THE WILDHEARTS will release a new studio album, "21st Century Love Songs", on September 3 through Graphite Records. It is the follow-up to "Renaissance Men", THE WILDHEARTS' highest-charting album since 1994's "P.H.U.Q.", which debuted at No. 11.

The official lyric video for the LP's first single, "Remember These Days", can be seen below.

THE WILDHEARTS frontman Ginger (real name David Walls) said: "Sometimes inspiration strikes at exactly the right point in time. I was sitting blind drunk one afternoon, looking at a picture of me and CJ on stage having a great old time. It had been a year since we'd played live and I started to miss it even more. So I started writing this song.

"I never write while drunk," he explained. "I've probably my done it half a dozen times in my life. But the picture got me all emotional, thinking about how much fun we used to have, even in the 'bad old days.' It made me want to document these times because who knows, maybe we'll look back on these times and remember only the good things."

With THE WILDHEARTS' classic line up of Ginger, CJ, Ritchie and Danny still holding strong, this creatively brilliant band, who helped change the landscape of British rock through the '90s, is showing no sign of slowing down.

"21st Century Love Songs" will be available in usual CD and vinyl formats plus an exclusive limited-edition red vinyl. There's also signed photocards with each format whilst stock lasts, as well as t-shirt bundles available from the band's webstore.

Ginger previously stated about "21st Century Love Songs": "'Renaissance Men' reminded me of our first album, 'Earth Vs The Wildhearts'. No one knew how the fans and press would receive it, so it was balls-to-the-wall rock, and fuck 'em if they don't like it. Going in again, for '21st Century Love Songs', naturally reminded me of our second album, 'P.H.U.Q.', where we got to flex our creative muscle and show everyone what we're capable of. This time we let the songs simmer until absolutely ready. We let the theme of the album present itself. There's a subtlety to this album, something that people don't often associate with THE WILDHEARTS, and a sense of adventure in the unorthodox arrangements of the songs. This is where I become a fan of the band, when we ditch the rule book and just follow our instinct. Sarcastic, fun, angry, proud, experimental and belligerent, all wrapped up in a big 'fuck you', this is the sound of the band in their natural habitat. This time we're in control."

To celebrate the release of "21st Century Love Songs", THE WILDHEARTS will embark on an 18-date U.K. tour in September. The tour will start in Cardiff on Friday, September 3 and conclude in Southampton on Saturday, September 25.

Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE played their new song "Knives" live for the first time on Sunday, June 20 as part of the Download Pilot festival at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

"Knives" is the first single from BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's new, self-titled album, which will be released on October 22 via Spinefarm/Search & Destroy. According to a press release, the LP sees the band open a bold new chapter and is "easily their heaviest, fiercest album so far."

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE frontman Matt Tuck told Rock Sound about "Knives": "We just wanted to come back with a song which we thought was kind of a bit of a suckerpunch, really. It speaks for itself. I don't know what to say about it, really. I don't think a lot of people saw it coming, which is what we wanted. That's what a suckerpunch is. It's heavy, it's aggressive, it's gnarly. It is what it is. I love it. The whole album's like that."

Regarding the decision to make the new BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE album a self-titled affair, Tuck said: "Well, I think 'Knives' says why. We're kind of — not in a negative way — we're letting go of the past, and we wanted to start fresh. And we thought now's the time. Everyone feels good. Everyone's in a really good place. And we wanted to come out swinging. We just feel it's a statement record. When people hear 'Knives', they'll be, like, 'Oh, shit.' Wait till you hear the rest of the record. It's a statement record for us. And we felt like the time was right to kind of put our flag in the sand. BULLET are here, and this is who we are now, and this is where we are going."

The official music for "Knives", directed by Fiona Garden, can be seen below.

"Bullet For My Valentine" follows the success of the band's last album, 2018's "Gravity", which saw the metal juggernauts' catalogue surpass 1 billion streams in the U.S. That accomplishment solidifies BULLET's hard-earned status as one of the most elite bands in the hard rock scene.

Tuck began writing "Bullet For My Valentine" in September 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic brought things screeching to a halt in early 2020. But in June 2020, Tuck and longtime producer, Carl Bown, who co-produced the band's 2015 album, "Venom", and produced and mixed "Gravity", picked up the pace again. Together, they hunkered down at Treehouse Studio in Chesterfield, where the remainder of the album was written.

John 5 has opened up about how he landed the gig as David Lee Roth's guitarist more than two decades ago.

The 50-year-old axeman, who got his first big break playing on Roth's solo album, "DLR Band", before securing stints with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, spoke about his working relationship with the VAN HALEN frontman during a recent interview with The Sessions.

Asked how he came to collaborate with Dave, John said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was reading [Roth's 1998 autobiography 'Crazy From The Heat']. I was at my friend's house. And there was a number in the back of the book where you could get ahold of the management company. And I thought to myself, 'Hmm, I think I'm going to reach out and call this number and see what's going on.' 'Cause I knew Dave wasn't doing much at the time, and I loved VAN HALEN, and I loved Dave Lee Roth. And I said, 'Are you guys accepting any [music] right now or anything like that?' And they said, 'Well, not really. But you can send a CD, and we'll see what we've got.' And I was, like, 'Oh my God!' Just that little bit, I was shocked. I was, like, 'This is insane.' So I go there. I record with [producer] Bob Marlette. And I do my best VAN HALEN — I do 'Slam Dunk' and I do all these songs. Of course, no vocals — just my best VAN HALEN impersonation. And I sent it to them, and they said, 'We like it. Can you send three more?' I was, like, 'God. This is the most crazy thing ever.' So, I did three more, and they said, 'We like these too. Can you do three more?' And I said, 'I'm sorry, but I don't have any more money.' Back then, studios costed a lot of money. Now we can just be in our house and do it. And they said, 'Okay, well, Dave wants to meet you. Go to his house.'"

John continued: "Listen, David Lee Roth is not around; he's not hanging out. It's very hard to meet David Lee Roth. And I go to his house. And this is the house where they filmed 'Pretty Woman', they did all the photo shoots for the early VAN HALEN, they rehearsed in this basement. And this is the house. And there's Dave in his overalls. And he's, like, 'John, great to see ya. We're gonna make a record. I really like what you're doing.' And I was, like, 'Oh my God.' I couldn't believe it.

"And then, later on, I had him sign [a copy of the 'Crazy From The Heat'] book that made it all happen. And it says, 'David Lee Roth, 1998.' This was after I'm a little more confortable with him, and I said, 'Hey, Dave. Sign this.'

"So, you just have to go after things and do things and make it work."

Last November, Roth launched The Roth Project, an online comic narrated by the legendary VAN HALEN singer, with music from John 5 on guitar and bass, Greg Bissonette on drums, Brett Tuggle on keyboards, and Luis Conte on percussion. The 17-chapter comic also includes five songs Roth co-wrote with John 5 and recorded several years ago at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California: "Giddy Up", "Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill", "Alligator Pants", "Lo-Rez Sunset" and "Manda Bala".

John 5's latest sessions with Roth apparently took place at least six years ago, with John 5 unveiling a snippet of the album during an interview with Masters Of Shred back in May 2019.

In 2019, Roth was asked by Meltdown of the Detroit radio station WRIF if his LP with John 5 will be made available at some point. He responded: "It will. There's been a revision of things, and I can start making real plans and start marching into the future. And, of course, you'll start hearing that material. This is material that we wrote variously for me solo and for VAN HALEN, and it's quite a bank of stuff."

Roth, who was promoting his Las Vegas residency at the time, didn't offer a possible time frame for the release of the record, explaining that his priority was "getting out on the road first. Let's see the band, let's show ourselves off, let's travel all over the world."

Back in 2015, John 5 told Guitar Player magazine that the sessions for his latest Roth album were remarkably relaxed. "I would just go to his house and I'd write these songs with him, and he would say, 'Let's go into the studio,'" John 5 explained. "So he would go to Henson studio and record these songs. They came out… They're so good. They're so good. And we've got Gregg Bissonette playing drums on it, and I played the bass, and they're really great songs."

The guitarist said that Roth's vocals on the album sound "like nothing you've ever heard. It's old VAN HALEN — sounds like 'Could This Be Magic?' or anything like that. It's just that sound, that tone."

In a 2014 interview, John 5 described the LP as "11 of the greatest songs you'll ever hear, and it's just me and Dave, and we had Gregg Bissonette play drums on it. And it's unbelievable," he said. "There's a song called 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill'. And you know, just great, great songs."

In a recent interview with Australia's Subculture, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was asked what it felt like to see METALLICA's Kirk Hammett citing him as a musical influence. Wolf responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, man, it's a huge honor, isn't it? It's amazing — it totally is. I've heard that story from other bands in the past, how supposedly we influenced a lot of people in the early '80s without even being aware of it at the time. But he's definitely the biggest name of 'em that I've heard so far. So it makes me totally proud when he says something like that. He seems to be a super-nice guy."

Another metal musician who has been vocal about ACCEPT's influence on his early drumming style is ANTHRAX's Charlie Benante. Three years ago, Charlie told Reverb that ACCEPT's "Fast As A Shark" "was the fastest double kick that there was" at the time of the song's 1982 release. "And for me, they set the standard."

Last year, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian said that the first time he and original ANTHRAX bassist Danny Lilker jammed with Charlie in 1983, they asked Benante if he could play "Fast As A Shark". "He could, and he did — faster than ACCEPT," Ian recalled. "Those were the days when playing the fastest double kicks was important."

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

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

SEPULTURA frontman Derrick Green spoke to "Party Time Excellent", the Internet video podcast hosted by Elena "Lena Scissorhands" Cataraga of the Moldovan extreme metal outfit INFECTED RAIN, about the making of SEPULTURA's latest album, "Quadra". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We had worked so much in 2019 on the album, so we didn't do a lot of the festivals in 2019, because we were planning on playing those festivals in 2020. In 2019, we took a lot of time in the writing process to prepare ourselves before going in the studio. And we took a longer time on this album than other albums, as far as the writing process. And I think that helped into creating an incredible album, I feel — taking that time and having the time to do that album, and go in the studio very prepared. And working with a producer that we had already worked with before — Jens Bogren in Sweden. We worked with him on our last album, 'Machine Messiah', and so we knew what we were going into, and that helps a lot — being very comfortable. And we were very confident within ourselves as a group, because this was our third album with Eloy Casagrande, our drummer that's been with us for quite some time now. So this was also another level of stepping up and having that confidence."

He continued: "It was so exciting to really work on the album and to write it and come up with a lot of the ideas of the lyrics and the concept of each person living in their own 'quadra' — like you grew up in your own area, and you learned certain things from living within that area. But you have to give respect to that, because not everyone is born in the same quadra, the same square. And so that's a learning process we develop from traveling and meeting people from all around the world."

Last year, SEPULTURA launched "SepulQuarta", a weekly event where the band gave insight into its colorful history, took part in question-and-answer sessions with fans and performed music while in quarantine. Some of the musical collaborations, including those with members of MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, TRIVIUM and SACRED REICH, will be released as a full-length album later this year.

"Quadra" was released in February 2020 via Nuclear Blast Records.

SEPULTURA comprises Green, guitarist Andreas Kisser, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr., and Casagrande.

SEPULTURA was formed in Belo Horizonte by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, who are no longer with the band.

Helsinki, Finland's Thy Row, which is helmed by Metal De Facto and Everfrost vocalist Mikael Salo will be releasing the debut album Unchained on September 24, 2021 via Rockshots Records / Rubicon Music (Japan).

Founded in 2017, the band made their first entry on the Finnish scene with their 2019 independently released self-titled EP. The record's lead single "The Round" reached over 110K streams on Spotify and added to the EP's overall praise that gave the group the opportunity to tour Japan in 2019 with Beast In Black and Swallow The Sun.

Ready to follow up the success of that EP, Thy Row's first full-length offers up a fresh mix of the finest heavy metal with modern hard rock that every metalhead can bang their heads to. With ten tracks plus a bonus cover of X Japan's "Blue Blood" for its Japanese release, there are lots of great melodies spiced up with shakin’ riffs that are sure to encourage fans to turn up their stereo knobs all the way to eleven and enjoy.

“Our fans have waited for this album since we released our EP. We showed everyone that we are a force to be reckoned with and this record is going to prove that to everyone.” comments bassist Juho Jokimies.

Unchained features guest artists Ben Varon (Oceanhoarse, ex-Amoral), Ilja Jalkanen (Raskasta Joulua, Kiuas), and Teemu Mäntysaari (Wintersun, Smackbound) plus was mixed by Jussi Kraft (Starkraft Studio) and partly by Nino Laurenne (Sonic Pump Studios). Mastering was handled by Grammy-nominated Svante Forsbäck of Chartmakers Mastering (Rammstein, Volbeat).

The story behind the record is the telling of Thy Row becoming a band and the tale of their collective brotherhood as they grow and learn from one another. Many of the tracks deal with personal matters from each member. 

"Creating this album was a long and a hard process, but it was also a road we wanted to walk to be able to present this music to the people. With a guitar case in hand, not knowing each other originally, we became friends and we made this album with pure innocent passion and love for the music. Every song, every story is connected to our lives and our friendship, and we hold this piece very close to our hearts! Each one of us gave our best and more, developing as musicians and people in the process. None of us wanted to compromise in any area, and that made the creation process extremely long and difficult. However, we feel that our debut album is a victory of not giving up, supporting your team members when the going gets tough, and crossing the finishing line with pride and determination. The story, the sound and the process are the epitome of our lives, thoughts and experiences from those times we were making this album, and we hope that people will enjoy this ride we have to offer!"

Thy Row's first single "Road Goes On" is ready to be unveiled with a music video that was filmed last summer in Sipoo and the Malmi Airport in Helsinki, Finland.

"The whole production was established entirely by ourselves, although we got great help from our friends and families. All the amazing love and support made it possible for us to achieve this massive output. At the end of the filming day, one of our crew members even got hospitalized because of the tough day and the heat."

The track itself was written in Ko Kut, Thailand in a bungalow by guitarist Ville Vase with a $100 acoustic he had purchased from the Chinese market area. He got an idea to create a simple and catchy headbanger and on his return back to Finland, Ville showcased the song to vocalist Mikael Salo who wrote its captivating melodies and lyrics to create an unforgettable tune.

"'Road Goes On' talks about the strength required to truly be yourself, and to celebrate your own identity. This is a lifelong struggle for most of us, and it is not an easy walk to walk. It is an anthem of loving yourself and believing in your dreams, no matter how hard someone is trying to pull you down!" adds Mikael Salo.

Preorder at the Rockshots Records webshop.

Tracklisting:

“Road Goes On”
“The Round”
“Unchained”
“Horizons”
“Hidebound”
“Just Fine”
“Down On My Knees”
“The Downfall, Part 1: Killing All Inside”
“The Downfall, Part 2: Beyond Reason”
“The Downfall, Part 3: Fragments of Memory”
“Blue Blood” (X Japan cover – Japanese bonus track)

“Road Goes On” video:




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Matt Tuck of Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE joined James Wilson-Taylor of Rock Sound backstage ahead of the band's headlining set at the Download Pilot festival event to talk through their live show, new single "Knives" and what to expect from their upcoming self-titled album.

Speaking about "Knives", Matt said: "We just wanted to come back with a song which we thought was kind of a bit of a suckerpunch, really. It speaks for itself. I don't know what to say about it, really. I don't think a lot of people saw it coming, which is what we wanted. That's what a suckerpunch is. It's heavy, it's aggressive, it's gnarly. It is what it is. I love it. The whole album's like that."

Regarding the decision to make the new BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE album a self-titled affair, Tuck said: "Well, I think 'Knives' says why. We're kind of — not in a negative way — we're letting go of the past, and we wanted to start fresh. And we thought now's the time. Everyone feels good. Everyone's in a really good place. And we wanted to come out swinging. We just feel it's a statement record. When people hear 'Knives', they'll be, like, 'Oh, shit.' Wait till you hear the rest of the record. It's a statement record for us. And we felt like the time was right to kind of put our flag in the sand. BULLET are here, and this is who we are now, and this is where we are going."

"Bullet For My Valentine" will be released on October 22 via Spinefarm/Search & Destroy. According to a press release, the LP sees the band open a bold new chapter and is "easily their heaviest, fiercest album so far."

The official music for the first single "Knives", directed by Fiona Garden, can be seen below.

"Bullet For My Valentine" follows the success of the band's last album, 2018's "Gravity", which saw the metal juggernauts' catalogue surpass 1 billion streams in the U.S. That accomplishment solidifies BULLET's hard-earned status as one of the most elite bands in the hard rock scene.

Tuck began writing "Bullet For My Valentine" in September 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic brought things screeching to a halt in early 2020. But in June 2020, Tuck and longtime producer, Carl Bown, who co-produced the band's 2015 album, "Venom", and produced and mixed "Gravity", picked up the pace again. Together, they hunkered down at Treehouse Studio in Chesterfield, where the remainder of the album was written.

U.D.O. frontman Udo Dirkschneider recently spoke to Via Nocturna about the band's upcoming follow-up to 2018's "Steelfactory" LP. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It will be a really good U.D.O. album. This is also the first time we are composing together with the two new members of U.D.O.," referring to bassist Tilen Hudrap and guitarist Dee Dammers. "Very interesting. And there are a lot of things there that will be a little bit of a surprise. But no, we are not changing the style, but a lot of little things are a little bit different. But it will be very interesting."

Last year, U.D.O. collaborated with Das Musikkorps der Bundeswehr, the military band of the German federal armed forces, on an album called "We Are One", which was released in July 2020 via AFM Records/Soulfood Music.

U.D.O.'s current lineup includes Udo's son and drummer Sven Dirkschneider, Hudrap and guitarists Andrey Smirnov and Dammers.

"Steelfactory" was released in August 2018 via AFM.

Udo's DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG project, in which he is joined be fellow former ACCEPT members Peter Baltes (bass) and Stefan Kaufmann (guitar), recently released a new single and video, "Every Heart Is Burning".

DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG, which is rounded out by Udo's son Sven Dirkschneider (drums), Manuela Bibert (vocals) and Mathias Dieth (guitar), issued its debut single, "Where The Angels Fly", last September. A second single, "Face Of A Stranger", followed in April.

On August 27, all three songs will be released as the "Arising" CD, a 12-inch vinyl and a download.

In a recent interview with "Rock & Roll Happy Hour With Mark And Mike", legendary drummer Vinny Appice looked back on his involvement with "Stars", the 1985 charity single for famine relief released under the HEAR 'N AID banner.

On May 20 and May 21, 1985, 40 artists from the metal community gathered at A&M Records Studios in Hollywood, California to participate in the making of a record called "Stars" as a part of a very special fundraising project spearheaded by Ronnie James Dio known as HEAR 'N AID. The "Stars" single and a video documentary on the making of the record was used to raise money for famine relief efforts in Africa and around the world. These 40 artists — including members of MÖTLEY CRÜE, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, QUIET RIOT, TWISTED SISTER, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT and even SPINAL TAP — along with hundreds of other volunteers, donated their time and talent over four months to make HEAR 'N AID a reality. "Stars" was a plea for unity in the fight against world hunger.

Speaking about his experience recording "Stars", Appice told "Rock & Roll Happy Hour With Mark And Mike" (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "HEAR 'N AID actually was — I think it was Viv [Vivian Campbell, DIO guitarist] and Jimmy's [Bain, DIO bassist] idea, and they wrote the song. They didn't write the lyrics and melodies, but Jimmy and Viv wrote the music. So Ronnie liked the idea. So he said, 'All right. Let's lay it down.' So we went to Sound City [studio] and laid it down. And I played with Frankie Banali [QUIET RIOT] — live, two drummers. We didn't punch him in — he didn't do it at a different time; we did it together. There's two drummers on that. So we just stayed out of each other's way, especially me; I can get in the way real easy, playing fills. So we kept looking at each other, and we played it really well. So that was born, that was started. And then, obviously, Wendy's office — Wendy Dio [Ronnie's wife and manager] — contacted everybody in the world. And it was a hang, but it started to be out of control. You've got four or five guitar players coming down — main guitar players — and you can't have people just hanging around; there's no room in the control room. But it was just a big party. But it was a great hang. Ronnie loved everybody. And then it was vocal time. Same thing. All these vocalists came in. That we had to allow more time, because it took longer. But that was a trip, man. We got everybody. But the most popular rock stars that [were] there were the guys from SPINAL TAP — Nigel [Tufnel] and Derek [Smalls]. They were there, and we were all, like, 'Oh, man. Look. You guys are great.' Everybody saw that movie. It was so cool. So they were the biggest guys there."

Due to contract differences with the labels, the "Stars" song and album weren't released until New Year's Day, 1986, and were only ever made available on vinyl and cassette. But Wendy Dio has said in recent years that she is continuing her efforts to correct that.

Wendy previously revealed that one of the reasons the HEAR 'N AID reissue was taking so long to come out was the "legal stuff" that needed to be taken care of. "You can always get the bands to do something, but it's the legal licensing of talking with the record labels they're on and the management and so on, to get something off the ground," she said. "So we're hoping to do that."

Ted Nugent recently announced that he was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, and while some are wishing for his speedy recovery, others have publicly voiced a hope that he'll die of the disease.

The outspoken conservative rocker, who famously said that COVID-19 is "not a real pandemic" last December, addressed the online trolls wishing him death in a Facebook Live stream earlier today (Monday, April 26).

He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "If you're on the Ted Nugent Facebook Live right now, you are some great, positive, good people, and we deserve each other. Not to be confused with the Satanic gang who actually celebrates other people's suffering.

"It's a very happy day for happy, smart, prioritized people. It's a very happy day — life, liberty and pursuit of happiness; we've got that shit down. But you have to know that there is a Satanic cult that is just demonic in their hatred and celebrating — literally celebrating — other people's suffering. I'm afraid that's the Democrat party. They are a Satanic cult. They literally throw gasoline on the fire of hurt, pain and suffering. Both literally and figuratively.

"To those of us that live a positive life, isn't it almost impossible to grasp the level of indecency and soullessness of the Democrat party and this freak president and his gang of America haters," he continued. "It's almost impossible to grasp except incrementally we witnessed the culture war metastasize into a cult of Satan. Isn't it something?

"Can you imagine anyone in your life putting forth any effort or energy to write a letter to someone saying, 'I hope you die.' That's what they've been doing to my family.

"The people who hate Ted Nugent, they're Satanic," Ted added. "They've literally written letters celebrating my Chinese virus and literally hoping that my children and my grandchildren die — in very obscene, vulgar, hateful, demonic terms."

The 72-year-old pro-gun activist revealed his COVID-19 diagnosis in a video on April 19, saying that he had never felt so sick in his entire life. He also said many people had warned him against announcing his diagnosis.

The staunch Trump supporter previously referred to the virus as a "leftist scam to destroy" America's 45th president.

In the past, Nugent had repeated a narrative pushed by conservative media and disputed by health experts that suggests the official death count from the coronavirus is inflated. He had also mocked people who wear face masks, despite that both the CDC and World Health Organization have urged their universal use.

When Nugent first revealed his COVID-19 diagnosis, he described having a "stuffed up head," body aches and that he "literally could hardly crawl out of bed the last few days." "I thought I was dying," he said. He also called the virus the "Chinese shit," and reiterated his previous stance that he wouldn't be getting the vaccine because he claimed — falsely — that "nobody knows what's in it."

A board member of the National Rifle Association, Nugent has drawn intense criticism for his controversial past remarks, including telling then-president Barack Obama to "suck on my machine gun." He also made inflammatory remarks about Hillary Clinton, calling her a "devilbitch" who "hates everything good about America."

In a lengthy Facebook post in 2016, Nugent said Obama and Clinton should be tried for treason and hanged over their handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.




Posted by Ted Nugent on Monday, April 26, 2021

GARBAGE has released a video for the song "The Creeps", created by Chilean film director, animator and painter Javi Mi Amor. The track is taken from the band's seventh studio album, "No Gods No Masters", which came out on June 11 via Stunvolume/Infectious Music.

"This is our seventh record, the significant numerology of which affected the DNA of its content: the seven virtues, the seven sorrows, and the seven deadly sins," says the band's frontwoman Shirley Manson of the album and its twists and turns from capitalism and lust to loss and grief. "It was our way of trying to make sense of how fucking nuts the world is and the astounding chaos we find ourselves in. It's the record we felt that we had to make at this time."

Produced by GARBAGE and long-time collaborator Billy Bush, the seeds for "No Gods No Masters" were planted in summer 2018 in the desert in Palm Springs. The quartet — Manson and bandmates Duke Erikson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig — convened at a home belonging to one of Marker's relatives and sketched out the skeleton of the album over two weeks, jamming, experimenting and feeling the songs out. They then took those demos and went their separate ways before connecting in Los Angeles to finish the record.

GARBAGE has also unveiled a deluxe CD/digital version of "No Gods No Masters" featuring covers of classic tracks by David Bowie, Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen along with rare GARBAGE originals. The deluxe version also features new voices, with appearances from Screaming Females, Brody Dalle, Brian Aubert, John Doe and Exene Cervenka.

Since releasing their eponymous debut album in 1995, GARBAGE has blazed a unique sonic trail, garnering critical acclaim and amassing a passel of hits as well as seven Grammy nominations along the way to 17 million albums sold.

"No Gods No Masters" track listing:

01. The Men Who Rule The World

02. The Creeps

03. Uncomfortably Me

04. Wolves

05. Waiting For God

06. Godhead

07. Anonymous XXX

08. A Woman Destroyed

09. Flipping The Bird

10. No Gods No Masters

11. This City Will Kill You

Deluxe Edition (bonus tracks)

12. No Horses

13. Starman

14. Girls Talk (feat. Brody Dalle)

15. Because The Night (feat. Screaming Females)

16. On Fire

17. The Chemicals (feat. Brian Aubert)

18. Destroying Angels (feat. John Doe & Exene Cervenka)

19. Time Will Destroy Everything

METALLICA marks the 30th anniversary of its self-titled fifth album — also known as "The Black Album" — with two landmark releases, both out September 10 on the band's own Blackened Recordings.

The Black Album is one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed records of all time. Its 1991 release not only gave METALLICA its first No. 1 album in no fewer than 10 countries, including a four-week run at No. 1 in the U.S., its unrelenting series of singles — "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Wherever I May Roam" and "Sad But True" — fueled the band's rise to stadium headlining, radio and MTV dominating household name status. The album's reception from the press was similarly charged, building over the years from the top 10 of the 1991 Village Voice Pazz & Jop national critics poll to becoming a constant presence in the likes of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. The album's impact and relevance continue to grow — as proven by one indisputable fact: The Black Album remains unchallenged as the best-selling album in the history of Nielsen SoundScan, outselling every release in every genre over the past 30 years.

To commemorate its 30th anniversary, the Grammy-winning, 16-times-platinum-certified Black Album is receiving its definitive re-release. Remastered for ultimate sound quality, The Black Album remaster will be available in multiple configurations including 180-gram double vinyl LP, standard CD and 3 CD expanded edition, digital, and limited edition deluxe box set (containing the album remastered on 180-gram 2LP, a picture disc, three live LPs, 14 CDs (containing rough mixes, demos, interviews, live shows), 6 DVDs (containing outtakes, behind the scenes, official videos, live shows), a 120-page hardcover book, four tour laminates, three lithos, three guitar picks, a METALLICA lanyard, a folder with lyric sheets, and a download card).

Much more than a mere tribute album, "The Metallica Blacklist" celebrates the enduring influence of this musical milestone with one of the most ambitious projects ever conceived by the METALLICA team: An unprecedented 50+ artists spanning an unbelievably vast range of genres, generations, cultures, continents and more, each contributing a unique interpretation of their favorite Black Album cut.

"The Metallica Blacklist" offers up new dimensions of the record whose gravitational pull first drew the mainstream to METALLICA — and provides new insights into the universal and timeless appeal that kept it there: the boundary-smashing influence these 12 songs have had on fans and musicians of all stripes. "The Metallica Blacklist"'s 53 tracks find singer songwriters, country artists, electronic and hip hop artists sharing their love of these songs alongside punk rockers, indie darlings, icons of rock, metal, world music and many, many more… and for 50+ good causes: Profits will be divided evenly between charities of the artist's choice and METALLICA's All Within My Hands foundation.

"The Metallica Blacklist" is a fitting and limitless homage, one that features bands who've shared stages with METALLICA alongside artists who are younger than the original album. It's a truly staggering, at times mystifying assemblage of musicians, dozens of whom have little to nothing in common other than the shared passion for the music that's united them for this album: 1 Album. 12 Songs. 53 Artists. Unlimited Possibilities.

"The Metallica Blacklist" will be available in formats including digital, four-CD and a limited-edition seven-LP vinyl pressing. Pre-orders will instantly receive multi-platinum selling recording artist, songwriter, philanthropist and trailblazer Miley Cyrus's version of "Nothing Else Matters" featuring Andrew Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo and Chad Smith, and Colombian-born rock/pop superstar, and winner of 20+ Grammy and Latin Music Grammy Awards Juanes's interpretation of "Enter Sandman".

All profits from "The Metallica Blacklist" will be split evenly between the All Within My Hands foundation and 50+ charities chosen by the artists who play on the album. All Within My Hands was founded by the band in 2017 as a way for the entire METALLICA family to give back to communities that have supported the band by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services.

"The Metallica Blacklist" features the following tracks:

* ALESSIA CARA & THE WARNING - Enter Sandman

* MAC DEMARCO - Enter Sandman

* GHOST - Enter Sandman

* JUANES - Enter Sandman

* RINA SAWAYAMA - Enter Sandman

* WEEZER - Enter Sandman

* SAM FENDER - Sad But True (Live)

* JASON ISBELL - Sad But True

* MEXICAN INSTITUTE OF SOUND FEAT. LA PERLA & GERA MX - Sad But True

* ROYAL BLOOD - Sad But True

* ST. VINCENT - Sad But True

* WHITE REAPER - Sad But True

* YB - Sad But True

* BIFFY CLYRO - Holier Than Thou

* THE CHATS - Holier Than Thou

* OFF! - Holier Than Thou

* PUP - Holier Than Thou

* COREY TAYLOR - Holier Than Thou

* CAGE THE ELEPHANT - The Unforgiven

* VISHAL DADLANI, DIVINE, SHOR POLICE - The Unforgiven

* DIET CIG - The Unforgiven

* FLATBUSH ZOMBIES FEAT. DJ SCRATCH - The Unforgiven

* HA*ASH - The Unforgiven

* JOSÉ MADERO - The Unforgiven

* MOSES SUMNEY - The Unforgiven

* J BALVIN - Wherever I May Roam

* CHASE & STATUS FEAT. BACKROAD GEE - Wherever I May Roam

* THE NEPTUNES - Wherever I May Roam

* JON PARDI - Wherever I May Roam

* SEBASTIAN - Don't Tread On Else Matters

* PORTUGAL. THE MAN FEAT. AARON BEAM - Don't Tread On Me

* VOLBEAT - Don't Tread On Me

* THE HU - Through The Never

* TOMI OWÓ - Through The Never

* PHOEBE BRIDGERS - Nothing Else Matters

* MILEY CYRUS FEAT. WATT, ELTON JOHN, YO-YO MA, ROBERT TRUJILLO, CHAD SMITH - Nothing Else Matters

* DAVE GAHAN - Nothing Else Matters

* MICKEY GUYTON - Nothing Else Matters

* DERMOT KENNEDY - Nothing Else Matters

* MON LAFERTE - Nothing Else Matters

* IGOR LEVIT - Nothing Else Matters

* MY MORNING JACKET - Nothing Else Matters

* PG ROXETTE - Nothing Else Matters

* DARIUS RUCKER - Nothing Else Matters

* CHRIS STAPLETON - Nothing Else Matters

* TRESOR - Nothing Else Matters

* GOODNIGHT, TEXAS - Of Wolf And Man

* IDLES - The God That Failed

* IMELDA MAY - the god that failed

* CHERRY GLAZERR - My Friend Of Misery

* IZÏA - My Friend Of Misery

* KAMASI WASHINGTON - My Friend Of Misery

* RODRIGO Y GABRIELA - The Struggle Within

Back in 2017, METALLICA announced that it was preparing deluxe remastered versions of its "…And Justice For All" (1988) and "Metallica" (1991) albums and reached out to its hardcore fans for help to get content for the new editions. "…And Justice For All" has since been reissued for its 30th anniversary in 2018.

METALLICA's self-titled LP in 2014 became the first album to sell 16 million copies since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991.

"Metallica" was already certified 16 times platinum on December 13, 2012 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for shipments in excess of 16 million copies in the U.S.

The album in 2009 surpassed SHANIA TWAIN's 1997 record, "Come On Over", as the best-selling CD of the SoundScan era.

"Metallica" was the first of four collaborations with producer Bob Rock, with whom the band clashed throughout the recording of the disc.

METALLICA performed "the black album" in its entirety at a number of European festivals in 2012.

Former NIGHTWISH and current THE DARK ELEMENT vocalist Anette Olzon will release her new solo album, "Strong", on September 10 via Frontiers Music Srl. The first single and video, "Parasite", is available below.

"'Parasite' is a song about those who create disaster in this world with their lies, their schemes, their greed and hate. Hiding their intentions behind a respectable facade," says Olzon. "Living in a world of a bit of chaos with a pandemic, crazy politics, violence, social media behavior and people venting their opinions upon others all the time is the foundation behind the idea of the lyrics for the album. Musically, I wanted a much heavier album, yet with strong melodies and took my inspiration from bands I like such as DIMMU BORGIR and IN FLAMES."

Anette's second solo album, following 2014's "Shine", is a harder and faster musical offering than the debut. More importantly, "Strong" stakes a claim for Anette's well-deserved standing as one of the world's top female metal vocalists.

The music for "Strong" was written and composed together with acclaimed Swedish guitarist and producer Magnus Karlsson. Together, Anette and Magnus managed to create an outstanding collection of songs which showcase Anette's enormous vocal range alongside Karlsson's incendiary riffs. The songs are heavy, but still quite melodic and contemporary in their approach to the genre style. Additionally, "Strong" is mixed by Jacob Hansen (PRETTY MAIDS, VOLBEAT, THE DARK ELEMENT).

All in all, "Strong" is an album that masters the borders between heaviness and hookiness, all while showing an artist who doesn't rest on her laurels, but heads boldly into the future.

Track listing:

01. Bye Bye Bye

02. Sick Of You

03. I Need To Stay

04. Strong

05. Parasite

06. Sad Lullaby

07. Fantastic Fanatic

08. Who Can Save Them

09. Catcher Of My Dreams

10. Hear Them Roar

11. Roll The Dice

Recording lineup:

Anette Olzon - Vocals

Magnus Karlsson - Guitars

Anders Köllerfors - Drums

Johan Husgafvel - Bass

Olzon originally joined NIGHTWISH in 2007 and recorded two studio LPs with the band before being dismissed in 2012 in the middle of the group's North American tour. She was replaced by former AFTER FOREVER singer Floor Jansen.

Since the end of her five-year stint with NIGHTWISH, Olzon released "Shine" and formed THE DARK ELEMENT with former SONATA ARCTICA guitarist Jani Liimatainen. The group's self-titled debut album was released in 2017; a follow-up, "Songs The Night Sings", came out in November 2019.

Olzon and noted progressive metal vocalist Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X, ADRENALINE MOB) released a collaborative album titled "Worlds Apart" in March 2020 via Frontiers Music Srl. The project was issued under the moniker ALLEN/OLZON.

Italian power metallers Frozen Crown have shared a new playthrough clip featuring guitarist Federico Mondelli breaking down the solo in "Neverending", the first single from the band's second album, Crowned In Frost. Tabs for the song are available here.

The band recently issued the following update:

"Dear friends, we made it! And we made it together! Our new album is out now!

It's not easy to be a band in 2021. If you're an Italian band playing metal, it's even worse. If, in addition, you had to face a line-up change right before entering the studio for your third album during a pandemic, it's nightmare difficulty on Doom II played blindfold with both hands tied behind your back. But we made it, together with your INCREDIBLE support, and with these awesome new guys who fiercely conquered their place, fighting tooth and nail against time and odds proving they were meant to be a part of this.

Together with that genius called Andrea Fusini and his masterful work behind the machines, as well as our brother Luca Morselli and his unreal filming talent (who also holds the credits for this pic), and our label team, which is simply the best ever. Winterbane is a new beginning, like someone said, but also a confirmation. A message of perseverance and strength, a way to tell the world we are here to stay.

Thanks to the ones who have been with us since Day 1, thanks to the brand new fans, and also thanks to the ones amongst you who left, as they gave us the chance to prove to ourselves we don't need anyone to go forward.

Now enjoy this album as much as we enjoyed making it, let us know about your favorite songs, and be ready for A LOT of stuff, including a new official video clip as well as the usual weekly content on our YouTube channel."

Tracklist:

"Embrace The Night"
"Towards The Sun"
"Far Beyond"
"The Lone Stranger"
"Crown Eternal"
"The Water Dancer"
"Angels In Disguise" (feat Federica Lanna)
"Night Crawler" (Judas Priest cover)
"Tales Of The Forest"
"Blood On The Snow"

Winterbane was released on April 23rd on Scarlet Records and Marquee/Avalon (Japan).

Frozen Crown is:

Giada "Jade" Etro - Lead Vocals
Fabiola "Sheena" Bellomo - Lead Guitar
Federico Mondelli - Vocals and Lead Guitar
Francesco Zof - Bass
Niso Tomasini - Drums




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ARTE Concert continues to roll out pro-shot footage from Hellfest filmed over the last several years. Check out Norwegian black metal legends Satyricon performing in Clisson, France at Hellfest 2015 below.

Setlist:

"The Rite of Our Cross"
"Our World, It Rumbles Tonight"
"Now, Diabolical"
"Black Crow on a Tombstone"
"Filthgrinder"
"With Ravenous Hunger"
"Nekrohaven"
"The Pentagram Burns"
"Mother North"
"K.I.N.G."

Satyricon have teamed up with artist Edvard Munch for an upcoming exhibit, opening in Norway in early 2022.

From the Munch Museum: The Norwegian black metal band Satyricon meets Edvard Munch’s art. The exhibition Satyricon & Munch explores the intersection of black metal and visual art, where a specially composed musical work is connected with a selection of Edvard Munch’s images. When you enter the large hall on Munch’s tenth floor, this exhibition will create an atmosphere that opens up new entrances to Edvard Munch’s work, and to Satyricon’s music.

Says Satyricon: "Since the fall of 2018, Satyricon has been working on the writing and recording of a musical work whose main objective is to create a symbiosis with Edvard Munch’s iconic art in an exhibition that will be held at the new Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway, opening 26/3/2022. Following the exhibition will be the release of the musical work in album format, carrying the same title as the exhibition, Satyricon & Munch.

"We consider this massive challenge the greatest honor of our career. Edvard Munch created some of the most iconic images in the world of art and through his career demonstrated the kind of courage and freedom we have always embraced and aspired to us as artists ourselves. To write music whose ambition is to take the art of Munch into uncharted territory, is quite a journey to be on», says Satyricon. «We look forward to sharing more details with you in the coming months."




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Arte Concert and the organziers behind Hellfest have teamed up to bring you Testament's unedited stage show, captured live on June 23, 2019 in Clisson, France.

Setlist:

"Brotherhood Of The Snake"
"The Pale King"
"More Than Meets The Eye"
"Practice What You Preach"
"The New Order"
"Electric Crown"
"Into The Pit"
"Over The Wall"
"Disciples Of The Watch"
"The Formation Of Damnation" 

Testament will be performing at the 2021 Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Danville, Virginia on September 9. Grab your tickets today at BlueRidgeRockfest.com.

 




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Riff-driven, blues-infused groove rockers Bourbon House have just released the official video for their new song, "Dead In The Water". 

According to guitarist Jason Clark, "Like a lot of our songs, 'Dead In The Water' began with a title and quickly took on its own message, evolving into a song about perseverance. 2021 will see a full album release." 

"Dead In The Water" is the latest single from the forthcoming full-length album by Bourbon House, due for release later this year. It's slated to include "Devil On My Heels", "Too High To Care", and "6000 Miles", along with six other unreleased tracks.

Bourbon House will be back in the studio with Eric LaBrosse at Cherry Pit Studios to begin recording their next album in September. A tour is also being planned for the fall/winter months of 2021, but dates and routing are not yet confirmed.  

For further details, visit BourbonHouseRocks.com.

 




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The digitally remastered version of Mötley Crüe's third album, Theatre Of Pain, arrives on June 25th. The band has released a pop-up version of their "Smokin' In The Boys" room video, which was originally released in 1985. Check it out below.

To pre-save / pre-order the digital remaster of Theatre Of Pain go to this location.

Theatre Of Pain marked the beginning of Mötley Crüe's transition away from their trademark sound on Too Fast For Love and Shout At The Devil in favour of a glam rock style. "Smokin' in the Boys Room" and "Home Sweet Home" were hit singles released from the record. It reached #6 on the US charts and #36 in the UK, and was certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA on June 5, 1995.

Tracklist:

"City Boy Blues"
"Smokin' in the Boys Room" (Brownsville Station cover)
"Louder Than Hell"
"Keep Your Eye on the Money"
"Home Sweet Home"    
"Tonight (We Need a Lover)"
"Use It or Lose It"
"Save Our Souls"
"Raise Your Hands to Rock"
"Fight for Your Rights"




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SHADOWS FALL, the Massachusetts metal band which was at the forefront of the New Wave of American Metal scene that dominated the '00s, will reunite to play a one-off show at The Palladium in Worcester in their native Massachusetts. The show is set for Saturday, December 18, 2021. UNEARTH, DARKEST HOUR, WITHIN THE RUINS, SWORN ENEMY and CARNIVORA are also set to appear.

"As the wise prophet D.L.R. once said, 'I HEARD YA MISSED US, WE'RE BACK,'" says singer Brian Fair. "I couldn't be more excited to be getting back onstage with my brothers in SHADOWS FALL and there is no room I would rather do it in than The Palladium in Worcester. It has been six years since we last played a show and we are ready to unleash the fury like Yngwie."

He continues: "We have been trying to find a way to jam together and play live for a little while now and the planets have finally aligned, schedules worked out, and with the help of a ton of our good friends, we were able to pull it off. This is the only show we have planned so shine up your dancing shoes, stretch out your neck, crack a brew, and get your ass to Massachusetts!"

Fair finishes: "[Guitarists] Matt [Bachand] and Jon [Donais] started this band 25 years ago and it still amazes me that the music we made allowed us to travel the world, share the stage with legends, and put out a ton of records that I will always be proud of. This show is a way for us to celebrate the music and thank all of the people that supported us through the years and helped us live the dream. I can't wait to rage through songs from our entire catalog with a bunch of metalhead Massholes maniacs! I've said it before and i'll say it again — there ain't no party like a SHADOWS FALL party."

Fans can expect a sweaty, high energy, full-on metallic throttle from start to finish.

SoundRink VIP tickets go on sale on Wednesday, June 23 at 10 a.m. local time. The local pre-sale is set for Thursday, June 24 at 10 a.m. with the promo code "WEEEE." The regular on-sale is set for Friday, June 25 at 10 a.m. local time.

Go here for tickets.

SHADOWS FALL members Jon Donais and Matt Bachand recently launched a new project called LIVING WRECKAGE, in which they are joined by guitarist Matt LeBreton (DOWNPOUR), drummer Jon Morency (LET US PREY) and vocalist Jeff Gard DEATH RAY VISION.

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

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

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

NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen says that Marko "Marco" Hietala's decision to leave the band was "a very sudden surprise."

The bassist/vocalist announced his departure from NIGHTWISH in January, explaining in a statement that he hadn't "been able to feel validated by this life for a quite a few years now." He has since been replaced by session bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN), who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in late May at the band's two interactive experiences.

Jansen spoke about Hietala's exit from NIGHTWISH in the latest episode of her "Storytime" YouTube video series. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That was a very sudden surprise that, of course, was not fun at all. But we understand — I understand — it was a necessary thing for him to do. And from there, we had to think of how to continue without him, and that also, in preparations towards the virtual show, that was a huge challenge."

She continued: "I'm very happy we found Jukka to play with us. And it was wonderful to get together, even though miss Marko, in April to start rehearsing for these virtual shows. Fortunately, we had a lot of time together, and it was very nice to go through the process of really not just knowing how to sing or play the songs but actually really feeling them, really communicating them, as you do with a show. We did that together. And then, of course, came the relatively unnatural setting of standing in a green bathroom [laughs] called the green screens all around us and cameras and people going for coffee instead of a real live audience. But that was really great. We had so much time that we could rehearse all of that and had a lot of fun doing that in the process."

According to the Helsinki Times, the first of NIGHTWISH's two interactive experiences drew 150,000 viewers, setting the record for the largest paid virtual concert in Finland's history. Most of the viewers came from Europe and North America, but the performance was a truly global event, with fans in 108 countries purchasing tickets to the show and the box office gross exceeding one million euro.

NIGHTWISH performed in a tavern called "The Islanders Arms" built in a virtual world for two nights — Friday, May 28 and Saturday, May 29. On both nights, the fans experienced a one-and-a-half-hour performance, hearing songs live off "Human. :II: Nature." for the first time ever. Each of the two nights had its own slightly different setlist.

Last month, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said that Hietala's decision to leave the band "came as a bit of a surprise." He told Finland's Kaaos TV: "Marko informed us in December last year [that he was leaving the band]. And even though he has been very open about his state and problems during the past years, it still came as a bit of a surprise for us. So it was a really tough pill to swallow. And for a few days, I was actually quite confident that there's no coming back, that this is it. I remember talking to Emppu [Vuorinen], the guitar player, and we were, like, 'You think this is it?' 'Yeah, I think this is it.' I mean, enough is enough. So much has happened in the past. Something that broke the camel's back, as they say. Then, after some time had passed — a few days — we started to think that it's been such a ride of 25 years, with so many ups also, that this is not the way to end it."

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

In a new interview with Kylie Olsson's YouTube show "Life In Six Strings", former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman discussed why he hates being called a "shredder." He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "To me, it just sounds like someone just playing mindlessly fast. When I played in the really early part of my career and even now, sometimes things sound really fast because the choice of notes is so unusual that the notes go by and they make different clicks in your head when it's registering in your ears. If you play a succession of notes that people are used to hearing, you have to really play it fast, like two hundred beats per minute, for it to sound fast. Like, if you just play a scale up and down, it's gonna sound fast. But if you do unusual groups of notes and unusual subdivisions of notes and unusual melody note choices, it can be not even that fast at all and it'll just sound fast because so many things are going by that you're not used to; you're not accustomed to hearing these sequences of notes. So people think that, 'Oh, it's so fast,' because they try to play it and it's quite difficult. But there's a difference between speed and difficulty, for sure."

He continued: "It's a term that happens with a lot of young guitarists that doesn't exist in the real world. I think a lot of young guitarists, and myself included when I was a little kid, they're fascinated with things that they're unable to do, and one thing that they're not able to do is play really fast when you're a beginner. Your fingers just don't work that way, and your mind doesn't work that way yet. So when you see a guy across the street in his basement playing really fast, you're, like, 'How come I can't do that?', and it just becomes this holy grail for one-year-, two-year, three-year guitarists. And those are the people who are active [in online] chats and things like that, and those are the people who buy guitar magazines and buy lots of gear, those are the people that are keeping the industry of guitar alive, and those are the people who are fascinated by quickness of fingers and just really fast playing. But little do they know, playing slow is a thousand times more difficult than playing fast — it really, really is. Playing slow is where you can separate the men from the boys, so to speak… When you hear somebody play something slow, you can tell if they're any good right then and there; you can tell. When you hear something fast — even eight-year-old kids can play really fast and really clean and really accurately. So it's really an illusion, but it's the thing that keeps guitars selling. You've gotta have something that is like a holy grail for beginner people to get inspired by. So a lot of 'em hear this fast stuff and they're, like, 'I wanna do that so bad.' Okay. Now you've done it. You practiced for a couple of years. You've done it. Now what?

"I kind of don't like being lumped into that because there's a lot of people out there who just play really, really fast all the time, and to me, it just sounds like noise," Marty added.

"Playing fast was interesting when I just picked up the instrument, but it certainly lost its interest quite quickly after you were able to do it. Then it became interesting [to play] interesting things on the instrument, creating interesting music.

"Now, it has really has nothing to do with speed, whether it be slow, medium, fast or anything in between, because music is of all tempos — every tempo is in music; every single tempo.

"But, again, that term is just something I don't like to be lumped into," he repeated. "But at the same time, if you love shredding and you think I'm a shredder and you love my music, we're bros. I still love you. It's all good. It's all terminology. It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is if you like the music or not. So you can call me anything, as long as you like the music. And even if you don't like the music, it is what it is."

Marty's latest album, "Tokyo Jukebox 3", received a North American release on April 16 via The Players Club/Mascot Label Group. The record, which was made available in Japan last October, is the third in a series that began with "Tokyo Jukebox" in 2009, and then "Tokyo Jukebox 2" following in 2011. The trilogy presents Friedman's inspired performances to Japanese repertoire he's chosen to cover.

Marty has spent the last few years working on a documentary called "Spacefox". The film, which is being directed by Jeremy Frindel, the founder of Substratum Films, follows Friedman's reinvention from lead guitarist in MEGADETH to one of the most famous TV personalities in Japan.

San Diego deathcore pioneers, Carnifex, have released a music video for their new single, "Pray For Peace". Directed and edited by Jim Louvau & Tony Aguilera, the video can be seen below.

The song was recorded earlier this year at Back Lounge Studios in San Diego, CA. It was produced by the band and Mick Kenney (Anaal Nathrakh, Bleeding Through) who along with Shawn Cameron engineered the single. Mick was also responsible for mixing and mastering. The artwork for the single was created by Alexandre Goulet.

Carnifex comments, “With each song we release, our goal is to take you further into the abyss, further from reality. 'Pray For Peace' is no exception. A nihilist’s anthem with blasts, bounce, and breakdowns to keep you pitting! See you on the road!"

Download/Stream "Pray For Peace" here.

(Photo - Scott Lewis)




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Subway To Sally demonstrate their exceptional live presence once more, carving a unique stage experience in stone with their new BluRay/DVD/CD release, Eisheilige Nacht - Back To Lindenpark, out now.

In an intimate setting, the Potsdam based unit drops a colorful bunch of songs taken off their multifaceted discography and invites its listeners to be part of an exciting adventure, offering some great surprises and performances never heard or seen - till now! One of those highlights embodies the new live-video for the Lord Of The Lost hit “Drag Me To Hell“, originally cut from their full-length Empyrean (2016), in which Subway To Sally are accompanied by Chris Harms.

Subway To Sally on the exceptional performance: “With Lord Of The Lost and especially their frontman Chris Harms, we share a long and extremely productive musician friendship. This has mainly mutual admiration and respect as its origin, because we have been watching Chris very closely for a long time and are happy that he always knows how to surprise us with great music and great productions, even outside his band. The song 'Drag Me To Hell' was Chris' personal wish and we had a lot of fun rehearsing it and celebrating it with Chris - due to Corona quarantine from afar - at the EHNO! A number that pushes incredibly and, you may not believe it, fits extremely well for Subway To Sally. Somehow we have a feeling that this will not be the last coop with our friend from Hamburg.“          

Watch the official live video for “Drag Me To Hell” (feat. Chris Harms):

Subway To Sally on Eisheilige Nacht - Back To Lindenpark: “After 11 years of our "Eisheilige Nacht-tradition", we definitely did not want that 2020 will be seen as a red "X" in the history of our festival series. So we thought about how we could provide our fans with the Eisheilige Nacht feeling at their homes, when we weren't allowed to tour ourselves. An online concert wasn't enough for us: Eisheilige Nacht is not only about meeting friends, but also being a highlight of the year - with several befriended bands performing live on stage. We wanted to implement all of this in one experience. We wanted to record this very special event where the Eisheilige Nacht originally began. Instead of playing a concert in an empty hall, we used the size of the hall, lined up in a circle and placed our guest musicians into our midst. This created new insights that have never been seen before in any Subway To Sally concert film! We are very pleased that we can now, as requested by countless fans, record this event for eternity as a special concert film!"

Order Eisheilige Nacht – Back To Lindenpark here.

Eisheilige Nacht - Back To Lindenpark tracklisting:

CD 1
Intro
"Messias"
"Königin der Käfer"
"Unsterblich"
"Imperator Rex Graecourm"
"Dein Anblick"
"Kleid aus Rosen"
"Das Elfte Gebot"
"Sieben"
"Kalte Winde"
"Minne" (FAUN Version)
"Henkersbraut"
"Falscher Heiland"
"Tanz auf dem Vulkan"

CD 2
"Drag Me to Hell"
"Island"
"Kein Meer zu Tief"
"Arme Ellen Schmitt"
"Eisblumen"
"Sie tanzt allein"
"IX"
"Veitstanz (2014 Version)
"Grausame Schwester""
"Alles was das Herz will"
"Aufgewacht"
"Ausgeträumt"
Outro
"Julia und die Räuber"

"Kleid aus Rosen" video:

“IX” video:

"Veitstanz" (2014 Version) video:

Subway To Sally are:

Eric Fish - vocals
Ally Storch - violine
Ingo Hampf - guitar
Bodenski - guitar, vocals, hurdy-gurdy
Simon - guitar, vocals
Sugar Ray - bass
Simon Michael - drums

(Photo - Alexander Schlesier)




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Frontiers Music Srl has released the debut album, Kings In The North, from Crowne, the new Swedish melodic hard rock supergroup. The band is comprised of vocalist Alexander Strandell (Art Nation), guitarist/keyboardist/producer Jona Tee (H.E.A.T.), bassist John Levén (Europe) and drummer Christian Lundqvist (The Poodles).

Listen to the album's title track below, and order the CD and Limited Edition Color LP versions of the album and save the digital version here.

Crowne is hands-down the most exciting, thrilling supergroup ever created out of the Swedish melodic hard rock scene. This stellar cast of some of the most outstanding musicians from the scene have been gathered together to create this absolute beast of a debut album, the title of which will be revealed in the coming weeks. Crowne's music is the result of these amazing talents coming together and realizing a musical vision under the passionate and watchful guidance of Serafino Perugino, President of Frontiers Records. This is a melodic hard rock barnburner with enormous melodies, delivering rock 'n' roll like there is no tomorrow. Quite simply, this is going to blow you away, so prepare yourself for what's to come.

Tracklisting:

"Kings In The North"
"Perceval"
"Sharoline"
"Unbreakable"
"Mad World"
"One In A Million"
"Sum Of All Fears"
"Set Me Free"
"Make A Stand"
"Cross To Bear"
"Save Me From Myself"

"Kings In The North":

"Unbreakable" lyric video:

"Perceval" video:

"Sharoline" video:

"Mad World":

Lineup:

Alexander Strandell – Lead Vocals
Jona Tee – Guitar/Keyboards/Backing Vocals
John Levén - Bass
Christian “Kicken” Lundqvist – Drums

Additional Musicians:

Love Magnusson – Guest Guitar Solos




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"Beautiful Lie" is the latest video to be released from The Enigma Birth, the new album from  Timo Tolkki's Avalon. The song features Dream Theater's James LaBrie, and the clip can be found below.

The Enigma Birth is out today via Frontiers Music Srl, and features an excellent cast of vocalists including LaBrie, Jake E (ex-Amaranthe, Cyrha), Marina La Torraca (Phantom Elite, Exit Eden), Brittney Slayes (Unleash The Archers), Raphael Mendes (Icon Of Sin), Fabio Lione (Rhapsody, Angra, Eternal Idol), Caterina Nix (Chaos Magic), and YouTube vocal star Pellek.

The resulting album is once again everything that you could expect from one of the true masters of the art. You have Tolkki’s trademark fast songs with super catchy hooks, outstanding mid-tempo songs, and a couple of great power ballads thrown in the mix for a wonderfully balanced album. This is Timo Tolkki at his 100% best. He’s back and ready to reclaim his seat on the Power Metal throne.

Tracklisting:

"The Enigma Birth" feat. Pellek
"I Just Collapse" feat. Caterina Nix
"Memories" feat. Caterina Nix, Brittney Slayes
"Master Of Hell" feat. Raphael Mendes
"Beautiful Lie" feat. James LaBrie
"Truth" feat. Jake E
"Another Day" feat. Marina La Torraca
"Beauty And War" feat. Raphael Mendes
"Dreaming" feat. Fabio Lione
"The Fire And The Sinner" feat. Jake E, Brittney Slayes
"Time" feat. Marina La Torraca
"Without Fear" feat. Fabio Lione

"Beautiful Lie" lyric video:

"The Fire And The Sinner" video:

"Master Of Hell" video:

Lineup:

Timo Tolkki - Guitars
Andrea Arcangeli - Bass
Marco Lazzarini - Drums
Antonio Agate - Keys & Orchestra
Additional guitars by Federico Maraucci and Aldo Lonobile

Singers:

- Jake E
- Marina La Torraca
- James LaBrie
- Fabio Lione
- Raphael Mendes
- Caterina Nix
- Pellek
- Brittney Slayes




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Social Disorder have released a video for "Dreaming", featured on their new album, Love 2 Be Hated, out now via AFM Records. Order the album here, and watch the video below.

Social Disorder combine in a very famous lineup the years of experience of the band members to a great sound of pure hard rock with an unmistakable personal touch.

Social Disorder are an explosive, tough mixture of prestigious musicians with an unknown diamond on the mic. Honest and direct, bandleader Anders LA Rönnblom (Killer Bee, X-Romance, Wolfpakk) describes on this extremely personal album his experiences in the music business from depression and alcohol addiction to discovering a new zest for life.

He is supported, among others, by Thomas Nordin - Vocals, Tracii Guns - Lead & Rhythm Guitar (Guns N' Roses, L.A. Guns), Shawn Duncan - Drums (DC4, Odin), Rudy Sarzo - Bass Guitar (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake), Jeff Duncan - Lead & Rhythm Guitar (Armored Saint, Odin), Snowy Shaw - Drums (King Diamond, Dream Evil, Mercyful Fate), Dave Stone - Keyboard (Rainbow, Max Webster), Leif Ehlin - Keyboards (Perfect Plan), Johan Niskanen - Lead & Rhythm Guitar (Dust), Fredrik Tjerneld - Lead Guitar (X-Romance), Thomas Widmark - Keyboard (X-Romance) and finally Kenta Karlbom - Drums (X-Romance, Goatess).

Tracklisting:

"Windy Road"
"Dreaming"
"Scars"
"Love 2 Be Hated"
"Raise A Glass"
"Sail Away"
"Down On My Knees"
"Out Of Love"
"The One"
"Wings Of Serenity"

"Dreaming" video:

"Love 2 Be Hated" lyric video:

"Windy Road" video:

Lineup:

Anders LA Rönnblom - Bass & Rhythm Guitar (Killer Bee, X-Romance, Wolfpakk)
Thomas Nordin - Vocals
Tracii Guns - Lead & Rhythm Guitar (Guns N’ Roses, L.A. Guns)
Shawn Duncan - Drums (DC4, Odin)
Rudy Sarzo - Bass Guitar (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake)
Jeff Duncan - Lead & Rhythm Guitar (Armored Saint, Odin)
Snowy Shaw -  Drums (King Diamond, Dream Evil, Mercyful Fate)
Dave Stone - Keyboard (Rainbow, Max Webster)
Leif Ehlin - Keyboard (Perfect Plan)
Johan Niskanen - Lead & Rhythm Guitar (Dust)
Fredrik Tjerneld - Lead Guitar (X-Romance)
Thomas Widmark - Keyboard (X-Romance)
Kenta Karlbom - Drums (X-Romance, Goatess)




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Cyhra / Red Wolf guitarist Euge Valovirta has released the third single from his forthcoming second solo album, Shooting From The Hip, due out on June 30th. Check out "A Song For An Absent Friend" below, now available on all digital platforms found here.

Valovirta originally posted the track on line shortly after the news broke that Children Of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho had passed away at the end of December along with the following message:

"This one is for Alexi, but also for all the late friends. And to my Grandpa, who passed away some time ago. This song actually got its start after my Grandpa’s passing and I came back to it after Alexi passed away ‘cos I felt that I had to 'play my feelings out' somehow.

Alexi and I weren’t the closest friends but every time we met we always had such a great time. Whether it was playing on each of other’s albums, doing guitar clinics or playing occasional live shows or just hanging out. He was one of the most caring, humble and nicest guys I’ve ever met and it feels so unfair that he isn’t with us anymore. And he was one of the best guitar players. Ever."




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The debut album from Silver Lake By Esa Holopainen is now available via Nuclear Blast, and comes not only with the legendary guitar riffs of Esa Holopainen from Amorphis, one of Finland's biggest guitarists and metal songwriters, but also seven famous rock and metal vocalists such as Jonas Renkse (Katatonia), Einar Solberg (Leprous), Björn "Speed" Strid (Soilwork), Anneke Van Giersbergen and many more, that dive you into a world of catchy, progressive metal masterpieces that breathe the beauty and melancholy of Finland.

Watch a video for "Sentiment" feat. Jonas Renkse of Katatonia below, and order here.

With moody cover artwork created by Metastazis, the album was recorded at Sonic Pump, produced and mixed by Nino Laurenne & Esa Holopainen, and mastered by Svante Forsbäck.

Tracklisting:

"Silver Lake" (instrumental)
"Sentiment" (feat. Jonas Renkse of Katatonia)
"Storm" (feat. Håkan Hemlin of Nordman)
"Ray Of Light" (feat. Einar Solberg of Leprous)
"Alkusointu" (feat. Vesa-Matti Loiri)
"In Her Solitude" (feat Tomi Joutsen of Amorphis)
"Promising Sun" (feat. Björn 'Speed' Strid of Soilwork / The Night Flight Orchestra)
"Fading Moon" (feat. Anneke Van Giersbergen)
"Apprentice" (feat. Jonas Renkse of Katatonia)

"Sentiment" video:

"Alkusointu" video:

"Ray Of Light" video:

"Storm" video:




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