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


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


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




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


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


Stream/download the single here.





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





Lineup:


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


(Photo - Raymond Ahner)

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


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







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


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


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





Tracklisting:


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

In a new interview with Belgian Jasper, DEICIDE bassist/vocalist Glen Benton once again addressed the controversy surrounding the cover artwork for the band's latest album, "Banished By Sin". Released on April 26 via Reigning Phoenix Music, the LP features art that some people believe was generated by artificial intelligence (A.I.). When the cover artwork was first unveiled in February, speculation over how it was created led to backlash from fans on social media, as well as memes mocking it and DEICIDE.

Benton said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "For me, I'm an artist. I come from a family of artists. I love art. I go to museums. I'm into that. To me, it's more deeper than what's on the surface.

"We live in a day and age of bandwagon years — everybody's just ready to jump on the next bandwagon — and I knew it was gonna disturb people," he continued. "And that's the whole point of it, man. Art is supposed to get you thinking, and that's where I am. I'm not gonna dumb down my artistic creativity just because somebody finds it offensive or I didn't use their cousin who draws anime or whatever. I mean, this is about art, man.

"If you ask an artist to draw a picture of something for you and they do it in a way where it really creates controversy, you've done your job, man. And the fact that I got all these crybabies constantly trying to…

"We gave all the wrong people a voice — that's all I can say," Benton added. "There's some people that really just don't need to be heard from in society, and we gave those people — those unhappy, angry, mean, upset, self-loathing individuals — we gave them all an avenue, and it's just a sad commentary on life right now.

"Me and [DEICIDE drummer] Steve [Asheim], every time we do a record, it's, like, 'Okay. How long is it gonna take before they call me this or they say we're this?'

"You know what? Bad press is good press," Glen said. "I learned that on my first album. So if people are talking and people are disturbed, listen, man, you did a good job. And that's how I [see it]. I don't need to read all the shitty comments on YouTube or wherever else to know that I did something [worthwhile]."

Benton previously discussed the "Banished By Sin" artwork last month in an interview with The Brutally Delicious Podcast. At the time, he said: "Well, people don't understand that the album cover that we did, it was done with Photoshop and with some A.I., but it's a more modern version. It's like 'Legion' [DEICIDE's second album, released in 1992] — when I did the 'Legion' album cover, computers were still fucking new. Nobody knew anything about three-dimensional artwork or any shit like that. And I was the first person to even fucking fuck with that when I designed the 'Legion' album cover. Now I've been in the computers and all that shit since they all came about. So I may be ahead of a lot of people when it comes to computers. I have two iMacs and MacBook Pro and iPad Pro. So I'm a little versed with the whole computer age and in Photoshop and all that stuff and that.

"I like to do something different and provocative," Glen explained. "And I know the whole A.I. thing, everybody's [up in arms about it]… But it was meant to stir. People don't understand. It's a modernization of… It's a sign of the time that we're in. People just can't — their first [reaction] is, like, 'Oh, he's trying to put all of us artists out of work. And I'll be stuck drawing penises in men's bathrooms for the rest of my life.' So everybody's up in arms and thinking that this is the end of the fucking world. And it's really ridiculous, man. It's just a form of art and expression. So I think people should just really stop being ridiculous and accept it for what it is, man. It's a sign of the times.

"I don't do the same album artwork over and over and over again, and I don't use these scribble artists to create these logos that you cannot read or make out," Benton added. "I'm just not into that shit. All these wannabe Rembrandts and shit, man. You know what? I design artwork around the whole thing, man. And I don't take other people's feelings or their ideas or I don't sit here and think, 'Well, what's this blue-haired kid in Nebraska gonna think about the album cover?' I do what I do because I like it, and I don't give a shit what anybody else thinks. So if it pisses people off… And it's really more like these bandwagon little shitheads; they all wanna jump on the bandwagon, 'Boohoohoo.' But here's the thing, how hypocritical it is, because my art was being stolen [through illegal downloading] and stepped all over in the '90s. METALLICA had seen it come and they tried to stop it. But all these wannabe mercenaries for artists and all these idiots out there, they were the same people right there stealing my art back then. So where were all you guys at to defend my art being stolen and taken advantage of? So, all I did was just did an album cover, really, that just focused on the whole modernization of the modern time and, really, it's just a reflection of the age that we're in right now. I can't spend my days trying to explain this. I have a saying: I don't try to convince stupid is dumb and I don't try to convince dumb is stupid. So I just let it do its thing and piss people off. I have a great time with it. It's hilarious. Yeah, it is what it is, man. It's meant to stir the shit paddle, and that's what I do."

Earlier this month, Asheim also addressed the "Banished By Sin" artwork controversy, telling the Heavy Demons radio show: "Well, from what I understand, the label said, 'Hey, we want to get a cover that is reminiscent of the first record,' some kind of medallion or something like that. So, working with… Glen has a guy in — I think he's from Sweden, and he is a jewelry designer, and he's an artist, because, obviously, he has to craft the jewelry, he has to design the artwork for whatever. Anyway, so he asked this guy, 'Hey, create a medallion for the artwork for the record. And then we can tie it in with jewelry that we're gonna sell also.' And so that was this guy. So when people get all bent out of shape about how it's A.I. generated, I mean, we had a human artist design this thing. An artist, they use computer software to design it, and whether or not he ran it through some program to clean it up, I don't know. I mean, some people who know more about art than I do seem to have a real problem with it."

Steve continued: "Everyone's all up in arms about the whole thing. And I don't really understand why. I mean, I guess I see that point about, 'Hey, an artist who paints could have gotten paid.' Well, you know what? An artist did get paid for this artwork. Our fucking guy. I mean, it's not like he's not an artist. So, I don't know what everyone's all up in arms about. I think people just like to have something to bitch about. That's cool. I get it. I like to bitch, too.

"But anyway, that's my take on it," Asheim added. "And I think that's pretty cool. I've heard plenty of people bitch about it. I've heard plenty of people say, 'I don't see what the fucking problem is.'

"Anyway, we made super-huge banners of the artwork for live. So everyone who hates it is really gonna love that."

This past February, DEICIDE released the second single from "Banished By Sin", a song called "Sever The Tongue". The track was recorded at Smoke & Mirrors with engineer Jeramie Kling, while the mixing and mastering was handed by Josh Wilbur.

DEICIDE collaborated with David Brodsky from My Good Eye: Music Visuals for a visually arresting video for "Sever The Tongue" that complements the track's blasphemous undertones.

To close out 2023, DEICIDE celebrated Christmas with another blasphemous song called "Bury The Cross...With Your Christ".

In August 2022, Benton told "The Garza Podcast" that DEICIDE's new music "is really anthem-style stuff. It's really good, man. There's a lot of prog stuff in there, mixed in there. Steve's our prog guy, man; he's the progressive rock guy. He likes to write those really black metal riffs and the progressive stuff. He's an amazing talent, man. He plays piano. He can play sweeps on guitar. He's a drummer. Yeah, he can do it all."

Benton went on to say that the next DEICIDE album was written in 2021 before he and his bandmates agreed to embark on a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of DEICIDE's sophomore album, "Legion".

DEICIDE played its first show with new guitarist Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE, INHUMAN CONDITION) on May 21, 2022 at the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Two years ago, Nordberg spoke about how he landed the DEICIDE gig in an interview with "The Zach Moonshine Show". He said: "In 2019, my band THE ABSENCE toured with DEICIDE in the U.S. And we got to know the guys and got along really well. And I actually found out that Glen lives, like, two streets over from Jeramie [Kling, THE ABSENCE drummer] and I, where we live. So Jeramie and Glen became good buddies and they ride bikes all the times. It's a funny little thing, thinking about that. But long story short, [previous DEICIDE guitarist] Chris [Cannella], I believe he's the head of A&R at Dean Guitars so he's focusing on that for right now. I heard that they needed a guitar player, so I learned a couple of songs, made a couple of videos, and Glen saw 'em and liked what he saw. So we had a couple of practices, and bing bang boom, here we are."

Cannella amicably left DEICIDE in January 2022 after a three-year run.

Chris joined DEICIDE in 2019 following the departure of guitarist Mark English.

English became a member of DEICIDE in 2016 after the exit of longtime guitarist Jack Owen.

Photo credit: Gene Smirnov

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To all my friends in bands, in the music industry, in art, or any related field:

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RUSH's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson made a surprise appearance Thursday night (May 23) at the Gordon Lightfoot tribute concert in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The longtime bandmates and best friends joined BLUE RODEO at Massey Hall to perform the Lightfoot original "The Way I Feel".

After the show, Lee explained to The Canadian Press why he and Lifeson got involved in the star-studded "Celebrating Gordon Lightfoot" event.

"Gordon Lightfoot was to musicians of my generation a true Canadian musical hero — and to boot he was a really sweet person," he said. "Both Alex and I really wanted to pay tribute."

Also appearing at the concert were folk singer Meredith Moon, Tom Cochrane, Dallas Green of CITY AND COLOUR, Sylvia Tyson of 1960s folk duo IAN & SYLVIA, among others.

When Lightfoot died in May 2023 at the age of 84, Geddy took to his Instagram to write: "The first time we met was outside a local award show at a club in Toronto - a legendary poet, a songwriting inspiration - a gem of a man - I loved him. He used to bring his daughter who was a fan, to our shows, and he'd sit with her in the audience getting blasted with volume for three hours.

"A few months back he phoned me out of the blue, for no other reason than to say he'd just watched one of our concert films and really loved it. Every time I ran into him the first thing he would ask was how many gigs we'd done that year – he'd then proudly counter with the fact that he had played even more!

"RIP Gord - you are the man - the greatest Canadian. #gordonlightfoot".

Lightfoot died of natural causes at 7:30 p.m. on May 1, 2023 at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, his spokesperson Victoria Lord said.

His death came less than a month after he canceled his 2023 US and Canada concert schedule. That cancelation was due to "health related issues", according to a Facebook post.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau described the folk icon as "one of our greatest singer-songwriters" in a tweet Monday night expressing his condolences.

"Gordon Lightfoot captured our country's spirit in his music – and in doing so, he helped shape Canada's soundscape. May his music continue to inspire future generations, and may his legacy live on forever," Trudeau wrote.

Lightfoot has recorded more than 20 albums and has five Grammy nominations. His songs have been aired regularly for more than 50 years, earning him radio singles chart positions in North America achieved by few others.

Aside from his success in writing, singing and performing his own songs, Lightfoot has found fortune in having his songs recorded and performed by other great artists, including Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Jr., Marty Robbins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Judy Collins, Johnny Mathis, Anne Murray, Olivia Newton-John, Sarah McLachlan, Barbra Streisand, Peter Paul & Mary, Harry Belafonte, JANE'S ADDICTION, Richie Havens, Glen Campbell, Toby Keith and George Hamilton IV.

After more than 50 active years of hit song making and international album sales well into the multi-millions, it's safe to say that Lightfoot resides with some very exclusive company atop the list of all-time greats. His song catalog is incredibly vast and includes such immortals as "Early Morning Rain", "If You Could Read My Mind", "Carefree Highway", "Sundown", "(That's What You Get) For Lovin Me", "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald", "Canadian Railroad Trilogy", "Ribbon Of Darkness", "Beautiful", "Song For A Winter's Night" and "Rainy Day People", to name a few.

You never know who you'll see at a tribute to Gordon Lightfoot. Geddy and Alex from RUSH were surprise guests at the...

Posted by Burton Cummings on Friday, May 24, 2024

CELEBRATING GORDON LIGHTFOOT
@ MASSEY HALL, TORONTO
Thursday May 23 2024. SOLD OUT

Posted by Gordon Lightfoot on Wednesday, May 22, 2024

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.

Slash spoke about "S.E.R.P.E.N.T." in a new interview with Jonathan Clarke, host of "Out Of The Box" on Q104.3, New York's classic rock station. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, obviously, it's a blues festival. And I'm getting all these artists together. And I thought for a blues festival, wat we should really do is try to advocate for bringing people together because there's so much energy being put to dividing everybody right now. And I just had this feeling of doing something like that. And the acronym just came because I really wanted to support those different key things that I think are really important to verbalize. And then there's a charity component to this and it's reaching out to a bunch of different charities that support people who have been disenfranchised and sidelined. There's a thing about racial equality in there and also supporting mental illness, and just some things I think that are really important to address right now. And try and make this also very all inclusive. So all genders, all races, all religions, all nationalities, to just get people together and be together for a day just to enjoy a bunch of really good music. So that's the premise, and I think we'll be able to pull it off. I think it's going to be a summertime blues kind of thing. I think it'll be really good. The spirit will be there…There's a bunch of different artists spread out through the whole tour. And so we have different combinations throughout."

Slash will visit Amoeba Music in Hollywood, California to play a special acoustic set celebrating his star-studded new album "Orgy Of The Damned", out May 17 on Gibson Records. On Wednesday, May 29 at 5:00 p.m., Slash and his blues band vocalist/guitarist Tash Neal will perform live at the legendary record store. Capacity is limited, and tickets are required for entry to the event.

"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

Although Slash's upcoming LP will be 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).

In a new interview with "The Mistress Carrie Podcast", HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale spoke about her band's upcoming co-headline tour with I PREVAIL, produced by Live Nation. The trek kicks off on July 9 in Raleigh and runs through August 17 in Las Vegas. HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD and FIT FOR A KING will serve as support. When host Mistress Carrie noted that this is "a big tour", Lzzy concurred. "It really is," she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And it's actually so much — it goes a little, well, not a little, a lot deeper than how we've done other tours before. So, small surprise breaker here, the boys in I PREVAIL and me and my guys in HALESTORM have gotten together in the studio and we've written a song together, everybody collaborating. And we are going to be performing that together as an ode to our collective fan base."

Regarding the inspiration for the collaborative song, Lzzy said: "We were talking a lot about the analogy of we're all in the same circus together, as in this is all of our shows. It's not just we're saddling up our wagon against a band, 'We're playing. Here's your set. Here's my set.' We really wanted to create this this haven, this sanctuary for our collective fan base, be, like, 'Hey, he's my buddy too. We come from different walks of life, but here's how we come together,' [and] really showcase that togetherness, especially considering, we all have this different flavor and these different influences. And so it's a really beautiful, powerful song that we're gonna be able to just kind of, like, 'Hey, here's something special for the tour.' So we're very much looking forward to being out with each other. And those guys inspire me to no end. Every time I hear their songs the radio, I'm, like, 'How did they do that?' I want a drop like that' — you know, that kind of stuff. So I'm looking forward to being inspired every night and hanging out with all those boys."

Asked if the HALESTORM-I PREVAIL collaboration is going to receive an official release or if it will only be performed at the live shows, Lzzy said: "We're hoping to [put it out]. We're just gonna kind of see what happens. We're in a little bit of a purgatory with that because we're getting it finished up at the moment, as far as just mixing and everything, and then we're gonna be, like, 'Well, should we? Shouldn't we?' I'm always of the thinking we should, but then there's always a couple of people that are, like, 'Should we though?' We have yet to be at that conversation. But I'm hoping to. Keep your ears peeled for that. I'm gonna fight for it."

Having amassed over 2.5 billion streams globally, the Grammy Award-winning band HALESTORM has grown from a childhood dream of siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale into one of the most celebrated rock bands of the last two decades. Most recently, the band released "Back From The Dead", their fifth full-length studio album which has tallied over 100 million streams worldwide. Rolling Stone called the title track "a biting but cathartic howler about overcoming all obstacles," and that song as well as "The Steeple" marked their fifth and sixth number ones at rock radio, respectively. Associated Press said the album "will definitely be in the running for best hard rock/metal album of the year." Their previous album, "Vicious", earned the band their second Grammy nomination, for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for the song "Uncomfortable", the band's fourth #1 at rock radio, and led Loudwire to name HALESTORM "Rock Artist Of The Decade" in 2019. Fronted by the incomparable Lzzy Hale with drummer Arejay Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger and bass player Josh Smith, HALESTORM's music has earned multiple platinum and gold certifications from the RIAA, and the band has earned a reputation as a powerful live music force, headlining sold-out shows and topping festival bills around the world, and sharing the stage with icons including HEAVEN & HELL, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett and JUDAS PRIEST. Additionally, Lzzy was named the first female brand ambassador for Gibson and served as host of AXS TV's "A Year In Music".

I PREVAIL have established themselves as the forerunners of the genre in the 21st century. Their latest release, "True Power", once again produced by Tyler Smyth, features the sort of stadium-sized riffs that will rattle your teeth loose from your gums and unforgettable, supremely catchy melodies that will camp out in your brain for weeks at a time. The band also alternately mixes screamed vocals that sound as though they crawled from the depths of hell with soaring, emotional vocals and heartfelt, intimate lyrics that go so deep, they hit marrow. The end result is an album that resonates with the listener in the most personal way. Rising to an arena level and receiving two Grammy nominations — "Best Rock Album" for "Trauma" and "Best Metal Performance" for crushing lead single "Bow Down" — I PREVAIL proved that they were built to last. To date, they've racked up more than 4.1 billion global streams, are approaching 716 million YouTube views, and saw both "Hurricane" and "Bad Things" singles top Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in 2020 and 2022, respectively. A number of their singles and album "Lifelines" have now been certified gold and platinum, and they have been praised by press far and wide, including Forbes, Billboard, Hollywood Reporter and NPR.

In a new interview with Conny Schiffbauer of Germany's WDR Rockpalast, Kenneth "K.K." Downing was asked if he would accept an invitation from JUDAS PRIEST to play with his former band at a one-off concert at a big festival. The 72-year-old guitarist, who hasn't played with PRIEST since 2011, responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, let me see the check. [Laughs] It would have to be very, very big. No. I'm happy. I'm content. I humbly approached the guys a couple of years ago and said, 'Look, what do you think about me being back? You're thinking about being a four-piece and doing stuff.' And they said, 'No.' And so that's it. It's closure, I guess — which, it's sad."

When Schiffbauer compared Downing's split with PRIEST to the breakdown of a marriage, lamenting the fact that he and his former bandmates can't remain friends, K.K. said: "Yeah, it's all a bit weird, and I don't understand it. Obviously, the fans seem to understand it, but I don't know if they understand the details, really."

This past March, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill was asked byGreg Prato of AllMusic if he is still in touch with Downing and whether he would ever consider working with K.K. again. Ian responded: "I think he's gone a bit too far for that now. I gave him a couple of chances to basically say hello, and he blanked me. So, he ain't going to get another chance. It's a pity the way it's turned out. But things are what they are."

Downing performed with PRIEST at the 2022 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles.

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the November 2022 event, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

The JUDAS PRIEST members that got inducted include current members Hill, Rob Halford (vocals),Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums),along with former members Downing, drummer Les Binks and late drummer Dave Holland.

Halford, Hill, Tipton and Travis were joined by Binks, Downing and current guitarist Richie Faulkner for a three-song medley consisting of "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight".

Last September, Downing told "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern" that he was particularly disappointed that fellow founding PRIEST member Hill had seemingly decided against having K.K. rejoin the group. "Honestly, the worst thing about the whole thing is that Ian has denied me the opportunity to step back into the band," he said. "I mean, we went to kindergarten together; we were like brothers. And we spent many years at the back of the bus complaining about everybody else. [Laughs] I always thought it was me and him for many years. But I just don't know how that can happen, like I say. And Rob left the band for 14 years. And when I was instrumental in inviting him back into the band. How can he deny me the opportunity to go on stage and play my songs? They're saying, 'We're gonna do it, but you can't.' Because Ian and Rob never wrote any of the music for this band."

Asked if he thinks Ian has been pressured by the PRIEST management or by Rob and guitarist Glenn Tipton to keep Downing from returning to the band, K.K. said: "Something's wrong somewhere. It doesn't make sense. How can Ian, the bass player that's never written any songs, deny me the opportunity of being in the band? All of those years, and I've written all of those songs and riffs, but how can he stand over there and play bass and not allow me to play the guitar to those songs? It doesn't make any sense. And it doesn't make any sense not to have the original guy back from the trademark lineup. It doesn't make any sense. Am I that bad? [Laughs] But anyway, so I've gone ahead and made two albums [with KK'S PRIEST] in two years, and those guys have done two albums in 14 years. I just don't get it. I don't get it."

Pressed about whether he thinks it's attorneys and management causing all the issues between the members of the classic PRIEST lineup, Downing said: "Well, somebody out there has decided that 'I am gonna change history and I'm gonna be the one that's gonna decide what the fans hear and what they don't and who they see and who they don't.' Somebody in that band is making those decisions. But they only have it on their conscience, really, because we all know what the fans… I mean, [former PRIEST vocalist Tim] Ripper [Owens] is a great singer and he made two great albums with us. We did so many tours and he's a lovely guy and he's great, but the fan demand to have Rob back in the band was just too overwhelming, really, because Rob, I guess, their assertion is Rob is the voice of the band, just like Freddie Mercury with QUEEN or Bruce [Dickinson] with [IRON] MAIDEN, and the list goes on and on and on. So that's undeniable. And I think that Tim would be the first to acknowledge that and get that. Even if he sang the songs better, as we spoke, Rob is the voice of JUDAS PRIEST. But now gladly Ripper is the voice of KK'S PRIEST, because that guy is singing so much better than even I've ever heard him before. It's fantastic. So I'm so fortunate to have him back in the saddle with us."

Asked if he would consider rejoining JUDAS PRIEST if the band was going to make one final album and he was approached about playing on it, Downing said: "One thing's for sure: that will never happen ever… I know Glenn's retired from touring. But whether he can write and record, I don't know. I haven't had an update on Glenn's health, sadly. I really don't know. But it's only because I'm so close and in the industry, I heard an awful lot of things from a long time ago, but, like I say, unconfirmed.

"I would have to say, at this point. I spent a lot of time and effort trying to work things out in a way," he explained. "It's pretty complicated stuff. Like I say, I wasn't happy with a lot of things. The 50th-anniversary book and everything that's done, I don't get anything, any money from any of that whatsoever. So it gets tough to see all the merchandise with all these images that I paid for and was a part of creating, a lot of these images. It gets very commercial, the whole thing, and maybe that's what it's all about anyway. The first three, four years of JUDAS PRIEST, the 50 years, Glenn and Rob weren't there, so how does it become a 50th-anniversary book if you don't include the first years? And it wasn't right to do that. And they asked the fans to pay five hundred dollars for a book that's not accurate. But there's so many things, grievances, it gets to be a quagmire.

"In 2010, we all, as friends, as directors of the company, as businessmen, as bandmates, all of that, we all decided to end the band. We all decided to retire in 2010," he continued. "The management — and I've got the e-mails — said, 'We need you to think of a tour title that means the definitive end of the band.' So the tour title was the 'Epitaph' tour. So, because of certain circumstances, I was being asked to write an EP to support the tour. So I'm saying, 'So you want me to end my career on an EP? I'm not gonna do it.' So, there was a lot of disgruntlement then, and I eventually went, 'Right. If nobody's gonna listen to me, you can do the farewell tour on your own. I'm not doing it.' And so I opted out to do the farewell tour. 15 years later, it's easy to say now, but if the idea was then to carry on, I should have known about it, I should have been told about it. Or at least if the option was that they were gonna carry on, I should have had the option to… They should have said, 'We're carrying on. Will you step back in?'"

Downing added: "But then they quickly announced, and maybe they were surprised that Richie [Faulkner, Downing's replacement in PRIEST] would bring a newfound energy to the band, because that's what they said in statements to the press. And they also said, 'Well, none of the fans are missing K.K.' so maybe they felt — I don't know — reborn without me. Which is a bit odd, because I actually felt at the time, in 2010, that I was the energy in the band, that everybody else seemed to just go through the motions. I didn't know about Glenn's illness at the time. But something didn't seem right. I do know that Rob released two studio albums in 2010 and did a world tour, including the Ozzfest, singing JUDAS PRIEST songs, and everybody was in fear that he was gonna take off again. So we thought that all of these reasons were why we needed to fold the tent, really, on JUDAS PRIEST. And that's what we planned. Someone moved the goalpost on me, I'm afraid."

When the interviewers told Downing that they, and other PRIEST fans, miss seeing him up on stage with the band, K.K. said: "Thank you so much, guys. And I can understand why. I was there so long. [Laughs] I was like an old shoe or a wart on your neck or something. I was a part of life. The last tour that they just did, I saw the setlist and they were playing one song off the last two albums. All the rest were my songs."

He continued: "I can only surmise that there's commercial aspects [that are standing in the way of me returning to PRIEST] and just… I don't know. I don't know. Maybe Glenn didn't really ever want me to be there and him not to be there. I don't know. Maybe he saw that as an end of an era, and I think he's right, as far as I'm concerned."

Faulkner, nearly three decades Downing's junior, joined PRIEST after K.K. left in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

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 Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

Phil Collins classic "In The Air Tonight", released in 1981, has been given the swing treatment by Postmodern Jukebox vocalist Robyn Adele Anderson and her band. Check out this new rendition of the song, performed live and in one take, below.





In the video below from AXS TV, released in March 2023, Phil Collins talks with Dan Rather about his first solo hit single, "In The Air Tonight", a track that's received revitalized attention in pop culture in recent years, largely due to its iconic drum solo.

Thomas Zwijsen is back with another acoustic guitar cover, this time giving The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes” a classical fingerstyle arrangement.





Thomas says: “‘Behind Blue Eyes’ was released by The Who in 1971 as a single for the Who's next album, written by Pete Townshend. Famous covers were done by Limp Bizkit, Within Temptation, Paula Fernandes, Sheryl Crow and many more.”




Find Thomas’ tabs and guitar tutorials at kingofthestrings.com.

Firewind has uploaded a video recap from their Stand United Japan Tour. Video edited by Dani G.





Firewind will be special guests on Sonata Arctica's European headline tour in September/October. Warming up the crowds will be Tungsten and Serious Black. Final Strike will appear on the tour's opening night.







Dates:


September
11 - Norrtälje (Opalen), Sweden - Rimbo Kulturscen (with Final Strike only)
12 - Östersund, Sweden - Gamla Teatern*
13 - Trondheim, Norway - Tapperiet*
14 - Örnsköldsvik, Sweden - Nöjesbolaget*
16 - Oslo, Norway - Vulkan Arena*
17 - Karlstad, Sweden - Nöjesfabriken*
18 - Huskvarna, Sweden - Folkets Park*
20 - Roskilde, Denmark - Gimle*
21 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theater
22 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
24 - Utrecht, Netherlands - TivoliVredenburg (Pandora)
25 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
26 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
27 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos-Saal
28 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Konzertfabrik Z7
29 - Munich, Germany - Backstage (Werk)


October
1 - Paris, France - La Machine du Moulin Rouge
2 - Villeurbanne, France - La Rayonne
3 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Razzmatazz 2
4 - Madrid, Spain - WiZink Center (La Sala)
5 - Pamplona, Spain - Sala Totem
7 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
8 - Padova, Italy - Hall
9 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
10 - TBA
11 - Warsaw, Poland - Klub Proxima
12 - Poznań, Poland - Tama

In the Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy video below, Gabbi Gun teams up with vocalist Marc Hudson (DragonForce), guitarist Michael Gilbert (Flotsam And Jetsam), drummer Ken Mary (Flotsam And Jetsam), and Gary Schutt (bass) for a performance of the Helloween classic, "Eagle Fly Free".


Ken Tamplin: "German metal band Helloween’s second studio album, Keeper Of The Seven Keys: Part I, is credited by many to be the birth of power metal. "Eagle Fly Free" was released off the follow-up album, Keeper Of The Seven Keys: Part II, and went on to become the trademark song for the band.


The album itself became one of the most influential power metal albums of all time, reaching gold status in Germany and garnering global success for the band.  




Gabbi is joining an all-star cast as she takes on this killer tune." 

During an appearance on the latest episode of "The Adam Carolla Show", Gene Simmons reflected on what he called "one of the most iconic moments" of his life involving another legendary rocker. The 74-year-old KISS bassist/vocalist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Jimmy Page, for those of you who are 20 years old, the guy created, invented more riffs than any other person on the planet. LED ZEPPELIN, every [song] — just more riffs than anybody, than anybody. Every song was like that. So he came to see [KISS perform] quite a few times, and we became friendly, and I introduced [my son] Nick to him, who was so awed, he started crying in front of Page. 'Jimmy, say hello to my son Nick.' 'Oh, how are you?' He's crying his heart out; he didn't know what to say. Of course, Nick is gonna torture me now, because I'm embarrassing him. So, Page came to see us the first time when we played [London's] Wembley — he came to see us some other times when we were there — and he came up to me after the show, my hand to God, and said, without doing an English accent, he says, 'Mate, you can give [THE WHO's original bassist John] Entwistle a run for his money.' And I was just about ready to pass out. That's not true, of course, but the fact that he would even say that. [That's the] highest compliment. For me, forget about it. The only higher one might be [Paul] McCartney coming over and saying, 'You're doing a good job,' because nobody played bass the way McCartney does, because you can hear a song and remember the bass parts that McCartney played."

In a 2018 interview with Music Radar, Simmons was asked for his opinion on the pick-versus-fingerstyle question when it comes to bass playing. He responded: "Respectfully, studio musicians who play with their fingers live have no idea that we can't hear what they're playing, because there's no actual definition on the note that's coming out. You can do that and love it and have no fuckin' idea what he's playing, but you love that low end, or you can be like Chris Squire and have a very bright sound, where you can hear the attack and therefore hear the note that's actually being played. I mean, a piano is a percussive instrument, and you can hear every single note because there's a definition when the player hits the note."

Gene and his solo band played their second concert of 2024 last month at the Summer Breeze festival at Memorial Da América Latina in São Paulo, Brazil.

In addition to Simmons, the GENE SIMMONS BAND members include guitarists Brent Woods (WILDSIDE, SEBASTIAN BACH, VINCE NEIL) and Zach Throne (COREY TAYLOR) alongside drummer Brian Tichy (LYNCH MOB, THE DEAD DAISIES, WHITESNAKE, BILLY IDOL, FOREIGNER, PRIDE & GLORY, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT).

The GENE SIMMONS BAND played a number of KISS classics alongside covers of MOTÖRHEAD's "Ace Of Spades" and LED ZEPPELIN's "Communication Breakdown".

Three days earlier, the GENE SIMMONS BAND performed at the grand opening of the Rock & Brews restaurant at the Ilani dining and entertainment destination in Ridgefield, Washington. It marked the KISS bassist/vocalist's first live appearance since the legendary rock act concluded its "End Of The Road" farewell tour.

GENE SIMMONS BAND will next launch a European tour on July 27 in Kuopio, Finland.

Back in 2017 and 2018, the GENE SIMMONS BAND played a number of shows with a lineup that consisted of Simmons alongside guitarist/bassist Jeremy Asbrock, guitarist Ryan Cook, guitarist Phil Shouse and drummer Brent Fitz.

KISS played the final concert of its "End Of The Road" farewell tour on December 2, 2023 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Indiana blackened thrash and speed metal band Wraith has announced their signing to Prosthetic Records, with their new album, Fueled By Fear, due to be released via the Los Angeles label on June 28, 2024. Accompanying the signing and album announcement, Wraith has shared lead single and lyric video, "Heathen's Touch".





Speaking on the signing and album announcement, Wraith comments: “We are beyond excited to finally announce our signing with Prosthetic, along with the announcement of our new record Fueled By Fear. As a band that has been around a little while, we believe that this partnership will help push us to the next level. It is an absolute honor to work with a label that has been so instrumental in metal, and we hope that we can leave our mark like many other Prosthetic artists before us.” 




Of "Heathen's Touch", the band adds: “'Heathen’s Touch' feels like a pummeling introduction to our new record. We believe that the song displays all the elements Wraith fans, new and old, have come to appreciate. The song rips from start to finish, and it has one of our favorite bridge sections on the entire record.”


Channeling a reverence to classic metal from a bygone era, Wraith incorporate their distinctively blistering sonic signature to create something urgent and contemporary. The band have previously described their collective mission as follows: "A war of aggression on the dour confines of the modern metal scene and total sonic annihilation."


Thematically, the album explores a dystopian landscape where the boundaries between fiction and reality are blurred, and global and political tensions form in a powder keg of fraught possibilities. Whilst the tales they weave are rooted in reality and an interest in religion, history and political science, they have given themselves free reign to explore the outer reaches of nightmarish possibilities.





Tracklisting:


"Asylum"
"Fueled By Fear"
"Horses And Hounds"
"Shame In Suffering"
"Code Red"
"Ice Cold Bitch"
"Warlord"
"Merchant Of Death"
"Heathen's Touch"
"Hell's Canyon"
"Vulture"
"Shattered Sorrow"
"Truth Decay"
"The Breaking Wheel"


Wraith have a busy year of live shows planned. Catch them opening for Exciter and Midnight at the following venues:


July
18 - The Siren - Morro Bay, CA
19 - La Santa - Santa Ana, CA
20 - Brick by Brick - San Diego, CA
21 - Nile Theater - Phoenix, AZ
22 - Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM
24 - The Rock Box - San Antonio, TX
25 - White Oak Music Hall - Houston, TX
26 - Come and Take It Live - Austin, TX
27 - Echo Lounge - Dallas, TX
29 - Turf Club - Minneapolis, MN
30 - Reggies - Chicago, IL
31 - Legends - Cincinnati, OH


August
1 - Meadows - Brooklyn, NY
2 - Middle East - Boston, MA
3 - Foufounes - Montreal, QC
4 - Lee’s Palace - Toronto, ON





(Photographer credit: Christian Danner)


 

METALLICA played the second show of the 2024 leg of its "M72" tour Sunday night (May 26) at Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany.

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.

At the second Munich concert, METALLICA opened the show with "Creeping Death" and continued with "Harvester Of Sorrow" and "Hit The Lights". The band also performed classic tracks like "Fight Fire With Fire", "One" and "Enter Sandman", as well as three songs from "72 Seasons": the title track, "If Darkness Had A Son" and "Inamorata", the latter of which had never been played live before.

Prior to launching into "Inamorata", METALLICA frontman James Hetfield told the crowd: "This next song, we have never, ever played live before. And, you know, in our band we don't recognize the word 'mistake', because there are no mistakes' there's just unique moments that happen, all right? That's what we need to tell ourselves. This one is from '72 Seasons'. It's one of my favorites, so I'm gonna like it."

The setlist was as follows:

01. Creeping Death
02. Harvester Of Sorrow
03. Hit The Lights
04. Ride The Lightning
05. 72 Seasons
06. If Darkness Had A Son
07. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
08. Inamorata (live debut)
09. The Call Of Ktulu
10. No Leaf Clover
11. Wherever I May Roam
12. Moth Into Flame
13. Fight Fire With Fire
14. Breadfan (BUDGIE cover)
15. One
16. Enter Sandman

"Inamorata", which closes the "72 Seasons" album, has the distinction of being the longest METALLICA song to date, with a running time of 11 minutes and 10 seconds.

Hetfield, who wrote the lyrics to "Inamorata", stated about inspiration for the cut in the "72 Seasons" track-by-track breakdown video: "'Inamorata', having a love affair with misery. A long classic song that screamed out to end the album. Really, really cool riffs in it, really great groove. I love the way it rounds this thing out."

In an interview with METALLICA's So What! fan-club magazine, James said about the lyrics for "Inamorata": "That whole song, you know, misery as my mistress, and I'm trying to hide her. I enjoy her at certain times, but I don't want the world to know about her. I don't want to introduce her to the world because it's not okay. So misery as a mistress, it does serve a purpose in my life, but I don't want it to be my life, and I'm tired of it running my life."

METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo told So What! about the bass breakdown in "Inamorata": "I believe James had a vision of having this sort of SABBATH-y, 'Geezer-esque' moment where the bass is sort of a naked moment, here's this beautiful-yet-dark statement coming from the bass guitar. It feels raw, but at the same time it's got this dark beauty to it. And what I tried to do was really just close my eyes and channel every note. I say to people that that song reminds me of… it's a cross between driving on Pacific Coast Highway in the sun in your convertible, a beautiful warm summer day, ocean to your right or your left, depending on what direction you're going. It has that swagger to it; it's just very cool. Nothing's rushed. It's just a beautiful drive on PCH and the California coast. And when it gets to the breakdown, it's very strong and powerful, this raw, beautiful moment. So maybe the ocean is speaking; that's what I see. I see waves, I see the power of the ocean, the sun, the coastline. And when it gets down to that breakdown, it's just this raw, beautiful moment, and I was closing my eyes, channeling every note. I was trying to be somewhat melodic, but then I was trying to create enough space so that James could slide in there, and we could work together and communicate. It's one of my favorite moments in METALLICA."

He added: "You know, I think about the incredible statements that [late METALLICA bassist] Cliff Burton was able to make with the songs that he was involved with. I feel that [we] obviously had hit a grand slam with 'Inamorata'. It's a cross between a beautiful old film with a really cool painting or something… it resonates 'California.' There's something that's beautiful about it. It has a certain flavor and feel to me."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND, joined Glenn Hughes on stage this past Saturday (May 25) at Principal Club Theater in Thessaloniki, Greece to perform the DEEP PURPLE classic "Burn".

On Sunday, Gus took to his social media to share video of his appearance, and he included the following message "2 days ago I got a text from my friend Søren Andersen [Hughes's longtime guitarist]- 'hey Gus, wanna come jam 'Burn' with us in Thessaloniki?'. Umm, YES!

"Many thanks Legend Glenn Hughes for letting me sit in w you and your amazing band last night! Loved every second of it. Incredible show! All the best and hope our paths cross again soon. Much love, G."

Last year, Hughes launched his solo tour under the banner "Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live – Celebrating The 50th Anniversary Of The Album Burn". During the trek, Glenn is performing DEEP PURPLE's legendary rock album "Burn" and also running through DEEP PURPLE MKIII and MKIV songs.

Hughes spent key years of his career as the beloved bassist and vocalist of DEEP PURPLE, appearing on the classic albums "Burn", "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste The Band".

Glenn's current solo band features Søren Andersen (guitar),Ash Sheehan (drums) and Bob Fridzema (keyboards).

A few weeks ago, Hughes revealed on his social media that he had "finished writing new music" for his upcoming solo album.

The long-awaited follow-up to Hughes's 2016 solo LP "Resonate" will be recorded in June in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Glenn, who recently played a couple of shows with his supergroup BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, previously discussed his plans to record a new solo album last October 2023 in an interview with Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda. At the time, he said: "I am preparing to go in the studio next year, sometime in the summer. I'm preparing the songs in the next couple of months. I have a few ideas, and when I go in the studio, I'll be ready to go."

Asked how "Resonate" has aged for him musically since its release eight years ago, Glenn said: "I love the album. It's one of my favorite albums. I think a lot of people across the world, the rock fans love that album. I was at home writing that album and I went to Copenhagen and I had a really great time making that album. And the next one hopefully will be as strong."

In September 2023, Glenn told the "Iron City Rocks" podcast about where he draws his lyrical inspiration from nowadays: "I don't write about politics. I write about the human condition. I write about how are we feeling, what are we going through, are we going to get through this — you know, acceptance, staying in the present moment. This is the big thing for me. People call it woke, awakening, if you will… For me, it's all about staying present in this moment right now, and I'm writing about that."

"Resonate" was released in November 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl. It featured Glenn's then-live solo band members, Søren Andersen (guitars and co-producer),Pontus Engborg (drums) and Lachy Doley (keyboards),in addition to longtime friend Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),who joined them in the studio for the opening and closing numbers.

Hughes, who was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016 along with fellow DEEP PURPLE members Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Jon Lord, Rod Evans, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice, spent more than three years recording and touring as the frontman of the supergroup THE DEAD DAISIES.

Glenn's BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION supergroup with guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN) and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, ALICE COOPER, BILLY IDOL) will release its fifth album, "V", in June.

“Burrn” w/ Glenn Hughes

2 days ago I got a text from my friend Soren Andersen- “hey Gus, wanna come jam “Burn” with us in Thessaloniki?”. Umm, YES!

Many thanks Legend Glenn Hughes for letting me sit in w you and your amazing band last night! 🤯🤯 loved every second of it. ❤️🙏 Incredible show! all the best and hope our paths cross again soon. Much love, G.

Video credit: CTC Fanzine

Posted by Gus G on Sunday, May 26, 2024

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Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley played his song "Cherry Medicine" live for the first time during his concert on Sunday, May 26 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

Frehley released the official music video for "Cherry Medicine" in February. The clip was directed by Justin H. Reich of Three Thirty-Three Creative and produced by Reich and Steve Seabury.

On "Cherry Medicine", a mean palm-muted chug underlines Ace's pensive vocals where he confesses, "I knew I had to change my ways for sure to keep you by my side." The track showcases another side of Frehley with its saccharine and sweet, soaring hook as he promises, "I love you, cherry medicine. You heal my every need and some." He seals the sentiment with another powerhouse solo.

"Cherry Medicine" is taken from Ace's latest solo album, "10,000 Volts", which was released in February via MNRK Music Group (formerly eOne Music). The LP was produced by Ace and Steve Brown (TRIXTER).

In an interview with "Loudwire Nights", Ace described "Cherry Medicine" as a "fun, easygoing rock and roll song, not too complicated to play. And kids can gravitate towards that, especially kids that have only been playing guitar for a couple of years. The only tricky part about it is capturing my guitar solos."

Ace previously praised "10,000 Volts", telling VRP Rocks: "I'm very happy with the way the record turned out. Now, a lot of times I've recorded records where sometimes you look at three or four songs on the album and you consider them not as good as some of the other ones and you kind of consider them as filler. But I don't think there's any filler on this album. I think every song has merit to it."

He added:  "I think it's one of the best albums I ever did. I mean, I think it's probably as good as my solo album in 1978, which everybody seems to think is my best album to date. But I think this new album is equally as good as my 1978 solo album, and I think there's more than one hit single on the album."

Ace's new all-original album is the follow-up to "Spaceman", which was released in October 2018 via eOne.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons co-wrote two tracks on "Spaceman", "Without You I'm Nothing" and "Your Wish Is My Command", the latter of which also features Gene's bass playing.

Frehley recently revealed that his next release will be a third "Origins" volume, covering songs by artists who influenced him. He will once again work with Brown on the project, which is tentatively due in 2025.

In an interview with Billboard, Frehley said that he is at one of the best points of his career. "Y'know, here I am at age 72 and I'm putting out one of the best records I've ever recorded," he said. "The playing is great and the singing is some of the best vocals I've ever done. It really doesn't make any sense, but I'm the kind of guy that’s always broken rules, y'know?"

IT'S ALMOST TIME!! Ace Frehley LIVE at Mohegan Sun Arena May 26, 2024 7:00pm with Slaughter & Aldo Nova. Tickets are...

Posted by Ace Frehley on Wednesday, May 15, 2024

THE OFFSPRING was joined by pop superstar Ed Sheeran on stage during the band's performance on Sunday (May 26) at the at the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival at the Napa Valley Expo in Northern California.

Prior to launching into "Million Miles Away", a song from THE OFFSPRING's 2000 album "Conspiracy Of One", which the group had not played live since 2016, THE OFFSPRING singer Bryan "Dexter" Holland told the crowd: "Ed told us that one of our records was his first CD that he ever bought when he was a kid. That really meant a lot to us, so we thought, 'Wow, we'd love to have you come out to join us on stage.' We're gonna play one of the songs you wanted to play."

Sheeran, who performed on the main JaM Cellars Stage later in the night, then proceeded to join THE OFFSPRING on the guitar, as well as to trade verses with Holland.

"I want to thank Ed Sheeran for playing with us. How cool is that?" THE OFFSPRING guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman said before the closing song of the the band's concert, "Self Esteem".

Sheeran is a noted rock and heavy metal fan, having recently collaborated with British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH on a song that will reportedly be released for charity.

In July 2021, Sheeran floated the possibility of exploring a more extreme musical path while speaking to The Sun. He said: "I was really into death metal as a kid. I listened to CRADLE OF FILTH and SLIPKNOT and all that stuff. I'm not saying I could ever step into that world. I learnt all those riffs on guitar as a kid. That's something I've never thought about doing — but something I would not be opposed to creating."

Sheeran had previously dabbled in a variety of genres, including rock, dance, rap and reggae.

Sheeran admitted to his love of SLIPKNOT in a 2017 interview with Gist. Speaking about the inspiration for his then-brand new album "Divide", Ed said: "I've had the concept for 'Divide' since 2010. I wanted the whole album to feel a bit schizophrenic. My first sort of music that I got into that wasn't from my parents was rap, metal, punk… I went one day listening to 'lowa' [from] SLIPKNOT and the next day listening to Damien Rice's 'O'. It was quite a switch."

As it turns out, SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor is also a Sheeran admirer, as he made clear in a 2017 interview with NME. Speaking about Ed's massive commercial success, Corey said at the time: "I'm stoked for people like Ed Sheeran — that kid worked his ass off, so why shouldn't he get the recognition?"

VIXEN has parted ways with singer Lorraine Lewis.

Earlier today, Lewis released the following statement via her social media: "VIXEN Tribe and devoted fans: The band has taken a different direction, and as much as I will miss you please know that more Rock & Roll from me is on the way!

"It has been an honor to front the band since that first show in 2019 & I am forever grateful for the opportunity and memories that came with it! I've had the time of my life and have loved rockin' with ALL of you! I can't wait to rock your faces off again soon cuz trust me babes, I'm not going anywhere!! I love you."

In January 2019, VIXEN recruited Lewis as its new lead singer following the departure of Janet Gardner.

Lewis had already performed with VIXEN in March 2018 in Durant, Oklahoma while Gardner was recovering from surgery.

Prior to Lewis's addition to VIXEN, drummer Roxy Petrucci, bassist Share Ross and guitarist Britt Lightning (a.k.a. Brittany Denaro) vowed to "expand upon the VIXEN legacy while remaining true to our musical roots."

Gardner, Petrucci and Ross are considered to be part of VIXEN's classic lineup, along with founding guitarist Jan Kuehnemund, who died of cancer in October 2013.

Gardner contributed lead vocals to VIXEN's most commercially successful studio albums — "Vixen" (1988),"Rev It Up" (1990) and "Tangerine" (1998) — as well as the group's latest full-length release, 2018's live album "Live Fire".

More than two years ago, Ross announced that she was "taking a hiatus" from VIXEN. Her replacement is Julia Lage, formerly of the Latin Grammy-nominated Brazilian rock group BARRA DE SAIA and wife of Richie Kotzen. Lage made her live debut with VIXEN on February 8, 2022 at the pre-Monsters Of Rock cruise concert at Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida.

Last year, VIXEN released a new single called "Red". The official music video for the track, which was written and produced by CINDERELLA drummer Fred Coury, was directed by Drew Johnston and Vicente Cordero and edited by Ryan Conion.

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Cainites has released "Theotokos", second single taken from the debut album "Revenant" to be released on June 21 by Scarlet Records.


"Theotokos" explores a plea for salvation to the Mother of God, a desperate bid for redemption through divine intervention, symbolized by the vampiric consumption of the sacred, in search of a lost purity.


Cainites is the name of the new melodic death metal duo risen from the ashes of the Italian gothic-doom masters Motus Tenebrae and founded by Andrea Falaschi aka Frater Orion (Deathless Legacy), on vocals, drums and keyboards, and Daniele Ciranna, on guitar and bass.




Through their dark, gloomy melodic death metal – heavily influenced by the British and Scandinavian masters with a creepy Mediterranean twist too – Cainites create their own mystique, portraying the bloody mark they have to carry.


Revenant is a concept album about an old Orthodox priest who became a vampire against his will. A controversial, cruel and yet fascinating character, oscillating between a sense of abandonment by the divine and the manifestation of a faith that is still present, with continuous pleas to God to stop him from his relentless bloodshed – yearning for a redemption that cannot be reached.


Revenant will be released in the following formats:
- jewel case CD
- digital





Tracklisting:


“Darkness Awaits”
“Theotokos”
“Vampire God”
“God’s Wrath”
“We Lost Our Sanctity”
“Forgive Our Sins”
“Cainites”
“Embrace”
“Forsaken”
“Redemption”


"Theotokos":





"Darkness Awaits" video:





Cainites:
Andrea Falaschi (aka Frater Orion) - vocals, drums, keyboards
Daniele Ciranna - guitar, bass


(Photo – Frater Orion)

The IFM RAW YouTube channel has uploaded video of SHADOWS FALL performing the song "The Power Of I And I" on May 9 at the Welcome To Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida. You can check out the clip below.

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.

In an interview with the WSOU 89.5 FM radio station, SHADOWS FALL frontman Brian Fair discussed the status of the band's new music, two and a half years after he and his bandmates reunited for a concert at The Palladium in Worcester in their native Massachusetts. The 48-year-old singer, who now lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and their two kids, said: "We're working on new music right now that's — you can tell it's SHADOWS FALL, but, man, it's got new vibes, it's got new influences and it's just kind of a very fresh approach.

"When we first started working on it, we were worried," Brian admitted. "We were, like, 'Is this gonna sound like us?' We hadn't written songs together in five to six years, where it's gonna be. And, man, right out of the gate, we were, like, 'This is the SHADS. We're back.'"

Elaborating on the musical direction of the new SHADOWS FALL material, Fair said: "Honestly, it's gonna be everything that we've always done, plus more. And we're probably about — I'd say we've got six or seven songs that are actually songs. They're still gonna get some some tweaks here and there, with a few other ideas still floating around that need to be worked on. But I don't know what time frame — we're not pushing any sort of deadlines on ourselves 'cause it's been, man, since 2014 since we dropped any new music so we're not in a rush. We wanna get it as perfect as we can, we wanna be as happy with it as we can, and [we're] not having label pressure to finish by a certain time. It's also a new day and age where you can release it in such different ways than we were used to back then, and that's really exciting as well. I don't know if we'll drop some songs here and there and then put it all out together on vinyl at the end. I have no idea about that stuff yet. We'll work all that out, but I'm super excited about these songs. I've also been pushing myself as a singer to really expand my range to try new ideas, and having the time to work through that has been really helpful. 'Cause even when SHADOWS FALL was doing downtime, I was doing different projects and trying to really bring some new elements to what I do, and I'm putting all that into this record. So it'll sound like SHADOWS FALL, but there'll definitely be some some new interesting ideas and approaches and stuff. So it's really exciting."

He added: "For us, it's just been great to be back in the room jamming on new material, 'cause when we got together to do these [reunion] shows, when we're rehearsing, we were, like, 'If we're putting this work in, why not see what happens with new music?' And I couldn't be happier with how it's coming out. So, really exciting."

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."

Asked if 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."

Fair previously discussed SHADOWS FALL's plans for new music during an episode of "Drinks With Johnny", the Internet TV show hosted by AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ. At the time, he said: "We're pretty deep into the process. I'd say I'm kind of a slacker, but I'm really focusing on getting things as good as I can vocally because we have no agenda. We have no time frame. We have no record label pressure. We're just trying to write the best music we can. And it all kind of came about as we started jamming to do the reunion shows. And these guys have — Jon's [Donais, guitar] been playing in ANTHRAX and Jason's [Bittner, drums] been playing in OVERKILL, so their chops are still at top-notch level. But they had riffs, man. And I was, like, 'If we've got riffs and they sound like SHADOWS FALL, if we're gonna get together and jam, let's make some new music.'"

He continued: "It's been a blast, man. It's funny, 'cause the older we've gotten, it's gotten a little more brutal, which was not a surprise, 'cause I just figured that would happen. We're, like, 'If we're gonna do it, we're gonna drop the hammer.' So it's been fun, man. I forgot how much of a riff machine Jon was. And he's just like — ideas are just flying out of him. And also in ANTHRAX, he just gets to solo in the studio. So he's just, like, 'Finally I get to write some riffs.' [Laughs]"

In July 2023, Bittner told the "Nothing Shocking Podcast" about SHADOWS FALL's decision to work with Zeuss again: "[Zeuss] did all of our records except for… Well, he had a hand in all of them except for 'Fire From The Sky'… So he's always been involved with SHADOWS FALL in some way, shape or form. Once this whole reunion thing kind of morphed from being just a one-show thing, we started talking with him, 'cause he still lives two minutes away from Paul [Romanko, bass]. So, it's, like, 'All right. Well, if you guys are getting back together, what's the next step? Are we making another record?' We're, like, 'Well, we don't know.' And he was, like, 'Whatever we're doing, let's get on it.' So kind of, like, we just sort of figured, 'We don't have any money to pay you, because we don't have any money because we don't have a record label or anything.' But he was just, like, 'Well, let's just start doing this and let's do it together.' So that's pretty much where we're at right now. We're just gonna start recording some material that we have and we're gonna keep working at that as the year goes on."

During an appearance on "The Jasta Show" podcast, Fair said that SHADOWS FALL is not currently signed to any record label. "We're free and clear," he explained. "We were luckily free and clear for a while, so even our last couple of records were done kind of on our own terms."

Fair and his SHADOWS FALL bandmates have played a few other reunion concerts, including at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, Virginia, at the Furnace Fest in Birmingham, Alabama, and at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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.

During an appearance on the May 22 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi was asked about Ozzy Osbourne's recent comment that he would like to play one final SABBATH concert with the band's original drummer Bill Ward. Tony said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a funny old thing, really. I mean, God, we'll be 90 by the time we do that. [Laughs] It'd be a nice idea, but you're gonna get everybody going, 'Oh, they're doing it for the money. They're doing it for this, they're doing it for that, they're doing it…' Well, it wouldn't be. I mean, it'd be something that'd be a nice thing to actually do, but whether it happens will be another thing. But we'll see. I mean, who knows?"

Asked if he misses performing live, Tony said: "It's great to see the audience. I love to play live. But I have been playing. You obviously know about the BLACK SABBATH ballet. And it was great for me to go on at the end — I was playing on the end of the show, which was really good to get out and play live again. And then I did a gig with Johnny Depp when he came over [with HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES]; I played on one of their shows, which was great. It's really good to be able to do that. But, yeah, for me, I've always loved playing live. But I have to look at it realistically at my age. I can't go out and do a two-year tour like we were doing before. And to put something together like the original SABBATH or this or that or the other, you've gotta do it a long time because of the cost of everything. But it would be nice, yes, to do a one-off, if that ever happens, yeah."

On the topic of his health, Iommi — who was diagnosed with lymphoma in early 2012, shortly after SABBATH announced a reunion tour and album — said: "It's up and down at the moment, to be honest. I'm going for a heart check tomorrow. I've been getting these, like, sort of, um… I can't breathe properly and can't get my breath out, so they recommended I go and get this checked tomorrow. But, apart from that, yeah, I've been fine."

Ozzy discussed Ward's absence from SABBATH's final album, "13", during a recent episode of the new Internet TV show "The Madhouse Chronicles". Released in 2013, it was SABBATH's first LP in 35 years to feature Osbourne, Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler. Ozzy said: "I can't remember why Bill didn't do it. I've gotta be truthful. It wasn't really BLACK SABBATH because Bill wasn't there. I mean, if you had Ginger Baker playing with THE BEATLES, it wouldn't be THE BEATLES."

Ozzy also talked about the final show of SABBATH's "The End" tour, which took place in February 2017 in the band's original hometown of Birmingham, England. Asked if he was glad it was done at that moment, Osbourne said: "Yeah, but I was sad that Bill wasn't there. I mean, I mean, Tommy [Clufetos], my drummer [for my solo band], did a great job [stepping in for Bill], but he ain't Bill Ward."

Pressed about whether he is happy with the arc of the legend of BLACK SABBATH, Ozzy said: "No. Because it wasn't BLACK SABBATH that finished it. It's unfinished. If they wanted to do one more gig with Bill, I would jump at the chance. Do you know what would be cool? If we went to a club or something unannounced and we just got up and did it. We started up in a club."

Back in September 2022, Ozzy was asked by Stereogum if he still feels good about where "13" left things with SABBATH. He responded: "Not really, because, to be perfectly honest, I didn't really get a charge from the album. Although [<>'13' producer] Rick Rubin is a good friend of mine, I wasn't really… I was just singing. It was like stepping back in time, but it wasn't a glorious period. Though Geezer did a lot of lyric writing for me, which he's very, very good at. It wasn't an earth-shattering experience for me."

As for whether BLACK SABBATH is "totally done" in his mind, Osbourne: "I would like to say it's completely done. I think it's time. The only thing I really regret, to be honest, is that Bill Ward didn't play on the ['13'] album. It wasn't really a BLACK SABBATH album. I'm not saying that one day we might not all go in a room and come up with the perfect BLACK SABBATH album. But I'll say, ['13'] wasn't recorded the way BLACK SABBATH recorded records. We'd gone right back past the point where we took charge, back to when someone else had full control of our recording. Which we never did from 'Vol. 4' onwards."

Ward in May 2012 announced that he was declining to join his former SABBATH bandmates for its scheduled dates, as well as the recording of the new album, due to a contractual dispute. After SABBATH shot down Rubin's suggestion to replace Ward with Ginger Baker (CREAM) ("I thought, 'Bloody hell?'" Iommi told Rolling Stone magazine. "I just couldn't see that."),Rick suggested RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE drummer Brad Wilk.

In March 2021, Bill admitted to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he no longer had the "chops" and the "ability" to perform with BLACK SABBATH. "I have to be back to 60 years old to be able to do that," he said.

"I would love to do a studio album with SABBATH, with all the original members," he continued. "I'm just saying that — I'm just floating that out there. But I'm not done. So, the other three might be done, and I respect that, but no, I'm not done. I think as long as we all exist [laughs] and we're still breathing in air, I think we have every possibility of making some great music together."

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio during SABBATH's last tour that Ward was not in shape to participate. "Bill Ward has got the most physically demanding job of the lot of us, 'cause he's the timekeeper," he said. "I don't think personally he had the chops to pull it off, you know. The saddest thing is that he needed to own up to that, and we could have worked around it, whether we had a drummer on the side with him or something."

It was rumored that SABBATH wanted to bring a second drummer on the road to share duties with Ward, something that Iommi confirmed in 2017 during a question-and-answer session about SABBATH's "Ten Year War" box set.

In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, former THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN singer Greg Puciato was asked how he feels about the announcement that the band's original vocalist Dimitri Minakakis will reunite with guitarist Ben Weinman, the group's lone consistent member over the years, along with fellow alumni Liam Wilson (bass) and Billy Rymer (drums),for several shows this year celebrating the 25th anniversary of their groundbreaking 1999 debut album, "Calculating Infinity". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It doesn't bother me at all. When people ask me that, as if I'm gonna be bummed, I'm, like, why would I be bummed? I'm not on the record. To me, if the band was still a band, and some of those guys, obviously [original members Brian] Benoit [rhythm guitar], [Chris] Pennie [drums] and Adam [Doll, bass] aren't [part of the reunion shows], but if, if Dimitri and Ben were, like, 'Hey, we wanna do some 'Calculating Infinity' shows, what am I gonna do? Be, like, 'No!' That doesn't make any sense. I wasn't on the record."

Greg continued: "So, I hope they're wildly successful with it, and I hope that it does a lot of good for them — I hope it makes them feel good personally, those two. 'Cause, obviously, Liam and Billy were not on that record, but the ending of them before I joined, I don't think it was — it wasn't fulfilling. It wasn't a fulfilling closure. It wasn't exactly on everybody's terms involved. So I think them being able to go back and do this and celebrate what is non-arguably a fucking genre-changing milestone record that many bands would not exist if it wasn't for. They should play everywhere. They should come to London, they should go play festivals, they should do everything. Like I said, I'm all for it, man."

Puciato then quipped, "Don't play 'Miss Machine'," referencing THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's second studio album, which marked his first recorded appearance with the band.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN 2024 tour dates:

June 08 - No Values Festival - Pomona, CA
June 21 - Brooklyn Paramount - Brooklyn, NY
June 22 - Brooklyn Paramount - Brooklyn, NY
June 23 - Brooklyn Paramount - Brooklyn, NY
August 24 - The Salt Shed - Chicago, IL

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, renowned for their mind-bending musical compositions and legendary high-energy live shows, officially disbanded in 2017 following three unforgettable final performances at Terminal 5 in New York City. After years of unwavering fan support, an incessant barrage of reunion appeals, and numerous reissues, the band will return, honoring the album that initiated their groundbreaking journey. With its distinctive fusion of hardcore punk, progressive metal, and jazz, which left both fans and critics in awe, "Calculating Infinity" not only defined their sound but also revolutionized the game from the outset.

"It's been a long time coming for this opportunity to perform in a project I helped create over 25 years ago," said Minakakis. "Having the chance to celebrate 25 years of 'Calculating Infinity' with my closest friends in life is just a dream turned real. I'm looking forward to seeing all the old faces, as well as all the new ones. THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN has always been more than just a band. We were a force of nature. This reunion show is our way of thanking the fans who have stood by us and the album we made in a small basement in NJ all those years ago."

Liam Wilson who shared the stage with Dimitri soon after the release of "Calculating Infinity" and continued to share the stage with Weinman until the band farewell shows in 2017 had this to say: "Amped to go party like it's 1999 again and give this album the birthday party it deserves! These songs are still unfuckwithable and as a musician, it's rad to have the opportunity to get back under the hood of this album and revisit my salad days, this time with more seasoning. Dimitri always had such a menacing presence and venomous voice, it's gonna be killer to rip these songs with him up there with us!"

"Dimitri has remained one of my longest and closest friends," added Weinman. "Even after leaving the band, his support and contributions through his work on our first albums have kept an everlasting spark in my heart for what we did together. I remember the first day we met. He was the new guy in school and I drove by him and gave him the finger. Then I reversed the car and asked him if he wanted to hang out and make a band. I said, you look like a singer dude. " We could have never imagined what an impact that moment would have."

He continued: "While we are all very happy with the resolve of the band in 2017 with Greg, something still feels unsaid as far as the Dimitri era of the band and with so many people talking about the album and after performing a handful of first album performances with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, it just all made sense. This needed to happen!"

For many fans, the chance to experience the sonic atomic blast of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN performing "Calculating Infinity" live with Minakakis at the helm is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This reunion show offers fans not only the chance to witness the magic that sparked the band's meteoric rise over the past 25 years, but to experience the album that started it all performed right in front of them.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's mastery of their craft is unparalleled. Their live shows are an explosive spectacle of precision and passion. This reunion show promises to be no different. Prepare for an unforgettable night as they revisit the album that defined a genre and marked the beginning of their legendary career.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN is a globally celebrated American metal powerhouse, recognized for their groundbreaking and uniquely intense contributions to the heavy music scene. "Calculating Infinity" stands as a genre-defining masterpiece, marking a pivotal moment not only for the band but for the entire genre. It landed on countless "Best Of The Year" lists the year it dropped including Best Metal Album of the Year by Revolver magazine. It was later listed among the Top 10 Metal Albums of All Time by Metal Injection. Loudwire has since placed the record third on their list of "25 Best Metalcore Albums Of All-Time" with writer Stephen Hill stating that "the influence of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN is present at every major rock festival in the shape of any forward-thinking, heavy band and even in the current metalcore or tech-metal production line (who have aped elements of their sound in the most piss-weak and desperate way). But the fact that these bands are here at all and able to appeal to a wider audience is in no small part due to the trail blazed by "Calculating Infinity" and its utter contempt for compromise and uniformity." In 2017 Rolling Stone called the LP "one of the greatest metal albums of all time" and despite disbanding that same year, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's legacy continues to inspire musicians and fans alike.

Photo credit: Jim Louvau

The Troops Of Doom, the Brazilian death metal supergroup led by Jairo "Tormentor" Guedz, former guitarist of the original Sepultura lineup, will release their new studio album, A Mass To The Grotesque, on May 31 via Alma Mater Records, the Portuguese label run by Moonspell singer, Fernando Ribeiro.


Audio snippets for tracks from the new album can be heard in the visualizer below:







“Imagine a death metal world unaltered and pure since the 1990’s, a musical style so dear to the fans, that time, business and trend, could never hurt,“ death metal fan Fernando Ribeiro recommends. “Go back to the glorious time where death metal reigned supreme, thanks to some bands, artists, studios and an untameable will of progressing and delivering extreme music to its finest shape, like occult jewellery, filigree , brutal yet elegant in its overwhelming task of splitting your ears. The new Troops Of Doom album A Mass to the Grotesque, which Alma Mater Records is brutally proud to present, rescues this long forgotten death metal class. They are the flag carriers of the authentic Morrisound sound (the legendary Florida studio where this album was mixed and mastered) and they leave no stones unturned on this one. Brace yourself for the best and most authentic Death Metal album in ages!”


The Troops Of Doom was formed in 2020, during the pandemic, by the original Sepultura guitarist Jairo “Tormentor” Guedz. He recorded the albums Bestial Devastation (1985) and Morbid Visions (1986). Jairo left the band in 1987, making way for Andreas Kisser, who continues with the band to this day. The Troops Of Doom’s lineup also includes other significant figures from the Brazilian metal scene, such as guitarist Marcelo Vasco (Patria, Mysteriis), a globally renowned graphic artist known for his work with bands like Slayer, Dee Snider, Kreator, Machine Head, Soulfly, and many others. The vocalist and bassist Alex Kafer, former live guitarist for Matanza, and drummer Alexandre Oliveira, a former member of the band Tianastácia, complete the lineup.


Acclaimed by specialized media as a supergroup, The Troops Of Doom emerged to revive the classic death metal of the 80s, inspired by Sepultura’s early era with Jairo and other influential bands such as Slayer, Celtic Frost, Kreator, and Possessed. It serves as a time machine for those nostalgic for the golden age of death metal. In just two years since its formation, the band has released three EPs: The Rise of Heresy (2020), The Absence of Light (2021), and Prelude to Blasphemy (2023), along with their debut album, Antichrist Reborn, that was released in 2022 on CD, LP, and Cassette by Alma Mater Records and lauded by both fans and music press alike.


Now, the band is gearing up for the release of their highly anticipated second album, A Mass To The Grotesque, produced by André Moraes, a multi-talented musician known for his work on Sepultura’s Dante XXI and the soundtrack of the film “Lisbela e o Prisioneiro,” at Audio Porto studio in Porto Alegre/RS. The mixing and mastering of the album were done by Jim Morris at the legendary Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida, known for producing some of the greatest death metal classics of the 80s and 90s.


"The entire production and recording of the album were done in Brazil, while the mixing and mastering were handled by the great Jim Morris at the legendary Morrisound Recording in Florida. It's a production that completely diverges from today's standard productions. We are very proud of it," Jairo Guedz comments.


"Every aspect of this album was chosen meticulously," Marcelo Vasco adds. "What could be more intense than having the record mixed in the studio where the greatest death metal classics of the '80s and '90s were mixed? Our idea was to take the production of this album to another level. The sound breaths, it’s organic and lo-fi, oldschool as hell. It’s an experience!”


The cover art was painted by the acclaimed artist Dan Seagrave, responsible for numerous classic death metal album covers. Guedz reveals: "The title A Mass To The Grotesque carries the symbolism of a true ode to the ugly, the evil, the feared. It encompasses everything and everyone that doesn't fit into the molds of a so-called 'evolved' society, choosing to live in the shadows. A dark liturgy to the rejected and their followers, who find shelter and comfort in the absence of light and in the supposed dictatorship of the divine word, whatever it may be. The grotesque is resistance, where nothing is sacred!"


"There wouldn't be a more perfect artist to paint the album cover than the master Dan Seagrave, whose distinctive style is deeply rooted in the genre and has created numerous album covers for death metal that have become iconic and, of course, a great inspiration in The Troops of Doom's music. We are huge fans of his work," Vasco admits, "and it is a giant honor to have him as the cover artist of this new album. It's a dream come true."


Available as:


- CD Digipack
- Black LP ltd 300
- Yellow LP ltd 300


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Solve Et Coagula" - Introduction
"Chapels Of The Unholy"
"Dawn Of Mephisto"
"Denied Divinity"
"The Impostor King"
"Faithless Requiem"
"Psalm 78 - God Of Bizarre"
"Terror Inheritance"
"The Grotesque"
"Blood Upon The Throne"
"Venomous Creed"


"Dawn Of Mephisto" video::





"Chapels Of The Unholy" video:





(Photo - Cissa Flores @cissa_flores)

IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain performed reimagined versions of some of the band's classic songs with The Massed Bands of His Majesty's Royal Marines on March 8 at this year's 52nd Mountbatten Festival Of Music (MFM) at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. Nicko played his kit, named Legacy Of Royals, for the piece "The Maiden Legacy" — a medley of the heavy metal band's most popular tracks: "The Trooper", "Wasted Years" and "Run To The Hills". Professionally filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

On March 5, during McBrain's rehearsals with the Royal Marines Band Service at HMS Temeraire in Burnaby Road, Nicko told The News about how his involvement with the event came about:  "Well, let's see, 2020, the year that we don't talk about, it was the 50th anniversary of the Mountbatten Festival, and I was in attendance as a guest… And it just came about that … the people that I met there at the event, they said, 'Oh, it'd be nice to…' 'cause it was THE PRODIGY, who did the halftime after the interval. And I was absolutely amazed at it. I thought, 'There's these guys playing PRODIGY. It's brilliant.' So that was where the idea came about. And they said, 'Well, what would you like to do next year?' And I was very honored and humbled, and I immediately agreed."

Asked how the rehearsals had been going up until that point, Nicko said: "Rehearsals have been great. Sunday was a bit of a — how do I say it? Very nervous. Because of my circumstances, my right hand doesn't work very well, so I was very, super nervous about that. We got through the rehearsals really well, and then it was, of course, time to come in yesterday with the full orchestra. And my goodness, the north wind does blow right behind me. It blew me away. The power and the sound of these great musicians and a hundred-piece orchestra jamming MAIDEN was just a joy to behold. I wanted to actually stop and listen to 'em, but I can't do that. It's been wonderful."

Nicko played a special kit made just for these shows, created by The British Drum Company. Stu Warmington, international sales manager for BDC, said: "For this kit, we've put different designs of MAIDEN's mascot Eddie as marines through history on each of the drums, from 1664 right up to the present day, so we've got the Yomper, at the battle of Trafalgar and so on. After the shows it's going to be put up for auction for the Royal Marines Charity."

The Mountbatten Festival Of Music is a major source of fundraising for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines charities and the Young Lives vs Cancer charity and takes the audience on an exhilarating ride through the world of music, often premiering spectacular new arrangements and compositions, unique to this event. When combined with traditional military marches, music from the big screen, superb solo items, all accompanied by spectacular lighting effects, the Mountbatten Festival Of Music has packed out the Royal Albert Hall annually for over 50 years.

Nicko's drumkit is being sold at auction to raise money for the Royal Marines Charity and the Grand Order of Water Rats Charity.

McBrain suffered a ministroke in early 2023 and has been recovering ever since.

When Nicko first went public with his stroke in August, the drummer said in a statement that the episode left him "paralyzed" down one side of his body and "worried" that his career with the band was over.

Four years ago, McBrain was diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer and opened up about it in a single interview in 2021 but otherwise kept it mostly under wraps. The musician received his cancer diagnosis after undergoing an endoscopy at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University Of Miami Health System and the Miller School of Medicine. Within a week, McBrain's cancer was surgically removed and he now gets check-ups every few months to make sure the cancer hasn't returned.

Nicko McBrain performs alongside Royal Marines Band (Rehearsals).

Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain performs alongside Royal Marines Band (Rehearsals at HMS Temeraire in Portsmouth).

Video by The News, Portsmouth.

Posted by Eddie The Head Fan Club on Saturday, March 9, 2024

In a recent interview with Brazil's Sonoridades Inc., singer Cristina Scabbia of Italian goth metal veterans LACUNA COIL spoke about the progress of the writing and recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2019's "Black Anima" album. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I can't really tell you a lot. I can tell you that we are progressing very fast. We are almost, like, 100… We completed, let's say, the demoing. We still have to record the rest of the songs, but we will soon — probably after the tour, after the [May 2024] North American tour. And if everything goes as projected, before the end of the year [it] will be released. And that's already a big news, because we always say, 'We don't know. Maybe.' … I absolutely love the songs. I'm part of the process. But I'm very pleased."

Asked if LACUNA COIL's 2023 single "Never Dawn", for which the band partnered with CMON, the renowned board game publisher behind the popular game "Zombicide", will be on the upcoming album, Cristina said: "I think it will be. I think it will be, 'cause it will make sense. And it also fits with the other songs — it really fits with the other songs. Many heavy songs."

LACUNA COIL has just completed the "Ignite The Fire" U.S. tour with support from NEW YEARS DAY and OCEANS OF SLUMBER.

Last month, LACUNA COIL released another new single, "In The Mean Time", featuring Ash Costello of NEW YEARS DAY. The song's title is a reference to the mean times the world is living in, as well as a reference to the state the band itself is in, between cycles.

When "In The Mean Time" was first made available, LACUNA COIL said in a statement: "'In The Mean Time' is a reflection on how much our society has generally 'lost the plot'. We are living in really mean times filled with unhappy people: lonely, anxious, depressed, destructive. The pressure that crushes from the outside doesn't allow us to see things with the right clarity.

"This song is like group therapy: not a lamentation, but acceptance that once broken, it's hard to put oneself back together again.

"We need to take our minds off all the inescapable toxicity and find that there's so much more to this life… and know that in the meantime, everything cannot be aligned.

"We invited Ash Costello from NEW YEARS DAY to feature on the track and we're thrilled she came on board adding exactly what we needed for this song with her warm voice and charisma."

Costello said: "I am deeply honored to join LACUNA COIL on tour for the first time, to have the incredible opportunity to lend my guest vocals to a new track and appear in the music video. Working alongside the powerhouse vocalist Cristina has been a privilege, and I may be biased in saying that 'In The Mean Time' has quickly become my favorite by LACUNA COIL. Its message about embracing individuality and not conforming deeply resonates with me."

Last July, LACUNA COIL released the official lyric video for "Never Dawn".

LACUNA COIL has spent some of the last couple of years promoting "Comalies XX", the "deconstructed" and "transported" version of the band's third album, "Comalies".

"Comalies XX" was made available on October 14, 2022 via Century Media Records.

LACUNA COIL celebrated the 20th anniversary of "Comalies", by performing it in its entirety at a one-night-only concert on October 15, 2022 at Fabrique in Milano.

"Comalies" was originally released on October 29, 2002 through Century Media Records. The LP, which featured the band's breakthrough single "Heaven's A Lie", has reportedly gone on to sell over 300,000 copies in the United States alone.

Photo credit: Patric Ullaeus

In a new interview with Ronni Hunter of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station, Morgan Lander of the Canadian metal band KITTIE reflected on how her group's initial success in the late 1990s helped pave the way for other young women to play hard rock and heavy metal music in the decades that followed. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "At the time, I really don't think that it struck us as something that was as monumental as, looking back now, it seems to be, but I know that people like Lzzy Hale [HALESTORM] have cited KITTIE as an influence. And we actually — I remember we played with HALESTORM very early on. They were very, very young. And it's amazing to see women like that hold power in the industry in that way. And we're all for it. We slugged it out and did it for everyone."

Speaking about the response from women in the audience to KITTIE's recent live performances, including at this past weekend's Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio, where the interview was conducted, Morgan said: "I can see that others see the power in it. I mean, there's the girls out in the pit holding the girl pit sign today when we were playing, and we were, like, 'This is amazing.'

"Yeah, we hope our music empowers everyone, and women especially, and we're happy — we're happy for it," she added.

KITTIE will release its long- awaited new studio album, "Fire", on June 21 via Sumerian Records.

"Fire" is available to pre-order now with a variety of merch bundles including exclusive vinyl colorways, t-shirts, a cassette tape, a sticker pack, guitar pick pack, laminate and two metal lunch box designs.

Last month, KITTIE announced an exclusive run of North American headline dates. The long-awaited shows will see the band perform in five cities across the U.S. and Canada this July and August, giving fans a very special and rare chance to see the band play a full headline set that will include their recently released singles "We Are Shadows" and "Eyes Wide Open" as well as classic hits and some deep cuts not played live since the band's early days.

Last November, it was revealed that KITTIE was working on a new studio LP with producer Nick Raskulinecz at Nashville's Sienna Studios.

Raskulinecz, who moved to Nashville from Los Angeles around 16 years ago, had previously worked with such acts as RUSH, ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN, RISE AGAINST, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, SKID ROW and the DEFTONES.

KITTIE played its first concert in five years in September 2022 at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Joining Morgan and Mercedes in KITTIE's current lineup guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Ivana "Ivy" Vujic.

Prior to Blue Ridge, KITTIE had not performed since its reunion show at London Music Hall in the band's native London, Ontario in 2017, celebrating the group's documentary "Kittie: Origins/Evolutions".

Vujic joined KITTIE in 2008 and appeared on the band's fifth studio CD, 2009's "In The Black". She also wrote and recorded bass for KITTIE's sixth album, 2011's "I've Failed You".

In January 2022, the original lineup of KITTIE — Morgan, Mercedes, Fallon Bowman (guitar) and Tanya Candler (bass) — reunited for an online chat to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of its gold-certified 2000 debut album, "Spit".

Candler left KITTIE after the release of "Spit" in order to finish high school and was replaced by Talena Atfield.

Bowman exited KITTIE in 2001 and started her own industrial/electronic project, AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT.

After KITTIE completed the touring cycle for "I've Failed You" album, the band entered a long period of inactivity during which Morgan focused on a marketing job for a chain of fitness clubs while Mercedes worked in real estate and more recently at a software company. The group also began work on a career-spanning documentary, "Origins/Evolutions", which finally saw the light of day in 2018 via Lightyear Entertainment in North America.

"I've Failed You" sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 178 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson has weighed in on the never-ending debate about how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s forced most hard rock bands off the radio and MTV, with album and tour sales plummeting. Asked in a new interview with Greg Prato of Ultimate Guitar how he and his then-bandmates were affected by the downfall of the 1980s heavy metal scene, David said: "I loved grunge music. And I know that was not cool for a heavy metal guy to say that, especially a thrash metal guy. Because a lot of careers were pretty much upended because of Seattle music. And look, MEGADETH, we had to make some transitions. 'Cryptic Writings', in particular, was an album that was designed to reinvent the band at American Active Rock radio. Or we'd just go tour, tour, tour, and, like some of our contemporaries, took us back down to clubs and theaters. Whereas with 'Cryptic Writings', it kept us as an arena rock band. We got to headline radio station events, which were big festivals at that time. So I'm glad we did what we did, because I liked the direction that we went in, as opposed to, 'We're just going to stay true to the old school.' We kept the old school and then did what we did, which was add all the other flavors and layers that our band was capable of doing."

He continued: "So, MEGADETH, along with METALLICA for sure, not only survived it, but we thrived in it. And it still kept us at the top of the charts and the top of the bill, as young bands like CREED, GODSMACK, DISTURBED, and the new generation of nu metal stuff was coming up. Because I think that was as much of it for us. It wasn't just grunge."

"Grunge may have affected MTV, but I think overall as a hard rock, heavy metal genre, the grunge thing didn't affect us as much as you had to be aware of what was coming up behind us. And we saw it because we took KORN on tour with us on the 'Youthanasia' tour in 1995. We saw first-hand on stage that KORN, this was either going to go away tomorrow or it was going to change the world. And it changed the world. Just like when we took ALICE IN CHAINS out, when we took STONE TEMPLE PILOTS out. We took bands out with us in the '90s that were 'tomorrow's music.' We took a chance on those and we probably ushered them into their careers, which I thought was great. Because they weren't really 'heavy metal bands.' They were bands of a different flavor. I think, for us — we were able to see it coming, so we sort of adapted a bit. But we also weren't a band that was a one-trick pony. We weren't really threatened by grunge, to be honest with you."

Upon release in September 1991, NIRVANA's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" wreaked confusion upon the hair metal vanguard, putting an end to an era dominated by glamorous, androgynous and sparkly rock stars who absolutely saturated the radio waves and were almost exclusively what aired on MTV.

In a 2023 interview with Guitar World, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine reflected on the band's fifth album, "Countdown To Extinction", which arrived just months after a series of landmark alt-rock releases from NIRVANA, PEARL JAM, SOUNDGARDEN and more effectively transformed the music landscape. He said: "It was our biggest record. That's pretty much the way I measure it. A lot of it was because of the timing; it came out in '92, and '92 was when everything was imploding because of alternative music. You had PEARL JAM, NIRVANA, SOUNDGARDEN, MOTHER LOVE BONE and BLIND MELON fucking things up, and radio gravitated toward that. They thought the yuppies would listen to alternative music while drinking their Stella Artois. [Laughs] The types who don't drink Miller High Life and definitely don't listen to metal. And the advertisers who handled brands like Lexus, BMW and shit like that would advertise on alternative stations, which fucked metal. So, as these metal stations went the way of the great white buffalo, we had to decide, 'Are we going to be alternative? Are we going to change like every other band?' METALLICA cut their hair off, put makeup on and all that stuff, and I got little haircuts during that time, but I never chopped it off. We decided we wouldn't change to fit the trend and would tough it out. Sure, we made some minor changes at the behest of the record label, but that was as far as it went. The fact that 'Countdown' succeeded despite the shifts in popular music showed that the music was more potent than any trend. We didn't sell out like other bands. We didn't change who we were. I think that's the greatest measure of 'Countdown''s importance."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH in May 2021, days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

David was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

Photo credit: Maciej Pieloch

On May 24th, Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson played a solo show at at O2 Forum Kentish Town in London, England. Fan-filmed video of the entire concert can be viewed below. 


Setlist:
“Accident Of Birth”
“Abduction”
“Laughing In The Hiding Bush”
“Afterglow Of Ragnarok”
“Chemical Wedding”
“Many Doors To Hell”
“Jerusalem”
“Resurrection Men”
“Rain On The Graves”
“Frankenstein” (The Edgar Winter Group cover)
“The Alchemist”
"Tears Of The Dragon"
“Darkside Of Aquarius”


Encore:
“Navigate The Seas Of The Sun”
“Book Of Thel”
“The Tower”







Gearing up for the Brazilian leg of his solo tour for The Mandrake Project, Dickinson spoke with 92.5 Rádio Kiss FM and discussed his current run of live shows.


Dickinson: "We are having so much fun on stage. It's amazing to play with musicians who are less than half my age. So the energy and the enthusiasm is just off the chart. I mean, we've been learning new songs, and we just throw them into the set and go, 'Yep, let's do this one tonight...' whereas a lot of bands, because they have a big show and fireworks and monsters - like Maiden, for example - we don't change the set around every night. But with this project, we do. So, yeah, people who come to Curitiba to see the show, the people the next night in Porto Alegre are gonna get a different show. It's interesting for us, and it keeps us on our toes musically. We look at each other, we play off each other; it's that old-school stuff."





Dickinson's backing band features:


Chris Declerq (guitar)
Philip Naslund (guitar)
Tanya O'Callaghan (bass)
Dave Moreno (drums)
Mistheria (keyboard)


Find Bruce Dickinson's complete tour itinerary, as well as ticket links, here.

Drumeo has shared a new video featuring Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy. Check it out below.


Drumeo: "Watch as drumming legend Mike Portnoy attempts the impossible task of learning Tool's 12-minute masterpiece, 'Pneuma'. This song was released on Tool's Fear Inoculum record in 2019 and is known for featuring some of Danny Carey's most complex drumming to date.


How will Mike go about learning this insane drum part? How does he crack the 'code' of the song? Tune in to find out and watch Mike learn one of the most challenging drum parts ever created over the course of a Drumeo session lasting nearly six hours."







During Modern Drummer's Tribute to Alex Van Halen, Live from Ironshore Studios, at the beginning of the year, Portnoy discussed the origins of Alex's famous shuffle groove that appears in several VH songs. Enjoy this clip of Mike playing "I'm The One" from Van Halen's debut album.

Finnish female-fronted rock sensations, Ginger Evil, are thrilled to share their new single and the accompanying lyric video, “Shame Old”, today via Frontiers Music Srl.


Speaking about the track, vocalist Ella Tepponen says: “'Shame Old' is a song about mental health; it’s about coping with the cycle of shame, that can be a destructive and paralyzing pattern to a persons life. How to break free of the fear of abandonment that is after all, so deeply woven into our DNA.”


Tomi Julkunen and Veli Palevaara add: “This song presents the heavier side of album, as the guitar and bass are both tuned to drop D. It has rhythmically interesting arrangement that gives another kind of twist. This song was a load of fun to play in the studio. Will be even more fun to play it in front of huge festival audience!”







Ginger Evil began as Moonshine Inc. in 2005, in a rehearsal room in Helsinki, Finland. After a couple of years of rehearsal and composing, a fruitless search for a singer meant the songs were put on ice. 


Meanwhile, guitarist Tomi Julkunen and bassist Veli Palevaara continued gigging in Finland with The Milestones, including arena shows with Deep Purple and Whitesnake. In the aftermath of their fifth album, those Moonshine Inc. songs from a decade back emerged from hibernation, so the search began again for a vocalist.  


The powerful voice of Ella Tepponen was known to Tomi and Veli from many theatre and music projects, and drummer Toni Mustonen was already familiar to everyone. Jamming together found a shared musical passion, and a group creative process soon flourished. Ginger Evil was born.  


“From Foo Fighters to Fleetwood Mac," is how the band hears their music, with singer Ella bringing a whole new kind of twist to their rock expression. Everything was coming together. Music producer and film director Richard Stanley, known for his work with The Who heard demos of Ginger Evil and was inspired to write lyrics.  


In early 2022 Ginger Evil signed a deal with Deadfall Artist/Band management and a half year later with Frontiers Music Srl. (Def Leppard, Toto, Whitesnake, Journey). For recording the debut album The Way It Burns, Ella brought in Teemu Aalto (Insomnium) as a producer, who also handled the final mixes with final mastering by Grammy-nominated Svante Forsbäck of Chartmakers (Rammstein, Volbeat, Sunrise Avenue, Apocalyptica).  


Lineup:


Ella Tepponen - vocals
Tomi Julkunen - guitars
Veli Palevaara - bass
Toni Mustonen - drums