SLIPKNOT's M. Shawn Crahan, also known as Clown, has just released another solo song, "Brainwash Love - Feed The Worms Birds". Like the two previously released tracks, "Brainwash Love - Death Inside" and "Live Your Life", "Brainwash Love - Feed The Worms Birds" brings together ambient elecronic soundscapes that are a far cry from most of SLIPKNOT's musical output.

Crahan is not only the co-founder, percussionist, production designer and artistic visionary of SLIPKNOT, one of the world's biggest metal bands, he is a multi-faceted musician (DIRTY LITTLE RABBITS, TO MY SURPRISE, THE BLACK DOTS OF DEATH), a painter and photographer whose work has been exhibited in galleries globally and published in the 2012 book "The Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey", a director and videographer, having directed a string of music videos for music artists, including SLIPKNOT, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE and HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, the 2016 movie adaptation of graphic novel "Officer Downe" and SLIPKNOT's own "Day Of The Gusano" and "Pollution" movies. He also has an extensive body of studio work, having produced albums for MUDVAYNE, DOWNTHESUN, GIZMACHI and 40 BELOW SUMMER and helmed remixes for the likes of BRING ME THE HORIZON, COHEED AND CAMBRIA, SUICIDE SILENCE, MARILYN MANSON, AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE and ESCAPE THE FATE, among others. He is also an actor, having starred as the carny "Tamer" in the 2012 movie "The Devil's Carnival", and an entrepreneur, guiding the development and blending of SLIPKNOT's No. 9 whiskey in collaboration with Iowa distillery Cedar Ridge. The multi-platinum, Grammy-winning artist has sold more than 30 million records with SLIPKNOT, whose last three albums debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and the U.K. albums chart.

SLIPKNOT has spent the last few months working on the follow-up to 2019's "We Are Not Your Kind" album.

Last month, SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor told the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3 that he and his bandmates had "a bunch of really cool stuff" for the new disc.

"We Are Not Your Kind" came out in August 2019. The disc sold 118,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Furthermore, the album made an impact worldwide with No. 1 debuts in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Japan, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal and Finland, as well as Top 5 debuts in Germany, France, Norway, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain and New Zealand.

The 2021 incarnation of SLIPKNOT's "Knotfest Roadshow" will take place this fall. Support will come from three Grammy-nominated heavy music luminaries, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, FEVER 333 and CODE ORANGE.

The 28-date run, produced by Live Nation, kicks off following the band's previously announced Knotfest Iowa hometown show in Des Moines on September 25. The "Knotfest Roadshow"'s first official date happens at Tinley Park, Illinois on September 28, with the tour then snaking its way across the U.S., wrapping up in Arizona in early November.

La Armada - the Chicago by way of the Dominican Republic five-piece has completed production on its next album Anti-Colonial Vol. 2, which is set for release later this year via the band's own label Mal De Ojo Records in the U.S. The album will be released via Thousand Islands Records in Canada and Lockjaw Records in Europe and the UK.

The band writes, "'All We Know' is a groove-filled anthem written from within the eye of a hurricane. Our singer came up with the lyrics after having lived through Hurricanes Irma and Maria, devastating earthquakes, and the pandemic, all from his native town in Yauco, Puerto Rico. It’s an angsty first hand account of the indifference and corruption that surrounded the government response to these disasters and a reminder that at the end of the day, this is how it's always been, and that one way or another the people will always get by."

La Armada’s focus is to leave their mark on heavy music. A punk band at heart, they utilize elements of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and metal to create a style as unique as their story. Formed in the Dominican Republic in 2001 from where they dominated the Caribbean scene for years, the band opted to take a leap and relocate to Chicago in 2008, where they still reside.

Influenced by bands ranging from the Bad Brains to Death, they take elements from their native Island’s music to conjure a unique recipe; explosive live energy, and a clear cut narrative that highlights the effects of neo-colonialism on vulnerable communities.

(Photo by Manuel Velasco)

 




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German stoner-doom formation Demon Incarnate has shared their new song "The Liar's Tongue". The track is the second to be revealed from the band's third album, Leaves Of Zaqqum, set for international release on June 18th via Metalville Records. 

The multinational band, founded in 2010 in Saarland (Southern Germany), sees itself as a rigid and defiant monolith in the current of time. In doing so, they act primarily riff-oriented and organic. Preferences for classic '70s rock like Black Sabbath merge with doom influences from heroes like Candlemass or The Obsessed and form a foundation on which oriental influences underpin the deep and clear female vocals.

The recordings for Leaves Of Zaqqum were made over a period of five months at Studio Greywolf (Powerwolf) under the direction of Charles Greywolf. Both in terms of songwriting and production, the experience of the past years has made it possible to elaborate the band's existing unique selling points even more specifically and to realize them more compactly and independently.

Leaves Of Zaqqum tracklisting:

"In Disguise"
"The Liar’s Tongue"
"To Resist"
"Longing For Pt. 1"
"Black Veil"
"Lunar Majestic"
"Over The Under"
"Longing For Pt. 2"
"Serve The Cause"
"Grave Worms"

"In Disguise" video:

Lineup:

Lisa Healey - vocals
Jan Paul - guitars
Kai Schneider - drums
Matz Naumann - bass
Donny Dwinanda Putra - guitars
Steve Biber - keyboards/media

 




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In a recent interview with Germany's Guitar magazine, AC/DC guitarist Angus Young spoke about his early musical influences. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I could play guitar a little bit, but I really got focused on it around the years when I was about 12 into my teenage years, I started to focus more on it. And around when I was about 13 [or] 14, that's when Jimi Hendrix appeared on the horizon. And when I first heard the song 'Purple Haze', I was totally enthralled: 'How's he doing that?' I was just so impressed with it. Plus, Malcolm, my brother, there was a few shows we had also seen. We had gone, the two of us together, and we had seen people like the band THE YARDBIRDS; they had come to Australia. And at the time, the lineup had just changed. I think they originally used to have Jeff Beck. But then, later on, when we saw them, they didn't have Jeff Beck; they had Jimmy Page on guitar. So that was good, because at that time, that kind of sound, especially for guitar, it jumped out at you, the sound of it. So that was really good. But then when along came Hendrix, you kind of went, 'Woah! This is another level on guitar.' So I was very much a fan of that."

He continued: "I was not really a good note picker. People, they could hear a song and just pick up the notes. I used to say to Malcolm, 'You pick up the notes and then show me.' [Laughs] So he would do that. He'd pick out all the notes of anything I wanted to know, and then he would just show me, and then I would play it like he showed me… But I had a host of styles. From other family members who played, you pick up a bit of Chuck Berry, you pick up a bit of blues, and some folk tunes. So I had a bit of a variety of different stuff — even some early traditional jazz stuff. My sister, she was always getting me different records and stuff, 'cause she knew we were interested in doing stuff. It wasn't so much guitar. I heard Louis Armstrong play on the trumpet, do a solo, and I'd go, 'I like the notes,' and I'd learn the notes… So I had quite a bit of variety. When I look at all the players who I admire, there's a lot of players. You can go from A to Z — there's a lot of players."

AC/DC's latest album "Power Up", was released in November. The LP features AC/DC's current lineup of Brian Johnson (vocals), Phil Rudd (drums), Cliff Williams (bass), Angus Young (guitar) and Stevie Young (guitar). It was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked 2008's "Black Ice" and 2014's "Rock Or Bust".

"Power Up" landed at the No. 1 spot in 18 countries, including in the U.S., where it sold over 117,000 copies in the first week. "Power Up" marked AC/DC's sixth No. 1 album in Australia where the band is the only Australian group in history to have had a No. 1 album across five decades: "Back In Black" (1980s), "Ballbreaker Live" (1990s), "Black Ice" (2000s), "Rock Or Bust" (2010s) and "Power Up" (2020s).

"Power Up" was the fastest-selling album of 2020 in at least three of its biggest markets — U.S., Australia and the U.K. — where it debuted at No. 1.

In a new interview with the "Fantasm" podcast, British heavy metal vocalist Blaze Bayley, who fronted IRON MAIDEN more than 20 years ago, spoke about the lyrical inspiration for his solo song "Warrior", which appears on his latest album, "War Within Me". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "'Warrior' is the internal dialogue and the words that we use in our own mind to describe ourselves and things that we do. People don't realize that's important. Unless you've had some kind of therapy or spoke to some kind of counselor or something, you don't realize that — nobody tells you that. I do know that.

"Words are incredibly important and powerful, both in a positive and, more importantly, in a negative way," he continued. "You can choose the words to describe yourself. You don't have to settle with the words that other people use to describe you; you don't have to use those words about yourself. If you call yourself a loser, you are reinforcing the idea that you probably are a loser. But you do not have to use that word. And the idea is that warriors do not always win, but they always fight. And so if you are broken, defeated and down, you can ride this again; you can try again. You don't have to accept what other people say about you. You create your own future. But you must be very careful about the words that you allow yourself to think and say. And that's what 'Warrior', essentially, is about that.

"On my own journey through life, it's been a lesson that I have learned, and it's been something that, sadly, I've seen other people make mistakes with," Blaze added. "A very small line in Shakespeare, who I've been a fan of, is 'You are what you think you are.' And it's so true. So, if you are the words that you describe yourself with, choose good words and describe yourself as a warrior and a hero and a survivor. And that's what I have learned.

"I'm not always up, I don't always feel like a warrior, but I just have learned that to tackle this life, to move forward, to get up, the word I have to use is warrior, not loser."

The 58-year-old Bayley, who was born in Birmingham, recorded two studio albums with IRON MAIDEN — 1995's "The X Factor" 1998's and "Virtual XI" — before Bruce Dickinson returned to the group. The MAIDEN albums he appeared on sold considerably less than the band's prior releases and were their lowest-charting titles in the group's home country since 1981's "Killers".

Since leaving IRON MAIDEN in 1999, Bayley has released a number of albums, including several under the moniker BLAZE and more than a handful under his own name. He also appeared on 2012's "Wolfsbane Saves The World", the first album of new material by WOLFSBANE since the group's self-titled 1994 effort.

"War Within Me" came out on April 9. All songs were written and produced by Blaze and guitarist Christopher Appleton.

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor, who is often referred to as the "Great Big Mouth" due to his outspoken political views, was asked in a new interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show what surprises him most about being seen by some as an arbiter of rationality and reason. He responded: "The thing that surprises me the most is that most people can't get there themselves. There's definitely a vacuum in this country — and around the world — of common sense. And I think it really kind of comes from this need to embrace almost a social chaos. People have trained themselves to only really be comfortable if there's drama going on, which is just so toxic. We're spreading this toxicity to people that can only really be cured once people go, 'Man, I don't need this in my life.' So, to me, that's really the thing that blows my mind — that people seek that out half the time. They go looking for it or they sit back and they turn it into a punchline until it really affects their life. And then they go, 'Oh, there's nothing funny about it.'

"Nine times out of 10, I get really mad when I'm right, to be honest," he continued. "Especially when it comes to social media and social situations, the way that people are starting to go and turn, nobody can really make a move these days without someone getting pissed off. And it's just ridiculous.

"I really wish that people would think before they tweet or think before they post or think before they react or say something ridiculous in the comments," Taylor added. "I mean, just think. Just stop for a second and use your damn brain. And if you don't have one? Don't post. It's just that simple."

Corey told the 94.3 KILO radio station in a 2017 interview that he is not worried about possible fallout from his comments. "That's part of being an American," he explained. "I mean, nothing drives me more crazy than when somebody says to celebrities or whatever, 'Why don't you just stick to acting?' And I'm, like, 'What? Leave politics to you? Why don't you stick to writing bad reviews in your mom's basement? Just shut your mouth. I'm just as American as you are, I have every right to say what I want, and you can shove that kind of attitude straight up your ass."

Roughly one-third of Taylor's last book, 2017's "America 51", was dedicated to his derision for then-U.S. president Donald Trump.

This past March, Taylor told Matt Pinfield of 95.5 KLOS's "New & Approved" series that "the 'outrage' age" would be the inspiration for his upcoming fifth book. "I was reading about how Gen Z is trying to cancel Eminem because of one line that was in a Rihanna song that he did with her," he said. "And I'm just, like, is that where we are right now? I mean, at this point, you're talking about the Salem witch trials. You're talking about America in the '20s where the KKK was a political force. You're talking about complete condemnation without context or any rationalization for an action like that. And to me, that's [what's] most dangerous — when the mob decides that you're gone. That is Caesar at the Colosseum, for god's sakes. That's when it's dangerous. The level of censorship that we're starting to see… And I'm not saying that certain things haven't been said that easily offend people. However, the flipside of that is that you can't even make a joke anymore — even in the cleanest of situations. [People] completely turn on you. And there's not one hint of satire, there's no hint of irony — it's just all-out rage, and it's all through this [shows his smartphone]. And that's when it's really greedy, that's when it's really dirty. It can't be that way. If we can't have a conversation, how the hell are we gonna communicate. And if we can't understand the difference between metaphor and complete reality, then we're in real trouble. And that's where I'm leaning with the book."

Taylor's debut solo album, "CMFT", was released in October.

Word came down over the weekend that Sven Groß, the frontman for German death metallers Fleshcrawl, lost his year-long battle with cancer on June 11th. He was 45 years old and had fronted the band since 1997.

Drummer Bastian Herzog shared the following tribute to Groß.

"Svenson,

It is hard to find the right words in situations like this one. Probably even impossible. For me personally this really is a hard thing to get over. We knew each other for more than 25 years.

Haven't been many days during this period where we did not spend time together talking, writing, discussing, partying, drinking, BBQ-ing, making plans, playing shows, rehearsing, travelling, waiting in countless backstages or whatever. You're gonna leave a big gap right here in my heart which cannot be filled anymore.

Thank you for having been a real friend, one of the most precious human beings this planet had to offer and of course a really awesome and iconic frontman, bandmate and hell of a vocalist of FC. I truly enjoyed each and every second watching you go berserk on stage as a real warrior of death while I was beating the shit out of all those drumkits behind you! Thank you for the great ride!

You always lived life to the max, keep on doing it whereever you are now. We'll rock on again together on the other side - someday. And I'll make sure to bring some Wasseralfinger.

My deepest condolences go out to Sven's wife Dany and both of their families."

Basti 

Svenson was a member of Fleshcrawl from 1997 until his passing, recording six album with the band. His final album with Fleshcrawl, Into The Catacombs Of Flesh, was released in November 2019.

BraveWords sends our condolences to Svenson's family and friends in this difficult time.

 




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In a new interview with WFSB's program "Better Connecticut", KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons was asked how the band came up with its name nearly five decades ago. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I couldn't drive in my early 20s — I didn't start driving till I was 34, 'cause in New York you just took cabs — and Paul [Stanley, KISS frontman] was driving myself in his beat-up Mustang or something. Myself and I think it may have been Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer] or maybe Ace [Frehley, original KISS guitarist] in the back of the car. And we were trying to think of a name. And I said why don't we call the band the word 'F', which you can't say on stage. And the first album could be called 'It', like 'F It'. The second record could be called 'You', [like] 'F You'. And the third record could be called 'Us', [like] 'F Us'. 'Yeah, kind of cool. How about that?' And we started laughing. And I don't know if he was half serious or not, but Paul said, 'Yeah, let's call ourselves KISS.' And we went, 'Woah, woah, woah, woah. What did you say?' And we just got it right away. Whatever happened happened naturally. There were no marketing companies. We didn't even know what that was. Kiss — yeah, everybody on earth knows what that is. It's universal — the kiss of death, the kiss of life, and all that stuff. And so it just felt right."

Stanley offered his version of how KISS came up with its name in a March 2021 interview with Australia's The Project. He said: "I thought that it was something that would sound familiar no matter where you were in the world. It was the kind of name where a word like that, you would go, 'Oh, I've heard of KISS.' And it also had so many different meanings — a passionate kiss, a kiss of death, whatever. So it was a word that I think was open to interpretation. And I guess it worked, right? We're here, what? 48 years later — something like that. But who's counting?"

It was previously reported that Stanley — born Stanley Harvey Eisen — came up with the name KISS after Criss mentioned he was in a band called LIPS. Stanley and Simmons started a band called WICKED LESTER in 1972, which later became KISS.

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but is now expected to last well into 2022.

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

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Stanley and Simmons, alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

KISS hasn't released a full-length disc of new music since 2012's "Monster", which sold 56,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous LP, "Sonic Boom", opened with 108,000 units back in October 2009 to enter the chart at No. 2. It was KISS's highest-charting LP ever.

Finland's Recordshop X has checked in with the folllowing update:

"This is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to pre-order the upcoming reissue of the Nightwish magnum opus Once on a special 'Winter Wind Frost Bite' splatter double vinyl, limited to 300 copies! Once these are sold from us, they're not available anymore. Regular versions are available, of course, but if you seek the most diehard version of this release, act now and place your pre-order. Once and for all."

Pre-order the Once "Winter Wind Frost Bite" limited edition here. Official release date is August 6th, 2021.

Tracklist:

Side A
"Dark Chest Of Wonders" (Remastered) 
"Wish I Had An Angel" (Remastered) 
"Nemo" (Remastered) 
"Planet Hell" (Remastered)

Side B
"Creek Mary’s Blood" (Remastered) 
"The Siren" (Remastered) 
"Dead Gardens" (Remastered)

Side C
"Romanticide" (Remastered) 
"Ghost Love Score" (Remastered) 
"Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" (Remastered)

Side D
"Higher Than Hope" (Remastered) 
"Live To Tell The Tale" (Remastered) 
"White Night Fantasy" (Remastered) 
"Where Were You Last Night" (Remastered)

Once is the fifth Nightwish studio album and the last to feature original vocalist Tarja Turunen. It was released on June 7th, 2004 by Spinefarm Records in Finland and Nuclear Blast in the rest of Europe. As of 2013, Once had sold 2.3 million copies worldwide, being Nightwish's most successful album to date.




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Crystal Viper frontwoman Marta Gabriel recently announced the release of Metal Queens, her debut solo album which is a collection of cover songs, and a tribute to the female heavy metal and hard rock singers of the '80s. New single, a cover of Malteze's "Count Your Blessings", is streaming below.

"It's a celebration and tribute to some of my favorite female vocalists, and a solid piece of heavy metal that fans might enjoy even if they don't know original versions of those songs", says Gabriel. "It's not a random collection of covers - we made sure that it sounds like one big piece, like a real album, and it has this taking-no-prisoners attitude."

The album features Marta Gabriel on vocals and bass guitar, Eric Juris from Crystal Viper on guitars, and Cederick Forsberg from Crystal Viper and Blazon Stone on drums. Except that she invited three special guests: we will hear the Jag Panzer and Titan Force singer Harry Conklin in the Chastain cover "Light In The Dark", Riot V singer Todd Michael Hall in the Blacklace cover "Call Of The Wild", while Raven bassist John Gallagher plays bass in the remake of the Rock Goddess classic, "My Angel".

Marta Gabriel is a founder and frontwoman of the heavy metal act Crystal Viper, with whom she just released the new, eighth studio album, The Cult, via Listenable Records. She’s also a seasoned session musician, and performed with acts such as Jack Starr’s Burning Starr, Manilla Road, Vader, Majesty and Witch Cross.

Metal Queens will be released via Listenable Records on July 16 in Europe, and July 30 in North America, and will be available as vinyl LP, CD, and digital download. Preorder at the Listenable Records webshop.

Tracklisting:

"Max Overload" (Acid)
"Metal Queen" (Lee Aaron)
"Call Of The Wild" (Blacklace)
"Light In The Dark" (Chastain)
"Rebel Ladies" (Zed Yago)
"My Angel" (Rock Goddess)
"Count Your Blessings" (Malteze)
"Goin' Wild" (Wendy O' Williams)
"Bad Attitude" (Hellion)
"Reencarnacion" (Santa)
"Mr. Gold" (Warlock) - CD bonus track

"Count Your Blessings" video:

"Metal Queen":




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Following the critically acclaimed "The Dawn Of Vitriol" EP (2020), MERCURY CIRCLE, the new band featuring former CHILDREN OF BODOM drummer Jaska Raatikainen and SWALLOW THE SUN's Jaani Peuhu, has shared a brand new song from their upcoming debut album, "Killing Moons", which is slated for release on October 8, 2021 via Noble Demon.

Formed in 2018 as the brainchild of Peuhu, and featuring members of CHILDREN OF BODOM, SLEEP OF MONSTERS and more, MERCURY CIRCLE creates a diverse blend of dark rock infused with electrifying synth wave and slow, epic doom. On "Killing Moons", MERCURY CIRCLE unleashes 10 enthralling tracks, which differ wildly in expression and sonic aesthetics. "Killing Moons" is a deeply powerful and majestic piece of music — truly representing a genre of its own — and one that will take the listener on an all-absorbing trip into yet unimaginable spheres.

After the previously released first single, "You Open Up The Earth", MERCURY CIRCLE has shared a brand new video clip for the goth rock opus "Black Mirrors".

"John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was an Anglo-Welsh mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, teacher, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divination and Hermetic philosophy," Peuhu reveals. "The lyrics for 'Black Mirrors' are a mixture of matters of the heart and occultism. In the beginning we hear a prophecy from Nostradamus before plunging into a dark and delusional world — a place for the abandoned heart, where light is reflected from John Dee's black mirror. Musically, it’s more in vein of goth rock than doom metal. When writing the song, I envisioned how QUEEN with a goth rock twist would sound. I'm a fan of big choruses and '80s goth beats. Add a little bit of spiderwebs and whispers in French and you're good to go!"

"Killing Moons" track listing:

01. The Gates Wide Open

02. Black Mirrors

03. You Open Up The Earth

04. Killing Moons

05. Seven Archangels

06. Call On The Dark

07. Avalanche

08. An Arrow

09. Like Matches

10. Death Poem

Having spent 26 years recording and touring the world with CHILDREN OF BODOM, it was hard for Jaska to make any concrete plans regarding his future since quitting the band in 2019, but all of this changed when he heard the demos by Peuhu.

"After hearing the demo tracks from the upcoming debut album, I thought it would be stupid not to join this band," Jaska said. "The music was something I hadn't heard for a long time. Dark, emotional, epic elements and big choruses.

"I am truly excited for the opportunity to be part of this. I know it is a long way to the top, but with these guys I feel honored and ready to do it again."

MERCURY CIRCLE is:

* Jaani Peuhu (ICONCRASH, SWALLOW THE SUN, HALLATAR) - Vocals, Guitars, Synths

* Jussi Hämäläinen (Hanging Garden, The Chant) - Guitars, Synths, Backing vocals

* Juppe Sutela (TO/DIE/FOR) - Guitars

* Ande Kiiski (SLEEP OF MONSTERS, RYTMIHÄIRIÖ) - Bass

* Jaska Raatikainen (CHILDREN OF BODOM) - Drums

Photo by Krogography

Apocalyptica is streaming a clip of their performance of the Metallica classic "Seek & Destroy" at Pol'and'Rock Festival 2016. Check it out below.

Apocalyptica has had to postpone their upcoming North American tour for a third time. The trek, featuring special guests Lacuna Coil, will now take place in April/May 2022.

Says the band: "Despite our best efforts and although we held out hope for this tour to happen as planned, we have to announce the postponement of the US and Canada leg of the Cell-0 Tour to 2022. BUT to ease the pain we added 4 new dates to this tour! Dallas, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Albany – we’ll be coming for you too! All tickets stay valid and new tickets will go on sale this Friday, 10 AM, CT!"

New 2022 dates:

April
7 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
8 - Orlando, FL - The Plaza Live
10 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
11 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
12 - Austin, TX - Emo's
14 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
15 - Phoenix, AZ - Van Buren
16 - Los Angeles, CA - The Belasco
17 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency
18 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
19 - Seattle, WA - Showbox Sodo
20 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
21 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
23 - Edmonton, AB - Midway
24 - Calgary, AB - The Palace
26 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
27 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
28 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall
29 - Pittsburgh, PA - Roxian
30 - Albany, NY - Empire Live

May
1 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre
2 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
3 - Boston, MA - Big Night Live
4 - Montreal, QC - MTELUS
5 - Toronto, ON - Queen Elizabeth Theatre 4




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Modern heavy metal revivalist James Durbin recently released his boldest, heaviest album to date with the debut album from Durbin, The Beast Awakens. Check out a one take vocal performance of the song "Necromancer" below, and order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"The Prince Of Metal"
"Kings Before You" (Ft. Chris Jericho & Phil Demmel)
"Into The Flames"
"The Sacred Mountain"
"The Beast Awakens"
"Evil Eye"
"Necromancer"
"Riders On The Wind"
"Calling Out For Midnight"
"Battle Cry"
"By The Horns"
"Rise To Valhalla"

"Necromancer" One Take Vocal Performance:

"The Beast Awakens":

"Evil Eye" visualizer:

"The Prince Of Metal" video:

"Kings Before You" video:

Lineup:

James Durbin - Vocals. Rhythm Guitars
Jon Yadon Jr., Marc Putnam, Dylan Rose, & Nick Gallant - Guitars
Barry Sparks - Bass
Mike Vanderhule - Drums




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The Compulsions' long awaited third album, Ferocious, was officially released in November 2020. Frontman Rob Carlyle drafted the very best New York-area musicians he could find, including world-renowned guitarists, Earl Slick and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, best known for their work with David Bowie and Guns N’ Roses, respectively; along with former Raging Slab bassist, Alec Morton; former New York Dolls drummer, Brian Delaney; and current Guns N' Roses drummer, Frank Ferrer.

Additional personnel on Ferocious includes saxophonist, Craig Dreyer, who has worked with Warren Haynes and Keith Richards; and backing singer, Nicki Richards, whose resume includes Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Madonna and many others.

Check out the official video for new single "Band Of Thieves" below.

Ferocious tracklisting:

"Born On A Landfill"
"Band Of Thieves"
"Addicted"
"Dead Flowers"
"Dirtbag Blues"
"Funk #666"
"Killer In The Woodshed"
"Dust N' Bones"
"Ferocious"
"Man With No Name"




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Sami Yaffa, best known for his work with NEW YORK DOLLS, Michael Monroe and HANOI ROCKS, will release his first solo album, "The Innermost Journey To Your Outermost Mind", on September 22 via Livewire/Cargo Records. The official music video for the first single, "The Last Time", can be seen below.

"'The Last Time' is one of the first songs I wrote for this album when still living in Brooklyn, New York back in 2015," Yaffa said. "It's a story about two people whose communication is stuck. How hard it is to change one's habits, no matter how much one wants it. It's about the frustration and distress of addiction."

Recording lineup:

* Sami Yaffa (HANOI ROCKS, MICHAEL MONROE, NEW YORK DOLLS) - Vocals, Bass Guitar

* Rich Jones (MICHAEL MONROE) - Guitar

* Christian Martucci (STONE SOUR) - Guitar

* Rane Raitsikka (SMACK) - Guitar

* Timo Kaltio (IZZY STRADLIN, CHEAP AND NASTY) - Guitar

* Janne Haavisto - Drums

Yaffa has had a unique career as a musician. He joined the punk band PELLE MILJOONA OY at the tender age of 16 and played on the bands now-legendary album "Moottoritie On Kuuma". PELLE MILJOONA OY was Finland's number one band at the time, but Yaffa and his future cohorts were aiming higher: as an original member of the band HANOI ROCKS, he spent the first half of the 1980s as an international rock musician with all its ups, downs and trappings. The band influenced many of the acts that would later become huge in the world of rock and roll — including GUNS N' ROSES.

After the breakup of HANOI ROCKS, Yaffa was asked to join some of the most notable artists in rock and roll history, such as JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS (2002-2004), as well as one of HANOI ROCKS' major influences, the NEW YORK DOLLS (2004-2010). In 2009, he started a band with HANOI ROCKS singer Michael Monroe. This collaboration continues to this day, but now Yaffa is also releasing music under his own name.

"The idea for the solo album started to take shape a few years back," Sami said. "Previously I had written music for the NEW YORK DOLLS and the Michael Monroe band, but now some of the songs that I was writing and had written, started to sound more and more like my own stuff instead of what I would write for those bands."

What kind of music does Yaffa release under his own name then? Versatile. "I've always loved bands like THE CLASH and ROLLING STONES," he said. "They could write country, funk, reggae, rock 'n' roll or jazz without fear and make it their own. I wanted to have that same kind of versatility and freedom for my own record."

The album has wide influences, but that is hardly surprising to those who have followed Yaffa's career: in addition to his own musical career, he has been getting to know the musical traditions from different parts of the world as the host and co-creator for the "Sami Yaffa: Sound Tracker" TV series. "However, my roots are deeply in punk and rock 'n' roll," he said. "I don't shy away from that.”

Even though it's a solo record, Sami has always been a member of bands and because of that, a team player. Yaffa mentions a couple of names without whom the record would not have come to completion — at least the way it finally became. The first to mention is a childhood friend, drummer Janne Haavisto with whom Sami made his first forays into the world of music. Sami and Janne created the basic tracks together and invited valued friends and musicians to collaborate on the album. Rich Jones, the guitarist from the Michael Monroe band helped pull together a lot of the songs lyrically, Christian Martucci from the band STONE SOUR played guitar on half of the album, the other half was played by another old friend Rane from the cult band SMACK and Sami's old bro from the HANOI days, Timo Kaltio.

Georgia's Blackberry Smoke recently performed an acoustic session exclusively for Planet Rock. The video below features the band's stripped-back version of Aerosmith's "Hangman Jury":




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The final trailer for "André Matos: Maestro Of Rock", the forthcoming documentary about former ANGRA singer André Matos, can be seen below. Due on on September 14 on what would have been André's 50th birthday, the film will include never-before-seen footage from his personal archives and interviews with friends, family and rock musicians from all over the world.

The project started back in 2018, when André himself authorized recording interviews where he would talk about his life and the different phases of his career. Directed by Anderson Bellini and produced and scripted by Thiago Rahal Mauro, the documentary had its starting point in a long interview where André spoke for over five hours about all sort of different subjects. With his sudden passing in June 2019, the family compiled this material, as well as hundreds of other clips from his personal archives, so that this film could be finalized.

Along with the aforementioned Matos interview, there will be outdoor footage filmed by Renato Villegas and Patrick Nicolas Korb, as well as commentaries by Matos's cousin Eco Moliterno.

"When we learned about this incredible tribute to André, all of us from the family decided to give our unconditional support so that this becomes the ultimate documentary about his life and work," Moliterno said. "This is why we provided them with all the pictures and videos of him at home with us, which is something so rare that no one else saw before. I am personally closely watching it to ensure that everything that will be released is accurate and true, and with the quality that André would have expected. He was that type of artist that is becoming harder to find these days: he liked to expose his work, but not his personal life. And due to the fact that he was so reserved, we know for sure that this project holds several pleasant surprises in store for his fans."

The documentary will include testimonials by worldwide renowned musicians such as Kai Hansen (HELLOWEEN), Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN), Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA), Alex Holzwarth (RHAPSODY and session drummer for ANGRA's first album), Sascha Paeth (producer and Andre Matos's partner on the VIRGO project), Rafael Bittencourt (ANGRA), Luis Mariutti (SHAMAN, ex-ANGRA), André Bastos (ANGRA's founding member), André "Zaza" Hernandes (guitarist from André Matos's solo band and early ANGRA days), Kiko Loureiro (ex-ANGRA, MEGADETH), Felipe Machado (VIPER), Yves Passarell (CAPITAL INICIAL, ex-VIPER), Eloy Casagrande (SEPULTURA), João Gordo (RATOS DE PORÃO), Tatola, Gastão Moreira, Paulo Baron, Amanda Somerville and Robertinho de Recife, among others.

In addition to recording the vocals and keyboards on ANGRA's 1993 debut album, "Angels Cry", André was the composer and arranger of nine of the ten tracks on the LP, including "Carry On", which is still considered to be one of ANGRA's most popular songs. Matos also handled lead vocals on ANGRA's "Holy Land" (1996) and "Fireworks" (1998) albums.

Matos, along with bassist Luis Mariutti and drummer Ricardo Confessori, left ANGRA in 2000 and launched SHAMAN (later known as SHAAMAN due to legal issues). André then went on to pursue a solo career while continuing to stay involved with a number of outside projects.

André released three solo albums: 2007's "Time To Be Free", 2009's "Mentalize" and 2012's "The Turn Of The Lights".

KISS took the stage Friday night (June 11) for a special performance at the 2021 Tribeca Festival in New York City. For the first time ever, the band played at the festival directly following the screening of part one of its new A&E documentary "Biography: KISStory". The two-part documentary event is part of the festival's 2021 TV lineup.

KISS kicked off its five-song set with "Detroit Rock City" and performed "Shout It Out Loud", "War Machine" and "Heaven's On Fire" before closing the show with "Rock And Roll All Nite".

Prior to the last song of the set, frontman Paul Stanley addressed the crowd, saying: "We don't have a permit to make a long show. So this is a little short. It's like a sampling before you get your big meal in August," he added, referencing KISS's upcoming tour dates.

"Biography: KISStory" is set to premiere with a two-night event on June 27 and June 28 from 9 p.m. ET to 11 p.m. ET.

Directed by D.J. Viola, "Biography: KISStory" chronicles the band's five decades in the business as founders Stanley and Gene Simmons reflect on their historic career.

After 50 years of rocking and rolling all night and partying every day, the No. 1 gold-record-selling band of all time, KISS, shares their story of success before finally smashing their last guitar and extinguishing the fire-breathing demon. Stanley and Simmons, along with current members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer as well as guests Dave Grohl (NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS), Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), manager Doc McGhee, music producer Bob Ezrin (ALICE COOPER, PINK FLOYD) and more tell the wild story of the most successful and influential band in the world.

Selling more than 100 million albums worldwide and over 40 years of record-breaking global tours, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame band is giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at their rise to fame. Featuring original recording sessions, home movies, behind-the-scenes stories and rare footage, the film grants fans an all-access pass to the band's legendary journey. Fans will hear a first-hand account of the emotional story behind the band's start in New York City's gritty rock scene of the 1970s, their meteoric rise to fame, almost losing it all to drugs and alcohol in the 1980s and how they ultimately fought their way back to the top of the charts in the 1990s to become a household name synonymous with rock and roll.

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

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

SLIPKNOT has postponed its previously announced summer 2021 European dates until 2022.

Among the rescheduled shows are appearances at Moscow, Russia's Park Live Festival and Wacken, Germany's Wacken Open Air.

SLIPKNOT summer 2022 tour dates:

Jul. 15 - Moscow, Russia - Park Live Festival

Jul. 17 - Kiev, Ukraine - UPark Festival

Jul. 20 - Bucharest, Romania - Romexpo

Jul. 21 - Plovdiv, Bulgaria - Hills Of Rock

Jul. 23 - Athens, Greece - Release Festival

Aug. 05 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air

Earlier this month, SLIPKNOT announced the 2021 incarnation of the "Knotfest Roadshow". Support on the trek will come from three Grammy-nominated heavy music luminaries, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, FEVER 333 and CODE ORANGE.

The 28-date run, produced by Live Nation, kicks off following the band's previously announced Knotfest Iowa hometown show in Des Moines on September 25. The "Knotfest Roadshow"'s first official date happens at Tinley Park, Illinois on September 28, with the tour then snaking its way across the U.S., wrapping up in Arizona in early November.

Twenty-two years ago, nine inspired musicians from Des Moines, Iowa, shattered the scope of what was possible in rock music. From the moment SLIPKNOT emerged in 1999 with their self-titled debut, it was clear they were like nothing the world had seen before. Where a similarly creative act may have burned out or lost their relevance chasing mainstream acceptance, SLIPKNOT has only proven that an enduring commitment to constant evolution, their craft, and their fans can allow a rock band to not only continue — but flourish and push the envelope on what defines heavy metal and rock music in general. With "We Are Not Your Kind", SLIPKNOT's first new album in five years, the band delivered when they were needed most. Meanwhile, SLIPKNOT's annual Knotfest festival has evolved into the biggest hard rock and metal festival in the world, expanding to four continents. Over 550,000 fans have attended these massive festivals, which are as cultural as they are music-based, mixing heavy rock with hip hop, world music, visual art, experiential installations, and much more. Recorded music and live performances aside, SLIPKNOT has always permeated mainstream culture in ways that defy expectations. Recently, SLIPKNOT partnered with Amazon Studios' advertising campaign for their smash hit series "The Boys", and have launched SLIPKNOT No. 9 Whiskey in a partnership with Cedar Ridge Distillery (American Distilling Institute's "2017 Distiller Of The Year").

"We Are Not Your Kind" came out in August 2019. The disc sold 118,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Furthermore, the album made an impact worldwide with No. 1 debuts in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Japan, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal and Finland, as well as Top 5 debuts in Germany, France, Norway, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain and New Zealand.

"We Are Not Your Kind"'s sales in the U.S. were boosted by a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with SLIPKNOT's summer 2019 tour.


Our 2021 festival dates across Russia, Ukraine & Europe have been rescheduled for 2022. Further shows and dates will be announced soon: slipknot1.com/events

Posted by Slipknot on Friday, June 11, 2021

In a brand new interview with Kaaos TV, former HANOI ROCKS frontman was asked about the experience of opening for GUNS N' ROSES at the July 2017 stop of the "Not In This Lifetime" tour in Finland. "We're old friends," he said (see video below). "Slash and Duff [McKagan], we did a… There's a documentary in the making of me, which won't be finished for a while yet, but they were kind enough to do an interview — both did separate interviews backstage for the documentary — and they're sweet guys. They never changed. Slash and Duff, for example, they've got such great character and they're such sweethearts, and they've only gotten nicer over the years. And they never changed — heart of gold and really down to earth. I appreciate that in people.

"To me, the important thing in the whole career was no matter how famous or rich I could become, if I turn into an asshole in the process and I lost my soul, then none of the money or fame would be worth it; I would have screwed up," he continued. "That was the first and most important thing. My integrity has to be intact before anything else. Doing things on my own terms, my own way — not compromising for the wrong reasons. That was more important."

Back in December 2015, just weeks before the GUNS N' ROSES reunion was officially announced, Monroe said that a comback of the classic lineup of GUNS N' ROSES "wouldn't make any sense" unless Slash and Axl Rose were able to "reconnect" on a personal and creative level first. He told Eddie Trunk's podcast "Reunions suck. People ask me, 'Do you think GUNS N' ROSES will reunite?' It wouldn't make any sense unless Slash and Axl would reconnect and really get into a new kind of thing and start creating something new. Who wants to see guys put together forcibly and then go through the old stuff…? It doesn't make any sense to me."

Monroe went on to say that a GUNS N' ROSES reunion wouldn't be the same unless one key ingredient was involved in the mix. He explained: "One thing we must not forget was Steven Adler, the original [GN'R] drummer. The first album [1987's 'Appetite For Destruction'], there's a chemistry that is unlike anything they've done since. Because Steven Adler, he's maybe not technically as great as [his replacement] Matt Sorum, who is also brilliant, but he had a kind of vibe; he was pushing, and he was playing a bit ahead of the beat. He had a style that was part of the chemistry, to me. The sound, the original sound of the band, he was an integral part of that."

Even though HANOI ROCKS was formed in Finland, their trashy, hedonistic, decadent hard rock/pop-metal boogie influenced many Los Angeles acts, including GUNS N' ROSES and MÖTLEY CRÜE.

Monroe will release 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.

Drummer Jean-Paul Gaster of Maryland rockers CLUTCH recently spoke to Dimitris Kontogeorgakos of the Chicago-based webzine Metal Kaoz about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2018's "Book Of Bad Decisions" LP. He said: "Over the last year, we've written a lot of songs for our new album, and we've done some streaming shows too, which was something we knew nothing about prior to the pandemic. But we educated ourselves quickly, and that kept us busy for a lot of last year as well.

"We've been writing now for our new album that we will record in the fall, and I think we're spending more time than ever in the studio, just trying out different ideas," he continued. "And most of the ideas don't ever really make it to the end; we try 10 things and we keep one.

"I think we are even more selective than we were before as to which ideas we really decide to focus on. And I think it is because we have so much more time. Before, we would come home for a tour and maybe we would have three weeks off. So, the first week, we don't do really much of anything — everybody goes back home to their families and we rest — and then the next two weeks we would get together and we would just jam really hard and get a bunch of ideas, and then on the road and play those ideas, and then come back and do it again. And that process might go on for a year and a half. This has been different. This is the first time where we've had so much time at home to work on ideas and never really tried them in a live setting. So I'm not sure how it's gonna impact the record. But I think it's gonna make for a different album — whether it's good, bad or otherwise, it's too early to tell. But, for sure, it's a different dynamic, and it requires more of us.

"So often, when we have new ideas and we put them in front of an audience, you can really tell right away — we know right away if the song is the right tempo, we know right away if the riffs are where they need to be, if the chorus is the way it needs to be," Gaster added. "It's a testing ground. And we don't have that right now. So, for that reason, I think we are being a lot more careful about what ideas we really wanna focus on, and which ones we think, 'You know what? We've done that before. Let's do something a little different.'"

Gaster went on to say that the new CLUTCH album will likely arrive in early 2022 — "hopefully before we start really hitting the road again. And it'll be fun to get back out there," he said. "Man, I just miss it so much."

"Book Of Bad Decisions" was recorded at Sputnik Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Vance Powell. The record sold 26,000 copies in America during its first week of availability, giving the group its third consecutive Top 20 album on the Billboard 200.

Sammy Hagar stopped by the KLOS virtual series "New & Approved" to speak with Matt Pinfield about his extensive career and how he mended his relationship with the late Eddie Van Halen.

Prior to the guitarist's October 2020 passing, Sammy said that the two were fortunately able to reconnect thanks to the great comedian George Lopez.

"It was just so awesome," Hagar recalled (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUT.NET). "'Cause I had reached out to Eddie on his birthday for a couple of years. New Year's Day I would reach out to Eddie and Al [VAN HALEN drummer Alex Van Halen] both, and I'd say, 'Hey, Happy New Year, guys. I hope you're happy, and I hope this year's good for you.' I was really trying to be friends. I wasn't looking to join the band. I wasn't trying to put all that back together. Everyone probably took it that way. 'Oh, yeah, he just wants to get back in the band.' I did not wanna get back in the band. As much as I love that band… If you said to me today, ['You can play] one last show with Eddie, Alex and Michael [Anthony],' one last show, [I would say], 'Absolutely.' That ain't gonna happen. But at the time, I wasn't looking to join the band. I like what I'm doing; I'm happy.

"I think it was about two years in a row I did that," Sammy continued. "And then once finally Eddie reached out and said "Thanks, man' back on my Instagram. 'Hey, thanks. Doing great,' or whatever. 'And a Happy New Year to you.' And I went, 'Oh. That was cool.' But then I reached out to Alex. I heard [Eddie] was sick, and I knew he was sick. But I started hearing bad things. So I reached out to Alex. He did not get back [to me]. I reached out to Matt, his right-hand man. No. I reached out even to [VAN HALEN's manager] Irving Azoff, and [he said], 'Give Al a call.' So I said, 'I don't wanna bug Eddie. I don't wanna call Eddie and have him tell me, 'Fuck you, you asshole.'' I'd go, 'Oh, no. Not this again.' So I wanted to talk with someone else first and see how he was doing and if he would be cool with me calling. Nobody's calling me. Nobody's calling me back. Nobody's responded to my e-mails, no response to my texts. So, George Lopez calls me, and he's a dear friend too. And he goes, 'Sam, you've gotta call Eddie,' and blah blah blah. I said, 'I tried to reach him.' [He says], 'Here's his number. I just talked to him. He loves you, man. He loves you.' And I said, 'Wow. Okay.' I call him, and he's going, 'What took you so long?' I'm going, 'Well, I called Al. I called this guy. I called that [guy].' And he goes, 'Well, you didn't call me.' And I said, 'Well, I'm calling you now.' And we just burst out laughing. And we just had a real nice relationship for probably four or five months, and then, all of a sudden, he wasn't returning the texts and he wasn't returning my calls and I wasn't getting no response for about a month. It was heartbreaking, 'cause I knew. And then one time I said, 'Hey, dude. What the fuck? You didn't give me no love.' And he goes, 'Man, I've been in the hospital.' And I'm, like, 'Oh, fuck.' And then that was the last I heard [from] him."

Hagar replaced David Lee Roth in VAN HALEN in 1985 and recorded four studio albums with the band — "5150", "OU812", "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" and "Balance" — all of which topped the U.S. chart.

Sammy, Eddie, Alex and Michael last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S. summer tour. In exchange for taking part in the tour, Anthony reportedly had to agree to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the band name and logo.

In his autobiography, "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock", Hagar slammed Eddie, saying the guitarist was unkempt, hunched over, frighteningly skinny, drinking wine straight out of a bottle, missing part of his tongue (after a cancer scare) and several teeth. He told an interviewer in 2012: "What happened on that reunion tour in '04 was some of the most miserable, back-stabbing dark crap I've ever been involved with my whole life."

In a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Eddie questioned an "embellished" portion of "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock" that painted the guitarist as a "very angry drunk" during the group's 2004 reunion tour.

Last November, Eddie's son Wolfgang revealed that his father had contemplated a "kitchen-sink tour" that would have included Anthony, as well as vocal turns from both Hagar and Roth. There was even talk about bringing back Gary Cherone, who sang with VAN HALEN on one poorly received album, 1998's "Van Halen III".

Eddie died at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

During an appearance on a recent episode of "The Ex-Man" podcast, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares recounted an encounter he had in 1985 or 1986 with former child actress Dana Plato, who played Kimberly Drummond on the 1980s television show "Diff'rent Strokes", while he was working at a sandwich shop in Los Angeles. Dino told podcast host Doc Coyle of BAD WOLVES (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The manager who worked [at the shop] was really cool. After we were done cleaning the floors and cleaning up all the sandwich stuff, she would close up shop and we would fucking drink beer. We would hang out. [I was] 18 [or] 19 years old drinking beer. I probably shouldn't say that, but, yeah, I was doing that. And we would always invite some people over. So she had some friends that came over. And this girl showed up. And I was, like, 'Wow. Who's that? That girl looks familiar. She looks familiar.' And I was just talking to her, trying to figure out who she was. And we made kind of a little connection. And then I was, like, 'I don't live too far from here. I don't feel like walking.' I had too much beer. And she was, like, 'I'll give you a ride.' So she gave me a ride to my pad. We were sitting out in her truck; she had a truck. We were sitting out in her truck, and then we started making out. And I was, like, 'Who is that girl? I know her. I know her.' And then she started talking about television; she was talking about a television show. And it was Dana Plato from 'Diff'rent Strokes'. It was her. We had a connection. We had a moment. I didn't see her after that. I never saw her again. It was really cool. It was a cool moment."

Dino added that his brush with Plato will be included in his upcoming book, which he is "slowly" working on.

Plato was reportedly written off "Diff'rent Strokes" in 1984 amid rumors of drug use. A few years later, she bared all for Playboy and began starring in B-movies. She also dabbled in softcore pornography, including a 1997 feature based on her "Diff'rent Strokes" past. In 1991, she was arrested attempting to rob a video store at gunpoint, and the following year she was arrested for forging a Valium prescription.

Plato died of a drug overdose in May 1999. She was only 34 years old.

Plato had a son, Tyler, with her former husband, rock guitarist Lanny Lambert. Eleven years after Plato died, Tyler Lambert committed suicide at age 25. He died from a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.

Plato and Lanny Lambert married in 1984 and divorced in 1990. Lanny Lambert was given custody of Tyler.

Tyler was just 14 when his mother overdosed on prescription pills (Vanadom and Vicodin).

SMASHING PUMPKINS mainman Billy Corgan was interviewed for the latest episode of Spotify For Artists' new music-centric interview podcast "Best Advice". A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On the "brand" image of being a rock star versus staying true to oneself:

Corgan: "For whatever reason, when I was younger, I was not considered good looking. So, my looks were not part of anybody's formula as far as the success of the band. It was never talked about. Photographers would try to stick me in the back of photo shoots with the band and put other people [in front of me]. I swear to God... Well, you know, things change. Now the vampire look is in. But at the time, I was not considered a good-looking person. And people told me this — it's not like I figured this out. People would tell me, 'Oh, you're just not good looking.' Like it was bad for my career. So I had to make sort of critical judgments which is A) that's really not gonna stop me or that's not that important; B) I'm gonna be myself; if I'm a weirdo or a vampire or whatever, I'm just gonna be myself. And now, here we are 20-something years later, and people all the time talk to me about the way I looked, how it influenced them."

On dealing with his ego as a frontman:

Corgan: "Well, that's a tough one, honestly. I don't think I could have done what I did without faith in myself. People all along the way kept telling me I wasn't special. And I'm only talking about music — and I'm trying to be funny here, so nobody get offended — when it comes to music, I am special. I've proven it, right? But people are uncomfortable with that idea. I have no discomfort. If I met somebody who was the greatest pianist in the world, like, why shouldn't we celebrate specialty in a field? People who achieve at the highest level, they're kind of phenoms. Bono's a phenom. If he was a pitcher, he'd be the number one pitcher on a Major League Baseball team. Why do people get uncomfortable about phenoms in the music business? Maybe it's the egalitarian part of music, like we all can be musicians. But the fact of the matter is these people are savants. If you don't wanna think I'm a savant, then I'm cool with that. But I'm saying is don't tell me that Jimi Hendrix or Bono or Kurt Cobain are not savants. They're savants. If you feel you're a savant, and you prove you're a savant, well, at some point, when does somebody give you the savant stamp? There's something that goes on in music that's, like, 'Well, prove it to me. And prove it to me again. And prove it to me one more time.' Would anybody here argue that Prince wasn't a savant?"

"Best Advice" is an audio spinoff from the Webby-Award-nominated Spotify For Artists "Best Advice" video series. Hosted by Kim Taylor Bennett, a former music journalist herself, "Best Advice" features engaging conversations with a full range of guests — from young up-and-coming artists to legacy acts — offering in-depth insights into what it's like to navigate the world of music, commerce and creativity.

EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee has spoken out about the "safety" issue that caused the cancelation of the band's appearance at the Knotfest Meets Forcefest in Mexico City in November 2019. According to reports, the stage barricade broke during BEHEMOTH's set and it was impossible to fix it in time for either of the two scheduled closers — SLIPKNOT and EVANESCENCE — to perform. Some fans at the festival reacted angrily at the cancelation, storming the stage and destroying equipment, including EVANESCENCE's gear. A viral video from Knotfest captured several incidents of vandalism, including fans storming the stage, grabbing EVANESCENCE drummer Will Hunt's drum kit and then lighting it on fire.

"We were so devastated — before anything caught fire," Amy told Cuartel Del Metal in a new interview (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "It was just so heartbreaking to have come all the way there. We love Mexico; it's like a special treat [to go there]. We had Thanksgiving here [in the U.S.]; it's like a big holiday in America. So we all were home with our families for Thanksgiving, and then the very next morning all got on planes and were going to Mexico and really excited for the show. And it takes a lot of work to set it up. We rehearsed for, like, a week. We had this whole thing planned. We were gonna play [our cover of FLEETWOOD MAC's] 'The Chain' for the first time — everything. And then to be there all dressed and ready to go, and to see the situation just not happen… The barricades weren't secure. The fans were excited, and the more people move, as the night goes on, the more the barricades were coming apart and they were hurting people. If we came out there, it would have hurt people.

"It's a matter of safety," she explained. "You always have to make that right choice when you're bringing thousands of people together. There's an element of that. It was just a really hard thing to sit there for hours, hoping they could fix the situation, waiting to go on and then have to know that they couldn't do it, and to drive away and see all of our stuff and all those people… We drove past as all the people were hearing the announcement that we weren't gonna make it, and they were just standing there and listening, and you could see our set, and it was, like, ready to go. It was heartbreaking. And then later, of course, there was a riot — way, way, way later on in the night — and stuff got burned. That sucked too. But we were never angry at our fans. I hope they all know how much we love them… It was just a horrible situation."

Amy added: "And that was our last show [before the pandemic] — like, we didn't play it. And it turned out to be the beginning of such a weird time for us. It was just very much like nothing that we've ever been through before. It was very fitting, actually. It set up how 2020 was gonna be. [Laughs]"

Lee went on to say that EVANESCENCE is "ready" to return to Mexico and play for its fans. "Mexico has, from that moment, been very much at the top of the list of where we have to hit as soon as possible so we can make it up to 'em," she said. "We can't wait to see you again. We're just dying to play. Now when we come down, we'll have a whole new album of music to play, so it's just gonna be even better."

The first-ever Knotfest Meets Forcefest was slated to be held over two days at the Parque Deportivo Oceanía venue. In 2019, Knotfest joined forces with Forcefest, combining two massive festival brands over one weekend. The Knotfest day was scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 30, 2019 with Forcefest happening on Sunday, December 1, 2019, headlined by Rob Zombie.

Knotfest is the brainchild of SLIPKNOT and the band's longtime manager, Cory Brennan of 5B Artists And Media.

One day after EVANESCENCE's canceled appearance at Knotfest Meets Forcefest, Hunt said that "a small group of morons" was responsible for the riot that ensued at the event. He added that he and his bandmates "love Mexico and, as a whole, the fans [there] are incredible."

In a February 2020 interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor stated about the Mexico City debacle: "The barricades were compromised. And breaking in — there were so many people that it was an absolute security issue. And they tried to fix it — I can't even talk about it without rolling my fucking eyes — they tried to fix it with, like, bike racks. It was fucking insane. They were, like, trying to wire bike racks to this thing. You go hold 25 thousand people back with some bike racks. Are you fucking shitting me? Our production manager, our security team took a look at it and said, 'I cannot sign off on this' — for the public's safety.

"We still don't know what happened," Corey continued. "We still don't know why it was compromised, because our security team walks that all day long to make sure everything is in place. And it was compromised in a way that someone had to have done it. But we don't know who, so, obviously, we can't point fingers or whatnot. But there was no way that we were gonna put our fans at risk, the security team at risk and EVANESCENCE at risk, because they were going on."

In a brand new interview with Rock History Music, bassist Mike Levine of Canadian rock legends TRIUMPH was asked about the possibility of the band reuniting to play some select shows. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we did a couple of times — in the 2000s. In 2008, we played over in Sweden — we did a festival there — and a show in Oklahoma, I think called Rocklahoma. And we were gonna go on the road, and then the recession came. There was plans, there was buildings on hold, everything was starting to fall into place. And then when the recession [came], we talked to the promoters, and everybody just said, 'For you guys, it would be embarrassing if you go out and do three quarters of a house instead of selling out.' It was horrible. Concerts were dying everywhere. You couldn't sell a ticket in the Midwest. It didn't matter who you were. THE BEATLES would have had trouble selling tickets. So we just [put it on hold]. And then the recession lasted a couple of years. And then we decide, you know what? We're a couple of years older. Maybe we can't do it — the idea of a big tour. 'Cause we were looking at maybe doing 60, 70 dates over the course of a year and a half or so. And the investment and the production and all that, to put it all together, and the time — just rehearsal time and everything else. So we decided, you know what? It's probably not in the best interest in all of us. It's not like everybody was going, 'Yeah, we've gotta do it.' We all just went, 'Not a good idea anymore.' But we did get together and play for the documentary that's coming out — soon, I hope. It's just about finished."

Asked if there is a chance that TRIUMPH could do some recording in the studio again at some point, Levine said: "That's always possible. We leave that door open all the time. If anybody comes up with something that's really cool that we can go in and still be able to play and/or sing, yeah, the door is always open. The studio sits there, and we can use it."

The first-ever feature documentary about TRIUMPH's dramatic career is tentatively due later this year. Produced by Emmy and Peabody award-winning Banger Films, "Triumph: Lay It On The Line" is a Crave original documentary that was previously described as "a celebratory, exhilarating thrill ride through the history of one of rock's most unsung acts." The film covers TRIUMPH's humble beginnings as staples of the GTA circuit in the mid-'70s to their heyday as touring juggernauts, selling out arenas and stadiums all across North America with their legendary spectacular live shows — and way beyond.

TRIUMPH last performed at an invite-only event in November 2019 in front of 300 "superfans" at MetalWorks studio in Mississauga (a suburb of Toronto), Ontario, Canada. Levine, guitarist/vocalist Rik Emmett and drummer Gil Moore played a three-song set that marked TRIUMPH's first performance in 11 years, as well as its first as a pure three-piece power trio in 31 years. The tracks played were "When The Lights Go Down", "Lay It On The Line" and "Magic Power".

Moore, Levine, and Emmett formed TRIUMPH in 1975, and their blend of heavy riff-rockers with progressive odysseys, peppered with thoughtful, inspiring lyrics and virtuosic guitar playing quickly made them a household name in Canada. Anthems like "Lay It On The Line", "Magic Power" and "Fight The Good Fight" broke them in the USA, and they amassed a legion of fiercely passionate fans. But, as a band that suddenly split at the zenith of their popularity, TRIUMPH missed out on an opportunity to say thank you to those loyal and devoted fans, a base that is still active today, three decades later.

Back in 2016, Moore and Levine reunited with Rik as special guests on the "RES 9" album from Emmett's band RESOLUTION9.

After 20 years apart, Emmett, Levine and Moore played at the 2008 editions of the Sweden Rock Festival and Rocklahoma. A DVD of the historic Sweden performance was made available four years later.

Ted Nugent has declared Joe Biden a "rotten" human being and railed against Democrats who support the president's "ugly policies."

The outspoken conservative rocker, who is an avid supporter of former U.S. president Donald Trump, discussed Biden's performance during an appearance on "The Wild Initiative" podcast.

He told host Samuel Ayres (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "You say that some of the liberals have good intentions. I haven't met one. And I meet an awful lot of people. Because if you are on the side of Joe Biden, you're just plain a rotten human being. You support a man with a liberal agenda that renegotiated all the contracts with the globe that Trump finally negotiated on behalf of our country. That's not my hunch; that's not a guess; that's not an opinion. Trump renegotiated global contracts for the first time in my lifetime to actually benefit America, and Joe Biden reversed them to hurt America. So if you're a liberal and a Democrat, you're the enemy of freedom. And if you don't believe in those ugly, ugly policies, then you have to quit."

He continued: "If you don't agree with forcing Americans to get vaccination passports, but people are flooding in through the borders without any vetting whatsoever, then you have no soul, and you can't be on that team. If you disagree with these toxic, dangerous, tyrannical policies, you've gotta quit that gang. That gang is the Democrats. Their agenda is extreme liberal Marxism. And if you're part of that team, you're as rotten as that man who's searching for a syllable in the White House."

Nugent 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.

Former BLACK SABBATH singer Tony Martin has expressed his support for scientists and clinicians in the ongoing fight against COVID-19.

Earlier today, the 64-year-old British-born vocalist took to his social media to share a photo of him with his daughter, and he wrote in an accompanying caption: "This is my daughter... she is one of the real scientists working in real laboratory's doing real work to help save real people. I will always champion these people and the community they represent. They have worked tirelessly with the nurses and doctors to understand and defeat the pandemic we are in. They have provided us with a way out and ANYONE that ridicules it or denies it or twists the work they do, will find me to be COMPLETELY steadfast, in supporting the work that my daughter and all of her community do on our behalf. I am immensely proud of them all. The virus is real and the way out is real we just have to do it."

On Tuesday (June 1), the U.K. announced zero daily COVID-19 deaths within 28 days of a positive test for the first time since March 2020.

The U.K.'s vaccination campaign is said to be the most successful effort so far in Europe.

"The vaccines are clearly working, protecting you, those around you and your loved ones,'' Health Secretary Matt Hancock said. "But despite this undoubtedly good news, we know we haven't beaten this virus yet."

Martin has spent the last couple of years working on his long-awaited new solo album, "Thorns", due in the coming months via Battlegod Productions and Dark Star Records.

BLACK SABBATH released six albums with Martin on vocals: "The Eternal Idol" (1987), "Headless Cross" (1989), "Tyr" (1990), "Cross Purposes" (1994), "Cross Purposes Live" (1995) and "Forbidden" (1995). Eventually, Martin and his "Forbidden"-era bandmates were ousted when guitarist Tony Iommi reunited with SABBATH's fellow original members.

Martin's last solo album, "Scream", was released in November 2005 via MTM Music.

Photo credit: Rob Billingham


This is my daughter... she is one of the real scientists working in real laboratory's doing real work to help save real...

Posted by Tony Martin on Wednesday, June 2, 2021