ATREYU has released the official music video for "Dancing With My Demons". The clip, which can be seen below, was helmed by the St. Louis, Missouri-based music video director J.T. Ibanez, known for his work with SEVENDUST, HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS, P.O.D., Orianthi and many more.

"Dancing With My Demons" is taken from ATREYU's latest album, "The Beautiful Dark Of Life", which came out last December via Spinefarm.

"The Beautiful Dark Of Life" is an emotional journey through three distinct phases accompanying ATREYU's previously released three-part EP series — capturing the essence of despair on "The Hope Of A Spark", the pursuit of hope on "The Moment You Find Your Flame" and the triumphant self-discovery and purpose on "A Torch In The Dark".

The album features sonic numbers that touch every corner of the heavy music sphere — from metal to punk and alternative, via '80s classic rock and with shades of industrial, hip-hop, and unashamed pop — speaking more than ever to a generation of music fans who care little for the traditional constraints of genre.

Through the expression of deeply personal feelings and emotions, the album is soul-baring and empathetic and offers escapism, and empowerment through songs that speak openly about anxiety, depression, self-belief, love, and identity that includes three new songs, "Dancing With My Demons", "Insomnia" and the title track.

"'The Beautiful Dark Of Life' is the journey we are all on," said frontman Brandon Saller. "It is the journey we have taken the audience on through the three EPs: the highs, lows, and lessons of life. And much like living through them, you don't gain a full understanding of what it all means without the whole picture. This album is that picture."

Bassist/vocalist Marc "Porter" McKnight said: "We wanted each EP to have its own space to exist, for every song to find its audience and connect with people in its own right. But then when those songs are later collected together in the shape of the album, it will be an 'A-ha!' moment where we hope people will rediscover them in a new light, and find something in them all over again."

"I was walking with my young daughter one day when we went under a bridge," said Saller. "She pointed at something and said, 'Daddy, what's that?' I told her, 'That's a shadow, honey.' And she turned to me and said, 'Shadows are the beautiful dark of life,'" in discussing the album title.

"The Beautiful Dark Of Life" track listing:

01. Drowning
02. Insomnia
03. Capital F
04. God/Devil
05. Watch Me Burn
06. Good Enough
07. Dancing With My Demons
08. Gone
09. I Don't Wanna Die
10. Immortal
11. (i)
12. Death Or Glory
13. Forevermore
14. Come Down
15. The Beautiful Dark Of Life

In an interview with Rock 100.5 The KATT's Cameron Buchholtz conducted at last September's Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma, Saller spoke about ATREYU's decision to shift their focus away from releasing albums to putting out a series of EPs.Saller said: "The whole project as a whole kind of tells sort of the same story in repeat. And we just wanted a way to kind of just be able to shine a light on the songs a little bit more individually. I feel like a lot of times you put out albums these days and you get three or four songs that get any sort of attention. The rest of them just go by the wayside, which sucks when you're creating art and putting everything you have into art."

He continued: "Each EP goes through the cycles of life, the seasons of life, if you will, to tell one big story at the end. So it's kind of a way that we can get a little bit more in depth with a kind of a story and also a way that we can have our audience really be able to focus on smaller portions of songs at a time."

Asked if he and his bandmates are seeing that sort of engagement and fans following the story, Brandon said: "Absolutely. I feel like, you just see it, just when [you look at] the [streaming] numbers, you see each song kind of getting a little bit more of a limelight and having a little bit more of kind of a day in the sun. So that feels nice for us."

Saller previously talked about ATREYU's decision to release a series of EPs last July in an interview with the "Brutally Delicious" podcast. At the time, he said: "I care less and less about the traditional kind of methods of things and more about, how do we actually get people to have the opportunity to digest all of the art? … You put out an album, put out 12 songs on an album and four of 'em get a light shined on them and are in the tens of millions of streams and have all this attention and then the other eight are in the hundreds of thousands, if that — maybe they hit a million. They're in the dark and you spent all this time on these songs.

"We're not a band that has historically put out records with a bunch of filler; it's hard to get songs past us," he explained. "So, for us, it's, like, 'Oh, well, man, it just didn't have opportunity to get shown.'

"I'm all about alternative methods of release," Saller added. "I think that physical release really only lies in vinyl and cool, like, collectors' kind of stuff these days. I don't care about CDs. I couldn't play a CD if I wanted to. I don't have a CD [player] in my car. I don't have a CD player in my computer. But as far as just releasing things, I just wanna release things that make it more accessible and easy to actually consume and digest them. And I think that that potentially is in singles and EPs. I don't know everything or anything. So we'll see how it goes."

Photo credit: Micala Austin

GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash will take the stage at The Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado for a one-night-only performance with his blues band on Wednesday, July 17. This special event is part of his nationwide "S.E.R.P.E.N.T." blues festival, and will be streamed live globally on Veeps, offering fans a unique opportunity to experience the magic of Slash's blues revival.

The Veeps livestream will showcase a set by Slash and his blues band, featuring Johnny Griparic (bass),Teddy "ZigZag" Andreadis (keyboards),Michael Jerome (drums) and Tash Neal (vocals/guitar).

S.E.R.P.E.N.T. is an anagram and stands for Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality N' Tolerance. The festival is a celebration of the blues, featuring an all-star lineup that will vary.

Slash formed the "S.E.R.P.E.N.T." festival to bring fans together to celebrate the spirit of the blues, and to perform with other blues artists he admires who share his love of the genre. Slash also has a strong desire to give back to charities that he has supported over the years, as well as to help lift marginalized communities that share his restorative focus of elevating lives for the benefit of all. A portion of the proceeds from each VIP package and "S.E.R.P.E.N.T." festival ticket sold will directly benefit the following charities that Slash has selected: The Equal Justice Initiative, Know Your Rights Camp, The Greenlining Institute and War Child. "S.E.R.P.E.N.T." festival has partnered with Plus1.org to support these charitable endeavors.

Joining Slash at various stops on the tour will be WARREN HAYNES BAND, Keb' Mo', Larkin Poe, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Samantha Fish, ZZ Ward, Robert Randolph, Eric Gales and Jackie Venson.

The trek will kick off on July 5 in Bonner, Montana and wrap up on August 17 in Grand Prairie, Texas.

"Slash: Live from The Mission Ballroom" will air globally on July 17, 2024. The stream will begin at 9:30 p.m. MDT and will be available on Veeps for one year following the original air date. The show is free for Veeps All Access subscribers in the U.S.; for fans outside the U.S., tickets are on sale for $14.99 at this location with a three-day rewatch window.

For more information and tickets to the in-person festival, visit www.serpentfestival.com.

Slash is continuing to promote his star-studded new album "Orgy Of The Damned", which was released on May 17 via Gibson Records. The LP features guest appearances by AC/DC's Brian Johnson, AEROSMITH's Steven Tyler, Iggy Pop, Chris Stapleton, THE BLACK CROWES' Chris Robinson, ZZ TOP's Billy F. Gibbons, BAD COMPANY's Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato and Gary Clark Jr.Slash is backed on the album by prior collaborators Johnny Griparic (bass) and Teddy Andreadis (keyboards),as well as drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal.

Regarding the inspiration for the "Orgy Of The Damned" album title, Slash told Germany's Rock Antenne: "It's the only title I came up with. It was just because blues and rock and roll have always been considered taboo and devil's music and all that kind of stuff. And it's 'hide your kids from that.' And I wasn't raised to think that, but I know society at large has always had that kind of attitude towards it, but of blues especially. And so when I thought about having a collaborative thing with all these different artists doing a blues record — 'Orgy Of The Damned', right? It seems so obvious to me, and I actually Googled it to see if somebody else had already used it, but they hadn't."

When the interviewer suggested that it must have been a "logistical nightmare" getting all those guest musicians to appear on the LP, Slash said: "It's difficult. I mean, you basically just have to get on the phone, and if they say 'yes', then okay. So that's really the hardest part, is calling people up and asking the question and seeing if they'll do it. And I was fortunate doing this, because I picked songs that… What I would do is I'd have the song and then go, 'Okay, who should sing this?' And whoever came to mind as being the appropriate singer, I would call them up. But, fortunately, I picked the right song for them to sing and so they would identify with it automatically. And so then that would make them feel more obligated to get involved and sing it properly or whatever goes through one's mind. But it was great because all the different artists were so open to the material and it really meant something to them. So, what happened was the vocal delivery really came from the heart; they were really singing from a place of connecting with the material."

Asked if there was anybody he wanted to get to appear on the album but couldn't, Slash said: "Well, the biggest one, really, the one that bums me out was [late MOTÖRHEAD leader] Lemmy. That was because there was a moment there where [I thought], 'Fuck, man, Lemmy would be great.' And I still haven't gotten used to the fact that he's not here, 'cause I'm so used to him being there. So that was the big one. I try not to make a big deal out of it. There's some people that I couldn't contact until after the record was done. And then they showed up, and [I would tell them] the record's done already. But other than that, everybody that I thought of were there."

Although he grew up in England, Slash's American grandmother turned him on to the blues early on and he was immediately taken with B.B. King. At the same time, his parents raised him on a healthy diet of '60s British rock 'n' roll, from THE WHO to THE KINKS. Once he moved to Laurel Canyon, Slash found himself surrounded by rock and folk singers like Joni Mitchell, CROSBY, STILLS & NASH and Neil Young — all of whom eventually inspired his playing and songwriting. It wasn't until he began playing guitar himself that Slash realized all of his favorite musicians had been influenced by the same B.B. King blues records he'd listened to as a young kid.

"Orgy Of The Damned" encompasses a broad range of styles within the blues genre, veering from an upbeat, rowdy take on Robert Johnson's "Crossroads" to a plaintive, twanging rendition of T. Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday". Some of the songs, like STEPPENWOLF's "The Pusher", Charlie Segar's "Key To The Highway" and Albert King's "Born Under A Bad Sign", had been performed by SLASH'S BLUES BALL while others, like Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City", were longtime favorites for Slash. "Hoochie Coochie Man", written by Willie Dixon and made famous by Muddy Waters in 1954, showcases the in-the-moment nature and unrestrained energy of "Orgy Of The Damned", with ZZ TOP's Billy F. Gibbons stepping in on guitar and vocals. The group went into a rehearsal room in North Hollywood and began hashing out soulful, rollicking takes on the classic songs. Everything was played live in the room, with an emphasis on improvisation which resulted in a collection of dynamic, energized songs that are immediate, raw, and distinctly familiar.

As Slash was considering vocalists, he approached his old friend and collaborator Iggy Pop, who had long wanted to record a blues song. Pop suggested Lightnin' Hopkins's 1962 track "Awful Dream", a sparse, drawling number originally laid down on acoustic guitar. The duo decided to recreate that stripped back vibe and recorded their own languid, emotionally-resonate version sitting on two stools in Slash's studio.

Elsewhere on "Orgy Of The Damned", Demi Lovato lends her powerhouse voice to "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone", a fervent, soulful version of the 1972 single by THE TEMPTATIONS that Slash admired as a kid. Although the song veers more towards R&B, the guitarist wanted to give it his own impassioned spin. The album concludes with a soaring original instrumental number, "Metal Chestnut", penned specifically for "Orgy Of The Damned" by Slash.

The first single, "Killing Floor", features Johnson on vocals and Tyler on harmonica.

"Orgy Of The Damned" track listing:

01. The Pusher (feat. Chris Robinson)
02. Crossroads (feat. Gary Clark Jr.)
03. Hoochie Coochie Man (feat. Billy Gibbons)
04. Oh Well (feat. Chris Stapleton)
05. Key To The Highway (feat. Dorothy)
06. Awful Dream (feat. Iggy Pop)
07. Born Under A Bad Sign (feat. Paul Rodgers)
08. Papa Was A Rolling Stone (feat. Demi Lovato)
09. Killing Floor (feat. Brian Johnson)
10. Living For The City (feat. Tash Neal)
11. Stormy Day (feat. Beth Hart)
12. Metal Chestnut

Although Slash's latest LP is his second under the "Slash" banner, he has released a handful of albums with his long-running band SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS, in which he is joined by ALTER BRIDGE frontman Myles Kennedy.

In February, Slash resumed touring with SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS.

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS' latest album, "4", was released in February 2022 via Gibson Records in partnership with BMG.

"4" was Slash's fifth solo album and fourth overall with his band featuring Kennedy, Brent Fitz (drums),Todd Kerns (bass, vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar, vocals).

Photo credit: Gene Kirkland

Professionally filmed video of METALLICA performing the BUDGIE song "Breadfan" at the second show of the 2024 leg of the band's "M72" tour on May 26 at Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany can be seen below.

In support of METALLICA's latest album, "72 Seasons", the band has been playing two-night, no-repeat shows in each city— first in Europe , then in North America and now back in Europe — as part of the "M72" tour. Each concert sees METALLICA performing on a massive ring-shaped stage, with the Snake Pit in the center, and four drum sets which are equally spaced out around the circular stage so drummer Lars Ulrich can get closer to the audience at various points in the show.

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield spoke about his mindset going into the 2024 leg of "M72", telling "The Metallica Report":  "What I'm going into is unknown. I know how big the stage is. I know we have breaks here and there. I know what we're walking into. When we first started with this, with the 'M72' stage, in the round in the stadium, from between setting up cones, walking around thinking, 'Oh, this is how big the stage is gonna be.' 'Oh, this is cool.' 'This'll be great.' 'This is too skinny,' and this and that. And then, between that time and then actually seeing it built, where it's kind of too late, 'Oh shit, this thing is so big.' The anxiety level was off the charts at the beginning of the 'M72' tour. Like, how are we gonna cover this stage? And, of course, my ego saying, 'Well, the other guys don't have to sing. They don't have to run over there. They don't have to do all this. And no one knows the woes I have and all the worries.' But as soon as I share them with the other guys, they're, like, 'Yeah, but I got this and I got this.' It's like, 'Oh, okay. Okay. I want mine back. That's okay.' So it's a known. We know what we're up against and we know what shape we need to be in. And it's just fun. Now it's just fun. We broke that stage in. It's well trodden on and it's worked fantastically. And so we just get to step back into it and do what we do best."

Asked if there have been any modifications to the "M72" stage at all since the 2023 shows, Hetfield said: "There have been a few things here and there that have changed — extra microphones, whatever monitors that we need. And that's typical on any stage, though. The lighting tends to show things that you don't see before: 'Yeah, we need to drape that off' or whatever it may be, just things to make it better. Just like anything we do, you wanna improve on it. So that that was the first couple months of the first touring with the 'M72' stage."

Regarding how he prepares for a METALLICA tour, especially when it comes to performing around 32 songs at each stop on the ongoing "M72" trek, Hetfield said: "Obviously, before heading out on tour, sitting there, trying to remember the myriad of pretty awesome songs we have, and then just trusting that once we get together, it's, like, 'Oh, yeah.' It's muscle memory. But, yeah, over the last month, I will say that the normal thing happens where I start to doubt myself. I start to feel insecure that, 'Whoa, we're old. We can't do this,' and blah, blah, blah, all that bullshit that everyone tells themselves before they go into something that they care about and is important. So having the nightmares of, 'I'm the only one who cares about what we're doing here. Where is everybody?' I show up at the gig. Everyone's goofing off or there's 200 people backstage. And where's my stuff? Where's the setlist? What songs are we doing? And then typical things like the guitar neck is made of rubber, and there's only two strings on it. And where's my roadie? And the guitar cord won't let me get to the microphone. You know, silly stuff like that that has to happen, and I don't freak out over it. All you do is you practice and that comes back pretty quickly."

After Munich, METALLICA continued touring throughout Europe for the first part of summer, with stops in Italy, Spain, Denmark, Norway, France and Poland, among others. Another round of North American dates will begin on August 2 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, with stops in Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle and Edmonton. METALLICA will close out the 2024 touring season with four shows in Mexico City at the end of September.

According to Billboard, METALLICA's production travels in 87 trucks — 45 for the band and its setup, plus two groups of 21 each for the steel stage and towers. There are 130 people in the band's crew, plus 40 steelworkers, local hires and truck drivers.

METALLICA's manager Cliff Burnstein told Billboard that between 80% and 90% of fans at each concert attend both shows.

The "M72" tour launched in late April 2023 in Amsterdam.

Opening acts include FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ICE NINE KILLS, MAMMOTH WVH, PANTERA, ARCHITECTS, GRETA VAN FLEET and VOLBEAT.

A portion of proceeds from the shows go to METALLICA's All Within My Hands foundation, which seeks to assist and enrich the lives of members of the communities who have supported the band and combat food insecurity; provides disaster relief; and bestows scholarships.

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER will release its tenth studio album, "Servitude", on September 27 via Metal Blade Records, today unveiling the record's first single and preorders.

"Before the tragedy, no one ever thought this band was going to exist without Trevor."

That's THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's co-founder Brian Eschbach telling it like it is. With the tragic passing of the band's frontman and co-founder Trevor Strnad in 2022, Eschbach, bassist Max Lavelle, drummer Alan Cassidy and producer/guitarist Brandon Ellis were faced with a decision: close the door on one of the most beloved death metal bands of the last twenty years, or carry on in their fallen brother's charismatic spirit?

"Everyone that's in the band now is someone that Trevor and I searched for," Eschbach says. "We spent so much time on the road together that everyone understands the mission statement. We don't really need to talk about it. We just need to make great music and try to make people happy playing it."

After a period of profound grief and deep soul-searching, Eschbach moved from guitar to vocals, setting aside his lifelong identity as a live guitarist for the survival of the band. Former THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER member Ryan Knight returned to the fold to take Eschbach's place on guitar. The new lineup made their debut in the band's hometown of Detroit in late October 2022 for a tribute show for Strnad.

Fast forward to right about now: THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's new album is the one that many would have thought impossible. "Servitude" marks Eschbach's recorded debut as THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's lead vocalist and lyricist — and their first with Knight on guitar since 2015's "Abysmal".

"I just had to lean into it hard," Eschbach says of approaching 'Servitude' in a completely new role. "Honestly, writing the lyrics for this album was easier for me than writing the music for the three songs that I wrote music for. I'd pick a subject, research it, and just kinda dive in. Even though it's not something I'd really ever done before, there was a natural flow to it once I started."

You can hear the thrilling results on "Aftermath" the ripping lead single, which envisions a post-apocalyptic cannibal scenario. "We wanted that one to be heard first because it's one of the faster songs on the album, if not the fastest," Eschbach says. "We wanted that very aggressive BLACK DAHLIA melodic death metal feel coming right at you. Lyrically, it's about a meteor that fucks up the whole planet, but there's still people living. Kind of like 'The Walking Dead', but with no zombies — so you get right to how people deal with it. And by the end, they're eating each other."

Watch THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's video for "Aftermath", created by My Good Eye: Music Visuals, below.

The members of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER know that some will be skeptical of an album without Trevor's inimitable presence. But many fans have already embraced the band's decision to move forward.

"More than pressures or expectations from the fanbase, I feel their trust and support," Ellis says. "We've always done what we do for them, and they've appreciated our consistency over the years. The global outcry following Trevor's passing has shown us how important the band's music has been to so many people, and how important it is that we continue in his honor. Under all that weight, I think we all knew what needed to be done."

"We put in everything we had, and this is the album that felt right to make," he adds. "I'm proud of it and proud of the five of us. You can never please everybody, but I know that this music will be a healing and positive force for those who embrace it!"

The guitars, bass, and vocals for "Servitude" were recorded at Ellis's home studio in New Jersey. The drums were recorded by Mark Lewis in Nashville, Tennessee where the album was also mixed. "Servitude" was mastered by Ted Jensen.

"Servitude" will be released on digipak CD, cassette and digital formats as well as vinyl.

"Servitude" track listing:

01. Evening Ephemeral
02. Panic Hysteric
03. Aftermath
04. Cursed Creator
05. An Intermission
06. Asserting Dominion
07. Servitude
08. Mammoth's Hand
09. Transcosmic Blueprint
10. Utopia Black

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER 2024 European tour dates:

Jun. 14 - Z! Live Rock Fest - Zamora, ES
Jun. 16 - Download Donington - Park, UK
Jun. 17 - Limelight - Belfast, UK
Jun. 18 - Opium - Dublin, IE
Jun. 20 - Arch Club - Athens, GR
Jun. 21 - Block 33 - Thessaloniki, GR
Jun. 23 - Graspop - Dessel, BE
Jun. 24 - Hirsch - Nuremberg, DE w/ Suffocation
Jun. 25 - The Black Lab - Lille, FR w/ Suffocation
Jun. 26 - Im Wizemann - Stuttgart, DE w/ Shadow Of Intent
Jun. 27 - Mergener - Hof Trier, DE
Jun. 28 - Club Vaudeville - Lindau, DE w/ Suffocation
Jun. 29 - Jera On Air - Ysselsteyn, NL
Jun. 30 - Hellfest - Clisson, FR
Jul. 31 - Rockstadt Extreme Fest - Brasov, RO
Aug. 02 - Dortmund Deathfest - Dortmund, DE
Aug. 03 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, DE
Aug. 04 - Full Rewind - Roitzschjora, DE
Aug. 06 - Lifestyle Café - Cham, DE
Aug. 07 - Brutal Assault - Jaromer, CZ
Aug. 08 - Party San Open Air - Schlotheim, DE
Aug. 09 - Szene - Wien, AT
Aug. 10 - Menza Pri Koritu - Ljubljana, SI
Aug. 11 - Slaughter Club - Milano, IT
Aug. 13 - Rockhouse - Salzburg, AT
Aug. 14 - Kiff - Aarau, CH
Aug. 15 - Summer Breeze - Dinkelsbuhl, DE
Aug. 16 - Reload Festival - Sulingen, DE
Aug. 17 - Chinasstraat - Gent, BE w/ Decapitated
Aug. 18 - Motocultor - Carhaix, FR

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER is:

Brian Eschbach - lead vocals
Max Lavelle - bass
Alan Cassidy - drums
Brandon Ellis - lead guitar, backing vocals
Ryan Knight - rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Photo by Marshall Wieczorek

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

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

"Psychopath" is taken from BODY COUNT's upcoming album, "Merciless", the follow-up to "Carnivore", which was released to critical acclaim in March 2020, just a week before COVID shut the entire world down.

Regarding how "Psychopath" came together, Ice-T told Consequence: "It started with the music. It sounds like what it's like to be in a psychopath's head. The track was psychotic, and it needed me to sing about something crazy."

This past February, Ice-T told Metal Hammer magazine about the musical direction of "Merciless": "I think we are staying in the same direction. [2014's] 'Manslaughter' was a reintroduction to BODY COUNT, not to just our old fans, but to a whole new group. [2017's] 'Bloodlust' was even better than 'Manslaughter', and 'Carnivore' was better than 'Bloodlust'. We're going to stay in the same vein, sound and production, but make better and better records."

Last October, Ice-T told Darren Paltrowitz, host of the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz", about the upcoming BODY COUNT LP: "Will Putney's producing again. We've had three consecutive great albums working with Will; he understands. I call him 'the Dr. Dre of metal,' because he has the ability to produce different groups but make them sound like themselves, but just better.

"We did 'Carnivore', and right [when] our first date of touring was supposed to start, COVID hit," he continued. "COVID hit, shut down all the stateside tour; 35 European festivals shut down; and we didn't really get to really perform the album; we didn't get to go out, and that kind of sucks.

"You make albums to perform 'em; you don't make 'em just [to sit at home]. And we won a Grammy on that one. That was great; that was a great accolade. It kind of took the sting out of dropping an album to a dead scene; it took the sting out of it. But then the label's, like, 'Okay, we'll do another album.' And I'm, like, 'Wait a minute. We didn't even really get this one out good."

Regarding how he goes about recording vocals for a new BODY COUNT album, Ice-T said: "Usually when I do songs, I'll do the songs but I don't complete 'em. Like, if there's gonna be three verses, I'll sing two and then I kind of live with them, and maybe that way I can think about how I wanna end the song and how I wanna change it up.

"I'm at a point now… When I first used to do albums, I would do, like, 20 songs and then try to pick 12. Now I'm very difficult to find the music, so by the time I pick 12, those are the 12 songs. I'm not doing a whole bunch of recording just to find that… I know what I'm doing. I'm like that photographer that knows how to just wait until the right moment to take the picture: 'Okay, that's one… two.' Versus the guy [who takes a bunch of pictures one after the other]. I don't need to do that.

"So the 'Merciless' album is sounding pretty hard, though," Ice-T added. "We named the motherfucker 'Merciless'."

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Alessandro Solca

EXTREME has released the official music video for the song "Beautiful Girls". The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Six", which came out in June 2023 via earMUSIC.

EXTREME says about the "Beautiful Girls" video, which was directed by guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and Rene Rigal: "Today we celebrate ALL the beautiful girls across the world with our new video. Beautiful girls come in all shapes, sizes and backgrounds and this one is for YOU!"

"Six" landed at position No. 10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart with first-week sales of 12,500 copies. The set marked the band's first studio album since 2008. The act was last in the Top 10 with "III Sides To Every Story", which debuted and peaked at No. 10 back in October 1992.

Last year, Nuno told Tiago Ribeiro, that he was thrilled with how "Six" turned out. "I would put our album up against anybody's album; I feel that confident," Nuno said. "And I think the album itself — never mind me or EXTREME — if I heard that album and it wasn't us, I would think the same way I think about the album now. I think it belongs there. I think it's a well-made album. I think the songs are there. I think that the musicianship, the chemistry and the guitar playing. But I think, more importantly, what's really there and what people are connecting with is the mythology of rock and roll. I think that's really what's missing a lot in guitar-driven music, is that…

"I think when people saw a guitar player that's in a band with songs and arrangements and the videos and everything, it was almost like seeing something that… People are saying it's so fresh, but for us, it's, like, this is like going back for us," he explained. "This is more of a reminder than it is anything else that you can still be passionate and have fire and do all those things. And the people are letting us know that they're starved — they're starved for rock and roll like this, I think."

Last September, Nuno told American Musical Supply about the long delay in getting "Six" released: "The recording [of 'Six'], a lot of people are saying like, 'Man, [it took] 15 years,' obviously, minus a few of the handmaid's tale years, pandemic years. But the album itself probably, if you add it up, it took the same length as an album takes to record. It didn’t take 15 years to record the album. It's just that we probably had, like, three albums' worth of material. The guys kept coming out to L.A., and we would do a crop of songs, and we'd write another crop of songs or record another couple crop of songs."

Bettencourt went on to say that he and his EXTREME bandmates had "set a bar" for themselves. "You really have to be super proud and super excited to share your music with anybody, even if it's your brother or it's your family member or if it's Tom Morello that you happen to know," he explained. "Once you have that feeling of, 'Would you play these songs in front of your peers?', then you kind of know you got something there and you're ready to go."

After a highly successful 2023 tour with THE BAND GEEKS, Jon Anderson decided to expand the creative partnership with the band to create new material for a potential new studio album. The result of this effort is "True", which will be released on August 23 by Jon's new label, Frontiers Music Srl.

The first single from "True", a song called "Shine On", can be streamed below. The accompanying official music video will make its online debut later today.

"True" is a nine-song album which will be a welcome gift to all fans of Jon's 40 years as lead vocalist of the multi-platinum Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee YES. The LP's collection of songs harkens back to YES's classic 1970s sounds as well as to their latter-day success with the album "90125".

The album was co-produced, engineered and mixed by THE BAND GEEKS bassist and musical director Richie Castellano.

"True" track listing:

01. True Messenger
02. Shine On
03. Counties And Countries
04. Build Me An Ocean
05. Still A Friend
06. Make It Right
07. Realization Part Two
08. Once Upon A Dream
09. Thank God

Jon and THE BAND GEEKS embarked on their 2024 U.S. tour on May 30 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The tour will encompass three legs and will run through September. Additional September dates will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

In a recent issue of Mojo magazine, Anderson said that he was open to reuniting with his former YES bandmates Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe.

"I was talking to THE BAND GEEKS and said, hopefully we can play in London and Steve will get up and do a couple of songs with us, maybe Rick too," Anderson said. "It just means talking. When I'm out there singing on my own, I still think I'm part of YES. They still feel like my songs."

Anderson co-founded YES in 1968 with bassist Chris Squire, and remained with the band until 2008, when YES replaced him with Benoit David, an Anderson sound-alike who previously fronted the YES tribute band CLOSE TO THE EDGE. David left YES in 2012 and was replaced by Jon Davison.

In July 2020, Howe told Rolling Stone that there is virtually no chance of the surviving members of YES reuniting for a tour.

"I don't think [the fans] should stay up late nights worrying about that," he said. "There's just too much space out there between people. To be in a band together or even to do another tour like 'Union' is completely unthinkable," referencing the group's 1990 "Union" LP and tour, which brought together the previous YES album's lineup (Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Trevor Rabin, Alan White, Tony Kaye) and the then-ex-YES members' group ANDERSON BRUFORD WAKEMAN HOWE (Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe). "It was difficult when we went through that, particularly because of the personalities," Howe said. "I'm not saying any one person is to blame, but when you get a big hodgepodge like that together, it's pretty much a nightmare. We made a nightmare of possibly a good thing back in 1990. I don't think there is the stamina or the appetite for that kind of thing again."

Anderson, Wakeman and Rabin had started touring as ARW: ANDERSON, RABIN AND WAKEMAN in 2016 and then adopted the YES FEATURING JON ANDERSON, TREVOR RABIN, RICK WAKEMAN moniker shortly after the group's 2017 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction.

Howe last toured with Anderson and Wakeman in 2004.

YES has released over 20 albums across its career, including its self-titled debut in 1969 and "Tales From Topographic Oceans" in 1973.

Ahead of its world premiere, Trafalgar Releasing has unveiled a first-look clip of GHOST's debut film, "Rite Here Rite Now". In the spirit of the feature film, the clip juxtaposes mesmerizing live footage of GHOST performing for capacity crowds, showcasing a sequence of the song "Kaisarion" from the 2022 album "Impera", with intriguing backstage machinations sure to fuel fever-pitch speculation regarding plot threads drawn from the Grammy-winning band's "Chapters" series.

Due to the overwhelming demand, further theatrical dates have been added to the worldwide launch of "Rite Here Rite Now", which will now premiere in cinemas over four days on June 20, June 21, June 22 and June 23. Tickets are available here.

Directed by GHOST's Tobias Forge and Alex Ross Perry ("Her Smell"),"Rite Here Rite Now" combines never-before-seen 2023 concert footage of GHOST with a narrative story that picks up plot threads from the band's long-running "Chapters" series.

Shot over the course of GHOST's two sold-out shows at Los Angeles's hallowed Kia Forum, "Rite Here Rite Now" fully immerses viewers in the technicolor melodrama of the vaunted live ritual that has helped to propel Sweden's foremost theatrical rock export to Grammy-winning, chart-topping, arena-headlining status the world over.

"Rite Here Rite Now" is, however, so much more than a concert movie. GHOST's debut feature film combines live performance from the two-night finale of the band's "Re-Imperatour" U.S.A. 2023 with a narrative story that picks up plot threads from the band's long-running "Chapters" series. The result is an utterly unique phantasmagorical blend: Flesh and bone renditions of favorites from all five of GHOST's albums as well as the RIAA platinum-certified "Mary On A Cross" and more are interwoven with the silver screen debuts of a few faces familiar to the band's legions of fans — all interacting behind the scenes with GHOST's Papa Emeritus IV, as his future and fate lay in the hands of the Ministry.

Whether you're a devoted disciple looking to relive treasured memories of the GHOST live spectacle or among the curious uninitiated, "Rite Here Rite Now" will put you right there: putting your phones down and living in the moment — as a shadow of uncertainty looms — completely spellbound and in the thrall of this bombastic yet intimate cinematic portrait of GHOST.

The original motion picture soundtrack to "Rite Here Rite Now" will be released on July 26 via Loma Vista Recordings. A fitting 18-song complement to GHOST's debut feature film, the band's first-ever original soundtrack will be available on all formats (digital, CD, 2xLP). Pre-orders are live now, and include the soundtrack's live version of "Absolution", captured at that now-legendary two-night stand at the Forum, as an instant grat track available on YouTube.

Forge explained: "Over a decade ago when GHOST got signed to Loma Vista, Tom Whalley (owner and CEO) asked what the story of the band was. He felt telling a story was vital in order to get new fans engaged. I said that because we were a new 'baby' band and more importantly we were an anonymous baby band, there wasn't really a compelling story to tell. Not yet anyway. But I told him that if he wanted a story, I could come up with one. This film is the fruit of that conversation."

Director Alex Ross Perry said: "Collaborating with Tobias to expand the saga of GHOST into a feature film has been a wicked delight. This movie allowed us to be inspired by everything from silent horror to 'The Great Rock N' Roll Swindle', from Ralph Bakshi to KISS 'Alive II'. The influences were many, but above all, the ultimate goal was to make a one-of-a-kind feast not only for GHOST fans, but all lovers of the cinematic alchemy between rock spectacle and spooky delights."

Kymberli Frueh, SVP of programming and content acquisitions at Trafalgar Releasing, added: "The mystery, mystique, and musical style of GHOST has created such a dedicated allegiance to the band. Our cinemas provide the perfect immersive experience to unite fans as a community and experience GHOST's elaborate performances with big screens and big sound."

"Rite Here Rite Now" is produced by Popecorn Cinematic Pictures. Producers include Kristen Mulderig, Rick Sales, Craig Butta and Jonas Åkerlund.

Last October, Forge confirmed that footage from the band's September 2023 two shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California would be used as part of the film.

"When I first started putting it together, I was, like, 'Oh my god, I'm going to faint because there's so much to think about,'" Forge told Metal Hammer magazine. "Then it was, like, 'No, no, just don't think about it at all.'"

Both GHOST shows at the Forum were device-free experiences. Use of phones and smart watches was not permitted in the performance space. Upon arrival at the venue, devices were secured in individual Yondr pouches that were opened at the end of the event.

"I have never seen a crowd interact the way that they did since I was in a club band," Forge said. "They were the best shows I've ever done with GHOST, just because I didn't have to see those fucking mobile phones."

Tobias went on to say that GHOST was "essentially shooting a film. And we used two nights of crowds as extras," he explained. "It's going to be a film with a concert element. So a lot of what you experienced [at the two L.A. shows] is going to be part of this project."

Tobias was also asked if the GHOST film will be similar to METALLICA's "Through The Never", which starred members of the iconic rock band and Dane DeHaan ("Chronicle", "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"). DeHaan played a young band crew member who is sent out on an urgent mission while the band is playing a rousing live set in front of a sold-out crowd and unexpectedly finds his world turned completely upside down. Forge replied: "In the sense that it's a concert with something else combined."

At the Forum shows, GHOST performed the song "Twenties" live for the very first time live. They also played their cover of Roky Erikson's "If You Have Ghosts", which was originally reimagined by GHOST for their 2013 EP "If You Have Ghost". The band's version of the track at the Forum featured two cellists with a piano playing, and it was performed on a separate stage from the rest of the set.

Back in 2019, Forge told Revolver that there was a GHOST feature film in the works. He added, however, that this wouldn't be your typical "rockumentary" or even a concert film, but something else entirely.

"Most films about bands are biographical, and I see no reason to tell our story yet," Forge said. "It's a little bit like premature ejaculation. You have to have a career first and then you can tell the real story, so that was never an option. And when you yank away that, what do you have? Well, that would be a fictional story."

When Forge spoke to Revolver about the GHOST film four years ago, he explained that it would be a while before the project came to fruition.

"The cog wheels are turning on that one," he said. "We're just trying to figure out a lot of the practicalities. Making a film is a big endeavor. Another problem that I have had over the course of my career is that I don't have a shit-ton of time. I've learned over the years that it's really important not to do everything at once."

Charismatic Dutch singer-songwriter Charlotte Wessels (ex-Delain) returns with a captivating new single, “Chasing Sunsets”. The track, which is at once melancholic and upbeat, highlights her inimitable voice and memorable hooks, complemented by a mesmerizing music video.


Taken from her first traditional full-length solo album, The Obsession, set to be released on September 20, 2024 via Napalm Records, this album is promising a storytelling exploration of fear and liberation. Featuring guest appearances by Simone Simons of Epica and Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy, it blends catchy elements with progressive and heavier soundscapes, marking the most significant step in Wessels’ solo career.


Wessels and her band will bring this story to the stage for a release show on October 4 at Utrecht’s TivoliVredenburg. In addition, there’ll be some exciting festival appearances this year, and it was recently announced that Charlotte Wessels will join Vola on their Friend of a Phantom EU Tour 2024, kicking off November 1. Don’t miss the chance to undergo this astonishing live experience.    




Charlotte Wessels on the new single and official music video: “When I released the initial version of 'Chasing Sunsets' on Patreon, it was an instant favorite, and it grew so much since then as we worked on it for the album, I can’t wait to share this track with the world! There’s an underlying theme of self-preservation and greed in the song that we visualized in the music video. I’ve never felt so much like we’re living in the hunger games where parts of the world continue lavish lifestyles while others suffer complete devastation. We worked with this theme in the music video through an artificial beautiful landscape and styling, all staged in a barren space with burning trees."


Watch the official music video for “Chasing Sunsets”:





While still writing and producing the songs in her Six Feet Under basement home studio and sharing their first incarnations with her patrons, Charlotte Wessels now takes the songs from her new album, The Obsession, to the next level with a band of her fellow ex-Delain cohorts Timo Somers (guitars, additional arrangements), Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije (bass) and Joey Marin de Boer (drums) as well as Sophia Vernikov (piano/hammond), contributing to the new heavier sound. The album also features arrangements by Vikram Shankar (Silent Skies, Pain of Salvation), cello by Elianne Anemaat, was mixed by Guido Aalbers (Muse, Coldplay, The Gathering) and was mastered by Andy VanDette (Porcupine Tree, VOLA, Dream Theater).             


Charlotte Wessels about the new album: "On the one hand, this album tells a very personal story – through its unintended theme of fear, obsessive thoughts and the escapes from them – and at the same time it represents the joy of finding the song's true forms with everyone involved in the making of this record. That’s why I chose The Obsession as a title. It refers to my personal challenges with OCD that inspired many of the songs - but I’ve also started referring to the band as The Obsession - because there were moments in the studio with them that truly reminded me of why I'm obsessed with making music in the first place."


Themes of fear, obsessive thoughts and escapism run rampant on the album, presenting dark and heavy on songs like “The Exorcism”, “The Crying Room” and “Ode To The West Wind” (feat. Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy). In addition, there are songs that offer a more upbeat approach to the subject – like “Dopamine” (feat. Simone Simons of Epica) which deals with SSRI-induced numbness, or “Praise” – which sings the gospel of needing external validation in order to feel anything. The reimagining of fan-favorite “Soft Revolution” won’t leave a dry eye in the room, while “Soulstice” and “Serpentine” present an unprecedented dark sensuality. Each song itself functions like an exorcism, an attempt to cast out a little of the fear it deals with.    


Charlotte Wessels about the guests: “I’m extremely grateful and proud to add Simone Simons and Alissa White-Gluz to the line-up of this album. They are creative powerhouses that I have so much love and respect for. Whenever we get to work together is an absolute treat and they really elevated the songs with their performances.”








The Obsession will be available in the following formats:


- Gatefold 2-Vinyl Splatter + 2 Bonustracks (“Backup Plan” + “Breathe; Extended“), D-Side Etched – ltd. to 200 copies worldwide *Napalm Records Mailorder Only*
- Gatefold 2-Vinyl Recycled Black + 2 Bonustracks (“Backup Plan” + “Breathe; Extended“), D-Side Etched
- Gatefold 2-Vinyl Inkspot + 2 Bonustracks (“Backup Plan” + “Breathe; Extended“), D-Side Etched *Patreon Exclusive*
- Digisleeve + Shirt Bundle
- Digisleeve
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





The Obsession tracklisting:     
        
"Chasing Sunsets"
"Dopamine"
"The Exorcism"
"Soulstice"
"The Crying Room"
"Ode To The West Wind"
"Serpentine"
"Praise"
"All You Are"
"Vigor And Valor"
"Breathe"
"Soft Revolution (2024)"


"The Exorcism" video:





(Photo - Tim Tronckoe + Claire Stuart/Blond en Blauw Films)

Today, Those Damn Crows release their juddering new single, Let's Go Psycho!", a rampant track set to bounce crowds to the heights of this year's Apex Stage at Download Festival.


Created by 12 Inch Media (Oasis, Bring Me The Horizon, Stereophonics), the video hits viewers with an epic dose of psychedelia, travelling through multiple realms and dimensions as the song explores the connection between humanity, God, and AI.







Produced by Dan Weller (Bury Tomorrow, Holding Absence), "Let's Go Psycho!" is the first taste of new music from Those Damn Crows since their UK #3 album Inhale/Exhale (of which an expanded edition, featuring stripped back and live versions of the album tracks alongside alternate mixes, was released earlier this year).


Frontman Shane Greenhall comments, “This is a chaotic banger that we knew would be great live, which is why it's being released two days before our main stage performance at Download!


“'Let's Go Psycho!' is based on the idea of a 3-way conversation between Human, God and AI – which one of us is actually more 'God-like'? Did God lose control of the humanity he created – and will we one day lose control of AI where it will ask us (its maker) the same question?"


He continues candidly, "The song, cover art, and video were inspired by an intense experience I had through a DMT trip. Multiple realities existed in one, and a jester was the puppeteer in control, showing me that there's choices and consequences to my decision making. He said we will always have two choices but only one decision to make: don't go psycho, or let's go psycho! We’re unbelievably excited to show you what us Crows have up our sleeves. We are happy to announce that there’s more brand new music coming very soon as we’ve already started creating what will be our 4th studio album!"


Watch the new lyric video below:

Amiensus, still revelling in the April album release of Reclamation, launch the first single from Reclamation companion piece. Pt II continues where the US progressive/black metal band left off with more lush, panoramic epics blending harsh conditions with chilling melodies and triumphant sorrows.


Lead track, “The Distance”, shows further evidence of the band’s penchant and abilities, made even sweeter with the addition of guest vocals from Lars Nedland (Borknagar, Solefald). The single is available for streaming/download on all digital platforms, and a lyric video can be viewed below.


“’The Distance’ was primarily written by one of the founding Amiensus members Joe Waller, who last participated with us on our 2020 split with Adora Vivos; and Joe was involved in the formation of the band and on the first two LPs [Restoration and Ascension],” explains singer/guitarist James Benson. “We were all very, very excited to have Joe contribute to Reclamation Pt. II, and even more excited when Lars Nedland agreed to perform on this track. Lars simply asked for lyrics and took it from there - which was simply astonishing, as you can hear for yourself how beautifully he crafted the melodies on this song. It was a joy to take such a well-written song and have one of our music idols perform so perfectly on it!”




“The Distance” is just one of the songs planned to preview Reclamation Pt II, which will be released August 30 on digital and CD, as well as a limited-edition colored vinyl (with digital download code). Pre-orders launch today for these formats, here.


Once again, Aria Fawn provides unique and complementing artwork for Pt. II befitting the band’s sound and vision. “Aria did a great job interpreting the overall messages of each part of this double album, and her skills are unmatched,” states James. “There is beauty, and chaos in all things, condemnation, and redemption, defeats, and victories, and she was able to elegantly capture this through these two paintings. Please follow her on social media.”


James, who also fronts Midwest post-black metal operatives Chrome Waves, is joined in Amiensus with Ghost Bath drummer Chris Piette plus guitarists Alec Rozsa, Kelsey Roe and bassist Todd Farnham.





Tracklisting:


"Sólfarið"
"Acquiescence"
"Disconsolate"
"Decaying God Child"
"The Distance" (ft. Lars Nedland)
"Leprosarium"
"Orb Of Vanishing Light"


"The Distance" lyric video:

Just in time for the upcoming festival season, which will take the Austrian band Mastic Scum to stages in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Romania and Slovakia, the tech/groove deathers have release “Roomd 23”, a video clip for a track from their latest album Icon. 


This is the perfect opportunity to get into the groove or to be reminded that the album is still available on CD and red vinyl. Order at the MDD Records webshop.







Festival dates:


June
22 – Czech Republic – Apocalyptic Form Of Death


July
27 – Croatia – Goathell Metal Fest


August
31 – Slovakia – Breka Fest XV Open Air


September
20 – Romania – Psychosounds Festival


October
26 – Czech Republic – Metalstorm Festival 

Icelandic post-rockers Sólstafir have revealed the brand new single, “Hin Helga Kvöl". Meaning "The Holy Torment," the new offering conjures up nostalgia as it harkens back to the band's heavy roots while still layered with thick ambience and deep emotion. The song can be found along with a music video, which was directed by Karl Ágúst Guðmundsson for Polarama below.


"It is a song about dying,” says guitarist/vocalist Aðalbjörn Tryggvason (guitar, vocals). “It is about the realization that you will die sooner than later and consciously witnessing the end of your own world. It is one’s own personal idea of Ragnarök - or Armageddon. What happens afterwards? Are we reborn or are we simply food for the worms…”







Sólstafir recently announced signing to Century Media Records. They are no strangers to the music world with their 20+ years of performing across the globe as they consistently amaze audiences with their hearts on their sleeves from the first note. With a full catalog of truly exceptional timeless hits to perform, as well as some much-anticipated new music, the atmospheric Icelandic rock n’ roll sound that is uniquely Sólstafir always delivers to those who bear witness to their epic sets that take you on a journey through the ice and snow, fire and lava and breathtaking soundscapes of their homeland.





Dates:


November
13 - Groningen, Netherlands - Oosterpoort
14 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Doornroosje
15 - Maastricht, Netherlands - Muziekgieterij
16 - Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
17 - Bielefeld, Germany - Forum
19 - Lille, France - Splendid
20 - Brighton, UK Concorde 2
21 - Manchester, UK - Club Academy
22 - Dublin, Ireland - Opium
23 - Glasgow, UK - Queen Margaret Union
24 - London, UK - Electric Brixon
26 - Paris, France - La Machine Du Moulin Rouge
27 - Rennes, France - Antipode
28 - Toulouse, France - Metronum
29 - Pamplona, Spain - Totem
30 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Mon


December
1 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2
3 - Milano, Italy - Alcatraz
4 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
5 - München, Germany - Technikum
6 - Vienna, Austria - Simm City
7 - Warsaw, Poland - Proxima
8 - Leipzig, Germany - Täubchental
9 - Berlin, Germany - Metropol


Sólstafir lineup (left to right in photo at top):


Aðalbjörn Tryggvason: Guitar, vocals
Svavar Austmann: Bass
Hallgrímur Jón Hallgrímsson: Drums, backing vocals
Sæþór Maríus Sæþórsson: Guitar


(Photo - Katie Metcalfe)

In a recent interview with Rockin' Metal Revival, TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy spoke about the progress of the writing and recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2020's "Titans Of Creation" album. Asked if there is already an album title or a release date for the effort, Chuck said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We won't talk about the title because we have a bunch of working ones, but it always changes in the final minute. But I do have to say that Chris Dovas is our new drummer on board and he is lighting Eric Peterson [TESTAMENT guitarist] up as far as writing, which I'm very excited, because I know we have a lot of history, a lot of music. It's always tough to get creative this far in your career, but I feel that Chris has pushed Eric to that limit to really go beyond what he's done. So there's some really, really cool stuff on this record — modern, old school; it's got a little of everything. So Chris is bringing a lot to the table for this record."

Asked how TESTAMENT's process for writing and recording an album has changed since the early days, Chuck said: "I'd say the only thing that's changed is that we don't live near each other and don't go to the studio and hang out and drink beer like we used to. So we work writing songs via the Internet, and we'll work that way for a while and then Eric and Chris come to my house and then… we'll run through the music and the songs. But the guys have been in the studio for about three weeks right now, and I believe most of the drums are done, a couple of cover songs we're gonna cover are done. We're still writing the last probably four songs, finalizing them. So when we get back from the Milwaukee Metalfest [in late May], we've got about a month and a half to get the rest of the record recorded before we leave for Europe."

Regarding whether TESTAMENT fans can expect to hear new music from the band on the upcoming "Klash Of The Titans" North American co-headlining tour with KREATOR, which starts in September, Chuck said: "I don't think so, 'cause I think we're still going to be promoting [the re-releases of the first two TESTAMENT albums] 'The Legacy' and 'New Order'. So I think we're gonna be doing an old-school set, probably combining those two records."

In January, TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick told Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's new LP: "Well, we got delayed a little bit by the fact that 2020 basically didn't exist [due to the coronavirus pandemic]. It's a year that went away. And then there was so much touring to make up for. And for about a year of that, we had Dave Lombardo [ex-SLAYER] on drums, which was fantastic. And he's become a great friend and a great musician, but he's also spread very thin in many different bands. And now we have Chris Dovas [playing drums with us]. And he's a guy old enough to be any of our sons. But he is just unbelievable. He really brings the right energy. I mean, he brings the energy that the music had in the early days."

Last August, Dovas was asked by Pod Scum if it was "unnerving" to step into a group whose list of previous drummers includes such heavyweights as Lombardo and Gene Hoglan. He responded: "It was, especially at first because I knew that a lot of eyes were on me, and also I looked up to the band since I was a kid. Especially Lombardo and Gene — those are two of my favorite drummers right there. So to be put in that situation of taking over for them, I felt like I had a lot of responsibility and a lot of… I felt like I had something to prove a little bit, and I'm still practicing a lot and I just wanna do the best that I can do. Right now I'm not really nervous anymore because I've done two full tours with them now and we're working on the [new TESTAMENT] album and the friendship has been developing now and we all get along super well. They've welcomed me with open arms and it's been great and the fans have been great. I've been putting hours and hours of practice into it to make sure that I can do the best that I could do. And I look up to Dave and I look up to Gene as well, so, yeah, I just wanna play the songs well live and keep making the band sound good."

Asked what his role has been so far in the creative process for TESTAMENT's next album, Chris said: "I don't know exactly what I'm allowed and what I'm not allowed to share yet, but what you've seen publicly, though, right now is that Eric and I have been working on a lot of stuff together. And so it's been really cool to get into their brains, in a way, and how they write stuff. I'm used to people sending me tracks with scratch MIDI drums or programmed drums or something, and I've gotta put my drums to them and then hop on a Zoom call and we can edit things and move stuff around. But with them, Eric and I, he set a timer at one point for, like, 20 minutes and we would just jam random ideas. And then sometimes we'd make mistakes and stuff and that would be cool, and we could take that… It's very organic, though, and it's very involved, I guess. It's a different way of writing and I'm super excited to be a part of that method of writing. And I could see why they're so successful for all these years, now finally being a part of this current writing cycle, I guess."

In July 2023, Peterson said that he and Dovas had spent a few days working on material for TESTAMENT's next studio album. Eric shared a few photos on his Instagram and wrote in an accompanying message: "Had a very productive week with the kid! Mr. @chrisdovas and I worked up new 7 jam ideas ranging from thrash to nwobhm mixed in w/ black thrash to dark heavy hard rock blues…let's see what happens! super stoked so far!"

In a 2023 interview with Loud TV, Peterson said that the new TESTAMENT material was shaping up to be "fucking killer." He added: "I'm a fan. For me, I wouldn't release anything unless I'm a fan of what I'm doing. I have to get goosebumps. When I hear it, I'm, like, 'Yeah.' And then, of course, I play it for friends. A few of them go, 'Ehh.' But most of them go, 'Fuuuck!' Except Chuck — Chuck goes, 'Eh.' And then four years later, [he goes], 'That's the best song ever. Write more shit like that.' I'm, like, 'Yeah, but four years ago you said that sucked.'"

Peterson was also full of praise for Dovas, who officially joined the band last year as the replacement for Lombardo. Eric said: "When we were auditioning for new drummers, his video tape was the number one for me. And then, of course, Dave Lombardo called us, so we just kind of pushed everything aside; we said, 'Okay, we'll try Dave.' And when Dave was, like, 'Oh, I've got this show coming up. I've got this show coming up,' I went back to my [videos], [and I said], 'Oh, yeah, this guy.' I remember the other guys going, 'Let's call Paul Bostaph.' 'Let's call John Tempesta.' And, of course, they would probably do it, but with the stipulation of, like, 'I can only do this date,' 'I can only do this date.' I called Chris. He was, like, 'I'm in. I'll do everything.' And so we tried him, and were just, like, 'What?!' Perfect tempo. Everything correct — bam, bam. Very polite. Really nice guy. I can't say enough good things about him. He's just a really good drummer. He's 24; he's my son's age. Young blood back in TESTAMENT. For me, too, he loves black metal, so he was, like, [into] blast beats. But he also graduated from a school called Berklee. So, jazz… He's very fluent. He's not, like, 'Oh, I only know blast beats.' He knows blues… TESTAMENT's really diverse — we have ballads, we have rock songs, we have blast beats. That's just it — when he came to visit me before this tour, we were rehearsing for the tour but we would go back to my house at night, do some Jäger really late at night and just start jamming at my house. And the next morning we were, like, 'Woah!' Really cool shit. So I'm excited for the next record. It's gonna be killer."

Prior to joining TESTAMENT as a full-time member, Dovas previously filled in for Lombardo on the first six dates of TESTAMENT's summer/fall 2022 leg of "The Bay Strikes Back Tour".

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

In a new interview with Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global, EUROPE keyboardist Mic Michaeli spoke about the band's plans for the follow-up to 2017's "Walk The Earth" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We finally started writing songs seriously together again. So we finally sort of got into it, especially Joey [Tempest, EUROPE singer] and John Levén [EUROPE bassist] and myself. So the idea is to write songs as much as we can during the summer, although we have a lot of festivals to play, so it might not be that much. But then in the autumn, we're gonna finish so that we hopefully have songs for an album and then record beginning of next year and then release a few songs before the summer. That's our plan, but you never know what's gonna happen."

Regarding what musical direction EUROPE's new material might follow, Mic said: "I don't think we will go back fully to the stuff we did in the '80s — that's not gonna happen — but there might be some things that might go a little bit closer to that. But honestly, we don't know at this time where this album is gonna go, in what direction. It's really hard to say. It all depends on what songs we feel are great songs. If it's a great song, it's a great song. Let's put it on the album."

This past February, EUROPE drummer Ian Haugland told Stefan Nilsson of Roppongi Rocks that he and his bandmates were "working on new material. And the plan is to go into the studio and start recording and have a new album — well, I guess it would be early next year," he said. "And it's promising. I know Joey has been raving about two of the songs that him and Mic planning on writing on. And him and John Levén have something cooking. So the chemistry is still there. It's still going, and it's great fun."

He continued: "I can't wait to get back into the studio because in the studio that's where you reconnect as bandmembers, that's where you create the soul of the band. To go out on stage and to play the songs, that's just fun, that's just you've done the groundwork, you just go out there and you play and you have a good time. But in the studio, that's where you have the possibility to grow as a band and to develop as a band and as a musician. So, we haven't done that in a long while now, so it's about time to."

Last year, EUROPE released a new song titled "Hold Your Head Up". The track, which is described by the band as "a punchy uptempo rocker with reminiscent elements of early EUROPE," was recorded in August 2023 at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm with producer Klas Åhlund (GHOST, ROBYN) and was mixed by Stefan Glaumann (RAMMSTEIN, DEF LEPPARD),who also mixed EUROPE's "Secret Society" album.

In an interview with Metal Global, Tempest was asked why he and his EUROPE bandmates decided to record and release just one song at this time. Tempest said: "We wanted to get this ready before the [fall 2023 European] tour and the [upcoming EUROPE] documentary. So we focused on this song so we could have something out together with the tour and the documentary. That's why we released one song now. But we have a handful of songs — great ideas."

He continued: "We want to record the album [in 2024]. And whether we do it in the beginning, I don't know yet, but we have some great ideas. And 'Hold Your Head Up' is just the first one, basically."

Regarding the experience of working with Åhlund this time around, Joey said: "It was a great experience. We all liked it. The whole band would like to do more stuff with him. We don't know whether he's gonna be the producer of the [upcoming EUROPE] album yet, but... No, we don't know yet. I mean, it would be an interesting idea, actually. But we haven't decided yet. But we were very happy finding him and working with him. He's very professional, and he's also listened to EUROPE when he was younger and so he knows how we think. And the procedure with him was amazing. It went really smooth, and he's a very talented, very talented man. He's a guitar player as well."

Joey also talked about the musical direction of "Hold Your Head Up", which Botas noted is a combination of the classic EUROPE sound and the band's more recent, bluesier approach. The singer said: "I think it's a good mixture in the song. We never really set out to do that. It was an idea I had, and I sent it to the guys and everybody was, like, 'Yeah, that's great. Let's do that.' So, it's a natural progression, but I think you're right. I think it's a little bit of some melodies, especially in the verses, in the end of the verses there, there's melodies that remind you of some of the earlier stuff. But maybe the chorus and the riff a little bit, it's also quite fresh and more modern, I suppose. So yeah, it's got a bit of everything, but it still sounds like EUROPE, which is really cool."

"Hold Your Head Up" was made available to stream and download on September 29, 2023 across all reputable digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple, iTunes, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, Pandora and YouTube Music.

EUROPE's twelfth studio album is expected to be recorded in late 2024 and released in early 2025.

The "Hold Your Head Up" video offers a glimpse into the brand-new documentary that the band have been busy filming with producer/director Craig Hooper (DEEP PURPLE, SAXON) for Coolhead Productions simply titled "Europe - The Movie". The film will tell the story of the band, from formation until present day, telling of their rise to success in the mid-1980s, through hard times and heartache, to coming back in the millennium, and the current successes the band has achieved. This is set for release later this year.

Last fall, EUROPE completed the "Time Capsule" European tour which included 21 concerts across Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden, France, The Netherlands, and the U.K., including two nights at the famous London Palladium. These anniversary shows consisted of a career retrospective "evening with" performance featuring all the hits together with deep cuts and fan favorites from all of their 11 studio albums.

"Walk The Earth" was released in October 2017 via Hell & Back Recordings (Silver Lining Music). It was recorded at famed Abbey Road Studios in London with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (RIVAL SONS, Shooter Jennings, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton).

Photo credit: Fredrik Etoall (courtesy of ABC Public Relations)

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", former DIO and WHITESNAKE guitarist Doug Aldrich was asked if he was part of the DIO lineup that opened for IRON MAIDEN on a U.S. tour more than two decades ago. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No. Actually, that tour was in 2003. And so what happened is, originally WHITESNAKE asked me to play [with them], and I asked Ronnie [James Dio if he was okay with it], and he said, 'Yeah.' And it was gonna be a two-month tour. And we just had a blast. I mean, the WHITESNAKE band was on fire, just like the DIO band. And [David] Coverdale [WHITESNAKE leader] said, 'Do you wanna carry on? I've got dates. I'm gonna finish out the year.' I'm, like, 'Hell yeah. Let's do it.' And in the breaks, I was going up to Ronnie's. We were writing — starting to write for what turned out to be 'Master Of The Moon', which I actually in the end didn't contribute anything to. But we started writing. And one day he goes, 'Oh, we've got this tour with IRON MAIDEN coming up in the summertime.' And I was, like, 'Oh, Ronnie. Are you serious? Are you sure?' He's, like, 'Yeah.' I go. ''Cause I just committed to David Coverdale about the summer run.' And he was pissed, man. He was, like, 'What the fuck?' I was really upset. He kind of booted me out of the house. It was, like, 'The writing session's over. Get the fuck out,' kind of thing. He was pissed. And I felt horrible. But I had a great opportunity to work with Coverdale, and in the end it paid off with a lot of new music for WHITESNAKE. And I went back to Ronnie a couple of times. In 2005, he asked me to come back and fill in on a tour in Europe. And then I ended up doing another tour in Europe with him in 2005, which ended up being the 'Holy Diver Live' DVD. And that's when Coverdale was, like, 'Hey, I hear you're back with Ronnie. And some people are saying it's full time.' And I just said, 'Look, if you wanna keep WHITESNAKE going, we've gotta do some new music.' And he agreed. And that's when we started writing together. But it's all kind of intertwined. But the bottom line is that I missed that tour, and I heard it was a great tour."

Last year, Aldrich confirmed that a previously unreleased Ronnie James Dio song which he was working on with the legendary heavy metal singer before his 2010 death will be included on an upcoming Dio collection of never-before-heard and obscure recordings. The track in question was written during the sessions for DIO's "Magica II", a sequel to 2000's "Magica" that was left unfinished when Ronnie died in 2010. Another "Magica II" track titled "Electra" made it on to 2012's "The Very Best of Dio Vol 2".

In a 2015 interview with CrypticRock.com, Aldrich said that he was "only really in [DIO] for about a year, but in that year, we did do the 'Killing The Dragon' [2002] record. I got to contribute to that record with a couple of songs also, which was nice," he said. "We did a lot in that first year. We did that record, a bunch of touring, and a live DVD called 'Evil Or Divine - Live In New York City' [2005]. Then I joined WHITESNAKE, but I kept coming back to DIO. There was a couple of tours in 2005. Ronnie said, 'Would you come on tour with me?' I said, 'Absolutely, I just have to speak to David about it.' David said, 'Cool, just make sure you come back,' because we had talked about some new music and he did not want me to split."

Having also played with LION, HOUSE OF LORDS, BAD MOON RISING, HURRICANE and Glenn Hughes, Aldrich joined THE DEAD DAISIES in 2016 and can be heard on that band's last four albums, 2016's "Make Some Noise", 2018's "Burn It Down", 2021's "Holy Ground" and 2022's "Radiance".

Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and DIO, died of stomach cancer in May 2010 at the age of 67.

Ronnie was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer was diagnosed with cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

Ronnie's memoir, "Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography", was released in July 2021 via Permuted Press. It was written with longtime friend of 30 years and esteemed music writer Mick Wall, who took up the mantle after Ronnie's passing.

"Dio: Dreamers Never Die", the first-ever career-spanning documentary on the life and times of Ronnie James Dio, received a DVD and Blu-Ray release in September 2023.

In a new interview with U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine, AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows briefly touched upon his band's former tourmates METALLICA. He said: "I think METALLICA have aged really well. I think they look like dudes who are out there doing what they want to do. Maybe a few years ago it looked a little bit more…" — a careful pause — "…forced, but they were going through growing pains. But now you see them and it's James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] smoking a cigar before he goes onstage. Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] is Lars. They're not trying to fill up their faces with Botox. They're just guys who are aging dudes who are playing thrash. I think there's something really human and cool about that."

Back in April 2023, M. Shadows, whose real name is Matt Sanders, reflected on his band's experience of sharing the stage with METALLICA on an entire U.S. tour seven years ago. He told Jason Bailey of Audacy Check In: "Well, that was definitely a little more uncomfortable, because you're not in your setting and you're in the daylight and you don't have your toys with you and you're playing a quick set. And you're the opening band. So it's a different thing. Because when you're headlining, everybody's in the palm of your hand before it even happens. When you're opening for METALLICA and the place is sort of like slowly filling up, half the venue's full, you're in the daylight getting hit by the sun, so you almost have to go to war. You might have some people in the pit that are into this, but there's a lot of skeptical arms crossed, like, 'I don't like these new bands. I don't want anything to do with this. I'm waiting for the real metal gods to show up.' And so it's really a lot more feeling like you're going to war."

Shadows also explained why he and his AVENGED SEVENFOLD bandmates initially turned down the opportunity to open for METALLICA before finally agreeing to support the San Francisco Bay Area metal legends on their 2017 "WorldWired" tour.

"We have only headlined for so long," he said. "And one of the things that we heard early in our career, and one thing we respected immensely about certain bands, is if you headline, people think of you as a headliner, and if you go and open for people constantly, they'll always think of you as second fiddle. So the idea of opening and taking all the toys away, everything everyone had ever seen — my question to [METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich] was, 'I don't think this is the right look for new people getting into AVENGED SEVENFOLD. This isn't where we're at.' But to a lot of mainstream people, it was, 'Oh, you're the band that opened for METALLICA,' which put us on a higher pedestal, which was weird to me. And so the conversation just went, 'We're not gonna do that.' Then they would call [our agent] and offer more money, and we were, like, 'We're not gonna do that.' Then it eventually became, like, 'Okay, we're gonna do that because we'd be idiots not to.' But I still walked away from that tour extremely grateful but extremely, I think, right about taking that tour. It did put us in that weird position of, 'You're second fiddle to this.'"

Almost seven years ago, M. Shadows said that the majority of the people who came to see METALLICA during the two bands' joint summer 2017 stadium tour were "casual fans" who only had a copy of the San Francisco heavy metal legends' multi-platinum 1991 album.

METALLICA's first North American trek in eight years, which was seen by hundreds of thousands people, was also the band's first stadium run in almost two decades. It kicked off in May 2017 in Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium.

During an October 2017 event at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, Shadows and his bandmates spoke about the experience of supporting METALLICA on that year's tour. The singer said: "What you learn is that all the complaining and all the [negativity] online, or in this world, when you actually go to a stadium show, to sell out stadiums, it's required that you have The Black Album. You can play deep cuts all you want — you can play 'Master Of Puppets', this and that, but when they're playing The Black Album songs, every single person there is going crazy. And it's like sixty percent of their audience are casual fans that only have The Black Album, and that's one thing that's never gets reflected by their hardcore fans."

He continued: "To go do stadiums, you have to have a record that's worked at radio, or crossed over at some point into the consciousness of the human collective, and they had that with The Black Album. As much as we heard this and that, people complaining that they want deeper cuts from them — which I get — but when they play The Black Album, they play 'Sad But True', 'Enter Sandman', 'Unforgiven', it's just a different vibe, and you can tell that a lot of their audience are casual fans, which is something they've done and nurtured really well throughout their career.

"A lot of the metal bands that were around when METALLICA put out The Black Album, now they're playing clubs, and METALLICA is playing stadiums," he added.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album "Life Is But A Dream…", arrived in June 2023 via Warner.

During an appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi confirmed that he is working on material for a new solo LP. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I am writing stuff now for my own, for an album. So that's exciting too. And there's no pressure. I just do stuff when I feel like it, because, obviously, I've got a life to live and I like to do all the different stuff. But I've really enjoyed doing this stuff, as I did with Ozz [BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne] when I'd done a couple of tracks for his last [solo] album ['Patient Number 9'], which was good, to work with Ozz again. And I'm quite open for all that now. Whatever comes, and I like it, I do it."

Asked if he is going to release a "proper record" or if he will just make individual songs available whenever he feels like it, Iommi responded: "No, I'm gonna do a record. And I've got a lot of stuff. But now we're actually getting around to sort of putting it together, myself and the engineer. So it's been good fun, really. And as I say, there's no pressure. I can just do it — I don't have to do it by next week. And because of everything else [that has] been lurking around, I have to take my time in doing things. But it's been fun. And that's what it's all about, really. And I'm looking forward to actually doing it and an album coming out."

Tony also revealed that he is working on a new solo song to go along with the upcoming release of his second signature cologne, which will be another collaboration with Italian luxury perfume house Xerjoff.

To promote his first signature cologne in 2021, Iommi released a track called "Scent Of Dark", which was the product of a friendship struck up during the pandemic between Iommi and Sergio Momo, acclaimed perfumer, and designer for Xerjoff, well known for its unique and individual creations and collaborations in the fragrance world. Sergio is also an accomplished guitarist, and his fine fretwork can be heard on "Scent Of Dark".

When and if Iommi's new solo album surfaces, it would be his third, after 2000's "Iommi" and 2005's "Fused".

Joining Iommi on "Fused" was ex-DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes and drummer Kenny Aronoff, whose resume includes the "Iommi" album and a long run with John Mellencamp.

Nearly two decades ago, Iommi told Launch that he, Aronoff and Hughes had a great time making the "Fused" record. "It was like a load of nutters, quite honestly," he said. "We all let loose in the room. It was just like being kids, because Kenny, you know, [laughs] he was, like, he's so, like, up, and full of energy, and you've got Glenn [makes crazy sound] and Kenny [makes crazy sound] — bloody hell! It's almost too much, you know, but it worked."

SMASHING PUMPKINS frontman Billy Corgan and Dave Grohl of the FOO FIGHTERS are among the guests who were heard on "Iommi". The LP also featured guest appearances from Philip Anselmo of PANTERA, Henry Rollins and SYSTEM OF A DOWN's Serj Tankian as well as Skin of SKUNK ANANSIE, Peter Steele from TYPE O NEGATIVE, and THE CULT's Ian Astbury.

In February 2017, SABBATH finished "The End" tour in Birmingham, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career.

"The End" was SABBATH's last tour because Iommi — who was diagnosed with lymphoma in late 2011 — can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

Iommi revealed his cancer diagnosis in early 2012, shortly after SABBATH announced a reunion tour and album. He underwent treatment throughout the recording of the disc, titled "13", and the subsequent tour to promote it.

The BLACK SABBATH guitarist successfully underwent an operation in January 2017 to remove a noncancerous lump from his throat.

"13" was the first album in 35 years to feature Iommi, Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler all playing together.

Bill Ward was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced 11 years ago, but backed out soon after. The drummer later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

All four original members of SABBATH were present when the band announced its final reunion in late 2011. But Ward split from the group in 2012, citing an "unsignable" contract, and Osbourne, Iommi and Butler carried on with their Rick Rubin–produced "13" LP and extensive international touring without him.

Photo credit: Gibson

SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian, who is promoting his recently released memoir "Down With The System", was asked in a new interview with The Jesea Lee Show what it would take for him and his bandmates to release a new studio album, nearly two decades after the arrival of "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" LPs, which came out in 2005. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Egalitarian approach to everything within the band. [In other words] kind of more equality in terms of sourcing of the music, in terms of splitting everything, including publishing, in terms of ideas, in terms of sharing the vision — that kind of stuff."

He continued: "It's in the book. We call it a manifesto jokingly because I wrote points down that, years ago when I had some new songs that I thought would be amazing with SYSTEM, and so I played it for the guys. And I said, 'Guys, I've got an idea of a vision, a different way forward that I think would be very beneficial for the band.' And I presented it — we call it a manifesto in the book almost half jokingly, but bringing a manifesto to rock musicians is… [Laughs] I guess it doesn't work — it doesn't work. But I was trying to instill the same type of egalitarian principles as I love as an activist within whatever I do. And at that time, it didn't work, but maybe it will one day. We'll see."

"Down With The System" was released on May 14 via Hachette Books.In the memoir, Serj revealed that his SYSTEM OF A DOWN bandmates had auditioned a new vocalist after he had asked out of the group in 2017. Serj said that his disdain for touring led to his decision to tell his bandmates to carry on without him so they could continue living their dream. Tankian later learned that the band had begun looking at new singers, and he also shared that in "more recent years", he had pitched a close friend as a potential replacement but he didn't think the band ever seriously considered the offer.

Last month, Tankian explained to Patrick Ritter of the WSOU 89.5 FM radio station why he felt, from SYSTEM OF A DOWN's early days, that the complex dynamics within the band and the resulting clash of egos and creative tensions would ultimately led to the group's demise. The singer said in part: "John [Dolmayan], my drummer who's also my brother-in-law, recently — he's got an incredible memory. My memory is not as good, but he basically said, 'Yeah, ever since '99, you were looking and going, 'This can't continue this way.'' And I think it had a lot to do with the discrepancy between our attitude and Daron's [Malakian, SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist] attitude toward the band and toward everything that was happening. I think for Daron, he had grown up with this becoming his everything. In John's case, for example, even though he's played drums since he was eight years old — I think it was eight — he's done many, many things in life. He's had a comic book company. Shavo's [Odadjian, SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist] done other things as well, even though music's been a big part of his life. But for Daron, it was the only thing. And I had done many things in life — worked in different industries, got a college degree and went into music almost late, later than all the other guys, definitely. So I think there was a lack of appreciation of stuff happening or whatever it was. I can't remember the exact circumstance, but I felt like there was something wrong with this puzzle that I don't think we could solve from a very early time. And music had become my everything at that time. I had screamed at the gods saying that I wanna do music. And I knew that was my vision. I knew I'd be doing music for the rest of my life, no matter what, with or without SYSTEM OF A DOWN, 'cause that was my calling. But early on, I could see that schism, that schism developing."

Tankian previously addressed how his relationship with Malakian has evolved over the years, particularly as it relates to their collaborative partnership, earlier last month in an interview with Tom Power, host of "Q" on Canada's CBC Radio One. He said: "Well, changing the dynamic is basically years of time and the progression of the band, the success of the band, everything that happened in between the day that we met and now, basically, so 25, 30 years. A lot changes in that time. And so I think that's a part of it.

"Daron's been a lifer and he's incredibly serious about his music and he's incredibly protective of his music and vulnerable due to his music," Serj explained. "All of those things kind of go together. So it's those things, I think, that created some of the creative differences that we started finding. And it's also our progression. Listen, when Daron and I started working together, I didn't really write a lot of instrumental music — I mostly wrote lyrics; I was the lyricist; I was the singer. And he didn't write any lyrics; he just wrote music. But as time progressed and I played more musical instruments and I started becoming a songwriter/composer and he started writing more lyrics, we started kind of covering each other's territory. And I was okay with that. If he wrote lyrics, I was trying to encourage him to write more, because I believe in artistic growth. I believe in progression. I don't believe in things staying the same way, for music's sake. Otherwise the music becomes the same thing over and over again. That progression is necessary in every artist's life or in every group's life. So I was very encouraging of that. And I just wish that I got some of that back. And so that wasn't the case, and it was disappointing. And it became a creative difference over the band's path, and whatnot, over time."

Asked why he wanted to write about this in his book, Serj said: "A lot of it has been publicized in a very sensationalist format by media, music media mostly, and I kind of wanted to put it in a proper perspective and grounding perspective, but with love and with balance and understanding that these things happen. This is normal. You have a relationship and you have differences in opinion as [to] how you wanna go forward, whether it's a band or a marriage or whatever it is. And these things happen. And so I wanted to take that aspect out, I wanted to take the sensationalist aspect out of the whole thing and be, like, this is not only what happened, but this is how I see things."

Tankian also addressed the fact that SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, but has only managed to record two songs in the last 19 years, "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Released in November 2020, the tracks were motivated by the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN's ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they raised over $600,000.

"We haven't been making new music," Serj said. "We only put out two songs when the invasion of Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh happened in 2020 by Azerbaijan, because we felt like the Azeri trolls, the government-sponsored trolls were taking over social media and the news networks, and the victims of these attacks weren't getting the word out. So we became kind of obsessed with getting the word out, because we were seeing our people suffer. So we put out those two songs because of that and we donated a lot of the proceeds for that to the cause as well."

Asked how he balances the love and obligation he might feel toward his fans, those who love SYSTEM OF A DOWN, and the internal struggles within the band, Tankian said: "That's an incredibly smart question. It's really hard catering — when you're an artist, it's really hard catering. If you're an entertainer, catering is [what you do], but if you're an artist, then you're just creating what comes to you. You're almost unaware of what people want. Yes, if it's something heavier, you know people are gonna like it more. But if you're a good songwriter, you could do both. I do orchestral music, I do film music, I do rock music — I do it all. So I enjoy 'em all, but I know that if I do rock, more people are going to listen to it than a piano, instrumental orchestral piece of music, soundtrack kind of music. But it doesn't mean that you don't do both, as an artist. So it's hard to really cater to people's feelings. What I love is, and I know that I can speak for the rest of the guys in the band, that no matter what's going on with our creative difference or the band not making new music or not touring fully or whatever, everyone's incredibly appreciative of what we have in terms of the love that we get from our fans and the way that people react to our music and the way that we get all these e-mails about how it's changed people's lives and all of that stuff, and that is mind-blowing. It's the biggest honor. And when I meet people on the street, I'm still incredibly honored that someone would pick me out and look at me in a positive light, not knowing who I am personally, but knowing me through my music, through our music, let's say. And I think that's a great fucking honor. I feel blessed for it. But it doesn't mean that that thing should continue forever either."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN played its first live show in 11 months on April 27 as one of the headliners of the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas, Nevada for the second year in a row.

Malakian has resurrected his SCARS ON BROADWAY project for its first live appearances in five years: October 5 at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles as the support act for KORN, and October 11 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

In a recent interview with Spain's Made In Metal, bassist Roger Glover of the legendary British hard rockers DEEP PURPLE said that he leads a "very private" life away from the group. "The hoopla of being in a big band and touring has to be balanced, if you like, by family life," the 78-year-old musician explained. "And the family have a hard enough time 'cause I have to go away for such long periods of time, and they have to exist here without me, which is not easy. I have a wife and two children — young children now. It's necessary for me not to be known as famous. I don't like fame.

"People say to me, young musicians, 'Hey, how do you get famous?' It's the wrong question," Roger noted. "What you really need to ask is, how do you be happy? People who wanna be famous, I don't know why, because it's an imposition. It takes away your life. And so I'm very happy to keep my life as private as possible."

DEEP PURPLE's new album, "=1", is due on July 19 via earMUSIC. The LP marks DEEP PURPLE's first material with new guitarist Simon McBride, who stepped in two years ago following Steve Morse's departure.

With three consecutive No. 1 albums in their back pocket and a resurgent new energy powering them forward, this is DEEP PURPLE at their pinnacle. "Now WHAT?!" (2013),"inFinite" (2017) and "Whoosh!" (2020) have sold over one million copies worldwide, making DEEP PURPLE one of the most successful rock bands currently active. The latest studio album, "Whoosh!", reached No. 1 on the album charts in seven countries and charted in the top 10 in another 12.

There simply aren't enough superlatives to properly acknowledge the contribution DEEP PURPLE has made to rock music. Having sold more than 100 million albums and filled global arenas for decades, there's little wonder that the respected British radio station Planet Rock named the group the "Fifth Most Influential Band Ever". The band were also presented the Legend Award at the 2008 World Music Awards and were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016. DEEP PURPLE truly are "rock royalty".

With a body of work spanning seven decades, DEEP PURPLE has helped pioneer and define the hard rock genre while progressively moving into new areas, both keeping their sound fresh and attracting new fans to the legions who have remained loyal since the band's inception. The celebrated MKII line up of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore were responsible for creating many of the defining rock albums of the early 1970s, including "Made In Japan", universally accepted as one of the most important and influential live albums of all time.

Known as one of the hardest working bands ever, DEEP PURPLE has continued to release No. 1 albums and tour globally since forming in 1968, with little rest. In 2007 (almost 40 years after being formed),the band performed 40 dates in France to an award-winning audience, and they continue to spend much of their year on the road selling out arenas across the globe.

DEEP PURPLE's recent studio album "Whoosh!" (2020) followed their worldwide chart-topping albums "inFinite" (2017) and "Now WHAT?!" (2013). 2024 sees the release of their brand-new album "=1". On all albums, DEEP PURPLE joined forces with producer Bob Ezrin, who has worked with the likes of KISS, PINK FLOYD, Lou Reed and Alice Cooper.

Photo credit: Jim Rakete (courtesy of The Outside Organisation

In a new interview with Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine was asked if he thinks the band's latest addition, guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, will contribute to the songwriting process on the group's next studio album. Mustaine responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes, I do. I think he's gonna be a great addition to MEGADETH. He already has. We're playing more songs now than we were playing before. And that has nothing negative to say about any of the previous lineups. It just says that he knew more about the band and understands the metal backbone of so many of these songs more than some of the other people would understand it."

He continued: "When you're a metal guy, I think you understand metal compositions more than somebody who, say for example, knows progressive rock like [former MEGADETH guitarist] Chris Broderick does, or somebody who knows bossa nova, which [former MEGADETH guitarist] Kiko [Loureiro] does, or somebody that plays jazzy, like [former MEGADETH guitarist] Glen Drover would play, maybe Al Pitrelli. These guys all have their strengths."

Mustaine added: "I've often thought, although I've never said it, I do believe that when somebody gets singled out by me, that's pretty much it for them. They've been indoctrinated into the world of great guitar players, and from that moment on, their life will change."

Asked if he saw any signs that Kiko would leave MEGADETH permanently or if it came as a surprise to him, Dave said: "Well, it wasn't really a surprise, because it started to become clear that his family was gonna need him. And I'm a dad too, so I saw it and I knew that his wife and babies all needed their daddy. And Kiko is a good husband, he's a good dad, and he needed to do what was right for him and for his family. And I applaud him for doing what he did. A lot of people would not have the guts to walk away from being a rock and roll star to take care of their kids. They would somehow sacrifice something, and it probably would not be their family."

Mustaine also once again seemingly ruled out the possibility of former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman, who made a couple of guest appearances with the band last year, rejoining MEGADETH at some point in the future.

"We played together for a couple of tracks, which was fun, and it was a very natural feeling," Mustaine said. "But I know that Marty, when we got together in Japan and we talked, Marty's changed a lot; he's a different man. And it'd be really fun to play with him every once in a while, see what's going on. But the problem is a lot of fans will misunderstand us doing something with Marty and think that there's some hope of Marty joining MEGADETH again, and there's not, that there wouldn't be, because Marty is doing his own thing in Japan and I am 100 percent satisfied with Teemu right now, and I've already told the world that he's our new guitar player."

Mäntysaari stepped in last September for MEGADETH's longtime axeman Loureiro, who announced earlier that month that he would sit out the next leg of MEGADETH's "Crush The World" tour in order to stay home with his children back in Finland. It was later revealed that the 37-year-old Finnish musician would continue to play guitar for MEGADETH for the foreseeable future, with Loureiro seemingly having no plans to return.

Last month, Teemu told Italy's Poisoned Rock webzine about his addition to MEGADETH: "I definitely was aware of MEGADETH for a very long time. They were one of the first bands that I got into when I discovered metal. I think, for most people, at least my generation or our generation, when they get into metal, it's usually the biggest bands, and MEGADETH, of course, being one of them."

Regarding his first show with MEGADETH, which took place on September 6, 2023 at Revel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mäntysaari said: "That was a very nice venue. We had a day there before, before the show, for production rehearsals, to rehearse on stage, and then on the next day we had the show. So that was nice and relaxed. I think we played through the whole setlist once before the show, the day before, and then played the show. And yeah, it felt very good from the beginning. And I felt like I was prepared. I was confident with my skills and confident with everything. The guys were so helpful and welcoming and, yeah, everything felt to kind of click and fall in the right place. So, it was really nice."

During the interview, which was conducted before MEGADETH's recently completed South American tour, Mäntysaari spoke about the band's plans for the coming months, including the possibility of new music. He said: "Right now we have been working on getting some new songs to the setlist, like old songs that the band hasn't played in a long time, or even some that they never played before. So that's been really exciting. I'm having some daily calls now lately with Dave Mustaine, going through the songs together. So that's really nice. And then once we get together on the tour, I think then we're gonna start talking about some riff ideas and putting some ideas together. So let's see what happens."

Earlier this year, Teemu told Guitar World magazine about his addition to MEGADETH: "I never thought something like this would happen to me. But at the same time, I've always felt like being prepared was important in case a big band like this did call me."

Mäntysaari was born in Tampere, Finland and began playing guitar at the age of 12. In 2004, he joined the band WINTERSUN. He has also been a member of SMACKBOUND since 2015.

"I have a specific skillset where I can learn fast, jump into new situations, and be comfortable," Mäntysaari told Guitar World. "I've always liked doing that. I love teaching, and I've been on many cover projects, so being detail-oriented is part of my skillset."

Regarding his preparation for the way he approached playing the MEGADETH material, Teemu said: "[We'd] look at the small details of how they groove, the moods, and the technical side. We talked a lot about what Dave [Mustaine] wants to project, picking directions, being very aware of down-picking, alternate picking, and, in many of the songs, being aware of both. We also talked about things like dampening, the flow of songs, creating contrast, hand positions, and trying to get things right fingering-wise, all of which I enjoy doing. There's a bit of detective work involved, and to get that information from the source in Dave was amazing."

This past February, Mustaine told Brazil's A Rádio Rock about how Teemu ended up landing the MEGADETH gig: "Kiko had recommended Teemu, and Teemu is an exceptional guitar player. Kiko was at the top of his game when this happened, so we were obviously disappointed, but it is what it is. If Kiko would have said, 'I don't know anybody, and you're on your own,' that would have been a lot harder. But Teemu is the right guy for MEGADETH. And Kiko knows that Teemu is the right guy for me. So, he actually did us a really big favor, and I love him and I wish him the best with everything that he does."

Kiko announced his decision to step back from MEGADETH in a social media post in November. He wrote in part: "Dear MEGADETH fans, I want to share with you a decision that hasn't been easy for me. In September, I had to step away from the U.S. leg of the tour for family reasons. Looking ahead, during 2024, we anticipate an even heavier touring schedule for MEGADETH. After thorough reflection and discussions with Dave Mustaine and MEGADETH's management, we have collectively agreed that it is the right move to extend my absence. I don't want to hinder any of the band's plans or the hard work of all the incredible people involved in the tour."

In early October, Mustaine told Shaggy of the 94.9 and 104.5 The Pick radio station in Idaho Falls, Idaho about Teemu's addition to MEGADETH: "People are losing their minds over how things are going right now 'cause we have a really good chemistry together."

In September, Mustaine was equally full of praise for Mäntysaari, telling Wes Styles in a separate interview: "He's really great. And I'm super excited with what Teemu has brought. And it's uncanny because he plays a lot like Marty. And it's really exciting. At certain times I just close my eyes during the set and I just hear these songs played, whether like Kiko in the past or Teemu now, it just sounds really magic because these guys have learned these songs and they're not just going out there and just banging their guitar around; they actually learned the solos from some of the virtuosos that I've played with over my career."

Loureiro officially joined MEGADETH in April 2015, about five months after Chris Broderick's exit from the group.

In a new interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen was asked to name his favorite rock or metal song. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "'One' by METALLICA. [It's] such a brilliant composition and lyric and music video. And that was around the time that I found metal music altogether, so it brings back a lot of memories.

"I went to see METALLICA and GUNS N' ROSES in Kansas City in September 1992, and 'One' was the last song they played before the encores. [It] completely blew my mind," he explained.

"I don't think we [NIGHTWISH] would be where we are at the moment without that band [METALLICA]. And about a year ago, we were playing a festival in — I think it was in Belgium. And after the last song, I walked off the stage and there was [METALLICA frontman] James Hetfield giving me a pat on the back. And all I could say was like, 'Holy fuck.' Never meet your heroes, they say."

Back in 2020, Holopainen named METALLICA's self-titled 1991 album as one of the LP's that changed his life. He told Metal Hammer magazine: "It was the first metal album I bought. I was kind of a late bloomer finding metal. I was 15, living as an exchange student in Kansas for a year. I saw METALLICA and GUNS N' ROSES there and that was the turning point. I wasn't keen on going to that show because I had a lot of prejudice towards those bands, but that one night pretty much changed my view on music. I became an instant METALLICA — and metal — fan."

NIGHTWISH's new album, "Yesterwynde", is due on September 20, 2024 via Nuclear Blast. It marks the band's tenth studio LP, following on from the release of "Human. :II: Nature." in 2020.

"Human. :II: Nature." was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

In August 2022, NIGHTWISH announced the addition of Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the previous year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.

In November 2022, NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen revealed that she was "cancer free" after undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

Fan-filmed video of the May 25 question-and-answer session at the "Metallica: The Black Album in Black & White" book signing at Alte Kongresshalle in Munich, Germany by METALLICA's official photographer Ross Halfin can be seen below. METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo and guitarist Kirk Hammett also took part in the discussion.

Speaking about a photo of Hammett and METALLICA frontman James Hetfield rocking out during JUDAS PRIEST's set at last October's Power Trip festival in Indio, California, Kirk said: "We were worshipping at the altar of JUDAS PRIEST. Their music means so much to us. And the way Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing played the guitars — I mean, they are architects of what we now know as heavy metal, to put it bluntly. And James and I, we love PRIEST.

"We don't really get a chance to see bands, a lot of times, when we're playing a huge festival or something, because we're always backstage doing press or getting ready for the show or rehearsing or whatever. So when we did Power Trip, we got there early — a few days early — just so that we could see all the other bands. And it was great — the anticipation of seeing [IRON] MAIDEN, PRIEST, AC/DC [and] GUNS N' ROSES, and actually seeing them. It was a wonderful time."

Trujillo added: "And it was kind of a trip because on the final day [of the Power Trip festival], it was, like, 'Oh, that's right. We have to play [now].'"

In May 2013, PRIEST singer Rob Halford joined METALLICA on stage at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods award show at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California to perform the PRIEST classic "Rapid Fire".

Halford previously performed "Rapid Fire" with METALLICA at one of the band's four intimate shows in December 2011 at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of METALLICA's 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.

In 2019, METALLICA played a snippet of PRIEST's version of "The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)" while rehearsing for its concert in Bucharest, Romania.

"Metallica: The Black Album In Black & White" is a collaboration with METALLICA and Halfin and is an epic celebration of one of the best-selling albums of all time, featuring classic and previously unpublished photographs. It includes introductions by Ross, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Jason Newsted and Robert Trujillo.

Halfin was with the band during the album sessions at One On One studios in North Hollywood and shot thousands of film rolls during the 300-date tour that followed between 1991 and 1993. He intimately documented the hectic performing schedule, backstage, rehearsals, interviews, band meetings and travel, alongside unique portrait shots of the band.

Halfin is one of the world's leading photographers. He has been working with METALLICA since 1984 and has traveled with the band to every continent and almost every country in the world, photographing all aspects of the band’s career: in the studio, backstage, on the road and at home. He has photographed almost every major artist and continues to work and travel as first choice photographer for the biggest bands in the world.

VAN HALEN's final studio album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", has returned to streaming platforms.

The 2012 LP was removed from streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music in October 2022, without an explanation.

Last October, VAN HALEN bassist Wolfgang Van Halen told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that VAN HALEN's 2012 LP the band's only studio record Wolfgang played on — was no longer on streaming platforms because of "some people involved" who "do not like that record".

"The contract ran out on putting it up on streaming services," Wolfgang said. "So we've been working on getting it back, but there are some people involved who do not like that record and are not making it easy to get it back up."

Asked if these "people" who are making things difficult "were involved in the record," Wolfgang confirmed: "Yeah." When host Eddie Trunk prompted, "Might that person commonly be known by three initials?", apparently referring to singer David Lee Roth, Wolfgang replied, "Probably. I mean, yeah, you can put it together.

"I hate to say it, because people will think I'm making stuff up, but it's, like, man, I'd love to have the record back up there, but [Roth] doesn't like it and he's not working with us to get it back up there," Wolfgang explained. "So I hope people who like it have a physical version of it. [Laughs]"

A week after blasting Wolfgang for allegedly "throwing out" some of Roth's invited guests at a couple of the concerts during VAN HALEN's final tour, David has shared a new YouTube video titled "Family Therapy.." in which he started off by mock-apologizing for "upset[ting] some people" and insisting that he "loves" his "old rock band" and misses VAN HALEN's late guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who was Wolfgang's father. He then proceeded to hold a mock therapy session between Wolfgang and a therapist in which Wolfgang complained that he had been unable to get any "streams" for his LP, presumably referring to "A Different Kind Of Truth", with the therapist telling the former VAN HALEN bassist that his album was "DOA (dead on arrival)", "KTC (kicked to the curb) and "a complete FP (faceplant)." The therapist told Wolfgang: "Son, commercially speaking, you got your ass handed to you." Roth then proceeded to imply that he and VAN HALEN drummer Alex Van Halen did not want to spend a lot of money on attorney fees to negotiate a better deal with the record company and streaming platforms for an album that is not one of the band's finest moments.

"Do you remember Leon Spinks? How about Larry Holmes or Trevor Berbick?" the mock therapist asks "Wolfgang" in Roth's video. "Well, these were the last couple of Muhammad Ali's fights, and nobody wants to remember them because they were no fun… And your albums with VAN HALEN are a lot like those last two fights."

With Wolfgang on bass, VAN HALEN embarked on lengthy tours in 2007, 2012 and 2015. The band's final run of shows took place in the summer and fall of 2015. The North American trek included 41 concerts beginning on July 5, 2015 and ending on October 4, 2015.

Back in December 2021, Wolfgang, who joined his father Eddie Van Halen in VAN HALEN at the age of 16 for the band's 2007 reunion tour with Roth, replacing Michael Anthony, was asked about David's retirement in an interview with Consequence. He said: "Dave is a… he's very much a one-of-a-kind [chuckles] sort of guy. We don't really talk, if ever. We were always cordial on tour together, but it's not like I've spoken to him at all in the last six years. But, I mean, he's fucking David Lee Roth. I'm so happy for him and for everything that he's accomplished. And he's just a phenomenal… He'll always be one of the best."

In November 2020, Wolfgang told Rolling Stone about his relationship with Roth: "We're cordial. But it was very business-related. You know, we were always cool, but we really only ever saw each other onstage."

In 2022, Wolfgang implied in an interview that David Lee Roth was largely to blame for a proposed Eddie Van Halen tribute concert never materializing. He told Rolling Stone at the time: "What I can say is that there was an attempt at doing something. But, you know, I don't like to speak negatively about people, but there are some people that make it very difficult to do anything when it comes to VAN HALEN. After being in VAN HALEN for a long time, I really have strived to have an environment where there is no walking on eggshells and there is no personality that you have to deal with. It's just guys having fun making music and just having a good time. But, you know, from my time in VAN HALEN, there was always some stuff that gets in the way from just making music and having a good time. And, I think, that's what happened.

"I would love to just sit here and say everything and say the truth," he continued. "There are plenty of interviews my dad did, where he straight up just said everything. And people hated him for it and thought he was lying. So I could just say shit, but people have already decided how they feel about things, facts or not. So I can say the facts. But that may not align with how certain people feel. I know how VAN HALEN fans get. They are very motivated by which specific people they like in the band. And it's just not worth it. Just, we made an attempt, and some people can be hard to work with, and made it not happen."

Wolfgang went on to say that he "would really like to do something" for his father, but that the tribute concert idea "never even got off the ground."

"Look at anything that's happened with VAN HALEN," he said. "And look how things have fallen apart. You know? The fact that in my tenure, in VAN HALEN, we managed to do three tours, put an album of original material and a live album out is a fucking miracle.

"People love to pin every decision VAN HALEN has ever made on Dad," he continued. "But Al's [drummer Alex Van Halen] the brain. Al has been the guy forever. He's the dude. When it comes to VAN HALEN, Dad just wanted to play guitar. But, you know, Al's mentality, and it's the mentality that VAN HALEN took for the entirety of its band, is that there's nothing worth talking about unless it's happening. So the reason that nothing has been talked about from VAN HALEN, the official channels, is because nothing's happened. And I know how that will stir people up and piss them off. But that's how the operation is run."

Asked what he would say if someone were to assume that the main problem was a certain singer with three initials — referring to David Lee Roth — Wolfgang replied: "I would say 'Do your research on the history of VAN HALEN, and come to your conclusions.'"

Eddie passed away in October 2020 at the age of 65. He had been battling throat cancer and died surrounded by friends and family at a Santa Monica, California hospital.

VAN HALEN had been inactive since it completed its U.S. tour nearly nine years ago.

In early 2019, rumors were rampant that the classic-era lineup of VAN HALEN would reunite for the first time since 1984. It has since been revealed that a health setback involving Eddie was responsible for the tour not materializing.

Guitar virtuoso John 5 is giving fans a look into his life and career with a brand-new song called "A Hollywood Story". The track, and accompanying video, details John 5's incredible journey, from picking up his first guitar at the age of 7 to recording acclaimed solo material and touring the world with the likes of Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford and — currently — MÖTLEY CRÜE.

Says John 5 of the song: "'A Hollywood Story' is a look back on my career and how lucky I am to have had the experiences that I've had. When you're a little kid, in your room, dreaming of your future, I never could've dreamt of what has happened to me in real life. I'm so appreciative and so happy. So go after your dreams whatever they may be."

The new track comes after the release of the instrumental masterpiece "The Ghost" last October as well as a series of sold-out tour dates in 2023. John 5 will hit the road again this fall on the "Strung Out" tour, with special guest TURNING JANE, beginning September 1 in Boston, Massachusetts and ending October 24 in Novato, California, with a number of Canadian dates. These new solo appearances will be in addition to John 5's confirmed dates with MÖTLEY CRÜE, including Summerfest, Louder Than Life and Aftershock festivals.

Tickets for John 5's fall tour go on sale this Friday, June 14.

John 5 "Strung Out" 2024 tour dates:

Sept. 01 - Boston, MA @ City Winery
Sept. 02 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Wally's
Sept. 04 - Albany, NY @ Empire Live
Sept. 05 - Montreal, QC @ Le Studio TD
Sept. 06 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
Sept. 07 - Cadillac, MI @ Venue Event Center
Sept. 08 - Westland, MI @ Token Lounge
Sept. 09 - Chicago, IL @ City Winery
Sept. 10 - Madison, WI @Majestic Theater
Sept. 12 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Bigs Bar
Sept. 13 - Fargo, ND @ Sanctuary Events Center
Sept. 14 - Winnipeg, MB @ Park Theatre
Sept. 15 - Regina, SK @ The Exchange
Sept. 17 - Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room
Sept. 18 - [to be announced]
Sept. 19 - Kelowna, BC @ The Revelry
Sept. 20 - Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater
Sept. 21 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Sept. 22 - Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom
Oct. 23 - Menlo Park, CA @ The Guild Theater
Oct. 24 - Novato, CA @ Hopmonk

For over 30 years, John 5 has been one of the most in-demand guitar players on the planet. As well as being a songwriter/guitarist for hire, John 5 has shared the stage as axe-man for Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson and Rob Halford. He has also worked with an impressive array of names, from all walks of music, including KD Lang, Rod Stewart, David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper, Tina Guo, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, Meat Loaf, Dolly Parton and Ricky Martin. In October 2022, it was revealed that John 5 would be joining MÖTLEY CRÜE as their guitarist following the announcement that Mick Mars would be retiring. John 5 continues to tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE on their 2024 world tour.

Photo credit: Matt Wilson

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", TESLA bassist Brian Wheat was asked which METALLICA album he thinks is better, "Ride The Lightning" or "Master Of Puppets". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's 'Master Of Puppets', hands down. It's just more — I think the songs were better, the performances were better. I don't know — it just spoke to me. You know what I mean? I mean, you'd be hard pressed to find a better record than 'Master Of Puppets'. And you can go on about the 'Black Album' and any other record. In their catalog, my favorite record of theirs all time is 'Master Of Puppets'… I mean, '[Welcome Home] (Sanitarium)', [the] 'Master Of Puppets' [title track] — come on. It's tough. But, for me, I'm gonna stick with 'Master Of Puppets'."

Wheat, whose band shared management with METALLICA early in their respective careers, said that he has "nothing but the highest respect for all those guys [in METALLICA]. I'm such an admirer of what they've accomplished and how they've stayed true to what they do. And [I have] nothing but the utmost respect for every one of those guys. And they're all great guys."

Asked to pick a METALLICA song to play as part of the KCAL "Mandatory Metallica" segment, Wheat said: "If you're gonna play anything, play 'Sad But True'. I think it's the greatest groove song they ever did. Just the groove is just so deep and fat and wide."

TESLA will release a new single, "It's All About Love", this summer. It will be the follow-up to the band's previous standalone singles "Cold Blue Steel", which came out in the summer of 2021, and "Time To Rock!", which arrived a year later.

Some fans criticized TESLA for adopting a 1980s-style polished production for its latest album, 2019's "Shock". The follow-up to June 2014's "Simplicity" was helmed by DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen, whose own group is no stranger to slicked-up, glossy-sounding recordings.

In September 2023, TESLA released the official music video for its cover of AEROSMITH's "S.O.S. (Too Bad)". The song is a bonus track on TESLA's live album, "Full Throttle Live!", which arrived in May 2023. The LP includes the band's "Time To Rock!" single, plus other songs, all recorded in August 2022 at Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, South Dakota.

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

TESLA's debut album, 1986's "Mechanical Resonance", went platinum on the strength of the hits "Modern Day Cowboy" and "Little Suzi". The 1989 follow-up album, "The Great Radio Controversy", produced five hits, including "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)" and "Love Song", which hit the pop Top Ten.

Keeping the tradition of releasing new music every three years alive, vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Myles Kennedy — known for his work with rockers ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS — is back with his third solo album, "The Art Of Letting Go". The album marks the return of Myles, backed by his band comprised of Zia Uddin on drums and Tim Tournier on bass. The album is scheduled for release via longtime label home Napalm Records on October 11, 2024, and is available for pre-order in multiple configurations.

From the opening guitar riff of the title track "The Art Of Letting Go" to the haunting melody of album closer "How The Story Ends", Myles Kennedy is back with a collection of songs that is sure to cater to old and new fans alike. Songs like "Mr. Downside", "Miss You When You're Gone" and "Saving Face" showcase the memorable storytelling that has become synonymous throughout all of Myles's projects. The debut single — currently impacting radio around the globe — is the upbeat rocker "Say What You Will". The song is now available via all DSPs.

The "Say What You Will" music video was directed by Gordy De St Jeor (MAMMOTH WVH) and tells the story of a bullied and timid student who breaks out of her shell with the help of a teacher, janitor and lunch person portrayed by Kennedy, Uddin and Tournier in the school talent show.

The track listing for "The Art Of Letting Go" is:

01. The Art Of Letting Go
02. Say What You Will
03. Mr. Downside
04. Miss You When You're Gone
05. Behind The Veil
06. Saving Face
07. Eternal Lullaby
08. Nothing More To Gain
09. Dead To Rights
10. How The Story Ends

To celebrate the release of "The Art Of Letting Go", Myles Kennedy and his trio will be hitting the road in support of the new album. A six-date U.K. run with support from Devin Townsend recently went on sale for November and December. Twenty more newly announced dates are being added to "The Art Of Letting Go" tour 2024 all across Europe starting in October. The additional European dates will feature support from BLACK RIVER DELTA and CARDINAL BLACK. The band will also be bringing the tour to North America with dates set for January and February 2025. The 2025 dates will feature special guest Tim Montana.

A special BLABBERMOUTH.NET presale for Myles Kennedy's 2025 North American tour will begin on Wednesday, June 13 at 10:00 a.m. local time and end on Thursday, June 13 at 10:00 p.m. local time. When prompted, type in the presale code "BBMMK" to access tickets before the general public. Check back here on Thursday for ticketing links to individual shows. General on-sale will be Friday, June 14 at 10 a.m. local time.

"The Art Of Letting Go" European tour 2024:

October 27 - Hamburg, DE - Gruenspan ^
October 28 - Copenhagen, DK - Pumpehuset ^
October 30 - Gothenburg, SE - Valand ^
November 01 - Stockholm. SE - Debaser ^
November 02 - Oslo, NO - John Dee ^
November 05 - Berlin, DE - Columbia Theater ^
November 07 - Warsaw, PL - Club Progresja ^
November 08 - Prague, CZ - Palac Akropolis ^
November 10 - Budapest, HU - Akvarium Klub ^
November 11 - Vienna, AT - Arena ^
November 13 - Milan, IT - Alcatraz ^
November 14 - Zurich, CH - X-Tra ^
November 16 - Munich, DE - Technikum ^
November 17 - Luxembourg, LU - Rockhal ^
November 19 - Frankfurt, DE - Zoom +
November 20 - Tilburg, NL - 013 +
November 22 - Cologne, DE - Kantine +
November 23 - Paris, FR - Le Cabaret Sauvage +
November 25 - Glasgow, UK - SWG3 #
November 27 - Manchester, UK - Academy #
November 29 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City #
November 30 - Birmingham, UK - O2 Academy Birmingham #
December 02 - Cardiff, UK - The Great Hall, Cardiff Uni Students Union #
December 03 - London, UK - O2 Forum Kentish Town #
December 05 - Dublin, IE - The Academy +
December 06 - Belfast, IE - Limelight +

^ with special guest BLACK RIVER DELTA
+ with special guest CARDINAL BLACK
# Previously announced date with Devin Townsend acoustic performance

"The Art Of Letting Go" North American tour 2025:

January 17 - Joliet, IL - The Forge *
January 18 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater *
January 21 - Flint, MI - The Machine Shop *
January 22 - Toronto, ON - The Concert Hall *
January 24 - Uncasville, CT - Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun
January 25 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre *
January 27 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall *
January 28 - Asbury Park, NJ - The Stone Pony *
January 30 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage *
January 31 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre *
February 02 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl *
February 03 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse *
February 05 - Destin, FL - Club LA *
February 07 - San Antonio, TX - Vibes Event Center *
February 08 - Dallas, TX - Echo Lounge & Music Hall *
February 11 - Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall *
February 12 - Denver, CO - Summit *
February 14 - Mesa, AZ - The Nile Theater *
February 16 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre *
February 18 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades *
February 20 - Seattle, WA - The Neptune *
February 21 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory *

* with special guest Tim Montana

As a prolific songwriter, powerhouse vocalist, and proficient guitar player, Kennedy tunes into the rhythm of his surroundings and goes with the flow. Fronting ALTER BRIDGE, his soaring vocals, open-hearted lyrics, and airtight riffs have fueled the group's global impact as a gold-certified, arena-filling force of nature over two decades-plus. On the microphone for SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS, his towering range has consistently stunned audiences since 2010. Becoming a celebrated collaborator, he's the rare presence just as comfortable on a track with DISTURBED, HALESTORM and SEVENDUST as he is with GOV'T MULE and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels. It's why he's generated over one billion cumulative streams, earned gold and platinum certifications worldwide, uplifted countless fans, and Kerrang! christened him "one of rock's finest vocalists." It's also why he's carved out his own lane. 2021 saw him deliver his acclaimed sophomore opus, "The Ides Of March". It impressively notched a total of four No. 1 debuts across three countries, toppling the Billboard U.S. Top Current Hard Music chart, the U.K. Official Rock & Metal chart and Official Independent Album chart, and Canada's Hard Music Albums chart. Beyond generating 10 million-plus streams, it incited unanimous critical applause from American Songwriter, Guitar.com, Loudwire, Guitar World and more. RIFF hailed it as "a fantastic and must-listen record," while Classic Rock magazine awarded it "4.5 out of 5 stars," going on to attest, "'The Ides Of March' confirms Myles Kennedy as a musical powerhouse."

Photo credit: Chuck Brueckmann

ARMORED SAINT has released a brilliant rendition of "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)". The classic track was originally written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and was first released by PEOPLE in 1970. Additional covers include THE FOUR TOPS (1974),SANTANA (1978) and THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (1989).

Comments ARMORED SAINT vocalist John Bush: "[Bassist] Joey [Vera] came up with the idea of doing the song. We've always been huge fans of old-school soul and R&B music, so it was a no-brainer. It's got a great groove, perfect for our rhythm section, and Jeff's [Duncan] and Phil's [Sandoval] guitars are screaming. Plus, the cool lyrics make it ideal for the SAINT style. Levi Stubbs [THE FOUR TOPS] was such a rad singer; I just tried to do him justice. I think this would make him a metal fan."

Watch ARMORED SAINT's video for "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)", directed by My Good Eye: Music Visuals, below.

"One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)" was produced by Joey Vera, mixed by Jay Ruston and mastered by Maor Applebaum.

In a recent interview with "THAT Rocks!", Vera stated about ARMORED SAINT's cover version of "One Chain Don't Make No Prison": "We kind of went for this '70s retro R&B thing. There's this tune called 'One Chain Don't Make No Prison' by the FOUR TOPS, and it's been one of my favorite songs forever. I always imagined it with John singing it, so I just did this demo, kind of like a more heavier version of the song. And then we did this demo, and we said, 'Wow, this is, this is amazing. We should just do this as a one-off.' Not really associated with a record per se, but just for fun, kind of. We've never done a single before. It's always been, record 10, 11 songs, put out an album. So all the kids nowadays are doing singles. So we're, like, 'Let's do a single.'"

Added John: "It's cool. It's a really cool version of the song. And I was trying to really pay tribute to Levi Stubbs, who's one of the best R&B singers from that era. He just has a cool soulful, powerful, almost a rock voice, and I think a lot of people — Glenn Hughes probably in particular — would admire his singing. And he just had this vibe. And so I was, like, 'Okay, I'd better pull it out of me.' But we did a great job."

On the topic of the music video for ARMORED SAINT's version of "One Chain Don't Make No Prison", Bush said: "I'm kind of wearing these suits. It's not quite campy, but it does look kind of cool and retro, and it just kind of shows a little different side of the band."

In March, Bush told Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco radio station 107.7 The Bone about ARMORED SAINT's cover of "One Chain Don't Make No Prison": "[It came out] really cool. It's kind of a throwback. I love that sound from — especially [FOUR TOPS] in the '70s was really cool. That's when they got a little bit more edgy. The '60s stuff was, of course, great, but Levi Stubbs, the main singer, was awesome. He had a cool, just soulful, powerful voice. So Joey had this idea of doing it. We did the song. I don't know when for sure it's coming out. We did a video for it that we're all wearing suits. So it's pretty funny. It's a little different for us. It was really aesthetically looking pretty cool. We filmed it at somebody's house somewhere here in Hollywood. The guy had all these crazy decorations inside of his house that he lived in. So, the director found it. And so we shot it kind of in a circle, which is really cool. It was fun."

ARMORED SAINT was inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame last July at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

More than a year ago, ARMORED SAINT's long-awaited documentary, Armored Saint: Band Of Brothers", had its world premiere in the band's hometown at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood, California.

ARMORED SAINT's eighth full-length album, "Punching The Sky", came out in October 2020 via Metal Blade Records.

ARMORED SAINT released the "Symbol Of Salvation Live" CD/DVD in 2021 via Metal Blade Records. The release came in celebration of the seminal album's 30th anniversary. "Symbol Of Salvation Live" was a combination live album and video of the band playing the album in its entirety at New York City's famed Gramercy Theatre during its 2018 tour.

ARMORED SAINT recently wrapped up a successful North American tour with QUEENSRŸCHE and is currently working on music for its upcoming full-length album. Next month, the band will return to European stages for a 16-date run of shows, which will include appearances at Headbangers Open Air, Wacken Open Air, Fezen, Brutal Assault and more.

Photo by Stephanie Cabral

IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris will play in a charity football match this Saturday, June 15 at 8 p.m. at the Estadio Algarve in Portugal.

MAIDEN said in a social media post: "It's only €2,50 to get in and by participating you will help the most disadvantaged children in the Algarve, so round up your mates and hopefully see you there…"

In a video message announcing his participation in the event, Harris said: "So here I am in the beautiful Algarve, Portugal. Over my shoulder here is the Estadio Algarve or Stadium Algarve or Algarve Stadium, whichever way you wanna put it, and that's where I'm playing for charity on Saturday, 8 p.m. kickoff. And it's for underprivileged children in Portugal. So it's a really good cause. So if you can get there, make it down there. I think it's only like two or three euros to get in, or something like that, but try and round up a few people and get down there and support it. And, yeah, be there or be square."

Five years ago, Harris, an avid soccer fan, told WISH TV that he and some of his bandmates and crew members "try and play a game every six to seven days" while on tour.

"We've lost a few," he said. "We won last week, but we've lost a few so far. We've been playing some really good sides."

According to Harris, he doesn't "really train" for the soccer matches. "I've got a bit of an injury at the moment, so I don't want to train too much before," he said.

Harris said in a 2012 interview that he had given up playing soccer — for the most part. He explained at the time: "I've had so many problems with my back that I can only play the odd match here or there. Unfortunately, it's five years since I've played a full season of football and that's something that I miss a lot. But I had to make a decision. I play a lot of tennis."

IRON MAIDEN's 2023 "The Future Past Tour" featured previously unperformed songs from the band's most recent studio album, "Senjutsu", along with a focus on 1986's "Somewhere In Time" LP, plus other classic cuts.

"Senjutsu" came out in September 2021. It marked MAIDEN's second consecutive double album behind 2015's "The Book Of Souls" which is the longest MAIDEN album, with a running time of 92 minutes.

IRON MAIDEN's first album in six years, "Senjutsu" was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris. It features three tracks whose running time exceeds 10 minutes each.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

"Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.
Steve will be playing in a legend’s charity football match this Saturday at 8pm at the Estadio Algarve in Portugal!

It’s only €2,50 to get in and by participating you will help the most disadvantaged children in the Algarve, so round up your mates and hopefully see you there… pic.twitter.com/SidswUzPH8

— Iron Maiden (@IronMaiden) June 11, 2024

God Is An Astronaut has mesmerized audiences worldwide with their distinctive sonic tapestry both in dynamic live performances and through their recorded works. Amidst their perpetual whirlwind of touring, the Irish trio emerges once more with a freshly crafted studio album, entitled Embers, set to release on September 6 via Napalm Records.


In support of their upcoming record release, God Is An Astronaut has also announced a busy touring schedule for 2024, with many more shows to be announced soon. Find all dates listed below.


First official single "Falling Leaves", out now on all digital streaming platforms, is "a reflective voyage through the brevity of our existence, spanning from inception to demise," according to the band. Watch the static video below.




Founded by brothers Torsten and Niels Kinsella, the band has once again created an exceptional collection of songs, inviting listeners to explore and interpret it in their own unique ways. Embers represents God Is An Astronaut's most extensive and grandiose production to date. From the very first note to the lingering resonance of its finale, Embers quietly but confidently affirms their mastery of their craft.  


From psych- to excellent krautrock trips, driving rhythms by drummer Lloyd Hanney and collaborations with guest musicians including Dara O'Brien, Jo Quail and Sean Coleman further enrich the album's sonic space, incorporating elements such sitar, cello, zither, shamanic drums, bowed psaltery, chimes and tanpura.


Featuring artwork by the internationally renowned Irish artist David Rooney and mastered by Europe's foremost mastering engineer Streaky, God Is An Astronaut achieves remarkable heights with their forthcoming progressive, psychedelic and instrumental post-rock opus, Embers!





Embers will be available in the following formats:


- 2LP Gatefold Marbled Oxblood Black with Artprint & Slipmat  
- 2LP Gatefold Transparent Yellow (Vinyl 1) / Transilia (Vinyl 2)  
- 2LP Gatefold Glow In The Dark
- 2LP Gatefold Black
- 6 Page Digipak
- Music Cassette Black with Gold Print


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Apparition"
"Falling Leaves"
"Odyssey"
"Heart Of Roots"
"Embers"
"Realms"
"Oscillation"
"Prism"
"Hourglass"


"Falling Leaves" video:





Live dates:


August
1 - Backstage - Munich, Germany
2 - Flex - Vienna, Austria
4 - Rockstadt - Brasov, Romania
6 - Lublin Radio - Lublin, Poland
7 - A2 - Wroclaw, Poland
8 - Brutal Assault - Jaromer, Czech Republic
9 - Kwadrat - Krakow, Poland
10 - Sziget Festival - Budapest, Hungary
11 - Randal Club - Bratislava, Slovakia
15 - Frantic Fest - Francavilla, Italy
16 - Festa di Radio Onda d'Urto - Brescia, Italy





God Is An Astronaut is:


Torsten Kinsella - Guitar, Piano, Synths, Backing Vocals
Niels Kinsella - Bass
Lloyd Hanney - Drums


(Photo - Stuart Wood)