MACHINE HEAD has just released a new three-song single, "Arrows In Words From The Sky". Featuring the tracks "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky", the effort was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California. Joining MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn and bassist Jared MacEachern during the sessions were drummer Navene Koperweiss (ENTHEOS, WHITECHAPEL, ANIMALS AS LEADERS) and producer Zack Ohren.

Said Flynn: "These three songs represent MACHINE HEAD better than anything I could ever try to explain. The way these songs grew and took shape over time tells us our future is more exciting than even we would like to admit. Being able to corral all the chaos, pain, confusion, and, yes, hope into music has never made me feel more alive. These songs will hopefully do the same for you. After all, that's who they were written for."

In November, MACHINE HEAD released a new single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

On Thursday (June 10), MACHINE HEAD announced that it was abandoning plans to resume its "Burn My Eyes" 25th-anniversary tour now that the pandemic is slowing down.

Last July, MACHINE HEAD canceled its previously announced rescheduled 2020 tour dates for Europe and Australia due to the coronavirus crisis which was sweeping the globe. At the time, it was assumed that those shows would finally happen once the band was able to return to the road.

Flynn said that the "Burn My Eyes" tour, which saw him and MacEachern play the band's classic debut album in its entirety for the first time ever, with original "Burn My Eyes"-era drummer Chris Kontos and Mader joining in, would not pick up at such a time as MACHINE HEAD can continue touring. Flynn also confirmed that MacEachern is still a member of MACHINE HEAD alongside new recruits, guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED) and British drummer Matt Alston (DEVILMENT, EASTERN FRONT), all of whom also performed on the "Burn My Eyes" 25th-anniversary tour.

Founding JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing spoke to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about his decision to call his new band KK'S PRIEST, an obious nod to his former group.

"I felt that it was justified for me, because of my long legacy and, obviously, being there in the very beginning, that I was still entitled," Downing said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

"Lots of things happened, and even though I [released my autobiography in 2018], I didn't put everything in the book; there's so much I could have put in that book.

"When things happened… For example, the year when I got angry and quit [JUDAS PRIEST], Rob [Halford, PRIEST singer] had released two solo albums — studio albums — that year, in 2010. And he did a tour with Ozzy [Osbourne], he went to Peru, he did all of those things. All these things were building up. We were getting pressured to do an EP. And I wasn't enjoying the performances because Glenn [Tipton, PRIEST guitarist] just liked too many beers and stuff like that. But it was all kind of building up in me.

"Having said all that, what people don't know, but it is true that I was gonna do [one final] tour [with PRIEST in 2011]. And I was speaking to Ian [Hill, bass] for a whole week about doing the tour. And I even had him send me over the setlist. But the day after Ian sent me the set list — 'cause I called him back and I said, 'I really like it.' 'Cause I was gonna do the tour — I was gonna do it. But the press release got released the very next morning [announcing my exit from the band], and that's when I got really angry and sent in my second [resignation] letter. And that was a real kind of sayonara. Which is a sad situation, because I was waiting for the guys. They would have known that I was anticipating doing the tour and having a change of mind. But nobody — even Ian, who I was talking to — was not really encouraging me. And I felt pretty deflated. But they made a press release.

"But anyway, without delving into that too much, it was all a sad state of affairs," Downing added. "But at the end of the day, we all agreed to retire. We were all gonna do the 'Epitaph' final tour. I wasn't the only one that was… We all agreed to finish the band. So all I was quitting on was doing the last tour, because I couldn't bring myself to face doing it, to start with, but I did change my mind. I mean, I bought an Axe [guitar] effects unit from Germany — it was two thousand pounds — to do that tour. But it's just the way it unraveled. But the second letter I sent it, Glenn and Jayne [Andrews from PRIEST's management] obviously didn't like what was said. [Laughs] And the rest is history. The door was closed, I guess. Because I have written to the guys on two or three separate occasions to let me back in, but the answer's been no. So I've just moved on with KK'S PRIEST. And I feel justified that I should. And so I will."

KK'S PRIEST, which features Downing alongside Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals), guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE), bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE), will release its debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", on August 20 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records. The LP's first single, "Hellfire Thunderbolt", was released last month.

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

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

Downing later said that he believed his second resignation letter — which was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties" — was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

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

Los Angeles metallers Slizard are streaming three new songs from their debut album: “Monsters”, “Vampire Zombies”, and “Skinwalker”. Their self-titled debut album was just released on May 28 via Mega Metal, a sublabel of Canadian label Maple Metal Records.

The band was formed in 2019, and features LA singer Liz Fawcett on vocals, Pat "Buzz" Belrose on guitars, bass & vocals, and Todd "Toad" Resmen on drums.

Singing sensation Liz Fawcett has been described by a few LA music industry reps as a "badass" singer that has an instantly recognizable voice. Pat "Buzz" Belrose has previously played guitar for LA bands Spoiled Rotten, & World Jungle who were popular acts, especially on the local LA scene in the 90's, but has also recorded two albums with Canadian metal band Jade in the mid-80's. Buzz currently also has his own band appropriately named BUZZ ZA.

The Slizard album cover art is designed by well-known Finnish artist Jan Yrlund, of Darkgrove Studios, Tampere, Finland.

Slizard is produced & mixed by Chris Wood, a 3-time Grammy Award nominated L.A. producer, & mix engineer. Chris Wood has worked with a variety of artists in multiple music genres, but in the rock world most notably with Slash, Lenny Kravitz, Vivian Campbell guitarist of Dio & Def Leppard.

The album is mastered by Chris Crerar at Metalworks Studios (Guns N' Roses, Rush, Triumph) in Toronto, Canada. John Belrose (Exciter - Heavy Metal Maniac) is executive producer for this album.

Tracklisting:

"Monsters"
"Mr. Hyde"
"Caught Up In The Gears"
"Crack The Whip"
"Skinwalker"
"Watch N' Listen"
"Vampire Zombies"
"Runnin' Towards The Zombies"
"Madness Of The Queen"
"Neverland"
"Down By The River"
"Spooks In The Trees"
"Broken Dreams"
"Will You Still Be There"
"Slow Motion Suicide"

Sampler #1:

Sampler #2:




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L.A. GUNS, featuring Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns, will release a new live album, "Cocked & Loaded Live", on July 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. As the title implies, the performance celebrates the band's treasured second album, "Cocked & Loaded". Fans can get another taste of the performance with the track "Wheels Of Fire". "Cocked & Loaded Live" will precede the release of a brand new studio album from Lewis, Guns and company, "Checkered Past", which is due in November.

As everyone knows at this point, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a difficult blow to the entire live music business. While artists, road crews, venues, and fans all collectively eagerly await a return to normalcy, artists have gotten busy bringing live music to fans' living rooms. While they had just commenced work on an upcoming new studio album, in November 2020, L.A. GUNS wanted to get together and do one of the things they love most, which is play a "live" show. The band announced a special gig at the Fremont Country Club in Las Vegas, Nevada that would celebrate the 31st anniversary of "Cocked and Loaded".

Lewis, Guns, Ace Von Johnson, Johnny Martin and Scot Coogan, thus played a one-of-a-kind show which was streamed worldwide to fans in the comfort of their own homes. The band performed all the classic proper studio tracks from "Cocked & Loaded" and, as usual, delivered a killer show. Picking right up where they left off from their previous incessant touring cycles and relieved to finally be onstage again, the band tore through all the classic album tracks that fans know and love. From "Rip And Tear" to "Never Enough" to "The Ballad Of Jayne" to "I Wanna Be Your Man" and "Malaria", this was a primal, visceral performance. And while celebrating a milestone in their career, the band also acknowledged the present and played "Speed" from their more recent album "The Missing Peace".

"We played only 'Cocked & Loaded' and 'Speed' — one extra song — and the recording is fantastic," Tracii told TotalRock. "And it was a really meager kind of weird gig — it was weird — but the recording is great; it really turned out great. So Frontiers asked if we could put it out, and [we said], 'Yeah. Okay.' So the packaging is great. The album is great. And that comes out. So that's definitely for all the L.A. GUNS fans that wanna hear great versions of those songs live."

"Cocked & Loaded Live" track listing:

01. Slap In The Face

02. Rip And Tear

03. Sleazy Come Easy Go

04. Never Enough

05. Malaria

06. The Ballad Of Jayne

07. Magdalaine

08. Give A Little

09. Speed

10. 17 Crash

11. Showdown (Riot On Sunset)

12. Wheels Of Fire

13. I Wanna Be Your Man

This past April, a settlement was reached between drummer Steve Riley and Guns and Lewis over the rights to the L.A. GUNS name. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Guns and Lewis will continue to operate under the L.A. GUNS trademark, while Riley and his bandmates from the other version of L.A. GUNS will now operate under the new name RILEY'S L.A. GUNS.

In May 2020, L.A. GUNS released a new single, "Let You Down". The song was written and recorded while the band was in the midst of working on its next studio album.

L.A. GUNS is:

Phil Lewis - vocals

Tracii Guns - guitars

Ace Von Johnson - guitars

Johnny Martin - bass

Scot Coogan - drums

Off Yer Rocka Recordings sister label Heavy Rocka Recordings recently announced the arrival of the brilliantly twisted sleazy punk'n'flamenco rollers Gypsy Pistoleros to the family. The band have signed a new two-album deal with Off Yer Rocka (Heavy Rocka Records) joining such stellar artists as The Quireboys, Twister, Ryders Creed, Gorilla Riot, Ward XVI, Black Aces, Gin Annie, and Massive. Gypsy Pistoleros’ new album, The Mescalito Vampires, will be released on August 14. Preorder at OffYerRocka.com. New single and video, "Mescalito Vampires (Welcome To The Hotel De La Muerto)" is streaming below.

The Mescalito Vampires was recorded in Black Tree Recording Studios, Tardebigge, Worcestershire with guitarist Mark Westwood engineering and producing (The Beat, Dogs D’Amour, Chumbawamba, Arena, Hazel O’Connor, Dreadzone).

Tracklisting:

“Lost In A Town Called Nowhere”
“Viva La Revolution, Viva Zapata”
“The Mescalito Vampires (Welcome To The Hotel De La Muerto)”
“Soho Daze, Just Another Friday Night”
“Roses, Gallows And The Wild Preachers Daughter”
“The Forsaken”
“The Name’s Django”
“Cisco Kid”
“Gonna Die With A Gun In My Hand”
“Alone Again”

"The Mescalito Vampires (Welcome To The Hotel De La Muerto)" video:

“The Name’s Django” video:




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Classic French heavy metallers Sortilège have returned and will release the album, Phoenix, on August 27 via Verycords / Warner. Phoenix features 12 rerecorded songs from their catalog plus two new tracks.

Phoenix was mixed by the band and Anthony Arconte and mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound Studios. 

The band’s self-titled song was first released on April 13, 1983 and was seen for the first time on National French TV, TF1. Here a rerecorded version of “Sortilège” through digital avenues here.

 




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Leading independent label and artist development company Better Noise Music has signed ASKING ALEXANDRIA to its roster. The new U.K. deal, announced by Better Noise president Dan Waite from the label's U.K. office, starts this month with the band already in the studio working on new music, which is expected to be released later this year.

"Today we welcome ASKING ALEXANDRIA into the Better Noise Music label, and we are thrilled to join them on the next chapter of their musical journey," Waite said. "The fact that ASKING ALEXANDRIA are from the U.K. with a worldwide audience, gives us the opportunity to deepen their strong connections with fans on both a local and international level across Better Noise Music's global offices. As a global touring act they have over one billion cumulative streams and views, and we look forward to building on that success."

Ben Bruce, founding member of ASKING ALEXANDRIA and lead guitarist, spoke on behalf of the band in a statement, saying: "We are all extremely excited to be part of the passionate team at Better Noise Music. Over the past ten years, we've been so grateful to connect with fans all over the world. While we've concentrated particularly on our North American fanbase in the past, our goal for the future is that our music and live shows become more accessible to audiences on a global scale. That is why we jumped at the chance to sign to Better Noise. Working with the team out of the label's U.K. branch gives us the opportunity to be more connected as a band to our home country, while simultaneously working with all of their international offices to reach our goals. We are all extremely proud to hail from England and getting back in touch with our roots is something that is beyond exciting to us. We are more focused, more driven and more determined than ever before. Thank you to everyone who has helped us and supported us over the years. It truly means the world to us. Here's to the future."

Since 2008, ASKING ALEXANDRIA, formed and based in the U.K., has paved a path of its own, distilling danger and excess into an equally dangerous hybrid of stadium rock ambition, metallic energy, and electronic ecstasy. Against all odds, they achieved unprecedented success earmarked by two gold-certified singles (namely, "Final Episode (Let's Change The Channel)" and "Not The American Average"), over a billion cumulative streams and views, and three consecutive top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 — "Reckless & Relentless" (2011), "From Death To Destiny" (2013) and "The Black" (2016). In addition to headlining packed gigs on five continents, they destroyed stages alongside GUNS N' ROSES, GREEN DAY, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ALICE IN CHAINS and SLIPKNOT, to name a few. Meanwhile, 2017's self-titled "Asking Alexandria" spawned two of the group's biggest singles to date: "Alone In A Room" (40 million Spotify streams) and "Into the Fire" (30 million Spotify streams). The quintet — Ben Bruce (guitar, backing vocals), Danny Worsnop (lead vocals), James Cassells (drums), Cameron Liddell (guitar) and Sam Bettley (bass) — recently saw critical acclaim with their 2020 sixth full-length LP, "Like A House On Fire". Worsnop recently collaborated with Better Noise artist PAPA ROACH for their track "Broken As Me", which appeared on the band's "Greatest Hits, Vol. 2: The Better Noise Years", released in March.

Diony Sepulveda, veteran talent executive and the band's manager, added: "ASKING ALEXANDRIA accomplished a lot in their first decade, and most of it was done on instinct, guts, heart and pure drive. But while the band is already part of the hard rock culture in America, they wanted more, especially internationally. At a time where information and analytics play an ever-increasingly crucial role in the record business, the Better Noise team has cracked the code on obtaining key data from their digital partners, analyzing it efficiently, translating it to the artist, and utilizing it to help maximize and grow the band's digital footprint. So we jumped at the chance to see what their team could do to help elevate the band on a global level. I truly cannot wait for the world to experience the results of this exciting new partnership."

Better Noise reached a historic radio victory in 2020, when Mediabase named it the number one rock label for the third consecutive year in the U.S., and Billboard crowned it the top mainstream rock label of the y

RATT singer Stephen Pearcy spoke to Vintage Rock Pod about his various projects, which include a sixth solo album, a new docuseries and plans for a new book. He also spoke about recently deceased 1980s hard rock video star Tawny Kitaen (who once dated RATT guitarist Robbin Crosby), Eddie Van Halen and his time in the 1980s.

On the topic of his upcoming follow-up to 2018's "View To A Thrill" solo album, Pearcy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "So much time has passed since we started writing, Erik [Ferentinos] and I — my guitar player and co-writer guy [for] most of my solo [stuff]. It was so long ago. And the record was done; we had the songs written, like, six months ago. And that was a year process. Since then, I've been writing like a fool and writing with him, and all these new songs [came out]. So I figure let's do a double record and give it all you've got — just go in there and lay it down and say, 'Here. This is what happens in two years when you write tunes.' 'Cause they're way different. It goes all over the place, this record. Our new bass player, Jerry Montano, he did time in HELLYEAH; he's more of an aggressive writer/player. So these songs could be real heavy, heavy or they could be RATT sounding, obviously, if I write 'em. I'm trying to take 'em outside. I'm trying to do a lot of different things. And it's gonna be interesting, because it's gonna go all over the place, so good luck."

According to Pearcy, fans shouldn't expect to see his new solo LP until sometime in 2022. "It's been put off," he explained. "We're gonna try to get through this year. I've got some things to take care of with what the band RATT's gonna do… And once I get in the studio, I don't mess around. That's one thing I learned from [producer] Beau Hill, is you make shit happen. Don't waste time. And we don't. I crack a whip."

Less than two months ago, the 64-year-old founding RATT vocalist, who has been focusing mostly on his solo career while the band has been off the road, dropped the official music video for a previously unreleased solo song called "Don't Wanna Talk About It". The track was written "circa 2000s" entirely by Pearcy and features Stephen on vocals and guitar, Ferentinos on lead guitar, Mike Duda on bass and Greg D'Angelo on drums.

"Don't Wanna Talk About It" arrived two months after the release of Pearcy's cover version of DURAN DURAN's 1981 hit "Girls On Film". Prior to that, Pearcy issued another new solo single, "Night Flight", a collaboration between Pearcy and Ferentinos, which is expected to appear on Stephen's upcoming sixth solo album, tentatively due later this year. The follow-up to 2018's "View To A Thrill" will reportedly feature 13 tracks.

Pearcy's fifth solo LP, "View To A Thrill", came out in November 2018 via Frontiers Music Srl. The follow-up to 2017's "Smash" was produced by Matt Thorne and Pearcy and was mixed and mastered by Thorne and Ferentinos.

Pearcy and bassist Juan Croucier are the sole remaining original members in RATT's current lineup, which made its live debut in July 2018 in Mulvane, Kansas. Joining them in the band are drummer Pete Holmes (BLACK 'N BLUE, RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER) and guitarist Jordan Ziff (RAZER).

In January, Pearcy told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he was open to the idea of making a new RATT album with all the surviving members of the band's classic lineup.

RATT hasn't released any new music since 2010's "Infestation" LP.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian spoke to the "RRBG Podcast" about being a cannabis advocate and founder of the cannabis lifestyle brand 22Red, which focuses on cannabis, fashion, music, and wellness. Speaking about how he first got involved in the cannabis industry, Shavo said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've been a smoker since I was about 20, 21 years old. I became a connoisseur on our first tour when I met Arjan Roskam, who's the owner of the Green House Seed Company in Amsterdam, who invented the White Widow and the Super Silver and the Super Lemon Haze and all that stuff. I met him accidentally, and we hit it off. And I tried all these strains. In L.A., you can try strains — whatever was available, you got to smoke. Here was a menu and shit. So I was, like, 'Let me have a little bit of everything.' And I took it to my room and I smoked it. Long story short, he invited me to that season's harvest tasting, and it was a table with bowls of weed. I think you can find that on YouTube. If you put in 'SYSTEM getting high' or something, it's in there — a small amount of it — 'cause they were filming at the time. And that just turned me into the connoisseur."

He continued: "I don't wanna get high-high; I just want a taste, and I wanna look at it and I wanna smell it. It all became a part of me. So throughout the years, I just kept smoking — not just to get high. Some people just smoke to get high and sit on the couch. Not me. I do stuff. I'm very go-getter and high energy, so I smoke and I do things. And everyone wanted me to have a strain when it got medically legal in L.A., Cali — everyone wanted me to have a strain, and I just didn't wanna get involved; it was not my thing. I should have — it would have gone crazy — but I didn't. I waited. And when I was introduced to one of my partners, who actually is one of the founding growers from Cali from back in '06 or '07 — or maybe '10. In '09 or 2010, he was one of the first people to grow OG back then, with, of course, the legends out there, like Kenji and all those other guys, and Wonderbrett. He's one of those guys.

"When I started to grow, I was, like, 'I can represent this,'" he explained. "I said, 'This is really cool.' And we were already doing a lifestyle brand. We didn't have the name 22 yet. And it kind of was, like, 'Let's just make it full-encompassing.' It was 2017, and Cali was gonna get legalized to recreational, which was a good time for me to get in and not worry about anything. I said, 'I can do this now and speak about it without having to have that weird stigma.' But who cares? I never was one to care about stigmas. But I met the right people at a good time in my life. I had clarity. I had to clean myself up of a lot of stuff that I had dabbled in a little while back. So I was this newfound person. And I've got my kids, I've got my wife. Everyone's settled. Let's go. A new thing on the horizon. And that's what it was. And we built it. We started in Cali. Three guys. No investment — just us putting some money in, doing what we can. Now we're in three states. We have a full company. We have a CEO, we have a COO. It's going, bro. We're hoping to scale to three more states within 2021, 2022 — three to five more states that we're looking at at the moment, and see where it takes us. And we have high-quality apparel that I helped design. 'Cause if it was gonna be a nice brand thing, I don't want it to be like band merch, where it's just like get any shirt, any fit, throw your name on it and sell it. I'm checking out every shirt. Very minimal branding. The 22 shirts are blank with 2s on the back or something on the sleeve. I have writings inside. It's for stoners, so when you look inside, you're, like, 'Oh, shit. It said something to me.' The quality has to be the best on the cannabis. I do the quality control myself. I send my grower to other states to make sure that they're growing the way we do here in Cali. We're trying to do it right, man — stay consistent. Not one person has ever complained about the quality of our cannabis or our clothing — ever. So, that's good."

22Red started in California, but it is now sold in Nevada and Arizona as well. According to Las Vegas Weekly, the company's strains include the indica-dominant hybrid Animal Mint; the heavy-hitting indica White Sabbath (which Odadjian recommends for nighttime); the sativa-dominant hybrid Mimosa 22; the "very potent" indica-dominant hybrid 22 OG; and a lighter indica-dominant hybrid called So Delicious. 22Red also carries three different vapes — a sativa called Kinetic, an indica called Peace and a CBD-THC two-in-one called Eleven — plus four flavored CBD Hemp Direct vape pens: watermelon, strawberry sorbet, cereal killer and orange mint.

According to its web site, 22Red's mission is "to create an amplified cannabis lifestyle that celebrates the creatives of the world" across cannabis, music, art and fashion.

Lita Ford performed last night (Saturday, June 5) at the Live United Live Music Festival in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

Lita recently completed recording her long-awaited new solo album. The follow-up to 2012's "Living Like A Runaway" was once again helmed by guitarist/producer Gary Hoey, who contributes some guitar playing to the disc, alongside the rest of Ford's backing band, which continues to consist of guitarist Patrick Kennison, drummer Bobby Rock and bassist Marty O'Brien.

This past January, Lita told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that her new album contains "some of the best guitar playing" she has heard "in decades." She added: "And I'm not blowing smoke up my own ass, but Gary and I just nailed it with the guitar playing on this record.

"I'm a huge fan of people like Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter from Alice Cooper's 'Welcome To My Nightmare'. I mean, there's some really great duo guitar players — [JUDAS PRIEST's] Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing… Those guitar players don't exist anymore — they just don't exist. If you wanna hear them, you have to go back in time a little bit and dig them up into your favorite library, favorite music catalog. But I think Gary and I really nailed it on this next record. It's, like, oh my God. I'm crying — I'm just, like, crying listening to this stuff. It's so badass."

In 2019, Lita told The Metal Voice that her new album will include a song called "Monsters", which was inspired by infamous cult leaders like Charles Manson and David Koresh. "It's just really dark and nasty stuff — brainwashing people and all the stuff [Koresh] did, and got all those people to drink Kool-Aid," she said. "But then again, it could be someone like your attorney, or it could be someone like your mom who is the monster in your life. It could be your manager. You never know who the monster in your life is gonna turn out to be."

Ford's last release was 2016's "Time Capsule", a collection of songs that were recorded by Lita in the past, but never before made available.

Five years ago, Lita released an autobiography, "Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir", via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.






























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Former GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell and TRIXTER's Steve Brown and P.J. Farley joined WARRANT on stage last night (Saturday, June 5) at the Live United Live Music Festival in Sunbury, Pennsylvania to perform the classic WARRANT song "Cherry Pie". Fan-filmed video footage of their appearance can be seen below.

Back in 2010, former WARRANT vocalist Jani Lane filled in for Russell at a number of GREAT WHITE shows while Jack was recovering from major surgery after suffering a perforated bowel (a medical emergency in which a hole in the bowel opens to allow its contents to empty into the rest of the abdominal cavity).

"I've been friends with Jack for decades," Lane told Syracuse.com at the time. "We've always had a good relationship. And I've known all the [GREAT WHITE] guys for awhile."

Lane said that he didn't immediately accept the invitation to fill in while Russell recovered from a perforated bowel. "I had to talk to Jack first," Jani explained. "I've been on the other end of this, where I was the last to know who was going to replace me and sing the songs I wrote, which is a very uncomfortable place to be in."

Lane spoke to Russell while Jack was still in the hospital. "He was great," Jani said. "He said, 'Go do it. Keep the fire alive.' I said, 'Get back on your feet, and the second you're back, I'm gone and you kick ass.'"

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.

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.


























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Video of DEF LEPPARD drummer Rick Allen performing the song "River Of Rain" with his wife, singer-songwriter Lauren Monroe, can be seen below. The track is taken from Monroe's new album, "Under the Wolf Moon", which was released in February via Cherry Bomb Records, a division of Mailboat Records.

"Under The Wolf Moon" launched directly after Lauren's extraordinary response to the entertainment industry's extreme hardship emotionally and financially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown of live performances throughout the world. Legendary producer Jim Scott's influence is significant and easily recognizable in the vibe, paying homage to Monroe's recurring themes of spiritual healing, lifting each other and speaking to the heart of empowerment. Allen's drumming can be heard on several tracks, and this collaboration celebrates love, life, and purpose. It's a powerful message, and the music delivers.

The album's prevailing theme underlying the music is that of transformation, and that speaks to Monroe's core: the transformative power of her music and that of taking on the challenge of the stress of the performance community.

Lauren says: "'Under The Wolf Moon' is a cross-genre album that reaches from the heart of Americana, rootsy rock and soul that is supported by my own stories and experiences of guiding people as a healing artist and teacher. The record is a collection of songs that can inspire, teach and heal us as we face the greatest emotional challenges of life. Each song carries emotional and spiritual messages that can open our hearts: how to trust, how to heal, how to die, how to love and overcome. Every song is steeped with symbolism and teachings of healing and connecting to the inner knowing we all carry.

"As we move deeper into this metamorphosis of times, the passing of days and events are asking us to reflect on who we are as human beings, how we can reach into the places of suffering within ourselves to become braver, stronger and more connected to one another. This record reflects that journey and our ability to grow and thrive with a deeper understanding of what love truly is."

Vocalist Sarah Jezebel Deva (Torn Between Two Worlds / ex-Cradle Of Filth) has checked in with the following update:

"I / we have decided to re record two tracks from A Sign Of Sublime. I personally do not take that choice lightly. I am not sure I want to revisit that part of my life, however, whilst going through my old emails on my old Mac, I found an email from 'said person' that he only owns the master copy of the album, I am free to do what I wish with this album. 

The biggest problem I, Max (the drummer of Mendeed) and Ken the guitar player had was the sound because of the over editing and general 'not giving a s**t' by the person who recorded it, so my mate Dan, who was mixing it didn't stand a chance and nor did we. I had a choice: refuse to let the album get released and get threatened and bullied, or release it and have our names trashed and just hope that anyone listening to the metal tracks was deaf. 

I know some of you do not understand this, but it's like painting the best painting ever and then having ya cat chuck up a furball over it. I am proud of the non-metal tracks, even the title track which still isn't perfect, but that album damaged ALL chances of me being taken seriously as a frontwoman. It also damaged Max and Ken too. 

The plan is to re-record 'A Sign Of Sublime' and 'They Called Her Lady Tyranny'... for now. The music will be released online only and not on a CD. No record company = no money and no backing. We are doing this for us and for you. I will reveal more details later."

A Sign of Sublime is Sarah's debut solo album, released in February 2010 on Rising Records.

Torn Between Two Worlds, featuring former Angtoria bandmates Sarah Jezebel Deva and Chris Rehn, recently released their debut single, "The Beauty Of Deception". The follow-up single, "All Eyes On Me" is now available here. Check out the official video below.

Sarah: "The video and song  is about how we are judged, how we let negativity hold us back. How people’s vindictive actions can change our path  in life, sometimes resulting in the worst possible outcome. As an example, online bullying and trolling can take its toll on children, which has lead to an increase in child suicide.

I wanted a bunch of people to come together without a fear of being judged.   I wanted people to be themselves and not give a damn. It seems these days we are afraid of being stupid, afraid of just letting ourselves go!

From experience, I have let peoples views get the better of me, we all have. Being told I wasn’t good enough, being dictated to so it holds me back and destroying my dream. Suddenly something or someone wakes you up, some one woke me up, followed by a lot of other people agreeing with her and then supporting me. You learn not to give a damn anymore and you understand that confidence is envied. Don’t hurt any one or anything, but don’t let nastiness destroy you."

Go to the official Torn Between Two Worlds Bandcamp page here. The official lyric video for "The Beauty Of Deception" is available below.

Photo by Tim Tronckoe




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Fan-filmed video footage of GEORGE LYNCH & THE ELECTRIC FREEDOM's June 5 performance at the Live United Live Music Festival in Sunbury, Pennsylvania can be seen below.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Lynch has set ELECTRIC FREEDOM as the new name of his "touring entity" after deciding to retire the LYNCH MOB band name last year.

Last August, Lynch announced that he was ending LYNCH MOB due to the racial insensitivity of the moniker, saying he will no longer record or perform under that name.

The news of Lynch's new band name was broken by BULLETBOYS drummer Jimmy D'Anda, who occasionally performs live with George. D'Anda revealed on his Instagram that he would join Lynch and bassist Michael Devin (WHITESNAKE) at the Live United Live Music Festival. He wrote: "On our way to the @georgelynchofficial electric freedom (his new band name) gig he done went 3 piece Michael Devin moi and senior Spooky #rocknroll #summer #comingsoon".

Five months ago, Lynch offered a lengthy explanation for why he was ending LYNCH MOB during an interview with George Dionne of Metal Express Radio. Addressing questions about why it took him three decades to call it quits with LYNCH MOB, George said: "When we first formed the band in '89, the name had sort of already been around. While I was in DOKKEN, it's what I called our little group of guitar fans — I had picks made; it was kind of a little subculture within DOKKEN. When we started working on developing and building the band after DOKKEN broke up, that was just the name that we always thought we'd use, 'cause it was a perfect fit — it's my name, and it describes it pretty well. And, of course, the negative connotations were always there, and I was aware of 'em, but not as aware as I probably should have been. [Laughs]

"I had made numerous attempts over the decades to kind of let that name go and had walked that back for multiple reasons — usually because of business considerations," he continued. "For instance, if you try to go out on a tour and not use the name, promoters aren't gonna be happy with you changing it. People aren't gonna know who you are. They're not gonna show up, because what's THE GEORGE LYNCH EXPERIENCE, or whatever you call it. Or record labels are not interested, because it's a brand that they can count on and sell a certain many albums or whatever.

"For instance, the LYNCH MOB record 'Smoke This' that came out, I think, in '99 or 2000, that was not supposed to be a LYNCH MOB record; that really wasn't anything to do with LYNCH MOB. At the end of the day, after the record was done and we were delivering it to the label, they insisted on using that name as insurance. And if I hadn't agreed to that, we wouldn't have had a record. That's the kind of pressure I'm talking about.

"But then, with the onset of everything that's happened in the last year, I didn't have that kind of pressure anymore," George added. "I could take it or leave it at this point. And I didn't really feel comfortable with it; I didn't feel comfortable with the name. 'Cause I'm a very progressive person politically, and it just so flies in the face of everything I believe in, and it makes it hard. It makes it hard to have relationships with people and explain yourself, and I got tired of rationalizing it. I think the music is bigger than that, and it's had a great run.

"Another reason, too, is the band fell apart again. The band has fallen apart so many times, I can't even count. And it was just, like, 'No more Oni [Logan, vocals], no more Brian Tichy [drums], no more this guy, no more that guy. Oh, great. Now what do I do?' It's, like, 'Okay, build another band from scratch, call it LYNCH MOB?' No. How about just build something new? It gives me a lot more freedom to basically play anything I want live… I can go out and play everything from my catalog — new, old, covers, jams, you name it, and go deep and have fun and change it up every night."

Oni first hooked up with LYNCH MOB in 1990, but exited the group after the release of its first album, only to rejoin the outfit in the late 2000s.

Logan is featured on five of LYNCH MOB's eight albums, including 1990's "Wicked Sensation", as well as 2009's "Smoke And Mirrors", 2014's "Sun Red Sun", 2015's "Rebel" and 2017's "The Brotherhood".

Last August, LYNCH MOB celebrated the 30th anniversary of "Wicked Sensation" with a special limited print/deluxe edition of the album. "Wicked Sensation Reimagined" features re-worked and re-recorded versions of the LP's classic songs, and was made available via Rat Pak Records.