On November 8, death-grinders Earthburner will release their debut album, Permanent Dawn, via M-Theory Audio. Soon after their record release, the band will also make a special appearance at Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Denver on December 7 alongside Autopsy, Yob, Cirith Ungol, Pallbearer, Frozen Soul and more.


To give fans a preview of both Permanent Dawn and their upcoming performance, Earthburner have released a live lyric video for their first single, "Slaves To The Screen, featuring Napalm Death's Mitch Harris.


Earthburner guitarist Jeremy Wagner comments, "Earthburner is far beyond stoked to be part of the Decibel Metal & Beer Fest this year. The DBM&BF is one of the greatest metal festivals in the States and we're honored to be part of this edition in December. We'll be playing this fest just after the release of our debut album Permanent Dawn, and this will be EB's first post-release show and that's also very special for us. Huge thanks to Decibel for having Earthburner. See you all in Denver!!!"







Recorded at Criteria Recording Studios (Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, etc) in Miami, FL, produced by Tommy McWilliams (Elegant Weapons) and Jeremy Wagner, mixed by Scott Creekmore (Broken Hope, Putrid Pile, Waco Jesus), and mastered by Mike Fuller (Obituary, Death, Broken Hope, Judas Priest) of Fullersound in Davie, FL, Permanent Dawn can be preordered here.


*NOTE: There are TWO versions of the Earthburner album—one is digital and one is analog. Mike Fuller mastered the "digital version" and Scott Creekmore mastered the "analog version."





Tracklisting:


“Necrodisiac” (feat. Immolation’s Ross Dolan)
“Like Dogs”
“Broken Head”
“Facelift”
“Permanent Dawn”
“Uncreation”
“Perception For Profit”
“Cadaveric Coprophagia”
“Hunger Pains”
“Slaves To The Screen”
“Positive Outlook” (COC cover feat. Vixen Maw’s Jake Cannavale)


“Permanent Dawn” visualizer:





“Slaves To The Screen” visualizer:





(Photo – Corey Soria)







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Born out of a love of rock music and for the virtuosity of bluegrass musicians, CMH Records’ Pickin’ On Series features the best in bluegrass, paying tribute to the biggest and brightest artists in rock and pop. After revisiting some past recordings in the label’s back catalogue, it was clear the heartfelt and innovative take on Kansas’ "Carry On Wayward Son", originally released on the 2007 album The Bluegrass Tribute to Classic Rock: Edition One, deserved a little extra attention. Performed by Alabama-based quartet Iron Horse, with this new video the music can be appreciated in a whole new way.


Watch the video for Iron Horse’s take on Kansas’ "Carry On Wayward Son" below.


On this dynamic bluegrass tribute, perennial FM radio classic rock favorites were given the bluegrass treatment. Tracks such as Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild” and Styx’s “Come Sail Away,” performed by Cornbread Red, and Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” and Journey’s “Open Arms”, from Iron Horse, among others iconic hits, were faithfully rendered in traditional bluegrass style to create a whole new set of classics for your road trips.







“When you first hear Iron Horse’s cover of the classic ‘Carry On Wayward Son,’ you’ll assume it’s just an uncommonly catchy bluegrass tune,” wrote American Songwriter’s Savannah Dantona of this recording. “It’s not until a few bars in that you ask, ‘Wait, is this…Kansas?’ The classic rock song lends itself incredibly well to this rambunctious adaptation, as especially exemplified when the backing guitar and banjo come in. Iron Horse covered this track for the compilation album The Bluegrass Tribute to Classic Rock, and it’s absolutely a standout on the track list.”


“I remember first hearing this song as a teenager in the mid-70s and at that moment I knew it was going to be a hit,” Iron Horse’s Vance Henry shares. “The thing about good songs is they stand on their own and don’t need to be propped up or acclimated to with repeated listenings over time to fully appreciate. Even though I have listened to it many times since, it hasn’t grown old, and after all the years it was a joy to record such a great Kansas song in our bluegrass style.”





Though Pickin’ On started modestly in 1993 with the release of Pickin’ On The Movies, tributes to The Beatles and Eagles soon followed, and by 1997 the Pickin’ On Series was on fire. It continues to thrive with one hand in traditional bluegrass and the other in popular music, ready for the next chance to create innovative bluegrass music. Now over 30 years in and over 300 albums deep, the Pickin’ On Series is one of the most beloved traditions at CMH.


Recent Pickin’ On releases, Pickin’ On The Doors, Pickin' On Pearl Jam and Pickin’ On Nirvana, were well-received. Pickin’ On Modest Mouse and Fade To Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica both charted on Billboard’s Top Bluegrass Albums chart.


The series currently has 180,000 monthly listeners and more than 90,000 followers on Spotify. Songs from Pickin’ On have been featured in the television series Revolution and HBO’s True Blood. Other artists that have been given the Pickin’ On treatment include Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers Band, Coldplay, The Black Keys, Jack White, The Killers and many more.







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INFRARED - "Demon's Blood"

Formed in Germany in 1969, Nektar favoured extended compositions and concept albums over the constraints of pop. They were among the progenitors of the progressive rock movement of the 1970s as well as the jam-band scene that arose in the late 1990s.


Their sound traveled well to the States, where they enjoyed Top 40 success with A Tab In The Ocean (1972) and Remember The Future (1973). Nearly 20 albums later, the band’s artistic and personal charisma has earned them masses of devoted fans along with their album The Other Side (2020) which was Number 1 on Amazon Progressive Music.


For over half a century, Nektar has been the guiding star for countless fans, leading them on mesmerizing expeditions through the vast expanses of the cosmos and the depths of the ocean. With their unique fusion of progressive rock and stunning visuals, these trailblazing prog-rock legends have ignited the imaginations of generations.




As they began the next 50 years of their career, they kicked it off earlier this year with Journey To The Other Side - Live At The Dunellen Theatre June 10, 2023. Capturing the band with a 2CD/Blu-Ray set clocking in at over 2 and 1/2 hours and spanning the band’s entire career with classics like “Remember the Future Parts 1 & 2”, “A Tab in the Ocean”, and the last to have primary member Ron Howden who died suddenly at the age of 78 on September 29, 2023.


Now, Nektar is broadening their horizons with the first in the Mission To Mars trilogy. Their first to feature new drummer, Jay Dittamo, alongside longtime members Ryche Chlanda (guitars, vocals), Kendall Scott (keyboards, synths), Maryann Castello (vocals) and original founding member Derek “Mo” Moore (bass guitar, vocals).


From the rocking title track “Mission To Mars” to the beautiful “I’ll Let You In”, Nektar covers all the prog rock bases while venturing into some new melodic territories.


As both Mo and Ryche state, “Mission To Mars’ hails back to Nektar’s early roots before prog music was even a term, a blend of rock and progressive elements that define Nektar’s musical evolution. From day one we had a special feeling about our new album Mission To Mars. ’We hope you do too.”


Listen to “Mission To Mars” here, and below.


There are a limited number of autographed bundles available while supplies last. Order here.


Bundle includes:


• One (1) Nektar Mission To Mars CD or LP
• One (1) Nektar Mission To Mars 10x10 Signed Print





Tracklisting:


"Mission To Mars"
"Long Lost Sunday"
"One Day Hi One Day Lo"
"I’ll Let You In"


"Mission To Mars":





The band kicks off the next leg of the Mission To Mars tour in August. Get tickets here.


Dates:


August
24 - Williams Center - Rutherford, NJ - Home of Progstock
25 - My Fathers Place - Glen Cove, NY
27 - The Vogel at Count Basie Center for the Arts - Red Bank, NJ


September
6 - Nene Valley Rock Festival 2024 - Grimsthorpe, UK










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Pat Travers was responsible for some of the most electrifying live shows of the 1980s, and Live ’N Loaded '84 captures one of the greatest of them all.


Lit up by the success of  “I La La La Love You” and its so-memorable appearance in the 1983 movie Valley Girl, the Canadian-born superstar was touring his latest album, so aptly titled Hot Shot, when the tapes rolled for this show. And he devastates with smokin' hot versions of his best known songs, including "Snortin' Whiskey," "Boom, Boom (Out Go The Lights)," "I La La La Love You" and more!


Making its first ever appearance on vinyl, Live 'N Loaded will also be released on CD with four bonus tracks - Hot Shot favorites “Killer” and “Just Try Talkin' (To Those Dudes)”; “Gettin’ Better” from 1977’s breakthrough Puttin;’ It Straight album and “Ready Or Not.” “I La La La Love You” is released as a single. Stream the song here, and listen below.




The album will be available on both digipak CD and red marble vinyl. Pre-order CD/vinyl here; pre-save the digital edition here.








Tracklisting:


"Tonight"
"Killer" (CD only)
"Life In London"
"Gettin' Betta’" (CD only)
"Just Try Talkin' (To Those Dudes)" (CD only)
"I La La La Love You"
"Stevie"
"Born Under A Bad Sign"
"Ready Or Not" (CD only)
"Hot Shot"
"Born A Rocker"
"Rockin'"
"Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)"
"Snortin’ Whiskey"


"I La La La Love You" (Live in Florida 1984):










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Maintaining its position at the forefront of culture and heavy music, Roadrunner Records has unveiled “The Last Ballad Of Damrod,” the first original song from the upcoming The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power (Season Two: Amazon Original Soundtrack). Composed by Emmy Award winner Bear McCreary, and featuring vocals from Jens Kidman, frontman of Grammy-nominated Swedish extreme-metal band Meshuggah, the song will appear in the highly anticipated second season of the Amazon Original series.


“The Last Ballad of Damrod” (feat. Jens Kidman) is available to stream and download beginning today via Roadrunner Records here. Watch a lyric video for the song below.







Says McCreary: "When I first glimpsed Damrod, the murderous troll in The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Season Two, I knew immediately I had to call Jens Kidman. The aggressive frontman of Meshuggah, Jens put a searing brand on ‘The Last Ballad Of Damrod’ with his blistering vocal performance. I am exhilarated to team up with Roadrunner Records, home to some of my favorite bands of all time like Gojira and Slipknot, to bring our song to the world. My collaboration with Jens, alongside virtuoso drummer Gene Hoglan, on ‘The Last Ballad Of Damrod,’ offers an introduction to my exploration of the darker recesses of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium and sets the stage for the rest of the sweeping score to come.”


The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power (Season Two: Amazon Original Series Soundtrack) will be released worldwide on August 23rd, tied to the highly-anticipated return of the series later this month. Available across all music streaming services, the full episodic score for the second season of the Amazon Original series was composed by Emmy Award-winner Bear McCreary (Da Vinci’s Demons). Following each episode, Amazon Music will release a weekly soundtrack album containing the score for that episode, only available on Amazon Music.


For the epic first season of Prime Video’s The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, composer Bear McCreary wove a tapestry of symphonic orchestra, bombastic percussion, and folk instruments from across Europe and North Africa, combined with solo vocalists and choirs singing in the iconic languages of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. For the gripping second season, McCreary has built atop that foundation with dynamic new themes and colors, including Bulgarian women’s choir and gadulka for Rhûn, children’s choir for the pastoral city of Eregion, Hardanger fiddle for new character Estrid, and deathly whispers for the terrifying Barrow-wights.





Season Two of The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power will debut on Prime Video on August 29, 2024, in more than 240 countries and territories around the world, and in multiple languages.


The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings books, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.


The first season of The Rings Of Power has been an unprecedented success, viewed by more than 100 million people worldwide, with more than 32 billion minutes streamed. The highly anticipated series attracted more than 25 million global viewers on its first day, marking the biggest premiere in the history of Prime Video, and also debuted as the No. 1 show on Nielsen’s overall streaming chart in its opening weekend. The show has driven more Prime sign-ups worldwide during its launch window than any other previous content to date. The season finale also created a global cultural moment, with multiple series-themed hashtags, including #TheRingsofPower and others, trending in 27 countries across Twitter for over 426 cumulative hours throughout the weekend.


 







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Swedish black metal icons, Dark Funeral, are celebrating three decades of blasphemy with a re-worked version of their debut album. Dark Funeral (30th Anniversary Edition) is out now via Century Media Records and has been remixed by David Castillo and re-mastered once again by Thomas "Plec" Johansson.


To celebrate today's release, the band is now sharing the dark and occult visualizer for "In The Sign Of The Horns" (Re-Recording 2024). Watch below:







Dark Funeral guitarist and original member Lord Ahriman previously commented about the special edition, “In January 1994, Blackmoon (RIP) and I put our entire income and savings into a recording session and pressing 1,000 copies of our 4-track debut Mini-CD. A Mini-CD we released ourselves too. To now reach the significant milestone with an epic 30th anniversary is of course very honourable for me & the band. Three decades of Swedish black metal filled with precious memories. It is now time for us to reflect on what started it all, a 30-year epic journey, filled with experiences and an unbreakable bond. And in this honor, we have breathed new life into these legendary songs & given them an honest but modern update. Enjoy!“


Find rare material from the band's ominous beginnings in 1994 — an ultimate rendition and must-have for devoted disciples of darkness!


Album Formats:


- CD Jewelcase
- Limited hand-numbered Transparent Blue-Black Marbled 180g Vinyl
- Limited hand-numbered Clear Smoke Marbled 180g Vinyl (US Edition)
- Strictly Limited hand-numbered transparent Blue-Black Marbled 180g Vinyl including signed Art Print - Only 300 copies worldwide (Century Media Exclusive)
- Digital Album


Order here.





Dark Funeral (30th Anniversary Edition) tracklisting:


"Open The Gates"
"Shadows Over Transylvania"
"My Dark Desires"
"In The Sign Of The Horns"
"Open The Gates" (Re-Recording 2024)
"Shadows Over Transylvania" (Re-Recording 2024)
"My Dark Desires" (Re-Recording 2024)
"In The Sign Of The Horns" (Re-Recording 2024)


"My Dark Desires" (Re-Recording 2024) visualizer:





"Shadows Over Transylvania" (Re-Recording 2024)" visualizer:





"Open The Gates" (Re-Recording 2024):





Music & Lyrics by Blackmoon & Lord Ahriman
1994 Recordings & Mixes by Dan Swanö, Mastered by Thomas "Plec" Johansson
2024 Recordings & Mixes by David Castillo, Mastered by Thomas "Plec" Johansson
Video Production by 12 Inch Media
Artwork: Blackmoon & Lord Ahriman


Dark Funeral lineup (1994):


Lord Ahriman – Guitars
Blackmoon – Guitars
Draugen – Drums
Themgoroth – Bass & Vocals


Dark Funeral lineup (2024):


Lord Ahriman – Guitars
Heljarmadr – Vocals
Chaq Mol – Guitars
Jalomaah – Drums
Adra-Melek – Bass


Dark Funeral will be embarking on a US tour later this year as direct support for GWAR. The trek will kick off on October 17 in Las Vegas, NV and will dominate the states until the final stop on November 20 in Nashville, TN. The full itinerary can be found below.





Dates:


October
17 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
18 - Tempe/Phoenix, AZ - Marquee Theater
19 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
20 - San Francisco, CA - Regency Ballroom
22 - Seattle, WA - Showbox Sodo
23 - Boise, ID - Revolution Concert House
24 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
26 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
27 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
29 - Lincoln, NE - The Bourbon Theatre
30 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theatre
31 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave


November
1 - Cleveland, OH - The Agora
2 - Albany, NY - Empire Live
3 - Hampton Beach, NH - Wally's
5 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
6 - New York, NY - Brooklyn Steel
8 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall*
9 - Richmond, VA - The National*
10 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz*
11 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel*
13 - Orlando, FL - The Beacham
15 - Dallas, TX - The Studio at The Factory
16 - San Antonio, TX - Vibes Event Center
17 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
19 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
20 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl


*Cancer Bats replace Dark Funeral







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Dutch black/death metal icons, God Dethroned, have released the new single, "The Judas Paradox", the title track of their new album, out September 6 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM).


Frontman Henri "The Serpent King" Sattler: "The title track of the album. The song talks about Judas Iscariot, who speaks about the events surrounding the betrayal of Jesus Christ from his point of view. It's a topic that holds the world in its grip since the story became public knowledge. Musically it's the most atmospheric and melody driven song on the album."


Stream the track here, and watch the music video below:







Eleven songs strong, The Judas Paradox was produced by the band themselves, with mixing being handled by their very own singer/guitarist Henri. Tony Lindgren took over mastering duties at Fascination Street Studios, rounding off the grandly sinister sound of The Judas Paradox.


The Judas Paradox will be available in the following formats:


- CD-digipak
- jewelcase-CD
- coloured 1-LP ("blasphemous purity," "divine heresy," & "hailing death")
- flexible bundle (choose from t-shirt, CD-digipak, vinyl & cassette)
- digital


Pre-order here.





The Judas Paradox tracklisting:


"The Judas Paradox"
"Rat Kingdom"
"The Hanged Man"
"Black Heart"
"Asmodeus"
"Kashmir Princess"
"Hubris Anorexia"
"The Eye Of Providence"
"Hailing Death"
"Broken Bloodlines"
"War Machine"


"Rat Kingdom" video:





"Asmodeus" video:





God Dethroned are:


Henri Sattler - vocals, guitars
Jeroen Pomper - vocals, bass
Dave Meester - guitars
Frank Skillpero - drums


(Photo - Chantik Photography)







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The first trailer has been released for "Heavier Trip", the sequel to the Finnish movie "Heavy Trip" about IMPALED REKTUM, an underground blackened death metal band and their search for their sound: symphonic, post-apocalyptic, reindeer-grinding, Christ-abusing, extreme war pagan, Fennoscandian metal. You can watch it below.

According to Variety, Doppelgänger Releasing, the genre-focused label of Music Box Films, has acquired North American distribution rights to "Heavier Trip". Charades is handling world sales rights.

Released in 2018, "Heavy Trip", a triumphant celebration of Scandinavian black and death metal, introduced us to the group which, for various reasons, had been stuck for 11 years practicing in a basement. The movie ends with IMPALED REKTUM finally performing in front of a receptive metal audience. The sequel, per writer/directors Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren, opens a few years later with IMPALED REKTUM in jail and with an offer to play Germany's Wacken Open Air festival. Unprepared and imprisoned, the band refuses the festival slot. However, the guitarist's father goes ill and is in dire need as the family home and slaughterhouse are about to be demolished. Cue the music: time to get out of jail!

"Heavier Trip"'s world premiere will be announced imminently followed by a theatrical and home entertainment release this November.

Laatio and Vidgren said in a statement: "If there's one thing the world needs, it's feel-good movies about dudes who play symphonic post-apocalyptic reindeer-grinding Christ-abusing extreme war pagan Fennoscandic metal. We're so excited to bring 'Heavier Trip' to audiences in North America and make lots of noise with this sequel's release!"

Charades CEO Pierre Mazars said: "It's a thrill to see 'Heavier Trip' being distributed in the U.S. Music Box Films and Doppelgänger Releasing's eclectic slate, spanning both demanding arthouse cinema and mainstream comedy, leaves no doubt about their ability to draw audiences to theaters. As a metal fan myself, I couldn't be happier."

Brian Andreotti of Music Box Films added: "We were proud to distribute 'Heavy Trip' and we still sport our t-shirts from IMPALED REKTUM's 2018 North American tour. We were excited to hear that Jukka and Juuso were working on a sequel, and the prospect of any other North American distributor trying to challenge our dominance in the symphonic post-apocalyptic, reindeer-grinding, Christ-abusing, extreme war pagan Fennoscandic metal space was simply not an option. It's been six years since IMPALED REKTUM conquered North America, and we can't wait for their return this fall."

"Heavier Trip" was funded from a consortium of international sources: Finland, Lithuania, Germany, Belgium, and Bulgaria. The sequel was filmed with a slight increase in the budget, which, according to Vidgren, we will see in production value, but, due to inflation, the additional funds, he says, didn't stretch much further than the original movie's budget. However, Laatio does say that this is a bigger movie. With the experience of making the first movie, they were able to, according to Juuso, "Squeeze the air out of the script pretty early, instead of cutting loads of shit in editing."

With filming in their native Finland and at last year's Wacken Open Air in Germany, an epic mud bath, Juuso confirmed to BLABBERMOUTH.NET that Mika Lammassaari (MORS SUBITA, ex-ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW, ex-WOLFHEART) is writing "the band's music, the heavier stuff. But we have Swedish occult rock band YEAR OF THE GOAT that's doing the complete score for this film." He continued: "This has been my 10-year plan, to collaborate with them somehow. I had to make the first film so that I had something to give them: 'Would you, would you be in the second film?' I've been a big, big fan of them for a long time, and this is a personal project in many ways for me. It fulfills a lot of my fanboy dreams."

"Heavy Trip" debuted in 2018 at SXSW and was shown in select theaters in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin and more, in conjunction with VOD platforms. The sequel has been in the works for six years, with Juuso and Jukka writing and securing funding since the completion of the last movie.

Helmed by first-time feature filmmakers, the original "Heavy Trip" movie was a satire about the aforementioned metal band's efforts to land its first legitimate gig. In the film, Turo (Johannes Holopainen) is stuck in a small village in the Finnish countryside where his greatest passion is being the lead vocalist for the group IMPALED REKTUM. The only problem is that he and his fellow headbangers have practiced for 12 years without playing a single gig. But that's all about to change when the guys meet the promoter of a huge heavy metal music festival in Norway and decide it's now or never. Hitting the road in a stolen van with a corpse, a coffin, and a new drummer from a local mental hospital in tow, IMPALED REKTUM travels across Scandinavia to make its dreams a reality. This road trip comedy includes a musical brotherhood, grave robbing, Viking heaven, and an armed conflict between Finland and Norway.

According to Juuso, who is a longtime metal fan, "Heavy Trip" initially bombed in Finland, which is widely considered to be the most heavy metal country in the world.

"Nobody went to see it in the Finnish cinemas," Juuso told Metal Hammer magazine in a June 2022 interview. "It was marketed very poorly and to the wrong audience; it was marketed to 15-year-olds but it's not a film for them. They don't know the metal references and they don't listen to metal anyway. After the failed opening, it was pretty much, 'Well, there goes our career. Nobody's going to work with us again.'"

Kai Nordberg and Kaarle Aho reportedly produced the original "Heavy Trip" for Making Movies on a budget of $3.6 million, financed by the Finnish Film Foundation, YLE and Film Camp.

"Heavy Trip" currently has a 94% critic score from 32 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the online review aggregation service that allows both critics and the public to rate movies. The same site has an 83% audience score for "Heavy Trip" from more than 250 reviews.

"We have the craziest fans in Japan," Juuso told Metal Hammer. "They have cosplay over there and one guy cosplayed as the speed camera! And they had special screenings where the music is turned up extra loud. There's a crazy 'Heavy Trip' scene over there."

In a new interview with Ernest Skinner of Canada's Border City Rock Talk, Michael Sweet of Christian metallers STRYPER was asked if he would agree that the world has never been in a worse shape than it is now. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's true. Obviously we've had wars throughout the ages, many wars dating back thousands of years. But it does seem like the times that we live in right now, there's more turmoil than ever, more confusion than ever, more separation than ever, more hatred than ever, more division. You name it. There's so many words you can find to describe what we're seeing and witnessing and experiencing right now. It's crazy.

"We wrote a song called 'End Of Days', and people say, 'Yeah, nobody knows when that's coming.' It's, like, well, I think we're there," he continued. "I think we're seeing it. We're living it right now. When will God come back? Who knows? Who knows? Nobody knows. But I think it's right around the corner. Sooner than later. And it's urgent right now. It's very important for people to get your lives right. Get your lives right. Stop thinking about yourselves and start thinking about eternity. Stop thinking about now. Start thinking about then, because it's coming."

Sweet also touched upon the upcoming U.S. presidential election and alluded to his previous support for Donald Trump, despite the fact that America's 45th president — with his history of casino ventures and two divorces, as well as allegations of sexual misconduct, one of them affirmed by a civil court verdict — could be seen as incompatible with the stated values of the Christian faith.

"Vote for policies. Stop voting for personalities," Sweet said. "If we voted for personalities, we wouldn't like anyone. We wouldn't vote for anyone. The personalities of a lot of the candidates, you dig deep and you find out things about them where they all have issues, and you may not like a particular person, but it doesn't mean that they're the wrong person for the job. Look at their policies, look at what they stand for, look at what they've done, look at what they haven't done and go with that."

Michael continued: "The presidents throughout time that weren't great people per se, they had a lot of sins, a lot of skeletons in the closets, a lot of things that happened that no one would be proud of, but at the same time, they were good presidents. They did great things for [the country], and they certainly tried to. And that's my point.

"When you're looking for an attorney to win a case, you're not hiring that attorney because he's a nice guy or because he doesn't say mean things," Sweet added. "You're hiring that attorney because he's won every case and you just want the best and you wanna win your case. That's what America needs right now. We need an attorney that's gonna win our case. And that's who you should vote for."

Last fall, Sweet was asked by Real Music With Gary Stuckey how he goes about working together in harmony with fellow musicians like Tracii Guns (L.A. GUNS) who represent completely opposing viewpoints. He responded: " I've said this before. I just said it recently in a post. It comes down to respect. And I make mistakes. I blow it. I say things that might come across as disrespectful, so I'm not perfect. I'm not saying I am. But it comes down to respect. You either respect people or you don't. I see a lot of disrespect from all sides."

He continued: "I see disrespect towards Christians. I see Christians disrespect non-believers. I see Republicans disrespect Democrats, Democrats disrespect Republicans. I'm a Republican. I voted for [Donald] Trump first time around. I don't know who I'm voting for this time around. But when I say publicly, if someone asks me, 'Who'd you vote for?' I'm not gonna sit there and fidget and lie.

"I'm not a believer in you can't mix politics with music," Sweet added. "That's just stupid. It's part of your life. Talk about that. Be open about it. What are you so afraid of? And I said, 'Yeah, I voted for Trump,' and boy, I took a beating for that — some of my friends. Some of my friends were, like, 'Oh, what a moron. He's a Trumptard,' or whatever these disrespectful words are that you can use that you've heard. That's mindblowing to me, man. That's why we have so many issues in our world. Everyone talks about peace and a better world and being politically correct and being respectful of everybody, but yet people are more disrespectful now than they've ever been. It's insane."

Stuckey also asked Sweet why he thinks his public opinions on religious, social and political issues have made so many headlines in the rock and metal world in recent years. He responded: "I mean, honestly? Because of my faith, mostly. Because I take a bold stand for Christ. And that's an easy target. That's something that's funny, something that's easily mocked. 'Oh, my God. What a whack job. He believes in a genie in the sky. What a kook. Oh, my God. F this guy. They suck.' And then it leads to that. Like, we've got gold and platinum albums on the wall, but we suck because we stand for Christ."

He continued: "It's just so hypocritical and such a joke. But that's the world we live in. This is the way it's always been from the very beginning, and it's the way it still is. So all you can do is try to change it, try to be a light in the dark and try to inspire people and encourage people and always take the high road instead of the low road. And I fail at that. I totally fail at that, 'cause it gets under my skin, and I'll react the wrong way or say the wrong thing. But, man, I really try not to. I try hard to be a good guy and to spread love and light instead of negativity and despair. I'm working on it. I'm trying."

Four years ago, Sweet defended his support of Donald Trump, saying that the real estate mogul had "done a lot of good things for America."

Despite the fact that he is twice divorced and had faced over two dozen accusations of sexual misconduct, Trump was white Christians' preferred candidate for the 2020 presidential election, with some insisting that the president was a Christian hero who was standing up for religious rights.

Asked in an October 2020 interview with Slabber.net why he voted for Trump in 2016 and why he believes Trump is a Christian, Sweet said: "I have put it out there already that I voted for Donald Trump four years ago. I voted for him because I had really become fed up with politicians. I feel like most, if not all, politicians are there to tell us what we want to hear so they can get into office, and once they get there they don't deliver. So, when Donald Trump came around, I thought, okay, this guy is not a politician and he's going to be different, and that's why I voted for him.

"I don't think his delivery is often good," Sweet continued. "I wish he would stay off Twitter. The way he presents himself, the way he speaks, and some of the things he says get under my skin as much as anyone else. But I do feel Donald Trump has done a lot of good things for America, especially for the economy.

"I think it's very easy to blame someone for the economy tanking due to a pandemic that's not their fault. This pandemic would have come along regardless of who the president is, and the economy would have tanked regardless. No president in the world could stop the coronavirus coming but Donald Trump has been easy to blame. I don't feel that is justifiable and I feel that it's wrong.

"Joe Biden is an example of someone using Trump and this virus to suit his agenda of getting into office," Michael added.

"There's a lot of people out there who don't like their boss, but their boss is in that position because they do a good job for the company they work for. That's kind of how I view Donald Trump. I don't love everything he says or does, but I voted for him. But by saying all of that, and being Michael Sweet of STRYPER, that opens the door for me to be attacked. I'm okay with that. I'm not gonna run from what I do or say. I'm not afraid to be challenged for my decisions."

Back in November 2016, Sweet drew criticism from some STRYPER fans for posting a picture of Donald Trump and congratulating the real estate mogul for "working his ass off for the presidency of the United States of America."

In March 2020, Sweet praised Trump's actions that served to ramp up the federal government's response to the COVID-19 epidemic — even after Trump was criticized by some parts of the media for downplaying fears about COVID-19 or actively spreading misinformation about its repercussions.

In May 2020, Sweet said that he would like to see his band represented by Trump's fourth White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany.

In October 2020, Sweet praised Amy Coney Barrett, who narrowly won confirmation to fill the vacancy left by the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for answering questions during confirmation hearings "with poise, grace, patience, humility and intelligence."

In 2017, USA Today reported that nearly three-quarters of Republicans are white Christians, but white Christians account for fewer than one-third of Democrats.

Photo courtesy of Frontiers Music Srl

To coincide with the 30th anniversary of MACHINE HEAD's seminal debut album, "Burn My Eyes", the San Francisco Bay Area metal titans have scoured the vaults to unearth some absolute gold for the legions of die-hard "Head Cases" out there.

Says MACHINE HEAD: "We have found the original unmastered demo cassette of the 1993 demo that got the band signed, and had it meticulously remastered at Sterling Sound. But the jewel in the crown; a never-before-released 4-track cassette rehearsal demo with our original drummer Tony Costanza, painstakingly remixed from the original 4-track cassette bounces and also mastered at Sterling Sound."

MACHINE HEAD's "Diamonds In The Rough '92-'93" ultra deluxe CD digipak (limited to 1500 pieces worldwide),ultra-deluxe picture disc vinyl (limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide) and ultra-deluxe fire vinyl (limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide) are available to pre-order from the band's official online merchandise store, Ten Ton Trading Co. All titles will ship on September 4.

The ultra-deluxe six-panel CD/digipak features premium gold foil MACHINE HEAD diamond logo on the front, and comes with a massive 24-page booklet, liner notes by MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn, unreleased photos and live shots from the era out of the bandmembers' personal stash.

Unreleased four-track rehearsal demo with drummer Tony Costanza (1992):

01. Fuck It All
02. The Rage To Overcome
03. A Nation On Fire
04. Death Church
05. Blood For Blood (instrumental)
06. I'm Your God Now
07. A Thousand Lies (instrumental)

Official MACHINE HEAD demo (1993) (remastered):

08. Death Church
09. Old
10. The Rage To Overcome
11. A Nation On Fire
12. Real Lies
13. Fuck It All

Released worldwide on August 9, 1994, "Burn My Eyes" was and still is considered to be one of the most important albums of its genre, garnering the band an unprecedented level of recognition and spawning a myriad of imitators — all from just MACHINE HEAD's first record.

In 2019, three-fourths of the "Burn My Eyes" lineup reunited to celebrate the LP's 25th anniversary. Joining guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn and bassist Jared MacEachern were returning members Logan Mader (guitarist) and Chris Kontos (drums).

Asked by Metal Hammer if it bothers him that some fans still regard "Burn My Eyes" as MACHINE HEAD's best album, Flynn said: "No. The clincher for me, and this rarely happens, is when someone says, 'You should write 'Burn My Eyes' again,' but it'd be so phony! I'm not 24, fuckin' running around on the streets. It was real and that's why it came out the way it did. If I tried to do it now, it wouldn't be real. Those times made me who I am and affected me forever and I'm fearless because of them, but I'd like to think that I've aged gracefully and I hope to continue to do that. How dumb would it be for some [50]-something dude to be acting like some teenage gangster? It'd be ridiculous."

Kontos left MACHINE HEAD before the release of the band's second album, 1997's "The More Things Change", and was replaced by Dave McClain.

McClain and guitarist Phil Demmel exited MACHINE HEAD in the fall of 2018.

Duce, who played bass on "Burn My Eyes", was fired from MACHINE HEAD in February 2013. He was replaced four months later by MacEachern. Adam later sued MACHINE HEAD, claiming that the other bandmembers "simply kicked him out of the band and presumed he would forget about over two decades of hard work, dedication, and effort" he put into the group. Duce also said his likeness was used on the band's web site and in promotions without his authorization. The lawsuit was settled out of court in July 2014.

KK'S PRIEST, which features former JUDAS PRIEST members K.K. Downing (guitar) and Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals),has added two PRIEST classics to its setlist on KK'S PRIEST's ongoing European tour: "Sinner" and PRIEST's version of the Joan Baez song "Diamonds And Rust". Fan-filmed video of performances of both tracks at various shows on the trek, including last weekend's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, can be seen below.

As previously reported, KK'S PRIEST, which also includes guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE),and German/American metal legends ACCEPT will join forces this fall 2024 for a North American tour. Both bands are touring in support of their brand new albums, out now via Napalm Records.

The massive run will begin on August 31 in Los Angeles, California, visiting a slew of major cities in the USA and Canada — such as Toronto, Montreal, New York and Nashville — before coming to an end in San Francisco, California on October 7.

KK'S PRIEST's first-ever U.S. headlining tour, which featured support from L.A. GUNS and BURNING WITCHES, kicked off on March 7 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and concluded on March 24 at Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

KK'S PRIEST's sophomore album, "The Sinner Rides Again", came out in September 2023 via the Austrian label Napalm Records.

KK'S PRIEST made its live debut on July 6, 2023 at Downing's KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

K.K. formed KK'S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his offer to rejoin the band for their 50th-anniversary tour. It followed a couple of celebrated stage appearances, first with former MANOWAR guitarist Ross The Boss in the summer of 2019, then with a one-off lineup that included former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former PRIEST drummer Les Binks later that year.

KK'S PRIEST released its debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Downing spent four months writing and recording "Sermons Of The Sinner" and, along with new ideas, he even resurrected a few archived riffs from the 1980s.

Downing was reunited with JUDAS PRIEST for a performance at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in November 2022 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, nearly three decades his junior.

In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band's 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

In a new interview with Poland's Televizornia, former VENOM and current VENOM INC. frontman Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan spoke about his relationship with other current and former VENOM members, including Conrad "Cronos" Lant, Jeff "Mantas" Dunn and Antony "Abaddon" Bray. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, definitely Mantas is my brother. Yeah, I mean, we're just brothers. It's as simple as that. We love creating music together.

"I think Cronos and Mantas in particular — Abaddon too, but Cronos and Mantas, they had some kind of chemistry together, and me and Mantas have the same chemistry," he continued. "You know [when] you have a best friend and you just wanna tell them everything and they tell you everything, and you don't know why. You don't need to share, but anything happens to you, you have to call them, you have to be with them because they just get you and it's that kind of thing we share. And Tony, Abaddon, of course, he's just such a huge character — so friendly, so open, so humble. He never truly believed in himself, I think. Yeah, it's strange to say. As far as his drumming goes, not the best drummer in the world — nobody would say he was — but it was right for VENOM. It was chaos, and VENOM was chaos. And now it's a bit different because the recording and production, so everybody wants to be clinical and tight."

Dolan added: "I used to go and see punk bands, and if the guitarist didn't play the solo properly, I didn't give a shit. I was in the moment. I wasn't on my phone. I was at the show. The more crazy it was, the better it was. And that's what VENOM had, that spirit. And I think they carried it very well. And they were three huge characters. But they have issues with each other. And I tried not to have issues with them. And I've been dragged in and dragged out of the issues, and I try to say… Even with Conrad, with Cronos, it's, like, listen, you're still doing it. You'll never not be Cronos. It doesn't matter what happens. The planet could blow up, we could all move to Mars. You'll still be Cronos who did those albums. So just love the fans that love your music, support the fans, be grateful to the fans. You don't have to be a dick. It's easy to be a dick, but it's easier not to be a dick. And the fans are the reason you're here. They invested in you. They bought your music. They wanna buy your shirt. They wanna come and see you. So, when you sit in your Lamborghini with a big cigar, they paid for that, their money paid for that. So if they wanna take a photograph, take a fucking photograph. If they want you to sign something, just sign it. Without them, you don't mean anything. So it's like coming together.

"But they [Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon] have issues with each other," Tony repeated. "They have had issues with me over the years, but I try not to have any issues. I love them all. For me, VENOM, from the beginning to the end, it's one family, but that involves the fans — the legions are the family. So I don't care which VENOM you like, I don't care which VENOM song you like, I don't care which VENOM album you like, I just want you to like VENOM. Wherever you come in, just like it, because it means something."

This past April, Mantas suffered another heart attack. The 63-year-old British-born musician, who currently resides with his wife in Portugal, previously suffered a heart attack and underwent a double bypass surgery in May 2018.

Dunn currently plays in VENOM INC. alongside Dolan.

Mantas sat out VENOM INC.'s fall 2023 U.S. tour after revealing that his wife had been diagnosed with cancer. He was replaced on the trek by Mike Hickey, known for his work with VENOM, CARCASS, CATHEDRAL and CRONOS.

Earlier this year, VENOM INC. recruited Marc "JXN" Jackson as the band's new drummer. Jackson was previously a member of M:PIRE OF EVIL, the group formed in 2010 by Dunn and Dolan.

VENOM INC. is not to be confused with the Conrad "Cronos" Lant-fronted version of VENOM, which is continuing to tour and make albums under the VENOM moniker. Joining Cronos in that group are Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums.

VENOM's classic lineup trio of Dunn, Lant and drummer Anthony "Abaddon" Bray recorded four studio LPs, "Welcome To Hell" (1981),"Black Metal" (1982),"At War With Satan" (1984) and "Possessed" (1985),and live album, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" (1986). Often cited by bands such as METALLICA, BEHEMOTH, CELTIC FROST and MAYHEM as major influences, they are one of the most revered bands of their generation. VENOM is still fronted by Cronos and headlines festivals all over the globe and continues to release new music while Dunn and Dolan have joined forces in the similarly named VENOM INC.

Swedish thrashers THE HAUNTED have commenced work on their first new album in seven years.

On August 1, THE HAUNTED drummer Adrian Erlandsson shared a photo of his drum kit, and he included the following caption: "Working on drums for the next album of THE HAUNTED."

THE HAUNTED's upcoming LP will be the follow-up to the band's ninth studio album, "Strength In Numbers", which was released in August 2017 via Century Media. That disc was recorded at Parlour Studios in the U.K. with producer Russ Russell (NAPALM DEATH, DIMMU BORGIR, THE EXPLOITED). The artwork for "Strength In Numbers" was created by THE HAUNTED's longtime designer Andreas Pettersson.

THE HAUNTED's current lineup includes Erlandsson, vocalist Marco Aro, guitarists Ola Englund (FEARED) and Patrik Jensen (WITCHERY),and bassist Jonas Björler (AT THE GATES).

Back in 2017, Englund told Heavy Music HQ about the differences between "Strength In Numbers" and its predecessor, 2014's "Exit Wounds": I think with 'Exit Wounds' that there was a hunger and urge to just show that THE HAUNTED is not slowing down or done, for that matter. That album is full force throughout. For 'Strength In Numbers', we definitely had more time to reflect and not rush into the studio in the same way. The songs slowly developed over time and overall it feels like it's a more mature album. Also, of course, the guys let me take a much bigger role for the album writing with this one, and I definitely felt more comfortable to take more space."

Image credit: Posada Rock

Working on drums for the next album of The Haunted
@britishdrumco @sabiancymbals @evansdrumheads @vicfirth @czarciekopyto

Posted by Adrian Erlandsson, a drummer. on Thursday, August 1, 2024

Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson has been called upon by SEPULTURA bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. to handle bass duties for Paulo's side project CULTURA TRES during their performance on the main stage at the Bloodstock Open Air festival on Sunday, August 11, 2024 at Catton Park, Walton-on-Trent, United Kingdom.

Due to SEPULTURA's ongoing farewell tour, scheduling conflicts arose for this particular show, and Paulo personally reached out to his friend David to fill in on bass.

Paulo states: "I will not be able to perform at the Bloodstock festival due to the upcoming SEPULTURA tour dates recently added in Brazil during that time. I have asked my longtime friend David Ellefson to help us out and fulfill this task on my behalf. CULTURA TRES will be in good hands with his performance. Thank you, my brother, for the help and effort to make this happen!"

Ellefson adds: "I first heard CULTURA TRES about five years ago when ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE (the band featuring ANTHRAX/SATYRICON bassist Frank Bello) performed at Paulo's venue BR-020 in Amsterdam. I immediately loved the sound of the band, so I'm really honored to help out Paulo and the group on this one. It's always great to play Bloodstock, and I'm looking forward to seeing the fans there!"

CULTURA TRES's latest album, "Camino De Brujos", was released in April 2023 via Universal Music in the Americas and Bloodblast in the rest of the world.

CULTURA TRES is led by brothers Juanma Montoya and Alejandro, who previously stated about "Camino De Brujos": "Something we've learnt while listening to Andy Wallace's albums (he is God in our little world) is that if you can't imagine the band performing while you listen to a recording then you are just listening to a computer. And we are not interested in letting fans hear a computer... We'd rather invite them to hear four people playing their hearts out on a record. This record."

Added Paulo: "In 2019 after hearing about the plans for a new CULTURA TRES, I offered Ale and Juanma to join the band.

"The music is very organic. There are a lot of influences from the '90s and a little bit of hardcore as well. Personally [for this album], I got inspired by the bass players who I' loved the most back in the '70s."

In the studio, CULTURA TRES explored new ideas and found a musical common ground. The resulting style retained elements of the psychedelic-sludgy past, but incorporated the groove of a more metal oriented vibe that Paulo brought in with his SEPULTURA influence.

Alejandro said: "The album title 'Camino De Brujos' can be roughly translated as 'Trail Of Witches'. Do you remember the little story about letting your subconscious make artistic choices? Well, this is one of the best examples. 'Camino De Brujos' is the main line sang on top of a nasty slow riff. The song is filled with tribal ritual percussion, typical from South America's black magic practices. The phrase didn't only end up being the only lyrics sang on the song but it also gave the name and identity to the album."

"Camino De Brujos" was recorded by Juan M. De Ferrari Montoya and Alonso Milano Mendoza at AJM Sound Studios, Amsterdam (NL) and at Reborn Studios, Artesa de Segre (SP). Alejandro Londono Montoya took care of the missing and the mastering at AJM Sound Studios in Amsterdam. The artwork was created by Damian Michaels.

CULTURA TRES is:

Alejandro Londono Montoya - guitar, vocals
Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. - bass
Juan M de Ferrari Montoya - guitar
Jerry Vergara Cevallos - drums

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A post shared by David Ellefson (@davidellefsonbass)

In a new interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio, Kerry King, who is currently touring with his solo band, was asked if he is looking forward to playing with SLAYER again at three festival shows in September and October. He responded: "I haven't seen — I've texted Gary [Holt, SLAYER guitarist] off and on and Paul's [Bostaph, SLAYER and KERRY KING drummer] with me all the time, so I'm looking forward to playing with Holt 'cause we were together, like, 10 years. But me and Phil [Demmel, KERRY KING guitarist] on this run are holding down the fort every bit as well as Gary and I did in SLAYER. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to the largeness of the stage. I'm looking forward to burning everything."

Regarding the fact that SLAYER is playing shows again five years after the completion of what was being billed as the band's final tour, Kerry said: "Yeah, at the end of the day, it wasn't bad blood. Tom [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] was just done. And when Tom told me he was done, I went, 'Okay, well, I'm not gonna try to talk you into it,' because if you're trying to talk somebody into it, their heart's not in it. So it was over for me. And, of course, a month after we were done, offers come in because people think you're done. So what we retired from was touring. We never said we were done playing. We said, 'This is our final tour', and I don't think three shows constitute a tour. So if you wanna get technical, I think we're in the ballpark of being truthful."

Last month, King told Metal Injection about the fact that SLAYER's upcoming reunion shows were announced just weeks after he told Rolling Stone magazine that a SLAYER comeback was unlikely. He said: "I turned [SLAYER reunion offers] down for the longest time. You can imagine we've been turning down offers since December 1st, 2019. And at that point, I thought, 'No, we're never gonna play again.' Tom retired. So it's written. And then offers keep coming, offers keep coming, the money goes up. And this one came around and it was when we were booking shows from my [solo] band, and I go to my manager. I'm, like, 'Are we talking about my band or SLAYER? What are we talking about here?' He's, like, 'SLAYER.' And I'm, like, 'Yeah, but that's done. We hung that shit up. I dropped the chains. Done.' But then it started getting to where this is really gonna be the five-year anniversary of [SLAYER's] last tour. And I went, 'That's kind of cool. Three shows, five-year anniversary. Okay.' That's about all I thought about it."

King continued: "The funny thing about this story is I didn't tell anybody in my [solo] band [that the SLAYER reunion shows were happening]. I'd never been in that situation. And the news dropped that we were doing three shows and everybody blows me up. I'm, like, 'Goddamn it.' 'It never occurred to me to tell you guys.' Never fucking occurred to me. It wasn't a secret. They can keep secrets. I know that. And I felt so bad. It never occurred to me. Paul knew, of course. But poor Phil [Demmel, guitarist in Kerry's solo band] and Kyle [Sanders, bassist in Kerry's solo band] and Mark [Osegueda, vocalist in Kerry's solo band], they all texted me and blew me up. I'm, like, 'I'm so sorry, man. It never occurred to me. This is what's up. This is what's gonna happen. If it happens again, it's gonna be the same thing. We're never gonna fucking make a record. We're never gonna fucking tour. This is my band.'"

Kerry went on to say that he doesn't rule out more SLAYER shows in the future beyond the three festival appearances this summer and fall. "I'm trying to be real and definitely say, hey, we're not gonna tour again," he explained. "And we're certainly not gonna record again, 'cause I have a means of doing that now with my band. [We're doing] three shows for now. And I say 'for now' because I know Europe's gonna come knocking, 'Hey, man, you guys played America. Come see us.' So it wouldn't surprise me if something like that happened, but it's certainly not on my books right now."

Earlier last month, Kerry told Guitar World magazine that he "was very surprised" when Araya agreed to play three SLAYER shows this year. "I made my comments [about SLAYER being finished] based on [Tom] not wanting to play anymore. As far as I was concerned, we were done and never going to play again. To be honest, I don't know what switched.

"We've been turning down offers to play shows for at least three years. So, one came up that, I guess, enticed Tom to the point where he wanted to roll the dice and try a couple. I don't know, but that's all it is."

Kerry added that he would be open to more SLAYER gigs in the future.

"There could be an instance where there's another one-off,” he said. "It just has to be the right offer at the right time, maybe someplace everybody loves to go. But touring, no, I don't see touring. But, you know, who's to say a one-off can't happen again?"

King previously told Total Guitar magazine about SLAYER's reunion shows: "It caught me off guard too. Do I wish the timing was different? Absolutely, but that's completely out of my hands."

King went on to say that fans shouldn't get their hopes up about a full-scale SLAYER reunion.

"Everyone thinks SLAYER are getting back together, but that couldn't be further from the truth," he explained. "We've been turning down gigs ever since we stopped. This one came and I thought, 'If we're ever going to do one, this could be cool because it's the five-year anniversary of our final tour.'

"We're not going to record anymore," he added. "That final tour was definitely our final tour. This is just a reason to have some fun the guys, play a few shows and then jump back in the coffin…"

In June, King was asked by Jonathan Clarke, host of "Out Of The Box" on Q104.3, New York's classic rock station, about how SLAYER's upcoming reunion shows came about, five years since the completion of what was being billed as the band's farewell tour. He responded: "I'll put it in the perspective everybody can understand. We've been turning down offers since beginning of 2020, pandemic and all. And then it started getting near the five-year anniversary of us stopping playing, so I'm, like, 'You know what? This is a three-show package. I think it would be fun to do.' It's kind of a five-year anniversary of our last tour. We're never gonna tour again — it ain't gonna happen. We're never gonna record again; that's not gonna happen either. But to do commemorative shows, I think that's kind of fun. I don't have to be married to it for a long time. Kids don't have to worry about it coming around on tour because we said we wouldn't. There's not a whole lot of weird diabolical shit going on here. I think people have just gotta say, 'Hey, it's anniversary celebration shows.' That's gonna be the end of it."

Kerry also discussed the SLAYER comeback in May in an interview with Andrew Daly of ClassicRockHistory.com. Asked for about his outlook on the reunion shows, he said: "It's not really much different at all. It's the same heads, same cabs, same pedals, same guitars. You know, there will be a lot of fire when SLAYER plays, and I think, yeah, those shows will just be fun. It'll be fun to play with Gary Holt for a few gigs; I haven't seen him in almost five years, so that will be cool. And it'll be cool to get together with Tom Araya and spit some hate out at people, but don't get used to this being a yearly event."

Earlier in May, King was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he thinks SLAYER's upcoming dates will have a positive or negative impact on the promotional efforts "From Hell I Rise", which arrived on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music. He responded: "I see it both ways. We've [SLAYER] been turning down [reunion] offers for the last four years. Unfortunately, when the right offer came around, this one, it was right as my project was releasing. So there's certainly people, like my management and booking agents, who say, 'Oh, that's great. It's gonna boost your solo thing.' And I'm, like, 'Well, I don't know the business side of it, but it is what it is.' And every time I talk about it to journalists and magazines and stuff, I say, 'Listen, SLAYER is not gonna make another record. SLAYER is never gonna tour again.' May SLAYER do a one-off here or there? Maybe. I told my [solo] band when [the SLAYER reunion shows] came up, I'm, like, 'Listen, this is a blip on the radar to me. This isn't a solo project that's gonna recycle musicians every record cycle. You guys are with me till you don't wanna be.'"

Asked if he envisions SLAYER as the type of thing where the band will do one or two shows a year when a great opportunity comes up, Kerry said: "I'm not even talking yearly. I'm, like, every two years, every three years, every five years. I don't know. 'Cause I'm gonna be super busy with [my solo band] once 2025 rolls around."

On the topic of whether he has spoken to Araya since SLAYER's reunion shows were announced, Kerry said: "I'll tell you the truth, 'cause you know that's how I roll. No, we haven't. But you know what's weird about that? It's not weird. [Laughs]"

He continued: "We'll go probably rehearse off and on for a couple weeks [before the first show], 'cause even though me and [SLAYER drummer] Paul [Bostaph, who is also in Kerry's solo band] will be sharp from playing, playing with different people, you've gotta get sharp together."

Elaborating on his belief that SLAYER's comeback shows will not lead into a full-fledged reunion for the legendary thrash metal act, Kerry said: "The way I look at it, and when I tell you this, it puts it into perspective for a lot of people, I see it as three five-year anniversary shows of our last tour."

Five years after SLAYER played the last concert of what was being billed as the band's farewell tour and just weeks after the SLAYER guitarist unveiled the details of his solo project, Kerry and his longtime bandmates announced that they will play at the Aftershock, Riot Fest and Louder Than Life festivals in September and October.

King also talked about the SLAYER reunion while speaking to Revolver magazine about "From Hell I Rise". Asked if he had known about these shows well before they were officially announced, King said: "If you ask promoters, they're going to have another answer. If you ask booking agents, they'll probably have a third answer. But to me, it kind of came out of nowhere. Have we been getting offers the past few years? Yeah, we turn down offers every year, probably every month of every year. These three festivals are right around the five-year anniversary of our last tour, which I thought was kind of cool. So, I thought this might be the right time to test the water. It will be great to play for the fans again."

Regarding whether the upcoming SLAYER shows will steal some of the thunder away from the touring his solo band will do in support of "From Hell I Rise", Kerry said: "Well, time will tell, and my answer would be, 'hopefully not'. The funny thing is, it never occurred to me until the day the SLAYER announcement came, but Demmel said, 'Dude, is this real?' And I'm, like, 'It's just a few weekends and that's it.' Of course, Paul knew. But I didn't tell Phil, I didn't tell Kyle and didn't tell Mark — and I said to the guys, 'There's no master plan here.' I didn't want anybody to start getting cold feet. I said, 'This is a little moment in time, and yeah, KERRY KING is going to be touring, you know, hopefully later in the year, as well. But SLAYER is an entity and I'm just a person.' But hopefully, we drive on with the solo project."

King also spoke about the SLAYER reunion in an interview with U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. Admitting that the announcement of SLAYER's comeback "was not my favorite timing", Kerry said that the SLAYER reunion "is not going to translate into recording and it's not going to translate into touring. For me, it's three shows marking five years since our final shows, a fun, 'Hey, remember us from before the pandemic?' celebration."

Kerry also explained in more detail why he still has not spoken to Tom since the news of SLAYER's reunion was announced. "It's not like I'm angry with him or anything," King clarified. "We're very different people, and we evolved into business partners at the end of the day. He has very different interests from me, and very different outlooks. Does that make me hate him? No. But I don't need to talk to him every day… We just don't have much in common. When it comes time to rehearse, I'll have no problem showing up. We're professionals, and that's what we do."

When Kerry's solo project was first announced, King told Rolling Stone that he was almost positive he and Tom would never resurrect the band. "I can pretty much a hundred percent say no because I have a new outlet, and it's not SLAYER, but it sounds like SLAYER," King said of a potential SLAYER reunion.

The lineup for SLAYER's comeback will be the same as the one which last toured in 2019: Araya and King, along with Holt (also of EXODUS) and Bostaph.

Days after SLAYER's reunion was announced, Tom Araya's wife wrote on social media that she "harassed him for over a year" before he "agreed finally" to play more shows with the band. "We shared that news with SLAYER's awesome managers and they did the rest!" she explained. "So yes without Tom it wouldn't have happened.. without me BUGGING HIM it wouldn't have happened."

Both Gary and his wife Lisa Holt were among the hundreds of people who "liked" Sandra's Instagram post, with Lisa sharing three heart emojis in response to Sandra's message.

In a statement confirming SLAYER's return, Tom said: "Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we're on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans, and to be honest, we have missed that." King added: "Have I missed playing live? Absolutely. SLAYER means a lot to our fans; they mean a lot to us. It will be five years since we have seen them."

The same day that SLAYER's comeback was announced, Holt's wife Lisa Holt took to her social media to write: "Yes, it's true..and an exciting adventure for the band and fans !

"To all the people saying 'they are liars' 'they must have ran out of money' 'its not SLAYER without so and so' ..I have an idea for you all...DON'T GO.. and for all the people who did go to the final tour dates and enjoyed it...awesome!!

"This isn't a 'TOUR' it's some dates..and GREAT NEWS!!!" she added. "And everyone that thinks they know all the inside info..you can't possibly know. so just enjoy the fact that this amazing band will play some amazing shows this year...go or don't..nobody cares!!!!!"

Three weeks before SLAYER's reunion was announced, Kerry told Rolling Stone that he didn't foresee SLAYER coming back together for the foreseeable future.

"Will SLAYER tour again? I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. Could SLAYER play a show again? I'm sure there's a scenario," King said, adding that he hadn't spoken to Araya since that final show. "Am I looking for it? No, I'm just getting ready to start my [solo] career. So if that happens, it happens. But I'm going to be doing this for the next 10 years at least."

SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, Kerry's wife Ayesha said that there is "not a chance in hell" that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances.

SLAYER's final world tour began on May 10, 2018 with the band's intention to play as many places as possible, to make it easy for the fans to see one last SLAYER show and say goodbye. By the time the 18-month trek wrapped at the Forum, the band had completed seven tour legs plus a series of one-off major summer festivals, performing more than 140 shows in 30 countries and 40 U.S. states.

All material for Kerry's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", was written by King, who was accompanied during the recording sessions by Bostaph, Demmel, Sanders and Osegueda. Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles last year was producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.

Former IRON MAIDEN vocalist Paul Di'Anno will release a new album, "The Book Of The Beast", on September 27 via Conquest Music.

The vinyl double album (available in blood red, virgin white and cold steel colored vinyl) and two-disc CD/DVD include five previously unreleased tracks, along with a carefully curated collection of songs that distills many of the best moments from Di'Anno's fascinating and formidable career.

The CD/DVD also includes rare live, promotional, and acoustic video footage.

Deep cuts from albums going back to Paul's BATTLEZONE, KILLERS and solo days have been painstakingly remastered to give them a more up to date and polished production plus some of Paul's rare acoustic, rehearsal and demo recordings have been added as a special bonus.

Perhaps the most interesting addition to this album is the unexpected reworking of two IRON MAIDEN classics, but with a dark twist. Both "Remember Tomorrow" and "Wrathchild" have been treated to a facelift with Paul dueting alongside Tony Martin (BLACK SABBATH),ZP Theart (DRAGONFORCE) and Lidya Balaban (CROWLEY).

"I suppose it might sound like an unusual combination, but Lidya has got a brilliant voice," Paul enthuses. "I've been trying to get it together to see CROWLEY, but it hasn't happened yet.”

"I'd be very interested in working on something special with Tony and ZP in the future," Paul adds.

The vinyl albums feature Paul dueting with Lydia Balaban while the ZP Theart and Tony Martin duets are on CD/DVD and also digital.

Di'Anno is very excited at the possibility of this collection bringing belated attention to many of his songs that may have slipped past the casual listener.

"I've never felt that my albums were ever given the promotion they deserved, and record labels just didn't take me seriously," Di'Anno comments. "The guys at Conquest Music are really on the case so I hope more people will get to hear my music now."

With an exhaustive CV that includes BATTLEZONE, KILLERS, DI'ANNO (the band),PRAYING MANTIS, THE ALMIGHTY INBREDZ, WARHORSE and the metal supergroup GOGMAGOG, Paul Di'Anno is one of the most colorful and controversial characters in hard rock and heavy metal. But of course, Paul is best known for having been a member of IRON MAIDEN from 1978 to 1981, appearing on their two iconic albums "Iron Maiden" and "Killers", his voice bringing the band far more of a raw, punky edge than was present on subsequent records.

For that reason, MAIDEN's first two albums still inspire strong reactions. Though the band became bigger than ever after his exit, there are fans that stopped liking them when Paul exited the picture. In later years, Di'Anno met members of METALLICA, PANTERA and SEPULTURA who all respectfully told him how much those first two LPs had influenced them.

"That's always bloody brilliant to hear," Paul enthuses. "It's nice to know that you are worth something in the grand scheme of things."

Paul will be touring Europe from August 21 through to mid-December 2024.

Photo credit: Marco Benjamin Alvarado (courtesy of Central Press for Conquest Music)

During an appearance on the new episode of the This Past Weekend With Theo Von podcast, Tommy Lee addressed a story in the MÖTLEY CRÜE biopic "The Dirt" about Ozzy Osbourne allegedly drinking his own pee and snorting a line of ants.

In "The Dirt", which premiered in 2019 on Netflix, a young Ozzy (played by Tony Cavalero) holds an impromptu gross-out contest of sorts with MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx at a Lakeland, Florida hotel swimming pool in 1984 during the two acts' joint U.S. tour. After exposing himself to some hotel guests, Ozzy asks CRÜE for cocaine. Sixx (played by Douglas Booth) hands over a straw, and Ozzy kneels on the ground and snorts a crawling line of ants. Then he urinates on the ground and licks it up, challenging Sixx to do the same. Pressured, Sixx urinates on the ground as well — but before he can get to it, Osbourne kneels down and laps it up first.

Asked by Theo if it's true that Ozzy drank his own pee, Tommy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Full-on true. I know people ask that all the time. They're, like, 'Dude, really?' I'm, like, abso-fucking-lutely. You can't make that shit up."

The MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer continued: "Dude, he was so high. All of us [were]. We had just been on an overnight bus ride, and Ozzy rode with us. So we're doing rails the whole way. No one slept; everyone [was] just drink[ing]. So we're at the hotel, and no one wanted to go to their room. Everyone wanted to still keep partying. So we go, 'Let's go to the fucking pool.' We go to the pool.

"At that time, it was just kind of a thing — everybody was into [trying to] out-rock star and out-gross somebody out, like out-partying," Lee explained. "So Ozzy's wasted. He sees there's a little trail of ants going all the way to this kid's popsicle that he left on the ground. And Ozzy looks down and fucking just snorts the line of ants going to the popsicle. And Nikki's, like, 'Okay. Well, fuck that.' So Nikki pulls his dick out at the pool. This is a hotel. This was, like, the Four Seasons [hotel], I think, in Dallas. And [there were] people, kids, everything. Nikki goes, 'Fuck that. Watch this.' Nikki goes to pee on the ground and Nikki's gonna lick up his own piss to outdo Ozzy. And before Nikki could do it, Ozzy fucking beats him to it and licks up his piss. And we're, like, 'All right, Ozzy. You win. You win, dude.'"

According to Tommy, what happened after the pool incident was potentially even more gross. He said: "What they don't show in the movie there is Ozzy's tour manager goes, 'Dude, Ozzy's fucking on one. You're responsible for him. Here's his hotel room key. Fuck. I'm done. I can't deal with this anymore.' I'm, like, 'I got him. Cool, I'll take him to his room.' So anyway, after we get kicked out of the pool area for all that bullshit, they don't really go into it in the movie. I'm, like, 'Come on, Ozz. We're getting kicked out. I'm gonna take you up to your room.' He goes, 'All right.' We get in the elevator. We're going up, and there's people in the fucking elevator. And he pulls his pants down and he just starts fucking [pushing hard]. He's shitting. I'm, like, 'Ozzy, dude. No! Fuck! Dude, no.' And we get to the floor. I'm just trying to get him to his fucking room, close the door and let him — he just needs to go to bed. So I take his room key, fucking open it up, push the door open. I'm, like, 'Okay, buddy. See you later.' And he goes, 'Come here.' I'm, like, 'I'm gonna go.' He's, like, 'No, you come here.' I go in, and now he's gonna finish. He just starts shitting in the middle of the room. He bends down, picks it up and starts painting the walls with his shit. I'm, like, 'I've gotta go, dude.' And I fucking bailed. And I don't know what happened after that. But they don't show that part in the movie."

Last October, Ozzy's son Jack asked Sharon Osbourne during their "The Osbournes" podcast if it's true that Ozzy snorted a line of ants. Sharon said: "I was not there, thank God. I used to try and stay away from MÖTLEY when they were with Ozzy. And I don't know. I honestly don't know. All I know is that I think it made their movie. And I wanna know why, now we're on the subject, of why, when they advertise their movie on Netflix, it's a picture of a guy imitating Ozzy. Why isn't the ad campaign a picture of MÖTLEY CRÜE? Why is it a picture of your father?" Jack said: "Well, I know, I know the answer to that. 'Cause Ozzy Osbourne's bigger than MÖTLEY CRÜE", to which Ozzy replied: "No. No. No. Stop. Stop. Stop. Let's move on." Sharon continued: " The thing is I just think it's an invasion." She then went on to call Sixx an "asshole." After Ozzy said, "No, he's not," Sharon countered with, "Yes, he fucking is."

Pressed by Jack if Ozzy did in fact snort the line of ants, Sharon said, "I say no." But Ozzy claimed otherwise. "Yes. Yes, I did," he said. "I was there. I did it. [In] my nostril… I was drunk and I did it."

Back in April 2019, guitarist Jake E. Lee, who played guitar for Osbourne on the 1984 tour, disputed the Ozzy ant-snorting story, telling Tone-Talk: "I was there, and I never saw ants. I was right there. He snorted a little spider. There was a not a trail of fucking ants there. Tommy [Lee, CRÜE drummer] says it, Nikki says it, Ozzy says it — they were fucked up. I was not. I was just trying to get a fucking sun tan. That's all I was doing. They were getting fucked up. Ozzy snorted a little tiny stupid spider that was crawling across. There was no ants — there was no fucking ants. I don't care what the other guys say — there was no ants."

As for the "urine" portion of the story, Jake said: "Oh, that was true. It started with a contest. It was Nikki and it was Ozzy. I think it started in the pool. They were in the swimming pool, and they kind of raced, and, of course, Ozzy lost. And [they had] a push-up contest, and, of course, Ozzy lost. Ozzy was getting tired of losing, and he stepped it up. I do remember at one point, Ozzy was sitting there. He got this weird look on his face. He was sitting on the concrete, and piss started flowing out underneath him. And he was obviously doing a lot of vitamins, 'cause [the urine] was, like, lime green. So Nikk Sixx, I remember, pissed on the girl he was with. She was lounging. She was not happy about it. Ozzy pissed on the ground. [Nikki] saw that and he went over and pissed on the girl that he was with in the lounge chair. And that's when Ozzy bent over and started licking his own green piss up. That's where I said, 'Okay, I'm outta here.' Not only is that happening, there's families on the other side of the pool — children and mothers and fathers looking horrified, like, 'What the fuck is going on over there?'"

Jake added: "That is my recollection. And Ozzy snorted this little spider that was crawling across. There was no ants. It's a minor detail."

In MÖTLEY CRÜE's 2001 autobiography, "The Dirt: Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band", Sixx recounted the episode in detail, writing: "I handed [Ozzy] the straw, and he walked over to a crack in the sidewalk and bent over it. I saw a long column of ants, marching to a little dugout built where the pavement met the dirt. And as I thought, 'No, he wouldn't,' he did. He put the straw to his nose and, with his bare white ass peeking out from under the dress like a sliced honeydew, sent the entire line of ants tickling up his nose with a single, monstrous snort.

"He stood up, reared back his head, and concluded with a powerful rightnostriled sniff that probably sent a stray ant or two dripping down his throat. Then he hiked up the sundress, grabbed his dick, and pissed on the pavement. Without even looking at his growing audience — everyone on the tour was watching him while the old women and families on the pool deck were pretending not to — he knelt down and, getting the dress soggy in the puddle, lapped it up. He didn't just flick it with his tongue, he took a half-dozen long, lingering, and thorough strokes, like a cat. Then he stood up and, eyes blazing and mouth wet with urine, looked straight at me. 'Do that, Sixx!'"

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that what little he remembers of the '84 tour with the CRÜE was pretty wild. "The 1984 tour was the most craziest tour I think I've ever done in my life," he said. "I don't remember it, but I remember I used to wake up every morning or come around thinking, 'What the fuck went on last night?' I mean, everybody keeps asking me, 'Hey, Ozzy, did you really snort a line of ants?' You know what, the answer to that is: I don't know, but it's very possible."

When asked by Page Six if the story was true, Sixx reconfirmed it. "Of course," he said. "We were a wild young band and he kind of took us under his wing. We thought we could compete with that, but you can't with Ozzy. He won."

Ozzy Osbourne photo credit: Ross Halfin