KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons has blasted a Texas politician for drawing a connection between the moon and Earth's orbit and solar flares to climate change.

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, asked a representative from the U.S. Forest Service if it was possible to alter the orbit of the moon or the Earth as a way of combating climate change.

During a live-streamed national parks, forests and public lands subcommittee meeting of the National Resources Committee, Gohmert addressed Jennifer Eberlein, the associate deputy chief for the National Forest System. He said: "I understand from what's been testified to, the Forest Service and the (Bureau of Land Management), you want very much to work on the issue of climate change." He went on to say that he understood NASA's data shows the Earth's and the moon's orbits are "changing slightly." "And so, is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM can do to change the course of the moon's orbit or the Earth's orbit around the sun?" he asked. "Obviously, that would have profound effects on our climate."

Eberlein paused before responding, "I would have to follow up with you on that one, Mr. Gohmert."

"Yeah? Well, if you figure out a way that you in the Forest Service can make that change, I'd like to know," Gohmert said.

Earlier today, Simmons shared a Yahoo! News article about Gohmert's comments, and he included the following message: "Please pardon my language. What an Effin Moron…Texas Republican. Gohmert suggests altering moon's orbit to combat climate change".

Gohmert, an outspoken opponent of Democrats' plans to combat climate change, responded to the backlash on Twitter by pointing out that Tuesday's hearing "was about the BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT & climate change."

In the past, Gohmert has repeatedly said he does not believe climate change is a manmade problem.

"We can't do anything substantive about the climate change right now, when the moon's orbit is apparently changing some, the Earth's orbit is changing some, according to NASA," he told Fox Business network last month.




Please pardon my language. What an Effin Moron…Texas Republican. Gohmert suggests altering moon's orbit to combat climate change https://t.co/sQn6R6F0RE

— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) June 10, 2021








ORBITS: Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) asks whether the Forest Service or the BLM can alter the orbit of the moon or the Earth in order to fight climate change during a House Natural Resources hearing pic.twitter.com/yYiOyi2cMZ

— Forbes (@Forbes) June 8, 2021

DEF LEPPARD's Joe Elliott has confirmed to Cleveland.com in a new interview that the band is working on new songs for its next album. According to the singer, he and his bandmates have been trading ideas virtually during the pandemic and are "ahead of the game" with respect to the new LP's progress.

As for DEF LEPPARD's overall songwriting approach, Elliott said: "Y'know, we've always said that what we've got to try and achieve before we kick it all in the head or we're gone is to be bracketed among the greats: Lennon-McCartney, Jagger-Richards, Ray Davies, Pete Townshend. We probably never will, but we're never gonna stop trying. We're not interested in trying to be some second division, 'Oh, that'll do kind of thing.' It's like if somebody fails climbing Mount Everest, if they're that desperate then they'll try again next year. That's how we feel about what we do, so we're just gonna try our best, again, and keep going for it."

Last month, Joe told Download festival host Kylie Olsson that "there's a lot of work to be done" before the completion of the new DEF LEPPARD album. "But we have not let the year go to waste," he said.

Addressing the fact that it's been nearly six years since DEF LEPPARD last released album, 2015's self-titled effort, Joe told Download: "The industry being what it is, we're all aware of the fact that there's an element of the media that can't let go of the fact that records aren't that important anymore. And I know that's a sad thing to say, but it's a fact of life. Touring is massively important — way more than it was when you went out promoting records when they were important. Especially for legacy bands or whatever you wanna call 'em. Listen, I went to see THE ROLLING STONES in 1989 in case one of them died. That's 1989. They haven't had a death since the 1960s.

"I'm aware of the fact that when you've got a history — whether it be THE EAGLES or FLEETWOOD MAC or any of the bands from the '80s, like us and [IRON] MAIDEN and whoever else, we've got this legacy audience as well that wanna see us continue the journey, if you like. And that's become way more important.

"When we finished that [2015] album, we never really thought about making another record until we just felt the timing was right," Elliott explained. "And we always just fall into place. We're constantly writing songs, so when it comes to piecing songs together, it's not like they're all absolutely brand spanking new, just written, hot-off-the-press stuff. Some of them are ideas that have been percolating for a year or two with a piece missing. And you wait and you wait and you wait, and then you have this epiphany, or one of the other guys goes, 'Why didn't you ask? I've got a bit that would fit in there perfect.' So there's been a lot of that going on. But that's a constant; that's nothing to do with coronavirus. We've been doing it since the 'Def Leppard' album came out, and we will continue to do it, whether we release an album or not. We've got songs in our heads."

DEF LEPPARD released a box set, "The Early Years 79-81", in March 2020 via UMC/Virgin. "The Early Years 79-81" box set represents the band's first two albums, "On Through The Night" (1980) and "High 'N' Dry" (1981), and was prepared in conjunction with Elliott who acted as executive producer on the set. The mastering was done by the band's long-serving sound engineer Ronan McHugh.

Eagle Rock Entertainment released DEF LEPPARD's "London To Vegas" in May 2020. This limited edition 2Blu-ray+4CD, 2DVD+4CD, DVD/Blu-ray+2CD and digital format release features two concert films: "Hysteria At The O2" and "Hits Vegas, Live At Planet Hollywood".

DEF LEPPARD's latest greatest-hits collection, titled "The Story So Far - The Best Of", was released in November 2018.

DEF LEPPARD's "The Stadium Tour" with MÖTLEY CRÜE, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was recently officially postponed until 2

Last month, THE PRETTY RECKLESS's latest album, "Death By Rock And Roll", debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart. It marked the third top 10 and first No. 1 for the Taylor Momsen-fronted act on the chart. The album opened with 16,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending February 18, according to MRC Data.

Speaking about the LP's impressive chart performance, Momsen told Thorn Of Rock (hear audio below): "It's insane. I don't know how to feel. It's mindblowing. I mean, you never what to expect when releasing an album at any period in time, but especially nowadays, with the state of the world and how crazy everything is. We had no idea. It's an incredible honor, and I'm so happy that people are taking the time to listen to this album that we spent so much time working on. I really poured everything I had of myself into it. So I'm incredibly grateful — and excited."

Asked if she believed in "Death By Rock And Roll" from day one, Taylor said: "Of course. I wouldn't make it if I didn't believe in it. I think that's the key to success in any form. And I'm not talking about commercial success; I'm talking about personal success. I don't make something unless I really believe in it. And as soon as I wrote the record, I knew that we had something really special, and we had to record it. And then that was a whole other process — recording everything and making what I hear in my head somehow come out the other end of the speakers so everyone else can hear it too. And that comes with a lot of trial and error. But I really think that we accomplished something extraordinarily special on this record. I really do think this might be the best album we've ever released."

"Death By Rock And Roll" was released via Fearless Records in the U.S. and Century Media Records in the rest of the world. It is THE PRETTY RECKLESS's first LP to be made without longtime producer Kato Khandwala, who died in April 2018 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

"Death By Rock And Roll" features guest appearances by Tom Morello of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, and Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron of SOUNDGARDEN.

Arizona Republic has revealed more details from the report former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson filed with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of Ellefson by unknown offenders.

In the report, Ellefson admitted that he had been sexting with a Dutch teenager who had captured video of their encounters without his consent. The bassist said he first met the woman when he was signing autographs at a 2019 concert in Holland. They struck up a friendship and continued chatting through social media. The second time he saw her in person was in February 2020, when they met in a Dutch hotel lobby for coffee and soda. He stated there was no physical contact and they just had a conversation. He also claimed that there has never been any sexual physical contact between the two.

According to Ellefson, his interactions with the woman didn't turn sexual until "July or August" of 2020, when they they engaged in "a consensual virtual sexual encounter" for the first time over Facebook Messenger. The woman would have been 19 at the time of their first virtual sexual encounter. "He stated they had about four to five masturbating encounters," the report said. The last online sexual encounter was around February 2021.

The 56-year-old Ellefson, who lives in Scottsdale, first became aware of the video — which was taken by the woman without his knowledge or consent using the video feature on Facebook Messenger — on May 9, when the claim "David Ellefson of MEGADETH is a pedophile" appeared on Instagram.

Ellefson told police that MEGADETH's management was made aware of the allegation, and the management informed the bassist that the accuser had harassed other members of MEGADETH in the past and advised him to "sit tight" as it would likely "blow over." Two hours later, the video of Ellefson masturbating emerged online and quickly went viral. The woman later admitted to Ellefson to having made two or three videos and sharing then with some friends but said she wasn't sure how they got leaked to anyone else.

Ellefson told police he was notified on May 14 by MEGADETH that the band would be parting ways with him. Three days later — which would have been May 17, according to the timeline provided by the Arizona Republic — he was fired.

On May 24, Dave Mustaine — who formed MEGADETH with Ellefson in 1983 — announced the bassist's departure from the band, saying, "We do not take this decision lightly. While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward," Mustaine wrote. Two days later, Ellefson released a follow-up statement in which he vowed to file a "defamation lawsuit" against the person who "illegally posted a very private video" of the bassist and made "false allegations" against him. He also said he was working with the police in Scottsdale "in their investigation into charges regarding revenge pornography to be filed against the person who posted the video. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Ellefson wrote. He went on to say that he was "taking this time to be with my family" and wished his "bandmates" the best with their upcoming tour.

MEGADETH has yet to announce a replacement for Ellefson, who was in the band from its inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest departure.

David, who became a Lutheran pastor nearly a decade ago, and his wife Julie Ellefson have been married for 27 years. They have two children, Roman Alexander (25) and Athena Grace (

KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque spoke to Canada's The Metal Voice about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's long-awaited new album, "The Institute". The group's first studio LP in 15 years is tentatively due in 2022 via Metal Blade Records.

"[I have been] working on writing some new material for KING DIAMOND [during the pandemic]," he says (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I know it sounds, for people, like, 'Oh, it takes forever.' But yeah, it does. We wanna have the best material when we pick out the good songs and before we start recording, of course. So we're working on that, yes."

Regarding a possible timeline for the release of the new KING DIAMOND LP, Andy said: "Our goal is to go out on the road again when all this COVID stuff is over with. And before that, we need to have an album out there. So, we've got some pressure [on us], yes. King's [Diamond, KING DIAMOND's namesake frontman] got a lot of crazy ideas, of course. He's got the basic lines of the story already in his mind. And I have, actually, four or five songs that could be possible for the next album, and I know he's got tons of riffs and stuff going around in his head too. So, as soon as he sits down and gets it down on tape, it's gonna go fast."

Asked if the COVID-19 pandemic delayed KING DIAMOND's progress on the new material or it made him and his bandmates more productive, Andy said: "It was difficult, because we had a few shows booked at the time it started with the COVID. It came like a shock for all of us, I believe. So [we] got kind of paralyzed in the beginning. And then [we] tried to do the best out of it, and that is just to sit down and write riffs and trying to survive with other things, like producing other bands in the studio… We just tried to adapt to the new situation and [make] new plans, of course, for the future."

Andy, whose real name is Anders Allhage, also discussed his vision for the new KING DIAMOND album, saying that it will be filled with great "melodies, of course. Super important. Without melodies, there is no music," he explained. "I'm also envisioning a more organic sound of the album. If you look back to the older albums, when Mikkey [Dee] played [drums for the band], for example, it's, like, a little bit up and down in tempo, and that makes it dynamic and also organic. So that's one thing that I would like to hear on the next album, for sure. But building up a dynamic, kind of organic feel, the drummer is a really important thing here, of course. And I know that Matt Thompson [current KING DIAMOND drummer] is the right guy to do this, for sure."

Back in November 2019, KING DIAMOND released its first new song in 12 years, "Masquerade Of Madness". A month later, Andy told The Metal Voice that he came up with the music for the track first before passing it off to King, who "needed to arrange a few things and change just a small few things for making it work with his vocals. And then, of course, he wrote the lyrics for it," the guitarist revealed. "So we [went] a little back and forth until he felt like, 'Okay, this is cool, man. This is the right key to sing in,' and all that."

La Rocque told The Metal Voice that the tentative plan is to release "The Institute" as "a single album" as part of a two-LP horror concept story, with the second part arriving at a later date.

In March 2019, King told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show that the next album from his namesake band will be "absolutely gruesome" with a story set in a 1920s mental institution. "I chose that because I think it's a very creepy scenario," he explained. "And some of the things that go on that we're gonna show onstage is also things that certainly was going on back then, when medicine was beginning to take a beneficial turn in history and actually being able to help human beings live longer. But there was some experimentation going on, too, that was absolutely gruesome. Some of that is involved in the story, but it's something totally different. Once you get to the second part of the story, you will begin to suddenly understand that, 'What the hell is going on here? What is this really about?' 'Cause there's a whole different story that will not come to you till second part. But in the first part, you're gonna get to know a lot people at a certain place… Some of it takes place here, this world, and some of it takes place in a parallel world. And there's a correlation between what happened to me and what happens to some people in this place and where they suddenly appear. And you will find out why they are there, how they appear there and the places down the road. I won't say too much right now, but it's gonna be very creepy."

KING DIAMOND received a Grammy nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" category for the track "Never Ending Hill" off the band's last album, 2007's "Give Me Your Soul … Please".

"Give Me Your Soul ... Please" sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 174 on The Billboard 200 chart.

KING DIAMOND released a DVD/Blu-ray, "Songs For The Dead Live", in January 2019 via Metal Blade Records. The set captures 1987's seminal "Abigail" album in its entirety, twice, and in very different locales: Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting in June 2016 and Philadelphia's Fillmore in November 2015. The performances feature KING DIAMOND's current band, comprising of guitarists La Rocque and Mike Wead, bassist Pontus Egberg and drummer Matt Thompson.

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford recently sat down with Matt Pinfield for the latest installment of 95.5 KLOS's "New & Approved" music series.

With a career spanning the past 50 years, Halford has without a doubt experienced the extreme highs of success and darker times throughout his life, which is documented in his book, "Confess". Halford's autobiography explores numerous anecdotes on his life and career, including a time where he may have offended Marie Osmond with a whip.

Rob speaks with Matt about his book and reflects on the importance of his decision to publicly come out and what it meant for his career and personal life. Halford also details losing his partner due to self-harm, and how that moment tested his journey with sobriety. The outspoken and uninhibited artist also goes on to share his musical influences and heroes, which include Tina Turner, Elvis Presley, Little Richard and many more, and Rob also shares what is next for his band post-pandemic.

On the topic of PRIEST's current status, Rob said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Like all the bands around the world, we are just chomping at the heavy metal bit to get back on the road again. If you go to the PRIEST web sites, you'll see all the dates that we've been rescheduling, like we all have. And I'll be heading back to the U.K. soon to start jamming and rehearsing. We've gotta put a setlist together, which is getting more difficult by the years. Choose a song from how many albums and hundreds of songs. But we'll do it. It's gonna be great, man."

He continued: "It's gonna be great to be back on the road. I miss that feeling — I miss that feeling of being in a different hotel every night and being in a different city every night and seeing all our beautiful fans around the world, particularly in America where we've had such great times together. So it's all systems go, man."

Earlier this week, JUDAS PRIEST announced the rescheduled dates for the North American leg of its 50th-anniversary tour. Produced by Live Nation, the "50 Heavy Metal Years" trek will feature SABATON as openers. It will kick off on September 8 in Reading, Pennsylvania and run through October before concluding on November 5 in Hamilton, Ontario.

Tickets for the newly announced dates will go on sale beginning this Friday, June 11 at 10 a.m. local time at Ticketmaster. Tickets for the previously announced tour dates are available now.

In early April, JUDAS PRIEST's European tour, which was scheduled to kick off in late May, was once again postponed due to "ongoing COVID-19 vaccine issues." The trek will now run from May 27, 2022 in Moscow, Russia until July 31, 2022 in Oberhausen, Germany.

Last September, JUDAS PRIEST and Rufus Publications announced the publication of the first-ever official JUDAS PRIEST book documenting the band's extensive history over the last 50 years. Titled "Judas Priest - 50 Heavy Metal Years", the book has been put together by David Silver, Ross Halfin and Jayne Andrews.

According to City News Service, METALLICA has filed a lawsuit against Lloyd's Of London for allegedly failing to cover the band for financial losses suffered when the legendary heavy metal act was forced to postpone six shows in 2020 because of the pandemic.

The lawsuit stems from the cancelation of METALLICA's six-date tour of South America in April 2020. Just weeks prior to the tour's scheduled launch, COVID-19-related travel restrictions were enacted in all parts of the world, giving METALLICA no choice but to postpone the dates.

According to METALLICA complaint, which was filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the band's standard "cancellation, abandonment and non-appearance insurance" policy with Lloyd's Of London was denied by the insurer, which cited the policy's communicable disease exclusion. The lawsuit calls the move "an unreasonably restrictive interpretation of the policy" and alleges breach of contract.

METALLICA is seeking unspecified compensatory damages as well as a declaration of the rights and obligations of the parties.

This is not the first time Lloyd's Of London has been involved in a lawsuit related to the cancelation of major rock concerts. Back in 2016, FOO FIGHTERS settled their lawsuit against the world-famous 335-year-old insurance market on claims related to several shows scrapped during the band's 2015 world tour. Because it was dismissed with prejudice, the FOO FIGHTERS were barred from re-filing the case on the same claim. Terms were not disclosed.

Some of the FOO FIGHTERS shows were called off after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg on June 12, 2015, during a show in Gothenberg, Sweden. The injury resulted in the cancellation of seven shows. Three of those dates were mentioned in the suit. After his leg was treated, Grohl went on to perform 53 concerts, mostly while seated on a makeshift "throne" onstage.

Joey Allen says that he was "not prepared" to see Jani Lane die, despite the fact that the longtime WARRANT singer battled alcoholism for years before his final exit from the group.

Lane recorded several albums with WARRANT in late 1980s and early 1990s but left the group several times. The band's seventh studio LP, "Born Again", was released in 2006 and featured Jaime St. James as the lead singer. In 2008, Lane returned to WARRANT temporarily and toured with the group. In September that year, WARRANT announced that Jani had left again. The band replaced him with Robert Mason and released its eighth studio album, "Rockaholic", in 2011.

Speaking to "Waste Some Time With Jason Green about how he found out about Jani's death, Joey said: "We were in North Dakota playing a gig. We had a night off, so we were all out to eat. And my phone rang, and it was Jeff Blando from SLAUGHTER and Vince Neil's band, who's just a good friend of all of ours. And he started apologizing, 'I'm so sorry.' And I'm, like, 'What are you talking about?' Because it was literally seven [o'clock] where we were and five in L.A., and the news hadn't gotten out yet. So he told me. And he apologized for being the one to tell me: 'Dude, I love you. Sorry. God bless you.' And I hung up the phone and I looked around the table and I just told everybody. And it was just unbelievable.

"Even though you know somebody's that ill, you're not prepared for that by any means," he continued. "And I remember just everybody's phone, ten minutes later, blowing up. And that night, it was horrible. We were sitting around in disbelief, trying to muster up something… 'We've gotta say something. If we don't say something… Oh my God.' So we tried to write something as eloquent as possible for the time, and we put it out."

Joey went on to say that he and his bandmates had a particularly hard time processing Jani's death.

"I've never lost anybody… I lost my father last year, in October," Allen said. "My father was in his 80s. Luckily, because of COVID, I was around him a lot, and the doctor, in the last while. So we were able to have all those conversations as two people that love each other can have before somebody passes. So even though he passed, and it's horrible, it was a closed book, and we were good. And he wasn't afraid to die, and I wasn't afraid to be here without him. I miss him still terribly. When somebody's taken from you like Jani was, it's unbelievable — that's the best way I can say it — and not in a good way. You're, like, 'No, no, no, no. That's not right.' And then you scramble to try to process. It's like losing a brother to a car wreck or a fire; there's all kinds of ways people pass. It's horrible. It's horrific still. I feel horrible for his family."

Lane died in August 2011 at age 47. Paramedics found his body in a Comfort Inn motel room in Woodland Hills, California, which is near Los Angeles. Lane had battled alcohol abuse for years.

Mason recently told Waste Some Time With Jason Green about how he found out about Jani's death: "I think it was us and the SLAUGHTER guys, we were all having dinner at a steak joint somewhere in the middle of the country doing a gig, and everybody's phone just buzzed — it seemed [like it happened] all at once. It was kind of rare for us — all band and crew; everybody — after flying in, we were all sitting around the table, with appetizers, waiting for entrees to show up, and all of sudden, everybody's phones just blew up. And it was that horrible look. I remember somebody looking and going [opens his eyes wide]. And I know they thought to themselves, 'This is what this is,' and they were dead right. We all picked up the phone, and we were, like, 'Did you just hear…?' 'Yeah, I just got a text from so-and-so.' 'I just missed a phone call from six people.'"

WARRANT's latest album, "Louder Harder Faster", was released in 2017 via Frontiers Music Srl. The disc was recorded with producer Jeff Pilson — a veteran bassist who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER and DOKKEN, among others — and was mixed by Pat Regan, except for the song "I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink", which was mixed by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, PRONG, LAST IN LINE).

Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND, has released a new solo single, "Fierce". The song's accompanying music video, in which Gus can be seen sporting black metal-style corpsepaint, can be seen below.

Said Gus: "Boo! Check out the video for my brand new single, 'Fierce'! Don’t be scared, this is just a love story… I came up with the concept of a lonely rock star who eventually finds true love in the eyes of 'Necromantissa' — a girl he previously kept hostage in his dungeon. Music finally unites them and they live happily ever after and even form a metal band. Nightmare or reality?? We had tons of fun shooting this, getting in full makeup.

"I love certain black metal & shock rock aesthetics & wanted to try something different, instead of doing yet another performance video. And I also wanted to make a video with my cats too.

"Many thanks to Panagiotis Kountouras for the excellent directing once again, my immortal beloved & our cats Marquise and Leon."

"Fierce" is the follow-up to the "Exosphere" single, which arrived in early April. Gus previously described "Fierce" as "a real metal track. If you guys like my past instrumentals or stuff that FIREWIND has done, the fast stuff, you're gonna like this," he said in a video message earlier this month. "It's a fast song. There's a lot of shredding. And a really funny video."

Gus also revealed that there will be "more singles coming out" over the course of the next few months. "We're planning to release them in different phases, and then I think sometime around this fall, we're gonna drop the whole album," he said. "I guess it's a new way of doing things — kind of like teasing the album with singles first and seeing how they perform and what people think and let people get used to it."

According to Gus, his new solo album is "finished — mixed and mastered. Dennis Ward [PINK CREAM 69, UNISONIC], he played bass on it and he mixed and mastered it," the guitarist said. "I have a new drummer who's playing on it. His name is [Jan-]Vincent Velazco. He's a great, killer drummer. He's from England. And he contacted me last year online, and he said, 'Hey, dude, if you need a drummer, let me know.' And I checked him out, and I was blown away by his skills, by his playing. So I thought hey, why not? Why not collaborate with somebody new? At the time, Johan [Nunez] was not available to record. 'Cause I was planning to ask Johan from FIREWIND to play. But he went back to school to finish a course, so I thought why not collaborate with Vincent?

"I'm still not sure what to call the album, actually," Gus added. "I have an idea in mind; I have a title. But this is gonna be my first all-instrumental album, so there's a lot of guitar on it, different things on it — not just metal stuff. There's some more mellow, some bluesier things, but then, of course, there's a lot of shredding too. And I'm looking forward to releasing it. It's a big step for me."

"Exosphere" was released on April 1. The track featured Ward on bass and Velazco on drums. The artwork for the single was created by Gustavo Sazes, with whom Gus has worked since 2007.

"Exosphere" was written during times of pandemic and was Gus's first attempt at using a seven-string guitar in an official recording.

In September 2019, Gus issued a digital-only solo EP, "Live In Budapest - Part 1", consisting of four tracks recorded on the guitarist's headline European tour in support of his latest album release, "Fearless". The world tour saw Gus and his band share stages around the world with legendary guitarists like Richie Kotzen, Vinnie Moore followed by his own headline dates and a massive tour as special guest of Los Angeles rockers STEEL PANTHER.

"Fearless" was released in April 2018 via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2015's "Brand New Revolution" marked Gus's first release since exiting Osbourne's band in 2017.

On "Fearless", Gus joined forces with Ward and drummer Will Hunt (EVANESCENCE).

FIREWIND's ninth, self-titled studio album was made available in May 2020.

The band recently parted ways with guitarist/keyboardist Bob Katsionis and singer Henning Basse.

FIREWIND's new vocalist is Herbie Langhans, who has previously played with AVANTASIA and SINBREED.

Los Angeles-based heavy rock avant-gardists Philm, featuring vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Gerry Nestler (Civil Defiance, Kkleq Muzzil) and bassist Pancho Tomaselli (War, Ultraphonix), have released a video for the song "Cries Of The Century", off their latest album, Time Burner, recently released by Metalville Records.

Says Nestler: "We've been wanting to get this clip out for a while now, but it's been one hold-up after another. But, 'better late than never,' as they say. We shot everything at G&L Guitars in Fullerton, California, who've been incredibly supportive of Philm and let us use their showcase room for the day. Alejandro Mercado from the band The World Over did the shoot with us on drums but is not a member. And we had our old friend Rick Kosick behind the camera, who directed, edited, and produced the video, with Donald Andrews also lending a hand in the editing process. Rick has been by our side from the very beginning of Philm and also lensed our 'Held In Light' video as well as other things. He is super-talented and has done everything from shooting album covers for the Deftones to being the DP for King of the Road on Vice. And, of course, he's been the cameraman on all the Jackass movies and TV shows. So, we were in great hands to really capture the energy of 'Cries of the Century' in a performance setting."

 

Time Burner is Philm's first album since the departure of drummer Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer) and was recorded with engineer/producer Chris Sorem at Nest Recorders in Los Angeles. It features Venezuelan-born Grammy Award-winning guest percussionist Anderson Quintero on drums. Philm have yet to announce a new full-time drummer.




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Tortured blackened death metal machine, Withered, are now sharing the official music video for the song "Dissolve", which is taken from their upcoming record, Verloren. The video can be found below.

Withered have announced their triumphant return to the stage. On August 6, the band will be performing an album release show to support their upcoming record, Verloren, at The Earl in their hometown of Atlanta, GA. Tickets on sale at FreshTix.com.

Verloten is due on June 25 through Season Of Mist Underground Activists. Pre-order at the Season Of Mist webshop.

Tracklisting:

“By Tooth In Tongue”
“The Predation”
“Dissolve”
“Casting In Wait”
“Passing Through…”
“…The Long Hurt”
“Verloren”
“From Ashen Shores”

“Dissolve” video:

“Casting In Wait” lyric video:




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One of The Big Four turns the Big 4-0 this year and is celebrating with a number of special activities and events to honor the landmark anniversary. Formed by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, NY on July 18, 1981, Anthrax was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast and quickly became regarded as a leader in the genre alongside Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth.

Active over the past five decades, Anthrax has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple Gold and Platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 playing thousands of shows, including headlining Madison Square Garden and playing Yankee Stadium with The Big 4. The band has built a strong reputation with fans as well as the record industry. With the lineup including Ian, bassist Frank Bello, drummer Charlie Benante, singer Joey Belladonna, and guitarist Jon Donais, the band is being feted on their 40th anniversary by a wide range of friends and music contemporaries.

Each week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and wrapping on the band's official founding anniversary of July 18, Anthrax's social media accounts will offer a series of video testimonials sent in by former band members, fellow musicians, colleagues, and industry veterans sharing behind-the-scenes stories of working with the band and what Anthrax's legacy has meant all these years on. These videos will honor each album in chronological order beginning with the original release, Fistful of Metal. Go here for the full schedule, and watch Episode #16: Bring The Noise below.

The 11-week series will include video contributions from Chuck D, Corey Taylor, Dave Grohl, Dave Mustaine, Gary Holt, Gene Simmons, Henry Rollins, John Carpenter, Kerry King, Mike Patton, Nergal, Norman Reedus, Michael Poulsen, Rob Zombie, Robert Trujillo, Roger Miret, Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC), Slash, Tom Morello and more. There will also be video clips from former Anthrax band members Dan Lilker, Dan Spitz, John Bush, Neil Turbin, and Rob Caggiano.

The finale will come as a very special Livestream performance from Anthrax on Friday, July 16, featuring a deep cuts set that will pull from the band's entire career-spanning catalog.

The special worldwide Livestream event, presented by Danny Wimmer Presents and originating from Los Angeles, will kick off in North America on Friday, July 16, beginning at 4 PM, PT and 7 PM, ET, and in the UK on Saturday, July 17, starting at Midnight, BST.

Livestream event tickets and special 40th-anniversary ticket bundles - one including a live video chat with the members of Anthrax - are on sale now. Special 40th-anniversary artwork was created by Brian Ewing and Stephen Thompson for limited-edition t-shirts, commemorative tickets, and an anniversary poster. In addition to the Livestream and merchandise bundles, fans will be able to buy a digital ticket to relive the past 40 years with exclusive interviews, testimonials, and behind-the-scenes stories of the band's legendary career. All purchasing details are accessible at AnthraxLive.com.

The Global Livestream event, debuting July 16/17 (depending on your global location), will remain available to fans worldwide to tune in through July 25 at 11:59 PM, ET via video on demand. The band - Joey Belladonna/vocalist, Scott Ian/rhythm guitar, Frank Bello/bass, Charlie Benante/drums, and Jon Donias/guitar, will perform an extensive set of hits and deep cuts that will pull from the band's entire catalog.

"I was a 17-year-old metal-head kid from Queens when I started this band," said Scott Ian. "I am a 57-year-old metal-head kid from Queens about to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this band. That means for 40 years, I've gotten to do exactly what I've wanted to do - and getting to do what I love and being a part of something so much bigger than myself has made the time, the unbelievable weight of 40 seems so light. It's been an amazing story so far, and I see 40 as a milestone that absolutely should be recognized and celebrated. Congratulations to us! I also see 40 as a stepping stone to the next chapter of Anthrax - we still have a lot to say and some killer riffs to unleash. I'm not going to say, "Here's to 40 more" because nobody wants to see that (I'd be 97). How about, "Here's to at least ten more, and we'll go from there! Thank you for enabling me, my friends."

(Photo - Jimmy Hubbard)




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