Legendary punk band DESCENDENTS has released a new song called "That's The Breaks". The track follows the politically charged two-song single "Suffrage", released ahead of the 2020 general election encouraging voting to take down the Trump administration. In triumph, "That's The Breaks" serves as a farewell to 45 ahead of the upcoming inauguration.

DESCENDENTS vocalist Milo Aukerman states: "Loser. Big time loser. Delusional loser. SORE loser. The time has come. The time is now. Just go, go, GO. I don't care how. Donald J. Trump, will you please go now! What's it gonna take? A gazillion dollars? (Oh wait, you already grifted that from supporters)... A get out of jail free card? (Only if our judicial system totally fails us)... A wooden stake through the heart? Whatever we can do to make you go away, we need to do it. And I don't mean just leave the White House, I mean crawl back into your hole of hate and live out the rest of your life as a nobody. A loser. Because that's what you are. Worst. President. Ever."

Formed in 1978, DESCENDENTS are Aukerman, Stephen Egerton (guitar), Karl Alvarez (bass) and Bill Stevenson (drums). They have released seven studio albums: "Milo Goes To College" (1982), "I Don't Want To Grow Up" (1985), "Enjoy!" (1986), "All" (1987), "Everything Sucks" (1996), "Cool To Be You" (2004) and "Hypercaffium Spazzinate" (2016).

Last October, Aukerman debuted his politically focused ukulele project REBUKE with a three-song single "45… Not A LP". The songs examined the crrent political state of the United States and the feeling of outrage and uncertainty that has intensified over the years.

"I've spent most of my punk rock life avoiding the temptation to write political songs; it always seemed like politics is the obvious go-to subject of punk and thus not of interest to me," explained Aukerman. "Unfortunately, after the 2016 U.S. presidential election, I find myself virtually unable to write songs about anything else."

Photo by Kevin Scanlon

ICED EARTH guitarist Jon Schaffer has yet to be charged with a federal crime in connection with his role in last week's riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Last Friday, the FBI's Washington Field Office released 40 photos of people who are suspected of unlawful entry during a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol carried out on January 6 during the final Congressional vote recording for the 2020 general election. Among them was a picture of Schaffer taken by Roberto Schmidt of AFP. In the photo, Schaffer — who lives in Indiana — can be seen at the front of a mob, sporting a hat from Oath Keepers, an anti-government militia group, wearing black leather fingerless tactical gloves and pointing his finger while yelling at someone out of the frame.

When contacted by The Indianapolis Star on Wednesday (January 13), an FBI spokeswoman in the Indianapolis field office declined to specifically comment about Schaffer or the involvement of anyone else from Indiana in the riot.

"Like FBI field offices across the country, FBI Indianapolis is receiving tips regarding Hoosiers who may have been at the Capitol building in Washington, DC Jan. 6," Chris Bavender, an FBI Indianapolis spokeswoman, said in a statement. "Any subjects that are arrested/indicted will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office in Washington, DC."

Schaffer is believed to be one of at least 170 people who are being investigated by FBI officials over their roles in the insurrection. At least 54 people have been criminally charged so far.

One crime that Jon could be charged with is "unlawful entry into restricted buildings or grounds." If convicted, he would face a maximum penalty of one year in prison, but the sentence would rise to a maximum of 10 years if injuries or weapons were involved. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge would determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

While Schaffer has not yet said anything publicly about his involvement in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates put out a statement on Instagram and Facebook opposing the insurrection.

"We absolutely DO NOT condone nor do we support riots or the acts of violence that the rioters were involved in on January 6th at the US Capitol building," they wrote. "We hope that all those involved that day are brought to justice to be investigated and answer for their actions."

Last week, German daily newspaper Die Welt uploaded a video interview it conducted with Schaffer last November at a Washington, D.C. demonstration supporting Trump and protesting the 2020 presidential election results. In the chat, the 52-year-old musician said that "a group of thugs and criminals hijacked this country a long time ago" and warned that "they're messing with the wrong people here. Because now we see you, and you're going down. Mark my words."

Schaffer also seemingly threw his support behind Trump, saying "he's not your typical Republican" and claiming that America's 45th president is "dealing with a criminal mafia that has been in the shadows running the world, frankly, for a very long time. They wanna destroy all of our sovereignty and bring about global government," he added. "We're not having it… It will not happen. There will be a lot of blood shed, if it comes down to that — trust me. The American people will not go for that bullshit — once they understand what's actually happening. So, that's where we're at. Nobody wants this, but they're pushing us to a point where we have no choice."

Back in 2009, Schaffer raised eyebrows when he launched his SONS OF LIBERTY project via an appearance on a radio show hosted by far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

More recently, Schaffer voiced his controversial views on the coronavirus crisis during an interview with MetalSucks's "The Quarantinecast", claiming that COVID-19 is "a psychological warfare campaign on the people more than it is a serious pandemic." Implying that a shadowy cabal of elites is using a global crisis as a cover to profiteer and entrench their power, Schaffer said: "I think there's a lot more going on than meets the eye here — in fact, I know there is. Legitimate doctors and scientists are being censored and banned on YouTube constantly. It's unbelievable levels of fraud."

In a September 2020 Facebook Live chat, Schaffer said that he didn't trust his government. "I don't give a shit if it's an 'R' or a 'D' next to the name of the person," he explained. "You can't put your hope into one president or one person, or a mayor or a governor or whatever. You've gotta be out there and actively put pressure on these people, let 'em know you're paying attention. If you're not paying attention, they're gonna rob you and steal everything. Your freedom too. Not just your money. They're gonna steal your fucking freedom. 'Cause they're a bunch of sick control freaks."




Jon Schaffer from Central Florida metal band Iced Earth? pic.twitter.com/p7v2wRLWRJ

— Lars❄️#FBR??NEW account (@a_fly_guy_no) January 8, 2021

QUEENSRŸCHE frontman Todd La Torre says that he was "shocked" but "not really surprised" by last week's revelation that ICED EARTH leader Jon Schaffer is among dozens of people wanted by the FBI for storming Capitol Hill.

On Friday, the FBI's Washington Field Office released 40 photos of people who are suspected of unlawful entry during a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol carried out on January 6 during the final Congressional vote recording for the 2020 general election. Among them was a picture of Schaffer taken by Roberto Schmidt of AFP. In the photo, Schaffer can be seen at the front of a mob, sporting a hat from Oath Keepers, an anti-government militia group, and pointing his finger while yelling at someone out of the frame.

"Somebody showed me a photograph, and they didn't say anything — they just showed me the picture," Todd said during an interview with the "Talking With Mark Strigl" podcast (hear audio below). "And I text back, 'Jon Schaffer?' And then I said, 'That's Jon. I know it is.' But I didn't have confirmation, but I was, like, 'I know it's him.' And then it was revealed, yes, that's him. And I was, like, 'Holy shit.'

"I know some of his viewpoints on things," La Torre continued. "On the one hand, it's shocking, 'cause you're, like, 'Holy shit. I'm friends with this guy.' And then on the other hand, you're, like, 'I'm not really surprised.' Because if you know how he thinks about the government and different things, you're, like, okay, it's not far-fetched that he would be there. At the same time, you're thinking, wow, this has never happened in my lifetime, or any of our lifetimes, where we've seen people storm the Capitol and literally assault… These are the same people that are saying 'Back The Blue' and 'We Support Our Police.' And then I'm watching people fighting and trying to beat up police officers, 'cause they think the election is rigged. That's not where I stand. I was, like, 'Holy crap!' And, of course, all the circles of people that we know each other, we're all, like, 'Holy shit. That's Jon.' Then it was [revealed that he was] wanted by the FBI. And I was, like, 'Holy crap!'

"I have no idea if he's turned himself in, if he's on the run, if they got him — I have no idea, 'cause I haven't communicated with him at all," Todd clarified. "But the band is taking a severe — there's a lot of backlash [against ICED EARTH].

"Jon's a man of his convictions," La Torre added. "I don't wanna comment one way or the other, other than the fact that, yeah, I know him, and the times that we've been around each other, he's always been respectful to me, but, of course, that's in a music situation. I think we have polarizing views on how we see things."

On Friday, German daily newspaper Die Welt uploaded a video interview it conducted with Schaffer last November at a Washington, D.C. demonstration supporting Trump and protesting the 2020 presidential election results. In the chat, the 52-year-old musician said that "a group of thugs and criminals hijacked this country a long time ago" and warned that "they're messing with the wrong people here. Because now we see you, and you're going down. Mark my words."

Schaffer also seemingly threw his support behind Trump, saying "he's not your typical Republican" and claiming that America's 45th president is "dealing with a criminal mafia that has been in the shadows running the world, frankly, for a very long time. They wanna destroy all of our sovereignty and bring about global government," he added. "We're not having it… It will not happen. There will be a lot of blood shed, if it comes down to that — trust me. The American people will not go for that bullshit — once they understand what's actually happening. So, that's where we're at. Nobody wants this, but they're pushing us to a point where we have no choice."

Back in 2009, Schaffer raised eyebrows when he launched his SONS OF LIBERTY project via an appearance on a radio show hosted by far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

More recently, Schaffer voiced his controversial views on the coronavirus crisis during an interview with MetalSucks's "The Quarantinecast", claiming that COVID-19 is "a psychological warfare campaign on the people more than it is a serious pandemic." Implying that a shadowy cabal of elites is using a global crisis as a cover to profiteer and entrench their power, Schaffer said: "I think there's a lot more going on than meets the eye here — in fact, I know there is. Legitimate doctors and scientists are being censored and banned on YouTube constantly. It's unbelievable levels of fraud."

In a September 2020 Facebook Live chat, Schaffer said that he didn't trust his government. "I don't give a shit if it's an 'R' or a 'D' next to the name of the person," he explained. "You can't put your hope into one president or one person, or a mayor or a governor or whatever. You've gotta be out there and actively put pressure on these people, let 'em know you're paying attention. If you're not paying attention, they're gonna rob you and steal everything. Your freedom too. Not just your money. They're gonna steal your fucking freedom. 'Cause they're a bunch of sick control freaks."






Jon Schaffer from Central Florida metal band Iced Earth? pic.twitter.com/p7v2wRLWRJ

— Lars❄️#FBR??NEW account (@a_fly_guy_no) January 8, 2021

During an appearance on the "Rock 'N' Roll Icons With Bode James" podcast, former DOKKEN and current FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson was asked to weigh in on Twitter permanently suspending President Donald Trump's account.

Last week, the social media platform decided that the president had crossed a line too far continuing to use Twitter to repeat debunked conspiracy theories about the election, even after thousands of his supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in an insurrection that left five dead. Twitter, which has a policy against inciting violence, undermining democratic processes and spreading election misinformation, announced it would no longer let Trump use its platform. Twitter suspended the president's personal account, @realDonaldTrump, citing "the risk of further incitement of violence."

Speaking about the fact that Trump was banned or suspended by Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitch in the span of a couple of days last week, Pilson said (see video below): "I always go back to the thing of, you can't yell 'fire' in a movie theater… I think that it really is down to you have to make the practical decision case by case, because some are 'fire in the movie theater' — obviously, the president.

"I'm sure he didn't want people to die, but he's an old enough man, and he should be responsible, as president of United States, to realize that by saying the things he said, this could happen," he continued. "So, his speech clearly can incite insurrection. So, in that case, to me, that's fire in the movie theater. Saying 'fuck' on a record is not, in my opinion.

"I think there just has to be practicality and common sense… What's common sense? What's good for people? What's good for everybody? And, to me, it's just we've gotta return to common sense.

"When you see the vitriol on the people that were interviewed that were in that insurrection the other day, a lot of them really do believe — I don't know if they just worked themselves into believing, but they really thought the election was stolen," Pilson added. "How did we get to that point? I saw one guy talking about, 'The Supreme Court wouldn't help,' and blah blah blah. Well, that's because there was no evidence [of widespread voter fraud].

"A lot of those people, I'm sure, are genuine patriots, and they really believed in their cause, and they really believe in freedom. But when they get massive misinformation, how are they supposed to judge accordingly? How are supposed to dictate what to do? So now misinformation becomes a thing. And I think misinformation has to be dealt with. I think it's one of the biggest problems that's going on.

"I don't know if you saw that movie 'The Social Dilemma' — a fabulous movie; really insightful about just the craziness on both sides," Jeff said. "And it's, like, how did we get to that point? And certainly social media has exacerbated the prolem, because it's unchecked. It's out there, and it's unchecked, and now, because people have narrowed their focus — people choose their own news sources — you can find a news source that tells you anything you wanna hear. And that's just fundamentally wrong. In common sense, doesn't that sound wrong? And whether it's Antifa or Trump — whatever it is — it's crazy crap. So get rid of the crazy crap. What can we do to get rid of that? And, again, I think it goes back to common sense.

"Here's the thing: who's the decider? Does [Facebook CEO] Mark Zuckerberg decide what's wrong and right, giving him that much power? That doesn't seem right either, but we don't have any other answers yet. And, unfortunately, it may take a deciding body that decides what is misinformation or not, but boy, imagine the political red herring of trying to put that together. It's gonna be really, really difficult."

Despite Trump's claim that Twitter was violating his First Amendment right to free speech, private entities like Twitter have every right to take down or suspend user accounts, especially when they are being used for nefarious purposes.

"After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence," the company said in a statement.

The statement listed two of Trump's Friday tweets as the reasons for banning his account. The first was his tweet that read: "The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!"

The second was his announcement that he wouldn't attend the inauguration: "To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th."

Twitter said that both posts "must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President's statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks."

Earlier this week, YouTube suspended Trump's account for at least a week. Amazon, Google and Apple have also removed the Parler app, which is reportedly used by many of Trump's supporters.

Swedish metal quartet, Orbit Culture, have unveiled a new single, "Mute The Silent", the first new music from the band since the release of new album, Nija, which was released summer 2020 via Seek & Strike. Watch a video for the song below.

"Mute The Silent: will be featured on the Nija expanded digital edition, out tomorrow via all streaming platforms.

Citing Metallica and Gojira as their main heavy influences, Orbit Culture love to experiment with a wide range of sounds and textures to create something that is fresh but also familiar.

Nikas comments: "As much as we love metal, we love other music, too. We love a good hard-hitting song as much as the next guy, but we've always found that blending and mixing genres seems more fun for us at least, rather than deciding on a specific genre to write within the metal scene. It really helps us to be creative and motivated. I'm guessing that is something that we'll always do."

In a recent interview with RIVAL SONS' Michael Miley for the Gretsch YouTube channel, Matt Sorum reflected on his first performance as the drummer for GUNS N' ROSES, which took place in January 1991 at the Rock In Rio festival in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

He said (see video below): "My whole career has been like flying by the seat of my pants. I've dealt with these guys that are very interesting characters, and you learn to love 'em, but at the time, you're, like, 'What the hell is going on out here?'

"Here I am rehearsing with GUNS N' ROSES for our first show, where I'm gonna open with the band at Rock In Rio — my first introduction to the world. So I joined, and we started working on these ['Use Your Illusion'] records, and then we got a call to go play two nights in Rock In Rio headlining. JUDAS PRIEST was opening for us, MEGADETH one night. The bill was crazy, but we were headliners. A hundred-and-forty-thousand-seat stadiums, two nights sold out for GUNS N' ROSES. And I get there, and I've never rehearsed with Axl [Rose, GUNS N' ROSES singer] — I've never rehearsed with the guy. We're gonna do it live in front of a hundred and forty thousand people, plus on television. And I'm freaking out before the show. I'm looking around, and I'm, like, 'Hey, does anyone know what the setlist is? I'd like to check out the setlist.' And Slash [GUNS N' ROSES guitarist] goes, 'We don't use a setlist.' And I'm, like, 'What?' So I got no information about what's gonna go down."

He continued: "Basically, before the show, and I learned this happened with that band, every night, Axl's guy Earl Gabbidon, [who] basically took care of Axl, came over to me and said, 'We're gonna start with 'Welcome To The Jungle',' 'We're gonna start with 'Nightrain'.' He would tell me every night. So that whole 'Use Your Illusion' tour, there was never a setlist. And we figured out how to give each other eye signals, or someone took a riff, but we figured it out. And here we were on a stadium-sized stage. But that particular night at Rock In Rio, we started with a song no one ever heard before called 'Pretty Tied Up', which we just finished recording. And it started with the hi-hat. And I just remember looking out, and the crowd was already bouncing. I was, like, 'I'm only playing the hi-hat.' [Laughs] You felt that when they bounce and the stage is kind of rolling. It was intense. And I was, like, 'Fasten your seatbelt, man. This shit's gonna get crazy.' And it did. But that one of the highlights — just the beginning of it."

Sorum, who replaced Steven Adler in GUNS N' ROSES, recorded the highly successful albums "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II" (both 1991) and "The Spaghetti Incident" (1994). He also supported the group on the "Use Your Illusion" tour and can be heard on GUNS N' ROSES' "Live Era: '87-'93" (1999) and "Greatest Hits" (2004).

Sorum has said in the past that a GUNS reunion tour should have included both him and Adler, with each playing the songs they recorded with the group. Sorum was inducted as a member of the band into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2012.

Sorum's autobiography, "Double Talkin' Jive: True Rock 'N' Roll Stories From The Drummer Of Guns N' Roses, The Cult, And Velvet Revolver", which was previously due in April and was subsequently pushed back to early July, will now arrive in 2021.

New York metal quintet, Damn Your Eyes, have revealed a video for “Doom On You”, the third of a trio of new tracks featuring the band’s new lineup and heavier approach.

“As songwriters we often turn to our songs to get closure on a personal issue, and sometimes, we take it a little too far with epic results,” guitarist Artie Alexander says. “‘Doom On You’ is one of those songs that took on a life of its own once we started to put it together. The story is based on deception and betrayal that leads to the ultimate retribution. The dismal and harrowing groove laden soundscape helps bring the tale together. The result of the two coming together is beautiful brutality and the dark energy within it.”

“Doom On You” hits radio tomorrow and will be available here.

Formed in 2015 by Artie Alexander and former drummer James Baldassano, Damn Your Eyes immediately hit the ground running. As respected musicians in their local scene with extensive recording experience, the band quickly recorded an EP, released it to local acclaim, and rapidly returned to the studio to record their upcoming international full-length debut, Kill The Outside in 2019. But as the band was building a following, it seemed to its members that there were some missing pieces to the Damn Your Eyes puzzle. Enter former guitarist Gabriel “Gabby” Abularach, drummer Darren Markoff, 24-year veteran of Long Island metal band Korotory, to complete the puzzle.

The band entered the studio with this bone-crushing new lineup in July to record several new tracks. The first, “Heavy Is The Head,” late September, with “Lock And Load” following in November.

Texan hard rockers, The Sword, have unveiled a live performance of "The Warp Riders" as the newest instalment of their Conquest Of Quarantine lockdown sessions, which launched last summer to great excitement from their fans.

"The Warp Riders" premiered today on the band’s YouTube channel and can be viewed below. The song is the title track from the 2010 album Warp Riders, which saw the band transition into a hard rock-influenced sound.

The lockdown sessions marked The Sword's first live performances together since the band went on hiatus in 2018, as they remotely reunited to perform songs like "Winter's Wolves", "Working Man", and put their own inimitable spin on the T-Rex classic, "Children Of The Revolution".

On the concept of recording live sessions in isolation, drummer Jimmy Vela commented, “This was a new approach for us; the “Tribute to Kings” tour postponement led to us finding a different way to connect with our fans. It was fun and something we hadn’t tried yet…”

Watch all the Conquest Of Quarantine performances so far on the band’s YouTube channel here, and stay tuned for more instalments coming soon.

MSG have released a new trailer for the new album, Immortal, out now via Nuclear Blast. Watch the clip below, and order the new album here.

MSG is a legendary name. After two phenomenal records under the guise of Michael Schenker Fest, a true guitar hero is returning to his roots. By forming Michael Schenker Group (MSG) back in 1979, Michael Schenker laid the foundations for one of hard rock’s most glorious solo careers of all times. And while nobody expected anything less from a former guitarist for Scorpions and UFO, it’s close to impossible mentioning everything Michael has built over the past 50 years, or the countless people he influenced or played with. This, truly, is the stuff that hard rocking myths are made of.

“I never looked back,” is how Michael dryly sums up an extraordinary career. Due to this mindset, he only realised much later what a huge impact his playing had made on the world of metal and hard rock. Very few guitarists can be cited as a primary influence for the likes of James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Dave Mustaine, Dimebag Darrell, Slash or Kerry King. However, to understand Michael Schenker means to understand one primary thing: he’s not here to be worshipped or adored, he’s not here to get rich, he’s here to play. And at 65, he’s doing it with the same swagger, verve and dizzying artistry as always. “I’m still 16 in my head,” he laughs.

Right in time for his 40th anniversary as a solo artist and his 50th birthday as a musician, he resurrects the immortal Michael Schenker Group. Immortal is also the name of his new album, recorded by likely the strongest line-up in his long history. Its a lightning bolt of an album that sounds fresh, bloodthirsty and agile. Immortal showcases the gargantuan vocal talents of Chilean hard rock prodigy Ronnie Romero (Rainbow), backed by singers Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Joe Lynn Turner (ex-Deep Purple) as well as Schenker’s brother in arms, Michael Voss (Mad Max) who again produced the record alongside Michael Schenker – flawlessly, punchy and at full steam as if their very lives depended on it.

Next to Michael Schenker caressing his iconic black and white Dean Flying V, we hear bass player Barry Sparks (Dokken), keyboard player Steve Mann as well as the three drummers Bodo Schopf, Simon Phillips (ex-Toto) and Brian Tichy (ex-Whitesnake) pumping gallons of fresh blood through the tracks. And that’s not all, keyboard wizard extraordinaire Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Black Country Communion) gives the listener a baptism of fire in the blistering, heavy hitting opener “Drilled To Kill”, powered by Ralf Scheepers’ unbelievable vocal tornado.

Michael Schenker doesn’t live to play, he plays to live, and there’s no better way of summing up his relationship to his music than this – now for half a century and counting. The most emblematic representation of this relationship is the monumental closing track “In Search Of The Peace Of Mind”, a new recording of the very first song he ever wrote. “I composed this track in my mother’s kitchen back when I was 15,” he looks back half a century and smiles broadly: “The solo is just so perfect, I wouldn’t change a single note even today. This is the most important song of the last 50 years for me. It’s what started it all.”

When it finally got released in 1972 on the Scorpions’ debut Lonesome Crow, Schenker had already moved on to UFO. What followed were several decades of pure hard rock ecstasy on and off stage, featuring a rotating cast of stellar players, always pressing the pedal to the metal. Now, in 2020, he reaps what he sowed. Alongside many of his peers, friends and contemporaries, he is celebrating 50 years of hard rock – fittingly with an album that is something like a zeitgeisty reminiscence of everything he’s ever done. The massive midtempo smasher “Don’t Die On Me Now” sees Joe Lynn Turner going all in, Ronnie Romero works his magic in “Knight Of The Dead” while Michael Voss cuts a grand figure before the microphone as well as behind the mixing desk on the furious second single “After The Rain”.

Towering above them all, Michael Schenker and his guitar prove they’re truly and utterly invincible. The celebrated icon pulls out all the stops – including his legendary “howler”, the fabled magnet he’s used on his fingerboard for a while now. And here’s yet another thing that’s just so archetypically Schenker, when bringing up his fiery and dedicated performance on “Immortal” he nonchalantly shrugs it off: “I simply played from the heart, as always.” This, dear Michael, is the understatement of the year – all the more so for a record that is already one of the top contenders for hard rock/metal album of the year.

Tracklisting:

"Drilled To Kill" (feat Ralf Scheepers)
"Don’t Die On Me Now" (feat Joe Lynn Turner)
"Knight Of The Dead" (feat Ronnie Romero)
"After The Rain" (feat Michael Voss)
"Devil’s Daughter" (feat Ralf Scheepers)
"Sail The Darkness" (Feat Ronnie Romero)
"The Queen Of Thorns And Roses" (feat Michael Voss)
"Come On Over" (feat Ronnie Romero)
"Sangria Morte" (feat Joe Lynn Turner)
"In Search Of Peace Of Mind" (feat Ronnie Romero, Gary Barden,Doogie White, Robin McAuley)

"Sail The Darkness" lyric video:

"After The Rain" (feat. Michael Voss) video:

"Drilled To Kill" lyric video:

Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the release of Arc Of Life's self-titled debut album, on February 12. Arc Of Life is the new progressive rock supergroup featuring three members of the current YES lineup, vocalist/guitarist Jon Davison, bassist/vocalist Billy Sherwood, and additional drummer Jay Schellen, one of the most interesting talents in the “new” progressive rock scene in the US, Dave Kerzner (Sound Of Contact) on keyboards, and Jimmy Haun (also featured on YES albums in the past) on guitar.

Fans can get a taste of the forthcoming debut with the new song "Just In Sight". Listen below, and pre-order/save Arc Of Life here.

The concept behind Arc Of Life is, in keeping with the progressive rock philosophy, to craft creative, challenging, and ear-pleasing music that pushes boundaries. Billy Sherwood describes the music as, “interesting, with well crafted songs, performed with precision and grace. All songs feature memorable melodies and lyrics that take the listener on a sonic adventure. Dynamic arrangements with peaks and valleys... it's all there.”

The other idea behind the band is that YES would be a clear point of influence. But while YES is clearly the main point of comparison, a lot of musical similarities can be drawn to describe Arc Of Life’s grandiose and epic approach to music. In Jon Davison’s words, “Each YES member understands and supports when others may desire to explore and thrive along new artistic avenues. We then each find further inspiration to bring back to the YES fold.”

But all the descriptions are best left to the listeners to discern for themselves as repeat listens will reveal more layers.

Arc Of Life is a true garden of delight for progressive rock fans and the band is looking forward to performing live. “Once the world gets over the COVID hump, Arc Of Life will be planning as much touring as we can fit in between YES and our other projects. Quite honestly, we’re all chomping at the bit to be out performing again!” concludes Jon Davison.

Tracklisting:

"Life Has A Way"
"Talking With Siri"
"You Make It Real"
"Until Further Notice"
"The Magic Of It All"
"Just In Sight"
7"I Want To Know You Better"
"Locked Down"
"Therefore We Are"
"The End Game"

"Just In Sight":

"You Make It Real" video:

Lineup:

Billy Sherwood - Bass and vocals
Jon Davison - Vocals
Jay Schellen - Drums
Jimmy Haun - Guitars
Dave Kerzner - Keyboards

Does he really need any introduction? Since the brilliant Spiritual Beggars came on the hard 'n' heavy scene in the mid-90's, Spice's voice and charisma have always been synonyms with fine songwriting, rock attitude and a bittersweet touch of melancholy. By The Corner Of Tomorrow, the band's new album, is the first that he recorded in standard tuning, aiming for a more "resilient" sound.

In the Swedish band leader's own words: "I had Black Sabbath's Heaven And Hell and Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard Of Ozz as references for the sound of this record - filtered through my personal touch."

His main goal was to make something in line with those timeless classics: a flowing collection of songs rich in variations, vibe and an unquestionable melodic feel. As usual, the lyrics deal with the human condition and our hidden dark feelings: fear, madness, hopelessness and the never-ending dream of escaping reality.

The iconic cover artwork was once again made by Luca “Solo Macello” Martinotti (Ennio Morricone, Black Rainbows, Sadist). By The Corner Of Tomorrow will be released on March 26 on CD, LP, and limited edition LP.

Tracklisting:

"The Fading Spot"
"Call Out Your Name"
"Tehom"
"The Sharp Edge"
"By the Corner Of Tomorrow"
"Midnight Blood"
"Reglutina"
"Cold Flames"
"Rewind The Wind"

Norwegian melodic rock queen, Issa, is back with her sixth studio album, Queen Of Broken Hearts, on March 12 via Frontiers Music Srl. Watch a video for the first single, "Angels Calling", below. Pre-order/save Queen Of Broken Hearts here.

Explains Issa, "The album's vocals were recorded right here where I live now in beautiful York, England. I really loved using the scenery around us to make the video for 'Angels Calling' too! When recording the album, I found that I enjoyed the more challenging vocal lines where I can use my voice in ways I haven't before, I love playing with vocal sounds and this album had more than enough headroom for that! "Queen Of Broken Hearts" is more symphonic than my previous records and if I can compare it to anything, I think my first album Sign Of Angels would be somewhere near it, except that I have 10 years more knowledge to put into it."

Issa, a truly stunning vocalist, has previously released five albums, all with Frontiers Music Srl and all creatively directed, overseen and nurtured by Serafino Perugino, President and A&R director of Frontiers Records. As with her past releases, the new release is a melodic rock fans dream come true with huge vocals and soaring melodies, but Queen Of Broken Hearts is arguably Issa's most fully realized musical offering yet.

Once again, she was partnered with Alessandro Del Vecchio to work on her new album and - as with the successful Run With the Pack - an all-star team of musicians appears on this new album. Featuring Simone Mularoni (DGM) on guitar, Andrea ToWer Torricini (Vision Divine) on bass, Marco Di Salvia (Hardline) on drums, and Del Vecchio on keys.

Issa’s musical growth over the years has been tremendous to hear and watch and fans will reap the rewards with Queen Of Broken Hearts, quite simply her best album yet. And that’s not just ‘hype’, but the fact of the matter.  

Tracklisting:

"Angels Calling"
"The Way Out"
"The Night It Rained Forever"
"I'm Here To Stay"
"Blue"
"Queen Of Broken Hearts"
"Derive"
"Without Love"
"Wait For Love"
"After The Rain"
"Die For A Life With You"

"Angels Calling" video:

Lineup:

Issa Oversveen - Vocals
Simone Mularoni - Guitars
Andrea Torricini, bass
Alessandro Del Vecchio - Keyboards
Marco Di Salvia – Drums

German rockers, Bonfire, have released a new video and single, “Love Don’t Lie”, taken from their upcoming new record Roots, to be released on February 26 via AFM Records.

It's a song that was initially written in 2008 for The Räuber, a cooperation between the Theater Ingolstadt and the band - it is their most successful theater piece coop, with three seasons, 55 sold-out shows and 50 thousand spectators. The new version of the song, beautifully arranged, comes as a really lovely duet with Alexx Stahl and Lydia Panè, wife of guitarist Frank Panè.

Pre-order Roots here, and watch the video for "Love Don't Lie" below.

Tracklisting:

CD1
"Starin' Eyes"
"American Nights"
"Let Me Be Your Water"
"Price Of Lovin' You"
"Comin' Home"
"Ready 4 Reaction"
"Give It A Try"
"Sleeping All Alone"
"Who's Foolin' Who"
"Why Is It Never Enough"
"Fantasy"

CD2
"When An Old Man Cries"
"Love Don't Lie"
"Lonely Nights"
"Under Blue Skies"
"You Make Me Feel"
"No More"
"The Devil Made Me Do It"
"Without You"
"Your Love Is Heaven To Me"
"Piece Of My Heart"
"Youngbloods"
"Our Hearts Don't Feel The Same"
"Wolfmen"

"Love Don't Lie" video:

Emerging from the Finnish coastal town of Kotka, melodic death/doom metal strikers Marianas Rest will unleash their third studio album, Fata Morgana, on March 12 via Napalm Records. In anticipation, they have just unveiled the first single from the album, entitled “Glow From The Edge”, along with a moving official video.

The Finns - featuring Jaakko Mäntymaa on vocals and Omnium Gatherum’s Aapo Koivisto on keys - showcase a true virtuosity of heavy riffs, hypnotizing soundscapes and impetuous tempo-changes on their new work of art. Fata Morgana combines intense melodic death metal spiced with significant doom elements and breathes an overall melancholic theme with every note, which the first output, “Glow From The Edge”, is proof of. Atmospheric guitar tones set the stage for this gloomy melodic death and doom metal offering. Spoken words permeate the listener’s brain, soon erupting in harsh and intense growling while the dreamlike backing vocals of guest musician Lindsay Matheson/Schoolcraft are carried along with sophisticated melodies.

Vocalist Jaakko Mäntymaa on the first single, “Glow From The Edge”: "Glow has a dreamy, mystic aura to it. I think it represents the evolution of the band and therefore it was an easy choice to be the first song released."

Watch the official video for “Glow From The Edge” below:

Fata Morgana marks the final chapter of a trilogy that began when Marianas Rest released their first full-length, 2016’s Horror Vacui, followed by the critically acclaimed full-length Ruins (2019). The series encompasses themes of isolation, eventual mental collapse and emergence from that woeful state, respectively - however, the band invites fans to experience the concept from their own perspectives.

The upcoming eight-song epos delivers atmospheric melodies that are as endless and fascinating as the overwhelming beauty of Finnish nature, which tracks like the expressive “The Weight” or authentic “Pointless Tale” are evidence of. Topped by guest appearances of Timo Virkkala, who shares his awesome cello magic, and the bewitching backing vocals of Lindsay Matheson/Schoolcraft (ex-Cradle Of Filth), Marianas Rest take their creative output to the next level and make Fata Morgana a must-have for fans of bands like Insomnium and My Dying Bride.

Marianas Rest on Fata Morgana: "Fata Morgana is a voyage into isolation. A passage to a place where minds get distorted by the cold."

This melodic melancholy is produced by Teemu Aalto (Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum) and Marianas Rest, recorded and mixed by Teemu Aalto at Teemu Aalto Music Productions and mastered by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers, who received a Grammy nomination with Candlemass feat. Tony Iommi for Best Metal Performance.

Fata Morgana will be available in the following formats:

- 2LP Gatefold Marbled Black/White (Napalm Mailorder Only)
- 2LP Gatefold Black
- CD Digipack
- Digital Album

Pre-order your copy of Fata Morgana here.

Tracklisting:

"Sacrificial"
"Glow From The Edge"
"Pointless Tale
"The Weight"
"Horrokseen"
"Fata Morgana"
"Advent Of Nihilism"
"South Of Vostok"

As a special bonus, Marianas Rest will release a limited edition reissue of their aforementioned second studio album, Ruins, on vinyl for the first time ever on March 12 via Napalm Records. Unleashed back in April 2019, the Finns’ full-length tells the story of how a mind slowly crumbles, about introversion, putting up mental walls and eventually disappearing inside your own head.

Available as a 2LP Gatefold Marbled Black/White vinyl (limited to 300 copies), this is a must have for fans of this somber manifest of heavy riffs and grieving melodies.

Pre-order Ruins here.

Tracklisting:

"Kairos"
"The Spiral"
"Hole In Nothing"
"The Defiant"
"Unsinkable"
"Shadows"
"Restitution"
"Omega"

Marianas Rest are:

Jaakko Mäntymaa – vocals
Aapo Koivisto – keys
Nico Mänttäri – guitar
Harri Sunila – guitar
Niko Lindman – bass
Nico Heininen – drums

(Photo - Miikka Järvinen)

Prior to the holiday season, horror-occult-goth metal/rock fusers Bloody Hammers unleashed two grisly, metallic new tracks to the masses' delight - the macabre punk earworm “A Night To Dismember” and swinging, gritty anthem "Hands Of The Ripper". Now, the Transylvania County, North Carolina-based husband and wife duo have released a third single and video on the eve of the release of their new horror punk-inspired full-length album, Songs Of Unspeakable Terror.

Conjuring images of retro sci-fi horror, the video for the sultry, doom metal-inspired track, entitled "Not Of This Earth", compliments the words of the song's extra-terrestrial crooner. Hungry for blood to revitalize his dying planet - he’s not of this earth!

Frontman/multi-instrumentalist Anders Manga says about the track: "Devallia and I knocked out this video a couple weeks ago in our little cabin basement. The current health crisis has kept us home but the green screen can take us (crudely) anywhere and BEYOND! Lyrically, this song is a straight tribute to Roger Corman's 1957 drive-in sci-fi/horror classic. As much as I think we're inspired by Hammer Films and classic European gothic horror, really, Corrman is just as important and certainly an American treasure."

Watch the out of this world official music video for “Not Of This Earth”:

Bloody Hammers' new full-length album, Songs Of Unspeakable Terror, will be unleashed on Friday, January 15, via Napalm Records available in digital, CD jewelcase and multiple vinyl variations.

Songs Of Unspeakable Terror will be available in the following formats:

- CD Jewelcase
- LP Gatefold Black
- LP Gatefold Red/Black Split-Splatter (limited to 100, European Napalm Mailorder Only)
- Deluxe Vinyl Edition: LP Gatefold Red + 2 Patches - (limited to 100, North American Napalm Mailorder Only)
- Digital Album

Pre-order here.

Songs Of Unspeakable Terror tracklisting:

"A Night To Dismember"
"Hands Of The Ripper"
"Witchfinder General"
"Not Of This Earth"
"The Ones Who Own The Dark"
"Waking The Dead"
"Night Of The Witch"
"We Are The Damned"
"The Brain That Wouldn't Die"
"Lucifer's Light"
"I Spit On Your Corpse"

“Hands Of The Ripper” video:

"A Night To Dismember" video:

Chats Of Unspeakable Terror #1:

Calgary, Canada’s progressive power gothic metal band Red Cain will be unleashing their new album Kindred: Act II set for digital release on January 22, 2021 with the CD physical release out via Sliptrick Records at a later date this year. The upcoming full length continues and ends the band's storytelling of their Kindred saga. 

Vocalist Evgeniy Zayarny adds: "Ride on with us on the second half of the Kindred saga - this mad march toward the Sun. Experimental, aggressive, and recognizably Red Cain in its style, Kindred: ACT II picks up and expands on the events from our previous album, centralizing the story around the Aztec warrior Zalcoatl, ritually chosen to save his people, and trapped inside an alien pyramid to battle a hungry, unearthly Lovecraftian entity that plans to use him to be released into the world beyond its archaic prison." 

Today, the band shares their fifth single "Baltic Fleet" in support of the forthcoming album through BraveWords! The track is Red Cain's foray into black metal - a genre that has shaped much of their musical backgrounds. 

The band comments:

"We fall, so others can rise again. Every war has its forgotten heroes. Within the album storyline, they come to Mstislav’s aid at a crucial time to keep the gates shut against an overwhelming enemy presence. The most aggressive and heavy track on the album, ‘Baltic Fleet’ was written to be a bastard child of Behemoth and Abigail Williams, with our guitarist Tyler Corbett molding our initial idea into an absolute black metal beast - that also means growls will definitely make their way into future RC songs. The track is also inspired by, and commemorative of the concept of the Unknown Soldier, ‘Baltic Fleet'’ is the battle cry of the honoured dead that gave their lives for peace. Many of our grandfathers fought in the wars of the 20th century and it is our great and humble privilege to be able to acknowledge their bravery in this small way. We salute their sacrifice."

Kindred: Act II follows Red Cain's 2019 album Kindred: Act I also unleashed via Sliptrick Records. Over the past few months of this year, they have shared four singles off the forthcoming full-length “Sunshine (Blood Sun Empire)”, “Demons”, “Kindred” and “Varyag And The Shrike”, which can be heard below. Recommended for fans of Kamelot, Mastodon, and Amaranthe.

Preorder Kindred: Act II on Bandcamp.

With album preorder, Red Cain is giving fans seven custom pieces of digital art designed by the band along with an immediate download of their goth-rock headbanger "Demons".

Tracklisting:

"Kindred"
"Demons"
"Precipice Of Man"
"Baltic Fleet"
"Varyag And The Shrike"
"Sons Of Veles"
"Sunshine (Blood Sun Empire)"

(Photo - Ravenkin Photography)

Legendary rock band MÖTLEY CRÜE is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

It was January 17, 1981 when Nikki Sixx first jammed with Tommy Lee and vocalist/guitarist Greg Leon. Leon left, Mick Mars and Vince Neil were recruited. The rest, as they say, is history…

Sunday, January 17, 2021 will mark the 40th anniversary of this momentous occasion in the history of rock and roll and will mark the beginning of a year of celebration of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band.

Fans are invited to sign MÖTLEY CRÜE's birthday card before Sunday on Facebook and return to the site on Sunday, January 17, 2021 for more announcements. Sunday would also be the perfect time for music and movie fans alike to watch the band's hit movie "The Dirt" on Netflix and stream "The Dirt" soundtrack, as well as the band's iconic debut album "Too Fast For Love", which will celebrate its 40th birthday later this year, on November 10, 2021.

Any posts about the band are invited to add the hashtag #HappyBirthdayToCrüe.

Commented Sixx: "In 'Kickstart My Heart', the lyrics say, 'When we started this band / All we needed, needed was a laugh / Years gone by, I'd say we've kicked some ass.'

"It's always been about great songs and over-the-top live shows for us. The fans were always right by our side. I don't know where all of the years went. It went by in a flash. What I can't forget are the four decades of fans who have counted themselves as Crüeheads from day one, supporting us through thick and thin. To them we are in debt and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

"Happy 40th birthday to us all.”

Neil, Sixx, Mars and Lee are firmly ingrained in the fabric of rock history. MÖTLEY CRÜE has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, achieving seven USA platinum and multi-platinum albums, 22 Top 40 mainstream rock hits, six Top 20 pop singles and three Grammy nominations.

The band has had 1.6 billion streams across digital providers and has over 8 million social media followers. In 2006, the band was inducted into the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

A stunning live act, MÖTLEY CRÜE has taken its incendiary show across the world, selling over 100 million tickets globally.

The band's biography "The Dirt: Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band", first published in 2001, became a New York Times best-seller and has sold over one million copies worldwide. In addition, the band members have authored three other New York Times best-sellers.

2019 saw "The Dirt" released as a feature-length biopic. The film became one of the biggest releases of that year and scored a 94% positive audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The band remains a huge global draw. MÖTLEY CRÜE is set to co-headline a nearly sold out North American stadium tour with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and Joan Jett in June, July, August and September 2021.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's legacy and influence in the global music scene cannot be underestimated. 2021 is the year to celebrate the achievements of this extraordinary band.

FIREWIND, the band featuring former OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G., has released the official music video for the song "Devour". The track is taken from the band's ninth, self-titled studio album, which was made available in May 2020.

In early 2020, FIREWIND officially parted ways with guitarist/keyboardist Bob Katsionis and singer Henning Basse. The group's new vocalist is Herbie Langhans, who has previously played with AVANTASIA and SINBREED.

With his charismatic voice, Langhans refines each and every last one of the new songs and infuses them with an expressive force that is remarkable.

Gus and Langhans got to know each other back in the autumn of 2019, when the FIREWIND leader was looking for a suitable replacement for Henning Basse after the tour with QUEENSRŸCHE. Just a few weeks later, the recordings for "Firewind" were a done deal, ready for Swedish sound engineer Tobias Lindell (EUROPE, AVATAR, H.E.A.T.) to mix them in Lindell Audio Studios.

Gus spoke about the evolution of FIREWIND's sound in a 2020 interview with Audio Ink Radio. He said: "Like every band, we go through our different phases. Especially for us, having quite a few different singers in the lineup in the past, each guy brought a different vibe and different things to the band. I think on this record, you'll hear elements from all our past records, especially with our new singer, Herbie, because he reminds me a lot of Stephen Fredrick, our first singer. But this album also has a lot of variety, and that might remind fans of albums like [2006's] 'Allegiance' and [2008's] 'The Premonition'. But then again, we're not trying to be retro or nostalgic or copy those albums. We're moving towards the future. The way I see it, there's always a new song to write. Every album, I try to make better songs, play better guitar, try different tempos, write in different keys. There's always things you can experiment with in the studio."

On March 12, The Crown will release their new album, Royal Destroyer, via Metal Blade Records. For a first preview of Royal Destroyer, a video for the new single, "Motordeath" (directed and edited by Christoffer Tönnäng), can be viewed below.

Having celebrated their thirtieth anniversary in 2020 [their first eight years spent as Crown Of Thorns], The Crown have proven themselves one of the most enduring forces in death metal. In 2021, they further up the ante with Royal Destroyer, a record that sets a new standard for the genre. "It is our album number ten, so now we are in the big boys club," says bassist Magnus Olsfelt. "I think it in some ways is our crowning achievement, and it encompasses our sound across all albums on one defining record. It's got it all - the early 90s death metal stuff, the haunting melodies, the thrash, the punk, the grind, the heavy metal and the more epic and doomy stuff."

With 2018's Cobra Speed Venom, the band reached the same lofty heights as their 2002 landmark release, Crowned In Terror, but they were primed and ready to write its successor. "It surely set the bar up high for a follow up," Olsfelt explains. "But it's more inspiring than daunting. We have a real good vibe in the band, so we know we are capable of creating great stuff if we all just put our hearts to it and work hard." Confident, they pushed ahead, with the idea of making a sequel to Cobra Speed Venom - a sequel meaning "more of everything".

Together with legendary producer Fredrik Nordström, the band tracked the resulting 10 songs at Gothenburg's Studio Fredman. "We push ourselves to the limit, really trying to make everything as good as it can get, trying to make every song as impactful as possible," Olsfelt states. While he believes that people need to hear the album themselves to be able to accurately describe it, Olsfelt also asserts that The Crown have achieved something that makes for a "continuous whole" - while being diverse. There are also some surprises in store for fans. "We have some of the most intense stuff ever, like one song is about one minute long, and we also have a ballad!"

The new album can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:

- jewelcase-CD
- ltd. digipak-2CD (incl. 'Deathrace 13' bonus disc w/ 13 tracks)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- midnight blue marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 400 copies)
- red-hot orange marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- golden clear w/ blue and white splatter spot vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- clear w/ gold splatter vinyl (Kings Road exclusive - limited to 100 copies)
- viole(n)t blue marbled vinyl (US exclusive)

Royal Destroyer tracklisting:

"Baptized In Violence"
"Let The Hammering Begin!"
"Motordeath"
"Ultra Faust"
"Glorious Hades"
"Full Metal Justice"
"Scandinavian Satan"
"Devoid Of Light"
"We Drift On"
"Beyond The Frail"

"Motordeath" video:

The Crown lineup:

Johan Lindstrand - Vocals
Magnus Olsfelt - Bass
Marko Tervonen - Guitar
Robin Sörqvist - Lead guitar and backing vocals
Henrik Axelsson - Drums

Hot on the heels of "No Son of Mine", FOO FIGHTERS have unleashed another dose of "Medicine At Midnight" in the form of "Waiting On A War". In stark contrast to the bludgeoning "final f*ck you to 2020" (UPROXX) of its predecessor, "Waiting On A War" is a sprawling melodic opus that gradually builds to a patented FF rave-up.

If "Waiting On A War" seems to have an especially emotional heft to its lyrics, well, that’s because it does. Dave Grohl recounts the personal anecdote that inspired the song: "Last fall, as I was driving my daughter to school, she turned to me and asked, 'Daddy, is there going to be a war?' My heart sank as I realized that she was now living under the same dark cloud that I had felt 40 years ago.

"I wrote 'Waiting On A War' that day.

"Every day waiting for the sky to fall. Is there more to this than that? Is there more to this than just waiting on a war? Because I need more. We all do.

"This song was written for my daughter, Harper, who deserves a future, just as every child does."

Celebrate Grohl's birthday tonight (Thursday, January 14) with FOO FIGHTERS' network TV debut performance of "Waiting On A War" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

"Medicine At Midnight" will be released on February 5 via Roswell Records/RCA Records. The nine-song, 37-minute effort was produced by the FOO FIGHTERS and Greg Kurstin.

"Medicine At Midnight" track listing:

01. Making A Fire

02. Shame Shame

03. Cloudspotter

04. Waiting On A War

05. Medicine At Midnight

06. No Son Of Mine

07. Holding Poison

08. Chasing Birds

09. Love Dies Young

The first single from the disc, "Shame Shame", was released in November. An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Paola Kudacki and co-stars Grohl and Sofia Boutella. "Shame Shame" renders in stunning black and white an interpretation of a recurring dream that's haunted Grohl since his childhood days.

Grohl told SiriusXM's Alt Nation about the "Medicine At Midnight" musical approach: "It's our 10th album, and it's our 25th anniversary. We're. like, okay, let's look back at all the stuff that we've done before. We've made that loud sort of noisy punk rock fast stuff. We've made the sleepy acoustic kind of gentle acoustic record stuff. We've done the three- or four-minute-long bubblegum rock and roll, pop, single thing before. And it was, like, well, what haven't we done? And we had never really made a groove-oriented sort of party record.

"It's hard to put the words 'dance' or 'funk' or 'disco' in the same sentence as the FOO FIGHTERS; it scares the shit out of me," Dave admitted. "But all of us grew up loving rock and roll records that you could like bounce around to, like THE CARS. Like, oh my God, we love THE CARS. Or David Bowie's 'Let's Dance'. Or POWER STATION. Or THE [ROLLING] STONES' 'Tattoo You' — things like that. We're, like, 'All right. We've never really explored that territory before. Let's do it.

"We're lucky in that everybody in the band has diverse influences and everybody loves different kinds of music, but I honestly think we're capable of doing almost anything," he said. "So if we put our minds to it, we can kind of chameleon and turn into a death metal band, or we could be like THE CARPENTERS. So we just have to come together and make the decision, like, 'All right, which way do we wanna go? Which way are we gonna turn the wheel?' And this time we did it to make this party record."

Photo credit: Danny Clinch

According to Billboard, Artist Group International, which is one of the top independent booking agencies in the world, has signed alternative rock icons JANE'S ADDICTION. Michael Arfin and Marsha Vlasic will be the responsible agents for both JANE'S and singer Perry Farrell and his solo endeavors.

In November, Perry told Classic Rock magazine that fans can expect to hear new music from JANE'S ADDICTION in 2021. Asked if there might be another album from JANE'S ADDICTION in his future plans, the 61-year-old singer said: "I wouldn't think albums, I'd think songs.

"We've got so much JANE'S material in the can," he explained. "We'll be releasing a couple of tracks, maybe writing some new ones. Not this year, 'cause we're getting late in the year. But I can tell you in the next month or so I'm gonna be finishing up a couple of JANE'S ADDICTION tracks."

In the same interview, Farrell revealed that he had his voice box removed during a recent operation on his vertebrae. The vocalist underwent successful surgery for "crushed discs in his neck," a condition caused "mostly from partying and leaning back my head to rip out notes, and surfing and dancing around," he said.

"They had to remove my voice box and put it on a table," Farrell explained. "That was daunting. They literally exposed my skeleton, took the discs out and put in artificial discs. So now I am a quarter inch taller and twice as attractive to my wife."

Last August, JANE'S ADDICTION played two songs during Lollapalooza's Lolla2020 livestream, a free four-night broadcast event which took place on the original dates of the Chicago-based festival. Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Chris Chaney reunited for their first public appearance in three years to perform "I Would For You" and "Stop!"

Formed in 1985 in Los Angeles, JANE'S ADDICTION has been firmly embedded in the collective pop culture consciousness for 35 years now. Farrell stands out as one of music's most forward-thinking and enigmatic frontmen. Navarro remains a veritable guitar god. Perkins's tribal stomp has also influenced a generation of percussionists. The hugely influential band has sold in excess of seven million records in the U.S. alone. When Farrell created the traveling Lollapalooza festival, it galvanized the alternative rock movement and brought it to a whole new level.

JANE'S ADDICTION was signed to Warner Bros. after garnering critical claim for its release on the independent Los Angeles label XXX. Under their Warner Bros. deal, they recorded two more critically lauded but sometimes controversial albums, "Nothing's Shocking" and "Ritual De Lo Habitual".

JANE'S ADDICTION released its last album, "The Great Escape Artist", back in 2011.

"The Great Escape Artist" sold around 24,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"The Great Escape Artist" was JANE'S ADDICTION's first all-new studio effort since 2003's "Strays", which opened with more than 110,000 units to enter the chart at No. 4.

"The Great Escape Artist" was only JANE'S ADDICTION's fourth album of original material in 20 years.

The current JANE'S ADDICTION lineup features original members Perkins, Farrell and Navarro.

Although founding bassist Eric Avery initially returned to the band when it reactivated in 2009, he quit the following year.

Dave Sitek of TV ON THE RADIO played bass on and co-produced "The Great Escape Artist", while Chaney has returned as touring bass

Finnish symphonic death metal band Ephemerald will release their debut album, Between The Glimpses Of Hope, on February 19th via Inverse Records. Check out the official lyric video for the new single, "All There Is", below.

Ephemerald was formed in 2016 by Joni Snoro (ex-Frosttide), Lauri Myllylä (ex-Frosttide), Vesa Salovaara (Vorna) and Juho Suomi (Betrayed) in order to create epic yet furious and straightforward metal music coming straight from the hearts of its creators.

Tracklist:

"Grand Creation"
"I Bear Fire"
"Servant"
"Lost"
"All There Is"
"Reborn"
"No Fall Is Too Deep"
"Till The Sea Swallows Us Whole"
"Into the Endless"

Pre-order the album here. Check out the band's official Facebook page here.

"No Fall Is Too Deep"

"Servant"

Red Wolf's debut album, Sessions Vol. 1, was released in October 2020. They have released an official video for the song "The Devil Inside Of Me". Check it out below.

It all started in Spring 2020, during the COVID – 19 lockdown, when Euge Valovirta (Cyhra) had received compliments and questions about the songs he had used on his YouTube channel’s videos which were just 1-2 minute clips of cool riffs basically written for a particular video about a certain amp, effect pedal, etc.

Around the same time Adde Larsson, with whom Euge had played several Cyhra shows since he had filled in for Alex Landenburg, called Euge that he really likes Euge’s solo album, Easy Does It, and if he ever plans to record another he’d like to be the drummer on that.

Since all of their main band’s tours were cancelled, they had plenty of time so they decided that Euge will complete the aforementioned clips into full songs at his home studio in Helsinki, Finland and Adde will then record drums on them in his hometown Gothenburg, Sweden. When the demos of the songs were finished Euge decided that the songs require vocals and someone to finish the writing process with him and the first guy he thought who’d be perfect for the job was Samy Elbanna (Lost Society) and Samy replied immediately, without hearing a single song, that he is in.

Around the same time, Euge thought that he wants his old bandmate from Suburban Tribe Janne Joutsenniemi (Stone, Suburban Tribe) to play bass on the songs and Janne also replied immediately that he is in. Janne also growls on the album which he hasn’t done since Stone’s last album Emotional Playground (1991).

After the drums were done Euge, Samy and Janne recorded their parts at their home studios and by early July the recordings were finished, without the guys meeting once during this time, and the mixing started at IYP studios in Gothenburg, Sweden by Matthias Törngren.

Euge Valovirta: “All of this happened very naturally & effortlessly and this has been probably the easiest album writing & recording process that I’ve ever been a part of and I’m really happy how everything turned out. 'Crossing The Line' was the first song we completed and it set the direction for the rest of the album. It’s working title was 'JCM800' ‘cos it was written for my YouTube channels’ – video about my all time favourite amp; Marshall JCM800 2203 which I used on the album, naturally."

Samy Elbanna: "As a person who always has enjoyed creating and doing as much as possible, this was an absolute dream to be a part of! This has been without a doubt one of the funniest and most organic projects I’ve ever had the honor to participate! Great songs and a great group of guys, what could be better?!"

Janne Joutsenniemi: "I haven’t played or sung for a while so this was a nice change for me to rock out with the guys, even from a distance since everybody played their parts on their own for obvious reasons. I haven’t even met or talked with Adde but it was really fun to play the bass on top of his drums and my playing fitted naturally to his playing. I can hear hear the fresh and enthusiastic touch in everyone’s playing and everything was done in the spur of moment since we had no time or need to analyze and rehearse things any further. It was straight forward full speed ahead, trusting your own intuition and that’s what music is all about."

Adde Larsson: "Having been working together with Euge as a stand in drummer for Alex Landenburg in Cyhra for about 2 years and with a bunch of shows and tours under the belt together, me and Euge have really hit it off and he has become a very good and dear friend of mine. When this opportunity rose to do this project together there was absolutely nothing that would stop me in my tracks to take the change and join! To also be playing with Samy and Janne in the same band was a massive extra privilege and a surprise to say, especially knowing what they have achieved in their individual careers! It makes me very humble and excited to be a part of this machine and it’s just simply awesome and honouring to be a part of this all."

Tracklist:

"Crossing The Line"  
"The Road"    
"The Point Of No Return"
"Running In Circles"
"The Devil Inside Of Me"
"Hypocrite"
"Watch It Burn"
"Coming For You"
"Face Of God"
"I Am The Night"

"Crossing The Line"

"The Road"

Red Wolf is:

Euge Valovirta – guitar
Samy Elbanna – vocals & guitar
Janne Joutsenniemi – bass & vocals
Adde Larsson - drums

Check out the band's official Facebook page here.