In a new interview with Paul Cashmere of Australia's Noise11.com, former SLIPKNOT drummer Jay Weinberg discussed his recent additions to both SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and INFECTIOUS GROOVES. Speaking about his hectic schedule in the coming weeks, Jay said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "My first show with SUICIDAL will be a week from tomorrow, or I guess actually, with the time difference, it'll be in a week from today, in Osaka. We have two shows in Japan coming up next week, and then I'll be going right from that to Los Angeles where we'll be preparing for our first two INFECTIOUS GROOVES shows in Orange County, getting ready to then come down to Australia. So I've had my homework cut out for me, for sure. And it all kind of happened very quickly and a little bit unexpectedly, but I've been really enjoying this whole process of just getting up to speed with both bands, knowing that — they share members, but they're different in their subtleties and their nuances of things. And I'm really grateful that Mike [Muir, SUICIDAL and INFECTIOUS frontman] and the guys have seen something, I suppose, in my playing that will speak to both bands and that they're interested in having me on board. I'm absolutely honored and just want to give it everything I got. So it all kind of meshes into one big thing for me."

The 33-year-old Nashville-based musician continued: "We'll see — everybody's got such busy schedules that we'll just kind of see what happens from here. If it's just this Australian tour and our two shows in Orange County, that's great. I'm really looking forward to enjoying that. If it keeps going beyond that, I would love to continue it, if the guys would have me. We'll just see — we'll see what happens. But yeah, it's just one giant musical adventure that's divided between two bands that I'm enjoying right now. So it's an incredible opportunity. I'm just stoked to have it."

Asked about the possibility of recording new music with SUICIDAL, Jay said: "I would love that. I would be honored to do that. As of now, it's all happening so quickly. We're still figuring out visas to travel places and whatnot. So we'll see what's on the table. Right now I'm concentrated on these first shows going well and just getting integrated into you playing with my new bandmates and all that. But certainly, it's been my experience that when you naturally just kind of follow these wormholes, you ride the good energy that's in the room, you find those inspirations and those inspired moments that you're trying to create with a group and you just follow that and see what good stuff you can make out of that. So if that's on the table, I'm certainly — I'm ready to go. I'm into it."

Later in the chat, Weinberg addressed the "tabloid" coverage of his exit from SLIPKNOT. Asked if he was surprised at how newsworthy he was at the time, Jay said: "I kind of honestly just — I don't really pay attention to stuff like that. Whatever chatter there is around the world is kind of not really any of my concern. I just kind of do what I do. If people wanna talk about it, then that's fine by me. I'm just honored and excited that it's led me to this point and getting started with SUICIDAL."

Weinberg will make his live debut with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES with a two-date Japanese run of shows (March 14 in Osaka and March 16 in Chiba). The band is also slated to perform at the No Values festival on June 8 in Pomona, California, with a series of European festival dates scheduled for June and July.

In addition to Weinberg and Muir, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' current lineup features lead guitarist Dean Pleasants, rhythm guitarist Ben Weinman (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) and bassist Tye Trujillo (son of METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo).

Weinberg's pairing with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES comes less than two months after he was announced as the new drummer of INFECTIOUS GROOVES, the long-running outfit formed more than three decades ago by Robert Trujillo alongside Robert's then-SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bandmate Muir.

INFECTIOUS GROOVES has scheduled two U.S. shows this month — March 23 and March 24 at the Garden Grove Amphitheater in Garden Grove, California — before embarking on a short tour of Australia in late March and early April.

Weinberg was recruited by INFECTIOUS GROOVES for the band's first live appearances since a one-off show in 2019 due to longtime drummer Brooks Wackerman's commitment to AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

In addition to Weinberg, Muir and Trujillo, INFECTIOUS GROOVES' 2024 lineup includes guitarists Dean Pleasants (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) and Dave Kushner (ex-VELVET REVOLVER).

INFECTIOUS GROOVES was formed soon after Trujillo joined SUICIDAL TENDENCIES in 1989. Muir and Trujillo got together with some friends to write song that centered more around the bass, but with the intent of giving everyone else a whole lot of freedom.

On November 5, 2023, SLIPKNOT released a statement via social media in which it said it had "decided to make a creative decision and to part ways with Jay."

Six days later, Weinberg, who replaced Joey Jordison, SLIPKNOT's original drummer, in 2013, shared on Instagram that he "was heartbroken and blindsided to receive the phone call", "the news of which, most of you learned shortly after."

Jay played his final show with SLIPKNOT on November 3 at the Hell & Heaven festival in Toluca, Mexico.

When SLIPKNOT announced Weinberg's departure, the band thanked Jay "for his dedication and passion over the past ten years." The group added: "No one can ever replace Joey Jordison's original sound, style or energy, but Jay honored Joey's parts and contributed to the last three albums and we, the band, and the fans appreciate it. But as ever, SLIPKNOT is intent on evolving. We wish Jay all the best and are very excited for what the future holds."

Jay discovered SLIPKNOT when he was a pre-teen, through his father, Max Weinberg, of Bruce Springsteen's E STREET BAND, and leader of the house band on Conan O'Brien's talk show. He was hooked immediately and was a huge fan of SLIPKNOT by the time he was invited to Los Angeles to try out as replacement for Joey Jordison in 2013.

For the first few months after the release of 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter", the members of SLIPKNOT had declined to name the musicians who were playing drums and bass on their tour, despite the fact that their identities were revealed as Weinberg and bassist Alessandro "Vman" Venturella by a disgruntled former drumtech for SLIPKNOT who posted a picture of a backstage call sheet on Instagram.

".5: The Gray Chapter" went on to score a trio of Grammy nominations, including two for "Best Metal Performance" and a nomination for "Best Rock Album".

Weinberg also played on 2019's "We Are Not Your Kind" and 2022's "The End, So Far", both of which topped Billboard's rock albums chart.

SLIPKNOT has yet to announce a replacement for Jay.

FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson says that he and his bandmates are "very excited" about the group's nomination for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Last month, it was announced that FOREIGNER is among the nominees for the Rock Hall's Class Of 2024.

To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee's first single or album had to have been released in 1999 or earlier.

Eligible since 2002, FOREIGNER has had a huge number of rock hits, including "Cold As Ice", "Double Vision", "Hot Blooded", "I Want To Know What Love Is", "Juke Box Hero" and "Urgent", and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, with no wins.

According to the Hall Of Fame, the FOREIGNER members that would get inducted include only the classic-era musicians Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Dennis Elliott, Ed Gagliardi, Al Greenwood, Ian McDonald and Rick Wills.

Pilson, who has been a member of FOREIGNER since 2004, discussed the band's nomination in a new interview with Rockbandreviews.com. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're very excited about it. And we've gotta remind people they can go to the web site for the Rock Hall and they can vote [as part of the fan vote], and you can vote every day. So, please get on there and vote for FOREIGNER… It is looking good. I know we often do, like, number one or two — I guess number two most of the time — as far as the fan vote and that's great news. And that means the fans are continuing to call. So please do that, because I really think that original band deserved to be in the Rock Hall a long time ago. So it's amazing that it's happening, and we're very excited about it."

Asked for his opinion on the trend of the Rock Hall honoring non-rock artists including Eminem, Missy Elliott, Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson in recent years, and whether he thinks those acts should be allowed into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Jeff said: "Well, it depends on their body of work. I think certain hip-hop artists do deserve to be in there, because they sort of represent the rock and roll of their generation in many ways. It may not be music that I necessarily listen to or whatever, and I'm a rock and roll fan, but I respect what they do and I respect that it has kind of that rebellious nature that rock and roll has. So, yeah, I think it's okay. If it's somebody that doesn't have anything to do with [what the Rock Hall represents]… I can't think of examples offhand, but there are examples I've heard of people, like, 'Wow, they're in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? That seems odd to me.'"

Back in 2017, Gene Simmons made negative comments about the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inducting rap artists, saying that hip-hop acts do not belong in the institution. The KISS bassist/vocalist told CantonRep.com: "There are people from different genres that I don't believe belong in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. There's disco and rap and all kinds of stuff. And I highly respect rap, but on the day LED ZEPPELIN gets put into the Hip-Hop Hall Of Fame, is the day I will personally accept rap artists as being brought into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. It just ain't the same thing. You go to Apple Music, and you go to different genres and you type in 'rock,' you're not gonna find a single rap band in that category. Likewise, if you look at hip hop or rap, you're not gonna see AC/DC or KISS in the list in there."

Simmons originally took issue with hip-hop acts — and other non-rock artists — being inducted into the Rock Hall Of Fame during a 2014 interview with Radio.com. He stated at the time: "It's really back-room politics, like Boss Tweed. A few people decide what's in and what's not. And the masses just scratch their heads. You've got Grandmaster Flash in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? RUN-D.M.C. in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? You're killing me! That doesn't mean those aren't good artists. But they don't play guitar. They sample and they talk. Not even sing!"

He continued: "If you asked Donna [Summer], 'What kind of artist are you?', do you think she would say 'rock?' If you asked Madonna, 'What kind of artist are you?' do you think she would say, 'Oh, rock!' So what they hell are they doing in the Hall Of Fame? They can run their organization any way they'd like, but it ain't rock! It just isn't! If you don't play guitar and you don't write your own songs, you don't belong there."

In 2016, SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor was asked by Loudwire Nights for his opinion on Simmons's comments taking issue with hip-hop acts — and other non-rock artists — being inducted into the Rock Hall. He responded: "I see what Gene's saying, and, you know, I'm old-school guy as well; I get it. But at the same time, the more I look at what N.W.A. did, man, I mean, they influenced me, and I'm a rock and roll guy. So how do they not deserve to be in there? To me, bands like that, bands like RUN–D.M.C., it's a different type of band, but it's a band, man. I mean, that's straight up. So I can see both sides of it."

Modern Drummer magazine has scored an exclusive backstage peek into the rhythmic labyrinth that is Danny Carey's drum kingdom for TOOL's "Fear Inoculum" tour. Surrounded by instruments, Danny is joined by Modern Drummer CEO David Frangioni as they peel back the layers of Carey's one-of-a-kind drum arsenal. Check out the 23-minute video below.

In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, TOOL bassist Justin Chancellor said that fans won't have to wait another 13 years to hear a new studio album from him and his bandmates, referencing the gap between 2006's "10,000 Days" and 2019's "Fear Inoculum".

"Danny is 62 now, so there's no thought of taking 13 years if we're gonna do it," he explained. "We're gonna have to be more efficient, and we've been talking of ways that we can do that. Maybe taking a leaf out of how me and Peter [Mohamed, Justin's bandmate in side project MTVOID] work with MTVOID — instead of staring at each other going 'Come on! Get it out of ya!' maybe we could do a bit more at home. We'll see!"

Chancellor added that he and the rest of TOOL have begun working on music for a possible new LP. "We put a little work in before this tour," he said. "We gave it a stab for a couple of months. We ended up compiling all the ideas we had; normally when we do that we start writing pretty soon after, but we had a lot of stuff coming up, so we didn't dive all the way in. When we're done with Europe, we're gonna dive back in during the second half of the year."

In a separate interview with Revolver magazine, Chancellor and Carey talked about a possible follow-up to "Fear Inoculum". Addressing the fact that "Fear Inoculum" marked the band's first full-length effort in 13 years, due to creative, personal, and legal issues bandmembers encountered since the release of "10,000 Days", Justin said: "It'll be different this time. Everyone's life is different, and everyone's expectations are different. Time is precious now, so you try and look for ways to be more efficient with the process. We've had a lot of discussion about that and how we can bring a new record to fruition in a slightly different way."

Speaking about the TOOL songwriting process, Danny said: "Our filter system is pretty intense. If it gets by the four of us in the band, then we figure it's going to work. It's a really painstaking process that we go through to finish [an album], and get it where we are all completely convinced. It pays off in the long run because we never really get tired of performing our songs. It gives rise to a vehicle that we can all believe in."

As for a possible musical direction for TOOL's next LP, Carey said: "Who knows? It could flip-flop and we could just go back to doing an 'Undertow' [type of] record" of shorter songs. "That's kind of appealing to me. I always like change, whatever direction it goes."

Another possibility is a new EP rather a full-length release. The songwriting process has already begun, according to Carey, and "it's going well so far."

"We're free agents now," he added. "We aren't signed to a label anymore. We are free to do whatever we want."

Quite possibly the era's most highly anticipated album, "Fear Inoculum" arrived in August of 2019. Debuting at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200, the album earned heaps of critical praise with NPR saying, "'Fear Inoculum' was worth the 13-year wait," Revolver proclaiming the album "a masterpiece to be dissected for years to come" and Consequence saying the release finds "TOOL in peak performance."

In 2022, TOOL released "Opiate2", a re-imagined and extended version of the 1992 EP's title track and an accompanying short film, marking the band's first new video in 15 years. The band also unveiled the first incarnation of "Fear Inoculum" vinyl, dubbed the Ultra Deluxe edition, the limited offering included five 180-gram vinyl discs emblazoned with a unique etching and accompanied by an elaborate pictorial booklet including never-before-seen artwork.

TOOL formed in 1990, releasing five studio albums: "Undertow" (1993),"Ænima" (1996),"Lateralus" (2001),"10,000 Days" (2006) and "Fear Inoculum" (2019); two EPs: "72826" (1991) and "Opiate" (1992),and the limited-edition boxset "Salival" (2000). The band has won four Grammy Awards: "Best Metal Performance" (1998, "Ænima"),"Best Metal Performance" (2002, "Schism"),"Best Recording Package" (2007, "10,000 Days") and "Best Metal Performance" (2020, "7empest").

TOOL is Danny Carey (drums),Justin Chancellor (bass),Adam Jones (guitar) and Maynard James Keenan (vocals).

Metal Hammer caught up with guitarist / producer Roy Z to discuss working with Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson on his new solo album, The Mandrake Project. Roy also talks about his relationship with the Maiden frontman and how things have changed over the years...


Q: What do you remember about meeting Bruce for the first time?


Roy: "It was 1993 and we were working in the same studio - him in the day, me (with the band Tribe Of Gypsies) at night. I’d told my engineer that I didn’t want anyone to hear my music, no exceptions. One day I came in and there was this guy at the desk, listening to my shit, long hair flying everywhere. I was ready to kill somebody. But then he turned around and went, 'Hey, I’m Bruce, I love your band, who are you?' He asked if I wanted to come to the UK and write with him. That fall, he announced he was leaving Maiden and it just went from there." 




Q: Bruce play guitar on the tracks "Resurrection Men" and "Face In The Mirror" (on The Mandrake Project). How did that come about?


Roy: "I just said, 'Hey, it’s your solo record, let’s have fun.' He’s written riffs, but we’ve never had him play guitar on a record of anything. With 'Resurrection Men', Bruce was like, 'Can you get us a (surf guitar pioneer) kind of sound?' I said, 'Here’s an amp that does that, so show me what you’re thinking.' He ended up doing really well ’cos he was inspired by us vibing on it. It was a no-pressure kind of thing."


Read the complete interview here.


Dickinson has shared the video below, in which talks about the making of his new album:





Dickinson has released The Mandrake Project worldwide on multiple formats. Across ten inventive, expansive and absorbing tracks, Dickinson and his long-term co-writer and producer Roy Z, have created one of 2024’s defining rock albums. Sonically heavy and rich in musical textures, The Mandrake Project sees Bruce bring to life a musical vision long-in-the-making, and features some of the finest vocal performances of his career.


Recorded largely at LA’s Doom Room with Roy Z doubling up as both guitarist and bassist, the lineup for The Mandrake Project was rounded out by keyboard maestro Mistheria and drummer Dave Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce’s last solo studio album, Tyranny Of Souls, in 2005.


The Mandrake Project is Dickinson’s seventh solo album. Order here.





The Mandrake Project tracklisting:


"Afterglow Of Ragnarok"
"Many Doors To Hell"
"Rain On The Graves"
"Resurrection Men"
"Fingers In The Wounds"
"Eternity Has Failed"
"Mistress Of Mercy"
"Face In The Mirror"
"Shadow Of The Gods"
"Sonata (Immortal Beloved)"


"Rain On The Graves" video:





"Afterglow Of Ragnarok" video:

CNTS, the Los Angeles-band featuring members of Dead Cross, Retox and Qui, have debuted a second song, "I Won’t Work For You”, from their forthcoming album, Thoughts & Prayers, out March 29.


Matt Cronk shares the story behind the song: “’I Won’t Work For You’ was inspired by the talking point being bandied about, mostly by conservatives, that ‘nobody wants to work anymore’ after having collected unemployment during the lockdown. I think a more accurate way to frame that is that nobody wants to work for people who treat them badly. Nobody wants to work without the expectation of fair pay and dignity. Nobody wants to work for the sole purpose of enriching someone else, and nor should they! Work sucks. I think a lot of people, myself included, are inspired to find more equitable means of supporting themselves or at least expect more from their employers.”


Michael Crain adds, very succinctly: “Bosses suck.”




The video, directed by Meriel O’Connell, who also crafted the band’s “Smart Mouth” clip, was filmed at a pizza joint where Michael Crain worked. During tough times, Crain occasionally treated Cronk to a free slice.


Watch the video below.





Thought & Prayers tracklisting:


"I Won’t Work For You"
"Thoughts & Prayers"
"Smart Mouth"
"Dear Sir"
"For A Good Time (Don’t Call Her)"
"Alone"
"Eating You Alive"
"Real Truth"
"Junkie"
"Drown"


"I Won’t Work For You" video:





"Smart Mouth" video:





CNTS is Mike Crain (Dead Cross, Retox, Festival of Dead Deer), drummer Kevin Avery (Retox, Planet B), and vocalist Matt Cronk (Qui). The Los Angeles-based band released their self-titled debut album in 2019.


(Photo - Anthony Mehlhaff)

In a new interview with "Paltrocast" host Darren Paltrowitz, Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND, was asked if legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen was an early musical influence on him. Gus responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, not really. Maybe because VAN HALEN, they were not that much into the rock culture here in Europe or maybe in Greece. I was just exposed to different kind of stuff. For me, it was more like Gary Moore or something — you know, British players. Of course, I knew of VAN HALEN — I saw the videos on MTV and things like that and I got into it — but I got into it a bit a little bit later. So it was not like the first thing I checked out and I was, like, 'Oh my god. I have to pick up all the records.' I found out [about them] as I was developing my guitar playing… I think I think they only had like one hit here — mainly 'Jump'; that was it. To my knowledge, that was the song that you would always see, and that was the keyboard song — that was a song that Eddie mainly did keyboards."

Back in May 2022, Gus was asked by BLABBERMOUTH.NET if he could play guitar at a hypothetical Eddie Van Halen tribute concert or tour of some kind. He replied: "That would be very difficult and challenging to do it justice. I don't know who could do it. [Laughs] It would be scary. Joe Satriani is one of the few guys who could pull it off because of who he is. He's such a unique guitar player. Plus, he's done it before with DEEP PURPLE. From a technical point of view, yeah, I don't think I would be the right player because I don't use the whammy bar. I'm playing a steady, fixed bridge. I don't do a lot of whammy bar tricks. I do tapping, but not as much as other guys. Could I do it? Could I learn the songs? Of course. I could do it, but I don't think I'd be the right guy for such a thing. It's scary as a guitar player walking into such a spotlight. It was scary for me 12 years ago when I did the Ozzy thing. I never thought of myself as that type of guitar player, but when Ozzy looked at me and said, 'You're the guy.' I started thinking about it differently: 'Well, if he sees that, then I should believe in myself more.' [Laughs]"

In November 2020, a month after Eddie's passing, Gus reflected on the VAN HALEN axeman's death, saying in a video posted on his official YouTube channel: "Obviously, it's been way over a month since [Eddie's] passing, and I've seen a lot of tributes online. Since he died, he's been all over the news all over the world, all the magazine covers, everything. You can see what a big of an impact this man has had in the music world, and, of course, for the guitar community. You don't need me to tell you that he was such a pioneer and an innovator. All these words, actually, they describe somebody like Eddie Van Halen perfectly. He has done so much, he has given us so much in music, and he has done so much for the guitar. From introducing the modern-age sort of hard rock/heavy metal guitar; the way he used whammy bar techniques; introducing tapping techniques to the world. There's no way you're playing hard rock or heavy metal and you're not using some stuff that he popularized — there's just no way.

"I was shocked when I read the news, obviously, and I was kind of lost for words," he continued. "Eventually, I wrote a few words for some magazines that have done some specials on him, some tributes. But I haven't posted anything on my own web sites, on my own social media or anything.

"I can go on and on about how Eddie has influenced me and millions of other guitar players. I just wanna take this chance to say thank you, Eddie, for all that you gave us. Unfortunately, and sadly, I never got to see VAN HALEN live. I'm not even go into about meeting them — I never to meet Eddie or anybody from the band — but I never got to see VAN HALEN live either, because I live in Greece, and VAN HALEN very rarely played in Europe; they mainly toured in America. And when I was spending a lot of time in America, I never got a chance to see them. Even when they did the last reunion a few years back, I was never in town to catch their show. So that's one thing that I regret; I wish I'd seen them on stage.

"But regardless, Eddie, thank you — thank you for all that you did for the music world and for the guitar community," Gus added. "Your legacy lives on."

FIREWIND will release a new studio album, "Stand United", on March 1 via AFM.

In a new clip from YouTuber Karl Rock, he takes us into and behind-the-scenes of India's Bangalore Open Air 2024, which took place on February 9th and 10th. Check it out below.


Karl Rock: "I travelled to India to experience their incredible 2-day heavy metal festival! Every year, the Bangalore Open Air Festival features big headliners like Kreator, Watain, Mayhem, and In Flames. Then, there are many great Indian metal bands like Godless, Kryptos, and Zygnema. Would you travel to India for a music festival?"







Rock's Everything You Need to Know rundown from Bangalore Open Air 2023 is available here.


For information and updates on the Bangalore Open Air go to this location.

In a new interview with the "Everblack" podcast, Robert Trujillo spoke about what it has been like to see his 19-year-old son Tye play with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, given that the longtime METALLICA bassist recorded and toured with the Mike Muir-fronted act at the start of his career. Asked if he gave Tye any tips or showed him any tricks when the younger Trujillo first got the ST gig, Robert said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was funny because there was a couple songs from the 'Lights...Camera...Revolution!' album where he asked me a couple of questions. He generally doesn't ask too many questions. He's his own player. He plays guitar. He writes his own songs. He's really strong with a pick as well as his fingers. I play with a pick sometimes, but I'm not nearly as strong as he is. So he's really grounded in his own way as a writer and as a performer now. He's got two or three bands that he's in and, obviously, actively touring with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES."

Regarding how Tye landed the SUICIDAL TENDENCIES gig, Robert said: "How that happened, going back, for him — when he was, I feel like he was 16 or something, and [Roberto] 'Ra' Díaz, who was playing bass [for SUICIDAL TENDENCIES] at the time, had a visa situation that he was taking care of in Chile, and this gig that they were doing in L.A. happened to fall in around the same time. So Mike reached out to Tye, knowing what he was capable of. And also before that, years before that, Tye had done a full-on tour with KORN; he filled in for Fieldy in South America, and he was 12 years old at the time. So he knew he could trust Tye. And that was Tye's first experience with ST, and it was like Dave Lombardo on drums and all this pedigree, Dean [Pleasants] on guitar and Mike. And I remember, Tye went up on the drum riser to play, to get up there with Dave, and then when he jumped off, right when his feet hit the ground, Mike Muir had just turned around and bowled him over, accidental, but it was like a rugby scenario. And Mike gets into that kind of crazy headspace and he knocked him over, but I was, like, 'Welcome to ST.' He's been — how do you say? — christened, so to speak. And he's been with 'em pretty much ever since. At the same time, he has his band OTTTO and FEED THE BEAST. So he's always playing music."

Robert went on to say that he and Tye are not the only musicians in their family. "In our household, it's always a creative environment," he explained. "My wife, she does her music actively, and she's got more projects than I even know. She's doing a variety of original music-oriented projects, but she's also doing art and fashion. My daughter plays drums. She's practicing three to five hours a day. And it's just how it is in our household. Everybody plays instruments, everybody does art, music and plays piano, whatever. So I guess when you're driving by our place in [Topanga] Canyon and you hear all this going on, you probably think it's a crazy house."

Robert Trujillo played bass for SUICIDAL TENDENCIES at the Mike Muir-fronted outfit's October 26, 2023 concert at House Of Vans in Mexico City.

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES recruited Robert to play the gig after Tye was unable to make the show due to scheduling commitments with his other band OTTTO.

Robert previously rejoined his former bandmates on stage on September 9 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona to perform the song "I Saw Your Mommy...". SUICIDAL TENDENCIES played at State Farm Stadium as the support act for METALLICA at the latter band's rescheduled second concert in Arizona.

Trujillo was first invited to join SUICIDAL TENDENCIES for a European tour in 1989 supporting East Coast thrashers ANTHRAX. While with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, Robert appeared on some of the band's most successful albums: "Lights...Camera...Revolution!" (1990),"The Art Of Rebellion" (1992) and "Still Cyco After All These Years" (1993). During Trujillo's years with SUICIDAL, Muir heard some of Robert's homemade demos and they collaborated on a funkier, more progressive sound under the name INFECTIOUS GROOVES. They produced a number of albums such as "The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move..." (1991),"Sarsippius' Ark" (1993) and "Groove Family Cyco" (1994).

Back in 2021, Trujillo humorously revealed in an interview that before he signed on as the bass player for METALLICA, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES would gobble up METALLICA's leftover dinners whenever they could during a joint 1993 tour. And even though the METALLICA members respected Trujillo's playing with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield admitted that when Robert's name came up during bassist auditions, he thought, "there's no way he's going to join us. He's too amazing, he's too spectacular."

Creator-Destructor Records will release To Conquer Eternal Damnation, the incinerating debut album from Oakland, California-based melodic death metal outfit Darkness Everywhere, confirming the album for release May 10 alongside its cover art, tracklisting, and a video for the lead single, “Retaliation.”


Darkness Everywhere formed as a trio in late 2020 with the goal of writing songs heavily influenced by the classic mid-1990s Swedish melodic death metal sound. However, this isn’t the individual members’ first time around the block when it comes to melodic death metal. Founding vocalist/guitarist/drummer Ben Murray is a founding member of Bay Area band Light This City, as well as being the owner Creator-Destructor Records, and now also a member of A Wilhelm Scream. Guitarist Cameron Stucky is a member of symphonic melodic metal act Crepuscle. Bassist Zack Ohren recorded and produced all of Light This City’s albums throughout the past twenty years and continues to be one of the leading metal producers in the industry, having worked with Machine Head, All Shall Perish, Animosity, Decapitation, Suffocation, and many more. Drummer Garrett Garvey fleshes out the now four-piece lineup of Darkness Everywhere.


The glory years of early In Flames, At the Gates, and Dark Tranquillity are what largely inform the sound and aesthetic of Darkness Everywhere. The core of the band is built on the feel of those legendary records, while offering a refreshing take on the no frills melodic death metal sound akin to the output of modern outfits Horrendous, Majesties, and Upon Stone. The band wastes no time in getting to the point of melodic death metal riffing and driving, thrashing tempos. Preceded by their 2022 debut EP, The Seventh Circle, and 2023 standalone single “The Glow Of Haunted Existence,” To Conquer Eternal Damnation is the band’s first full-length venture.




Unstoppable and unflinching from the first note, To Conquer Eternal Damnation delivers ten volatile tracks, burning with the patented early-1990s Gothenburg sound, adrenalized with merciless high-tempo executions forged by the second wave bands of the style, citing The Haunted, Dimension Zero, Carcass, and Hypocrisy. With zero ballads or filler tracks, and no venturing off-course, through every minute of the album, Darkness Everywhere stays intensely focused on decimating their target: the listener.


To Conquer Eternal Damnation was produced, mixed, mastered by the band’s own Zack Ohren at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland and completed with artwork by Adam Burke and photography by Joe Calixto, and the track “The Architect of Misery” features guest vocals from Laura Nichol of Light This City.


The first public foretaste of the album is the crushing opening song, “Retaliation,” which is delivered through an intense video directed and edited by Alessandro Pulisci (Ugly Owl Films).


Ben Murray states, “We’re incredibly proud of this album, and really feel that it encompasses everything we set out to do with this band. The ten tracks that make up the record are a mixture of all our favorite elements of classic melodic death metal. To Conquer Eternal Damnation is a continuation of where we were headed with our debut EP but intensified in every way.”


To Conquer Eternal Damnation will be released May 10 on LP, CD, MC, and digital platforms. Digitally preorder on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Retaliation”
“The Architect Of Misery”
“To Conquer Eternal Damnation”
“Cosmic Misfortune”
“A Dreaded Eclipse”
“Starving Eyes”
“The Final Descent”
“Into The Unknown”
“In Blood They Will Drown”
“The Tragedy Of Infinite Loss”


Live dates:


April
20 – Redwood City, CA – The Hub


May
25 – San Francisco, CA – Neck Of The Woods 


“Retaliation” video:





(Photo – Joe Calixto)

In a new interview with Bryan Reesman of The Aquarian, JUDAS PRIEST's Richie Faulkner spoke about the contributions to the band's new album "Invincible Shield" of longtime guitarist Glenn Tipton, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease. Asked how many ideas Glenn worked on and how Richie collaborated with him on all the guitar parts, Faulkner said: "We all go away separately after a tour and put down riff ideas and song ideas and melody ideas. He was the same, really, so when we get in a room together — me, Glenn and Rob [Halford, vocals] — we get those ideas out. We put those ideas on the table, we play them back for each other. Glenn did the same. He had a few more ideas that were more developed — 'Sons Of Thunder', 'Escape From Reality', 'Vicious Circle', stuff like that — so we worked on those. It was no different in that regard. He was able to sit in a studio [to] take time and play the ideas that he was putting forward. And when he had an idea and we were together, if he couldn't play it that day, then he would translate it through me and we'd hash it out.

"If Glenn can play it, then he'll play it, and if he can't play it, then I'll take on the workload," Richie explained. "I mean, what's wrong with that? I'm a guitar player and I'm a fan. I love the guys. That's your duty — if something needs to be done, guitar or otherwise, you do it. You step up, you know? That applied to the recording, as well. There are some things on there that he played, and he could write. It was important to us to involve him, and it probably was just as important for him to be involved as much as he could after doing it and being a genre-defining guitar player for the last 50 years."

Asked where Glenn's soloing pops up on "Invincible Shield", Richie said: "Glenn's influence is more than just the solos. There are solos on 'Sons Of Thunder' and 'Vicious Circle', and it goes beyond that. As we said before, the little twists and turns musically… and the vibe. When you play songs and solos by both K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton on an intimate level for 13 years, I don't think you can help but have that become part of your DNA, as well, so I think you can hear stuff from Glenn in my playing as well as what I've learned from him in the last 13 years. On something like 'Panic Attack', there are some sweep picking stuff that was never part of my repertoire. Playing songs like 'Painkiller' on an intimate level becomes part of your repertoire, so it shows up on the record. So apart from the songwriting ideas he had, the songs he had, some of the solos he had, it's in my playing as well. He's infiltrated my DNA in that sense — along with Ken [K.K.], of course, and along with Zakk [Wylde] and Michael Schenker and people like that. I think [Glenn's] influence can't be overstated either."

Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease more ten 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 "Firepower" LP. 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".

In his first interview since revealing his condition in early 2018, Glenn, who turned 76 last October, 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.”

"Invincible Shield" arrived on March 8 via Sony Music.

Photo credit: James Hodges Photography

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions are set to release the debut album from Tokyo, Japan's blistering Deathgrind act Kosuke Hashida. Justifiable Homicide is up now for preorder and will be released April 5 on CD and Digital formats along with merch. 


Hailing from Tokyo Japan, Kosuke Hashida previously played guitar for the Japanese band World End Man, as well as performing live guitar duties in Abysmal Dawn. Justifiable Homicide presents ten brutal tracks blending death metal, thrash, grindcore and hardcore/punk styles, showcasing skillful extreme aggression and vicious calculated speed on this monstrous slab of sickness.


Preorder on Bandcamp.







Tracklisting:


“Justifiable Homicide”
“Massive Hemorrhage”
“Spurt Of Blood”
“Suicide Again”
“Think Twice”
“Psychotic Depression”
“Killing Is Your Business”
“The Last Word”
“Dehumanized”
“Nakano Grind City”


“Nakano Grind City”:

KK'S PRIEST, which features former JUDAS PRIEST members K.K. Downing (guitar) and Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals),alongside guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE),played the fifth show of its 2024 U.S. tour on March 12 at Rams Head Live in Baltimore, Maryland. Fan-filmed video of the entire concert can be seen below (courtesy of Jim Powers).

According to Setlist.fm, KK'S PRIEST's setlist was as follows:

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

KK'S PRIEST's first-ever U.S. headlining tour, which features support from L.A. GUNS and BURNING WITCHES, kicked off on March 7 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The tour will be the first of at least a two-leg USA run of shows, planned to continue later in 2024.

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

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

KK'S PRIEST kicked off a five-date "Priests, Killers & Witches" U.K. tour on October 7, 2023 at O2 Institute in Birmingham.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JUST ANNOUNCED: KK’s Priest stops by Baltimore for Return Of The Sinner USA Tour 2024 with L.A. Guns and Burning Witches on March 12th 🔥 tix on sale tomorrow, Saturday at 10am!

Posted by Rams Head Live on Friday, December 15, 2023

In a new interview with Knotfest Australia, SLIPKNOT co-founder and percussionist M. Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) touched upon the band's decision to fire drummer Jay Weinberg after a 10-year run with the masked metallers.

"I'm very excited about this idea of a new drummer," Crahan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "There's many reasons for it. It's not to be confused. It doesn't matter what the situation may seem like. Unless you're in the band and understand — there's no hard feelings; there never was. We just went our way. There was really no bad things. That's as much as I can say.

"What I can say is SLIPKNOT decided to move on, and that's what we've done," he continued. "And I'm very excited for what we have done. And we're really working hard. And there'll be new music, there'll be new masks, there'll be new people, there'll be new ideas, celebrating a 25-year anniversary. I would imagine there'd be some shows. It can be 200 people, 500 people, 700 people, 2,000 people."

Regarding how SLIPKNOT plans to release new music, Crahan said: "I wouldn't look at it like new music like album and stuff like this. I think we're gonna have some fun. I don't know exactly what we're trying to do. I know that we just wanna do what we wanna do. So however it happens, it happens. We're not gonna push it and we're not gonna mold it into something it doesn't need to be, but I will tell you, we're having a really good time right now. There's some real magical stuff that's happening.

"Everything in SLIPKNOT is meant to be," he added. "So, when it does happen and you shed a tear and you have a little smile, it feels good, man. It feels good to have good feelings in this reality. So we always want everybody to have good feelings."

Earlier this week, SLIPKNOT revealed that it has commenced rehearsals with a new drummer following Weinberg's departure.

Although SLIPKNOT has offered no hints about the new drummer's identity, the new man behind the kit is widely believed to be former SEPULTURA drummer Eloy Casagrande.

SLIPKNOT's first concert of 2024 is scheduled to take place on April 27 at the Sick New World Festival in Las Vegas, to be followed by appearances at Welcome To Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida on May 12 and Sonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio on May 19.

Last month, SEPULTURA announced that Casagrande had left the band to join "another project", with some fans speculating that he will be the new drummer of SLIPKNOT.

The news of Eloy's exit from SEPULTURA came just two months after the band announced it would celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024 by embarking on a "farewell tour" which will cover the entire globe.

On November 5, 2023, SLIPKNOT released a statement via social media in which it said it had "decided to make a creative decision and to part ways with Jay."

Six days later, Weinberg, who replaced Joey Jordison, SLIPKNOT's original drummer, in 2013, shared on Instagram that he "was heartbroken and blindsided to receive the phone call", "the news of which, most of you learned shortly after."

Jay played his final show with SLIPKNOT on November 3 at the Hell & Heaven festival in Toluca, Mexico.

When SLIPKNOT announced Weinberg's departure, the band thanked Jay "for his dedication and passion over the past ten years." The group added: "No one can ever replace Joey Jordison's original sound, style or energy, but Jay honored Joey's parts and contributed to the last three albums and we, the band, and the fans appreciate it. But as ever, SLIPKNOT is intent on evolving. We wish Jay all the best and are very excited for what the future holds."

Jay discovered SLIPKNOT when he was a pre-teen, through his father, Max Weinberg, of Bruce Springsteen's E STREET BAND, and leader of the house band on Conan O'Brien's talk show. He was hooked immediately and was a huge fan of SLIPKNOT by the time he was invited to Los Angeles to try out as replacement for Joey Jordison in 2013.

For the first few months after the release of 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter", the members of SLIPKNOT had declined to name the musicians who were playing drums and bass on their tour, despite the fact that their identities were revealed as Weinberg and bassist Alessandro "Vman" Venturella by a disgruntled former drumtech for SLIPKNOT who posted a picture of a backstage call sheet on Instagram.

".5: The Gray Chapter" went on to score a trio of Grammy nominations, including two for "Best Metal Performance" and a nomination for "Best Rock Album".

Weinberg also played on 2019's "We Are Not Your Kind" and 2022's "The End, So Far", both of which topped Billboard's rock albums chart.

Death metal veterans SIX FEET UNDER will release their fourteenth studio album, "Killing For Revenge", on May 10 through Metal Blade Records.

From the opening moments of first single "Know-Nothing Ingrate", which kicks off the record, it's immediately clear that SIX FEET UNDER focused their energies into something that's as brutal, lyrically visceral, and musically dazzling as one would hope for from the ground-breaking Tampa-bred death metal. "Killing For Revenge", a gnarly beast of a record that's not for the faint-hearted, dishes up nightmare-inducing imagery courtesy of frontman Chris Barnes via the vocalist's trademark guttural vocals. Both the album title and darkly detailed red-hued album cover by artist Vince Locke are perfect containers for the brutality within.

"I chose the title 'Killing For Revenge' after we completed writing and noticed that all the lyrics and storylines had a common theme of revenge. Revenge by human or revenge by nature," Barnes says. "The album title describes the flow of the stories within the lyrics perfectly."

"Killing For Revenge" marks the second album that Barnes and guitarist Jack Owen (ex-CANNIBAL CORPSE) have created together since reuniting for 2020's "Nightmares Of The Decomposed". Owen also produced "Killing For Revenge".

"We worked well together in CANNIBAL CORPSE," recalls Barnes. "I loved him to death as a friend and a musician, so I'm really comfortable giving him the reins because I just have such great respect for him as an artist."

It's clearly a partnership that works, given the brilliance of CANNIBAL CORPSE's early work under Barnes and the fact that the Owen-Barnes rekindled symbiotic relationship has breathed new life, or perhaps new death, into SIX FEET UNDER.

"I asked Jack to map out what parts of the songs he wanted lyrics for, and he just started writing lyrics instead and gave me a demo vocal track for pretty much all the songs," Barnes says. "I thought it was great. That's how the music and lyrics wanted to appear this time, so I just let it come through that way and worked with him in a collaborative way. Like we did back in the old days, like on the song 'Shredded Humans'."

SIX FEET UNDER was initially formed as a side project for Barnes during his final years with the band that he co-founded, CANNIBAL CORPSE. It became the frontman's sole focus in 1995, coinciding with the release of their debut, "Haunted". Only Barnes remains from SIX FEET UNDER's original incarnation, but the quality has remained remarkably consistent. The current lineup of Barnes, guitarists Owen and Ray Suhy, bassist Jeff Hughell and drummer Marco Pitruzzella make for a devastating unit.

While Barnes is the sole remaining member, SIX FEET UNDER is about more than he and Owen. The singer is thrilled with the current lineup, and what each member brings to the table. "Jeff and Marco have been with me for about 10 years," Barnes says. "I'm really fortunate that I have probably the best musicians in metal. If you look at it, we have the same amount of original members as CANNIBAL CORPSE. Jeff is a killer bass player. Marco's probably the best drummer out there. Jack's the greatest songwriter I've ever been involved with over the 30-plus years I've been doing music professionally. And Ray is just a phenomenal guitarist who can play everything from jazz to death metal. The lineup now is untouchable."

The chemistry between the five men is palpable; listening to "Killing For Revenge", one could be forgiven for assuming that they hid themselves away somewhere for a couple of months and hammered it out in blessed, creative seclusion. Not the case. "We all recorded it on our own, in different parts of the country since we're all spread out," says Barnes. "I think the most important thing is to put everybody in a comfortable space so that they get a great performance. That's what you want to capture. It's really hard nowadays to afford everyone being in the studio recording like we used to back in the '90s. It can be done just as effectively this way."

The songs on "Killing For Revenge" — highlighted by the singles "Know-Nothing Ingrate", "Ascension" and "When The Moon Goes Down In Blood" — dive headfirst into subjects that are as gleefully vile, graphic and downright grotesque as you might dream of from a Barnes/Owen project. After all, the two men were vital cogs in the CANNIBAL CORPSE band that released such delightfully offensive death metal classics as "Butchered At Birth" and "Tomb Of The Mutilated". Highlights of this latest SIX FEET UNDER opus include "Compulsive", which tells the tale of a disturbed individual in a padded cell, eating himself alive: "Display of carnage for the poor soul who finds you; To discover sick survival that binds you; Heaving lungs the only thing intact; Scattered expelled organs your final act."

"Jack wrote 90 percent of the lyrics on this album, and that was one that he came up with the storyline to," says Barnes. "How you want to interpret it is up to you. You can find deeper meaning or metaphors or symbolisms. But I would say a good interpretation is someone suffering who is devouring himself. You could look deeper as it being about addiction."

As a first preview of the record, today the band unveils "Know-Nothing Ingrate". Notes Owen, "This music was written early in the writing process. Wanting to keep the aggression of a prior SIX FEET UNDER song like 'Amputator', I wrote music in the style of early DARK ANGEL or KREATOR, who always had cool driving drumbeats. I had all the riffs in my head as I wrote the drums in a couple hours. Lyrically, I kicked around a phrase that fit the stop parts throughout the song. After coming up with 'Know-Nothing Ingrate', the lyrics wrote themselves. It's basically about online trolls who voice their uneducated and unnecessarily spiteful review of any artist's output. You're entitled to your opinion, and I'm entitled to mine."

SIX FEET UNDER also recorded a cover of NAZARETH's "Hair Of The Dog", which appears on all formats of "Killing For Revenge" with the exception of vinyl. "'Hair Of The Dog' has such a heavy groove to it and the vocal is so killer and memorable that it seemed like a perfect fit for us, and something fun to add to the album as a bonus track," explains Barnes. "Plus there's cowbell!"

Clearly, 2024 is shaping up to be a massive year for SIX FEET UNDER, and Barnes hopes to take full advantage. "I'd like to get a tour put together," he says. "I would love to get back out on the road. It's been too long. Three of those years were due to the pandemic. I love being on the road. I love being in a tour bus and being in front of people on stage. I have missed it so much. It's what I was meant to do."

"Killing For Revenge", which features a guest appearance by guitarist Jason Suecof on "Neanderthal", was mixed and mastered by Chaz Najjar at Badlands Recording in Denver, Colorado. The record will be released on CD and digital formats as well as vinyl.

"Killing For Revenge" track listing:

01. Know-Nothing Ingrate
02. Accomplice To Evil Deeds
03. Ascension
04. When The Moon Goes Down In Blood
05. Hostility Against Mankind
06. Compulsive
07. Fit Of Carnage
08. Neanderthal (guest lead guitar solo Jason Suecof)
09. Judgement Day
10. Bestial Savagery
11. Mass Casualty Murdercide
13. Spoils Of War
13. Hair Of The Dog (NAZARETH cover; CD + Digital Only)

SIX FEET UNDER is:

Chris Barnes - vocals
Jack Owen - rhythm guitar
Ray Suhy - lead guitar
Jeff Hughell - bass
Marco Pitruzzella - drums

Photo by Stephanie Cabral and Dark Photography

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have confirmed that they their upcoming biopic is currently in development.

It was reported by Variety back in October 2021 that Ozzy and Sharon had partnered with Sony Pictures and Polygram Entertainment for the film, which will focus on the love story between the BLACK SABBATH frontman and his wife and manager. It will be scripted by Lee Hall, who previously worked on Elton John's "Rocketman".

Ozzy and Sharon, along with their children Jack and Kelly, discussed the biopic in the latest episode of their revived podcast.

"By the time they finish this film, I'll be dead… I wanna be alive to fucking see it," the 75-year-old Ozzy, who has Parkinson's disease, said.

"Movies take forever to make. Forever," Sharon added.

Asked which actress she would like to play her in the biopic, Sharon said: "Florence Pugh or the little girl from 'Game Of Thrones'."

The film is being produced by Sharon and her children Jack and Aimée Osbourne via their label Osbourne Media (which was also behind the Showtime documentary "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne" and A&E's "Biography: The Nine Lives Of Ozzy Osbourne"),alongside Michele Anthony and David Blackman on behalf of Polygram Entertainment. Andrea Giannetti is overseeing development for Sony.

Variety also pointed out that music from BLACK SABBATH and Ozzy's solo career will be featured in the film.

In 2020, Ozzy stated about the biopic: "From what I understand, it's about Sharon and I and our relationship. It's how we met, fell in love, and how we married. She's my other half. She grew up a lot with me, and I grew up a lot with her."

"I hope it will be a story that everybody can relate to," Sharon said. "You don't have to be a fan of the music, because it's a story about a survivor. No matter what life throws at you, you pick yourself up and you start again. It's just an amazing story of overcoming everything that's thrown at you in your life."

Sharon added that the film will be "a lot more real" than the QUEEN biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody". "We don't want it to be squeaky, shiny clean and all of that," she said. "We're not making it for kids. It's an adult movie for adults."

Back in January 2019, Sharon told Variety that she had approached Danny Boyle ("28 Days Later", "Sunshine", "Trainspotting") about directing the film. "It's the madness of my childhood, growing up in the industry with a powerful father who was somewhat violent," she said.

Sharon went on to say that she "would get a complete unknown" to play Ozzy. "It's Ozzy at a very young age," she explained. "It's Ozzy at 20."

Sharon's father, former music mogul Don Arden, became known as the "Al Capone of pop" and the "English Godfather" for his tough-guy business practices while overseeing the careers of acts ranging from ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA to BLACK SABBATH. Arden and his daughter became estranged in 1982 after she took over the management of Ozzy's solo career, also marrying the singer. Father and daughter were not on good terms for nearly 20 years until reconciling in 2002.

Sharon had to pay her father $1 million in a court settlement after she gained control of Ozzy's affairs.

In a new interview with El Planeta Del Rock, DEATH ANGEL vocalist Mark Osegueda stated about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's next studio album (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's going great. And we're excited about it. That's where DEATH ANGEL is right now, writing the new record… I think I was at [DEATH ANGEL guitarist Rob Cavestany's] house on Thursday and I laid down vocals to a demo of a new DEATH ANGEL song. And there's more songs I've gotta start writing the lyrics and melodies for, 'cause him and Will [Carroll, DEATH ANGEL drummer] are in the studio and Rob has been tracking Will's drums on these songs for demos and now it's time for me to catch up and write more lyrics and melodies. It's happening. And the only thing that's gonna slow it down — and I don't mind; we're all excited about it — starting next week, we'll switch the gears into rehearsing for the Latin American 'Humanicide' tour. So we'll be rehearsing for the Latin American 'Humanicide' tour, go on that tour, which we're not trying to rush, then we'll come back, take a moment to breathe, and then it's right back into writing. That'll be the main focus after that."

Asked if there is any chance of DEATH ANGEL releasing a new single this year, Mark said: "That's a good question. I don't know. We're more of an album band. 'Cause we wanna write a whole bunch of music and cherry pick the best songs that we think will make a solid, solid, vicious record, especially after — [it being] the follow-up to 'Humanicide' and being that it's already been, we're going on five years since the last [studio album]. So I think we wanna get the best product possible."

In a separate interview with Elevar, Cavestany confirmed that new DEATH ANGEL music was in the works. "I don't like divulging the 'play by play'; I'd rather news came out when there is substantial information to speak of," he explained. "That being said, I can tell you there are around seven songs we are currently working on and I'm currently getting deep into the writing zone, which is my happy place. If we can manage to stop saying yes to every tour offer (we love to tour),then maybe we can finally get this new album done. The plan is to record it this year."

Earlier this month, Carroll said that he was "stoked" about how DEATH ANGEL's new music was shaping up. "The creative juices are flowing and things are moving along at a very productive rate," he wrote on social media. "One more song and we'll have reached our goal we set for ourselves before rehearsing the songs we're doing down in South/Central America in April. Once that tour is over and we're back home we get straight back to making these demos."

He added: "I can't wait for the DA fans around the world to hear this new material and hopefully we'll make some new ones along the way. Exciting times indeed."

A little over a month ago, Will said that he and his DEATH ANGEL bandmates were "hard at work getting" the band's next album "written and completely demo'd."

"It felt good to get back to work with Rob Cavestany," Will wrote on January 26. "It's a real challenge to not rehash the same ideas and beats from previous albums but I think so far things are sounding fresh and inspired."

Last July, DEATH ANGEL guitarist Ted Aguilar told Vikram Chandrasekar about the band's songwriting process: "Well, when it comes down to writing, it's all Rob. It's all Rob. It starts with him. He comes up with a basic structure and him and Will get together and they hash it all out and they record it. And when they get it to a point where, 'Oh, yeah, this is great,' then they send it off to everyone else. And Damien [Sisson, bass] does his parts and Mark [Osegueda, vocals] will listen to it and try to write lyrics and melodies. And I'll listen to it and I'll touch base with Rob: 'What do you want me to do here? Do you want me to play something here? Or do you want me to do something different?' 'Cause Rob has a vision and you kind of wanna see his vision. And as soon as the song comes together to where we play it quite a few times, then we could throw in our ideas, like, 'Hey, maybe that part should be a little longer,' or, 'Maybe cut that out,' or Will will go, 'I wanna do something different here instead.' So, you know, Rob has a vision, we listen, we play along with it. Then if we feel like there needs to be changes, we express our concern, and Rob is really good at, 'Yeah, let's give it a try.' So we try everything. And it comes down to, 'All right, this is what works.' So it starts with Rob. And with regarding the lyrics, every now and then Rob will pick out a song: 'I wanna write lyrics for this song.' And Mark goes, 'Go ahead.' But Mark writes all the lyrics, and what he does is with the music, he'll listen to it over and over by himself. I don't know where he goes. He goes into the far corners of the earth by himself, with the headphones and music, and he'll come up with so many types of different melodies and stuff, and then come up with the ones he's happy with and lay it down on the demo form. Then when we get into the real studio, then things start to evolve 'cause we've played it so many times or we listened to it so many times that when we get in there, [we go], 'All right, let's try this.' It's always evolving to the point where it's handing it in to get mastered. Some songs stay kind of the same from what it was, but we just put more energy into it. Some songs have been rewritten quite a few times, so it differs. Rob's the songwriter, and on the last album I wrote one song. Yeah, it's how it is. And right now I'm writing some stuff, and how it goes is I'll write some stuff, I'll send it to Rob. I always tell him, 'If it's good, use it. If not, if you find parts are good, use it. If it's not good, it's okay, dude.' I'm just throwing some stuff out there, 'cause he knows what the DEATH ANGEL sound should be. And if he likes it, he'll use it. If he doesn't, my feelings are not broken."

DEATH ANGEL released a live album titled "The Bastard Tracks" in November 2021 via Nuclear Blast. Recorded live at The Great American Music Hall in their hometown of San Francisco on May 22, 2021, and streamed live soon after, "The Bastard Tracks" was described in a press release as "a deep-cuts collection of rarely and never performed songs from the band's catalog" that was released digitally and on CD, vinyl and Blu-ray.

In October 2020, DEATH ANGEL released a four-song EP, "Under Pressure". The effort included a cover of QUEEN + David Bowie's "Under Pressure", followed by a new track titled "Faded Remains", plus acoustic versions of "Act III"'s classic "A Room With A View" and "Humanicide"'s "Revelation Song". The EP was mixed by Max Norman (OZZY OSBOURNE, MEGADETH, BAD COMPANY) and mastered by Ted Jensen (LAMB OF GOD, MACHINE HEAD, HALESTORM).

Released in May 2019 via Nuclear Blast, "Humanicide" saw DEATH ANGEL returning to producer and friend Jason Suecof (DEICIDE, TRIVIUM) of Audiohammer studios for the recording and mixing, along with the mastering of the legendary Ted Jensen (SLIPKNOT, PANTERA) of Sterling Sound, who added the final touches and brought it all to life, with artist Brent Elliott White (LAMB OF GOD, MEGADETH) providing the ominous cover artwork.

In March 2020, Carroll spent almost two weeks on a ventilator in an intensive care unit at a Northern California hospital after being diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. He first got sick when he and the rest of DEATH ANGEL spent more than a month on the road in Europe with TESTAMENT and EXODUS as part of "The Bay Strikes Back 2020" tour.

DEATH ANGEL was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the "Humanicide" title track. It was the group's first Grammy nomination.

Carroll joined DEATH ANGEL in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original drummer, Andy Galeon.

Will can be heard on the last four DEATH ANGEL studio albums: "Relentless Retribution" (2010),"The Dream Calls for Blood" (2013),"The Evil Divide" (2016) and the aforementioned "Humanicide".

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Life In The Stocks" podcast, Duff McKagan was asked if he thinks Axl Rose's guest stint with AC/DC back in 2016 was a key part of GUNS N' ROSES' redemption after the partial reunion of the latter group's classic lineup. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We went out and did that first stadium tour. [Axl] broke his foot [at the first show in April 2016], and he overcame it. And [FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave] Grohl brought this throne [that he performed on back in 2015 after breaking his leg in Sweden and he loaned it to Axl to use on stage]… And to be able to sing that stuff sitting down, dude, it's not… I observe every vowel, every note he sings just because he's a fucking master — where he breathes, where he pushes from, angle of his head. He's a real amazing singer to go to school on, and I get to do it nightly. 'That's where I would breathe for that vowel sound right there.' So, from that, we played Coachella, [and] he was kind of the hero of that year; I think he was like the hero of that year. And then getting the AC/DC thing."

Duff continued: "Me and [GUNS N' ROSES guitarist] Slash have gone off and played with all kinds of people over the years — you name it, we've done it, almost. [Axl's] never done it… And that AC/DC thing really was his favorite band. He went and tried out [for the touring singer position in AC/DC]. 'I'm gonna try out.' I'm, like, 'You're not gonna need to try out. I wouldn't worry about it.' [And he said] 'Wow. I'm so nervous.' It was really great. We knew — me and Slash — 'You're gonna get the gig.' And it was so good for. And he still had the cast on [when he played the first show with AC/DC]. I think he had to play the first couple [of shows] in the chair. And then he got his walking boot. But then Slash and I came to surprise him [at AC/DC's concert in London]. We came in through — you can come into Heathrow [airport without being seen]. You've gotta pay some money. But we came around to the side thing, so we weren't in the airport, just so nobody knew we were here, to really surprise him and support him in this thing. Because we knew he hadn't been able to do this thing, play with other people. So I think it did really help. I think he saw how that [AC/DC] organization was run, too, like, 'Yeah, we can go on on time,' and all that stuff, because 'They'll go on — if I'm ready or not, they're gonna go on.'"

Duff went on to describe Axl as "a great leader in a band situation. He has a lot of levity," McKagan explained. "He takes it very seriously. He warms up for an hour and a half, warms down for an hour and a half. And we go on on time and we play forever. If there's a curfew at 11, we'll hit that curfew. And so that means we're gonna go on at 7:30 or else we don't get to play all the songs. So if we're going on at eight, we're playing less time, so he doesn't wanna do that. So, yeah, I've enjoyed watching his triumph over the last eight years… It's been really, really quite wonderful. It's been wonderful."

AC/DC postponed the last 10 dates of its spring 2016 North American trek after singer Brian Johnson was advised to stop playing live or "risk total hearing loss." The band went on to complete the European and North American legs of its "Rock Or Bust" tour with the GUNS N' ROSES frontman as a "guest vocalist."

McKagan, who is one-third of the reunited partial classic lineup of GUNS N' ROSES, got a chance to watch Rose and AC/DC play in June 2016 in London, England and in September 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.

AC/DC's North American tour ended in Philadelphia in September 2016, and despite initial fan trepidation, Axl got generally good reviews for his performances. AC/DC guitarist Angus Young said at the time: "I mean, under the situation that we had, it was very good that he volunteered and said, 'Hey, if I can help, let me try.' So he's been very good. And he had to learn a lot of songs very quickly, and he's done a great job."

Chicago’s Opium Death has a brutal new album coming out next month and those with thrash and death metal sensibilities should take note as Genocidal Nemesis delivers slick groove bass lines, heart rate-increasing riffs, and gritty vocals. Thus far they have released two singles “Genocidal Nemesis I: Fear” and “The Condemned” each exploring real-life concepts. 


This trend continues with the third single “Vesuvius”, about the eruption, as the band explains:


“‘Vesuvius’ is a review and representation of the famous disaster in Pompeii, the themes of self-demise present in the rest of the album do not really apply here. Musically it has this very nice blend of thrash and death metal throughout the song and one of our favourite sections in the song is the breakdown that helps construct the explosion of the disaster. We are hoping it becomes a fan favorite.”




For Opium Death, there is no clear rule or fixed process/formula when they write out songs. Sometimes they come up with a section during practice and work from there, or one of them records a part on an instrument and shows it to the others. This diverse and spontaneous nature of their creative collaboration, along with a wide range of influences across the metal spectrum leads to an album that has a song for everyone and every occasion.


Technical, progressive and recommended for fans of Cannibal Corpse, Cattle Decapitation, and Dying Fetus, there is a lot to enjoy in Genocidal Nemesis when it's unleashed on April 19, 2024.


Preorder on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Cower”
“Genocidal Nemesis I: Fear”
“The Condemned”
“Ozymandias”
“Flatline”
“Extinction”
“Chronic”
“Deadweight”
“Shattered”
“Vesuvius”
“Fe56”
“Genocidal Nemesis II: Desolation”


“Vesuvius”:





“The Condemned”:





(Photo – Michael Gonzalez) 

Zombi will release their new album, Direct Inject, on March 22 via Relapse Records. Today, the band offer a final preview of the forthcoming album with "Sessuale II", the third pre-release single from the nine-song record. Listen below.


“So good to get this trout out into the world. We’ve been sitting on it for a long time, and with help from Jeff Gretz and Phil Manley, we finally gave it the treatment it deserved. A showcase for Steve in both performance and production,” AE Paterra shared of the song, which was written in the early ‘00s but never officially released.







Direct Inject was born from sessions at a friend’s home studio in Clearfield, Penn. Following a Covid-caused, aborted European 2022 tour, the pair had the rare opportunity to spend time together without any looming deadlines. As Paterra describes the sessions, “Most of the tracks that ended up on the album were pretty close to their final form, spontaneous jams that just flowed out of us.” Those few days of improvisation and jamming turned out to be fruitful, with three or four sessions over three days turning out several gems.


Album pre-orders are available now, with Direct Inject available on several limited-edition vinyl variants, CD, and digitally, here.





Direct Inject track list:


"Direct Inject"
"So Mote It Be"
"Bodies In The Flotsam"
"Kamichi & Sandy"
"Sessuale II"
"Improvise Adapt Overcome"
"The Post-Atomic Horror"
"Insurmountable Odds"
"Sessuale I"


"Bodies In The Flotsam":





"The Post-Atomic Horror"





Zombi has announced their first tour dates in support of Direct Inject, with a US/Canadian trek coming this April. Tickets are on-sale now. Overcalc opens on all dates.





Zombi is Steve Moore (synth/bass/guitar) and AE Paterra (drums/percussion/electronics). Formed in 2001, the Pittsburgh-founded, instrumental duo have released seven full-length albums including their most recent offering, 2020’s 2020 and the 2022 covers collection, Zombi & Friends, Vol.1, which saw the pair cover songs from Neil Diamond, Dionne Warwick and the Alan Parsons Project. Known for their distinctive style, which blends prog rock, electronics and an affinity for ‘70s and ‘80s era horror films, Zombi create music that’s both retrospective and futuristic, expansive, and intimate. Each release has seen the band refine and evolve its sound, exploring different textures and moods while staying true to their core aesthetic.


(Photo - Shawn Brackbill)

Gatecreeper’s Dark Superstition is leading a new wave of American death metal. Their sprawling third full-length, and label debut for Nuclear Blast, is more concise, melodic, and memorable than anything they’ve ever done. It’s a pivotal moment which sees vocalist Chase H. Mason, guitarists Eric Wagner and Israel Garza, drummer Metal Matt Arrebollo and bassist Alex Brown carving out their own path.


Dark Superstition deals with the supernatural, divination, fear of the unknown, and trust in magic or chance. “Many of the songs incorporate supernatural ideas with my own experiences,” Mason says. “But the title itself is a reference to the Superstition Mountains in our home state of Arizona. It’s a beautiful mountain range surrounded by tragedy and legends of hidden fortune.”


The album’s intricate lead single, "The Black Curtain" leans heavily in a rock direction, and embodies Dark Superstition’s themes with a tale of divination. “It’s about being trapped between living and dying,” Mason tells. “A soul trapped in purgatory begging to be brought back by a supernatural force.” “The Black Curtain” is available today alongside a video directed by Max Moore. Listen to the song here, and watch the video below.







Dark Superstition moves swiftly from one brutal soundscape to the next, each sonic structure evoking its own emotion and landscape. To help perfect their game this round, Gatecreeper joined forces with drummer / songwriter Fred Estby, of Swedish death metal titans Dismember, whose influences can be heard throughout the album. Dark Superstition was recorded at God City Studios in Salem, MA with Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou, who also mixed the album.


The album sees its release May 17 via Nuclear Blast Records. Pre-order/pre-save the album here.





Dark Superstition tracklisting:


"Dead Star"
"Oblivion"
"The Black Curtain"
"Masterpiece Of Chaos"
"Superstitious Vision"
"A Chilling Aura"
"Caught In The Treads"
"Flesh Habit"
"Mistaken For Dead"
"Tears Fall From The Sky"


"Caught In The Treads" video:





Gatecreeper is:


Chase H. Mason - Vocals
Eric Wagner - Guitar
Matt Arrebollo - Drums
Israel Garza - Guitar
Alex Brown - Bass


(Photo - Trenton Woods)

Swedish metal veterans Sabaton have shared the following news with their fans:


"Wow! Two new gold certifications because of you! We are absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude! Our Heroes album (2014) is now officially Gold certified in Germany, and our latest album, The War To End All Wars (2022), has also achieved Gold status in Sweden! The reality of this achievement is still sinking in – it's totally surreal. We owe it all to you, our amazing supporters and fellow metalheads. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! Without you, this wouldn’t have been possible."













 

Scotland's Dvne will release their new full-length, Voidkind, on April 19th via Metal Blade Records.


Formed in Edinburgh in 2013 by Frenchman Victor Vicart and native Scot Dudley Tait, progressive post-metal/sludge artisans Dvne have been building a powerful head of steam since their second album, 2021's kaleidoscopically mesmerizing Etemen Ænka. Their first release for Metal Blade Records, the LP was a concerted hike up the greasy pole for this enigmatic outfit, enabling Dvne to embark on UK and European headline tours and win spots at such discerning festivals as Hellfest, ArcTanGent, Desertfest, Damnation, and Resurrection. A live EP of reimagined album tunes, 2022's Cycles Of Asphodel, kept up their profile while satiating demand from a rapidly mushrooming fanbase, and now in 2024, stunning third album Voidkind looks set to propel this expanded five-piece line-up (welcoming Maxime Keller on keyboards) to the top of their game.







Voidkind succeeds in finding new modes of expression for Dvne. The songs are more pointed, direct, and memorable, but the soundscape still has a radiant, evolving, hypnotic flow, the effect achieved with fewer layers of sonic ornamentation, consciously urging closer to Dvne's incendiary live sound. And despite the addition of a full-time keyboardist, Vicart has no doubt about the album's defining feature, "We wanted very distinct left and right guitars, and punchier drums and bass, which would transcribe better live. And the synths needed to be clearer; it's very easy to put five guitars on each side, loads of different vocals and keys, but then you end up watching a band with an album you really like, and the songs sound nothing like the record. That's what we wanted to avoid. As soon as the song starts, we want people to immediately recognise the riff."


Conceptually, the lyrics continue the band's overarching narrative - "following a religious group through the generation line from the beginning to its end" - while Voidkind's extraordinary sleeve art depicts the main theme of this chapter, namely, "a godlike entity seducing and luring followers through their dreams and these followers' multigenerational journey to reach their god dimension."


One book that has been particularly impactful on the band's thought process: 1989 novel Hyperion by Dan Simmonds. Notes Vicart, "It's a very dark Sci-Fi book with loads of interesting parts, so you can go really prog with it, but you can also go more violent and animalistic." Further inspirational touchstones include FromSoftware video game Dark Souls, and the Japanese manga series that inspired it, Berserk, "It's a very cool, violent, psychedelic, medieval dark fantasy," explains Vicart. "We wanted to have these kinds of visuals and aesthetics on this album, in this mix-up of things. Even without the vocals we wanted to evoke something, different places and spaces, and take the listener on a journey."


Vicart further elaborates on the themes driving "Plerõma," the first single from Voidkind, and its accompanying video, which was directed by Vicart, "Plerõma is a concept that has appeared in Gnosticism, Greek Philosophy, and Judeo-Christian religions. In Gnosticism, it is the spiritual universe as the abode of God and of the totality of the divine powers and emanations. It is also the ultimate source of transformation. Plerõma is a key moment of the album narrative where religious followers are consuming the essence of their deity and reach a new sense of awakened existence. It is the first step in their transformation. Musically it also represents something similar to us, as it is a song that is bringing new elements that we didn't explore musically until that point."


Watch the "Plerõma" video below.


Voidkind was recorded between September and November 2023 in Edinburgh at Craigiehall Temple and Byres Farm in Scotland and features the stunning artwork of Felix Abel Klae.





The record will be released on CD and digital formats as well as 2xLP in the following color variants:


- Burnt Skin Marble (US)
- White Black Marble (US)
- Dark Crimson Marbled (EU)
- 180g Black (EU)
- Grey Brown w/ Black Smoke (EU - ltd. 500)
- Crystal Clear (EU - ltd. 300)
- White/Black Dust (EU - ltd. 300)
- Clear w/ Black Smoke (Band Exclusive - ltd. 666 available here)
- Clear w/ Black, Red + Gold Splatter (Band Exclusive - ltd. 200 available here)


Find pre-orders here.





Voidkind tracklisting:


"Summa Blasphemia"
"Eleonora"
"Reaching For Telos"
"Reliquary"
"Path Of Dust"
"Sarmatæ"
"Path Of Ether"
"Abode Of The Perfect Soul"
"Plērōma"
"Cobalt Sun Necropolis"


"Plērōma" video:





Following the release of Voidkind, Dvne will embark on a European Spring tour which includes shows with Sleemo, Conjurer, and My Diligence on select dates.





Dvne album lineup:


Allan Paterson - guitars, bass
Daniel Barter - vocals
Dudley Tait - drums
Maxime Keller - keys, vocals
Victor Vicart - guitars, keys, vocals


Dvne live lineup:


Allan Paterson - bass
Daniel Barter - guitar, vocals
Dudley Tait - drums
Maxime Keller - keys, vocals
Victor Vicart - guitar, vocals
Occasional Live Member:
Alexandros Keros - bass


(Photo - Alan Swan)

The long running, high energy Texas outfit, Aska, is poised to make another splash.


For the last couple of years, vocalist George Call (Banshee, ex-Omen) and drummer Danny White were moonlighting in NWOBHM veterans, Cloven Hoof. It's been over a decade since the Fire Eater album and once again, they've reunited with bassist Keith Knight, to issue some catchy, hard driving heavy metal.


"Soul Stealer" is the first taste of their Knight Strike album, scheduled for release on April 13 via Vanadium. Watch the video below, and pre-order the album here.







Tracklisting:


"1944"
"Queen Of Mirrors"
"Soul Stealer"
"Love Then Oblivion"
"Black Flight"
"Together"
"Janissary"
"From Out Of The Sky"
"Skoll & Hati"
"The Lie"


"Soul Stealer" video:

Prepare to be engulfed in a whirlwind of metal mayhem as Inner Axis releases their new single "Evil Dead", from their upcoming album Midnight Forces.


With "Evil Dead", Inner Axis delves into the darkest recesses of the human psyche, conjuring a haunting sonic landscape that resonates with themes of horror, darkness, and supernatural forces. Drawing inspiration from the iconic cult classic film of the same name, "Evil Dead" channels the raw intensity and relentless energy that fans of the genre crave.







"Evil Dead" sets the stage for a thrilling musical journey that promises to captivate listeners with its electrifying riffs, thunderous drums, and soaring vocals. This single is a testament to Inner Axis' unwavering commitment to delivering uncompromising metal that pushes boundaries and defies expectations.





For further details, visit Inner Axis on Facebook.


 

Dialith return with their latest offering, Alter, on April 5th. The 4-track EP aims to push further the boundaries of symphonic power metal through trailblazing ventures into new sonic territories.


 


Vocalist Krista Sion comments: "With every new release, I think that the quality of the songs just gets better and better. All four songs on this EP are high-energy, unique, and special to me. I am looking forward to releasing this out into the wild." 




 


The release opens with "Writhing Red", a folk metal inspired song complete with flutes and fiddles, with lyrics that explore the nature of anger, hate, and greed. Following up to that is the anthemic "Ironbound", a chorus-focused experience inspired by Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn with some tasteful saxophone completing this unique sound. Alter concludes with the crown jewel of the EP: The two-track epic of "Hourglass (Shadowdancer Pt. 1)" followed by "Shadowdancer". Featuring a heavily middle-eastern inspired atmosphere, its lyrics evoke the mythology of the ancient Near East. This song signals a turning point in the band’s history–it weaves a unique balance between heavy metal staples like gritty guitars and thundering drums with Middle Eastern vocal improvisation and instruments.


 





 


Tracklist:


 


"Writhing Red"


"Ironbound"


"Hourglass (Shadowdancer Pt. 1)"


"Shadowdancer"


 


Check out the official video for "Shadowdancer" below.


 





 


Dialith is an epic symphonic power metal band from Danbury, Connecticut. Formed in 2015, the band made an impact with their 2019 debut album, Extinction Six. Blending epic orchestral arrangements with enrapturing melodeath riffs, Dialith aims to breathe new life into the symphonic metal genre with tracks that draw inspiration from varied sources, from death metal to pop music to Arabic and Celtic folk music. Alter is the continuation of Dialith’s 2021 EP Atrophy, the second in what will be a trilogy of EPs that culminate in a full album. 


 


Dialith is:


 


Mark Grey - Bass, Irish Whistle


Cullen Mitchell - Drums


Krista Sion - Vocals


Alasdair Wallace Mackie - Guitar, Orchestrations

Bon Jovi’s music video for their hit single, “Always”, has surpassed one billion views on YouTube. This is the third time the band has achieved this milestone, previously passing the one billion views mark with "It’s My Life" and "Livin’ On A Prayer".


In a video shared via social media, vocalist Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres express their gratitude, with Jon saying, “This is a humble thank you to everybody who watched the video for the song ‘Always’ a billion times.”







"Always" was a new song included on Bon Jovi's 1994 greatest hits album, Cross Road. The single spent six months in the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and became the group's biggest selling single in the United States at that time. Watch the video below:





Hulu has released the official trailer for the upcoming docuseries, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story. Watch below.


Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story is a four-part, all access docuseries chronicling the epic past and uncertain future of one of the most recognizable bands in the world and its frontman Jon Bon Jovi. A 40-year odyssey of rock and roll idolatry on the precipice as a vocal injury threatens to bring everything to a screeching halt.


Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story joins the band in February 2022 and follows their real time journey with its fits and starts as they attempt to chart out their future. As thrilling as the story of a once-in-a-lifetime talent is, it is even more rare that a legend like Jon Bon Jovi lets the world into his most vulnerable moments, while he's still living them.


40 years of personal videos, unreleased early demos, original lyrics, and never before seen photos that chronicle the journey from Jersey Shore Clubs to the biggest stages on the planet. The series relives the triumphs and setbacks, greatest hits, biggest disappointments, and most public moments of friction.


The docuseries is set to premiere April 26 on Hulu in the United States and later in the year on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in the rest of the world.








 

Legendary rockers BLUE ÖYSTER CULT have shared the second single from their upcoming album "Ghost Stories", due out April 12 via Frontiers Music Srl. The track, titled "Don't Come Running To Me", is accompanied by a new music video which can be seen below.

After the resounding success of their 50th-anniversary celebration, legendary rockers BLUE ÖYSTER CULT are eagerly gearing up for an exciting new chapter in their storied career with the upcoming release of "Ghost Stories". This highly anticipated album marks a fitting finale to the recording legacy of one of rock's most iconic fixtures from the past 50 years.

In a thrilling partnership with Frontiers Music Srl, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT is set to captivate fans with a collection of reimagined and completed songs that span from 1978-2016. These musical treasures, long considered the "lost gems" by BLUE ÖYSTER CULT enthusiasts, were originally recorded between 1978 and 1983, except for one track from 2016, "If I Fell". Also included is the only known recorded performance of their concert classic "Kick Out The Jams" (MC5 cover). Some of the material is from workshopping albums, some from performance rehearsals, and all were recorded once in the hopes that someday they'd see the light of day.

George Geranios, the band's original audio engineer and an integral part of the band's golden years, produced the tracks along with BÖC and all were originally recorded on reel-to-reel analog tape. He transferred them to digital audio which is when modern AI and magical musical talents meet and the collection of vintage multi-track recordings was de-mixed, re-mixed, and produced by Steve Schenck and Richie Castellano to become "Ghost Stories".

Work in the studio for the album was completed by Richie Castellano along with remaining original members Eric Bloom and Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, and both Albert Bouchard and Rick Downey appear on drums with additional overdubs recorded by Joe Bouchard. All these original lineup members appearing on "Ghost Stories" create a musical journey that traverses decades and promises easter eggs for days.

As BLUE ÖYSTER CULT embraces its "classic rock" phenomenon status, the anticipation for this album is reaching a crescendo. Fans are eager to experience the culmination of the band's artistic vision and witness the completion of songs that have become part of their folklore. The band will also add some of the songs in their upcoming 2024 shows.

With a legacy spanning over five decades, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT continues to be a formidable force in the classic rock scene. The exciting partnership with Frontiers Music Srl and the visionary leadership of Serafino Perugino add an extra layer of anticipation to the release of "Ghost Stories". As the band bids farewell to their recording career, they do so with a flourish, offering fans a musical odyssey that is sure to leave a lasting imprint on rock history. Truly a remarkable journey.

"Ghost Stories" track listing:

01. Late Night Street Fight
02. Cherry
03. So Supernatural
04. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
05. Soul Jive
06. Gun
07. Shot In The Dark
08. The Only Thing
09. Kick Out The Jams
10. Money Machine
11. Don't Come Running
12. If I Fell
13. Roadhouse Blues (bonus track Japan)

Bandmembers and credits:

Eric Bloom - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Albert Bouchard - Drums, Vocals
Joe Bouchard - Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
Allen Lanier - Guitar, Keyboards
Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser - Guitar, Vocals
Rick Downey – Drums (on 3 and 11)
Richie Castellano - Additional Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals

"If I Fell" was recorded on April 18, 2016 at Red Studios, Hollywood, CA

Eric Bloom - Vocals
Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser - Guitar, Vocals
Richie Castellano - Guitar, Vocals
Kasim Sulton - Vocals
Jules Radino - Percussion

Original recordings produced by George Geranios and BLUE ÖYSTER CULT except "If I Fell" produced by Steve Schenck and Richie Castellano

De-mixed, remixed and produced by Steve Schenck and Richie Castellano

Engineered by Richie Castellano

"Gun" and "Money Machine" overdubs recorded by Joe Bouchard

Digital transfers by George Geranios

Mastered by Sam Stauff at Mercy College Studio, Dobbs Ferry, NY