Impure Wilhelmina will be releasing their seventh full-length, Antidote, on Friday, May 21 via Season Of Mist. A full album stream can be found below.

Pre-order the album here.

Tracklisting:

“Solitude”
“Midlife Hollow”
“Gravel”
“Dismantling”
“Jasmines”
“Vicious”
“Torrent”
“Unpredicted Sky”
“Antidote”
“Everything Is Vain”

Album stream:

"Midlife Hollow" video:

"Dismantling" lyric video:

(Photo - Mehdi Benkler)




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Evergrey frontman Tom Eglund has checked in with the following update:

"Check this out. I had a very pleasant experience working with something that doesn't necessarily sound like anything I am usually writing, so it was great fun helping out here! Order your copy here."

UK-based Dovorian is a project launched by Adam Sayer, born out of lockdown. The album, The Light & Dark, features Evergrey's Tom Englund on vocals - which are also written by him - and is mixed and mastered by Evergrey's Jonas Ekdahl.

Tracklist:

"Lost"
"Betrayal"
"Alone"
"You Are The Reason"
"Feel"
"Ache"
"Life Support"
"A Part Of Me"
"Diamond In The Dark"
"Without You"




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San Antonio, Texas-based hard rock band, Kingdom Collapse, have signed on to Dynamic Talent International's impressive roster among acts Red, The Veer Union, VRSTY, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Alesana to name a few.

The band will release their new single. "Unbreakable", on June 18. Watch a teaser below, and pre-save the single here.

Relevance. It is one of the most innate human desires; to know that we are not alone and that others go through the same struggles. This is why Kingdom Collapse is carving out their spot in the rock world. They seek to give a voice to people who share similar troubles and crave relevancy in an apathetic world.

The world responded to a relevant theme of betrayal when their first single, “Suffer,” amassed over 5,000,000 YouTube views and 900,000 Spotify streams organically. The group’s 2020 hit radio single, “Uprise,” broke into the Billboard Mainstream Rock Top 40 as well as the Mediabase Active Rock charts for 9 weeks straight. “Uprise” went on to become Sirius XM Octane’s #1 Most Played song for two consecutive weeks and has since accumulated over 1,600,000 Spotify streams, tipping the band’s total stream count over 3.5 million.

The group features Jonathan Norris on vocals, David Work on guitar, Aaron Smith on bass and Elijah Santucci on drums. Together, with a mutual vision, they are bringing their shared experiences to the masses and looking to help as many people as they can with a feeling of solidarity.

The band’s 2021 follow-up radio single, “Unbreakable,” is an anthem that is emotionally honest and relevant to today's times. Written and produced by lead singer, Jonathan Norris and mixed/mastered by Chris Mora of War Horse Recordings, it sends a positive message to listeners by teaching that even life’s hardest moments can be a benefit. Norris writes, “‘Unbreakable’ comes from a lyrical standpoint of looking back at various struggles that life has thrown at you and coming to realize that those struggles ultimately made you stronger. We’ve all been there, and it’s about finding the silver lining in the midst of dark times.”

Kingdom Collapse has been playing stages across the US and has already shared the stage with the likes of 10 Years, From Ashes To New, Cold, Red, Saliva and many other hard rock heavy-hitters. In May of 2021 the band signed with one of the leading booking agencies in the industry, Dynamic Talent International, and will be announcing more tour dates soon.




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Arizona's Go Ahead And Die will release their self-titled debut album on June 11 via Nuclear Blast Records. Go Ahead And Die is a raw, urgent, unrelenting, thrillingly shocking, and vibrant new band.

Born from the mind of a creative writer and musician Igor Amadeus Cavalera of Healing Magic and extreme metal icon, and Soulfly leader Max Cavalera. Go Ahead And Die's tempos are wild, with contempt for modern social ills palpable, its riffs monstrous and captivating. They make angry, spiteful, utterly engaging, spirited extreme music for increasingly extreme times.

In this new trailer, Max and Igor Amadeus Cavalera talk about the themes and artwork for the album:

The self-titled debut sees Max and Igor splitting guitar and vocal duties, with utter madman style drumming from Zach Coleman of the blistering Black Curse and critically-acclaimed Khemmis. It sounds like a relic from the glory days of thrash, proto-death metal, and filthy rotten punk, the kind of band that would inspire a teenaged thrasher in 1987 to carve the G.A.A.D. logo into a school desk.

Pre-order the new album here. Pre-save here.

Tracklisting:

"Truckload Full Of Bodies"
"Toxic Freedom"
"I.C.E. Cage"
"Isolated/Desolated"
"Prophet's Prey"
"Punisher"
"El Cuco"
"G.A.A.D."
"Worth Less Than Piss"
"(In The) Slaughterline"
"Roadkill"

"Roadkill" lyric video:

"Toxic Freedom" video:

"Truckload Full Of Bodies" video:




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The punk rock revolution of the 1970s not only influenced legions of music lovers through political and social commentaries, it also inspired an entire generation of budding musicians to pick up the guitar, drum sticks, sledgehammer, whatever and form their own band. One such rebellious upstart was Steve Zing, who found inspiration in a little punk rock outfit out of New Jersey called The Misfits.

“Steve was one of the few younger kids who used to sit on the wall and listen outside The Misfits rehearsals,” remembers Misfits founder and vocalist Glenn Danzig.

Zing would eventually form Mourning Noise, a piss-and-vinegar fueled hardcore punk group that, like their horror punk mentors, had a penchant for the dark and macabre - demons, graves, monsters, and the like. Although brief, Mourning Noise caused a ruckus loud enough to get the attention of Danzig who would eventually recruit young Zing to both of his post-Misfits bands, Samhain and Danzig.

Now, the complete studio recordings from Mourning Noise are being reissued on a deluxe collection that includes rare studio outtakes plus a special live performance at the legendary WFMU studio (CD and digital-only bonus tracks). In addition, Zing has written all new liner notes sharing for the first time ever the entire history of this brief but important band. The collection also features the full endorsement and introductory blurb from Glenn Danzig.

“Finally,” writes Zing, “35 years later, a piece of my youth lives on. Enjoy!”

For a preview of what’s in store, check out the first single “Dawn Of The Dead” and a ghoulish new video that resurrects vintage concert footage of Zing & Co. performing live. Watch below, and stream the single here.

Mourning Noise will be available on both CD and your choice of three vinyl colors - Blue, Pink, and Red, as well as on all digital platforms starting July 2. Buy the CD/vinyl/t-shirt here.

Pre-order/pre-save the digital version here.

Tracklisting:

1982 Reel Platinum Studio - 7" EP
"Dawn Of The Dead"    
"Fighting Chance"    
"Laser Lights"    
"Demon Eyes"    
"Addiction"    

1981 Blue Moon Studios - Demo
"Monster Madness"    
"Vincent's Theme"    
"Underground Zero"    

1984 Reel Platinum Studio - unissued LP
"Nestle Baby Killer"    
"Death In A White Cloud"    
"Crimson Carrie"    
"Mr. Surveillance"    
"Progress For The People"    
"Monster Madness"    
"Murder Machine"    
"Empty Grave"    
"Vincent's Theme"    
"Underground Zero"    
"Barbarian Hunt"    

1984 Reel Platinum Studio - unissued LP outtake
"Batman"    
"Monster Madness" (Version 2)

1985 Reel Platinum Studio - outtake    
"Foolish Grief"    

Live on WFMU 1982 (CD Only)
"Progress For The People"    
"Fighting Chance"    
"Vincent's Theme"    
"Laser Lights"    
"Sergio"    
"Addiction"    
"Demon Eyes"    
"Radical"    
"Crimson Carrie"    
"Dawn Of The Dead"    
"Monster Madness"

“Dawn Of The Dead” video:




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Melodic death metal masters, Omnium Gatherum, have checked in with the following update:

"We’re done with the new album recordings with Nino Laurenne and JC Halttunen at Sonic Pump Studios! Next, Jens Bogren will take the charge at Fascination Street Studios in Sweden!"

Back in April 2020, Omnium Gatherum, released an official phonevideo for their track, "Be The Sky".

Says the band: "Hell'o folks and checking in from the OG HQ!

"This 'Be The Sky' DIY home video was filmed and edited by my phone during past 1.5 years on The Burning Cold tours all around the world , and it includes the same vast skies spotted everywhere around the planet Earth during the endless travels with the band. Back in the good old times when we were free and able to tour, times before apocalypse. Waiting to do some more, someday!

"The mid-video also contains the "not-so-serious" bass player application video that Mikko Kivistö send to us, and in fact, got the job! With this excerpt we wanna thank all the guitarists who have already sent your application to us - you are many and have surprised us positively, and we're starting slowly to watch all of them carefully and plan the next moves with this case too!

"We have been overwhelmed by our fans huge and endless support during these hard times - Thank thee all!

"Be safe, and let's stay strong!"

Photos by Nino Laurenne




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"Ready to rock with my amazing band June 19th - out of a giant geosphere worldwide stream / pay per view show," says Orianthi. "Tickets and merch here. Tour dates will be announced very soon."

Orianthi will be streaming live from the Sanre Geosphere in Los Angeles, California on June 19th, beginning at 10:00pm PDT.

After more than a century, Gibson artists, players and fans continue to experience Gibson rejuvenated. Gibson has shaped sound across generations and genres for 127 years and has emerged as relevant, played, and loved around the world. Gibson is proud to officially announce a new partnership with the Australian-born guitarist Orianthi Panagaris, aka Orianthi. The new Gibson Orianthi SJ-200 Custom in Cherry is available worldwide as of May 2021 on Gibson.com.

“Creating a signature acoustic with the amazing Gibson team was truly an honor! I couldn’t be happier!” says Orianthi. “It’s the same full SJ-200 sound, but it plays much faster with a 345 neck on it, and with the modified unique LR Baggs custom pickup, it’s a balanced guitar and cuts through. I can’t wait for you all to be able to pick it up and shred away on it in May.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Orianthi to the Gibson family,” says Elizabeth Heidt, Global Head of Entertainment Relations for Gibson. “We have been fans of her artistry from the start and it is a win for Gibson to have this incredibly talented woman join us.”

Orianthi has been knocking people out with her playing for over a decade and has played and collaborated with Michael Jackson, Alice Cooper, Carrie Underwood, and Richie Sambora, among many others.

In late 2019, Orianthi visited the Gibson Acoustic factory in Bozeman, MT and a creative collaboration was born. Orianthi worked with the luthiers in the Gibson Acoustic Custom Shop to create her perfect signature guitar with a special neck modeled after a Gibson ES 345, a redesigned pickguard with Lotus Flowers, as well as mother-of-pearl dot inlays in the neck. More features include a AAA Sitka spruce top and maple back, gold Grover Keystone tuners, a stunning and distinctive Cherry nitrocellulose lacquer finish, and an LR Baggs Orianthi System, with under-saddle piezo pickup and sound hole mounted preamp and controls and more.

Watch the Orianthi interview with Gibson TV:

(Photos courtesy of Jim Louvau)

 




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DARK TRANQUILLITY was honored in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal" category at the Swedish Grammis awards (Swedish Grammy equivalent), which was held Thursday night (June 3) at Södra Teatern in Stockholm. The bands were nominated for their most recent releases, all of which came out during 2020.

"Best Hard Rock/Metal" nominees were as follows:

* DARK TRANQUILLITY - "Moment"

* HÄLLAS - "Conundrum"

* LUCIFER - "Lucifer III"

* NECROPHOBIC - "Dawn Of The Damned"

* VAMPIRE - "Rex"

DARK TRANQUILLITY commented: "We are greatly humbled and thankful for having won this year's Grammis award. Having released an album during this very tumultuous time has been a challenge to say the least but getting the recognition from the Grammis jury meant the world to us. Being in the company of the amazing other nominees NECROPHOBIC, LUCIFER, VAMPIRE and HÄLLAS sure didn't hurt either. This was a great boost of positivity and love that will drive us forward now that we are finally starting to get back to normalcy again. Can't wait to see you all very soon. Cheers!"

"Moment" was recorded at Nacksving Studios and Rogue Music by Martin Brändström and then mixed/mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios. It came out four years after DARK TRANQUILLITY's Grammis-nominated album "Atoma".

Founding DARK TRANQUILLITY guitarist Niklas Sundin announced his departure from the band in March 2020, explaining in a statement that he "always enjoyed the creative process more than the performance aspects of being in a band, and the required extensive touring held less and less appeal with every album."

DARK TRANQUILLITY's current lineup includes two top-tier guitarists, Christopher Amott (ex-ARCH ENEMY) and Johan Reinholdz (NONEXIST).

Unleash The Archers' Abyss album that was released last August, has won the 2021 JUNO Award for "Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year". Other releases fighting it out this year were:

- Annihilator - Ballistic, Sadistic (Silver Lining/Warner)
- Kataklysm - Unconquered (Nuclear Blast/AEC/Believe)
- Protest The Hero - Palimpsest (Independent)
- Vile Creature - Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm! (Prosthetic/The Orchard)

The 50th annual JUNO Awards ceremony will air tommorow (June 6th) on CBC TV, CBC Gem and CBCMusic.ca/junos.

BraveWords spoke with singer Brittney Slayes about the JUNO nomination and the fact that Abyss will turn 1 in August. It fared well amongst the press and fans and knowing that, what is your view of the record after living with it for all these months now?

“Yeah, I mean we’re still pretty proud of it," Slayes says. "Every day people are discovering us because of that record. There are a lot of people that are Tweeting at us or whatever like, ‘Hey, I’ve been a fan for a long time, but I was kind of sleeping on the Abyss record and just listened to it and holy crap, why did I wait so long to listen to this?’ It’s been in our lives for so long, it’ll be a year in August and it’s just really funny to think like, ‘Oh yeah, there’s people out there that haven’t heard it yet and like are discovering it every day.’ It’s really cool and we’re really stoked on it. A lot of people have told us it’s their favorite record and when we knew how loved Apex [2017 album] was, we were really nervous about Abyss and whether or not our fans would like it. I think it’s slowly becoming their favorite record as well.”

Read more here.

 




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Sweet, featuring original guitarist Andy Scott, recently their remastered single "Stand Up". An official video for the track has been released by the band and can be viewed below.

"Stand Up", originally released in 1992 via SPV under the moniker Andy Scott's Sweet, is available digitally for the first time.

Sweet released their new single "Set Me Free" on March 5th, taken from the band’s current album, Isolation Boulevard. It features all the Sweet’s classic hit singles and was recorded with the new line-up during lockdowns between September and October 2020. It’s a reworking of Sweet’s 1975 album multi-million selling, Desolation Boulevard. The latest single "Set Me Free" is taken from the album, and although it is one of the most covered songs in the band’s repertoire, this marks the first time Sweet has released it as an official single.

Over the years, the song has been covered by many rock artists including Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe (with Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens) and Saxon.

"Recording an album separately in different locations throws up a myriad of technical problems," says Andy Scott. "It's impossible for everyone to play at the same time, so all parts are performed the “old” way and then data transferred back to base camp where the magical digital stuff takes over. Sweet would usually record all together in the studio with a performance rather than individually but the pandemic dictated the ways and means. The result is a mind-blowing set of tracks, all the hits and a barrage of heavy-duty glam rock."

Tracklisting:

"Fox on the Run"
"Still Got the Rock"
"Action"
"Love Is Like Oxygen"
"Hell Raiser"
"The Six Teens"
"Blockbuster"
"Set Me Free"
"Teenage Rampage"
"Turn It Down"
"New York Groove"
"Ballroom Blitz"

Sweet are a British rock and roll institution with a pedigree of 50 years of hit singles. They’ve sold 55 million albums and had 34 number #1 hit singles. Hailed by many as a national treasure with a loyal fanbase, their dazzling arsenal of rock music stands the test of time. The music is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago when Sweet first stormed the UK Charts in January 1971.




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OzzFest has shared previously unseen footage of Down's performance of "Ghosts Along The Mississippi" live at Ozzfest 2002, as heard on the Ozzfest Live 2002 CD. Check out the clip below

The footage was shot on July 16th, 2002 in Boston, MA.

Vocals: Phil Anselmo
Guitar: Pepper Kennan
Guitar: Kirk Windstein
Bass: Rex Brown
Drums: Jimmy Bower

Cameras: Will Knapp & Eddie Williamson
Audio Producer: Thom Panunzio
Video Producer: Will Knapp




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Withering Surface, the founders of Danish melo-death metal, have released a new single "Stick To Your Guns". Check it out below.

The band comments: "'Stick To Your Guns' is about keeping true to your values and trusting in yourself. Stand up and shout, do your push-ups and wipe your eyes. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Jakob Gundel and Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Pretty Maids)."

After a decade of silence, Withering Surface returned in April 2020 with a new single and video to please the In Flames, Kreator, Dark Tranquility, Soilwork - and their own fans. BraveWords premiered the video "Alone" – check it out!

The video is by Morten Madsen / Popshit Film and graphic design by Martin Helgren and Niklas Sundin.

"'Alone' is about cleaning up and down scaling. Looking at yourself having lived half of your life. What are your values, what do you appreciate, who are your friends? Taking hard and brutal decisions mean you will be left out in the cold all alone before entering the other side. Feeling solitude and being able to actually spend time alone in your own company is something a lot of people fear. I don’t. And in these lyrics I am even privileged by the company of the Wilson sisters, who I have loved and adored since I was a kid. And in some way I am looking back at our The Nude Ballet album, which was released in a time when I was heartbroken, and the company of Kate Bush helped me find the way," says Michael H. Andersen, vocalist.

Their album, Meet Your Maker, was released on June 19th, 2020 worldwide on LP, CD, and digital by Mighty Music. Production duties was handled by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe) and the artwork was created by Niklas Sundin (Dark Tranquillity).

Jacob Hansen states: "Once in a while you're surprised with how some of the classic bands resurface and set a new standard. Withering Surface is such band!"

Niklas Sundin was also not indifferent. "Withering Surface was one of those bands from the mid-'90's scene that never got the recognition they deserved", he says. "Things were very different back then, and there were a lot of excellent artists that remained in relative obscurity due to bad distribution/promotion, lack of tour support or similar reasons causing their music to be unheard by a lot of people that would enjoy it. I therefore got positively surprised when learning that the band was back after a long hiatus and even more excited upon listening to their new material and realizing that they have come with something truly great. The influences from the various sub-styles of what's broadly called ‘melodic death metal’ are there, but the songs display a strong sense on individuality and great skill both in songwriting and execution. Well done!"

Line-up: 
Allan Tvedebrink – guitars
Jakob Møller Gundel – drums
Jesper Kvist – bass
Morten Lybecker – keys
Michael H. Andersen – vocals
Marcel Lech – guitars




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Apocalyptica is streaming a clip of their performance of "I Don't Care" at Pol'and'Rock Festival 2016 featuring vocalist Franky Perez. Check it out below.

"I Don't Care" is taken from Apocalyptica's 2008 album Worlds Collide. It features Adam Gontier (Saint Asonia, ex-Three Days Grace) on vocals. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for one week and #2 on the Alternative Songs chart where it spent a year in the Top 20.

Apocalyptica have released an official video for their recently released new single "White Room" featuring Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach). The song is available on all platforms. Listen to it here, and watch the new video below.

Apocalyptical recently stated: "We were really looking forward to this release. Doing a cover of such a legendary song, originally by Cream, was great fun and having Jacoby Shaddix as featuring artist is a big pleasure for us! We hope you like the song just as much as we do! Produced by Howard Benson at West Valley Recording Studios in Woodland Hills, California and mixed by Chris Lorde-Alge, we tried to give this all-time classic a new interpretation together with our friend Jacoby Shaddix."




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Video footage of Scorpions performing "Still Loving You", live in Brooklyn, New York in September 2015 as part of their Return To Forever tour, can be seen below:

Scorpions recently announced that their Sin City Nights Vegas Residency dates, scheduled for May 8 - 30, 2021 at Zappos Theater, have been rescheduled to March 26 - April 16, 2022 with special guests Queensrÿche.

"We can’t wait to be reunited with all of you then," says the band.

Fans who have purchased tickets to an affected performance will have their tickets automatically transferred to a new date with the exact same seats, including VIP packages where applicable. If you are unable to attend that date, please visit your original point of purchase for a refund. Those interested in purchasing tickets for the new dates can do so at ticketmaster.com/scorpionsvegas.




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Swedish death metal band Demonical has announced the re-release of its first three studio albums; Servants Of The Unlight (2007), Hellsworn (2009) and Death Infernal (2011). The new releases are coming to deluxe digipak CD, colored vinyl and picture disc on October 8th via Agonia Records. Their digital reissues are available as of today, June 4, on streaming platforms, also on Agonia Records. Preorders are available at Agonia Records.

The re-releases come with artwork and layout revamped by Ra-Design (Nightfal, Varathron) as well as bonus tracks, depending on the album and its format. 

Martin Schulman of Demonical had this to say on giving the albums a second life: "It feels great to have the old albums properly available again through our current label, especially those never-before released picture vinyl versions. These three full lengths, originally released during a time when old-school Swedish death metal was as untrendy as ever possible, represents the band well and brings forth how we sounded and developed during our first five years, from the formation in 2006 until 2011."

Formats:
- Deluxe digi CD*
- Handnumbered picture disc, 250 copies
- Handnumbered white / grey / black marble LP, 300 copies
- Handnumbered bone white / ox-blood / color in color / splatter LP, 116 copies**
- Digital

*"Servants of the Unlight" and "Hellsworn" only.
**Gold, silver and blue splatter depending on album.

(Photo - Jens Ryden)




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Blackened death metal force Night Crowned recently announded their sophomore studio album. Hädanfärd will be coming out on digipak CD, vinyl, digital and in limited vinyl / CD merch bundles on July 9 via Noble Demon. A new video for "Fjättrad" is streaming below.

"Life is fragile and can be easily taken away even in an instant. And yet life can be a torment that shackles and refuses to let go," Night Crowned states.

Night Crowned took the heavy scene by storm with their debut studio album, Impius Viam (2020, Noble Demon). Consisting of former and current members of legendary acts such as Dark Funeral, Nightrage and Cipher System and with a musical vision as clear as it is haunting and disturbing, the band created with their latest album an imposing work full of rage, melancholy and pure destruction, offering a true reawakening of the sounds dormant from the most influential acts and masterpieces of the Scandinavian ‘90s.

Without showing any signs of slowing down, and even while the current release was being carried across the globe, the band started working on their highly anticipated follow-up record, titled Hädanfärd, set for release on July 9th 2021, via German label Noble Demon. Thematically inspired by a story by singer K. Romlin, which deals with encounters with death, a far-reaching concept for the soon-to-be-released record was developed during the band's intense demo process. Carried with depth through 9 atmospheric tracks and supported in a vivid way by individual, written down interpretations and explanations of K. Romlin, Hädanfärd is an infernal, bleak monolith of an album, one that will most likely see Night Crowned step out as one of Sweden's best kept blackened death metal secrets.

"What we made is not just an album, it is a story. A story that has no beginning, nor end. A story that is as old as time itself. This is a story about life given & life taken, this is the tale when I meet death" Vocalist K. Romlin states.

In support of the upcoming album, Night Crowned has unleashed a brand new and haunting video clip for the track "Nattkrönt".

"Have you ever sat completely still in a forest at night and listened to all the sounds or just the eerie silence? This is our celebration our dedication to the night itself. A Melodic, fast, heavy, catchy and aggressive black/death metal song." the band comments.

Initially planned as a double album (in English, as well as in Swedish), Hädanfärd will be coming out in Swedish language only, in order to release the band's most authentic, as well as honest, work to date.

Tracklisting:

“Nattkrönt”
“Rex Tenebrae”
“Fjättrad”
“Ett Gravfäst Öde”
“Hädanfärd”
“Gudars Skymning”
“Människans Förfall”
“Grått & Ödelagt”
“Enslingen”

“Fjättrad” video:

"Nattkrönt" video:




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After the successful release of his latest album Spiritus Mundi Nad Sylvan is releasing the new video for the song “Sailing To Byzantium”, off of said album. He put a lot of effort into the video and is very pleased with the result. Nad comments:

“This is my take on Yeats’s escape from mortality, seeking comfort in his own bubble and dreams of finding paradise. As I turn 62 today, June 4th, I feel very connected with the lyric and its metaphorical message.

“I started filming in March, out on my deck with a green screen (guitar scenes). It was pretty cold and I was freezing, but filming indoors wasn’t spacious enough. I constantly had to wipe my runny nose! Andrew sent me his bits, filmed by his wife Janet and I think they turned out quite lovely just as the segments Wayne Joyner created for me (with Andrew in space being one of them).

“This is my reversed birthday gift to you, my beloved fans who stay connected and keep supporting me year after year. Please come onboard and sail with me to Byzantium…

“Much love,
Nad”

Spiritus Mundi is available as Special Edition CD Digipak (incl. two bonus tracks), 180g Gatefold LP Vinyl Edition (incl. the entire album on CD) and as Digital Download. Order here.

Tracklisting:

“The Second Coming”
“Sailing To Byzantium”
“Cap And Bells”
“The Realists”
“The Stolen Child”
“To An Isle In The Water”
“The Hawk”
“The Witch And The Mermaid”
“The Fisherman”
“You’ve Got To Find A Way” (Bonus Track)
“To A Child Dancing In The Wind” (Bonus Track)

“The Stolen Child”:

“The Fisherman”:




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Texas hardcore/thrash unit Protest have unleashed a tribute to UK hardcore punk legends Discharge with a cover of “Realities Of War,” available via Nuclear Blast’s digital subsidiary Blood Blast Distribution.

The Dallas five-piece -- vocalist Dave Woodard (Hellions, ex-Speedealer), lead guitarist Jason French (ex-M.O.D.), drummer Rob Mann, rhythm guitarist Michael Wilson (Chemicaust), and bassist Ernie Jaramillo (Chemicaust) -- effortlessly blends their undeniable classic thrash roots with a modern twist of hardcore and denim shredding, old school metal attitude. Themed around the realities of social injustices, government corruption, religion, and the dark recesses of the human psyche, Protest’s songs are angry by definition and technically adept by design.

Comments guitarist Jason French of the band’s Discharge cover, “With our version of this song, I rearranged the parts and made it more like something Protest would have done if we had written the song. It’s double the length of the original and I made it a little more personal.”

The “Realities Of War” single serves as a precursor to the band’s as-yet-untitled new EP, set for release through Blood Blast this fall.

(Photo by: Kathryn French)




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In 2019, the Swedish power metal heroes, Majestica, released their debut album Above The Sky and quickly followed it up with their Christmas musical album, A Christmas Carol, in late 2020. Both albums were a huge success in the metal community, but since touring became impossible during the COVID-19 pandemic, the band has found another way to give their fans an impression of their live power.

Today, Majestica release their digital live single "Above The Sky In Tokyo", which was recorded at their last show in Tokyo before the pandemic hit. Featured are two very special songs: the sparkling title track of their first album, "Above The Sky" and "Welcome To The Theater" from the ReinXeed album of the same name.

Watch the video for "Above The Sky (Live in Tokyo)" below.

The band comments on the release: ”We’re very happy to celebrate the 2-year anniversary of ’Above The Sky’, with our first Majestica live release! It is also very exciting that this material is from our 2020 shows in Japan. We’ve always had a special relationship with Japan since our first release with ReinXeed back in 2008, which is also one of the reasons that we have the ReinXeed song ’Welcome To The Theater’ included as well. ’Above the Sky’ was written as a live song and we’re glad to now be able to show this to the whole world when we can’t play it live.”

Buy "Above The Sky In Tokyo" digitally or stream it, here.

Lineup:

Tommy Johansson - guitars, vocals
Chris David - bass
Alex Oriz - guitars
Joel Kollberg - drums




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Melancholic black metal symbiosis, Sojourner, paves the way for another undeniably impressive next chapter with their outstanding new offering, the mini-EP Perennial, released digitally and as a strictly limited ivory vinyl edition today via Napalm Records.

With two songs in total, it features new vocalist Lucia Amelia Emmanueli for the first time. Like no other, Sojourner captivates the listener by combining harsh black metal influences and instrumental folk interludes with atmospheric soundscapes, while painting a picture of unexplored nature alongside an endless journey towards the horizon.

Songwriter and musician Mike Lamb says: "When I approached the songwriting for this mini EP I wanted to do something special that encompassed both where we began and where we are today, because while we've grown and changed over the last 6 years we still have the same passion and vision for the band that brought us together initially. I approached both the songwriting and recording for this EP in the same way that I did on Empires of Ash and The Shadowed Road, even down to recording all of the instruments back in New Zealand again for the first time since we began, in the same room where I wrote 'Heritage of the Natural Realm' in 2015.

"It also seemed like a fitting time to do something that sat somewhere between a reinterpretation of 'Heritage...' and a sequel of sorts for the second EP track, 'Relics of the Natural Realm', bringing our 2015 beginnings full circle back to where we are now and the band that we've evolved into in 2021. This is reflected in the cover art, again by our good friend Jordan Grimmer who did the original Empires of Ash cover, showing the meeting of Sojourner both past and present. We couldn't be happier with our incredibly talented new members, both of who turned in absolutely beautiful vocal performances, and we're so excited about the bright future ahead for the band."

Perennial comes along with the stunning hymn “Relics Of The Natural Realm”, a sequel to the band’s very first song, "Heritage Of The Natural Realm", capturing the identity of wilderness transferred into beautiful melodies and enchanting vocals.

Throughout their meaningful lyricism, erupting with Emilio Crespo’s intense growls while being carried on via the ethereal vocals of new vocalist Lucia Amelia Emmanueli, Sojourner reaches the innermost soul, leaving a long-lasting impact. With the color of their own and unique musical identity, and every note of this exceptional progression created by songwriting genius Mike Lamb, the six-piece is ready to write another chapter in their marvelous book of atmospheric black metal tales.

Emilio Crespo states: “‘Relics Of The Natural Realm’ is symbolic as a sort of epilogue to ‘Heritage Of The Natural Realm’. With the latter being our first song ever and the beginning for us, this new sequel marks a new beginning for the band. One that we are super excited for!”

Watch the new vocal singthrough video for “Relics Of The Natural Realm”:

Order Perennial here.

Perennial tracklisting:

“Perennial“
“Relics Of The Natural Realm“

“Perennial” video:

Sojourner is:

Emilio Crespo - Vocals
Lucia Amelia Emmanueli - Vocals
Mike Lamb - Guitars, Piano, Synth/Keyboards
Tom O'Dell - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Riccardo Floridia - Drums
Scotty Lodge - Bass

(Photo - Heike Langhans)




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In the new video below, Myles Kennedy gives you the info behind his song, "A Thousand Words", and performs the song live for the first time at the legendary Fox Theater in Spokane, WA.

Myles recently released his second solo album, The Ides Of March, via Napalm Records. It's available in the following formats:

- Digital Album
- 1 CD Jewel Case
- 1 CD Digipack (Napalm mailorder, limited to 500 worldwide)
- 2 LP Gatefold Black Vinyl
- 2 LP Gatefold Grey Vinyl (RoW only)
- 2 LP Gatefold Bottle Green Transparent Vinyl (Napalm mailorder, limited to 400 worldwide)
- Die Hard Limited Edition: 2 LP Gatefold Clear Splatter Mint/Violet/White Vinyl + Aluminium Print (Napalm mailorder, limited to 300 worldwide)
- Limited Deluxe Box: Glow In The Dark Vinyl + Cover Artprint + 7” Glow In The Dark "A Thousand Words” Vinyl Demo Single + Pendant + Slipmat (Napalm mailorder, limited to 700 worldwide)

Order your copy here.

The Ides Of March tracklisting:

"Get Along"
"A Thousand Words"
"In Stride"
"The Ides Of March"
"Wake Me When It’s Over"
"Love Rain Down"
"Tell It Like It Is"
"Moonshot"
"Wanderlust Begins"
"Sifting Through The Fire"
"Worried Mind"

"Love Rain Down" visualizer:

"Get Along" video:

“The Ides Of March” video:

"In Stride" video:

Myles will be hitting the road to promote his new album on a socially distanced tour. Dates below.

June
23 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater (Headline Show)
24 - Lincoln, Ne - Bourbon Theatre (Headline Show)
26 - Hoffman Estates, IL - Now Arena *
27 - Oshkosh, WI - Ford Festival Park *

* with Halestorm, Blackstone Cherry, Ayron Jones, From Ashes To New, Eva Under Fire

Tickets for the shows are on sale at MylesKennedy.com.

A message states: "These shows are the first of many we hope to roll out in the upcoming weeks so please stay tuned!"




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HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske recently spoke to Cuartel Del Metal about the decline of the music industry as consumers value access over ownership and experiences over assets. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The music industry in terms of record productions is pretty much destroyed. It is an art form that we should bring back. We should really rethink it all over, because if records have to be cheap, they're not as good as they could be, if you know you can finance it by people buying it. And the younger generations have this sort of attitude that everything you can get over the Internet [for free] is okay to get. But you've gotta think about that everything has to be financed, and if you want quality, it costs money.

"I think we really have to bring back the record-production culture," he continued. "When I was your age, I grew up in a completely blooming musical culture. In the '80s — '70s anyway, but also in the '80s — when I was a teenager, there was a huge musical culture everywhere, all over the world, with all types of music, and you could still produce records with high budgets and everything like that. And because of the Internet and people just taking things for free and not giving a [crap] that things cost money, it pretty much died out. Many bands disappeared, the whole scene has shrunken down, everybody tours his ass off, because that's the only way to make money. And I like to believe that we can turn that back.

"I like records. I don't just wanna rent songs over Spotify. I have Spotify, and I pay for Spotify, but only to discover music. And if I like something, I look if there's a CD, and then I buy the CD, because I wanna have it; I wanna own it. I don't wanna rent it. And if Spotify disappears, I have no music anymore.

"I think we have to kind of bring back the understanding of the value of record production," he reiterated. "It's a different world than live — a live show is something else than an album you can listen to. It feels different, it's a different approach, and I think we should do anything we can to bring record productions back."

Kiske went on to say that musicians aren't the only ones affected by the fact that music streaming has cannibalized record sales, leaving them at historic lows. "It's also a lot of people that work in this industry and have a job in there," he said. "They're losing their jobs. If the product — the song, the music — has no value anymore, how do you finance it? We really have to turn this around. At the moment, it gets worse and worse.

"Everybody should think about it, that we have lost a huge portion of the music culture," he continued. "But I don't wanna be negative all the time, so I believe we can turn it back, we can bring it back, if we make people aware. Because we love music. We want music. I want records. I want great productions. And it shouldn't be a cheap trick because it's the only way to do it. We had the chance now to spend a fortune on this [upcoming HELLOWEEN] album, but not everybody can do that. It's a mind thing. You have to understand this. And maybe the metal scene can do that. And if the metal scene does it, maybe the rest will follow."

The reunited expanded classic lineup of HELLOWEEN will release its much-anticipated album on June 18 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The "Pumpkins United" lineup features Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen alongside current singer Andi Deris, guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Daniel Löble.

Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, the new HELLOWEEN LP was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg (where everything started in 1984). The same recording console used for such HELLOWEEN albums as "Master Of The Rings", "Time Of The Oath" and "Better Than Raw" was utilized to record the band's new material. The effort was mixed at the Valhalla Studios of Ronald Prent (IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, RAMMSTEIN).

HELLOWEEN's new album saw the legendary German power metallers going "back to the roots," with the band recording fully analogue and Löble playing the drum kit previously used by HELLOWEEN's original drummer, the late Ingo Schwichtenberg, on the legendary "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" recordings.

The "Pumpkins United" tour marked the first time Kiske had played live with HELLOWEEN since 1993. Hansen, who departed HELLOWEEN in 1988, had been joining the band onstage on various tours and festival appearances throughout the years. The set featured several duets with Kiske and his replacement, Deris, along with many rarely played songs, including "Kids Of The Century", "Rise And Fall" and "Livin' Ain't No Crime". Hansen — who fronted HELLOWEEN until late 1986 — sang a medley of several early HELLOWEEN classics, including "Ride The Sky", "Judas", "Starlight" and "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)".

HELLOWEEN's European "United Alive World Tour Part II", which was originally scheduled to take place in September and October will now take place next year.

Guitarist Gary Holt of San Francisco Bay Area thrashers EXODUS recently answered a number of questions submitted by fans via e-mail. You can now watch his responses in the video below.

As previously reported, EXODUS has delayed the projected release of its recently completed new album, "Persona Non Grata", until November so that drummer Tom Hunting can fully recover from his battle with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach and join his bandmates on the road in support of the effort.

EXODUS singer Steve "Zetro" Souza addressed the delay in a recent episode of his "Zetro's Toxic Vault" Internet show. He said: "I know a lot of you guys have said, 'Oh, it was supposed to be out and released this summer,' and it was — it was gonna be released this summer. But this has kind of put a damper in things a little bit. So, the decision from the band and the decision from management and the label and everybody — I mean, it makes sense.

"It's a career-defining record," he added. "You guys have not heard it yet, but it's a career-defining album. And once you hear it, you will understand that. And it makes sense why we waited, so that he can be part of this. 'Cause nobody's thinking he's not — he's gonna fully recover from this. And we'll be out kicking your asses once again."

Zetro reiterated his optimism that Tom will beat the disease, with which the drummer was diagnosed in February.

"Tom's gonna have to have some treatment, and that's actually already started," Souza said. "He told me that he wanted people to know so that if anybody's experiencing these kinds of things, he wanted to open their eyes. And I thought that was great. I know you wanna keep it private and keep it to yourself, and it is a very heavy situation when something like this happens. But you definitely want to embrace that person and make sure that they're comfortable through it.

"Tom is one of the strongest guys I've ever met, if not the strongest guy," Zetro continued. "He lives in the mountains, and his training regimen is straight up out of 'Rocky IV'. I mean, he chops wood, and he really chops wood. I could chop about three fucking logs if I was lucky, and I'm done. He'll sit there and chop for ours. He's a very strong guy, and we all know that he's gonna beat this."

The squamous cell carcinoma of the stomach is a very uncommon entity, with worldwide incidence of 0.04% to 0.07% of all gastric cancers.

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

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

The 56-year-old Hunting revealed the diagnosis in a statement released on April 13. He said at the time: "I'm making this public to raise awareness for people to pay attention to symptoms of stomach and esophageal issues. If they persist, please go get it checked out.

"I'm not gonna be sheepish talking about it. I feel that if I can help someone with what I've learned, or someone out there has information to share with me, it's a win-win! When you can name the enemy, it's empowering, and you're one step closer to killing it."

Nikki Sixx (MÖTLEY CRÜE), Rob Zombie, John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON) and Tommy Clufetos (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK SABBATH, ROB ZOMBIE) recently joined forces in a new project called L.A. RATS. The quartet came together expressly to record a cover of "I've Been Everywhere" for the soundtrack to the upcoming movie "The Ice Road". "I've Been Everywhere" is a song written by Australian country singer Geoff Mack in 1959, and made popular by Lucky Starr in 1962.

The official animated music video for L.A. RATS' version of "I've Been Everywhere" can be seen below.

When Scott Borchetta called his friend Sixx, he knew he needed something with velocity, power, and speed. Charged with helming the soundtrack for "The Ice Road", the visionary label founder wanted a rocking "psycho-billy" track to anchor an eclectic collection of songs sampling the American roots music tableau. Talking to the full-tilt bass player and songwriter about a dream collaboration between Sixx, Rob Zombie and John 5 possibly writing and executive producing a song for the film, Sixx asked Borchetta to send him an example of the kind of song he envisioned for the soundtrack. Johnny Cash's thumping "I've Been Everywhere" was already earmarked as a hopeful to be included in the film as it really synthesized everything the film was about. Nikki listened and then sent it to Zombie. Both rockers felt the iconic Cash track was the perfect song for them to record. Sixx called Borchetta back and said, "Why don't we just cut this?"

The guys were all in on the song that name-checks cities across the nation — and Zombie had the vocal gnarl to bring that weathered, long-haul tone to the song that spent 22 weeks at No. 1 for Hank Snow in 1962. Opening with an ominous audible cloud and industrial noise, a hellish train beat emerges from the lumbering aural wave. Zombie's voice slices through the ballast, authoritative and churlish. Commanding the ride that begins "I was totin' my pack along the dusty Winnemucca road," his guttural delivery morphs Cash's intensity with drummer Tommy Clufetos's crashing attack.

Laughing, Sixx says of the L.A. RATS and their affinity for this song of hard traveling, "Isn't it ironic? This song that's so rock and roll, that's so country, that's so all of it — it's the traveling circus, city to city, riff to riff, greasy cheeseburger, rinse and repeat. It's poetry based on reality — and it's something every one of us has lived.

"We wanted to bring that fire that's Johnny Cash, but it's also how do we flip it?" he continues. "So John 5 and I brought in this ZEPPELIN-y half-time thing from the beginning with Rob talking on the outro. But I also did some stuff (that suggested the original) like those big walks through the guitar parts upright player style, which is something I don't do in MÖTLEY or SIXX:A.M. We all had that freedom to go other places, and we did."

Collaborating for the track, the union of Zombie, Sixx, John 5, who was raised on "Hee Haw", and BLACK SABBATH/TED NUGENT/ALICE COOPER drummer Clufetos created a chemistry that was more than the sum of their parts. With a frisson that comes from equal parts rebellion, aggression, fierce musicianship and deep respect for the song, "I've Been Everywhere" embodies the intensity of "The Ice Road" and Neeson's performance.

"We all grew up thinking great bands don't follow the rules or drive the speed limit," Sixx explains. "When I called Rob up, he said, 'I've always loved Johnny Cash, and I've always loved this song.' I think that's what we all share: we all play live and know there's this magic (that comes from that); there's the swagger you can feel, that energy you can smell. This song has all that, and that's what we went after."

Written and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, "The Ice Road" premieres in the U.S. on Netflix on June 25. Liam Neeson, Benjamin Walker, Amber Midthunder, Marcus Thomas and Laurence Fishburne bring to life the story of a "big-rig" ice road driver (Neeson), who must lead an impossible rescue mission over a frozen ocean to save the trapped miners after a remote diamond mine collapses in far northern Canada. Contending with thawing waters and a massive storm, they discover the real threat is one they never saw coming. It was produced by Code Entertainment, ShivHans Pictures and Envision Media Arts.

"The Ice Road: Music From And Inspired By The Netflix Film" track listing:

01. "All I Do Is Drive" - Jason Isbell

02. "Rubber Meets The Road" - Brantley Gilbert, Tyler Hubbard

03. "Eighteen Wheels and A Dozen Roses" - Carly Pearce

04. "I've Been Everywhere" - L.A. RATS

05. "We Got Fight" - Gary LeVox

06. "I’m Movin’ On" - Miranda Lambert

07. "Six Days On The Road" - THE CADILLAC THREE

08. "Don't Come Lookin'" - Jackson Dean

09. "Hurricane" - Luke Combs

10. "Heart Made Of Steel" - THE ASSASSINZS feat. John Carter Cash, Robin Zander

11. "All Coming Down" - Mark Collie, Allison Moorer

12. "Drive" - Tim McGraw

Clufetos was a member of Zombie's band on 2006's "Educated Horses" and 2010's "Hellbilly Deluxe" albums, both of which also featured John 5.

John 5 previously worked with Sixx on the three original MÖTLEY CRÜE songs featured on the soundtrack to the band's 2019 biopic "The Dirt".

Sebastian Bach trolled Chris Jericho on Twitter, less than a year after the former SKID ROW singer blasted the FOZZY frontman over allegations that Jericho uses pre-recorded vocal tracks during live performances.

Earlier today, Chris tweeted out a new photo of himself and captioned it "#NewProfilePic". A couple of hours later, Bach responded to Jericho's tweet, writing: "#OldProfilePic" and including a winky-kissy face-throwing-a-kiss emoji.

Bach initially accused Jericho of "miming to a tape" at FOZZY concerts in a social media post last July. In response, the wrestler-turned-rocker insisted that he had "never mimed anything ever" and challenged Bach to a "singoff" with "no effects, no tuning, no bullshit", saying "Bas is a great singer...but I'm better".

In the months that ensued, Bach brought up Jericho's alleged lip syncing on several occasions, most recently in January in an interview with The Aquarian Weekly. Asked specifically about his feud with Chris, Sebastian said: "I have an open mind about everyone. If I read on Blabbermouth.com [sic] that some band says, 'We're the future of rock 'n' roll and we are the next thing after THE ROLLING STONES,' I think, this must be incredible! What have I been missing out on? So, I checked out one video during which the singer was 100% miming to a tape on stage at The Rockpile in Toronto. I thought to myself, 'That's weird, that's not the next ROLLING STONES.' So, I watch another video where he was opening up for NICKELBACK in an arena and, again, he's miming to a tape. You can go watch it for yourself. Then someone said, 'Here's a clip of him singing live. Legit, bro.' And it's him miming to a tape again. It's crazy obvious. It is not my opinion, it's fact. It is not me starting a fight. But don't tell me what singing live is, 'cause I have never used tape. I don't even know how to do that."

Bach also addressed the fact that Jericho accused him of having a less-than-original stage name after Sebastian slammed Jericho for copying the name of a SKID ROW tour for FOZZY.

"I switched a couple of letters of my legal last name [Bierk]. Who's Mongoose McQueen?" Bach asked, referring to Jericho's original FOZZY stage name. "What kind of a stage name is that?

"How about this: professional wrestling sucks," he added. "Everyone wishes they were a rock star. It hilarious. Evidently, all you have to do is [record] a tape, go on stage, and jump around. You can jump off the drum riser and do jumping jacks. It doesn't matter if you are miming to tape."

Jericho's most public reaction to Bach's criticism came in a January tweet. At the time, he wrote: "I've been told that @sebastianbach continues to go out of his way to bury me. My response is this...be my guest! You are entitled to ur opinion & it doesn't affect me either way. I still dig ur work on the first 3 @OfficialSkidRow albums & look forward to ur new record."

When Bach first went public with his Jericho accusation, FOZZY guitarist Rich Ward called Sebastian "universally disliked" and said that seeing Bach "publicly go after the only guy that I have ever witness utter a nice word about him is sad."

Sebastian, who has been outspoken about rock bands using pre-recorded backing tracks during live shows, later tried to explain his outburst, writing: "I'm not trying to beat anybody at anything. I'm actually trying to say hey Chris maybe you're right maybe I'll stop singing live and prance around while the tape is playing just like you do Chris. I'm tired of trying so hard it's like beating my head against the wall."

After a self-proclaimed Bach fan called Sebastian "an asshat" on Twitter for firing "the first shots" in his war of words with Jericho, Bach came back with: "Hey man f*** you. I have spent my life learning how to sing live on stage. When someone comes along and mimes to a tape it sucks for all of the rest of us that don't. You want to go see a wrestling match good. Don't call it rock and roll".




#OldProfilePic ?

— Sebastian Bach (@sebastianbach) June 4, 2021

Therion mastermind Christofer Johnsson has shared a new story and a special announcement with the fans via social media. Check it out below.

"After trying out touring in the US two times 2005 and 2007, I decided to abandon the idea of touring there. But the ProgPower festival decided to change that and brought us back for their festival 2011. The show would be recorded, so besides being the only US concert for 4 years (and still the only one we did the last 14 years) there was a lot of pressure. But it would turn out to be something else that made that day the most stressful day ever for the band. 

Some background on the main character in this plot; Christian Vidal. As a child he managed to both fall down from a roof and get hit by a bus and survive. —> Remember that when you read the end of the story. He can also break almost anything and as an internal joke in the band, he sometimes goes under the nick name 'Clouseau' (from the Peter Sellers movie character, Inspector Clouseau). Are you working for a company developing a new product? Want to know if it’s endurable enough to be sold to the public? Lend a demo copy of it to Christian Vidal for a month. If it’s not returned broken, you have managed to develop a military grade endurance for your gadget. I think only Gibson guitars and Fractal Audio managed to make music equipment surviving the Clouseau-test. 

Back to the story…

Because we were headlining the festival and it’s a rather small indoor event, we were going to have a soundcheck (you never get that on festivals normally). Going to stage, Christian thought there were too many people blocking the stairs up to the stage, so he had one of his Clouseau-inspired ideas and thought it would be a great idea saving him some time by climbing on the PA (!) to get up on stage. And of course he fell headlong and hit his head really badly on the stairs close by. I didn’t see the actual fall, but some 30 seconds later I had Christian coming to me saying with a slow voice, 'Chris… I think I hurt myself.' His hand was covered in blood and his head was bleeding like hell from a 5 cm wound in his head. I tried not to panic and told him to sit down while I ran to get towels to stop the bleeding and tell the promoter to call an ambulance. Thankfully the promoter, Glenn Harveston, was a nurse and could give him proper first aid while waiting for the ambulance. We were all in shock and it didn’t get any better seeing Christian becoming more and more confused and disorientated. When you looked into his eyes, you could see there was nobody home. He knew who he was and who we were, but he didn’t know where he was (not even what country) or why he was there. 

As Lori is an American and knows the system, she was going with him to the hospital. We kept in contact and we got to know that he was diagnosed suffering from a severe concussion with partial memory loss. But was unlikely to be suffering any consisting detriments. I made a big sigh of relief, realising how bad this could have ended if he would have fallen worse. I could have lost a friend and bandmate that day and also been the one who would had to call his pregnant girlfriend bringing that devastating news. 

So we started to go over the setlist and see what songs we could do with only me on guitar, trying to save the day as much as possible. 

The hours went by and after 4 hours Lori called again. No big improvements and his skull was still open. We decided she would go back to the venue and I’d take over at the hospital keeping him company. When I arrived, it felt he was a bit better compared to when he left in the ambulance at least, but there was still no one home behind those eyes. He didn’t remember what had happened to him. An hour later he all of a sudden said he started to remember. He knew where he was and how he fell from the PA. He almost instantly started to worry about the show and the DVD recording and talk about maybe being able to sit down and play some stuff, maybe even some full songs. I said we shouldn’t talk about that yet, as his head was still open. 
I contacted a doctor who came to see him again and said it was a good sign he started to remember things and that he could leave the hospital after the wound being stitched. I asked several times when this could be done, but the hospital emergency was full of people and we were told to wait all the time. 

After 3.5 hours I would have to start leaving to do the show and Christian said he wanted to come along - with or without stitches. He said he could maybe sit down on chair in a corner of the stage and play some parts needed to do the songs we couldn’t do without him. I thought that was a bit too wild so I did something I had never done before (and never did since) - I was trying to obtain an advantage because of being famous. I grabbed the doctor again and desperately explained our situation with the festival and Christian wanting to leave with his head still open. He told me to wait again and 20 min later we were taken into a room where a nurse would tighten the wound with her hands while the doctor took a stapler and sealed the wound! The second big shock of the day. Poor Christian was accepting his staples into the skull bone like a champ while my jaw was dropping to the floor. I know American hospital standards isn’t like in Europe, but this kind of solutions I thought was only used in emergencies without access to medical equipment. When we left, Christian was shocked too, but seemed pleased he got fixed somehow. 

When we were about to leave, there was a lot of shouting in the waiting room. A black guy with an arm in band-aid was very upset and said he wanted to leave because he didn’t feel comfortable at this hospital anymore. Others were almost as angry. We soon understood this was about us cutting the waiting list and being treated before them, even though they had been there waiting longer. They thought it was because we were white and they were all black. I felt sympathy and wanted to explain we got some emergency treatment because of the special situation (and only got a quick fix staples instead of proper stitches), but it felt so hostile I didn’t dare to. I’d be punched in the face by someone for sure. So we sneaked out and took a taxi. In the car Christian said he wanted to try to play the set from the beginning and see how it goes and when it got too much he’d just sit down or leave stage if he felt too bad. 

By the time we arrived at the venue it was only 20 minutes to stage time. The band was dressed, stressed from being unsure if we would make it there in time and just an hour earlier Christian was still lying in a hospital bed with an open wound. We arrived and put on stage clothes while the shocked band gazed upon a long row of metal staples rammed into Christian’s skull. There wasn’t even time to warm up, so it was totally surreal going from next to a hospital bed via skull stapling and an angry mob of injured people in a waiting room - to all of a sudden be on stage in front of a big crowd and have cameras on you. I remember thinking while playing the first riff of Sitra Ahra: ”Fuck, what do I do now??!?”. Before a festival you’d normally go over the songs while warming up and before a DVD recording you’d practise a lot, as the extra pressure and trying to play while looking cool in front of the cameras is often a sure path to make fuck ups on stage. But now I also realised I didn’t had any time to go over the songs and practise what to do if Vidal feels bad and has to sit down and stop playing or maybe leave stage in those songs we couldn’t do without him. Drummer Johan wasn’t known to be the most observant guy for these type of things, so I’d have to keep my radar on full alert and run to him quick as fuck to stop such a song from starting if any doubts. Don’t want to have a situation where a song start and then I will stand there like a moron trying to figure out some part I’ve never played before - in front of cameras on a festival stage. 

But the songs went on and when I noticed Christian fucking NAILING the Kristian Niemann high speed shredding in the solo of 'Voyage Of Gurdjieff' without even looking at the guitar. I thought 'I’ll be damned! He may actually pull this whole thing off!!!' (you can even see that in my face on the DVD) and finally started to relax a bit. 

After 'Siren of the Woods', which was the last song that would be have to be removed if Christian would have to go, I could start enjoying playing without any worries and even stopped looking at him in the corner of the eye all the time to see how he was holding up. And he nailed the whole fucking show. Just like that! With a bad concussion going on and with staples in his skull. With an open wound in his head not knowing what country he was in a few hours earlier!

That day Christian Vidal didn’t become my hero of the day. Or the year. He became my hero of that DECADE! There have been many examples of 'The show must go on' throughout the years. But this is in a class of its own. I guess the reason Christian is breaking everything must simply be because he is unbreakable himself. 

This live concert is far from the best performance we ever did (there are plenty of mistakes and flaws). Besides Christian having his pain and his brain just being returned from space, everyone were still jet lagged and had been shaken up all day and were nervous and tense on stage. And then the cameras on top on everything. But if this is our bottom level of performance, I’d say there’s nothing to be ashamed of and to me this is just as important time document as the Anniversary show.

Other things of interest that makes this recording note worthy is multi-talented Thomas playing the flute in 'Siren Of The Woods' and 'Lemuria'. And Lori playing the piano in some songs. There are also some songs we didn't play live before there. 

This show was released on the Adulruna Rediviva And Beyond DVD, but was never made available on audio disc. Today it’s being digitally released as a live album. If you want to hear how a Latin American warrior is showing everyone how it’s supposed to be done, you can listen to the show via Spotify, Apple Music or any other digital store." 




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In November 2020, Lindemann - the duo of Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann and Pain / Hypocrisy mastermind Peter Tägtgren - announced they have decided to go their separate ways. Lindemann and Tägtgren say goodbye with the release of Live In Moscow on CD and Blu-Ray, availble now, which showcases their March 15th, 2020 performance at the VTB Arena in Moscow, Russia. 

The RammWiki YouTube channel, dedicated to all things Rammstein related, has uploaded an unboxing video for all editions of the release. Check it out below.

The tracklist is as follows:

"Skills In Pills" 
"Lady Boy" 
"Fat" 
"Frau & Mann" 
"Ich Weiss Es Nicht" 
"Allesfresser" 
"Knebel" 
"Home Sweet Home"
"Cowboy" 
"Golden Shower" 
"Blut" 
"Platz Eins" 
"Praise Abort" 
"Fish On" 
"Ach So Gern" 
"Gummi" 
"Steh Auf"

"Allesfresser"

"Home Sweet Home"

"Praise Abort"

"Steh Auf"

Till Lindemann and Peter Tägtgren released two albums under the Lindemann moniker; Skills In Pills (2015) and F & M (2019). They released a total of seven singles and eight videos.




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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 #14: Persistence Of Time Ticking In Our Head 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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George Lynch has apparently 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 this weekend's Live United Live Music Festival in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. 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.




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Rockin’ with DOKKEN!

Posted by JAM Magazine on Monday, May 31, 2021



Updated confirmed Dokken dates! ? #dokken

Posted by Dokken on Saturday, June 5, 2021

RATT's Stephen Pearcy has fired back at critics of his vocal ability, saying he has "never claimed to be Mr. Five-Octave Range Singer Boy".

The 64-year-old founding RATT vocalist, who has been focusing mostly on his solo career while the band has been off the road, took to his Facebook page earlier today (Saturday, June 5) to write: "Got to make a point after all these years and directed to some recent posts. First to each his own, But never has RATT (since inception 1981) or myself solo had to use back vocal tracks, guide tracks or instruments blowing through the PA to lay it down. Sure, you have off nights and or your not povorati, party party, but let's be real here. Fans of our genre are much smarter these days and either want to witness a fail or just don't give a shit anymore. I've never claimed to be mr 5 octave range singer boy, nor did I wish to be. I'm a cement pirate since day one, no bs here. Now let's go party my friends, see ya out there soon enough, I'll keep it real with my Ratt Bastards. Feel lucky punk".

Less than two months ago, Pearcy 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, Erik 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.


Got to make a point after all these years and directed to some recent posts. First to each his own, But never has RATT...

Posted by Stephen Pearcy on Saturday, June 5, 2021