A new video of Tony Martin and Tony Iommi discussing the BLACK SABBATH album "Tyr" can be seen below.

"Tyr" is included in the "Anno Domini 1989-1995" box set of the Martin-era BLACK SABBATH recordings, which will be made available on on May 31 via Rhino.

BLACK SABBATH's history with singers Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio has been chronicled extensively through the years in multiple collections. Until now, no boxed set has focused on BLACK SABBATH's time with Martin, the band's second-longest-serving singer.

Rhino explores this prolific period from the godfathers of heavy metal in a new collection that brings four albums back into print after an extended absence. "Anno Domini 1989-1995" will be released in four-LP and four-CD configurations. The set contains newly remastered versions of "Headless Cross" (1989),"Tyr" (1990) and "Cross Purposes" (1994),plus a new version of "Forbidden" (1995) that guitarist Tony Iommi remixed specially for the collection.

Several albums make their vinyl debut in the LP version of "Anno Domini", while the CD version contains three exclusive bonus tracks: the B-side "Cloak & Dagger" and the Japan-only releases "What's The Use" and "Loser Gets It All". A booklet comes with the set featuring photos, artwork, and liner notes by Hugh Gilmour. The collection also contains a "Headless Cross" poster and a replica concert book from the "Headless Cross" tour.

"Anno Domini" picks up BLACK SABBATH's story in 1989, two decades and multiple lineup changes into the band's groundbreaking career as metal originators. At the time, membership had solidified around riffmaster and founding member Tony Iommi, legendary drummer Cozy Powell (JEFF BECK, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE),singer Tony Martin, and longtime BLACK SABBATH collaborator and keyboardist Geoff Nicholls (QUARTZ, BANDY LEGS).

The group originally released "Headless Cross" in 1989 on I.R.S. Records, the first of four albums SABBATH recorded for the label. Praised by fans and critics alike, the band's 14th studio release produced three singles: "Devil And Daughter", "Call Of The Wild" and the title track. Bassist Neil Murray (WHITESNAKE, GARY MOORE) joined for the "Headless Cross" tour and stayed to record SABBATH's next album, 1990's "Tyr". Named for the Norse god of war, the album explores similar mythological themes in songs like "The Battle Of Tyr" and "Valhalla". On "The Sabbath Stones", the band channels Old Testament fire and brimstone into a classic bruiser.

In 1992, following a successful world tour, this incarnation of BLACK SABBATH was put on hold when the band reunited temporarily with Ronnie James Dio. Two years later, Martin and Nicholls were back in the studio with Iommi to record 1994's "Cross Purposes". The band was completed with the addition of founding SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bobby Rondinelli of RAINBOW.

The "Tyr"-era BLACK SABBATH lineup reunited in 1995 when Powell and Murray returned to record "Forbidden". It was the band's 18th studio album, and its last for nearly 20 years. (In 2013, Iommi, Osbourne and Butler released BLACK SABBATH's final studio album, "13".) "Forbidden", produced by Ernie C of BODY COUNT, the hard rock band fronted by rapper/actor/SABBATH fan Ice-T, who appears on the song "Illusion Of Power". Since its release, sonically improving the album has been one of Iommi's pet projects.

He explains: "I was never happy with the guitar sound, and Cozy was definitely never happy with the drum sound… So, I thought it would be nice to do it for him in a way." He adds, "I just felt that, without changing any of the songs, there was an opportunity to go back and bring out some of the sounds and make it more what people would expect SABBATH to sound like."

Included in the set:

* "Headless Cross", "Tyr" and "Cross Purposes" newly remastered
* "Forbidden" newly remixed by Tony Iommi
* 1989 "Headless Cross" tour replica concert book
* 40-page book with photos, artwork and new liner notes
* Replica color tour poster

Disc 1 – "Headless Cross"

01. The Gates Of Hell (2024 Remaster)
02. Headless Cross (2024 Remaster)
03. Devil & Daughter (2024 Remaster)
04. When Death Calls (2024 Remaster)
05. Kill In The Spirit World (2024 Remaster)
06. Call Of The Wild (2024 Remaster)
07. Black Moon (2024 Remaster)
08. Nightwing (2024 Remaster)
09. Cloak & Dagger (2024 Remaster)

Disc 2 – "Tyr"

01. Anno Mundi (2024 Remaster)
02. The Law Maker (2024 Remaster)
03. Jerusalem (2024 Remaster)
04. The Sabbath Stones (2024 Remaster)
05. The Battle Of Tyr (2024 Remaster)
06. Odin's Court (2024 Remaster)
07. Valhalla (2024 Remaster)
08. Feels Good To Me (2024 Remaster)
09. Heaven In Black (2024 Remaster)

Disc 3 – "Cross Purposes"

01. I Witness (2024 Remaster)
02. Cross Of Thorns (2024 Remaster)
03. Psychophobia (2024 Remaster)
04. Virtual Death (2024 Remaster)
05. Immaculate Deception (2024 Remaster)
06. Dying For Love (2024 Remaster)
07. Back To Eden (2024 Remaster)
08. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (2024 Remaster)
09. Cardinal Sin (2024 Remaster)
10. Evil Eye (2024 Remaster)
11. What's The Use (2024 Remaster)

Disc 4 – "Forbidden" remix

01. Illusion Of Power
02. Get A Grip
03. Can't Get Close Enough
04. Shaking Off The Chains
05. I Won't Cry For You
06. Guilty As Hell
07. Sick And Tired
08. Rusty Angels
09. Forbidden
10. Kiss Of Death
11. Loser Gets It All

Vinyl:

LP 1 – Side A

01. The Gates Of Hell (2024 Remaster)
02. Headless Cross (2024 Remaster)
03. Devil & Daughter (2024 Remaster)
04. When Death Calls (2024 Remaster)

LP 1 – Side B

01. Kill In The Spirit World (2024 Remaster)
02. Call Of The Wild (2024 Remaster)
03. Black Moon (2024 Remaster)
04. Nightwing (2024 Remaster)

LP 2 – Side A

01. Anno Mundi (2024 Remaster)
02. The Law Maker (2024 Remaster)
03. Jerusalem (2024 Remaster)
04. The Sabbath Stones (2024 Remaster)

LP 2 – Side B

01. The Battle Of Tyr (2024 Remaster)
02. Odin's Court (2024 Remaster)
03. Valhalla (2024 Remaster)
04. Feels Good To Me (2024 Remaster)
05. Heaven In Black (2024 Remaster)

LP 3 – Side A

01. I Witness (2024 Remaster)
02. Cross Of Thorns (2024 Remaster)
03. Psychophobia (2024 Remaster)
04. Virtual Death (2024 Remaster)
05. Immaculate Deception (2024 Remaster)

LP 3 – Side B

01. Dying For Love (2024 Remaster)
02. Back To Eden (2024 Remaster)
03. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (2024 Remaster)
04. Cardinal Sin (2024 Remaster)
05. Evil Eye (2024 Remaster)

LP 4 – Side A

01. Illusion Of Power
02. Get A Grip
03. Can't Get Close Enough
04. Shaking Off The Chains
05. I Won't Cry For You

LP 4 – Side B

01. Guilty As Hell
02. Sick And Tired
03. Rusty Angels
04. Forbidden
05. Kiss Of Death

In the summer of 2022, Martin told "The Rock And Metal Profs: The History And Philosophy Of Rock And Metal" podcast that "two record labels" were going to re-release the albums he recorded with SABBATH. "I don't know when, and I don't know what it's gonna look like," he said. "There was some suggestion a while back that we might be able to put extra tracks and stuff on it. I did offer, and I went to see Tony Iommi and offered some things. And then he said we can't use anything new 'cause nothing new can be released under the BLACK SABBATH name. It can only be stuff that's got the original four members on it.

"I'm expecting it to be a remixed version of whatever the original was; that's what I'm expecting," Tony added. "So I await as you do to find out. Let me know if you hear it first."

When the interviewer expressed hope that the box set will include some live recordings from the Martin era of SABBATH, either in audio or video format, Tony said: "I recorded the writing session with… Eddie Van Halen came over and helped us write one of the tracks [for 1994's 'Cross Purposes' album]. And I had an eight-track recorder at the time in the 1980s, and I used to take it everywhere, this thing. I've got all of the writing sessions and rehearsals recorded. So I sent [Iommi] this, and he went, 'Wow! That's fucking great.' And I said, 'Well, you're welcome to use it, if you wanna put that on.' So, I don't know… Maybe you'll get that on there."

Martin added: "It's great to hear Eddie play."

BLACK SABBATH released six albums with Martin on vocals: "The Eternal Idol" (1987),"Headless Cross" (1989),"Tyr" (1990),"Cross Purposes" (1994),"Cross Purposes Live" (1995) and "Forbidden" (1995). Eventually, Martin and his "Forbidden"-era bandmates were ousted when Iommi reunited with SABBATH's fellow original members.

In January 2022, Martin reflected on his time with SABBATH during an appearance on "The Ron Keel Podcast", saying: "It doesn't haunt me. It's not a bad thing. I've got a lot to be grateful for. SABBATH is the reason why you, and the world, knows about my voice. So there are things to be grateful for. It was hard work for me. I'm 12 years younger than the rest of the guys, so even just circle of friends was different — they're hanging out with Ian Gillan and Brian May, and my best friend is Dave down the road. So that was a gap. And also the experience — they were way ahead of me in experience, at least 12 years further up the road from me, and I never could quite catch them up; they will always have that much more experience than me. So that was hard work."

He continued: "When I first got the gig, it was actually 1986 that I was put on standby when they were with Glenn Hughes on the 'Seventh Star' album. And I don't know what the issues were, but something went wrong with Glenn and they put me on standby. That scared me to death, 'cause it's Glenn Hughes. I can't sing like Glenn Hughes; nobody can sing like Glenn Hughes. Only Glenn Hughes can sing like Glenn Hughes. So that was really scary. Then they got Ray Gillen in. Then he left — he left to join BLUE MURDER with John Sykes, so they called me again and said, 'You'd better come down to the studio and try this out.' And they gave me one song, which was 'The Shining' off 'Eternal Idol', and then two days later said, 'Okay. You've got the job. You've got a week to finish the album.' So right from the start it was scary — it was huge; suddenly being the frontman of BLACK SABBATH was just ridiculous. And yeah, the whole association with me and my voice lasted 11 years."

Seven years ago, Iommi told I Heart Guitar that "it's a shame" that "it took a lot for people to accept" Martin as SABBATH's vocalist. "It's taken all these years later for people to say, 'Oh blimey, that was a good band with good singing.' So it took a long time to get people to really realize how good it was."

In 2018, Iommi spent time in the studio remixing "Forbidden" for a future release. The LP, which features Martin, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Neil Murray, is often regarded as SABBATH's worst studio recording.

In a 2012 interview with Über Röck, Martin said that he was "surprised" to see Iommi criticizing him in the guitarist's "Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath" book (referring to the Martin period, especially the touring phase following the release of "Cross Purposes" in 1994, Iommi lambasted his former singer as "unprofessional" and having "no stage presence"). Martin said: "I mean, they never said anything to me. Surely, if you've got a problem, the first person you should say something to is the person that's in the band with you... It sounds like a really stupid thing to say, as they didn't say anything to my face — and, if that's the case, then more fool them for not saying anything, because, you know, we could have fixed it. I said to them, endlessly, that if there was anything they wanted changed, done differently, just to say and we could fix it, but clearly, they didn't, they hadn't got the guts to, obviously, and to write about it in a book afterwards seems a bit daft to me. I'm not bitter about it, but it is surprising... It seems a bit stupid to say that after the event."

SLIPKNOT played an intimate show Thursday night, April 25 at Pappy + Harriet's in Pioneertown, California — a popular tourist draw near Joshua Tree National Park in San Bernardino County. The concert, which served as a warm-up for the band's appearance at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend, marked SLIPKNOT's first appearance with the group's new drummer, believed to be former SEPULTURA sticksman Eloy Casagrande.

Front-row fan-filmed video of the entire Pappy + Harriet's concert can be seen below.

Featured songs:

00:00 (515)
01:38 People=Shit
05:36 Eyeless
10:10 Disasterpiece
17:20 Before I Forget
22:17 Custer
27:55 Psychosocial
32:55 The Devil In I
39:56 The Heretic Anthem
45:24 Unsainted
50:05 Wait And Bleed
53:35 Prosthetics
58:46 Vermilion
1:06:59 Duality
1:11:28 Spit It Out
1:14:46 Surfacing

For the Pappy + Harriet's gig, 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.

Singer Corey Taylor said onstage mid-performance: "Tonight it doesn't matter where you came from, it doesn't matter when you were born. This year is 19-fucking-99. We're going to play you some songs from beyond that year, but goddamn it, it all started in '99 and it is starting again here tonight."

Tickets to the the Pappy + Harriet's concert sold out in minutes. They were priced just $9, and fans were limited to two tickets each, with no refunds or transfers allowed. All ticket proceeds will go to Joshua Tree No Kill Shelter and Boys & Girls Club Of The Hi Desert.

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

01. People = Shit
02. Eyeless
03. Disasterpiece
04. Before I Forget
05. Custer
06. Psychosocial
07. The Heretic Anthem
08. Unsainted
09. Wait And Bleed
10. Prosthetics
11. Vermilion
12. Duality
13. Spit It Out
14. Surfacing

SLIPKNOT has yet to officially reveal the identity of its new drummer after parting ways with Jay Weinberg last November.

Fans have speculated that Weinberg's replacement is Casagrande, who abruptly left that band in early February, just days before the start of the Brazilian/American outfit's farewell tour.

A month and a half ago, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption "Rehearsal."

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.

Speaking to NME about what SLIPKNOT has planned for 2024, founding member Shawn "Clown" Crahan said: "I'm ready to move on from what has been and move on to a world that I know needs to be. For instance, normally we'd have about two years on and one and a half years off — we're not doing that anymore.

"We're going back to basics," he added. "I'm ready to kick everybody in the face again. I'm ready to do a 100-person venue again. I'm ready to do a 500-person venue."

Kiwi thrash titans Just One Fix have unleashed, "Thorns", the third single from their forthcoming EP, Submit Or Death.


After delivering two monstrous tracks, "Your Own God Now", and "Gods & Devils", "Thorns" is an offering with a darker turn. With its tribal beats and doom laden opening riff, the idea for the song was born from the pages of Mark Lawrence’s Broken Empire trilogy.


“'Thorns' deals with the reality that we are all broken, twisted and shaped by our worst experiences and become who we are because or maybe in spite of them. As a result, people tend to mask themselves to who they think the world wants them to be,” states the band.




Tracing that idea with a structure of groove laden guitar, pulsing bass and a throbbing beat that hypnotically weaves into the ear captures the imagination.





Check out "Your Own God Now", as well as "Gods & Devils" below:








For further details, visit Just One Fix on Facebook.


 

Guitarist Thomas Zwijsen has released the new video below, featuring an acoustic finger style guitar cover of the Toto classic, "Africa".


Says Thomas, "'Africa' is one of Toto's greatest hits, released in 1982. Toto released multiple live versions of the song, including Live In Amsterdam, Live At Montreux, Live In Paris 2007, Live In Poland on the 35th Anniversary tour and even in 2023 at Night Of The Proms. Other great acoustic guitar covers have been done (for instance by 40 Fingers, Andy McKee or Igor Presnyakov) but this is the most complete arrangement on Classical Nylon String Guitar, including keyboard solo!"

In a new interview with The Logan Show, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was asked if he would ever be open to reuniting with the band's original singer Udo Dirkschneider for one final gig. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think nobody's ever asked me, and he certainly hasn't. So I don't think it's even an issue. I think he made some statements that he wouldn't ever consider it. So, at this point, of course, it's not an issue, man."

Asked by host Logan Crosland if that means Wolf and Udo "aren't in touch at all", Hoffmann replied: "No. You can say that again. We're not hanging. We're not spending family Christmases together. That's safe to say."

Two years ago, Wolf was asked by Zisis Petkanas of Greece's Rock Overdose about Udo's comment that the band's current lineup is "not ACCEPT" anymore because Wolf is the only remaining original member left. The guitarist responded: "Yeah, yeah. Of course. I know. What else is new? Of course he's gonna say that. What else is he gonna talk about? See, that's the thing — if you constantly talk about something that happened 30 years ago, what does that tell you about your own career? That's all I have to say about that. I always think the proof is in the pudding — make some great music and the rest will sort itself out. And that's all we're trying to do. We're not trying to compete with anybody. We don't have to prove ourselves. We are ACCEPT and we make great albums. That's all I know."

In April 2022, Udo said in an interview with Australia's "Scars And Guitars" podcast that he has had no contact with Wolf in recent years. "And I don't wanna have any contact with him," he added. "I'm really good friends now again with [former ACCEPT bassist] Peter Baltes; he did all the bass guitars on [my] cover album ['My Way'], for example. I still have a good relationship with [ex-ACCEPT drummer] Stefan Kaufmann. Over the years, he was the guitar player in U.D.O. [and] he was producing U.D.O. and stuff like that. And the only guy I don't wanna talk to — let's say it this way — is Wolf. There's a lot of reasons why. I wish him all the best. [He's] a great guitar player anyway, but for me to work with him again — never."

During the same chat, Udo was asked if he has ever had an opportunity to meet current ACCEPT singer Mark Tornillo. Dirkschneider said: "There was a festival, Masters Of Rock, happening in the Czech Republic, and I was a guest singer of LORDI — I did a song together with LORDI. And LORDI was headlining and ACCEPT was the special guest of this festival, not the headliner. And at the hotel, we [Mark and I] were waiting both for a driver, and he never said to me hello or something like that. Okay, I mean, what can I do? Why not say hello? I'm also really good friends with David Reece who did [ACCEPT's] 'Eat The Heat' album. We are really, really good friends; we talk sometimes on the phone and blah blah blah. I don't know… What I heard from Peter is that it was not allowed that he talk to me. Don't ask me. Forget it…"

Udo added: "He's a good singer, he's doing a good job now with ACCEPT, and I wish him good luck. And maybe one day [we will meet and speak to each other]. You never know."

In December 2021, Udo told Simfonia Metàl·lica that losing the rights to the ACCEPT name was the biggest mistake he made in his professional career. "This is the only thing I'm really not happy with," he said. "I was creating the name ACCEPT. And then, when we came — let's say in '80, '81, we had to sign a lot of documents. And sometimes you're not really looking on this. And then, in the end, when they fired me [from] my own band, I found a paper [saying] all the rights [to the ACCEPT name] go to Wolf Hoffmann. And that's really a big point, a bad point for me. The name is normally on me and not on Wolf Hoffmann."

He continued: "This was a big mistake — not really to look what you're signing. But anyway, this is history — [it happened] a long time ago. And I think in the end now, in a way I don't care. But sometimes [I think] I did a big mistake. But anyway, it happened."

In 2021, Udo ruled out the possibility of a reunion with ACCEPT, telling TNT Radio Rock: "I don't wanna say anything bad. Wolf is a great guitar player. He's a great guy — I know that. But one thing, and that's why never ever can happen again a reunion or stuff like that, is he was stealing my name. A long time ago, in '81, when we had to sign some papers. I was really young, and, 'Yeah, okay,' I signed my contracts. There was some paper in between [all the others], and he [got] the rights [to the ACCEPT name]. But it was not Wolf [who orchestrated it]; I think it was now his [then-]wife. She was the manager of ACCEPT, and she was clever to put the [ACCEPT] name on Wolf Hoffmann. And this is the thing that makes me still angry — he was really stealing the name. I mean, I was making ACCEPT in '68.

"In the end, as a person, [he's] definitely a great guitar player, a great guy," Udo added. "It's history. I think I'm quite successful with U.D.O. If I want, I can do anytime a tour under [the name] DIRKSCHNEIDER and play ACCEPT songs. If I really say, 'Okay, I wanna do this again,' no problems at all. But the rest, in a way, is history.

"For example, I was working with Peter Baltes and Stefan Kaufmann together on the single 'Where The Angels Fly', and everybody was, like, 'Oh, what is this? This is more ACCEPT than ACCEPT is doing now at the moment.'"

In January 2021, Hoffmann was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he was surprised to see Baltes working with Dirkschneider on new music. He responded: "Yeah, I probably shouldn't say much about that. Again, I can only speculate what that was all about. At the end of the day, we do our thing, and everybody has to know for themselves what they wanna do. Yeah, let me not say as much about that as I can, please."

Back in 2015, Hoffmann dismissed Dirkschneider's comment that the band's then-lineup — which included Baltes and Tornillo — performed live "without any emotion." "It's just hilarious at this point," Wolf said. "It's just a big joke in our lives. And we just go on about our lives, and we do our thing, and we just… We let these things go by and laugh about it. He's actually sort of our press agent, in a way. He keeps us [in the news]."

MÖTLEY CRÜE has released the official music video for its new single, "Dogs Of War". The track was made available via MÖTLEY CRÜE's new deal with Nashville's Big Machine Records. Created by Nick DenBoer, the visual features the rowdy quartet in an apocalyptic wasteland, full of classic CRÜE debauchery.

"It's always great getting back in the studio with the guys in the band," CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx says. "We know you're gonna like this one."

Bob Rock, who produced the new single, as well as MÖTLEY CRÜE's famed 1989 album "Dr. Feelgood", adds: "Working with the band on the new song was the easiest session I have ever had with them… The CRÜE is the best they have ever been! And they have plenty of new stuff in store."

"We want to keep putting out new music, too, so we don't get stagnant," CRÜE singer Vince Neil told Billboard. "We recorded '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)' by the BEASTIE BOYS and we recorded this song, too, and I thought it turned out pretty good.

"There'll definitely be new music out next year, for sure," Neil added, "'cause we recorded a couple of other songs, too. Maybe we'll release one of those by the end of the year, but I can't say. But we want to keep putting out new music — not, maybe, an album but a few songs here, a few songs there, and that’s good."

Neil described "Dogs Of War" 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."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's new deal with Big Machine Records sees the band 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 MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist John 5 for the release of his 2021 album "Sinner".

"It's a great match for us," Vince told Classic Rock. "We're good friends with [Big Machine founder/CEO] Scott Borchetta, who put together the 'Nashville Outlaws' album back in 2014. His company just knows radio, how to get it out there, how to get the right people listening."

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".

"'The Dirt' movie got us a whole new generation of fans," Neil said. "We want to keep putting new music out. We don't want to stagnate."

"We self-released 'Too Fast For Love' on our own Leathür Records label," Neil added of the band's 1981 debut. "It cost $3,000 to make and was done in three days. It was a glorified demo tape, but we were the record label until we got signed by Elektra. We haven't been on a record label for 20 years. But Scott shares our philosophy and he's a brilliant guy."

In December, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee told Desert Sun about the three new songs he and his bandmates recorded with Rock: "Wait until you hear it. It's insane. It's not a full album, but that might be down the road a bit. We're always writing and doing stuff, so that's always a possibility down the road. But we just went to the studio not too long ago and recorded three insane tracks and one of them is called 'Dogs Of War'. We're just finishing up the video for it. For those jonesing for some new CRÜE, people are going to bug out. John 5 is playing on it, the guitar work is incredible and it sounds sick."

MÖTLEY CRÜE debuted its cover of "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" during a "secret" June 30, 2023 club performance for 450 lucky fans at the Underworld in London, England.

In September, John 5 told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about how much input he had during the songwriting process for the new CRÜE music: "We all sat in a room and did it together. 'Cause me and Nikki have written for years and years and years together. So it was nothing new. And me and Tommy worked in the studio together many times as well. So it was nothing new being in the studio, but it was new with Bob Rock.

"What was so wild was we got in a room… It was like total old school, man," he explained. "You get in the live room and there's my amp and there's Nikki's amp and there's Tommy's drums, there's a mic… 'Cause I'm so used to just playing in the control room. And it's, like, 'Oh no, no, no. We're all gonna get in this room and we're gonna play.' And that's how we recorded. It was incredible. I've never recorded that way. And it was maybe one of the best experiences I had recording. It was so fun. It was a blast. I had to, like, make notes and all this stuff, and we just played through it. It was incredible."

Last spring, John 5 told Sirius XM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about recording with Rock: "Bob would come in and [say], 'Okay, let's try this here, and that here and this here. It was one of the most incredible experiences ever… I'm thinking, 'We've got so much great technology today'… but we got in that room and it was like being in a garage working on a song when you were in high school… It was incredible, and we documented a lot of it too."

Regarding the musical direction of the tracks he and the rest of MÖTLEY CRÜE have recorded so far, John 5 said: "The songs are fucking heavy. I sound like a little excited kid right now, but they're heavy and they're mean. I can't wait for them to come out. I'm just so excited."

When host Eddie Trunk asked John 5 whether the new MÖTLEY CRÜE music can be compared to the band's breakthrough second album, 1983's "Shout At The Devil", the guitarist said that some of the new riffs are "heavier than anything" on that LP. "All I can tell you is that it's heavy and it's aggressive, and I think people are going to dig it because, talking as a fan, it's fucking badass," he said.

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.

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

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

In a new interview with Inlander, Brendon Small, co-creator of "Metalocalypse", the hit animated series on Adult Swim featuring the fictitious metal band DETHKLOK, was asked what people who haven't seen DETHKLOK live before can expect from the group's live shows. He responded: "I think of this as a trifecta of entertainment. One is the TV show, two is the music, and three is the live music. And I think each one of them needs to stand on their own — that's what I'm hoping for. So if you don't know anything about TV show and you don't know anything about the records, you'll still enjoy this show. The other idea is that I want this to feel like an immersive ride, like the 'Terminator 2' experience at Universal Studios. You're kind of participating with a group of people watching a little bit of a story unfold, but you're ultimately going on a roller coaster ride. There's a high-value production, and it feels like you're being entertained within an inch of your life the entire evening. That's why we have this [spring 2024] tour with NEKROGOBLIKON and DRAGONFORCE because they're both somewhat theatrical. I thought, 'Let's bring some theater and some fun into this crazy, fucked-up world' because I know you guys all like it."

He continued: "We're kind of like the [orchestra] pit with the ballet, you know? We're performing and making contact with the audience even though we're meant to be in the shadows. You shouldn't really be seeing me physically associated with this project because I'm just a regular person. I'm not exciting. There's nothing wrong with me, but I don't want to break the spell."

"Metalocalypse" is a cartoon series about a fictional death metal band called DETHKLOK that's bigger (and far more powerful) than THE BEATLES. The show ran for seven seasons, with the final episode being an hour-long rock opera, "The Doomstar Requiem".

After "Metalocalypse"'s rise in popularity, Small assembled DETHKLOK as an actual live band to play the music featured on the show, with Small himself handling vocals and guitar.

DETHKLOK's first three albums charted in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and the third release, "Dethalbum III", peaked at No. 10, making it the highest-charting death metal album of all time. In addition, "The Doomstar Requiem: A Klok Opera Soundtrack" made it to No. 7 on Billboard's soundtrack chart in 2013.

After several years of dormancy, DETHKLOK returned last year with a new album, "Dethalbum IV" and an animated movie, "Metalocalypse: Army Of The Doomstar". It was hard fought since Adult Swim abruptly pulled the plug on "Metalocalypse" show a decade ago, despite its rabid following amongst the metal crowd, many of whom came to appreciate the show's regular easter eggs and voice appearances from the likes of King Diamond, METALLICA's Kirk Hammett and CANNIBAL CORPSE's George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher. Indeed, "Metalocalypse" may be the only quasi-mainstream show to be truly catered to a metal audience, which can explain its enduring popularity and the steady drumbeat of requests for its revival.

DETHKLOK's "Mutilation On A Spring Night" tour kicked off on April 7 and will run through May 3. The trek, produced by Live Nation, is seeing support from the aforementioned DRAGONFORCE and NEKROGOBLIKON.

Last year's "Babyklok" co-headlining trek with BABYMETAL was the first DETHKLOK tour in over a decade.

In a recent interview with Australia's Wall Of Sound, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan was asked if there are any things left for him and his bandmates to achieve. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's so many things I just wanna keep achieving, because I'm so passionate about doing it. I love writing. I love creating with the guys that I'm with. We love being on the stage and we still have that hunger for it. That adrenaline rush and that crowd, that's our drug of choice, being on that stage and that exchange."

He continued: "So, of course, anything that gets us on the big stage. If we're playing the Super Bowl someday, of course that would be huge. I'm a huge American football fan growing up anyway, so that would be a big highlight in our career. But if that stuff doesn't happen, then that's fine. It's not like it has to happen. I'm just glad to be able to sustain a career this long and to keep continuing to do it."

A few years ago, DISTURBED's David Draiman told Loudwire that he had "dreamt" of singing the U.S. national anthem in front of the Super Bowl crowd and to an estimated TV audience of about 100 million people his "entire life." He added: "[I've] been rehearsing it since I was a little boy. I love my country, and I would be honored beyond words to have the opportunity to try and inspire, strengthen, and give hope, at a time when we need those things more than ever. Plus…it would be nice to have rock represented on some level at the Super Bowl, and to prove to everyone that there are rock singers out there who can do the anthem as much justice as any pop artists out there, and even possibly take it higher."

Asked in an interview with "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, what makes "The Star-Spangled Banner" an appealing challenge for a singer, Draiman said: "They say that it's one of the more difficult songs to pull off, first of all. Second of all, it's our national anthem, and I would be overwhelmed with honor and joy to be able to have that distinction and an honor of singing it. It's one of those bucket-list items that I've just been dying to do my whole life. Hopefully one day. You never know."

Last month, DISTURBED garnered its 19th No. 1 on the Active Rock radio chart with "Don't Tell Me", the band's latest single, which features a guest appearance by Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and HEART co-founder Ann Wilson. The song is DISTURBED's fourth No. 1 off the band's latest album, "Divisive".

This is the second time DISTURBED has earned four No. 1s on a single record, having previously accomplished the same feat on 2015's "Immortalized". Only nine rock albums since 1992 have been able to secure four No. 1 songs on the Mediabase Rock charts and two of them have been DISTURBED's.

Released in November 2022, "Divisive" was recorded earlier that year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee.

"Divisive" sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales. On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, "Divisive" debuted at No. 13.

DISTURBED has had five No. 1s on the all-genre chart, beginning with "Believe" in 2002.

In May 2003, METALLICA played four special concerts for Met Club members only at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California. The performances were in support of METALLICA's "St. Anger" album, which arrived a couple of weeks later, and introduced new bass player Robert Trujillo to fans before the band went out on tour.

In a new interview with 107.7 The Bone's Nikki Blakk, Trujillo reflected on his first gigs with METALLICA. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "What I remember most about that in 2003 was not knowing what the setlist was gonna be each night. It was like really sort of loose. And I don't know if that was on purpose or we were so overwhelmed or Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer, who is in charge of putting together the setlist] was so overwhelmed, he couldn't tell me exactly what we were gonna play. So I was learning songs like 'Phantom Lord' on the spot. And they hadn't played 'Phantom Lord' in a very long time. So there was just all this energy around me and my head was sort of swimming with the pressure of the show, the pressure of being the new bass player, but also the pressure of having to put together a song earlier in the afternoon the day that we would be playing it."

He continued: "METALLICA songs are challenging, but then, I believe around that same time we were playing [at the legendary] San Quentin [prison]. So there's just a lot of stuff going on all at once. And it was kind of, like, 'Welcome to your new existence.' You've just gotta kind of learn, adapt and do your best, and that's how it was at that show at the Fillmore. I did hit the ground running, and when I got caught up a couple of years later, I said, 'I am gonna go out of my way to learn songs that we're not even playing that aren't even on the radar. I'm gonna learn 'Orion'. I'm gonna learn 'Dyers Eve'.' I just was, like, I don't like being at the edge of my seat, having to learn songs day or anything like that. So I found a way to get caught up."

Eight years ago, Robert spoke to the "WTF With Marc Maron" podcast about his 2003 audition to replace METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted, as captured in the 2004 band documentary "Some Kind Of Monster". He said: "It was a very surreal day for me. But when you get a gig like that, it's so… strange. Really, strange is the word. Because I remember going up there. I was late. I was always late back then."

He continued: "I'll tell you a quick story about the audition. Basically, it was a two-day audition. The first day of the audition, I was kind of just there to be a fly on the wall. [Producer] Bob Rock's there. The bass [for METALLICA's 'St. Anger' album] had already been recorded; Bob Rock recorded the bass. So I'm just hanging around. And Lars and James [Hetfield, METALLICA guitarist/vocalist] and Kirk [Hammett, METALLICA guitarist] kind of live in this bubble. They were just, like, 'Yeah, make yourself at home. Just hang out.' And I was just kind of hanging out in this big complex up north [in the Bay Area]. And I'm kind of lost, because no one's really completely communicating with me, and I'm just there. And, okay. So [they tell me], 'Come on in the control room,' and I'm just there. They're cutting tracks. And that's it; hanging around. Eleven o'clock rolls around at night, and Lars... We're in the parking lot. We're the last ones leaving. And Lars says, 'Hey, man, let's go get a drink. Let's go get a nightcap.' So I'm, like, 'All right.' And we go to the first bar, have a couple of cocktails, we go to the second bar, have a few more, go to the third bar. Then we end up at his house for more cocktails. By this time, it's five in the morning. I can't even drive to where I'm staying; it's impossible. And he even says, 'Here, crash out in my guest room.' So, at nine in the morning, four hours later, he's on the treadmill, this guy, and it's like he doesn't know me anymore. He's already sobered up. And he's on the treadmill. And I've got this crazy headache. And then he's, like, 'All right. Let's go. Let's go to the studio.' And I'm driving behind him. I couldn't even keep my eyes open. I get to the studio."

He went on to say: "This is when [the members of METALLICA] were going through this sort of therapy thing, [with] this guy Phil Towle, who was… what do they call it? Kind of a life coach, kind of a motivator, which was, at the time, I guess, good for the band, but I wasn't used to that. Here I am with a pounding headache. James has just gone through this whole thing where, of course, he's sober, and the last person he wants to see anywhere near his band is a drunk Mexican. That would be me. So I'm sitting at the table, and I've got the worst headache, [I'm] completely hung over. And I'm thinking, 'Lars did this to me, 'cause he was checking me out, to see if I could hang with him.' It was [a test]; it had to have been. He's a Viking, really. I'd go into the bathroom. I was throwing water on my face, slapping it, going, 'Oh, man, you've gotta… Hang in there. Hang in there.' 'Cause I really wanted to say, 'I can't do this right now, guys. I don't feel good. I really can't do this.'"

Trujillo added: "I stuck it out. I knew the tech, the bass tech, from back when SUICIDIAL TENDENCIES was touring with METALLICA, which would have been in 1993 on the 'Black Album.' So, Zach Harmon, who is now still my bass tech. I didn't have a bass, so [I went], 'Let's go grab a bass. Let's choose the amp setup.' So I kind of used that as my way to get out of this hangover situation."

Despite the fact that he was in no shape to perform to his usual standards, the audition went remarkably well. "We played 'Battery', and I think it helped me not be nervous," he recalled. "And that's what you see in the film, and everybody seems to think it was pretty slamming. But other than that, I was brain dead. If I could play, I was fine. But in communicating with Hetfield, 'cause he would come over to me and ask me questions, and I would come up with really stupid answers, because, literally, I was not all there."

He added: "When I watch 'Some Kind Of Monster', I see myself wearing this brown Armani t-shirt, which I would never own in my life. You know why? 'Cause it's not mine. It's Lars's. His wife at the time, Skylar, gave me that shirt, because the one I'd been wearing, which was probably pretty funky, was not happening."

Asked about the differences in the way he had to approach the material originally recorded by Newsted compared to the songs that were laid down by METALLICA's late bassist Cliff Burton, Trujillo previously told the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast: "A lot of the stuff that Bob Rock produced was a bit more… Obviously, groove is very, very important on those songs, like 'Black Album' songs. But then just really keeping it fairly simple in that style. With Cliff, we're talking about a little bit more aggro, but tight. So they are different styles. I still play with my fingers, even on the 'Black Album' material. But the great thing about… What I can say I'm pretty proud of being in METALLICA these years is being able to play, like, the 'Black Album' in its entirety — songs that were never played live: 'The Struggle Within'. There was about three songs on that album [that had never been played live]. And even 'Orion'… We play 'Orion' a lot now; it's kind of an active song in the set. And that was a song that hadn't really been played years before. And 'Dyers Eve', off the '…And Justice For All' album, that was a song that had never been played live as well. So the fact that, here we were, age 50, and we're attacking songs that hadn't been attacked… And in a lot of ways, I feel that that challenges us, and it actually makes this unit a better band."

Metal Blade Records is pleased to welcome Atlanta, Georgia-based black metal outfit Cloak to its legendary roster.


Cloak embraces the rebellious and time-tested traditions of heavy metal. Whether it be conjuring the chaotic spirit of Swedish black metal purveyors Watain and Dissection, summoning the deep, dark, and sensual groove of Danzig, or evoking the raw speed and raucous energy of Motörhead, the influence of metal's founding fathers is deep within Cloak's DNA. Cloak's charm, however, does not merely lie within its romanticism of the past, but rather is the way each of these genres has shaped the band's own personal identity.


Notes Cloak of their union with Metal Blade Records, "After meeting the Metal Blade crew on our recent US tour, we knew it was the right move creatively as the respect would go both ways. We're in the very early stages of working on new material in between touring, and who knows where the dark and winding path will lead us this time. All we know is that we have some real hard work ahead of us, as releasing new music on the same label that put out titans like Hell Awaits is not something we take lightly."




Comments Metal Blade's Ryan Williams; US A&R, "The decision to sign Cloak was easy as I think they embody the quintessential essence of what it means to be a heavy metal band on Metal Blade. We are looking forward to many years of their bewitching conjurings!"


Cloak will appear on this year's edition of the Milwaukee Metal Fest next month and recently announced The Holy Dark Over Europe Summer tour. The band comments, "Europe! We've waited years to finally get over there and tour, and it's finally happening. This will be a mixture of festivals and club shows along with Hellripper and High Command. Supporters of the Black Flame come forth as we praise the Holy Darkness."





Tour dates:


May
15 - The Green Lantern - Lexington, KY
16 - Big Room Bar - Columbus, OH
18 - Milwaukee Metal Fest @ The Rave - Milwaukee, WI


July
19 - Pod Minogą - Poznań, PL
20 - Hydrozagadka - Warsaw, PL
21 - Barrák Music Club - Ostrava, CZ
22 - FUGA - Bratislava, SK
23 - Rockhouse - Salzburg, AT
24 - Live Music Hall - Mörlenbach-Weiher, DE
25 - The Belvédère - Namur, BE
26 - Next Stage - Tilburg, NL
27 - Burning Q Festival - Freissenbüttel, DE
28 - Schwarzer Keiler - Stuttgart, DE


August
2 - Schwarzer Keiler - Münster, DE
3 - Chemifabrik - Dresden, DE
4 - Goldgrube - Kassel, DE
9 - Party San Open Air - Schlotheim, DE


October
27 - Samhain Festival - Maastricht, NL


November
2 - Squirralypse Fest - Zurich, CH
9 - War Against War - Berlin, DE





(Photo - Leah Lothringer)

In the video below, MANOWAR frontman Eric Adams talks about how he and his bandmates managed to overcome the rough conditions of their early touring days to become one of the most famous heavy metal acts in the world. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The people that do hear their calling, if you believe in what you're going to do, nothing, nothing will be in your way. If something comes in your way, you move it, get it out of the way or go around it or go over it, whatever you have to do, because you have this need inside, because you have this feeling inside that 'I have to succeed in what I'm doing, and that's not gonna stop me. You're not gonna stop me. You're not gonna stop me.' Those are the mountains."

Speaking specifically about some of MANOWAR's early tours when there were 16 people sharing a bus, sometimes without being able to get a hotel room, Eric said: "There was no budget. I mean, we were eating one meal a day — just getting by, really. It was a rough tour. When you're living like that, most people say, 'Jesus Christ, enough of that bullshit. I've had enough of this.' But the feeling was never like that with us, because it was always a brotherhood. It was always the four of us together and our crew guys. It was always a brotherhood of guys together that had a message to get across, and no matter what, when times were good, it was good for all, and when times were shit, it was shit for all. But we were together in it, and there was always someone else around saying, 'Hey, man, stick it out. This isn't forever.'"

As previously reported, MANOWAR's exclusive U.S. concert, which will take place on November 30 at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, New York, is officially sold out. It will mark the band's first live appearance in MANOWAR's home country in a decade.

Last December, MANOWAR bassist/leader Joey DeMaio said in a video message that the band's upcoming concert in New York will coincide with the 40th anniversary of MANOWAR's "Sign Of The Hammer". "It's gonna be the only show in America, unfortunately, because our recording and touring schedule won't allow for more, but it will be the full show," he said. "I know there's been questions about that. This is going to be our full team of 40 people with the kind of show that we've been doing in Europe for many, many years. It's gonna be big, loud, proud, massive, a huge event. So I would encourage everybody that wants to see MANOWAR in America, please come. There's gonna be people flying in from China, Japan, all across the world. So I know there's gonna be a lot of people who don't mind traveling for a few hours across America. Looking forward to seeing everybody there and get ready to get your head blown off. Believe me, we're gonna take the roof off that joint. That's a promise. See you there."

MANOWAR's last U.S. shows are believed to have taken place in February 2014 when the band celebrated the 25th anniversary of its "Kings Of Metal" album on the "Kings Of Metal MMXIV" tour.

Back in September 2014, MANOWAR canceled its previously announced U.S. tour dates which were scheduled to take place in November of that year. At the time, the band claimed it was scrapping the shows "due to scheduling conflicts" as well as to concentrate on work on a new studio album.

The 70-year-old DeMaio and 71-year-old Adams are the sole remaining original members of MANOWAR, which formed in 1980 in upstate New York.

In October 2023, MANOWAR announced "The Blood Of Our Enemies" 2025 tour of Europe. The trek will be the band's first in support of MANOWAR's next studio album, which will arrive in early 2025.

In February 2023, MANOWAR released a new song called "Laut Und Hart Stark Und Schnell" dedicated to the band's loyal German fans.

"Laut Und Hart Stark Und Schnell", which translates into "Loud And Hard Strong And Fast", is an anthemic mid-tempo hymn in the vein of MANOWAR's classic "Warriors Of The World United" that invites fans to sing along and raise their hands in celebration of their favorite genre and band.

"Laut Und Hart Stark Und Schnell" was first released digitally on February 10, 2023 on all major platforms and was made available during MANOWAR's German tour.

Less than two years ago, MANOWAR announced that it had recruited Michael Angelo Batio, a veteran both in the studio and on stage, to play guitar for the band on its 2023 "Crushing The Enemies Of Metal" tour. The news came in the wake of guitarist Evandro "EV" Martel's announcement that he was taking a break from touring for a while for "personal reasons".

Although MANOWAR has released a couple of EPs in recent years — including "The Revenge Of Odysseus (Highlights)", which came out in June 2023 — the group hasn't issued a full-length effort since 2012's "The Lord Of Steel".

MANOWAR's two "secret" warm-up shows in June 2022 at Jovel Music Hall in Münster, Germany marked the band's debut live appearances with new drummer Dave Chedrick, who has previously played with RAVEN and KILL RITUAL, among others.

Chedrick joined MANOWAR as the replacement for Anders Johannson who announced that same month that he would be unable to join MANOWAR on the band's "Crushing The Enemies Of Metal Anniversary Tour '22/'23" due to "family commitments."

Black Tusk are streaming their new album, The Way Forward, ahead of its official release tomorrow, Friday, April 26. Listen below.


“The big theme of this record is putting your life back together.” That’s Black Tusk guitarist/vocalist Andrew Fidler talking about  The Way Forward. “When everything seems like it’s against you, put your head down and push through. Take those bad things that are happening and use them to help create.”


The Way Forward might be the Savannah swamp metal crew’s seventh album, but it marks many firsts for Black Tusk. It’s their first with their new lineup, which sees guitarist Chris “Scary” Adams and bassist Derek Lynch joining Fidler and drummer James May. Which also makes it Black Tusk’s first record with a two-guitar lineup. “We were able to add leads and harmonies and all kinds of stuff on the new record that we haven’t done in the past,” Fidler says. “As far as our records go, this one has the most guitar work.”  




You can hear it in the squealing solo of “Dance on Your Grave,” the killer harmonies on ripper “Harness (The Alchemist),” and the glorious dual guitar interplay of the powerful title track.  


“‘The Way Forward’ is my favorite song on the record,” Fidler says. “It’s based on a personal experience that everyone can probably relate to. I got divorced in 2020, and I kinda felt like my entire world was collapsing when that happened. But I pulled myself out of it. I realized that this one thing ending in my life isn’t the end of everything. I’m gonna find a way forward. I’m gonna figure out how to live my life and create and be happy and make new relationships. Which is what I’ve done.”  


In true Black Tusk fashion, the new lineup has expanded their triple-vocal approach to quadruple. “Everyone is doing vocals,” Fidler says. “That’s always been a thing in Black Tusk. Derek said he’d never done heavy vocals before, so I was like, ‘Well, here’s the mic. Here’s some words. Yell at it and see if you like it.’ I was blown away the first time he did it. It sounded good as fuck.”   


That’s Lynch on lead single “Brushfire,” a song for which he wrote the main riffs and lyrical concept. “That was my first real contribution to the band,” the bassist says. “Thematically, I wanted the aggressiveness of the lyrics to keep with the idea of pushing forward even when the world is trying to drag you down. The mood of the lyrics needed to match the pulverizing tempo of the song.”  


The lyrics for second single “Dance on Your Grave” were written by May, who moved from Savannah to Athens, GA, in the time since Black Tusk’s last album. “It’s about his struggles through Covid and what this lifestyle can do to people,” Fidler says. “It’s about getting past the party lifestyle and continuing to do things that are creative.”  


Meanwhile, “Breath of Life” distills Black Tusk’s lyrical philosophy into a righteous five-minute pummeling. “Scary came up with the main riff of this song, and it’s one of my favorite riffs on the record,” Fidler says. “I wrote the lyrics, and it’s just about darkness crushing everything. The world is a fucked-up place that we have to navigate through. That’s what a lot of Black Tusk songs are about.”  


Black Tusk recorded The Way Forward at Adams’ own Hidden Audio studio just outside of Savannah. Adams engineered the album and the whole band produced. “I actually helped him build the studio in the detached garage next to his house,” Fidler explains. “Me and my carpentry company went out there to do it, and Scary helped.”  


“We had about 90% of the riffs and song structures going into the studio, while still experimenting with ideas and inspirations,” Adams explains. “Sometimes we completely reworked parts, which made all the difference. For example, early versions of ‘Breath of Life’ and ‘The Way Forward’ are quite different than the record, and I love where they ended up. Though we did use a few effects and synths here and there for texture and space, to me this record still feels raw and powerful. It captures the feeling of being at a Black Tusk show.”  


The cover art for The Way Forward was done by Brian Mercer, who also created the sleeve for Black Tusk’s 2018 album, T.C.B.T. “T.C.B.T. had a dark cover because it was a dark time for the band,” Fidler says, referring to the period immediately after the passing of their longtime friend and bassist Jonathan Athon. “This time, it’s full blown, full-color Black Tusk. Brian Mercer and James collaborated on the concept, and Brian really knocked it out of the park.”  


“The title is kind of a double play,” Fidler says. “It’s the first record with the new lineup, and this is the direction we’re taking the band in. We’ve been doing Black Tusk for 19 years now, and we still love it. That’s why we called it The Way Forward.”  


Available formats:


- Digital Download
- CD Digipak
- 12" Vinyl Gatefold - Black
- 12" Colored Vinyl Gatefold - Transparent Green
- 12" Colored Vinyl Gatefold - Orange w/ Red Splatters


The album will be released on April 26 via Season Of Mist. Pre-order here; pre-save here.





Tracklisting:


"Out Of Grasp"
"Brushfire"
"Harness (The Alchemist)"
"Lessons Through Deception"
"Breath Of Life"
"Dance On Your Grave"
"Against The Undertow"
"Lift Yourself"
"Ocean Of Obsidian"
"Flee From Dawn"
"The Way Forward"


Album stream:





"Breath Of Life" video:





"Dance On Your Grave" video:





Lineup:


Andrew Fidler - Guitars, Vocals
James May - Drums, Vocals
Chris "Scary" Adams - Guitars, Vocals
Derek Lynch - Bass, Vocals, Synths

Leviathan Project is a powerful metal ensemble featuring Tim “Ripper” Owens (KK’s Priest), Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath), Bobby Koelble (Death), Matt Nardo (Producer), and Tom Kay (Britny Fox).


Collectively, they tap into the late 70’s and early 80’s sound that defined a generation. The result is an aggressive and captivating group that combines traditional metal with soaring melodies, haunting vocals and other worldly guitars.







Leviathan Project have released MCMLXXXII digitally, and as a limited edition CD. In addition to the CD, there are several bundle options available which include a signed CD, Guitar Pick, T-Shirt and the first EP on cassette.


Limited edition bundles (while supplies last), can be ordered via the Leviathan Project Store here.


Product Includes:


- One (1) Leviathan Project - MCMLXXXII CD
- One (1) Leviathan Project - MCMLXXXII Autographed CD Bundle.  Includes T-Shirt, Autographed CD and Guitar Pick.
- One (1) Leviathan Project - MCMLXXXII CD/Cassette Bundle. Includes T-Shirt, CD, Guitar Pick and It’s Their World Cassette.





MCMLXXXII tracklisting:
 
"Starlight"
"Spirits"
"The Darkness"
"Vampires"
"Nuclear Bomb"
"Justify"
"The Edge"
"Electric Waves"
"Starin Away" (Live)
"The Prophet"
"Leviathan" (Remix) CD only
"Solar Storm" (Remix) CD only


"Spirits" video:

Leipzig, Germany formation, Factory Of Art, presents the new song, "Blessing In Disguise", today. The track comes from the upcoming album, Back To Life, which will be released on June 7.


The video was recorded at the Krystallpalast Variéte Leipzig and produced by Christian Dageförde. The band is supported on this song by the vocal ensemble Armacord. Stream the song here, and find the video below.


Singer Petri says about "Blessing In Disguise": Fragments of this song are probably 25 years old and were a factory demo for a video game. That was a good foundation and a kickstart. The first song we tackled. The verse text came from a guest singer at the time and I wrote the chorus text and the third verse. Amarcord have refined the whole thing even further. The song is metaphorically about drug abuse.




After a long break, which was more than filled with Factory Under Cover, Factory Of Art are now making an impressive return. The new album Back To Life will be released on June 7. The group will also show off their absolute strengths with a new lineup. Let's look forward to artfully arranged and timeless rhythms and meaningful lyrics that will stay in your ear for a long time.


Back To Life was produced by the band themselves, with mixing and mastering done by Danish producer Jacob Hansen. The new work, produced by Factory Of Art at LoschHouse Studio and mixed and mastered by Danish producer Jacob Hansen, clearly shows that the band is a force to be reckoned with. Here it becomes clear that the unique style of the metallic “art factory” in its new guise is even stronger than ever before.


Pre-order the new album here.





Back To Life tracklisting:


"Abysses"
"Burning Wings"
"Blessing In Disguise"
"Silent Room"
"Walking To The Place I Love"
"Face Behind The Mask"
"Decadence"
"The Truth"
"Behind The Lights"
"Back To The Life"


"Blessing In Disguise" video:





Factory Of Art are:


Vocals - Jens "Petri" Petrat
Guitar - Thoralf Schulze
Keyboards - Gunter Christian
Bass - Ronald "Ron" Losch
Drums - Ralph Marcel "Ralle" Dietrich

MÖTLEY CRÜE has released a new song called "Dogs Of War". The track, which can be streamed below, was made available via MÖTLEY CRÜE's new deal with Nashville's Big Machine Records.

"We want to keep putting out new music, too, so we don't get stagnant," CRÜE singer Vince Neil told Billboard. "We recorded '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)' by the BEASTIE BOYS and we recorded this song, too, and I thought it turned out pretty good.

"There'll definitely be new music out next year, for sure," Neil added, "'cause we recorded a couple of other songs, too. Maybe we'll release one of those by the end of the year, but I can't say. But we want to keep putting out new music — not, maybe, an album but a few songs here, a few songs there, and that’s good."

Neil described "Dogs Of War", which was helmed by MÖTLEY CRÜE's longtime producer Bob Rock, as "like old school meets new school. It's got that old-school vibe about it, but it's new music. Nikki [Sixx, CRÜE bassist] 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."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's new deal with Big Machine Records sees the band 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 MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist John 5 for the release of his 2021 album "Sinner".

"It's a great match for us," Vince told Classic Rock. "We're good friends with [Big Machine founder/CEO] Scott Borchetta, who put together the 'Nashville Outlaws' album back in 2014. His company just knows radio, how to get it out there, how to get the right people listening."

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".

"'The Dirt' movie got us a whole new generation of fans," Neil said. "We want to keep putting new music out. We don't want to stagnate."

"We self-released 'Too Fast For Love' on our own Leathür Records label," Neil added of the band's 1981 debut. "It cost $3,000 to make and was done in three days. It was a glorified demo tape, but we were the record label until we got signed by Elektra. We haven't been on a record label for 20 years. But Scott shares our philosophy and he's a brilliant guy."

In December, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee told Desert Sun about the three new songs he and his bandmates recorded with Rock: "Wait until you hear it. It's insane. It's not a full album, but that might be down the road a bit. We're always writing and doing stuff, so that's always a possibility down the road. But we just went to the studio not too long ago and recorded three insane tracks and one of them is called 'Dogs Of War'. We're just finishing up the video for it. For those jonesing for some new CRÜE, people are going to bug out. John 5 is playing on it, the guitar work is incredible and it sounds sick."

MÖTLEY CRÜE debuted its cover of "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" during a "secret" June 30, 2023 club performance for 450 lucky fans at the Underworld in London, England.

In September, John 5 told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about how much input he had during the songwriting process for the new CRÜE music: "We all sat in a room and did it together. 'Cause me and Nikki have written for years and years and years together. So it was nothing new. And me and Tommy worked in the studio together many times as well. So it was nothing new being in the studio, but it was new with Bob Rock.

"What was so wild was we got in a room… It was like total old school, man," he explained. "You get in the live room and there's my amp and there's Nikki's amp and there's Tommy's drums, there's a mic… 'Cause I'm so used to just playing in the control room. And it's, like, 'Oh no, no, no. We're all gonna get in this room and we're gonna play.' And that's how we recorded. It was incredible. I've never recorded that way. And it was maybe one of the best experiences I had recording. It was so fun. It was a blast. I had to, like, make notes and all this stuff, and we just played through it. It was incredible."

Last spring, John 5 told Sirius XM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about recording with Rock: "Bob would come in and [say], 'Okay, let's try this here, and that here and this here. It was one of the most incredible experiences ever… I'm thinking, 'We've got so much great technology today'… but we got in that room and it was like being in a garage working on a song when you were in high school… It was incredible, and we documented a lot of it too."

Regarding the musical direction of the tracks he and the rest of MÖTLEY CRÜE have recorded so far, John 5 said: "The songs are fucking heavy. I sound like a little excited kid right now, but they're heavy and they're mean. I can't wait for them to come out. I'm just so excited."

When host Eddie Trunk asked John 5 whether the new MÖTLEY CRÜE music can be compared to the band's breakthrough second album, 1983's "Shout At The Devil", the guitarist said that some of the new riffs are "heavier than anything" on that LP. "All I can tell you is that it's heavy and it's aggressive, and I think people are going to dig it because, talking as a fan, it's fucking badass," he said.

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.

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

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

Photo credit: Ross Halfin (courtesy of Live Nation)

BLACK VEIL BRIDES kick off a new season of redemption and revenge with "Bleeders", a cinematic music video, battle cry, and tour conceived by band leader Andy Biersack. The "Bleeders" single and enchanting music video (directed by Jensen Noen) coincide with a forthcoming EP of the same name.

The "Bleeders" EP is both a soundtrack and a signpost of everything BLACK VEIL BRIDES past, present, and future. The band's inaugural release in a new partnership with Spinefarm boasts the title track, a loving rendition of Sweeney Todd's "My Friends", and a faithful cover of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday".

The "Bleeders" tour transforms the band's theatrical and allegorical tales of vengeance into real-world philanthropy, incorporating a virtual blood drive with the American Red Cross.

"As Bleeders, it's our mission to effect positive change. Help us to help others in this time of need," reads a statement from the band, comprised of Biersack, Jake Pitts, Jinxx, Christian "C.C." Coma and Lonny Eagleton.

One pint of blood can save as many as three lives. As of April 22, fans have pledged 1577 pints.

Before the birth of the BVB Army, the thousands of lyric tattoos, and the gold and platinum records that followed, BLACK VEIL BRIDES was simply a dark vision dreamt up by an only child in Ohio.

He already loved Batman and KISS. Then, the striking visage of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street", on the cover of his dad's dusty CD (released a dozen years before he was born) kicked open the door for Biersack. Sweeney Todd cleared the way for "The Phantom Of The Opera", MISFITS and all that followed, culminating in the birth of Andy Black and the ascension of BLACK VEIL BRIDES.

The group's cinematic scope and unwavering commitment to self-expression strikes a familiar chord with their fellow "bleeders" who seek refuge (and revenge) in the power of the dark and imagination.

There are over 160 million views of "Knives And Pens", an early demo committed to music video before Andy (who moved to Hollywood at 18 and lived in his car) met his band of brothers. The RIAA-certified platinum single "In The End", itself close to 170 million views, proved the group whose merch dominated Hot Topic before they'd even made their debut album was built to last. In 2021, "Scarlet Cross" became their highest-charting Top 10 single. "Fallen Angels" went gold in 2023.

They combine a unique identity with an unquenchable creative thirst. They're an object of devotion for those who sing their anthems in unison, a diverse BVB Army who never surrenders. "Bleeders" offers a taste of what will become BLACK VEIL BRIDES' most visceral, cinematic, and unrelenting era yet.

Photo credit: Joshua Shultz

The Crosscut Films YouTube Channel has taken the official videos for Queensrÿche's "Eyes Of A Stranger" and "Jet City Woman" and superscaled them to 4K. Check them out below.










Running until May 12 in Ft. Meyers, FL, The Origins Tour will see Queensrÿche - singer Todd La Torre, guitarists Michael Wilton and Mike Stone, bassist Eddie Jackson, and drummer Casey Grillo - joined on most dates by Armored Saint.


Tickets can be purchased here. Remaining dates listed below.





April
26 - Empire Live - Albany, NY
27 - Palladium - Worcester, MA
28 - Toad’s - New Haven, CT
30 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ


May
1 - Keswick Theatre - Glenside, PA
3 - The Paramount - Huntington, NY
5 - The Fillmore - Charlotte, NC
7 - Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
9 - Jannus Live - St. Petersburg, FL
10 - The Plaza Live – Orlando, FL
11 - Culture Room - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
12 - The Ranch - Ft. Meyers, FL

Richie Sambora, legendary guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, Grammy Award winner, and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and Songwriters Hall Of Fame inductee, has shared "I Pray", the first of four brand-new tracks to be released weekly through May on all digital platforms.

Produced with Sambora's longtime collaborator, Grammy Award-winning producer Bob Rock (BON JOVI, METALLICA),"I Pray" will be followed next month by "Livin' Alone" (May 3),"Songs That Wrote My Life" (May 10) and "Believe (In Miracles)" (May 17).

Sambora said: "I'm at that point in my life where I am truly happy and a big part of that joy comes from writing songs and making music. There's a tremendous freedom with these songs because I don't have to think about charting No. 1 or what's happening on the radio but I still put the same craftsmanship, care and love into it as I did with 'Slippery When Wet' or 'New Jersey' and I hope they bring a similar happiness to those that choose to listen and push play on streaming services."

Sambora can currently be seen in "Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story", a four-part, all-access docuseries chronicling the life and times of one of the most iconic and recognizable bands in the world, premiering tomorrow in its entirety exclusively via Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ around the world. A four-decade rock 'n' roll odyssey, the series follows the group's extraordinary history through 40 years of personal videos, unreleased early demos, original lyrics, and never-before-seen photos that chronicle their remarkable journey from Jersey Shore clubs to the biggest stages on the planet.

Sambora — who recently joined the one and only Dolly Parton on the title track to her critically acclaimed, chart-topping new album "Rockstar" — will celebrate his new music and multi-platinum body of work on an eagerly awaited live tour, with complete details to be announced soon.

Sambora is a true rock 'n' roll icon, best known for his award-winning, multi-platinum-certified work as lead guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer in BON JOVI. Sambora, with bon jovi, released 12 studio albums, five compilations, and two live albums, with total sales now in excess of more than 130 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. Among his credits as co-writer and performer are such worldwide No. 1 albums as the RIAA diamond-certified "Slippery When Wet" (currently boasting U.S. sales over 12 million) and the seven-times-platinum-certified "New Jersey", along with four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits — including "You Give Love A Bad Name", "I'll Be There For You", "Bad Medicine" and "Livin' On A Prayer", the latter of which recently surpassed 1.5 billion worldwide streams via Spotify alone — as well as the Grammy Award-winning "Who Says You Can't Go Home", which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs, making history as the first-ever rock band to have reached the top spot on both the rock and country chart.

In addition, Sambora has released a series of acclaimed solo albums boasting total sales now in excess of two million worldwide. A seasoned collaborator, Sambora has joined forces with artists spanning Bo Diddley and LL Cool J to Leann Rimes and Cher, for whom he co-produced 1987's RIAA platinum-certified "Cher". In 2021, Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi were both honored at the Ivor Novello Awards in London with the Special International Award for their decades of songwriting excellence. Last year saw Sambora unveiled as "Jacket Potato" on the U.K.'s hit singing competition series "The Masked Singer", eliminated in the semi-finals of the series' fourth season having regaled British audiences with versions of Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas", Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", THE PRETENDERS' "Brass In Pocket", SANTANA Feat. Rob Thomas's "Smooth", FLEETWOOD MAC's "Go Your Own Way" and more.

Sepultura drummer Greyson Nekrutman has released live drum-cam video of his April 20th performance of "Refuse/Resist" at the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile on the 2024 Latin American Tour.





Sepultura kicked off their Celebrating Life Through Death farewell tour on March 1st at Arena Hall in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Fan-filmed video from the show, featuring new drummer Greyson Nekrutman (Suicidal Tendencies), can be viewed below.




Setlist:


"Refuse/Resist"
"Territory"
"Slave New World"
"Phantom Self"
"Dusted" 
"Attitude"
"Kairos"
"Means To An End"
"Cut Throat"
"Guardians Of Earth"
"Mind War" 
"False" 
"Choke"
"Escape To The Void" 
"Kaiowas"
"Sepulnation"
"Biotech Is Godzilla" 
"Agony Of Defeat"
"Troops Of Doom"
"Arise"


Encore:
"Ratamahatta"
"Roots Bloody Roots"











Sepultura recently announced the departure of drummer, Eloy Casagrande. He has been replaced by Greyson Nekrutman.


Sepultura issued the following statement:


"The 'Celebrating Life Through Death' tour, a farewell tour over the next 18 months that will celebrate the band's 40th anniversary and also its farewell to the stage.


"Beginning of December the group clearly defined the intention at the announcement, it is a 'conscious and planned death.' As poetic as it sounds, a tour of this magnitude took nearly of year of preparing and planning which would require a lot commitment, ethics and loyalty to their fans, as well as respecting for the band's history, something that is a clear priority to Andreas Kisser, Derrick Green and Paulo Xisto.


"However, on 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 were taken by surprise, without prior warning, he immediately left the band, abandoning everything related to Sepultura.


"Luckily American virtuoso Greyson Nekrutman will take the position of Eloy Casagrande and is welcomed as the band's new drummer for the 'Celebrating Life Through Death' farewell tour."


Greyson comments: "Today I express my heartfelt gratitude for the incredible opportunity to join the legendary ranks of Sepultura for their farewell tour.


"To contribute to this legacy is a privilege that fills me with both honor and excitement. Sepultura's fearless approach to exploring new territories in the metal sphere is something that I have always admired and strived to emulate in my own musical endeavors. I am eagerly looking forward to adding my own spirit and passion to the mix, to connecting with the fans who have supported the band through its evolution, and to the electrifying experiences we'll create together on stage. Here's to the new chapters we'll write together, to the stages we'll conquer, and to the powerful music we'll unleash upon the world."


Sepultura's Celebrating Life Through Death farewell tour itinerary can be found here.

SLIPKNOT played an intimate show Thursday night, April 25 at Pappy + Harriet's in Pioneertown, California — a popular tourist draw near Joshua Tree National Park in San Bernardino County. The concert, which served as a warm-up for the band's appearance at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend, marked SLIPKNOT's first appearance with the group's new drummer, believed to be former SEPULTURA sticksman Eloy Casagrande.

For the Pappy + Harriet's gig, 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.

Singer Corey Taylor said onstage mid-performance: "Tonight it doesn't matter where you came from, it doesn't matter when you were born. This year is 19-fucking-99. We're going to play you some songs from beyond that year, but goddamn it, it all started in '99 and it is starting again here tonight."

Tickets to the the Pappy + Harriet's concert sold out in minutes. They were priced just $9, and fans were limited to two tickets each, with no refunds or transfers allowed. All ticket proceeds will go to Joshua Tree No Kill Shelter and Boys & Girls Club Of The Hi Desert.

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

01. People = Shit
02. Eyeless
03. Disasterpiece
04. Before I Forget
05. Custer
06. Psychosocial
07. The Heretic Anthem
08. Unsainted
09. Wait And Bleed
10. Prosthetics
11. Vermilion
12. Duality
13. Spit It Out
14. Surfacing

SLIPKNOT has yet to officially reveal the identity of its new drummer after parting ways with Jay Weinberg last November.

Fans have speculated that Weinberg's replacement is Casagrande, who abruptly left that band in early February, just days before the start of the Brazilian/American outfit's farewell tour.

A month and a half ago, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption "Rehearsal."

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.

Speaking to NME about what SLIPKNOT has planned for 2024, founding member Shawn "Clown" Crahan said: "I'm ready to move on from what has been and move on to a world that I know needs to be. For instance, normally we'd have about two years on and one and a half years off — we're not doing that anymore.

"We're going back to basics," he added. "I'm ready to kick everybody in the face again. I'm ready to do a 100-person venue again. I'm ready to do a 500-person venue."

On April 26, Metal Department will release the debut album from AMERIKAN KAOS, "Armageddon Boogie".

AMERIKAN KAOS is described in a press release as "the secret love child" of guitar virtuoso Jeff Waters, best known as the founder and leader of Canadian thrash metal pioneers ANNIHILATOR.

AMERIKAN KAOS was born from Jeff's lifelong passion for diverse music genres, ranging from blues, punk, thrash, heavy metal, hard rock, to pop, classical and jazz. The global shutdown provided the perfect opportunity for Jeff to delve into this creative endeavor. Jeff's vision for AMERIKAN KAOS expanded into a trilogy, each part showcasing different styles and featuring diverse lineups and vocalists. This ambitious plan stemmed from his desire to write across multiple genres without being confined to a single style.

The recording process spared no expense. Old-school analog was a key feature in the planning, as well as who and where this was to be created. Vocalists, musicians and personnel were hand-picked by Jeff and have worked with artists as diverse as AC/DC, VAN HALEN, WHITESNAKE, Billy Idol, Stevie Nicks and Kid Rock.

While most of "Armageddon Boogie" was recorded and mixed at Waters's studios in the United Kingdom — where he moved from his native Canada in 2018 — additional studios in Athens, Vancouver and New York were also used.

Part two of the trilogy, "All That Jive", will be released in 2025, and part three, "The Sheeple Swing", will arrive in 2026.

To purchase "Armageddon Boogie" in various formats, visit www.amerikankaos.com.

Commented Jeff: "AMERIKAN KAOS was born out of the fact that I have spent my career with, of course, ANNIHILATOR, for many decades. 17 studio records and many other releases… and a lot of touring.

"People that follow ANNIHILATOR know that I like all kinds of music. I have influences from blues, punk, thrash, speed, heavy metal to pop music, classical and jazz. I have tried to do as much of that with the ANNIHILATOR music as I could, but there was always a certain limit to the area I stay within. And I always knew for decades that I hoped I would have the opportunity to sit down and write a record for a new band or a new project for a different kind of music. I didn't really know what it would be. So when the world shut down, I lost some interest in the writing side of ANNIHILATOR, and I took it as the perfect opportunity for me to explore my creativity and do something, finally, that lets me create and apply a lot of what I've loved and learned over the decades. Whether it is other musical styles than I have been known for making, different studio productions/technical ideas (engineering, producing, mixing) and have a blast making great music, with some great talents and people involved.

"As much as it was cool to have that time in the studio, it was also confusing, as I had no solid idea of the style of music I wanted to do, and I had to be careful that it was not too influenced by my favorite bands," he explained. "I have so many different favorite bands and different types of music that when I write songs, sometimes they sound the same as other bands, because I'm so much of a fan of them. That was a tough thing to do, to decide to write a record when you are known as a thrash metal / heavy metal guitar player for your whole life. If you sit down and put something else out, it's going to get criticized, so I decided to just do what I wanted to do. I started writing a few songs and they were scattered … one was like a pop song, the next was back to a heavy metal song, the next was ROLLING STONES-style and another with some THE KNACK grooves. So, I thought I really need to come up with a plan and get some focus here, because I can't just put out a record with ten or eleven songs that make no sense to each other. So, I decided what area I was going to go into for writing and try to keep some focus, but the problem was that I wanted to write across many areas and styles. I didn't want to be held back to one style again, so I thought, what about maybe three records? What if I have the focus and time in the creative space that I was in during 2020? Why not spread the styles across three different records, with maybe three different singers and maybe three different sets of lineups or people? So that is where the trilogy came from, whether it made sense to anyone else. This was for me, to get the ideas out of me while I had the time and creative mindset to get it done.

"So, the album I wrote first came out with a VAN HALEN/STONES vibe. There is a little VAN HALEN tribute song and also heavy metal-meets-hard rock songs. This one, AK1, we call it 'Armageddon Boogie'. I really wanted it to have that Alex Van Halen kind of groove; he's one of my favorite drummers. So, I needed to find a drummer that was a big VAN HALEN fan also, so I immediately thought of Brian Tichy from California. I talked to him, and we became immediately drawn to our VAN HALEN connection and a few other things. Brian and I hit it off right away musically, and we knew exactly what we wanted to get out of the drums on this record. It was essentially a fun, Alex Van Halen-meets-Brian Tichy [approach] and that's exactly what we got.

"For the songs and the sound, I literally did try on some of the songs to get that more singular early VAN HALEN sound of more of a one guitarist sound, but sometimes put the guitar on the other speaker so there are two guitars playing. Then on some I went for a ROLLING STONES [approach], [with] two guitar players, one on each speaker with different guitars and setups and playing different parts. So, we kept it mid-'70s, late '70s to 1985. It's not a brand new sound; it's trying to go back and try to take the best of what I loved about the '70s and '80s but keep it in a heavy metal-meets-hard rock vibe.

"The key on this one was always going to be the singer and I had a long list of people I was looking at," Jeff revealed. "I wanted to stay away from heavy metal singers for this one, and long story short, I ended up working with a guy named Chandler Mogel from New York, who's in a Lou Gramm / FOREIGNER cover band. I was put on to him through Bob Katsionis, keyboardist from FIREWIND and a great guy and studio owner. So, when I listened to Chandler, he had a very clean tone, almost gospel/George Michael tone. There was no raspy [David Lee] Roth or ballsy deepness to his voice, which made me pass on him at first. But then I kept coming back to him and he ended up being the perfect person for this record. He brought a bluesy tone to the record and was anything but heavy metal. That was one of the best decisions I made. That, along with Brian Tichy on the drums, both gave it exactly what we needed.

"So, the concept for that first record is just that. That '70-'85 vibe. It's got a bit of Alex Van Halen/Brian Tichy-style drums and it's got a clean vocalist with a lot of feel and that gospel/blues… Just rockin' …a rockin' singer. I played bass and guitar. Bob Katsionis played keyboard. We had an incredible backup singer, Jessie Wagner, working a few tracks. And, of course, someone I enjoy working with always, the amazing Marc LaFrance, who worked on probably most songs you remember from the '80s and '90s from 'Living On A Prayer' to 'Dr. Feelgood' to David Lee Roth, as well as many ANNIHILATOR songs.

"We used a hell of a team on production and artwork also. The cover for 'Armageddon Boogie' was done by Gyula Havancsák from Hungary, who happens to be one of the most amazing creative artists out there. He has done ANNIHILATOR's artwork for decades. For production, we used the amazing Mike Fraser, who is known for working on pretty much every AC/DC release. He engineered the drums in Vancouver, in Armoury Studios. Brian travelled up from Los Angeles and recorded the drums there. Mike Fraser worked on the 'Balance' VAN HALEN album, which I love, so he was, of course, the natural choice to work with on this record. The album was mastered at Sterling Sound in Nashville by one of the top mastering engineers in the world, Ted Jensen. I mixed and produced the album myself in my studio here in Durham, U.K., and apart from one cover song, I also wrote all the songs: lyrics, melodies and music.

"This was a fun record to make!

"So as far as this trilogy goes, the next one, AK2 (finished by the time you read this!) is a different style again, and a different singer (many will know him!)… more rock 'n' roll/less heavy metal… and the last one of the trilogy will be much heavier!

"I hope you enjoy 'Armageddon Boogie'!"

A recent interview with Chaoszine in which Waters discusses AMERIKAN KAOS in detail can be seen below.

For more information, visit www.amerikankaos.com.

ANNIHILATOR will celebrate the 35th anniversary of "Alice In Hell" by performing the album at an exclusive appearance at Topfest 2024 in Slovakia this June. Former ICED EARTH and INTO ETERNITY vocalist Stu Block will sing the entire LP. There will also be a few "best-of" songs that will include "hits" chosen by the fans.

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

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

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

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

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

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

In a new interview with The Sound Lab, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford spoke about the heavy metal community, which he has previously described as "all-inclusive, no matter what your sexual identity is, what you look like or what you believe in or don't believe in." He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Everything that we love and cherish about PRIEST is driven by our worldwide heavy metal community. There's nothing better than having us all together in the same venue. Just look at each other and you just know that love and that passion that we share is a real experience, a real living thing. We're very proud to have been a part of that development. I've been calling us the heavy metal community for as long as I can remember. And we're just so strong and we're so proud and we love our metal. And that's what makes us unique."

Two months ago, Halford was asked by the "Loudwire Nights" radio show if he thinks the heavy metal community is as "welcoming" in 2024 as it has been in recent decades, Halford said: "Those things that you're talking about in terms of complete inclusivity, that's what I love about our metal community, that regardless of the bands that you're into, regardless of what you look like, who you love, whatever, how much money you've got, whatever, it doesn't matter. We look at each other and we embrace each other, because we love heavy metal.

"I was just reading something again the other day about the importance of this particular style and sound of music," he continued. "The importance reaches way further than the music does. It's a very, very important component within us if you're a metalhead, if you're a metal fan. It has all of the attributes for getting into a better mental state. It makes articulation work stronger in all elements of your life. Metal is a very, very powerful part of who we are as people. So if you wanna go deep, but I do go deep — that's what it does, man. And so when I say I love my metal maniacs, I mean that really sincerely and very purely. I think about them all the time, because… 'Family' is a big word to use, but that's what we create — we create this family of this heavy metal community. Regardless of your band, there's a special relationship with every single fan."

Halford added: "When I look out in a crowd of thousands of people, I'm looking at every single one of you, because I know that you've taken this band's music into your life. For a lot of PRIEST metal fans, the story of your life is in music. I'm not saying that properly, but do you know what I'm trying to say? If you've been with this band for the longest time and we play 'Breaking The Law', suddenly we've gone back into the '80s, we play 'Painkiller', suddenly we're back in the '90s. This time machine of emotions in your life is with you as a fan. And again, that's not lost on me. I really take it very, very personally, and so that responsibility of caring for your fans and looking after your fans is really important, no matter what band you're in."

JUDAS PRIEST's new studio album, "Invincible Shield", arrived on March 8 via Sony Music.

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

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

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

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

THE WARNING, the rock sister trio from Monterrey, Mexico, has shared the music video for its latest single "Qué Más Quieres". The video notably made its global broadcast premiere on MTV Live, MTVU, MTV Biggest Pop and across MTV's global network of channels, as well as on the Paramount Times Square billboards.

The "Qué Más Quieres" music video bulldozes the way for their anxiously awaited new full-length album, "Keep Me Fed", due on June 28 via Lava/Republic.

The energy of the Spanish-language "Qué Más Quieres" matches the dynamics of the song itself. On-screen, an intriguing narrative unfolds with nonstop action, mirroring the upbeat sonic ebb-and-flow. Thrust into a world of intrigue, the girls rock the stage in full Mariachi-style attire, throw down in a high-stakes poker game, and survive all kinds of unpredictable chaos. Exuding spy movie vibes, it stands out as their most explosive visual to date.

The band recently dropped the fan and critical favorite "Automatic Sun". Produced by Anton Delost and Dan Lancaster, the track earned widespread acclaim. Ones To Watch raved, "The harmonic complexity screams through their guitar riffs, and their pitch-perfect vocals weave together to give the grunge anthem a hell of a punch." Classic Rock hailed it among "The best new rock songs you need to hear right now" and professed, "The Mexican sister trio are going from strength to strength, as evidenced by this tight, groovy fuzz-fest — all punchy, deep-set shades of ROYAL BLOOD and MUSE, framed in smouldering shadows." Plus, 1883 magazine attested, "it's full of heavy riffs, fierce vocals, and enthralling melodies."

To announce "Keep Me Fed", THE WARNING shared not one, but two singles — "Hell You Call A Dream" and the Spanish-language "Qué Más Quieres". Beyond generating over one million total streams worldwide, the songs landed plugs from Rolling Stone Mexico, Rock Sound and more.

In talking about the story behind the decision to name the album "Keep Me Fed", "throughout the whole process, the work was consuming us," says Pau. "By impacting everything we did, the album kept us fed both creatively and personally. We're inviting other people to participate and consume it too."

"Keep Me Fed" also features "More", which the band performed at the 2023 MTV VMAs, and the recently released fan favorite "S!ck" continues to climb the Top 15 at Active Rock. Revolver raved, "Like the Mexican sister-trio's previous output, it's undeniably infectious," and Classic Rock hailed it as a "shot-in-the-arm of propulsive, fire-spitting hard rock." Rolling Stone pegged it as one of "All The Songs You Need To Know This Week."

Thus far in 2024, THE WARNING performed at ShipRocked in the Caribbean, Mexico's prestigious Pa'l Norte and Vive Latino festivals, and sold out their April 2024 European headline tour. Upcoming, the band announced their first ever tour dates in Japan that includes a show with Band-Maid, announced a fall Canadian arena tour supporting EVANESCENCE and HALESTORM, and will return overseas to Europe for summer festivals. Looking ahead to 2025, the band sold out the 10,000-capacity Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City in less than 48 hours.