"Song For The Girls" (unplugged), the new single by Seraina Telli featuring Lee Aaron, unites two of the best female singers in their respective countries.


Seraina's nomination for the "Swiss Music Award 2024" and Lee's, among many other awards, induction in "Canada's Walk Of Fame" 2023 underline the exceptional status of the two artists.


The original of "Song For The Girls" comes from Seraina Telli's #1 album Addicted To Colour, which was released in August 2023 on Metalville Records. The new version is now available via all known streaming providers and can be listened to below:

In a new interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach was asked how he woud define success for his upcoming solo album "Child Within The Man". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's already successful and it's not even released yet. [Laughs] I can't believe it. I can't believe that [the music video for the first single, 'What Do I Got To Lose?', has] got over one million views. I mean, in '89, if you sold a million records, that's a platinum album. Nobody can buy this record yet. Well, you can preorder it, but you can't buy it. But they're, like, 'Well, I've gotta hear it.' So, to me, that's the same kind of thing. I mean, really."

He continued: "I don't know what to say. Just the fans have shown me that I can be like Willie Nelson or George Strait or Neil Young or Sammy Hagar. I can be like that, dude. I can keep doing this when I'm 70, 80 — God willing that I'm still around. But I know how to sing. I know how to warm up my voice to get it to do what you guys want it to do and what I want it to do. There's no difference for my vocals. The only difference is, is that because everybody's filming everything, I can't run around as much. [Laughs] But it was always like that. It was like that in SKID ROW. If I'm jumping off the drum riser, it's not gonna sound like the record, but there's something to be said for jumping off the drum riser. It's not 'either or'. People would be fucking bored if I just stood there. So I've gotta figure out how to do it both. And it's physically very challenging. Ask anybody who tried to replace me."

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

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

"What Do I Got To Lose?" was co-written by Sebastian, Kennedy and Baskette, the latter of whom also served as the track's producer.

In advance of the album's release, Bach will hit the road in 2024 for an international tour with dates in Latin and North America. The "What Do I Got To Lose?" tour is a mix of solo gigs and festival appearances that kicks off with an international run of performances in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile before North American shows in the U.S. and Mexico. The stateside tour gets underway May 10 in Jefferson, Louisiana before wrapping June 29 in San Diego, California.

Bach performed "What Do I Got To Lose?" live for the first time during his February 24 concert at Palace Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Bach released the official music video for "What Do I Got To Lose?" in December. The clip was directed by Jim Louvau and Tony Aguilera. For the video, which shows Bach cruising through the desert in a convertible and performing with a full band, Sebastian was joined by his former SKID ROW bandmate, drummer Rob Affuso. The clip also features an appearance by actor and comedian Craig Gass and Sebastian's wife Suzanne, who plays a scantily clad car wash attendant.

Bach hasn't released a full-length disc since "Give 'Em Hell", which came out in March 2014. Like its predecessor, 2011's "Kicking & Screaming", the disc was released through Frontiers Music Srl, the Italian label which specializes in what's commonly called AOR, a term that once signified a popular radio format ("album-oriented rock") but nowadays applies to acts whose airplay is marginal.

During an appearance on the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast, PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2022's "Ego Trip" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " I'm going to visit my son for a few days and then right after that, I'm going back in the studio and writing new music. We've got seven songs, seven pieces of music already in the can. Well, not in the can necessarily, but four of them probably could be finished up. Three of them are already finished. And so we have a good momentum of creativity that we really wanna take advantage of. 'Cause we're not on the road. So it's good for us to get together and be creative and make music and just keep flexing that muscle. 'Cause I think if you don't, you lose it. And so we're committed to, once every other month, get together and write music together, and I think that that's gonna make for… By the end of this year, shoot, we'll have more than a record, I feel like. Is it all gonna get released? Maybe some of it we're gonna co-write for other artists, and some of it maybe we'll try to pitch it for a film or something like that. There are some that are definitely P-ROACH in the batch, and then there are definitely some that we're, like, 'Oh, this is a bigger vision.' And that's exciting in that way."

Earlier in the month, Shaddix told "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, that he and his PAPA ROACH bandmates have "gone into the studio three times now so far... One of the sessions we went in, and we were, like, 'Let's just go write the heaviest, most savage, insane, brutally just out-there PAPA ROACH. And we went and wrote this track. It's so savage, and it's fun."

He continued: "I love this creative process that we go through and digging and finding what we can do creatively. And so this year is just about, where can we go creatively and experiment and find what direction we're pushing this thing. And I love that process.

"2025 is gonna be a big year for us," Jacoby added. "And so we're not doing any touring during '24. And so just gearing up for 2025. [It'll be the] 25th anniversary of our first album 'Infest'. We'll be dropping a bunch of new music. And we've got a book as well that we're gonna be dropping in 2025. It tells the story of the early years of 'Infest', from 1994 to, let's say, 2002, it tells that story. And it's told from many standpoints — all the bandmembers, A&Rs, other musicians. And so really cool.

"We've got a lot of things in the store. And it's fun being creative when we're away from the road.

"I definitely am starting to miss the road, but I look forward to it. 2025 is gonna be a big one."

This past January, PAPA ROACH shared a brand new live version of their hit single "Scars" featuring a guest appearance by Chris Daughtry.

"Scars Featuring Chris Daughtry (Live)" is not only a fresh take on one of the band's biggest hits, but it also serves as the latest release on the band's "Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark)" EP.

In February, PAPA ROACH's "Leave A Light On" became the band's 10th career No. 1, and its fourth from "Ego Trip", on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.

"Ego Trip" debuted at No. 6 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart in April 2022.

Previous PAPA ROACH radio hits include "Between Angels And Insects", "Gravity", "Getting Away With Murder", "She Loves Me Not", "Falling Apart", "Help" and "Last Resort".

The Old School VHS YouTube channel has shared video of the MSG (McAuley Schenker Group) show at Rock N' Roll Heaven during the Perfect Timing touir in Toronto, Ontario. The show took place on May 5th, 1988.


Check out the (almost) complete show below.


Setlist:




"Armed And Ready" (missing)
"Cry For The Nations"
"On And On"
"Into The  Arena"
"Time"
"Follow The Night"
"Get Out"
"Gimme Your Love"
"Courvoisir Concerto"
"Lost Horizons"
"No Time For Losers"
"Rock 'Til You're Crazy"
"Doctor Doctor"
"Rock Bottom"





Band:
Michael Schenker - guitar
Robin McAuley - vocals
Mitch Perry - guitar
Rocky Newton - bass
Bodo Schopf - drums

CAVALERA, the band featuring former SEPULTURA members Max and Igor "Iggor" Cavalera, has become synonymous with extreme metal music, a name that to this day still holds the highest regard, a family legacy built upon decades of musical aggression. In 2023, Max and Igor achieved what some would say was an impossible feat; they revisited their earliest SEPULTURA releases, "Morbid Visions" and "Bestial Devastation", and re-recorded them with bone-breaking intensity. A risk that few would dare to even attempt, yet they artfully and prolifically attained their trademark raw sound by means that could only be described as magic or time travel.

It seems that the ball would not stop rolling as now they are entering the final chapter of their early-days trilogy. SEPULTURA's "Schizophrenia" is an iconic album in terms of early thrash and death metal, a household name for those of us invested in extreme metal. This was the point where the Cavaleras refined their dark, dingy, speed-influenced songs, into something a bit more mature, developed, and technical. Decades later, they have once more unlocked the asylum that is "Schizophrenia", opening the doors to that banished, twisted recording which will be unleashed unto to world on June 21 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Today, CAVALERA released the pummeling second single titled "From The Past Comes The Storms". Costin Chioreanu was once again enlisted to create the animated music video.

Max Cavalera states: "'From The Past Comes The Storms' is a ferocious album opener. It is a pioneer song using the '80s metal movement's mentality. I love the apocalyptic vision in Costin's video, bringing the circle of life and death and war and pain. This is going to be a banger to play live!"

Igor Cavalera comments: "'From The Past Comes The Storms' was one of the first songs we wrote for 'Schizophrenia', also included in a demo version. I love the rawness between the old school black/death metal influences mixed with thrash. The video illustrates the vibe of the song very well!"

Max previously said about the "Schizophrenia" re-recordings: "The Third World Trilogy is finally complete with 'Schizophrenia', 'Bestial Devastation' and 'Morbid Visions', all three Brazilian underground gems! To me, 'Schizophrenia' is the ultimate death/ thrash experiment! I was inspired to take on the world and this recording shows my commitment is relentless! This one is for all the generations to enjoy! Play at max volume!"

Igor added: "1987 was a very progressive year for metal, with releases like CELTIC FROST 'Into The Pandemonium', VOIVOD 'Killing Technology' and BATHORY 'Under The Sign Of The Black Mark', so it was no surprise on how we approached 'Schizophrenia' pushing our boundaries from a black/death metal sound to a more thrash metal aesthetics. We still had some ideas from 'Morbid Visions' and some new songs. I'm very proud of the songwriting and even more proud of our re-recordings."

CAVALERA's "Schizophrenia" track listing:

01. Intro - Re-Recorded
02. From The Past Comes The Storms - Re-Recorded
03. To The Wall - Re-Recorded
04. Escape To The Void - Re-Recorded
05. Inquisition Symphony - Re-Recorded
06. Screams Behind The Shadows - Re-Recorded
07. Septic Schizo - Re-Recorded
08. The Abyss - Re-Recorded
09. R.I.P. (Rest In Pain) - Re-Recorded
10. Nightmares Of Delirium - New, never released

No stranger to collaborations, the Cavalera brothers enlisted Travis Stone (PIG DESTROYER) on lead guitars, and that choice becomes obvious within the first song. The full lineup would consist of more Cavalera alumni, as Igor Amadeus Cavalera (GO AHEAD AND DIE, HEALING MAGIC) once more brought his talents on bass to the fold. Thundering and thrumming the low end with brute force, it is clear that the double Iggor and Igor combination is a rhythm section to be reckoned with.

It should come as no surprise that the CAVALERA brothers always felt that these songs deserved a fresh take with modern production. From April 15 to June 5, 2023 the band re-recorded the album at Focusrite Room in Mesa Arizona. Mixing and mastering was handled by Arthur Rizk (SOULFLY, GO AHEAD AND DIE, TURNSTILE).

"Schizophrenia"'s album cover has obsessed and fascinated fans for decades. The brothers left no stone unturned and no detail unnoticed, also revisioning the original cover artwork of the album, restored in hand-painted watercolors by Eliran Kantor.

This summer, CAVALERA will be traveling across Europe and the U.K. 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.

CAVALERA is:

Max Cavalera - Vocals, Guitar
Igor "Iggor" Cavalera - Drums, Percussion
Igor Amadeus Cavalera - Bass
Travis Stone - Lead Guitar

Photo credit: Kevin Estrada

In a new interview with Made In Metal, DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan was asked how he feels about the band's current guitarist Simon McBride performing songs that were originally written and recorded by Ritchie Blackmore. Ian responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, first of all, Simon is a genius. He's absolutely fantastic. He's got all the energy and articulation and musical skills and creative skills that you could ever dream of. You can't compare Ritchie with Simon or with [former DEEP PURPLE guitarist] Steve Morse or with [ex-PURPLE touring guitarist] Joe Satriani, the players that we've had in a band. And I think that Ritchie has to have all the credit in the world. He's a genius. He was fantastic. I thought he was brilliant. And he was my roommate and we partnered and we shared a lot together. And then things, for some reason, went wrong later on. And I'm sure half of it was my fault, so those days were dim and distant. But as far as the guitar is concerned, Simon interprets these songs very, very brilliantly."

He continued: "For a start-off, when you're playing… Steve Morse had this same difficulty. When you're playing a well-known solo or a well-known guitar part, or any part for that matter, the thing you have to do, the trick is to play the recognizable parts, the parts that everyone knows that are significant in that solo, and then you can freeform in between. But you've gotta pick up and show respect for the song and the original record, because that's how people like it. If you meander around a bit in the solo, that's also fine, but you've gotta start and end and do the bits that people know. Apart from that, Simon's approach to every song has just been to throw himself at it.

"Steve Morse said a good thing when he joined the band and somebody said, 'How does it feel like stepping into Ritchie Blackmore's shoes?' And Steve said, 'I think Ritchie took his shoes with him when he left.' And that, that applies to everyone — that applies to Simon now."

Gillan added: "Simon's unbelievable. We're so lucky to have him. He's just amazing."

Asked if there is any possibility of Morse coming back to DEEP PURPLE, Ian said: "No, no. Simon is our permanent guitar player now. And we've just finished making a new record, which will come out later in the year. But Simon is a fantastic contributor to the band. It's one of the best things that could have happened."

McBride spoke about how he landed the much-coveted DEEP PURPLE gig in an April 2023 interview with Colombia's El Expreso Del Rock. He said: "I know [PURPLE keyboardist] Don Airey very well. I played with Don for [about] 10 years now. And I also know Ian Gillan very well, and I played with him off and on. I also know Roger [Glover, PURPLE bassist] and I know Paicey [PURPLE drummer Ian Paice] as well. I've known them all, I've played with them all, but never at the same time. And I get on very well [with them]… I think I was kind of the natural fit for the band because… as I know Don and played with him and played with Gillan and I know the rest of the guys. We all get on very well. But, yeah, it was still… When I got a call to do it, it was just a bizarre feeling. I think I was jumping for joy."

Regarding how he feels being a member of such a legendary band, McBride said: "It's a great thing to be part of DEEP PURPLE. The name DEEP PURPLE is just iconic, and I'm very lucky that I can put my name through that, as being a part of it. But, yeah, the guys are great, and all the crew. It's like a big family on the road. And we all have a lot of fun and we all get on very well. Yeah, I'm very honored to be a part of the whole thing."

Simon previously recounted the initial call he received to fill in for Morse in an October 2022 interview with Andrew Daly of Vinyl Writer Music. At the time, he said: "Well, there was talk of me stepping in for Steve temporarily towards the end of 2021, but I never really thought much of it. I never thought much of it because it was always a case of, 'It may happen or it may not happen,' because it depended on Steve's wife's condition as to whether he would be able to tour. But it just got to the stage where Steve decided enough was enough, and he needed to look after his wife, which is an amazing thing he's doing. So, I knew it was possible, but I didn't know for sure; I only really found out recently that I was being confirmed as a permanent replacement."

McBride went on to say that the chemistry was "immediate" between him and the other members of DEEP PURPLE. "We had a few days of rehearsal in May [2022], and that's all we needed. And then we did a few shows in Israel, and places like that, which were my first shows, and all we had was those few days of rehearsal. I know Don very well, and I've played with Ian [Gillan] and Roger for a long time, so it clicked quickly. But yeah, it was a funny thing — we did the three or four days of rehearsals, but we really only needed one. After the first day, we all looked at each other and said, 'Well, we think it sounds pretty good. We don't really need two extra days.' We got to work straight away, and everybody was very happy. It helps that I'm a very easygoing person, and I get on well with everybody, I think. So, there was never an issue or a thought about if I would get on with them or not. And as I said, I've met them before, knew their personalities, and knew what to expect, so it's been a great atmosphere."

In August 2022, McBride spoke to the "Scars And Guitars" podcast about what it has been like for me him to step into the shoes previously filled by Ritchie Blackmore, Tommy Bolin, Joe Satriani and Steve Morse. Regarding his approach to playing DEEP PURPLE's classic songs, Simon said: "At the end of the day, for me, with this gig, there's been lots of people saying, or asking me will I play like Ritchie or will I play like Steve or will I do this like Tommy or Satriani or whatever. So that thing initially kind of confused me a little bit; I didn't know what to do. It was only when I was talking to [DEEP PURPLE keyboardist] Don Airey about it, and he just said, 'Forget about it all. Just be you. Play your own thing.' That's it. Which I did. And I kind of started to relax a little bit and just be myself.

"When you start to think about who else has been in the band, you get a little bit confused what to play or when to play or what to do or 'should I play this like Ritchie?' or 'should I play it like Steve?'" he continued.

"Everybody has their own opinion on the guitar players in DEEP PURPLE and which ones worked better or whatnot. I [am] respectful to everybody who's played there, because they're all good players — every single one of 'em — so whether it's Ritchie or Tommy or Steve, I just kind of [am] respectful to what they've done in the past, and I just do my own thing most of the time.

"There's certain things you have to play. Like 'Highway Star', for example, I'm not gonna play anything different to what's there in the original, because why the hell would I? [Laughs] That's my attitude. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

McBride, who had previously toured with both Gillan and Airey, among others, added: "I learned a lot from Don Airey over the years, playing with him, because when he plays some of the Jon Lord parts, he's, like, 'Well, have you heard the keyboard solo?' I was, like, 'Yeah.' And he said, 'Well, why in the hell would you change it?'

"Some people can be, like, 'Oh, I need to do my own thing.' And I go, 'Well, I'm sorry. But these guys spent a lot of time in the studio, or wherever it is, creating these pieces of music that fit the song. So why would I be so arrogant to say, 'I'm gonna change that just because I wanna play my own thing'? 'Cause I know, really, I wouldn't come up with anything better.

"It's case of just… I just go on and do my thing and I don't really think about it too much, what people say. People will either like me or hate me. I don't know."

As for the response he has gotten from the DEEP PURPLE fans, the Irish blues-rock guitarist said: "To be honest, everybody's been so nice and so cool and so kind, especially on the social media stuff where it's all been very positive. You get the odd negative one, but I don't read a lot of it anyway. But it's really cool that people accept me, because it is a legacy band and they've been around a long time. I really appreciate that people are digging what I do, and I feel it every night onstage. Some of the shows we've done, some of the audience reaction has been incredible.

"We played a show in Macedonia. We came off. We did an encore and stuff. And then 20 minutes later, the audience are still shouting," he recalled. "I'd never heard this my entire life — 15, 20 minutes of 10 thousand people shouting for more, just constantly, and they wouldn't leave. Even Don Airey and Roger Glover were standing there in shock, going, 'We haven't heard this in a long, long time.' I'm not saying that's all for me; I'm just saying that's just for the band.

"I'm very [happy] that people like what I'm doing because it is always hard stepping into a band where you've had [laughs] Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Morse, Joe Satriani and Tommy Bolin. They're not small names by any means, so it's always very… I think if you just play and have fun, that comes across and people respect that and people will really see.

"I'm [45], so I kind of grew up in that old-school playing method anyway. 'Cause I grew up in the '80s and '90s, so I guess I'm still part of that older generation, if you wanna call it. So the way that I play would still fit very well, whereas maybe some of the new, modern players wouldn't fit. I don't know.

"Yeah, the response has been brilliant. I can't complain at all. And I thank every single person that has said a nice thing about me."

In July 2022, Morse officially left PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who was battling cancer. She has since passed away.

Morse's announcement came four months after the guitarist said that he would be taking a hiatus from the band, in the hope of rejoining his bandmates once his wife's health improved. He was then replaced on the road by McBride.

Morse effectively took over Ritchie Blackmore's DEEP PURPLE slot in 1994 and had since been in the group longer than Ritchie.

McBride, who is guitar player, singer, songwriter and a band leader all in one, hails from Belfast in Northern Ireland — a place that resonates of the best music traditions like Gary Moore and Rory Gallagher, as well as bands such as THIN LIZZY, STIFF LITTLE FINGERS and obviously U2. His biography tells many stories — from his band touring with no sound engineer, driver, or roadie, playing 30 shows in 35 days, to him regularly sharing stages with Gillan and Airey.

DEEP PURPLE's first studio album with McBride, "=1", will arrive on July 19 via earMUSIC.

Germany's Beyond The Black have shared a live video of the song "Human", which was filmed in Oberhausen in 2022. Check it out below.





After the release of their very successful self-titled album Beyond The Black, which was released in January 2023 the band followed up with a deluxe edition of their album. The deluxe edition features three bonus tracks “I Remember Dying (Stranger Reprise)”, “Wide Awake (Piano Version)”, and “Raise Your Head (String Version)”. BTB has also released their brand new video for “Raise Your Head (String Version)”. Their Dancing In The Dark tour starts in April 2024. 







Jennifer Haben comments about the deluxe edition:


"How quickly time flies. It’s been a year since the release of our 5th studio album Beyond The Black. We are very pleased that we can now give our fans a special gift for its anniversary with the digital deluxe edition including 3 exceptional bonus tracks."


Jennifer Haben states about “Raise Your Head (String Version)”:


"From the bottom of my heart, in my opinion, this bonus ‘String Version’ is one of - if not THE best bonus song we’ve ever released. 'Raise Your Head' is a call to everyone who feels trapped in their lives and is looking for a way out. It's a reminder that we are all capable of breaking free from societal expectations and forging our own path. If only we have the courage to look behind the illusions and ‘raise our heads’."


Stream the album here.

Norwegian black metal veterans SATYRICON have recruited Frank Bello (ANTHRAX) to play bass for the band for their upcoming European festival appearances, including next month's Sweden Rock Festival in Sweden, Mystic Festival in Poland, Hellfest in France and Tons Of Rock in Norway.

Earlier today, SATYRICON shared what appears to be a post-rehearsal photo of SATYRICON's current touring lineup, including Bello, and wrote in an accompanying message: "There is smoke in the chimney at the SATYRICON HQ every day. Next week we will fire up the engine again, starting at Sweden Rock and Mystic Festival. From there we go to Hellfest, Tons Of Rock, ARTmania Festival, Grieghallen/Beyond The Gates (two nights in a row),Brutal Assault, Hellsinki Metal Festival, Alcatraz Festival, Bloodstock Open Air and finally Næstved Metal Fest. In November we come to Latin America.

"As you can imagine, we look immensely forward to seeing all SATYRICON Ultras across the world again.

"If we're not playing anywhere near you, maybe you will travel to see us, if not we will meet later some day. This is going to be THE summer!"

This past weekend, Bello shared a photo of him visiting the Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo. He captioned the picture: "Had a great day checking out the @naturhistorisk_museum_oslo and walking around Oslo today..#goodtimes #metal".

In April and early May, Bello sat out ANTHRAX's South American tour as well as two U.S. festival dates due to "personal reasons." Filling in on those shows was ANTHRAX founding member and original bassist Dan Lilker, marking his first appearance with the band in 40 years. Lilker, who co-wrote and played on ANTHRAX's debut album "Fistful Of Metal", was also a member of STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH with ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Scott Ian.

Last July, Frank and his wife Teresa celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They share a son, Brandon, who just turned 18 earlier this month.

Bello released a memoir, "Fathers, Brothers, And Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, And Anthrax", in October 2021 via Rare Bird. The foreword to the book was written by KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons.

Born into a family of five, Frank grew up in difficult circumstances. His father abandoned his wife and children, and Frank's mother moved heaven and earth to keep them fed and educated. Left with no male role model, Frank found inspiration in heavy metal bass players, following their example and forging a career with ANTHRAX from his early teens — first as a roadie, and then as the group's bass player.

International stardom came Frank's way by the mid-to-late 1980s, when he was still in his early twenties, but tragedy struck in 1996 when his brother Anthony was murdered in New York. Although the case went to trial, the suspected killer was released without charge after a witness, intimidated by violent elements, withdrew his testimony.

Bello's mother Rose died in April 2023.

Rosie was the older sister of Benante, who enlisted Frank to join ANTHRAX in 1984.

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August 17, 2024, marks the 40th anniversary of the release of W.A.S.P.'s first album. To celebrate this classic metal album, W.A.S.P. will, for the first time in 40 years, play the entire album from top to bottom, start to finish, on their North American tour, dubbed "Album ONE Alive", this fall. Support on the trek will come from DEATH ANGEL and UNTO OTHERS.

Formed in 1982, W.A.S.P. is set to bring this universally acclaimed "classic" album to life. Lead vocalist Blackie Lawless says: "It was an angry record made by an angry band. It was a record that not only reflected the attitude of the band members who made it, but also a record that reflected its time." This record became a central piece of the 1980s metal scene and remains one of the best metal debut albums of all time.

Along with bassist Mike Duda and lead guitarist Doug Blair, whose tenures in the band are 29 and 26 years respectively, W.A.S.P. is joined by long-time drummer extraordinaire Aquiles Priester.

Lawless and company will deliver the ultimate incredible spectacle, bringing W.A.S.P.'s most colorful history to life by performing this revered album in its entirety… ONE more time… ONE last time… Album ONE Alive!

The 39-city run kicks off on Saturday, October 26 in San Luis Obispo, California, making stops across North America in Vancouver, British Columbia; Toronto, Ontario; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Dallas, Texas; New York City; Orlando, Florida; and more before wrapping up on Saturday, December 14 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California.

A special BLABBERMOUTH.NET presale will begin on Thursday, May 30 at 11:00 a.m. local time and end on Thursday, March 30 at 10:00 p.m. local time. When prompted, type in the presale code "HELLION" to access tickets before the general public. Check back here on Thursday for ticketing links for individual shows. General on-sale will be Friday, May 31 at 10 a.m. local.

W.A.S.P. will again offer fans VIP tickets that give fans a chance to meet Blackie Lawless, get a personal photo with Blackie, autographs and take part in a very personal question-and-answer session with Blackie. VIP tickets can be purchased at waspnation.myshopify.com.

"Album ONE Alive" 2024 tour dates:

Oct. 26 - San Luis Obispo, CA @ Fremont Theater*
Oct. 28 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
Oct. 29 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
Oct. 30 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
Nov. 01 - Calgary, AB The Palace Theatre
Nov. 02 - Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
Nov. 03 - Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
Nov. 04 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
Nov. 05 - Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
Nov. 07 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore
Nov. 08 - St Charles, IL @ The Arcada Theatre
Nov. 10 - Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Nov. 11 - Toronto, ON @ History
Nov. 13 - Montreal, QC @ MTELUS
Nov. 14 - Quebec City, QC @ Theatre Capitole
Nov. 15 - Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov. 16 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom At Manhattan Center
Nov. 17 - Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
Nov. 19 - Cleveland, OH @ The Agora Theater
Nov. 20 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
Nov. 21 - Stroudsburg, PA @ The Sherman Theater
Nov. 22 - Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
Nov. 23 - Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
Nov. 24 - Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live
Nov. 26 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
Nov. 27 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
Nov. 29 - Houston, TX @ House Of Blues
Nov. 30 - San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre
Dec. 01 - Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum
Dec. 03 - Little Rock, AR @ The Hall
Dec. 04 - Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion
Dec. 06 - Albuquerque, NM @ REVEL
Dec. 07 - Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee Theatre
Dec. 09 - Tucson, AZ @ The Rialto Theatre
Dec. 10 - San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues
Dec. 11 - Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort and Casino
Dec. 12 - Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
Dec. 13 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield**
Dec. 14 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium**

* No support acts
** DEATH ANGEL not performing

Last August, Blackie underwent a successful surgery to treat two herniated discs and a broken vertebra.

Because of the extensive back injuries Lawless suffered during the European leg of W.A.S.P.'s 40th-anniversary tour, the band's previously announced 2023 U.S. tour was canceled.

W.A.S.P.'s massive European leg of the 40th-anniversary world tour wrapped on May 18, 2023 in Sofia, Bulgaria at Universidada Sports Hall.

W.A.S.P. wrapped up its first U.S. tour in 10 years with a sold-out show on December 11, 2022 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. This marked the 18th sold-out shows for the U.S. tour, which kicked off in late October 2022. W.A.S.P.'s performances included the return of the band's classic song "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)", which hadn't been played live in over 15 years.

W.A.S.P.'s latest release was "ReIdolized (The Soundtrack To The Crimson Idol)", which came out in February 2018. It was a new version of the band's classic 1992 album "The Crimson Idol", which was re-recorded to accompany the movie of the same name to mark the 25th anniversary of the original LP's release. The re-recorded version also features four songs missing from the original album.

W.A.S.P.'s most recent studio album of all-new original material was 2015's "Golgotha".

Ted Nugent joined NIGHT RANGER on stage this past Saturday (May 25) at at Optimist Ice Arena in Jackson, Michigan to perform the DAMN YANKEES song "Coming Of Age" and the Nugent classic "Cat Scratch Fever". Video of Ted's appearance can be seen below (courtesy of the Shor'Line YouTube channel).

DAMN YANKEES was the 1990s supergroup that both Nugent and Blades were part of, alongside STYX's Tommy Shaw and Michael Cartellone.

During a March 2023 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Shaw was once again asked about the possibility of a reunion of the DAMN YANKEES. He responded: "I think we kind of ran that thing until the wheels fell off of it. And I'd like to just keep it like that. It was a fantastic run. It was just wild and wooly. We made those two records. The first record, that was the shit. The second record, it just started to lose the thing that it had on the first album. And I think everybody else knew that it was probably time to go back to your regular job."

Pressed about whether he would be open to revisiting DAMN YANKEES for a one-off tour or concert, Shaw said: "Michael is a permanent fixture in LYNYRD SKYNYRD, and DAMN YANKEES without Michael Cartellone just wouldn't be right. And we [in STYX] do 90 to 120 shows a year, and you have to go home some time. It's like having two wives, your two families.

"As far as I'm concerned, we had our day. We had big records, we sold a lot of records, we got a lot of airplay, and I just don't know how we would be able to fit all that in," Tommy explained. "I wouldn't wanna tell the guys in my band [STYX], 'Sorry, guys. We can't play any shows for a few months.' 'Cause that's what everybody wants to do."

DAMN YANKEES formed in 1989 and released two albums, an eponymous debut and the 1992 follow-up "Don't Tread". Hit singles included "Come Again", "High Enough" and "Coming Of Age".

DAMN YANKEES has reunited twice since its early-'90s heyday — in 1998 and 2010.

In 1999, A&R guru John Kalodner tried to reunite the DAMN YANKEES for a new album for the Portrait Records imprint, but Shaw's commitments to STYX prevented him from taking a major part in the writing and the recording. Kalodner later told Melodic Rock about the aborted effort: "I didn't think it was quite good enough, and at the time with 80's style rock, you'd have to come up with something pretty spectacular. I was disappointed in the record mostly because of Tommy Shaw's non-participation. I say that was probably the greatest problem. Tommy was totally an integral part of it. He was busy with STYX and it was sort of my mistake because I just couldn't control him. It's one of those projects that I failed on. I mean the buck stops here. It lacked the input of Tommy Shaw."

Shaw previously discussed a hypothetical DAMN YANKEES reunion during a June 2020 appearance on "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". At the time, he said: "Well, we never broke up… We are all still best of friends. [So] who knows? It's hard, because with STYX, we work so much, and to do that [a DAMN YANKEES reunion], it would mean putting [the members of STYX] out of work for a while. So it's a tough one. But every once in a while, we wind up on the same stage."

Asked if he feels there is some "unfinished business" with DAMN YANKEES creatively and whether he would like to do a record or a song with the band to "put a button on it," Shaw said: "Well, we can always do more. I don't think you can ever put a 'we're done' button on any of the members of the DAMN YANKEES. Who knows? Never say never. And we haven't said never."

If you haven’t heard, Jackson was invaded late last night at the conclusion of the Night Ranger show by members of the...

Posted by John Reasoner on Sunday, May 26, 2024

SATURDAY NIGHT!

Going to be a special night with legendary rock band Night Ranger! We can’t wait!

📍 Optimist Ice Arena

https://raineproductions.ticketspice.com/night-ranger

Posted by Country Boots & Bands on Monday, May 20, 2024

SLIPKNOT's new drummer Eloy Casagrande has shared a drum-cam video of him performing the song "Disasterpiece" with his bandmates during one of their recent festival appearances. Check it out below.

In a recent interview with Tone-Talk, SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root spoke about how Casagrande came to join SLIPKNOT and his impact on the band's overall sound. He said: "We didn't even try anybody else. Eloy's name came up. He contacted us, actually, about wanting to be a part of it and started sending a bunch of videos in. I think him and our bass player [Alessandro 'Vman' Venturella] might've had a little bit of a relationship before. I think they knew each other. They had mutual friends. And Vman's really in tune with a lot of really great, proggy, heavy musicians that are passionate about their instruments. And it just seemed like a no-brainer. And he's really respectful of the legacy of [SLIPKNOT's original drummer, the late] Joey [Jordison], and Joey was a huge influence on him. And he's so humble. The dude has so much humility. And you could tell he just lives and breathes his craft, to the point where I see his passion and it ignites my passion for my instrument. And Brazilians, South Americans in general, are so passionate about what they do. Our manager told me, he was out to dinner with four or five promoters from South America, and they were all really stoked. They're all, like, 'It's so good you've got a Brazilian drummer in SLIPKNOT now. We kind of feel like we've won the World Cup.' It's a cool feeling. And God, he just fits in so well. I don't know, man. I mean, there's a lot of things I can say about it. I'm just glad it happened when it did. And we're lucky to have him — we are really lucky to have that dude."

For its 2024 gigs so far, SLIPKNOT adopted a classic look, bringing back the 1999 red jumpsuits and elements of their early masks into their modern versions, tying into the fact that SLIPKNOT is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

After parting ways with Jay Weinberg last November, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer more than two months ago, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption "Rehearsal."

The band explained in a statement that the split with Weinberg was a creative decision. Jay followed up with a statement of his own, saying that he was "heartbroken and blindsided" by his dismissal.

Weinberg has since joined SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and INFECTIOUS GROOVES.

Casagrande abruptly quit SEPULTURA three and a half months ago, shortly before he was supposed to begin rehearsals for the band's recently launched 40th-anniversary farewell tour.

"February 6th, a few days prior to the first rehearsal, drummer Eloy Casagrande informed the band that he was leaving SEPULTURA to pursue a career in another project," the band said in a statement.

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA nearly 13 years ago as the replacement for Jean Dolabella.

SLIPKNOT's latest album "The End, So Far", arrived in August 2022. It marked the band's the last full-length LP before the departure of both keyboardist Craig Jones, who left the group in June 2023, and Weinberg.

SLIPKNOT recently announced the North American portion of the "Here Comes The Pain" tour. The band is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its seminal debut album, "Slipknot", which catapulted the band back in 1999.

In addition to recently announced dates across the globe, the "Here Comes The Pain" tour, produced by Live Nation, includes arena plays nationwide this summer. Highlights include New York City's Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles's Intuit Dome, Austin's Moody Center and more with direct support from Kentucky's young and vibrant hardcore/metal forerunners KNOCKED LOOSE. ORBIT CULTURE and VENDED are confirmed as support on select dates.

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A post shared by Eloy Casagrande (@eloycasagrande)

The official music video for DISTURBED's cover of "The Sound Of Silence" has officially topped a billion views on YouTube.

The clip, which was uploaded to YouTube in December 2015, marks DISTURBED's first song to reach the milestone.

"The Sound Of Silence" originally appeared on DISTURBED's sixth studio album, "Immortalized", which was released in August 2015.

In November 2019, video of DISTURBED's performance of "The Sound Of Silence" on the March 28, 2016 episode of Conan O'Brien's nighttime talk show, "Conan", surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, becoming the first "Conan" clip to reach the milestone.

DISTURBED's studio version of "The Sound Of Silence" went to No. 1 on the Billboard magazine Hard Rock and Mainstream Rock charts and became the band's highest-charting single ever on the Top 100. It's also been used in the soundtrack for "The Blacklist" and the video game "Rock Band 4".

DISTURBED singer David Draiman told the Colorado Springs Independent that he and his bandmates didn't have a clue that any of that would happen when they recorded the song and decided to issue it as a single and music video.

"How could we?" he asked. "It really, within the genre, was unprecedented. Never in a thousand years would I have dreamed it would be that massive and be used in all the places I've heard it used, figure skating, 'Dancing With the Stars', with the 9-11 Memorial and getting the blessing from Paul Simon, when we met him on Maui. The thing, surreal doesn't cover it."

This past March, a remix of DISTURBED's cover of "The Sound Of Silence" by Australian DJ/producer Cyril Riley landed at position No. 34 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. A month earlier, the same version of the tune reached the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart.

Indiana’s thrash/power/prog metal band Idol Throne will drop its new full-length, entitled A Clarion Call, on May 31 via Stormspell Records. The new album, follower of the 2022’s debut LP The Sibylline Age, is composed of eight tracks for almost 50 minutes of playing time and will delight the fans of Symphony X, Heathen, Angra, and Fates Warning. New single and lyric video for "Petrified" is streaming below. 


“‘Petrified’ was born out of some riffs I was playing around with one night that ultimately became the intro and verses of the song. I developed it further into a full song and while the intention was originally to include it on a later release, we felt it was strong enough to add to the group of songs that we were working on for album 2. The lyrics are a tale about psychosis as a result of sleep paralysis and the vibe of the music reflects the different lyrical sections of the song." - co-lead guitarist Martin Bowman


"This song is a total burner, with an intense verse riff that doesn't let up! Aaron's drums are a real highlight of this song for me, as the entire affair is just a barrage of double kick and super tight accents throughout the chorus and heavy middle section. I'm really proud of the solos on this one as well, with mine being a real "going for it" moment on the record, followed by a super cool harmonized run and a massive outro chorus. I can't wait for our fans to hear this one! Short, sweet, and definitely intense!" - co-lead guitarist Jason Schultz




Through the band’s inception in 2018 to the release of debut LP The Sibylline Age in 2022, Idol Throne has sought to blend Bay-Area thrash, US power, and progressive metal into a unique sound to call its own. With the new album A Clarion Call, the quintet simultaneously hone and expand everything that made the debut work special, while evolving the boundaries of what the band is and can be.


Idol Throne takes the listener on a sonic journey across 8 diverse tracks, from aggressive, pummeling thrashers and haunting neoclassical excursions to grandiose and powerful multi-part epics and progressive-rock inflected soundscapes. A Clarion Call is the sound of a band firing on all cylinders and ready to truly break out onto the scene.


“To me, A Clarion Call is Idol Throne taking the sound we developed on The Sibylline Age and expanding upon it in a way that showcases the growth of this band over the past few years. Not every band makes it to a second album, and not only did we get there, but we created something that I feel truly makes a statement. That’s an accomplishment I couldn’t be happier with,” says co-lead guitarist and keyboardist Martin Bowman.


A Clarion Call was produced by Martin Bowman and Jason Schultz. Mixed and mastered by Pete Grossmann at Bricktop Recording. Artwork by Mark Erskine/Erskine Designs. Photo by Kyle Bergfors/KB Imaging Co. Band logo by ModBlackMoon Logos, Marble effect by Daniel “Pitforge” Porta.


Preordre A Clarion Call on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Ecliptykon”
“Covenant Of The Immortal”
“King Among Jackals”
“Petrified”
“The Last Voyage”
“A Clarion Call”
“System Simulacrum”
“Falconer’s Cry”


"Petrified" lyric video:





“The Last Voyage” lyric video:





Idol Throne is:
Jake Quintanilla - Vocals
Martin Bowman - Lead & Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards, Background Vocals
Jason Schultz - Lead & Rhythm Guitar, Background Vocals
Trevor Kuta - Bass
Aaron Grove - Drums and Percussion


(Photo – Kyle Bergfors)

In a new interview with Tulsa Music Stream, MR. BIG frontman Eric Martin addressed the announcement that that the group's ongoing "The BIG Finish" farewell will in fact mark the last time he and his bandmates hit the road together. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm sure everybody in the band has different reasons for calling it quits. Obviously, the big reason in the beginning was because of [late MR. BIG drummer] Pat Torpey. And then it was just kind of, it ran its course. And we didn't tour that much when we got back together in 2009. We made a record and toured a little bit, and then another year would go by, and then we do another one, and maybe two years would go by.

"When we got back together in 2009, we decided that we were gonna make everything painless and not freak out and have to do exactly what the record company wanted and have to tour, have to make a record," Eric explained. "But now we have been touring for all this time, and it's a lot of fun. It's a lot of fun and it's rewarding. I don't know if it's a novelty or not, but all the shows have been sold out. We've traveled.

"Billy [Sheehan, MR. BIG bassist] always used to say this, and [it's] kind of apropos, but [we put] a lot of stamps in the passport. This is actually my fourth passport with MR. BIG. So [we've done] a lot of traveling, a lot of good stuff. But yeah, this tour, it couldn't be any… This is the best way to go out, too — go out with a bang. Everybody loves each other. It's a brofest. And everybody's sounding good."

Asked to elaborate on MR. BIG's reasons for calling it quits, Eric said: "I think Pat Torpey, in the beginning, was our thing where we were, like, 'Well, why should we just keep going on without Pat?' But we have.

"I can't tour like this anymore," Martin explained. "It's tough on me. God, man, I'm, like, 'Boohoo.' I know so many great lead singers, like Jeff Scott Soto who's diehard doing it, and he sings like a bird and he's doing great. He loves being out on the road. So do I, but I don't like the really long, long tours anymore. I don't think I can handle it anymore… It is a little tough. I'm not 30, 40, 50… I feel like I'm pushing [myself to the limit]."

Last month, Eric told Brazil's Rádio Kiss FM radio station that MR. BIG will not tour again after the completion of "The BIG Finish". "When we say 'The BIG Finish', it's not, like — hey, more power to MÖTLEY CRÜE or when KISS kept going. We really are men of our words," he explained. "It's gonna be it. We're not touring anymore. That's it. We are putting out a new record. We're not even gonna tour on it. We'll play some songs from it as the tour progresses. I mean, it will end in August. And we've got a live album coming out. But that's it. That's it."

He added: "I would like to… I'm stuttering right now. I'm nervous because I don't wanna say the wrong thing, because I don't know what the rest of the guys plan, but it'd be great to do a couple one-off gigs here and there, like special shows. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that. But no more touring. It's not gonna happen, I promise you."

MR. BIG will release its tenth studio album, "Ten", on July 12. The LP features 11 new original tracks written by Martin and guitarist Paul Gilbert, along with André Pessis and Tony Fanucchi. In a tribute to Pat Torpey, Martin, Gilbert and bassist Billy Sheehan have enlisted the exceptional talents of Nick D'Virgilio on drums for "Ten", which was produced by Jay Ruston and MR. BIG.

MR. BIG recently completed the European leg of "The BIG Finish", which sees the veteran band performing MR. BIG's 1991 album, "Lean Into It", in full, along with other cuts from the group's history.

When MR. BIG announced "The BIG Finish" tour last year, the bandmembers said that it was "time to mark the end of this chapter of their legacy" after Torpey lost his battle with Parkinson's disease in 2018. The first leg kicked off in Japan and Southeast Asia in July and August 2023, where the band performed for hundreds of thousands of loyal fans at 11 sold-out shows including Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.

As a session musician and touring artist, Nick has worked with many different kinds of artists and bands, from TEARS FOR FEARS, Sheryl Crow and Kevin Gilbert to Peter Gabriel and Eric Burdon and the ANIMALS. In 1996, Nick took Phil Collins's place in GENESIS and played on their "Calling All Stations" album. He has also carved out a major presence in the progressive rock world with his bands, SPOCK'S BEARD and BIG BIG TRAIN.

Before joining the Sweetwater team, Nick spent almost five years touring with Cirque Du Soleil's "Totem" as drummer, vocalist, and assistant bandleader.

Pete Loran, the multi-platinum, award winning, singer-songwriter out of Paramus New Jersey, is best known for being the lead singer of 1990s, American metal band TRIXTER. Not ever leaving music in the rearview mirror, Pete is back with a new solo project, single and video, "Around Again", dropping May 31, 2024.

Now based in Arizona, Pete says: "The inspiration for 'Around Again' is me drawing from my experiences and also observing my friends and their relationships. Where things took a turn and went the wrong way and then they became fundamentally broken, it's the hurt that's inevitable to follow."

Comparing TRIXTER's music and his solo efforts, Loran says: "TRIXTER was geared more towards a specific audience, and we were going for that arena-rock vibe right out of the gate. It was marketable for the times".

When it comes to writing music for himself, Pete has always taken a different approach, describing his solo material as "more organic and earthy, a powerhouse of Americana."

Loran has maintained his popularity over the years and believes his fans will be happy that he finally has new music to put out.

"Around Again" plays into the fact that there are a lot of us out there who can relate to a broken relationship, and all the good and bad that we learn from them.

On March 22, Loran joined TRIXTER guitarist Steve Brown and bassist P.J. Farley — who have been performing acoustic TRIXTER shows backed by Ben Hans on percussion — on stage at The 44 Sports Grill And Nightlife in Glendale, Arizona to perform a couple of TRIXTER songs.

Speaking to Sonic Perspectives about how Loran's guest appearance came about, Brown said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Man, it was awesome. We've talked, and let's just get everything straight: there's no bad blood between me and Pete. He's my brother. I love him. Like any family member, we have had our disagreements, but we always come back. And I hadn't seen him in seven years, and I walk in the dressing room, and there he is. And within 30 seconds, we revert back to the '80s when we were kids and the same jokes. And there was no question. We didn't say, 'Hey, do you wanna work on anything?' He came out after seven years — I don't think he's been on stage — and he crushed it. He sounded great. He looked great. And it was so much fun to have him."

Regarding the possibility of Loran making more appearances with TRIXTER in the future, Brown said: "Pete is always welcome to come out and play with us. And you never know what's going to happen." Steve then seemingly downplayed the likelihood of Pete performing with TRIXTER on a more permanent basis again, saying: "Hey, man, he's so happy in his life. His kids are doing great. He was telling me about his son. He's doing great. And that's ultimately what it's all about.

"Being a traveling musician, rock and roller, it's not for everybody," Brown explained. "It's easy when you're number one on MTV and you're playing arenas every night.

"P.J. and I, after it all fell apart in the '90s, we looked at each other and it was, like, 'All right, what are we doing now musically. And we started THROWAN ROCKS and we started a cover band and we started this cover band SUGARBELLY that went on for 10 years and we made a lot of money and that's how we supported ourselves as musicians. Some people get away from it, whether they want to go work for a car dealer or they want to be Indian chiefs or lawyers or whatever, that's all well and good. Music, for me, is life. It's in my blood. It's in my heart."

During a June 2023 appearance on the "Rimshots With Sean" podcast, Loran spoke about the possibility of him and his TRIXTER bandmates reuniting to play their first shows since 2017. He said: "Well, as of right now, there's three of us — me, P.J. and Steve — who, we talk. We're cordial. I actually just saw P.J. about three weeks ago. He was out here [near my home in Arizona] — he's out with Chris Jericho's FOZZY, and they were doing UFEST here in Phoenix with GODSMACK. And he had called me up and said, 'Let's get together. Let's grab some lunch.' And I hadn't seen him since probably 2017. And it was needed. For me, it was needed. We had really kind of talked past what had happened. So we're great. It was really good for me. Gus [drummer Mark Scott], on the other hand, with those guys, not so much… And they've all done interviews and really talked some shit about each other, which — I get it, I guess.

"I think if you got all four of us in a room, within a short, reasonable amount of time, everyone would be hugging each other [and saying] 'I'm sorry' or whatever," Pete continued. "As far as doing a gig, I don't know about that. But it would be nice if that could happen, though — at least that part… And I'd like that to happen. I don't know if they'd like that to happen, but it would be good. The possibility of doing shows? I don't know if that ever happens again. But those guys [P.J. and Steve] are very busy, number one; they always have been. But they're also doing like a TRIXTER acoustic thing. And if they ever roll through Phoenix, I'll probably jump up there and do a couple of songs. I don't see why not."

Pete went on to lament the fact that Gus, Steve and P.J. have been unable to mend their differences. "These are guys that have known each other since junior high, grew up in the same town, started a band together," he noted. "Gang mentality — us against them. 'We're getting a record deal. Now we're gonna open up for the SCORPIONS in front of 18 thousand people, and we're gonna have to kick them in the teeth because we want them to accept us.' And all the accolades and whatnot throughout the years. It would be kind of sad to let that just all get kicked to the side because of something stupid. My opinion."

Both Brown and Farley have been critical of Scott in recent interviews, with Steve saying that the drummer is on "the shit list beyond belief" with the rest of the group, while P.J. compared being in a band with Mark to owning a disobedient dog. "Sometimes you let the dog off a leash and he just goes running to the middle of the street — no good," he said.

Since reuniting in 2008, TRIXTER has released two studio albums via Frontiers Music Srl — 2012's "New Audio Machine" and 2015's "Human Era".

TRIXTER toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Japan in support of its five major label releases. They have performed live in arenas and amphitheaters with crowds up to 35,000 people, appearing with such rock superstars as KISS, SCORPIONS, POISON, TED NUGENT, NIGHT RANGER, CINDERELLA, TWISTED SISTER, DOKKEN, WARRANT, GREAT WHITE and FIREHOUSE.

Photo courtesy of Alive Music Marketing

In a new interview with Rocking With Jam Man, Gene Hoglan was asked if there is any truth the rumors that there will be a new studio album from reunited California thrash metal pioneers DARK ANGEL later this year. Gene responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I am, unfortunately, not at liberty to say what is actually happening with DARK ANGEL, but I know that at some time very, very soon, when I have some solid schedule, some solid dates to be able to announce some really fun news for the DARK ANGEL fans, we're gonna be able to announce some stuff. And so that's gonna be super awesome. I've been working diligently for the last couple of years on some projects that are gonna make DARK ANGEL fans really happy, I think. So, everybody, just sit tight. I just don't wanna nebulously announce something and then have circumstances beyond my control come along and make things delayed. I just wanna be able to be able to say, 'Yes, this is gonna be a solid date that we can announce for people, and we're gonna be able to stick to that date.' That's what I'm all about. So, keep your eyes and ears peeled, everybody."

Asked what it has been like making new DARK ANGEL music more than 30 years after the release of the band's last album, 1991's "Time Does Not Heal", Gene responded: "Well, that's one thing. It's like we had a choice. I had an entire DARK ANGEL album written that was ready to start getting recorded after the 'Time Does Not Heal' record, and circumstances occurred where the band just had to dissolve. So, I had a bunch of material written. And when [DARK ANGEL guitarist] Jim Durkin and myself — Jim is no longer with us, but when we put DARK ANGEL back together and we started talking about, like, 'What do we wanna do for the future? Do we wanna write some new material?' And 'I've got some ideas, Gene, and you probably have some ideas.' And I have a number of songs that I sent to Jim. And when Jim heard that — I sent it to him on a CD — he freaked out and he was, like, 'My God, here's our new album. This is gonna be our next record. Hell yeah.' And he got really excited about that material. But I was, like, 'Hey, Jim, tell you what. I feel really strongly about my writing chops, and the songs I'm hearing from you right now are crushing. So how about we just write new stuff, get together and start writing new material?' And so we kind of went that route."

He continued: "For my elements of what I wanted DARK ANGEL to sound like, Jim Durkin is a huge influence on my writing style. So I wanted this to have a lot of the Jim Durkin influence on it. In terms of riffs, there's not as many from Jim as we were hoping for, but Jim's entire presence is all over the new DARK ANGEL material that I've been working on. And he's a huge guitar influence on me, as well as a lot of people. So, there's definitely gonna be a pretty hardy Jim Durkin influence. And I just wanna write a kick-ass metal album. So what I've tried to do is not go back 35 years or 37 years or whatever, 'Darkness Descends' or even 'We Have Arrived', those early albums, or 'Leave Scars' or 'Time Does Not Heal', I've not tried to duplicate anything from any of those albums, but I tried to put myself in the mindset of what if DARK ANGEL just kept writing albums for the last 30-whatever years, 32, 33 years, where would we be at now? And so that has been my approach on the new DARK ANGEL material."

Durkin died on March 8, 2023 at the age of 58. An original member of DARK ANGEL, Durkin played on the band's first three albums — 1985's "We Have Arrived", 1986's "Darkness Descends" and 1989's "Leave Scars" — before departing the group in 1989. He was part of DARK ANGEL's lineup when the band reformed in 2013, and had been playing with them, on and off, ever since.

Prior to his death, Durkin had been sitting out some of DARK ANGEL's gigs. He was replaced at the shows by Hoglan's wife Laura Christine, who has since joined DARK ANGEL as a permanent member.

DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — the aforementioned "We Have Arrived" and "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — "Leave Scars" and "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992.

Hoglan previously talked about DARK ANGEL's upcoming LP in May 2023 in an interview with Friday 13th. He said at the time: "Jim and I, we had gotten together a number of times to write some new material for DARK ANGEL. And we weren't able to get it down on tape too much. If DARK ANGELhas any new material, there's a song that he's got on there that is pretty darn DARK ANGEL-esque.

"In tribute to Jim, DARK ANGEL's new material will have a ton of his spirit all over it — his feel. Whether he actually wrote stuff on the new stuff or not, his spirit is very there. His imprint is felt throughout thrash metal, I feel. Even before I was in DARK ANGEL, I'd see Jim's influence on bands. Absolutely. So his legacy will live forevermore in the realm of extreme metal. His style will always be a part of DARK ANGEL, absolutely, big time."

Asked how the next DARK ANGEL album will compare to the band's previous efforts, Hoglan said: "Well, I can't really even comment on the fact that there might or might not be an album yet. But put it this way — if I were to have any new DARK ANGEL material, I would want it to be an extension of where the band is at now and where I'm at now. And I would probably approach the writing of it in a way as if DARK ANGEL never disappeared for a decade, two decades, three decades, or whatever it's been. It's just like we just kept doing what we do, and this would be where we're at right now. Which I would want to be putting out the most savage, heaviest material that DARK ANGEL could. And I'm no slouch with writing psychotic, heavy material. So I would be very, very excited with where DARK ANGEL's new material would be if that would be able to confirm."

During an appearance on the latest episode of "The Metallica Report", the podcast offering weekly insider updates on all things METALLICA, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield spoke about some of his recently acquired tattoos, including one that pays tribute to Lemmy Kilmister in the form of a tattoo containing the late MOTÖRHEAD leader's ashes. James said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I guess downtime, you get a little creative in more than one way besides writing songs. It's like drawing or, I got my Photoshop back up and working and fiddling around with shirt ideas and stuff like that. And, yeah, tattoos is just something I've always loved. I'm a logo dude, as we all know. So, yeah, getting the hands done. And then Adriana, my girlfriend, her best friend passed away. And we had just talked about the ability to put ashes in the ink to represent someone who you carry around in your life. So thinking up of ideas of what would represent that person and memories for their life — I mean, that's really what they are; they're memories — and remembering that I had been given some ashes of Lemmy and a little silver bullet that was like a necklace and using that to get my — yeah, the Iron Cross and the ace of spades. So Lemmy is able to still fly the bird to the world via me. And just a reminder of what an inspiration he has been in my life — what to do, what not to do. And for me paying respects to him in maybe lieu of him being in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, which still continues to piss me off."

Elaborating on the injustice that is Lemmy being absent from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Hetfield said: "The most rock and roll lifestyle-living person on this planet is not in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, which is a travesty, a shame. It's kind of a disrespect to rock and roll, basically. So this is me paying homage to him."

Hetfield also jokingly touched upon the fact that Lemmy once stated that he drank a bottle of Jack Daniel's every day and had done so since he was 30 years old. During his time with HAWKWIND, Lemmy also reportedly developed an addiction to amphetamine and LSD, particularly the former.

James said: "The obvious joke with my buddy, tattoo artist Corey Miller, who's done a lot of my stuff, he said, 'Are you sure you wanna do this? Did you check with your doctor? There could still be high amounts of speed in his ashes or,' you know, whatever — I don't know — screwdriver. 'Did you check with your sponsor? Are you okay with this?' And, yeah, hopefully most of that shit got burned off. And, yeah, the obvious jokes."

Summarizing his reasons for wanting to pay tribute to Lemmy in such a personal way, James said: "He stood for rock and roll, and whatever moniker you wanted to put on it — heavy metal, punk, blah, blah, blah — 'We are MOTÖRHEAD. We are rock and roll.'"

When Hetfield first unveiled his new tattoo on METALLICA's Instagram page last month, he explained that he took the Iron Cross and Spade imagery often sported by Lemmy and had it tattooed on the middle finger of his right hand so that the iconic MOTÖRHEAD rocker "is still able to fly the bird at the world".

"With the steady hand of friend and tattoo artist @coreymillertattoo, this tattoo," Hetfield wrote.

"A salute to my friend and inspiration Mr. Lemmy Kilmister. Without him, there would be NO METALLICA.

"Black ink mixed with a pinch of his cremation ashes that were so graciously given to me.

"So now, he is still able to fly the bird at the world."

METALLICA paid tribute to Lemmy on its 2016 album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", which came out less than a year after the iconic rocker's death.

"[It's] a song called 'Murder One', which was the name of [Lemmy's] amplifier, his favorite amp on stage," James told the 95.5 KLOS radio station. "And I loved being murdered every night by that thing, man. He was just such an icon, such an inspiration to us as a band. There's certainly no way we'd be around if there was no MOTÖRHEAD. And, you know, to see your idol, your immortal one, actually be mortal, it hit us pretty hard. So I felt, lyrically, it makes sense to acknowledge him and how much he's meant in our lives."

In a separate interview with SiriusXM, Hetfield stated about the inspiration for "Murder One": "MOTÖRHEAD had a lot to do with METALLICA sitting here right now. But just Lemmy as an entity, as kind of a father figure, he helped us a lot. He was unafraid. And he was a character. And he was himself. And we all respected that so much. He did his own thing to the last breath. No matter who you are, how could you not be inspired by that?"

Shortly after Lemmy's passing, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich penned a lengthy tribute to the MOTÖRHEAD mainman in which looked back on the influence Lemmy had not just on METALLICA but also on him personally.

MOTÖRHEAD won the "Best Metal Performance" Grammy in 2005 for its cover version of the METALLICA song "Whiplash".

At a 1995 gig at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, members of METALLICA celebrated Lemmy's 50th birthday by taking the stage as a wigged tribute band dubbed the LEMMYS.

In a 2011 interview with Metal Insider, Lemmy said: "You can't top METALLICA. They're really a fucking excellent band. I'm delighted that they said that I was one of their influences. Like, they have all of their influences, and you can't hear the influences in them, which is great. They've become their own people, and that's great. I like them a lot. I've spent a lot of time with those boys."

Lemmy died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy's poor health, although the band did manage to complete the aforementioned European tour a couple of weeks before his death.

In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, "Lemmy", will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, "Lemmy".

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

Back in January 2020, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett expressed his disappointment over the fact that MOTÖRHEAD has yet to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Eligible since 2002, the Lemmy-fronted outfit was on the ballot for the class of 2020 but failed to receive enough votes.

During a career-spanning interview on Dean Delray's "Let There Be Talk" podcast, Hammett stated about MOTÖRHEAD's exclusion from the Rock Hall: "I really think that when things like that happen, it might be a generational thing where maybe some of the older people just don't get it — they just don't fucking get it. They don't see the range of influence and the impact and the inspiration that certain bands have. They don't hear it, because maybe they're part of a different generation and were told that vocals sung like that are bad. But they're not — they're fucking just another type of vocal. And [those people believe that] recordings like that have no merit. [I've] gotta admit, some of those MOTÖRHEAD recordings are fucking so beautifully raw."

Kirk continued: "For those kind of people, MOTÖRHEAD is a little bit of a bitter pill. And the comprehension of it is kind of — it could be a little better comprehended. And I think that's the problem — it's merely a generational thing. As much as I don't like saying that, because I think if it's good music, it's gonna transcend generations. But then, at certain times, people are just closed off from it from the get-go, for whatever reason. It's just one of those things that just happens."

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like IRON MAIDEN and SCORPIONS have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted METALLICA and GUNS N' ROSES in those groups' first year of eligibility.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until 2016.

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In a new interview with Ronni Hunter and Thick Rick of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station, BREAKING BENJAMIN guitarist Jasen Rauch spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's long-awaited new studio album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've got about four [songs] done. We're kind of taking a summer break right now up until — we go out with STAIND in September. And so between now and then, we're really looking at wrapping the stuff up and having some new music out for that tour. As far as album release, it's a little out of our hands, . Because it's later in the year, it might be pushed back till next year, just because December, everything shuts down, and you wanna get the momentum that you can. So hopefully we'll have a tour wrapped around that as well with the release. But, yeah, new music this year, for sure."

BREAKING BENJAMIN guitarist Keith Wallen previously discussed the band's recording progress during an appearance on "Drinks With Johnny", the Internet TV show hosted by AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ. At the time, he said: "Obviously, we're still out there playing shows, which is probably confusing-slash-shocking to some people. 'Cause it's, like, 'Yo, you guys need a new record.' But we just love to play. I mean, for lack of better words, we just love to get out there and play. And I think we've been able to kind of split the time pretty well between playing, touring and writing as well. And we've got a few songs recorded, done, in the can. We have many songs written — finalized and written. And whenever we have the breaks and the time and everything, we just get in the studio and we knock 'em out. So I think in the next little gaps between now and our spring tour and then between the spring tour and potential late summer/fall tour, we're gonna get some real progress on it."

He continued: "But, man, I'm excited — I'm really excited. We've been working on some of these songs for, or at least demoing some of these songs — me and Rauch and Ben [BREAKING BENJAMIN frontman Benjamin Burnley]. It's been a few years in the making, of course. Everyone knows; I read it every day on the comments. But we're working on it."

This past February, Rauch told the FM99 WNOR radio station that he and his BREAKING BENJAMIN bandmates were "definitely recording" new music. "We've been writing for a while," he said. "Our tour schedule keeps things kind of intermittent. So it's hard to get… We'll go on a tour. We're out for quite a while, come home. Everybody wants to go see their family, have some downtime or whatever. And then it may only be a six-week turnaround, a 10-week turnaround, till we've gotta go back out and start prepping for the other thing. Keith and I do some work on the side with other bands, other projects. Keith's got his solo stuff, which is rad… But as far as recording goes, it's been so long since we've had an album out, we feel somewhat precious about it and are just making sure our quality control is there. So we are actually working, we are actually recording. We have songs that are finished, and it's just gonna be about all the business stuff —interfacing with the label and release schedule, what windows are open, that kind of thing, and then as far as us fitting in those recordings around the tour schedule."

Jasen continued: "A lot of bands would go and lock themselves away for three or four months in the studio. We're opting not to do that. We're doing a lot remote and things like that."

Asked by FM99 WNOR if it's easy to work on an album and tour at the same time, Jasen said: "It's almost impossible. I can count maybe three bands, I think, that would be successful at writing [and] recording on the road, because it's very difficult. You can have all the best intentions, but it's hard just squeezing things in between press, any sort of VIP stuff that we have, soundchecks."

Added Keith: "Even just finding a nice quiet place to you know record some vocals or something. And not even just that, but just recording vocals in general, it's, like, when you're on tour, you're using your vocals a lot and there's a fatigue factor there. So you wanna be at your best when you're recording; you don't wanna be just completely cashed from singing three shows in a row."

Jasen concurred, saying: "It's a recording, so it'll live forever, so you want it to be the best, you want it to be perfect, but is that going to be at the expense of the quality of the show suffering as well? So, yeah, it's a difficult line to walk there."

Last July, Keith told Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", about BREAKING BENJAMIN's next studio LP: "We've always been kind of writing and kind of chronicling some ideas over the past few years — through the pandemic, all that stuff, we've always been writing. But here recently it started to pick up a little bit. So I'm hoping — hoping — there's gonna be some new music out sometime within the next year. That's a nice, safe answer. I could say month, I could say two months, but I'm gonna say year, just 'cause it's been so long. I don't wanna screw ourselves somehow; I don't know."

Keith went on to say that there is quite a bit of new BREAKING BENJAMIN material nearly ready to be released. "We've got some stuff in the works," he said. "We've got a lot of music recorded. Ben just posted yesterday — he just tracked some vocals for a song. So, yeah, we're getting there. We move at our own pace here, much to the dismay of a lot of people, I've noticed, online."

He added about the new BREAKING BENJAMIN music: "It's awesome. It's exciting. And man, I can't wait to get it out there finally."

Two months earlier, Rauch told Janna of 97.9 WGRD radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan about BREAKING BENJAMIN's plan for the follow-up to 2018's "Ember" album: "We are working on music. We've been writing for quite a while. And regardless of whether we were able to record anything or not, we've been writing for a little over a year, I would say. We kind of keep the bar pretty high for ourselves as far as the standard moving forward. We've been experimenting with some things, throwing some things out, started over a couple of times, and are getting to a place where we're pretty happy.

"So, yeah, we've been in the studio," he continued. "We did some in Nashville. We've done a lot of stuff remotely. Ben and I have dozens and dozens of voice memos going back, 'Hey, try this. Try this.' And we'll record something and send it back and forth. But, yeah, we're looking forward to it. And hopefully we'll have something out soon for everybody to hear."

The members of BREAKING BENJAMIN are no strangers to the upper echelons of the rock charts. Since bursting on to the scene with 2002's "Saturate", the band has amassed an impressive string of mainstream rock radio hits, with 10 songs hitting No. 1, numerous platinum and multi-platinum songs and albums, billions of combined streams worldwide and a social imprint of over 6.5 million — a testament to the band's global influence and loyal fan base. Their most recent release, "Aurora", gave BREAKING BENJAMIN their tenth No. 1 song at rock radio with "Far Away ft. Scooter Ward".

BREAKING BENJAMIN's last studio album, "Ember", debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 and marked the multiplatinum band's fourth Top 5 debut on the Billboard Top 200, following 2015's No. 1 debut for "Dark Before Dawn" (gold),2009's "Dear Agony" (platinum) at No. 4 and 2006's "Phobia" (platinum) at No. 2. "Ember" spun off two No. 1 hits at Active Rock Radio with "Red Cold River" and "Torn In Two". "Aurora" and "Ember" charted Top 10 across numerous countries worldwide and topping charts across multiple genres, including Top Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Digital Albums.

"Aurora" was released in January 2020. The disc featured reimagined versions of the band's biggest and most popular songs with special guests including Lacey Sturm (ex-FLYLEAF),Scooter Ward (COLD) and Spencer Chamberlain (UNDEROATH),to name a few.

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Backstage Auctions, Inc. has announced The Alex Van Halen Collection, the auction house's most anticipated and historical auction event of the year featuring the personal collection of legendary VAN HALEN drummer Alex Van Halen.

Backstage Auctions says: "It is an unbelievable honor to represent one of the greatest rock drummers of all time and we could not be any more excited. Alex is the reason why so many people picked up a pair of drumsticks and this auction is a fantastic opportunity to see so many of his instruments and gear go to new homes. All of these pieces have a thick layer of magic 'Al' dust and we can only hope that it will bring boundless joy and thrills to their future owners."

The collection features over 350 lots, with a wide array of memorabilia, such as drum kits, snare drums, kick drums, road cases, drumheads, cymbals, gongs, sticks and mallets, personal items, record awards, autographed pieces and so much more. The auction is definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for fans and collectors to own a piece of van halen history. Each lot sold will come with a personally signed certificate of authenticity from Alex, which is a collectible in itself.

Alex says: "I always have pursued the best possible sound, which drove me every single day, every single album, and every single tour to be on top of my game. I hope that passing on all these pieces will inspire current and next generations to be the best they can be. Now, let's have some fun — VAN HALEN style!"

Each piece featured in the auction is essentially a highlight item, but among the standouts is the legendary "5150" tour kit, the 2015 tour kit (and the last kit Alex ever used in concert),his personal collection of vintage RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) record awards, the exceptionally rare rosewood snare drums that helped define his signature sound, the eye-catching and iconic gongs, a kick drum from the early backyard party days, and even a piano from the Van Halen family home.

The auction is a celebration of a 40-year career that saw VAN HALEN sell nearly 100 million albums worldwide, making them one of the best-selling groups in the history of music. Alex Van Halen's place in the pantheon of rock 'n' roll drummers is legendary. The incredible body of work that he created alongside his brother Eddie is memorialized in VAN HALEN's historic catalog of genre-defining music.

"I kept all these drums, cymbals, heads, and all other kinds of gear, instruments, and road cases in my warehouse for decades and it will bring me great pleasure to see them end up in the hands of my fans and fellow drummers," says Alex. "A portion of the proceeds will go to the Ride On Therapeutic Horsemanship charity to further support the services they provide to those in need."

Alex and his wife have been longtime supporters of Ride On Therapeutic Horsemanship. The organization's mission is to promote the welfare of at-risk youth and people with any type of physical, intellectual or cognitive disability by means of equine-assisted activities and therapies, and by providing instruction and education for all in equestrian-related social, vocational and recreational activities.

The auction will open up for bidding on June 1 and close on June 9.

Backstage Auctions is proud to present The Alex Van Halen Collection, our most anticipated and historical auction event...

Posted by Backstage Auctions on Wednesday, May 22, 2024

During an appearance on this past Wednesday's (May 22) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Tony Iommi once again spoke about his plans to remix BLACK SABBATH's "Born Again" album for future release.

Issued in August 1983, "Born Again" was the only album SABBATH recorded with lead vocalist Ian Gillan, best known for his work with DEEP PURPLE. It was also the last of SABBATH's studio albums to feature drummer Bill Ward.

Regarding why it's taking so long for fans to hear a remixed version of "Born Again", Iommi said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, eventually we got the tapes, but we couldn't find them for years. We didn't know where they were. And [my manager] located somebody, and they were in a record [company's], in their archives tucked away somewhere in one of the record companies. I don't know how they got them, but they did. And so eventually we got them, and then we've had them, or [we are] having them transferred, 'cause obviously it's tape. And so we're having them transferred so we can have a look at that. And that's sort of a plan as well; I'd like to do that. And I know Ian would like that to happen as well. Well, Geezer [Butler, SABBATH bassist] would as well, I'm sure."

Iommi went on to say that a lot of SABBATH fans have rediscovered "Born Again" in the four decades since it was originally released. "Yeah, it's funny. That does happen," he said. "And it's the same as the Tony Martin [-era BLACK SABBATH] stuff as well. People didn't know of it at the time, and then it's word of mouth that gets around and the Internet, and they get interested and eventually, they [go], 'Oh, yeah, it's good.' And that's what's happened with 'Born Again' a little bit. It's funny how that works. Later on, a new generation come in and then people get to hear, the original fans will hear it and go, 'Oh, yeah, I forgot about that record.' It is funny how it all works, but it's great. It's great that it does. And that's why I'd like to present that again, have a look at that and see what we can do with it. Because I know we weren't very happy with the sound. But a lot of people accepted the sound, really — certainly now. At the time, it was, 'Oh my God.' Because we went on tour, left it to somebody else, and when we heard it, we nearly had a fit. It was in the top — I think it was No. 4 [on the chart] in England at the time. And we tried to stop it, but it was too late by the time we'd heard it. And it just sounded really muffly; it was nothing like when we left, before we went on tour. So it would be nice to get it so we can get a better sound on it, really…. There really are some great songs on that album. There really are."

Iommi previously discussed his plans for the "Born Again" remix in a June 2023 interview with "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Regarding what kind of changes he expects to be made to "Born Again" during the remixing process, Iommi said: "Well, when it was originally recorded, in the studio it sounded great; we loved it. But we went on tour then and somehow the sound got muffled. And whether it was from the pressing or what, I don't know. But I'd like to look at that. I have heard, when I played the 'Born Again' album, there's parts where I go, 'Oh, that should have been louder,' 'This should have been more prominent' — drums or whatever it may have been. There's things that really need adjusting on it, because there's some really good songs on that album too. But it would be nice to give it an up-to-date quality now, of what you can do now, and be able to listen to it differently. Because, obviously, when you're involved with this stuff at the time, you're hearing nothing but it, and then you leave it into somebody else's hands, like we did with that. We went on tour, [came] back and heard it, and we went, 'Oh my God. What happened?' We don't want that to happen. I want to be able to pull the tapes out again and really give it a good listen to and see what we need to adjust and change and make it a better-sounding album."

In November 2022, Gillan was asked by Spain's RockFM if it's true that he broke "Born Again" when he first got a copy of it. He responded: "I didn't break it. I threw it out the window of my car. [Laughs]

"Look, I was disappointed," he explained. "I didn't have the mentality of all the guys in BLACK SABBATH. I loved it. I had a fantastic year; it was insane. But when we finished the mixes… I still have a cassette at my home of the monitor mixes of 'Born Again', and it sounds fantastic — just on a cassette. And that's the last thing I heard in the recording studio. When I heard the album, I went, 'What is this?' The bass rumble was a bit too much for me.

"There's a famous line in a famous movie called 'This Is Spinal Tap' that has two or three references to BLACK SABBATH in it," Gillan added. "And I don't know where these may have come from [laughs], but one of them was 'This album in unplayable on American radio,' because of the bass end. And so it was — unplayable on the radio.

"I was disappointed in the final production mix," Ian clarified. "I don't know what happened between the studio and the factory, but something happened. So that was a disappointment. Having said that, I love some of the songs on there. And 'Trashed' is one of my favorite rock and roll songs of all time, and even more so because it's a completely true story. [Laughs]"

Gillan also reflected on his touring activity with SABBATH, saying: "I was with BLACK SABBATH for a year and I sang Ozzy Osbourne songs as well as the songs from 'Born Again'. And I never felt right doing that. It was great — I could sing them okay — but I didn't sound like Ozzy. There was something not quite right."

Following the departure of lead singer Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice after the studio mixing of the "Live Evil" album, BLACK SABBATH was once again on the lookout for yet another lead vocalist to fill the significant void left at stage front. The band turned to Gillan.

The resultant album and live touring certainly made for one of the more curious associations in the world of heavy metal. Much of this era of BLACK SABBATH has passed into rock folklore and was actually the source for the material used in the rockumentary movie "This Is Spinal Tap". From the replica stage production of Stonehenge, which was too large for some of the venues on the world tour, to the employment of a dwarf to dress up and play the part of the "devil-baby" from the LP front cover, the world of BLACK SABBATH took on a distinct air of the surreal.

While the well-received "Born Again" album and live dates succeeded in stoking the embers and kept the SABBATH flames burning, this would ultimately be a marriage built more on friendship and respect as opposed to any long-standing and compatible musical association. After one tour, Ian Gillan would eventually bid farewell and rejoin his old sparring partners for the Mk. II reunion of DEEP PURPLE and leave BLACK SABBATH once more gazing into the crystal ball hoping the face of yet another lead vocalist would reveal itself.

For Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ward, Gillan, and keyboardist Geoff Nicholls, work would swiftly commence in May of '83 at the Manor Studios in the village of Shiptonon-Cherwell, Oxfordshire. Produced by BLACK SABBATH and co-producer Robin Black, who had also worked on 1975's "Sabotage", 1976's "Technical Ecstasy", and 1978's "Never Say Die", SABBATH's eleventh studio release would represent a radical departure from the gloomy atmospherics and blackened lyricism that had forged their identity and spawned innumerable descendants.

Gillan's approach to songwriting bespoke a lighter-hearted approach to what had, until then, been the primary concern of Butler. Album opener "Trashed", for instance, was inspired by Gillan's boozed-up race around the Manor's grounds in Bill Ward's car that ended in near-catastrophe and a wrecked vehicle. "Disturbing The Priest" was the result of a door in the studio having been left open during playback, and a local vicar appearing in the doorway asking for the volume to be turned down as it was disturbing choir practice in the adjacent village.

For all of its off-kilter appearance however, "Born Again" was still SABBATH through and through. Musically twisted and possessed with more than a whiff of brimstone, the album is a thrilling glimpse into an alternative world.

In a 2018 interview with SiriusXM, Gillan said that "Born Again" began with a bender at the Bear Inn, one of the oldest pubs in Oxford, England.

"How it started is was just 'cause we got drunk together one night," the DEEP PURPLE frontman said. "I went for a drink with Tony and Geezer, and we ended up under the table. And I can't remember much more that happened. But I got a call from my manager the next day saying, 'Don't you think you should call me if you're gonna make decisions like this?' I said, 'What are you talking about?' He said, 'Well, apparently you… I just got a call. You agreed to join SABBATH.' So that's how it happened. I was at a kind of loose end anyway, having just finished with my own band and PURPLE not really being anything viable at the time. So we set a one-year plan, and it was to do an album and a tour. Nobody knew what was gonna happen, so we pitched up and I pitched my tent, literally, at the old manor in Oxfordshire. And we made an album. I didn't see much of 'em. They were night people, so they slept all day and worked all night. I got up in the morning, cooked my breakfast, went to the studio to hear what they had recorded the night before and write a song over it. And that's how the album was made."

Gillan went on to describe the making of "Born Again" as "a challenge for me. It was a bit like doing [Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera] 'Jesus Christ Superstar' or singing with [opera singer Luciano] Pavarotti; it's just something completely different," he explained. "But Tony is such a great writer. You know what to expect with Tony. There's no multidirectional approach. He is the father of everything that came out of Seattle, I believe. He's just very direct, and that's how he evolved from the early days.

"I found it very easy to sing and write songs with [Tony]," Ian continued. "And we had a couple of good ones. There was always a narrative. My favorite song from that album is 'Trashed', which was a true story about a racetrack and too much drink and spinning a car and crashing it and going upside down. It was exciting times."

The second track on "Born Again" was a brief instrumental called "Stonehenge", and on SABBATH's 1983 tour, the band hilariously had to shelve a Stonehenge stage concept because the scenery was much too big to use.

"We had a production company called Light And Sound Design; they were in Birmingham, where the band was based," Gillan recalled. "And after rehearsal one day, we had a kind of meeting to go the office, and as we were walking through these corridors, one of the guys said, 'By the way, anyone got any idea of a concept for a stage set or anything?' And Geezer Butler said, 'Yeah. Stonehenge.' And the guy said, 'Wow! That's great.' He said, 'How do you visualize it?' And Geezer said, 'Well, lifesize, of course.' We didn't quite go lifesize, but it was about two-thirds. And we could never get it all up on a stage. We played some huge arenas, and places, stadiums, and you couldn't get it [up there]. So there are parts of it, there are monoliths that are all lying around in docklands somewhere and are spotted around the world, as far as I know."

A longtime treasure among hardcore SABBATH fans, "Born Again" was re-released in the spring of 2011 as a special two-CD set featuring a 1983 live performance from the Reading Festival.

At the time of its initial release, "Born Again" was a commercial success. It was the highest-charting BLACK SABBATH album in the United Kingdom since "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and became an American Top 40 hit. Despite this, it became the first BLACK SABBATH album to not have any RIAA certification (gold or platinum) in the U.S.

In a new interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King spoke about his love of concert pyrotechnics and the use of fire in the "Residue" music video from his solo band. Asked where his love of pyro started and what types of things he likes to see the most out of a live show production, Kerry responded: "I enjoy seeing everything in a live show production — not necessarily in my own show. But video screens are very effective. I think that's a very common go-to. And I don't think that every time you see video screens, the video content's that great. Sometimes it looks like they mailed it in, so I didn't want that."

He continued: "Fire, it is what it is, and you know what you're gonna get. There is no mailing in fire — it's there, it's awesome, it is what it is. It heats the place up. It goes hand in hand with this kind of music. When I think fire, I think of bands like [BLACK] SABBATH, I think of VENOM, I think of SLAYER. And that being part of my pedigree, that's where my love of fire comes from, I'm sure."

King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", was released on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music.

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

Earlier this month, the KERRY KING band performed its first live show, totally sold out, at Reggies in Chicago. The concert was described as "dark, packed, and exceptionally loud," everything you could ask for at such a landmark show as this one… a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience." In the days following, the band went from playing an intimate venue to performing at the huge U.S. festivals Welcome To Rockville (Florida) and Sonic Temple (Ohio),treating the audience to an incredible experience of pure metal firepower.

Now the KERRY KING band is ready to embark on a European tour that will start on June 3 — on King's 60th birthday. The trek will combine headline shows in the U.K., The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Spain but also festival appearances such as Rock Am Ring, Hellfest, Tuska, Download, Sweden Rock Festival and many more.

All material for "From Hell I Rise" was written by the 59-year-old SLAYER guitarist. Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles last year was producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.

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.

Photo credit: Jim Louvau

In a new interview with Japanese music critic and radio personality Masa Ito of TVK's "Rock City", MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee explained why it was important for him and his bandmates to record new music, including the recently released single "Dogs Of War". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Going to record was, yes, it was really important to us because during that [early 2023] tour, we felt all this new energy. Having [new guitarist] John 5 in the band really, really inspired us to share with our fans what we're feeling. This new energy is like a rebirth in many ways, and so we started writing some music — myself, Nikki [Sixx, CRÜE bassist] and John — and we were, like, 'Well, let's get [CRÜE's longtime producer] Bob Rock. Let's go in and let's put this on tape and record it.' And so, yes, the whole tour and having John in the band, all of it was very inspirational in getting us to share some new music with our fans, because, also, we're really strong believers in you're only as good as your last effort, and we hadn't recorded anything new in a while. It was really important for us to show our fans and everybody where we're at right now. What is inspiring us? What are we feeling?"

Regarding how the new music came together, Tommy said: "During the tour, we talked about it and everybody kind of had their ideas, and we just put them aside. But when we got home is when we started [going], 'Okay, listen, what do you got? What do you got? What do you got?' And then we just put it all together and, boom, it happens quickly. Two of [the songs] came out of that sort of explosion, and the one song, we did a cover [of BEASTIE BOYS' '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)'], that was just for fun. We were, like, 'Ah, let's just play, this is for fun.' And so, yes, 'Dogs Of War', and there's another song called 'Canceled' that sort of inspired the whole thing, really."

On the topic of Rock's involvement with the sessions, Lee said: "We've been in touch all the time, and we just called him and we were, like, 'We've got some new stuff we wanna record, and you're the guy.' So he came to Los Angeles right away and we just got at it."

As for what was different about the latest CRÜE sessions compared to how the band worked in the past, Tommy said: "I would say the only thing different would be John 5's energy. He has a very different energy that we've never experienced before. But also working with Bob Rock made it seem comfortable and familiar. So the process went really fast, like it usually does with Bob, because he sort of inserts himself as a fifth member of the band, kind of. He gets out in the studio with you with a guitar and a microphone and we'll make changes. And he gets very involved. He's not your typical producer who just sits back and goes, 'Hmmm, I don't know if I like it yet. Let's try this. Let's try [that].' He's in the trenches doing the work with us. So, some part of the experience was brand new and exciting and the other familiarity with Bob was as usual."

Asked to describe the musical direction of the new CRÜE material, Tommy said: "God, I really don't enjoy explaining music because it's so bizarre, because music is energy and sound and it's hard to describe. I think, if anything, it's a time stamp on what the energy that we're all feeling and we captured that on tape and then it's there forever. It's just a culmination of so many things that were happening with us, with having John 5 as our guitar player, all this new energy, and everybody was feeling all the stuff, going on 'The Stadium Tour' and around the world, and there was so much excitement that we felt, like, 'We have to record this. It would be silly not to.' And that's why we only did three songs, because if we recorded how we really felt, we'd still be in the studio probably."

"Dogs Of War" was made available on April 26 via MÖTLEY CRÜE's new deal with Nashville's Big Machine Records

The "Dogs Of War" music video, which can be seen below, is an animated, all-CGI affair directed by Nick DenBoer.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's deal with Big Machine sees the band and the label working together again after making the 2014 project "Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe", which featured CRÜE tracks covered by country stars RASCAL FLATTS, FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE, Darius Rucker and more. Big Machine also partnered with John 5 for the release of his 2021 album "Sinner".

MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.

In 2018, MÖTLEY CRÜE recorded four new songs for "The Dirt" movie, including the single "The Dirt (Est. 1981) (Feat. Machine Gun Kelly)", "Ride With The Devil", "Crash And Burn" and the band's own spin on Madonna's "Like A Virgin".

John 5 joined MÖTLEY CRÜE in the fall of 2022 as the replacement for the band's co-founding guitarist Mick Mars. Mick announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues.

During an appearance on SiriusXM Fight Nation's "Busted Open" show, Sixx stated about "Dogs Of War": "A lot of people said it's a different sound, but I'll be honest with you, I don't necessarily agree with that. If you listen to the verses, they're very similar to a lot of stuff that we've done — that simple, grinding thing with those almost CHEAP TRICK melodies. And the riff, I mean, it could be off of 'Dr. Feelgood'. So I don't really feel like it's that different. I think what's different for people is that when we were working on the song, Tommy had the idea to just let the bottom fall out in the verses, which is not really what we do. We usually go for it, and [it's] really unique for Vince [Neil, CRÜE singer]."

Vince chimed in: "I don't ever sing like that. But it works in the song." He added that "Dogs Of War" "was very easy to sing."

Nikki elaborated on the CRÜE songwriting process, saying: "I think what we do together is we all kind of know each other so well, we know each other's strengths and weaknesses. And for me as a lyricist, I'm always thinking about Vince and his tempo as I write. So it's not like out of the wheelhouse, but it's nice to know each other so well, if that makes sense."

When "Dogs Of War" was first released, Neil described the track as "like old school meets new school. It's got that old-school vibe about it, but it's new music. Nikki came up with it and he sent me the music and I thought it was really cool. So I started singing it and we got in the studio and it turned into the song I think the fans are really gonna like it."

"John brings a lot," Neil told Billboard. "He's an amazing, creative guitar player. He hears stuff us normal people don't hear. He brings a lot to the song and a lot to the band, and we're just so happy to have him."

John 5, who previously collaborated with Sixx on various songs for SIXX:A.M. as well as other projects, and co-wrote the three new songs on "The Dirt" soundtrack, said about his addition to CRÜE: "I love MÖTLEY and I've known Mick, Tommy and Nikki for so long, it's just like playing with your friends, Their music is something I care about. I care about the history and I care about the future of this band, so I want to do things with the utmost respect and make sure everything is done right and execute it to the ability it deserves."

In a new interview with Chasta and Baby Huey of San Francisco Bay Area's 107.7 The Bone radio station, Matt Sorum reflected on his time as the drummer for GUNS N' ROSES. The 63-year-old musician, who replaced Steven Adler in the Axl Rose-fronted outfit, said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was chaotic. It was crazy. Of course, Axl was late [going on stage] sometimes. Who cares? That was the energy. If people complained, by the time he came on stage, it was just on — game on.

"I say to people, what was going on backstage was causing a lot of emotional sort of angst in a punk rock way," Sorum continued. "Some of us were angry — I could say me included. We were like, 'Where is he?' Like, but once we got up there, we were, like, 'Ahhhh.' And talk about taking it all out — we did. And you asked me before, what would it be like to be in the same band? And that's something I thought about. And I always say to like Tré Cool from GREEN DAY or something. I said, 'Tré, man, it's like you got the same band and the same guys. And how does that feel? And it's only three guys, so you split the money three ways. That's cool.' [Laughs]"

Matt went on to say that he is thankful that he got an opportunity to play with GUNS N' ROSES when he did. "I had that moment with the band, and it's really shaped and formed my life and a lot of doors have opened because of it," he explained. "So I look at it with a lot of gratitude. When people ask me, 'Oh, you're not included in the new [GUNS N' ROSES] tour.' And I've said, in the beginning, it was a little weird. I was, like, I didn't even get a call [asking me to be a part of it]. But now I look at it different. I look at it like how I explained before: I'm not supposed to be there. I got a child. I got a beautiful wife. The old me, the old Matt, the old guy, if I got up there, I don't know what would happen to me. I don't know."

Sorum added that a lot of great opportunities have come his way as a result of his association with GUNS N' ROSES. "I still get a lot of accolades and I always get these weird fringe benefits — still, 30 years later," he said. "I have businesses because of it. I do other things philanthropically. I'm able to put the word out because I'm the guy from that band. 'Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame GUNS N' ROSES drummer has charity for kids,' it gets press because I'm the guy from that band, and played on the records and some of the songs — a lot of the songs. So, all that being said, I'm in a really good place. So. what's happening with me now is I've got a lot of businesses and philanthropic work and then I do [my all-star rock collective] KINGS OF CHAOS for fun."

Three years ago, Matt revealed in his book "Double Talkin' Jive: True Rock 'N' Roll Stories" that he learned of the 2016 partial reunion of GUNS N' ROSES' classic lineup via the rumor mill even though he was on a South American tour with Slash and Duff McKagan when the Internet chatter first reached him. After he confronted Duff, the bassist told him: "Axl [Rose, GUNS N' ROSES frontman] wants to use his drummer [Frank Ferrer]." "Go to Axl and tell him you want me on drums," Sorum responded. "Period. Now's the time." "Oh, man," Duff replied. "I already signed the deal."

Sorum told Rolling Stone in a 2021 interview that he had gotten over the fact that he will probably never play with GUNS N' ROSES again. "I've come to terms with the fact that they're doing their own thing, and I'm doing mine," he said. "I can't say that when it went down, I was completely happy with the circumstances. At the same time, I feel really good about my time in the band."

Asked why he thinks he wasn't invited on the reunion tour, Matt said: "I think Axl is a loyal guy. He likes his band he's had for a long time. He didn't look at it that way. … If anyone in that band is loyal, it's probably him. He was like, 'I'm going to bring my guy [Frank Ferrer]. If I get Slash, that's cool. If I get Duff, that's cool too. And that's enough.' That's how it went down, and that's what they're doing."

Matt also told Rolling Stone that he was invited to appear as a guest on the GUNS N' ROSES reunion tour but that he didn't do it because there was no money involved. Asked if he would show up and do it if he was approached about it again, he said: "I guess I'd have to wait until that call comes to make that decision. I have a lot of different things going on in my life… I'm a busy guy. It's gotta be what works with my life. I feel really good about my time in the band. And I always thank GUNS N' ROSES for my legacy going forward."

GN'R's hugely successful reunion features Rose, Slash and McKagan alongside Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus and second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Sorum recorded the GUNS N' ROSES albums "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II" (both 1991) and "The Spaghetti Incident" (1994). He also supported the group on the "Use Your Illusion" tour and can be heard on GUNS N' ROSES' "Live Era: '87-'93" (1999) and "Greatest Hits" (2004).

Matt was among the GUNS N' ROSES members who were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2012. He, Adler, Slash and McKagan attended the ceremony, while Rose and founding guitarist Izzy Stradlin stayed home.

Sorum told The Pulse Of Radio in a 2009 interview that if the classic GUNS N' ROSES band reunited, they should perform with both him and Adler. "If it's me on drums or Steven or whatever, if it happened, it'd be great, you know," he said. "I would actually say to them, 'Hey, bring both of us back,' you know. Let me play the other stuff. We'll have two drum kits. I don't care. If 'Appetite [For Destruction]' [the band's debut] sounds better with Steven playing it, have both guys up there. They can afford it."

Back in 2018, Izzy blamed his non-involvement with the GUNS N' ROSES reunion tour on the fact that he and the other guys in the band were unable "to reach a happy middle ground through the negotiation process." He also previously claimed that he stepped away from the reunion because the band didn't want to "split the loot equally."

"Double Talkin' Jive: True Rock 'N' Roll Stories" came out in September 2021 via Rare Bird Books.

Pallbearer have released their new album, Mind Burns Alive, via Nuclear Blast Records. To mark the release of Mind Burns Alive, the band has unveiled a video for the title track, which was directed by Dan Almasy, who has created all of the videos for the album.


“This album is for everyone who has ever felt overcome by life’s negative turns, for those who have watched people you care about degrade into the shadows of themselves, for those who search for something to believe in, and come up wanting,” vocalist/guitarist Brett Campbell shares. “This world is hard; it will eat you up, and we must lift each other up in order to make it through.”







Purchase/stream the new album here.





Tracklisting:


“Where The Light Fades”
“Mind Burns Alive”
“Signals”
“Endless Place”
“Daybreak”
“With Disease”


"Endless Place" video:





“Where The Light Fades”:





Pallbearer kick off their “Temporary Spaces" North American tour on June 6, with a European trek, joining Baroness and Graveyard, following later this year. Three additional European festival performances were previously announced: The Copenhell Metal Cruise (Copenhagen to Oslo) from October 25 to 27, Hell’s Ball Belgium (Kortrijk) on November 10, and Helldorado in Eindhoven (The Netherlands) on November 16. All ticketing links can be found at pallbearerdoom.com.


(Photo – Dan Almasy)

Following last years surprise announcement that they would be getting back together, Swedish progressive rockers, Beardfish, are pleased to announce they have re-signed with InsideOutMusic for the release of their first new music since breaking up in 2016.


The band comments: “These are super exciting times for Beardfish with us being back together as a band. We’re just finishing up our first new album in nine years and we’re working with Inside Out again, our favourite record label on the planet! We’re also really happy that Destined Solitaire, one of my personal favourites in the Beardfish catalogue, is turning 15 years old this year and that it’s finally gonna be available on some hot wax! It’s been remastered for vinyl, has lengthy liner notes from yours truly (rambling on!) and it looks and sounds fantastic!”







First though, the band are pleased to announce a special 15th anniversary vinyl release of their fifth studio album, Destined Solitaire – its first time ever on wax. Newly remastered, and featuring a fold-out 6-page LP-booklet with the full cover artwork, this Gatefold 2LP release will come out on July 19 to coincide with the bands appearance at the last ever Night Of The Prog Festival in Germany. The release also includes brand new liner notes.


Pre-order here, watch a trailer below:





Beardfish originally formed back in 2001, and today are made up of Rikard Sjöblom, David Zackrisson, Magnus Östgren and Robert Hansen. They released eight studios albums up until their disbandment in 2016, and their forthcoming ninth album will see the light of day later in 2024. Outside of Night Of The Prog Festival, the band will also headline We Låve Rock in Oslo, Norway at the end of May, as well as already being confirmed for 2025’s edition of Cruise To The Edge.


 

All the best tunes belong to the Devil, and Portland’s bastard sons, Bewitcher, have returned to take back rock n’ roll in Baphomet’s name. The speed demons are now unleashing the electrifying new single, “Starfire Maelstrom", which is the first invocation from the haunted trio’s upcoming album, Spell Shock, due September 27 on on Century Media Records.


The track is the hardened and bloodthirsty sound of Bewitcher - noise, filth, fury n’ all - and can be found along with a lyric video, which was created by Scott Taysom.


“It’s full of apocalyptic, speed demon vibes, and imagery taken from the worst of current events that only get more apocalyptic as time goes by,” says Bewitcher frontman Mateo von Bewitcher of the album's lead missive. “It’s the feeling you get from ‘Fight Fire With Fire’ on [Metallica’s] Ride the Lightning. It’s immediate how it feeds into themes of human destruction and war, but also has cosmic elements. It’s a classic album opener.”




Joining Von Bewitcher, bassist A. Magus, and drummer A. Hunter in the studio this time was none other longtime Bewitcher fan Lars Frederiksen. Most of the world knows Frederiksen as a force in his own right, playing in the likes of Bay Area punk heroes Rancid, as well as his own Old Firm Casuals. While to some, it may have been an unlikely pairing with Frederiksen taking the producer’s seat, for everyone in the studio the connection was immediate.


Says Frederiksen on Spell Shock: "It’s the best record I’ve ever produced for one of the best bands in the world."


Stream/download the single here.





Bewitcher's latest lightening strike comes just in time for the band's appearance at Milwaukee Metal Festival, in which they will be laying waste to The Rave/Eagle's Ballroom tonight, May 17. Bewitcher is currently on the road with fellow Portland-based occultists UADA and Century Media labelmates Upon Stone for "The Shadows Return" tour, which will continue to decimate the states until the final stop on May 28 in Sacramento, CA. More dates including a Fall North American tour, and Bewitcher’s return to Europe as they continue to extol their “Black Magick Metal” gospel will be announced soon.





Lineup:


Mateo von Bewitcher – vox + guitars
A. Hunter – drums + percussion
A. Magus – bass guitar + backing vox


(Photo - Raymond Ahner)

Chicago’s Avernus has signed to M-Theory Audio. The atmospheric doom/death metal band are legends in our minds and armed with a solidified lineup and a crushing new album we intend to cement their legacy. New video for “Nemesis” is available below and the song is now available on all streaming/download platforms.


“’Nemesis’ is a song that reacts to the gross neglect and indifference towards that neglect of Earth. We have polluted to no end, and we continue making a mess of things wherever we are,” explains drummer Rick Yifrach. “In the end, the Earth has the last laugh, because she will survive humanity's ravaging, while we will continue to bury our dead in the very mess we make, the rotten soil. 







“Trying to capture the feel of the idea of the song, we knew that we would need the right videographer with the right set of skills to capture this correctly…enter Alex Zarek.  We had a lot of fun making this video with Alex. Shot beautifully in a bit of a strange circumstance on location, Alex understood the direction of what we were going for and captured the correct shots,” says guitarist Erik Kikke.


“Nemesis” is a long-awaited return for Avernus, as their last official recording was released 21 years ago while their sole official album release, ‘Of the Fallen’ goes back even further to 1997. Still when the core foundational members (vocalist/guitarist Rick McCoy, guitarist Erik Kikke, guitarist James Genenz and drummer Rick Yifrach) regrouped to create new music our curiosity and excitement grew and as you’ll hear with “Nemesis” this is the most mature, dismally emotional and best Avernus have ever sounded. 


And “Nemesis” is just one song, albeit it almost 10 minutes long, from a forthcoming new album, Grievances featuring 10 new compositions (an 11th song found on the 2LP vinyl set is a bonus re-recorded early demo song). The pre-order for that limited-edition (300) black ash colored vinyl pressing or CD on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Calling The Void”
“Nemesis”
“Exitus”
“Plateau”
“The Burning Down”
“Return To Dust”
“Open Arms (To The Apocalypse)”
“Utter Euphoria”
“Abandoned”
“Quietus”