HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale played her fourth and final show as the vocalist of SKID ROW Saturday night (June 1) at the the Hard Rock Live Sacramento in Wheatland, California. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of The Nexus Chord).

During an appearance on the May 23 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Lzzy spoke about what it has been like to play her first two shows as the vocalist of SKID ROW. The 40-year-old singer, who has fronted her band HALESTORM for more than two and a half decades, handled the vocal duties for SKID ROW for four shows only after the group's fourth frontman since Sebastian Bach's departure — "Swedish Idol" contestant Erik Grönwall — quit the band to focus on his health.

"The response has been amazing," Lzzy said. "And i'm hearing from people that have been seeing SKID ROW since 1987 and are just raving about what I bring to the table. So, for me, it is friends helping out friends, but it's also this beautiful milestone in my life where I'm literally being challenged to fill in the shoes that I've always wanted to fill from being a kid. So it's wonderful."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Five Finger Death have released the new video below; Episode 5 of their 2024 European tour. It features:


- That time Ivan ran naked through the crowd
- Warming up 5FDP style
- More In-Ear System Issues 
- Signing merch mid show
- Headlining the Hallenstadion In Zurich 







Find the band's tour itinerary here.


Five Finger Death Punch recently released the digital deluxe version of their acclaimed album, Afterlife, via Better Noise Records. Stream/download Afterlife: Deluxe here.


In the video below, FFDP take fans behind-the-scenes of their music video for "This Is The Way (Feat. DMX)":





The deluxe edition includes the original 12 tracks recorded with the band’s longtime producer, Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne, Disturbed), in addition to four bonus tracks including three acoustic versions of the album’s songs "The End", "Judgement Day", and "Thanks For Asking", plus the brand new highly anticipated single, "This Is The Way", featuring the late legendary rapper DMX. Five Finger Death Punch recently shared the music video for "This Is The Way (feat. DMX)" directed by none other than highly influential filmmaker Hype Williams, a longtime friend and close collaborator of the late DMX. Hailed by the New York Times in 2024 as "The Nineties Wunderkind", Hype Williams is known for his seminal work with luminaries like Tupac, Wu-Tang Clan, and Jay-Z amongst others. Watch the video below.





“Music is meant to be universal and without boundaries, and it starts at the top with us, the artists,” says Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Zoltan Bathory. “We have always embraced the mixing of genres, whether it be the remake of LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" featuring Tech N9ne as a guest, or our collaboration with blues warrior Kenny Wayne Shepherd, country star Brantley Gilbert, and Brian May, the legendary guitarist of Queen, on the song ‘Blue on Black.’”


“The idea of collaborating with DMX had been in discussion for years, and it was a long and winding road to turn this particular item on our wish list into reality. He was a lyrical warrior, a true original who spoke his mind incorruptibly. We have always viewed DMX as “the metalhead of hip-hop’ because of his aggressive, raw, and untamed style. He growled and snarled, aiming to rattle some cages–an attitude we share, as Five Finger Death Punch has always been drawn to the fearless and the real. It made all the sense in the world, but today this is more than just a song; it's a salute to a legend, a way to honor DMX's memory.”


When playing the song for other hip-hop legends, DMC of Run DMC, one of the originals to do it first with “Walk This Way” with Aerosmith said, “The sound of the music, what Ivan is singing about, and what X is talking about, is how X lived his life. The struggle, the dark with the light, the bad with the good, the pain with the joy. This song is very emotional, very musical, it’s very well rounded.”


Order/save AfterLife: Deluxe here.





AfterLife: Deluxe tracklisting:


"Welcome To The Circus"
"AfterLife"
"Times Like These"
"Roll Dem Bones"
"Pick Up Behind You"
"Judgment Day"
"IOU"
"Thanks For Asking"
"Blood And Tar"
"All I Know"
"Gold Gutter"
"The End"
"This Is The Way" (feat. DMX)
"Judgment Day" (Acoustic)
"The End" (Acoustic)
"Thanks For Asking" (Acoustic)


"Judgement Day" (Acoustic):

Fan-filmed video of KK'S PRIEST's May 15 concert at Colos-Saal in Aschaffenburg, Germany can be seen below.

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

01. Hellfire Thunderbolt
02. Strike Of The Viper
03. One More Shot At Glory
04. The Ripper (JUDAS PRIEST song)
05. Reap The Whirlwind
06. Night Crawler (JUDAS PRIEST song)
07. Sermons Of The Sinner
08. Burn In Hell (JUDAS PRIEST song)
09. Beyond The Realms Of Death (JUDAS PRIEST song)
10. Hell Patrol (Judas Priest cover)
11. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown) (FLEETWOOD MAC cover)
12. Breaking The Law (JUDAS PRIEST song)
13. Victim Of Changes (JUDAS PRIEST song)

Encore:

14. Raise Your Fists

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To celebrate his 49th birthday, SHADOWS FALL frontman Brian Fair has launched a new exercise series on YouTube, "Metal Hippie Workout".

In the introductory video, which can be seen below, Fair, who now lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and their two kids, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "What's happening, party people? It is Brian Fair. It is also my 49th birthday. Almost to a half a century. And honestly, I'm in some of the best shape of my life.

"I've been getting really into my own personal fitness over the last few years, focusing a lot on high-intensity interval training, a little bit of dumbbell and a lot of core. So I figured to celebrate my 49th birthday and to show you that even when you're old, you can still stay fit, still be ready to rock those stages, we're gonna run through a five-minute plank challenge. We're gonna test the core. We're gonna use the full body. It's going to be 30 seconds on, no breaks.

"The key to this, try not to put those knees down. Try not to break that plank form. We're gonna do 30 seconds on for each exercise. These are gonna be all kind of moving planks. So we're gonna do a wide variety. We're gonna hit every part of the body. And don't forget, it's not about stopping when you get tired; it's about stopping when you're done or when you've given it everything you got.

"All right, we're gonna get into this. This is the beginning of the 'Metal Hippie Workout'. We're gonna get shredded, we're gonna get ready for the stage."

Exercises in Brian Fair's "Metal Hippie Workout":

01. Elbow plank marches
02. Bear plank toe touched
03. Elbow plank reaches.
04. Shoulder taps
05. Side plank left
06. Side plank right
07. Elbow plank spider crunches
08. Upright plank knee to elbow
09. Elbow plank hip dips
10. Up / Down plank

The long-running Massachusetts-based metallers, who were at the forefront of the New Wave Of American Metal scene that dominated the '00s, celebrated the 20th anniversary of their "The War Within" album by playing the LP in its entirety on March 16 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, the site of the band's many classic shows. It also marked the first time the band has performed in the Garden State in a decade.

Last December, Fair told RichardMetalFan about SHADOWS FALL's decision to reunite: "We'd wanted to play shows again for a while and we just wanted the time to be right. And once the pandemic kind of hit, we sort of realized, like, 'Why are we waiting around? It's the time.' So we were lucky that we were able to kind of get everyone's schedules together. And it was incredible. As soon as we started jamming together again, it just felt fun, it felt right. So the shows were a blast. We really rehearsed like crazy for it. And we're probably better prepared for that than anything we'd ever been for before that. And we also realized, like, man, we should have been practicing more when we were together. We used to hate practicing. We always were, like, 'Ah, we tour enough. We don't need to.' And then after we practiced a bunch, we were, like, 'All right. Maybe we really should have.' [Laughs] But then also when we started practicing, we figured if we have ideas, why not write new music as well? If we're gonna get together, let's see what we've got. So that started leading to some new stuff. So [I'm] looking forward to seeing where it heads."

Regarding whether the next SHADOWS FALL release will be stylistically similar to the band's last album, 2012's "Fire From The Sky", or if it will be "a new beginning" for the band, Brian said: "If you heard these songs, you'd be, like, 'Oh, that's SHADOWS FALL.' But no, it doesn't sound like… It's different. It definitely sounds different."

Asked by "The Jasta Show" host Jamey Jasta if SHADOWS FALL would be open to going out on a more extensive tour, possibly as the support act for an arena band, Fair said: "We're not averse to that. It takes a lot of logistics now, with the rest of my guys being in legendary thrash bands, like ANTHRAX and OVERKILL and whatnot. But if we can do it, we would love to. Right now, festivals have been something we can pull off. But I would love to do short tours or even a month-long tour. Or at least some long weekends where we hit each coast or do New England and then Midwest and then a West Coast thing. But we'll see. We're not saying 'no' to anything. We're gonna listen. So we'll see, if things make sense and if we can make it work."

He added: "I've been in dad mode, just working nine to five for a while, so getting back on the pirate ship is pretty enticing at this point."

SHADOWS FALL released a statement in August 2014 in which the bandmembers explained that financial difficulties made it virtually impossible for the group to continue as a full-time concern.

In August 2015, SHADOWS FALL played a few reunion shows on the U.S. East Coast, one year after completing what was being billed at the time as the band's "final" European tour.

"Fire From The Sky" was released in May 2012 via Razor & Tie. The CD sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart.

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", BLACK VEIL BRIDES frontman Andy Biersack was asked if he is a fan of METALLICA. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "You know what? It's interesting. I'm a METALLICA fan through DANZIG, SAMHAIN, [original DANZIG bassist] Eerie Von, all that stuff. So, METALLICA wearing those [MISFITS and SAMHAIN] shirts… It's kind of the reverse how most people found METALLICA. Most people found the MISFITS and SAMHAIN through METALLICA. I was a kid who, for whatever reason, I just wasn't heavily exposed to beyond the 'Black' album; I didn't know much about METALLICA. So, then years of being such a MISFITS, DANZIG, SAMHAIN fan, I got more and more into it. And one of best friends, Ryan Downey, does 'Speak N' Destroy', which is a METALLICA podcast. So I'm learning more every week through him about METALLICA. I love METALLICA. And, obviously, 'Ride The Lightning' is iconic. My guitar player Jinxx is also — I gotta give him a shoutout — he's like a METALLICA historian. When we played with them in 2012, he caught me up to speed on what the snakepit meant and all the other stuff. So, again, I can't claim that I'm — I'm a fan, but he's the guy who knows everything."

Back in 2012, Andy spoke about his appreciation for METALLICA's music while promoting "Obey Your Master", an art exhibition which saw pieces from a range of different artists — including Biersack — who had interpreted various songs from METALLICA in their own unique way. At the time, Biersack said that one of his most fond memories of early adolescence was sitting in his living room with his childhood friend watching METALLICA VHS tapes. They would thrash along, singing every lyric and banging their heads until their necks felt as if they had been in a car crash. He stated: "As I got older and began to write my own songs, the tone and style of James's [Hetfield] lyrics and singing became a huge influence to me. The use of religious and cult metaphors and tenacity with which he sang was something I aspired to, and to this day continue to be inspired by. METALLICA to me is the quintessential heavy metal band. Equal parts darkness, intellect and vitriol."

In a 2013 interview with Guitar International, Jinxx reflected on METALLICA's influence on his musical upbringing, saying: "I had a hard time growing up without a lot of friends. My guitar was my friend. It got me through some really rough times as a kid. I would learn every METALLICA riff and solo. It kept my mind busy and I said, 'One day I'm going to show the world I can do something,' and now here I am."

Earlier this month, BLACK VEIL BRIDES released the title track from their new EP, "Bleeders", inspired by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's "Sweeney Todd". The band paid tribute to the classic musical with a music video for the title track that is inspired by the musical's 2007 Tim Burton-directed film adaptation.

The three-track EP, which will include "Bleeders", a cover of "My Friends" from the Sondheim classic, and a cover of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday", will be BLACK VEIL BRIDES' first release for Spinefarm.

The Gathering's classic line-up of Hans Rutten, René Rutten, Hugo Prinsen Geerligs, Jelmer Wiersma, Frank Boeijen and Anneke van Giersbergen have shared the following message with their fans:


"Hi everyone, we have some great news to share with you today. Our album Mandylion has officially turned gold in the Netherlands after nearly 30 years! It’s an incredible feeling to know that a new generation has also embraced our music and that it continues to sell after all these years. We are truly grateful for your support and it means so much to us.


To celebrate this special occasion, we decided to get together at Lux Nijmegen, the place where we recorded our Sleepy Buildings album many years ago. It was a wonderful reunion and we had a great time catching up with each other. Thank you Wilko, Ula and Century Media for making this happen. 




This gold certification is a testament to the timeless nature of music and how it can bring people together across generations.


Thank you for being a part of this journey with us!" 


Mandylion is The Gathering's third studio album. It was released on August 22nd, 1995 by Century Media Records. It is their first album to feature vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen. 

U.D.O. / ex-Accept singer Udo Dirkschneider and his band performed a set of Accept classics at Wacken Open Air 2022. Check out pro-shot video of "Midnight Mover", "Princess Of The Dawn" and "Fast As A Shark".





Dirkschneider is a name that stands for far more than a simple second incarnation of U.D.O., the band with Udo Dirkschneider. In this form, the quintet pay tribute to the musical history of their legendary singer. As songwriter and even founder in the '70s, Udo was one of the main characters of the Accept success story. Bass player Peter Baltes, the newest member of the U.D.O. / Dirkschneider family, also contributed a lot to Accept's scene defining works, and during their common time in Udo's band, a certain album titled Balls To The Wall came to be.




Balls To The Wall would be a fitting description for the stage presence of the band, which is completed by the drumming 'clockwork' of Sven Dirkschneider and a talented guitar duo built of Andrey Smirnov and Fabian "Dee" Dammers, too. What luck that the 40th anniversary of the mentioned studio album, which was originally released in late 1983 and which is the most sold and best known by Accept, recently fell into the current U.D.O. / Dirkschneider heyday. Of course the band don't want to leave this jubilee unnoticed: that's why Dirkschneider are pleased to not only announce a full Balls To The Wall live performance but an entire tour in belated celebration of the iconic album for spring 2025!


Udo looks forward to these prestigious dates: "I really can't wait to revisit the ultimate success album of my band Accept. Topped by sharing the stage with Peter Baltes, performing Balls To The Wall in full for all of you out there will be one of my biggest career highlights for sure!"


As if 45 minutes of Balls To The Wall - delivering cult tracks such as its title track, "London Leatherboys", "Love Child", or album closing ballad "Winterdreams" - aren't enough to celebrate, Dirkschneider will also add additional musical surprises to the set list and even return with a fresh stage production. Everything is set to commemorate the 40th anniversary of this undeniable Accept milestone and to ensure that these nights will be unforgettable celebrations for every metalhead.


Tickets are available here.





Balls To The Wall  40th Anniversary Tour:


February
26 - Vienna, Austria - SiMM City
27 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
28 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee


March
1 - Prague, Czech Republic - SaSaZu
2 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
4 - Bucharest, Romania - Quantic Club
6 - Kraków, Poland - Klub Studio
7 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
8 - Vilnius, Lithuania - Kablys
10 - Helsinki, Finland - Kulttuuritalo
11 - Tampere, Finland - Tavara-asema
13 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
14 - Gothenburg, Sweden  - Trädgår'n
16 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys Neue Welt
17 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
18 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
19 - Paris, France - Le Trabendo
21 - Pamplona, Spain - Sala Totem
22 - Murcia, Spain - SaLa Gamma
23 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2
25 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Konzertfabrik Z7
26 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
27 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
28 - Hamburg, Germany - Große Freiheit 36
29 - Geiselwind, Germany - Eventhalle

Almost a year after its release, the fourth studio album by Swedish symphonic dark metal sensation Eleine, We Shall Remain, is still on everyone's lips.


Today, the indefatigable five-piece unveil the official video for the track “Suffering” which incorporates huge melodies, crushing riffs, an insane vocal range and orchestral grandeur. The digital version of the single comes with a previously unheard instrumental version as second track.


Vocalist Madeleine Liljestam and guitarist/vocalist Rikard Ekberg explain the profound meaning of the song, "Life is never easy and sometimes it forces you to push forward even when you see no reason to. Your own mind is beating you down and tearing you apart, repeating the past that leaves you in an endless loop of hopelessness and pain. But... you don't give up. You start facing your fears which leaves you torn between staying in a place you know but is destroying you or go towards something unexplored that may or may not give you strength. Eventually you reach a point where you see your old self from the other side. That's when you know you survived."







As they're getting ready for a handful of summer festivals, Eleine have already announced their 2024 We Shall Remain Tour through Europe and the UK for October. Find tickets at eleine.com.





Eleine are:
Madeleine Liljestam | vocals
Rikard Ekberg | guitars, vocals
Victor Jonasson | guitars
Filip Stålberg | bass
Jesper Sunnhagen | drums

On Wednesday, May 29, GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash visited Amoeba Music in Hollywood, California to play a special acoustic set celebrating his star-studded new album "Orgy Of The Damned". Slash and his blues band vocalist/guitarist Tash Neal performed live at the legendary record store. Fan-filmed video of their appearance can be seen below.

Released on May 17 via Gibson Records, "Orgy Of The Damned" 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

This summer, Slash will bring his brand-new "S.E.R.P.E.N.T." festival to cities across the U.S. throughout 2024. 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 line-up that will vary. On all dates, Slash will perform alongside his blues band featuring bassist Johnny Griparic, keyboardist Teddy "ZigZag" Andreadis, drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal.

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.

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).

As part of Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series, Anders Fridén, frontman of Swedish melodic metallers IN FLAMES, spoke about how the band's latest three additions — Tanner Wayne on drums, Chris Broderick on guitar and Liam Wilson on bass — have affected IN FLAMES' performances in a positive way. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "First and foremost, they are great people, and that helps bring the whole camp in a good mood. As we go to stage or the whole surrounding, it's very, very important that you feel good and you have a good vibe during the day, to make sure everything is set for a perfect evening. So, that helps, for sure. Then, the most obvious, they are great and talented players. But I say it's equally important that you are a good person as well and the vibe is good. So, it helps. And because these guys are that good, Björn [Gelotte, IN FLAMES guitarist] and myself have to be on their level as well. So it boosts us, and hearing us playing together, it just elevates my performance as well. So it's awesome in every possible way. And we spend so much time together offstage, more than we are actually on stage, so that that aspect of having a good vibe outside is very, very important."

Fridén previously discussed IN FLAMES's current lineup this past February in an interview with Rolling Stone India. Asked what it is like bringing different people like Tanner, Chris and Liam into the band, even if it's just for the touring lineup, Anders said: "All the guys that you mentioned — Tanner and Chris and Liam — are in the band, so it's not just hired people. They are part of the band, but it's Björn and me that write the music and arrange it. That's what we do and it will not change. But the guys are very important to us and I think the way we sound live, we never sounded better.

"I don't mean that to be disrespectful to anyone who has ever been in the band, but these are really professional musicians and very skilled at what they do, and they all come from different backgrounds," he continued. "Tanner comes from a more hardcore punkish era, and Chris, obviously, with his history of being in NEVERMORE and JAG PANZER and MEGADETH… him we've known for more than 20 years. We were friends way before we thought about of him being in the band. It's been great to have him and him and Björn really jell together and they play a lot of guitar. I've never seen Björn play this much guitar, and I think Chris is a big part of that.

"Liam came in this last summer because [previous IN FLAMES bassist] Bryce [Paul] left us kind of abruptly," Anders explained. "We're still friends, so it's no bad blood whatsoever. But he had to focus on family and we had a festival booked in Europe, so we had to do something. And then, obviously, I know of DILLINGER [ESCAPE PLAN] from before and we met here and there, but we were not friends at all, so I didn't really know him. But our manager said, 'I think this would be a great fit for you.' He knew him way better than us and he came in and after meeting him for an hour, we were like best buddies. He's awesome and he's great and he fits in the band really well. He's a little bit older. He's not a young kid. He has a family. He has so much experience from the road, so it's a perfect fit. And he's a great guy on stage and off stage, and that's very important. And I need to say that because we play an hour, one and a half hours every other day. So that's what happens on stage. But off stage is also extremely important, how you are and how you behave and how you are socially, how you interact with each other. There's so much fun and there's no tension in the van, everybody's laughing and having a good time. Whenever someone needs to walk away a little bit and be on their own, it's totally cool. Nobody bothers you. So I am very happy to be part of this band right now. It's a good feeling after so many years, as I said before, still feel the vibe, especially after the pandemic and everything that happened. We got back together and we are able to do this. It's awesome."

IN FLAMES is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Foregone", which was released in February 2023 via Nuclear Blast.

"Foregone" was the second IN FLAMES album with Paul and Wayne, the first with Broderick, and the third with Grammy-winning producer Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, THREE DAYS GRACE). Mike Plotnikoff (ALL THAT REMAINS, WARBRINGER) engineered at Benson's West Valley Recording Studios. Joe Rickard (10 YEARS, STARSET, DIAMANTE),who played drums for IN FLAMES from 2016 through 2019, handled mixing duties.

Wilson made his live debut with IN FLAMES on June 7, 2023 at the Release Athens festival in Athens, Greece.

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Let There Be Talk" podcast with rock and roll comedian Dean Delray, Mark Osegueda was asked how he broke the news to his DEATH ANGEL bandmates that he was joining Kerry King in the solo project from the SLAYER guitarist. The singer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, man. With this one, it's tough. I really had to respect the NDA [non-disclosure agreement I signed with Kerry's team]. I really did. And it was eating at me. 'Cause DEATH ANGEL has been touring consistently — we toured consistently when the world shut down [due to the coronavirus pandemic]. When the world reopened, we went right back out on the road. And this was all happening. I was starting to do these demos during the pandemic, and then, after that, I was regularly seeing Kerry to do more demos [for his debut solo album] when the world opened. And [Kerry's] record was done for a year before it came out. And I'd be on tour with DEATH ANGEL. And there were some nights where me and Rob [Cavestany, DEATH ANGEL guitarist] were in the lounge, just me and him, drinking, listening to music and just laughing and talking like we do. And it just took everything in me [not to tell him what was going on]. It's so hard to not just say, 'Look, bro. Look, bro.'

"This is one of those things that just, like it or not, some people will think I'm an ass about it, but I just kind of really promised — I promised Kerry and I signed the NDA," Mark explained. "I promised everyone I wasn't gonna let anyone know. The only people who knew were my girlfriend, my girl, my mom and my sister. We didn't even tell my dad 'cause my dad has loose lips. So we didn't even tell him then. So those are the three people who knew. And, of course, people who were at the studio when we were recording, and shit like that, who were all NDA people as well. So it's fucked up, but I waited and let him know through e-mail same day that the [official] announcement [of Kerry's new band] happened [in early February]. And then shortly thereafter I talked to Rob and Ted [Aguilar, DEATH ANGEL guitarist]."

Elaborating on how he approached informing his longtime bandmates of his involvement with Kerry's new band, Mark said: "I said in the e-mail, 'Look, this is the toughest thing for me to tell you.' And how I worded it in one aspect to them was just pretty much, 'This is gonna be either the most surprising thing in the world to you or, slash, the most obvious thing in the world to you.' And I even said at the end, 'cause it was an e-mail to all the guys, and I just said, 'Take some time to really process all this before you respond, before we talk. Let all this kind of sink in, and then when come together, if you wanna talk to me, then we'll all talk.' And shortly thereafter, I talked to Ted and Rob. And they were still a little sideswiped, for sure — for sure. I could see it in their [faces]… We did a FaceTime kind of Zoom call, the three of us, and they were both definitely still in kind of a state of processing it. But by the end of the call, after we talked for about an hour, they were supportive, for sure, happy for me. And they both did say, 'Now that you mention it, man, it is kind of the most obvious fucking thing in the world.' [Laughs] But it was tough, man. I'm not gonna lie. It's tough, 'cause we've been through so much together — so much together — especially me and Rob. I mean, not to take away from… Shit, Ted's been in the band since 2001, and now Damien [Sisson, bass] and Will [Carroll, drums] have been in the band for well over a decade now. So it's crazy. But, of course, me and Rob, we've known each other since we were in the crib. So that it was a tough one. But now, [Rob is] very, very supportive. Before the first [Kerry King] show, I got a text from him saying, 'Have a fucking killer show, bro.' And all this stuff. The [Kerry King album] release day, he sent me congratulations on release day. Ted as well. So, they've [come] to accept it. And I think it's already brought a lot of attention to DEATH ANGEL. And it's gonna keep doing that. But it was tough."

Mark added: "I'm excited about everything. I'm excited about everything ahead. But, yeah, for sure, it was definitely a delicate situation. Even before it was happening, when I knew it was coming up, it was, like, 'I've gotta choose my words carefully.' It's tough. But now that it's out, I feel so relieved — so relieved — it's out. And since then, we've [DEATH ANGEL] toured South and Central America together recently, and that was the first tour we did since the [Kerry King] announcement and some [of Kerry's] songs have been released. So everyone got along great. And it's out. And it just feels so much better to be around the guys with them knowing. I just felt so odd them not knowing."

Asked by Delray if he made his clear in his initial e-mail that he was not quitting DEATH ANGEL, Mark said: "Yeah, absolutely. Well, first, I'm kind of yammering about the process of it, but I definitely said, 'I'm very much still the singer of DEATH ANGEL.' And, of course, when I was talking to Rob and Ted, Rob was, like, 'I was very happy to hear you say that.' Like, 'Of course, bro.'"

King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", came out on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music. Joining King and Osegueda on the record are drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER),bassist Kyle Sanders (HELLYEAH) and guitarist Phil Demmel (formerly of MACHINE HEAD). Working with producer Josh Wilbur (KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, BAD RELIGION),the vast bulk of King's solo album was recorded at Henson Recording Studios (formerly A&M Studios) in Los Angeles, California, a location that birthed classics from THE DOORS, PINK FLOYD, RAMONES and SOUNDGARDEN, among others.

In a recent interview with Uruguay's The Dark Melody, Mark stated about how he feels about being part of Kerry's band: "Yeah, I'm thrilled about it. That's how I feel about it. I'm excited as hell. I worked hard to get that gig — very hard to get that gig — and since I did, I worked very hard in the studio. And then the recording experience of the record was incredible. We went to the studio with Josh Wilbur and the recording went great. It went great. And I think Kerry assembled a band of people he knew could pull off the vision and what he heard in his head… And the album, it's a beast. It's a savage. It is."

Regarding how he landed the gig in Kerry's band, Mark told El Planeta Del Rock: "It wasn't an overnight thing. It was a long process. Me and Kerry are friends, for sure, but that's not the reason I got the gig. By no means did I get the gig because we're friends; it was definitely a lot of hard work.

"He's an institution unto himself as his, as is SLAYER, and when SLAYER announced that they weren't gonna go any longer, he made it known to everyone that he was far from done," Mark continued. "And when that was announced, it was quite a few years ago. It was probably during the pandemic that I just gave him a cold call out of the blue, or a cold text rather, just saying, 'Just so you know, I heard you're doing this, and I'm just throwing my name into the hat, into the ring, or throwing my throat into the ring rather.' And he was, like, 'Hmm.' He's a very to-the-point guy, and he said, 'Okay.' And I know he's very serious about everything he does musically.

"It was a lot of hard work, I'll tell you that — a lot of going back and forth," Mark repeated. "I did quite a bit of demoing with him, and nothing was a sure thing ever. I know he had other people in mind for every for every position in the band. I think Paul was the shoo-in right off the bat, and then after that… Kerry knew his vision. He knew what he wanted. He knew what he heard in his head, and he wanted a lineup that could deliver it. And after a lot of hard work, one day me and him were out together — and it was plain simple as that. But quite some time had gone by and a lot of work was put into it, and he just said, 'If you want the gig, it's yours.' And I, of course, I just looked at him, like, 'Ah.' Pretty much, 'Fuck yeah.' And I gave him a huge hug, and from then on it was just even more hard work. As hard as I worked to get the gig, once I got the gig, it was even more hard work just concentrating on the songs and getting what I was gonna do to deliver in the studio. Once we got in the studio, we went in with Josh Wilbur, who produced it, at Henson Studios in Hollywood, and we didn't mess around. We got in — I think loaded in, two weeks later loaded out. It was work every day, but one of the most amazing studio experiences I've had and very fulfilling."

Kerry told Rolling Stone about Osegueda's addition to the band: "With Mark, he was on board early on. I just didn't pull that trigger. I was like, 'Let's see what happens.' Say for instance, [JUDAS PRIEST's] Rob Halford calls me and says, 'Hey, I would love to be your singer,' I'd have to go that way."

King also confirmed that PANTERA's Philip Anselmo was "considered" as a possible singer for his new project. "My management, my promoter, my record label all wanted Phil," Kerry said. "Phil's a good friend of mine, but I always thought he's not the right guy. That has nothing to do with his ability; I just knew he wasn't the right guy. When you hear Mark on this record, you know that's the guy.

"I had to do due diligence, because at the end of the day, had Philip been the guy, we'd be in arenas immediately because we could play new stuff, we could play PANTERA, we could play SLAYER, and fans would've been happy. It ended when the PANTERA thing came up.

"I saw Mark a few years back singing covers of MINOR THREAT and cameo in THE WEDDING BAND with members of METALLICA," King added. "It was different from what he does in DEATH ANGEL, and he sounded great. He's super versatile. He took steps to make this different than DEATH ANGEL. I don't touch on probably 50 percent of what he can do on the album.

"Mark knew how I expected the songs to be performed. On my demos, I sing with very good conviction, but I don't have pipes; that's why I don't sing. With 'Residue', he sounded so good I had to ask him, 'Is this sustainable? I don't want you to blow your load on this record and then blow your voice out every third show.' And he swore up and down he could do it. He went on to some of the harder ones and did the same thing on those, so I went, 'Okay.'"

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

DEATH ANGEL will support W.A.S.P. on a North American tour in the fall.

ASINHELL, the new death metal band featuring VOLBEAT's Michael Poulsen, Marc Grewe (INSIDIOUS DISEASE, ex-MORGOTH) and Morten Toft Hansen (RAUNCHY),played its first live show ever last night (Thursday, May 30) at Pumphuset in Copenhagen, Denmark. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

Pumphuset was the first show of ASINHELL's European tour in support of the band's debut album, "Impii Hora", which arrived last September via Metal Blade. The trek includes festivals as well as intimate club shows. ENDSEEKER will be support on all headline shows except for Zurich, where the band will be supported by New Zealand powerhouse ALIEN WEAPONRY and Copenhagen, where SICKOMANIA (featuring Jesper K Olsen, Michael's former bandmate in DOMINUS) will open the show.

Joining the band on the road will be legendary Danish producer Jacob Hansen (ex-INVOCATOR) on bass as well as Flemming C. Lund of THE ARCANE ORDER on lead guitar, making the band's first live incarnation the same lineup that performed on "Impii Hora".

Comments Poulsen: "It's time to bring the ASINHELL show to live (life)! Can't wait to go out and share the metal and horns with you all. See you ghouls out there very soon."

Adds Grewe: "ASINHELL was never planned as a live band, but after the overwhelming reactions to our debut album, 'Impii Hora', we all had the same impulse: 'we have to bring the songs to the stage!' So here we are, and it's going to be fantastic to be sharing the stage with my good friends Michael, Morten, Jacob and Flemming. They are incredibly talented musicians, and it will be an honor for me to unfold the power of our songs full throttle in smaller clubs as well as the biggest festival stages I never dared to dream of playing… I really hope to meet a lot of you guys out there in June and enjoy a good dose of OSDM together… see ya in the pit!"

Says Morten Toft Hansen: "I am excited to get out there and play the songs live. I'm sure the shows are gonna be full of fun and energy and it's gonna be great to meet some of our new fans out there."

Remaining ASINHELL 2024 tour dates:

Jun. 02 - DE - Hamburg - Übel & Gefährlich (+ ENDSEEKER)
Jun. 03 - LU - Luxembourg - Rockhal (+ ENDSEEKER)
Jun. 05 - NL - Utrecht - Rhonda (+ ENDSEEKER)
Jun. 07 - DE - Nürburgring - Rock Am Ring
Jun. 09 - DE - Nürnberg - Rock Im Park
Jun. 10 - DE - München - Technikum (+ ENDSEEKER)
Jun. 12 - CH - Zürich - Xtra (+ ALIEN WEAPONRY)
Jun. 13 - AT - Nickelsdorf - Nova Rock
Jun. 15 - UK - Donington Park - Download
Jun. 18 - DE - Berlin - Hole 44 (+ ENDSEEKER)
Jun. 19 - DE - Frankfurt - Zoom (+ ENDSEEKER)
Jun. 20 - BE - Dessel - Graspop Metal Meeting
Jun. 22 - DK - Copenhagen - Copenhell
Jun. 24 - DE - Essen - Turock (+ ENDSEEKER)
Jun. 25 - FR - Lyon - Transbordeur (+ ENDSEEKER)
Jun. 27 - FR - Clisson - Hellfest
Jun. 29 - NO - Oslo - Tons Of Rock
Aug. 31 - DK - Næstved - Næstved Metalfest

For more than 20 years, vocalist/guitarist Poulsen has been spearheading Danish rock and roll machine VOLBEAT, releasing eight full-lengths, selling millions of albums, and filling stadiums worldwide. Before fronting VOLBEAT, however, Poulsen formed death metal band DOMINUS, which recorded four fast, brutal albums in the mid-'90s.

When Poulsen was putting together songs for VOLBEAT's 2021 album "Servant Of The Mind", he wrote a bunch of death metal riffs and saved them on his phone. Then, when he was done with the VOLBEAT record, he reopened the rusty gates to Armageddon and started putting together songs for "Impii Hora", which is a tribute to Poulsen's favorite old-school groups. The songs are rooted in crushing riffs yet injected with strong guitar hooks and shout-along refrains.

While Poulsen sings in VOLBEAT and sang for DOMINUS, he didn't want to front ASINHELL. So, in March 2022, he called his old friend, ex-MORGOTH singer Marc Grewe (also of INSIDIOUS DISEASE) and invited him to join the party.

In a recent interview with Shawn of "The Rockstar Radio Show" on 96.3 The Blaze, Poulsen stated about how the idea for ASINHELL came about: "As you probably know, you know, I started out as a death metal musician. Back in the days, I had a band called DOMINUS and we managed to release four albums on a Danish little label back in the day. So, yeah, it goes way back to where I was tape trading in 1990s. So it's been a lot of inspiration since then. So, you know, it kind of goes like 33 years back to where I started. I was very early out playing death metal — yeah, I think I started playing death metal when I was 16, 17 or something, and I started listening to extreme metal when I was about 13. So that kind of music has been there from the very beginning as a young kid. And I knew that when I ended DOMINUS, it was because the journey I was going into was a style of a lot of different styles that I couldn't combine in the death metal music. So I formed VOLBEAT where there was not so much rules about what you could do or what you could not do. So, as you can hear in the VOLBEAT music, there's a lot of different styles, but in ASINHELL, it definitely takes you back to all the stuff that I was, and still [am] listening to, as a young boy discovering extreme metal."

He continued: "For a long time, people have been asking me when I'm gonna return to death metal, and I said, 'I have no idea,' because the time that I'm using on VOLBEAT, it's a lot of time touring. We are constantly on the road and we are writing and being in the studio. So it was very difficult for me to answer a question like that. But when the pandemic came and I wrote [the] 'Servant Of The Mind' [album] for VOLBEAT, there were other riffs that came up where I said, 'Those riffs I'll put aside and keep them for another project when there was time for doing that. And that became the ASINHELL project.

"When we did 'Servant Of The Mind', we recorded a song called 'Becoming', and that was kind of a tribute to ENTOMBED and my good friend L.G. Petrov [late ENTOMBED singer]. And we all know that story, that L.G. passed away 'cause of cancer. Some days before he passed away, he was trying to call me. And the first time he called, I couldn't pick up. I was somewhere in a supermarket at the register paying for my groceries. And then later on he called me, but that was during the night, so I never pick up my phone during the night. And next thing I hear that he passed away. And so I was really bummed about that. And we kind of just then dedicated the VOLBEAT song 'Becoming' to L.G. and we put on this amazing BOSS pedal that makes this ugly, beautiful Swedish death metal sound. And I just got really inspired by that. And I told my guitar tech if he could find that pedal and then order it on the net and then I would probably start maybe working on some riffs. And the same day we talked about that, I was about to take my morning run and my iPod, just by coincidence, starts on ENTOMBED and I'm hearing L.G. screaming [singing], 'I'm full of hell.' And for me, that was a call from L.G., and I said to myself, 'This time, you're fucking picking up, Michael.' You are starting now. This is the time. And, actually, I wanted to call the band FULL OF HELL, but I quickly find out there was another band by that name. So I said, 'Okay, well, what do I do now?' So I changed it to as ASINHELL."

As for how he recruited his ASINHELL bandmates, ex-MORGOTH singer Marc Grewe (also of INSIDIOUS DISEASE) and RAUNCHY drummer Morten Toft Hansen, Poulsen said: "I was so inspired, and I live 10 minutes away from my drummer Morten, who has a daughter that's six years old, as my daughter [is], and they are hanging out together and having a good time. And Morten, now and then, he's active in his own band called RAUNCHY. They do not play live shows that much, but he still has his drums in the garage. And I kindly asked him if he wants to put some drums on a death metal project I had in mind. And he was totally up for it when I said, 'It's gonna be in the vein of DEATH, BOLT THROWER, AUTOPSY, GRAVE, ENTOMBED.' And that was totally his alley. So, he said, 'Where are we gonna rehearse?' And I said, 'Right here where we are standing.' And he said, 'In my garage?' 'Yeah, why not? Let's imagine that we're kind of 16, 17 years old again.' We didn't have money for expensive rehearsal rooms or anything that we have now. So I said, 'Let me just bring an amp and I'll turn it all to 11. No P.A. system, nothing. Just your drums. Don't mic it up. It's just an amp, and let's just do some riffing. I've got songs at home.' And it turned out that every Friday me and Morten would be jamming for two hours, and every Friday I came with a new song, and suddenly we were just looking at each other, like, 'Okay, we actually have songs for a whole album here.' And I ended up calling my good friend up, Marc Grewe, which was the former singer of legendary German [band] MORGOTH. I always thought that Marc had the best death metal voice in the scene, together with Chuck Schuldiner from DEATH. And for many years we talked about doing something together when the time was right. And I called him up and I said, 'You know what? I actually have our whole album. Are you ready?' [And he said], 'Hell yeah, I'm ready. Let's get to it.' I did some demo vocals on some of the recordings. And I asked Marc, 'How do you want me to record?' [And he said], 'Ah, just put your phone in the garage and press 'record' and then send it to me on your phone.' I said, 'Okay, it's gonna sound like a fucking mess.' [And he said], 'Yeah. That's how it should be like.' [Laughs] He said, 'That's how we did it back in the day with MORGOTH. We just put a ghetto blaster, a tape recorder in the rehearsal room and just pushed 'record' when we did rehearsal recordings.' [And I said], 'Yeah. Okay. Then that's how we're gonna do it.' So me and Morten made a lot of noise in that garage and I was putting down some demo vocals [for] Marc to get some inspiration. So I was just screaming and yelling down in my phone. And he said, 'Yeah, it's perfect. We could even release it like that.' [And I was, like], 'Yeah. Wait a minute.'"

According to Michael, two other guest musicians appear on the "Impii Hora", both of whom will be familiar to fans of VOLBEAT.

"We ended up using Jacob Hansen, our producer, as the bass player on the record, because he was there in the studio anyway. And I said, 'I'm not gonna play the bass. Let's do it different.' And so we just asked Jacob if he was into it, and he said, 'Yeah, I would love to.' So very quickly Jacob put down the bass. And I've been knowing Jacob since the INVOCATOR days, where he was active in INVOCATOR. So suddenly, having a great lineup with Marc from MORGOTH and Jacob from INVOCATOR, Morten from RAUNCHY — it was great. And then Morten said, 'Since we have this huge inspiration from DEATH, you should hear how Flemming [C. Lund], my good friend from THE ARCANE ORDER, is playing guitar. He can do those kind of DEATH solos. I knew Flemming from back in the days when I had that DOMINUS band. So I checked Flemming out and his solos in THE ARCANE ORDER, and I was blown away. And I gave Flemming a call and I asked him kindly if he was into it. And he totally understood where we were going with this, so he was very excited about it. So, yeah, he put down those solos."

Michael was equally excited to get ASINHELL's debut LP released via Metal Blade, a label which has consistently been at the forefront of the metal scene, from releasing the earliest material from METALLICA and SLAYER on the classic "Metal Massacre" compilations through to seminal releases from CANNIBAL CORPSE, GWAR, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, AMON AMARTH and many more.

"Brian Slagel from Metal Blade, he heard the songs and he was very, very, very into it, and he said, 'I would love to actually release this.' And for me, that was a dream come true," Michael said. "The legendary Brian Slagel from Metal Blade — we all know the story. So that was a dream come true. I remember being a young kid, tape trading and trying to get a record deal, but then so many years after, actually then ending up on Metal Blade with a new project called ASINHELL, that's beautiful. So I'm very excited about it and very proud of the record."

More shots from our first show in Copenhagen! 🤘

📷 @britt_bowman

Posted by Asinhell on Friday, May 31, 2024

Thank you Copenhagen for making our first show incredible 🤘

📷 @britt_bowman

Posted by Asinhell on Thursday, May 30, 2024

During an appearance on the May 29 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Blackie Lawless spoke about the 40th anniversary of the release of W.A.S.P.'s first album. To celebrate this classic metal album, W.A.S.P. will, for the first time in 40 years, play the entire album from top to bottom, start to finish, on a fall 2024 North American tour, dubbed "Album ONE Alive", this fall. Support on the trek will come from DEATH ANGEL and UNTO OTHERS.

Asked by host Eddie Trunk if it was always the plan for W.A.S.P. to celebrate the debut LP's 40th anniversary by playing the album in its entirety, Lawless said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes and no. It had been talked about, and I would love to sit here and tell you that it was part of a master plan, but it wasn't until we were doing the last tour that it really… A few things dawned on me while we were doing that tour — in no small part.

"When we did the meet-and-greets [with fans on the last W.A.S.P. tour], it was the first time I'd ever done that," he explained. "And I realized, not long into it, that I was getting as much, if not more, from those people that were coming to the meet-and-greets. I was getting more than they were out of it. Because I was learning in a way that was not chaotic. Like, if you are trying to talk to somebody at a show, or in a situation where there's a lot of other people and fans are trying to talk to you and you just cannot communicate the way like we are right now. But in those meet-and-greets, that was a controlled situation. And I was able to talk to those guys, just go back and forth, and have dialogue with them, and I listened to them closely. And like all other artists that are out there — and I don't care who you are — we all suffer from… We live in a bubble, to a large degree, and you think you're hearing what the fanbase is saying, but you really aren't. Not until you have an opportunity to sit down with them on a daily basis and listen to them talk. And first of all, it was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. I certainly appreciated getting their input, but as they're talking, I'm listening to them, and I realize that there's more going on than even I understand.

"We put that last tour together… I told my tour manager. The whole thing was gonna look like some sort of circus side show," Lawless continued. "And I told him, I says, 'When people walk into the room, I literally, I want them to feel like they've been transported Into another environment.' So what we did is — and we didn't even know it at the time that it was available— we discovered that there was… You use fog in shows. Well, to create that fog, it's done electronically. It's literally called fog juice. Well, in the early days, you could get it in strawberry and vanilla flavored because fog without it kind of didn't smell great, so artists were complaining about it. Now you can get it in a bunch of different scents. We discovered that there was two of them. There was one called popcorn and another one called cotton candy. And so I told my tour manager, I said, 'I want to fill the room with this scent. When the people walk in the door, I want them to not really even be conscious of what's happening. We don't want them to just go see a rock show. We want to transport them into a different space.' And it worked far better than I even thought that it would.

"Well, again, talking to the fanbase throughout the tour and doing those meet-and-greets, it hit me that what is possible is that… If it's a band who actually lived through the time period that we're talking about right now, and specifically this would have been 1984, can you then create an environment where they're not just coming to see a show, can you take them back to that time period?" Blackie added. "Because three-fourths of that audience that's there now really didn't live through it. So can you create an environment where not only are they coming to see an album that they wanna hear but can you transport them into a mental space where they think for two hours they're actually back in that? And that's what we're working on now. And when we put the videos together, it even hit me, it struck me. Because every time we did promotional videos before, you saw those videos with clips that span the career of the band — 30, 40 years. Well, we concentrated on stuff just from the first year and a half. And when I saw it put together, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I went, 'Son of a bitch, look at this. This looks like…' No wonder people wanted to see this before. It was an extremely angry band playing angry music, but it was a mindset. You can't take a band, and there are other bands out there that did not live through it, but are recreating the whole '80s thing right now. And I'm sure for the fanbase that wants to go see that, that's fine. But those weren't the people who did it in the beginning. You take a band that was actually there, and if they do it right, they can take you back to that space. And that's what I'm trying to do with this show."

Asked if W.A.S.P. is planning to perform the debut album in its entirety in the exact song order as it appears on the original LP, Blackie said: "We're gonna do it in its entirety, from top to bottom, just the way that record is that you have. So we will begin with 'I Wanna Be Somebody', which we have never done before.

"This took some doing," Lawless admitted. "We went into rehearsals last January, and we wanted to make sure that we knew what we were talking about before we said anything, because we didn't even know it would be possible. I talked to a number of promoters around the country who had done things like this with other bands that had played one-off records. Because I didn't think it was important to do it in the same running order that it was on the record. And they all corrected me. And they said, 'No, you don't understand. To do what you're trying to do, where you wanna transport people back into that time and space, you have to do it in the running order that is on the record.' And that was a daunting task to me, because we've always closed with 'I Wanna Be Somebody'. Imagine KISS opening a show with 'Rock And Roll All Nite'. How do we do this? So we went into rehearsal and we tried it, and, surprisingly, it was better than I thought.

"We're gonna do something in that first half of the show, and I cannot tell you what it is right now, but when we do it, and it's got something to do with 'I Wanna Be Somebody', it's gonna be really cool, and it will work," he added.

"So, to answer your question, yes, it will be done in its entirety, from top to bottom, in the running order that it is on the record."

According to Lawless, W.A.S.P. will "take an intermission" after playing the entire debut album "because there's two stage sets. What you're gonna see in the first half of the show is a combination of what our original stage set was and the original album cover, and we're fusing the two together," he explained. "And this is where it gets really interesting, because there's elements of that first album cover that are gonna take a prominent role in this show. And I can't tell you what it is, but trust me, it's gonna be really cool."

Asked by Trunk if he would be open to any of the former W.A.S.P. members who played on the "W.A.S.P." album — guitarist Chris Holmes, guitarist Randy Piper and drummer Tony Richards — making guest appearances at any of the shows on the upcoming tour, Blackie said: "I've spoken to Randy over the years, but not the other two. And I'm sure I don't really need to go into the state of what might exist with the others. I think the fanbase out there is pretty aware.

"I don't wanna dangle a carrot in front of anybody and say there's a possibility because as we sit here and we talk right now, I think there's very little chance of that happening," he added. "So I really don't wanna say, 'Yeah. Well, you know…' give you a stock answer and say, 'Well, you never know.' I really don't think there's much chance of that."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In a new interview with Metal Blast, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King was asked what he would say if he could go back in time and impart some well-earned wisdom about the music business to his younger self. He replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's easy, 'cause there's one part of my career that I always look back at and go, 'You should have paid more attention then.' The '90s. 'Pay attention to the '90s and don't put out the shitty albums you're probably gonna put out in the '90s.'

"I don't like the stuff we did in the '90s," Kerry admitted. "I was very disenchanted by music because bands that were getting popular I didn't understand. And I still don't understand. I never liked LIMP BIZKIT. I never liked bands of that era. It just bummed me out and turned me off. And it's really visible to me on [1998's] 'Diabolus In Musica'. I didn't pay any attention to that album. I had a couple of songs on there, but I didn't contribute as much as I usually do. And then I came back to my senses and I said, 'You know what? Fuck that.' I'm, like, 'We're in SLAYER. We need to be fucking important. I need to pay attention to this shit.' And you can tell that I started paying attention when [2001's] 'God Hates Us All' came out, 'cause that was kind of our rebirth into, like, 'Yeah, we got a little lost during the '90s, but we righted the ship and here we go.'"

Asked if SLAYER's change in the musical direction during the '90s was a creative decision or if there was pressure from others for the band to try something different, King replied: "I think Jeff [Hanneman, late SLAYER guitarist] tried to embrace being a little different and I just hated it. [Laughs] And it shows in my contribution. And I know that in hindsight. As soon as that record came out, I'm, like, 'Man, I should have paid more attention to that album and contributed more' — just to get my angst across instead of listening to a band try to evolve into something they weren't. And you can argue that statement as well. Some people really like that album, but it's definitely not my favorite.

"And we weren't real prolific in the '90s," Kerry added. "Paul [Bostaph, SLAYER drummer] left us once. So we did the 'Undisputed Attitude' album, which I am very proud of; I love that covers record. We had a couple original songs, a couple of punk songs from Jeff. 'Gemini' from me.

"Yeah, the late '90s just — it's not a good point in my history, in my mind."

When the interviewer noted that SLAYER didn't follow in the footsteps of bands like MACHINE HEAD by donning kung fu outfits and "little dreadlocks" during the "nu-metal" era, King replied: "Yeah, I wasn't that bad."

King previously talked about the change in SLAYER's musical direction on "Diabolus In Musica" in a 2010 interview with Metal Hammer magazine. At the time, he said: "It was the fuckin' LIMP BIZKIT era. I remember that it was the only time that I let something influence what I was writing. When we made the 'Diabolus In Musica' record, I wasn't into writing music because I was so offended by that shit. I couldn't understand why anybody would make music like that, let alone like it. That was definitely my darkest time as a musician, and that definitely showed up on 'Diabolus…' through my lack of involvement."

Asked why he thinks the SLAYER fans stuck with the band through that period, King said: "We never tried to be something we weren't. Fans see that. I remember being into bands and when they made drastic changes I hated it, so being in a band and being able to make those choices, that was something I never wanted to do. We were still SLAYER; it just wasn't our best time back then."

Regarding when he realized that metal was on its way back, King said: "Believe it or not, I predicted it when GODSMACK and DISTURBED started to get big. Kids were getting into heavier music and they were gonna get tired of it and go to the next level, and then they're gonna come right down our street. I said that years ago, and that's essentially what happened. SLIPKNOT were a definite new thing, too, and their first record was great."

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

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

Earlier this month, the KERRY KING band performed its first live show at Reggies in Chicago. In the days that followed, the band went from playing an intimate venue to performing at the huge U.S. festivals Welcome To Rockville (Florida) and Sonic Temple (Ohio).

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

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

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

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

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

Earlier this month, SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo ruled out a reunion with Bach telling The Hook Rocks podcast: "It's not gonna happen. And I say the same thing every time. I'm thankful that people have such an interest in wanting to see that happen, but I also have to reiterate that this is about being happy in the situation that you're in. So I'll speak for myself personally.

"First of all, I do need to say something too, is that the reason that this isn't happening is because there's three of us — myself, Scotti [Hill, SKID ROW guitarist] and Rachel [Bolan, SKID ROW bassist] — who've had conversations about this, and we've all been on the same page that we don't wanna go down that road again. We just — we don't.

"Rachel has taken a beating over this through the years," Sabo continued. "He's the one who's been blamed for this. 'Oh, it's Rachel's ego.' 'It's this and that.' No, that's a load of bullshit. That is not true. And I feel bad because he's really, really had to shoulder that blame and has never said anything derogatory or anything like that. But you know what? The truth of the matter is that Rachel, Scotti and myself have continually felt the same way, that we enjoy being happy in this band and we're really happy.

"It's been such a great experience for the last however, 35 years, everything, all the ups, all the downs, everything, but we just don't wanna revisit that particular aspect of our history," he explained. "I love the songs, [I] love a lot of the memories, [I am] not fond of some of the memories, but just as individuals and as a collective, that's just how we feel. So this is not on Rachel. And this has nothing to do with anyone's ego or anything like that. So that's just gotta be clear. Again, for anyone to sit there and make assumptions that this is Rachel Bolan saying 'nope,' it's not. It's the three of us, and we've all collectively sat there and just said that we don't wanna do it. We just don't wanna do it. And we wish everybody all the best."

Snake added: "We've been just ripped apart by ex-members of the band and stuff — ripped apart. Some really shitty stuff [has been] said about all of us. And we just choose not to [respond]. It's not who I am. It's not who we are. We won't go down that road. We just wanna play music and be happy. This has really never been about a monetary aspect of things because it's known that we've been offered a good amount of money to do shows together and to reunite [with Sebastian] and whatever, but it's just never been about the money, man. I choose my happiness, my willingness to continue to be a really good friend to my best friends and a really good husband and a really good dad and bandmate and person. And I don't wanna endanger that in any way. So the people that we choose to play with, those choices are made in order to keep those particular things in line for all of us."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY. In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan, guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger. SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I. Theart was fired from SKID ROW in February 2022 and was replaced by Grönwall, who was previously a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T.

Four years ago, Bolan also confirmed that he and his bandmates "were entertaining the idea" of reuniting with Bach following Harnell's departure. But Rachel shot down the possibility of a rekindling of his friendship with Sebastian, explaining: "Well… Here's the soundbite for Blabbermouth. I wouldn't say we were friends [when we were in a band together]. We were bandmates. You know what I mean? We're two very different people." Bolan added that he hadn't seen Bach "in years."

Five years ago, Bach was asked by Rolling Stone what it would take for SKID ROW to be reunited. He responded: "It would take those guys to realize that I have a lifetime manager. His name is Rick Sales. I've been with him since 2006. They don't want to deal with a guy like that. They want to give some singer who doesn't have a manager $700 to $800 bucks a week. I've got a team that's worked with me and don't allow me to get fucked around. I didn't have that team when I was 19 years old."

In response to Bach's statements about the earnings of SKID ROW's singer, Sabo told Rolling Stone in an e-mail: "I guess fact-checking isn't in his skill set… The five of us go on that stage as a band and we all get paid equally. We're in this together. There's no egos."

Sebastian went on to say that SKID ROW was "close to reuniting, but then it didn't happen. The fact that it didn't happen obviously makes me somewhat bitter, because life is only getting shorter, as the song says," he added.

"I wouldn't say 'came close,'" Bolan told Rolling Stone in an e-mail response to Bach's account of the reunion talks. "We entertained the idea. Snake and I went as far as talking with agents and promoters about money. But we quickly learned after a few text conversations, why we fired him in the first place. Nothing is worth your happiness and peace of mind."

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

In 2021, Bach completed a U.S. tour during which he celebrated the 30th anniversary of SKID ROW's sophomore album, "Slave To The Grind".

In a new interview with RadioBypass, legendary drummer Carmine Appice was asked if he thinks LED ZEPPELIN's John Bonham "picked up" any "tricks" from him when ZEPPELIN opened for VANILLA FUDGE early in the latter band's career. Carmine responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I know [it] as a fact. [John] were friends, and he told me that I was his idol. You've gotta understand this. Nobody could really get this now. When [LED ZEPPELIN] came over [to the U.S. for the first time], nobody knew them. They opened up for VANILLA FUDGE. They were THE NEW YARDBIRDS, and then they changed the name to LED ZEPPELIN [after THE WHO drummer] Keith Moon said, 'Oh, you go down like a lead zeppelin,' which means down. It's hard to believe now that nobody knew Robert Plant, nobody knew John Bonham. They were brand new kids — younger than us — and [John] told me he'd been listening to my records."

Repeating the claim that one of Bonham's licks, a triplet bass drum motif used most prominently on "Good Times, Bad Times", the opening track on the first LED ZEPPELIN album, was inspired by something Carmine did on either the first VANILLA FUDGE LP or the "Renaissance" record, Appice said: "I told [John], I think [what] you're doing [on] 'Good Times, Bad Times'. I love it. It's fantastic.' He said he got it from me. I said, 'I don't even do that. What do you mean?' He showed me on one of my songs somewhere in my catalog, I did it once, and he just did it and repeated it. And then I was blown away. He loved my drum set. I got him the same set that I had. Exactly the same set… And we became friends. I used to do the spin like I do on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' and grab the cymbal. So he used to go, 'Hey…' He'd be playing one time. He'd go, 'Watch this.' He'd do the spin and grab the cymbal. And then when they became big, he was doing that. So people grabbed that from him and indirectly got it from me, like Tommy Lee [MÖTLEY CRÜE]. I saw him doing it when [MÖTLEY CRÜE] opened up for Ozzy [Osbourne], when I was [playing] with Ozzy. I said, 'Where'd you get that?' He goes, 'From John Bonham.' I said, 'Well, indirectly, you got it from me.' He goes, 'No way, dude. I got it from John Bonham.' 'Cause John Bonham was the guy. Then I showed him some videos of 'The Ed Sullivan Show' before ZEPPELIN came out as my proof, and he said, 'Wow, dude. I can't believe it.' I said, 'Look, things have to start somewhere.'"

Carmine added: "[John and I] were good friends. He would come to L.A. and I'd go hang with him, go to the gigs, get backstage, hang out with the guys. So when I see John Bonham [voted the] number one [drummer] in all the [polls], I feel good because he got a lot of his stuff from what I did.

"I saw a thing on the Internet where a girl was saying, 'The John Bonham triplets.' I did it before John Bonham, but I got it from Max Roach, the jazz drummer. So it's not John Bonham triplets, it ain't my triplets — it's just the triplet."

Last August, Carmine was asked by Marci Wiser of the 95.5 KLOS radio station what he thinks it is about his playing style that influenced so many other legendary rock drummers, including Neil Peart, Roger Taylor, Phil Collins and John Bohnam. He responded: "Well, basically, I've been around longer than those guys. And back in the day, when it was, like, '67, there were no monitor systems, there was no P.A.s hardly, so I used to have to really beat the drums to get the sound out. And then I said, 'I'm gonna get a big bass drum,' 'cause the bigger, the louder. So I got the bigger bass drum. Then THE RASCALS had Dino Danelli, who was kind of an influence on me… [And I thought], 'I'm gonna outdo him. I'm gonna get a 26-inch bass drum that I bought in the pawn shop. That was very loud. So when I got an endorsement, I got all big drums, very all oversized drums, and I had to hit 'em harder to get the sound best. I was playing harder than most drummers of the day. And by doing that, I had my own sound. It was a big fat drum sound played very heavy, very hard. And I did that outta necessity. I didn't sit down and go, 'I'm gonna create a new drum sound,' you know? And I did that outta necessity, and then people followed me to do that, like John Bonham. And then, as it went on, after CACTUS and BECK, BOGERT & APPICE, other people followed it."

He continued: "I saw an interview, a YouTube thing all about VAN HALEN's '1984', and Eddie [Van Halen] said, his favorite [CACTUS] song 'Parchman Farm' was the template for their song 'Hot For Teacher'. I've heard that before — Alex [Van Halen] told me — but I'd never seen it written down or shown in the video, and they showed the band, they played the song and they put what Eddie said on there, [his] comment. So that was pretty nice. It's just stuff like that. 'Cause we were pioneers. I was a pioneer in the drums. That song was the fastest double-bass drum shuffle that was recorded up to that date."

Back in November 2021, Appice discussed how Bonham's "Good Times, Bad Times" triplet bass drum motif was inspired by something he did. Carmine told the "Musicians On Couches Drinking Coffee" podcast: "What it was I heard [LED ZEPPELIN's debut] album. [LED ZEPPELIN and VANILLA FUDGE] had the same attorney, and they were on the same label. And my manager was connected to their manager, Peter Grant; they were both heavyweights. So when that album came out — before it came out — they gave us a copy and they said, 'We wanna put Jimmy Page's new band on with you guys.' We knew Jimmy Page; we used to do gigs with THE YARDBIRDS. So when I heard the record and I heard the triplet on 'Good Times, Bad Times', I said, 'Woah! What a foot on this guy. It's pretty amazing.' So on the very first gig that they played with us, I said to John, before the gig, I said, 'I love your foot on the record. It's unbelievable.' And he said, 'Thanks. I got that from you.' I said, 'You did. I don't remember doing that.' He said, 'Yeah, it's right on your VANILLA FUDGE record.' I said, 'Where is that?' Because in those days — still today, I don't play what I rehearse; I play whatever comes to me when I'm doing it. So I had done it somewhere on a record, so he pointed it out — I think it was on the 'Renaissance' record… And he said, 'So I just got that concept from what you did and then did what I did.' And I said, 'Wow.'"

Appice went on to say that he didn't feel comfortable bringing up his influence on Bonham in interviews for a long time due to the way the LED ZEPPELIN legend is credited with being an innovator who brought an unprecedented level of power, speed, and control to rock music, thereby setting the bar for all drummers coming after him.

"There was a time I couldn't really talk about this because ZEPPELIN was so big and people envisioned John Bonham like he was 'it,' he was God, and you can't talk about that he got something from you, 'cause he was God — God doesn't get anything from anybody," Carmine said. "And when I said it, people would say that I was crazy, I was egoing out, this and that. Then there was a book that came out called '[John Bonham:] A Thunder Of Drums'. When that came out, it told these stories and it told about when John Bonham came back from playing with VANILLA FUDGE, how gaga he was about meeting me. And he was hanging out with Cozy Powell, telling him the stories about hanging out with me. And they were both gaga about hanging out with me. I didn't know anything about that until this book came out. After that book came out, it told, with that being said, that he actually did listen to me and that I was an influence on him."

A 2017 blog post by Rain City Drummer, a blog dedicated to the art of drumming, attempted to get to the bottom of Appice's claim that Bonham lifted the lick from Carmine, apparently without any success.

Carmine previously said that Bonham took the bass drum triplets from the VANILLA FUDGE song "Ticket To Ride", telling Classic Rock Revisited in a 2006 interview: "When I first heard John Bonham do that triplet thing on the bass drum, I went up to him and said, 'John, that is amazing. I have to admit that I took that from you.' He looked at me and said, 'What are you talking about? I took that from you!' I replied, 'I don't do that. You couldn't have taken it from me.' He proceeded to tell me where I did actually do that on the first VANILLA FUDGE record and he was right. I only did it for a moment on that album and he took it and made something bigger and better out of it."

Back in 2014, Carmine said that he would love to play with a reunited LED ZEPPELIN, claiming that he is a better fit to replace Bonham than John's son Jason.

"Everybody in that band there is legendary… They're old school and legendary. Jason isn't legendary, and he's not old school," Appice explained to the "Totally Driven Radio" podcast. "He's John Bonham's son, but he don't play like John Bonham. He plays more… He plays like him. He's not John. He's got that name, but he's not John Bonham. I'm not John Bonham either, but I think my style might be close, 'cause I came first, and John listened to stuff I did and did it his own way. And we took 'em on their first tour. It's very close-sounding stuff in feel."

VANILLA FUDGE released a collection of LED ZEPPELIN covers, "Vanilla Zeppelin", digitally in September 2022 via Golden Robot Records.

In late March, ANTHRAX announced that, due to personal reasons, bassist Frank Bello would not be able to accompany the band on its South American tour, which kicked off on April 13 at MXMF The Metal Fest in Mexico City. Filling in on those dates, as well as two U.S. festival shows in May, was ANTHRAX founding member and original bassist Dan Lilker, marking his first appearance with the band in 40 years. Lilker, who co-wrote and played on ANTHRAX's debut album "Fistful Of Metal", was also a member of STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH with ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Scott Ian.

In a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Lilker reflected on the experience of playing with his former band again, saying (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it went pretty well. I think I had enough time. I was given about five weeks advance notice to learn the setlist and, obviously, a couple of songs I knew pretty well. And I think the crowd reactions and everything, and the whole tour organization, obviously with those guys, it's all very professional. So, you don't have to stand at the airport and wait for your bass to come on the baggage claim; somebody does it for you, and all this stuff. But, yes, I think in general it was a pretty positive experience. It was fun playing those songs. And I think people enjoyed it. So, I think it was a fun, positive experience."

When the interviewer noted that Dan hadn't been "that active" in the music scene anymore when ANTHRAX approached him about playing the shows, Lilker concurred. "Well, it is true. I haven't really been playing in a full-time band anymore," he said. "NUCLEAR ASSAULT disbanded. The last show we did was the UK Deathfest in September '22. So, when I was approached with this offer, I just said, 'Sure, that would be fun,' because normally I just wanna age gracefully, and just hang out at home with my lovely wife and everything, but this was an opportunity to have a little fun. And also I could cross more countries off my list, 'cause I'd never been to Uruguay, or let's say Ecuador or El Salvador and Costa Rica. So I got to go to those places, which was cool. And I knew that the whole thing would just be two or three weeks, and then I could just go back to my normal home life."

Asked how it was to go up on stage and play with ANTHRAX again and whether it brought "a lot of old memories" back into his mind, Dan said: "Well, the stage that I was in ANTHRAX was very early, so I didn't even tour with the band back in the day. When I was in ANTHRAX back in the early '80s, it was just mostly local shows — maybe a show in Pennsylvania, but I wasn't touring with them. I did not get to that stage. So this was the first time that I'd played anywhere with them that wasn't driving distance from our homes, for instance. So in that way, it was a new experience. But just in general, yeah. I made sure I knew all the songs, and we had a rehearsal in Mexico before the first show. And everything sounded good. I like to be responsible, like, 'Okay, Danny, you have to learn these songs.' I wanted to learn them very well so I could go on stage and play them with confidence and bang my head and not just stand there hoping I'm playing the right notes. So I drove my poor wife crazy 'cause every day after work, I would come home and rehearse the ANTHRAX set. So, she heard 'Caught In A Mosh' 50 fucking times. But I think it was beneficial, because I think I did a good job. And I'm not saying that egotistically. The next morning you go on YouTube from your hotel room and you go, 'Oh, cool. Sounds good.'"

As for what it was like to play Bello's parts, Lilker said: "Well, what I did is I didn't worry about playing every exact note he played. I tried to put my style on stuff. So I'm still playing everything so it will sound familiar, but I have a different tone and a different approach. I use more distortion and a pick, so it was almost like ANTHRAX with S.O.D. bass. Yeah, I put my own personality on it. But I didn't go crazy with that. They still have to recognize them as the original songs. Like I said, I think it went pretty well."

Asked if he had a discussion with the other ANTHRAX guys before the first show whether he should play the songs as closely to the originals as possible or they just gave him free rein to do whatever he wanted, Lilker said: "Pretty much the second option. They trusted me. Obviously, Scott and Charlie had played with S.O.D. more recently than 40 years ago. And when we had the rehearsal in Mexico for a few hours before the first show, I plugged in my bass and had the distorted bass sound. And I said, 'Is this okay? Is my bass too distorted?' And nobody said anything or paid attention. And so I said, 'Okay. That's it. I'm gonna play like this.' And I think it made it interesting, because I think it made it sound heavier and darker, but that's just me."

Lilker was also asked about the recent announcement that Bello was going to play a few festival shows with SATYRICON this summer and whether that means that Dan will play more gigs with ANTHRAX in the future. Lilker responded: "I think it's only that because ANTHRAX had no plans in the summer anyway. They weren't doing all the Euro fests or anything. So, during the summer, everybody in ANTHRAX would go do something else. So, I think Frank had that plan anyway. So it's funny, because SATYRICON are old friends of mine from the Norwegian scene. Scott had told me, though, that Frank might do something like that. And I, of course, was surprised, but I think SATYRICON has changed from the very grim, dark stuff to more kind of like dark rock and roll. So I think that's cool. And I think he'll be great with that. He's a great bass player."

Lilker has not been idle over the past four decades, having played in a wide variety of bands. He was the bassist for the thrash/metal band NUCLEAR ASSAULT and the grindcore band BRUTAL TRUTH. He also plays bass for EXIT-13, MALFORMED EARTHBORN, THE RAVENOUS, OVERLORD EXTERMINATOR, VENOMOUS CONCEPT, and more.

To celebrate ANTHRAX's 40th anniversary in 2021, the band's social media accounts offered a series of video testimonials sent in by former bandmembers, fellow musicians, colleagues, and industry veterans sharing behind-the-scenes stories of working with the band and what ANTHRAX's legacy has meant all these years on. These videos honored each album in chronological order beginning with the original release, "Fistful Of Metal". The 11-week series included video contributions from former ANTHRAX bandmembers Lilker, Dan Spitz, John Bush, Neil Turbin and Rob Caggiano.

Lilker, who played bass on "Fistful Of Metal" and wrote most of the music for the record, told Knotfest about ANTHRAX's 40th anniversary: "I'm definitely proud of that whole thing. I think it's great that those guys are still going… That was real good memories back then. I know people go, 'Oh, they fucking threw you out after that,' and blah blah blah. But, obviously, I got over that and formed NUCLEAR ASSAULT. And next year we were doing S.O.D. So I'm not the kind of guy who stays bitter forever. But, yeah, the memories of those times, writing that record and recording it and everything was... 'Cause there was no blueprint or anything; we just had influences and just tried to put our own stamp on 'em back then. So, yeah, it kind of sucks being thrown out three days before [it got] released, but it gave me an excuse to do something else."

When interviewer Daniel Dekay noted that it was "really cool" of ANTHRAX to allow Lilker to tell his side of the story in the above-mentioned documentary series, Dan said: "There was times in the past where I might have been a little neglected on some of the stuff. So I think they wanted to make sure to just have a nice, inclusive vibe and not forget any particular details. Like the fact that I wrote 75 percent of 'Fistful Of Metal'. You know, a minor detail."

A number of years ago, Lilker told Voices From The Darkside that he was fired from ANTHRAX due to "a conflict" with the band's then-vocalist Neil Turbin. "He was an egotist (like most singers, haha) and it bothered him that I was taller than him," Lilker explained. "Also, he had no sense of humor, so if you busted his balls he took it seriously. So, he told the other members, 'I can't take Lilker anymore. It's him or me.' They decided he was more important as a familiar frontman to the fans, so they threw me out, even though I wrote 75 percent of the music on 'Fistful…'. Oh well. He was, of course, thrown out seven months later, and I played with Scott and Charlie in S.O.D. the next year."

In his 2014 autobiography "I'm The Man: The Story Of That Guy From Anthrax", Ian described Lilker's dismissal from ANTHRAX 30 years earlier as "the worst moment for me in the history" of the band. He went on to say that the decision to kick Dan out ANTHRAX was made by Turbin and not the other members of the group.

"The biggest dick move Neil ever pulled was when he fired Danny Lilker behind our backs after 'Fistful…' came out in January 1984," Ian wrote. "The main reason he did it, in my opinion, was because Danny is taller than him. He honestly didn't think someone should be taller than the frontman onstage. He thought it made him look bad, so he tried to stand as far away from Danny as possible, which was hard when we were playing stages the size of ping-pong tables."

In recent years, Ian has voiced his appreciation for the role "Fistful Of Metal" played in giving ANTHRAX its start, telling Metal Hammer: "Let's face it, 'Fistful Of Metal' gave us our career. It got the band some attention, made people all over the world aware of what we could do — and for that reason alone I have to be grateful to everyone involved. The record was vital in launching us, and everything we've done, and become, since stems from that debut record. I may be critical of it in some ways, but I could never do anything other than admit we owe it all to 'Fistful Of Metal'. If that had never happened… well, perhaps you would never have heard of ANTHRAX."

During an appearance on the May 30 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Slash confirmed that he is planning to enter the studio with his long-running band SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS later in the year. The GUNS N' ROSES guitarist, who has just released a blues album called "Orgy Of The Damned" and is preparing to hit the road in support of it, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're gonna go record another record after this ['S.E.R.P.E.N.T.' festival] tour is over and then sit on it and wait for the right window to be able to release it so we have a clear window to do a domestic and international tour for 10 months."

Slash added later during the chat: "CONSPIRATORS will go in the studio in the fall. And then next year is gonna be back [on the road] with GUNS. And then we're gonna figure out exactly when to release the CONSPIRATORS record. 'Cause you've got ALTER BRIDGE, you've got all these other things going on," referencing the fact that SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS singer Myles Kennedy is also a member of ALTER BRIDGE.

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS kicked off "The River Is Rising - Rest Of The World Tour '24" on January 23 with the band's return to Mexico City's Pepsi Centre WTC. The group's 24-song setlist included the live debut of a deep GUNS N' ROSES cut, "Don't Damn Me", featuring bassist Todd Kerns on lead vocals.

Support on various dates of SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS's "The River Is Rising - Rest Of The World Tour '24" came from MAMMOTH WVH.

Prior to the launch of "The River Is Rising – Rest Of The World Tour '24", SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS last performed in February and March 2022 as part of a U.S. tour.

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 Myles Kennedy (vocals),Brent Fitz (drums),Todd Kerns (bass, vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar, vocals).

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS released "Live At Studios 60", their first-ever double live LP, for last year's Record Store Day in June 2022. The effort contained a performance of "4", plus four additional songs from the group. Recorded live in Los Angeles at Studios 60, the "Live At Studios 60" double LP exclusive Record Store Day release was limited to only 2,250 copies. The full concert featured all the songs from "4". Additional performances of the group's Top 5 rock radio hits, including "You're A Lie", "World On Fire", "Anastasia" and "Driving Rain" are also included in the double vinyl package.

For "4", Slash and the band traveled across the country together to Nashville, Tennessee and recorded the new album at the historic RCA Studio A with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile),revealing a stunning new sound and style all captured live in the studio. Cobb shared the band's desire to lay down the tracks live, in the studio including guitar solos and vocals — a first for the group.

"Orgy Of The Damned" was released on May 17 via Gibson Records.

This summer, Slash will bring his brand-new "S.E.R.P.E.N.T." festival to cities across the U.S. throughout 2024. 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 line-up that will vary. On all dates, Slash will perform alongside his blues band featuring bassist Johnny Griparic, keyboardist Teddy "ZigZag" Andreadis, drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal.

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.

Kicking off their 2024 Summer tour dates on May 31 that are in honor of guitarist Dallas Toler Wade's 50th birthday and the 10th anniversary of Narcotic Wasteland's self-titled debut album, the trio is unshackling their latest single "Barbarian" for the masses. The song will be featured on the band's forthcoming third full-length "Digital Cordyceps" out on Megaforce Records in 2024 (release date TBD).


Dallas Toler-Wade comments on the new track:


"‘Barbarian’ is one of my favorite songs I have written so far. The guitar work is thrashy but also has a neo-classical element to it. I love the mid-tempo churning bass drums that is no secret at this point. Lyrically the song is about my personal feelings on how I want to live my life, but also an observation of what is going on in the world right now. I am sure I am not the only one who sees we are living in an oligarchic society. Meaning we are in a society where only a chosen few have most of the political power. This has always disgusted me. I never needed a political leader or organized religion to tell me how to act, what to read or listen to, and who to vote for. 




“I think it is all complete self-serving bullshit and I refuse to have any part in it. I am barbaric. I follow no rules but my own. I refuse to participate in a society that is untrustworthy, narcissistic, and completely selfish. So I choose a more nomadic life as far away as possible from all of the madness. I am here to entertain. It is my calling. I hope you enjoy the song!!!!! Thanks to all of the fans for your continued support and inspiration!!! Let's rise above and take our freedom back!!!!!"





Narcotic Wasteland’s unholy crusade of show dates commences on May 31, 2024, in Crockett, CA, and continues its apocalyptic conquest through cities like Portland, Dallas, Austin, New Orleans, Tampa, and more, culminating in a final siege on July 7, 2024, in Saginaw, MI.





They are joined by special guests Whore of Bethlehem, Ignominious, Filth, and Malignancy (Headlining), who will conjure up nightmares with their savage performances.


From blistering guitar wails to heart-pounding drum onslaughts, every show promises to be an infernal ritual that will leave metalheads possessed by the spirit of pure chaos.


Find tickets and tour info at bandsintown.com.

Black Stone Cherry have released an official live video for "When The Pain Comes", a track from the band's 2023 album, Screamin' At The Sky. Watch the clip below:





Black Stone Cherry's next live show is scheduled for June 7 at Sweden Rock Festival 2024 in Sölvesborg, Sweden. You can find the band's complete live itinerary here.

Legendary rock guitarist Steve Hackett and InsideOutMusic are pleased to announce reissues of his classical catalogue, beginning in August with Bay Of Kings & Momentum.


Steve comments: “My love of classical guitar began to coalesce with both Bay Of Kings and Momentum, which showed another side of the guitar. This was the opposite of rock n' roll… A more romantic and personal approach already hinted at within both the Genesis music and my solo work. I’m proud that these albums are getting a second lease of life.”







Bay Of Kings was originally released in 1983, and is his first album of instrumental, classical guitar music, with contributions from Nick Magnus & John Hackett.


Momentum was originally released in 1988, and sees Steve crafting beautiful compositions, alongside contributions from his brother John Hackett on flute.


Both albums have been newly remastered for vinyl, and will be available as Gatefold 180g LP’s in both black and limited coloured vinyl editions. New digipak CD editions will also be available, and they can all be pre-ordered for an August 2 release via the links below:


- Bay Of Kings
- Momentum


Watch a trailer below.





The titles A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Metamorpheus, and Tribute are all also now available digitally via InsideOutMusic, with physical releases expected later in 2024.


(Photo - Tina Korhonen)

DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan has opened up about his frustrating battle with gout. The 55-year-old musician, who lives in a southwest Chicago suburb, discussed his health issues earlier this week while taking to Instagram Live during a drive from his home to see his father. Donegan told his 64 thousand Instagram followers in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've been up since 1:02 a.m. last night. [I] haven't slept. I'm fucking in pain. My knee is killing me. I don't know what the fuck happened. And I don't know if any of you have experience with gout. I'm not really sure if it could affect the joints and the knee and stuff like that. I know it's mostly the big toe. I've had that before and it is fucking brutal pain. It's worse than giving childbirth to twins."

He continued: "You know how dramatic us men could be. I've had really bad colds that was, like, very difficult. So it's like giving childbirth. But I always mess around with that because… But gout, seriously, is no fucking joke. That is such fucking pain, and I don't wish that upon my worst enemy. And it's not affecting my toes right now. So that's why I didn't know if it… It doesn't happen often. I haven't had a gout flareup all year. It's been a while. [I had] a small flareup maybe earlier last year, but that was it. I kind of caught it early on, but, man, when that kicks in, that'll fucking fuck you up. You can't walk, everything hurts on your toe, and you can't put a sheet on your toe. No matter what you do, you're in pain, and it is fucking brutal. And I'm not sure if that's what's going on, if it could affect the joints of the knees. So if there's anybody who, who has experience with gout, if they know it could affect your knee or the joints, your ankles or your knee…"

Donegan added: "Man, it is tough. It's not arthritis. I know that. I've gone before to my doctor for tests. So I know I had a high uric acid level 'cause I eat a lot of red meat and I drink alcohol, two of the worst things for gout. And I do it probably religiously every day. There's always red meat or wine or vodka or something. And I guess I should probably watch my intake on all that, 'cause, man, when you get a flareup, you're gonna fuckin pay for it. It's tough. So, if anybody has any… I'm gonna try to look at your comments on here. If you have any experience with gout or anything like that, if you know it could affect the joints in your knee or anything… And whoever has seen us live before, obviously we're pretty active on stage and jump around a lot. And I already have kind of a bad knee to begin with, but when that adrenaline kicks in on stage, you kind of forget about that knee pain. It's usually not there all the time; it just comes and goes, and, like I said, sometimes it didn't even bother me all year. I was fine, but I kind of felt it coming out last night. Yes, since 1:02 a.m. I haven't been able to go back to sleep, 'cause it hurts a lot. So, trying to get through that fucking sucks."

He went on to say: "So, let me read through here and see if anybody has any advice. I mean, I know red meat, alcohol, asparagus, anything that's gonna elevate your uric acid levels is bad for you. So, I guess I got lucky for quite a long period of time, but now something's kicking my ass at the moment. But I will not let that stop me."

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

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

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

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

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

According to Billboard, DISTURBED's "Take Back Your Life" summer 2023 tour grossed $17.4 million and sold 336,000 tickets.

DISTURBED averaged 11,573 tickets sold per show, up from 6,901 in 2019 and 4,404 in 2016. The average ticket price for the "Take Back Your Life" tour was $51.07.

DISTURBED's biggest headlining concert ever happened on September 2, 2023 at Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana, where the band drew more than 20,000 fans.

Alice Cooper has uncovered the original School's Out promo film, and has shared it for #FlashbackFriday. Watch below.


School's Out is Alice Cooper's fifth studio album, released in June 1972. The album reached #2 on the US Billboard 200 chart and #1 on the Canadian RPM 100 Top Albums chart. The title track single peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, reached #3 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles Chart, and went to #1 on the UK Singles Chart.







Alice is donating a hand-drawn autographed drawing of a kitty to benefit the Michigan Cat Rescue group, reports AOL.com. Cooper was born in Detroit and it turns out he's got a soft spot for animals.


The Michigan Cat Rescue posted on Facebook, "The Famous, extremely talented, and incredibly Generous, Alice Cooper, is doing a one of a kind hand drawn, piece of artwork of a Cat and signed it specially for Michigan Cat Rescue!!! We will be be doing an online auction in the near future to raise much needed funds to continue our efforts! We cannot Thank you Enough for being so wonderful Mr. Cooper!!"


Fans on Facebook are loving this kind gesture and one person commented, "I couldn’t love this more!! And my cats are named Alice and Cooper. They are bonded siblings I rescued when they were kittens." Another added, "I've had the utmost respect for this artist since the 90's. A fan of his in California painted his garage door with AC's face, and the neighbors hated it. One day, this man lost his job and was about to lose his house, when AC stepped in and paid for his mortgage. That's a human being for you." Another said, "I love how demented the cat looks!!! I hope it makes a lot of money for the animals."


Read more at AOL.com.

During an appearance on a recent episode of "The Metallica Report", the podcast offering weekly insider updates on all things METALLICA, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett was asked if he likes to hear other musicians playing METALLICA music note for note or adapted in their own way. Kirk responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I love it when people interpret the music through their own filter. And I think that's the proper way other people should play other people's music. But I also understand that people like to recreate it note for note to get that same experience of playing those exact notes. So I support both approaches fully — fully support both approaches. But the one I prefer to hear is our music being put through someone else's filter so it comes out different and more individual, more personalized. And, for me, I think it leads to much more interesting results than — I don't know — just trying to play it note for note."

Back in 2021, METALLICA released a compilation called "The Metallica Blacklist". Hailed upon its release as "easily the most ambitious release of its kind" (Pitchfork),"The Metallica Blacklist" marked the 30th anniversary of the band's landmark self-titled fifth album (a.k.a. The Black Album) with a staggering array of passion and talent: more than 50 artists contributing unique interpretations of their favorite tracks from the album, spanning a vast range of genres, generations, cultures, continents and more. "The Metallica Blacklist"'s 53 tracks found singer/songwriters, country artists, electronic and hip-hop artists sharing their love of these songs alongside punk rockers, indie darlings, icons of rock, metal, world music and many, many more. Artists appearing on the LP include Miley Cyrus, Elton John, GHOST, VOLBEAT, WEEZER, Corey Taylor, BIFFY CLYRO, ROYAL BLOOD and St. Vincent.

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.

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.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin