Founding BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward has shared a new original poem called "Feeding Frenzy". Check it out below.

Ward has released a number of poems in recent months, some inspired by the coronavirus pandemic and others celebrating the fall–winter holiday season, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Bill was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced more than nine years ago, but backed out soon after. The drummer later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

All four original members of SABBATH were present when the band announced its reunion in late 2011. But Ward split from the group in 2012, citing an "unsignable" contract, and singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler carried on with their Rick Rubin–produced "13" LP and extensive international touring without him.

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

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

In 2015, Ward released his first solo album in 18 years. Titled "Accountable Beasts", the record can be purchased on iTunes.

In November 2017, Ward's band DAY OF ERRORS released its first two songs, "Day Of Errors" and "Blaspheming At Creation", via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3 and Google Play. Two more tracks, "Dark" and "Ghost Train", followed in 2019.

This past March, Ward revealed that he was working on an autobiography.




#newpoem #feedingfrenzy #poetry pic.twitter.com/t47M4nalbl

— Bill Ward (@billwarddrums) June 14, 2021

A collection of five Charvel Art Series guitars that had been stage-played and signed by the late guitar icon Eddie Van Halen sold for $210,225 at an auction held this past weekend by Julien's Auctions.

Two black-and-yellow Bumblebee-inspired models sold for $38,400 and $41,600, a red-and white-Frankenstein Mark II-styled six-string sold for $40,625, a reverse-colorway Charvel sold for $38,400, and a black-and-silver striped EVH-signed Art Series guitar sold for $51,200.

On the last of the late legendary rock guitarist's Charvel legendary EVH guitars he played on stage, the Stealth black body with a silver hand-striped design by Van Halen, possibly in tribute to his EVH Wolfgang guitar, is applied with four white "Van Halen / 2012" guitar picks attached to a strip of adhesive tape, and is signed and inscribed "Kansas City / MO / 5.22.12 / Eddie Van Halen / Van Halen / 2012," with an additional note "Last one!!" indicating that this was his last Charvel stage-played EVH guitar. The lot came with a photograph of Eddie Van Halen playing the guitar live on stage with VAN HALEN at Kansas City Sprint Center, on May 22, 2012. Other Eddie Van Halen Charvel EVH Art Series electric guitars included: a red guitar with a unique black and white hand-striped design by Van Halen that pays homage to his legendary "Frankenstein" Mark II guitar — and is uniquely numbered "5150" — the name of EVH's recording studio (and also the date that he played this guitar), signed and inscribed by EVH in silver sharpie: "Baltimore, MD / 5.15.08 / Eddie Van Halen / Van Halen '08" that comes with a DVD featuring footage from the show of Van Halen playing this guitar live on stage at First Mariner Arena, Baltimore, Maryland on May 15, 2008, and a Van Halen 2007-08 tote bag; a black guitar with a unique, yellow hand-striped design by Van Halen in tribute to his "Bumblebee" guitar, signed and inscribed in silver sharpie: "8.7.04 / Las Vegas NV / Eddie Van Halen / Van Halen / 04" that comes with a black custom EVH tour flight case (not the standard hard case that typically accompanies these guitars,) a photograph of EVH playing the guitar live on stage with VAN HALEN at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada on August 7, 2004, a certificate of authenticity signed by Van Halen, two "VH" guitar picks, a ticket from the show, a corresponding backstage pass, and a Mandalay Bay hotel room key card; a yellow guitar with a unique, black hand-striped design by Van Halen in tribute to his "Bumblebee" guitar, signed and inscribed in black sharpie: "Des Moines IA. / 2.6.08 / Eddie Van Halen / Van Halen 2008" that comes with a black custom EVH hard case, a photograph of Eddie playing the guitar live on stage with VAN HALEN at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa on February 6, 2008, and a certificate of authenticity signed by Van Halen and a black body with a unique, yellow hand-striped design by Van Halen in tribute to his "Bumblebee" guitar with the words: "Las Vegas" partly visible under the bridge, signed and inscribed in silver sharpie: "Las Vegas NV. / 12.30.07 / Eddie Van Halen / Van Halen 2007," which comes with a black custom EVH hard case, a photograph of EVH playing the guitar live on stage with VAN HALEN at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas on December 30, 2007 (the last date of the first leg of VAN HALEN's 2007/08 tour), and a certificate of authenticity signed by Van Halen.

Last December, Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang criticized an auction of three of his late father's guitars. The instruments were sold for a total of $422,050 through Julien's Auctions as part of a larger music memorabilia event called "Icons & Idols". The 30-year-old said the sellers were "taking advantage of my father's passing", and he had "nothing to do with" the sale. "I don't EVER plan on selling any of my father's iconic guitars," he said.

In the early 1970s, Eddie and his older brother, drummer Alex Van Halen, founded their namesake group and soon after with bassist Michael Anthony and singer David Lee Roth, conquered the world and entered into the pantheon of rock as of one of the greatest hard rock bands of all time. VAN HALEN dominated the music charts, MTV and sold out arenas around the world, thrilling audiences with their high-flying, energetic live shows throughout the '80s and into the '90s with classic hits "Runnin' With The Devil", "Unchained", "Hot For Teacher", "Panama", "Jump" and more.

Eddie passed away in October at the age of 65. His death was announced by his son Wolfgang.

VAN HALEN was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked Eddie Van Halen No. 8 in its list of the 100 greatest guitari

A Kurt Cobain self-portrait caricature drawing has sold for over a quarter-million dollars at an auction.

The drawing done in black felt pen on TNT Music Centre in Singapore stationery by the charismatic frontman of the group NIRVANA depicts himself playing the guitar and is signed "Kurdt Kobain Rock Star" and handwritten on the right, "I don't know how to play and I don't give a hoot!" Cobain gifted the drawing to Jacque Chong, a freelance photographer who worked with Cobain during NIRVANA's "Nevermind" album promotional tour in Singapore in 1992.

The original estimate of the drawing, which was sold over the weekend by Julien's Auctions, was between $10,000 and $20,000. However, it ended up fetching $281,250 following 21 bids.

Julien's Auctions has broken world records with the sale of Kurt Cobain's memorabilia, including Cobain's cardigan worn on "MTV Unplugged" in New York, which sold for a record $334,000, his "In Utero" tour Fender Mustang guitar which sold for $340,000, his cardigan worn on his last photoshoot which sold for $75,000, a NIRVANA paper plate set list written in Cobain's handwriting which sold for a record $22,400 and the Guinness Book of World Record sale of Cobain's "MTV Unplugged" 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic-electric guitar, which sold for $6 million making it the world's most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.

Cobain died in 1994 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound not long after he took a massive dose of heroin — which could have proven fatal on its own.

Kurt began using heroin to ease chronic stomach pain he had suffered from his entire life.

NIRVANA was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on April 10, 2014 — just five days after the 20th anniversary of Cobain's death.




SOLD for $281,250! A self-portrait caricature by Kurt Cobain playing the guitar, signed on the left of the drawing "Kurdt Kobain Rock Star" and handwritten on the right "I don't know how to play and I don't give a hoot!" Sold now in our Music Icons at https://t.co/TiME89uOXn! pic.twitter.com/jvfHVeyXdQ

— Juliens Auctions (@JuliensAuctions) June 12, 2021

Ted Nugent has confirmed that he is preparing to enter the studio to begin recording his new album for a tentative late 2021 release. Earlier today, the outspoken conservative rocker, whose last studio LP, "The Music Made Me Do It", came out in 2018, stated during a YouTube livestream (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Jason [Hartless, drums] and Greg [Smith, bass] and I will be in this sanctuary in the Ted Nugent man cave cuckoo's nest of sonic bombast delight starting in about 10 days… No, one week — holy shit! — one week from today, on Father's Day, we will begin recording Ted Nugent Detroit muscle, outrageous, killer, grindmaster rhythm-and-blues rock and roll songs. I can't wait."

He continued: "Jason Hartless — best drummer on the planet. Greg Smith — best bass player and a killer vocalist. And we're gonna come in here and unleash 10 monster songs — killer new songs for a killer new record that we're gonna record in the next couple of weeks. And I hope to God that the Ted Nugent Detroit muscle CD, or however they do it nowadays — the record, my new album — will be out before the winter, I hope. Maybe before hunting season, 'cause we're gonna wrap it up here in the next month."

This past March, Ted said that Donald Trump came up with the title of his next studio effort. A fervent supporter of the former U.S. president, Ted told the "Bolling With Favre" podcast: "When we were in Michigan, we did these [Trump] rallies [ahead of the 2020 presidential election] — the unprecedented rallies of 25 thousand, 30 thousand people that were chanting, 'We love you! We love you! We love you!' The only time it's ever happened in history, because here came a hell-raising president, a 'we the people', constitutional, businessman president that secured the border, that reduced crime rates, that reduced unemployment, that renegotiated global contracts to actually benefit America. Just a great, great man, a great president. And I'm in the audience, 'cause I would promote these events. And we really escalated the attendance, because Uncle Ted, especially in the winter wonderland of Michigan… And he would always acknowledge me. [He'd go], 'Where's that Ted Nugent? Well, there he is. Ted, we're so glad you're here. You know you're a handsome devil.' And I go, 'Whatever.' And so my new record's gonna be called Ted Nugent 'Handsome Devil'. And we actually have the audio of the president saying that."

Released via Round Hill Records, "The Music Made Me Do It" was Nugent's first studio album in four years. Accompanying the CD was a bonus DVD, "Live At Freedom Hill", a full-length concert captured at Freedom Hill Amphitheatre in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

Nugent has carved a permanent place in rock 'n' roll history as the ultimate guitar-shredding showman, selling more than 40 million albums and performing nearly seven thousand high-octane live shows. As a budding musician, Nugent was strongly influenced by Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, and knew he wanted to pursue that type of sound and attitude. Early bands THE ROYAL HIGHBOYS and THE LOURDS paved the way for the AMBOY DUKES — and their psychedelic "Journey To The Center Of The Mind" kicked young Ted's career into hyper drive. The axe maniac soon broke out as a solo artist, where the guitarist's prodigious talent, ear-shattering volume and over-the-top stage antics quickly earned him the moniker of Motor City Madman.

Cranking out hits like "Cat Scratch Fever", "Just What The Doctor Ordered", "Free For All" and the iconic "Stranglehold", Nugent garnered international acclaim and truly hit his stride, becoming one of the top-grossing tour acts in America. His no-holds-barred career now spans six decades of multi-platinum hits. The ultimate Road Warrior, touring and recording continue at Ted's breakneck pace. Nugent and his inimitable sound have been featured on VH1's "Behind The Music", A&E's "Biography" and more. He was named "Detroit's Greatest Guitar Player Of All Time" by readers of MLive.

Legendary vocalist and musician, Dennis DeYoung, has released his final studio album, 26 East, Vol. 2, via Frontiers Music Srl. Listen to the song "There's No Turning Back Time"  below, and order 26 East, Vol. 2 here.

Dennis DeYoung is back with the second volume of his fond farewell to recorded music, 26 East, Vol. 2. As with the preceding volume, 26 East, Vol. 2 once again hints strongly at DeYoung's rock roots with Styx. The production and musicianship are EPIC, and those timeless vocal arrangements get delivered in spades. A fitting goodbye and a final signature on an outstanding body of work which will stand the test of time.

Vol. 2 picks up where Vol. I left off, with DeYoung mining similar musical territory. With direct links to the classic Styx sound, as only he can provide, along with some straight ahead rock. The breadth of the album is illustrated on tracks like "The Last Guitar Hero", with help from the Houdini of guitarists Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave), to two signature DeYoung ballads, "Your Saving Grace" and "Made For Each Other" to the piece de resistance, the first single, "Isle Of Misanthrope", an eight minute masterpiece with a surprise finish.

"My musical goals for this album are the same as they have always been and that’s to write the best songs possible and make great sounding records out of them. By now, Styx fans know pretty much what they can expect and I hope they will be pleased. I am," says DeYoung in his usual witty manner.

"When people ask, 'What’s the first single 'Isle Of Misanthrope' about?', I reply "About 6 minutes." Not to be too cute, but the lyrics are a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Wait that’s Winston Churchill's statement about the Soviet Union. Sorry. 'Misanthrope', metaphorically speaking (ooooh look, big words) is a commentary on the contemporary state of mankind under the guise of ancient times. The more things change the more they remain the same. Also, 'Isle Of Misanthrope' is my musical journey back to the days of Styx’s 'Equinox' and 'Suite Madame Blue', as I attempt to explain the exasperating and confounding nature of mankind through metaphor. It’s got a good beat, but won’t be a hit at the disco," explains DeYoung of the album's first single.

DeYoung has previously stated that "26 East” will mark his retirement from the world of recorded music. It was thanks to Frontiers President and Head of A&R, Serafino Perugino, that given the abundance of material, Dennis agreed to split the album in two parts. This second half starts where the previous one left off and sees DeYoung collaborate again with fellow Chicagoan and Grammy Award winning songwriter Jim Peterik. The process that brought forth these two albums in the first place started when Peterik, DeYoung’s friend and neighbor, sent a song to Dennis that he thought would suit his vocals perfectly. That song became the catalyst for ten more collaborations from the pair, of which four appear on this new release.

"The last album was supposed to be my final album, but there were so many songs written that Serafino [Perugino] of Frontiers suggested dividing it into two albums rather than one,” DeYoung states.

“26 East” was the address where DeYoung grew up in Roseland, IL on the far south side of Chicago. Across the street lived the Panozzo twins, John and Chuck, who along with DeYoung would go on to form the nucleus of Styx in DeYoung's basement in 1962.

Tracklisting:

"Hello Goodbye"
"Land Of The Living"
"The Last Guitar Hero" (Featuring Tom Morello)
"Your Saving Grace"
"Proof Of Heaven"
"Made For Each Other"
"There’s No Turning Back Time"
"St. Quarantine"
"Little Did We Know"
"Always Time"
"Isle Of Misanthrope"
"Grand Finale"

"The Last Guitar Hero" featuring Tom Morello:

"Isle Of Misanthrope" video:

Lineup:

- Vocals: Dennis DeYoung
- Drums: Mike Morales, Ed Breckenfeld, Matthew DeYoung & The Late Khari Parker
- Guitar: Jim Peterik, Mike Aquino, August Zadra, Jim Leahey, Solo on Last Guitar Hero: Tom Morello “The Great Houdini”
- Bass: Jim Peterik, Jim Majors, Me on Synth Bass.
- Keyboards: Me & Why Not?
- Horns on Hello Goodbye, The Ides Of March: Tim Bales, Steve Eisen & Henry Delgado
- Accordion: Mr.Tacit
- Background Vocals: Jim Peterik, August Zadra, Kevin Chalfant, Suzanne Deyoung, Tito Gobi, Craig Carter, Mike Morales & Me. Mostly Me, I Work Cheap And Was Always Available. Besides My Voice Always Reminds People Of A Very Popular ’70s And ’80s Group. No, Not The Pointer Sisters.
- Michael Manson Gospel Group on Your Saving Grace.
- Matthew DeYoung would like to dedicate his performance on the Grand Finale to his mentor John Panozzo. The ride cymbal Matthew used was given to him by John.




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In a recent interview with Antoine de Montremy of France's Duke TV, Michael Monroe discussed the 2002 reformation and eventual dissolution of famed Finnish rockers HANOI ROCKS.

The band originally broke on to the hard rock scene in the first half of the 1980s, becoming one of the first Finnish bands to make an international impact. HANOI ROCKS's career was subsequently derailed after the 1984 death of drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley, who was killed in a car accident caused by MÖTLEY CRÜE's Vince Neil. Internal tensions and the commercial disappointment that was 1985's "Rock & Roll Divorce" led to Monroe leaving the band that year, thus putting an early end to HANOI ROCKS.

"The rebirth of HANOI ROCKS happened in 2002," he said (see video below). "It was not planned. It just happened. I would never do a reunion to cash in on the reunion, so to speak, to cash in on the old name. It was interesting for me to see what we could accomplish with Andy [McCoy, guitar] because he had learned to respect my songwriting abilities, which he didn't in the past. It was cool to see what we could do. We had some old ideas, like from 1984, that we had leftover, that I remembered, that we reworked and made into songs. Then it started slipping into the same old 'you'd be nothing without me' and all that shit. I was, like, 'Are you sure you want to start this? Let's do some farewell tours.' I was ready to commit to that for the rest of my life if it had continued being fun, but it came to a point where it wasn't fun anymore, so I called Andy and said 'Let's put this thing to bed.'

"After that, I haven't seen him," he continued. "We haven't had much to do with him, unless it was business with HANOI or something that has to be taking care of, our name in the paper — fine; we'll deal with that. Obviously, we're not the best of friend-friends, not like with Sami [Yaffa, bass]. Sami, Nasty [Suicide, guitar] and me had this bond that was created in the first half of a year of HANOI ROCKS when we started living in the streets of Stockholm homeless. That made us had this street gang kind of vibe. Us against the world, looking out for each other."

Monroe released his new album, "One Man Gang", on October 18 via Silver Lining Music. Recorded and mixed by Petri Majuri at E-Studio in Sipoo, Finland over three weeks in March 2018, the 12-song record was mixed that following autumn with Monroe and bandmates Rich Jones and Steve Conte on production duties.

The Monroe band's all-star lineup features former HANOI ROCKS and NEW YORK DOLLS bass player Sami Yaffa, who has played with Michael since the '80s, and drummer Karl Rockfist (who has played with notable acts such as DANZIG). On guitar are Rich Jones (formerly of the Ginger Wildheart band) and Steve Conte (best known as the guitarist who filled the void left by Johnny Thunders in the NEW YORK DOLLS, as well as playing guitar with many other name acts such as Suzi Quatro, Eric Burden and many more).

Norway's progressive metal legends, Enslaved, have travelled a long way since their origins in the extreme black metal scene of the early 1990s. This week sees them premiere a new live video performance of "Sacred Horse", taken from their forthcoming package of live releases, Cinematic Tour 2020, out June 25. For Enslaved, this performance represents a cherished career zenith, unapologetically translating their extreme metal roots into grandiose psychedelia.

"Sacred Horse" (live) is taken from their upcoming Cinematic Tour 2020 recording: The Rise of Ymir (Verftet Online Festival 2020). Despite being locked down in space, Enslaved take us on a tour through time, with classic tracks and fan favourites resurrected and revitalised by a formidable and accomplished live performance.

Many great bands struggle to walk the hard road between artistic evolution and staying true to themselves, but on 'Sacred Horse' and The Rise of Ymir, Enslaved show how inspired composition and musicianship can bring an audience along with them, from the most abrasive depths to the most absorbing heights extreme metal has to offer.

Enslaved's Grutle Kjellson commented, “Sacred Horse is probably one of our proudest moments in our now three-decade long career, and that song pretty much sums up what Enslaved is all about; energy. A very aggressive song, yet also dynamic and mellow. Besides, it’s always a delightful experience to perform it on stage and to see how our audience absorbs it and enjoys it. We’ve even seen people crying at the front row while playing this song, and of course beholding our fans unleashing such emotions, really lifts the whole experience to a pretty much divine level! Obviously, performing it without an audience at an online show wasn’t an easy task, but the memories of our previous endeavours playing it alongside our fans, got us through. Thanks for watching!”

The Cinematic Tour 2020 release features four new live albums/DVDs with audio and visuals taken from their digital performances in 2020.

- The Rise Of Ymir (Verftet Online Festival 2020)
- Chronicles of the Northbound (Cinematic Tour 2020)
- Below The Lights (Cinematic Tour 2020)
- Utgard - The Journey Within (Cinematic Tour 2020)

The releases will be available via the following formats:

- Wooden Boxset (limited edition 300 copies - handcrafted, personally named & numbered)
- Splatter Vinyl (limited edition 300 copies)
- 4x CD/DVD boxset (limited edition 1000 copies)
- 4x DVD (limited edition 1000 copies)
- digital albums

All formats include a 4 movies download card.

Says the band: "Our will to keep moving regardless of weather and surroundings could be our Norwegian West-coast heritage (you know, from when there was only potatoes and no oil and certainly no reality-TV; Norwegians were once quite tough people), and is perhaps our greatest forte. That; and being surrounded by professionals that genuinely care about this old ship of a band. Put that together and you get the unlikely success of the Cinematic Tour of 2020. To see it materialize further into these wonderfully sounding and magically packaged releases is the Multiverse’s way of telling us to keep moving, creating and performing. No matter what idiotic state the world might be in. So be it.

"We are so stoked about how these Cinematic Tour 2020 releases turned out. The crown jewel for old vinyl collectors like ourselves has got to be the wooden box - handmade, numbered and named individually. That is simply... metal!"

Collectors Wooden Boxset - Handcrafted, Handnumbered, Personalized

Limited to 300 copies worldwide. Sold exclusively in the band's online store.

Featuring:

- Download card for all 4 movies
- All albums on black vinyl
-  Each vinyl includes the show poster and the movies download card
- Original illustration by Tor Ola Svennevig on the inner-sleeve
- The 4 streams on DVD (PAL)
- Woven patch, enamel pin, poster flag and printed A2 poster
- Handcrafted and Autenticity Certificate

Splatter Vinyl Editions

1st pressing of each album on Clear with Splatter vinyl, limited to 300 copies each.

Featuring:

- Download card for all 4 movies
- Original illustration by Tor Ola Svennevig on the inner-sleeve
- All songs lyrics

4x CDs + 4x DVDs Boxset

Limited 1st press of 1000 copies, featuring:

- Download card for all 4 movies
- 4x dual layer DVDs in digipack (PAL for EU, NTSC for US)
- 4x CDs in digipack
- Slipcase with matt finish and Gold Foil
- 16 pages booklet

4x DVD

Limited 1st press of 1000 copies, featuring:

- Download card for all 4 movies
- 4x dual layer DVDs (PAL for EU, NTSC for US)
- Slipcase with matt finish and Gold Foil
- 16 pages booklet

(Photo - Roy Bjørg)




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Singer Lauri Ylönen of Finnish rockers THE RASMUS has released his piano-and-vocal cover versions of METALLICA's "Master Of Puppets" and SLAYER's "South Of Heaven" as part of his "Bedroom Sessions". You can now watch the two clips below.

Lauri previously stated about his YouTube series: "Every Sunday I will post a new video where I play songs in my bedroom, all by myself. It’s gonna be THE RASMUS songs but also other songs that have inspired me over the years."

During the last pandemic-infused year, THE RASMUS has been busy recording its tenth album together with U.K.-based, Danish-born producer Joshua, whose credits include KENT, MEW, KASHMIR, GUANO APES, BRODER DANIEL and CARPARK NORTH. Last month, THE RASMUS returned with the first fruits of those sessions in the form of new single "Bones".

"Bones" will be followed by more singles in the autumn, leading up to a full album release in 2022 (details to follow). The band has also announced a worldwide tour for 2022 in support of the new album.

THE RASMUS was formed in 1995 while the members were still in high school. Their debut, "Peep", rapidly went gold in their homeland Finland, making the members rock stars at the age of 16. The follow-up, "Playboys", also went gold and earned the group an Emma, Finland's version of a Grammy. Their third album, "Hell Of A Tester", included "Liquid", a track that was voted "Best Single Of The Year" by Finland's music critics. 2001's "Into" album went double platinum in their native country, with its debut single, "F-F-F-Falling", hitting the top of the charts. An international audience started to build, and the band toured throughout Europe. Their fifth album, "Dead Letters", released in 2003, became the band's biggest breakthrough yet, due in large part to the success of the single "In The Shadows". 2005's "Hide From The Sun" went platinum in Finland. Their fourth Finnish chart-topper, "Black Roses", was released in 2008, produced by Desmond Child. After the release of compilation "Best Of The Rasmus: 2001-2009" and a 2011 solo LP from Lauri Ylönen titled "New World", THE RASMUS released its self-titled eighth album, "The Rasmus", in 2012. The band returned in 2017 with the album "Dark Matters". THE RASMUS is still one Europe's most in-demand rock acts. They have toured Scandinavia many times as well as Central Europe, Asia, Japan, Canada, USA and South America.

THE RASMUS is:

Lauri Ylönen - vocals

Eero Heinonen - bass

Pauli Rantasalmi - guitars

Aki Hakala - drums

Warkings Warriors beware! The mighty kings return to the battlefield, armed with glorious weapons made of pure heavy metal - the time for Revolution has come. The third part of the Warkings saga will be unleashed on August 20 via Napalm Records, so sharpen your weapons and join the Warkings Revolution.

To prime the attack for the Revolution to come, the Warkings echo a legendary, historic protest melody and deliver the first video and single “Fight”, accompanied by their strongest official video so far.

The Tribune on the new single: “We will 'Fight'…for our freedom, for our kingdom. Sing with us! Let your voices be heard!”

Get ready for the Revolution and watch the new video for “Fight” below.

After their rebirth and the fight against the armies of the underworld, it's time for Revolution under the flag of the Warkings. The four ancient kings, a Roman Tribune, a wild Viking, a noble Crusader and a martial Spartan, raise the red flag and gather their warriors for the next battle.

The Viking on the new album: “The time has come, the world needs a Revolution. Raise your banners, fly our colors and join us on our way. We are the fire!”

Revolution will be available in the following formats:

- Digital album
- 1 CD Digipack
- 1 LP Gatefold Black Vinyl
- Die Hard Edition: 1 LP Gatefold Marbled Crystal Clear & Sky - Blue Vinyl with Slipmat (strictly limited to 300)
- Deluxe Box, including 1 CD Digipack, leather wristband, exclusive Lanyard & pass, 4 Autograph cards and a special signed autograph card in every 5th Box (strictly limited to 500)

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"We Are The Fire"
"Sparta - Part II"
"Fight"
"Spartacus"
"Kill For The King"
"Deus lo Vult"
"Ave Roma"
"Ragnar"
"By The Blade"
"Where Dreams Die"

"Fight" video:

Warkings are:

Tribune - Vocals
Crusader - Guitars
Spartan - Drums
Viking - Bass

(Photo - Schwaighofer Art)




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Legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen has confirmed to Rob Rush Radio that he doesn't plan on bringing out a lead vocalist with him on his upcoming tour. "No. No singer. Just me," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

"Let me make it really easy for everybody to understand: If I do something, it's because I wanna do it," he continued. "If I don't do something, it's because I don't wanna do it. I don't have anybody telling me what to do.

"I'm the luckiest man in the world. I feel like I'm so blessed. I'm so grateful for everything that's happened to me, and mostly because I have creative freedom. And that's why I'm so grateful. So the reason I'm doing what I'm doing now is because that's what I wanna do. It's not because I have to or maybe I should do this. No, I'm very specific, and I know exactly what I want. I have a very clear vision — crystal clear — about everything I do. The songs are already in my head before recording. I know what I'm doing exactly. I don't need a producer, I don't need a co-writer — I don't need any of that stuff. And that's just for me — I'm not saying it's bad for other people. Other people, it's good for them. God bless — that's great. Whatever's good for you, go ahead with it. But you've gotta understand, it's a very individual thing.

"I consider myself more like a painter or something," Yngwie added. "A painter, he paints the front, he paints the background, he paints the sides. He doesn't [ask someone else], 'Hey, can you come and paint the other half of my painting?' I can't work like that. I'm sorry."

Yngwie's new album, "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.

This past April, acclaimed hard rock vocalist Mark Boals, who appeared on four of Yngwie's studio albums, including the hard rock classic "Trilogy", told "Waste Some Time With Jason Green" about the neoclassical guitar virtuoso's recent attempts at singing: "Unfortunately, I can't unhear it. But I knew what his voice was like from before. I think when we were recording [1999's] 'Alchemy', he came to me and said, 'Man, I've been taking voice lessons for eight years. What's wrong? What am I doing wrong?' And I said, 'Well, Yngwie…' His voice, it just doesn't sound good; it doesn't have a good sound; it doesn't have a pleasing sound. He can sing notes, but they don't sound pleasing. I didn't know what to tell him. But that's the fact. He tries really hard."

Mark continued: "A singer is a totally different ballgame than being [an instrumental] musician. You can't just just pick up a [Ronnie James] Dio-model voice and put it on and sing like Dio, or put on an Ian Gillan voice and sing like Ian Gillan. You've gotta work with what you have; it's a physically limiting thing, and it's a talent. Just like playing guitar. I can't pick up a guitar and play like Yngwie, so I don't know why he thinks he should be able to just step up to a microphone and sing like me or anyone else."

Joseph Duplantier of French progressive metallers GOJIRA, who have been involved in environmental and animal rights activism, spoke to Mexico's WARP magazine about the exact origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 and launched a global pandemic in March 2020. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "For vegans, it's very upsetting, this freakin' pandemic, because it always comes from mistreating and eating animals. All the viruses, if you think about it — from chicken, the mad cow, whatever it's called, all these COVID episodes that we have — it's always from eating animals, because we're not supposed to. That's what I think. Anyway, I'm a bit upset about that. I don't think it's a conspiracy or God punishment; I think it's just a normal reaction to our behavior on this planet. Shit like that's gonna happen if you don't fucking behave."

Asked what people can do to make the world a better place, Joseph said: "It means we have the power. We do. When you go to the supermarket or to the grocery store or to the marketplace — wherever you go to buy food — are you gonna choose to buy a product from a farmer that beats his wife or a product from a farmer that doesn't beat his wife? Or mistreats his animals or doesn't mistreat his animals? Who are you gonna support? Are you gonna buy a product that was brought here from the other side of the planet and took three planes and two boats to bring, or are you gonna buy a local vegetable? 'Oh, I eat local' — oh, it sounds fancy, you fucking hipster. No — you need to fucking eat local. When you live down in Mexico, I'm sure you have more choices in the food that you eat. In colder countries, maybe people buy avocado and banana that was brought from very away. But it's probably the case in Mexico too, I'm sure — you can choose to buy something local or that comes from far. So I think it starts here."

He continued: "This is something I tell people, and they're often very surprised, and it's not metal to say that, but the power is in your wallet. Even if you spend just two dollars a day; it's still… you have a power there. And also our thoughts, what we think becomes what we are. So it's very important to have good thoughts about ourselves and about others around us and try to see the positive in people or bring the positive in other people. [That's] another thing we can do. We can be polite and try to listen to people and better ourselves instead of being mad and angry at the world. We can turn on the water to wash our hands and turn it off right away. We can choose to ride a bicycle instead of taking our car, even if we have money to buy gas. And so on and so on. So all these little things mean we have the power. It's not the government, it's not the president that's gonna change things for you, because he only cares about being re-elected; I think people should understand that by now."

Duplantier added: "And also, I will add that about this — it's just a sentence, I guess, that wraps it up — but I think the true revolution is coming from within, from individuals. If there is a revolution happening in you, you're gonna better yourself, there's gonna be a change on some level — it could be small, it could be big — I think that's it; it's a revolution that works. Because trying to [start] a revolution with a lot of people, like in France — 'Let's behead the king' — turns into a mess. Then it's a republic, and people are not happy anyway. So if people change, they're gonna inspire people around them to change."

GOJIRA's new album, "Fortitude", was released in April via Roadrunner Records. The LP was recorded and produced by Joseph Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA's Ridgewood, Queens, headquarters — and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE).

WHITESNAKE frontman David Coverdale, who turned 69 last September, has confirmed that he plans to retire from touring after the band's next batch of concerts around the world.

Coverdale discussed his plans to stop performing with WHITESNAKE while accepting the inaugural "Rocks Honours" award as part of The Rocks 2021 awards ceremony on Friday (June 11).

Speaking to Planet Rock's Wyatt about his five-decade-plus career, which included a stint with legendary British hard rockers DEEP PURPLE, Coverdale said: "I've been very passionate about what I do. I try not to let my audience down. We've got a really loyal hardcore fanbase around the world.

"Last year, we were supposed to do what was gonna be my farewell tour, and it was sold out; it was amazing. Of course, everything was canceled due to COVID. So, God willing, I'll be able to do it hopefully next year. I'm gonna show my appreciation and gratitude for the support that I've had, 'cause you can't do it without an audience supporting you — it's that simple. And they know — the hardcore [fans] who follow me know — I do my best, the best I can do at that time. And that's been my work philosophy for as long as I can remember."

After Wyatt brought up other bands who previously announced "farewell" tours, only to change their minds, David replied: "Mine's gonna be the farewell tour 'cause I'm knocking on 70. Are you kidding?! It's hard enough now to get into my jeans."

Although Coverdale will no longer perform with WHITESNAKE, he is still planning on writing and recording fresh material once he has retired from the road. "I'll be still involved in music," he said. "We've got a relatively long-term deal with Warners. We have a poopload of projects to do under the WHITESNAKE banner. It's just the touring. It's not the performing so much that is exhausting, it's the touring, and I can't tour any more comfortably than I do. So I spoke to my agent and said, 'I wanna do this [farewell tour] more than anything. It's after 50 years of incredible support for me.' Not to be able to say thank you to the U.K., not to be able to say thank you to Germany, to Japan, Brazil, it would be heartbreaking.

"I'm getting up there for this kind of stuff, and so it's gonna have to be an easier tour schedule for me to be able to handle and recharge the batteries so I'm not hobbling around or doing wheelies in a chair," he explained.

"I play guitar every day. The moment I start playing, I come up with ideas for songs. It's impossible for me not to [play music]. It's like my hobby. It's something that I'm supposed to do; otherwise, I think I wouldn't receive all these amazing ideas for melodies and naughty lyrics, including 'Slide It In', darling."

Early last year, WHITESNAKE was forced to cancel its U.S. tour with SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE and NIGHT RANGER so that Coverdale could undergo surgery for bilateral inguinal hernia. Eventually, all of the shows were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Coverdale had both his knees replaced with titanium in 2017 after suffering from degenerative arthritis. He later explained that he was in so much pain with arthritis in his knees that it hampered his ability to perform live.

WHITESNAKE had been touring in support of its latest album, "Flesh & Blood", which was released in May 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

A new era of hope, survival, and prosperity comes calling with the release of Crash Of The Crown, Styx’s new studio album, which was written pre-pandemic and recorded during the trying times of the pandemic.

The legendary rockers - James “JY” Young (lead vocals, guitars), Tommy Shaw (lead vocals, guitars), Chuck Panozzo (bass, vocals), Todd Sucherman (drums, percussion), Lawrence Gowan (lead vocals, keyboards) and Ricky Phillips (bass, guitar, vocals) - will release their 17th album on June 18 via the band’s label, Alpha Dog 2T/UMe, which will be sold as clear vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and on digital platforms. Fans can pre-order it here and at Styxworld.com.

Watch Todd Sucherman perform the new single, "Reveries", below:

Efforts to record Crash Of The Crown began in earnest at Shaw’s home studio in Nashville during the fall of 2019, with Gowan — Styx’s criminally minded showman extraordinaire and keyboardist/vocalist since 1999 — in the room together with Shaw and the album’s producer, Will Evankovich, as he conjured up the album’s first song to be recorded, with cosmetic flourishes that reign over the insistent, yearning call for togetherness, “Common Ground.” But the global pandemic that inevitably transformed the way we all wound up living in 2020 changed the course for how many of the band’s home-and-away recording sessions ultimately had to set socially distanced sail. Safety precautions took precedent for all involved Styx bandmembers and production compatriots with much diligent quarantining and testing required before any one of them could travel to Shaw’s tranquility homebase to spread the uniquely ingrained Styx stardust that’s been duly sprinkled across the album’s cosmically chosen 15 tracks.

Of all those who made the trek to Nashville, original Styx bassist Chuck Panozzo — who, along with his late twin brother, drummer John Panozzo, formed the initial nucleus of Styx when they began jamming together in their basement on the south side of Chicago in 1961 — is hands down the most effusive about the experience. “I’m constantly amazed at how Tommy’s songwriting continues to connect with the social consciousness that spans across generations,” marvels Chuck, who plays on “Our Wonderful Lives” and “Lost at Sea,” Lawrence’s all-too-brief aquatic fever dream. “Both he and Will have been able to tap into the core elements of the human condition, which is something that’s not going to change that much in 50 years — or even 500 years. That’s why Styx remains relevant after all this time, because we’re part of the human condition.”

Whether it’s the heady rush of the groundwork-laying opening track “The Fight of Our Lives,” the wistfully observational treatise of “Reveries,” the cautionary extended hand of comfort and redemption that frames “Hold Back the Darkness,” the undeniable uplift of “Our Wonderful Lives” (a beautiful sentiment further embellished by a most welcome, first-ever appearance by a banjo on a Styx album!), or the elegiac clarion call for shared grace in “To Those,” Crash Of The Crown is music that is both concurrently of its time and truly timeless all at once. Although the official release date for this landmark album may be time-stamped as 2021, the omnisciently observational content of Crash Of The Crown readily brings to mind an amalgamation of historical events that occurred in 1066, 1455, 1775, 1861, 1941, and even 2001 without citing any of them by name — Winston Churchill’s prescient wartime observations that permeate the pervasive pleas of “Save Us From Ourselves” notwithstanding. In essence, Crash Of The Crown (or COTC, for short) is a modern-day sonic chronograph of the endless regenerative cycle of the rise and fall — and rise again — of our shared human experience.

“We’ve never been a protest band. We’re more like a gospel caravan trying to send out positive messages wherever we go,” observes Crash Of The Crown co-creator and overall visionary Tommy Shaw, who joined Styx in December 1975 as a guitarist/vocalist and instantly became one of the band’s most important songwriters. “In order to share those positive messages, you have to look at what the problems are first to figure out all the ways you can help make sure everything’s going to be alright. That’s a very important part of how we do what we do.”

Though COTC takes a hard look at some inherently dark subjects, the prevalent light at the end of the tunnel eventually becomes each song’s focal point — a persistent fervor to keep moving forward and achieve the greater good.

Styx’s holy mission for cutting Crash Of The Crown was crystal-clear to its co-creator from the get-go. “Absolutely no obstacles were going to get in the way of how we approached creating this album,” Shaw concludes about the herculean recording efforts of his fellow COTC makers. “And everything came out exactly the way we wanted to hear it.”

Tracklisting:

"The Fight Of Our Lives"
" A Monster"
"Reveries"
"Hold Back The Darkness"
"Save Us From Ourselves"
"Crash Of The Crown"
"Our Wonderful Lives"
"Common Ground"
"Sound The Alarm"
"Long Live The King"
"Lost At Sea"
"Coming Out The Other Side"
"To Those"
"Another Farewell"
"Stream"

"Reveries"

"Crash Of The Crown" lyric video:

Additionally, for Record Store Day on Saturday, June 12, Styx will also release The Same Stardust EP on blue 180-gram 12-inch vinyl only, which will feature two brand-new songs on side one (“The Same Stardust” and “Age Of Entropia”), as well as five live performances on side two of some of Styx’s classic hits previously heard during their “Styx Fix” livestreams that have been keeping fans company during the pandemic on their official YouTube page, including “Mr. Roboto,” “Man In The Wilderness,” “Miss America,” “Radio Silence,” and “Renegade.”

In touring news, Styx and Collective Soul are rested, healthy, and ready to hit the road for their first-ever multiple city tour together. Styx had previously announced their return to Las Vegas with a three-night sold-out engagement at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on September 24, 25, and 26, which will include an exclusive set list and brand-new stage production. Tickets for various cities, as well as exclusive VIP packages from each band, are available now at StyxWorld.com and CollectiveSoul.com.

(Crash Of The Crown band photo - Todd Gallopo and Styx)




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For more than a decade, Famous Underground has consistently shunned musical trends in favor of holding the metallic hard rock torch high, as evidenced by “The Dark One Of Two,” the first single from the forthcoming In My Reflection EP.

The hard-hitting, thunderous track is the equivalent of the age-old dilemma of having an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other, as people evaluate available options to endless questions, sometimes at the detriment to the well-being of themselves or others. “Your perspective changes as you get older, but whatever decisions you make, they are based entirely off your principles,” guitarist/vocalist Nick Walsh says.

“The Dark One Of Two” is available today via all digital music providers here. Watch a lyric video for the track below.

“What I love about our songs is how they usually tell tales of conflict, but they also have resolve,” adds bassist Laurie-Anne Green. “One of the things that keeps my interest with this band is how over the years the sound has kept evolving, I feel that we are now playing some of our best material.”

Walsh acknowledges the public’s tolerance for inauthenticity has kept him singularly focused on ensuring he projects his true musical identity in every note of the five-song In My Reflection, available June 25. “Fans, critics and most people can smell through bullshit. As an artist, my job is to make sure I’m comfortable creating it and presenting it,” he says.  

While the musical relationship between Walsh and Green dates back more than two decades, the former’s history in music is even more extensive, having fronted the Juno Award winning Canadian hard-rock band Slik Toxik. Following the group’s demise, Walsh immersed himself in a myriad of projects, running the gamut from owning a recording studio, working in film and television, and touring North America with Classic Albums Live.  

Walsh and Green had worked on projects together in the past, and in 2011 decided to form Famous Underground. They released their debut album independently that same year, which was subsequently licensed for world-wide release in 2013. Leaning upon a veritable number of classic influences from the world of hard rock and heavy metal, Famous Underground’s take no prisoners approach to music reaffirms guitar-driven rock music is far from dead.

“Famous Underground is my passion project. It’s music that comes from my soul,” Walsh explains. “I am grateful that the band share my vision and end up owning it themselves - that's what I call real.”

Following the release of a digital 45 in 2017, the band, which also includes guitarist Darren Boyd and drummer Desche Sparboom, amassed 14 songs for a full-length album that was originally due out in 2020. Not surprisingly, the pandemic disrupted those plans, sending Walsh and Green back to the drawing board in some respects. After all, the dynamic vocalist has a unique perspective on the music business, having cut his musical teeth on the “old” model of record companies being the gatekeepers to success, through disruptors like Napster and file-sharing, up to the present day of music on demand.

“It’s remarkable to watch how technology shifts the industry so quickly,” says Walsh. “It’s so important to stay on top of how the landscape is evolving. We wanted to ensure we were going about the release of this new music in the right way, rather than dropping all 14 songs with no fanfare.”  

Pre-order/pre-save In My Reflection here.

In My Reflection tracklisting:

"The Dark One Of Two"
"Corrupted"
"Until The End"
"Ultra Mega"
"Like An Animal"

"Corrupted":

One of the most notable facets that time has brought to Famous Underground is a sense of maturity and life experience. Although those facets of life might have been missing during his tenure in Slik Toxik - through no one’s fault - Walsh embraces the opportunity to have gained valuable insights and observations over the last 30 years. It has given him a world view that could not be artificially manifested. There is a polished, intense rawness to the songs featured on In My Reflection that is both similar and dissimilar to anything Walsh has done in the past. However, he might not have arrived at this critical junction in his career without the benefit of the experiences he’s lived through.

“Back in the early days of Slik Toxik, we were singing about reaching for the brass ring, women and partying; all pretty typical stuff for guys in their late teens and early 20s,” Walsh says. “I couldn’t get away with writing about that shit now. I’m more interested in writing about the world around me and the human condition; the struggles within; duality; and the world around us. I’m a big believer in the whole yin/yang thing and how important it is to find balance in the world.”

Famous Underground is:

Nick Walsh - Lead Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Programming
Laurie-Anne Green - Bass Guitar
Darren Boyd - Lead Guitar
Desche Sparboom – Drums

Touring Musicians:

Michael Wolfgang Verbeke – Guitar
Ange M – Guitar

(Photo - Pete Dove)




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L.A. GUNS guitarist Tracii Guns, who has been outspoken about his political views on Twitter, has admitted to the "On The Road To Rock" podcast that he didn't become interested in political and social issues until relatively late.

"I was really good friends with Eddie Van Halen," Tracii said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We used to play golf together. And I don't remember what year it was — whenever Ross Perot was running was president, [Bill] Clinton was running was president. It was '93, I guess — '92 [or] '93. So I was… How old was I? I was 26 or 27. And I just liked Ross Perot. He had funny ears… I did not know how politics worked at all. But Eddie did — Eddie knew how it worked. And him and Sammy [Hagar] were doing some fundraising for the Clinton campaign. And he was, like, 'You're votin' for Clinton, right?' And I go, 'Nah, I'm gonna vote for the little guy.' He goes, 'No, no, no, no. You don't understand.' And I didn't understand. I had no idea what those guys were talking about.

"So the night of that election comes, and I guess they had been up partying, 'cause Clinton won or whatever," Tracii continued. "And he calls me at, like, three in the morning. This was before cell phones, so it was the house phone. I'm, like, 'What the hell?' I was, like, 'Hello.' [Eddie goes], 'Hey.' And I go, 'Hey, what are you doing up?' He goes, 'Clinton won.' And I go, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. Congratulations. I'm glad it worked out.' He goes, 'You voted for him, right?' And I go, 'I didn't end up voting.' He goes, 'You're such a prick.' He goes, 'I'll see you in the morning.' So it was really important to what I would consider adults. Eddie's, like, 12 years older than me or something. And it was really important to him. And it was really important to Sammy. They were really [convinced] that that was the right thing for the country. And it worked out — we had great economic growth during that time. But I never imagined that I would be so sensitive to policy."

Tracii, who splits his time between Los Angeles and Denmark, where his wife is from and his son was born, went on to say that America's international image took a severe beating in recent years, particulary under former president Donald Trump.

"The exposure of racism and hate in our country is embarrassing — it is embarrassing," Guns said. "My Danish friends, they've been telling me now for a couple of years, 'We really used to love the United States. We all wanted to go there and be in bands. It was so exciting.' And you've gotta remember — Denmark is pretty much a socialist democracy. It's state run. My baby was born [there] a year ago. Here's what the bill looked like from the hospital [holds up a blank piece of paper]. 'Oh, here. Enjoy your baby.' It's a lot different. And it's a very calm community of people. They're relaxed, they're happy, they work, they're educated, they're healthy — all these things. So when this whole crazy thing kind of happened over here [with Trump getting elected], they were, like, 'What happened?' Everybody asked me, 'How did that guy become president?' Like, 'Wow.' And then when we started having the riots associated with the protests, things got really scary.

"I live in Hollywood when I'm [in America]. Hollywood looks like it was hit with a bomb," he continued. "No joke. This is a scary place to be. And the only thing that I can relate it to is Rio De Janeiro where they have a real separation of economic structure. So you have this favela, which looks like the Hollywood Hills but covered in little white box houses [and] homes. That's where the poor people live. That's where drugs are rampant and crime is rampant. And about two miles, I guess, south, you're driving on that road, and there's, like, a five-star golf country club. And that's what L.A. feels like to me right now. It's like a really bizarre mix. And there's so many businesses that are out of business, there's so many empty apartments, and there's so many homeless people. And this all just doesn't add up. There's plenty of shelter for people. Why can't we help? Why can't we do this? Why can't we do that? And I'm tired of asking.

"I have a personal life," Tracii added. "I live in two countries. I have a child that lives in each country. I make records. I do things. I'm tired of this country being embarrassing to every other country. Even the shittiest countries in the world are embarrassed by the actions that occur in this country. It's sad."

L.A. GUNS will release a live album, "Cocked & Loaded Live", on July 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. It will be followed by a brand new studio album from L.A. GUNS, "Checkered Past", which is due in November.

In a new interview with Extreme Metal Festival News, CANNIBAL CORPSE dummer and founding member Paul Mazurkiewicz was asked what he would like the band's legacy to be. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think just a band that we did it our own way. We did what we wanted to do. We had our own vision and we followed it and we struck true to that and we did it our way. It would be cool to go down as maybe the most brutal, intense metal band of all time, I guess. That's kind of what I would hope for when you look back years from now and when we're all dead and gone, I guess, or whatever, and they're talking about is in death metal history class two hundred years from now, going, 'CANNIBAL CORPSE. Here's a band that stuck true to their guns. And they did it their way. And they were brutal to the very end.' That would be a pretty cool thing. I would hope that's what we would be known for."

CANNIBAL CORPSE's 15th studio album, "Violence Unimagined", was released in April via Metal Blade Records. Erik Rutan, one of the death metal's most acclaimed guitarists who is known for his time as part of MORBID ANGEL throughout the '90s and early 2000s, as well as handling vocals/guitars for HATE ETERNAL, lent his guitar as well as production skills to the effort, which was recorded at his Mana Recording in St. Petersburg, Florida. Rutan previously produced four CANNIBAL CORPSE albums (in addition to "Violence Unimagined"), alongside the likes of GOATWHORE, SOILENT GREEN and BELPHEGOR. Filling in live on guitar since 2019, in 2020 he became a full member, contributing to the writing process.

In a 2017 interview with Aesthetic Magazine, Mazurkiewicz stated about CANNIBAL CORPSE's longevity: "It's about the love of the music. We're very fortunate to start out 30 years ago and have success right off the bat where everything was going great. We all just love to play and write songs, and after fourteen records, we just want to keep moving forward and we feel like we always have, and the popularity just grows with the band. We love to create and write the perfect brutal death metal CANNIBAL CORPSE song and I think we obviously must have achieved that to have this sort of longevity."

Video of GREAT WHITE singer Mitch Malloy performing a solo acoustic cover version of the AEROSMITH classic "Dream On" can be seen below.

Mitch is perhaps best known for his brief stint with VAN HALEN after the band split with Sammy Hagar. In 1996, Malloy was invited to Eddie Van Halen's studio to try out for the group and recorded a demo of the classic "Panama" before being told by Eddie he got the gig. However, his joining VAN HALEN was reportedly overridden by then-manager Ray Danniels, who wanted Gary Cherone (EXTREME) as Hagar's replacement.

Malloy's involvement with VAN HALEN is the focus of a short documentary, "Mitch Malloy: Van Halen's Lost Boy", which was uploaded to YouTube in 2013.

Malloy joined GREAT WHITE as the replacement for Terry Ilous, who was fired from the group in July 2018.

Mitch, who relocated to Destin, Florida from Nashville, Tennessee in 2019, told Destin Life about how he landed the GREAT WHITE gig: "I had a friend who knew some guys in the band, and one day he and I were talking, and he just mentioned, 'Hey, I think GREAT WHITE could really use you. They're looking for a new singer.' It just all worked out. It's been great, and it also allows me to pursue my solo projects."

Malloy's influences include AEROSMITH, CHEAP TRICK, HEART, FOGHAT and DEEP PURPLE.

Founding JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K Downing spoke to KNAC.COM about "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). On the topic of how the project came about, Downing said: "I think it's probably been at least 18 months since I first sat down and thought, 'I wonder if I can write a record.' And it just came to me so fast. So, I had basically all the songs and the contents and the direction and everything within four weeks. So, that is when I really started to press buttons and get everything into motion. At that time, I think there was an option. If we could've delivered the record up in, like, six months, then we could've gone out and done some shows. And that was what was happening back then. And we did have some offers on some shows, but the COVID thing started to dig in, and everything kind of ground to a bit of a halt. I kind of took the pedal off the metal for a little bit then, and I thought, 'Okay, what's there is really good, and I like it, but now, with time, manpower and money, things could always be better.' So I afforded myself the luxury of pulling back, taking stock, and just making sure that it was as good as it could be, really."

Asked if he collaborated with other people on the material for "Sermons Of The Sinner", Downing said: "Well, originally I didn't because we were spread miles apart, with the travel restrictions. But to start off, it wasn't too bad, but I didn't know what I had — or didn't have — in me. The last thing you want to do is to present music that isn't very good to fellow musicians, because they would know the difference between something pretty good and something crap. So, I kind of got stuck in myself, because I felt the onus was on me in a big way. Having written so many songs previously, over so many decades, I had to kind of turn the tap on, to see what came out, if anything at all. [Laughs] And it came out, and I just ran with it, but you need to embellish it, and embellish it. And so I got the other guys together as best I could, but everything had been demoed. And we were fortunate enough to get Ripper and Sean for just a space of time to complete the task, really. So, that's kind of what happened, because I do feel the material had a lot of the essential ingredients. In my mind I kind of have this little switch for quality control, and I either like it or I hate it. It is difficult. And so I didn't know what it would be like either to write with other people after being used to a songwriting trio for so many years, you know? So, I wanted to see what I could do with just myself. But now already, the way things are, I'm working on material for the second album, and we'll be doing that together, obviously."

Read the entire interview at KNAC.COM.

"Sermons Of The Sinner" will be released on August 20 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records. The LP's first single, "Hellfire Thunderbolt", was released last month.

KK'S PRIEST will play select shows to mark the 50th anniversary of PRIEST and Downing's career as a founding member. KK'S PRIEST's setlist will consist of PRIEST classics and new songs.

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

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

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

Downing's autobiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", was released in September 2018 via Da Capo Press.

TIMES OF GRACE, featuring Adam Dutkiewicz and Jesse Leach of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, will release its second album "Songs Of Loss And Separation", on July 16 via the band's own imprint label, Wicked Good Records, distributed by ADA worldwide.

Today, the band has shared the video for the new song "Medusa". Check it out below.

The band's debut album "The Hymn Of A Broken Man" arrived in 2011, nearly a decade after Leach's exit from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, the pivotal New Wave Of American Heavy Metal band the duo co-founded with friends in 1999. The first music from TIMES OF GRACE materialized during Dutkiewicz's arduous recovery from near-crippling back surgery. A collection of songs the multi-instrumentalist and producer knew would suit his once and future bandmate. The first album earned acclaim from BBC Music, The Aquarian and Rock Sound. It willfully upended expectations, with flourishes of shoegaze and ambiance in its songs.

Now, 10 years after TIMES OF GRACE first surfaced, the eagerly awaited follow-up arrives.

Comfortably stretched beyond the parameters of what came before, without sacrificing an ounce of integrity, TIMES OF GRACE weaves between pensive, heavy, midtempo rock, riffs, and atmosphere. The pair's vocal interplay makes for a rich, dense, and enthralling concoction, powering through various trips through dark nights of the soul and mind-expanding excursions into the wild. "Songs Of Loss And Separation" benefits wildly from the powerhouse performance of ex-ENVY ON THE COAST drummer Dan Gluszak, who toured behind the first album and is now an official member of the band.

The sprawling second album from TIMES OF GRACE, with a stunning album cover painted by John McCormack and album art layout by Tom Bejgrowicz, channels a dissonant, menacing, and unrelenting depression. Haunting romanticism and deep spiritual yearning collide in beautiful melancholy. It's a diverse but singular statement, like the most beloved work of classic bands. "Songs Of Loss And Separation", insistent in its bluesiness, bleeds distortion and emotion, like a nerve, exposed.

TIMES OF GRACE previously released the video for "The Burden Of Belief", the opening track on "Songs Of Loss And Separation".

"This song is the spark of the oncoming fire," said Leach. "It foreshadows the journey of this album. This song is an unveiling of who we, TIMES OF GRACE, have become after all of these years. This is a testimony of falling apart, losing faith, letting go, and the desire to kill and purge the past. It is the unraveling, the catharsis and the rebirth. So it begins...."

"It almost feels strange finally releasing the songs on this record, especially this one," added Dutkiewicz. "I started writing this song over 10 years ago, so it's been around for quite some time. I really hope you guys dig it, and I hope we will get the opportunity to play it for you guys live someday. Thanks, everyone!"

"Songs Of Loss And Separation" track listing:

01. The Burden Of Belief

02. Mend You

03. Rescue

04. Far From Heavenless

05. Bleed Me

06. Medusa

07. Currents

08. To Carry The Weight

09. Cold

10. Forever

Last December, Leach said that he and Dutkiewicz were "finalizing" things for the new record's release. He also blamed the album's delay on the fact that 2020 was "a shitshow," in part due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "We just wanna make sure it comes out properly — the way that we want it to be presented, and have some good visual ideas and some good artwork," he explained. "And we found a good home at a label. So all of that is wrapping up."

Back in August, Dutkiewicz told the Metal Blade Live Series that he was "really excited" about the new TIMES OF GRACE material. "There's some pretty mellow vibes on that record, for sure," he said. "It's definitely one of the darkest things I've ever written topically."

In July, Leach told the "BREWtally Speaking Podcast" that the new TIMES OF GRACE album is "leaps and bounds better [than 2011's 'The Hymn Of A Broken Man']. It's more creative, it's more genuine, I feel," he said. "I feel like there was definitely a bleed-in of KILLSWITCH influence on that first record, and how could there not be, with me and Adam working together. And I feel like this new record sort of pulls away from that and really sort of defines us and our sound as TIMES OF GRACE, where I listen back to 'Live In Love' [from the first TIMES OF GRACE album] and certain songs like that, and you can hear the KILLSWITCH influence. And that's cool, and fans, I'm sure, appreciated that, but I'm very happy to pull away from that and do something different for this new record."

Leach went on to speak in more detail about TIMES OF GRACE's musical progression and the band's plans to release a full-length album and a separate EP.

"It's a mixed bag [of musical styles]," he told "BREWtally Speaking Podcast". "There's definitely some of that sort of bluesy [stuff] — definitely a lot of blues, I should say. But it comes in different forms. I'd say there's a mixture of a touch of some stoner vibes going on there. There's definitely a touch of, like, I guess the term would be 'post metal,' atmospheric metal — guitars with a lot of delay and space with big, heavy bass and slow-moving stuff. There's more rock and roll, more indie rock. And there's still traces of the metal that we're known for here and there."

He continued: "I think with the direction we're heading in, and why there's gonna be two releases, this first release we wanted to make sure it sort of didn't really have any of that heavy KILLSWITCH-y vibe to it. So the first record is going to be what I feel is our signature sound that we've sort of embraced, and it just kind of happened through Adam's writing. And then the EP will be a little bit more of the metal that you have come to know and reflect on the first record. So it's a real mixed bag. And I'm glad to say I don't think you can really put a genre on us because of that. We'll see. I'm sure people are gonna still call it metalcore. I don't even know what the fuck that term means anymore. But I'm happy to say that I think that we are no longer going to be called that style of music, because I think we're more of a heavy metal/rock band, if you will."

"The Hymn Of A Broken Man" was released in January 2011 via Roadrunner Records. The CD sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 44 on The Billboard 200 chart.

In a recent interview with Dead Rhetoric's Kyle McGinn, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares discussed the ongoing search for longtime vocalist Burton C. Bell's replacement. Bell departed FEAR FACTORY last year, saying he "cannot align" himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.

When asked whether it was "bittersweet" that the band's forthcoming "Aggression Continuum" studio album will be FEAR FACTORY's last with Bell, Dino responded: "Unfortunately, I have to look at it as a change that is just happening. I have to roll with the punches. At the same time, I'm curious to see what I can do. It's not like I haven't dealt with new singers before. I've started new bands with new singers, and gone on to do great things. To me, I look at it as a blessing in disguise. We could get a new singer, and the band could blow up — you never know, right? But I'm anxiously optimistic, and I think it's going to turn out fine."

Cazares also discussed his reaction toward the band's 2020 crowdfunding created to raise $25,000 to complete "Aggression Continuum", which Bell had said was originally titled "Monolith". Upon announcement of the campaign, Cazares said the funds would go toward him re-tracking some guitar and bass parts, and have drummer Mike Heller track live drums.

"I was definitely surprised, but not surprised at the same time," he says. "A lot of people like what we do, and they like what I do. So, I was very appreciative that everyone scrapped a few dollars out of their pockets. I think a lot of people really wanted to see this record out. [Laughs]. People were donating $5 or $500 and I thought it was amazing. Even if there were a few setbacks while I was creating the GoFundMe campaign, with obviously Burton was voicing his opinion, and it created a negative vibe with the whole campaign. But once we were past all that, we were able to reach our goal."

You can read the entire interview at this location.

"Aggression Continuum" will be released on June 18 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, features Cazares and Bell alongside Heller. It was produced and engineered by Damien Rainaud (DRAGONFORCE, ONCE HUMAN), with keyboards by Igor Khoroshev (ex-YES), and programming on two songs from longtime collaborator Rhys Fulber (FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY). "Aggression Continuum" was mixed by A-list rock and metal producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, TRIVIUM), who also mixed FEAR FACTORY's previous album, 2015's "Genexus".

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Dual twin harpists, Camille And Kennerly, return with another cover; this time taking on Iron Maiden's "Powerslave". Watch the video below.

A message states: "Finally, a new Harp Twins Iron Maiden cover! As you might know, we love a challenge. So, yes, we took on probably our most challenging Maiden arrangement yet – and still on only two harps! We recorded this track on our electro-acoustic Concert Grand harps, but filmed the video with our smaller electric harps because we couldn’t bring our concert grands into the sand. The exposed mechanics in the harp base would be ruined by the sand, and we had to hike up some serious dunes to get to our epic filming location!

"Speaking of sand, the wind when we were filming was absolutely insane. The sand was being whipped up at us the whole shoot. If you look closely, you can see the waves of sand sweeping across the dunes around us. Our costumes were inspired by Isis, the Egyptian goddess of magic, death, healing, and re-birth. We included a bit of everything in our arrangement – guitar pedals, soundboard hand percussion, and lots and lots of pedal / lever changes to get all of those accidentals and key changes! We hope you enjoy our massive and hypnotic version of this Maiden classic. We hope you also enjoy our version of the guitar solo – which ended up being a serious harp solo!

"Everything you hear in our arrangement is exactly how we can perform it live with our 2 harps: no backing tracks, loops or overlays. Please let us know if you enjoyed 'Powerslave' by liking the video, favoriting, leaving a comment, and sharing it with your friends. We will continue to go where no harps have gone before! Please subscribe and stay tuned for more of our radical Duet Harp Revolution!

"Special thanks to Nick Rzepczynski."




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Paul Stanley spoke to Rolling Stone Germany about KISS's new official live bootleg series "KISS - Off The Soundboard", which launched today (Friday, June 11) with "Tokyo 2001", recorded by the band at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on March 13, 2001. This marks the first in a series of upcoming live releases through UMe and is available as a 3-LP standard black vinyl set, a 2-CD set, digital downloads and available to stream. "Off The Soundboard: Tokyo 2001" — which features co-founders Stanley and Gene Simmons, with Ace Frehley on guitar and Eric Singer on drums — is also available as an exclusive 3-LP set pressed on crystal clear vinyl with bone swirl via the official KISS online store.

Asked how Frehley's guitar playing compares to that of current KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer, Paul said: "Tommy is very, very consistent. Tommy always hits the bull's eye, and there's never any question about that. And with Ace, I have to say, there was a certain amount of erratic playing. You didn't really know, night to night, what you were going to get, I have to say. So the band, as it is now, is much, much, much more consistent. We're always in sync with each other and always on point."

He continued: "I'm the first to say that the band wouldn't exist today without having had Ace and Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer] in the beginning. And I can also say the band wouldn't exist today if Ace and Peter were still there. So, things move on, and certainly Ace, his playing is part of the foundation of what we do."

Stanley also addressed the fact that "Tokyo 2001" was recorded during a challenging period for KISS after Criss decided to step away from the band over a contract dispute. (He rejoined the group in late 2002 and stayed for another year and a half before exiting for the final time.)

"Well, thankfully, Eric is a phenomenal drummer and had played with the band for decades, I think," Paul said. "So he was very ready. It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment happening that brought Eric into the band; we saw that coming. That was very obvious because of some of the tensions or lack of quality in Peter's playing at some point, frankly. So Eric was always ready to come in, and Ace loved playing with Eric. So, it was great. It was transitional; it was a time of transition. But we had fun, I have to say. I remember being in Australia, and we were all out to dinner, which was not anything that had happened for years before, and the four of us were out to dinner, and Ace was going, 'I love playing with Eric.' So, this board recording is really good — it's really, really good."

KISS "Off The Soundboard: Tokyo 2001" (2CD) track listing:

CD1

01. Detroit Rock City

02. Deuce

03. Shout It Out Loud

04. Talk To Me

05. I Love It Loud

06. Firehouse

07. Do You Love Me

08. Calling Dr. Love

09. Heaven's On Fire

10. Let Me Go Rock & Roll

11. Shock Me / Guitar Solo

12. Psycho Circus

CD2

01. Lick It Up / Bass Solo

02. God Of Thunder / Drum Solo

03. Cold Gin

04. 100,000 Years

05. Love Gun

06. I Still Love You

07. Black Diamond

08. I Was Made For Lovin' You

09. Rock And Roll All Nite

3LP

LP1, Side A

01. Detroit Rock City

02. Deuce

03. Shout It Out Loud

04. Talk To Me

LP1, Side B

01. I Love It Loud

02. Firehouse

03. Do You Love Me

04. Calling Dr. Love

05. Heaven's On Fire

LP2, Side A

01. Let Me Go Rock & Roll

02. Shock Me / Guitar Solo

LP2, Side B

01. Psycho Circus

02. Lick It Up / Bass Solo

03. God Of Thunder / Drum Solo

LP3, Side A

01. Cold Gin

02. 100,000 Years

03. Love Gun

LP3, Side B

01. I Still Love You

02. Black Diamond

03. I Was Made For Lovin' You

04. Rock And Roll All Nite

Digital track listing

01. Detroit Rock City

02. Deuce

03. Shout It Out Loud

04. Talk To Me

05. I Love It Loud

06. Firehouse

07. Do You Love Me

08. Calling Dr. Love

09. Heaven's On Fire

10. Let Me Go Rock & Roll

11. Shock Me / Guitar Solo

12. Psycho Circus

13. Lick It Up / Bass Solo

14. God Of Thunder / Drum Solo

15. Cold Gin

16. 100,000 Years

17. Love Gun

18. I Still Love You

19. Black Diamond

20. I Was Made For Lovin' You

21. Rock And Roll All Nite

Michael Monroe says that he is "not interested at all" in seeing MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Dirt" biopic.

The former HANOI ROCKS frontman was asked to comment on the film in light of the fact that CRÜE frontman Vince Neil caused the tragic car accident in 1984 that killed his passenger, HANOI ROCKS drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley.

Asked by "The Classic Metal Show" if he has seen "The Dirt", Michael replied (hear audio below): "I haven't seen the movie. I'm not interested at all. I haven't read the book [that the movie is based on]. In general, I've never been interested in that band, musically or in any way. It's really not my thing. I haven't seen the movie and I have no intention of seeing it. I'm not interested."

Monroe went on to say that the accident "certainly destroyed a lot of people's lives. I've never blamed anybody — you can't blame anybody for an accident — but a lot of people's lives were shattered, "he said. "As well as the two teenagers who got paralyzed in the accident; I've heard that there was no mention of them either [in the film].

"It's a depressing subject and it's always like opening a can of worms," Michael continued. "And I just don't wanna get into all that. It's just useless.

"But, yeah, my comment is no comment, really. [Laughs]"

Back in 2004, Monroe slammed MÖTLEY CRÜE for the band's decision to title a box set "Music To Crash Your Car To", calling the move beyond disrespectful and referring to the group's bassist Nikki Sixx as "shallow," "ignorant" and "stupid". "The 'Mostly Crude' gotta be as dumb as they are to have done that," he told Metal Sludge. "I'm not only talking about Razzle, but also for the other families involved in the accident... As we've previously stated: The most tasteless and murderous gimmick to cash in on the past we've ever heard of. There's nothing 'cool' or 'funny' about death or winding up a paraplegic for life. How low can you go? I'd say this gave bad taste a bad name."

Three years later, Monroe publicly apologized to Sixx, saying that his "unflattering comments" about the bassist were "really childish and stupid." He explained: "I just took it a bit personally when they called their album at the time 'Music to Crash Your Car To'. I thought it was inappropriate since it came across as if they were making fun of the accident, which I'm sure was not their intention."

Neil's drunk-driving death car crash happened back in December 1984 when he smashed his car into another vehicle in Redondo Beach, California, killing Razzle and seriously injuring two other occupants.

Vince was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol. His blood alcohol level was 0.17, which was over the legal limit.

Neil served half of a 30-day jail sentence, received five years probation and had to pay $2.6 million in restitution, as well as perform 200 hours of community service.

In 2011, Monroe gave Sleaze Roxx his take on what happened that night: "There was an accident, and unfortunately our drummer was killed. As far as Vince Neil, I have nothing to say. It was an accident. What happened happened, and it can't be changed. Everybody suffered from the whole thing."

During an appearance Friday (April 30) on Newsmax, outspoken conservative rocker and pro-gun activist Ted Nugent discussed President Joe Biden's recent push for stricter gun laws as well as call for the Congress to pass a police reform bill. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've gotta tell you, I hang around with a lot of great families every day of my life here in Texas, and I'm in communication with great families all over the world. I think the most important indicator right now is not the self-evident truth that we the people of the United States Of America stand for and continue to believe in and celebrate, but around the world I'm hearing from people from every corner of the planet going, 'Uncle Ted, what the hell are you guys letting happen to America? We look to America as the last, only good place where you have individual freedoms as guaranteed by that sacred Constitution and Bill Of Rights. They're looking at America right now literally with this freak in the White House and his gang that violate their oath ever day, the rest of the world is sitting back and going, 'America, you'd better put the brakes on, because you're turning into Portland and San Francisco and homeless and feces and needles and exploding crime rates that is engineered.' So, that pulse of goodwill and decency is alive and well out here."

He added: "I've gotta tell you, anybody that's not a member of the National Rifle Association or Gun Owners of America or your state's Second Amendment organization, if you're not an actual active member in those organizations, [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden would like to thank you."

Nugent, an avid supporter of former U.S. president Donald Trump, has repeatedly said that last year's presidential election was a fraud, insisting that "hundreds of thousands of dead people" voted and claiming that machines were "rigged" to give a Donald Trump vote to Joe Biden.

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

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

In 2019, Nugent defended Donald Trump after the then-U.S. president was accused of making racist remarks about Democratic congresswomen from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Progressive rock legend Rick Wakeman was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, which is one rank below a knighthood, as part of the Queen's birthday honors list for 2021.

The 72-year-old, who was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017, told the PA News agency upon hearing the news: "It's a mixture of stunned and genuinely very proud. In a strange way, my first thought was, 'Gosh, I wish my mum and dad were here to witness this' but then I realized, of course, that my dad would be 105 and mum would be 103 — so the odds were heavily stacked against that.

"I am quite literally stunned and proud is the only way I can [describe it]," he continued. "Friends who know me and have been in the business know I never expected a thing like this. I can only say thank you very much. I really feel very honoured and proud.

"I have carried on making music but sometimes you are making music and go, 'Why am I doing this? There is no end in sight as to when we can play live, when we can do stuff'. As a recognition, for me coming out of lockdown, coming out of everything, to get this is even more special."

Professional musician, keyboard player, songwriter, broadcaster and raconteur, Wakeman's career started as a much-in-demand session player, who performed on recordings by David Bowie, Elton John, Lou Reed, Al Stewart and hundreds more artists. His big break came in 1971 when he joined YES, who went on to become the most successful prog rock band in the world, but Wakeman has also always gone his own way outside the framework of that group.

In the seventies, he achieved chart-topping success with solo albums such as "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth", "The Six Wives Of Henry VIII" and "The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table", which cumulatively sold over 10 million copies in North America alone.

He has written several film scores, amongst them two for director Ken Russell ("Lisztomania" and "Crimes Of Passion") and two "Harry Palmer" movies starring Michael Caine ("Bullet To Beijing" and "Midnight In St. Petersburg"), and in the U.K., has built up an impressive reputation as a witty guest and host on shows like "Grumpy Old Men", "Countdown", "Watchdog" and the comedy cabaret show "Live At Jongleurs". His wickedly irreverent acceptance speech when YES was inducted in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017 nearly brought the house down.

That same year, he made British chart history when his "Piano Portraits" record became the first solo piano instrumental album to enter the U.K.'s Top 10 on release — a feat he then repeated with last year's "Piano Odyssey". Both records feature tunes that have a special connection with Rick's personal musical journey and his subsequent tours, in which he performs a selection of tracks accompanied by hilarious memories and anecdotes have been instant sellouts in the U.K.

The 2019 North American leg of the "Grumpy Old Rock Star" tour took place in September and Octo

California rockers PAPA ROACH continue to demonstrate their sonic versatility in new collaboration with renowned German producers/DJs VIZE titled "Core (That's Who We Are)" . The founders of "slap house" provide a warm pulsating base to a track that when teamed with PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix's slick and nimble vocals make for a summer anthem fans of each will eagerly spur curiosity for more. The new single went live at midnight local time with its accompanying video launching shortly through a special YouTube Red Carpet premiere via Rodeo today at 9:45 a.m. PST, featuring Shaddix and Vitali from VIZE.

"I'm so stoked to be on a track with VIZE," shares Jacoby, "I'm always looking for ways to break down walls and bring people together and this track, 'Core', was the perfect collaboration to do that. Bringing EDM rock and pop together is new and exciting. Music brings unity and we all know the world needs more unity! God speed!"

Calling it a sensation would not be enough to describe this collaboration by PAPA ROACH and one of Europe's leading and biggest dance/electronic music acts VIZE — a Top 300 artist on Spotify with over 14 million monthly listeners. Seemingly not fitting together sonically at a first glance, those two acts came together for a truly unique alliance that breaks open borders between dance/electronic music, rock and pop music. "Core" is a fresh fusion of those sound origins that allow for shout along-moments as well working perfectly as a stadium or arena hymn for whenever clubs and concert venues are going back to business or even now during the European soccer championships.

PAPA ROACH, having a track record of multiple hits from the early 2000s up until today, has proven in the past years that its music shines brighter than ever. Being known for stretching their boundaries throughout the years is showing more than ever in their recent releases and features with artists outside their genre, such as their 2017 tracks "Periscope" featuring Skylar Grey, "Sunrise Trailer Park" featuring Machine Gun Kelly and most recently also their collaboration with TikTok star and up-and-coming artist Jeris Johnson on a new version of PAPA ROACH's iconic hit "Last Resort". Not to mention their hit team-up with Kayzo and Sullivan King for single "Domination".

PAPA ROACH released its second greatest-hits collection, "Greatest Hits Vol.2: The Better Noise Years", back in March of this year, celebrating the last 10 years of hits in a 21-song collection. The two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock, who in 2020 celebrated 20 years since their debut album, "Infest", have sold over 20 million records worldwide, garnered over two billion streams to date, and charted 22 Top 10 singles, 19 Top 5 hit singles and eight No. 1 hit singles on three different radio formats (Active Rock, Alternative and Top 40) further solidifying PAPA ROACH as one of the most successful alternative rock bands of their era.

Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen has uploaded a new performance video along with the following message:

"A new cover with the one and only Henk Poort! Known for his theater, musical and acting history, and of course our duet of 'The Phantom Of The Opera' at Beste Zangers. This time we decided to collaborate once more and cover a different musical song. This time it is 'Dangerous Game' from Jekyll & Hyde. A true joy to be working with Henk again! Hope you all enjoy this cover!" 

Jansen performed 'Phantom Of The Opera' with Poort for the Dutch TV show Beste Zangers in 2019. The performance has attracted over 14 million viewers on Youtube as of June 2021.




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Swedish Viking/pagan metal veterans Thyrfing reveal their latest video single “Järnhand”. The track comes off the band’s forthcoming Vanagandr full-length, set for release on August 27th via Despotz Records.

“Järnhand,” which translates as “iron hand,” showcases a familiar side of Thyrfing. Commanding and melodic in equal measure, it boasts a dynamic power, switching between blast beats and grooves at will with swirling folk elements of which Thyrfing are masters. The epic video was directed by Patric Ullaeus of rEvolver (Dimmu Borgir, Arch Enemy, Europe).

Comments the band, "Another single track, and I think it holds many of the typical Thyrfing elements from later years, having both grit and guts, but also melody and mood. It could probably have fit in quite well on the Farsotstider album back in 2005. The lyrics are about perfection of power and the urge to cling to it at any cost."

Stream “Järnhand” here.

Vanagandr, which serves as Thyrfing’s first proper studio output in eight years, was co-recorded and co-produced by Jakob Herrmann (In Flames, Machine Head, Evergrey) at Top Floor Studios, in Gothenburg, Sweden with renowned producer/engineer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, U.D.O., Katatonia) looking after the mix and mastering. The art concept for Vanagandr was executed by former Dark Tranquillity guitarist Niklas Sundin of Cabin Fever Media who did the Vansinnesvisor album in 2002.

(Photo by Jens Rydén)

 

 




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