Speed/thrash metal band, MindWars, will release their fifth album, appropriately titled V, on September 9.


V is the culmina:on of 10 years of collaboration and dedication of the band to revitalize old school thrash with the taste and aggression of toady’s music. The band is a three-piece conglomeration of varied influences with a common goal to create music they love and hope you will too.


MindWars was formed at the end of 2013 after Mike Alvord (formerly of Holy Terror) and Roby Vitari (formerly of Headcrasher) reconnected through social media. The two met by chance in 1989 when Holy Terror was touring with Exodus and Nuclear Assault.




Roby brought in a juggernaut of a guitarist Danny “Z” Pizzi to play bass. The three managed to record and produce two solid albums (The Enemy Within - 2014 and Sworn To Secrecy - 2016, which was engineered by the mighty Bill Metoyer). In 2017, Roby decided to relocate to Newport Beach, CA and the band soon found that having Danny still in Italy was impossible for the band to play live shows. In 2019, the band decided to hand over the bass duties to the veteran, Rick Zaccaro.


The band proceeded to write and record their highly acclaimed album The Fourth Turning and Danny taking on the role of second guitar. Due to various circumstances and the fact that Danny still lived in Italy, the band decided to continue on as a three piece and toured Japan in the fall of 2024, which culminated at True Thrash Fest 2024 with a co-headlining spot alongside Cyclone.


The Fourth Turning was released during the dog days of COVID and the band immediately started writing new material. Prior to COVID, the band also had a mini-US tour (opening one show for Raven).


The fifth album, V, was recorded during the first few months of 2024 and is slated to be released in September, just in time for MindWars to support their best album yet on their upcoming European Tour, which will end with a performance at the 2024 Storm Crusher Festival.


MindWars is currently unsigned and is solicitingng label support for distribution of V.





Tracklisting:


"Stand Guard At The Gates Of Your Mind"
"Live To Die"
"Beneath The Trees"
"Crusaders"
"The Road To Madagascar"
"West Of Nowhere"
"Chasing The Wind"
"Source Of Destruction"
"Into The Known"
"Vultures Of The Eighth Wonder"
"The Logical Song"

Dark Heart have released their new album, Out Of The Shadows, via Battlegod Productions. Available on Digipack CD and Digital, you can order the album via the following links:


Code 7 Music
Amazon
Battlegod Productions


Dark Heart were formed during the early eighties, releasing the debut album Shadows Of The Night on the Roadrunner label in 1984. After a number of successful live shows, the fast approaching end of NWOBHM era meant the band decided to go their separate ways, never quite fulfilling their potential or producing a follow up second album. Over the years the band has developed a cult following, gaining many new fans to their music. Founding member of the band Alan Clark went on to form Change of Heart moving from guitar to vocals and as the main song writer, the band have very much established themselves as one of the best British AOR/rock bands, with four albums released to date... Fast forward to 2024 and Dark Heart are BACK!




Speaking about the new release, Alan Clark from Dark Heart said, "Dark Heart are absolutely delighted to see the release of out album Out Of The Shadows through Battlegod Productions. We hope you will love the songs as much as we do!"


Dark Heart are delighted to announce joining the fold are; Geordie Clark (Drums) from the northeast UK. Geordie is a superb addition and we are delighted to have him on board. Along with Geordie we would also like to introduce on bass Daniel Millward, Daniel like Geordie has a wealth of experience and ability with many years in the music business. These are exciting times for the band and its continued development and we look forward both of them becoming an integral part of Dark Heart and new era!


The album was produced and mixed by the talented Mr Pete Newdeck, (Edens Curse, Grim Reaper, Paul Dianno’s Killers, Midnite City and Vega) Pete also appears on drums and additional Bv’s as part of the top class Rhythm section, including the superb Josh ‘Tabbie’ Williams (Midnite City) on Bass, with executive production by Dark Heart/Pete Newdeck.


After a number of years being asked to make a new album, Alan is finally writing a new album. The style, although still routed in classic metal/hard rock has very much moved away from NWOBHM, to not only bring the sound up to date, but also reflect the maturity in their song writing craft. Alan as the only original member of the band, has been working with Nick Catterick (guitar) for a number of years on various projects, the pair have developed an intuitive and special understanding when writing, and working together, so it was a natural and easy choice to bring Nick on board. Nick who started playing guitar in his early teens has always been inspired by fiery and inventive players, drawing influences from the great players such as Moore, Sykes, Campbell, Norum with a touch of Lynch/Rhoads, and is set to be recognized for not only his playing ability, but also for one of the best guitar tones in the business.





Tracklisting:


"Darkest Eyes"
"Cast To Stone"
"Edge Of Dreams"
"Degrees Of Separation"
"Wings Of The Night"
"House Of Usurer"
"Break The Chains"
"Time To Fly"
"K.O.T.D."
"Night Won't Let Me Go"


"Night Won't Let Me Go" lyric video:





- All songs Written By Alan Clark/ Nick Catterick


Lineup:


Alan Clark: Vocals
Nick Catterick: Guitars
Josh ‘Tabbie’ Williams: Bass
Pete Newdeck: Drums


New lineup:


Alan Clark: Vocals
Nick Catterick: Guitars
Josh ‘Tabbie’ Williams: Bass
Geordie Clark: Drums

In a new interview with Chuck Armstrong of Loudwire Nights, MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor was asked what is next for him and his bandmates after the completion of their just-launched "Ashes Of Leviathan" North American co-headlining tour with LAMB OF GOD. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Riffs. Drum beats and riffs. I can't really divulge too much. It's a hush-hush operation, very top secret.. I don't wanna spoil it.

"There's lots of music, that's all I can say," he continued. "There's tons of music. We've been writing pretty much this whole time that we've been off since we got home from South America [in November 2023]. And after we got home from South America with GOJIRA, we opened Christmas presents and then, since like February or so, we've just been working hard making two different projects — not a double album, but two different projects. So that's the nugget I can share with you. Whatever those projects are, nobody knows. But there's riffs involved. Some of the riffs are, like, really heavy and tasty and I really like 'em. I'm the metalhead in the band, so when we get some real heavy stuff, I'm, like, 'Oh, yeah, I like that. It's cool.'"

MASTODON played a "secret" concert under the BIG HAIRY ELEPHANT banner Tuesday night (July 16) at Star Bar in Atlanta, Georgia. The show served as a warm-up gig for "Ashes Of Leviathan" which kicked off Friday (July 19) in Grand Prairie, Texas. The trek finds the two iconic bands join forces to celebrate the 20th anniversary of two seminal releases: LAMB OF GOD's biggest-selling album "Ashes Of The Wake" and MASTODON's acclaimed sophomore album "Leviathan", which were both released on August 31, 2004. Both bands are performing their respective albums in full. Special guests KERRY KING and MALEVOLENCE are supporting throughout the tour, with UNEARTH on select dates.

The "Ashes Of Leviathan" North American arena and amphitheater run will take MASTODON and LAMB OF GOD through the U.S. and Canada, culminating on the exact 20th anniversary of each album on August 31 in Omaha, Nebraska at the Astro Amphitheater. The tour will notably make stops at iconic venues such as Denver, Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Los Angeles, California's Kia Forum. See below for full tour routing.

In addition, both bands will be supporting a charity of their choice throughout the tour, and fans will have the opportunity to opt-in to donate at check out when buying their tickets.

MASTODON will support the Hirshberg Foundation For Pancreatic Cancer Research. After their manager Nick John tragically passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2018, MASTODON partnered with the organization and has raised nearly $60,000 to fight the disease and support researchers and patients around the globe. The Hirshberg Foundation For Pancreatic Cancer Research is focused on finding a cure for pancreatic cancer, and empowering patients and families whose lives are touched by this disease. Founded in 1997, the Hirshberg Foundation funds groundbreaking scientific research, provides patient education and support, and sustains hope that this cancer will be eradicated once and for all.

"Leviathan", released on Relapse Records, was MASTODON's first concept album, loosely based on the 1851 novel "Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville. Three magazines named the LP "Album Of The Year" in 2004: Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer. In 2009 and 2015, MetalSucks named "Leviathan" the best metal album of the 21st century. "Leviathan" was also released with an audio DVD in a limited-edition set with a black-and-gold slipcase.

MASTODON's latest studio album, "Hushed And Grim", a double LP recorded at the band's Atlanta studio, West End Sound, was produced by David Bottrill (TOOL, RUSH, MUSE, PETER GABRIEL). This album, their most expansive song-cycle to date, features 15 distinct tracks and achieved their third consecutive No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart. "Hushed And Grim" also earned them a Grammy Award nomination for the track "Pushing The Tides". Additionally, the album's single "Teardrinker" secured a top 10 position on the rock radio charts, a further testament to the band's widespread acclaim.

In a new interview with Qobuz, Ian Gillan was asked about DEEP PURPLE's announcement in 2022 that he and his bandmates had welcomed guitarist Simon McBride as an official member of the group. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was funny. He'd been with us for about a year, and we came out of a bar one night somewhere, and I said, 'Are you in the band yet or what?' He said, 'I think so.' I said, 'Yeah, I guess.' So, it was like that."

Gillan continued: "Simon's been amazing. He's taken over from Steve Morse, and he's changed things quite a lot. He's a catalyst in the sense that how human chemistry can be that one little thing can change everything else.

"I think we all feel very relaxed with Simon's style of playing," the singer added. "It's very compatible with the way we started — very straight ahead. The platforms are simple. The virtuosity is on top. So it's not like the showing off comes first. That's just beautiful playing. It's very natural, second nature to him. And they put a lot of drive back into the rhythm section, because he's also a great rhythm player. And so when he's sat in there with Ian [Paice, DEEP PURPLE drummer] and Roger [Glover, DEEP PURPLE bassist] and they're cranking away, boy, it's exciting. It's really great. He doesn't fake anything. There's no pretense. He actually plays every single note accurately and I think we need, we like that. That's a hallmark, I think, of DEEP PURPLE guitar players. They're right at the top of their tree. He's very well respected in the guitar world."

Earlier this month, Paice told ClassicRockHistory.com about McBride's addition to PURPLE as an official member of the band: "Well, we're a democratic outfit. Luckily, with five [members], we always get a decision. His vote is as valuable and as important as any one of the rest of four of us."

Regarding how McBride ended up joining DEEP PURPLE, Paice said: "We knew very, very quickly, and we had an impossible situation with our friend Steve Morse [DEEP PURPLE's previous guitarist]. He had this tragedy in his family [when his wife was battling cancer] and he couldn't be on the road. Family comes first. When we were in that situation, [we couldn't] say, 'Look, we might do a tour in the summer. You wanna book it now. We'll let you know later.' Nobody's gonna go for that. So, Steve had his situation. And we knew, at this stage of our lives and careers, if we stopped and waited for him, we probably wouldn't get going again. It would probably be the end. You can't take a year, two years off. Not now. It's not like being 21 again. It's not the same. So we had this impossible situation, both him and us. And we decided that we had to continue.

"Simon had worked with [DEEP PURPLE keyboardist] Don Airey before, and I think he'd done some work with Ian Gillan before, on their own solo projects. And they just said, 'This guy is great.' He's gonna fall straight into the ethos of the band. So I said, 'If he's good enough for you, he's good enough for me.' And within — I don't know — half an hour of just jamming around together on the first day, it was obvious. Not only was he good enough, he was his own man while at the same time paying respect to some of the stuff that had come before he was there. But it was great fun playing with him. It still is."

On the topic of how playing with McBride's addition to DEEP PURPLE has affected the band's sound, Paice said: "If I say it's like a breath of fresh air, that's not to deny Steve's genius and his input for the last 20-odd years. It's just different, and sometimes a change of direction is very important. And I think Simon has given us that. He's brought a more riffy approach to the songwriting. Some of Steve's stuff was far more cerebral. You had to really work out where he was going. He's got a wonderful mind, Steve. He thinks of things that nobody else can come up with, and they're beautiful, they're clever. Simon is a little more — I get it straight away. And that is nice, 'cause, again, it's just a slight change of direction. Nothing we haven't done before. If anything, it harkens back to some of that stuff from the early '70s."

DEEP PURPLE's new album, "=1", was released on July 19 via earMUSIC. The LP marks DEEP PURPLE's first material with McBride.

Since 2022, Simon has already played to DEEP PURPLE audiences totaling more than half a million people.

With the legendary Bob Ezrin once again producing, "=1" evokes the pioneering band's classic sound, without relying on nostalgia.

SLAYER guitarist Kerry King's solo band played its first concert as the support act for LAMB OF GOD and MASTODON on Friday (July 19) at the Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

Earlier this month, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton told theHeavy Consequence's "Two For The Road" series about the fact that King's new group is serving as the support act for the North American "Ashes Of Leviathan" tour: "It speaks to the character of Kerry King, a legend in this game. [I have the] utmost respect [for him]. [He was] part of some of the greatest metal songs in history. SLAYER [was] absolutely formative in my understanding and my love for metal. And SLAYER has taken LAMB OF GOD out on multiple occasions, MASTODON out on multiple occasions, at some point together. And so now SLAYER is defunct or on hiatus, whatever it is that they're doing, or not doing. I don't know how to characterize that, but they've not been around, they've not been actively working."

Morton continued: "First of all, it speaks to who he is as a musician and as a songwriter and as an artist and as a performer that he doesn't just like kick back and go play with the snakes or whatever he does for fun. He puts a new band together, writes a new album, records a banger of an album, and now he's gonna go out on tour opening for these guys that opened for him. No pretense, no ego, none of the behind-the-scenes stuff, prima donna stuff — none of it. Because that's who he is.

"If there's any question, to the fans that are watching this or hearing this, but understand that that dude is a real one," Mark added. "He's an absolute real one. He's doing this not for the money — it's none of that. He's doing this because that dude is, in the truest, realest, most genuine sense of the concept, a heavy metal guitar player, songwriter. And if he can't do it with that band [SLAYER], he's gonna do it with this band. And if he can't do it headlining, he's gonna open up. It does not fricking matter. 'Cause that's who he is. And out of all the things I could say out of respect and accolades for Kerry King, that, to me, hits the hardest. That is the most impressive thing to me."

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

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

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

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

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

Ringo Starr (THE BEATLES),Slash (GUNS N' ROSES),Nancy Wilson (HEART) and Kirk Hammett (METALLICA) are among the musicians who have contributed short messages to a video celebrating the 55th birthday of guitar shred pioneer Jason Becker. Check out the video below.

Featured musicians:

00:47 Marty Friedman - MEGADETH, CACOPHONY
02:08 Chris Broderick - MEGADETH, ACT OF DEFIANCE, IN FLAMES
03:13 Richie Kotzen - THE WINERY DOGS, MR. BIG, Solo
03:46 Gregg Bissonette - DAVID LEE ROTH, RINGO STARR & HIS ALL-STARR BAND
05:03 Slash & Duff McKagan - GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER
05:15 Joe Bonamassa - BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, Solo
05:30 John 5 - MARILYN MANSON, ROB ZOMBIE
06:12 Matt Bissonette - JOE SATRIANI, ELTON JOHN, DAVID LEE ROTH BAND
07:00 Nancy Wilson - HEART
07:50 Steve Stevens - BILLY IDOL
09:00 Uli Jon Roth - SCORPIONS, ELECTRIC SUN, Solo
09:44 Kirk Hammett - METALLICA, EXODUS
10:35 Eddie Trunk - "That Metal Show"
11:27 Nita Strauss & Josh Villalta - ALICE COOPER, DEMI LOVATO, Solo
11:55 Steve Hunter - LOU REED, ALICE COOPER, DAVID LEE ROTH BAND
12:39 Nili Brosh - TONY MACALPINE, Solo, DANNY ELFMAN, Cirque Du Soleil
13:06 Gene Hoglan & Laura Christine - DARK ANGEL, DEATH, DETHKLOK; NUKEM, ZIMMERSHOLE, WARFACE
13:35 Joe Satriani - CHICKENFOOT, Solo
13:49 Daniel Mongrain - VOIVOD
14:21 Seymour Duncan - Guitar Pickups Company
14:40 Steve Vai - DAVID LEE ROTH, WHITESNAKE
15:28 Alex Skolnick - TESTAMENT, ALEX SKOLNICK TRIO
16:20 Chuck Billy - TESTAMENT
16:45 Steve Lukather - TOTO, RINGO STARR & HIS ALL-STARR BAND
17:11 Paul Gilbert - MR. BIG, RACER X
18:11 Mike Varney - Shrapnel Records
19:03 Matt Blackett - Guitar Player magazine, EverTune
20:10 Vinnie Moore - UFO
21:00 Jason Newsted - METALLICA, NEWSTED, VOIVOD, OZZY OSBOURNE
21:21 Charlie Benante - ANTHRAX, PANTERA
21:32 Gus G - FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE
22:16 THE ARISTOCRATS - Guthrie Govan, Marco Minnemann, Bryan Beller
22:44 Eric Johnson
23:00 Jeff Loomis - ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE, Solo
23:18 Nuno Bettencourt - EXTREME
24:20 Tony McAlpine
26:03 Ringo Starr - THE BEATLES, RINGO STARR & HIS ALL-STARR BAND

For those who may not know of Jason Becker's legacy, we'd have to travel back to 1985 when 16-year-old guitarist Becker partnered up with Marty Friedman as the duo CACOPHONY. His success at such an early age was no coincidence, his metal mastery becoming a talking point amongst his peers, going on to support some of the biggest names in rock including David Lee Roth and create some huge guitar moments as a solo artist.

As Becker's career began to blossom, Jason was diagnosed with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) in 1989 — at just 20 years old. As the disease progressed, Jason no longer could hold on to the instrument, but the urge to continue pushed on as he, amazingly, engineered his own way of writing music, a technique using "eye geometry" and chin movements, described further in the documentary on Becker's journey.

A trailer for the film "Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet", a compilation of interviews, live footage, and more on the unbreakable spirit and the ingenious songwriting ability of the guitarist that influenced so many can be seen below.

The guitar community has spoken and is asking for all of us to stand up and be an ally to Jason Becker and his family as he continues fighting this battle. There is an ongoing struggle to find a full-time caregiver, making proper help seem a hugely daunting challenge. Already saddled with the daily task of staying alive against all odds, there comes additional stress and worry for Jason and his family for all of the many out-of-pocket medical fees.

Keeping positive and consistently creating is essential for Becker, so we invite you to keep up with his latest creations through his web site, www.JasonBecker.com, where you can also donate to the Jason Becker Special Needs Trust.

In a new interview with Elena Rosberg of link textRadiocast BG, Rob Halford was asked about the significance of the album title "Invincible Shield" for a band like JUDAS PRIEST. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "JUDAS PRIEST has been defending the faith of heavy metal, not just the music, but everything related to heavy metal, since we began. And as we were making this record, it's my job as the lyricist to find ideas, to find expressions, to find songtitles that convey not only the music that you're making as you create an album, but to give a title, a significant title, that sends a potent message, idea that says, 'This is JUDAS PRIEST, this is our music and this is an invincible shield.' So then, I remember the day when I'm sitting at my home in Phoenix and I'm on my laptop and a pencil, a pencil and some paper writing things down. And I go, I got the word 'invincible'. And then suddenly from nowhere… This is the joy of creativity. Artists will tell you, we don't know where these things come from. You have to grab them quickly, like lightning in a bottle. And then I think of the word 'shield', and I put the two together, 'invincible shield'. Like, 'Wow, this is JUDAS PRIEST. We're an invincible shield in heavy metal, what we've been doing for so long.' And then I go, 'Wait a minute, wait a minute. All of us, every single person on the planet, has an invincible shield inside of them.' And what I mean by that is we all are gifted by God to have this never-ending well of faith, this never-ending well of hope, this never-ending well of preservation, this never-ending well of sustaining ourselves, our families, our friends. Everything that we do together comes in the form of the power of an invincible shield. So that was a bonus. That was not only the title for the music, but it was also a title for everybody."

Halford added: "All of us have an invincible shield. When you think of some of the things that each of us have, in our lives, have had a challenge. We've had a dark moment, whether it's a medical issue, whether it's work, whether it's something very, very potent. But we've survived, we've pushed through. We look back now and we go, 'How did I get through that?' That's your invincible shield. That's the power that humanity has to survive in every aspect of what that word suggests. What does survive mean? It means many, many things. So the joy of having the title of the album be so expansive was just, again, another extra blessing. So there you have it. Invincible shield for JUDAS PRIEST and invincible shield for humanity."

When Rosberg asked Rob if it is "sometimes overwhelming" to have such "a great responsibility" as a person who is conveying certain messages to a large audience, Halford replied: "Yeah, it can be. It can be. You have to find a balance. You have to find a harmony. I love the power of words. Words can do many, many things. The way you choose words, the way you put words together, they can lift you up, they can bring you solace, that can bring you, again, hope, they can bring you all of these things. They can also bring negativity, they can also bring destruction, they can bring war, they can bring political angst and disruption in separating the light from the dark, the truth from the lies, all of these things can be made together by words. I love words. I love putting words together. So when I was writing 'Panic Attack', and I'm talking about the way that social media can be used in a very potent, and sometimes [negative ways through] disinformation, conspiracy theories. All of these attitudes, all of these emotions, all of these ideas come from words. They come from people speaking, they come from people sending instant messages, writing in various forums and quorums on the Internet. So, I think deeply about things like that, and I try to convey those personal feelings and ideas into songs that are still full of joy and power and excitement and energy and good feelings. And that's a tricky thing to do, because JUDAS PRIEST isn't a political band. We're not a socially motivated band. We don't speak out too much on these types of world affairs, world events, but I thought for this record, I'm gonna take a leap of faith, because our fans are smart, our fans are intelligent. They understand this world that we live in when we talk about that side of the social media, that side of the Internet, the double-edged sword of the internet, the good, the bad, the light, the dark, the yin, the yang. And it's turned out that 'Panic Attack' has been the most rewarding song for our fans that we've made.

"So, yes, there is a responsibility," Rob continued. "There's a responsibility from your creativity to do your very best, not to accept anything just for acceptance. Work really hard. We spend an enormous amount of time making these songs because we treasure them. They're gonna be here long after we're gone. So you want to leave something that will have the power to bring joy, have the power to bring passion, excitement, energy, have the power to bring some thinking about the song. What will people think about 'Panic Attack' a hundred years from now? I think about that. [Laughs] I think so deeply about so many aspects of what we're about in JUDAS PRIEST."

Halford added: "So, yes, responsibility. The ultimate responsibility is when you're on that stage. You're on that stage, you're pouring out your heart, you're pouring out your soul in your performance, and you have a responsibility to give every part of yourself at that show."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sebastian Bach was joined by his 11-year-old stepson Trace on guitar and his 35-year-old son Paris on drums for a performance of the SKID ROW classic "Youth Gone Wild" during Sebastian's free July 20 concert at the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

Bach's latest studio album, "Child Within The Man", was released on May 10 via Reigning Phoenix Music. The LP was recorded in Orlando, Florida; produced and mixed by Michael "Elvis" Baskette; engineered by Jef Moll, assistant engineered by Josh Saldate and mastered by Robert Ludwig of Gateway Mastering. Bach wrote or co-wrote all the album's 11 tracks and sang all lead and backing vocals.

"Child Within The Man" features guest appearances from John 5 (MÖTLEY CRÜE, ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON),Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) and Orianthi (ALICE COOPER, MICHAEL JACKSON) — who all co-wrote their respective tracks with Bach — and two tracks co-written with ALTER BRIDGE's Myles Kennedy ("What Do I Got to Lose?" and "To Live Again"). Devin Bronson (guitars),Todd Kerns (bass) and Jeremy Colson (drums) round out the players on the album.

In an interview with "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, Sebastian spoke about the inspiration for the "Child Within The Man" title. He said: "Well, my wife calls me man-child. That's kind of been a theme for me my whole career. I bring a youthful energy to the stage when I get up there. People are smiling and excited and hooting and hollering. But the line 'child within the man' is a line of one of the songs on the record. And I scream it like bloody murder. And it kept haunting me. "

Sebastian also talked about the "Child Within The Man" artwork, which holds special meaning since it was designed by Bach's father, noted visual artist David Bierk.

"I have a lot of my dad's artwork," Bach said. "He's no longer alive. And we all, all of his kids, we got a lot of his art when he passed away. And I unrolled a roll of paintings that I knew had the SKID ROW 'Subhuman Race' painting in it, and I wanna take care of it and make sure it's preserved. But in that roll was this painting that I remember my dad doing of me when I was 10 in a field next to this beat-up old Cadillac car in the field and then behind the car, it's Jesus ascending into heaven, and I'm running next to the car. It looks like an album cover. And then he also did a painting of me from Circus magazine, the first centerfold of me on stage at Giants Stadium. He did a gigantic painting of that, like 12 feet high. And so the cover is gonna be me running as a child into me on stage as a man, and it's child within the man. And it just reminds me of the '70s, like child in time, and it just reminds me of a good '70s album cover. And the fact that I can bring back a painting from the year 1978 and make it into artwork in 2023, 2024, that's really mind-blowing to me."

Bach's "What Do I Got To Lose?" U.S. tour got underway May 10 in Jefferson, Louisiana and wrapped on June 29 in San Diego, California.

Prior to "Child Within The Man"'s arrival, Bach hadn't released a full-length disc since "Give 'Em Hell", which came out in March 2014.



LIVE with Sebastian Bach

Posted by Fremont Street Experience on Saturday, July 20, 2024

In a new interview with Prescription Punk Rock, vocalist Roger Miret of New York hardcore legends AGNOSTIC FRONT confirmed that he and his bandmates are working on material for the follow-up to 2019's "Get Loud!" album. "We're currently writing right now," he said. "We've got about eight songs."

Asked if it gets harder for AGNOSTIC FRONT to write new music after having done it for so long, Roger said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "First of all, we have to — we like the songs, we have to like the songs a lot, we have to love the songs, and we have to believe in them. And if we believe in them, we have to then trust that the people will love them and enjoy them too. But there's always the critics, there's always somebody waiting for you to mess up or do something or wanna just bring you down. But they have no one idea how hard it is to write songs when you're under that microscope. Unfortunately, when you get to a certain level of a band — we're going on our 14th album, whatever, spanning a career of 42 years— it's a long career. And most people love it, but there's always that critic, and you can never change their mind, whatever. But I'm here for the people that wanna accept and enjoy our show. We just wanna come to your place, have a great time. We wanna play, make new friends, meet new people and do what we love. And that's who I'm there for, playing for, that's who I write songs for."

Regarding the lyrical themes he covers in AGNOSTIC FRONT's songs, Roger said: "We've always been socially political. We don't really talk about world politics. We'll touch on it here and there, but that's a touchy subject. Everybody's got a really strong opinion about stuff. And some of it's valid, some of it's not what you think… I try to work on day-to-day stuff that happens around me, socially stuff. And I write about real stuff — my experience; it doesn't mean [it will be the same as] your experience."

He continued: "It was interesting. When I was writing my book, I was telling these stories, and I had Amy from NAUSEA, who is the mother of my child. And I respect the mother of my child — I have a lot of respect — I said, 'Hey. I'm writing this book. These are these stories. I want you to read them because it's about you too. So I don't wanna say anything that would upset you.' And the funniest thing of the whole conversation was when she says, 'You know, it's funny. We have two different visions of the same story.' And I never thought about it. I remember what I wanna remember, she remembers what she wants to remember. We were both living the same story, but it's what you take of it. I could witness something and I could write something about it and you witnessed the same thing and you write something different about it. But it's the same thing; it's just how we perceive it in our minds. And it's interesting 'cause with that thought in mind, I'm, like, these are my stories. If you want to listen to my stories, you can. If you don't agree with them, well, this is my experience."

In September 2021, Miret revealed that his cancer was in remission.

After Miret was diagnosed with cancer in early 2021, a long road of tests and diagnoses led to a complex initial surgery and lengthy hospital stay. Even though the original surgery was complicated, the results were extremely positive.

Born in Cuba, Miret fled with his family to the U.S. to escape the Castro regime. He joined AGNOSTIC FRONT in 1983, and the seminal New York hardcore group released classics like "United Blood", "Victim In Pain" and "Cause For Alarm" over the next several years.

In 2017, Miret released a memoir, "My Riot: Agnostic Front, Grit, Guts, And Glory", which documented his struggles to adapt to life in the U.S. after his family fled the Castro regime. According to the Phoenix New Times, the book delved into many facets of Miret's life: the grinding poverty of his childhood; living as a teenager squatter; becoming deeply enmeshed in downtown New York’s hardcore scene; and later turning to drug-running to support his family.

In addition to fronting AGNOSTIC FRONT, Miret has also played with ROGER MIRET AND THE DISASTERS and is a member of THE ALLIGATORS.

For the past several years, Roger has resided in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Photo credit: Lad & Misfit Photography

Red Hot Chili Peppers will commemorate the 25th anniversary of their Californication album with a 2LP limited edition coloured vinyl pressing, available this Friday (July 26) via Rhino Records.





On June 8, 1999, Red Hot Chili Peppers released their seventh studio album, Californication. The album was produced by Rick Rubin and marked the return of guitarist John Frusciante - his first recording with the band since the 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik.




Californication has since become the band's best-selling album, driven by the success of three hit singles: "Scar Tissue", "Otherside," and "Californication". "Scar Tissue" won the Best Rock Song Grammy Award in 2000. Underlining the strength and depth of the album, "Road Trippin'," "Around The World," and "Parallel Universe" were also released as singles.


The album has sold over 15 million copies globally, and is 7 times Platinum in the US. It has reached multi-platinum status in many countries including the UK, Canada, Germany, France, and Australia.


To mark the 25th anniversary of this landmark album, a limited edition double vinyl is being released - with one LP pressed on red vinyl and one LP on ocean blue vinyl.


Pre-order the album here.

Ace Frehley headlined the 80’s Rock Invasion at Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace, MI on July 20. Other acts that performed were Great White, Slaughter, Steve Adler, and Vixen. 


Check out fan-filmed video of the entire set:







Setlist:


“Shock Me”
“Deuce”
“10,000 Volts”
“Shout It Loud”
“Love Gun”
“Rocket Ride”
“New York Groove” (with “God Of Thunder” tease)
“Rip It Out”
“Detroit Rock City”
“Love Her All I Can” (partial instrumental)
“Cold Gin”
Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
“Rock And Roll All Nite”

Heart’s Nancy Wilson has uploaded a video of Chris Cornell covering the Rolling Stones classic “Wild Horses” in 1991 to mark what would have been the Soundgarden / Audioslave singer’s 60th birthday. 


The performance of “Wild Horses” took place September 22, 1991 during a Seattle show by the Heart acoustic side project the Lovemongers, whose cover of Led Zeppelin’s “The Battle Of Evermore” appears with Cornell’s “Seasons” on the Singles soundtrack released in 1992.


 

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox, have shared anouther throwback video for Sunday Lunch. Check out their performance of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" below.





The new episode of The Osbournes podcast is available for streaming below.




Descrpition: "The Osbourne fam is back and answering YOUR fan questions: including Ozzy's dream band members and fast food favorites. The conversation flows into hilarious personal stories and memories about travel, dealing with airport mishaps, favorite snacks, and more. The family also discusses their travel essentials and the unpredictable nature of flying, complete with humorous anecdotes and past travel experiences."

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson is featured in a new interview conducted by The Guardian. Following is an excerpt from the Q&A.


Q:  What is your greatest fear?


Dickinson: "Well, I’m not too happy about snakes. I also hate sand. It’s very inconvenient."




Q: What scares you about getting older?


Dickinson: "I always work five years in advance; that way I am never surprised. Right now, for example, I am 70. Every year for the next five years will therefore be a cause for celebration."


Q: What is the closest you’ve come to death?


Dickinson: "I’ve been asleep at the wheel on the M11, had an engine fire over the Atlantic in a light aircraft, driven unprotected through an enemy firing zone to do a gig in wartime Sarajevo – the list goes on and on. But I did have stage 3 throat cancer and was cured by some fantastic UK medics."


Read more via The Guardian here.


When we thought that nothing could surprise us anymore in the heavy metal world, a 'miracle' happened recently in Zagreb! Iron Maiden icons Paul Di'Anno and Bruce Dickinson met for the first time and had a friendly chat right in Croatia. New video from the meeting can be viewed below:

German techno metallers, Electric Callboy, performed at Rock Am Ring 2024 in Nürburg, Germany on June 8th. Pro-shot video of the entire show can be viewed below.


Setlist:


"Tekkno Train"
"MC Thunder II (Dancing Like a Ninja)"
"Spaceman"
"Hate/Love"
"Everytime We Touch" (Cascada)
"Castrop X Spandau"
"Arrow of Love"
"Hypa Hypa"
"Parasite"
"RATATATA" (with Babymetal)
"Let It Go / I Want It That Way"
"Hurrikan"
"MC Thunder"
"Pump It"
"Mindreader"
"We Got the Moves"







Electric Callboy and Japan's Babymetal recently teamed up for a new song, "Ratatata", which is now available on all digital platforms.


They have released an official live video for the song, which can be viewed below. It was shot on May 25th at Fox Fest 2024 in Saitama, Japan, and was the first time Electric Callboy and Babymetal performed together live.

DarWin, the ongoing musical exploration featuring Simon Phillips, Mohini Dey, Greg Howe, Derek Sherinian and Matt Bissonette, recently released a video for "Hulks & Heroes", a track from their new album, Five Steps On The Sun. They have shared an official video for the closing track, "What Do We Know".





Five Steps On The Sun is available on CD and strictly Limited Heavyweight Vinyl including exclusive poster.







Tracklisting:


"Soul Police"
"Inside This Zoo"
"Be That Man"
"One Step On The Sun"
"Five Steps On The Sun"
"The Sun"
"Imitation Suede"
"Seasons Of A Life"
"Hulks & Heroes"
"What Do We Know"


"One Step On The Sun" video:





"Be That Man" video:

The masters of Neue Deutsche Härte, Stahlmann, have released the single "Asche Zu Asche" from their new album, Phosphor, which will be released on August 9th. Check it out below, stream or download it here.





Phosphorus, the element that can shine so brightly, burn so hot and destroy - this is the return of Neue Deutsche Härte icons Stahlmann. With German lyrics, an unmistakable look and their unique mix of alternative metal, industrial, new wave and techno, the band stands out from the rest of the crowd. Dark and epic, Stahlmann ring in a new era and the 15th Stahlmann year with Phosphor.




Phosphor is released as a jewelcase CD and comes with a brand new Phosphor T-shirt design. The exclusive, strictly limited fan box includes the CD, a Stahmann patch and stickers, a lanyard, a handwritten, numbered certificate and a high-quality lighter with Stahlmann design. Get it here.    

Acclaimed British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer Steven Wilson has expressed his concern for the rise of artificial intelligence (A.I.) in the music industry. His comments come after several songs used A.I. technology to "clone" his vocals and create new tracks.

Wilson, who has been the driving force in a number of musical projects since the 1980s, the best known of which is the rock band PORCUPINE TREE, shared his sentiments in a social media post on Friday (July 19). He wrote: "For the last few years when I've been asked in interviews about the future of music, I've talked about a scenario I fully expect to happen whereby musicians wouldn't be needed anymore, and neither would pre-recorded tracks. Music will be made in real time for listeners by artificial intelligence depending on their requirements at that moment. You will choose the singer that you want to sing the song for you (Freddie Mercury, Aretha Franklin, John Lennon whoever),the subject matter you want them to sing about, and the musical genre. And it will generate that piece of music for you in real time, at which point you can choose to save it away for a future listen, share it with your friends, or erase it. For me personally things just took a big step further in that direction with several artificial intelligence created Steven Wilson tracks that have been brought to my attention. I don't know who created them or what their motivation was, but even I really struggle to hear that it's not me singing these songs. No matter what I might think about the quality of the music, this is uncanny, almost surreal.

"We're in the midst of a seismic change in the way music is made and how people engage with it," he added. "Do the majority even care that they aren't listening to a human being? The future bites indeed. Please let me know your thoughts."

Wilson isn't the only rock musician who has expressed his concern about the way A.I. could be incorporated in music in the future. Last September, Brian May from QUEEN told Guitar Player magazine: " I think a lot of great stuff will come from A.I., because it is going to increase the powers of humans to solve problems. My major concern with it now is in the artistic area. I think by this time next year the landscape will be completely different. We won't know what’s been created by A.I. and what's been created by humans.”

He continued: "I think we might look back on 2023 as the last year when humans really dominated the music scene. … It makes me feel apprehensive, and I'm preparing to feel sad about this.”

May added that he was worried about "the potential for A.I. to cause evil" in all areas, not just music. "I think the whole thing is massively scary," he said. " It's much more far-reaching than anybody realized — well, certainly than I realized."

During a July 2023 appearance on "Piers Morgan Uncensored", KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons was asked if he was "excited or worried about artificial intelligence, particularly [as it relates to] the music business." He responded: "Music business aside, I am concerned about the lack of legislation. When you enter a new, let's say a new planet, you're about to land on a new [planet], well, clearly there's opportunity there, there are minerals and things — all kinds of opportunities. Without rules of the game… It's like playing sports without rules. Who's gonna do what? You need some rules that are kind and beneficial to mankind, womankind, transkind, all kinds of kinds. Okay, does that cover everybody?"

He continued: "The problem with A.I. is not… A.I. is here, whether you like it or not. So let's look at it smartly and let's pass legislation. A.I. creates a song using my voice, or what sounds like my voice, with a new song, and it sounds just like me and it definitely sounds like that kind of a thing. So when you buy it, who owns the copyright and the publishing, if A.I. did that? So, is it me, because it sounds like me? You could swear it was me. So these are uncharted [territories]."

This past May, GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash weighed in on a debate about people using an A.I. music generator as a tool to create melodies, harmonies and rhymes based on artificial intelligence algorithms and machine learning models. He told the Battleground Podcast: "I'm not super excited about this new development, only because I just know that people, for the most part, are gonna use it so much that it's gonna… For one, it's gonna be confusing and misleading. And then there's just gonna be too much of the same kind of look or sound for different things. I see it happening already.

"I'm the guy that likes to go into a studio and record a band live and do it analog, like [my new blues] record ['Orgy Of The Damned'], so the idea of A.I., I can't think of any application where it makes any sense to me for what it is that I do," he continued. "And I'm interested to see who comes up with something really great and unique and useful for me. But having A.I. reproduce anything or actually produce anything original in terms of music does not really thrill me. You can have it write lyrics, you can have it do anything but you doing the actual work and it doesn't thrill me."

Slash clarified that "the technology itself is a human achievement. I mean, it's amazing," he explained. "And technology all the way down the line is always showing some great possibilities with things, but it's how people use them, at the end of the day, as a mass application, that's where you've gotta start worrying."

In a May 2024 interview with Spain's Metal Journal, EXTREME guitarist Nuno Bettencourt stated about people using A.I. in music: "Everybody's worried and everybody's scared, and how it's gonna change anything. I love it, man. You know why I love it? I'm, like, bring it on. Do more of it. Because what that does, the people who do that and use it and think they can emulate emotion, the bigger, to me, rock and roll is gonna get. Because rock and roll, if you notice — look at all the technology that's happened since the 1930s, everything from telephones to television, to cell phones, to computers to synthesize everything else, what has changed in the guitar? Nothing. Zero. What has changed in a drum set? Nothing. What has changed in a bass guitar? Nothing. A microphone.

"Rock and roll, to me, is, is always there because it's broken," he explained. "It's not artificial. It's not perfect. It's all the imperfections, is what makes us shine. It's the danger of it. A.I. can do all you want — to write lyrics, to write song, to do whatever, even record, to do whatever — but it's always gonna sound sterilized, even when they try… Because even if they tried to sound like, let's say, I don't know, LED ZEPPELIN… LED ZEPPELIN didn't even sound like LED ZEPPELIN every night. Sometimes they were great, sometimes they were sloppy, sometimes it was amazing, and that's the danger, and that's the thing of rock and roll that you will never be able to capture with A.I. I don't give a fuck how much they're gonna try.

"You could see just with the [latest] EXTREME album [2023's 'Six'] — fuck EXTREME; it didn't even matter that it was EXTREME — you could see with just doing an album, people were just thanking us, 'Thank you for a rock album,' 'Thank you just for some rock and roll.' That's how starved and famine that we have. So, to me, the more sterilized pop music, which it's always kind of been already for the last 10, 20 years anyways, it's been very sterilized and very Auto-Tuned and very all that, the bigger rock and roll is gonna be.

"Sometimes I feel like Keanu Reeves in 'The Matrix'," Nuno added. "Rock and roll will always outdo any technology or anything that anybody throws at it, because, you know why? Getting in front of an audience will never — A.I. will never be able to step on stage and replicate what we do at any given second or moment, what we say, the sweat, the love, the passion, the audience. That relationship is untouchable by A.I. Period."

Last September, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman told Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips about people using A.I. in music: "There's gotta be something positive in it. And regardless of whether we're fearful of technology or not, it's gonna be a reality — period. So I think we can fight it all the way and there's been guys in the music business fighting analog and digital forever."

He continued: "It's kind of nostalgic to think of the days when everything was analog and you sat down and you listened to a whole album from beginning to end and it's wonderful and people can still enjoy that, but technology has allowed you and I to talk like this, technology has allowed Pro Tools to happen, which has created some of the best ideas for recording in history."

Friedman added: "We just can't fight it all the way because it's like spitting against heaven; it's not gonna mean anything. So A.I., I think its best years are yet to come. It hasn't really done anything that's kicked my ass yet. Of what I've seen, it's just been kind of cute little funny little mashups and stuff, nothing I'd want to sit down and listen to an album of, but technology and A.I. and all that stuff is a reality. It's not going away, for better or for worse. So the sooner we accept it and accept how we can not only live with it, but benefit by it, the healthier we can all enjoy our lives rather than being some old guy just saying, 'I hate this stuff.' It's really easy to fall into that, especially from people of a previous generation, because we know how good it was back then. There's a lot of crap now because of technology, and it's easy to hate on all that stuff, but it's not going away. So what's the benefit in being negative about it?"

For the last few years when I’ve been asked in interviews about the future of music, I’ve talked about a scenario I...

Posted by Steven Wilson on Friday, July 19, 2024

In his recently released memoir, "Down With The System", Serj Tankian revealed that his SYSTEM OF A DOWN bandmates had auditioned a new vocalist after he had asked out of the group in 2017. Serj said that his disdain for touring led to his decision to tell his bandmates to carry on without him so they could continue living their dream. Tankian later learned that the band had begun looking at new singers, and he also shared that in "more recent years", he had pitched a close friend as a potential replacement but he didn't think the band ever seriously considered the offer.

During an appearance on the "Bullseye With Jesse Thorn", Serj reflected on his decision to ask out of the band seven years ago. He explained (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In 2017, after we played a long tour in Europe, 20-something dates, we came back and I was confident at the time that touring was not for me anymore. I had severe back problems, 'cause I hurt my back on tour, in the middle of the tour, in Belgium, I remember, and I was still reeling from it. And over time, over the number of years, because we were… We took a hiatus between 2006 and 2011, and then we kind of toured between 2011 and 2017. And at that point, I was, like, I just really don't wanna tour. I just got over the travel, the physicality of it. I love performing. I just didn't want the travel. And it also gets redundant artistically after a while, while you're on tour, if it's more than one or two shows. So we had a band meeting discussing multiple things, and I asked to add me as one item on the band meeting. And when it got to my turn, I just said, 'Who's throwing me the going-away party. Who's gonna MC it?' And they're, like, 'What?' I'm, like, 'You guys know that I don't wanna tour, and we haven't been able to make a record.' So I kind of [said], 'If you guys need to find a new singer, I'm totally open to that, 'cause I love and respect you guys and I don't wanna hold you back. The band is something very important, not just to you guys, but to me. And let's figure something out, if I can help. Let's be one of those unique situations that instead of cussing each other out and going our separate ways or me going my separate way, let me be constructive. Let me help you find someone, if necessary.' I wanted to give them an option. Now, if you asked me, if I was staying in the band at the time, in 2017, and someone else was gonna leave, I would never continue without them."

Serj continued: "I think SYSTEM OF A DOWN should always be us four. But irrespective of what I felt, because I was the one getting in their way, if you will, I wanted to give them an option. So, that's why I did that. And at the time, they were just, like, 'No, man. It's cool. If something comes up, an opportunity, we'll send it your way. We won't put pressure.' 'Cause before that, if something came up, they were, like, 'Come on, we've gotta do this tour. Come on.' There was a lot of pressure to do tours, to perform and stuff. And I just didn't want that pressure anymore. So they promised they wouldn't do that. And so that kind of changed things a little, at least at that time."

Tankian went on to say that being in a band with several other people is "a unique dynamic". He explained: "They're your creative partners. They're your business partners. No one can have the same exact vision. No one can have the same exact thought process. And trying to negotiate all that where everyone is happy is really, really not easy."

Tankian also talked about his creative partnership with guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian who had initially written all the music for SYSTEM OF A DOWN. He said: "We had the same vision starting. Daron and I were definitely on the same page when we started. And at first, he wrote all the music and I wrote all the lyrics for our first record. Second record, I started bringing in some more music, he started bringing in more lyrics. I would say that 'Steal This Album', which is our third record, it was almost 50-50. I was bringing in half the songs with lyrics, and he was bringing the other half of the songs with lyrics, and then I would add to his lyrics, and he would add to my music, or whatever, rearrange some of the music. So it was very balanced, which is kind of why I really love that album, even though it's not the biggest hit record album, and we've never toured for it. Most of those songs were never played live, but there's something special about 'Steal This Album' for me.

"By the time we got around to 'Mezmerize' [and] 'Hypnotize', while we were working on 'Mezmerize' [and] 'Hypnotize', I told the guys, I gave them like a two-years heads up and said, 'Listen, when we're done with this next record phase, I need to do my own thing.'"

Tankian previously discussed SYSTEM OF A DOWN's inability to make a new studio album earlier in the month in an interview with the "Broken Record" podcast. He said at the time: "Creatively, I keep on making music and making art and doing creatively what I'm meant to do. And if the opportunity arises for us to work together in an egalitarian fashion in the right way with the right vibe and the right influence, then we'll do it.

"In 2020, we put out two songs because there was the invasion of Artsakh and Armenia happening by Azerbaijan during COVID, and people didn't know about what was going on so we used the band and putting out new music as an opportunity to spread awareness and we were successful in doing so," he explained. "So hopefully it's not just the decimation of our people that's gonna take SYSTEM OF A DOWN writing new music, but I think when that time is, and I don't know if it is ever or if it will be, that would be amazing. But I don't get sad by it, because to me it is what it is. When it's right, then it happens. When it's not, it shouldn't happen."

Asked if he would be okay with SYSTEM OF A DOWN going on without him, with a different singer in his place, Serj said: "Absolutely. I've offered them that opportunity and been very supportive of it many years. If they wanted to do that, if they wanted to continue in a way that I didn't — for example, if they wanted to tour a lot and I just wanna do a couple of shows here and there, because I'm not into touring a lot, to be fair to them, if they wanted to do that, I'm totally open to it still. I'm not sure they want to do that. They haven't until now, and I think it would take something away from the prestige and legacy of the band itself, but as friends and as someone who cares very much about my partners, I would be okay with it."

Regarding what it is about the four members of SYSTEM OF A DOWN as individuals, the alchemy of them together, that makes the band so great as a unit, Serj said: "Everything that each person is — from their personality to their playing style to how they think, how they feel and the combination thereof — make SYSTEM OF A DOWN what it is. If you take any particle away from this compound, it's not going to be SYSTEM OF A DOWN. It could be calledSYSTEM OF A DOWN, but it's not going to really be SYSTEM OF A DOWN. Even the stubbornness and the creative differences, everything, the push and pull, the manicness, the calmness, all of the above is what makes who we are."

Last month, Serj was asked by Metal Hammer magazine about comments from his SYSTEM bandmate John Dolmayan last year in which the drummer claimed that Serj "hasn't wanted to be in the band for a long time." Serj said: "John means the world to me. He's my brother-in-law, I love him, and I saw him just yesterday, but there are times he's got mad and said fucking shit. And look, there's times I've gotten mad and said fucking shit, too. The option has always been there for the band to move on without me, and John knows that.

"In the end, to me SYSTEM OF A DOWN is beyond the band," he continued. "It's our relationship together. And it means more to me than the band itself, or even the music itself. And that is hard for other people, maybe even other people in the band, to understand. But, as I saw from the stage at Sick New World [festival in Las Vegas] last year, the multi-generational appeal of the music we have made is mind-blowing, bro. Our music is more timeless than we ever imagined, and that is the hugest compliment for any artist."

Two months ago, Serj spoke to the Soul Boom With Rainn Wilson podcast about his reluctance to embrace the touring lifestyle that characterized SYSTEM OF A DOWN's early years. He said: "We've had incredible, unexpected success as a very far-flung kind of progressive metal band with our 'Toxicity' record in 2001 and touring and doing what we did. And after many years of touring, when we were making the last few records which we made together, 'Mezmerize' and 'Hypnotize' — those recordings were done at the same time, then released as two records within six months of each other in 2005 and 2006 — before those sessions, when we first started those sessions, I told the [other] guys [in the band], 'Guys, this kind of cyclical thing that we're doing with making records for a year, touring for two years at that time, doing all this promo publicity,' it was just cyclical. It was, like, 'I've gotta stop. And I also wanna do my own thing. I have other artistic adventures that I wanna get on.'"

He continued: "Part of it was we had so much creativity and input coming into the band, specifically with Daron's [Malakian, SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist and vocalist] songwriting and me wanting to bring in music as well, because, over time, he became a better lyricist and I became a better musical songwriter, a better composer, so it became kind of like a push and pull, which is really good for bands, actually, 'cause it's a yin-and-yang kind of thing — two strong, creative forces. And it also broken up so many bands. So, before 'Mezmerize' and 'Hypnotize', I basically told the guys, 'Listen, I'd like to take a hiatus. I'm not saying I never wanna do this, but I'm saying I can't do this right now anymore. And I wanna do my own thing and also take time off and have a life, and all of that stuff.' It wasn't taken well at the time. I won't get into that. But years later, we started touring again in 2011, and it became a fun thing, 'cause it left… Nothing was totally resolved creatively, but it became a fun thing because we at least put everything to the side and said, 'Look, we're friends, we're brothers. We've known each other for a long time. We still respect and love each other. Let's go have fun and tour together.' And we've been doing that since. Not as much as they would like, let's say, or I'm not gonna speak for each and every person of the band, because that wouldn't be fair of me either. But generally I'm the least person that wants to tour. Part of that is physical, because it's tiring. I've done it for 20, 25 years, and I had back surgery a few years ago. I'm much better now and all of that. But part of it is that. Part of it is that it's artistically redundant after a while, because it's 'Groundhog Day'; you're repeating yourself. David Bowie said the first two weeks of every tour is basically — I'm paraphrasing — creative; after that, it's redundant, kind of thing, which is correct. So it's that. But I do enjoy playing with the guys, and when it's a one-off, it's actually fun, 'cause there's no pressure to do this whole rigamarang of a long tour or press or anything. You just rehearse together, make your dumb jokes, have food together, and then go and play that one show and it becomes a hoorah. So that's what we've been doing. And I'm grateful for that."

Tankian, who is promoting his memoir, previously addressed how his relationship with Malakian has evolved over the years, particularly as it relates to their collaborative partnership, in May in an interview with Tom Power, host of "Q" on Canada's CBC Radio One. He said: "Well, changing the dynamic is basically years of time and the progression of the band, the success of the band, everything that happened in between the day that we met and now, basically, so 25, 30 years. A lot changes in that time. And so I think that's a part of it.

"Daron's been a lifer and he's incredibly serious about his music and he's incredibly protective of his music and vulnerable due to his music," Serj explained. "All of those things kind of go together. So it's those things, I think, that created some of the creative differences that we started finding. And it's also our progression. Listen, when Daron and I started working together, I didn't really write a lot of instrumental music — I mostly wrote lyrics; I was the lyricist; I was the singer. And he didn't write any lyrics; he just wrote music. But as time progressed and I played more musical instruments and I started becoming a songwriter/composer and he started writing more lyrics, we started kind of covering each other's territory. And I was okay with that. If he wrote lyrics, I was trying to encourage him to write more, because I believe in artistic growth. I believe in progression. I don't believe in things staying the same way, for music's sake. Otherwise the music becomes the same thing over and over again. That progression is necessary in every artist's life or in every group's life. So I was very encouraging of that. And I just wish that I got some of that back. And so that wasn't the case, and it was disappointing. And it became a creative difference over the band's path, and whatnot, over time."

Asked why he wanted to write about this in his book, Serj said: "A lot of it has been publicized in a very sensationalist format by media, music media mostly, and I kind of wanted to put it in a proper perspective and grounding perspective, but with love and with balance and understanding that these things happen. This is normal. You have a relationship and you have differences in opinion as [to] how you wanna go forward, whether it's a band or a marriage or whatever it is. And these things happen. And so I wanted to take that aspect out, I wanted to take the sensationalist aspect out of the whole thing and be, like, this is not only what happened, but this is how I see things."

Tankian also addressed the fact that SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, but has only managed to record two songs in the last 19 years, "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Released in November 2020, the tracks were motivated by the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN's ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they raised over $600,000.

"We haven't been making new music," Serj said. "We only put out two songs when the invasion of Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh happened in 2020 by Azerbaijan, because we felt like the Azeri trolls, the government-sponsored trolls were taking over social media and the news networks, and the victims of these attacks weren't getting the word out. So we became kind of obsessed with getting the word out, because we were seeing our people suffer. So we put out those two songs because of that and we donated a lot of the proceeds for that to the cause as well."

Asked how he balances the love and obligation he might feel toward his fans, those who love SYSTEM OF A DOWN, and the internal struggles within the band, Tankian said: "That's an incredibly smart question. It's really hard catering — when you're an artist, it's really hard catering. If you're an entertainer, catering is [what you do], but if you're an artist, then you're just creating what comes to you. You're almost unaware of what people want. Yes, if it's something heavier, you know people are gonna like it more. But if you're a good songwriter, you could do both. I do orchestral music, I do film music, I do rock music — I do it all. So I enjoy 'em all, but I know that if I do rock, more people are going to listen to it than a piano, instrumental orchestral piece of music, soundtrack kind of music. But it doesn't mean that you don't do both, as an artist. So it's hard to really cater to people's feelings. What I love is, and I know that I can speak for the rest of the guys in the band, that no matter what's going on with our creative difference or the band not making new music or not touring fully or whatever, everyone's incredibly appreciative of what we have in terms of the love that we get from our fans and the way that people react to our music and the way that we get all these e-mails about how it's changed people's lives and all of that stuff, and that is mind-blowing. It's the biggest honor. And when I meet people on the street, I'm still incredibly honored that someone would pick me out and look at me in a positive light, not knowing who I am personally, but knowing me through my music, through our music, let's say. And I think that's a great fucking honor. I feel blessed for it. But it doesn't mean that that thing should continue forever either."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN played its first live show in 11 months on April 27 as one of the headliners of the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas, Nevada for the second year in a row.

"Down With The System" was released on May 14 via Hachette Books.

YouTube user Anderson soon has shared pro-shot video of Iron Maiden performing at Rock Am Ring 2014 in Nürburg, Germany. CHeck out the full show below.


Setlist:


"Moonchild"
"Can I Play With Madness"
"The Prisoner"
"2 Minutes to Midnight"
"Revelations"
"The Trooper"
"The Number of the Beast"
"Phantom of the Opera"
"Run to the Hills"
"Wasted Years"
"Seventh Son of a Seventh Son"
"Wrathchild"
"Fear of the Dark"
"Iron Maiden"




Encore:
"Aces High"
"The Evil That Men Do"
"Sanctuary"





When we thought that nothing could surprise us anymore in the heavy metal world, a 'miracle' happened recently in Zagreb! Iron Maiden icons Paul Di'Anno and Bruce Dickinson met for the first time and had a friendly chat right in Croatia. New video from the meeting can be viewed below:

Bruce Dickinson, during his performance with his band at the Release Athens Festival yesterday, fulfilled the ardent desire of countless Greek fans, even if just for a moment, to hear "Alexander The Great" live, reports rockpages.gr.


At the end of the set, after finishing "Road To Hell," Bruce put on a plastic helmet with a crest and addressed the audience, saying: "I think you want to sing a little more," before starting the chorus of the song.


It should be noted that Iron Maiden played the song for the first time in Slovenia on May 28, 2023, as part of "The Future Past Tour," which did not pass through Greece.