildest Internet clips and diving into topics like aliens, drugs, conspiracies, and rock and roll. Visit osbournemediahouse.com for early access, limited-edition merch, and more — even the re-release of iconic 'Osbournes' TV show in 4K. Don't miss out, and see you in the madhouse."

Ozzy and Billy are longtime friends who co-host the "Ozzy Speaks" show on SiriusXM. The BLACK SABBATH singer also makes an appearance on Morrison's star-studded new album, "The Morrison Project", which features additional guest contributions from the likes of SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor, MINISTRY's Al Jourgensen, MÖTLEY CRÜE's John 5 and others. The LP arrived on April 19.

Ozzy previously appeared on Morrison's 2015 song "Gods Of Rock N Roll".

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Osbourne stated about Morrison: "Billy Morrison has been a good, good friend for such a long, long time. He's helped me out a lot of times over the years."

Asked what he and Morrison have in common on a musical level, Osbourne laughed and said: "Well, we're both fucking crazy."

Primary Wave Music, the leading independent publisher of iconic and legendary music in the world, announces today its partnership with keyboardist, songwriter, composer and one of the founders of the legendary rock band TOTO, Steve Porcaro. Terms of the deal include Porcaro's music publishing catalog, artist royalties, and neighboring rights. The multi-million-dollar deal includes royalties for some of TOTO's biggest hits, as well as rights to all songs Steve composed for film and television, including his work for the award-winning FX show "Justified".

As one of the founding members of the band TOTO, Porcaro wrote some of and performed on all of the band's groundbreaking repertoire. Their songs not only shaped the landscape of pop and rock music but also are timeless, with new fans finding their music every day. The band's greatest hits such as the Top 5 singles "Rosanna" and "Hold The Line", as well as their No. 1 classic "Africa" are all included in this new partnership with Primary Wave. "Hold The Line" was the band's first single off their self-titled debut. It soared to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, was an international success, and has since been certified double platinum. Released in 1982, "Rosanna" reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying there for five weeks. In 1983, "Rosanna" won the Grammy Award for "Record Of The Year". TOTO's most well-known hit "Africa" was released in October 1982 and was the third single off the band's multi-platinum and Grammy-winning album "Toto IV". The single shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it their only Billboard No. 1. "Africa" also went to No. 1 in Canada and reached the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

The deal also includes rights to a select number of compositions purchased jointly with the estate of Michael Jackson, including Jackson's mega-hit "Human Nature", a song Steve co-wrote for Michael Jackson which was released in July 1983 as the fifth single from Jackson's critically acclaimed "Thriller" album. After release, the single immediately shot to the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also reached the Top 5 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at No. 2. Music critics raved about the single, with Slant magazine saying the song was "probably the best musical composition on the album." In a 2012 article for the Los Angeles Times, Randall Roberts wrote "it's the song that I never tire of hearing."

Of the deal, Primary Wave's David Weitzman said: "We are thrilled to welcome Steve Porcaro to the Primary Wave family. His career arc from being a first call touring and session musician, to co-founding TOTO, to writing songs with Michael Jackson in his home studio is a story for the ages."

Additional terms of the partnership will also now give Steve access to the company's marketing team and publishing infrastructure, working closely on new marketing, branding, digital, and synch opportunities, as well as film and television projects.

Co-writing "Human Nature" on Michael Jackson's Grammy-winning album "Thriller", solidified his individual mark on the music industry. A sought-after session musician, Steve has worked extensively with music producer icons Quincy Jones and David Foster and many of music's most successful artists, including Don Henley, YES, Elton John, Boz Scaggs and many others.

Steve Porcaro's touring career began with Gary Wright, in support of Wright's hit album "The Dream Weaver" and then with Boz Scaggs along with the other original members of TOTO, prior to that band's 1977 inception. Steve's older brothers, Mike Porcaro (bassist) and Jeff Porcaro (drummer),also members of TOTO were highly respected session musicians and their father Joe Porcaro is regarded was one of the world's most influential session percussionists and educators. In 2010, Steve toured with TOTO when the decision was made to reform the band in support of his brother Mike, during Mike's lengthy battle with ALS.

Along with his work on "Human Nature", Steve Porcaro performed as a musician on other "Thriller" tracks, including "Beat It", "The Girl Is Mine", "PYT", "The Lady In My Life" and composed the song "For All Time", which was included on the "Thriller" 25th-anniversary edition. A testament to his compositional influence, "Human Nature" has been covered and/or sampled by many artists, including Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, SWV, Nas and Chris Brown. He has written or co-authored music on each of TOTO's first six albums and most recently, performed on the band's highly acclaimed 2015 album "Toto XIV", also co-writing and singing lead on "The Little Things" and "Bend" which is featured on the Japan edition of that release. After many years of success, TOTO continues to play to sold-out audiences in Europe, U.S. and Japan.

In 2016, Steve was thrilled to bring his highly anticipated solo album "Someday / Somehow" to fans across the globe and is putting the finishing touches on its follow-up.

Photo courtesy of Primary Wave Music

GHOST has released an animated video for the song "Mary On A Cross" taken from the band's recently released hit debut feature film "Rite Here Rite Now". Check it out below.

"Rite Here Rite Now" premiered globally in cinemas on June 20 through 23, with additional screenings added due to insatiable fan demand. It's an unforgettable, immersive event that combines narrative storytelling with live performances from the sold-out two-night finale of the band's "Re-Imperatour" U.S.A. 2023 at Los Angeles's iconic Kia Forum.

A phantasmagorical blend of live performance and cutaway sequences that immerses viewers in the technicolor melodrama of GHOST's vaunted live rituals, the film picks up plot threads from the band's long-running Chapters webisode series. It captures flesh and bone renditions of fan favorites from all five of GHOST's albums, as well as the RIAA platinum-certified "Mary On A Cross", interwoven with the silver screen debuts of familiar faces — all interacting behind the scenes with GHOST's Papa Emeritus IV, as his future and fate lay in the hands of the Ministry.

Whether a devoted disciple reliving treasured memories of the GHOST live spectacle or a curious newcomer, "Rite Here Rite Now" transports viewers into the heart of the performance. The film captures the essence of living in the moment, with a shadow of uncertainty looming, leaving the audience completely spellbound and enthralled by this bombastic yet intimate cinematic portrait of GHOST.

For its theatrical run, which was distributed by Trafalgar (Taylor Swift's "Eras" tour and Beyoncé's "Renaissance"),"Rite Here Rite Now" entered the Top 10 of the North America box office with a cumulative total gross of $2.65 million, making it the highest-grossing hard rock cinema event ever in North America. After its opening weekend, it entered the worldwide Top 10 box office at No. 9 with a total gross of $5.04 million worldwide. Regional highlights also included U.K. and Ireland with a $606,000 gross and No. 5 at the box office, Germany with a $332,000 gross and No. 3 at the box office, Mexico with a $326,000 gross and a No. 5 box office position for the weekend, and Australia with a $178,000 gross and No. 6 at the box office. The film has captivated audiences, receiving a stellar 99% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Rite Here Rite Now: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack", mixed by Rich Costey, will be released worldwide on July 26 via Loma Vista Recordings. A fitting 18-song complement to GHOST's debut feature film, the band's first ever original soundtrack will be available on all formats (digital, CD, 2xLP). Pre-orders are live now, and include the brand new studio recording "The Future Is A Foreign Land", revealed to the world during the film's opening night, and the live version of "Absolution" as instant-grat tracks.

Last October, Forge confirmed that footage from the band's September 2023 two shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California would be used as part of the film.

"When I first started putting it together, I was, like, 'Oh my god, I'm going to faint because there's so much to think about,'" Forge told Metal Hammer magazine. "Then it was, like, 'No, no, just don't think about it at all.'"

Both GHOST shows at the Forum were device-free experiences. Use of phones and smart watches was not permitted in the performance space. Upon arrival at the venue, devices were secured in individual Yondr pouches that were opened at the end of the event.

"I have never seen a crowd interact the way that they did since I was in a club band," Forge said. "They were the best shows I've ever done with GHOST, just because I didn't have to see those fucking mobile phones."

At the Forum shows, GHOST performed the song "Twenties" live for the very first time live. They also played their cover of Roky Erikson's "If You Have Ghosts", which was originally reimagined by GHOST for their 2013 EP "If You Have Ghost". The band's version of the track at the Forum featured two cellists with a piano playing, and it was performed on a separate stage from the rest of the set.

In a new interview with Ethan Dometrius, FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson was asked how he and his bandmates came to a decision to embark what is being billed as the group's "farewell" tour. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, Kelly [Hansen, FOREIGNER singer] came to me a couple years ago and said he wanted to start winding down. And I said, 'Yeah, I get that. I totally get that.' So, then he discussed it with Mick [Jones, FOREIGNER guitarist and founder], of course, and kind of worked a plan out to go forward. So, yeah, I was in on it fairly early. Like I say, it started with Kelly, mainly because he feels like it's getting more difficult every year for him to sing this catalog of songs. I mean, these are rough songs to sing. And he does not wanna be the guy that goes up there and sucks — he won't do that. That's not in his blood, which I respect a lot. And so he said, 'Look, I need to get out because I wanna go out before my voice does' [laughs], and I get that. So that was kind of where that all started."

Pilson clarified, however, that FOREIGNER is "not going away. We're not falling off the face of the earth," he explained. "We're just not gonna be doing the nine- and 10-month tours like we used to. But we'll still be around, and you'll still hear us."

Asked how he and his FOREIGNER bandmates prepare for what could be a three-year farewell tour, Pilson said: "Well, because we are looking at it, like, 'Well, let's just see what happens' — we know, for instance, that next year we're gonna do some shows, but we're gonna do a lot less. So we just kind of sit down and say, 'Well, how long do we wanna go? When do we wanna go? How many shows do we wanna do?' And that way we can kind of wind it down nicely over the next few years. No absolute end date. That's not the objective. There is no absolute end date yet. That's not the plan. It's a wind-down right now. But again, we call it a farewell tour because this is the last time we're gonna really be touring, touring, touring."

After one last show with STYX and John Waite in Memphis on September 20, FOREIGNER's farewell tour is set to continue on September 23, 2024, at West Virginia's Charleston Civic Center. FOREIGNER will be joined by LOVERBOY and Lita Ford.

This past February, Jones revealed that his ongoing absences from FOREIGNER's farewell tour, which began in 2022, have been due to his battle with Parkinson's disease. The 79-year-old musician added that he is "still very much involved in the background with FOREIGNER" and remains "a presence."

FOREIGNER's current incarnation includes Jones on guitar, Michael Bluestein on keyboards, Bruce Watson on guitar, Luis Maldonado on guitar, Hansen on vocals, Pilson on bass and Chris Frazier on drums.

Jones, the sole remaining original member of FOREIGNER, hasn't played a full show with the band for at least a couple of years.

After singer Lou Gramm left FOREIGNER in 2003, Jones took some time off before regrouping a couple years later with an entirely new lineup, featuring Hansen and Pilson, among others.

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want To Know What Love Is".

In April, it was revealed that FOREIGNER is among the 2024 inductees into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

The induction ceremony will be held on October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will air live on Disney+. An edited version will run on ABC at a later date, and will be available on Hulu the day after.

In a new interview with "The Dark", an active rock music program that airs nightly from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. on 94 Rocks KFML, POP EVIL singer Leigh Kakaty was asked if he and his bandmates still like putting out full-length albums or if they are starting to think about maybe focusing on singles going forward. Leigh said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we're still a little old school with putting out an album. It's selfish, right? I grew up with albums, so putting out an album, especially as an artist perspective, it's still the dream. When you get it done and you open the booklet, you smell it, and seeing your visions come to fruition, there's still something very appealing about that. And certainly it's whatever your record label wants you to do. And for POP EVIL, it's make an album. So as long as we get to make albums, I wanna go all in. But if it was me, yeah, I'd make singles. It's more fun for me personally, 'cause I don't have to… Trying to put together a collection of work, it can be very daunting. It's very hard. It's very challenging. And then all these great songs, especially if you're only pushing one to three to four of them, somewhere in that vein, depending on how many singles get pushed, what do you do with these other great songs? So streaming has at least given bands an opportunity to have songs that don't even — some hit harder than singles… Every band's different with their journey, and whatever works best for you to be able to pay your bills so you can continue to do that, I'm all about it. But for us, for POP EVIL — obviously, I can't speak for other bands; I can speak for me — we're in a blessed position to make albums. So until we are not able to do that, we're gonna try to make the best albums that we can for our fans. But, yeah, if it was up to me, I have no problems making singles. I don't care. It doesn't matter to me. As long as I'm able to make the art that I'm trying to make in the way, at the highest level I can, it's a win for me. It still doesn't make it any less stressful. One song or 10, you still want it to be the best of the best, and you're still gonna stress in that way."

He continued: "But, yeah, man, it's interesting how it's changing. We're in this time or this kind of moment in music history that, we're shaping it now. It's so weird. It's not like it was even when we started, so it'll be interesting. Hopefully we're doing our part to pave the way for that next set of bands to come up, which is our kids' generation to come up, and hopefully it's a little bit more figured out and a little more ironed out where they can take what we did and hopefully it's a little more enjoyable, their road, with the hard work that we've put out here now. So we'll see."

This past May, Kakaty was asked by Rocking With Jam Man if he was "shocked" by the recent departure of the band's drummer Hayley Cramer. The U.K.-based musician, who joined the Michigan rockers in 2016, announced her exit from POP EVIL in a social media post last December. Leigh said: "[It was] shocking, for sure. We all go through things that we're going through personally. And she's got her family, she's got her friends and she's from another country, so there's a lot of variables for her and reasons for her, why she probably didn't wanna be here anymore. But definitely to lose a band member is always shocking for me. But you've gotta go on. Our personal families, everyone's counting on the band to provide. And the fans wanna see you keep going, so we just knuckle up and face adversity. You've gotta just meet it head on and keep going."

Asked how new POP EVIL drummer Blake Allison is adjusting to the band, Leigh said: "Blake's been incredible. I mean, he's learned the whole catalog in about two months. So to have Blake here, he's been so helpful to POP EVIL on and off the stage for the past three or four years now, so now to have him in the band hopefully as long as we can keep him is an honor. And he's just such an incredible talent on and off the stage. And we're looking forward to seeing how long we can run with this lineup now."

When Hayley announced her exit from POP EVIL, she wrote in a statement that "reached a point" where she wanted "to branch out and find new paths and adventures - into the unknown!"

Cramer joined POP EVIL in May 2016 as the replacement for Josh "Chachi" Marunde, who exited the group in April that year.

POP EVIL's latest album, "Skeletons", was released in March 2023 via MNRK Heavy.

Cory Marks will release his second full-length album, "Sorry For Nothing", on October 11 via Better Noise Music. The LP offers an unapologetic double-barreled blast of 13 songs, equally divided between Marks's breakthrough blend of arena-rock and roots country alongside kindred spirits such as Eric Church, Zach Bryan, Hardy and Brantley Gilbert.

Marks has today (July 26) released the album's no-apologies track "(Make My) Country Rock". It notably includes features from Sully Erna of multi-platinum hard rock group GODSMACK, legendary guitarist Mick Mars (MÖTLEY CRÜE),and multi-platinum selling and award-winning country artist Travis Tritt. "(Make My) Country Rock" — produced by Andrew Baylis (Jelly Roll, Brantley Gilbert) — rallies together fans of both country and rock alike with the opening line "I've been known to piss some people off / From the Sunset Strip to small town honky tonks / I've been behind both kinds of bars", while its chorus proudly proclaims: "Ain't ever gonna stop/ I'm gonna make my country rock."

"What can I say… I'm country, I'm rock," shares Marks. "That's exactly what this song is and what I sing about. It may piss people off, but I know a lot more listeners out there are gonna be happier when they hear it. I can say that my friends and features on this track agree too! I'm gonna make my country rock!"

"Sorry For Nothing" is the follow-up to Marks's successful debut, "Who I Am". It generated the hit single "Outlaws & Outsiders", which charted at No. 1 in the U.S. on Billboard's Rock Digital Song Sales chart and No. 5 on iTunes Country Songs, while making history as the first-ever Top 10 rock radio-charting single from a Canadian country act.

Produced by longtime collaborator Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, SHANIA TWAIN, PAPA ROACH),Kile Odell (NITA STRAUSS, DAVID DRAIMAN),and Andrew Baylis (JELLY ROLL, BRANTLEY GILBERT),"Sorry For Nothing"'s 13 songs range from Haggard-like country and virtual bluegrass to straight-up arena rock anthems, EAGLES-like acoustic country-folk and almost PANTERA-like hard metal.

"They're all Cory Marks," says Marks. "I'm very familiar with both genres. I try to mix country music with rock and a dash of metal, mash it all up and that's my sound. This album features the best songs I've written since COVID. It's a kick in the ass, the good, the bad and the ugly, the ups and downs of life, adding that little bit of fuel to the fire to keep you fighting, to keep your eye on the prize. There are songs for partying, songs to look back on life and have a good cry, love songs… something for everyone. Whether you're a rock fan, a metal fan or a country music fan, my mission is to reach anyone who feels a little different."

Marks will be headed to the U.S. this fall opening for multi-platinum rock THEORY OF A DEADMAN. The tour stretches from October 29 to November 23 and will see Marks performing an acoustic set featuring music from "Sorry For Nothing" alongside past hits. Marks has previously toured North America with a blend of artists including FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ZZ TOP and Brantley Gilbert, while also having joined NICKELBACK on the main stage at the annual Boots And Hearts festival in Toronto in 2023.

"Sorry For Nothing" track listing:

01. (Make My) Country Rock (feat. Sully Erna, Travis Tritt and Mick Mars)
02. Guilty (feat. DL of BAD WOLVES)
03. Whiskey For Sale
04. Sorry For Nothing
05. Drunk When I'm High
06. 17
07. Fast As I Can
08. Tough To Be Strong
09. A Lot Like Me
10. 1949
11. Lit Up
12. Late Night Of Drinking Again
13. Learn To Fly

Photo credit: Ed Regan

GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose joined Billy Joel on stage at the final show of Joel's run at Madison Square Garden in New York City Thursday night (July 25) to perform three songs: covers of WINGS' "Live And Let Die" and AC/DC's "Highway To Hell", as well as Joel's 1980 hit "You May Be Right". Fan-filmed video of Axl's appearance can be seen below.

Rose previously performed "Highway To Hell" with Joel at a 2017 concert at Los Angeles's Dodger Stadium.

Thursday night's concert marked Joel's 150th show at the iconic New York City venue.

In December 2013, Joel was named Madison Square Garden’s first-ever music franchise, joining the ranks of the storied venue's other original franchises — the New York Knicks and New York Rangers. The record-breaking residency began in January 2014 with Joel playing one show every month at the Garden for, as Joel said at the time, "as long as the demand continues."

Billy said: "When this franchise run at Madison Square Garden began in January 2014, I said I'd play one show a month 'as long as the demand continues.' I never imagined I'd still be playing one show a month 10 years later. It's a testament to my amazing fans, and the 1.6 million people from around the world who have already been part of this historic residency. Now, after ten incredible years, it feels right to conclude this journey with my 150th lifetime show at the Garden."

Billy first played at the Garden nearly 46 years ago.

Joel holds two performance-related records at MSG. He has set the record for the "Most Lifetime Performances By Any Artist," with a tally of 136 shows. Additionally, he holds the record for the "Most Consecutive Performances By Any Artist," having completed 90 shows in a row.