OF MICE & MEN's fan-favorite single "Second & Sebring" has been certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for accumulating 500,000 certified units. The song appears on the band's self-titled debut, released by Rise Records in 2010, and is that which launched the band's meteoric rise in the metalcore scene.

According to the RIAA, one equivalent song unit is equal to a single digital song sale, or 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams.

"Modern metalcore is not a genre defined by notoriety or accolades but moreso defined by the audience appreciating and connecting with the stories we share about ourselves," says OF MICE & MEN drummer Valentino Arteaga. "This is an incredible achievement made possible by our amazing fans who believe in the power of alternative music. Thank you for the continued support after all these years!"

OF MICE & MEN went on to dominate the decade, releasing "The Flood" (2011) and "Restoring Force" (2014), the latter of which charted Top 5 in the U.S. Overall, the band has gone on to sell over a million albums worldwide across their expansive catalog and has amassed over half a billion streams across DSPs. They've tallied over 200 million YouTube streams and over five million social media followers.

OF MICE & MEN has toured internationally for over a decade, sharing stages with the likes of LINKIN PARK, SLIPKNOT, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and BRING ME THE HORIZON, while appearing at major festivals globally.

OF MICE & MEN is currently releasing a series of EPs that will eventually comprise their next album. The first EP, "Timeless", is out now. The single "Anchor" was the most played song on SiriusXM's Octane channel last week.

Singer Austin Carlile left OF MICE & MEN in 2016 due to his ongoing battle with Marfan syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that afflicts the connective tissue holding the body's cells, organs and tissue together.

Carlile originally exited OF MICE & MEN in 2010 after his doctor forbade him from touring to undergo heart surgery tied to complications with Marfan Syndrome. He returned in 2011, but his ailments didn't cease, forcing him to depart the band for the second, and presumably final, time five years

Megadeth bassist David Ellefson guested on Waste Some Time With Jason Green and looked back on the band's early days, including Dave Mustaine becoming the band's singer out of necessity and Slayer guitarist Kerry King joining the band early on.

Ellefson: "By the end of '84, Kerry King had come in to start playing to be our second guitar player. He was in Slayer at the time, and we were still trying to audition singers up to this point. And I remember, it was New Year's Eve of '83 going into '84, and another singer flaked out. Dave just took the lyrics and pinned them up either on the wall or like on a mic stand, we had a microphone there and then he just went up to the mic and we started playing. And I don't know what it was, I think it was something like 'Chosen Ones' or 'Looking Down the Cross,' it was not easy to play and sing, and then he did it, he sang through it. And we stopped and I just went, 'Dude, that was freaking amazing,' and he looked at me and he was like, 'Really?' And his face is all red; he's not really breathing like a singer, plus trying to riff and play those complex parts, and you know, it just hit me.

I was just like, 'Look, man, you're writing the lyrics, no one's gonna get inside this character that you're singing from more than you. You're the obvious guy.' So it was weird that we then turned into a four-piece, which is what Dave had just come out of from Metallica, and of course, in Metallica, Dave was not the singer. He was kind of the frontman, as I understand. Between the songs, he did all the banter with the audience, but he was obviously the lead guitar player and James Hetfield was the singer.

So we debuted the band in early 1984 in San Francisco with Kerry King on guitar, Lee Rausch on drums, me, and Dave. We'd go back up again in April, February and April of '84, we debuted the group, and right after that, Kerry King decides he's going back to Slayer full-time - because he saw there was an audience for it, and the Bay Area was the holy grail. Kerry saw that, and that's it, that's, 'I now see the vision of Slayer.'"

Check out the interview below.

Photo - Chad Lee Photography




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PAPA ROACH has just released its second greatest-hits compilation, "Greatest Hits Vol. 2: The Better Noise Years". The compilation commemorates their continued success as a top-selling recording and touring act during their 2010-2020 tenure signed to Better Noise Music, Billboard's No. 1 rock label of 2020. Most recently, the group vaulted to the No. 1 spot on Mainstream Rock radio charts with "The Ending (Remastered 2020)", marking their eighth No. 1 single to date. The band was also rewarded with a RIAA gold certification for the track "Born For Greatness" earlier this month, which follows in the gold-certified footsteps of "Help". Both songs, originally released on 2017's critically acclaimed "Crooked Teeth", are featured on this new compilation album.

"We don't usually like taking a look back, but we're so glad to be able to take this journey into the past alongside our fans," the band said of the compilation. "We've had so much fun rediscovering all the moments of the past 10 years that have made us the band we are today. We look forward to the upcoming year and to a new chapter of music."

To celebrate the release of the compilation with fans, the band hosted a special livestream event on Friday, March 19, on their social channels in addition to all of Better Noise Music's channels. The free event included an in-conversation discussion hosted by Allison Hagendorf (head of rock at Spotify and host of the show "Rock This With Allison Hagendorf"). The band was joined by guests Maria Brink (IN THIS MOMENT), Jason Evigan (producer and songwriter, "Born For Greatness") and Michael Lombardi (actor and producer of "The Retaliators"). The broadcast also included the world premiere of the video for "Broken As Me (featuring Danny Worsnop of Asking Alexandria)".

"Greatest Hits Vol. 2: The Better Noise Years" features 21 tracks including 13 Top 10 singles, previously unreleased remixes and acoustic recordings recorded live at YouTube Studios in New York City. Its first single, the No. 1 active rock radio-charting "The Ending (Remastered 2020)" has over two million video views and features footage from the Better Noise Films horror-thriller movie "The Retaliators", which marks the group's lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix's first-ever foray into acting. The movie also features on-screen appearances and soundtracks from fellow musicians including FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, Tommy Lee, THE HU, ICE NINE KILLS, ESCAPE THE FATE and more.

PAPA ROACH's music is consistently used across pop culture media. In addition to being included in "The Retaliators" film and on the film's upcoming original soundtrack, the band's gold-certified song "Born for Greatness (Cymek Remix)" is currently featured in the trailer for the video game "Outriders: No Turning Back". The digital campaign will run from March to June.

To date, PAPA ROACH has led the path for contemporary rock artists in the digital streaming era with over two billion streams globally and nine million monthly listeners on Spotify. PAPA ROACH has continued to stretch its boundaries throughout the years, including features with artists outside their genre — such as their 2017 track "Periscope" with pop artist Skylar Grey (which is included on the new release) — and most recently collaborating with TikTok star/up-and-coming artist Jeris Johnson on a new version of the iconic hit "Last Resort".

The reunited expanded classic lineup of German power metallers HELLOWEEN will join forces with Sweden's HAMMERFALL for a European tour in the spring of 2022. The "United Forces 2022" trek will kick off on March 25 in Oslo, Norway and conclude on May 5 in London, England.

Commented HAMMERFALL singer Joacim Cans: "HELLOWEEN is probably the band that influenced me the most growing up and I am extremely psyched about touring together with the guys. For the true metal fan, 'United Forces 2022' will be the ultimate metal experience. An experience that no one should miss for anything in the world. If there is one tour to experience in 2022, this is the one! Next year the Hammer will fall harder than ever before and every day will be HELLOWEEN!"

Added HAMMERFALL guitarist Oscar Dronjak: "We are so ridiculously excited about this! Not only do we get to go out on tour again after two looooooooong years of stage draught, but we get to do it with a band that we love and was a great inspiration to us in forming HAMMERFALL in the first place. The 'United Forces' tour will be something truly special, you can count on that!"

Said HELLOWEEN's Andi Deris: "We are 'hammered' to have our friends from HAMMERFALL with us on tour! Back in 2002, the band produced their album 'Crimson Thunder' in my studio in Tenerife and we had a lot of fun back then. This mega package is delivering the appropriate metal-spectacle to enter the stage with full power!"

"United Forces 2022" tour dates:

Mar. 25 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene

Mar. 26 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Partille Arena

Mar. 28 - Helsinki, Finland - Black Box

Mar. 29 - Talinn, Estonia - Noblessneri Valukoda

Apr. 01 - Bamberg, Germany - Brose Arena

Apr. 02 - Hamburg, Germany - Sporthalle

Apr. 03 - Berlin, Germany - Verti Music Hall

Apr. 04 - Regensburg, Germany - Donau Arena

Apr. 08 - Madrid, Spain - Wizink Center

Apr. 09 - Barcelona, Spain - St. Jordi Club

Apr. 11 - Milan, Italy - Lorenzini District

Apr. 12 - Kempten, Germany - Black Box

Apr. 13 - Zurich, Switzerland - Samsung Hall

Apr. 15 - Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Rockhal

Apr. 16 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013

Apr. 18 - Katovice, Poland - MCK

Apr. 20 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Arena Armeec

Apr. 22 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer

Apr. 23 - Prague, Czech Republic - O2

Apr. 24 - Zvolen, Slovakia - Ice Stadium

Apr. 26 - Budapest, Hungary - Papp Laszlo Sportarena

Apr. 29 - Bochum, Germany - Ruhrcongress

Apr. 30 - Stuttgart, Germany - Schleyerhalle

May 01 - Frankfurt, Germany - Jahrhunderthalle

May 04 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Academy

May 05 - London, UK - Brixton Academy

HELLOWEEN will release its new, self-titled album on June 18 via Nuclear Blast. The disc's first single, "Skyfall", will arrive on April 2.

The cover artwork for "Helloween" was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

The "Pumpkins United" lineup features returning singer Michael 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)".

The "Pumpkins United" lineup of HELLOWEEN already released one new song — aptly titled "Pumpkins United" — in October 2017.

Former STYX frontman Dennis DeYoung has revealed the track listing and artwork for the second volume of his final album, "26 East". The first single from "26 East: Vol 2", "Isle Of Misanthrope", will be released on April 7, and it "closes the album in grand '70s STYX tradition," according to Dennis. He adds: "This tune hopefully will transport you back to a time and place of your choosing (hopefully in front of your computer ordering the album). Prog noggins this ones for you as I bid farewell." He went on to say that song's accompanying video will be "really something different and mystical."

According to DeYoung, the album's opening song, "Hello Goodbye", is not a cover of THE BEATLES song, although it is a "tribute" of sorts.

"I read an article about PINK FLOYD recording at Abbey Road the same time as THE BEATLES. They met the lads and told them that there would be no FLOYD without them. Yet FLOYD's music is nothing like THE BEATLES and neither was STYX's," DeYoung explained. "'Hello Goodbye' as I have previously mentioned is not a remake it's all brand new...sorta. It's a tribute to the lads who sent me down this long and winding road that led me to youse guys."

"26 East: Vol 2" track listing:

01. Hello Goodbye

02. Land of the Living

03. The Last Guitar Hero

04. Your Saving Grace

05. Proof of Heaven

06. Made for Each Other

07. There's No Turning Back Time

08. St. Quarantine

09. So Little Did We Know

10. Always Time

11. Isle of Misanthrope

12. GIF

"26 East: Vol 1" arrived in May 2020 and marked DeYoung's first studio effort since 2009's "One Hundred Years From Now".

"26 East" was the address where DeYoung grew up in Roseland, Illinois on the far south side of Chicago. This is where STYX was formed in his basement in 1962. Across the street lived the Panozzo twins, John and Chuck, who, along with DeYoung, would go on to form the nucleus of STYX. The cover artwork features three locomotives traveling through space, representing the original members leaving Chicago on their journey to the stars.

"26 East" features collaborations with Julian Lennon and SURVIVOR/IDES OF MARCH co-founder Jim Peterik, who plays multiple instruments and pushed DeYoung to work on the album when he wasn't so sure about it.

DeYoung explained to Classic Rock why "26 East: Vol 2" will be his last album: "There's no way for new music to sell decently. When [my label] Frontiers asked me to do an album, I did wonder why would I want to. But they persuaded me, and I ended up recording 18 tracks, and wrote about half of these with Jim Peterik. The label want to release all of them, so there will be a Volume Two, which will be my farewell."


HEY KIDS (ooh caps, must be special)

This is the album artwork for 26 East VOLUME II.

Where it all began so shall it...

Posted by Dennis DeYoung on Friday, March 19, 2021

ARMORED SAINT's July 13, 2018 performance of its classic "Symbol Of Salvation" album in its entirety at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City was professionally filmed and recorded, and will be released later this year. The live DVD was recently mastered by ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera and acclaimed mastering engineer Maor Applebaum.

When ARMORED SAINT's "Symbol Of Salvation Live Tour 2018" was first announced in February of that year, ARMORED SAINT frontman John Bush said: "'Symbol Of Salvation'! Arguably ARMORED SAINT's most important record. These songs came out of us being dropped from Chrysalis Records and finding out about guitarist Dave Prichard developing leukemia. The songs took on a much more emotional meaning than any other previous record. We wrote songs of desperation like 'Another Day' and 'Last Train Home'. Experimental tunes like 'Tainted Past' and 'The Truth Always Hurts'. Classic SAINT rockers like 'Reign of Fire', 'Dropping Like Flies' and the title track.

"After Dave passed, the band regrouped with Phil and Jeff returning as the guitar tandem. It was a family again. Dave Jerden produced the record and this marked the beginning of Joey becoming the producer of the band.

"It's going to be a memorable tour. Songs like 'Burning Question' and 'Spineless', we've never played live before. Come share it with us. Let's make Dave proud."

To further celebrate the legacy of this album, Metal Blade Records reissued "Symbol Of Salvation" on CD and LP in May 2018. The LP features a vinyl remastering from Patrick W. Engel as part of the "Metal Blade Originals" series. The CD includes four bonus tracks.

CD track listing:

01. Reign of Fire

02. Dropping Like Flies

03. Last Train Home

04. Tribal Dance

05. The Truth Always Hurts

06. Half Drawn Bridge

07. Another Day

08. Symbol of Salvation

09. Hanging Judge

10. Warzone

11. Burning Question

12. Tainted Past

13. Spineless>

14. Medieval Nightmares (Demo)

15. Get Lost (Demo)

16. Toungue and Cheek (Demo)

17. Pirates (Demo)

Vinyl track listing:

Side A

01. Reign of Fire

02. Dropping Like Flies

03. Last Train Home

04. Tribal Dance

05. The Truth Always Hurts

06. Half Drawn Bridge

07. Another Day

Side B

01. Symbol of Salvation

02. Hanging Judge

03. Warzone

04. Burning Question

05. Tainted Past

06. Spineless


You wanted the best and you......ooops someone already used that...anyway Armored Saint recorded in it's entirety Symbol...

Posted by Phillip Sandoval on Sunday, March 21, 2021



Mastering the new Symbol of Salvation Live recording with Maor Applebaum for the soon to be released Live DVD. Stay tuned! Metal Blade Records Joey Vera GonzoSandoval.com Jeff Duncan Phil Sandoval John Bush

Posted by Armored Saint on Saturday, March 20, 2021

The surviving members of the classic lineup of TWISTED SISTER — Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda and Mark "The Animal" Mendoza — reunited virtually on Saturday, March 20 for a special episode of Mendoza's Internet TV show "22 Now". The hour-and-a-half-long program was a tribute to the band's late drummer A.J. Pero, who died exactly six years earlier at the age of 55 while on tour with the band ADRENALINE MOB.

A couple of weeks after Pero's death, Snider spoke to TMZ about the loss of his friend. He said: "People ask me how I feel about A.J.'s passing, and, quite honestly, I'm going through a real period of anger right now about it. He was a great guy, and I loved him dearly. But he had a history of heart disease — his family did; his father died in his [50s] of heart disease — and A.J. never had himself checked out. And when they did the autopsy, he had 95 percent blockage, advanced heart disease. And he didn't have to die. And I feel it's, basically, irresponsible behavior on his part. He had two ex-wives and an ex-girlfriend of 19 years, four kids he left behind. And you have a responsibility, as a parent, as an adult, to get yourself checked out."

Dee later defended his comments, saying on his podcast: "People die every day, and I don't go as far as to speak out about the way they chose to go. You know, I spoke out about A.J. because I'm hurt, and his family is hurt, and world he left behind is in complete turmoil as a result of it.

"When we take actions, we always think, 'Oh, it's just affecting me. It's just affecting me,'" he continued. "It's the reality of the other people it's affecting besides yourself. That's where the problem lies. When you take yourself out, and you've got no family, and you've got no friends, and no one's gonna shed a tear for you, that's fine — that's just about you. But when you pilot a plane into the mountain top and take everybody with you, it's not just about you.

"So here I had an opportunity to remind people that, hey, heart disease is just that — it's a disease. Don't put your head in the sand and don't pretend that there's no problem when you know your whole family has a history of any sickness — of cancer, of heart disease, of prostate problems… of whatever it is. I mean, everybody should get checked out, but especially if you're genetically predisposed. And when you have children, young children, like A.J. had, it's not just about you… Especially when your estate isn't in order, like A.J. Pero's was not. And you don't take care of yourself physically, and you die unexpectedly, and way too young, and you leave that kind of mess behind, I still say that's irresponsible behavior. Irresponsible, like doing drugs… because he was drinking, he was smoking… I mean, not excessively. He was partying… not excessively. He was eating poorly. He was overweight. But is that any different than drinking yourself to death? Or doing drugs? Or killing yourself another way? Slowly killing yourself that way? When you know in your heart of hearts that there is a problem, or there is potentially a problem.

"Like I said on the TMZ thing, when they got him to the hospital, he was already gone," Dee added. "He had a massive stroke on the tour bus, followed by a massive heart attack. They got him to the hospital, they autopsied him and they said, 'If he had gotten here and he was still alive, he was too far gone for us to save him.' And this is the day and age of heart transplants and stents and all kinds of… if you believe in drugs for these problems… all kinds of solutions for a relatively young man to not die of heart disease. All he had to do is get checked out and be monitored. That's all it takes. So I saw an opportunity, on TMZ, to speak out, to say these things and maybe remind some people out there of their responsibility to their family, of their responsibility to their kids, to their loved ones. Not their band, not their fans.

"To see his girlfriend of nineteen years, who is not, like, accepted by his family. Nineteen years… But I guess… I'm not sure… She may have been 'the other woman' at one point or something… with a young daughter, having to go on the GoFundMe site and put up… try to raise money to pay her rent. 'Cause she can't get any money, 'cause she's not legally married to him. And A.J. had no estate planning, so all of his assets are completely frozen. And until it's all figured out — there was no will, there was no nothing — until it's all figured out, we, as a band, can't even funnel money to his girlfriend and his daughter, or his other children. Our hands are tied as well. So here she is on social media essentially begging for money to feed her child and pay the rent. That is just grotesque. It's awful, it's terrible. And that makes you angry at your friend, at your dear friend, A.J. Pero. It made me angry. [I wanted to say] 'Dude, what did you freakin' do? What did you do?' The minute you start getting married, having kids, creating that responsibility to others — that's exactly what it is: responsibility — you've lost your right — yes, you have lost your right — to be cavalier, or casual, with things like your health, and your estate, and your economics. I'm sorry — you have lost your right."

TWISTED SISTER rose to prominence from the New York club scene in the early 1980s. Their biggest album, 1984's "Stay Hungry", contained the hits "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock".

In addition to touring with TWISTED SISTER and ADRENALINE MOB, Pero also played with former and current members of IRON MAIDEN and DISTURBED in a band called THE FOUNDRY. He also hosted drum clinics and seminars.

Prior to last night's virtual reunion, the four surviving members of TWISTED SISTER reunited for two days and nights in November 2019 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the band's classic album "Stay Hungry".

TWISTED SISTER called it quits in 2016 after completing a farewell 40th-anniversary tour. The band's last-ever concert took place in November of that year — 20 months after the passing of Pero.


22 NOW | AJ Pero Memorial Show

Join Mark Mendoza as he sits with the rest of Twisted Sister for a special episode of 22 NOW remembering AJ Pero

Posted by Area 22 Productions on Saturday, March 20, 2021

MACHINE HEAD's Robb Flynn and Jared MacEachern held the latest "Electric Happy Hour" on Friday, March 19 during which they performed their second album, "The More Things Change..." , in its entirety. You can now watch the video below.

Featured songs:

7:15 Ten Ton Hammer

12:06 Take My Scars

16:55 Struck A Nerve

23:24 Down To None (intro)

24:28 Down To None

31:52 The Frontlines

37:44 Spine

45:34 Bay Of Pigs

49:40 Violate

1:01:28 Blistering

1:06:10 Blood Of The Zodiac

1:12:41 Hallowed Be Thy Name

1:20:02 Game Over

1:33:35 The Kill (acoustic) (intro)

1:36:00 The Kill (acoustic)

1:40:22 Walk All Over You (acoustic) (snippet)

1:42:32 Die Young (acoustic)

1:50:09 Halo

Released in 1997, "The More Things Change..." was MACHINE HEAD's last LP to feature original lead guitarist Logan Mader, and the first to feature drummer Dave McClain. The album reached No. 138 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1997, and as of 2002 had sold over 115,000 copies in the United States. In 2020, it was named one of the 20 best metal albums of 1997 by Metal Hammer magazine.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Flynn has been staging "Acoustic Happy Hour" solo sessions every Friday, during which he has performed a number of MH tunes as well as covers of other artists' songs.

Flynn told Kerrang! magazine about "Acoustic Happy Hour": "It's just basically a free show on Facebook. I try to learn two new songs every Friday. I take requests, and I try to play MACHINE HEAD songs that have never been played live acoustic. Last week I covered MUSE, TOOL and LYNYRD SKYNYRD. It's been fucking awesome. The first three or four were horrible — I knew they were — but I knew that if I kept sucking for six weeks I would get past it.

"For the first 20 years of my career, I never took singing lessons," he continued. "Then I did some about 10 years ago. With these acoustic shows, I've been back in contact with my old singing teacher to try and figure out why I can do a three-and-a-half hour MACHINE HEAD show, but this clean singing is kicking my ass. It's been an opportunity to un-learn all the wrong shit and get an opportunity to do things right."

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 the latest in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June. "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.

In July, MACHINE HEAD canceled its previously announced rescheduled 2020 tour dates for Europe and Australia due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

Each show on MACHINE HEAD's "Burn My Eyes" 25th-anniversary tour consisted of two parts: part one saw Flynn and MacEachern performing alongside new recruits, guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED) and British drummer Matt Alston (DEVILMENT, EASTERN FRONT); while part two featured "Burn My Eyes" played in its entirety for the first time ever, with original "Burn My Eyes"-era drummer Chris Kontos and Mader joining in.

New trio STONER, formed by desert rock and ex-KYUSS legends Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri, along with Ryan Güt, released a new concert film, "Live In The Mojave Desert: Vol IV", on March 20. A performance clip of the song "Own Yer Blues" can be seen below.

This was the final stream of the "Live In The Mojave Desert" series, deep in the heart of the California wilderness, which included additional performances from EARTHLESS, NEBULA, SPIRIT MOTHER and MOUNTAIN TAMER.

Brant told Outlaws Of The Sun about how STONER came together: "Nick called me up and wanted to jam. So we got together and we were having a blast and this felt right. It was cool all of us playing together. It felt like we were kids starting out again just playing for the fun of it without any outside pressure.

"We all put our musical influences into this via original jam sessions," he added. "This feels like a mixture of punk rock, metal, blues rock and hard rock. Some stuff we're already known for and some stuff that will surprise and hopefully entertain people."

Brant went on to call STONER "a full-time thing. We've got long-term plans for STONER and the music that we create. We're booking tour dates for 2022 onwards in Europe and possibly in the United States. Those plans are in the hands of our booking agents but we've been told the pandemic should be under more control next year and more areas will be open up for live performances to happen."

According to Bjork, "it's been nothing but fun playing with Nick and my drummer Ryan Güt. I wanted to do something different and STONER allowed me the opportunity to do this," he said. "This project feels right for me especially during the pandemic. It feels good vibing new ideas off Nick, who is one of my closest friends and I can't wait to perform these new songs to a live audience. As I feel these songs deserve to be heard by a live audience."

Inspired by PINK FLOYD's "Live At Pompeii 1972" concert documentary film, the "Live In The Mojave Desert" series consisted of five concert streams featuring five albums from five bands as well as including visuals by Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show filmed and recorded from the natural amphitheater of California's Mojave Desert. Each event lasted two hours which included an hour-long "Couchlock And Rock" session featuring a chat hosted by the California Desert Wizards alongside special guests including bandmembers and icons from the California Desert rock scene. The second hour featured the 1080p HD livestream concert film experience.

"In October 2020, we filmed and recorded five bands in four days, deep in the deep sand and iconic rocks of the desert," said "Live In The Mojave Desert" producer Ryan Jones. "It was a major undertaking to bring this many people and this much gear out to a very remote desert location. Including the bands, we had 25 people onsite daily. With only one road in, everyone and all the gear had to come up a half mile long hill of deep sand — 30 miles from nowhere. We had to hire local desert guys with huge 4x4 pickups to help. The Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show projected on a four-story high, double pyramid of boulders and we had a crack squad of filmmakers, photographers and recording engineers there to capture it all. It was insane, but it was worth it to see our favorite bands play again."

Each film will be released as a live album, with LP, CD, and DVD pre-orders available via Heavy Psych Sounds.

In a new interview with "Anders Bøtters Tiny TV", FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl reflected on the first time he met Australian hard rock legends AC/DC. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wasn't performing at the Grammys; I was presenting an award or something. I'm lucky to say that Paul McCartney is a friend, and I love him very much. As much as he's a hero of mine, he's also a very sweet man and a friend. And so he was in town too. And he called and said, 'What are you doing after the Grammys?' I said, 'I think maybe me and [FOO FIGHTERS bandmates] Pat and Taylor are just gonna have dinner.' And he said, 'Do you mind if me and Nancy [Paul's wife] come?' I'm, like, 'No. That'd be great.' So then he bumps into AC/DC in a hotel or something. And then they say, 'What are you doing after the show?' And he says, 'I'm gonna go have dinner with the FOO FIGHTERS.' And Paul said, 'Do you wanna come?' So Paul's wife calls my wife, and then my wife says, 'Hey, do you mind if AC/DC comes to dinner?' And I had never met AC/DC.

"When I was maybe — I don't know — 10 years old, I went to see that movie 'Let There Be Rock', the [AC/DC] live concert film, in a movie theater," Dave continued. "This is before I was punk rock. That was the first time I saw a performance and heard music that made me wanna fucking break something. And still to this day, I use that as reference for how I like to play a show. I wanna be like AC/DC 'Let There Be Rock'. That's a live band."

Circling back to the first time he met AC/DC, Dave concluded: "So then we had this beautiful night. And there was this jazz band. And it was one of the greatest nights of my entire life."

After Malcolm Young died in November 2017, Grohl posted a touching tribute to AC/DC's founding rhythm guitarist on social media. He wrote: "37 years ago, my friend Larry Hinkle and I went to see a midnight movie on a Friday night at the Uptown Theater in Washington D.C. It was 1980. We were 11 years old. The movie was 'Let There Be Rock'. And it changed my life.

"That film, a live AC/DC performance from Paris [in] 1979, is everything that live [rock] and roll should be. Sweaty. Loose. Loud. A relentless performance from the perfect band. It was the first time I lost control to music. The first time I wanted to be in a band. I didn't want to play my guitar anymore, I wanted to smash it.

"Thank you, Malcolm, for the songs, and the feel, and the cool, and the years of losing control to your rock and roll."

FOO FIGHTERS are continuing to promote their latest album, "Medicine At Midnight", which recently landed at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart with first-week sales of 64,000 copies in the U.S.

FOO FIGHTERS previously topped the chart with 2017's "Concrete And Gold" and 2011's "Wasting Light".

23,000 of "Medicine At Midnight"'s first-week sales came from vinyl LP sales, with CDs and digital albums registering 20,000 each.

"Medicine At Midnight" came out on February 5 via Roswell Records/RCA Records. The LP is a nine-song, 37-minute effort which was produced by the FOO FIGHTERS and Greg Kurstin.

Grammy executive producer Ben Winston has defended The Recording Academy for the way it recognized Eddie Van Halen at this year's Grammy Awards.

The legendary VAN HALEN axeman was included in Sunday night's "In Memoriam" segment at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, where The Recording Academy paid tribute to musicians who died in the past year. At one point in the segment, Eddie Van Halen's name flashed across the screen over a clip of him shredding a guitar solo while a spotlight shone on his iconic red-white-and-black guitar.

Eddie's son, Wolfgang Van Halen, later revealed in a social media post that he was approached by the Grammy producers to perform his father's signature guitar instrumental "Eruption" during the broadcast but that he declined. He also expressed his disappointment that Eddie was shown for only "15 seconds in the middle of four full performances for others we had lost." Wolfgang added: "What hurt the most was that he wasn't even mentioned when they talked about artists we lost in the beginning of the show. I know rock isn't the most popular genre right now (and the academy does seem a bit out of touch), but I think it's impossible to ignore the legacy my father left on the instrument, the world of rock and music in general. There will never be another innovator like him."

In a new interview with Variety, Winston confirmed that Wolfgang was asked to appear on the program and he explained the reason Van Halen ended up not getting a longer tribute during the event.

Ben said: "We had a call with [a rep for] Wolfgang before the show, and I asked him if he'd be willing to come on and play. He felt he didn't really want to do that, and I offered up eight or nine guitarists who maybe could. But instead, he felt like we should play a video of Eddie himself, because nobody could play like him, so that's what we did."

He continued: "I would have loved for it to be longer than it was, but Eddie was the only person in the whole 'In Memoriam' to play their own music, with no other faces being seen. I felt that was an appropriate tribute to him, but if Wolfgang didn't, I'm sorry about that, of course.

"It's such a horrific thing to lose a parent. We did the best that we felt we could."

Wolfgang wasn't the only one who felt The Recording Academy should have done better. SiriusXM DJ Eddie Trunk called out how short the memorial was in an Instagram post and noted, "So in a more than three hour show this is all the #grammys could muster for an ICON?! I am beyond outraged and disgusted."

Former VAN HALEN singer Gary Cherone, who took over when Sammy Hagar left the group (or was fired, depending on whom you ask) in 1996, was also upset by the tribute.

"Maybe an artist that reimagined how one plays an instrument, who continues to influence generations of musicians and, literally changed the course of rock 'n' roll deserves more than fifteen second at the Grammys," Cherone wrote on Twitter.

The Recording Academy regularly comes under fire for failing to include musicians who died in the past year, largely due to the time limitations of the broadcast. More than 800 names were considered for inclusion this year, according to Variety. On its web site, The Recording Academy included all of those names on a more comprehensive list, noting that the televised "In Memoriam" segment is meant to only highlight some of the artists who died this year, not necessarily all.

Eddie passed away in October at the age of 65.

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

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






#GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/fZK9oPUBVR

— Wolf Van Halen (@WolfVanHalen) March 15, 2021

MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson has reflected on the passing of the band's onetime drummer Nick Menza.

Nick died in May 2016 after suffering a heart attack during a concert with Chris Poland and Robertino "Pag" Pagliari in their band OHM: at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Menza passed away of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Regarding how he found out about Nick's death, Ellefson told "Waste Some Time With Jason Green" (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I remember we were in Albany, New York on the 'Dystopia' tour, and Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] called me in the middle of the night, in tears, just shaken up. He goes, 'Oh my God. Nick's dead.' I was, like, 'What?' It was the middle of the night. I was, like, 'Huh? Who is this?' And he said, he goes, 'Man, my son Justis just told me,' and I was, like, 'Oh my God.' So it was heart-wrenching.

"Look, despite it not working out musically, and kind of business-wise, with us there toward the end, there was definitely a brotherhood," Ellefson said about his late bandmate. "And I think especially with Dave and Nick — those two guys, they were buddies in a way probably the others of us weren't. Nick and I were kind of, like, health buddies — playing tennis and mountain bike riding, when I was sober and getting clean; he was big on that. But Dave and Nick had a very rock and roll, fun… They could hang. They had a cool friendship, I think."

Ellefson also talked about the failed reunion of MEGADETH's "Rust In Peace" lineup more than six years ago. The opportunity for MEGADETH's most celebrated lineup to regroup arose following the departures of guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover in 2014. Menza was approached by Mustaine and Ellefson to replace Drover at the end of that year, and he started working out new tracks with the band. But the plan collapsed after he was offered a contract he described as "very unfair."

"Nick and I were hanging about a year and a half before [his death]," Ellefson recalled. "That was when we reconnected. And he came down to Fallbrook, where Dave's house and the studio [was]. And we jammed. We tried to see if we could make a go of a 'Rust In Peace' reunion. And you could tell, as much as the ambition was there for it, it just didn't connect. It was probably like hooking up with an old girlfriend. You remember the good times from years past, and, for some reason, the magic's [gone]. It's funny — I just heard the HALL & OATES song today, 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling'. That's kind of what it was. And it just wasn't meant to be."

Last year, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman admitted that money was a major motivator for him when he was approached about taking part in a reunion of the "Rust In Peace" lineup.

Friedman had met with Mustaine and Ellefson at the 2015 NAMM show in Anaheim, California to discuss the reunion, which would have seen him and Menza back in the mix.

Friedman, who moved from America to Japan in 2003, opened up about about his reasons for turning down the MEGADETH reunion in Mustaine's new book, "Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece", which details the making of the iconic record "Rust In Peace".

"My main thing was I'd be happy to do it, but I'm not going to take less money than I'm already making to do it," Marty said in part.

"I'd been in Japan for more than ten years cultivating a career with solid rewards. I was making money not only for myself but also for my management and staff. My manager has been with me fifteen years.

"Everything was sound and solid professionally, and when the offer came up to all of a sudden join MEGADETH again, as long as I would not be making less money, I was ready to go," he said. "But I was certainly not going to take a loss to join a band that, frankly, at that point, didn't seem like they had too much to offer musically. A couple of members of the band had recently quit, and musically I hadn't heard anything that they've done in a long time. I didn't know about how relevant they continued to be in the music business. It wasn't like MEGADETH was on the tip of people's tongues, at least not in Japan. I had reached the point where people stopped immediately connecting me to MEGADETH and were talking about the things that I had done in Japan."

According to Friedman, part of the reason he turned down the MEGADETH reunion is the fact that the group is largely seen as Mustaine's solo project, with members coming and going every couple of albums.

"Had it been more of a band situation and not such a one-man, Dave Mustaine-main-man party, I might have considered doing it for a little less," Marty said. "But, at the end of the day, MEGADETH is so much Mustaine because that's the way he engineered it. I didn't feel that kind of camaraderie, the four-man diamond, THE BEATLES, KISS, METALLICA. I felt like I would be going out there and tour and it was going to be Mustaine's big success. If I'm going to do that, I'm certainly not going to lose money to do that; I was doing great on my own in Japan."

Mustaine told Loudwire that he was put off by Friedman's financial demands when the topic of a "Rust In Peace" reunion was broached.

"Marty has a really successful career in Japan where he makes quite a lot of money," Dave said. "And this is the part where I thought it was a little weird, where he said he said that he has to pay all his team while he's gone instead of just himself. 'Cause I thought we'll pay you what you're making so that's switching horses in the middle of the river — it's no big deal unless you fall off. And then when we found out that he wanted to sell his merch, his this, his that, his this, his that, then he wanted this crazy amount of money and he wanted to fly first class everywhere. I said to our management, 'I can't deal with this.'"

In a 2016 interview with the "Eddie Trunk Podcast", Mustaine confirmed that MEGADETH didn't hold any rehearsals with Friedman while attempting a reunion of the "Rust In Peace" lineup.

"Marty had sent some e-mails saying, 'Oh, man, you know, the fans have this self-inflated importance of 'Rust In Peace' beyond what it really is. And I was, like, 'Huh?'" Dave said. 'So I didn't know if that was a backhand to the face of the fans or not, but he had basically said that if we were gonna do anything, it had to be better than 'Rust In Peace'. And he sent me over some links to some songs that he thought should be the direction that we were going in, and one of it was this J-Pop band with some Japanese girl singing, and I was, like, 'Uh-uh. This ain't gonna work.' More power to [Marty for being into that stuff]. Do what you want, Marty. He's a great guitar player. But I'm not gonna sing like a Japanese girl."

Eddie Van Halen's son has confirmed that he was asked to pay musical tribute to his father at this year's Grammy Awards but that he declined.

The legendary VAN HALEN axeman was included in Sunday night's "In Memoriam" segment at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, where The Recording Academy paid tribute to musicians who died in the past year. At one point in the segment, Eddie Van Halen's name flashed across the screen over a 20-second archival clip of the virtuoso playing a live "Eruption" solo while a spotlight shone on his iconic Frankenstrat.

Not long after the section aired, a number of fellow musicians blasted The Recording Academy for its subdued treatment of Van Halen, with former VAN HALEN singer Gary Cherone tweeting: "Maybe an Artist that reimagined how one plays an instrument, who continues to influence generations of musicians and, literally changed the course of rock 'n' roll deserves more than fifteen seconds at the Grammys?"

Earlier today, Wolfgang Van Halen, who replaced Michael Anthony as VAN HALEN's bassist in 2007, issued a statement criticizing the way his father was honored at the event and explaining why he decided against participating in the tribute. He wrote: "The Grammys asked me to play 'Eruption' for the 'In Memoriam' section and I declined. I don't think anyone could have lived up to what my father did for music but himself.

"It was my understanding that there would be an 'In Memoriam' section where bits of songs were performed for legendary artists that had passed. I didn't realize that they would only show Pop for 15 seconds in the middle of 4 full performances for others we had lost.

"What hurt the most was that he wasn't even mentioned when they talked about artists we lost in the beginning of the show. I know rock isn't the most popular genre right now, (and the academy does seem a bit out of touch) but I think it's impossible to ignore the legacy my father left on the instrument, the world of rock, and music in general. There will never be another innovator like him.

"I'm not looking to start some kind of hate parade here, I just wanted to explain my side. I know Pop would probably just laugh it off and say 'Ehh who gives a shit?' He was only about the music anyway. The rest didn't matter.

"I'd love to get the opportunity to speak with The Recording Academy not only about the legacy of my father, but the legacy of the Rock genre moving forward.

"Thank you."

The Recording Academy regularly comes under fire for failing to include musicians who died in the past year, largely due to the time limitations of the broadcast. More than 800 names were considered for inclusion this year, according to Variety. On its web site, The Recording Academy included all of those names on a more comprehensive list, noting that the televised "In Memoriam" segment is meant to only highlight some of the artists who died this year, not necessarily all.

Eddie passed away in October at the age of 65.

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

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




#GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/fZK9oPUBVR

— Wolf Van Halen (@WolfVanHalen) March 15, 2021

During a recent appearance on the "Metal Blade Live Series", CANNIBAL CORPSE frontman George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher spoke about the possibility of a second album from SERPENTINE DOMINION, his collaboration with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz and ex-THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER drummer Shannon Lucas. He said (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I text with Adam D. here and there, and we always talk about it. He did say to me that he had a little intro thing written, but who knows? He might have used that for something else. I don't know. I haven't talked to him about it. But when I do talk to him, I try not to bug him; there's so much other shit going on in life and whatnot. We have had conversations about it, especially before all this [pandemic] stuff that happened. And somewhere down the line, it would be great to do another one. And I would love to actually do one and tour for it — get to do some shows for it.

"It's crazy — we put [the first album] out [in 2016], and it had a really good response, but I think it maybe went over people's heads. It's kind of like the PATHS OF POSSESSION records I did — I think it kind of went over people's heads when we put those two records out, because we didn't tour for 'em. Listen, you can put a record out and it can go just go largely unnoticed, no matter how famous the people who put it out are…

"A lot of people initially were into it, and then it might have waned a little bit, because we didn't get to tour for it. [Adam is] busy, I'm busy. He's in some band called KILLSWITCH ENGAGE; maybe you've heard of 'em — I mean, one of the biggest fucking metal bands there is. They were touring, and then we were…

"The first time that this whole thing was brought up was in 2009 when [CANNIBAL CORPSE] did Mayhem fest with [KILLSWITCH ENGAGE], and SLAYER and all the other bands. He brought it up to me about writing a record and doing a record with me. So, it took us, like, five years to get it done. Right now, as far as we know, Shannon, we haven't really talked to him, so nobody knows if he's been drumming or not, so it's possible we'd have to get somebody else [to play drums]. So there's some obstacles, but definitely it's on the radar, I would say. I would love to do it. And who knows? Knowing D., he'll probably message me if he sees this, and he'll be, like, 'I've got 10 songs. What are you fucking doing?' You never know."

The self-titled debut album from SERPENTINE DOMINION was made available in October 2016 via Metal Blade.

On the 2009 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, Lucas, who performed with THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER through 2012, was tapped to record drums on the LP. Between 2009 and 2016, CANNIBAL CORPSE and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE released three albums each, so scheduling time to work on SERPENTINE DOMINION was no easy feat — but when their rigorous schedules allowed, SERPENTINE DOMINION began to come together, with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE vocalist Jesse Leach penning the lyrics, which touch on corruption within the government, religion, big business, and other timely issues.

Former Theatre of Tragedy vocalist Liv Kristine - now fronting Coldbound - will release her new EP, Have Courage Dear Heart, on May 7th. The limited edition coloured vinyl version is now available for pre-order here.

Liv Kristine: "In my new compilation EP, I bring together nine tracks, thereof four new compositions and five of my favourite live songs. The title track 'Have Courage Dear Heart' originally existed as a mandolin tune, which my composer Tommy had sent me 'just for fun' early summer 2019. After I had recorded my vocals the song just started growing and shining. We really wanted to keep this underlying Morricone vibe and somehow the perfect sound just manifested like in an imaginary widescreen Western movie setting. The track 'Skylight', which was released as a strongly limited single in December 2019, got its own cathedral version. Moreover, we thought it was time to wipe off the dust from an old, brilliant demo 'Serenity', which expresses this cool 'kick-ass-Saturday-morning' drive vibe. All compositions deal with deeply personal issues such as the beauty of nature, the universe and its laws, twin-soul connection, self-love, narcissism, healing and finding a voice. 

The live tracks were chosen arbitrarily. It is the first time I am releasing live recordings. They were played at my eighth annual special show in Nagold (Germany) in 2019. 'Siren' (Theatre of Tragedy, Aégis, 1998) seems to be one of my audience’s long-time favourites, as well as 'Panic', unmasking the abuser, the traditional 'Ave Maria' (special request from my audience) and my new compositions 'Skylight' and 'Gravity'. 

Tommy, Andy and Eroc did a brilliant job in their studios, as well as my band, the audience and Chris behind the mixing desk at Alte Seminarturnhalle Nagold (Germany) on December 20th, 2019. 

Thank you, Michael, Allegro Talent Media for encouraging me to release this EP 'on our own.' I know that my fans have become accustomed to waiting patiently between my albums. This is, after all, half-way to the album. I needed to devote myself to family life, finding my own voice, trust, freedom, seeing the whole, the balancing powers and the given abundance of the universe. I had to learn to open up my heart and release fears. I did, and I found unconditional love. The cover artwork conveys that frequency of having found my passionate authentic voice, that divine truth and source in my heart."

Tracklist:

"Serenity"
"Have Courage Dear Heart"
"Skylight"
"Gravity"
"Skylight" (cathedral version)
"Panic" (Live in Nagold 2019)
"Siren" (Live in Nagold 2019)
"Skylight" (Live in Nagold 2019)
"Gravity" (Live in Nagold 2019)
"Ave Maria" (Live in Nagold 2019)




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Torn Between Two Worlds featuring former Angtoria bandmates Sarah Jezebel Deva and Chris Rehn have released their debut single, "The Beauty Of Deception". It is now available on all streaming platforms. Sarah has checked in with the following update:

"'All Eyes On Me' will be the follow up single to 'The Beauty Of Deception' by Torn Between Two Worlds, the new project by Chris Rehn and I. This music is in exactly the same style as Angtoria, the band formed by Chris and I so many years ago and that for some reason still has a massive place in many hearts. So please keep buying/streaming the first single and of course watch our lockdown video in which I spent ages trying to apply make up, did the school run, got out the car and by the time I did the video, it looked like I had been dragged into a bush and bummed by a storm! More news to follow and as ever, I thank you. We thank you...."

Go to the official Torn Between Two Worlds Bandcamp page here. The official lyric video for the song is available below.

Following is an excerpt from BraveWords' recent interview with Sarah and Chris about the demise of Angtoria and launching Torn Between Two Worlds.

BraveWords: How long has this comeback been in planning even though you aren't using the Angtoria name anymore?

Chris: "In planning... well, Sarah and I met back in 2001 and started talking about working together, so it's been in planning ever since then. We've did some demo tracks with this particular project back in 2003, and that escalated and evolved into Angtoria in 2006. This particular track has been in planning for the last five years; not five years in the making, just in the planning. Sarah and I are both busy with our families and work, so trying to find the time to do things for fun versus for work... those are two different things. And when you're working 18 hours a day and trying to set time aside to do music for fun, it isn't easy."

Sarah: "There was a period after the release of God Has A Plan For Us All... I was passionate about it, but I favoured one particular band over everything else, so I am probably 99% the reason for why Angtoria failed. I stupidly put myself into something else where there was no loyalty. The response we got for Angtoria was amazing, so I'm the one to blame. And in the meantime, while I was stalling everything and getting on with another band, people had to get on with their lives while they were waiting for me. I think there was a period where Chris and I weren't in touch, and there was no reason for that. It's just that life goes by really, really fast. You don't realize it until you're speaking to someone saying 'My daughter is 21...' and the last time I saw her she was six years-old. By the time I'd decided we need to do something else with Angtoria, Chris wasn't free. There were a couple times where we did try to get something together but Chris would then disappear for months on end and I'd get really crappy about it. I didn't realize what Chris had been doing behind-the-scenes for his life and his family. The point where I wanted to pick it up and continue, I was a bit disappointed because Chris wasn't as free as he was with Angtoria. We have tried to do stuff and it hasn't worked, and that's because Chris has much bigger priorities. His career has to be the first priority."

"I'd had enough of music and I walked away. I'd had enough of the lies and the egos, the backstabbing, the false face that you have to wear for one person and a different face for another person. I started to do a few little bits here and there, did some guest appearances with bigger bands and I guess the mojo, as Austin Powers would put it, started to come back (laughs). Chris wrote two songs a few years ago and I recorded the vocals with Dan Abela, who was part of my Sarah Jezebel Deva solo band. Those recordings got put on the backburner; nothing happened. I was always waiting for Chris but he didn't have the time. So, to make a painfully long story short (laughs), I suppose this lockdown pushed things forward. And then being in touch with people like Lindsay Schoolcraft and Charles (Hedger / guitars) from Mayhem who gave me a kick in the backside to do music again."

Read the complete feature here.

Photos used with kind permission of Sarah Jezebel Deva and Chris Rehn




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Mnemosyne Productions is happy to announce that Ihsahn will be playing an exclusive set at Munin.live on April 4th, streaming from his hometown Notodden, remiering both of his latest EPs Telemark and Pharos in their entirety. The set will also include excerpts from Das Seelenbrechen, and feature Einar Solberg from Leprous. Get your tickets here. There are a few available seats at the actual show; get those tickets here.

In 2020, Ihsahn once again pushed the boundaries of unconstrained creation with the release of his striking single/video tribute to Norwegian pop pioneers, a-ha. He has shared the video for his cover of the band's "Manhattan Skyline," which appears on his Pharos EP. The version features the phenomenal vocal talents of Einar Solberg of Leprous. Watch the video below.

"Manhattan Skyline" was originally released by a-ha in 1986 and reached #13 in the UK Singles Chart. With a refresh for 2020, Ihsahn has produced a delicate but true-to-the-original tribute, combining a soft, ballad-like verse that explodes into a bombastic rock chorus featuring all the melodramatic grandeur of the original.

Directed and filmed by Troll Toftenes, the video sees Ihsahn at his most passionate. With the breathtaking landscape of Norway as the backdrop, Ihsahn plays his Aristides T/0 Lilac Pearl Satin Guitar atop Gaustatoppen, the highest mountain in Norway, at sunset while Solberg's earnest and emotional vocals soar to otherworldly levels of brilliance.

Ihsahn admits that his love of a-ha is not new, saying, "There are some hints of a-ha even on the second Emperor album!"

This revelation may frustrate followers of the orthodoxy present within extreme music. But for Ihsahn, he has never worried about being confined to certain expectations.

"I never wanted to be as one-dimensional [with] this black metal image," the artist explains. "When I turned 40, I stopped caring. But if you start out playing black metal when you're 16, it's hardly because you want to be everybody's favorite."

Pharos is another triumph for Ihsahn, a polymathic composer who has already leant his iconoclastic spirit to rule-breaking bands and projects. He has yet again woven intricate, sonic landscapes that cement his status as a true musical alchemist. Recorded at his home studio, with additional drums by Tobias Solbakk at Jukes Joint Studio, Pharos is musically and conceptually a reverse image of Telemark — the first of the two linked EPs, released back in February of this year.

The light to Telemark's dark, Pharos features three original compositions and another cover, which is the haunting "Roads," which was originally done by British trip-hop collective Portishead.  

Pharos EP tracklisting:

"Losing Altitude"
"Spectre At The Feast"
"Pharos"
"Roads" (Portishead)
"Manhattan Skyline" (a-ha) featuring Einar Solberg of Leprous

"Spectre At The Feast" video:




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New York-based progressive modern metal quartet Gizmachi has revealed a new lyric video for the title track of their new album, Omega Kaleid, which was released last Friday.

“‘Omega Kaleid’ is the epic ending song,” says guitarist Mike Laurino. “I remember early on when the song was just completed, we pretty much agreed it would be the finale to the album. From the ending harmony guitars paired with the vocals, this solidified the closing of the album.”

Bassist Kris Gilmore adds, “‘Omega Kaleid’ is a journey that takes you down many emotional avenues. In the end it makes me tear up, has me looking like Gary Busey, on a bad day, but leaves me wanting more.”

Omega Kaleid is the long-awaited follow-up to Gizmachi’s 2005 debut, The Imbuing, which was released via Slipknot percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan’s Big Orange Clown label. Produced and engineered by guitarist Jay Hannon and mixed by Mark Lewis (Devildriver, White Chapel, The Black Dahlia Murder), Omega Kaleid showcases the group’s signature sound - a mixture of brutally melodic vocals, odd time signatures and epic guitar solos.

Gizmachi’s whopping 16 year hiatus was unintentional, as the band initially took a break to allow drummer Jimmie Hatcher to heal from a painful wrist condition, but was then faced with a myriad of setbacks. Finally, after scheduling conflicts resulted in a lineup change, Gizmachi called on Soilwork vocalist Bjorn Strid, who happily accepted the band’s invitation to help them complete the record.

Omega Kaleid tracklisting:

"Winter"
"Paradox"
"Broken Ends"
"Turned To Dust"
"Sky"
"Inner Visions"
"Shattered Dream"
"Look What I’ve Become"
"Trick My Soul"
"New Day (Everything To Lose)"
"Omega Kaleid"

"Broken Ends":

"Look What I’ve Become":

Lineup:

Jay Hannon - guitars
Mike Laurino - guitars/Vocals
Kris Gilmore - bass
Jimmie Hatcher - drums
Björn Strid - vocals

 




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Prog titans Poverty's No Crime have revealed their new video "Hollow Phrases". The track is the first to be shared from the band's upcoming eighth album, A Secret To Hide, set for international release on April 30th via Metalville Records - just in time for the band's 30th anniversary!

About the new song, vocalist / guitarist Volker Walsemann explains: "So much is said, written, or posted these days - most of it has little substance or meaning. I myself sometimes have doubts whether what I write, especially in my texts, has real depth or are just hollow phrases. Basically, one should always choose one's words carefully or better keep silent. The song is a plea for more truthfulness and honesty in communication between people."

After the release of the successful predecessor Spiral Of Fear in 2016 and the joint tour with Psychotic Waltz, Poverty's No Crime was quickly back in work mode.

"The band was back in full force," singer / guitarist Volker Walsemann sums up the situation. "That really gave us a boost after being barely active for so long. We took a lot of inspiration from that time. The great response to the album and then being onstage together again were the main motivation for us to tackle this album and put all our energy into it."

The result is a musically multifaceted work that dares to break out of the genre boundaries again and again. It is hard melodic rock music, which is sometimes more "rock" and sometimes goes more clearly in the direction of "metal." The band shapes its own style, takes the freedom to elaborate its songs in detail. Poverty's No Crime show a consistent feeling for catchy melodies, and they always know how to put their instrumental skills in the service of the song. A Secret To Hide impresses with many details, precisely worked-out instrumental passages, and coherent, crisp hook-lines.

Once again, the album was mixed and mastered by DGM guitarist and mastermind Simone Mularoni at Domination Studio in San Marino. That Poverty's No Crime and Mularoni have become a well-rehearsed team in the meantime is shown by the "wall of sound" with which the album impresses: a clearly impressive listening impression that gives space to all instruments, but also has powerful pressure and intensity.

"With this album, we want to give courage and self-confidence to all people in these difficult times," explains Volker, who started writing the lyrics at the beginning of Lockdown 2020, a time when everyone's life was turned upside down. "Music is not just entertainment for us, but it is intense interaction in one's own thought processes. This is expressed not only musically, but especially in the lyrics. Lyrically, I process what I wouldn't say to anyone else like that, but can say through the music - my inner attitude towards life."

A Secret To Hide will be released via Metalville on April 30th.

Tracklist:

"Supernatural"
"Hollow Phrases"
"Flesh And Bone"
"Grey To Green"
"Within The Veil"
"The Great Escape"
"Schizophrenic"
"In The Shade"

 




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The Swedish-Chilean blackened thrash metal outfit Siniestro unleashes their new video single “One Last Bullet One Last Ride”. Filmed in the mountains of Gran Canaria, Siniestro showcases how you can combine black, thrash and GG Allin in a masterly manner.

The track is taken from the duo’s upcoming full length album, Vortexx, due to be released on May 14 via Black Lodge Records.

Stream / buy “One Last Bullet One Last Ride” here. Pre-order Vortexx at this location..

Vortexx tracklisting:

"One Last Bullet One Last Ride"
"Vortex"
"Blod Eld Död"
"Black Acid Rain"
"Hiisi" (Instrumental)
"Escape By Death"
"Den Svartaste Flamman Och Renaste Hat"
"Buried In The Bog"
"Anti Human Commando"
"My Innermost Sun" (Instrumental)

 




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Norwegian doom / goth metal pioneers Theatre Of Tragedy, who called it quits in 2010 and played their final show on October 2nd of that year, are gearing up to release a special 25th anniversary deluxe vinyl edition of the band's second album, Velvet Darkness They Fear, through Cosmic Key Creations. Following in the footsteps of the 25th Anniversary package released for the band's self-titled debut released in 2020, this deluxe edition of Velvet Darkness They Fear will feature brand new liner notes, bonus tracks, and unreleased photos from the band's vault. 

It is now available for pre-order here.

"Cosmic Key Creations proudly presents the 25th anniversary deluxe double LP edition for the second album from gothic doom pioneers THEATRE OF TRAGEDY that was the band's breakthrough album. This re-issue comes on 180 gram vinyl in a deluxe glossy gatefold jacket, enriched with champagne gold hotfoil stamping and black flood inside. Additionally this release comes with an 8 panel booklet on LP size and printed on raw recycled paper stock, containing exclusive liner notes by the producer, previously unpublished pictures, and a recent and extensive interview with the band about the album.

The release comes with 4 bonus tracks of which one version is completely unreleased. The ultimate edition for a very special and unique album that has stood the test of time. The entire release is especially mastered for vinyl."

Pressing Info:
400x clear with gold and purple splatter
400x gold / purple swirl
200x black
20x test pressing
180 gram vinyl
gatefold jacket
glossy lamination
8 panel stapled 12" booklet
champagne gold hotfoil
black flood inside

Tracklist:

Side A
"Velvet Darkness They Fear"
"Fair and 'Guiling Copesmate Death"
"Bring Forth Ye Shadow"

Side B
"Seraphic Deviltry"
"And When He Falleth"    
"Der Tanz der Schatten"

Side C
"Black as the Devil Painteth"
"On Whom the Moon Doth Shine"
"The Masquerader and Phoenix"

Side D (bonus material)
"Der Tanz Der Schatten" (Demo)
"Black As The Devil Painteth" (Demo)
"And When He Falleth" (Demo)
"A Rose For The Dead" (Demo - Swanö Master)

Watch the Cosmic Key Creations Facebook page here for updates.

Velvet Darkness They Fear was released on August 18th, 1996 via Massacre Records. It was issued in North America by Century Media Records in 1997. The album was produced, engineered and mixed by Pete Coleman, who would return to work on the band's third album, Aegis, released in 1998.




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Italian Gothic metallers Cadaveria have released an official trailer for their forthcoming single, "Shamanic Path", which will be released on March 31st. Check it out below.

It is available to pre-save / pre-order here.

Cadaveria recently released a music video for their new single, “Divination”. Stream / download the single here, and watch the clip below.

Produced by Morbid Vision Italy, this opus, freely inspired by the Candomblé ritual of reading the Buzios, was shot in a loft in Turin and along the Dora Baltea river banks in North Italy.

The clip was filmed and edited by Marçelo Santos. Photography by Marçelo Santos. Camera assistant: Albo Giolito. Editing assistant: Cadaveria herself. Main character: Monica Tomaino. Make up: Jacob Angel.




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Scorpions have uploaded pro-shot video of an acoustic medley live from Brooklyn in 2015 as part of their Return To Forever Tour. It features the Scorpions songs "Always Somewhere", "Eye Of The Storm" and "Send Me An Angel".

Scorpions have 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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Ricky Warwick from Black Star Riders (and Thin Lizzy) contributed two songs to Wacken's streaming festival Wacken World Wide during the pandemic summer of 2020. CHeck out his acoustic performances of "The Killer Instinct" and "In The Shadow Of The War Machine" below.

Warwick's new studio album, When Life Was Hard And Fast, is available via Nuclear Blast. Order the album in various formats, including a 2CD digipack which includes the bonus covers album Stairwell Troubadour, here.

For the process of recording the album, Ricky was joined by Robert Crane (bass), Xavier Muriel (drums) and Keith Nelson (guitar) as well as a number of special guests including Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, Andy Taylor formerly of Duran Duran, Thunder's Luke Morley, Dizzy Reed of the mighty Guns 'N Roses and even Ricky's daughter Pepper. Keith also produced the new album, having previously worked with Buckcherry, Blackberry Smoke and Alice Cooper.

When Life Was Hard And Fast tracklisting:

"When Life Was Hard And Fast"
"You Don't Love Me"
"I'd Rather Be Hit"
"Gunslinger"
"Never Corner A Rat"
"Time Don't Seem To Matter"
"Fighting Heart"
"I Don't Feel At Home"
"Still Alive"
"Clown Of Misery"
"You're My Rock N Roll"

Stairwell Troubadour tracklisting:

"You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" (Dead Or Alive cover)
"Ooops!...I Did It Again" (Britney Spears cover)
"Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran cover)
"1000 Dollar Car" (Bottle Rockets cover)
"Cocaine Blues" (Johnny Cash cover)
"I Don't Want To Grow Up" (Ramones cover)
"I Fought The Law" (The Clash cover)
"Burning Love" (Elvis Presley cover)
"Jesus Loves You...But I Don't" (The Almighty cover)
"Wrathchild" (Iron Maiden cover)

"You're My Rock N Roll" lyric video:

"When Life Was Hard And Fast" video:

"You Don't Love Me" video:

"Fighting Heart" video:




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Swedish heavy metal commando Enforcer have released their second live album, Live By Fire II, which is now available through Nuclear Blast Records as Gatefold 2LP with 16-LP sized booklet, CD with 28-page booklet, and digital album. Physical formats of the release include extensive booklets containing a tour program, liner notes and tons of photos compiled and designed by vocalist/guitarist Olof Wikstrand recapturing Enforcer’s touring cycle for the albums From Beyond and Zenith during the years 2015 - 2020.

Check out the full concert stream:

Live By Fire II offers an intense and passionate performance captured in front of a truly dedicated and wild audience in Mexico City, 2019. Live By Fire II lets you experience Enforcer at the top of their game and marks an outstanding live record documenting the group’s steady path to global recognition in recent years. It also serves as a stunning reminder of how many heavy metal anthems Enforcer have crafted on their total of five studio albums so far! From the speed metal attack of "Destroyer." "Searching For You," "Midnight Vice" to perfect sing-alongs like "From Beyond," "One Thousand Years In Darkness." and "Take Me Out Of This Nightmare," the enthusiastic crowd and powerful sound of Live By Fire II result in a captivating and extremely entertaining listen.

Physical formats of the release will be including extensive booklets containing a tour program, liner notes and tons of photos compiled and designed by vocalist/guitarist Olof Wikstrand recapturing ENFORCER’s touring cycle for the albums From Beyond and Zenith during the years 2015-2020. Live By Fire II will be released as Gatefold 2LP with 16-LP sized booklet, CD with 28-page booklet, and digital album.

Pre-order the album in the format of your choice, here.

The full video of the entire show will be premiered on the release date. Set a reminder here.

Tracklisting:

"Die For The Devil"      
"Searching For You"     
"Undying Evil "  
"From Beyond"
"Bells Of Hades" + "Death Rides This Night"        
"Zenith Of The Black Sun"        
"Live For The Night"     
"Mesmerized By Fire"  
"One Thousand Years Of Darkness"  
Guitar Solo + City Lights Jam
"Scream Of The Savage"          
Drum Solo      
"Run For Your Life"       
"Take Me Out Of This Nightmare"       
"Destroyer"       
"Katana"           
"Midnight Vice"

"From Beyond" live video:

Lineup:

Olof Wikstrand - vocals, guitars
Jonas Wikstrand - drums, piano & keyboards
Tobias Lindqvist - bass
Jonathan Nordwall - guitars




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Four years after their Bloodwinter epic, German pagan metallers Wolfchant return with new energy and nine hotly forged irons. Their seventh studio album, Omega : Bestia, is to be released on April 9 via Reaper Entertainment. Pre-order here.

The second digital single, "Der Geist und die Dunkelheit", is available now on every major streaming platform. The official video of the song can be seen below.

The band states: "With ‘Der Geist und die Dunkelheit’ we can finally present the second video of our new album Omega: Bestia. For us one of the most epic and fastest songs on the album which, as the name suggests, is the theme of the film of the same name from the perspective of the lions. Fortunately, we were able to finish the video on time with a lot of effort taking all Covid19 precautionary measures."

On the new album the popular mixture of extreme metal mixed with timeless melodies, driving riffs and epic parts as well as the aggressive screams and the choral vocals were retained and expanded with a lot of flair by several nuances.

Album art by Peter Salai:

Tracklisting:

“Omega : Bestia”
“Komet”
“Into Eternal Darkness”
“Im Zeichen des Tiers”
“Der Geist und die Dunkelheit”
“Bestie”
“Jäger der Nacht”
“Out In The Dark”
“The Flame”

"Der Geist und die Dunkelheit":

"Komet" video:

Wolfchant are:

Lokhi - Vocals
Nortwin - Vocals
Skaahl - Guitar
Seehb - Guitar
Ghust - Drums




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Germany's Motorjesus play a high-octane mixture of classic heavy metal and dirty hard rock, with a tour history that includes supporting Motörhead, Anthrax, Prong and many more. Their last studio album, Race To Resurrection, hit the German Album Charts at #42 which was their highest position in Germany's Media Control Charts to date. 

New album Hellbreaker is due to be released on April 9 via AFM Records. New single and video for "Car Wars" is streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“Drive Through Fire”
“Battlezone”
“Hellbreaker”
“Beyond The Grave”
“Dead Rising”
“Car Wars”
“Firebreather”
“Lawgiver”
“Black Hole Overload”
“Back To The Bullet”

"Car Wars" video:

"Hellbreaker" video:

"Dead Rising" lyric video:

Check out the official Motorjesus Facebook page here for information and updates.




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San Diego's Monarch are declaring "Nuclear Warfare" with their new thrashing music video in support of their upcoming sophomore album Future Shock due out April 16.

The video is a slamming assault, showcasing the Wacken Metal Battle USA champions' loud speedball riffs till the very end. The track was originally written by vocalist/guitarist Matt Smith as an assignment for a composition course while earning his Associate of Arts in Classical Music Degree. It's a full circle Metal-education!

Compared to their first, very DIY album, Future Shock was done professionally at Clarity Recordings in El Cajon, California, and is a big step forward for the band both musically and sonically. It explores the entire spectrum of Monarch’s creativity, with each song varying in sound but maintains a cohesive feeling. The band comments on the album:

“We’re all just super excited to get this album out to everyone because I think everyone right now needs something new to get excited about. At the time of this release, the world is still under quarantine from the COVID-19 virus in parts of the world and we think it will be a welcome escape from having to worry so much right now. We should all be cautious of course, but we can't make our lives not worth living. This album really inspires us to write even better and we're still amazed at how it came out. We look forward to hearing its response by fans and getting to play it live and loud again.”

Future Shock is out on April 16, 2021. CD / Vinyl preorder here.

Tracklisting:

“Blast The Seed”
“Khaos Warrior”
“Future Shock”
“Nuclear Warfare”
“Shred Or Die!”
“Multiverse”
“Fatal Vector”
“Collison Of Bones”
“Swarm Of The Whorenet”
“Metal Soul”

"Nuclear Warfare" video:

“Future Shock” video:

(Photo – Astrid Anaya)




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SUNBOMB, the project featuring L.A. GUNS' Tracii Guns and STRYPER's Michael Sweet, will release its debut album, "Evil And Divine", on May 14 via Frontiers Music Srl. The official music video for the second single, "Life", can be seen below.

According to a press release, "Evil And Divine" is "an absolute blinder of a heavy metal album, melding influences of classic metal bands such as BLACK SABBATH and JUDAS PRIEST, with Tracii's love of metal subgenres, specifically doom metal."

Initiated and conceived after Serafino Perugino, president and A&R director of Frontiers Music Srl, reached out to Tracii about working on a new musical project for the label, the idea of a classic heavy metal-sounding album was born. The music style on "Evil And Divine" is much heavier than what one would expect from these two musicians and is firmly planted in the "metal" category. While Tracii wrote the music for the album, the fact that Michael Sweet has been writing/playing in an increasingly heavier style in the latter era, and extremely well-received STRYPER albums made him a very logical choice to sing for the band. And since doom metal, often known for having powerful singers like Messiah Marcolin from CANDLEMASS, was a massive influence on Tracii's songwriting here, Sweet's ability and range were a perfect match.

Tracii told Talking Metal about SUNBOMB: "The greatest thing about Michael and I is that we have the same influences in music, we're great friends, and we have completely opposite ideologies — completely; on every level. And we laugh about it. We are two guys, when put together, we do discuss these things without any judgment. It's just, like, 'Hey, I respect your opinion. Cool.' Whether it's religion, politics — it doesn't matter; we get along.

"It kind of came to be where when we did 'The Devil You Know' record, which is [L.A. GUNS'] last studio album, I wanted to tour with STRYPER," he continued. "Of course I wanted to tour with STRYPER — it's like the 'Heaven And Hell' tour. And Michael wanted to do it too. We couldn't get promoters to okay it. They were just, like, 'Oh, man. C'mon.' It's, like, what happened to the music industry? It's, like, this is fun. This is great. This is literally combining two rock audiences that love the same style of music, but two separate audiences; a great opportunity. So, anyways, we couldn't make it happen. So Michael and I just kept talking. And then I got a solo deal with Frontiers, who L.A. GUNS is on, and STRYPER has done records with Frontiers. And I started writing this stuff that's super metal, man. It's awesome; I totally love this album. And I sent Michael a couple of tunes and said, 'Hey, I want you to sing on this stuff.' I go, 'It's a great opportunity for us to do something together after talking about it for two years.' And he goes, 'Yeah. Totally. This is insane. This music is insane.' And I'm, like, 'All right. Cool.' So, a lot of time went by, and finally I started getting the tracks back from him, with his vocal. And it's mindblowing."

Regarding SUNBOMB's musical direction, Guns said: "I compare it — in my catalog, my personal catalog — to BLACK SABBATH's 'Born Again' album. That album is so different than any other BLACK SABBATH album, yet it's BLACK SABBATH. It's a hundred percent Tony Iommi, but Ian Gillan is singing. That's what this record is like — I hear my riffs and my style times a hundred; it's what I do normally, but extra strength. And Michael's voice is insane, man — he's so good."

Tracii leaked the news of the new project in a March 2019 tweet, where he described the project's debut LP as "the metal record I would have made when I was 17 years old."

Drums on the album were handled by Tracii's old L.A. GUNS bandmate Adam Hamilton, and bass was recorded by Mitch Davis, with the exception of the track "They Fought", which features current L.A. GUNS bassist Johnny Martin.

Michael said: "Hard to believe that I met Tracii for the first time just a few years ago. We hit it off right away and we obviously share the same love for metal.

"Tracii sent me a song and I loved the vibe and then he eventually asked me to sing on the entire album.

"What I love about it is it's definitely different not only for me, but for Tracii as well. I think fans will love this album, and although it's reminiscent of some of the greatest metal bands of the past, it also has a fresh spin to it. I can't wait for everyone to hear it! I'm honored to be a part of it."

"Evil And Divine" track listing:

01. Life

02. Take Me Away

03. Better End

04. No Tomorrows

05. Born To Win

06. Evil And Divine

07. Been Said And Done

08. Stronger Than Before

09. Story Of The Blind

10. World Gone Wrong

11. They Fought

Recording lineup:

Tracii Guns - Guitars

Michael Sweet - Vocals

Adam Hamilton - Drums

Mitch Davis - Bass

Johnny Martin - Bass (on "We Fought")

MESHUGGAH appears to have commenced the recording process for its new album.

Earlier today (Friday, March 19), the Swedish extreme tech-metal pioneers shared an Instagram photo of their drum setup at a recording studio, but didn't offer any other details.

MESHUGGAH's latest album, "The Violent Sleep Of Reason", came out in 2016 and resulted in a "Best Metal Performance" Grammy nomination for the song "Clockworks". The disc was produced by the band and was engineered by Tue Madsen of Puk Studios in Kaerby, Denmark.

Last October, MESHUGGAH drummer Tomas Haake confirmed to Knotfest.com's "Mosh Talks With Beez" that the band had spent much of the downtime during the COVID-19 pandemic working on material for a new album.

"Since March, we all kind of separated, and Jens [Kidman, vocals] took all his stuff and started working from home," he said. "And me and Dick [Lövgren, bass], the bass player, we usually work a lot together, but he also worked separately since then. But at this point, we're back together, and we're trying to hammer it out."

According to Haake, working remotely hadn't posed any huge any problems for him and his bandmates so far.

"By now, Internet is so fast, even huge files — like gigabyte files — you can just send 'em back and forth; it's not really a big problem," he explained. "So we've been able to keep working. But it's still at a fifth or a tenth of the pace that you normally would have when you're working together [in person]… Just changing one riff… Every single little thing you're trying to do or adjust within a song or an idea takes days instead of maybe hours when you're sitting together at the studio.

"If you're a band that kind of jam up stuff or you kind of write together as a band in the rehearsal space or whatever, it would obviously be very different, if you can't do that. We're not really that type of band, and we haven't really been that type of band since the early '90s, mid-'90s. So for us, it's not that big of a deal. We write separately a lot of stuff. And Mårten [Hagström, guitar], he lives up north — he works at home on his stuff. Me and Dick, the bass player, we work on stuff here, usually together. Jens works separately from us and so on.

"Since we program drums — that's kind of how we do demos nowadays. We don't go into the studio and record demos, like we used to. So for us, programming drums and recording into the computer and doing it that way, that's kind of how we've been doing it for so long now. So, fortunately, I would say, this hasn't really hampered us that much, other than just the time aspect of things."

Speaking in more details about the MESHUGGAH songwriting process, Tomas said: "It does take us quite a bit of time with each album. And we're also very easily distracted. We don't write on the road. Some bands, you see they have gear set up in their bus and they're constantly writing. We're not that type of band. We really need to just have time completely off and preferably not even a gig date in the calendar. That way, we can kind of relax and get into the writing and get into that modus."

Asked how far into the writing process for the new MESHUGGAH album he and his bandmates were, Haake said: "I think we have most of the material for the new album. It takes a long time for us between each album, and this time, due to COVID as well, it's gonna be longer than usual, I think. Right now, we're aiming at a release in late '21. Then the question mark right now is, is touring even gonna happen at that point? And if not, do you release the album or do you hold off with it and try to make money some other ways, like doing live shows on the Internet or whatever? So, yeah, it's time consuming, for sure. We tend to scrutinize everything we do a lot, too, so… I think, to some degree, you just turn kind of insane over time when you try to do this thing, because we always try to challenge ourselves and we always try to find something that [we] haven't done before. But we've done this for 30 years now, so it's harder and harder to find what's special with this — like, 'This riff, is it cool enough? Or what's going on?' So you tend to kind of overly scrutinize things. And sometimes you just kind of paint yourself into a corner with that kind of thinking. And sometimes you even realize, 'I can't even listen to this. Why would we release anything like this? It doesn't even make sense.' So you have to find kind of a balance. What's a good balance of a song or an album as far as technical aspects? And what do people wanna hear? What do we wanna hear? And hopefully we can get to some kind of good level of mix in that. But that's always an aspect too. And definitely with the years that we've put into it, we definitely feel like we're more and more locked. It just gets more and more narrow. With each album, you're just kind of in a tighter and tighter space."

Regarding the musical direction of the new MESHUGGAH material, Tomas said: "Of course, we have a certain framework that we still wanna sound like MESHUGGAH, we wanna have that signature sound, we want people to be able to — even if they haven't heard the song [before] — in the best-case scenario, it's, like, 'Oh, that's gotta be MESHUGGAH,' even if it's a brand new thing. So hopefully that's something we're aiming at. But with that said, as far as the music goes, we try to [do] kind of the opposite of what AC/DC has been doing for 40 years. So we're not trying to write the same album over and over. And whether we succeed with that or not, that's more up to our fans and other people, but that's definitely the aim. We try our best to kind of find new grips within the framework of what we're supposed to be, I guess. 'Cause we don't wanna really step out of that either. We're not looking to be another band all of a sudden or something that we haven't been or that is not true to kind of what we're doing."

Haake said that MESHUGGAH has fared better during the coronavirus-related music shutdown than most other artists.

"We know a lot of bands that just had their album out or just finished something and were just about to go on tour, and this [pandemic] happened," he said. "So, of course, we feel with 'em — that's no fun. We were fortunate enough [in that] we just kind of finished the tour run for [MESHUGGAH's last album] 'The Violent Sleep Of Reason', so we're just writing. We played a lot the last few years, so we had a good amount of cash in the bank to keep us afloat for a while, so we've been really fortunate in all this compared to a lot of bands that are just — they're done. What are they supposed to do?"
























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