Ruptly, BBC Radio Leicester and BBC News have uploaded separate video reports on Download Pilot. The 10,000-capacity, camping-only festival is taking place June 18-20 on the hallowed grounds of Donington Park as part of the U.K. government's scientific Events Research Programme. Check out the videos below.

While festival goers do not have to be socially distanced or wear face coverings once inside the festival, they are required to follow existing government guidance when travelling to and from Donington Park and adhere to rules set out by the festival organizers. Attendees must take a lateral flow test on the morning of the event and receive a negative result to enter the festival. As part of the wider scientific research on the trial events, the Download Pilot attendees are also being asked to take a PCR test before and after the event to gather further evidence on the safety of the festival camping experience, reduced social distancing and the removal of non-pharmaceutical interventions like face coverings. They also have to provide contact details for NHS Test and Trace to ensure everyone can be traced in the event of an audience member receiving a positive test after the event.

With tickets priced at just £120 (plus booking fee) for the full three-day festival and initially being offered as a thank you to existing Download festival 2022 ticket holders, this loyal community of rock fans are also being rewarded with the closest to a festival experience possible, with camping and the return of moshing.

Organizer Melvin Benn told BBC News: "Despite the weather, it feels joyous," referring to the fact that Download Pilot kicked off with torrential downpours on Friday. "It's been two years since we stood in this field. We had to cancel Download 2021 [in March]. We didn't think anything could happen. But the government wanted to extend the research program and they wanted a camping festival, so they wanted me to put that together. So here we are, three and a half weeks later, in the rain and happy to be in the rain."

The very first major camping event of its kind, the specially created Download Pilot event will form part of the second phase of the government's scientific Events Research Programme. This groundbreaking study will look to build on the evidence base gathered from the successful first phase and apply findings on a greater scale with greater crowd numbers than before. The attendance at the Download Pilot will provide additional evidence for government, event organizers, and consumers on the logistical and practical considerations of reopening events safely, including multi-day events.

Working closely with the government to adhere to safety guidelines, this Download Pilot, as the first 10,000 capacity camping festival event, will play an important role in paving the way for the return of large-scale music events and festivals as the U.K. emerges from the past year's restrictions. As a government scientific Events Research Programme event, festivalgoers need to consent to take part and must be over 16.

Full lineup of bands announced:

Friday, June 18:

FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES

NECK DEEP

SLEEP TOKEN

BOSTON MANOR

HOLDING ABSENCE

HOT MILK

MALEVOLENCE

DEATH BLOOMS

Saturday, June 19:

ENTER SHIKARI

WHILE SHE SLEEPS

CREEPER

STONE BROKEN

TWIN ATLANTIC

YONAKA

THOSE DAMN CROWS

A

VUKOVI

TIGERCUB

WARGASM

THE HARA

BLEED FROM WITHIN

AS EVERYTHING UNFOLDS

CONJURER

LOTUS EATER

Sunday, June 20:

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE

FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS

SKINDRED

THE WILDHEARTS

TRASH BOAT

MASSIVE WAGONS

ELVANA

JAMIE LENMAN

LONELY THE BRAVE

HIGHER POWER

LOATHE

CHUBBY AND THE GANG

EMPLOYED TO SERVE

CASSYETTE

SAINT AGNES

STATIC DRESS




Download Festival pilot event

Download Festival is back and, yes, moshing is allowed! ??

Read more about it here: https://bbc.in/3xCUyYf ?

Posted by BBC Radio Leicester on Saturday, June 19, 2021



Mosh pits and no masks at Download Festival pilot

Download Festival is taking place this weekend with a smaller crowd of 10,000 people instead of the usual 100,000. The event is part of the UK government's live event trial seeing if large scale gatherings are possible despite Covid-19.

https://bbc.in/3vHHfEe

Posted by BBC News on Saturday, June 19, 2021



Drownload? Heavy rain greets Download Pilot festival goers

Drownload? Heavy rain greets Download Pilot festival goers https://bit.ly/3gFJmmQ

Posted by Leicestershire Live on Friday, June 18, 2021

NEAL MORSE BAND, now known simply as NMB, will release of its fourth studio album, "Innocence & Danger", on August 27. The official music video for the disc's first single the opening track "Do It All Again", can be seen below. The clip was created by Christian Rios.

Drummer Mike Portnoy says this about the track: "This was the first song we wrote when we reconvened for the sessions for this album. It rooted from an idea Bill Hubauer brought in and we built off it from there. Like most NMB songs, I love the sharing of lead vocals... Neal Morse on the verses, Bill on the B section and an amazingly catchy three-part harmony chorus with Eric Gillette taking the lead."

With NMB's previous two releases being concept albums, it's perhaps remarkable that "Innocence & Danger" is a series of unrelated songs, but drummer Mike Portnoy says: "After two sprawling back-to-back double concept albums in a row, it was refreshing to get back to writing a collection of unrelated individual songs in the vein of our first album."

Indeed, making this album came easy to the band; while the initial inspiration came particularly from Bill Hubauer (keyboards) and Randy George (bass), the ideas flowed from everybody from there on, as George recalls: "I am excited about the level of collaboration that we achieved on this one. We even went in with a lot of ideas that weren't necessarily developed, and I think in the end we have something that represents the best of everybody in the band."

In fact — like its two acclaimed predecessors — "Innocence & Danger" is a double album by inspiration, rather than design, as Portnoy explains: "As much as we wanted to try and keep it to a single album after having just done two double albums, we wrote so much material that we found ourselves with our third double album in a row. That's pretty prog."

There is also plenty in "Innocence & Danger" to excite those prog fans who have a thirst for epics, as Neal Morse explains: "There's one half-hour epic and another that's about 20 minutes long. I really didn't realize that they were that long when we were recording them, which I guess is great because if a movie is really good, you don't realize that it's three hours long. But there are also some shorter songs: some have poppier elements, some are heavier and some have three-part acoustic sections. I'm excited about all of it, really."

The album will be released as a limited 2CD+DVD digipak (featuring a making-of documentary), 3LP+2CD boxset, standard 2CD jewelcase and digital album, featuring artwork by Thomas Ewerhard (TRANSATLANTIC).

Track listing:

CD 1 (Innocence):

01. Do It All Again (08:55)

02. Bird On A Wire (07:22)

03. Your Place In The Sun (04:12)

04. Another Story To Tell (04:50)

05. The Way It Had To Be (07:14)

06. Emergence (03:12)

07. Not Afraid Pt. 1 (04:53)

08. Bridge Over Troubled Water (08:08)

CD 2 (Danger):

01. Not Afraid Pt. 2 (19:32)

02. Beyond The Years (31:22)

NEAL MORSE BAND was formed in 2012, featuring longtime collaborators Neal Morse (vocals, keyboards and guitars), Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals) and Randy George (bass), as well as Bill Hubauer (keyboards, vocals) and Eric Gillette (guitars, vocals). The band's first album, "The Grand Experiment", showed both a freshness and maturity that was further developed in 2016's "The Similitude Of A Dream", 2019's "The Great Adventure" and 2021's "Innocence & Danger".

Look for NMB on tour in North America in October 2021 and in Europe throughout May/June 2022.

Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger of HALESTORM played a two-song acoustic set on June 6 as part of the global concert "Gibson Live: A Celebration Of Artists To Benefit Gibson Gives" in celebration of the opening of the Gibson Garage. You can now see them performing "Amen" and "The Silence" below.

Organized by Gibson Gives — the 501c3 philanthropic arm of Gibson, which supports musicians, youth-focused education and wellness initiatives worldwide, and is committed to making the world a better place by helping other non-profit organizations — the "Gibson Live…" concert featured additional performances by Warren Haynes, Margo Price, Kip Moore, James Bay, Marcus King, Orianthi, Samantha Fish, Morgan Wade, Fer Casillas, Sadler Vaden, Tak Matsumoto, Celisse, Emily Wolfe, Jared James Nichols with Joe Bonamassa, Laura Cox and Wax, and more. Gibson Gives will donate 100% of the "Gibson Live…" concert proceeds to two powerful organizations making positive changes: MusiCares, a safety net of critical health and welfare services to the music community; and Save The Music, helping kids, schools, and communities discover their full potential through the power of making music.

During an appearance on the June 11 edition of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation Virtual Invasion", Hale spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for HALESTORM's follow-up to 2018's "Vicious" album. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's going great. We're actually kind of in the eleventh hour. Everything is starting to really congeal and just reveal itself. So we're at the tail end of it. We already have a first single picked; that just happened. So you're definitely going to be hearing music sooner than later. As far as the release date of the record, I don't have that yet."

Hale went on to reflect on the songwriting process for the new HALESTORM LP, some of which took part after touring was shut down due to coronavirus precautions. She said: "I think a lot of us [artists] were questioning, over the past year and change, about why am I still doing this? Who am I without touring? Who am I without all of the normal things that make my life normal? And we took, or at least I — I can't speak for the guys — but I took writing when there was no real schedules, 'cause we didn't know what was gonna open up, I took to writing to kind of have that be my escape, have that be my stage. So what you're going to hear on this record is a lot of that, a lot of me placing myself in this spot, in this communion of people that I feel most comfortable, and just surrounded by everyone that loves the same music that I do."

Lzzy also talked about once again working with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who first helmed HALESTORM's 2017 effort "ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP" and was previously described by Hale as the group's "fifth member."

"He's so passionate and he's just a fan of music," she said. "And I know that sounds surprising — oh, yeah, a music producer that isn't a fan of music. There are a lot of those; there are a lot of those types of producers that are not fans of your music, let alone really listening to your genre. So it's just great to be working with a producer that just loves the same kind of music and knows what we can do.

"We've written so much material for this record, and a lot of it we end up throwing out and then rewriting and whatever," she explained. "What people don't understand is you have to be willing to work so hard just to throw it all away and do it again and make sure it's right, 'cause it has to be right. 'Cause you don't wanna look back and be, like, 'Oh, I should have said something about that.'"

HALESTORM's latest release was last year's "Halestorm Reimagined", a collection of the band's reworked original songs as well as a cover of "I Will Always Love You", the love ballad made famous by Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton.

Lzzy and her brother Arejay formed the band in 1998 while in middle school. Guitarist Joe Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by bassist Josh Smith in 2004.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a "Best Rock Performance" Grammy Award for its song "Uncomfortable". Six years earlier, the band won its first Grammy in the category of "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)". According to the Grammy web site, Lzzy became the first woman to earn a Grammy in the category.

DEF LEPPARD lead guitarist Phil Collen joined the iconic queen of funk Chaka Khan on stage during the Black Girls Rock! 15th -anniversary fundraising gala, which streamed yesterday (Friday, June 18) on the newly launched BGR!TV network. You can watch video of his performance below.

The virtual gala, powered by Microsoft, was an illustrious celebration of black girl magic featuring additional musical performances by Grammy-nominated virtuosos Alice Smith and Maimouna Youssef, a.k.a. MuMu Fresh; D.C.'s all-woman go-go band BELA DONA; Grammy Award-winning gospel singer Tasha Cobbs Leonard; and celebrity DJ Aktive. The event was hosted by esteemed actress Tatyana Ali and hip-hop icon MC Lyte, with appearances by acclaimed actor Wood Harris, Grammy Award-winning artist Estelle, and more.

When the event was first announced, Bond said: "Fifteen years ago, I created Black Girls Rock! to honor black women and to counter societal norms that too often marginalize our voices, images, and contributions. Black Girls Rock! triggered a seismic paradigm shift that exponentially elevated the stories, leadership, accomplishments, and inclusion of women of color. I am humbled by the tremendous global impact this movement has made in the lives of millions of women and girls.

"After fifteen years of advocating for black women's visibility and power, it's a fitting evolution to launch our own OTT network, BGR!TV. Owning our narrative whilst fostering black economic empowerment and equity is critical for our liberation. As the proud owner of this new media platform, I'm now able to scale my efforts to create content that reflects our audience and provide more opportunities for content creators and storytellers.

"I'm grateful to Microsoft for leading by example in its support of black women-owned businesses. Their sponsorship of this year's fundraising gala is a testament to how allyship looks in action. Our 15-year anniversary fundraising gala is headlined by the incomparable Chaka Khan and many other amazing artists will be joining us to punctuate this momentous milestone."

Chaka Khan said: "It is an honor to support Beverly Bond and this amazing organization and movement that she has built. I am so excited to headline Black Girls Rock!'s 15-year anniversary fundraising gala during the launch of BGR!TV, which will continue to be an inspiration to all generations, lifting legends, and making sure that black women's enormous contributions to society are acknowledged."

The Black Girls Rock! 15th-anniversary fundraising gala will benefit the advocacy and philanthropic work that Black Girls Rock! continues to pioneer via its 501(c)(3) programs and initiatives. Tickets for the virtual gala can be purchased online at www.blackgirlsrock.com.




Phil Collen takes a SUPER SEXY SOLO with Chaka Kahn on Black Girls Rock Awards show!

Chaka Khan Def Leppard Die Hard Fans Def Leppard's House of Rock #philcollen #defleppard #BGR #guitarsolo #rockgod

Posted by Lorelei Shellist on Saturday, June 19, 2021

In a new interview with "Good Day Sacramento", KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons was asked for his thoughts on the band's controversial 1979 album "Dynasty". At the time of its release, the LP was described as a "hit-or-miss" affair which displeased some fans by the inclusion of "I Was Made for Lovin 'You", a song that featured a disco beat.

"Well, when people talk about that record [being] hit-or-miss, it was a multi-platinum record, so that's called a hit," Gene said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "There are some songs that are pop[-flavored] — yeah, by definition it's called a hit. 'You know, I don't like the way that guy hit that baseball, that home run that he hit.' Idiot, it was a home run. So that's called a home run. It doesn't matter how you feel about it. These are semantics, but I'm not anti-semantic. You see what I did there?"

"I Was Made for Lovin' You" was released as the A-side of KISS's first single from "Dynasty". It was the band's second gold single, selling over 1 million copies. The single reached No. 11 on the U.S. Billboard singles chart. The song also became a Top 10 hit in Australia, reaching No. 6 on the ARIA charts in 1979. The song fared the best in Western Europe (Where it became a Top 20 hit in Sweden, a Top 10 hit in Norway, made it to the No. 2 position in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, and in Holland it became a No. 1 smash).

In 2018, Simmons said that he hated performing "I Was Made For Lovin' You" because he is forced to sing like his grandmother. Asked in an interview with OK! magazine to name a song that he wasn't initially crazy about that ended up becoming a hit, Gene said: "Well, Paul Stanley comes in and he says, 'Did you write any songs?' I go, 'Oh, yeah. I've got one called 'Almost Human'.' 'Yeah? How does it go?' 'I'm almost human. I can't help feelin' strange.' 'Yeah, that's cool. That's a Gene song.' 'How about you, Paul?' He goes, 'I've got one. [It goes] 'Tonight.'' "Ooooh. That's cool. What's the next line?' 'I'm gonna give it all to you.' 'Oh, yeah. I know what 'it' means — I know exactly what you mean.' 'In the darkness.' [Claps] 'Love that!' 'There something I wanna do.' 'Yeah, I know what that 'something' is. Wow! That's a cool song. Okay, what's my part?' [Sings] 'Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do.' 'You're killing me. Really? I'm gonna sing like my grandmother?' [Sings] 'Do, do, do…' I hate playing that song to [this] day. Stadiums full of people jump up and down like biblical locusts — they go nuts — with tattoos and grills on… 'Ahhhh!' They're all jumping up and down, and I'm going, 'Do, do, do, do, do, do… Kill me now.' Still — still to this day I hate that song."

After the female interviewer pressed him on whether the song ever grew on him after performing it for the last four decades, Gene said: "Well, how about you sing that song? You're a girl. I wanna sing guy stuff."

Stanley admitted in 2017 that the success of "I Was Made For Lovin' You" was "a double-edged sword, because it became such a massive hit but it was also so contrary and contradictory to what we had done before." He added: "The funniest thing is when we do festivals sometimes in Europe where it's very much… the bands are quite heavy, well, when we do an encore of 'I Was Made For Lovin' You', you suddenly have all these people with spikes in their eyeballs or bones through their noses singing along. So it's a song that seems to transcend everything — although it went through a period, certainly, of a big backlash against it."

Robert Mason says that he was a bit perplexed by George Lynch's recent comment that "there's a little bit of a rub" between the members of THE END MACHINE over the band's lyrical content due to their divergent political views.

Last month, George discussed the lyrical themes covered on THE END MACHINE's "Phase2" album in an interview with "Pariah Burke's Hard, Heavy & Hair" show. At the time, he said: "Jeff [Pilson; THE END MACHINE, FOREIGNER and ex-DOKKEN bassist] and I are aligned politically — we're both very progressive in our political thinking and our little bit of activism that we try to participate in through our music. I don't know how effective that is — probably not effective at all — but we feel compelled to try to do that because we feel it's the right thing to do. Robert is not aligned with us politically in his messaging, so when we were writing the lyrics, of course, there's a little bit of a rub there. But we all respect each other enough to at least honor the idea of deducing truth from whatever it is we're discussing. And we can have a difference of opinion on the results of that analysis, but we don't have a difference of opinion about how we achieve that, how we go about deciding if something is truthful or not. So we're able to have discussions that are pretty civil and we can agree to disagree. And a lot of that is filtered down to some of the lyrics."

George continued: "I'm not saying that the lyrics are a hundred percent a pure reflection of what I would consider to be the truth. I made some compromises, and I'm okay with that, because that's the world we live in. But I think generally the message is the same message you would hear from any progressive activist, and it deals with massive inequality, injustice, environmental concerns and just the way we view ourselves as responsible animals and how we should behave."

Mason addressed Lynch's comments in a new interview with "On The Road To Rock With Clint Switzer". When Switzer pointed out that Lynch's words got him thinking about when politics started coming into play in the context of writing hard rock songs, Mason quipped: "It made you think, 'God, George gets off topic and says some dumb-ass shit every once in a while.'

"You know what's really funny? Somebody's gonna watch this, and that's gonna be the Blabbermouth quote," he continued.

"It doesn't [come into play], really. A good song is a good song. I don't go out on a mission to state some cause in some preachy way that everybody else has to listen to. So that's not what I go about when I'm writing lyrics. If I'm inspired by anything I see, hear, taste, smell, experience, get hit by — whatever — I'll write about it. But that was not my aim."

Mason went on to say that Lynch's comments "had my head scratching, to be honest, a little bit too. But the guy thinks the way he wants to think," he said. "He can pick and choose what he wants to say in an interview, and so can I. It's not like we fistfought or it's not like we called each other idiots. We're not that polarized. We're actually the sort of folks who still engage in thoughtful dialogue with each other instead of just saying, 'You're an idiot,' 'Nope. You are.' I think that dissent and lack of recognizing common ground is probably an instrumental problem that people have nowadays.

"Once again, I'm not being too preachy… You know, not to wax too philosophical, but the distance between us in our opinions, it's not distance between us; maybe there's common ground there," he added. "I mean, I hate to say that and sound all mushy. The lyrics mostly come from me anyway — they all did on the last record — but if somebody's got an interesting thought or a lyric or an idea, I'm more than happy to write around it. I didn't think it was that challenging. In a word, it wasn't really that challenging. And if George has an idea, [he'll] give me buzz words. He's not really a lyric writer, but he'll text me a bunch of stuff and say, 'Hey, man. What do you think of this? Can you integrate this into what you're doing?' And I made every effort to do so."

This past April, Pilson also confirmed to Steve Mascord of the "White Life Fever" podcast that differences in political views exist between the members of THE END MACHINE.

"I think ultimately we all have the same goals in mind — we all want a safe, secure world and a prosperous world," he said. "But, yeah, we have differences, and I think working them out and talking them out and finding common ground is a great thing.

"George and I actually fairly in sync thought-wise, but, yeah, it's other guys. And that's great. Like I say, I welcome that. The main thing is that we talk. The main thing is that we understand and respect what people say. I mean, to just throw out what the other side says, I think, is really, really a bad mistake. And I think we've done way too much of that."

Asked if he has any advice on how to interact with people who have different political views from you without jeopardizing your friendship with them, Jeff said: "I think you always have to judge the situation at the moment. I don't think there's any one solution for everything. Some people don't wanna talk reasonably. Some people just wanna reinforce their own beliefs. And when that's the case, or even if I'm doing that, there's no sense talking. But if you have a point of view that's reasonable, why can't you talk about it? That's my feeling. Like I say, I think what's really made it bad is that people have two distinct sources of what they believe is the truth. And that's a problem — that's a serious, serious problem. And if we don't figure that out or something, we're gonna be in more trouble. And I think it starts with talking. So, talk when you can. Talk when people want to talk, when they're reasonable, when they have a desire to see what you think or when you have a desire to hear what they think. I think it's important to talk."

Back in 2017, Pilson — an acclaimed producer and a veteran bassist who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER, DOKKEN and T&N — said that then-President Donald Trump was "a dangerous man" whose vitriolic and divisive rhetoric could ignite another American civil war.

In September 2019, Lynch caught flak from some of his fans when he slammed Trump in an interview, calling the billionaire real estate mogul an "idiotic monster" and an "egotistical, self-aggrandizing, complete piece of shit" who "doesn't know anything." George was also criticized when told Australia's "Scars And Guitars" podcast that "progressives are more compassionate people by nature — we're wired to sort of be more empathetic and care about things outside of ourselves. We are about other people; it hurts us to see people in pain or suffer," he explained. "So they call us 'snowflakes.' But people that are wired, on the right, the way their brains are wired, they don't have that sense of empathy. I'm not saying it's good or bad — I'm just saying it is. And these people are the ones that have the guns. And they're willing to use them. And it's becoming pretty frightening."

"Phase2" was released in April via Frontiers Music Srl. The album features drummer Steve Brown, younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer "Wild" Mick Brown, who played on THE END MACHINE's self-titled 2019 debut.

Russell Allen says that he doesn't think ADRENALINE MOB will ever do anything again, nearly four years after the accident that resulted in the death of the band's bassist, David Zablidowsky.

The incident occurred in July 2017 when a tractor-trailer — dispatched by Largo, Florida company Twiss Transport Inc. — veered off Interstate 75 near Micanopy, Florida, crossed at least one full traffic lane before leaving the road, splitting the band's RV in half and causing it to become engulfed in flames.

Tour manager Janet Rains (a.k.a. Jane Train) suffered "catastrophic injuries" in the accident and was removed from all life support measures a little over a month later.

Asked in a new interview with "Breaking Absolutes With Peter Orullian"if fans can expect to see ADRENALINE MOB reactivated at some point in the future, Allen, who was seriously injured in the crash, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Nah, I don't think it's ever gonna be able to continue. There might be something where… I wouldn't mind revisiting some music ideas that maybe we can do something… I'm never gonna say I've closed the door on making music again in that style."

He continued: "There's just so many things that were supposed to happen with Dave and that group that I just don't see myself being able to do that in a live sense in terms of touring and stuff without having to… I'm just not there yet. Let's see how it goes after I get this other stuff going and see where I'm at and maybe I can think about that.

"This is a lifelong scar for me and something I'm gonna have to wear," Russell added. "And I'm very conscious of the effect that it has on the families of those that we lost and what that means for them and what the band means to those people. And I'm very, very aware of that, and that's something that I'm not gonna dishonor anybody's memory by doing something that I feel might upset that. So it's gotta be something that everybody's cool with, and mostly me."

At the time of the accident, ADRENALINE MOB was touring in support of its third studio album, "We The People", which was released in June 2017 via Century Media. The follow-up to 2014's "Men Of Honor" was the first ADRENALINE MOB release to feature Zablidowsky and drummer Jordan Cannata.

In November 2017, Rains's family filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against Disney and others alleging the truck driver hauling oil negligently crashed into ADRENALINE MOB's tour vehicle, resulting in her death. The lawsuit alleged that Disney Worldwide Services arranged for a shipment of oil from Cargill, Inc., in Gainesville, Georgia, to be delivered to Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The lawsuit also alleged that Disney "improperly" subcontracted the transportation to Bulova Technologies Group, Inc.'s subsidiary Twiss Transport, whose driver was involved in the crash. The driver reportedly had a history of traffic violations, including for speeding and following too closely.

Legendary rockers FOGHAT — Roger Earl (founding member/drums), Bryan Bassett (lead guitar, formerly with WILD CHERRY and MOLLY HATCHET), Charlie Huhn (lead guitar and lead vocals, formerly with Ted Nugent, Gary Moore, VICTORY and HUMBLE PIE) and Rodney O'Quinn (bass, formerly with the PAT TRAVERS BAND) — celebrate 50 years of rock and roll with "8 Days On The Road", a 14-track live performance that will be released as a double CD/DVD package on July 16, 2021 on their own Foghat Records label, distributed by Select-O-Hits (which is part of the Sun Records family and is owned by Sam Philips's son and nephew).

Pre-orders are now available on these digital outlets, which includes an instant download of "Road Fever" with purchase, as well as a pre-save on Spotify. A video for the song can be seen on the band's official YouTube page today. The collection will also be available on 180-gram vinyl in the coming months.

Recorded on November 17, 2019 at Daryl's House Club in Pawling, New York, the collection features the band's biggest and most legendary hits, including "Slow Ride", "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "Fool For The City" and so many others.

As original drummer Roger Earl explains: "Eight days on the road is more like 80,000 days on the road for us, but that's okay; I love my job! It was a change and a real pleasure to play this particular small room. I explained to a couple of folks sitting down front as we were about to take the stage that we sweat a lot, and they might want to finish eating. They just grinned and said, 'We're ready.' And so were we!"

"To play in a small intimate venue like Daryl's club was really fun and something we don't do often," says lead guitarist Bryan Bassett. "Combine that with the fact that this venue has been fine-tuned for acoustics by the on-site recording professionals and this became a great place for us to play and record."

While bassist Rodney O'Quinn shares: "In 2019, we were definitely living up to the title, '8 Days On The Road'. Having played at Daryl's House once before, I remember that it was such a great-sounding room. The energy in the room that night was electric, and the band was hitting on all cylinders."

Singer/guitarist Charlie Huhn concludes: "Playing in an intimate club is so much more energetic and exciting, because as a performer, when you are close to the audience, it's as though you are really in there with them and they are onstage with you. This closeness feeds on you to bring out the best which is a very cool feeling. After playing in larger, more distant stage scenarios like fairs, festivals, casinos and theaters, it was really awesome to be right in with the audience. The close proximity lends an especially exuberant feel that is infectious, and this show was no exception."

Formed in 1971 when "Lonesome" Dave Peverett and Roger Earl left the British blues-rock band SAVOY BROWN, FOGHAT has earned eight gold albums, one platinum album and one double-platinum album. They've continued to release new music every few years and have never stopped touring and recording, although there have been several ups and downs and lineup changes over the years. They sadly lost Peverett in 2000, Rod Price in 2005 and Craig Macgregor in 2018, but founding drummer Roger Earl kept the band's musical legacy going.

If FOGHAT had only given us "Slow Ride", the band's place in rock history would be secure, but the band is so much more than that. As stated by Roger Earl: "We are still a 'work in progress,' writing and recording and plan to be until the day we depart this earth."

The band has already started to work on a new blues/rock studio album, to be released in 2022.

"8 Days On The Road" track listing:

01. Drivin' Wheel

02. Road Fever

03. Stone Blue

04. Fool For The City

05. It Hurts Me Too

06. Take Me To The River

07. Home In My Hand

08. 8 Days On The Road

09. Chateau Lafitte '59 Boogie

10. I Just Want To Make Love To You

11. Chevrolet

12. Maybellene

13. Play That Funky Music

14. Slow Ride

Photo credit: Elijah Shark

FOO FIGHTERS' will release "Hail Satin" exclusively for Record Store Day on July 17. The 10-track LP will contain the band's covers of five BEE GEES classics — "You Should Be Dancing", "Night Fever", "Tragedy" and "More Than A Woman" plus Andy Gibb's "Shadow Dancing" — as well as five FOO FIGHTERS' tracks from the "Medicine At Midnight" album recorded live at the band's 606 studio. The limited-edition vinyl will be packaged "era-appropriately in a dazzling rainbow mylar sleeve."

"For optimal results, listen with exposed chest hair and little gold spoon necklace (If you know, you know…)," FOO FIGHTERS said.

FOO FIGHTERS previously performed "You Should Be Dancing" for the Jo Wiley's BBC show and "Shadow Dancing" for the Rock N' Relief livestream.

Frontman Dave Grohl explained how the "You Should Be Dancing" cover came about, saying: "We've been going down to our studio every day and filming things and recording things, and this one day we had our list of things we were supposed to do and it said, 'Record a cover song for Jo.' And while we were having this conversation, somebody said, 'Hey, have you seen that BEE GEES documentary?' And I was like the last person on earth — the only person that hadn't seen it! So I was, like, 'Why don't we just do a BEE GEES song?' And someone was just, like, 'Okay… how do you wanna do it?!' And I said: 'Well, let's do it like the BEE GEES.'"

He continued: "We started recording the instrumental track, and then I thought, 'Okay, well, I'm gonna go out and sing it…' and let me tell you, I have never, ever in my life sung like that, but it was the easiest song I have ever sung in my entire life! I sang the song, and it was like six minutes and I was done. I should have been singing like this for the last 25 years!'

"Hail Satin" track listing:

Side A - The DEE GEES:

01. You Should Be Dancing

02. Night Fever

03. Tragedy

04. Shadow Dancing

05. More Than a Woman

Side B - Live At 606:

01. Making A Fire

02. Shame Shame

03. Waiting On A War

04. No Son Of Mine

05. Cloudspotter

A list of participating record stores is available at the Record Store Day site.

Photo credit: Magdalena Wosinska






Introducing...the Dee Gees!!!

HAIL SATIN - coming to a local record store & dance party near you July 17th!!! https://t.co/tBmhSkPpMm #RSDDrops #RSD21 @recordstoreday pic.twitter.com/j0g6Kh5jSj

— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) June 17, 2021

STAIND's Mike Mushok spoke to Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's first studio album since 2011's self-titled effort. "We're working on that now," he said. "Aaron [Lewis, STAIND frontman] is finishing up a country record; he's just about done with it. I think the idea is once that's completed, we're gonna… There's a bunch of [new] songs kicking around. It's just kind of [a matter of] sorting through that stuff and seeing what, if anything, we like, and figuring out… I imagine, having not put out a real record of new music in 10 years, we're gonna be pretty critical of what it is and wanna make sure that it's great. But, yes, there is talk of that. We actually signed a record deal and have a deal to do a new record."

This past March, Lewis told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he "would certainly love to" have the new STAIND album "recorded and done by the end of this year, to be released next year. All of our plans that were kind of semi on the books and on the table, everything just had a year taken off of it [due to the pandemic]," he said. "We were gonna have a record come out sometime in 2020 or certainly in 2021, and there was a schedule that was on the table that, just like everything else, got burned to the ground as soon as [the lockdown] started."

STAIND has released seven albums since 1995, the latest being 2011's self-titled effort. The band has had a number of hit songs during its first two decades, including the Top 10 smash "It's Been Awhile" from the No. 1 album "Break The Cycle". Follow-up LPs "14 Shades Of Grey" and "Chapter V" also topped the Billboard chart.

STAIND released its first album in nine years, "Live: It's Been Awhile", on May 7 via Yap'em/Alchemy Recordings. The "Live: It's Been Awhile" album was accompanied by "The Return Of Staind", a two-part global streaming series in partnership with Danny Wimmer Presents. The series launched with STAIND's "Live: It's Been Awhile (From Foxwoods)" concert, which streamed globally on May 1. The "Live: It's Been Awhile" album and concert were recorded at the band's comeback show at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut in October 2019. The never-before-seen concert celebrated the band's reunion after a five-year hiatus. STAIND also performed its iconic multi-platinum 2001 album "Break The Cycle" in its entirety for a May 8 streaming event, exactly 20 years after the album's release. The "20th Anniversary Of Break The Cycle, Performed In Its Entirety" took place at Mill 1 in Open Square in Holyoke, Massachusetts, bringing the band back to their Western Mass roots.

STAIND played its first full live show in five years in September 2019 at the Louder Than Life music festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

The band was scheduled to support DISTURBED on "The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" throughout North America last summer. The amphitheater trek has since been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

STAIND will support KORN on a U.S. summer tour. Produced by Live Nation, the coast-to-coast 28-city outing will kick off August 5 in West Palm Beach, Florida and make stops in Long Island, Detroit, Irvine, Phoenix, Austin and more, before wrapping up with a performance at Dallas' Dos Equis Pavilion on September 21. Furthermore, both bands will perform at Louisville, Kentucky's Louder Than Life festival on September

On June 25, Capitol/UMe celebrates two landmark progressive metal albums by QUEENSRŸCHE. The breakthrough collection "Operation: Mindcrime" and its successful follow-up, "Empire", will be released in multiple formats. In addition to the original versions remastered for CD and 180-gram vinyl 2LP, both titles will be available in expanded 2CD editions and in multi-disc CD+DVD box sets that stand as the final word on these albums, which carried the ambitious conceptual approach of such artists as THE WHO and PINK FLOYD to a new decade and to a new hard rock audience.

Newly mastered at Abbey Road Studios, the deluxe versions of these remarkable albums bring together all the available recordings in 10" x 10" boxes that also contain DVDs of accompanying promotional videos and live performances of the albums. The live audio material revisits QUEENSRŸCHE's worldwide headlining status during the "Building Empires" tour, an 18-month trek that saw the band headline arenas after previous high-profile supporting slots on the DEF LEPPARD "Hysteria" and METALLICA "…And Justice For All" tours. The "Operation: Mindcrime" deluxe features live audio concerts from London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1990 and Wisconsin's Target Center in 1991, plus a DVD that also includes the bonus track "The Making of Operation: Mindcrime" and an "Operation: Mindcrime" TV spot. The "Empire" deluxe version completes the Hammersmith Odeon 1990 concert with the live audio from the non-"Mindcrime" setlist. Geoff Tate, inducted into the 2020 Metal Hall Of Fame, sheds new light on "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Empire" in extended interviews with noted journalist Alex Milas for the liner notes.

The deluxe versions of "Operation: Mindcrime" (originally released May 1988) and "Empire" (originally released August 1990) are available for preorder now. Ahead of — and leading up to — the releases, the celebration of these comprehensive box sets and releases includes a weekly premiere of remastered high-definition video on QUEENSRŸCHE's official YouTube channel. With its sinister backdrops, a dramatic unfolding of characters and QUEENSRŸCHE's high-octane stage performance, the "Operation: Mindcrime" HD remastered video, available now, provides a glimpse into the album's intricate concept. The HD remastered video rollout for "Operation: Mindcrime" continues with "Eyes Of A Stranger" and Grammy-nominated single for "Best Metal Performance" "I Don't Believe In Love", all of which bring the plot to life. HD remastered video premieres from "Empire" are the title track, "Empire", "Best I Can", "Anybody Listening?", the Grammy-nominated No. 1 rock hit "Silent Lucidity" (June 18) and, on release day, June 25, remastered HD videos will premiere for two more fan favorites "Another Rainy Night (Without You)" and "Jet City Woman".

QUEENSRŸCHE's third studio album, "Operation: Mindcrime", took the quintet to an entirely new level. The concept, revealed through the songs, revolves around the character of Nikki, a recovering drug addict disillusioned with a corrupt society. Drawn into a cult-like revolutionary group headed by Dr. X (voiced by the late and beloved British actor Anthony Valentine), Nikki is manipulated to assassinate political leaders until his friendship with nun Sister Mary finally opens his eyes to the truth. Regarded as one of the greatest concept metal albums of all time, "Operation: Mindcrime" was certified platinum in 1991 in the U.S. and was ranked in the "Top 100 Metal Albums Of All Time" by both Kerrang! and Billboard magazines. Rolling Stone included it on a similar list, noting that "nearly 30 years after its initial release, 'Mindcrime' feels eerily relevant."

Reaching No. 7 on the Billboard album chart, the follow-up, "Empire", built upon the success of "Operation: Mindcrime". Produced, like its predecessor, by Peter Collins (BON JOVI, RUSH, ALICE COOPER), the collection features brilliant and intelligent lyrics and songwriting complemented by incredible musicianship, with songs ranging from beautiful ballads to strong melodic rockers and classic heavy fist-pumpers. A rarity at the time, "Empire" spawned six singles that lit up Billboard's rock tracks chart with the Top 10 hits "Silent Lucidity" (No. 1), "Jet City Woman" (No. 6), "Another Rainy Night (Without You)" (No. 7) and Top 30 hits "Anybody Listening?" (No. 16), "Empire" (No. 22) and "Best I Can" (No. 28). The power ballad "Silent Lucidity" was the band's first crossover hit, topping the Billboard rock singles chart and reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Silent Lucidity" also earned a Grammy nomination for "Best Rock Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group" and received an MTV "Viewer's Choice" award. RIAA-certified triple-platinum, "Empire" is the band's most commercially successful album to date.

Progressive metal greats QUEENSRŸCHE emerged from Bellevue, Washington, in 1982 and have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.

"Operation: Mindcrime" 4CD/1DVD Deluxe Version

CD1

01. I Remember Now

02. Anarchy-X

03. Revolution Calling

04. Operation: Mindcrime

05. Speak

06. Spreading The Disease

07. The Mission

08. Suite Sister Mary

09. The Needle Lies

10. Electric Requiem

11. Breaking The Silence

12. I Don't Believe In Love

13. Waiting For 22

14. My Empty Room

15. Eyes Of A Stranger

CD2

01. I Don't Believe In Love - Extended Version

02. The Mission - Live At The Hammersmith Odeon, London, 1990

03. My Empty Room - Live At The Astoria Theatre, London, 1994

04. Interview With Queensrÿche

05. Overseeing The Operation

06. The Lady Wore Black - Live From Wisconsin, 1991

07. Roads To Madness - Live From Wisconsin, 1991

CD3 "Operation: Mindcrime" Live At Hammersmith Odeon, London, England, 1990

01. I Remember Now

02. Anarchy-X

03. Revolution Calling

04. Operation: Mindcrime

05. Speak

06. Spreading The Disease

07. The Mission

08. Suite Sister Mary

09. The Needle Lies

10. Electric Requiem

11. Breaking The Silence

12. I Don't Believe In Love

13. Waiting For 22

14. My Empty Room

15. Eyes Of A Stranger

CD4 "Operation: Mindcrime" Live From Wisconsin, 1991

01. I Remember Now

02. Anarchy-X

03. Revolution Calling

04. Operation: Mindcrime

05. Speak

06. Spreading The Disease

07. The Mission

08. Suite Sister Mary

09. The Needle Lies

10. Electric Requiem

11. Breaking The Silence

12. I Don't Believe In Love

13. Waiting For 22

14. My Empty Room

15. Eyes Of A Stranger

DVD "Operation: Mindcrime" Live / Promo Videos

01. I Remember Now [Concert Film] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1991

02. Anarchy-X [Music Video] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1988

03. Revolution Calling [Concert Film] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1991

04. Operation: Mindcrime [Concert Film] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1991

05. Speak [Concert Film] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1991

06. Spreading The Disease [Concert Film] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1991

07. The Mission [Music Video] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1988

08. Suite Sister Mary [Concert Film] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1991

09. The Needle Lies [Concert Film] - Live On Location in Wisconsin, 1991

10. Electric Requiem [Music Video] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1988

11. Breaking The Silence [Music Video] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1988

12. I Don't Believe In Love [Concert Film] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1991

13. Waiting For 22 [Concert Film] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1991

14. My Empty Room [Music Video] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1988

15. Eyes Of A Stranger [Concert Film] - Live On Location In Wisconsin, 1991

16. Operation Livecrime End Credits [Concert Film]

17. I Remember Now [Concert Film]

18. Anarchy-X [Concert Film]

19. Revolution Calling [Music Video]

20. Operation: Mindcrime [Music Video]

21. Speak [Music Video]

22. Breaking The Silence [Music Video]

23. I Don't Believe In Love [Music Video]

24. Waiting For 22 [Concert Film]

25. Eyes Of A Stranger [Concert Film]

26. Operation: Mindcrime End Credits [Concert Film]

27. I Don't Believe In Love [Concert Film] 2019 Remaster

28. The Making of Operation: Mindcrime [Behind the Scenes] - Bonus Track

29. I Don't Believe In Love

30. Eyes Of A Stranger

31. Revolution Calling

32. Operation: Mindcrime [Trailers/Teasers] - Bonus Track

33. Revolution Calling

34. Eyes Of A Stranger

35. I Don't Believe In Love

36. Menu / Queensrÿche / Operation: Mindcrime [Concert Film]

"Empire" 3CD/1DVD deluxe version

CD1

01. Best I Can

02. The Thin Line

03. Jet City Woman

04. Della Brown

05. Another Rainy Night (Without You)

06. Empire

07. Resistance

08. Silent Lucidity

09. Hand On Heart

10. One And Only

11. Anybody Listening?

CD2

01. Last Time In Paris - (Bonus Track)

02. Scarborough Fair - (Bonus Track)

03. Dirty Lil Secret - (Bonus Track)

04. Silent Lucidity - Edit

05. Empire - Edit

06. I Dream In Infrared - Acoustic Version

07. Prophecy - Live In Tokyo

08. Best I Can - Radio Edit

09. Anybody Listening? -Radio Edit

CD3 Empire Live At Hammersmith Odeon, London, England 1990

01. Resistance

02. Walk in The Shadows

03. Best I Can

04. Empire

05. The Thin Line

06. Jet City Woman

07. Roads To Madness

08. Silent Lucidity

09. Hand On Heart

10. Take Hold Of The Flame

DVD

01. Building Empires Opening [Concert Film]

02. Nightrider [Music Video]

03. Prophecy [Concert Film] - Live In Tokyo, 1983

04. Gonna Get Close To You [Concert Film]

05. Eyes of A Stranger [Music Video] - Alternate Version

06. Empire [Concert Film]

07. Best I Can [Music Video]

08. Silent Lucidity [Music Video]

09. Jet City Woman [Music Video]

10. Another Rainy Night (Without You) [Concert Film]

11. Another Rainy Night (Without You) [Music Video] - Alternate Version

12. Anybody Listening? [Concert Film]

13. Resistance [Concert Film] - Live

14. Walk In The Shadows [Music Video] - Live

15. The Thin Line [Music Video] - Live

16. Take Hold Of The Flame [Music Video] - Live

17. The Lady Wore Black [Music Video] - Live

18. Silent Lucidity [Music Video] - Live

19. Building Empires End Credits [Concert Film]

20. Menu / Queensrÿche / Building Empires [Concert F

In 1990, five blokes from Newcastle called The Screaming Jets took the Aussie music scene by the scruff of the neck and gave a red hot shake.

Before they had even signed their first record deal with rooArt Records, the Screaming Jets had already clocked up more than 200 live shows, won the ‘Triple J Battle Of The Bands’ competition and established themselves as an onstage, no holds barred, powerhouse of Aussie rock n roll.

At the time, Kerrang described frontman Dave Gleeson as “a tattooed madman, hell on heels, he leaps around the stage like an epileptic in a minefield: a real horror show cross between Alex from Clockwork Orange and, in part, Mike Patton. Between songs his patter is a hilarious cocktail of equal parts vitriol and obscenity”.

In 1991 they released their debut album, All For One, which peaked at #2 on the ARIA charts. The second single from the album, "Better" was the song that introduced the band to the world, and saw The Screaming Jets embark on their first world tour - to Europe, UK, US and Canada.

“For a bloke from Cardiff, who’d spent a few years touring round Australia, to find himself on the other side of the world sharing the stage with the likes of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, INXS, and yes, even a band room with Spinal Tap was something beyond my wildest imagination,” says Dave Gleeson.

Flash forward to 2021 and as a 30th year anniversary celebration, and a tip of the hat to where it all began, the current lineup has rerecorded the All For One album with a fresh new take. Overseen by original producer, Steve James, the album has been repackaged with new artwork with a clear reference to the original.

Dave Gleeson says of the recording process: “The plan was always to re-record the album for this milestone. We just didn’t realize we’d be recording under these circumstances. One of the things that we’ve always loved about the recording studio is that it’s a bunch of blokes, locked away in our own world creating and mucking on. Obviously that option wasn’t open to us due to Covid, so we had to do it like the kids do. Our producer Steve James pulled it all together and because we weren’t messing around with arrangements it all went down very quickly and painlessly.”

The relentless touring that followed the initial album release saw The Jets tour with iconic bands like The Angels, The Choirboys and Divinyls as well as headlining their own tours, and building a die-hard live fan base across Australia and the world. Fast forward 30 years and The Jets are ready to celebrate the anniversary of the album that started it all with a national tour. The band will perform All For One in its entirety from start to finish for the very first time.

"It's nice to revisit some of those songs. A bunch of them we still play live to this day, but during the re-recording of some of the songs we haven't done for a while...wow, the memories just come flooding back and hopefully it'll be the same for our loyal fans. This tour may even bring people out who haven't seen us for a while. Maybe there will be people there to judge whether we are the same as 30 years ago. Maybe they'll think we are better. We haven’t toured together for 18 months – so it’ll be like a rebirth...which could get messy!,” says Dave Gleeson.

All For One will be released on August 13 on Digital, CD, Black Vinyl & Purple Vinyl formats. Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"C’Mon"
"No Point"
"Better"
"Needle"
"Shine On"
"Starting Out"
"Stop The World"
"Blue Sashes"
"Sister Tease"
"F.R.C."
"Got It"
"The Only One"

The Screaming Jets are:

Dave Gleeson (Vocals)
Paul Woseen (Bass)
Jimi Hocking (Guitar)
Scott Kingman (Guitar)
Cameron McGlinchey (Drums)




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Alien Weaponry return with a vengeance, announcing the release of their fervid sophomore release, Tangaroa, out September 17 via Napalm Records.

Since releasing their debut Tū (2018), the New Zealanders’ kinetic presence and sound - combining elements of thrash and groove metal with lyrics in the native indigenous language, te reo Māori - has attracted throngs of fans and media supporters across the globe. As with their 2018 single “Kai Tangata” - which has amassed more than 10 million views on YouTube and claimed the number-one spot on SiriusXM Liquid Metal’s “Devil’s Dozen” for 13 consecutive weeks - much of Tangaroa is immersed in the historical stories and cultural heritage of the Māori people.

In addition, Tangaroa details stories of personal struggle and growth, as well as crucial environmentalism topics. Witness a first sample of the band’s stirring new music with the album’s colossal title track, “Tangaroa”. Accompanied by a gripping music video, the track details the pressing theme of climate change and illegal fishing practices. Through raising this awareness, Alien Weaponry hope to support the important work and efforts of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Lead vocalist and guitarist Lewis de Jong says about the track: “We decided to write this song about how the ocean is being suffocated by humans and their waste. The ocean is an important part of my life, and it's important to protect it.”

Drummer Henry de Jong adds: “‘Tangaroa’ is a heavy and angry message about how we are destroying the ocean with pollution and overfishing. The video ties in with this message, with us drowning in plastic conveying the struggle of ocean life.”

Watch the official music video for “Tangaroa” below.

In addition to lyrics written in te reo Māori, many tracks feature traditional instruments, called taonga puoro, providing the tracks their own warrior-like attitude. Rhythmic, dynamic album opener “Titokowaru” begins with determined rowing chants and depicts the tale of a famous war chief that challenged the colonial government in New Zealand and led a rebel army, backed by quick riffage and driving drums. Following standout “Hatupatu”, inspired by the harrowing, legendary tale of a de Jong ancestor facing off with a witch, is carried by frenzied guitars, spirited chanting and tribal-like percussion. While Alien Weaponry sourced inspiration from their culture and environmental surroundings while writing most of Tangaroa, the band also looked inward - drawing vision for other portions of the album from within. The album dives into some of their most effecting personal experiences, with English-language songs like the pensive “Unforgiving” about facing self-loathing and insecurity, and the swirling, charging “Buried Underground” detailing the aftershocks of drug abuse.

Accented by personal touches like its entrancing album art originally conceptualized from drawings by Lewis de Jong, Tangaroa is a massive next step for a band on the rise, encompassing all of the elements that make Alien Weaponry heavy metal’s most authentic rising stars.

Henry de Jong says about Tangaroa: “The album is tied together with the message of ‘Tangaroa’ - the whole album is more a snapshot of the band’s brains during the writing process. We have also written songs that are about some of our first tūpuna (ancestors) who were here in Āotearoa (New Zealand). Hatupatu, who is very famous in Māori history, as well as Īhenga, who named a number of places in Āotearoa during his travels.”

Lewis de Jong adds about the album’s artwork and thematic details: “The album is named after the track ‘Tangaroa’, and we went with this theme on the artwork. The album is drawn from some new experiences we've had as well as some ancient Māori tales. I think we have stepped things up from the last album.”

Bassist Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds also adds: "This album's use of even more traditional Māori sounds and styles is a very exciting step forward for us."

Tangaroa will be available in the following formats:

- 4 page CD Digipack
- 4 page CD Digipack + Patch
- 2LP Gatefold Black
- 2LP Gatefold Turquoise
- 2LP Gatefold Marble Light Blue/Cream (Napalm Mailorder only - limited to 500)
- 2LP Gatefold Marble Orange/Transparent Black (Napalm Mailorder only - limited to 500)
- Wooden Box Edition: CD Digipack, pendant, patch, cover flag, canvas tote bag (Napalm Mailorder only - limited to 500)
- Die-Hard Edition: 2LP Gatefold Marble Crystal Clear/Curacao, hand numbered with guitar pic set and back patch (Napalm Mailorder only - limited to 400)
- Digital Album

Pre-order here.

Tangaroa tracklisting:

“Titokowaru“
“Hatupatu“
“Ahi Kā“
“Tangaroa“
“Unforgiving“
“Blinded“
“Kai Whatu“
“Crooked Monsters“
“Buried Underground“
“Dad“
“Īhenga“
“Down The Rabbit Hole“

“Tangaroa” video:

Alien Weaponry on Tangaroa is:

Henry Te Reiwhati de Jong - Drums, Backing vocals
Lewis Raharuhi de Jong - Guitars, Lead vocals
Ethan Trembath - Bass guitars, backing vocals & lead vocals on “Dad”
Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds - Backing vocals & guitar on “Unforgiving"

(Photo - Piotr Kwasnik)




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KISS would play to some of their biggest crowds on the Crazy Nights tour in the summer of 1988. On August 12, they performed the first of two shows at the Ritz nightclub in New York City as a warm up for their upcoming European dates as part of the Monsters Of Rock tour.

This prized broadcast perfectly captures the almighty, incendiary KISS live on stage in NYC. Stanley, Simmons, Kulick, and Carr tear through Katalog classics from their s/t 1974 album, Rock And Roll Over, Destroyer, Love Gun, Asylum and plenty more in a sonic showdown from the one and only kick ass rock ‘n’ roll combo from Queens, NY.

Rox Vox proudly presents the complete and original WNEW-FM broadcast of KISS, live at The Ritz, New York, August 12, 1988. Superb, professionally re-mastered original FM broadcast with background liners and timeline photos.

Due for release on November 5, Townsend Music has launched a pre-order for the title, here.

Tracklisting:

Side One
Intro
"Deuce"
"Love Gun"
"Fits Like A Glove"
"Heaven's On Fire"
"Cold Gin"

Side Two
"Black Diamond"
"Bang Bang You"
"No No No"
"Firehouse"
"Crazy Crazy Nights"

Side Three
"Calling Dr Love"
"War Machine"
"Reason To Live"
"Tears Are Falling"
"I Love It Loud"

Side Four
"Strutter"
"Shout It Out Loud"
"Lick It Up"
"Rock And Roll All Nite"
"Detroit Rock City"




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King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife Toyah Willcox - joined by the mysterious stranger Sidney Jake - are back with another episode in their "Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch" series. This time they take on the Survivor classic "Eye Of The Riger". Watch below:

A selection of Robert & Toyah's previous Sunday Lunch videos can be seen below:




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During a brand new interview with the "Talk Toomey" podcast, former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing spoke highly about fellow British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN, with whom PRIEST had toured nearly four decades ago.

"I would have to say I appreciate the mighty IRON MAIDEN because, obviously, being British — JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, BLACK SABBATH, SAXON, whatever," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And when you think about it, there's really not enough — there should have been a lot more coming through on the back of those bands. So maybe that time will come.

"You always hear about the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, which apparently IRON MAIDEN and SAXON and DEF LEPPARD were, but we don't have the 'New New' wave," he continued. "We had the one wave… We may have been the first, let's say; the second, those guys; but where is the third [wave]?

"But, yeah, congratulations to those guys for being ginormous, and, obviously, I have total respect. But I must commend those guys for their work ethic. Boy, they just go round and round the world. Where do they get their energy from?"

When host Joshua Toomey suggested to Downing that he had at times come across as a little bit jealous of MAIDEN's success in his 2018 autobiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", K.K. said: "I have to say that IRON MAIDEN got an awful lot of things right where we got some things not so right, I guess. But I'm still immensely proud of the success we had and what we did. I mean, just things like we were fairly eclectic, really, with albums — we would kind of do some new turns and stuff. Because we always felt, in the early days, it was our duty to widen the spectrum of the fanbase for metal. Because we could do songs like, for example, 'Blood Red Skies' or 'Living After Midnight'… And there's an awful lot in between. So we were always, not exactly experimenting but just pushing the boundaries maybe a little bit too far sometimes — maybe — for some of the fans. And so we had a fan divide where some fans liked this JUDAS PRIEST and some fans liked this JUDAS PRIEST — the darker side of the more rock side. Because in the early days, bands like us couldn't get gigs; we couldn't get record contracts, we couldn't get gigs. So we had to be more flexible with our material. I think when bands like IRON MAIDEN came along, they kind of knew their direction and kept it there. And that element of consistency as well, with bands like the mighty AC/DC and various bands, that works really, really well. And also the consistency of just going out year after year as well and working really, really hard. I mean, we did when we did two studio albums in one year — in '79 or something like that. And we did an awful lot of touring."

Three years ago, Downing opened up about the contentious rivalry that developed between PRIEST and MAIDEN when the two bands toured together in the early 1980s. He told SiriusXM's Eddie Trunk: "We'd just finished the 'British Steel' record in England, and we were going out on tour [in early 1980 with IRON MAIDEN]. And then the next thing I know, I read in a music paper that [IRON MAIDEN said] something like, 'Yeah, we're gonna blow the bollocks off PRIEST,' or something like that. And I went, 'What the hell is this shit?' We were still in the recording studio, tidying up the last mixes or something. And I said, 'Well, who are these guys?' Why should we have [them] on tour if they're gonna create this type of vibe before we've even met them, let alone done a show together?' I said, 'Let's get rid of them and get somebody that really appreciates the gig' [laughs], of which there would have been an awful lot of bands. But anyway, everybody talked me into going with it, and I said, 'Well, fine,' obviously being democratic. And the next thing I know, we were at the rehearsals at some theater in London somewhere, and this bunch of guys walked in and just sat down in front of me. And I said to my guitar tech, 'Who are those dudes there?' [Laughs] And he went, 'Oh, that's the support band.' And I said, 'Well, who the hell invited them into our rehearsal?' I was thinking about what I read in the papers. And I said, 'Well, just go and tell them that they weren't invited and they need to leave.' I didn't see an invite; nobody told me they were coming in — when you're trying to work out songs and this and that and the other. So that's what happened."

Downing continued: "Anyway, we went on tour [together], and can I just say they didn't blow the bollocks off JUDAS PRIEST — we were pretty well established at the time, and those guys were coming up through the ranks. So that happened. But it wasn't a good atmosphere on the tour, and it's not something I like to have happen — it shouldn't be that way. And next thing I know, somebody [said], 'Oh, IRON MAIDEN is opening up for you on their first U.S. tour [in 1981].' And I went, 'Oh, no! Not again. Can we just not have those guys on [the tour]?' But they came on the tour [anyway], and they created upsets, is what they did, for different reasons and it led to a confrontation and it got a bit ugly. I don't know how it all happened, but I did meet [former IRON MAIDEN singer] Paul Di'Anno so many years later, in about 1995, and he said, 'Hey, K.K., we're sorry about that quote in the paper.' And that's all you need.

"But, anyway, like I said, it's all water under the bridge," K.K. added. "Those guys were young, coming up through the ranks, a bit delinquent, but at least they had balls, they got on with it, they knew what they wanted to do."

Downing is currently promoting "Sermons Of The Sinner", the upcoming debut album from KK'S PRIEST, his new band with ex-JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens, along with guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE), bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

"Sermons Of The Sinner" will be released on August 20 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records. The LP's first single, "Hellfire Thunderbolt", came out last month, followed by the title track earlier this week.

DEF LEPPARD drummer Rick Allen, who has been expressing himself in recent years through his artwork, spoke to Pat's Soundbytes Unplugged about his "Legends" series, which consists of lifelike-yet-impressionistic portraits of musicians who have influenced him, from Jimi Hendrix to Freddie Mercury to John Lennon.

On the topic of how he gets the inspiration for his "Legends" paintings, Allen said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I remember over a year ago now losing Neil Peart [of RUSH], so it was obvious. My way of paying homage to one of the greatest drummers of all time was to paint him, and that's exactly what I did. And then the same with [VAN HALEN guitarist] Eddie Van Halen more recently."

Allen went on to reflect on the first time he heard VAN HALEN's music back in 1978, shortly after the release of the band's debut album.

"My best friend, he calls me and he says, 'I want you to come and listen to this record,'" Rick said. "So I go to his house and listen to 'Van Halen I' for the first time and was completely blown away. A couple of months later, they're coming through town with BLACK SABBATH — they're opening for BLACK SABBATH. And quite honestly, VAN HALEN owned that show. The BLACK SABBATH camp, you could see the wheels kind of coming off. But, yeah, VAN HALEN, they should have been the headliner.

"And then, I moved to the States in '91, became really good friends with Steve Lukather from TOTO," he continued. "He called me one night and he said, 'We're having a get-together. We'd love for you to come. I'd love to introduce you to my friend Eddie Van Halen.' So [as] this huge VAN HALEN fan from way back, I actually got to meet him. [He was] very unassuming. You wouldn't have thought he did what he did for a living, and especially play guitar like he does. So, again, my paying homage to Eddie was, really, to paint him. And my thoughts really went out to his family and, obviously, all of his fans worldwide."

Last month, Allen told CBS12 that he "really looked up to" Eddie Van Halen as a musician. "I think he changed guitar playing forever," he said. "I think between him and Jimi Hendrix, they inspired other musicians. It's just a massive loss."

As for his painting of Eddie, Rick said: I just wanted to capture that smile. He just seemed to be in his element. It's really paying homage to him. And I really felt for his family as well, of course."

In a 2018 interview with The Hype Magazine, Allen, who started painting at an early age before he ever picked up the drums, stated about his use of light or some sort of bright object in his art: "Reality is very difficult to do, but it's my attempt to painting the object or whatever it is. It's a study of how the light bounces off of the object. Some of the more recent pieces — there was one that I did of [late DEF LEPPARD guitarist] Steve Clark; then there was one I did of John Lennon; I did one of Jimi Hendrix, the 'Legends' pieces — that, to me, was a study at how you're really not painting the person's face, you're painting how the light bounces off of the person. If you look closely at some of the pieces, they make no sense when you look at them up close. When you stand back and you start to view it from a distance, it's almost like your mind fills in the blanks and it creates the illusion of reality."

Two years ago, Rick told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about his artistic process with his paintings: "I take a photograph I really like of the person, and I'll poster-ize it and sketch the poster-ization onto the canvas, and that's when I can come up with my whites, blacks and grays. After I do the under painting, I'll start to choose colors. When I do the 'Legends', I normally listen to the music of the artist I'm painting."

In a new interview with the WSOU 89.5 FM radio station, legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen was asked if he ever feels like he is "retreading the same ground" with his songwriting, and if so, how he prevents this from happening. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, I don't. There are some artists who want to almost be trendy in a way. One great artist that I actually happen to love, David Bowie, who was amazing, he would try to go in different directions and so on, and that's fine. But then you have other people like AC/DC and ZZ TOP and Eric Clapton — you name it — that [have] done the same thing forever, which is what they do, and they do it better than anybody else.

"The way I see myself is somebody who's playing music from the soul, basically. I don't try to play something. I don't try to write something, I don't try to be something that I'm not.

"What you hear on this new album is exactly what I'm about; it's what I do," he said, referencing his upcoming LP, "Parabellum". "I don't try to follow something; I don't try to angle it one way or another. No, I don't. This is art. It's like being a painter or an author. You lock yourself into a room and something comes out of you — completely independent of the outside.

"I don't listen to anything. I don't follow anything. The only thing that I do when I make music is basically to make sure it's undiluted. I don't wanna dilute or distract the art that comes from within, basically. I'm very artistic and very spiritual, almost, in that sense, because it comes from me, it comes from inside, but maybe from somewhere else first. I don't know. I just know that I don't try to be something I'm not; I'm just doing what I'm doing. And that's nothing to do with, 'Oh, did you listen to what they did on the radio?' No, I don't. I couldn't care less. I only live once, and I'm gonna make the music that I mean, and not follow something, and I don't try to be something that I'm not. So, no. And I don't ever think in those terms.

"For instance, if you asked me to write a country-and-western song, I could do it right now," Yngwie added. "How long do you want it to be? Two and a half minutes? Three minutes? Do you want two choruses or one chorus? Which bridge do you want? I could write you a death metal song, I could write you a reggae song — I could write any piece of music that you want. My knowledge of music is that complete. I could write anything in any style. I could play any kind of guitar solo, I could play slide — whatever you want. I could do that. I have an extremely wide palette of knowledge when it comes to music. But the music that I put out, the music that I make with my name on it is from my soul. And I mean that. And especially this one, because it's so undiluted. There's no distraction on this, there's no compromise — there's nothing. This is just what I create. And people can love it, people can hate it; that's secondary to me. The most important thing is that this is real. It's the real thing, and it's the only thing that I want. I don't want anything else."

"Parabellum", will be released on July 23 via Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group. Only four of the songs on the LP feature vocals. The album title is Latin, translating as "Prepare For War".

After working with some of the top hard singers of the past four decades, Yngwie now handles much of the lead vocals himself in his own band, backed by a lineup that includes keyboardist Nick Marino, bassist/vocalist Ralph Ciavolino and drummer Brian Wilson.

Earlier this week, Yngwie announced a month-long fall 2021 U.S. tour. Support on the trek will come from former MARILYN MANSON and current ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5.

Arizona thrash and speed metal icons, Flotsam And Jetsam, have revealed a new playthrough video for the track “Brace For Impact”, the latest single from the group’s new album, Blood In The Water.

“This is a fun one to play because it’s definitely a challenging picking workout,” says guitarist Michael Gilbert. “Everything from fast alternate picking to slow eerie melodic tones to compliment the rest of the music and vocals. Hope you enjoy it as much as I love playing it.”

Flotsam And Jetsam have announced a short run of tour dates for North America during August of this year.

Dubbed the "Brace For Impact Summer Tour 2021", the trek begins on August 17 at Albuquerque, New Mexico and wraps on August 28 in Mesa, Arizona. Find the full itinerary below.

Tour dates:

August
17 - Albuquerque, NM - Lauchpad
18 - Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street Collective
19 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live
20 - Dallas, TX - Trees
21 - El Paso, TX - Rockhouse Bar & Grill
22 - Denver, CO - Herman's Hideaway
23 - Salt Lake City, UT - Liquid Joe's
25 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
26 - Los Angeles, CA - Whisky-A-Go-Go
27 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
28 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater

Flotsam And Jetsam frontman Eric "AK" Knutson recently spoke with BraveWords about the band's new album, Blood In The Water. Following is an excerpt from the chat, with Knutson commenting on the pressure of following up The End Of Chaos from 2017.

Knutson: "We were really worried about that when we started writing this record. We knew we had to top The End Of Chaos; otherwise, why bother even putting one out? That was in our heads when we started writing so I'm sure that had a lot to do with the intensity on this new one. When we started writing Blood In The Water, we started with leftover from The End Of Chaos that didn't make it to that record, and we didn't end up using any of them (laughs). This is all brand new stuff. But that's always how we usually start; by working on stuff we didn't work on hard enough for the previous record. Sometimes we use a couple of them, sometimes we don't, but this time not only did we not use any of the leftovers, we wrote 10 or 15 more songs that we didn't use. Music was just pouring out of (guitarists) Steve (Conley) and Mike (Gilbert)... it was ridiculous."

Flotsam And Jetsam have seen many of their peers that started at the same time, including Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Venom have their day in the sun. Considered in metal circles as “legendary”, the mighty Flotsam And Jetsam, over their long career, has seemed somewhat plagued by label snafu’s, changes in trends, or other unfortunate events. On album number fourteen, and without a doubt making the best music of their career, Flotsam And Jetsam finally smells blood in the water this time around.

Blood In The Water literally shreds the listener’s ears and pummels Flotsam And Jetsam’s message into the hearts of the most diehard metal fans, the album must be heard to be believed. Featuring twelve brutal and powerful tracks that will rip your head off, the outstanding guitar work of Michael Gilbert and these killer vocals by Eric AK – one of the most gifted metal singers in music history – Flotsam And Jetsam's Blood In The Water will see the band deliver one of their heaviest records to date!

It’s been 35 years since Flotsam And Jetsam, formed in Phoenix, Arizona released their landmark debut, Doomsday For The Deceiver, the only album to ever receive a 6K rating from the influential British magazine Kerrang! Bassist Jason Newsted would jump ship to Metallica while the band released the unstoppable No Place For Disgrace in 1988. Cuatro (1992), Drift (1995), High (1997), and My God (2001) all still rank extremely high in heavy metal circles. But it was the first part of this unofficial trilogy in 2016’s self-titled Flotsam And Jetsam, followed by the the crushing 2019- successor, The End Of Chaos, that a certain rejuvenation and reset was clearly felt. Fast-forward five years to a planet that was forced to its knees: While spending most of the past year in a holding pattern like the rest of the world, Flotsam And Jetsam made the best of a struggling situation and just let those creative juices and angst flow. What emerged was twelve brand new blistering tracks under the moniker Blood In The Water.

“We really had a hell of a time figuring out which songs to actually include in this album, because we don’t feel we had any fillers,” describes Steve Conley about the new songs clocking in at nearly 55 minutes of thrashing glory.

Says singer Eric “AK” Knutson, “We’ve seen our fan base increasing, and we’ve seen the response to the last two albums getting louder and louder. We have some of the most committed and crazy fans in the world. We charted higher on our last album than at any point in our career. Maybe our career path will run similar to Motorhead’s, who although was always considered iconic, didn’t really break through in a big way until later in their career. We feel our time is now...” says AK. “We’re like that dog that’s been kicked...we’re ready to break the door down and take what’s ours.”

And the Flotsam lineup has never been stronger. AK keeps bringing the magic every album and tour, and oddly seems to be getting better and better as time goes on. He’s backed by the incredibly talented, exceptionally brilliant guitar duo of co-founder Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley, the powerful, precise and lightning fast engine of drummer Ken Mary, (whose Hall of Fame resume includes over five million albums sold with artists such as Alice Cooper, House Of Lords, and Accept), and the “fresh blood” and extraordinary technical skills and prowess of bassist Bill Bodily.

No filler, all killer, Blood In The Water was once again mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (U.D.O., Volbeat, Amaranthe, Powerwolf) and sees Flotsam And Jetsam exploding with creativity, moving forward but nodding to their past.

The band has come a long way from the kids that stepped onto the world stage with their first album in 1986, but the one thing that has never been in question since that day is their dedication to their fans, their incredible talent, and relentless pursuit to produce their best music ever.

“Following up The End Of Chaos was no easy task,” guitarist Michael Gilbert adds. “We weren’t really sure what we had left in the tank, as we put so much work, sweat, and blood into that album. As it turns out, we had plenty left to say. With everything that’s happened in the world, the friends we lost this last year, and not being able to perform or tour… you hear all of that in our music. It’s angry, it’s aggressive, and our emotions pour out all over this album.”

The AFM Records Store has a selection of vinyl and the following box set (shown above) limited to 666 units containing:

- Digipak-CD
- Exclusive Blood In The Water T-Shirt
- Brace For Impact Poster
- Sticker
- Certificate of Authenticity

Tracklist

“Blood In The Water”
“Burn The Sky”
“Brace For Impact”
“A Place To Die”
“The Walls”
“Cry For The Dead”
“The Wicked Hour”
“Too Many Lives”
“Grey Dragon”
“Reaggression”
“Undone”
“Seven Seconds ‘Til The End Of The World”

"Brace For Impact" video:

"Blood In The Water" lyric video:

“Burn The Sky” video:

Album teaser:

Lineup:

Eric "AK" Knutson - Vocals
Steve Conley - Guitar
Michael Gilbert - Guitar
Bill Bodily - Bass
Ken K Mary - Drums




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Alice Cooper has released the video below, stating: "School's Out, Minions. The record celebrates 49 years this month. We got no choice girls and boys. Turn it up and let's make some noise!"

Alice Cooper will make his long-awaited return to the road on a headline tour this September and October. The tour kicks off September 17 in Atlantic City and runs through October 23 in Atlanta. Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will appear as special guest on all shows September 18 through October 22. All confirmed dates are below.

Cooper, a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, usually spends up to six months a year on the road, bringing his iconic brand of rock psycho-drama to fans both old and new, enjoying it as much as the audience does. Known as the architect of shock rock, Cooper (in both the original Alice Cooper band and as a solo artist) has rattled the cages and undermined the authority of generations of guardians of the status quo, continuing to surprise fans and exude danger at every turn, like a great horror movie. Alice Cooper concerts remain a "not-to-be-missed" attraction.

"We've always had fun touring together and it should be a heavy rock show with Ace and a great way to get everyone back to live concerts again," says Cooper. "It should be a great night of virtuoso guitars!"

Ace Frehley, KISS co-founder and 2014 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, continues his reflections on a lifetime in music with Origins, Vol. 2. No stranger to cover versions throughout his musical history - having recorded, rebranded and repossessed such notable nuggets as "New York Groove," "Do Ya" and "I Wanna Go Back" over the course of his eight previous studio efforts - this new collection presents a thoughtful and exciting selection of songs that inspired and helped shape the legendary guitarist. Foremost of importance to the original Spaceman is delivering an album his fans will enjoy, but one where every song also has a place in his life's jukebox.

"I’ve known Alice for over 30 years," says Frehley. "We're good friends, and we've toured together numerous times and always had a blast. Our musical roots are very similar, and the combination of our two bands make for a great event that nobody is gonna want to miss. Being off the road for more than a year because of the pandemic has been tough on everyone in the music industry, and I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the fans happy, healthy, and ready to rock."

Get tickets here.

Tour dates:

September
17 - Atlantic City, NJ - Ovation Hall at Oceans Resort Casino (without Ace Frehley)
18 - Gilford, NH - Bank of NH Pavilion*
19 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater*
21- Boston, MA - Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion*
22 - Farmingville, NY - Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheatre at Bald Hill*
24 - Chicago, IL - Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island*
25 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre*
27 - Youngstown, OH - Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater*
28 - Huber Heights, OH - Rose Music Center*
29 - Indianapolis, IN - Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park*

October
1 - Milwaukee, WI - BMO Harris Pavilion*
2 - St Louis, MO - Saint Louis Music Park*
3 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheatre*
5 - Pikeville, KY - Appalachian Wireless Arena
6 - Raleigh, NC - The Red Hat Amphitheater*
7 - Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre*
9 - Jacksonville, FL - Daily's Place*
10 - West Palm Beach, FL - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre*
11 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre*
13 - Montgomery, AL - Montgomery Performing Arts Center
14 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Concert Hall
18 - Sugar Land, TX - Smart Financial Centre
19 - Austin, TX - HEB Center
20 - Ft. Worth, TX - Will Rogers Auditorium
22 - Tupelo, MS - Bancorp South Arena
23 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Festival (without Ace Frehley)

* Produced by Live Nation




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During an appearance on the CBS talk show "The Talk", Paul Stanley discussed KISS's new A&E documentary "Biography: KISStory", which is set to premiere with a two-night event on June 27 and June 28 from 9 p.m. ET to 11 p.m. ET.

"I think that this documentary really humanizes us, particularly Gene [Simmons, KISS bassist/vocalist] and I, because the story of KISS really is a story of a friendship between two people," Paul said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We met when we were living at home. We were young teenagers with this great ambition. And this is really our story. We were there in the beginning, and we're there to wrap it up. So we'll go out on the farewell tour that we've been on prior to the pandemic, and we're doing it bigger than ever. So, it's terrific. It's a great bookend."

Asked how KISS managed to come back from almost hitting rock bottom, Stanley said: "Look, I'm a big believer that when somebody is drowning, you try to save them. But when they start pulling you down with them is when you cut them loose. You're always gonna find out how much something means to you by how hard you're willing to fight to bring it back or to retain it. So it was sheer determination. And did we make some wrong turns in our journey? Yeah, but we always wound up getting back on the right path. And I just have to say kudos to all our fans who stood by us. And likely some of them left discouraged at some point, and over time we won them back."

Directed by D.J. Viola, "Biography: KISStory" chronicles the band's five decades in the business as founders Stanley and Simmons reflect on their historic career. Current members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer as well as guests Dave Grohl (NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS), Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), manager Doc McGhee, music producer Bob Ezrin (ALICE COOPER, PINK FLOYD) and more tell the wild story of the most successful and influential band in the world.

"Biography: KISStory" is a Leslie Greif production, produced for A&E Network by Critical Content and Big Dreams Entertainment with Leslie Greif and Jenny Daly serving as executive producers and D.J. Viola serving as director. Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Abramson serve as executive producers for A&E Network. A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights for "Biography: KISStory".

KISS last played a full show this past New Year's Eve in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The event broke Guinness world records for highest flame projection in a music concert and for most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert.




Guest co-host @PaulStanleyLive discusses the ‘humanizing’ upcoming documentary “Biography: KISStory.” pic.twitter.com/3mgVDf7i8J

— The Talk (@TheTalkCBS) June 17, 2021

Thomas Zwijsen has released the video below, featuring a guitar/vocal/violin cover of the Kansas classic "Dust In The Wind", along with violinist Wiki Krawczyk.

Zwijsen previously released an acoustic performance of Iron Maiden's "To Tame A Land". Watch below:




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Frontiers Music Srl has announced the release of the debut album, Overload, from Brazil's Spektra, a new, exciting project by BJ, a stellar vocalist from the modern Brazilian hard rock scene.

Overload will be released on August 6, but today, fans can get their first look at the album with the release of the single and video for the title track. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Overload here.

"This song is about how the internet and the velocity of information are moving and changing people's lives. How we're feeling "Overload" these days. How we are losing the "real life" for the fantasy of social media," says BJ of first single 'Overload'.

Spektra is BJ’s musical brainchild and his first band built from scratch featuring original music inspired by his vast range of influences including Journey, Foreigner, Winger and other melodic and hard rock masters. The goal is to deliver pure stadium rock melodies and high driven hard rock vibes with music aiming straight for the hearts of melodic rock aficionados. Produced and overseen by the legendary singer Jeff Scott Soto and Italian mastermind Alessandro Del Vecchio, Spektra will introduce BJ’s amazing voice to the international scene in 2021.

"This is a very special album for me as a singer, for sure and in a special moment of my career. I can say that I love every note, every harmony, and also these songs represent the kind of music that I love. Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, AOR....everything is there in a modern way. I sang with all my heart, with all my love. I can't wait to sing these songs live! Big fans of Journey, Talisman, Kansas, Boston, Winger, Bon Jovi, Foreigner, W.E.T., and the like will love this album, I guarantee it! I have on my side in the band my big brothers, amazing musicians that I admire and trust as a family and also the best producers ever, my big brother Mr. Jeff Scott Soto and the unbelievable talent Alessandro Del Vecchio! This is my Dream Team," says BJ.

In Spektra, BJ brings along his longtime bandmates from Tempestt and the JSS Band, Edu Cominato (drums) and Leo Mancini (guitars) as well as Henrique Canale (bass), a well known Brazilian producer and composer.

BJ is well known and respected in Brazil for his phenomenal vocal abilities and his work with Tempestt and other projects and collaborations, but also recognised internationally, being a constant member of all of Jeff Scott Soto’s bands and projects (Jeff Scott Soto Band, S.O.T.O.) as a guitarist and backing vocalist since 2009. He has recorded and released several albums with Soto, either as part of the Jeff Scott Soto band ('A Night in Madrid' CD/DVD, 'Damage Control', 'Loud and Live in Milan') or S.O.T.O. ('Inside the Vertigo', 'Divak', 'Origami'). He is also a member of the latest iteration of Talisman (on keyboards and backing vocals) for their recent appearances at major European Festivals.

Since 2014, BJ has also been the lead singer for the Greek hard rock band Danger Angel with whom he has recorded and released one album (All The King's Horses). He has toured Europe and Latin America extensively while also participating in most of the major festivals including Sweden Rock, Graspop, Hard Rock Hell AOR, Monsters of Rock Cruise, Rock of Ages, Bang Your Head, etc.

BJ has also released a solo album of covers containing music from his heroes and influences, titled Acoustic Heroes.

Tracklisting:

"Overload"
"Runnin' Out Of Time"
"Just Because"
"Since I Found You"
"Our Love"
"Breakaway"
"Don't Matter"
"Back Into Light"
"Forsaken"
"Behind Closed Door"
"Lonely Road"

"Overload" video:

Lineup:

BJ - Vocals
Leo Mancini - Guitars
Edu Cominato - Drums
Henrique Canale - Bass




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Following a year of canceled live music events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including his own KISS world tour, Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Gene Simmons met with key members of Congress where he was able to outline some of the most pressing issues directly affecting American music creators. Simmons participated in the meeting as part of ASCAP's ongoing advocacy efforts in their "Stand With Songwriters" sessions.

"The music that moves the world — R&B, rock, blues, country western, various jazz — was all invented right here in America by the people who now can't even quit their day job to devote their time to art," said Simmons. "There's not going to be another Lennon, McCartney or Gershwin or somebody else because — even though the talent is out there — most people don't realize every time you download a song, the songwriter is making minuscule amounts of one penny."

"Protecting the rights of American music creators and defending the value of music has always been a core part of ASCAP's mission, and we are thrilled to have some of our most talented members join us as we urge lawmakers in Washington to support the people who make the music we all know and love," said ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews.

The pandemic has created unique challenges for the entire music industry — from songwriters, composers and music publishers to performance venues — but, as music creators became more dependent upon streaming income during lockdown, it has also highlighted how outdated music licensing rules no longer work in the modern digital music marketplace. Now, more than ever, music creators need to be able to earn a fair, livable wage for when their music is played. During "Stand With Songwriters" Advocacy Month, ASCAP members will encourage members of Congress to stand with songwriters during this difficult time and help music creators rebuild and modernize America's vibrant music industry.

To learn more about ASCAP's music creator advocacy efforts, visit www.ascap.com/advocacy.

In a 2019 interview with the Larry King YouTube channel, Simmons spoke about the state of the rock scene and the impact of digital streaming services on the music industry. He said: "I've said this 10 years ago, when streaming and downloading and all that stuff was for free. RADIOHEAD, it bears noting, tried to do a brand new record and said to their fans, 'Pay whatever you will.' It's interesting to note it hasn't been done since, 'cause it doesn't work. If you leave the doors open in a supermarket and say, 'Pay whatever you want,' people will just go ahead and pay nothing. But it doesn't work, because people would rather get stuff for free.

"My heart goes out to new bands," he continued. "There's so much good talent out there that will never get a chance. Right now in the zeitgeist, they think, 'Okay, music industry. I get on 'X Factor' or 'The Voice' and I sing, and then I have a career. They have no idea what it means. The other thing is that record companies simply cannot make money.

"My daughter, Sophie, is a huge Spotify writer, singer and all that. She's written for Rick Ross and Yellow Claw and all these kinds of [artists]. She's got tons of songs that have been downloaded millions and millions of times. You can download something 10 million times and make a few hundred bucks.

"The record industry is dead for new artists," Gene added. "Rock is dead. The last great rock band was the FOO FIGHTERS, and that's 20 years ago. You can't name another rock band, because you can't make a living.

"When I first started in '73, there was still a record industry, and the record company, which we used to talk badly about, was the best friend you ever had — they gave you millions of dollars and tour support and all that, and they only took money back from the records you sold. So you sold records, and then people showed up and got all that live money and the licensing and the merchandising.

"Until legislators become well educated and understand the nature of the business, they're unqualified to talk about copyrights or the record indust

Portland, Oregon’s Unto Others (formerly Idle Hands) have announced their signing to Roadrunner Records and have shared a brand new single, "When Will Gods Work Be Done". Produced and mixed by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Code Orange), "When Will Gods Work Be Done" is available now on all streaming platforms and is joined by an official music video directed by Brock Grossl, which can be viewed below.

Commenting on the new track and news of the signing, frontman/guitarist Gabriel Franco remarked, “Our last full length came out over two years ago and much has changed, including the band and I, our name, etc... so I consider this a reintroduction of ‘us’ to those who connected with our music in the past, as well as a debut for the many who haven't. We did our best, and that's all we can do. So out of the frying pan, and into the fire, I think we have all been frying long enough."

Roadrunner Records SVP of A&R, Dave Rath adds, “Having Unto Others join us at Roadrunner Records feels like a ‘welcome home’ to a family member we’ve been waiting for - for a very long time. Unto Others’ innovative combination of goth, rock and metal brings the genre to entirely new and unique places. They are pushing the genre beyond the expected to create a blend of heavy, dark, melodic songs combined with traditional metal we haven’t heard in quite some time. We are incredibly excited for this band to be part of the label’s storied legacy.”

Comprised of Gabriel Franco (Vocals / Guitar), Brandon Hill (Bass), Sebastian Silva (Guitar), and Colin Vranizan (Drums), Unto Others formed in Portland, OR in 2017 and quickly made waves out of the Pacific Northwest under their previous band name, Idle Hands. Following 2018’s Don’t Waste Your Time EP, they released their debut full-length album Mana in 2019.

Unto Others joined King Diamond and Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats on a sold-out, coast-to-coast tour across North America in support of Mana and returned in 2020 with the surprise release of Don’t Waste Your Time II.

Next up, Unto Others will join Behemoth, Arch Enemy and Carcass for a massive European fall tour, kicking off on September 28 in Dublin, Ireland and running for six weeks through November 7 at Rockefeller in Oslo, Norway.




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ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke to Saadet of New Jersey's WSOU 89.5 FM radio station about how the band's musical approach has evolved in the 40 years since the group's inception. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, obviously, it has evolved and I think it has matured, but I don't really think it has ever — at least not in these last, I don't know, 10 albums or something — I don't think it has fundamentally changed. And it's not supposed to ever really change these days, to be honest. The idea is to get better without being different. We're really trying to get nowadays more to the point and more mature with what we're doing but, really, we're not trying to change anything. That sometimes sounds like a super-simple concept, but it's really not that easy, because here we are — we already have a legacy of so many songs that we've released and people have a certain expectation of what we do, and, of course, we do too. We really wanna be true to the image and the tradition of ACCEPT and the sound, and we wanna write songs that we could have written many years ago, just never did. It's supposed to be super familiar but brand new at the same time."

Hoffmann also talked about where ACCEPT fits in within today's metal scene, saying: "There are so many subgenres out, and metal is such a huge word now — it means so many different things to people," he said. "I mean, I see it at these festivals that we often do in Europe — or worldwide, really — where it's a metal festival but I cannot hardly identify myself with any of the bands anymore. I feel sometimes like I'm almost like — I don't know — old-fashioned in a way compared to some of these guys out there. Some don't even have melodies anymore; some do the shouting-only vocals where there's more of a noise effect than really melody. And that's all cool. And some people do more industrial stuff, there's death metal and all these different genres, and it's all called metal. But I think we definitely see ourselves more as a song-based, old-fashioned, traditional '80s-style metal band that still has choruses and sing-along melodies and these sort of things, a more melodic approach. We're somewhat old-fashioned in that sense, and I think that's what people like about us. Because this is who we are, and we don't ever really need or want to change. We wanna give the fans what they like and what they expect from us."

ACCEPT's latest album, "Too Mean To Die", came out 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.

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions have signed mystical black metal force Snogard. The new EP Moral Presence, Corrupt Misdeeds is up now for preorder on Bandcamp and will be released July 16 on CD and Digital formats.

Each track executed on Moral Presence, Corrupt Misdeeds explores various lyrical concepts and utilizes multiple instruments to their full potential. Snogard showcase powerful riffs with precision and virtuosity, along with a thick, haunting atmosphere that exudes both evil and epicness. Dragon enthusiast Black Metal for fans of Abigor, Bal-Sagoth, Caladan Brood, Emperor, Immortal, Nazgûl and Silencer.

Tracklisting:

“Belmont: Nosferatu”
“Aegidius: Chrysopylax”
“Thra: Skeksis”
“Osysseus: Polyphemus”
“Thlayli: Woundwort”

“Belmont: Nosferatu”:




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Rochester, NY band Ovtlier will release their new single "Bulletproof" via Zoid Entertainment on June 25, 2021. The band announced that they will join Gemini Syndrome on their USA Summer Tour along with A Killer's Confession and Pushing Veronica. The tour starts on July 9 in Salt Lake City, UT at Royal Bar and concludes on August 15 in Albuquerque, NM -at Launchpad. Pre-save the single here.

Ovtlier has grown into a roaring rock band of stadium ambitions. Led by the enigmatic frontman Joey Arena, Ovlier has already captured the hearts of more than 60K daily followers online, more than 2.1 million views of fan-curated content on YouTube, over half a million streams Spotify and has been selling out shows around the Northeast. Drawing influences from Breaking Benjamin, 30 Seconds To Mars, Korn, Periphery and others, Ovtlier brings the rock and metal edge to a new height of intensity.

Inspired by everything 80’s to 90s grunge and nu-metal, Arena began playing guitar at the age of 11 on an old 3-string guitar. After achieving commercial success with his band, Young Bloods, Arena re-centered himself and began traveling 8 hours from Rochester to Cleveland in search of an identity. Playing sold-out hometown shows, touring the states and rapidly growing their fan-base among all types of music fans. Housing a hybrid sound that cross-pollinates into other sub-genres, giving a formula to freedom in songwriting and forever being able to validate surprise in their releases to come. Ovtlier is set out to deliver their most personal and intense work yet.




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The recording the new Byron Nemeth single / video "You Know It's True" will begin July 12, 2021 at Blackbird Studio Studio A in Nashville. Joining Byron in the recording are some of Nashville’s finest hard rock players: Zach Ballard / drums, Luis Espaillat / bass and Steve Braun / vocals. Tim Dolbear from Eclectica Studios who has mixed records for Grammy winners and labels will be the Producer. The recording will be done the old-school way with all four members of the band tracking in the studio at the same time for optimum musical chemistry. 

Blackbird Studio is one of the preeminent studios in the world founded by John McBride, and his wife, country artist Martina McBride. The Blackbird complex includes nine studios and The Blackbird Academy a post-secondary audio engineering school.

Video will be shot by Mark Allee who just finished a great drum video for Ray Luzier of Korn.

Nemeth recently released a  performance video for the new instrumental song, “Engines Of Thunder”. Watch below.

Stylistically it’s a “Tip-Of-The-Hat” to the early Satriani and Hendrix vibe when there was strong emphasis on composition and lyrical soloing with catchy hooks and unique twists in the guitar.

“Engines Of Thunder” was recorded in Apple Logic Pro X with the Universal Audio Apollo Twin QUAD using only the UA Marshall JMP 2203 and Marshall Silver Jubilee 2555 plug-in’s for that amazing legendary Marshall sound. Guitar of choice is a hot rodded Jackson USA Signature Adrian Smith San Dimas Stratocaster with a EVH D-Tuna System and run thru a Morley DJ Ashba Skeleton Pedal for that classic Wah-Wah sound.

“Engines Of Thunder” is now live on all digital platforms, including Spotify.




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EXODUS and SLAYER guitarist Gary Holt has officially quit drinking alcohol.

The 57-year-old musician, who resides in Northern California, announced his newfound sobriety in a social media post earlier today.

He wrote: "Day one for me, here I go. This last year has been one in which I've come to realize the drinking needs to go. Been a long party for me but it doesn't feel like a party anymore. I'm not perfect and the booze has crept up on me. Here's to feeling clear and lucid from here on out".

Holt's decision to give up alcohol comes seven months after his wife Lisa revealed that she had quit drinking in 2012 after using alcohol since she was 13 years old. She also thanked her husband and credited him for making her "want to be a better person. I definitely wouldn't have him or anything kick-ass in my life today if I hadn't made this choice [to quit drinking] 8 years ago," she wrote.

In Jon Wiederhorn's book "Raising Hell (Backstage Tales From The Lives Of Metal Legends)", Holt reminisced about the lengths he and his onetime EXODUS bandmate Kirk Hammett (now in METALLICA) would go to nearly 40 years ago in order to get free alcohol.

"Near where we lived, we had a local liquor store called the Wagon Wheel that burned down," Holt recalled. "We had nothing to do with that, but we waded through the burnt rubble of this condemned building, risking life and limb to get to the alcohol. The bottles with plastic caps were all melted. Kirk had this old Buick Skylark. We called it the Skymobile. And we filled his trunk with gallons of whiskey bottles with these black melted caps on them. We were scavengers. It's part of what made EXODUS great, that hunger and ambition."

Holt began filling in for SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman at live shows in 2011, and became the band's full-time co-guitarist as of 2013, while remaining a member of EXODUS. Holt played on SLAYER's final album, "Repentless", which came out in 2015.

Hammett was a member of EXODUS's original lineup before replacing Dave Mustaine in METALLICA in 1983. In fact, Hammett was not only the person who came up with the EXODUS name, but also the first from the band to meet original EXODUS singer Paul Baloff and brought him into the group.

EXODUS's new album, "Persona Non Grata", is tentatively due in November. It will be the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' first release since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

"Persona Non Grata" was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap.
























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