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.

Greek modern heavy metallers Heavenblack have announce the release of the lyric video “The Dominant”, which is their third single taken from the upcoming album Blindfolded.


The song is about the hero of the concept album and the band's lead singer, Marios Kouroupis, comments: “The Dominant is the hero of the story that takes place on the album. He has what it takes to make his dreams come true, which is none other than to conquer the world and remake it according to them!”


The band previously released the video clip “My Insane” and the audio single “Orphan”. Blindfolded is set for release on Friday, August 9 via Sleaszy Rider Records.







"Orphan":





“My Insane”:





Heavenblack is:
Marios Kouroupis – Vocals
Ioannis Patakakis – Guitars
Dimitris Varvarigos – Guitars, Vocals
Mantalena Krikelli – Drums
Giannis Verios – Bass

Finnish black metal act Hexvessel have set their signatures under a multi-album deal with Prophecy Productions. 


Hexvessel will release their seventh studio full-length via the label and have already been confirmed for this year's edition of Prophecy Fest.


"I am a fiercely independent minded artist and Hexvessel has its own sound, ideology and spiritual path", vocalist and guitarist Mat "Kvohst" McNerney explains. "I wanted a label that would respect, care for and nurture that wild art spirit. I have known and been friends with Martin Koller, Stefan Belda, and Prophecy for many years. We go back to the origin of Hexvessel and our first live shows abroad and they have always supported my work. I felt we would always be destined to work together in a creative aspect and I am proud to now come under the banner of a label that stands for true beauty in art and creative music."




Prophecy Productions state: "We are all thrilled to welcome a long-time friend and outstanding artist such as Mat McNerney and Hexvessel to our roster", the label's founder Martin Koller writes. "Hexvessel are in many regards the perfect fit for Prophecy Productions as their highly individualistic and ever evolving music is exciting as hard to pin down and limit to only one genre."


Prophecy Productions state: "We are all thrilled to welcome a long-time friend and outstanding artist such as Mat McNerney and Hexvessel to our roster", the label's founder Martin Koller writes. "Hexvessel are in many regards the perfect fit for Prophecy Productions as their highly individualistic and ever evolving music is exciting as hard to pin down and limit to only one genre."


In celebration of this occasion, Hexvessel have unveiled a visualiser for the previously unreleased song “Under The Lake”.


"I actually started writing 'Under The Lake’ as the first song for our return to black metal before the other parts of 'Polar Veil' took shape", mastermind Mat McNerney reveals. "Although it was always a favourite of mine, 'Under the Lake' still remained unfinished. This was partly due to the fact that its theme was neither polar nor set in wintertime, which meant that the song did not sit well with the rest of the album. Instead 'Under the Lake' is about summer hikes into the secluded and remote deep fell areas where you will find bottomless clear lakes or 'saivo'. In Sámi beliefs, saivos (sáiva) were thought to be homes to the deceased as well as various spirits and deities. The Sámi word sáiva was used to refer to a holy lake or fell, and the spirits residing in it. 


“It could also denote a dwelling of the deceased or anything sacred; depending on the context. A saivo, like our own world, was usually believed to exist beyond a hole at the bottom of a lake, with another identical lake upside down. To me, this is a perfect metaphor for looking at the world. There is a deeper meaning out there, if you look hard enough. 'Under the Lake' ... there is another lake. I am glad that this personal favourite of mine finally comes to see the light of day. It happens in the preternatural summer in which we announce our pact with Prophecy!"

Judas Priest guitarist Andy Sneap joined German metal legends Accept on stage at the Release festival in Athens, Greece for the classic “Balls To The Walls”.


Accept shared the clip on social media and wrote in an accompanying caption: "Just off the stage at Athens where none other than our long time producer, Metal Legend and member of @judaspriest Andy Sneap came up and performed Balls to the Wall with us. Thanks for that brother!! What a killer crowd and show!"







Sneap has produced every Accept record since their return in 2010 with Blood Of The Nations. 


Accept are celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2025-2026. The band will be ringing in its golden birthday with a unique anniversary tour at the end of 2025 to mark this mammoth milestone. An anniversary album will be released in early 2026.


Wolf Hoffmann, the driving force behind Accept, was not only significantly involved in the songwriting of every Accept song, but his work has shaped an entire generation of metal musicians. A founder and the longest-standing member, Wolf Hoffmann has made the most impactful contribution to the band's unmistakable sound and success.


Since joining Accept in 1976 at the age of just 16, Wolf played a central role in the band. His instantly recognizable and signature guitar style not only created the Accept "sound" but influenced a plethora of other highly successful bands and guitarists. Because of Wolf's unflinching dedication, Accept has become one of the most significantly defining bands in heavy metal. Not only did he lay the musical foundations for the band, he also carried the band through the highs and the lows that come with a 50-year career.


To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Accept is embarking on a spectacular world tour that will take fans on a musical metal journey through time. Fans can look forward to a unique stage show with surprise guests, all the classic hits from the band's history as well as rarely performed songs.


Wolf Hoffmann comments:


"It's an incredible honor to be able to look back on five decades of a musical career and share our music with so many people. But nothing lasts forever and who knows how much longer we'll be touring…..


"This tour will be very special because we think 50 years of Accept is a GREAT reason to celebrate in style!"





In spring 2026, Accept will be releasing a special album that covers the band's entire musical history. This anniversary album will contain a carefully curated selection of the best Accept songs from the last five decades, re-recorded - partly with well-known surprise musical guests and colleagues, as well as with some rare tracks that have not been played so often before.


"We wanted to create something that captures the essence of Accept while offering something new to our loyal fans," explains Wolf Hoffmann. "This album is a tribute to our journey and to everyone who has accompanied us along the way."


Over the past five decades, Accept has sold millions of albums and inspired countless musicians. Their energetic live performances and iconic albums such as “Balls To The Wall”, “Restless And Wild,” and “Metal Heart” have left a lasting mark on the heavy metal genre. Wolf Hoffmann's guitar style and musical vision have made the band one of the most respected on the heavy metal scene.


After a hiatus in the band's career, Wolf Hoffmann was introduced to New Jersey singer Mark Tornillo in 2009. The chemistry and fit between them were so remarkable, that Accept reformed and almost immediately rose to global success with chart-topping number-one albums. Accept continues to be celebrated for each of their new records with Mark, who is now the longest reigning frontman of Accept, placing the Hoffmann- Tornillo partnership firmly in the Metal Hall of Fame!


For decades, Accept has been recognized as a guarantee of high quality and each of their albums has reached the top of the charts, delivering energy, melodies, killer riffs, and an impressively powerful stage presence for 50 years.


Accept states:


“Celebrate with us! We invite the world of heavy metal to join us in the celebrations of this extraordinary anniversary!”





Full Metal Assault Tour 2024:


August
31 - Los Angeles, CA - Whisky A Go-Go


September
1 - Los Angeles, CA - The Rainbow Backyard Bash 2024
3 - Denver, CO - Oriental Theater
5 - East Moline, IL - The Rust Belt
6 - Green Bay, WI - Epic Events Center
7 - Des Plaines, IL - Des Plaines Theater
8 - Detroit, MI - District 142
10 - Toronto, ON - QET
11 - Montreal, QC - Rialto Theatre
13 - New York, NY - The Palladium
14 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
15 - Boston, MA - The Wilbur Theatre
16 - Ridgefield, CT - Ridgefield Playhouse
18 - Lititz, PA - Mickey's Black Box
20 - Stroudsburg, PA - Sherman Theater
21 - Providence, RI - The Strand Ballroom
22 - Leesburg, VA - Tally Ho Theater
24 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
26 - New Orleans, LA - The Fillmore
27 - Little Rock, AR - The Hall
28 - Dallas, TX - Tannahill's
29 - Austin, TX - Paramount Theatre


October
1 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
2 - Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre
4 - Riverside, CA - Fox Performing Arts Center
5 - San Diego, CA - The Magnolia
6 - Sacramento, CA - Ace Of Spades
7 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom


European Headline Tour:


October
17 - Istanbul, Turkey - KCP
28 - Toulouse, France - Le Bikini
29 - Lyon, France - Transbordeur
31 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix


November
1 - Paris, France - Elysee Montmartre
2 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks
3 - Zurich, Switzerland - Komplex
5 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
6 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
7 - Langen, Germany - Stadthalle
9 - Vienna, Austria - Simm City
12 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
13 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys
15 - Neu-Ulm, Germany - Ratiopharm Arena
16 - Geiselwind, Germany - Eventcenter
21 - Bremen, Germany - Aladin
25 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
26 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Trädgår’n
29 - Karlstad, Sweden - Nöjesfabriken
30 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fryshuset


Festivals 2024:
July
21 - Athens, Greece - Release Athens
31-August 3 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air


August
1-3 - Rejmyre, Sweden - Skogsröjet


October
20 - Mallorca, Spain - Full Metal Holidays

German power metal pioneers, Helloween, performed with their extended classic line-up at Wacken Open Air 2023. Check out pro-shot video of "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" and "I Want Out" below.





Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM) recently announced the signing of legendary power metal institution, Helloween, for their upcoming studio album. Since their formation in 1984 and the spectacular reunion in 2017, Helloween are undoubtedly one of the world's outstanding representatives of the genre.




RPM comments on the signing: "It is a true milestone for Reigning Phoenix Music to welcome Helloween to our family of artists. Helloween are not just a band, they epitomize the energy and passion of power metal. Their music has inspired generations, and we are proud to collaborate in order to reach new heights."


Helloween themselves are equally enthusiastic about the new partnership: "Sven Bogner and his team have convinced us with their ideas and enthusiasm. They live and love metal, and this is what connects us - we look forward to be working with them!," explains singer Andi Deris.


The combination of Helloween and Reigning Phoenix Music promises a powerful synergy between one of the world's most influential power metal bands and a label that is passionate about promoting up-and-coming talents as well as established artists. Fans can look forward to thrilling musical experiences and innovative projects. Specifically, Helloween will start working on new material from the summer and are planning to release a new studio album in 2025.


Helloween are:


Michael Kiske - vocals
Andi Deris - vocals
Kai Hansen - guitars, vocals
Michael Weikath - guitars
Sascha Gerstner - guitars
Markus Grosskopf - bass
Daniel Löble - drums

In a new interview with Cover Band Confidential, SKID ROW drummer Rob Hammersmith spoke about the recent exit of singer Erik Grönwall. Erik, who was SKID ROW's fourth frontman since Sebastian Bach's departure, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021. As a result, he is immunocompromised, which made touring difficult.

"In a situation like this, it's obviously an emotional rollercoaster," Rob said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "You've got a lot of factors at play. There's the business side of things, but you're talking about a health issue. We're all adults. We're all reasonable human beings and we understand that it's unfortunate that it couldn't have gone further than it did, but it is the reality. And it's out of your control.

"One thing I have learned about the original members and the guys in SKID ROW, they're incredibly hard-working guys, they're incredibly loyal and committed to this thing that they've worked very hard to create," Hammersmith added. "And this sounds like a cliché answer, but somehow or another, the machine continues to roll on. And exactly what our future looks like, I don't know, but it's not the end of SKID ROW. That's for sure."

Rob also talked about the possibility of SKID ROW playing additional concerts with guest vocalists, similar to the four gigs the band did in late May and early June with the help of HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale.

"[We have] no confirmed shows on the books as of this conversation," he said. "We are speaking with a few people that might potentially be able to do the special-guest slots, exactly what Lzzy had gone out and done with us. We're hoping that that can come to fruition before the end of this year. And in the meantime, we are looking for a permanent person, a permanent singer. So at this point, I don't have any concrete announcements that I can make. But yeah, that's the plan at this point."

He continued: "Things always move slower than you would like them to. As human beings, I think in a situation like this, it's normal to wanna hurry up and have an answer and have a solution. And we're really just working through it… We do have a live record coming out later this year, which we're all very proud of. We worked hard with the mixing and the packaging of the record. So we're all very pleased with that and we're looking forward to the release of that."

Earlier this month, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan said during a question-and-answer session at the Days Of The Dead horror and pop culture-themed convention in Indianapolis that he and his bandmates are "taking our time" finding a new singer "because we have time. And we've got a couple guys on the radar that we're gonna audition," he revealed. "And there's also a couple of our friends that wanna do what Lzzy Hale did and sit in [on lead vocals] for a few [SKID ROW] shows. And that's fun too. That was so much fun doing those [four] shows [with Lzzy]."

Added SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo: "We also have a live record ['Live In London'] coming out, too. In the next couple of months it'll be coming out. And we did it in London, which was really special for us because that city holds a place in our hearts since the beginning of the band. So, it was a place where we could have a moment in time sort of in perpetuity. And it was a really fun show. And I'm so happy that, after all this time of having SKID ROW, that we were able to capture finally a live record. It's something we're very proud of it."

Two months ago, Rachel confirmed to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station that he and his bandmates have been talking to singers about potentially stepping in to replace Grönwall. He explained: "No one, really, with a name. But, yeah, we've been talking to a few guys that piqued our interest, for sure."

Asked if he has been working on any new music for a possible follow-up to 2022's "The Gang's All Here" album, Rachel said: "We've been writing. I've been writing a lot when I can. I've been writing in between moving from Nashville back to New Jersey and all that kind of stuff. But, yeah, I always write. Whenever I could hear something in the supermarket, then I just kind of check out real quick and drive home as fast as I can and fire up the Pro Tools [get the ideas down]."

In May, Sabo ruled out a reunion with SKID ROW's former singer Sebastian Bach telling The Hook Rocks podcast: "It's not gonna happen. And I say the same thing every time. I'm thankful that people have such an interest in wanting to see that happen, but I also have to reiterate that this is about being happy in the situation that you're in. So I'll speak for myself personally.

"First of all, I do need to say something too, is that the reason that this isn't happening is because there's three of us — myself, Scotti [Hill, SKID ROW guitarist] and Rachel — who've had conversations about this, and we've all been on the same page that we don't wanna go down that road again. We just — we don't.

"Rachel has taken a beating over this through the years," Sabo continued. "He's the one who's been blamed for this. 'Oh, it's Rachel's ego.' 'It's this and that.' No, that's a load of bullshit. That is not true. And I feel bad because he's really, really had to shoulder that blame and has never said anything derogatory or anything like that. But you know what? The truth of the matter is that Rachel, Scotti and myself have continually felt the same way, that we enjoy being happy in this band and we're really happy.

"It's been such a great experience for the last however, 35 years, everything, all the ups, all the downs, everything, but we just don't wanna revisit that particular aspect of our history," he explained. "I love the songs, [I] love a lot of the memories, [I am] not fond of some of the memories, but just as individuals and as a collective, that's just how we feel. So this is not on Rachel. And this has nothing to do with anyone's ego or anything like that. So that's just gotta be clear. Again, for anyone to sit there and make assumptions that this is Rachel Bolan saying 'nope,' it's not. It's the three of us, and we've all collectively sat there and just said that we don't wanna do it. We just don't wanna do it. And we wish everybody all the best."

Snake added: "We've been just ripped apart by ex-members of the band and stuff — ripped apart. Some really shitty stuff [has been] said about all of us. And we just choose not to [respond]. It's not who I am. It's not who we are. We won't go down that road. We just wanna play music and be happy. This has really never been about a monetary aspect of things because it's known that we've been offered a good amount of money to do shows together and to reunite [with Sebastian] and whatever, but it's just never been about the money, man. I choose my happiness, my willingness to continue to be a really good friend to my best friends and a really good husband and a really good dad and bandmate and person. And I don't wanna endanger that in any way. So the people that we choose to play with, those choices are made in order to keep those particular things in line for all of us."

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY. In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan, guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger. SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I. Theart was fired from SKID ROW in February 2022 and was replaced by Grönwall, who was previously a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T.

Four years ago, Bolan also confirmed that he and his bandmates "were entertaining the idea" of reuniting with Bach following Harnell's departure. But Rachel shot down the possibility of a rekindling of his friendship with Sebastian, explaining: "Well… Here's the soundbite for Blabbermouth. I wouldn't say we were friends [when we were in a band together]. We were bandmates. You know what I mean? We're two very different people." Bolan added that he hadn't seen Bach "in years."

Five years ago, Bach was asked by Rolling Stone what it would take for SKID ROW to be reunited. He responded: "It would take those guys to realize that I have a lifetime manager. His name is Rick Sales. I've been with him since 2006. They don't want to deal with a guy like that. They want to give some singer who doesn't have a manager $700 to $800 bucks a week. I've got a team that's worked with me and don't allow me to get fucked around. I didn't have that team when I was 19 years old."

In response to Bach's statements about the earnings of SKID ROW's singer, Sabo told Rolling Stone in an e-mail: "I guess fact-checking isn't in his skill set… The five of us go on that stage as a band and we all get paid equally. We're in this together. There's no egos."

Sebastian went on to say that SKID ROW was "close to reuniting, but then it didn't happen. The fact that it didn't happen obviously makes me somewhat bitter, because life is only getting shorter, as the song says," he added.

"I wouldn't say 'came close,'" Bolan told Rolling Stone in an e-mail response to Bach's account of the reunion talks. "We entertained the idea. Snake and I went as far as talking with agents and promoters about money. But we quickly learned after a few text conversations, why we fired him in the first place. Nothing is worth your happiness and peace of mind."

Legendary rockers DEF LEPPARD have shared a recap video of the first three shows from the band's summer 2024 stadium tour with JOURNEY: St. Louis, Missouri (July 6); Orlando, Florida (July 10) and Atlanta, Georgia (July 13). Check it out below.

DEF LEPPARD and JOURNEY kicked off their co-headlining North American tour on July 6 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Support at the gig came from fellow rock legends CHEAP TRICK.

13 of the 18 songs in DEF LEPPARD's set were culled from the band's two biggest albums, the diamond-certified "Pyromania" and "Hysteria". Among the tracks featured in the set were "Pyromania" opener "Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)" and DEF LEPPARD's latest single, the recently released "Just Like 73".

Regarding the setlist for the current tour, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen told Ultimate Classic Rock: "We changed the whole set. You know, there’s a whole screen [production] and we've been using pretty much the same stuff for like 12 years. So we've changed it completely. The stage show is drastically different. It's going to take a lot of energy. There's going to be a lot of running around. So I'm working out, trying to get the stamina up and all of that. Vocally, too. You know, I'm having to sing every single day."

DEF LEPPARD's setlist was as follows:

01. Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)
02. Rocket
03. Foolin'
04. Armageddon It
05. Animal
06. Love Bites
07. Just Like 73
08. Comin' Under Fire
09. Too Late For Love
10. Die Hard The Hunter
11. Two Steps Behind
12. This Guitar
13. Bringin' On The Heartbreak
14. Switch 625
15. Rock Of Ages
16. Photograph
17. Hysteria
18. Pour Some Sugar On Me

DEF LEPPARD's 23-city trek with JOURNEY will continue through September 8 in Denver, Colorado. Along the way, the two Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees will bring their show to stadiums in major cities like Chicago, Nashville, Boston, Toronto, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and more. CHEAP TRICK will play two shows at the beginning of the tour and two concerts at the end of the trek, while STEVE MILLER BAND will join the bill for the majority of shows.

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

JOURNEY recently completed a number of dates as part of its 50th-anniversary "Freedom" tour.

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

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

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

During an appearance on the June 20 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Collen stated about "Just Like 73": "We started it when we were doing [2022's] 'Diamond Star Halos' [album], and anyone who doesn't know, that's a line from a Marc Bolan song [from] T. REX. He says 'hubcap diamond star halo'. And me and Joe [Elliott, DEF LEPPARD singer] have always used that phrase to describe the time that we got really baptized into music. I remember seeing [David] Bowie on 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' and 'Top Of The Pops' and was, like, 'Oh my God. This is my guy.' I was, like, 14 or 15. I'd already seen DEEP PURPLE; it my first concert, which was amazing. So, then all of a sudden this glam stuff came out. So we would always describe that as 'Diamond Star Halos'."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joey Belladonna, six-time Grammy-nominated lead vocalist of the legendary thrash metal icons ANTHRAX, doesn't sit still when not recording or performing with his main band. His new project JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK! takes you on an exciting — and unique — journey through the golden ages of classic rock.

With his extraordinary powerful, dynamic vocals and charismatic stage presence, Belladonna pays homage to the great bands and their songs from the 1960s through the 1990s.

Joey teams up in his new project with Dutch classic rock band THE CLARKS. THE CLARKS are, for decades, the most successful rock and roll cover band from The Netherlands with TV performances and live shows under their belt in all over Europe, USA, India, Indonesia and South Africa.

Belladonna performed by chance with THE CLARKS at the 100th-anniversary event of bus and coach company Royal Jan De Wit on December 8, 2023 in Haarlem, The Netherlands, and they had an instant sensation which brought them together in JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK!

JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK! will make its live debut on August 3, 2024 at the world-famous festival Wacken Open Air in Germany. A club tour will take place in December in The Netherlands.

In the past, Belladonna had played drums and sung for a classic-rock covers band called CHIEF BIG WAY. The upstate New York-based group performed versions of songs from JOURNEY, AC/DC, ZZ TOP, BOSTON, CHEAP TRICK, FOREIGNER, PINK FLOYD, VAN HALEN, COLLECTIVE SOUL, THE WHO, THE DOORS, SHINEDOWN and BON JOVI, among others. Belladonna has also played sporadic shows with his JOURNEY tribute band called BEYOND FRONTIERS.

More than a decade ago, Belladonna was asked by Tricia Weight whether singing different styles of music in his side projects is good for him, almost acting like "exercises" to keep his vocals in shape. He said at the time: "Yeah, it [is]. I mean, now I've got more projects than I've ever had. Even at home I sing to records, that's how I learned to do it anyhow, I used to pull out the coolest records and sing to 'em all day long, before I went out [on stage]. And I do it now, even [on the way] to the gig. If we've got an hour drive tonight — I'm rocking the stuff on the iPod all the way there!"

BUTCHER BABIES have parted ways with singer Carla Harvey.

The band announced Harvey's exit in a social media post earlier today (Saturday, July 20). BUTCHER BABIES wrote: "As you may have already guessed, it is confirmed that Carla Harvey and BUTCHER BABIES have officially parted ways.

"Carla has been an integral part of our journey, bringing her unique talent, passion, and energy to the band. We are grateful for the incredible memories we've made together and the impact she has had on our music and our fans. We will miss her greatly and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

"We deeply appreciate your support over the past 15 years," BUTCHER BABIES added. "We feel incredibly fortunate to keep making and playing music as our career, and we are excited for this new era of BUTCHER BABIES!

"See you on the road."

Carla added in a separate post: "Over the last 6 months You may have noticed my absence from BUTCHER BABIES posts. After 15 years of dedication, I wanted to let you know that I will not be rejoining the band for any future endeavors.

"I am super proud of my work with BUTCHER BABIES…2 EPS, 5 Full lengths albums and countless tours with our metal heroes! To all of our incredible BUTCHER BABIES friends and fans…you have provided me with some of the greatest experiences of my life! I have loved every second of writing and performing all over the world for you! I have loved meeting you. WOW. I still can't believe this kid from Detroit got so lucky.

"I am not done making music and performing. I WILL see you soon".

Last fall, BUTCHER BABIES completed a European tour without Carla, who sat out the trek in order to undergo emergency surgery on her left eye.

Harvey shared the news of her absence from the tour on October 26, 2023 in a social media post. The 47-year-old singer, who co-founded BUTCHER BABIES in 2010 with fellow vocalist Heidi Shepherd, posted a photo of her performing with her bandmates, and she included the following message: "Here's a picture of a girl in her happy place; unfortunately i won't be in that happy place on the upcoming @butcherbabies Euro run. Love you all but i have to sit this one out!

"I have a history of problematic vision and I had to have a major surgery about 10 years ago in my right eye for a retinal detachment. On our summer tour the telltale symptoms repeated themselves in my left eye. I've been hoping to avoid major surgery but it is clear that it must be done. My emergency surgery will include a healing process of laying face down for a number of days with a gas bubble in my eye."

Carla added: "This is the first time in fifteen years i won't be able to join my friends on stage but right now my health and sight take precedence for me. While I am gutted that I cannot make the tour the risk of me waiting till after a tour to do such a surgery is too great and includes permanent vision loss. The beauty of having two vocalists is that Heidi can cover for me until i'm better!

"Hoping to make it out for part of this euro run...go to the shows, have a blast and support my bandmates for me! I'll see you soon!"

In the comments section, Shepherd voiced her support for her then-bandmate, writing: "Sending all the love and healing. We'll hold down the fort while you heal. We need those beautiful eyes to work!!! Love you!"

BUTCHER BABIES are scheduled to kick off a three-week European tour on July 27 at the Stonehenge festival in The Netherlands.

This past January, Harvey and ANTHRAX and PANTERA drummer Charlie Benante announced that they were officially engaged.

BUTCHER BABIES released a double album "Eye For An Eye..." and "…'Til The World's Blind", in July 2023. The double album celebrates the tenth anniversary of BUTCHER BABIES' critically acclaimed debut, "Goliath", released on July 9, 2013 via Century Media Records.

BUTCHER BABIES' previous album, 2017's "Lilith" was produced by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SEPULTURA, SUICIDE SILENCE) and marked the band's recording debut with drummer Chase Brickenden, who replaced Chris Warner in 2016.

In July 2019, longtime BUTCHER BABIES bassist Jason Klein announced his departure from the band. He has since been replaced by Ricky Bonazza.

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In a new interview with Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips, BUCKCHERRY frontman Josh Todd was asked what he learned from touring with AC/DC for about a week back in May 2001. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "How to be humble and really cool. And those guys, they were very humble and sweet, and answered all our questions. [They] let us have full sound on their P.A., which doesn't happen. Mostly headliners only give you so much sound so that when they come out, they sound bigger. AC/DC was, like, 'You can have full P.A. Do whatever you want.' They were very gracious and cool, and that's what we wanted to be. So that's what I learned."

He continued: "I got to sit on a couch and drink tea with [AC/DC guitarist] Angus [Young] and talk about his career. And [AC/DC singer] Brian Johnson was walking around the room telling jokes. And I was, like, 'Wow, this is fucking so amazing.' Because sometimes you meet musicians and… I give everybody the benefit of the doubt. Not everybody is in a great headspace every day. So sometimes people can be a little bit not what you thought they were gonna be, and you've gotta give 'em a second, and maybe next time it'll be different. And I always do that with everybody. But when we met those guys, they were the same all the time. And that's what I loved about them."

Last November, BUCKCHERRY released a new holiday song called "Tell 'Em It's Christmas".

BUCKCHERRY previously released another holiday song, "Christmas Is Here", back in 2010.

BUCKCHERRY's latest album, "Vol. 10", came out in June 2023. The 11-song LP features 10 new BUCKCHERRY originals and, as a bonus track, a cover of the Bryan Adams classic "Summer Of 69". The album was produced by Marti Frederiksen and recorded at Sienna Studios in Nashville. The album was released in North America by Round Hill Records, in Japan by Sony Japan, and by Earache Records for the rest of the world.

Frederiksen previously produced 2021's "Hellbound" as well as BUCKCHERRY's fourth album, "Black Butterfly", and co-wrote "Sorry", among other songs, with the band.

In the summer of 2020, BUCKCHERRY recruited JETBOY's Billy Rowe as its new guitarist. He joined the group as the replacement for Kevin Roentgen, who left BUCKCHERRY in July of that year.

In 2019, BUCKCHERRY enlisted Francis Ruiz as its new drummer. He joined the group as the replacement for Sean Winchester, who exited BUCKCHERRY after laying down the drum tracks on "Warpaint".

LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton and MASTODON singer-bassist Troy Sanders are featured in Heavy Consequence's "Two For The Road" series in which two artists touring together chat about playing shows, life backstage, and more. Regarding the fact that SLAYER guitarist Kerry King's new eponymous band will serve as the support act for LAMB OF GOD and MASTODON's co-headlining North American "Ashes Of Leviathan" tour, Mark said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "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 launch on July 19 in Grand Prairie, Texas and 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.

In a new interview with Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X, MUDVAYNE frontman Chad Gray spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for their next studio release. The reunited metallers haven't put out any new material since 2009, which means a decade and a half has gone by without a single fresh MUDVAYNE song.

Asked if he and his bandmates have done any "file sharing" to create their new music, Chad said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've done it pretty much every fucking way you can do it at this point. But we did some file sharing and stuff like that. Greg [Tribbett, guitar] sent around some risks and then Matt [McDonough, drums] — 'cause Matt does a lot of like ambient-style music on his own, so he can definitely program. So he programmed some drums, and, obviously, when I get that… All I need is basically the guitar riff and I can start kind of feeling it out for melody and lyrical direction and shit like that. I don't need necessarily the whole thing. I can just have very basic shit for me to start writing… But I'll have the nuts and bolts, and, ultimately, that's what file sharing is all about. It's about getting the nuts and bolts of what you're wanting to do. And then from there, you go in the studio and you fucking tweak it, and you fucking add harmonies and you add fucking layers and fucking overdubs, and you can go crazy and then really make it special. So I'm excited about that. We haven't done that yet. That's the one thing we haven't done yet, is got in a room with a fucking producer."

Addressing the pressure he and his bandmates feel to make music of a high-enough quality to live up to the fans' expectations, Chad said: "Honestly, dude, if we were to go into a studio situation and we were to record something, if every single fucking person on our team — us, the producer, our fucking manager, our fucking lawyer — if everyone on our team is not fucking jumping up and down and high-fiving, then it ain't worth putting out. That's just me — I only wanna put out fucking great shit. And with great shit, [I mean] timeless. You wanna create timeless music, and you have to ask yourself the question, 'Is that timeless? Is this timeless music or is this a fucking fad? Are we following something here or are we leading something here?'"

Gray also talked about the relationship he has with his MUDVAYNE bandmates, particularly as it relates to the creative process. He said: "We are who we are. How we are with our personalities is almost the dynamic of what makes MUDVAYNE great. And it's not conflict or whatever, but we test each other. But I think that that comes across in the music we create. And I think we've always had that since the beginning or whatever. And I think that that's one of the things that kind of makes it great. Obviously, we overcome it and we get through it, but there are like times when we start writing, man, where it's, like, 'Do we want the same thing?' We're trying to mold it. But the good thing is that everybody in the band is really open-minded, and that's what it takes. But when we start, like, I have a vision, Matt has a vision, Ryan [Martinie, bass] has a vision, Greg has a vision, and they're not always the same. Through that, you bring it together, but you've gotta give a little, take a little, give a little, take a little, but you've gotta be willing to do that.

"But, yeah, it's really cool," he continued. "I like the dynamic we have. I like the personalities that we have in the band, and I think that, honestly, that's one of the things that makes it great. And I think that's one of the things that make it special.

"Our music is emotional music, whether it's helplessness or fucking anger or aggression or any fucking gamut — our music definitely covers the gamut of all emotions — and I think that those emotions are what bring people close to our music, because they can build a relationship with it," Chad added. "'Cause I'm not the kind of writer that's, like, 'This is what the song is. This is what the song's about.' I kind of get you going down a road, maybe reel you in a little bit so you kind of get the vibe on where I'm at, but I'm giving you off ramps all the way through it where you can take it and make it applicable to your life. But that's what makes it special, 'cause now you're building your own relationship with it and not what I'm telling you the relationship has to be. There's no boundaries on it, so it's pretty boundless."

This past March, Chad told The Jesea Lee Show that he and his MUDVAYNE bandmates were still "trying to figure out" where they wanted their new material to go.

"Right now, we've got some, you can call them whole songs 'cause they have a start and a finish, but I feel like they're kind of half-songs," he said at the time. "I just don't think they're realized yet. I don't think we have figured out exactly how we want this to play out with what we're doing in our business or how we want it to sonically sound."

Gray continued: "Nothing inside of me wants to be the MUDVAYNE of [the band's 2000 debut album] 'L.D. 50'. I think that the more albums we wrote, the better we got as songwriters. A lot of people would probably disagree with me, but [2008's] 'The New Game' is probably one of my favorite fucking albums. It's got like 'Dull Boy' on it, it's got just some really quintessential MUDVAYNE stuff that's not anything like anybody else was doing. I feel like we fucking finally had kind of found our groove. 'L.D. 50', to me, was a very gratuitous, individual workshop, and we put all four pieces together and called it an album."

Last October, Gray told Australia's Heavy that he and his MUDVAYNE bandmates had "started putting some new stuff together a little bit and people that have heard [some of the early demo] stuff are really excited about it. Only the people that are closest to us have heard anything, and, like I said, it's really rough; it's demos," he explained. "But you can tell it's special. And I think that we have to make sure it's MUDVAYNE. We have to make sure that it's what we want. So we'll just have to see. We were working on it, working on it, working on it a little bit here and there.

"We all live states away from each other — nobody lives even close to each other — so it makes it a little bit difficult," he explained. "But we were able to get some stuff demoed up or whatever, but with us being so far apart, it's a little slow going. And then we just kind of hit a wall. We were, like, 'Okay, we've gotta get back into touring.' So we put everything together and we went back out [last] summer."

In August 3034, Chad told The Oakland Press that he and his MUDVAYNE bandmates had "four [songs] in the pipe. I've written each one of them probably three different times, 'cause it's like nothing's good enough," he revealed. "We're gonna keep pushing. We're all getting along really good. We're all talking. Hopefully we all want the same thing from our music, so we'll see. It's definitely the thing that makes the most sense to do now."

MUDVAYNE completed its first headlining tour in over 14 years, "The Psychotherapy Sessions", last summer. Support on the 26-city trek, which was produced by Live Nation, came from COAL CHAMBER, along with GWAR, NONPOINT and BUTCHER BABIES.

Previously, MUDVAYNE made waves in 2022 when they embarked on the "Freaks On Parade" tour co-headlined with ROB ZOMBIE. This 2023 tour, however, marked MUDVAYNE's first headlining endeavor since 2009.

Gray told The Oakland Press that his "main motivation for putting [MUDVAYNE] back together and coming back was our fans", including those who discovered the band during its absence. "There's so many younger kids that are coming up and coming into our world, the metal world, and they're learning about MUDVAYNE," he said. "So you have this, like, the ground's kind of rumbling and it goes out and touches more and more people, but we weren't out there to scratch that itch. You still have your actual fan base but you're accumulating new people. So when we came back it was very exciting for us. It was about our fans and giving those new fans the experience."

MUDVAYNE formed in 1996 and has sold over six million records worldwide, earning gold certification for three albums ("L.D. 50", "The End Of All Things To Come", "Lost And Found"). The band is known for its sonic experimentation, innovative album art, face and body paint, masks and uniforms.

Gray spent 15 years fronting HELLYEAH, which released its sixth studio album, "Welcome Home", in September 2019 via Eleven Seven Music. The disc marked the group's final effort with drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who passed away six years ago.

MUDVAYNE did not tour behind its fifth album, which was barely promoted and sold weakly upon release.

In a new interview with Prescription Punk Rock, DEICIDE frontman Glen Benton offered his views on artists monetizing — directly and on their own terms — enhanced fan experiences in the form of VIP meet-and-greets. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I was having this conversation with the guys in the band the other day, 'cause we were talking about meet-and-greets and doing that kind of stuff. And I'm just not a fan of the whole charging fans for a signature. I give a fan a signature out of kindness of my heart, not because I wanna make money off of them. The fact that they're a fan and they listen to our material… I know things are different — most people get [music] for free now — but I still can't come to terms with that, to charge somebody for my signature, especially a fan… And it makes me feel kind of weird."

He continued: "[Late RUSH drummer] Neil Peart, I've seen an interview with him, and he felt uncomfortable in those situations, and I just feel the same way, man. I just don't like being put in those positions where I'm sitting at a table and people are gawking at me like I'm in the Jim Rose Circus or something. I guess I'm just too real and too deep for that kind of shit. To me, I think it's — pardon the expression — I think it's a poser kind of thing. That's for posers. And Steve's [Asheim, DEICIDE drummer], like, 'I feel the same way. I feel like I wanna climb out of my skin when I'm in those situations.' And like I say, I'm just not into that kind of thing. 'Cause I'm up there, if I'm wrangled into these things, I'm thinking to myself as I'm up there and everybody's saying all the compliments and everything, and I think to myself, 'Man, if they can only see me when I'm outside mowing my grass, washing the car and cleaning the bathroom. If they could only see me now.' So that's kind of how it makes me feel uncomfortable, 'cause I don't think of myself like a rock star or anything like that. I just don't put myself in that [frame of mind]. I can't. I really don't. I can't relate."

Benton added: "For some people, it's just not them. And I don't feel comfortable doing it. I mean, I don't mind, if you come out to me, like if I'm leaving the back door and getting in vehicles and people come up to me, I welcome that. I don't feel like I'm being put on a pedestal. I don't like to feel like that. It's just an uncomfortable, surreal feeling for me. Like I said, I'd be better off… Catch me at the airport, catch me going out the back door, catch me in soundcheck. The way I look at it, if I'm out touring, in a day's time, man, I work for an hour. So in that time frame, you have ten thousand opportunities to get me to sign something, give you a guitar pick, do a selfie with you and that. It means more to somebody like that than it does to go pay 80 bucks to stand there. I just don't feel comfortable doing that. I never will. I never have. I've gotten some moments of ruffled feathers because of it. But, to me, that's for posers. That's for… I don't even wanna say their names… I've gotta be careful. You've gotta be careful. Everything goes right on Blabbermouth. You can't joke anymore. The world is a different place now."

"V.I.P Packages" seem to be the only way for fans to meet the bands they admire these days. Some of these come at a really inflated price on top of the standard ticket costs and include anything from a signed item, a photo to watching soundchecks or a collectable lanyard.

Paid meet-and-greets are becoming staples of the touring circuit and are seen by some artists as a necessary evil to survive nowadays. Other musicians object to meet-and-greets on moral grounds, believing they favor richer fans over poorer ones. Similarly, many people view the fact that groups charge fans to meet them as completely exploitative, since artists are usually aware that young admirers are prepared to pay any amount of money to see their favorite band, sometimes at their parents' expense.

DEICIDE recently announced the "Banished By Sin" North American tour for this summer/fall. The trek, which will feature support from KRISIUN, INFERI and CLOAK, will launch on September 5 in Atlanta, Georgia and conclude on October 11 in Tampa, Florida.

DEICIDE's new album, "Banished By Sin", was made available on April 26 via Reigning Phoenix Music.

This past February, DEICIDE released the second single from "Banished By Sin", a song called "Sever The Tongue". The track was recorded at Smoke & Mirrors with engineer Jeramie Kling, while the mixing and mastering was handed by Josh Wilbur.

DEICIDE collaborated with David Brodsky from My Good Eye: Music Visuals for a visually arresting video for "Sever The Tongue" that complements the track's blasphemous undertones.

To close out 2023, DEICIDE celebrated Christmas with another blasphemous song called "Bury The Cross...With Your Christ".

DEICIDE played its first show with new guitarist Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE, INHUMAN CONDITION) on May 21, 2022 at the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Previous DEICIDE guitarist Chris Cannella amicably left the band in January 2022 after a three-year run.

Chris joined DEICIDE in 2019 following the departure of guitarist Mark English.

English became a member of DEICIDE in 2016 after the exit of longtime guitarist Jack Owen.

Photo credit: Deidra Kling

In a new interview with The Jeremy White Show, John 5, who joined MÖTLEY CRÜE in the fall of 2022 as the replacement for the band's co-founding guitarist Mick Mars, spoke about classic rock and heavy metal bands who continue to tour and record even when some of the original members are no longer involved. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's very strange because all these bands, they're slowly going away. And it's totally, totally scary to me, because we have good rock and roll, but we need more good rock and roll. We need more bands to come out there. We need more bands to say 'look at me' and stuff, 'cause I'm looking. I can't wait to see new rock and roll. We need it, because they're going away."

He continued: "I was thinking about this the other day. Can you name — I don't know — let's say five bands, let's say starting from the '80s who have original members. 'Cause from the '70s it's impossible."

When White was unable to name any 1980s acts that still have their original lineups intact, John 5 added: "So just imagine, though, if a member left or passed away or something, God forbid, and then that band couldn't continue. There'd be nobody. Isn't that wild to think about?"

John 5 went on to defend aging rock acts for continuing to perform even when there are only one or two original members left.

"I'm speaking as a fan," he said. "I would love to see AC/DC one more time.

"Just take THE ROLLING STONES," he continued. "When Brian [Jones, founder and original leader of THE ROLLING STONES] died, what if THE STONES were, like, 'That's it. No more ROLLING STONES.' We'd have a few records. Unbelievable."

After White brought up QUEEN as an example of a band which is performing its classic sons with singer Adam Lambert, who was only nine years old when Freddie Mercury passed away, John 5 said: "And Adam Lambert is amazing. Incredible. You want to hear these songs. Music is about having a great time and forgetting about life for a while and enjoying the music. That's what you're supposed to do — you're supposed to enjoy the music."

Mars suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS),a chronic and inflammatory form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine and pelvis. After years of performing through the pain, he informed the other members of MÖTLEY CRÜE in the summer of 2022 that he could no longer tour with them but would still be open to recording new music or performing at residencies that did not require much travel.

When Mars announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, in April 2023 the now-72-year-old musician filed a lawsuit against CRÜE in Los Angeles County's Superior Court claiming that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting.

This past April, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx spoke to Josh Klinger of Chicago's Rock 95.5 radio station about the addition of John 5 to the band's lineup. Nikki said: "John's been around with me for a while. I had him write a song with me and Desmond Child for Meat Loaf called 'The Monster Is Loose'. And I put him on a SIXX:A.M. song he wrote with me called 'Lies Of The Beautiful People', which was a big song for that band. And I wrote a lot of [MÖTLEY CRÜE's] 'The Dirt' [soundtrack] songs with him. And he actually played guitar on those songs; the majority of those guitars are John. That was just because of the inability to get the songs recorded with Mick."

He continued: "John was kind of like easy prey for us. It was perfect. It was, like, well, he's a friend and he knows the band and he loves the band. And I talked to the band about it, 'cause we were put in a horrible situation. I mean, you've gotta imagine how much of my life is dedicated, and Tommy [Lee, CRÜE drummer] and Vince's life, when we were basically told that our guitar player's leaving the band. And we had to really think hard about, we were, like, 'Okay, do we let [concert promoter] Live Nation down? Do we pull off the tour and kind of screw DEF LEPPARD over? But what about our families and our fans?' So, we had to make a really hard decision. And I feel like we made the right decision."

Nikki added: "Sometimes you've gotta make a hard decision, and the decision was made to carry on. And I'm glad we did. We didn't just wing it. John had been around with us in different versions of playing, whether it was with me or other stuff. So it was hard, but the right thing to do. And now there's kind of a new lifeblood because we're out on the road. And then, of course, it's a nice energy amongst me and Tommy and Vince, because we've known each other for 43 years, and bringing in somebody else that it feels comfortable for us, it feels like a family on stage."

Sammy Hagar played the fifth show of his summer 2024 tour Saturday night (July 20) at the at the Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia. Fan-filmed video can be seen below (courtesy of Jim Powers).

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 guitarist virtuoso Joe Satriani, who has recorded and performed with Hagar and Anthony in the band CHICKENFOOT, and multi-instrumentalist Rai Thistlethwayte.

As has been the case with the all "The Best Of All Worlds" concerts so far, the 21-song set in Bristow consisted 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 included 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".

The full setlist was as follows:

01. Good Enough (VAN HALEN song)
02. Poundcake (VAN HALEN song)
03. Runaround (VAN HALEN song)
04. There's Only One Way To Rock
05. Judgement Day (VAN HALEN song)
06. Panama (VAN HALEN song)
07. 5150 (VAN HALEN song)
08. Summer Nights (VAN HALEN song)
09. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love (VAN HALEN song)
10. Top Of The World (VAN HALEN song)
11. Best Of Both Worlds (VAN HALEN song)
12. Satch Boogie (Joe Satriani song)
13. The Seventh Seal (VAN HALEN song)
14. Right Now (VAN HALEN song)
15. Why Can't This Be Love (VAN HALEN song)
16. Eagles Fly
17. Mas Tequila (SAMMY HAGAR AND THE WABOS song)
18. Heavy Metal
19. I Can't Drive 55
20. Space Station #5 / Oh Yeah / Jump
21. When It's Love (VAN HALEN song)

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 SiriusXM's "Trunk Naition With Eddie Trunk", Hagar spoke about the summer 2024 tour, which kicked off on July 13 at the 20,000-capacity iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida. Asked about Satriani's approach to performing the material originally written and recorded by Eddie Van Halen, Sammy said: "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.

Heavy metal titans KREATOR headlined last night's (Saturday, July 20) "Klash Of The Ruhrpott" festival at Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The concert featured the long-awaited union of Germany's legendary "Teutonic Big Four", completed by SODOM, DESTRUCTION and TANKARD.

The one-day thrash extravaganza was a celebration of German metal, and it welcomed domestic and international fans for this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Unfortunately, due to a "severe weather warning", KREATOR was forced to cut its performance short after 10 songs. "With the safety of our fans and crew absolutely paramount, we had no choice but to end the concert early," the band said in a statement. "We hope you had as much fun until the abrupt end as we did and are already looking forward to seeing you next time."

A video recap of the event, courtesy of The Unstoppable Grind Master, is available below.

In a July 2023 interview with La Mesa Del Metal, SODOM frontman Thomas "Angelripper" Such spoke about the possibility of there being more shows featuring the long-awaited union of Germany's legendary "Teutonic Big Four". Angelripper said: "Well, we talk about years doing something with the Big Four, and we played… [In 2022] there was a Mexico Metal Fest, [with] all the four bands playing, and that was great; people had a great time. And I can tell, we are not able to make touring around the world because KREATOR, they have their own projects, the touring, their recording sessions, whatever. So, but if there is a promoter [out there in] the world who [says], 'I wanna book SODOM, I wanna book KREATOR, DESTRUCTION and TANKARD,' maybe, we go. So you got the Big Four. So I always wanna do something special like this… I think KREATOR is a bigger band than SODOM… But doing something special for the fans and all the four bands gonna play there — maybe just every band gonna play one hour. We get four hours of finest thrash metal music. That would be something really special for the fans. But it's very easy to do. If you are promoter and you wanna have all the four bands going there up on stage, we go."

Such went on to say that there are no personal issues between him and KREATOR. "We are still friends," he explained. "We are talking about everything. But they are touring at this time, DESTRUCTION's touring at the same time. It's very hard. The business is very hard, because all the bands are very busy for touring and writing songs and rehearsing sessions. And how fast the year is gone. But we're working on it. Definitely."

According to Angelripper, there was a stronger sense of competition when all four bands were just starting out in the 1980s. "When we were young kiddies, a young band, [we would think], 'Oh, KREATOR, they got a better guitarist.' Or [they would think], 'SODOM, they get the record deal first,' that was something," he said. "But nowadays, we are getting older; we're getting wise. I never mind what the other bands do. I don't take care. I just wanna take care of my own band."

When "Klash Of The Ruhrpott" was first announced a year ago, Mille Petrozza (KREATOR) commented: "I'm so happy we have an opportunity to present this package in the best way possible! It's going to be a really special day, full of love and respect…and the most extensive KREATOR set ever…prepare for some DEEP CUTS!"

Such added: "I am very happy to finally be able to share the stage with my old companions and friends again. A meeting with these four fantastic bands cannot be surpassed in terms of cult status. It will be a very special event for us and our fans. Until then, please stay healthy and confident. See ya soon… Cheers, Tom."

Schmier (DESTRUCTION) stated: "Oh YES — we all have been waiting for this to happen, I am excited that it finally worked out! Hopefully this is the beginning of some more to come! We are super thrilled to be a part of this. Thanks for the invitation, Mille!"

Andreas "Gerre" Geremia (TANKARD) said: "Good things take time! Finally the four big will clash and thrash together. We feel very proud to be a part of this historical event!"

In the fall of 2022, Angelripper spoke to BLABBERMOUTH.NET about SODOM being part of the "German Big Four". He said at the time: "I love DESTRUCTION. Schmier is a good friend of mine. They have a different style of music. DESTRUCTION is more thrash metal than SODOM; we have more black metal or heavy metal influences. I'm so proud of them. They did it. They created their own style. They have the perfect singer in the band. We always talk about the [German] 'Big Four' and touring together, but it's hard to do. I think Mille is not interested in doing it. We played the Mexico Metal Fest [in September 2022], the 'Big Four', with HELLHAMMER and GRAVE DIGGER and I talked to Schmier, we had a beer with Gerre, but I didn't see Mille. He came on stage and went back to the hotel. He doesn't want to spend any time with us. I don't know why. Maybe he's living on a different planet. I don't think this tour will ever happen."

When he asked if he has always been friendly with Mille, Angelripper said: "We're friends, but I'm good friends with Schmier. But Mille…it's different. He's not more in the scene. I never see him when we go into any metal bar here in Essen. It's completely different. We'll need to talk about the 'Big Three' touring. It doesn't have to be a tour. All the bands have a packed schedule touring, but we can do a big show. This package is good for three, four or five thousand people."

METALLICA, OZZY OSBOURNE, ANTHRAX, VAN HALEN and SCORPIONS are among the artists who have made Rolling Stone magazine's list of "50 Worst Album Covers Of All Time".

Rolling Stone explained its process for choosing the albums this way: "Our selection criteria for the list, other than fugliness: We skewed toward major artists with the resources of professional graphic designers who really should have known better. (Some of rock music's most revered design firms, such as Hipgnosis, are also some of the worst offenders here.) No more than one album per artist. No mercy for the album's music actually being good (that happens more often than you'd think)."

The hard rock/heavy metal artists featured on the list are:

* QUEEN's "The Miracle": #47
* METALLICA's "Metallica": #41
* OZZY OSBOURNE's "Down To Earth": #30
* BON JOVI's "Slippery When Wet": #25
* ANTHRAX's "Fistful Of Metal": #23
* VAN HALEN's "Balance": #20
* SCORPIONS' "Lovedrive": #18
* TED NUGENT's "Love Grenade": #5

The original "Lovedrive" cover, which was designed by Storm Thorgerson and banned in the United States, depicted a dapper man in a suit with his hand attached to an elegantly dressed woman's breast by way of a puddy-like substance, which was apparently supposed to be chewing gum.

Thorgerson told one interviewer about the "Lovedrive" cover: "I always imagined that the drive — they were on their way to the opera, and he has this fetish about bubblegum and she lets him do it because she doesn't give a shit. But I think it's also a bit silly. I quite like it, yeah."

SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine later said that the controversy was unintentional. "We never did it on purpose, we just did not know it would be a problem in America, it was just sex and rock 'n' roll," he said. "It is odd that in America that some of these covers were a problem because in the '80s when we would tour here we always had boobs flashed to us at the front of the stage. Nowhere else in the world, just here. We just did not think it would be a problem to put out a record like 'Lovedrive' in America."

Although the "Metallica" album cover appeared to be completely black, the top left of the sleeve featured a barely distinguishable embossed band logo, while in the bottom right hand corner was an embossed image of a coiled rattlesnake.

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield later said that there was a specific reason why he and his bandmates chose to release their 1991 album in what was almost a totally black cover. "There was no theme to this one," he said. "It was a simple black cover and you had to listen to the music. You wouldn't be distracted by a drawing on the front."

ANTHRAX's "Fistful Of Metal" featured a cover depicting a man being held down as a fist is thrust right through his mouth. ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian later called the image "horrible" and explained that "it was [then-ANTHRAX singer] Neil Turbin's idea from start to finish, and was done by a guy called Kent Joshpe. But it's also odd, because if you look at the two hands on the cover, they're both left ones," he continued. "The hand holding the guy's head, and the other coming through his mouth — neither is a right hand."

He added: "The one really good thing to come out of the sleeve was that we got a cool logo. Kent came up with several suggestions, and the one that stood out is what has been our logo ever since."

Sharon Osbourne has once again accused Bruce Dickinson of being "jealous" of Ozzy Osbourne.

The IRON MAIDEN singer was involved in a verbal battle with Ozzy's wife and manager nearly two decades ago when his band was pelted with eggs, lighters and ice during the final performance of its headlining performance on the 2005 Ozzfest tour.

Sharon reportedly ordered interference with MAIDEN's PA system, delayed the stage entrance of the band's mascot Eddie, and even encouraged the crowd to throw bottles at Dickinson because she took offense to remarks she said the singer made concerning the quality of the tour's sound system and criticisms he made about Ozzy. Among the comments she objected to was Dickinson telling fans during MAIDEN's set that they would never see his band featured "in a reality show," presumably a reference to the MTV series "The Osbournes" and "Battle For Ozzfest".

When Billboard recently interviewed Sharon and Ozzy as part of an "oral history" of Ozzfest, Sharon stated about her issues with MAIDEN: "It was just the singer. The other guys in the band are great, great people. No problem at all. But when you've got a singer that is so eaten up with jealousy for the headliner, it never goes well."

Ozzy said: "He would go on the stage and turn to the audience and say bad things. Be disrespectful. 'I didn't condone the fucking lights,' and all this. If you don't want the gig, just say, 'I don't want the gig.' But it's pretty fucking stupid if you accept the gig and all you do is complain about it."

Added Sharon: "I just kept saying, 'Let him do it. Let him do it. He'll get it.' And on the last day, he did."

During MAIDEN's final show of the tour, when audience members began hurling eggs and other debris at the stage, Dickinson addressed the crowd: "You may have noticed a few wise asses that decided they would go down to the supermarket and buy a few fucking eggs and start throwing them at us down in the front. I guess they thought it would be funny. Well, this is an English fucking flag and these colors do not fucking run from you asswipes."

Sharon told Billboard: "I had been having cancer treatments, and all the nurses that I had met over my year in chemo came to the show and they said, 'Can we do anything for you?' And I'm, like, 'Yes, you can.' I loaded them up with cans of bean soup, vegetables, eggs, and I said, 'Pelt the singer.' And that's what they did. It was, like, 'You wanna talk? You think you're clever? Well, watch this — you're gonna get covered in tomato soup in L.A."

Sharon added: "I just thought, 'You're taking the money to be on this tour, and you're disrespecting the namesake of the tour. You're disrespecting him by knocking him every night to the fans.' I don't like that. It's not in the spirit of what we do."

Ozzy chimed in: "If you feel that bad about the tour, fucking leave."

Back in November 2022, when Consequence interviewed Ozzy, the site asked the metal icon if he felt he was underrated as a singer, compared to other legendary vocalists like Dickinson, Rob Halford and the late Ronnie James Dio.

"Bruce Dickinson is a great singer, but as a person, I've worked with him, and he's not very nice," Ozzy said. "Ronnie James Dio is no longer alive. He was a great singer. I didn't really know him so well. I'm not one of these guys who says many things about people. The truth is the truth. I met Ronnie James Dio a couple of times. He took my [BLACK SABBATH] gig. But at the same time, I can't complain because I did great on my own."

Ozzy continued: "But I don't sing for a judge. I sing for my fans. If my fans don't buy my music, that would tell me my singing isn't any good anymore, but they're still buying my records. I'm my own worst critic. I don't rate myself more than Ronnie James Dio or Bruce Dickinson. That's not my gig. I don't care. I have fun doing what I do. My goal is to turn my fucking audience on. And that's what I try to do. I'm not interested if someone thinks I'm a fucking joke. That's fine. That's their opinion."

Sharon, who was interviewed for the same Consequence cover story, was far more scathing in her remarks, saying: "Bruce Dickinson is a fucking prick. Well, no, he's not a prick because a prick's nice. He's a fucking asshole. Because the situation is he was on a tour called Ozzfest. And Ozzy Osbourne was paying him every night to perform. He accepted the gig. He knew what he was doing. He accepted the gig. And every night he would go onstage and say bad things about Ozzy. And the crew and everybody in all the other bands would be like, 'Are you letting him get away with it?' And I'm like, 'I sure am.' But the last gig was [just outside of] L.A. And I thought, 'You motherfucker, now you're gonna get it.' And so I had about 20 people in the audience and a lot of them were nurses from Cedars Sinai, because I had cancer at that time. And they were all my chemo nurses. And they all came down, and they fucking pelted the shit out of him. And my thing is, you play, you pay! And the thing is, if you're being paid to do a gig, but you don't like the person, then fuck off. But don't stay, take the money, take all the good that's coming to your band through being on a festival, doing 24 shows and still slagging the person that's paying you. It's like, 'No, that makes you a fucking asshole.' And he is. And he's never apologized, he never even went up and said hello to Ozzy. The thing about him is that he is just so jealous. And always has been of Ozzy. And that's his problem."

Sharon continued: "Because the thing is about Bruce Dickinson, he's hugely successful. He's got a great fan base, a great fan base that have been loyal. The band are great guys. All the band are great. And they do great. You know, they're a great band, you can't take it away, and neither would I take that away from them. But the thing about Bruce is, he is unknown to the public. Bruce Dickinson could walk into anywhere and nobody would know who the fuck he is. Do you know what I'm saying? He's a faceless singer to the general public. People aren't scrambling to get him for an interview. And the thing is, he's not interesting. But the thing is, Ozzy is original and Bruce isn't and that's what eats Bruce away."

In a 2017 interview with NME, Dickinson downplayed the friction between him and the Osbournes, saying: "It's a complete storm in a teacup. I grew up listening to early SABBATH with Ozzy. Ozzy and SABBATH are icons so that's that, end of story. The fact that I don't like reality TV shows, well, I'm not gonna offer an olive branch to the Kardashians either," he added.

In a 2010 chat with The Quietus, Ozzy defended his wife over the Ozzfest incident, saying: "Unbeknown to me, every night [on the Ozzfest tour, Bruce] was going on stage slagging me off. And that wasn't fair. If he didn't like the fuckin' tour, he should have said, 'I'm jumping [off] the fuckin' tour,' but to go on stage and fuckin' slag me off for no reason… I'd never said a fuckin' bad thing to him. The bass player [Steve Harris] came round at the last gig and said, 'I'm sorry about Bruce,' and I'm like, 'What the fuck are you talking about?' Nobody had told me, you know. I said, 'You know what? I don't understand what the fuck you're talking about here.'

"And so, I mean, Sharon got pissed off… it was nothing to do with me. I suppose Sharon got pissed off. I'll back my wife up to the hilt, but I didn't know what was going down. But you know what? [MAIDEN were getting] a few fuckin' quid out of that Ozzfest. If you've got something to talk to me about, be a man. Come to my face and say, 'I think you're a fuckin' asshole.' Don't be a fuckin' idiot. It's so pathetically childish.

"Unfortunately, the rest of the band had to suffer: I suppose they were pissed off with him. But it's wrong: I've never, ever, ever spoken to the guy… No, I tell a lie, one night they were about to go on stage and I didn't know anything was going down, and I said to them, 'Have a good show, guys.' But I don't like all that shit going down. If you don't like me, just say 'I don't like you, I'm doing this festival but I think you're a cunt.' That's all right. But to go on my stage and start slagging me off — that ain't fair. They weren't fucking slagging me off when they got paid every fucking night."

He added: "To this day I don't understand what the fuckin' beef was. I just don't get it. To go on the Ozzfest and slag [people] off, that's crazy. I really think he needs a fuckin' psychiatrist if he does that, he's fucking nuts. It's an irresponsible fuckin' thing to do. Sharon must have got pissed off with this cunt, you know."

In a new interview with Chaotic Riffs, former TESLA drummer Troy Luccketta was asked if he has had a chance to meet the man that replaced him in the band, Steve Brown. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When it all went down, I went and got with Steve and put my blessing on it and we hung out. Yes, I know Steve — sweet guy, great player… He's doing a fantastic job, and the band still sounds great, and they're doing great, and I couldn't be happier for all of them. And, yeah, man, I give them my blessing on everything. I love the band. I'm a TESLA fan, man…

Asked if he has had a chance to see TESLA perform with Steve yet, Troy said: "No, I haven't caught up with the band yet. Not as of yet, but I'm very proud and very honored that I had the 36 years that I did with the band. And nothing but praise for everybody.

"That's a beautiful part about bands like TESLA and bands that have that legacy," he continued. "'Cause I was just out [playing] with THE GUESS WHO, and, really, when I was out there, there wasn't anybody [from the original band] there because I took Garry's [Peterson] place, the original drummer. And it's like FOREIGNER [which continues to tour without any original members]. But my point is it doesn't matter who's there. It really doesn't. When it comes down to it, people wanna hear the music. And that's it… We've learned — [JOURNEY can still pack arenas] with no Steve Perry. I think it would be hard to do AEROSMITH without Steven Tyler. But outside of that, it seems like it all works."

Luccketta concluded: "TESLA [has] got a beautiful catalog of music, and I'm proud of it, to be part of it."

This past May, Troy spoke to Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com about his decision to leave TESLA nearly three years ago. He said: "First of all, the COVID thing happened, and that shut us down. That gave me time to take some time off and reflect and really think about where I was at in my life and re-evaluate it. And I couldn't be more grateful for the guys in the band, all those years. I love all of them, and it was a remarkable 30-plus years — 36 years, I think it was. And for me, there wasn't really much left for me to do there, quite honestly, other than tour and play and do the same shows and do everything that they're [currently doing], which is great. It's nice that that legacy has gotta go and continue to move, but it gave me an opportunity to step back."

Troy is currently a member of RIZZ & THE BELIEVERZ, which recently released its debut EP, "Everyday People", on Blessings & Love Records with distribution via Select-O-Hits. The EP is available on all digital outlets.

In September 2021, Luccketta announced that he would "take a little time from the road" to spend with family and friends. He has since been replaced at TESLA's gigs by Steve Brown, the younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer Mick Brown.

TESLA bassist Brian Wheat discussed his longtime bandmate's absence from the group's concerts during an April 2023 interview with Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of the Rock Interview Series. Asked if Troy is still a member of TESLA, Wheat said in part: "He's not touring [with us]. There'll be an official statement soon — very soon. But no. He's kind of doing his own thing, and we're kind of doing our own thing. And we're working out all that stuff.

"Listen, I love Troy Luccketta; he's my brother," Brian continued. "We all love Troy. It just came to a point where we just weren't on the same page anymore as to what we wanted to do. It's not like we had this big massive fight or anything. It's just you start out like this [holds two fingers close together] and then sometimes you go like this [holds two fingers wide apart]. And that gap just got too wide. And he said, 'Look, maybe it's better if I don't do this.' And we said, 'Okay. Maybe it is.' He's out, I think, playing with THE GUESS WHO or something… So he's out playing. So it's not like he retired. He's not playing in TESLA. And who knows? Maybe one day there'll be some reunion tour — [when we do] the last final lap… But that's not now. And who knows? Things always could change and whatever.

"So, to answer your question, Troy is not playing in TESLA," Wheat repeated. "Will he ever come back? Who knows? We'll see. Maybe one day [he will]. But right now we're sorting out all the shit that you've gotta sort out. And there's no bad blood."

In February 2023, Brian told Waste Some Time With Jason Green that Troy was "not coming back" to TESLA. "I don't think he's gonna come back," he said. "He wanted time off. People just do things like that. You start out like this [holds two fingers close together] and it just grows apart. I think that we've probably come to a point in our professional relationship that we've just grown too far apart on things.

"Look, I love Troy. He's my brother, just like [former TESLA guitarist] Tommy Skeoch is my brother. Will we play together again? I don't know. Probably one day, yeah. I mean, look, I'm the kind of guy that… And I know this is gonna funny to anyone, and I'll go ahead and say it… And I haven't even said this to Frankie [Hannon, guitar] and Jeff [Keith, vocals] or Dave [Rude, guitar] or anybody, but when there's one last lap around the track for this band, I think we owe it to our fans that everyone plays together. And I'm not saying Tommy without Dave; I'm saying Dave and Tommy. And Troy too, if he would be up for it. And go out with class and dignity and style, and say, 'Okay, listen. We've been through a few changes. We're gonna do 40 more shows,' or whatever that is. Not turn that into a five-year tour or anything. But I, as I sit here today… And that can change, Jason… And I'm sure Blabbermouth's gonna be all over this tomorrow and say, 'Brian Wheat wants to put the original band back together'. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying when there's one last lap left, and we all know there's one last lap, I'm the one guy that'll stand up in the room and say, 'I'd like us all to go through it all together.' If that means having two drummers and three guitar players and Jeff Keith, I'm in. Now, I can't speak for the rest of the band. This is me speaking. I'm that guy that would like to do that. So, Blabbermouth, if you're out there, don't fucking misquote me, because that's all you ever do."

Wheat didn't specify exactly how BLABBERMOUTH.NET "misquoted" him in the past, but he added that TESLA should eventually stage a final tour with all current and former members in order to make it special for the fans. "I think we owe it to 'em," Brian said. "They've been such a loyal and diehard fanbase, I think they would love the fact that we went out playing; if that's how we're gonna go out, that that's how we would do it."

Pressed about Troy's reasons for no longer playing with TESLA, Brian said: "I don't know. The bottom line is, we wanted to go out and he said he didn't. And after being off for — what was it? — 18 months with COVID, we had to go out. We couldn't just sit home. We're not independently wealthy guys, We make our living from playing concerts. We work. That's our job. We were never fortunate enough to have, like, a 'Hysteria' or a 'Pyromania' or an 'Appetite [For Destruction]' or 'Slippery When Wet' or the Black Album or 'Back In Black'. We quietly would sell a million, a million and a half records, and we've got this diehard fanbase, and every year we have to go out and earn our living. So we couldn't sit home. And that's where it came to the thing."

Wheat added: "[Troy] had his reasons [for leaving TESLA]. And I respect that. And we just decided we were gonna continue to go out and play."

Troy previously discussed his absence from TESLA's gigs during a September 2022 interview with Tulsa Music Stream. Asked if he was still taking a break from the band, he said at the time: "I am. I'm on a bit of a break. Personally, there's a lot of things going on in my life that I'm… This thing that we do doesn't cater to families. So at the time that this had gone down and COVID and everything, it just really gave me some time to step back and kind of look at things.

"I'd been running hard with the band for 36 years," he continued. "And I love the guys and I love the band. I'm a fan and always will be. I've got nothing but praise for them. They gave me a great life and I think we all share in that."

Luccketta was also full of praise for his replacement in TESLA, saying: "He's a great, great drummer, a great person, a great guy. And we're not best of friends or anything, but I've always known Steve over the years and I always knew he was the right choice. I had him pegged out years ago before I even had to make the phone call. So it's perfect. It's really great because, if you think about it, it's a win-win. And I think it's even a breath of fresh air probably for the guys right now. And it's like having a new girlfriend [laughs] for a minute."

As for his future with TESLA, Troy said: "Will we ever play again together? I don't know if that will ever happen or not. I don't know what we will do moving down the road. But right now Steve is the drummer and it's his gig. And I'm happy for everybody. And I'm happy for me."

In an August 2022 interview with Canada's The Metal Voice , Hannon was non-commital about Troy's return to TESLA, saying: "We're just allowing the time for things to work themselves out. He's got things that he's dealing with.

"Touring is not an easy life, man," he explained. "It's a very difficult thing being out there on a bus, with everybody crammed in that tight situation. And when you've got stuff going on at home, those things need to be taken care of. But hey, man, he's a long-standing member of the band.

"We'll work it out," Frank added. "Time will work things out. He's a brother, and, like I said, time will work things out. The founding members of the band are together and Steve Brown is playing drums for us at the moment and really doing a great job. And we're just happy to be able to keep on working."

Hannon went on to praise Steve's contributions to TESLA, saying: "Steve is not only 'Wild' Mick's little brother but he's also a member of our local community here in Sacramento. We've known him since he was a little guy. He used to come watch us play when he was a teenager. And he has done other shows for us in the past, filling in for Troy. So he's a member of our family as well."

When Luccketta first shared the news of his decision to stay off the road, he wrote: "I am happy and well, and couldn't be more grateful to my bandmates for this opportunity. I am also looking forward to some musical ventures closer to home. In my absence please show some love to Steve Brown. Steve is a dear friend, and great drummer! He has played with OLEANDER, Ronnie Montrose just to name a few. He is one of Sacramento's finest, The perfect choice so to speak!"

BODY COUNT, the metal band fronted by hip-hop legend, actor and director Ice-T, has released a new song called "Fuck What You Heard". The track is taken from BODY COUNT's upcoming album, "Merciless", which is tentatively due this summer via Century Media Records.

BODY COUNT recently released the official music video for "Psychopath", its first new single since 2020's "Bum-Rush", which won a Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance". The new track, which features FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY vocalist Joe Badolato, shows Ice-T and crew on maximum killing overdrive and primed for the next chapter of the legendary Los Angeles-based band's 35-plus-year career. Longtime collaborator Will Putney (KNOCKED LOOSE, THE GHOST INSIDE) produced the song, which was released via Century Media Records.

Directed by Jay Scorsese, the "Psychopath" video pulls inspiration from fictional and real-life horrors, with references spanning from Jason Voorhees to Ted Bundy.

"Merciless" is the follow-up to "Carnivore", which was released to critical acclaim in March 2020, just a week before COVID shut the entire world down.

BODY COUNT's European "Merciless" tour kicked off on June 5 at Mystic festival in Poland and will bring the band to some of the world's biggest festivals and venues, across more than a dozen countries. After returning to the States, they will perform at Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky and Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

For BODY COUNT, it's been a history of being both respected and feared — a barbed-wire thread that stretches back to the band's origins as a project between Ice-T and Crenshaw High friend Ernie C. Their first shot fired, the song "Body Count", was a mission statement on Ice-T's 1991 "O.G. - Original Gangster". That's the blueprint they've been running on for more than 35 years.

They touched a nerve with their first, self-titled 1991 album and its divisive track "Cop Killer", which inspired hatred, fear, and paranoia, but also inspired generations of bands to follow. What they took from growing up with BLACK SABBATH and being inspired by fellow L.A. legends like SLAYER and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES has only upped the ante for generations of homies and hardcore fans.

BODY COUNT's current line-up includes surviving O.G.s Ice-T, Ernie C. and Sean E. Sean joined by bassist Vincent Price, drummer Will "Ill Will" Dorsey, Juan "Juan Of The Dead" Garcia and backing vocalist Little Ice.

"Carnivore" continued the path of its uncompromising and critically acclaimed predecessors, "Bloodlust" and "Manslaugther", in pairing Ice-T's impassioned and socio-critical lyrics with thick guitar riffs and nods to metal and hardcore greats like SLAYER, METALLICA, PANTERA, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. Guest musicians on the LP included Amy Lee (EVANESCENCE),Dave Lombardo (ex-SLAYER),Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Riley Gale (POWER TRIP).

BODY COUNT was honored with a Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, which was held in March 2021 in Los Angeles. BODY COUNT was nominated for "Bum-Rush", a track from "Carnivore".

NIRVANA bassist Krist Novoselic joined the FOO FIGHTERS/NIRVANA tribute band FOOVANA on stage last night (Thursday, July 18) at Georgie's Garage in Vancouver, Washington to perform three NIRVANA classics: "Blew", "Lithium" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Novoselic reportedly said that the appearance marked his first time playing "Blew" live in three decades. Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

Novoselic is widely recognized as the bassist and co-founder of the influential rock band NIRVANA. He has pursued his musical endeavors with projects such as 3RD SECRET and GIANTS IN THE TREES. Renowned for his pioneering style and lasting impact on rock music, Novoselic continues to be a significant presence in the industry.

Krist recently launched an electrifying musical project called the BONAFIDE BAND. This ensemble features a stellar lineup, including his longtime friend and former collaborator Mark Pickerel (SCREAMING TREES, TRULY, BRANDI CARLILE),the versatile Kathy Moore (BRAD, STAR ANNA),and the two talented vocalists from 3RD SECRET, Jillian Weiss and Jennifer Johnson.

The exciting project began in April 2024 with an impromptu jam session between Novoselic and Pickerel. The duo quickly realized their chemistry and started thinking about a side project to keep Jillian and Jennifer engaged musically while their drummer, Matt Cameron, was on tour with PEARL JAM. Pickerel suggested Kathy Moore, a highly respected figure in the Seattle music scene known for her collaborations with Mike McCready of PEARL JAM, THUNDERPUSSY, SATCHEL and SMOKEY BRIGHTS, for the guitarist role. The lineup was finalized, and the band started working on creating a unique setlist. Novoselic and Pickerel decided to honor their musical roots with fresh interpretations of iconic tracks from NIRVANA and SCREAMING TREES. Initial rehearsals have sparked immense creativity and excitement, providing a glimpse of the promising musical journey ahead.

"We're exploring new territory while honoring the sounds that defined us," said Novoselic. "This collaboration is about pushing boundaries and celebrating our shared history."

Get down here to Georgie's Garage and Grill! Shows about to start! Oh yeah that’s right… Somebody else is here!!!

Posted by FooVana on Thursday, July 18, 2024

Posted by Georgie's Garage and Grill on Monday, July 15, 2024

FLAT BLACK, the band formed by ex-FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Jason Hook, has released the official music video for "A Bit Of Lightning". The track is taken from FLAT BLACK's debut album, "Dark Side Of The Brain", which arrives today (Friday, July 19) via Fearless Records. The LP was produced by Hook and Chris Collier (KORN),and recorded at both Hook's home studio and The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Hook is stoked to finally share "Dark Side Of The Brain" with fans, who have been patiently waiting for even more new songs! "Well, we're finally here," he states, with a laugh. "No more people hounding me about when the album will be available. I'm so excited to share these songs with the public. 'Dark Side Of The Brain' is personal; every lyric came from a real place."

The album artwork is also personal, as Hook designed it himself.

"Dark Side Of The Brain" track listing:

01. It's OK To Be Angry
02. Justice Will Be Done
03. Sideways
04. A Bit Of Lightning
05. Unwanted
06. Home
07. Halo
08. It's Your Lack Of Respect
09. Nothing To Some (feat. Corey Taylor)
10. Dark Side Of The Brain
11. Villain
12. Youth N Eyes
13. Tidal Wave
14. Let It Go

Regarding how he ended up collaborating with Corey Taylor on "Nothing To Some", Hook told Ronni Hunter of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station: "I developed a friendship with Corey in 2020. He hit me up, actually. I was working in Los Angeles with his producer, and I think the producer said, 'I've got Jason Hook here. We're working on some material.' He said, 'Oh, give me his number.' And so all of a sudden we're texting back and forth. And we hit it off right away. He's just a fucking fantastic guy. Maybe he doesn't want anyone to know that, but he's actually a sweetheart. [Laughs] He's a really sweet dude. And he was, like, 'Look, if you're trying to build something and you don't have anyone to work with, I'll write with you. So it was just perfect for the time and the emotions I was going through at the time. He really helped bolster my spirit, like, 'Yes, let's do something.' And we ended up doing five songs together. Four will probably never get heard, but we used 'Nothing To Some' on the record."

Hook is joined in FLAT BLACK by singer Wes Horton, bassist Nick Diltz and drummer Rob Pierce.

In an interview with Jake Daniels of the Rock 100.5 The KATT radio station, Hook stated about how FLAT BLACK came together: "Well, I was pretty hell-bent on starting a new band. Music's in my blood. It's a part of my DNA, and I just knew that… I didn't really care how long it took. It just had to be potent. And so, one [musician] at a time… I found Rob first, and he's awesome. And then, of course, Nick; he's from Los Angeles. All my guys are just stellar players. And I wanted to have a good pack of songs. And so here we are."

Regarding the importance of getting along with his bandmates on a personal level, Hook said: "Well, it was a bit of a prerequisite to find guys that were mentally stable and free of drama and that we could hang. It's all about the hang. When you're on tour, you're stuck in this submarine, this rolling submarine, for 18 months. It's important that everyone is compatible. The personalities, I wanted to be very specific about that this time around… We're getting along great."

Having left his prior band in February 2020, which was right before COVID-19 put the entire world on pause, Hook wanted to assume creative control and let his musical free spirit soar in a project that was truly his. He opted to gamble on himself. With great risk comes great reward and the decision to form FLAT BLACK clearly worked out in his favor.

"As a musician, I crave freedom and I wasn't ready to stop creating," Hook shared.

"Life is short," he continued. "We all want to feel satisfied and happy with what we are trying to accomplish in life."

The pandemic shutdown allowed him the opportunity to assemble the right musicians and carefully craft their debut album. FLAT BLACK is armed with an arsenal of riffs that'll rattle your teeth loose from your gums, stadium-sized hooks, arena-ready anthems, and choruses that are guaranteed to touch a nerve. All of those factors combined make FLAT BLACK poised for success.

The origin stories of the rest of the players are indicative of a lifelong love of music and plenty of road-worn experience. The desire to play courses through their veins and propels them forward, which is why they all meshed so well with Hook.

Horton was introduced to music at age 13, thanks to his sister and Guitar Hero. He honed his vocal chops by playing in local bands and making online videos. Various music industry friends and acquaintances would become the connective tissue between himself and Hook. Horton knew he wanted to be a frontman, and FLAT BLACK afforded him that opportunity. Wes loves the fact that his bandmates prioritize songcraft — and that allows him to be the singer he has always wanted to be.

Diltz, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, is the son of a legendary rock music photographer who brought him to concerts during his formative years. He recalls being inspired by watching a VHS video of U2 performing at legendary venue Red Rocks. Seeing fans clamoring for a piece of Bono in the footage is a vision that never left his head. This first exposure to the power of a true rock icon solidified Nick's destiny as a live performer.

Pierce hails from Nashville, a.k.a. Music City. His dad was a race car driver and his grandfather was a pastor. He grew up racing go karts and at first, wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps until he joined the fourth-grade band and was bitten by the music bug. He chose the snare drum over the saxophone and from that moment on, music was the only thing that mattered. Rob got his first drum kit at age 11, which he set up in his dad's car shop. He learned to play his instrument next to 1,000 horsepower engines, which influences his highly energetic style to this day.

FLAT BLACK made its live debut on August 24, 2023 at the FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, California as the support act for GODSMACK.

FLAT BLACK is:

Jason Hook - Guitar
Wes Horton - Vocals
Rob Pierce - Drums
Nicholas Diltz - Bass

In October 2020, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH confirmed that it had officially parted ways with Hook eight months earlier during the band's sold-out European arena tour. He has since been replaced by renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who made his recording debut with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on "Broken World", a song that was included on the second installment of the group's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction - Volume 2".

After his recovery from emergency gallbladder surgery at the end of 2019, Hook had to leave midway from FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's tour of Europe to address further complications.

Jason, who joined FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH in 2009, said about his exit from the band: "As for the reason I'm leaving… well, there really isn't just one. I've been in bands my entire life and I feel like I've done all the good that I can here. It's time to pass the baton and move on to new challenges."

In a new interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music, Steve "Skinny" Felton, drummer and founder of Cleveland theatrical art-metal ensemble MUSHROOMHEAD, was asked if he and his bandmates would ever consider performing without their trademark masks. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, the thought has definitely crossed the mind many times over the years. But if we were to do something like that, that's what side projects are for and that's what releasing something that MUSHROOMHEAD doesn't have for you.

"Sometimes [when MUSHROOMHEAD is performing] it's overwhelmingly hot, and your peripheral vision in a dark club, man — you can't see anything," he admitted. "To kind of find your footing, especially guitar players or singers, to find their footing, they just kind of stay planted for a little while sometimes because, like I said, with the lights, it's very hard to see and breathe. The communication is tough. We have a lot of hand signals because there's no lip reading. 'Wear a mask,' they said. 'It'll be fun,' they said. I say it all the time: 'Whose idea was this?'

"But I'm glad we do it," Felton insisted. "It keeps us entertained. And I'll tell you what — when you put a mask on and you get out there and you start performing, you definitely do take on a little bit of a different character and you just feel slightly different in the mask. It's a little more free and open, and you're not really worried about if you're making direct eye contact or if you're smiling right or you look cool. It's like you're in a whole another world as soon as you put it on. So it definitely helps the energy level when you're up there. But it also drains it, because by the end of the song, when it's Arizona at 104 degrees [Fahrenheit] at one in the afternoon, you're, like, 'What the hell?'"

MUSHROOMHEAD's ninth album, "Call The Devil", will be released on August 9 via Napalm Records.

Returning after a 12-year hiatus, longtime guitarist Dave "Gravy" Felton — who performed on several of the band's biggest albums and is credited as a primary songwriter on classic anthems like "Along The Way", "Sun Doesn't Rise" and "The Dream Is Over" — contributes his trademark skills to two "Call The Devil" album tracks. The album once again features production by Steve "Skinny" Felton, as well as the return of Matt Wallace (FAITH NO MORE, 3 DOORS DOWN) on mixing, also recognized for his work on MUSHROOMHEAD's iconic album "XIII". The album is also the band's first to feature mastering from Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, EPICA, ARCH ENEMY).

Last year, Skinny told Cleveland.com about MUSHROOMHEAD's longevity: "All I can say is that we have been very blessed to be able to do this. Whether it's 10, 20, 30 years — pretty much any time at all — anyone who gets to do this for any length of time knows how blessed and lucky and fortunate they are and to really soak in that.

"If there's a secret, it's to wake up every day with the goal of figuring out how to make your band, brand or artwork a little more accessible," Felton said. "To have an opportunity to create art with multiple people — to have their attention, time and creativity for a while — while chasing that creative element, staying inspired, believing in yourself and being true to your art is what does it, from my point of view."

Photo credit: SK1