In a new interview with Ultimate Guitar, Nita Strauss was asked about her plans for the follow-up to her sophomore solo album, "The Call Of The Void", which came out last July via Sumerian Records. She said: "I don't want to lose the momentum of this one. It was five years between 'Controlled Chaos' and 'Call Of The Void'. I don't want to wait another five years. It has been kind of hard to think of any concrete ideas because I've been on the road the entire time, literally from the month before the record came out. We started touring to promote the record, and I have not had more than two weeks home since then. It's been almost a year. So it's been hard to sort of sit and be creative, but I plan to do it."

She continued: "I plan to sort of get into the meat potatoes of it after I get back — we're [Nita and her husband, manager and drummer Josh Villalta] going on honeymoon next week. Then, after that, I'll sort of sit on that stuff during the Alice Cooper tour and start trying to piece some ideas together."

Asked if there are some other collaborations that she hopes to have in the future, Nita replied: "I think, on the next record, I just want to go further in both directions. I would love to do something more mainstream; maybe it's with someone like Demi [Lovato], which would be a dream come true, or somebody like Pink. And then I want to do something heavy because the stuff that I listen to on my own time is pretty heavy. So I would love to just explore more of my range in different ways. I think a cool thing that we did on this record is we brought everybody into a new space for them. You're hearing Chris Motionless [MOTIONLESS IN WHITE] sing on a more mainstream style of song. It's still heavy, but it's a little bit more mainstream. We just tried to push everybody in different ways. So I'd like to keep doing that."

Nita previously talked about her upcoming third solo album last month in an interview with Ronni Hunter of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station. She said: "Well, when we made 'The Call Of The Void', I had a specific vision in mind that I wanted to branch out, and this is a vision that Josh, as my manager, has been very insistent on for a long time, to push me out of just doing instrumental music and move out into the wider and broader audience and show more people what we can do as a band. And so that'll be the goal for the next one — just keep on expanding, keep on stepping out of the comfort zone and trying new things, working with different people and really just growing."

Strauss also talked about why she doesn't play any other instruments or sing on her solo albums. She said: "The thing is I can sing a little, I can play the other instruments a little bit, but I have such a great drummer, why would I play the drums when I can work with somebody that's so good? I'm an okay singer, but if I can have someone like Lzzy Hale [HALESTORM] sing a song, or someone like David Draiman [DISTURBED], who is, like, the best singers in the world, what kind of ego would I have to have to be, like, 'No, I think I'll do it.'"

She continued: "I love playing guitar. I don't really like singing. I'm not particularly good at it. I think if I did go out and step out, I think I would probably get some people that liked it, and the vast majority of people would be, like, "Why would you do that? Stick to playing guitar.' It's, like, 'I know. I'm not very good. Just let me play guitar in peace.'"

Earlier this year, Nita told Rob Rush of Long Island's 94.3 The Shark radio station about the challenges of writing and recording songs with vocals for "The Call Of The Void". While Strauss's first LP, 2018's "Controlled Chaos", was all instrumental, her latest effort saw the Alice Cooper guitarist teaming with a different vocalist on at least half of the tracks — Cooper, Draiman, ARCH ENEMY's Alissa White-Gluz and Hale, among others.

Nita said: "Yeah, it was a really educational experience as a songwriter, going in and not writing songs that were only for myself, if that makes sense — thinking a lot about the structure of the song and the format of the song and what key it would be in for the singer not to be too high or too low or too fast or anything like that. [That part was] completely [ to me] — I mean, not entirely new. I've been in bands before, but as far as writing as a solo artist, it was a completely new experience, because as an instrumental solo guitar player, you can just write whatever you want — you can write a one-minute song, you write a 10-minute song. It's not gonna go to radio — there's no format for it. So it's just stream of consciousness. It doesn't have to have a beginning, a middle, an end, a chorus — it's just whatever you feel. And so working in this new medium, for me, was almost like learning how to write a haiku when you're used to just doing like a beat poem. So I'm out there in the corner of the coffee shop with my beret on, just feeling my poetry out, and all of a sudden it's, like, 'Okay, now you've got to have the syllables and lines and the rhymes and the stuff.' So I found it really educational learning how to do it, and I think I grew a lot as an artist and a creator over the course of making that record. So I'm just so excited that it was as well received as it was."

The Los Angeles-born guitarist has become a force to be reckoned with, dazzling over a million audience members per year around the world. Fans may recognize Nita as the touring guitarist for rock legend Alice Cooper and superstar Demi Lovato, the official guitarist of the Los Angeles Rams, as well as her successful career as a solo artist. She has played multiple sports events, including NASCAR races and WWE pay-per-views, most notably her critically acclaimed performance at "WrestleMania 34" in 2018.

"The Call Of The Void" debuted as the No. 1 Top New Artist album on the Billboard chart, No. 1 on the iTunes Rock chart, and No. 4 on the overall iTunes chart, behind only Taylor Swift.

With the album's first single, "Dead Inside" featuring Draiman, Nita became the first female solo artist to have a No. 1 single at rock radio in 32 years.

Nita released "Controlled Chaos" to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it "a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt", and Guitar World stating "'Controlled Chaos' is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss's many strengths".

In March 2023, it was announced that Nita would return to Alice's band for his 2023 tour and beyond.

Nita spent eight years playing with Alice before joining Demi Lovato's band in the summer of 2022.

Strauss has been playing with Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker's former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.

Zildjian has uploaded video of LAMB OF GOD drummer Art Cruz performing the band's song "September Song" using Z Custom cymbals. Check out the clip below. Also available is the previously released clip for the track "Memento Mori" from the same sessions.

In a recent interview with Drumeo's Brandon Toews, Art was asked to name the "hardest part" about joining LAMB OF GOD — if it was "something technical, like learning the parts, or it was "dealing with fans who have opinions of the old band configuration". He said: "It's a combination of both. I was so confident with my playing, and not in an egotistical way. I was just very confident with where I was on my skill level. I had been touring for a long time in the trenches, man — from local bands to selling merchandise for bands to being a driver to just being the guy that 'let me help' kind of thing to playing in bands and sleeping on floors and doing all that good stuff. But it wasn't really that — it was wasn't the playing; I was confident enough with my playing. It was a challenge with the fans. It's a big deal. And that goes for anybody. You're [former METALLICA bassist] Jason Newsted, you're [ex-METALLICA bassist] Robert Trujillo; it's crazy how they went back to back to convince fans. And you don't think about that until it's a reality, and you're getting blown up on social media and you're experiencing it. And those are probably the most challenging parts. But with a band and a brotherhood that I have, they've walked me, literally — pun intended — walked me through hell and helped to see me on the other side, so I don't have to really pay attention to that stuff anymore. And I don't. I'm here to inspire. That is my only goal in this world, is to show you where I came from — my vulnerabilities, my weaknesses, and show you how I grow from that and do what I can to be in this position. And thankfully I'm in a better place than I used to be before. It was hard to get through that stuff, man. But thankfully, it's a lot easier to avoid it. Yeah, I just don't go on [social media]. It's fun."

In June 2023, Cruz was asked, as part of Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series, to name his top three drummers of all time. He responded: "It's a tough one. Honestly, I always have to say my first inspiration — I just got finished, actually, watching a video of Woodstock — [Carlos] Santana. He's not a drummer. However, to me, the entire entity of Santana and his music is very percussion backed — it's very percussion. So, as a kid, that's what I first listened to, it's what I first saw, it's what I first was around my entire childhood. So that's what got me into drums. So I stuck with that. So Santana — I have to classify him as one of my favorite drummers. Weird, but it's the truth.

"After that, I would have to say most definitely Mike Portnoy [DREAM THEATER]," he continued. "A huge part of my career. Good friend now — thank God. He influenced me to really think outside the box and get creative and have that Portnoy factor in my playing. And I'm sure, if you are a drummer, you can hear that in my playing.

"And then my third… That's really hard, man — top three's hard. But I will probably have to say… David Garibaldi, the drummer from TOWER OF POWER. I'm a very funky dude," Cruz added.

"Notice how not all these guys are metal, or metal at all, but those are the guys that influenced me early.

"To give you some bonus fours and fives — Dave Lombardo [SLAYER] and Chris Adler [LAMB OF GOD]. And a bonus six — Joey Jordison [SLIPKNOT]."

In a 2022 interview with Finland's Chaoszine, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton was asked if Cruz, who has been the band's drummer of the past six years, was more involved in the songwriting process on LAMB OF GOD's latest album, "Omens", than he was on 2020's self-titled effort. He responded: "I think so. Yeah, I'd say so. Not that he wasn't involved in the first one — he was very involved in the first one — but I think his confidence was up. And I think psychologically, everyone, especially him, was ready to have a bigger impact sonically on the record and to have more personality in the drums rather than… I think on the last album, the self-titled album, he played phenomenally but he stuck very close to traditional LAMB OF GOD movements, and on this album he stretched out quite a bit."

Morton continued: "I think it's about finding a balance about staying true to the historic sound of the band and how the band has sounded; you don't wanna come in sounding radically different. But I think we're all ready, and have been ready, to allow him to grow within the context of LAMB OF GOD, and he's done that for sure."

Cruz filled in for original LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler on several of the band's tours before being named Adler's official replacement in July 2019.

Art spoke about his contributions to "Omens" — which arrived in October 2022 via Epic Records — during an appearance in June 2022 on "The Garza Podcast", hosted by SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Chris Garza. "The first, self-titled one we did, it was great, man — we wrote some great songs," he said, referring to 2020's "Lamb Of God", which marked his recording debut with LAMB OF GOD. "But I was still learning their vibe. I was green to that level of… Those guys had been doing it for 28, 29 years — almost 30 years — and I'm the new guy, a young kid coming in. You have to go through the trenches in every which way. And that first album was a very secure, safe way for all of us to just, 'Here's the tunes. Let's figure it out. Learn how we work.' And this one that's coming out, 'Omens', they really let me spread my wings and they really let me play me — they let me be me.

"I'm always inspired by LAMB, and LAMB is a signature sound," he continued. "LAMB OF GOD, to me, is that sound as a unit. It's a unit — it's not one individual. It's Randy [Blythe, vocals], it's Mark [Morton, guitar], it's Willie [Adler, guitar], it's John [Campbell, bass], it's Chris. That's, to me, what LAMB OF GOD was. So I'm not far off from that. That's what inspired me to be listening to metal and shit. It's my favorite metal band of all time. So to take that inspiration and then become my own person, my own player, from WINDS OF PLAGUE to AZUSA to my first band ENTHRAL to PRONG, to finally come to this point, and this is the album. It's all of those bands, it's all of those struggles, all of those trenches, all of those challenges, all of those tours — this is the album that I was able to really… And then the last LAMB OF GOD album, that is what built me to be to this 'Omens' album, for real. And we're just getting started, man — we're so just getting started. And I'm ready. And I'm mentally in a better place to do that, and I'm ready to do it. And the band is, they're my brothers."

The band tracked "Omens" with longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH) live in the room together at Henson Recording Studios (formerly A&M Studios) in Los Angeles, California, a location that birthed classics from THE DOORS, PINK FLOYD, RAMONES and SOUNDGARDEN, among others.

After completing their legendary ‘40 Years Of Destruction’ anniversary tour in 2023 throughout South America, Mexico and Europe, vicious thrash metal pioneers Destruction are far from slowing things down.


Today, the quartet releases a hard-hitting new single, “No Kings - No Masters”, with an official music video. This surprise release will be available on two track 12’’ vinyl in a very limited fan edition and will contain the new single and a cover version of Accept’s world famous hit “Fast As A Shark”.


Destruction‘s massive career has seen many successes, with the band hitting stages at the world’s biggest festivals around the world like Hellfest, Wacken Open Air, Graspop Metal Meeting and México Metal Fest. They are more than prepared for their next milestones – stay tuned for more news about an upcoming album, set for release in early 2025.




Destruction is known as one of the Teutonic 4, alongside Kreator, Sodom and Tankard, which will be reunited this year at the ‘Klash Of The Ruhrpott’ on July 20 – a show that promises to celebrate thrash metal in its purest form and solidify their legacy in the genre. Don’t miss out on this show promising to become a legend and the rare occasion to witness the Teutonic 4 united.


Mastermind Schmier on the new track: “The new single starts the countdown for the new album a bit early, but we wanted to show our fans, that we are working on a kick ass new record!  Yes it will be worth the wait: ‘No  Kings - No Masters’ is a razor-sharp riff monster with tons of crushing guitars and neck-breaking speed! Next Level Destruction!!! We hope this beast will keep you excited for the new output in early 2025 - PLAY IT LOUD!!!“


Watch the video for "No Kings - No Masters" below.





"No Kings - No Masters" will be available in the following limited formats:


- 1LP Slipcase Translucent Blue (strictly limited)
- 1LP Slipcase Solid Gold (strictly limited)
- 1LP Slipcase Silver (strictly limited)
- Digital Single


Get your copy of "No Kings - No Masters" here.





Tracklisting:


"No Kings - No Masters"
"Fast As A Shark" (Accept Cover)





Destruction are:


Schmier – Vocals, Bass
Martin Furia – Guitars
Randy Black – Drums
Damir Eskić – Guitars


(Photo - Jennifer Gruber)

DISTURBED frontman David Draiman received the 2024 joint Jerusalem Post and World Zionist Organization award for outstanding contribution to the fight against antisemitism.

Draiman accepted the award during the Jerusalem Post Annual Conference, which was held earlier today (Monday, June 3) in New York City.

David later shared a photo of him holding the award and he captioned it simply, "Humbled and grateful".

In his speech today, Draiman told the Jerusalem Post Annual Conference attendees (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Crazy times we are living in. Crazy, crazy times. If you had told me ten years ago that I would have lost so many of my colleagues and friends over my position to simply defend my people, our people, the Jewish people, I'd call you crazy. If you would tell me that the entire world would flip this script on us, if he would tell me that this bizarro existence that we're currently living in, where good has become evil and evil has become good, and where modern-day Nazis are praised in progressive circles all over the world where university students champion their cause… The world can seem like a very, very dark place these days. But I can tell you from my own personal experience that it takes incredibly powerful light in order to dispel darkness. And it is up to each and every one of us to be that light in this darkness we are currently living in.

"I have so many friends of mine in my industry that could really be much more outspoken, that could really be raising their voices to defend their own people, our people, the Jewish people," he continued. "And I have to say to each and every one of you: where the hell are you? Where are you? What are you waiting for? We just experienced the worst Jewish catastrophe, the worst Jewish loss of life since the Holocaust. Does something more impressive need to happen for you to finally open your mouths?

"I, for one, have stood defiant despite daily death threats by the thousands — daily threats to my family, to my livelihood, to our very existence.

"This is what we do, ladies and gentlemen," Draiman added. "You brush that off. You keep going on, you keep soldiering on. You do not let the terrorists win. You do not let them intimidate you. We do not let ourselves succumb to the fear that they are trying to instill in each and every one of us. You remain strong, you remain steadfast and you stay rebellious and defiant in the face of these animals who seek to end our very existence, ladies and gentlemen.

"Stay strong, stay resilient. Am Yisrael Chai."

For years, Draiman has been a prominent activist for the State of Israel, constantly emphasizing the importance of dialogue and understanding. During DISTURBED's successful world tour this year, he made sure to mention the Israeli hostages held in Gaza and spoke against the delegitimization of Israel, understanding that now more than ever, silence has become a new form of antisemitism.

The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference is being livestreamed on The Jerusalem Post web site and social media channels.

This year's conference also features a slate of government and business luminaries from Israel and around the world, in addition to having a unique focus on the stories and heroes of October 7 and the resilience of the State of Israel.

In addition to the Hebrew-speaking Draiman, who once trained to be a cantor and contemplated becoming a rabbi, DISTURBED includes guitarist/keyboardist Dan Donegan, bassist John Moyer and drummer Mike Wengren.

Draiman's father and grandfather served in the Israel Defense Forces and both of the singer's maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors. His grandfather was also a cantor in Israel.

In December 2021, Draiman said that he had lost thousands of social media followers since publicizing his trip to Israel in November of that year.

On November 30, 2021, Draiman lit a candle at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel at the Old City site of the terror attack that killed South African immigrant Eli Kay. He later claimed that he lost 4,000 followers after sharing photos of his "demonstration" at the Western Wall.

Draiman has spent much of his recent time on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, sharing pro-Israel content and has often used his fame to speak out against antisemitism.

DISTURBED's song "Never Again", from 2010's "Asylum" album, was written about the Holocaust and calls out people who deny it.

The United States Holocaust Museum has featured Draiman in its "Voices On Anti-Semitism" podcasts.

Humbled and grateful 🙏🏻🇮🇱❤️

#AmYisraelChai

The Jerusalem Post

Posted by David Draiman on Monday, June 3, 2024

David Draiman at JPost Conference.

Posted by Karen Lehrman Bloch on Monday, June 3, 2024

Headed to the The Jerusalem Post conference.

#AmYisraelChai ❤️🇮🇱🤘🏻

Posted by David Draiman on Monday, June 3, 2024

Has a fabulous day at The Jerusalem Post Conference in NYC where I got to hear from so many incredible people doing so...

Posted by Gabriel Boxer on Monday, June 3, 2024

Following the cancelation of ANNIHILATOR's appearance at the Topfest in Slovakia, which was scheduled for late this month, the Canadian thrash metal pioneers have announced a livestream event from the United Kingdom celebrating the 35th anniversary of ANNIHILATOR's classic debut album, "Alice In Hell", with former ICED EARTH frontman Stu Block singing the entire record. Block, ANNIHILATOR guitarist and founder Jeff Waters, guitarist Aaron Homma, bassist Rich Gray (a.k.a. Rich Hinks) and drummer Fabio Alessandrini will also perform a few "best-of" songs that will include "hits" chosen by the fans.

Jeff said in a video message announcing the livestream: "We are celebrating, as some of you already know, the 'Alice In Hell' record, which is 35 years old now. And to celebrate that for you, actually, we want to do, and we'll do, a livestream, one-off, no downloads, no repeats. It's gonna happen on Saturday, June the 29th. We are gonna play the entire 'Alice In Hell' record. We're gonna play some other classic ANNIHILATOR songs. We are gonna give you some documentary footage talking about the record and the making of the album and the early days. Also, we are featuring Stu Block — yes, the amazing Stu Block is going to sing in honor of Randy Rampage, the original singer, and we're gonna have a blast. So come and join us Saturday, June 29th. Check it out."

The livestream will take place on June 29 at 12 p.m. PDT / 3 p.m. EDT / 8 p.m. BST / 9 p.m. CEST.

To get 15% off the ticket price, the code for BLABBERMOUTH.NET viewers is "BMOUTH". Just enter it on the checkout page to receive the discount.

Block can be heard on "Metal II", the reworked version of ANNIHILATOR's 2007 "Metal" studio album. "Metal II" also features former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo.

Founded in 1984, ANNIHILATOR took the metal scene by storm with "Alice In Hell", upped the ante with 1990's "Never, Neverland" and has continued a non-stop career-pattern of releasing records and touring with many of the biggest bands in the metal genre (mostly all outside North America),ever since, cementing ANNIHILATOR as the biggest-selling metal act in Canada's history.

"Alice In Hell" was the first of six ANNIHILATOR albums to feature songwriting contributions from the band's former singer John Bates, who was credited as the co-writer of the songs "Alison Hell", "W.T.Y.D.", "Burns Like A Buzzsaw Blade" and "Human Insecticide".

To promote "Alice In Hell", ANNIHILATOR supported ONSLAUGHT internationally on the "In Search Of Sanity" tour, and TESTAMENT in the United States on the "Practice What You Preach" tour.

"Alice In Hell" was re-released twice: in 1998 with three demo tracks as bonus tracks and again in September 2003 as part of a two-disc compilation set along with "Never, Neverland", titled "Two From The Vault".

Two years ago, earMusic announced a reissue series of (almost) the entire ANNIHILATOR catalog. In total, 18 records are being released over the next few years, including the original 2007 version of the "Metal" album.

LED ZEPPELIN legend Robert Plant and country-bluegrass chanteuse Alison Krauss were interviewed by USA Today ahead of the June 2 launch of their summer 2024 tour in support of their 2021 album "Raise The Roof", the follow-up to 2007's Grammy-winning "Raising Sand". Asked what he has been doing since getting off the road last year, Robert said: "I've been very busy following my north star and reaching into the great old world of R&B for songs I might do something with down the road. And watching football (soccer)."

The 2024 live tour features Plant, Krauss and their all-star band running through "a cosmic collision of early blues, country deep cuts, revolutionary folk-rock and lost soul music." Fans can also expect reimagined arrangements of classic LED ZEPPELIN cuts like "The Battle Of Evermore", "Rock And Roll", "When The Levee Breaks" and other surprises.

Asked if he enjoys performing a few reconstructed LED ZEPPELIN songs in his show or is it more obligatory, Plant said: "I love them and am very proud of them and to get to change them around and to hear that voice next to me, it allows for an exotic overview of the more dramatic elements. At times I'm emotional about it because I'm hearing these songs — they are all beautiful adaptations that I could never have dreamt. It's a great achievement."

Plant and Krauss's tour features support from their lead guitarist JD McPherson.

In addition to JD, the backing band consists of drummer Jay Bellerose, bassist Dennis Crouch, multi-talented string player Stuart Duncan and Viktor Krauss on keys and guitar.

"Raise The Roof" debuted in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 and spent 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Americana chart.

Upon its release, "Raise The Roof" amassed critical acclaim from The New York Times, New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Variety, Pitchfork, People, Associated Press, NPR and more, in addition to appearances on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert", "The Kelly Clarkson Show", CBS, PBS, MSNBC, the BBC and beyond.

Photo by David McClister

In a new interview with Tulsa Music Stream, original SALIVA singer Josey Scott (a.k.a. Joseph Sappington),who has been performing with his solo band in recent months under various names, including JOSEY SCOTT – THE ORIGINAL VOICE OF SALIVA and JOSEY SCOTT'S SALIVA, was asked if it is his hope and desire that he and the members of his new band can eventually perform under the SALIVA name. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Of course that's my hope, because I've always wanted the name to sort of go full circle and come back home. Whether that happens remains to be seen. I think there's things that I think are fair and things that the other camp thinks are fair. And we'll see. We'll see how it all shakes out."

Asked if he is in communication with the band which is continuing to perform under the SALIVA name, consisting of longtime singer Bobby Amaru and bassist Brad Stewart, about coming to a resolution on the usage of the SALIVA name, Josey said: "Uh, yes," before adding, "Basically, all I've been trying to do this whole time is appease the other side. I'll leave it at that."

He continued: "At the end of the day, as I've always said, this business is not about band names and it's not about personalities, it's not about Josey Scott and it's not about Bobby Amaru. It's about songs, songs, songs, songs. At the end of the day, when we all put our head on the pillow at night, it's always going to be all about songs."

Josey Scott's new band, which also includes his stepson Dylan Edney, plays all of SALIVA's hits — "the ones that people, of course, expect to hear," he told LehighValleyNews.com. "And then I take 'em sort of down the road of music that has affected my life — like, I do an ALICE IN CHAINS song, and I do a RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE song, just to show them who some of my influences are, and then we do a beautiful tribute to [the late FOO FIGHTERS drummer] Taylor Hawkins, and we play [that band's song] 'My Hero'." The group also plays "some deep cuts that only true SALIVA fans would know ... things that I never played with SALIVA when I was in the band from 1996 till 2010. Like, 'Greater Than Less Than', a song that was on the first record that we never played live," Scott said.

Last September, Stewart and Amaru spoke to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about the fact that Scott embarked on a tour under the JOSEY SCOTT'S SALIVA banner which saw him performing a lot of the band's classic songs without any of the other original SALIVA members. Brad said: "It's an interesting thing because we've been doing this version of the band [with Bobby on vocals] since Josey originally left 11, 12 years ago. So we've kind of kept the fires burning and put out new records and new music and stuff. So it's an interesting situation that we're in now, to be quite honest, so we're just trying to figure out how to make it work for both parts of it — both versions of it, I should say."

Bobby commented: "I think it's good that [Josey's] trying to connect with fans and tour and play music. I think it's an awesome thing. He should have been doing it long ago."

Referencing SALIVA's founding guitarist Wayne Swinny, who died in March 2023 while on tour with the group, Amaru added: "I think what we're doing here [with the current SALIVA touring lineup] is we're just trying to do what Wayne would have wanted and we're honoring Wayne. This [latest SALIVA] record ['Revelation', which came out in early September 2023], I know how important it was to him and I think the world should hear it. We're going out every night, we're playing songs from it. And this tour has been great. The fans have been awesome, man."

In May 2023, Josey weighed in on the announcement that SALIVA's surviving members would carry on following the death of the group's last remaining original member, the aforementioned Swinny. Josey told Rock 100.5 The KATT's Cameron Buchholtz: "I'm very close with Bobby and I know in my heart and in my soul that Bobby will do the honorable thing. He never hasn't done the honorable thing. And I just trust in his steering the ship at this point, and I know he's gonna do the right thing. And I know it's all gonna work out; it's all gonna be great."

Josey also reflected on his relationship with Wayne in the months leading up to his death. He said: "[We were] just absolute brothers. I think there was things that certain news outlets said about our relationship, that we'd said things about each other or that there was some kind of tension between each of us. That was all blown out of proportion. We were always brothers. I can show you text message after text message where we would talk in the middle of the night and check on each other. And [we] always ended every text with, 'I love you, brother. I can't wait to see you again.' The last text that we shared was talking about him… I said, 'Will you come play some solos on my new stuff?' And he was, like, 'Yeah, of course I will, man.' So we couldn't have been on better terms. And I'm thankful for that."

SALIVA launched its career in 2001 with the release of "Every Six Seconds", a double-platinum selling album with hits that include "Click, Click Boom" and "Your Disease".

The band has toured the U.S. with SEVENDUST, AEROSMITH and KISS.

SALIVA reunited with Scott for a one-off appearance at the 2022 Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Scott left SALIVA at the end of 2011 after 15 years with the group, reportedly to pursue a solo Christian music career. He was quickly replaced by Amaru, who can be heard on SALIVA's last five releases: "In It To Win It" (2013),"Rise Up" (2014),"Love, Lies & Therapy" (2016),"10 Lives" (2018) and "Revelation" (2023).

SALIVA released six albums with Scott and tasted platinum success and a Grammy nomination for its first big hit, "Your Disease".

In May 2021, SALIVA celebrated the 20th anniversary of its breakthrough major label debut, "Every Six Seconds", with a special project called "Every Twenty Years", an EP of classic songs re-recorded with Amaru.

In a new interview with David Morrell of the RUN GPG podcast, FILTER leader Richard Patrick was asked about the current state of the music industry. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The music industry is really crazy right now. Back in the day, if you were lucky enough to get a record contract, which was hard, they took care of you. From my perspective, not necessarily in the early days with [Patrick's former band] NINE INCH NAILS, but from my perspective, my record company, Warner Brothers, was a godsend. They were absolutely amazing. I asked for the moon and they were, like, 'Sure. You can do whatever you want. We're here. It's an artist-oriented label. We do what you want us to do.' And I'm, like, 'Okay. So I wanna grab 30,000 dollars' worth of equipment, go back to a little house in Cleveland, Ohio, and make my record, and then have someone else mix it later on.' And they're, like, 'Done.' And like I remember going through my equipment and getting all this fancy stuff, just amazing stuff, and they bought all of it and put it together in road cases and I went across the country out to Cleveland, Ohio and sat there with Brian Liesegang and worked on these records, or the first record, 'Short Bus', and I just remember being taken care of. And then money — I had money. They gave me pretty much an allowance to sit there and work, and they gave me an advance, which I used to live. And then it was, like, 'Hey, let's do a video. Here's 300,000 dollars for that. Who do you want to work with?' 'I wanna work with Kevin Kerslake. He did the SMASHING PUMPKINS video that I like.' And they were, like, 'Great. Here's his treatment.' I get in touch with this guy. He gives me his treatment. I'm, like, 'I love it. Let's do that.' That's the video for 'Hey Man Nice Shot'. And then they put someone on the road with us who was a liaison between all the people that we were supposed to meet, all the press we were supposed to do. And so she lived on the bus with us, which was crazy because we were pretty wild back then. But it was amazing. And now you just don't have that anymore. So the way they're doing it now is if you have a TikTok following of, like, 100,000 people and you have your own built-in following already, you can get a record deal, but I don't know how much they take care of anybody anymore. I think they just kind of take their money. They put the records out. I don't know if they have A&R people. It's bizarre."

Richard continued: "It's wild because Billie Eilish is truly one of the most talented — her and Finneas are some of the most talented people ever. And they made it by going viral off of their own SoundCloud and stuff. And I remember my daughter told me about Billie Eilish when Billie Eilish was 16 back in 2018, or whatever it was, '17 or '18 or '16. So, the cream is rising to the top, but it's wild how different it is.

"Rock is not that big anymore. That's the sad thing, is rock music isn't really that big anymore," Patrick added. "And it's expensive to be in a rock band. It's very expensive to be in a rock band. You make noise, so you have to find a place that'll allow you to make noise in. Basically, what I've done was I started off using a little studio in my house to make the beginnings of the record. Then I would go to a studio and flesh it out and add guitar overdubs and stuff like that and do drums in a studio. Then I would go to a mixer and spend six weeks with a mixer, Ben Grosse. And we had a place to stay every time we did anything. And now, because budgets are gone, I have my own little studio that I have. And then all of my bandmates have their own private home studios. And so I'll come up with the main piece of music and then I'll sing it and then I'll send it out to my guitar player Bobby and he'll play bass on it and sing overdubs or sing background harmonies or something like that. So we send it through Dropbox, and that's how we work on it. Eventually it'll come time to do drums, and we'll just spend two days with a great drummer who will flesh it out on drums for two days. And that's the most expensive part about doing a record these days. But my monthly rent for my little studio… Luckily, I'm moving into movie scores as well, so that supplements my studio time as well. But it's wild."

Richard went on to say: "[FILTER's latest album, 2023's] 'The Algorithm' [cost] probably 15 grand [to make], and [FILTER's third album, 2002's] 'The Amalgamut' cost 600,000. [1999's] 'Title Of Record'… People are, like, 'Oh boy, those first three records, man, they were amazing.' Yeah, each one of 'em cost, like, 400,000 dollars to make."

In a November 2023 interview with ADK Metal News, Reviews, Reactions & Interviews, FILTER mainman Richard Patrick spoke about how his band has been able to adapt to the access-over-ownership business model of streaming music. He said: "I've kind of gotten to the point where I just am, like, I make records because that's what I do. I make records [and] I hope people listen to them. I'm gonna play them at my concerts. But I don't expect anything. I don't expect, like, 'Oh, you're gonna go fucking platinum again.' Those days are just gone."

Asked how the record labels are able to make money from Spotify nowadays and whether they can withhold their releases from streaming platforms, Patrick said: "Well, they sold it out years ago. The record companies were, like, 'Here's our catalog. Pay us a big, huge amount of money first, and then we'll get it to the bands when they ask for it.' So all the music heads made tons of money when they made these deals with Spotify to have the catalogs originally. So, Spotify paid 17 million to Warner Brothers for its catalog and they took it and paid themselves. I'm not saying that's what Warner Brothers did. I'm just using it as a hypothetical. But yeah, it's fuckin gone. It's over."

Pressed about how difficult it is for someone to be a professional musician in this day and age, Patrick said: "I made the last record ['The Algorithm'] for 20,000 bucks. I made 'The Amalgamut' for 350,000 dollars. People bought houses because they worked so hard on a record, and they bought houses. And we'd sell a million records. So you'd pay it back; you'd make it back. So 'The Algorithm' cost me, like, 20 grand. And I don't even know if I've been reimbursed from the label or whatever. I don't even know if I've been reimbursed. I don't even know."

Asked if there is still a benefit for artists to go down the record label route anymore or if they are better off doing things independently, Richard said: "I don't know. The jury's out on where I'm at with my label. The jury's kind of out right now. I've been signed to 10 labels or something — a handful of labels — and I know what it's like when a label wants you to be big and wants to make your life amazing and work your record. And Golden Robot's fighting with everybody else on how to make a living on this. And it's tough. And you don't have sure things. If you get on radio, you'll sell a million records. That's not happening anymore. Radio is not as effective as it used to be. So it's, like, well, what are we? A TikTok account? Do I literally have to like hire a TikTok person and invest 10 grand in doing TikTok videos and starting this whole thing. And I have a TikTok account, and I just don't get it. I don't see what the point is. I release stuff on it, but it's the same as Reels on Instagram or Stories or whatever on Facebook]. But it's all about posting shit; it's all about posting content."

"The Algorithm" arrived in August 2023 via Golden Robot Records.

Originally conceived in 2018 as a collaboration between Patrick and fellow FILTER founding member Brian Liesegang, the band's new album was given a tentative title, "ReBus", as a nod to FILTER's 1995 debut, "Short Bus", before being changed to "They Got Us Right Where They Want Us, At Each Other's Throats" and later to "Murica" and then back to "They Got Us Right Where They Want Us, At Each Other's Throats". In the end, Patrick went with "The Algorithm".

"The other title was way too long," Richard previously explained. "And I don't wanna be as divisive as I've been in the past. So I decided to just call it 'The Algorithm' 'cause if makes total sense to me."

A new FILTER single, "For The Beaten", arrived in October 2022 and was followed by "Face Down".

Last year, FILTER completed the "Freaks On Parade" tour with ROB ZOMBIE, ALICE COOPER and MINISTRY.

UK alternative metal act Neonfly has announced the release of the band's upcoming live EP Master Tapes - 10 Years Live At Masters Of Rock, set to be released on June 19 via Noble Demon.


Having graced the festival for the fourth time in ten years back in 2022, this digital EP commemorates their decade-long journey since their first captivating performance on the international stage. Masters Of Rock festival holds a special place in Neonfly's hearts as it provided them with a crucial platform that kick-started the band's global presence. With each performance, Neonfly has established a profound connection with their fans and the festival community, culminating in this special EP that commemorates their decade-long adventure at Masters Of Rock festival from humble beginnings to the here and now.


Neonfly comments: "Our journey with Masters Of Rock began in 2012 when we played to a packed second stage, winning the hearts and minds of everyone present. This led to us returning the following year and being promoted to an early afternoon slot on the Main Stage. Since then, the Czech fans, and especially those at Masters Of Rock, have always held a special place in our hearts. Playing there feels like coming home, and we wanted to show our gratitude to all the fans who rocked out with us over the years, as well as to the fantastic team at Pragokoncert for their unwavering support."




"Our first live recording dates back to our Main Stage debut in 2013, where we premiered the yet-to-be-released track 'Heart Of The Sun', later featured on our second album. The live version has been remixed and remastered for this release. In 2015, we returned for another epic Main Stage performance, proving that Neonfly was here to stay and a force to be reckoned with. That show also marked the debut of our visually captivating fire-breathing act, performed by guitarist Frederick Thunder, which has since then become a festival staple for us. Two tracks are taken from that show, 'A Gift To Remember' and 'Morning Star'."


"'Although we performed at Metalfest 2017, also organized by Pragokoncert, it took seven years for us to return to Masters Of Rock. Originally scheduled for 2020, the pandemic put our plans on hold until 2022, turning our return into a special moment, marking our 10-year 'MORversary.' 'Highways To Nowhere' and 'This World Is Burning' are taken from that show, with their respective videos edited by Frederick Thunder."


Watch the music video for the first single "Highways To Nowhere", which the band performed at the Masters Of Rock Festival 2022:





Guitarist Frederick Thunder about the track: "‘Highways To Nowhere’ has been a staple in our setlist since our second album, Strangers In Paradise, came out. It’s really punchy and straight-forward, and it’s a great song to start the set with a bang and set the tone for the rest of the show. Even after all these years, the song only seems to have grown in popularity as evidenced by the number of people who request it and the way it’s positioned itself as one of our most popular songs on streaming platforms. It seemed like a great option as the starting track of our EP to celebrate what Neonfly is all about live."





Tracklisting:


"Highways To Nowhere" (Live at Masters of Rock 2022)
"This World Is Burning" (Live at Masters of Rock 2022)
"A Gift To Remember" (Live at Masters of Rock 2015)
"Heart Of The Sun" (Live at Masters of Rock 2013)
"Morning Star" (Live at Masters of Rock 2015)


Master Tapes - 10 Years Live At Masters Of Rock will be coming out digitally on June 19 via Noble Demon. The EP is available for pre-save at this location.


(Photo by Rakkan)


 

The old school death metal band, Monastery, have released a first single, "Fall Apart," from their upcoming album. Details of the full album will be revealed soon, but for now, stick with "Fall Apart"  and its unparalleled intensity.


"Fall Apart" is a relentless and powerful track, symbolizing Monastery's raw energy and aggression. From the first note, the song's high velocity and intense lyrics showcase the band's prowess and even when the speed eases, the guitars keep the intensity high, ensuring constant momentum. Ending as fiercely as it begins, "Fall Apart" highlights Monastery's dedication to the old school death metal and offers a glimpse into their upcoming album.







Music: Krisztián Tóth / Róbert Kovács
Lyrics: Roland Kovács
Sound engineer: Zoltán Cserfalvi
Made by: Denevér studio / Szolnok / Hungary
Cover: Gergely István Olasz

SLAYER guitarist Kerry King celebrated his 60th birthday by kicking off the European leg of his "From Hell I Rise" solo tour Monday night (June 3) at Poppodium 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands.

As was the case with the first three U.S. shows Kerry played with his solo band, the setlist for the Tilburg gig included SLAYER tracks as well as several of the 13 songs that appear on King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", which came out on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music.

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

01. Where I Reign
02. Trophies Of The Tyrant
03. Toxic
04. Repentless (SLAYER song)
05. Two Fists
06. Tension
07. Everything I Hate About You
08. Chemical Warfare (SLAYER song)
09. Idle Hands
10. Rage
11. Hate Worldwide (SLAYER song)
12. Residue
13. Disciple (SLAYER song)
14. Crucifixation
15. Shrapnel
16. Raining Blood (SLAYER song)
17. Black Magic (SLAYER song)
18. Payback (SLAYER song)
19. From Hell I Rise

In a recent interview with Metal Hammer magazine, King stated about the setlist for his solo band's shows: "For this coming summer in Europe, we're gonna do like nine or 10 tracks from the album and, depending on set length, fill it with stuff I've done — something I wrote in SLAYER or co-wrote. So nobody can say 'he's playing Jeff [Hanneman, late SLAYER guitarist] songs,' because although I love Jeff songs and he was such a big part of my life, I don't want to rely on it this year, this album cycle. At some point, I will play 'Angel Of Death', but there's so many fucking faceless haters on the Internet, I don't want to give them ammunition."

All material for "From Hell I Rise" was written by the 60-year-old SLAYER guitarist, who was accompanied during the recording sessions by the rest of his solo band, consisting of drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER),bassist Kyle Sanders (HELLYEAH),guitarist Phil Demmel (formerly of MACHINE HEAD) and Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL) on vocals. 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 an interview with Martha Wingen of the Bleeding Metal podcast, King was asked to name "the most important message" on "From Hell I Rise". He said: "I don't know that there's a message on the album. I'm not that kind of person. I like to bring things to a conversation. Say, for instance, I've been talking today about, I think a lot of people are born into a religious belief based on being handed down from their parents, friends, whatever. What I like to present to people is ideas that if that makes them question what they believe, what they were taught… I think everybody should make up their own mind. And at the end of the day, that would be my message. Make up your own mind, be it politics, be it religion. Just be your own self."

Asked if he was able to realize something in his music he always wanted to do, like new influences or new styles, on "From Hell I Rise", Kerry said: "Realistically, my influences were influences 40 years ago and they still are my influences. And along that way, did I pick up more? Yeah, absolutely. But I think in doing this project, it's just the next record for me. I didn't have anything that I wanted to achieve that necessarily I hadn't achieved. I just wanna make up the next batch of music for people that I think are my fans, that I think they would like, because SLAYER has a gigantic amount of fans, and if I make 95 percent of them happy with what I do, I think I had a good day."

Pressed about whether there is anything he wants to achieve musically and personally with his solo project, King said: "Musically, not really. Just keep putting out music that translates between me writing it and the fans liking it. The thing that I can't wait for, which is a lot closer than I expected — I was told today our first show is in, like, 10 days [laughs], so I gotta go home and rehearse. But I'm looking forward to playing with the guys, 'cause even though we've done a video, we've never actually played together all at once. So, that's gonna be pretty exciting. And that happens Sunday. I fly home Saturday, and then I gotta fly to the West Coast Sunday and start rehearsing. So I've got a big week, but that's what I look most forward to these days, is getting in the rehearsal room and then finally getting on stage and showing the new band to everybody."

In a separate interview with with France's Loud TV, Kerry said about the prospect of launching a solo career: "It's kind of funny, right? It's kind of funny to have 40 years in this business at all, let alone be starting a new band. It's funny, our first show in Europe is gonna be on my 60th birthday at the only venue I've ever canceled in my life, which is super ironic."

Referencing the fact that SLAYER hasn't released a new studio album since 2015 and hasn't played any live shows since 2019, King added: "I'm obviously not done. I've got lots more music and lots more things to say, a lot more people to piss off and argue about. So, let's start this new endeavor now. Move on."

When the interviewer noted that it takes "courage" to launch a new project several decades into his career, King concurred: "It is a lot more difficult than I thought. I've been kind of pampered for the last at least three decades. And starting over, even though I have a gigantic history in SLAYER, starting over, you're still starting over — you're lower on the bills, you're not making the [same kind of] money. Having to figure out how to make sure everybody in my band makes money so it's worth their time. But, yeah, never for a second did I consider not going on, because at this point in life, any record could be your last. I don't think this is my last record, but I have to move on like it is. So put it out, hope the fans like it, hope the fans show up. I like it. I think the fans are gonna like it, and I think we're gonna have a lot of good times."

Asked if the lineup for his solo band is made up of "friends", Kerry said: "Absolutely. The thing that meant the most to me about moving forward in this project was getting my friends. I could get anybody in the biz — I can get people I don't know, people I've never met, but I have enough friends in this business to know that I could put a band together of outstanding musicians that are friends that, after the show, we can get on the bus and have a drink and just have fun. No drama. Nothing weird is gonna happen that we don't foresee. I look forward to getting out on the road with these guys and having a good time."

Pressed about which member of his solo band was "the most surprised" when Kerry called him to offer him a spot in the group, Kerry said: "I think the most surprising moment was when I finally gave Mark the gig. Mark put his name in the hat very early, and he's the only one that did demos with me and Paul. We had him come down every six weeks or so, and he would just come down and sing the songs he'd already sang and just every time he'd come down, make 'em better. But I didn't tell him until, like, 14 months ago that he got the gig. And I was super nonchalant about it. He was at my place in [Las] Vegas, and I said, 'Dude, if you still want the gig, I guess you can have it.' And he was super excited, super excited, like almost fan excited. He was so excited, he texted his mom and texted me by accident. [Laughs] And I said, 'I love you too, man. It's cool. It's cool.' So we went in and recorded, like, two months after that."

When the interviewer remarked that Mark sounds like he is really pushing himself vocally on "From Hell I Rise", Kerry said: "Like I said, we did demos, and we always made the demos better. And then we got to the studio in Hollywood, and I was in another room doing something, and he sang 'Residue'. And the producer got me and says, 'Hey, I want you to hear where the song is.' And I went, 'Okay, cool,' expecting to hear what I was used to hearing. And I hear the first verse and I'm going, 'How did you guys get to this register?' It's, like, I'd never heard that before. He was, like, 'Well, that's where he started singing and felt comfortable.' So I went to Mark immediately and I said, 'Hey, dude, you can recreate this, right?' It's, like, 'You're not setting yourself up to fail the first show and blow your voice out and be canceling shows all over the place.' And he assured me he can do it. So, he carried on and went on and did even crazier performances on the later songs that he sang. So, apparently, he's very confident in what he can do. And I think it sounds great. So, I'm anxious to get out and start doing it."

King told Rolling Stone about the decision to call the band KERRY KING: "It was going to be KING'S REIGN for a long time, which is really cool. But even with that one, I went to the guys, like, 'I'm not a vain dude. I don't want my name to be a part of it.' We talked about BLOOD REIGN for a while, but it didn't work. Every time I came up with anything remotely cool, it was taken by some obscure band in Eastern Europe. It became KERRY KING because I love that logo."

King said the album is about "various religious topics, some war entries, heavy stuff, punky stuff, doomy stuff, and spooky stuff, with Herculean speeds achieved," adding, "If you've ever liked any SLAYER throughout any part of our history, there's something on this record that you'll get into, be it classic punk, fast punk, thrash, or just plain heavy metal."

King added there's more to come, too. "Even with a record in the can, I've still got so many songs that need to be finished," he said. "This is what I know how to do…number one being music, number two being metal. It's been a part of my life for 40 years, and I'm nowhere near being done."

KERRY KING will be special guest on the upcoming LAMB OF GOD/MASTODON North American "Ashes Of Leviathan" co-headline tour. The six-week run will launch on July 19 in Grand Prairie, Texas and will wrap on August 31 in Omaha, Nebraska.

In a new interview with the Percussion Discussion Podcast, legendary drummer Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, LAST IN LINE) addressed host Matty Roberts's comment that Vinny has a "signature style and sound" which as kept him "in solid employment" for the last few decades. Appice said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then people say, 'Wow, I knew that was you on the drums [on that recording].' I take that as a compliment. 'Well, thank you very much. That's pretty cool.' But the other thing is I'm a nice guy. I'm not a scumbag. I'm not a jerk. I'm on time with all these bands."

He continued: "Actually, [when I played] with BLACK SABBATH, we used to rehearse at one o'clock in the afternoon out here in California. And I'd pull up about 20 to 1 or 12:30. Tony's [Iommi, SABBATH guitarist] in there getting his sound on his guitar, messing with his gear. Geezer [Butler, SABBATH bassist] arrives right there, and then, boom, behind him's Ronnie [James Dio, then-SABBATH singer]. Everybody's there before it's our time, and they care and they wanna make it the best that it can be. And then later on, I played with a band called KILL DEVIL HILL [with] Rex Brown from PANTERA. I love the way Rex plays — he's fantastic — but the band itself couldn't… We needed a clock. I got tired of it. Mainly it was one guy in the band that was just an hour and a half late and this and that, and after a while I'm [going], 'I can't deal with this.' It's a waste of my time. I'm sitting there for an hour and a half waiting. But it was fun. It was a great band, and Rex was great. Rex was cool. He was there. He just blew the amps up all the time, but he was there on time.

"You've gotta be a team player, and then people work with you," Vinny added. "When you're an A-hole, they go, 'Well, what about that guy?' 'No. He's [always] late' or whatever the problem is. You've gotta be part of a team."

When Roberts noted that Vinny has never burned any bridges, even when he has left projects in the past, Appice concurred. "That's right," he said. "I know people that burn bridges and then years later, it comes back to haunt them. I mean, I left DIO — I left, actually, twice, and I tried to run it by Ronnie [James Dio] all the time, when the time was right, and Wendy [Dio, Ronnie's manager], and I always kept in touch. And then later on, they put HEAVEN & HELL together, which was BLACK SABBATH. And they were working with Cozy Powell at one point. Then he fell off a horse and couldn't play for a while. 'Let's call Vinny.' That was '92. And then later on, in 2007, they did HEAVEN & HELL. And they were working with Bill Ward, and that wasn't working out. 'Let's call Vinny.' And luckily, I didn't burn any bridges; I didn't do anything like that. And I was in touch with Wendy Dio. She said, 'You wanna play with the guys again?' I said, 'Sure. That'd be awesome.' And I went, and that brought my career back in the spotlight. [We put] BLACK SABBATH back together again. So you can't burn the bridges. It's not a good idea."

Vinny has recorded and co-written songs on several dozen albums and CDs, including many multi-platinum records. Vinny's drumming can also be heard on numerous movie soundtracks, including "Wayne's World 2", "Heavy Metal", "Iron Eagle" and "Bedazzled". Vinny, the author of drum instruction book "Rock Steady" and DVD "Hard Rock Drumming Techniques", has performed incredible powerhouse drum clinics around the globe. Numerous books have been written about BLACK SABBATH and DIO with the authors always mentioned Vinny's drumming style.

Vinny's unique drumming approach has influenced many artists over the last few decades. Never one to rest on his laurels, he is constantly putting out new music and is currently recording and touring with LAST IN LINE.

Vinny currently endorses Sawtooth drums, Evans drumheads, Istanbul Mehmet cymbals and Chromacast drumsticks.

The year was 1984, the year of the cassette boombox and the Sony Walkman, and the year when a little band from Los Angeles invited the world to "Turn Up The Radio". That band was AUTOGRAPH, fronted by the fiery-haired powerhouse vocalist Steve Plunkett, and their single became an immediate smash hit from the debut album "Sign In Please" and was featured in numerous films and TV shows of that era.

But as big as AUTOGRAPH was, it could not contain the creative energy of Plunkett. He soon found a new career as an in-demand songwriter for bands such as THE GO-GO'S, Edgar Winter and VIXEN as well as doing production work for Cyndi Lauper and Graham Nash. He released his first solo album in 1991, an album that showed Plunkett's growing confidence in both his own songwriting and studio techniques. Now, more than three decades later, Plunkett is ready to release his second solo album, a smokin' hot collection called "Straight Up".

This 10-track all-killer-no-filler album cranks up the volume knob to 11 and shows that Plunkett hasn't lost an ounce of the passion and power that made him a hard rock hero. Just check out the album's first single "Rock Machine", which kicks off with a driving guitar lick and chanted lyric that lunges straight at the listener's jugular. It's a powerblast of pure, unfiltered rock mania as only Plunkett knows how to deliver.

Reflecting on the album, Plunkett declares: "With 'Straight Up', I wanted to get back to rock basics. No parameters or targets — just the kind of real rock that got me excited back in the day. Fast, fun and loud!"

"Straight Up" will be available on both CD and digital July 26 via Cleopatra Records.

Track listing:

01. Rock Machine
02. Here We Go
03. First Step
04. Six String Hero
05. Rock Star
06. We're Gonna Jam
07. Knock Out Punch
08. On The Stage
09. Gotta Jump
10. Start It Up

Founding AUTOGRAPH guitarist Steve Lynch recently settled a lawsuit against some of the later members of the band over the AUTOGRAPH name. As part of the settlement, the musicians who have been performing as AUTOGRAPH in recent years will now be called AUTOGRAPH BEYOND. Meanwhile, Lynch has retained all rights to the AUTOGRAPH brand name, trademarks and logo.

Plunkett and Lynch were part of the original AUTOGRAPH band alongside bassist Randy Rand, drummer Keni Richards and keyboardist Steve Isham. Rand, Richards and Isham passed away in 2022, 2017 and 2008, respectively.

AUTOGRAPH BEYOND consists of Simon Daniels (a.k.a. Danny Simon) on vocals, Marc Wieland on drums, Jimi Bell on guitar and Steve Unger on bass.

In a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine, former SEPULTURA and current SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera spoke about his recent decision to launch his official Instagram account with the help of his wife and manager Gloria Cavalera. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, I think it was necessary for a musician to grow. As much as I wanted to stay away from it, because — I like it, but I don't let it be the only thing in my life. That's why I don't have a cell phone. I'm one of the few people in the world that don't have a cell phone. And I feel very free about that, because when I go to eat at a restaurant, I wanna talk to my friends. I wanna sit down at a table and talk to people, not stare at some machine. I think that's ridiculous, when people are in a restaurant and they are sitting across each other and they don't talk to each other. It's fucking sad. It's fucking crazy — it drives me crazy. At the same time, I know how important it is to have your presence in the social media world. And that's why together, I found a way to do it with [Gloria] so she becomes my voice. She shows me everything, so I get to see everything that people are saying. I respond. We do a live Facebook. I was doing a lot of 'Max Trax' [Internet video series in which Max discusses the inspiration for many of the songs spanning his 40-year music career]. I might wanna start doing that again and do Cameos and all this stuff. But I think she's great. She's doing right now six, I think, social media things. She does Max Cavalera, she does SOULFLY. she has her own Facebook page, and it's cool."

He added: "I always did this — even back in the day, in the SEPULTURA days before Internet. I would read bad reviews so I get real pissed off and have a good show. So now I kind of do the same. I tell her like, 'Show me some people talking shit.' So she gives me the phone, and there's all these people talking shit. And I read it, and I go on the stage and I fuck shit up. [Laughs] It's ammunition. It's gasoline for the fire."

CAVALERA, the band featuring former Max and his brother, former SEPULTURA drummer Igor "Iggor" Cavalera, recently re-recorded SEPULTURA's 1987 album "Schizophrenia" for a June 21 release via Nuclear Blast Records. The Cavalera brothers enlisted Travis Stone (PIG DESTROYER) on lead guitar, with Igor Amadeus Cavalera (GO AHEAD AND DIE, HEALING MAGIC) playing bass.

CAVALERA re-recorded "Schizophrenia" from April 15 to June 5, 2023 at Focusrite Room in Mesa Arizona. Mixing and mastering was handled by Arthur Rizk (SOULFLY, GO AHEAD AND DIE, TURNSTILE).

This summer, CAVALERA will travel across Europe on their "Third World Trilogy" tour. The trek will kick off on June 12 in Leichester and will make stops in Wroclaw, Oslo, and Barcelona before ending in Switzerland on July 21.

Swedish progressive metal band Seventh Dimension has just released their debut single "The Great Unknown", available now on all major streaming services. The single sets the stage for their upcoming album, Of Hope & Ordeals, set to drop on June 21, 2024.





Known for their intricate blend of progressive metal and rock, Seventh Dimension continues to evolve their sound while staying true to their roots. The album reflects a new chapter for the band, marked by the addition of lead vocalist Markus Tälth and a more collaborative songwriting approach.




Of Hope & Ordeals is a vibrant mix of symphonic elements, soaring melodies, and some of the heaviest music the band has ever produced. Influenced by legendary acts like Dream Theater, Opeth, and Symphony X, the album offers a rich tapestry of emotions and themes. The first five tracks feature deeply personal lyrics, drawn from the band members' experiences over the past year, culminating in a 25-minute epic that showcases their classic storytelling style.





Tracklisting:


"The Great Unknown"
"Ghost Veil"
"V23"
"Underwater"
"Mind Flayer"
"Black Sky: Final Frontier"


For further details, visit Seventh Dimension on Facebook.


 

STONE SOUR guitarist Josh Rand has shared a snippet of some of the new music he is working on for his THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT. He wrote in an accompanying caption: "I want to thank all of you for be patient on the new music. Sorry, had to take care of some things over this last year but I'm back at it! Can't wait for you guys to hear what we have been working on. We are shooting for a fall release. We'll keep you posted."

Last month, Rand's THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT bandmate, PARALANDRA vocalist/guitarist Casandra Carson, told the Nothing Shocking podcast about the status of the collaborative project: "As of just less than a week ago, Josh is back playing guitar. He had back surgery that he'd been out of commission for a little over a year at this point, so we've just kind of been waiting for his recovery. So now the plans are to continue writing. We've already got, like, five songs that have been written and recorded that we just haven't released 'cause we wanna be able to actually go out and tour and support it when we do release it. So, yeah, [we're] kind of getting back into the swing of things, but I'm super excited. It's some good music."

Regarding how she balances PARALANDRA and THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT, Casandra said: "It's difficult. PARALANDRA is my baby and I live in Springfield [Missouri], and that's where everybody lives for PARALANDRA. So it's much easier to get together twice a week to have practices. And we write songs organically right there in the garage, whereas with Josh, it's, like, you send off the track to get drums recorded and then you send it off to get the bass done. It's a very different process. So I'm kind of in two different worlds, but I do try to do both of them at the same time as often as I can."

In September 2022, THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT released a new single, "Dying Of The Light".

Earlier that year, THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT completed a run of U.S. dates as the support act for ALICE IN CHAINS, BREAKING BENJAMIN and BUSH.

THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT made its live debut on April 30, 2022 at The Riff in Springfield, Missouri.

In an interview with HardDrive Radio's Lou Brutus, Rand stated about THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT: "In a sense, it was just something that I started doing a [few] years ago, just writing music myself. And then I just decided I wanted to get a female vocalist, basically, to work on these songs and sing on them. And I found Casandra through a mutual friend — actually, STONE SOUR's [then-]A&R person, Dave Rath — and we hit it off. And then we've just been working on stuff kind of just here and there.

"So, that's really what it's about," he continued. "It's just me musically trying different stuff, but also getting back to where I originally came from, as far as my musical journey. So it's kind of getting back to my roots and just having fun with it. That's what THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT is for me — it's a different vehicle to express myself, I guess, artistically with truly no boundaries, but leaning more towards, musically, I think, coming at it as an educated teenager. What I mean by that is it's the fire of that teenager — that drive, that style of music that I was playing 30 years ago — but now doing it with the experience, the knowledge and all that. So it's kind of like revisiting the past, in a way, or going home in some ways."

THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT released a four-song EP, titled "Big F.O.U.R.", in March 2022 via Bloodblast. The collection featured a clutch of cover versions, one each from heavy music's pioneering icons METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX.

Rand previously stated about the EP: "Recording a 'Big F.O.U.R.' cover EP is something that I have wanted to do for a very, very long time, and [in the] fall [of 2021] I decided to finally do it with THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT.

"Without these four bands (METALLICA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX and SLAYER),my musical career wouldn't be where it is today. In some ways, you could say this project is paying homage to them or, how I see it, a return to where it all started in my parents' house as a teenager trying to learn just a piece of the music.

"Each of the four songs that I picked were pivotal in my development as a musician, whether it was learning the intro to 'One' on guitar, drums on 'Symphony [Of Destruction]' or bass lines in 'Caught In A Mosh'.

"This EP was a true love and passion project for myself. I feel I captured the vibe and the spirit of the original but with THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT sound. Hopefully you hear it too!"

Stylistically, THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT is a fluid combination of classic metal sensibility and Rand's penchant for pushing the boundaries of contemporary heavy.

THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT's debut self-titled EP came out in the summer of 2021 and was made available exclusively through the band's webstore or via the Nuclear Blast store.

Josh and Casandra's debut single, "The Nothingness", was featured on several major playlists across streaming platforms, including Rock Hard on Spotify, Breaking Metal on Apple Music, Break Through Rock on Amazon and Metal Radar on Deezer. "The Nothingness" was also included on SiriusXM Octane's "Test Drive" show on release.

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Finnish cello rockers APOCALYPTICA have announced the fourth and final exciting single from "Apocalyptica Plays Metallica, Vol. 2" – the hotly anticipated sequel to their legendary debut record. "The Call Of Ktulu" follows on from a rapturous response to the preceding three singles: stunning reinterpretations of "The Four Horsemen", "The Unforgiven II" and "One". Most notably, "The Call of Ktulu" features the original bassline laid down by METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton, who tragically lost his life in a tour bus accident in 1986.

APOCALYPTICA's "The Call Of Ktulu", the original of which first appeared on METALLICA's second album — 1984 landmark "Ride The Lightning" — is more than just a reimagining of that defining moment in thrash history. It represents a resounding seal of approval given by METALLICA and the family of Cliff Burton themselves, who were all enthusiastically behind the idea. It also serves as a powerful tribute to a legendary bassist whose colossal musical legacy lives on.

APOCALYPTICA founder Eicca Toppinen comments: "I've learned in life that if you have crazy ideas it's always worth asking, so I called Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer]! He was, like, 'I love that you guys always think outside of the box!' James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] loved the idea, and I met one of Cliff's close relatives and she did too. It was a spiritual experience working on this. We wanted to treat this with honor and maximum respect, and it was magical to have people so close to Cliff say that he would have loved it."

Due on June 7 via Throwdown Entertainment, "Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2" will continue the journey that began in 1996 when cellists from Helsinki's world-renowned Sibelius Academy played symphonic tribute to the biggest of the big four–heavy metal titans METALLICA.

In a stunning development, the "One" single sees Hetfield joining proceedings for a soul-stirring, spoken word of those inimitable, now-immortal lyrics. More than a unique collaboration, this is history in the making.

Speaking to Mexico's Summa Inferno, APOCALYPTICA's lead cellist Perttu Kivilaakso explained how Hetfield's involvement with his band's version of "One" came about. He said:  "I all the time had this idea of, I want to make a very epic cinematic version, like a movie type of soundtrack type of a version out of 'One', because it's one of absolute most important and beloved tracks for me personally, as for so many others too. And that's why I actually thought that the story of 'One' is really important and interesting, exciting and touching story that for a movie aesthetics or cinematic aesthetics, it would be so cool to have a narrator in the track to talk the lyrics. And we didn't really even consider having anything sung in this album, but this narrator idea, I think what the approach is really cool because it brings a different type of flavor to this soldier's story and kind of inside his mind. And, of course, in the very starting point, James Hetfield naturally was kind of the number one choice for us when we were speaking: 'It would be so cool if James does his own lyrics.' But we didn't even consider that he would ever step away from METALLICA to do something else. And that's why, at some period of time, we had maybe other ideas of involving some cool actor — Mads Mikkelsen or somebody like that — with a great charismatic voice there. But then, when our recordings were all done and we came into the finalizing the post-production of the album, all of a sudden James informed us that, basically, like, 'Why wouldn't you ask me to do [it]?' It kind of felt even that he wanted to do it — he really, really wanted [to do it]. And that was a mind-blowing experience."

He continued: "For me, I remember when I received, actually, all the files James had recorded in States, and I was working at my home in Finland, and I got all his tracks and I imported them to my session and I started to edit Hetfield at home, I fell to my knees crying because it felt like, in a way, of course, like a dream come true and the full circle going on. And eventually Trujillo wanted to play also bass to 'One' because they apparently loved the version, the demo, the original demo that I sent to the guys. And even that was exciting because I had spoken those lyrics or the poetic approach, the narrative with my own sound, with my everything else but perfect English. [Laughs] And I'm just sending these own demo versions to James and [I said], 'Oh, I hope you don't mind that I had to do it myself. But this would be the idea. Please do whatever you want. It's gonna be amazing.' But also, yeah, still speaking about 'One', it was very fascinating and highly exciting to get to work with the wonderful special effects person Jussi Tegelman, who works in Los Angeles and he has been working for Skywalker Sound and made sound effect designs for many, many great movies, starting from Marvel and 'Dr. Strange' and 'Spider-Man' and stuff like that. So we also had this element in there. I'm a big movie fan and big Marvel fan, actually, as well, and to work with absolutely greatest people in the world, having a great orchestra from Budapest to make it, it's by far the most bombastic and biggest thing we have done, this this particular song, for sure."

When APOCALYPTICA's version of "One" was first released, APOCALYPTICA's Eicca Toppinen said in a statement: "I think it's incredible that James wanted to do it. We were always thinking, 'It'd be great to someday do something with METALLICA!' I think the excitement for him came from the different approach we were taking — sometimes the craziest ideas are what excites people and that was our challenge."

"Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2" track listing:

01. Ride The Lightning
02. St. Anger
03. The Unforgiven II
04. Blackened
05. The Call Of Ktulu (in memory of Cliff Burton)
06. The Four Horsemen (feat. Rob Trujillo)
07. Holier Than Thou
08. To Live Is To Die
09. One (feat. James Hetfield and Rob Trujillo)
10. One (instrumental)

The album's lead single was "The Four Horsemen", a song that originally appeared on METALLICA's 1983 debut "Kill 'Em All". It features a guest appearance by METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo.

Kivilaakso told the DJ Force X Podcast about how Trujillo's involvement came about: "This album concept has, in a way, been in our minds for throughout the whole career. We always knew that there are still a lot of cool [METALLICA] songs that we wanted play our style one day. So, but now after the pandemic and everything, this felt the exact right moment to dive back to the roots."

He continued: "We have always had a wonderful relation with METALLICA — they have been enormously supportive towards us always — but still we approached them to ask that would they agree, would it be fine for them if we make such an album. And through those conversations, actually, eventually Rob even offered that he could play something for us. And that's an enormous, amazing feature, of course, to be treated like that. And it really, really shows respect also from their side. And we are very, very thankful for it."

When "Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2" was first announced, APOCALYPTICA said in a statement: "The first single we want to present to you is 'The Four Horsemen'. And we couldn't be more excited to have a great feature guest on it: Rob Trujillo himself, who is probably THE greatest bass player in this whole wide world! We've always enjoyed sharing our love for METALLICA. Now, this is next level for us as well!"

Toppinen commented: "It's the coolest thing. We didn't push; it was offered. We played the first album live and it was so much more fun and exciting than we expected, so we got the idea to do something like the first album, but we couldn't do it in exactly the same way; we needed to challenge ourselves and bring a totally new perspective to the original energy and emotion of METALLICA."

Kivilaakso added: "We've been talking about making another METALLICA album for around 20 years, as there were still so many great songs we wanted to play! We waited for the perfect moment to do it. Thinking of that teenage me who is now getting to play his favorite tracks gives me goosebumps!"

This album will be the APOCALYPTICA's final studio release with the band's longtime member, drummer Mikko Sirén, who amicably departed after the new LP's completion. "Plays Metallica Vol. 2" was produced by longtime collaborator and studio supremo Joe Barresi (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, SOUNDGARDEN, NINE INCH NAILS, TOOL).

Alongside the announcement, APOCALYPTICA will be touring in support of the record, taking them through Europe.

Sirén started performing live with APOCALYPTICA in 2003 but didn't become a full-time member of the band until 2005, after playing over 200 concerts with APOCALYPTICA and recording an album with the group.

In a 2019 interview with Australia's Heavy magazine, APOCALYPTICA's Paavo Lötjönen spoke about the impact of the band's 1996 "Plays Metallica By Four Cellos" debut. Consisting solely of METALLICA covers, the album cast a spotlight on the group's classically trained abilities, setting the stage for them to release their own material in ensuing years. Since the 20th anniversary of "Plays Metallica By Four Cellos" in 2016, APOCALYPTICA has been playing the album in full at select live dates.

"It's been really fantastic," he said about playing "Plays Metallica By Four Cellos". "If we are talking about music in common, if you listen to music you used to listen to 20 years ago, it's a weird thing somehow, it brings all the same feelings back. Like, you are feeling when we were 20 years younger. I would call music a time machine in that sense. The same happens for us when we play those songs. Somehow the same feelings come back to us when we felt like we were 25 years or 20 years old and touring with a shitty van around Europe playing venues. This time, all the venues are bigger and really portioned nice. There's lots of people, and it's not too hot and shitty on the stage. It's a lot of joy and fun to play those songs. The magic of METALLICA has not disappeared anywhere. It's still really strong and passionate music. It's a lot of fun to play. We have never played this well as we are playing at the moment. I'm happy to see we have learned something during these years."

In 2015, Lötjönen and Kivilaakso spoke to Austria's Mulatschag about what it was like to join METALLICA on stage at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of the band's 30th anniversary in December 2011. Perttu said: "Of course we felt very privileged being included amongst all those amazing artists. And after the thing, what we have done during our career, it has been pleasant to realize and notice that, actually, the METALLICA guys, who are the reason for us to start to do something like this, that they do respect us at least that much that they wanted us to be a part of this big celebration of their career. Of course, it was crazy. I remember that when we started to play 'One', I'm starting this song and James Hetfield is just next to me, and I'm thinking, when I was 13 years old, he was my biggest idol and now we are playing together. So it's absurd, but just natural and logical in other terms."

Added Paavo: "You know, the connection to METALLICA has been really super great all these years. We played first time as a support to them already in '96. It was actually our fifth show for a proper rock and roll audience, and we were supporting METALLICA, so it was quite crazy. And since that, we have played many times with them at same festivals and… Let me say that the connection with METALLICA is really cool and really nice."

Photo credit: Riki Murto

Sebastian Bach has blasted his former bandmates in SKID ROW, calling them "fucking assholes" and once again claiming that they have gone through nine vocalists since his departure from the group.

The 56-year-old singer's outburst came during last night's (Tuesday, June 4) performance by his solo band at Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit, Michigan. After somebody in the audience yelled out "SKID ROW", Sebastian quickly fired back with: "Yeah, that's the band that kicked me out. Yeah, killer. Great. Fucking assholes."

Later in the show, Bach took issue with somebody in the crowd wearing a SKID ROW shirt from one of later eras of the band that did not include him. He pointed out the piece of merchandise from the stage and said into the microphone: "I'm fascinated by this shirt right here. This is SKID ROW with what number singer? Seven? Eight? Nine? What number is that guy? Huh? What number? Is that replacement number seven? Or number eight? Or number nine? And before you say, 'Well they don't have nine,' I can fucking name every fucking one of them. How do you even wear that? It's like, ridiculous. Is that the guys from DRAGONFORCE? Or fucking TNT? Or whatever the fuck. Fucking embarrassing."

Video of Bach's comments can be seen below (courtesy of The Video Vault).

Detroit photographer Brandon Nagy, who covered Sebastian's concert at Saint Andrew's Hall for local radio station 106.7 WLLZ, shared a few photos of the concert and included the following message: "Last time I covered his show, he had a tantrum and kicked all the photographers out of the photo pit. So, I worked from the upper level of Saint Andrew's this time and avoided that. But he still interrupted his show to pick on people wearing SKID ROW shirts."

In a recent interview with Joe Rock of Long Island's rock station 102.3 WBAB, Bach, who recently released his first solo album in a decade, "Child Within The Man", was asked if he thinks a reunion of SKID ROW's classic lineup is ever going to actually happen. He responded:  "I do, but when I read myself talk about this, I kind of cringe 'cause it's not up to me. Those guys are currently on their eighth or ninth replacement for me. And there's been a miscommunication from my camp to theirs that I will attempt to clear up, but I am way too focused on what I'm doing in my career to even really even think about that right now, to be honest with you. I'm just not thinking about the old days right now. I'm thinking about the fact that I've got a new song on the radio. 'What Do I Got To Lose?' is on FM radio across the country. That video is almost two million views in 2024. And in my day, two million views was double platinum. [Laughs] So, I'm not thinking about 1989; I'm not thinking about 1991.'

He continued: "I am overjoyed to hear my voice on the radio in 2024. That is more important to me than thinking about what happened in '91. I just don't think about that, really. Not to say that I wouldn't get the band back together, but I'm just focused like a laser beam on what I'm doing right now. So that's gonna have to take a back seat, like for real. This is more interesting to me. My album, the way it sounds and the reaction that people are giving it is more exciting and interesting, and creating new music instead of just playing the same old songs over and over. I love having new songs to play, even though I haven't learned how to play them yet. [Laughs]"

Last month, SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo ruled out a reunion with 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 [Bolan, SKID ROW bassist] — 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."

Three months ago, SKID ROW's latest frontman — former "Swedish Idol" contestant Erik Grönwall — quit the band to focus on his health.

Grönwall, who was SKID ROW's fourth frontman since Bach's departure, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021. As a result, he is immunocompromised, which made touring difficult.

Earlier in May, Bach was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if there has been any dialogue between him and his former bandmates in SKID ROW about a possible reunion now that they are once again in need of a singer. He responded: "I found out something at the very last KISS show that I did not know before the very last KISS show. And it's a major piece of miscommunication. And I need to communicate with those guys because there's been something that happened that is not accurate. I can't tell you what it is, but the whole narrative of they don't like me and I'm too crazy is complete bullshit. It's not true. There's been attempts to get us going again.

"I'm so focused on [my new] album ['Child Within The Man'] and this tour that I haven't had time to think about that," he continued. "I can just tell the world that there's a good chance that'll happen 'cause there's no fucking reason not to, 'cause right now why it hasn't happened is a miscommunication. That's all I can say. There's a miscommunication. That's all I can tell you."

Asked if he is working clear that miscommunication up and whether he is open and willing to play with SKID ROW again, Bach responded: "I play with everybody in the world. I'm in KINGS OF CHAOS. I'm in ROYAL MACHINES. I got 25 guys in my band. There's no reason why I can't play with them. But here's the thing: I only have so much energy. At the age of 56…. Right now, I'm trying to talk as softly as I can because I have three [shows] in a row. I don't have the fucking energy. I'm trying, I'm giving as much as I can.

"I need to write a thoughtful e-mail clearing up a miscommunication, but I have to make sure it's the perfect fucking e-mail and I don't say anything wrong or make any jokes," he explained. "I just don't have the energy to do that right now, but I know I need to do that. I've just got a lot on my plate right now."

Elaborating on his desire to play with SKID ROW again, Sebastian said: "I would love to do it. I have dreams about doing it. I have a recurring fucking nightmare where SKID ROW reunites, and I go to the gig, and I forget my in-ears. I'm backstage, and the whole arena's packed, and Rachel and Snake, I go, 'Fuck, you guys. Fuck, I've gotta go back to the hotel. I forgot my fucking in-ears.' [Laughs] And I'm in the Uber, and I'm fucking racing, and the whole reunion's happening. I've gotta get my fucking in-ears, and I can't get the hotel key. So let's analyze that, let's analyze that shit right there that goes on in my head. And then I have these other dreams where we do a reunion show, and nothing happens. We just play, and then we walk off and we're, like, 'Right on.' And there's no fighting, there's no drama, we just do a show. And there's no, like, fighting or drama. And I told this to Rob [Affuso]. He's laughing. He's, like, 'Imagine that. Fucking imagine that. Just do a fucking show.' It's funny, these dreams I have. But the in-ear one is real."

Bach previously spoke about the possibility of a SKID ROW reunion during a March 3 question-and-answer session with Downtown Julie Brown aboard this year's The 80s Cruise. He said: "There's no reason SKID ROW can't be together. I honestly think that it's a business thing at this point. But we're all still alive, and let's get the hair band back together while we've still got hair. I have no problems… I play with everyone — except for them. That's really weird."

He continued, addressing the audience directly: "How many of you guys watched METALLICA's 'Some Kind Of Monster' movie? It never gets old. It's all about them having a therapist. And James Hetfield [METALLICA frontman] can't rehearse past 4 p.m., and Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] is all mad, slamming the door. But that whole movie is about METALLICA working with a therapist. And nobody helped SKID ROW or anything. It was, like, 'You guys are on your own. Figure it out.' And every book I read — AEROSMITH, MÖTLEY CRÜE, every one — is about having somebody helping them. So maybe there's some therapist that wants to get paid some money and put the band back together. There's no reason that we're not together."

Referencing his 2016 autobiography, "18 And Life On Skid Row", Sebastian said: "When I first wrote my book, there was a lot of rotten shit in there. But right when that book was about to come out, we were talking about reuniting [the classic SKID ROW lineup], I swear. I know that seems crazy, but it's true. And my manager, Rick Sales, goes, 'Sebastian, take all that rotten shit out of your book right now.' I go, 'Really? I think people wanna read that.' He goes, 'No, take it out.' And I go, 'Okay.' So there's a file on my hard drive, my computer, that's called 'Rotten shit that I took out of my book.' And that might be the next book."

Asked if he is still hoping to get the classic lineup of SKID ROW back together, Bach said: "It's not that I'm hoping, but there's no reason why not to. There's no reason. They're, like, 'Oh, man. He was hard to work with in 1996.' 1996? Who remembers 1996? Sorry about 1996. Sorry. It's 2024. Can we move on or…?"

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."

Sabo added: "It was already a miserable experience, and we didn't even get on the phone."

Last time I covered his show, he had a tantrum and kicked all the photographers out of the photo pit. So, I worked from...

Posted by Brandon Nagy on Wednesday, June 5, 2024

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan was asked if he and his bandmates have been talking to any singers about potentially stepping in to replace the recently departed Erik Grönwall. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We have. No one, really, with a name. But, yeah, we've been talking to a few guys that piqued our interest, for sure. But right now we're just concentrating on these [four SKID ROW] shows with [guest singer] Lzzy [Hale of HALESTORM] and having fun with it."

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]."

Last month, SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo ruled out a reunion with the band'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."

Three months ago, Grönwall quit SKID ROW to focus on his health.

Erik, who was SKID ROW's fourth frontman since Bach's departure, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021. As a result, he is immunocompromised, which made touring difficult.

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."

Sabo added: "It was already a miserable experience, and we didn't even get on the phone."

HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale has reflected on the four shows she just played as the vocalist of SKID ROW, saying the experience will live with her forever.

The 40-year-old singer, who has fronted her band HALESTORM for more than two and a half decades, handled the vocal duties for SKID ROW after the group's fourth frontman since Sebastian Bach's departure — "Swedish Idol" contestant Erik Grönwall — quit the band to focus on his health.

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

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

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

"I'm overflowing with gratitude.

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

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

"With Love and Loud Music, Lzzy Hale".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The SKID ROW members said in a statement that they are "proud of what they have created and accomplished with Erik over the past two years" and "wish nothing but the best to him and his health. To celebrate the last two years, the band will be releasing a live album that perfectly captures this moment of time in the band's 35-plus-year history, to be announced soon."

In September 2021, just four months before he joined SKID ROW, Grönwall released his new cover version of "18 And Life" via all streaming platforms.

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

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

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