Brace yourselves as Siriun, the powerhouse of Brazilian metal, prepares to plunge listeners into the kaleidoscopic heart of the tempest with their new album, Psychonaut. With a fusion of death, thrash, and progressive metal influences, this release promises to be a relentless journey through the depths of imagination and experimentation.


Emerging from the vibrant metal scene of Rio de Janeiro, Siriun has long been revered for their unique blend of extreme and progressive metal. Following the success of their debut album, In Chaos We Trust, the band returns with Psychonaut, a sonic odyssey that pushes the boundaries of their craft to new heights. Watch a video for the title track, below:







Led by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Alexandre Castellan, Siriun has cultivated a reputation for weaving intricate melodies and evocative lyrics into cyclones of musical intensity. With the addition of guitarist Djavan Fernandes and bassist Marcos Medeiros, alongside longtime band member drummer Braulio Drumond, the band embarks on a new chapter of exploration and innovation.


Psychonaut is more than just an album; it is a concept-driven journey that delves into the depths of the human psyche. Drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as Carl Jung, Carlos Castaneda, shamanism, alchemy, Buddhism, and Taoism, the album offers a non-linear exploration of the protagonist's intimate alchemical journey.


Mastered by renowned producer Mark Lewis (Megadeth, Trivium, DevilDriver), Psychonaut represents a culmination of Siriun's evolution as musicians and storytellers. With its unpredictable and innovative production, the album immerses listeners in a world of brutal confrontation and blistering intensity, leaving them captivated from start to finish.


In a world fraught with tempestuousness, Psychonaut stands as a beacon of enlivening spirit and explosive craft. Join Siriun on this exhilarating sonic adventure and dare to explore the depths of your own imagination.





Tracklisting:


"Deep Water Flow"
"Psychonaut"
"Another Reality"
"Encoded Inception"
"Final Hour"
"Kailash"
"Primal"
"Into The Pillars of Existence (Axis Mundi)"
"The Trial"
"Expanded Optics"
"Igneous"
"Zenith"
Outro - "Ascension"


"Another Reality" video:





Siriun is:


Alexandre Castellan - Guitar / Vocal
Braulio Drumond - Drums
Djavan Fernandes - Guitar
Marcos Medeiros – Bass


(Photo - Alessandra Tolc)

Following on from their European Tour with Orbit Culture, fast-rising UK metallers, Defects, have revealed the lyric video for their new track, “Modern Error.” You can watch the clip below.


The song is taken from their profoundly personal debut album, Modern Error, which will be released on May 24 via Mascot Records. Listen/pre-order here.


“Our run with Orbit Culture has been amazing,” the band says. “They are like family now for sure. Great band and crew and it's been super chilled. The shows on this run have been packed full of energy and raw intensity. It's been overwhelming having people come up to us after buying merch and telling us that we are up there now with their favorite bands.”




The anthemic title track equally crushes and paints a poignant message as singer Tony Maue explains, “We started writing the single Modern Error back in 2019 and it came together quite quickly. I had written bits about the way the world was going and when I heard this track it fuelled me to carry on and see where it went. I think the song is a good word of warning to the people running the world and how it needs to change.”





The track follows on from recent single "Lockdown", which captured the mental challenges of the pandemic. Maue explains, "The lyrics are probably some of my favourites on the album as it captures frustration towards a government and the rules we were made to follow." This rolled into the room after the Arena bulldozing Broken Bloodlines which focuses on leaving behind negative forces in your life.


Modern Error is breathtakingly raw with emotion. Conceptually, it is a deeply cathartic album that acts as a vessel for singer Tony Maue to organise his thoughts on the trauma of being taken into care at a young age. Threaded through the album are the experiences that Maue has been through, how the five members of the band are all connected and why, at this moment, right now, is the right time for this band to exist. For themselves as much as anyone else.  


There is a reason that the album has such personal themes. "I use songwriting as a tool to vent rather than be poetic," explains Maue. He was taken into care from a young age, and that trauma and the experiences that followed are ones that he has battled with ever since. "The traumatic memories of going into care, losing my family when I was very young, and having to deal with that and adjusting myself to that kind of lifestyle, at the time was brutal. The only thing that helped me, and I'm not just saying this, was music."


All five members have their stories - Tony Maue (Vocals), Luke Genders (Guitar), James Threadwell (Guitar), David Silver (Bass) and Harry Jennings (Drums). Jennings explains his entry, "I'd stopped enjoying playing music, which I had dedicated my life to since I was 7 years old," he says. "It had all fallen apart. To feel like you've had a dream beaten out of you destroyed me as a person. It took me down a very dark path, and I did things I regret and am not proud of. I feel I'm in a position now where I can talk about it."


Genders says, "Having the freedom to write freely in a band whilst trusting and respecting each other's vision is something I hadn't had in a very long time; dismissive people helped me to fuel my instrumental contributions to Modern Error. For the first time ever, I learned how to channel negativity into something positive."


Modern Error hits with the heaviness and aggression of Lamb Of God and Machine Head, a Linkin Park-like sense of melody, and a touch of Bring Me The Horizon's fearlessness. For all its heavy subject matter, it burns with vitality, power and passion. Woven within is their outlook on the world.


Defects smashed into 2024 on the back of a triumphant European tour with Of Mice & Men and the announcement that they will be playing this year's Download festival. They’ve added these to their already impressive live cannon which includes shows with Bullet for My Valentine, Funeral For A Friend and In Flames as well as performing at festivals such as Bloodstock, 2000Trees and The Great Escape.  They are continuing to steamroll through the year with festival slots at  Download (UK), Graspop (BE), Rockharz (DE) and Rock The Lakes (CH).


"We've always been told to strive for perfection, but I don't think anyone can be perfect," Maue considers. "We are all defects in a way, but that makes us all unique."





Tracklisting:


Intro
"Scapegoat"
"End Of Days"
"Dream Awake"
"Another Heart To Bleed"
"Recurring"
"Lockdown"
"Echo Chamber"
Interlude
"Modern Error"
"Broken Bloodlines"
"Second To None"
"Gone To Waste"


"Broken Bloodlines" video:





"Lockdown" video:

It was recently announced that Birmingham, England's Becky Baldwin is Mercyful Fate's new bassist, replacing Joey Vera (Armored Saint) in the band lineup.


Today, Baldwin - who toured North America with Mercyful Fate in late 2022 - has shared a bass playthrough video for "Curse Of The Pharaohs".


Says Becky: "What's not to love about this one? An iconic early Mercyful Fate track that inspired a new generation of metalheads all over the world. I think of the band as less experimental in the structuring of their songs at this time, but they came up with a lot of great riffs and already had a natural feel for how to put a killer song together. This one is hypnotic and really fun to play along to!"







Baldwin previously issued a bass playthrough video for "A Corpse Without Soul", which can be viewed below:





In an interview with That Metal Interview Podcast, Baldwin talked about her experience touring with Mercyful Fate in 2022, and her feelings now that she's a full-time member. She also gives us an update on her band Fury, and their future plans and recordings.


On when we can expect new music from Mercyful Fate, Becky reveals: "My guess is gonna be toward 2025, maybe towards the end of 2025. But it depends how it all goes, 'cause King is working on a King Diamond album first, so we've got a little bit of time there. And they'll have to tour that as well, give it the full world tour treatment and everything. But there is something in the works. I've listened to (Mercyful Fate guitarist) Hank (Shermann)'s demos. He sent me, I think about nine songs, a couple of weeks ago and I've been listening through those. So it's on the way. It's all just been in the works for kind of a while, and now things are just starting to fall into place."

Immerse yourself in the abyss of black metal with Abbath's full set at the prestigious Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival 2023.


Witness history as on August 12, the Norwegian black metal titans, led by the formidable Abbath Doom Occulta, took command of the Ronnie James Dio main stage. This performance was not just a show; it was a ritual of metal might, echoing the depths of the genre's core.


Abbath, celebrated for their monumental riffs, haunting atmospheric melodies, and the unparalleled charisma of Abbath himself, traversed through their extensive discography. They brought to life anthems from their critically acclaimed self-titled debut and subsequent masterpieces, captivating the audience with every note.




This full set captures the essence of Abbath's legacy and the unbreakable bond with their fans. Revel in the spectacle of darkness, energy, and raw metal power.





This summer, Abbath and his band will revisit the past and pay tribute to the legacy by performing a carefully selected set of old fan favorites and iconic metal anthems he co-wrote and recorded in the period 1992 - 2009. Return To The Raven Realms Tour will be framed by the most spectacular stage show Abbath ever has undertaken in his nearly 40-year long career.


Abbath states: “I can’t wait to get back on stage this summer to perform some old favorites that I haven’t played for a long, long time. Mark my words – It’s going to be loud and epic!”





Return To The Raven Realms Summer Tour 2024 dates:


June
20 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli Ronda
22 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop
23 - London, UK - Electric Ballroom
24 - Glasgow, Scotland - SWG3 Galvanisers
25 - Dublin, Ireland - Academy
28 - Oslo, Norway - Tons of Rock


July
7 - Barcelona, Spain - Barcelona Rockfest
31 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7


August
1 - Vienna, Austra – Arena Wien
2 - Rasnov, Romania - Rockstadt Extreme Fest
3 - Belgrade, Serbia - Dorcol Platz
5 - Lignano, Italy - Arena Alpe
6 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
7 - Jaromer, Czech Republic - Brutal Assault
8 - Schlotheim, Germany - Party San Open Air
10 - Helsinki, Finland - HELLsinki





Abbath previously announced the Dread Reaver North America 2024 tour, with Imperial Triumphant, Black Anvil, and Final Gasp.


Says Abbath: "Abbath is back! After the unfortunate cancellation of our 2020 run we are eager to announce our return in May.


Tour dates:


May
9 - Quebec City, QC - Theatre Capitole
10 - Montreal, QC - La Tulipe
11 - Kitchener, ON - The Hub
12 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
14 - Detroit, MI - The Majestic Theatre
16 - Saint Paul, MN - Amsterdam Bar & Hall
17 - Bloomington, IL - Castle Theatre
18 - Munster, IN - Dark Lord Day *
19 - Cleveland, OH - TempleLive at Cleveland Masonic
20 - Indianapolis, IN - Deluxe at Old National Centre
22 - Buffalo, NY - Buffalo Iron Works
23 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
24 - New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
25 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
26 - Baltimore, MD - Maryland Deathfest *


* - no Imperial Triumphant

In a new interview with Jorge Botas of Metal Global, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann revealed that he has been sober for almost a decade. "I was never a hardcore drinker, but I was a steady drinker," he explained (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "Every night I would have my two, three glasses of whatever. And I couldn't even go to bed before I had a slight buzz for many years. And it's just dangerous. And then, one day, you realize the price is just too high — the headaches the next day and the hangover. So I stopped drinking about eight years ago, and it's beautiful… It's just awesome to get up in the morning and to feel fresh and not have a hangover."

Hoffmann went on to say that the "downside of not drinking" is "if you are in a group of drinkers and you're the only one not drinking, it's a little painful sometimes, because they get sillier and sillier and louder and louder, and you sit there and think, 'This is unbearable.' … Well, they're having fun, but they don't notice how [it affects you]," he added. 'I've been there many times."

ACCEPT's new album, "Humanoid", will be released on April 26 via Napalm Records. The LP was once again produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by critically acclaimed heavy metal producer Andy Sneap.

Fans can immerse themselves in the upcoming album on an interactive web site, where they can reprogram the robot that is featured on the album cover, and discover different parts of the album in the process. Pre-save "Humanoid" now to gain access to the web site here.

ACCEPT recently announced a massive European headline tour, with more than 20 shows across the continent for autumn 2024. This summer, ACCEPT will also return to some of the world’s most important rock and metal festivals, like Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and more, following their South American spring tour.

In February 2022, it was announced that ACCEPT had inked a worldwide deal with Napalm Records.

ACCEPT's latest album, "Too Mean To Die", came out in January 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was the group's first without bassist Peter Baltes, who exited ACCEPT in November 2018. He has since been replaced by Martin Motnik. ACCEPT's lineup has also been expanded with the addition of a third guitarist, the aforementioned Philip Shouse, who originally filled in for Uwe Lulis during 2019's "Symphonic Terror" tour, before being asked to join the band permanently.

"Too Mean To Die" was recorded in Nashville with Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH),who has been responsible for the studio sound of ACCEPT since 2010.

Mark Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original lead singer, Udo Dirkscheider. He can be heard on ACCEPT's last five studio albums, "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017) and "Too Mean To Die".

Kortrijk, Belgian-based metal band, Dyscordia, will release their new album, The Road To Oblivion, on April 17. Today, the band share the video for the second single, "The Passenger". Watch below.


A message states: "The song illustrates the insignificance of humanity in all its facets. A main character nearing the end of his life questions the purpose of his existence at the moment he realizes he is losing touch with reality. A reality that gradually gives way to a form of mental confusion, a loss of clarity that manifests in being pursued by evil, depicted in the animation as a devilish character.


"In the video, you see that our main character is initially fleeing from reality, specifically the fear of the insignificance of his existence on this planet. The closer the evil gets, the more risks he takes to break free, putting himself and his loved ones in danger, until a fatal accident, whether intentional or not, occurs.




"The song starts with a brief introduction before launching powerfully into the first part of the chorus. It then transitions to the second verse, and after the first full chorus, music and visuals blend into a chilling chase scene. The two solo pieces lead us to the fatal accident, followed by the final chorus and a dramatic visual conclusion.


"It seemed like a great opportunity for us to show an animated video for a change, for which we enlisted the talented illustrator and animator Jimmy Hostens. A major advantage was that Jimmy resonates completely with our music, making it easy for him to immerse himself in our mindset. We are all thrilled with Jimmy's work and are confident that the song will be well received by the fans. We are eagerly looking forward to the release!"





Dyscordia consists of long-time metal veterans who were the driving force behind bands like Gwyllion, Double Diamond, Artrach, Anesthesy, Impedigon and Rhymes of Destruction. Their first EP, Reveries, was released in the fall of 2010 and - together with their strong live reputation - earned them support slots for bands like Primal Fear, ReVamp, Ensiferum, Alestorm and At Vance.


With the production of their first full-length album, Twin Symbiosis (March 2013), the band established a strong working relationship with producer Jens Bogren (Opeth, Paradise Lost, Katatonia) and mastering engineer Tony Lindgren at the Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden. The album was followed by a lot of extremely positive reviews and resulted in the band playing more and bigger stages. Shortly after the release, Dyscordia were very well received at PPM Fest, Dokk'em Open Air and Graspop Metal Meeting.


In 2015, the second full-length Words In Ruin was recorded with the same team that was responsible for the sound of Twin Symbiosis. The album was released in 2016 and the release show for the album quickly sold out. Strong performances at numerous festivals, including Alcatraz Metal Fest, followed. The band was also noticed on several international performances, including Summerbreeze Open Air in 2016.


In 2019, the band teamed up with Jens Bogren and Tony Lindgren once again to produce their third album. Delete / Rewrite combines everything that made the previous albums shine, but also takes the band to new horizons, resulting in their strongest work yet. In the words of Jens Bogren, it sounds "heavy as fuck". A support slot for the Doro 2020 European Tour was secured.


When Covid kicked in, these plans had to be cancelled. As another consequence of this difficult period, founding member and drummer Wouter Debonnet quit and was replaced by Chevy Mahieu in the latter days of 2022. The band had to look for another rehearsal room and eventually returned to their hometown Kortrijk. During 2023, the band took the time to get Chevy worked in. Quickly this resulted in the creation of new material.


After the success of Dyscordia’s first albums, the band went back in writing mode to prepare for the production of their fourth full-length album. Songs were recorded, polished, re-recorded and perfected with Dyscordia’s characteristic attention to detail, and a lot of time and effort was put into the writing and recording of the vocal lines, lyrics and harmonies. Yarne Heylen (Project Zero Recording studio – Carnation) mixed and mastered album.





Tracklisting:


"The Passenger"
"Hell"
"Oblivion"
"Interlude"
"Endgame"
"Toxic Rain"
"The Demon’s Bite"
"Infinite Fantasy"


"Hell":





Lineup:


Piet Overstijns - Vocals
Stefan Segers - Vocals & Guitars
Martijn Debonnet - Guitars & Backings
Guy Commeene - Lead guitars
Wouter Nottebaert - Bass & Backings
Chevy Mahieu - Drums


(Photo - Hughes Vanhoucke)

APOCALYPTICA lead cellist Perttu Kivilaakso spoke to the DJ Force X Podcast about the band's upcoming album, "Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2". Due on June 7 via Throwdown Entertainment, the LP will continue the journey that began in 1996 when cellists from Helsinki's world-renowned Sibelius Academy played symphonic tribute to the biggest of the big four–heavy metal titans METALLICA. The album's lead single, "The Four Horsemen", a song that originally appeared on METALLICA's 1983 debut "Kill 'Em All", features a guest appearance by METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo.

Regarding how Trujillo's involvement came about, Kivilaakso told DJ Force X (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "This album concept has, in a way, been in our minds for throughout the whole career. We always knew that there are still a lot of cool [METALLICA] songs that we wanted play our style one day. So, but now after the pandemic and everything, this felt the exact right moment to dive back to the roots."

He continued: "We have always had a wonderful relation with METALLICA — they have been enormously supportive towards us always — but still we approached them to ask that would they agree, would it be fine for them if we make such an album. And through those conversations, actually, eventually Rob even offered that he could play something for us. And that's an enormous, amazing feature, of course, to be treated like that. And it really, really shows respect also from their side. And we are very, very thankful for it."

When "Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2" was first announced, APOCALYPTICA said in a statement: "The first single we want to present to you is 'The Four Horsemen'. And we couldn't be more excited to have a great feature guest on it: Rob Trujillo himself, who is probably THE greatest bass player in this whole wide world! We've always enjoyed sharing our love for METALLICA. Now, this is next level for us as well!"

APOCALYPTICA leader Eicca Toppinen commented: "It's the coolest thing. We didn't push; it was offered. We played the first album live and it was so much more fun and exciting than we expected, so we got the idea to do something like the first album, but we couldn't do it in exactly the same way; we needed to challenge ourselves and bring a totally new perspective to the original energy and emotion of METALLICA."

Kivilaakso added: "We've been talking about making another METALLICA album for around 20 years, as there were still so many great songs we wanted to play! We waited for the perfect moment to do it. Thinking of that teenage me who is now getting to play his favorite tracks gives me goosebumps!"

This album will be the APOCALYPTICA's final studio release with the band's longtime member, drummer Mikko Sirén, who amicably departed after the new LP's completion. "Plays Metallica Vol. 2" was produced by longtime collaborator and studio supremo Joe Barresi (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, SOUNDGARDEN, NINE INCH NAILS, TOOL).

Alongside the announcement, APOCALYPTICA will be touring in support of the record, taking them through Europe.

"Plays Metallica Vol. 2" track listing:

01. Ride The Lightning
02. St Anger
03. The Unforgiven II
04. Blackened
05. The Call Of Ktulu (in memory of Cliff Burton)
06. The Four Horsemen (featuring Robert Trujillo)
07. Holier Than Thou
08. To Live Is To Die
09. One
10. One (Instrumental)

Sirén started performing live with APOCALYPTICA in 2003 but didn't become a full-time member of the band until 2005, after playing over 200 concerts with APOCALYPTICA and recording an album with the group.

In a 2019 interview with Australia's Heavy magazine, APOCALYPTICA's Paavo Lötjönen spoke about the impact of the band's 1996 "Plays Metallica By Four Cellos" debut. Consisting solely of METALLICA covers, the album cast a spotlight on the group's classically trained abilities, setting the stage for them to release their own material in ensuing years. Since the 20th anniversary of "Plays Metallica By Four Cellos" in 2016, APOCALYPTICA has been playing the album in full at select live dates.

"It's been really fantastic," he said about playing "Plays Metallica By Four Cellos". "If we are talking about music in common, if you listen to music you used to listen to 20 years ago, it's a weird thing somehow, it brings all the same feelings back. Like, you are feeling when we were 20 years younger. I would call music a time machine in that sense. The same happens for us when we play those songs. Somehow the same feelings come back to us when we felt like we were 25 years or 20 years old and touring with a shitty van around Europe playing venues. This time, all the venues are bigger and really portioned nice. There's lots of people, and it's not too hot and shitty on the stage. It's a lot of joy and fun to play those songs. The magic of METALLICA has not disappeared anywhere. It's still really strong and passionate music. It's a lot of fun to play. We have never played this well as we are playing at the moment. I'm happy to see we have learned something during these years."

In 2015, Lötjönen and Kivilaakso spoke to Austria's Mulatschag about what it was like to join METALLICA on stage at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of the band's 30th anniversary in December 2011. Perttu said: "Of course we felt very privileged being included amongst all those amazing artists. And after the thing, what we have done during our career, it has been pleasant to realize and notice that, actually, the METALLICA guys, who are the reason for us to start to do something like this, that they do respect us at least that much that they wanted us to be a part of this big celebration of their career. Of course, it was crazy. I remember that when we started to play 'One', I'm starting this song and James Hetfield is just next to me, and I'm thinking, when I was 13 years old, he was my biggest idol and now we are playing together. So it's absurd, but just natural and logical in other terms."

Added Paavo: "You know, the connection to METALLICA has been really super great all these years. We played first time as a support to them already in '96. It was actually our fifth show for a proper rock and roll audience, and we were supporting METALLICA, so it was quite crazy. And since that, we have played many times with them at same festivals and… Let me say that the connection with METALLICA is really cool and really nice."

Photo credit: Riki Murto

HarperCollins has set a September 12 release date for "Power - Musiken, Döden, Livet" (English: "Power: Music, Death, Life"),the Swedish-language autobiography from former SKID ROW and H.E.A.T. singer Erik Grönwall.

Erik went from auditioning for the competition show "Swedish Idol" back in 2009 by singing a cover of SKID ROW's "18 And Life" to fronting the band 13 years later. In his autobiography, Erik opens up about his life — from his childhood to the "Idol" participation to being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021 and his recovery to how he became the frontman of SKID ROW. We also get to hear about his decision to leave the band in the spring of 2024 to follow the values he set for himself during his illness.

"I never thought I'd release an autobiography, much less so at 36," Erik said in a statement. "But sometimes it feels like I've lived two lifetimes in a third of a lifetime.

"I feel like I have something to share and I hope that can give hope to more people who are struggling. Life after an illness can actually be better than ever."

Grönwall announced his decision to leave SKID ROW on Wednesday (March 27),saying that he wanted to "prioritize [his] health and full recovery."
⠀⠀
SKID ROW's longtime friend Lzzy Hale (HALESTORM) will handle lead vocals for the band's four concerts in late May and early June.

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

Grönwall, who was a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T. for nearly a decade before exiting the group in October 2020, announced in September 2021 that he was cancer free after receiving a bone marrow transplant one month earlier.

Grönwall sang on four H.E.A.T. studio albums — "Address The Nation" (2012),"Tearing Down The Walls" (2014),"Into The Great Unknown" (2017) and "H.E.A.T II" (2020).

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

In 2018, Grönwall debuted in the U.S. for 10 million viewers in NBC's live broadcast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". Along with John Legend, Alice Cooper, Sara Bareilles and others, Erik played the key role of Simon Zealotes.

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

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

Grönwall lives in Knivsta, a city in Uppsala County in east central Sweden, with his wife and their four-year-old son.

Pre-order of my biography is now available in Swedish! I will sign this bad boy when you pre-order. Get it here: https://www.adlibris.com/se/bok/signerad-power---musiken-doden-livet-9789150969689

Posted by Erik Grönwall on Thursday, March 28, 2024

In a new interview with The Metal Command, CRIMSON GLORY guitarist Ben Jackson spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's upcoming studio album. The effort will be CRIMSON GLORY's first release to feature the group's new lineup, which also includes Jeff Lords (bass) and Dana Burnell (drums) along with the group's latest additions, lead vocalist Travis Wills of the Dallas, Texas progressive power metal band INFIDEL RISING and guitarist Mark "Borgy" Borgmeyer of the Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida hard rock act THE LOST BOYS.

"The album's coming along really well," Ben said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We have about half the songs written and a few more in the works. So we have a bunch of material we're working on, definitely enough for an album. And we're all excited, as it's going on very well. So I would think maybe a release time for this might be fall of next year, hopefully. We'll see how that goes."

In January, CRIMSON GLORY released the official lyric video for the first single to feature the band's new lineup, a song called "Triskaideka". Travis told The Metal Command about the fan response to the track: "At first, I was a little nervous when I was reading the comments, but then I was, like, it is what it is. I'm just gonna go out there, do my best and let the chips fall where they fall. The guys [in the band] obviously like what I've been doing with the songs, and that's really important. It's really important that the that the fans of the band dig it, and I'm really glad that they got a little glimpse of what my voice kind of steers toward that they can get on board with that."

He continued: "I've seen some real interesting comparisons, and while I don't hear it, I'm glad to read it. So that makes me happy, especially the Warrel Dane [comparison]. I'm, like, I don't hear it, but I'll take that. And, of course, the kind of Midnight [original CRIMSON GLORY singer] overtone, I'm very glad to do that.

"Man, I'll tell you what, I was really scared going — not scared, but just nervous going into it, because when you're stepping into a legendary vocalist['s shoes], there's a lot of weight that is on your shoulders," Wills admitted. "And I had to think about it, if this is something that I feel like I could do. And I thought about it, and I'm, like, 'Yeah, I can do this.' And I'm glad that these guys trust me to bring that to the band."

Jackson and Wills also talked in more detail about the musical direction of the new CRIMSON GLORY material, with Ben saying: "We're trying to go back more towards the roots of the band, like the sound and style of the first two albums [1986's self-titled LP and 1988's 'Transcendence']. So it's kind of a conscious move, that that's what we're going for. The third and fourth album [1991's 'Strange And Beautiful' and 1999's 'Astronomica'] were a little different in style, and it just seems that the fans have always really embraced and loved the first two albums the most, so we're going to try to recapture that sort of vibe and sound for this new album."

Travis said: "I really liked the [first] single that came out… But I think the stuff that we've got for the new album is just stellar, and fans are gonna be really pleased. There's a lot of hat tipping to Midnight in it, and there's a lot of revisiting the sound from the first two albums. So I think everybody's gonna be really pleased."

Jackson went on to say that the new CRIMSON GLORY music sounds "pretty close" to "Crimson Glory" and "Transcendence". "Obviously we're different now and we're evolving, as a band should," he explained. "It might have a little more modernisms about it, it might sound a little more modern. The production will probably be a little better and more modern than the productions on the first two albums because of things that you can do today in the recording world. The first album, when I listen to it, it sounds thick and everything, but the production's a little dated. Stylistically, the way we're writing, I think it's really right up the alley of what we were doing then. And, obviously, Travis is gonna bring something new to this, because he's a different guy, he's his own guy. Like he says, on some of these songs, he does little things that sort of tip the hat to the Midnight vibe, but he's really an original, and that's what we needed in a new singer. We didn't want a Midnight clone. We wanted somebody who was special, a real original. And we have that. Travis is very special, very original."

Last month, Jackson told The Rock N' Roll & Coffee Show about how CRIMSON GLORY decided to become active again: "There was this really great singer named Mystique, a guy from Greece, and he was brought to our attention by a friend of ours. And the guy Mystique really caught our attention, got us kind of interested in maybe doing something with the band again. He sounded a lot like [original CRIMSON GLORY singer] Midnight, which was appealing for us at first. And then we worked with the guy for almost a couple of years, writing some songs and discussing the possibility of him joining the band. And ultimately it didn't really work out with him. We didn't really agree on everything we were doing with the songwriting, but he was a cool guy. But it didn't really work out, so he's gonna go ahead and do a solo album. And we wish him well with that. But that's kind of what got us reinterested, actually, is our friend bringing this guy to our attention. And when it didn't work out with him, Jeff and Dana and I were already kind of amped up with some of the new songs that we were working on. And we said, 'Well, we'll find somebody and we'll just do this.' And we did. We looked at a couple other singers before we kind of happened upon the guy we have now, Travis."

Asked what excited him about Travis, Ben said: "Well, what excited me was, I guess, he sent us a version of him singing one of our classic songs, 'Painted Skies', and it sounded really good; he was really capturing the emotion of the song. And he didn't sound exactly like Midnight, like he was trying to copycat him; he kind of had his own sound, his own voice, but he was really, really nailing it and sounded really good with it. So I was, like, 'This guy is something else.'"

Jackson also touched upon the lack of involvement of CRIMSON GLORY's founding guitarist Jon Drenning with the band's current formation. Asked if Jon is contributing to any of the music writing, Ben said: "No, not this time around. He's just completely away from it. Around 2012, when we were sort of writing with [former CRIMSON GLORY and current QUEENSRŸCHE singer] Todd [La Torre] for what we were gonna make a new album with Todd, we started planning some specific evenings in which we'd all write together, and Jon was just not showing up that much. He came to a few and then sort of slacked off on it. And that's one of the reasons that led to Todd just kind of pulling out and going full force with QUEENSRŸCHE. And that was over 10, 11 years ago now, and we haven't really had any contact with Jon in the last 10 years — any of us. We wish him well and everything, but, yeah, I think from the time his son was born, he just kind of removed himself from the music business and wants to play the dad role. And that's understandable. It's not really in his priority list right now to be doing music and records and stuff."

Regarding a possible label home for the new CRIMSON GLORY music, Ben said: "Yeah, we put out the one song, made a lyric video and just put it up on YouTube to just see how people would react to it. And we've already had a couple of labels reach out to us and make some offers. We just wanna take a little time and think about it before we just jump on the very first deal that's presented to us. We just got the single out within this last month, and we're just gonna let it ride for a little bit, maybe get the second one out. We're busy working on the rest of the songs. We're writing and demoing and sharing ideas with each other. And we'll just see what other labels might come into the mix of the conversation over the next two to four months or so, and I'm sure a deal will be reached between us and somebody."

Jackson also seemingly ruled out the possibility of CRIMSON GLORY releasing a full-length album without the backing of a record company, saying: "There's good and bad things about being on a label and also doing it yourself. But I think with a label that there's so much they can do for us that we probably wouldn't have time or the resources to do on our own."

This past December, Drenning said that he "would have loved to be a part of" the band's reformed lineup, but that his family life has prevented him from being involved in the legendary progressive power metallers' comeback.

Drenning made his comments one day after it was announced that CRIMSON GLORY was returning with new lead vocalist, new guitarist and immediate plans to release two new singles.

On December 23, 2023, Drenning released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "I wish Ben, Dana and Jeff all the best. I would have loved to be a part of this new chapter, but my priorities are not in sync with the band at this juncture. Indeed, being a father has shaped my priorities in ways I could never imagine. Mark Borgemeyer is a good friend and I can't think of a better candidate to fill my shoes. I share the same enthusiasm as the fans, and there may be another surprise for them around the corner…stay tuned."

CRIMSON GLORY will play some select European live concert dates in October 2024, including an appearance at Germany's Keep It True Rising IV festival. More European shows will follow in March and April 2025.

CRIMSON GLORY had been largely inactive since La Torre officially quit the band in February 2013.

La Torre, who joined Seattle-based progressive metal icons QUEENSRŸCHE in June 2012 as the replacement for Geoff Tate, became an official member of CRIMSON GLORY in April 2010 and played a number of shows with the Florida metal act during the two-and-a-half-year period prior to his exit.

A "raw" version of a new CRIMSON GLORY demo track titled "Garden Of Shadows", featuring La Torre on vocals, was released in September 2012 and was supposed to appear on the band's new concept record, which was expected sometime in 2013.

In announcing his departure from CRIMSON GLORY, La Torre said that his involvement with QUEENSRŸCHE "had nothing to do" with his decision to leave CRIMSON GLORY, adding that the "main reason" for his "resignation" was "primarily" due to the latter band's "inertia status."

La Torre made his first public appearance with CRIMSON GLORY at ProgPower USA X as one of 17 guest performers paying tribute to Midnight.

Midnight passed away in 2009 due to long-term health complications.

Wade Black sang on CRIMSON GLORY's 1999 album "Astronomica" and took part in a subsequent European tour.

David Van Landing replaced Midnight briefly for the U.S. tour in support of CRIMSON GLORY's third album, 1991's "Strange And Beautiful".

In a new interview with Poland's Eska Rock, DEEP PURPLE's Roger Glover was asked about the decision to enlist Dweezil Zappa, son of Frank Zappa, remix the band's iconic album "Machine Head" for the new super deluxe edition. Dweezil performed with PURPLE at the 2016 Montreux Jazz Festival in what has been described as a full-circle moment, considering that Frank Zappa is namechecked in the iconic "Machine Head" track "Smoke On The Water".

Regarding how Dweezil ended up helming the new "Machine Head" remix, Roger said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It wasn't our choice. I mean, this was coming from the record company. The record company wanted Dweezil, because of, obviously, his father's connection. And we'd met Dweezil, I think, four or five years ago. He got on stage with us and played a couple of songs with us when we played Montreux Jazz Festival. And I didn't really get to know him much. He was just a nice chap, and he came and played guitar. That's all I remember, really, about that. And when they said that they wanted Dweezil to mix the album — well, I'd already mixed the album for the 25th anniversary, so [I said], 'Well, why do you need another remix?' But they said, no, they wanted Dweezil. I think it's probably a marketing thing. They thought it was a cool idea."

Asked how it feels to know that, after 50 years, the material from the "Machine Head" album is still loved by old fans and new generations and continuing to shape their musical tastes, Roger said: "I suppose in a word, the word that comes to mind is humbling. I'm just constantly surprised at the course of my life and our life as a band.

"Normally when you join a band in the '70s, it's gonna last a couple of years or three years, and then you're gonna lose the public and you go back to being what you were before, which is nobody," he continued. "But that didn't happen. And it's all down to the fans. What we did obviously had a lasting value. I don't know why. I feel very lucky, actually, that I never had a job, that I started in a band when I was 15 and I'm still in a band and I'm 78. It doesn't make sense to me. But I'm very happy about it."

"Machine Head: Super Deluxe Edition" was made available on March 29 as a 3-CD/LP/Blu-ray via Warner Records and Rhino Entertainment.

Highlighting the collection are several different versions of the album, including new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes by Dweezil Zappa. The 1974 quadraphonic mix and a newly remastered version of the original album are also featured, adding depth to the extraordinary set.

The "Super Deluxe Edition" also contains two captivating live performances. The first, recorded on March 9, 1972, at the Paris Theatre in London, captures the group's unrivaled stage presence during the "Machine Head" tour. The second, previously unreleased, was recorded in April 1971 at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland. The band planned to record "Machine Head" there that December, but the venue burned down right before the sessions began, an event immortalized in "Smoke On The Water".

In the aftermath, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, keyboardist Jon Lord, singer Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover and drummer Ian Paice relocated to the nearby Grand Hotel (empty for the winter season) to record the album. Despite the chaos, the band managed to create its most successful album ever, topping the U.K. album chart and cracking the Top 10 in the U.S., earning a double platinum certification in 1986.

The previously unreleased Montreux concert promises to be a highlight for fans. The audience recording covers songs the band recorded prior to "Machine Head", including "Child In Time" (from 1969's "Concerto For Group And Orchestra"),"Speed King" (from 1970's "In Rock"),and "Strange Kind Of Woman" (from 1971's "Fireball").

The new Dolby Atmos and 2024 mixes provide fresh and immersive perspectives on this classic album and were made by Zappa using the original tapes. In the liner notes, Zappa says: "It's one of those records where I think, 'How did they come up with this?' It's got classical influences in the guitar and the keyboard, but then it's got the blues and there's little bits of funkiness. And you have this singer who has the most killer voice. All these things come together in a way where it doesn't sound like commercial music, yet people got really excited about it. It's a fascinating recipe."

"Machine Head: Super Deluxe Edition" LP track listing:

LP One: Dweezil Zappa 2024 Remix

Side One

01. Highway Star
02. Maybe I'm A Leo
03. Pictures Of Home
04. Never Before

Side Two

01. Smoke On The Water
02. Lazy
03. When A Blind Man Cries – B-side
04. Space Truckin'

CD Track Listing

CD One: Dweezil Zappa 2024 Remix

01. Highway Star
02. Maybe I'm A Leo
03. Pictures Of Home
04. Never Before
05. Smoke On The Water
06. Lazy
07. Space Truckin'
08. When A Blind Man Cries – B-side

2024 Remaster

09. Highway Star
10. Maybe I'm A Leo
11. Pictures Of Home
12. Never Before
13. Smoke On The Water
14. Lazy
15. Space Truckin'

CD Two: In Concert '72

01. Introduction
02. Highway Star
03. Strange Kind Of Woman
04. Maybe I'm A Leo
05. Smoke On The Water
06. Never Before
07. Lazy
08. Space Truckin'
09. Lucille
10. Maybe I'm A Leo – soundcheck

CD Three: Montreux '71

01. Swiss Yodel *
02. Speed King *
03. Strange Kind Of Woman *
04. Into The Fire *
05. Child In Time *
06. Paint It Black *
07. Wring That Neck (Hard Road) *
08. Black Night *
09. Lucille *

Blu-ray (Audio Only)

Dweezil Zappa 2024 Atmos Remix

01. Highway Star *
02. Maybe I'm A Leo *
03. Pictures Of Home *
04. Never Before *
05. Smoke On The Water *
06. Lazy *
07. Space Truckin' *
08. When A Blind Man Cries – B-side *

1974 U.S. Quad Mix

09. Highway Star
10. Maybe I'm A Leo
11. Pictures Of Home
12. Never Before
13. Smoke On The Water
14. Lazy
15. Space Truckin'

Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound Mixes

16. When A Blind Man Cries – B-side
17. Maybe I'm A Leo
18. Lazy

* previously unreleased

Deep Purple are pleased to annouce the release of the Machine Head: Super Deluxe Edition boxset featuring new remixes,...

Posted by Deep Purple on Tuesday, February 6, 2024

AVENGED SEVENFOLD completed the 2024 leg of its acclaimed "Life Is But A Dream…" North American tour last night (Sunday, March 31) at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Game Over
02. Mattel
03. Afterlife
04. Hail To The King
05. We Love You
06. Shepherd Of Fire
07. The Stage
08. Roman Sky
09. Blinded In Chains
10. Bat Country
11. Nobody
12. Nightmare
13. Unholy Confessions
14. Save Me
15. Cosmic

Fan-filmed video of the entire concert can be seen below (courtesy of the Jim Powers YouTube channel).

AVENGED SEVENFOLD launched the 2024 leg of the "Life Is But A Dream…" North American tour on March 6 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's 2024 run included the group's first-ever performances in Manchester, New Hampshire; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Newark. The group performed in Des Moines, Iowa for the first time in 18 years; Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the first time in 15 years.

During a recent appearance on the "Marvin" podcast, AVENGED SEVENFOLD's M. Shadows was asked which he prefers: headlining arenas or performing at huge festivals. "I think both have their perks," the singer, whose real name is Matt Sanders, said. "Both are interesting. I think in terms of knowing that you sound good and having control over everything, it's gotta be smaller places. Even if you do some of those like warehouse sort of like — something like the Forum [in Los Angeles], which is built out for music now or things that are smaller than that, those have the sweat and the energy, and you know it sounds good 'cause you can kind of get a vibe. Some of those festivals, it's just being projected and then projected again and then projected again, and you're seeing like the fist raise up and then everyone's on like a four-second delay and you're just, like, 'I don't know what these people are hearing. Maybe it's good, maybe it's not.'"

He continued: "A lot of stuff for artists is just confidence, and if you know it sounds good and you know you're killing it, then that that feeds into this sort of circular energy back to the audience. And festivals, you can get it, but I definitely find myself questioning while I'm on stage, like, 'What is even going on here?', 'cause sometimes stuff's just getting hit back at you. But there's great festivals and then there's ones that you just know are just awful, and you're just, like, 'Please get me out of here.' I can tell by our sound guy back there just… You can tell if he's doing this [makes vigorous motion with both of his hands over an imaginary sound board], we're in trouble."

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

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

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

AVENGED SEVENFOLD has been touring in support of its latest album, "Life Is But A Dream…", which sold 36,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD made its first festival appearance in five years on May 19, 2023 at Welcome To Rockville at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's first concert since June 2018 took place on May 12, 2023 at AREA15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To date, AVENGED SEVENFOLD has sold over 10 million albums worldwide and earned two consecutive No. 1 albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart (2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King") to go along with over a billion video views and a billion-plus Spotify streams, as well as multiple No. 1 singles on rock radio.

American melodic heavy metal band, Emerald Eye, will be releasing their debut album, Night Without Day, independently worldwide on April 5.


Vocalist Brett Scott comments:


"Hello world! We're Emerald Eye from Kansas City and we are thrilled to unveil our debut full-length, Night Without Day.




"With this album, we aim to please fans of heavy metal of the traditional / melodic variety, and we feel like we've presented an eclectic blend that we can call our own, featuring elements of power metal, speed metal, progressive rock, 70's hard rock, and who knows what else.


"Fans of older bands like Queensrÿche, Dio, Riot, and Rush should find something to like here, as well as any fans of the newer school of heavy metal.


"Streaming will be available on all major services immediately, and physical copies are TBA (any labels interested in distribution, please reach out). This is just the beginning, so give us a follow and we hope to catch you all in the future."





Night Without Day tracklisting:


"Tabula Viridis"
"Winged Woman"
"Silken Throne"
"Revenge Of The Being"
"Whirlwind"
"Feast And Famine"
"Hellstar"


"Silken Throne" lyric video:





Emerald Eye is a melodic heavy metal band from Kansas City formed in 2020 by members of long-running underground power / speed metal band, Vanlade - vocalist Brett Scott, bassist Nick Poffinbarger, and drummer Nolan Weber - along with guitarist Alex Moran.


After releasing a two-track demo in 2021, Moran left the band and was replaced by a pair of guitarists, Vinnie Lee Camarillo (Ex-Vanlade) and Christopher Ashlock (Alsatia). With this lineup, the band has recorded its debut full-length, Night Without Day (2024), including its preceding single, "Silken Throne".


Emerald Eye's music takes cues from traditional, power, and speed metal, as well as progressive rock and 70's and 80's hard rock, alongside an eclectic variety of other sources. The band is currently booking shows and writing for their second full-length.


Emerald Eye lineup:


Brett Scott - Vocals (Vanlade)
Nick Poffinbarger - Bass (Vanlade)
Nolan Weber - Drums (Vanlade)
Vinnie Lee Camarillo - Guitars (ex-Vanlade )
Christopher Ashlock - Guitars (Alsatia)

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford says that the band's guitarist Glenn Tipton is doing "extraordinarily well" in his battle with Parkinson's disease.

Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's 10 years ago — after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier — but announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of PRIEST's latest album, "Firepower". He was replaced by "Firepower" album producer Andy Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT. Tipton occasionally joins PRIEST onstage for its encores, performing "Metal Gods", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight".

Halford discussed Tipton's health in a new interview with The Guardian. Rob said about his longtime bandmate: "He's doing extraordinarily well considering that he's been living with Parkinson's for 15 years. He's such a strong man. It's like any of these challenges, a lot of it is borne by how you fight back, and he fights back all the time.

"I love that people still understand his importance in JUDAS PRIEST — his input on this [upcoming] album, 'Invincible Shield', is as it has been on all the records. Glenn and Ozzy [Osbourne, also living with Parkinson's disease] keep in touch. They're both cut from the same cloth with that British 'get on with it' type of thing. I don't mean to speak against other identities but there's this thing about blokes and dignity, an extremely powerful word in what it represents — my dad was the same — and they are really strong in battling on."

This past January, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner said that Tipton's "creative mind" was involved in the making of "Invincible Shield", which will arrive on March 8 via Sony Music. Asked in an interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station how Glenn is doing and whether he had much input in the writing and recording process for "Invincible Shield", Richie said: "He's doing all right. He has good days and bad days, as I think is the nature of the challenge that he's facing. Glenn, obviously with those challenges, we had to work around it. So if he couldn't play when we were writing, if he had an idea that he couldn't play that day, he'd kind of talk to me and walk me through how it was supposed to go and I'd play it. And it was the same in the recording process, really. If he could play the song, he'd play it. If he couldn't, then I'd take over and that's how we did it. And I think everyone understands that as well with Glenn suffering from Parkinson's. I think they understand. For us, it was important that he was involved. We had his mind involved, we had his creative mind involved, and that's part of the reason it makes it JUDAS PRIEST."

Back in September 2020, Halford told BBC Sounds about Tipton: "He's a wonderfully strong, beautiful man… He can still play the guitar, albeit in his own particular way.

"Parkinson's is a really cruel, terrible, horrible thing to happen to anybody — to see the physical debilitation that it creates," Rob continued. "But your brain is still there — you're still functioning as a person. But in a guitar sense, it's very, very difficult to play anything anymore. But like we [say] on this great song on the last PRIEST album, 'Firepower'. 'No Surrender'. You don't give in. You fight, fight, fight, and that's what Glenn's doing right now.

"Incidentally, he has this wonderful Glenn Tipton Parkinson's Foundation. We've raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Glenn over the years, and we're still continuing to do that. Some of the advances that they have in Parkinson's now are extraordinary, but the funds and the finance to keep searching are vital."

Tipton turned 76 last October.

In his first interview since revealing his condition in early 2018, Glenn told Guitar World magazine about his diagnosis: "It was upsetting, but I wasn't really shocked because I sort of thought it was Parkinson's. I probably hoped it wasn't but the doctor said it was."

Regarding being told by the doctor that he had likely already had the disease for between 10 and 15 years, Glenn said: "Hearing that I already had Parkinson's for a long time made me even more determined to fight. I could still play, so I just continued recording and touring."

About a month before the opening date of PRIEST's "Firepower" tour, Tipton realized he could not guarantee that he would be able to execute an energetic, precision performance with the band night after night and "decided that it was really going to be too much for me," he told Guitar World. "With the medication and the time zone changes and everything else, I realized it was time to retire — from touring at least. I don't ever want to compromise JUDAS PRIEST. It's too big a part of my life.”

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then returned to PRIEST in 2003. Founding guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Faulkner.

Photo credit: James Hodges Photography

Undoubtedly, Intelligent Music Project stands out as one of the most compelling rock projects in the music world over the last 12 years. During this time, the project has gifted their fans with seven albums featuring the participation of world-famous, top-notch musicians, and they show no signs of slowing down.


Just a few days ago, Intelligent Music Project announced their eighth album, named Miracles Beyond, which will be officially released on May 15 this year. And it comes as no surprise that once again, there will be first-class rockstar presence.


How cool is it that the first song starts with the leading vocals of John Payne (ex-Asia) and Carl Sentance from Nazareth, the second song continues with the great Joseph Williams from Toto, and the third one is presented by the producer’s favorite, Richard Grisman – one of the most beautiful rock voices in the UK.




And there’s more - the entire rhythm section is represented by two Grammy nominees: one of the best living drummers on the planet, Simon Phillips (Toto, Protocol, The Who, Judas Priest) and Ernest Tibbs on the bass. Of course, these musicians maintain the high level of the album throughout its entirety, ensuring an exceptional listening experience from start to finish.


“The album’s dedicated to free spirits - the driving force of the progress of humanity. It’s a testament to the spirit of collaboration and the power of music to transcend boundaries. Musically, we offer a good example of what a super-group product should sound like. It's great to have all these musicians on board again. This is Simon Phillips’s 6th album with us, John Payne’s 5th, and Joseph Williams’s 4th. Such a star turnout is a special privilege for me, which again shows that we have another world-class product!” says Milen Vrabevski, MD, producer, songwriter, founder of the project, and the mastermind behind the band.


The songs in Miracles Beyond traditionally flow into each other to demonstrate the unity of ideas. With tracks that explore themes of resilience, hope, and the limitless potential of the human spirit, Miracles Beyond is more than just an album - it’s a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. From the pure hard rock songs to the soul-stirring ballads, every song on the album resonates with emotion and authenticity.


The album is divided into two parts: the Producer’s part and the Band’s part.


“I am happy to offer my vision on the album’s topic in tracks 1-11. For the second time the band composes music without me: the last three tracks are written by our guitar player Bisser Ivanov in partnership with our main vocalist Slavin Slavchev and my music producer Ivo Stefanov,” adds Dr. Vrabevski.


This unique approach in creating the album enriches the music with diverse perspectives on the central theme. Each section offers its interpretation, presenting a rich tapestry of musical ideas and insights. This division not only adds depth to the album but also provides listeners with a dynamic journey through varying viewpoints and sonic landscapes.


One of the most impressive aspects of the album is undoubtedly the stunning arrangements – perfectly crafted, adding a layer of sophistication and depth to the music, making the album a truly unforgettable listening experience. And it wouldn’t sound the same if there weren’t the live instruments of Intelligent Music Strings Orchestra and the amazing voices of Sofia Gospel Choir in the song that gives the album its title, Miracles Beyond.


The impeccable sound of the album is further enhanced by the masterful touch of Bob Katz, whose expertise has graced two Grammy Award-winning albums in his illustrious career. His meticulous mastering adds the final polish to the already outstanding sound, elevating the album to new heights of sonic excellence.


Listen to the first single of the album, named “Shine For You,” to preview the musical journey that awaits. A video for the track can be found below.


Intelligent Music Project is a Bulgarian supergroup with an exceptionally international lineup, created in 2011 by Bulgarian businessman, philanthropist, and arts patron Dr. Milen Vrabevski, who is not only the project’s producer but also the composer of the band’s music and lyrics.


Intelligent Music Project is a creative mix of melodic, hard-rock songs with progressive hooks, driven by catchy guitar riffs and keyboards, often combined with interesting symphonic textures and complex musical arrangements.


The lyrics of Intelligent Music Project’s songs carry a positive and motivating message, with an emphasis on themes from everyday life, through which the author offers key advice about success based on his personal experience and vision. Through the language of music, Dr. Vrabevski aims to bring to the forefront basic values that can serve as a solid foundation for young people on their path to becoming mature adults leading meaningful lives.


So far, the band has released seven albums – The Power Of Mind, My Kind O’Lovin’, Touching The Divine, Sorcery Inside, Life Motion, The Creation, and Unconditioned.


Intelligent Music Project was the Bulgarian representative to the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, with the song Intention.


Besides the aforementioned musicians, over the years, the band has seen a stellar lineup, including John Lawton (Uriah Heep, Lucifer’s Friend), Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Michael Schenker’s Group), Nathan East (Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Toto, Stevie Wonder, and more), Tim Pierce (Joe Cocker, Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, and more), Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow, Black Sabbath), and Todd Sucherman (Styx).





Tracklisting


Intro
"Thunder"
"Days Rollin'"
"For You"
"Real"
"Expecting You"
"Miracles Beyond"
"Then I Knew"
"Anyway"
"Right I Said"
"Believe in Love"
"A New Day"
"Walls"
"Shine For You"


"Shine For You" video:

In an interview with The Void With Christina, conducted last December at the Good Things festival in Sydney, Australia but only now uploaded to YouTube, SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor was asked what the response been like to him being so open about his mental health struggles and how that has changed his inner world. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's interesting. I never realized — because you know me; I've always been very outspoken about everything — and I never realized that it was such a stigma, to be honest. It was a line that you really didn't cross or you didn't admit to, especially somebody in my profession or whatever, or people kind of used it as a buzzword. They never really talked about it eloquently or very openly. So when I first started kind of opening it up about it, the response was quite extraordinary — people just were, like, 'You gave me the courage to kind of open up about it on my own and really kind of talk to the people who I care about about what was affecting me.' And that, in a weird way, helped me with the communication with my loved ones, 'cause I felt like, yeah, I was being very open about it in the press and whatnot, but then I wasn't able to really kind of expound about it with the people who it was actually affecting. And the second that I really kind of put my money where my mouth is, it became such a game changer for me. So it, really, in a weird way, it was the fans who helped me really open up even more about it. It was almost this cyclic kind of vibe that I didn't expect."

Taylor also talked about what it has been like living with manic depression and addressed what he feels is missing from the conversation about the condition.

"It's interesting," he said. "For me, I think the biggest thing that people don't understand is the numbness that comes with it, especially when the physical side of it hits you and it becomes that slog, that almost impossible slog to just be alive or to be human. It's something that you just can't describe to people unless they've been in it. And, obviously, there are people who have had bouts of depression, but don't have the physical, the manic depression who can kind of understand it because of the emptiness, once the void hits, so they can kind of empathize in a weird way. But anyone who's never really kind of felt that, it's really difficult to try and get them to see why it's so difficult to just get through life. It's almost like replacing your body with a mannequin's body and just having to be very plastic, and everything's so deliberate and everything's so heavy… I call it trying to run underwater. So I think that's the biggest thing that really is the hardest, to really get people to understand and to empathize. And luckily, I'm now in a relationship that gets it, I'm surrounded by people who get it, and I think that's a real key. 'Cause you don't have to necessarily understand it sometimes, but to empathize and go, 'Okay, how can I help? How can I make this easier?' I've seen it with that. I've seen it with a lot of the families who I work with who deal with PTSD and whatnot. It's getting that communication to hit. I don't need you to save me. I just need you to be there if I start to fall backwards and just give me a little push. That's all I need, man. And sometimes knowing that will help you get through those bouts."

In January, Corey shared an Instagram video in response to fan concern over his well-being following the cancelation of his previously scheduled North American solo tour.

"I, over the last year, have had a complete and utter breakdown of boundaries, mental health, ego, entitlement, the whole nine yards, culminating in a very, very real, very near relapse that… I kind of don't recognize myself," he said. "So, I wanted to address this and just tell people that I needed time to reset, I needed time to start working on my heart and my mind and get straight… I'm working on self-care right now, getting the help that I need and surrounding myself with my family… It's a long road and I don't know what’s at the end of it, but I look forward to it. I have gratitude for it, and I hope you can show me some patience."

On January 5, Taylor announced that he was pulling out of his North American tour, citing struggles with mental and physical health.

"For the past several months my mental and physical health have been breaking down, and I reached a place that was unhealthy for my family and I," he wrote in a statement. "I know this decision will come as a shock to some and may be regarded as unpopular by others – but after taking a hard look at where I am and where I was going, I need to pull myself back and be home with my family for the time being. Those of you who bought tickets and VIP packages for this upcoming run will get a full refund."

Corey has a four-show run in Asia scheduled for late March and early April as well as a European summer tour from June 3 to July 2.

Corey recently completed European and North American tours in support of his sophomore solo album, "CMF2", which was released in September. Taylor's first album for BMG and the first on his own label imprint, Decibel Cooper Recordings, was produced by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, AMON AMARTH),who also helmed STONE SOUR's 2017 LP "Hydrograd" as well as 2020's "CMFT".

Taylor began tracking the follow-up to 2020's "CMFT" LP in January 2023 at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada with Ruston. Joining Corey in the studio was the rest of his solo band — bassist Eliot Lorango, drummer Dustin Robert, along with guitarists Christian Martucci and Zach Throne.

Heavy metal icons, The Rods, have released their new fan collaboration lyric video for the song "Metal Highways", from their latest album Rattle The Cage.


Drummer / Producer Carl Canedy comments: "Once we began working on the concept for our next 2 videos, the video editor suggested, that for the first video, we reach out to the the fans and have them submit photos of themselves with the band, The Rods memorabilia, tattoos and footage of the band performing, etc. The response was so overwhelming that we decided to use that concept for two separate videos. Our video editor is very creative and it really shows in the completed videos. To me, it's reminiscent of watching the moving paintings in the Harry Potter movie. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the many fans who participated are going to love it!"







Mixed and mastered by Chris Collier, Rattle The Cage benefits from his masterful, modern touch, with the kind of sound that will simultaneously appeal to core fans as well as new generations of listeners! The Rods epitomize the term power-trio, and the word “power” has never been more evident in their music than it is now. 2024 will mark The Rods' 45th anniversary, in support, they will be playing many special dates and performances to commemorate 45 years together. With such an impressive history firmly notched in their collective belt, The Rods are still firing on all cylinders, and as eager as ever to crank it up, louder than loud!





Rattle The Cage tracklisting:


"Now And Forever"
"Wolves At The Door"
"Cry Out Loud"
"Rattle The Cage"
"Can’t Slow Down"
"Metal Highways"
"Hell Or High Water"
"Play It Loud"
"Shockwave"
"Hearts Of Steel"


"Now And Forever" visualizer:





"Play It Loud" video:





"Shockwave" video:





"Rattle The Cage" video:





Carl Canedy is scheduled to release his autobiography, Tales Of A Wild Dog, on April 4.





Carl is well known for his skills and prowess as the drummer for the influential Upstate, New York power trio, The Rods. He has also made a name for himself as the producer on some of thrash metal’s earliest albums: Anthrax’s Fistful Of Metal and Spreading The Disease, Overkill’s Feel The Fire, Exciter’s Violence And Force, and many other iconic albums.


The 300-page book, courtesy of New Haven Publishing, will also feature commentary from many artists, such as Joey Belladonna of Anthrax, Dan Beehler of Exciter, Jeff Plate of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Dan Lilker of Nuclear Assault, Jeff Becerra of Possessed, James Rivera of Helstar, and many others.


“I wanted to do something a bit different - traditional autobiographies tend to be very one-sided. Very one dimensional. I saw the events of my life one way, but did others experience the same event, the same way? I felt it would be good to get some opposing viewpoints, or at least a differing take on some of the events. We gave them a blank canvas,” says Carl.





The decision to write a book did not come easy. Carl laments, “I’ve done a lot of interviews over the years, and many of the journalists told me that I had some good stories - that I should do a book. Though a book is not an easy task. Sitting in front of the computer for months just was not feasible. But ultimately, I wanted something to leave my daughter - I wanted her to know my stories, my experiences and so on. Something that she can pass on to her children. So, I had these audio files that I had been compiling, but I really did not know what to do with them. And then Phillip “Doc” Harrington reached out to me.”


Co-author, Phillip Harrington ultimately, was able to persuade Carl to start the project - which turned into a two-year effort. Phillip stated, “Well, I am a fan. A fan, not only of The Rods, but also of Carl’s production efforts. If you take my top 25 albums, the bulk of them were either produced by Carl, or he played the drums on them. We are talking about a guy who was there for the genesis of heavy metal – he helped shape metal into the powerhouse that it would become in the late 80’s. He is definitely one of the most underrated people in the genre – no doubt about it. And I felt it crucial that he do a book. So, I offered up my services – transcribing, typing and doing the layout. I am glad his story is getting out there – he was very instrumental in a genre that millions love dearly. And he has such a great life story.”


“I thought it would be easy and fun,” remarks Carl. “As it turns out, recounting some of the stories was somewhat disturbing. At times, I would find myself becoming very emotional as I recounted these memories. It was much more difficult than I realized. It made me realize that life was not easy for me as a young boy. There were a lot of moments that were very difficult to relive.”


Carl’s memoirs will debut only a couple of months after his 71st birthday. “You are talking about 7 decades of memories, experiences, accomplishments and loss - and then there are the road stories, there is the drumming, the production, managing bands, and owning a recording studio. Plus, the commentary from the artists that were there.


"It started as an autobiography, but it essentially became a tale on the rise of heavy metal – because Carl was paramount for metal. He helped lay the foundation. And then, there is his personal life - which has had some very intense moments. Some tragic. There are plenty of ups and downs within his story. There is a piece in the end that no one saw coming. I don’t even think Carl saw it coming. Prior to knowing Carl, I had a very strong gut feeling that his life and experience would make for a great story – and now? Well, there is a certain satisfaction there knowing that my gut was right. It’s a damn good story!,” says the coauthor.


The book comes at a busy time for Carl. The Rods have just released their 10th studio album, Rattle The Cage, and Carl’s pre-The Rods band, Kelakos, have also just released an album. The Rods have dates scheduled throughout Europe, Australia and in the US for 2024.


Tales Of A Wild Dog will be available at retailers of good books worldwide.


The Rods are:


David “Rock” Feinstein – Vocals, Guitars
Freddy Villano – Bass
Carl Canedy – Drums

Symphonic metal vikings Leaves' Eyes recently released their new studio album, Myths Of Fate, via AFM Records. They have checked in with the following update:


"Fantastic news! After amazing shows with our new record we are happy to announce Myths Of Fate has entered the Official German Album Charts on #17! A HUGE thank you to our fans for the great support!"







With Myths Of Fate, the band set sails for new winds that definitely blow from the harsh shallows of the symphonic metal genre. The fantastic world of legends from Norse and Eastern European mythology is the setting for monumental entertainment: Leaves' Eyes open up a world of magical places, spellbound weapons or supernatural creatures.


The band produced a total of five music videos with Mastersound Entertainment. Filmed on impressive locations in Iceland, Germany and Poland, they bring the myths captivatingly to the screen. Magic creatures, great battles and enchanting warrior queens come to live. Their latest, spectacular clip for the powerful anthem "Hammer Of The Gods" can be viewed below:





Leaves' Eyes have always played in a league of their own. The international group has toured all populated continents, playing concerts in more than 50 countries, frequently reach top positions in the album charts and with every output they deliver a multimedia masterpiece when it comes to video clips and artwork.


In their multifaceted discography, Leaves' Eyes naturally integrate various genres such as folk metal, Viking metal or symphonic metal into their unique sound creations. Legendary releases like Vinland Saga (2005) or Njord (2009) made them pioneers in their own league, a position they successfully confirmed with chart-breakers like King Of Kings (2015) or Sign Of The Dragonhead (2018). Their compositions are complex, though, always well balanced between heaviness and melodic atmosphere. Each of their mind-broadening lyrical concepts based on mediaeval mythology are thoroughly researched, offering their audience journeys to the past times of Vikings, myths and sagas.


Their live shows are spectacular events with breathtaking stage scenery, including a Viking ship or even the “Swords In Rock” monument from Norway. Leaves' Eyes have been setting world history to music and undeniably, by doing so, have raced to the top of the symphonic metal tree.


Now, Alexander Krull once again exceeded his own standards in the producer’s chair. For the fine and complex compositions you will find on Myths Of Fate, he created an extraordinary and crystal-clear sound sphere with an undeniable live feeling. The band sounds raw and feisty, but still leaves space for affective atmospheres. The US soundtrack-multi-talent Jonah Weingarten contributes the impressive orchestral score that was created hand in hand with the metal arrangements. Moreover, Lea-Sophie Fischer (Eluveitie) on the fiddle and Thomas Roth’s play of the mediaeval Nyckelharpa add on mystical sounds to Myths Of Fate.


Leaves' Eyes have created an entire universe of their own imagination that showcases their talent as storytellers and music perfectionists. No doubt, the band will leave an everlasting footprint in their own genre with this album. Myths Of Fate provides a dynamic soundtrack for a vivid escape into a magical world of mythology. Four years after bringing The Last Viking to Valhalla with their previous opus, Leaves' Eyes resurrect with Myths Of Fate to celebrate their 20th year of existence. As the first single releases prove, with their ninth studio album, the band consolidates their leading position in the symphonic metal universe. Powerful, epic and impressive - Leaves' Eyes once again merge traditional metal genres by fusing elements of folk, gothic, and classical music into a captivating sonic masterpiece.


Order the album here.





Myths Of Fate tracklisting:


"Forged By Fire"
"Realm Of Dark Waves"
"Who Wants To Live Forever"
"Hammer Of The Gods"
"In Eternity"
"Fear The Serpent"
"Goddess Of The Night"
"Sons Of Triglav"
"Elder Spirit"
"Einherjar"
"Sail With The Dead"


"In Eternity" video:





"Who Wants To Live Forever" video:





“Realm Of Dark Waves” video:





"Forged By Fire" video:





Upcoming Leaves' Eyes tour dates are listed below.





April
1 - Barcelona, Spain - La Nau
2 - Milano, Italy - Legend Club
3 - Vienna, Austria - Szene
4 - Budapest, Hungary - Analog Music Club
5 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Joy Station Club
6 - Bucharest, Romania - Fabrica
7 - Cluj Napoca, Romania - Form Space
8 - Krakau, Poland - Kamienna 12
9 - Warsaw, Poland - Hydrozagadka
10 - Gdansk, Poland - Drizzly Grizzly
11 - Hamburg, Germany - Headcrash
13 - Berlin, Germany - Orwohaus





Leaves' Eyes is:


Elina Siirala - Vocals
Alexander Krull - Vocals
Micki Richter - Guitar
Luc Gebhardt - Guitar
Joris Nijenhuis - Drums

As an Easter treat, Jesse James Dupree of Jackyl presents a live clip of his solo band performing "Born To Ride The Lightning", from his 2023 album Breathing Fire.


Joining Jesse on stage are his son Nigel T. Dupree on guitar, Roman Glick on bass, and Rodney Hammer on drums. 







Breathing Fire artwork and tracklisting:





"Lay It On Me" 
"Never Gets Old" 
"Breathing Fire" 
"It's Not Love" 
"Stranded" 
"Born To Ride The Lightning" 
"Kill The Sunshine" 
"Over My Dead Body"
"White Flag"
"Rappa De Pappa" 


Get your copy of Breathing Fire now at this location.





 

Dokken, the legendary hard rock band, is back with a special release of their 1996 live album, One Live Night, now available for pre-order for the first time on 180-gram vinyl. The album, which was recorded before a live audience at The Strand in Redondo Beach, California, features the classic Dokken lineup of Don Dokken, George Lynch, Mick Brown, and Jeff Pilson.


This limited edition double album, limited to only 250 copies, includes intimate performances of "Tooth And Nail," "Into The Fire," and "Alone Again", as well as covers of the Beatles' "Nowhere Man" and Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "From The Beginning". 


Both the Sunspot and Black variants will ship in June 2024.







Tracklisting:


SIDE A 


"Into The Fire"
"Unchain The Night"
"The Maze"


SIDE B


"Nothing Left To Say"
"From The Beginning"
"Tooth And Nail"


SIDE C


"Just Got Lucky"
"I Will Remember"
"Alone Again"


SIDE D


"In My Dreams"
"Nowhere Man"
"It’s Not Love"





 

The Venezuelan death metal band Mind In Lost, now based abroad, has released their new and second studio album Disrupted, available now on digital platforms and on CD and cassette on April 9th. Disrupted is accompanied by a new music video from the band, titled "Displaced To Oblivion".





Disrupted presents a notable evolution in sound and composition compared to the first album from Mind In Lost. Power and depth take center stage, with strident and fast rhythms, sharp guitars with unmistakable distortions, violent percussions and bass played with dense and enveloping harmonies. Aggressive vocals and abstract lyrics immerse the listener in erosive and hostile environments.




The album is a manifesto of desperation, a twisted vision of the world divided into eight tracks loaded with pure old school death metal. Each story narrates events and actions that lack control when mental stability is absent. 





Tracklisting:


"Fall On Concrete"
"Enter The Swarm"
"Psychotic Resurgence"
"Neurodrome"
"Displaced To Oblivion"
"My Will"
"Ritual Of Silence"
"Sedation Abuse Delirium"


For further details, visit Mind In Lost on Facebook.


 

In a new interview with Mexico's ATMósferas Magazine, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson discussed the changes in the music industry over the last four decades. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The music industry has done two things. On the one hand, if you're an artist, it's contracted, as in it's shrunk in terms of the amount of money you get paid for your art — unless you are some massive social media thing, or whatever it is, or unless you're a DJ who turns up with a memory stick and gets paid five times what a band gets paid. And they have to split it eight ways, and he just turns up with his memory stick and pretends he's doing something, and goes away with a huge amount of money. So the world has gone on its ass from that perspective. And there's not a lot that any one individual can do about that. You just have to work with the way the world is."

He continued: "I have no desire whatsoever to be a DJ. I'm a singer, I'm a musician, I have bands and people like that, and they all have to make a living playing with me. So I do the best I can to make sure that everybody's happy, everybody's making a living and we can go out and play great music.

"In terms of the way that records are sold — well, records, downloads, things like that — I think it's a lose-lose situation for everybody," Dickinson added. "I mean, you have all the things like Spotify and stuff like that who are basically ripping off musicians by paying them next to nothing for playing their work. And still, [Spotify] can't make money. So they're not making money [and] the musicians aren't getting paid. New bands can hardly afford to start up, but they do. Why? Because they love what they do. It's that that drives them. It's that that motivates them. So, if the streaming services could manage to actually pay people properly for when people listen, which probably means that people listening have to pay more, which I frankly don't object to, and I don't think probably most listeners would. Maybe less people would listen, but it would be people who care, not people who just do it because it's cheap."

Asked if he thinks the skyrocketing concert ticket prices are having a negative impact on the music industry, Bruce said: "Well, two things. One, it depends what the show is and kind of who the audience are. I mean, I'm not gonna go around and say specific artists, because most of the artists that are charging, like, 1,200 dollars a ticket — like in Las Vegas, if you wanna go and see the U2 show, I think it was 1,200 dollars per seat in the sphere. I've got no interest in paying 1,200 dollars to go and see U2 in the sphere — none. A hundred bucks, maybe. But for me, what's important is to try and keep, on the one hand, the right type of tickets at the right price. So by that I mean the right type of tickets, I mean, the tickets that are in front of the stage, which everybody says should be the most expensive tickets. Actually, no, they should be the most reasonably priced tickets, 'cause the people who are gonna go there to the front of the stage are gonna be people who are real fans, people who are kids, people who can't afford the crazy money, but they are the people that need to be down the front; they're the people that are gonna keep this music alive. And then you get the people that they might be fans, but they wanna bring their wife and they don't wanna get too hot and sweaty and all the rest of it. So, there's some seats at the top or something else like that, what they're gonna pick, and those get priced differently."

Bruce continued: "I understand how promoters try and do it to try and not lose money, because promoters are part of the whole ecosystem. Without promoters, there would be no shows. The promoters have somehow gotta make their money back. So, it's a delicate balance, but in general, ticket prices have gone through the roof. And some of the ticket prices that people pay, well, some of the prices people pay, for me, it's insane. I would never pay that price, but then again, I'm probably not a fan of that particular artist. People who are, maybe they think it's worth it. I mean, certainly with my shows, we've always tried to keep the ticket prices within the normal, normal boundaries. And the same with MAIDEN."

Dickinson's new solo album, "The Mandrake Project", was released on March 1. Bruce and his long-term co-writer and producer Roy "Z" Ramirez recorded the LP largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy Z doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by keyboard maestro Mistheria and drummer Dave Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce's previous solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.

Featuring the singles "Afterglow Of Ragnarok" and "Rain On The Graves", the ten-track collection has been receiving swathes of critical acclaim, with rave reviews running around the world.

"The Mandrake Project" is Dickinson's seventh solo album and is released via BMG worldwide on multiple formats.

Last month, Bruce revealed the addition of two new guitarists to his solo touring band. Swedish-born guitarist, songwriter and multi-platinum-credited producer Philip Näslund and Swiss session and touring guitarist Chris Declercq (who incidentally played on Dickinson's current single, "Rain On The Graves") will accompany previously announced members Moreno, Mistheria and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass). Roy Z will not be part of the touring lineup.

The first chance to see the six-piece live will now be at The Observatory in Orange County, California on April 15.

Roy played guitar on Dickinson's 1994 album "Balls To Picasso" and went on to produce, co-write and perform multiple instruments on Bruce's subsequent three solo albums, "Accident At Birth" (1997),"The Chemical Wedding" (1998) and "Tyranny Of Souls" (2005).

O'Callaghan is an Irish musician who joined WHITESNAKE in 2021 and toured with the David Coverdale-fronted outfit the following year. She also hit the road with Dickinson last year as part of a performance of Jon Lord's "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" on nearly a dozen dates in Europe and South America.

Californian drummer Moreno previously played on "Tyranny Of Souls" and has worked with BODY COUNT, Jizzy Pearl, Dizzy Reed and Steve Stevens, among others.

Italian keyboard wizard Mistheria has collaborated with an array of artists live and in the studio, including Rob Rock, Mike Portnoy, Jeff Scott Soto and Joel Hoekstra.

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith.

On their recently launched "Metal Masters" U.K. tour with SAXON and URIAH HEEP, British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST are offering a special "Backstage Experience" where fans can take a guided tour backstage and get an exclusive peek at what goes on behind the scenes at a PRIEST show; get a close up look at instruments and gear, try on Rob Halford's jacket, taken individual photo with the famous motorbike, and more. Speaking to the "Everblack" podcast about the VIP backstage tour, PRIEST bassist Ian Hill said: "There'll be an area of exhibits, clothes, instruments and things that have been used over the years and a tour backstage and let people get some idea of what it takes to put that show on. A lot of people don't realize that that's done in a day. People get there early in the morning and they start putting it up and it's all folded down again. And it's on its way somewhere else the next day. And I don't think many people understand that. It's very much a mobile affair. It's not like being in [Las] Vegas and doing a month somewhere where everything stays where it is. Everything's gotta go down and go back up again the next day exactly the same or about as close as you can. So [it's an opportunity] to give some people insight [into] what goes into putting the show together and how many crew are involved. It just doesn't happen overnight. It always does happen overnight, but it just doesn't sort of appear. [Laughs] There's a lot of work goes in — a lot of people do a lot of heavy work, in some instances."

JUDAS PRIEST is touring in support of its latest album, "Invincible Shield", which has entered the U.K. chart at No. 2, just behind Ariana Grande's "Eternal Sunshine".

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

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

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

"Invincible Shield" has landed at No. 1 in Germany, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as No. 5 in France, No. 8 in Italy and No. 16 in Australia.

Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Singer Rob Halford joined the group in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Original guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Richie Faulkner.

Backstage experience on sale now!

https://www.judaspriestinvincibleshield.com/events/

Posted by Judas Priest on Thursday, December 21, 2023

In a new interview with RichardMetalFan, former DEICIDE guitarist Jack Owen was asked what it was like to share guitar duties with Kevin Quirion for Jack's final album with the band, 2013's "In The Minds of Evil". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Kevin's awesome. He is a guy that would do anything for you. And he is so motivated as far as writing and contributing and helping out on the road with anything… But, yeah, Kevin is awesome. He wrote killer stuff on there — very thrashy, but me and him worked well together. There's a lot of co-writing on there between me and him."

Regarding how his split with DEICIDE came about, Jack said: "Oh, it was a problem with new stuff I was writing. I walked into practice and Steve [Asheim, DEICIDE's drummer and main songwriter] had re-recorded it and changed notes here and there for three or four songs that I had. It was stupid at the time. But he's, like, 'Hey, I changed the notes so I get writing credit.' And I'm, like, 'That's not how the songs go, though.' And Glen's [Benton, DEICIDE frontman], like, 'It is now.' [Laughs] So I literally walked out and ghosted them. [Laughs] Later on, it was like, 'Hey, dude, you're out.'"

One of the founding members of CANNIBAL CORPSE, Owen joined DEICIDE in 2004 and played on four of the latter band's studio albums: "The Stench Of Redemption" (2006),"Till Death Do Us Part" (2008),"To Hell With God" (2011) and the aforementioned "In The Minds Of Evil".

In a 2017 interview with Metal Wani, Asheim stated about Owen's departure from DEICIDE: "We were just kind of writing the record, and we were going over the songs. Me and Glen, we were, like, 'We wanna redo the songs.' It's like we had completed them — about nine or twelve, whatever how many songs. They were all right, but we weren't really psyched about them. So we decided to rewrite them. And Jack didn't really like it. And he kind of left one day and just never came back. So that was that."

In 2017, Owen joined SIX FEET UNDER, the death metal band fronted by his ex-CANNIBAL CORPSE bandmate, singer Chris Barnes.

SIX FEET UNDER's fourteenth studio album, "Killing For Revenge", will arrive on May 10 via Metal Blade Records.

DISTURBED has shared video of the March 24 performance of the "Divisive" album track "Don't Tell Me", featuring a guest appearance by HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale, at Knotfest Australia in Brisbane, Australia. Check out the clip below.

DISTURBED played "Don't Tell Me" with Lzzy for the first time three days earlier at Knotfest Australia in Melbourne. A short time later, DISTURBED singer David Draiman shared a couple of backstage and onstage photos of him with Lzzy and he included the following message: "Thanks so much to @officiallzzyhale of @halestormrocks for absolutely nailing @annwilson 's part in #donttellme last night at @knotfestau".

In January, DISTURBED released the Matt Mahurin-directed music video for "Don't Tell Me". The song, an epic emotionally charged duet with HEART's Ann Wilson, marked the first time the band had included a guest feature on an LP.

Regarding how the collaboration with Wilson came about, DISTURBED drummer Mike Wengren told Terrie Carr of WDHA-FM 105.5 FM: "That was always supposed to be the 'power ballad,' per se. And as we were tracking it in the studio, David just threw out the idea, 'Hey, let's do a duet on this song.' We've tossed around the idea before, but there wasn't ever either the right material or the right time. So in this particular case, we kind of said, 'Well, who you've got in mind?' And he didn't even have a list; he just had one person, and that was Ann. It was a no-brainer. 'Hey, let's hit up Ann. Let's see if she'd be into it.' And she was on board right away; we didn't have to convince her."

Mike continued: "[David and Ann] sort of struck up a bit of a friendship, a little bit of a rapport. When [DISTURBED cover version of] 'The Sound Of Silence' came out years back and had its success, she was one of many artists and celebrities that took it up themselves to go on Twitter and praise the song and praise our version of it, which we couldn't have been more honored. Iconic, legendary Ann Wilson thinks that we did a great job with a SIMON & GARFUNKEL cover. That's pretty incredible, a pretty great honor. So when we reached out to her, she was more than willing to jump on board. And she came in and she killed it… And she's super cool and down to earth too, and just incredibly talented. It's such an honor to have her be on our record. And to me, the blending of her voice and David's voice, they really, really work so well together. I'm so proud of David and just so honored to have her a part of our record."

In September 2022, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan, whose divorce inspired "Don't Tell Me", told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about the band's collaboration with Wilson: "Early in our career, we wanted to really establish ourselves without having any guests. We didn't really talk about it much, but just [felt], 'This is the band.' Not that we were ever against it, but this far along in our career… We're always pushing ourselves, trying to do stuff that's different musically. And there's so much talent out there and so many people we would love to do collaborations with now or later in our career.

"Ann Wilson had mentioned before — she tweeted about us before," he continued. "A few years back, somebody asked her in an interview or whatever if there's anything new out there, or newer, musically that she's heard that she's fan of, and she mentioned she really loved our version of 'The Sound Of Silence'. And that kind of opened the door to a social media friendship between her and David a bit. And then when we wrote this song, it just seemed like it would lend itself to Ann's voice and then trying to see that merge between her and David's voices together. She jumped on the opportunity. Immediately she responded, and we were, like, 'Holy shit. She just said yes to this.'"

Asked by Meltdown if "Don't Tell Me" is a more mellow track than the standard DISTURBED fare, Dan said: "I can't give it away, but their voices, it's like Fergie and Jesus — a little 'Step Brothers' [2008 movie] quote there… It was a pretty magical moment to be in the room and to hear the two of them harmonize together.

"We tracked David's vocals in Nashville, and we wanted to make it easy and convenient for her, 'cause we were, like, she said yes, she's gonna do it," Donegan continued. "Let's make it as easy as possible on her.' We flew out to California to meet with her. We went into a studio out there for just a couple of hours, and she sang against David's tracks. And he was there kind of going over the harmonies with her and stuff too. So it was kind of a really magical moment to see the two of them working on those harmonies together. It was pretty impressive. And she's such a pro, and she's so damn good. She's a legend. So it was pretty exciting. And it's not like she sits there and jumps on people's albums either, so we take that as a badge of honor to think that there's not many times where somebody as big a legend as she is that she would jump on any album. She doesn't have to, and she chose to be on this one. And she loves the track. And it just came together great."

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

According to Billboard, "Divisive" sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales.

On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, "Divisive" debuted at No. 13.

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

In a new interview with Colombia's Radioacktiva, THE OFFSPRING guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2021's "Let The Bad Times Roll" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're already almost done with the next [LP]. We're hoping to be done by the end of [April]. We're going back in the studio when we get home with, working with [producer] Bob [Rock].

"It's not like we go in and work for a whole bunch of months with Bob and then don't see each other for a couple years," he explained. "We get together every couple of months and go in the studio and work for a week to two weeks. That's just how we like to work. And it's always fun hanging out with Bob. He's just a great guy. And we just talk about music, talk about ideas, what makes a song great — that sort of thing."

Bob Rock who previously helmed three THE OFFSPRING LPs, including "Let The Bad Times Roll".

Last October, Noodles was asked by Rock Sound if there was anything he and his THE OFFSPRING bandmates learned from the making "Let The Bad Times Roll" that they wanted to "lean more into" this time around. Noodles said: "What we learned is when we are not able to go out and play live, we really miss it. And we learned to make the most of our time in the studio and just have fun. It was a really, really creative time for us, actually. Right at the end of making 'Let The Bad Times Roll', ideas were just coming, and we've just been having a good time in the studio since then — and on the road too. It's so good to be back playing live music again."

In September 2023, Noodles was asked by "The Jesea Lee Show" if the new OFFSPRING material follows an "old-school" vein or if it represents "a new era of OFFSPRING". He said: "It's a little bit of both — all that. The last song we did definitely sounds like an old-school — sounds kind of like 'Come Out Swinging'. Definitely some old-school stuff and then some rocking stuff and then some kind of poppy punk stuff too, for sure."

In August 2023, THE OFFSPRING singer Bryan "Dexter" Holland told The Orange County Register about the overall musical and lyrical direction of the new THE OFFSPRING material: "Sometimes you just start writing songs and you don't realize how an album is coming together until it's almost there. Like on 'Americana'. 'Americana' was one of the last songs I wrote because I didn't realize until then all the other songs like 'Why Don't You Get A Job?' and 'Pretty Fly', they were describing American society. I didn't really realize that's what the album was about until I got almost done and thought well, I'll call it 'Americana' because that's like 'Americana' means American culture. This was my vision of what I thought American culture was doing in the late '90s. We're kind of still in that phase with the songs, but we've always liked the energy of punk music and the rebelliousness. What I'm focusing right now on is just melody. I want the songs to be really good."

"Let The Bad Times Roll" was a huge global success, hitting career-high chart debuts with seven Top 5 and ten Top 10 international debuts and nine Top 10 debuts in the U.S. The album peaked at No. 3 on the U.K. chart and hit No. 1 on the Alternative Albums chart in the U.S.

THE OFFSPRING first achieved worldwide success in the 1990s with the release of their album "Smash", which sold over 11 million copies. Following "Smash", they continued to release hit after hit, popularizing rock at a mainstream level.

Throughout THE OFFSPRING's career, they've sold over a staggering 40 million albums, and toured arenas, and built a global fan base. "Let The Bad Times Roll" marked the band's tenth studio album and third album produced by Rock.

Originally formed under the name MANIC SUBSIDAL, THE OFFSPRING's lineup consists of Holland, Wasserman and bassist Todd Morse.