During an appearance on the latest episode of the "WTF With Marc Maron" podcast, David Lee Roth spoke about his decision to leave VAN HALEN in 1985 to pursue a solo career.

"Why did it fracture? 'Cause all rock bands fracture," he explained. "It turns into diverse interests. People have the friction of time. And that friction is family; that friction is… sometimes it's partying, but I don't know if that's what really separated VAN HALEN.

"There were always creative differences," Roth continued. "We never got along. It was a beautiful, beautiful pairing of… You've seen cowboy movies where the guys are always sabotaging each other but they're working to somehow accomplish something. And I think you'll see that in a lot of popular bands. They may have gotten through it, but I don't know that we ever really grew up and became gentrified. Now, that may not be a good thing; a part of me remained 23 years old forever."

Roth reunited with VAN HALEN in 2007 after 23 years apart and released a comeback album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", in 2012.

"VAN HALEN's perfect, and I always sensed that perfect would get back together — perfect in its imperfections," David said. "Think of your most ruined jeans that barely are jeans. They're your favorite because of the holes in 'em… Your favorite part of your cowboy boots is the fucked up part… That kind of imperfection, we value that and we still have it — it's in the music, and it makes the music more popular than ever."

Asked if he could sit down with the Van Halen brothers today and have dinner, David said: "Nope. Not even close. Not even close. This is not a golf club. This is a little closer to 'The Wild Bunch'. There is a fury and an antagonism, and what comes out of that is, when it's good — oh, man."

VAN HALEN has been inactive since it completed its U.S. tour in October 2015 in Los Angeles, California.

The trek was VAN HALEN's first since an aborted North American run three years earlier in support of "A Different Kind Of Truth".

"We finished up here a couple of nights at the Hollywood Bowl," Roth said. "[They were] some of the best shows we've ever done. I remember walking off that deck twice in a row going, 'Oh, yeah. That was some of the best of my career.'

"In the last 3000 days that I've been back, we've performed 150 times, and it was something — something special, something unique."

Although the shows themselves were hugely successful, Roth admitted that he and the other members of VAN HALEN "were at each other all throughout the tour — constant. And then you assign yourself to the producer who will either take Eddie's side or my side — you're either a Dave guy or an Eddie guy," he said. "We're all mature enough to understand that we're all pirates here. Of course you're gonna betray me."

Roth went on to say that he will be seeing the Van Halen brothers "in a couple of weeks," but he didn't offer any information about a possible new tour or fresh music in the works.

Four years ago, VAN HALEN released "Tokyo Dome In Concert", its first-ever live collection featuring Roth, despite numerous pro-shot concerts from the band's original heyday being heavily booted for years.

Photo by Bart Heemskerk

SMITH/KOTZEN, the electrifying collaboration between guitarists and vocalists Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen, will release its self-titled debut album on March 26 via BMG.

The official music video for the disc's first single, "Taking My Chances", can be seen below.

Recorded on the Turks & Caicos Islands in February 2020, produced by Richie and Adrian and mixed by Kevin "Caveman" Shirley, this nine-track opus is a consummate collaboration between these two highly respected musicians who co-wrote all the songs and also share lead vocals and trade off on guitar and bass duties throughout the record.

Exploding with powerful melodies and harmonies, the album embodies the spirited attitude of 1970s classic rock with a melting-pot of influences ranging from blues, hard rock, traditional R&B and more, blending the pair's backgrounds and life experiences to result in a thoroughly contemporary sound.

Track listing:

01. Taking My Chances

02. Running

03. Scars

04. Some People

05. Glory Road

06. Solar Fire

07. You Don't Know Me

08. I Wanna Stay

09. 'Til Tomorrow

The record features special guest performances by Adrian's IRON MAIDEN bandmate Nicko McBrain on drums for the track "Solar Fire", and Richie's longstanding friend and touring partner Tal Bergman on drums for "You Don't Know Me", "I Wanna Stay" and "'Til Tomorrow", with Richie picking up the sticks on the other five songs.

Smith comments: "Richie and I started working together a couple of years ago. We'd been jamming as we'd been friends for a few years before that. We both share a love for classic rock and bluesy rock, so we decided to get together and start writing some songs and it went from there. Pretty much everything on the album is handled between Richie and myself, including the production. We had developed a really strong idea of how we wanted it to sound, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. There's a lot of cool songs on there that we are really happy with.”

Kotzen adds: "We had a very fluid process in writing. Sometimes Adrian would send me a riff and I would immediately hear some kind of melody or a vocal idea. And sometimes it was the other way round, so it was a kind of circular motion. We'd get together whenever we could and throw some ideas around and it just evolved, which was great because there was no pressure and nothing other than just a natural course and I think the record really speaks for that."

The album will be available in these formats:

* Digipack CD

* 12" black vinyl with embossed sleeve

* Digital (streaming and download)

* Limited-edition 12" red-and-black-smoke-effect-colored vinyl

Smith is best known as one of IRON MAIDEN's principal guitarists, having also enjoyed success as a solo artist. Kotzen is the frontman for THE WINERY DOGS as well as having been the guitarist for both MR. BIG and POISON during his long and acclaimed career, which has to date seen him release more than 20 solo albums. Both artists are also prolific songwriters.

Adrian comments, "I think Richie and I complement each other really well. He's a virtuoso guitarist but he's got a great sense of melody — the whole thing just felt very natural."

Richie adds: "We found common ground in classic and blues-based rock — we both come from that mentality. We've been writing and recording together for the past year and I'm ecstatic with the results."

Smith has spent the last few months promoting his memoir, "Monsters Of River & Rock", which was released in September via Virgin Books.

Last February, Kotzen released his 22nd solo album, "50 For 50", via his own custom label, Headroom-Inc. The three-disc collection is just what the title implies: a collection of 50 previously unreleased compositions produced, performed and written by Kotzen in honor of his birthday. It's the follow-up to his critically acclaimed "Salting Earth" album, which came out in April 2017 via Headroom-Inc.

Favorite Hollywood hired gun, bassist Sean McNabb, took to the studio to record a classic Albert King song, "Born Under A Bad Sign". McNabb brought in some of music's elite to round out this Mississippi blues-driven track.

"I have always loved the blues. It really resonates with me," explains McNabb.

McNabb undertook this blues project with a lot of love and honesty of one of his favorite blues heroes, Albert King.

"I am known as a bassist, but I love to sing and this song spoke to me," he says. "It fits my voice like a glove and I am so honored to sing this track.

"Some of my favorite blues legends are Albert King, Buddy Guy, B.B. King and Eric Clapton."

To make this experience roll smooth, McNabb enlisted friends Gilby Clarke (recording, mixing, background vocals), Toshi Yanagi (guitar, recording, mastering), Cleto Escobedo III (sax), Teddy Zig Zag (keys) and Lenny Roberto (drums). McNabb maintained bass duties and took on lead vocals. His natural whiskey-soaked voice and vocal expression drives home a tasty new version of "Born Under A Bad Sign".

McNabb is best known as a rock and roll bassist, working and recording with such names as DOKKEN, QUIET RIOT, HOUSE OF LORDS, GREAT WHITE and MONTROSE. McNabb has also played and recorded with a diverse array of artists, from Willie Chambers, Don Felder and Edgar Winter to THE MUSIC OF CREAM.

McNabb is also an actor, most recently in "Street Survivors: The True Story Of The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash" (Amazon Prime, 2020). He's had two supporting roles in movies on Lifetime network, "Dying For A Baby" and "Cheerleader Nightmare", as well as seasons 4-6 of "Sons Of Anarchy" (FX).

You can purchase McNabb's version of "Born Under A Bad Sign" on iTunes.

Sentient Ruin presents the imminent and highly anticipated release of Spire's immense sophomore full-length LP, Temple Of Khronos.

The obscure Australian dark metal futurists return after a lengthly silence with their immense sophomore full-length album, a reality-bending psychedelic/progressive extreme metal masterpiece of the highest order that will disassociate the listener and teleport them outside their own consciousness, reality, and self. Continuing their cryptic inner war against metal traditionalism and musical conventions in general, this time the Australian atmospheric black metal shapeshifters have fearlessly peeled back the hazy outer layer of their primordial black metal sound to reveal a previously unseen, massive, and glistening, architecture of cinematic sonic dark matter that elevates their imaginative and visionary power to unseen heights, opening worlds inside the listener into which be drawn, trapped and dissolved within one's own consciousness and self. 

Immensely evocative, and shrouded in a profound and majestic mysticism, Temple Of Khronos is a foreboding sonic gateway that will push your imagination to its limits as it explores the concepts of time as a deity, tyrant, and as ultimate engineer and destroyer of reality to connect the listener with an obscure and distant future civilization that in facing its own inevitable demise stares back into time facing us with our own nothingness, powerlessness and finality. 

The album's immense atmospheres and its seemingly boundless imaginative force stem primarily from its crisp but layered and dense production quality that works as a catalyst to channel an unseen and massive sensorial overload of sound in which cinematic and multilayered vocal arrangements (the temple's "choir"), lysergic atmospheres and winding, epic instrumental constructs cyclically collapse to surround the listener and submerge them in an otherworldly ritual of consciousness-altering and space-time distorting aural immensity.

A defining point in our history so far, Temple Of Khronos also marks the label's second ever release on CD format, to be released along with the staple cassette, vinyl, and digital formats, all on February 19, 2021 via Sentient Ruin exclusively worldwide.

For updates go to Spire's official Facebook page here.

Drum legend Mike Portnoy is walking you through his latest vinyl collection in a series of eight videos. Episode #7 focuses on new reissues, S - T. Watch below:

Watch previous episodes below:

Episode #1 new reissues, A - B:

Episode #2 new reissues, B - F:

Episode #3 new reissues, F - L.:

Episode #4 new reissues, L - M:

Episode #5 new reissues, M - O:

Episdoe #6 new reissues, P - S:

Florida rockers Fame On Fire are looking to build upon the success that 2020 brought them. As their reinterpretations of various Top 40 hits brought them widespread attention, their Hopeless Records debut Levels brought their unique sound to the masses. As the band has been working on new songs for a future release, they have created a music video for the album favorite “I’m Fine.” The video was created from an idea by Bryan Kuznitz (vocals), Blake Saul (guitarist), Paul Spirou (bass), and Alex Roman (drums) to showcase the band’s passionate live performance since their touring plans were halted due to the global pandemic. It also visualizes the song’s lyrical message that talks about the internal battle of getting out of that dark place in your head.

Fame On Fire have built a loyal fanbase with the release of their album Levels last September 4. The band gets more than a million streams every month on Spotify and have become favorites at Active Rock radio thanks to their consistency to create infectious melodies over memorable musical beds. Levels was out to prove the band was more than the covers that garnered them global attention. Holding multiple meanings, Levels is both about going through the motions of life, the various levels, ups and downs that all people can relate to, and about the quest to level-up and continue to progress and move forward.

Leaving absolutely nothing on the table, Fame On Fire have set out to prove they are more than just a cover band. The band strives to be genre-defying while pushing the boundaries of the relationship between rock, hip hop, and heavy music, by unapologetically being themselves. Showcasing their musical abilities, Bryan Kuznitz (vocals), Blake Saul (guitarist), Paul Spirou (bass), and Alex Roman (drums) self-produced, tracked, and mixed their debut album Levels on their own, in the studio they built, laboring over every lyric, chord, beat, and riff, and painstakingly polishing every track. Holding multiple meanings, Levels is both about going through the motions of life, the various levels, ups and downs that all people can relate to, and about the quest to level-up and continue to progress and move forward. This dichotomy defines a band that is not willing to stand still or be complacent, but one that continuously tries to evolve their sound and craft.

(Photo by: Roman Films)

Formed in 2012, Denver’s Scepter Of Eligos has been conjuring up heavy, sludge doom metal that is ravaged with death metal overtones and highlighted with psychedelic groove. They are releasing their first full-length album Inverted Illusions in 2021 and are tantalizing listeners with a second single, “Inverted Illusion” off the record.

Coined as “psychedelic metal of death”, Scepters Of Eligos blur the lines between genres, creating a sound that is powerful, dissonant, and heavy as hell. According to the band, the single “Inverted Illusion” is a sonic injection of adrenaline and LSD: they continue with their take on the album:

“We wanted this collection of songs to represent all the various influences as well as our own individual style which we feel that we are developing. This album is a cohesive representation of the band’s sound, using our favorite elements of various metal subgenres.”

Taking notes from influential bands in a variety of sub-genres including psychedelic rock, death and black metal, Scepter Of Eligos formed thanks to having similar ideas of what they wanted from a band, the ability to be fully creative and not have to stick to a strict formula. The result is songs that are always loud and punishing and interesting enough to keep even the most fastidious metalheads enthralled.

Ever entertaining live as well as recorded, Scepter of Eligos is a band to watch; they intend to release more music in the future. Scepters of Eligos are recommended for fans of death metal, doom metal and in particular Disfear, Ufomammut, and Acid Bath.

Tracklisting:

“Reabsorbed”
“Biological Possession”
“Starless Chasms”
“Inverted Illusion”
“Procession Of Spectres”

“Inverted Illusion”:

(Photo by: Alvino Salcedo)

In a release that’s anything but “Futile,” Canadian rockers Derev harness the intensity of metal with atmospheric progressive sounds, all while incorporating elements of their Arabic and Armenian heritage in this, their propulsive new single is available now.

The freshly pressed debut track for the Toronto-based three-piece features the guest vocals of Adel Saflou (Ambrotype); its video then whisks audiences on a vivid journey through the mind of an individual who is exhausted from a life lived glued to a screen and yearns to return to a more natural way of life.

“Contrary to what one might assume when seeing the music video, it’s not meant to illustrate or predict our future as this ‘doomsday,’” says Syrian drummer and songwriter Michel Karakach. “We’re not predicting the future or saying that our species is going to be dominated by machines or overtaken by this advanced artificial intelligence.”

“Rather, it’s about the present situation and how integrated we have become with this technology,” Armenian guitarist and songwriter Armando Bablanian adds. “We are so dependent on it that we hardly do any activity that does not involve us being behind a screen.”

“Futile” is the first single to land ahead of Derev’s forthcoming EP, Leap Of Faith — available this spring.

“Musically, the album combines the energy and intensity of metal music with the atmospheric feel of old-school progressive rock music,” bassist Liam Horrigan considers. “It’s also filled with mellow sections and solos that trigger emotions and deliver the message of the EP, not only through melodies and lyrics, but also through a personal and intimate experience.

“There’s many peaks and troughs.”

Although Leap Of Faith isn’t slated as a concept album, per se, the common theme is about seeing things from a different perspective. “And taking action to make a change,” Bablanian offers. “Each song aims to discuss a different topic, and we target numerous controversial ones — including social issues our community faces on a daily basis.”

“It starts with a track that talks about questioning things that are culturally presumed as absolute truths: what is moral, what is taboo, the idea of going to war for peace, and so on…” Karakach expands. “The album also discusses personal struggles and hurdles that bring us down, leaving us stumped and overwhelmed with doubt and remorse, rather than taking action and achieving what we set out to do.

“The overall experience of Leap of Faith delivers a message that every listener can relate to on some level, and be moved by.”

Leap Of Faith may be Derev’s newly minted breakout album, but the band’s earliest rumblings could be heard a long time ago.

With Bablanian and Karakach first meeting in high school while living in Kuwait, “we were unable to pursue the project at the time due to the circumstances of living in the Middle East,” they share.

In the meantime, Karakach received his dental degree in Syria before immigrating to Canada, actively drumming and songwriting along the way. For his part, Bablanian received an engineering degree from the University of Toronto while also part of Canadian metal band, Till I Conquer — with whom he released an EP and three singles. Horrigan — also a UofT engineering alum — used to be in the Ottawa-area band Open Season; he’s also released a solo alt-rock offering under @t_ii_f.

“Futile” is available now.

Leap Of Faith is available April 23, 2021.

Steel Mountain Crossing featuring former Quiet Riot singer Mark Huff have disbanded. Guitarist Dennis DiNunzio explains that due to the present state of the COVID-19 pandemic and creative differences with Huff, the band has folded.

DiNunzio explains in a statement: “I have officially folded SMC and my decision to leave is the first step to continue to move forward.  I wish Mark the best with his painting and carpentry and his tribute band.

“I was in an Ozzy (Osbourne) tribute band for 20 plus years. Right now, I want to play original music with like-minded artists. I was a big Quiet Riot fan as a child and it was fun to collaborate with Mark at times. I have nothing against any member or former members of QR. It was a thrill to play QR songs with him.  I love playing Randy Rhoads guitar and can all night. 

“I want to thank everyone who supported the project from the potential labels to the people who created the Facebook page and did social media for us. I don’t compete with anyone. I believe in labels and the workers they have that show up to work every day from 9 to 5, I enjoy working with the industry and I personally let them do their job. After playing guitar for over three decades, not once has anyone in the industry told me how or what to play. I certainly would not tell anyone at a label interested in collaborating how to run their label or how to sell a rock ‘n’ roll band in this or any other climate.

 

“I play and create music for the fun of it. Right now, I think I have found the musicians and industry folk I want to play and work with, I am also talking with some bands I am pretty sure you all have heard of. To be honest I am not political, I am just a guitarist. I am not a manager or a psychiatrist or a recording engineer.  I try to keep my mouth shut and focus on playing hard and heavy electric guitar. I show up on time I do my homework at home. 

“I have the same problems everyone else has, but when the chance comes to play, I can appreciate that and can very easily focus. It’s all great when people support you to get your groove on, but most people don’t realize that in the entertainment industry you have to get your groove on and play 120 percent under every and any circumstance; not just when people kiss your ass. I played the Rhoads To Riot guitar tracks with a broken right thumb, I couldn’t hold a pick if I was paid to.   

“Looking forward to get back out to see you all again.  Hopefully this will happen sooner than later.  Best of luck to Mark and Quiet Riot whatever form they may be in. PEACE! God Bless!"

Fade To Silence Records & Filmworks via Distribution Solutions, a division of Alliance Entertainment will release Honor Amongst Men worldwide in February.

Honor Amongst Men is a new film revolving around a day in the life of John Halmo, a veteran police officer who is trying to juggle his turbulent home life, the daily stresses of his job, and the apparent inevitable biker war that's about to engulf his hometown. Get your first chance to view Honor Amongst Men, the new movie, an old fashioned code of honor starring Chuck Zito, Robert Clohessy, Joan Jett, Edward Asner, Vincent Pastore.

Honor Amongst Men is a dramatic thriller about a day in the life of a veteran police officer who is trying to juggle his turbulent home life, the daily stresses of his job, and the apparent and inevitable biker war that's about to engulf his hometown. The film features a terrific, diverse cast including, Chuck Zito (Carlito's Way, Homefront, Cops & Robbers, Oz, 13, Man on the Moon, The Juror), Robert Clohessy (Blue Bloods, The Avengers, Oz, The Wolf of Wall Street, 16 Blocks), Joan Jett (Light of Day, The Sweet Life, Love and Roll Forever, Steven King's Big Driver), Edward Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, Elf, Up, Roots, JFK, Ft. Apache, the Bronx), Vincent Pastore (Sapranos, Goodfellas, Shark Tale, Mickey Blue Eyes, Money Train, The Ref).

Honor Amongst Men was written by Matt Morillo with Chuck Zito and Edward C. Wahl. Directed by Fred Carpenter, Cinematography/Editing by Steven Sage Goldberg.

On Saturday September 8, Edward C. Wahl presented a special open invitation screening of Honor Amongst Men with Director Fred Carpenter and Casting Director Maryann Flynn-Gianno at the Bellmore Movie Theater in Long Island, New York. The night beganwith a Ride with the "Satan's Few" to the Bellmore Theater from the New Rochelle Dinner.The first 200 people that arrived received a free signed copy of Chuck Zito's new book, Street Justice.

Honor Amongst Men won the "Audience Favourite Award" at the Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE).

Chuck Zito received the "Icon Award" at the AOF Action On Film International Film Festival Award's Dinner & Black Tie Event at the beautiful Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, on August 25, 2018. Chuck Zito was also nominated for the "Rising Action Star" in a feature film, Honor Amongst Men, and won this award.

Robert Clohessy was Nominated for "Best Supporting Actor" in a Feature Film at the AOF Action On Film International Film Festival.

Avatar recently launched a series of concert streams, Avatar Ages - An Impossible Concert Experience, that is taking place over the course of January. The four-part concert film experience launched January 9 and features songs from Avatar’s celebrated catalog, starting with a performance of their latest album in full, Hunter Gatherer, out now via eOne.

Watch "Napalm" from the January 23 show, below:

The concerts feature fan voted set lists - chosen by ticket purchasers - with songs from Avatar Country, Feathers & Flesh, Hail The Apocalypse, Black Waltz, Thoughts of No Tomorrow, Schlacht and Avatar. Tickets are now on sale here.

The final Avatar Ages - An Impossible Concert Experience concert stream takes place Saturday, January 30 - Age Of Memories (Thoughts of No Tomorrow, Schlacht and Avatar fan voted set list)

About the performances, frontman Johannes Eckerström says, “Nothing can top the feeling of standing eye to eye with the roaring beast that is a metal crowd, hungry for blood. Instead, what we are setting out to do is a series of shows we could never do on a normal stage. You will see Avatar as you've never seen us before. More music, more madness. We enter this with a game plan like no other, but ultimately the power is yours. This is something we'll create together. We have missed you.”

Concert stream tickets are available for individual shows and as a four-show package. Various ticket bundles are also available, offering exclusive merchandise such as t-shirts, hoodies, vinyl, and a commemorative laminate. A limited number of exclusive virtual Meet & Greets with the entire band are also available.  Fans will be able to select their date and time period in advance, and after their personal Meet & Greet, they’ll receive a video file of their conversation, as well as the opportunity to take pictures during the experience. Visit AvatarAges.com for all details and to purchase tickets.

Each livestream debuts on its respective date at 1 PM, PT / 4 PM, ET / 10 PM, CET and remains on-demand for 72 hours.

Pre-orders are now available for Thanatos Rising, the third full-length from Southern California progressive-leaning metal quintet, Sorizon.

Though the group’s music has a definite progressive metal bent, Sorizon aims to break down subgenres to bring metalheads together. Sorizon's previous releases have garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews, including proclamations that they “rival the better work of Symphony X” and “the guitarists complement each other like not many bands have done; Maiden and Priest come to mind.”

Thanatos Rising, featuring powerful artwork painted by Eliran Kantor (Testament, Sodom, Havok), is scheduled for released digitally and on limited edition blood red and black galaxy vinyl on February 26. Music samples and pre-orders are available via Sorizon’s Bandcamp page, here.

"Thanatos Rising is a journey through the nightmarish battles of life and death, ending with worth and wisdom,” says guitarist Dr. Danny Mann.

The themes of Thanatos Rising resonate with the state of the world: death, fear of the unknown and the hope of renewal. Thanatos Rising brings Sorizon's peak of songwriting and critically acclaimed production. Through 2020, Sorizon began building momentum for Thanatos Rising throughout 2020 by releasing eight singles from the upcoming album on all major online music platforms. Check out the sci-fi inspired video for “Imminent Contact” and the album’s title track below.

During lockdown, Sorizon continued to stay connected with fans through regular livestreams where the whole band partied with the audience by playing interactive games, giving away free prizes, sharing exclusive previews of new music and answering crazy questions. They also have been bringing their local metal community together by inviting special guests from other bands to the livestreams and promoting a Spotify playlist featuring some of the best underground metal in California.

Thanatos Rising tracklisting:

"Descending Into Darkness"
"Thanatos Rising"
"A Distant Echo"
"Lost In A Dream"
"Eternity’s Door"
"Prisoner To Yourself"
"Hidden Evils"
"Imminent Contact"
"Destined For Despair"
"Awaken To This Light"
"Virtual Deception"
"Worth And Wisdom"

"Imminent Contact" visualizer:

"Thanatos Rising" visualizer:

Keith McIntosh (vocals), Dr. Danny Mann (guitar) and Sean Elston (drums) began making metal in the band Joust in 2006. After a short but successful run, they decided to get heavier and more progressive, thus spawning Sorizon in 2008. After a few lineup changes, Sorizon now rocks an undeniable chemistry with Tim Hall on guitar (since 2011) and Kevin Vickers on bass (since 2012).

At the close of 2009, Sorizon released their debut full-length album Behind the Emerald Starscape. The album was mastered in Finland at the famous Finnvox Studios by Mika Jussila (Children of Bodom, Dragonforce, Nightwish). The fall 2013 release of the second album, Somnus, marked an enormous leap forward for the Sorizon sound. The combination of musical maturity and extensive collaboration within the lineup led to this classic album. Somnus is a themed album based on sleep and dreams, and song inspirations ranged from personal dreams, insomnia, the Greek gods of sleep and more. The cover art by Dennis Hamilton is a graphic depiction of a post-apocalyptic Mann had, which also inspired the music for the song “Illusions.” The album was professionally mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination St. studios in Sweden (Opeth, Amon Amarth, Kreator, Symphony X).

In 2016, Sorizon unveiled their third independent release titled End of Entrapment. The title not only relates to the lyrical theme of the EP, but it also represented breaking any musical chains that had bound the band to any specific sound. This six-song, high-energy, rock ‘n’ roll release was a departure from what most Sorizon fans were used to but also featured their fastest song ever, “Lay to Waste,” as well as their shortest song, “Minutemen” and even an acoustic version of the fan-favorite “Cosmic Eden” from the first album.

(Photo - Karina Diane Concert Photography)

Just over three years ago, Textures played their final European concert ever at the famous 013 in their hometown Tilburg, the Netherlands. For this special occasion and after popular demand, the band recorded a live DVD as final documentation of their fierce and highly energetic 100 min. show.

Now, during this worldwide pandemic, the band has decided to unleash this DVD as a one-time 72 hour window livestream from February 12 at 8 AM, CET until February 15 at 12 AM, CET.

Pre-sale is underway. Order your ticket here.

Genghis Tron make their return with their new album, Dream Weapon. The band’s first new studio outing in over a decade, Genghis Tron’s Hamilton Jordan and Michael Sochynsky are now joined by two new collaborators: vocalist Tony Wolski and Sumac/Baptists drummer Nick Yacyshyn.

Together, the lineup perfects the unique mix of extreme rock and electronic music Genghis Tron has pioneered over their storied career. A melding of hypnotic rhythms and densely layered synth soundscapes, Dream Weapon was recorded and produced alongside long-time collaborator Kurt Ballou at God City Studio in Salem, Massachusetts, with additional production and engineering by Ben Chisolm (Chelsea Wolfe) JJ Heath (Rain City Recorders) and was mastered by Heba Kadry.

Watch Genghis Tron’s new “Dream Weapon” music video, directed by Mount Emult (Dying Fetus, The Pixies), below.

Lyrically and conceptually, Dream Weapon picks up where Board Up The House left off.

“That album’s closing track, ‘Relief,’ was about how humans have become a burden to the planet, and how Earth will endure long after we’re gone,” Hamilton Jordan explains. “There is sadness at the end, but some relief - and beauty - too. Dream Weapon is, loosely, an album-length meditation on that theme.”

From the ethereal, almost robotic vocal phrasings accompanying the industrial attack of “Pyrocene,” to the chaotic, pulse-pounding drumming acrobatics and cyclical guitar patterns in the album’s triumphant title track, Dream Weapon is not just a nod to Genghis Tron’s celebrated past as a metal/progressive/experimental outfit. The new album redefines what these genres, sounds, and musical elements can achieve. Dream Weapon is a record that captures Genghis Tron at a matured, focused state; the ebbs and flows of the album are just as hard-hitting as they are dreamy, soaring, and meditative.

Seasoned Genghis Tron listeners will find Dream Weapon to be both excitingly fresh and reassuringly familiar. “Though it sounds a bit different than our previous albums, I don't think we approached Dream Weapon any differently than the others,” Jordan explains. “Michael and I take years to write and trade demos, with about 80% of our ideas landing on the cutting-room floor. Once we have a rough song idea we both like, we write dozens of drafts of a song over months before we end up with a final demo.”

“I think one difference in our approach for this album was that we had a strong sense from the outset of what kind of vibe we wanted to create,” Sochynsky adds. “Something more cohesive, meditative and hypnotic.”

Through the album’s inventiveness and rejuvenated approach, Dream Weapon marks another bold step forward in the wildly creative career of Genghis Tron, and cements the band's legacy of groundbreaking, genre-defying innovation.

Dream Weapon is out March 26 on CD/LP/Digital. Physical pre-orders via Relapse.com are available here. Digital Downloads/Streaming are available here.

Artwork by Trevor Naud.

Tracklisting:

"Exit Perfect Mind"
"Pyrocene
"Dream Weapon"
"Desert Stairs"
"Alone In The Heart Of The Light"
"Ritual Circle"
"Single Black Point"
"Great Mother"

"Dream Weapon" video:

(Photos - Scott Kinkade, Aaron Jones, Ryan Wagner)

In the fall of 2018, Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer, Steve Perry, made his long-awaited return with the release of Traces, the legendary musician’s first new album in 25 years. The album’s personal expression of love, inspiration and renewal resonated with both critics and fans around the world, thrilled to have their voice of a generation making new music once again.

Now, on Traces (Alternative Versions & Sketches), available via Fantasy Records, Perry revisits several of his favourite tracks, stripping away the grand production touches, taking the songs down to their essence. Presented acoustic and raw, (including some in sketch form) tracks like "Sun Shines Gray", "No Erasin’, No More Cryin’", and "Most Of All" take on new and richer meaning. In this setting, Perry’s iconic soulful voice glides out-front vibrant, clear and warm while the lyrics take on greater significance as well, even more intimate than before.

Produced by Perry and his longtime collaborator and friend, Thom Flowers, Traces (Alternative Versions & Sketches) offers a fascinating glimpse into Perry’s creative process and a deeper understanding into an already treasured album.

“When writing these songs, the original inspiration is always my first compass – where the songs should go,” stated Perry. “Alternate Versions & Sketches is exactly that, and I’m very excited to have you hear the original seeds of these songs.”

Brand-new, special edition merchandise is now available exclusively on Perry’s online store. Order Traces (Alternative Versions & Sketches) here.

Listen to "You Belong To Me" (Stripped) from the release below.

Tracklisting:

"Most Of All" (Radio Mix)
"No Erasin’" (Acoustic)
"I Need You" (Acoustic)
"No More Cryin’" (Acoustic)
"Most Of All" (Stripped)
"We’re Still Here" (Acoustic)
"You Belong To Me" (Stripped)
"Sun Shines Gray" (Acoustic)

"You Belong To Me" (Stripped):

"We're Still Here" (Acoustic):

"No More Cryin'" (Acoustic):

"I Need You" (Acoustic):

"Most Of All" (Radio Mix):

"I Need You":

"No Erasin’" (Acoustic):

"Most Of All" (Stripped) visualizer:

"Most Of All" performance video:

(Photo - Myriam Santos)

Italian symphonic/melodic metallers, Eternal Idol, have released a lyric video for "Away From Heaven", a track from their new album, Renaissance. Get the album here, and watch a video below.

Featuring Fabio Lione (Rhapsody, Angra) and Claudia Layline on co-lead vocals, guitarist Nick Savio (Hollow Haze), bassist Andrea Burratto (Secret Sphere, Hell In The Club), and drummer Enrico Fabris, Eternal Idol’s sophomore album is an epic maelstrom of symphonic/melodic metal that will delight fans of the genre who treasure intense songwriting and impeccable vocal performances.

Fabio Lione took care of most of the lyrics and vocal melodies together with new co-vocalist Claudia Layline, while Nick Savio worked hard on songwriting and arrangements. The album was produced by Nick Savio and Fabio Lione and mixed by Simone Mularoni (DGM, Sunstorm).

Tracklisting:

"Into The Darkness"
"Black Star"
"Dark Eclipse"
"Without Fear"
"Away From Heaven"
"Not The Same"
"The Edge"
"Flying Over You"
"Lord Without Soul"
"Renaissance"

"Away From Heaven" lyric video:

"Black Star" video:

"Dark Eclipse" lyric video:

"Into The Darkness" video:

Lineup:

Fabio Lione: Lead Vocals
Claudia Layline: Lead Vocals
Nick Savio: Guitars - Keyboards - Orchestral arrangements
Andrea Buratto: Bass
Enrico Fabris: Drums

Classical guitar virtuoso, Thomas Zwijsen, has released a new video, performing a classical fingerstyle guitar cover of Blind Guardian's "A Past And Future Secret", from their 1995 album, Imaginations From The Other Side.

Watch the clip below, and find tabs and video lessons here.

Watch Zwijsen perform Blind Guardian's "The Bard's Song" below:

Carolinas based heavy rock band The L.A. Maybe - fronted by lead singer Alvi Robinson, made famous when he was nearly selected to front AC/DC in 2016 - have released the official music video for their debut single, "Mr. Danger". Directed by Ridge Beck, "Mr. Danger" is the band's first single off of their upcoming, freshman album, Dirty Damn Tricks, due out March 26, 2021.

"'Mr. Danger' is our ode to living fast and loose. As our debut single, it serves as a call to arms for rock n’ roll fans everywhere to stand up, get loud, and to never let the genre die without a hell of a fight." - The L.A. Maybe

The L.A. Maybe is a six-piece rock n' roll band hailing from the southern heat of the Carolinas. If you’re a fan of Guns N' Roses, The Black Crowes, or Van Halen…you will feel right at home adding LAM to your record collection.

Lead vocalist Alvi Robinson (who was one of only four singers to audition to replace Brian Johnson in AC/DC in 2016) lays down gritty, passionate vocals while the rest of the band back him up with slithering riffs, huge catchy hooks, and ripping guitar solos.

LAM firmly plants its feet at the very forefront of the New Wave of Classic Rock movement and you’re sure to have at least one of their choruses stuck in your head at any given moment.

Drawing influence from nearly every style of music, The L.A. Maybe put on an electrifying live show and stand for everything you love about rock music, old and new.

For further details, visit The L.A. Maybe on Facebook.

 

Ahead of the release of ACCEPT's new album "Too Mean To Die", ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was interviewed by the "Australian Rock Show" podcast. During the chat, which can be streamed below, Hoffmann was asked about ACCEPT's recording of the unreleased AC/DC song "I'm A Rebel". He confirmed that the musical arrangement of ACCEPT's 1980 recording is "actually the same" as the demo recorded by AC/DC in 1976. "I'm A Rebel" was penned by Alexander Young — older brother of Angus and Malcolm Young — and is one of the rarest AC/DC recordings.

"I remember we actually worked with Alexander Young," Wolf revealed (hear audio below). "I think he came to the studio, if I remember properly, but he still didn't end up producing. I think he just supervised our demos or something, if I recall correctly. 'Cause we made some demo tracks in the same studio. I think he came out, and we started working with him. And somehow, maybe it was the English, and maybe there was a translation problem — somehow we didn't really get along with one another. I mean, we didn't really dislike him, but somehow it didn't feel like the right fit. And I can't recall for sure why we didn't work together more, but I remember he came out for a day or so."

Comparing the two versions of the song, Hoffmann said: "I think it's a brilliant track, but I actually do remember that the original version demo with AC/DC had some magic that got a little bit lost when we [ACCEPT] re-recorded it, because it was Bon Scott on the original demo that we heard. And it's still in the archives somewhere, but, of course, it's locked away forever and it's never gonna see the light of day. But it does exist, because I still heard it a few years ago on somebody's iPhone — namely the guy who actually introduced us to that song was our from our publishing company in Hamburg. And he's since passed away, and it probably stayed on his iPhone and will never see the light of day."

AC/DC's version of "I'm A Rebel" reportedly featured Alex Young on lead vocals, while Bon Scott (who was allegedly very drunk at the time) did backing vocals. It was recorded without the band's usual producers, George Young (also a younger brother of Alex Young) and Harry Vanda. A very rough version of what is purported to be the AC/DC version of "I'm A Rebel" is available on YouTube and can be streamed below.

U.D.O., the band led by former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider, released a new recording of "I'm A Rebel" in 1998 on the album "No Limits". A live version of "I'm A Rebel" was included on the 2001 U.D.O. release "Live From Russia".

"Too Mean To Die" will be released on January 29 via Nuclear Blast. The LP will be the group's first without bassist Peter Baltes, who exited ACCEPT in November 2018. He has since been replaced by Martin Motnik. ACCEPT's lineup has also been expanded with the addition of a third guitarist, Philip Shouse, who originally filled in for Uwe Lulis during 2019's "Symphonic Terror" tour, before being asked to join the band permanently.

"Too Mean To Die" was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with British producer Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH), who has been responsible for the studio sound of ACCEPT since 2010.

DOKKEN leader Don Dokken and recently talked to his good friend, infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Anne Rimoin, about COVID-19, getting vaccinated and when we can expect to return to concerts. You can watch the 80-minute chat below.

Speaking about America's response to the coronavirus pandemic, Don said: "[It's] bad timing because of the government change — new president coming into office. We have a president that's a lame duck and is going out of office. It's bad timing for this — for COVID.

"From my end, as musicians, I don't know anybody I've talked to in the last four months in a band that somebody didn't have COVID," he continued. "I know everybody got it, and their wives got it. And a couple of them said, 'Yeah, it was horrible.' And they went to hospital and they rejected them. That was in Sweden. They gave him oxygen in a tank and told him to go home, 'cause he couldn't breathe.

"It's different symptoms [for different people], it seems like. One guy said, 'It's like an elephant standing on my chest. I couldn't breathe for three weeks.' And this guy plays ice hockey. He's fit, and he's a drummer. And then my other friend who's a bass player said, 'I just had a headache all the time. I had no energy. All I could do is sit on the couch — I could barely get off the couch — and I just had no energy to do anything. I couldn't do anything.'

"So it seems that COVID affects people differently," Don repeated. "And then you hear these horrible, sad stories that bring tears to your eyes. A perfectly healthy 18-year-old girl last week got COVID and died in three days. There was nothing wrong with her. 18, fit, ready to live her life — gone.

"When I do see people on TV, and they show all these people that are in critical condition — and the only person that's really talked about it is [comedian and talk show host] Bill Maher — you see people in the hospital and they show 'em, they're dying and taking their last breaths, but they're morbidly obese, and they've got diabetes, and they're 480 pounds. I'm, like, well, of course your system's compromised. If it wasn't COVID, you'd die of something else.

"For me it's a little frustrating," Don added. "How about just get healthy and take the chocolate cake and throw it out?

"Every person I've seen on TV that was literally dying or near death was not healthy — they weren't firefighters; they weren't muscle bodybuilders. They were in bad shape. They're diabetic, hearts failing, liver… and they're in their 40s."

DOKKEN is currently working on a new studio album, to be released later this year via Silver Lining Music, the label owned by Thomas Jensen, one of the founders of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival.

DOKKEN released an album called "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" in August via Silver Lining Music. Featuring sleeve art by renowned U.S. artist Tokyo Hiro (MOTÖRHEAD, MOTLEY CRÜE), the effort contains material written and recorded 40 years ago as Don embarked upon a journey which started in Southern California and Northern Germany.

KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, who is currently promoting the second album from his LOVE AND DEATH side project, has told U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine that he and his bandmates should have some exciting news to announce pretty soon.

"I asked the manager, because I'm doing LOVE AND DEATH but I know people are going to ask me about KORN, and he said, 'Just tell them the truth. Tell them that you've been getting together with them, you're working on some stuff, and that we've got some really exciting news coming out,'" Welch said. "I think we're gonna make some kind of announcement pretty soon, and that's pretty much all I can say."

Welch went on to say that most musicians have used the coronavirus downtime to get creative.

"I think it's no secret that every band is getting together and there's probably going to be a lot of records coming out," he said.

"We've been throwing ideas back and forth, but it's been hard because of the pandemic and whatnot because Munky [James Shaffer, guitar] lives in Los Angeles — right in the thick of it. One in five people has it there. Thank god Munky has not got it. He lives with his wife and her family, and his mother-in-law, they've gotta be careful with her.

"It's been really crazy, but we managed to get together and we're deciding what we're gonna do, but we're coming up with some cool ideas and are hopefully going to make an announcement pretty soon," he added.

Last month, Welch explained to Knotfest.com why KORN hasn't taken part in any live streams, like so many other artists have during the coronavirus pandemic. "Well, we actually were talking about it, and we were doing this and that with management," he said. "These [other] guys [in KORN] got young kids running around. And what are they gonna do? Just leave their wives with the home school stuff? I'm impressed with my KORN brothers; they're stepping up and doing school with their kids.

"KORN has toured for 25 years," he continued. "I left KORN for eight years and got to chill at home. These guys are taking this time to be family men, to be great fathers. Who's to say we won't do something soon, or early next year? I don't know. But I'm telling you, they are the best fathers, and I'm proud of them. So that's probably the reason — family first."

When Welch left KORN in early 2005, he simultaneously announced that he kicked his addictions to drugs and alcohol by becoming a born-again Christian.

Both Welch and KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu have had highly public, though separate, conversion experiences, ones that have been greeted with a certain amount of skepticism.

In October, KORN and free-to-play video game titan World Of Tanks Blitz launched a special Halloween collaboration, revealing the music video for "Finally Free", a track featured on KORN's latest studio album, "The Nothing". Thee months earlier, KORN released a cover of THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND classic "The Devil Went Down To Georgia", featuring a guest appearance by rapper YelaWolf, exclusively via Bandcamp. All proceeds from the track were donated to Awakening Youth, a nonprofit organization devoted to young people faced with the loss of a parent due to divorce, addiction, death, being surrendered for adoption, or other reasons.

"The Nothing" was released in September 2019 via Roadrunner/Elektra. The follow-up to 2016's "The Serenity Of Suffering" was once again produced by Nick Raskulinecz

Gene Simmons spoke to U.K.'s The Sun about how he has managed to remain in a good enough physical shape to perform with KISS despite the fact that he will turn 72 in August.

"You can talk about hair creams and dick extension formulas and all that stuff, but there's no substitute for genes," he said.

"I'm 71, come into the ring with me. I'll show you what this guy can do. I'm 71 because I've never used drugs or booze.

"You can fill your body with garbage," he continued. "Put it into your car and see how far your car goes. I don't care if it's a Rolls-Royce, it's going to splutter and die. The more shit you put into your body the more you're going to be a walking pot of shit.

"I don't mean to say I don't love cake or pasta, or things like that, but crack is out of the question.

"Drugs don't work, booze don't work, cigarettes — all the people who think you look cool," Gene added. "You're fucking around with cancer. It just doesn't work."

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

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

Back in 2019, Gene said that "End Of The Road" was KISS's final tour because he and his bandmates were realistic about how much longer they could put on the type of physically grueling shows and tours that are at the core of KISS's mystique.

"By the time this three-year tour is done, I will be 73," he said. "If you have self-respect and believe in the integrity of the band and love your fans, get off the stage.

"I should have been born Keith Richards or the Edge or any number of other players in bands we all love and respect. But all they have to do is put on a pair of sneakers and a t-shirt, they don't even have to break a sweat. KISS are the hardest working band in show business. I wear dragon boots that are eight inches high, that will break your back, bitch; each boot weighs 8–10 pounds, then another 40 pounds of armour. Put Keith in my outfit and he's going to pass out in a half hour. Oh, and I forgot you have to spit fire, fly through the air and do it for two hours. You are about to see the 'hottest band in the world: KISS.' Those words have to mean something, or get off the fucking stage."

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

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, Peter Criss (drums) and Ace Frehley (guitar), KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.

In its 48-year career, KISS has accumulated 23 gold and platinum albums — more than any other U.S. b

"Twisted Sister: Breaking The Band", which focuses on how TWISTED SISTER crashed and burned in the 1980s, will premiere on Saturday, February 6 at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT on Reelz.

Official show description: "In 1984, TWISTED SISTER were one of the biggest heavy metal bands on the planet with the world at their feet. After a decade battling to get to the top, this Long Island bar band were hailed as the new rock gods of MTV but their crash and burn would be spectacular! Told by the band themselves and their lead singer, the voice of 'Breaking The Band', Dee Snider. This is a cautionary tale of how ego, overexposure and intra-band tension would rip the group apart. Revealing the true story behind the split of rock and roll's most outrageous, heavily made up and beloved acts, this is 'Breaking The Band': TWISTED SISTER."

Asked in a new interview with Fox News how he feels about TWISTED SISTER's legacy as a band in 2021, Snider said: "TWISTED SISTER was one of the greatest live performing bands of all time. We went and decimated so many festivals and so many concert arenas, and so many bands we opened up for. We were lethal.

"And Lemmy Kilmister, shortly before he died, he said to me, 'Dee, you're one of the three greatest frontmen I've ever seen. And the greatest at talking to the audience.' I had to communicate with the audience. And Lemmy, he was a man who roadied for Jimi Hendrix and saw THE BEATLES at the Cavern Club. He knew about frontmen. But it's frustrating that we weren't at the top long enough for people to really come to know that.

"Fortunately, after we reunited, more people came to know that. We were reunited longer than when we were together the first time, which was weird… People are seeing that there was more to this band than just the moment in the sun that we had in the '80s. And we were significant, influencing a lot of upstarts in the Northeast, BON JOVI and SKID ROW and CINDERELLA and OVERKILL and ANTHRAX and PUBLIC ENEMY.

"Chuck D said, 'If it wasn't for TWISTED SISTER, there would be no PUBLIC ENEMY.' He used to come to see us in the clubs, and we were just this rebellious, in-your-face, fuck-you band. And he said it inspired him to go and put together a rebellious, in-your-face, fuck-you hip-hop act. So, people have come to realize, 'Well, this band had more significance than just a couple of songs and videos on MTV.'"

In 2016, TWISTED SISTER embarked on one final trek, titled "Forty And Fuck It", in celebration of its 40th anniversary. These shows featured the band's "core lineup" of Snider, guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda, and bassist Mark Mendoza, along with drummer Mike Portnoy. The band's last-ever concert took place in November of that year — 20 months after the passing of drummer A.J. Pero.

TWISTED SISTER's original run ended in the late '80s. After more than a decade, the band publicly reunited in November 2001 to top the bill of New York Steel, a hard-rock benefit concert to raise money for the New York Police And Fire Widows' And Children's Benefit Fund.




Well, if nobody else is going to say it I will. ;) Trolls are gonna have a field day with this one! HAHAHAHAHA!!

DEE SNIDER: 'TWISTED SISTER Was One Of The Greatest Live Performing Bands Of All Time' https://t.co/y3zOxWuv25

— Dee Snider?? (@deesnider) January 23, 2021

Outspoken conservative rocker Ted Nugent has painted a bleak picture of the United States' immediate future, predicting that the Joe Biden presidency will result in a rise in unemployment and "manufactured fake racism" becoming "the #1 issue in America."

Nugent — a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump — took to his Facebook page on Friday (January 22) to write: "Nuge Predictions on Impacts of Biden presidency: unemployment rises, energy and food costs soar, real wages shrink, freedoms are severely restricted or lost, membership in the NRA & GOA rises, gun & ammo sales soar, gangsters continue to slay other gangsters in Chicago, America becomes much more dependent on foreign energy, the Chinese and Russians play chess against America while Biden's team plays tiddlywinks, a malaise smothers the country, interest rates rise, the select rich get richer while the poor become poorer, excuse-making and blaming others is standard operating procedure, manufactured fake racism is the #1 issue in America, illegals become U.S. citizens, bloodsuckers outnumber producers, Hunter Biden isn't investigated, and yours truly turns up my We The People freedom hellraising to allnew hieghts. welcome to Zimbabwe".

Nugent has repeatedly claimed that "there is no such thing in America as systemic racism," and has dismissed suggestions that a now-former Minneapolis police officer was responsible for killing George Floyd last May by holding his knee to the 46-year-old black man's neck for more than nine minutes.

"George Floyd killed himself with fentanyl," Ted said during an appearance on the "Joe Pags Show". "The cops were trying to subdue a violent, arrest-resisting thug who was dying because of his fentanyl lifestyle."

A board member of the National Rifle Association, Nugent has drawn intense criticism for his controversial past remarks, including telling then-president Barack Obama to "suck on my machine gun." He also made inflammatory remarks about Hillary Clinton, calling her a "devilbitch" who "hates everything good about America."

In a lengthy Facebook post in 2016, Nugent said Obama and Clinton should be tried for treason and hanged over their handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.

In 2019, Nugent defended Donald Trump after the U.S. president was accused of making racist remarks about Democratic congresswomen from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Leading up to the 2020 election, Nugent teamed up with Donald Trump Jr. on the campaign trail.

Ted has called Trump "the greatest president in our lifetime," and believes the billionaire real estate mogul represents "the heart and soul of the best American families out there."


Nuge Predictions on Impacts of Biden presidency:

unemployment rises, energy and food costs soar, real wages shrink,...

Posted by Ted Nugent on Friday, January 22, 2021

In a new interview with Max Alt Rock magazine, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford was asked for his take on modern radio, streaming and the current state of the music industry. He responded: "It's still the Wild West.

"I was approached several months ago to put together a video that was going to be utilized for a presentation to Congress.

"It's always been the same — you get the pie chart, and the artists always get the smallest amount of the pie," he continued. "I've never understood that, because without us, you wouldn't have an industry. All we're asking for is fairness, but ever since the Internet took off, there has not been the proper guidance or legislation. There needs to be a universal agreement that is fair for everyone, and it's coming."

Rob's latest comments echo those he made in a 2015 interview with New Zealand's 3News. He stated at the time: "If you look at the breakdown of streaming, if you take what the artist gets once the breakdown happens, it really is just pennies out of the pie. It's like a piece; you slice it up. The bands get the tiniest bit. And then we have to divvy that up between how many members there are in the band. So it's a bit of a battle that's going on. But I really hope that fairness will prevail."

Halford added: "The big [streaming services] like Spotify, they appreciate the position that they're in. They've got buckets of money, and they go, 'Well, we're still getting…' Well, come on, guys. I think, you just gotta be 'fair's fair' here. Without us, you don't have a streaming company. That's it, plain and simple.

"So it's a struggle, it's a battle, but I think the artists will prevail and I'm hoping that we'll see some common sense from Spotify and the others to make it all work for everybody."

Halford's autobiography, "Confess", was released today (Tuesday, September 29) via Hachette Books. The book has already been described by the U.K.'s The Telegraph as "one of the most candid and surprising memoirs of the year."

Dave Mustaine has paid tribute to former CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman Alexi Laiho, who died last month at the age of only 41.

During the January 7 episode of his Gimme Radio program "The Dave Mustaine Show", the MEGADETH leader said (hear audio below): "We had a tragic loss last week with my friend, and I'm sure a lot of your friend loss also. I'm sure a lot of you were friends with this gentleman too — Alexi Laiho from CHILDREN OF BODOM passed away. They didn't really have anything to say about how he passed away other than he'd been battling some long-term illnesses. I knew him as a very gentle spirit with an amazing talent. In fact, when I was doing the 'Symphony Interrupted' performance [with the San Diego Symphony in April 2014], I watched he and his other guitar player — I can't remember the guitar player's name — but they did the Vivaldi part. It was one of the two Vivaldi pieces that I did; I can't remember their names right now off the top of my head.

"Rest in peace, my friend," Mustaine added. "You are sadly missed by so many people. We love you. I guess now the heaven heavy metal band has its lead guitar player."

Laiho died in his home in Helsinki. He had suffered from long-term health issues leading up to his death.

Laiho and drummer Jaska Raatikainen founded CHILDREN OF BODOM in 1993, and the band was one of the most internationally acclaimed metal acts in Finland up until their very last farewell concert in December of 2019. Last year, Alexi put together BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT, which recorded three songs and shot one music video, to be released posthumously.

Besides CHILDREN OF BODOM, Laiho had played in such acts as WARMEN, SINERGY, KYLÄHULLUT and THE LOCAL BAND. Awarded with a Metal Hammer Golden God and several other international prizes, the guitarist was also the main star, leading a group of one hundred guitar players at the Helsinki Festival in 2015 in "100 Guitars From Hel" — a massive concert piece he composed.

BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT made its live debut last October at Rytmikorjaamo in Seinäjoki, Finland. The 17-song show consisted entirely of CHILDREN OF BODOM material.