Polish pagan alchemists Varmia – who pay tribute to their Baltic roots by combining black metal with traditional instruments such as the goat horn and the tagelharpa – will release their third album (and M-Theory Audio debut), “bal Lada,” on March 12. The cover artwork, which was designed by percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Piotr, can be viewed below. The album can be pre-ordered on CD and limited-edition 2LP colored vinyl at this location.

“The album title 'bal Lada' is a wordplay,” explains band founder Lasota. “It's most obvious in Polish, but should translate well in other languages as well. It means both 'ballad' and 'Lada's ball'. The term 'ballad' could refer to a literary form, but is also understood as a sad song. 'Lada' or 'Lado' is an ancient deity associated with both Baltic and Slavic cult heritage. She and/or he was most likely responsible for harmony, fertility and well-being. The title represents our take on the medieval dance of death concept and its depiction in the danse macabre allegory - the 'bal' of life forces, circle of cycles, primal lusts, desires and thus deprivations and metamorphoses of flesh and spirit. This is a ritual dance in the oldest forest on one hand, but it's also a whole universe's life and death cycle on the other. The lyrics are mainly in Polish, but with some elements of ancient Prussian language. The cover art and graphic design is made by our band member Piotr, who plays all the ethnic instruments on the album. Follow the Moon and walk into the silent woods of Warmia.”

Varmia recently unveiled a taste of the sounds to be found on “bal Lada” with the premiere of the music video for the first single from the record, “bielmo”. The visually stunning tribute to the band's home region can be viewed below. Additional previews of bal Lada will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Varmia was formed in 2016 by vocalist/guitarist/composer Lasota with a mission of fusing black metal with musical influences that pay tribute to the ancient Baltic tribes of the historical Warmia region of northern Poland. On vocal duties, Varmia emits harsh growls that shroud the band's music and native Polish lyrics in a visceral aura, the only breaks from this vocal assault occurring when using the traditional, ancient technique of “whitevoice” clean singing as utilized during ancient East-Central European rituals, rites of passage and festivals. Meanwhile, the power of the band's metal influences are enhanced on Bal Lada by traditional ethnic instrumentation of the Baltic Rites via sounds of tagelharpa, goat horn, wood tuba and krivula. The final result is a compelling mix of dark metallic sounds that channel the spirit of early Enslaved, Satyricon, and Wolves in the Throne Room and folk elements that drive acts such as Wardruna.

Varmia has released two albums to date - 2017's Z mar twych and 2018's W ciele nie. The group records all of their music in culturally significant remote locations throughout their native Poland, and Bal Lada continues that practice, as the 11 tracks of ominous and atmospheric pagan black metal contained within were recorded in a makeshift studio set up by the band in an old 19th-century manor in Northern Poland, where they recorded while playing together as a live unit with no sound editing.

With the forthcoming release of bal Lada, M-Theory Audio is set to spread the band's native sounds to a worldwide audience. Says Lasota, “With two releases so far, Varmia has shouted out the voice of our land mainly on the Polish soil - the voice of disquiet, passion and agitation. It is now time to hear it echo throughout the whole world. Varmia still has many stories to tell, and we are very excited to work with such well-respected people from overseas. We have many spirits yet to summon.”

Lineup:

Lasota - guitars, vocals
Alle - bass, backing vocals
Svarrge - drums
Piotr - percussion, tagelharpa, goat horn, wood tuba, krivula, backing vocals

Deathstar is the new full-length from Finnish progressive death metal veterans Convulse. A near forty-one-minute masterwork, Deathstar delivers nine tracks that transcend the boundaries of standard death metal. Fusing the prime tenets of death metal, heavy rock, and prog into something innovative and enticing, the record arguably picks up where the band's underrated 1994 Reflections full-length left off adopting a similar genre-bending approach and modernizing it.

Finnish progressive death metal pioneers Convulse have unveiled new lyric video for the track "Whirlwind." The track comes by way of the band's Deathstar full-length, recently released via Transcending Records.

Fusing the prime tenets of death metal, heavy rock, and prog into something innovative and enticing, the near forty-one-minute masterwork presents nine tracks that transcend the boundaries of standard death metal. Arguably picking up where the band's underrated 1994 Reflections full-length left off, Deathstar adopts a similar genre-bending approach and modernizes it.

Deathstar is available on CD, limited-edition deluxe CD, digital, cassette, and vinyl formats. For physical preorders, visit this location. For digital orders, go here.

"Whilrwind" lyric video:

"The Summoning":

(Band photo by Okko Sorma)

Debuting today, the new video for the title track to Damon Johnson & The Get Ready’s upcoming album, Battle Lessons, due out February 19, 2021 via Double Dragon Records. The video was directed by Carl Johnson, remotely from his Detroit studio, and features the trio ripping through the cut with a megawatt energy. The album’s iconic cover art is also utilized throughout the piece symbolizing an entity in motion moments before encountering a powerful electrical charge and ultimately exploding from the screen.

Of the track Johnson says, “The lyrics to the song 'Battle Lessons' are about some past experiences in various bands I’ve been in through the years. Though the words could easily be applied to any relationship.” He adds. “The lyric instructs me that I should take all the experience from my musical past and apply it to my now fully focused solo career.” No battle lessons lost on him.

The internationally renowned guitarslinger, vocalist, songwriter, announced the release of his new album late last year. Battle Lessons is anchored by the searing title track showcasing Johnson’s gutsy vocals and razor riffs over presto grooves by The Get Ready drummer Jarred Pope (Tom Keifer) and bassist Robbie Harrington (Steve Vai). The song immediately reacted at radio, reaching #13 on the Classic Rock Chart.

Work on the new album was made possible with the assistance of an Indiegogo pre-order helping to support the recording of Johnson and his new trio, The Get Ready. Recorded in Damon’s adopted hometown of Nashville, Battle Lessons was produced and mixed by multi-platinum producer/mixer, Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, Evanescence, Rush, Stone Sour and more).

Rock fans know Johnson’s name from his years of scorching stages as lead guitarist in the Alice Cooper band, and later with Thin Lizzy and the Lizzy-offshoot Black Star Riders in addition to fronting the potent ‘90s Southern rockers Brother Cane. Johnson’s songs have been recorded and sung by stars like Stevie Nicks (“Everyday” from her Trouble in Shangri-La) and Steven Tyler (singing on “Just Feel Better” for Carlos Santana’s All That I Am).

With Battle Lessons, Johnson returns to his original hard-rock sound, feeding that fire he first discovered as a teenager playing Van Halen and AC/DC covers while in garage bands. Featuring nine newly written songs, the tracks are just as much about clever lyrics and sticky melodies as eyelash-searing guitars. “These are as good of songs as I’ve been a part of creating, ever in my whole career,” Johnson says. And that’s saying something - as singer/guitarist, and frontman of Brother Cane, the Birmingham, Alabama rock band who notched a string of ’90s rock hits, including “Got No Shame”, “I Lie In The Bed I Make” and chart-topper “And Fools Shine On.”

In 2019, Johnson released Memoirs Of An Uprising, a solo project that is both fierce and diverse. The first single, “Shivering Shivering” became an instant Top 10 Rock track. Immediately following that album's release, Johnson spent the remainder of 2019 on a series of dates crossing North America, including several shows with The Winery Dogs (a supergroup of rockers featuring Richie Kotzen, Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan), a run of shows supporting Clutch, and the U.S. leg of the UFO tour.

Stream “Battle Lessons” now at this location.

 

Australia's premiere synth-prog outfit have played to their strengths and have covered the Australian modern classic "This Boy's in Love," originally by electronic duo The Presets. Fusing together Voyager's signature epic electro progressive power prog metal with a huge pop song, the VSets version is sure to be a hit.

The band comments on the cover: "The Presets song is one of those songs that I heard and thought 'I wish I'd written this.' At the time it came out it was so fresh in Australia, and so bizarre that it became so popular because it's really very much Euro Style Dark Synthie EBM. Given that a lot of Voyager songs start out as electronic ideas, this semi-obscure modern Australian classic was a no brainer to cover. We hope you enjoy!"

Moreover, guitarist Scott Kay recently taught fans how to play a riff from the band's song "Colours" in the latest installment of Guitar World's "Sick Riffs" serie. In addition to the play-through, Kay also includes the tablature. Watch and learn:

The band's 2019 release, Colours In The Sun, can be ordered here.

British rock singer Chez Kane has announced the release of her self-titled debut album on March 12, 2021 via Frontiers Music Srl. Produced by Danny Rexon of Crazy Lixx, Chez Kane is a melodic rock record that harkens back to the glory days of the '80s when the genre was known for having multiple incredible frontwomen playing the style. Today, fans can get their first taste of Chez's debut with the release of the single and music video for “Too Late For Love”.

“I’m so excited that everyone is finally getting to hear the first single from the album! ‘Too Late For Love’ is full of class and that infectious 80’s sass! Filming the music video in Sweden was an awesome experience that I will never forget!" says Chez. 

A talented, young vocalist who fronts, with her two sisters, the band Kane'd, Chez was brought to the attention of the label after conversations with Danny Rexon of Crazy Lixx about the possibility of him scouting and producing some exciting new talent. Subsequently, Danny started working on some demos with Chez and the label did not pass up the opportunity to get involved with this incredible talent. Chez's debut solo album embraces the melodic rock style that both she and Danny so admire, while adding a new twist to the current takes on the genre. 

“I feel so excited to have been asked to collaborate with Danny for a solo album. The second I heard the music, I instantly knew it was for me and I’m thrilled at the opportunity to launch my solo career this way. I am so humbled to have Frontiers on board. This is going to be killer and I can’t wait!” says Chez.

Producer Danny Rexon says, “Until now, I had only worked on the production of Crazy Lixx, but with this I can take a whole other role where I’m working on building up a brand new solo artist, which is quite refreshing....especially when we’re talking about creating something with a talented and hardworking singer like Chez.”

The concept behind the album started with a vision that Danny had in mind. “I’ve long felt that the contemporary melodic rock scene is missing an important piece of what I think made the genre, at least to some extent, so great in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and that is the quintessential female rocker. There are tons of bands in the melodic rock genre, but I feel like we’re missing that great female solo artist singing hard rock. A kind of Lee Aaron, Lita Ford, or Robin Beck for the new decade. So, the mission was clear to me from day one: Give the fans a female rocker that will remind them of the powerful rock anthems of the past. Having found Chez and discovering the potential in her voice, I have great faith in this endeavour and no doubt that this album will resonate well with fans both of my own band, Crazy Lixx and of the retro melodic rock genre at large.”

Chez adds that even “though I was born in the ‘90s, I have always had a major soft spot for that infectious ‘80s style, so from that aspect Danny’s songwriting fits me really well. We have the same vision, drive and passion to make this album an absolute belter!”

So what can listeners expect? “If you’re a fan of my stuff with Crazy Lixx, I bet you’ll enjoy the Chez Kane album too,” explains Danny. “I’ve written and arranged every song on the album, so it’s bound to have my signature style to it. However, this album will be a lot more radio friendly (at least if you go by what was considered radio friendly in 1989), a lot more keyboard oriented and of course, the fact that it’s a powerful female voice singing the songs will give the album a whole other dimension. And if you, like myself, are a fan of Lee Aaron, Vixen, Saraya, Chrissy Steele, Lita Ford, and similar artists and feel like the genre’s missing out this vital component, you’re going to love the debut album from Chez Kane!”

Tracklisting:

“Better Than Love”
“All Of It”
“Rocket On The Radio”
“Get It On”
“Too Late For Love”
“Defender Of The Heart”
“Ball N’ Chain”
“Midnight Rendezvous”
“Die In The Name Of Love”
“Dead End Street”

“Too Late For Love” video:

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 "Wormhole" from the show, below:

The subsequent January concerts will 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 schedule of Avatar Ages - An Impossible Concert Experience concert stream events is as follows:

- Saturday, January 16 - Age of Illusions (Feathers & Flesh and Avatar Country fan voted set list)
- Saturday, January 23 - Age of Madness (Black Waltz and Hail the Apocalypse fan voted set list)
- 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.

Danish progressive power metal group, Pyramaze, have released a lyric video for the song "Transcendence" (featuring Brittney Slayes), from their latest album, Epitaph, out now AFM Records. Order here, and watch the lyric video below.

This album being the third one with their current lineup, Pyramaze continues to fuse their signature meld of memorable melodies, powerful riffs and soaring catchy vocals to keep listeners coming back for more - pleasing both old and new Pyramaze fans alike. This upcoming release will prove to be their most melodic and accessible creation to date, featuring guest appearances by Brittney Slayes of Unleash The Archers, and former Pyramaze singers Matt Barlow and Lance King.

Tracklisting:

"Epitaph"
"A Stroke Of Magic"
"Steal My Crown"
"Knights In Shining Armour"
"Bird Of Prey"
"Your Last Call"
"Particle"
"Indestructible"
"Transcendence" (feat. Brittney Slayes)
"Final Hour"
"World Foregone"
"The Time Traveller" (feat. Matt Barlow & Lance King)

"Transcendence" (feat. Brittney Slayes) lyric video:

"World Foregone" lyric video:

"A Stroke Of Magic" lyric video:

The Metal Voice spoke with Glenn Hughes and Doug Aldrich from The Dead Daisies about their upcoming album, Holy Ground. Watch the video below.

What is it like to have Glenn in the band now?

"It's a brand new day, we are very happy to have Glenn leading this ship. It's still The Dead Daisies but it's a brand new start. It's not so far away from Deep Purple in some ways, that there were different eras of Deep Purple. This is like version four, "Mark Four" of the Daisies." - Doug Aldrich

"It's another chapter in my life, it was a good experience for me to come into this, Doug is an old friend, I love Doug, it's a great ship we are flying here. We go back 25 years and Doug played in my band about 5 years ago, it was fantastic and back then we talked about doing more work, we didn't know it was going to be in The Dead Daisies but here we are doing just that." - Glenn Hughes

The Dead Daisies will release their new album, Holy Ground, on January 22. Pre-order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"Holy Ground (Shake The Memory)"
"Like No Other (Bassline)"
"Come Alive"
"Bustle And Flow"
"My Fate"
"Chosen And Justified"
"Saving Grace"
"Unspoken"
"30 Days In The Hole"
"Righteous Days"
"Far Away"

"Holy Ground (Shake The Memory)" video:

"Holy Ground" (Dance With The Dead remix):

“Bustle And Flow” video:

Norwegian old school heavy metallers, The Cult Of Destiny, featuring members of The Carburetors and Chrome Division, have released a lyric video for "Coming From The North", featured on the band's self-titled debut album, available via The Cult Of Destiny Records. Find the new clip below.

The album was recorded by Arslan Qureshi and Jørgen Henriksen at Laidback Studios. Mixed and mastered by Robert Hauge at Badabing Studio.

Tracklisting:

"So It Begins"
"The Armageddon Is Here"
"Suman The Council"
"Into The Armageddon"
"Coming From The North"
"Brother"
"The Cult Of Destiny"
"Stand With Me"
"Set The Demon Free"
"Welcome To The End"
"Exit Armageddon"
"I Was Made For Lovin' You" (Bonus - KISS Cover)

"Coming From The North" lyric video:

"I Was Made For Lovin' You" video:

The Cult Of Destiny is:

Eddie Guz - Vocals (The Carburetors, Chrome Division)
Chris Marchand - Guitars (The Carburetors, Shot At Dawn)
Mr. Damage Karlsen - Guitars (Chrome Division, Breed)
Mads Mowinkel - Bass (Chrome Division, Breed)
Jon Erik Bokn - Drums (Chrome Division, Breed)

Heavily distorted and down-tuned sounds turn the legendary fields of the German Freak Valley Festival into madness. The undisputed masters of fantastical otherworldly sludgy doom, Conan, will cast a spell on the listener and propel them straight into the crowd, captured in dust.

Three years after the release of the ferocious caveman battle doom masterpiece Existential Void Guardian, Conan waves the flag of Pain again and releases Live At Freak Valley on March 12 via Napalm Records. After their 2013 live album, recorded at Roadburn festival, and the self-released Live At Bannermans, their third live album could not be recorded at a better place than Freak Valley Festival.

“Satsumo” is oppression, massiveness and rage. The first single and video breaks out as a harbinger of the devastation that Conan brought at their massive show at Freak Valley Festival. With mechanical wizardry heaped upon their pure-hearted compositions, they cement their colossal and brutish live ascendancy! HAIL CONAN!
Watch the live video for "Satsumo" below.

Live At Freak Valley will be available in the following formats:

- 2 LP Gatefold Vinyl White / Black Marble (Napalm Records mailorder only) - strictly limited to 200
- 2 LP Gatefold Vinyl Grey
- 1 CD Jewelcase
- Digital album

Pre-order your copy of Live At Freak Valley here.

Tracklisting:

"Gravity Chasm"
"Throne Of Fire"
"Thunderhoof"
"Battle In The Swamp"
"Hawk As Weapon"
"Satsumo"
"Foehammer"
"Total Conquest"
"Revengeance"

"Satsumo" live video:

Lineup:

Jon Davis - vocals, guitar
Chris Fielding - bass
Johnny King - drums

(Photo - Clemens Mitscher)

Austrian symphonic power metal heroes, Dragony, are about to release their epic new full length, Viribus Unitis, this Friday, January 15 via Napalm Records, and today, unveil their third single, “Legends Never Die”. We return to the days when the country was ruled by emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, empress Sisi. But forget everything you’ve heard and read so far! According to Dragony and their upcoming opus Viribus Unitis, history took a completely different turn.

After setting the stage with their first offering, “Gods Of War”, featuring special guest songwriter Tommy Johansson (Sabaton) and Tomas Svedin (Symphony Of Tragedy), followed by glory metal hymn “Golden Dawn”, Dragon now unveil their third single, “Legends Never Die”: History is (re-)written in this contemporary-sounding closer. With its catchy chorus, everything is set for the grand finale. Along with rapid riffing and keys on point, the song serves as an epilogue to the story of Viribus Unitis, looking at the way the legends of the Habsburg rulers were created and have been adapted and re-told throughout the years.

Singer Siegfried Samer on “Legends Never Die”: "'Legends Never Die' can be regarded as the epilogue to the storyline of Viribus Unitis, that culminates in the final, epic battle in the song 'Battle Royale'. In 'Legends Never Die', we take a step back to look at the story we just told from an outside perspective, and remind ourselves and the listener that eventually, most history can be turned into "just a story", and that even though all empires fall one day, all men must die, and all times - good and bad - must pass, at the end of the day, the memories of those persons and events that influenced us, regardless of whether it was through politics, through philosophy, through music, literature or through other forms of art, will always stay with us and are thus immortalized; and that the stories that may be told about these legendary persons and events, just like these "legends" themselves, never truly die.”

Follow Dragony on this spectacular historic ride and watch the official video for “Legends Never Die”:

Founded in 2007 and after releasing three studio records, Dragony returns to its rock opera roots on their brand new output. On Viribus Unitis the band unveils what really happened at the time of the last Habsburg ruler of Austria, emperor Franz Joseph, his wife, empress Sisi, and their son, the troubled Archduke Rudolf.

Let’s clear the assumption that Rudolph died after trying to take his life at castle Mayerling in 1889. No way! Instead, after his mother Sisi is assassinated in 1898 in Switzerland, he subsequently gets in contact with dark powers which, driven by his desire to be with her again, make him turn to black magic and demonology. Now history takes its true course. There are not only zombies and cyberpunks lurking - Dragony also managed to prove further entanglements of well-known personalities you could never imagine...

For the exciting adventure cemented in their upcoming album, Dragony are supported by well-known colleagues like Tommy Johansson (Sabaton, Majestica, Symphony Of Tragedy), Tomas Svedin (Symphony Of Tragedy), Michele Guaitoli (Visions Of Atlantis) and Georg Neuhauser (Serenity) - just to name a few. Mixing and mastering on Viribus Unitis was handled by Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann of Orden Ogan in his Greenman Studios in Germany.

Siegfried Samer on the new album, Viribus Unitis: "Viribus Unitis marks both a return to our musical roots as well as a next step into the future for Dragony, as we are returning to a 'rock opera concept' album similar to our debut Legends, but at the same time, we have evolved musically and are delivering what we consider our heaviest and most diverse album to date.

"And even though we are taking a bit of a creative approach with the source material, the concept story of the album is deeply intertwined with the history of Austria and in particular with the end of the Habsburg monarchy, which is often romanticized in Austria and ingrained in our collective consciousness. We are therefore thrilled to be able to release this very special album on an Austrian label, Napalm Records, and hope that both old and new fans of Dragony will enjoy the brand new songs!”

Could Dragony’s rewriting of history mark a new revelation of hidden truths previously shrouded in fantasy? Only Viribus Unitis tells all!

Viribus Unitis will be available in the following formats:

- 4 Page Digipak
- LP Gatefold Red Transparent
- 4 Page Digipak + Shirt
- Digital Album
- 4 Page Digipak + Shirt, Napalm Records Shop Only

Pre-order Viribus Unitis here.

Tracklisting:

"On The Blue Danube"
"Gods Of War"
"Love You To Death"
"Magic"
"Darkness Within"
"A.E.I.O.U."
"Viribus Unitis"
"Golden Dawn"
"Made Of Metal (Cyberpunk Joseph)"
"Battle Royale"
"Legends Never Die"
"Haben Sie Wien schon bei Nacht geseh'n"

"Golden Dawn" lyric video:

"Gods Of War" video:

Dragony is:

Frederic Brünner - Drums
Herbert Glos - Bass
Manuel Hartleb - Keyboards
Andreas Poppernitsch - Guitars
Simon Saito - Guitars
Siegfried Samer - Vocals

(Photo - Dominik Izaquiel Tomé)

In the new video below from ESP Guitars, iconic guitar legend George Lynch performs on the ESP USA Eclipse.

"Crafted at our ESP USA facility in Southern California, the USA Eclipse is the classic single-cutaway shape that’s been at the heart of many of music’s greatest moments. The USA Eclipse offers a full thickness (60mm / 2 3/8”), a strategically chambered mahogany body for weight relief, with optional flamed maple and quilted maple tops and a wide variety of gloss and satin translucent finishes to allow the figured wood grain to be highlighted (and plain maple caps for solid color finishes). These guitars offer smooth set-thru construction at classic 24.75” scale, with a three-piece thin U-shaped three-piece mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard with 22 extra-jumbo Jescar stainless steel frets and mother-of-pearl split-flag inlays.

"We chose the very best components available for the USA Eclipse, including Sperzel Trim-Lok tuners, TonePros locking TOM bridge and tailpiece, Dunlop strap locks, and a bone nut. Pickups for the USA Eclipse include a variety of world-class Seymour Duncan (passive) and EMG (active) models, with a push-pull coil split control on the tone knob for passive pickup models. The USA Eclipse includes a high-quality ESP USA form-fitting hard shell case."

More info and specs on ESP USA models here.

Shown as part of the "ESP presents 2021" video event, George Lynch demos the ESP Kamikaze-1, one of the earliest Signature Series guitars created by ESP.

Watch the video below, and get more info on the George Lynch Signature Series, here.

Deadline Music, a division of Cleopatra Records, Inc., released Heavy Hitters, the new album from former Dokken members George Lynch and Jeff Pilson, on December 18, 2020.

Guitar-shredding virtuoso Lynch re-teams with former Dokken bandmate Pilson for a set of new studio recordings that turn pop music classics into powerful metal anthems. The album features jaw-dropping renditions of Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World”, Prince’s “Kiss”, OneRepublic’s “Apologize”, Carole King’s “I Feel The Earth”, Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova” and more.

Tracklisting:

"One Of Us" (Joan Osbourne)
"You Got The Love" (Rufus & Chaka Khan)
"I Feel The Earth" (Carole King)
"Ordinary World" (Duran Duran)
"Music" (Madonna)
"Apologize" (OneRepublic)
"Nowhere To Run" (Martha & The Vandellas)
"Kiss" (Prince)
"It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)
"Champagne Supernova" (Oasis)
"Lucille" (Little Richard - Bonus track)

"Ordinary World":

"It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)

Connecticut power thrashers Sacred Oath will release their new album, Return Of The Dragon, on April 2. BraveWords is premiering the lyric video for the title track, watch below! The “Return Of The Dragon” single will be available on January 15 for streaming and download on all digital platforms.

The single features cover artwork by drummer Kenny “Thundarr” Evans, who has previously designed covers for the band, as well as several of the band’s logos.

Subsequently, Sacred Oath will release four more singles on January 29, February 12, February 26, and March 19. Each piece will feature a new and unique cover painted by Evans. Platforms like Spotify and YouTube will also feature each art piece on video and canvas.

Album art for the full-length cover was also painted by Evans and features a return to the band logo used for albums such as World On Fire and editions of A Crystal Vision.

Preorder for both the deluxe CD and double LP editions will begin on January 29 exclusively on the band’s website. These editions will be limited-edition pressings of 500 copies and LPs will be hand-numbered and signed. The CD will contain a 24-page booklet including all 11 original art pieces, lyrics, and photos.

Digital preorder will begin on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Music on March 19 with instant delivery of all five singles.

Return Of The Dragon is the first studio album to feature the newly officially added 5th band member - guitar and keyboard phenom Damiano Christian. Christian joined the band during the Twelve Bells At Midnight tour in 2017 and appears on the live album that followed in 2019, Thunder Underground – Live from NYC.

Sacred Oath is best-known for releasing A Crystal Vision in 1988, an album that evolved into a cult-classic of the powerthrash-metal genre. It was followed by six more critically acclaimed studio albums, including fan-favorites World On Fire, Sacred Oath, Darkness Visible, and Ravensong. The single “Counting Zeros” from their eponymous 2009 release was chosen as iTunes “Discovery Download of the Week”, and their first live album Till Death Do Us Part (2008) was listed as a Top Ten Metal Album of the year by Apple Music in its year of release. The band appeared on MTV2 Headbangers Ball in its last televised season with a featured interview.

Tracklisting:

“Cthulhu Wakes”
“Last Ride Of The Wicked Dead”
“Return Of The Dragon”
“At The Gates”
“Empires Fall”
“Hammer Of An Angry God”
“The Next Pharaoh”
“Primeval”
“Into The Drink”
“Root Of All Evil”

Greece's Rock Overdose caught up with producer / Dream Evil guitarist Fredrik Nordström, who discussed the various projects he's working on and looked back at some of his career highlights.

On Dream Evil's plans for a new album:

"We’ve been planning to write a new album for almost two years now. We try to write new songs but with no success so far due to lack of free time. I think we have a very good back catalog with songs; the idea is to try and go back to our first album, to be more childish - if you understand what I mean. It’s super nice to be out and play in festivals, etc. but we had to cancel many shows because of that Covid shit! As we don’t play so much, that’s the whole plan, we are really good friends, the band is like a hobby, instead of being a tour band. We prefer to have fun with the band and not to rely on the band for a living."

On his current production schedule:

"There are a lot of albums that have reached the 20 year anniversary (mark), so I’m finishing now an Australian band. Also, we have remixed and remastered HammerFall's Renegade album, which is a very good album by the way. We’re going to re-do Dimmu Borgir's Puritanical… album. There’s a lot of stuff going on, actually, but also due to Covid people can’t travel etc. I hope in March or April Obscura can be able to enter the studio, but I don’t know if this is going to happen"

Check out the audio interview and read the transcript here.

Tim Bogert, bassist and founding member of VANILLA FUDGE, CACTUS and supergroup BECK, BOGERT & APPICE, has died at age 76.

The news of Bogert's passing was confirmed by his longtime bandmate, drummer Carmine Appice, who wrote on Facebook: "My true friend Tim Bogert died today. He was like a brother to me. He was my friend for over 50 years.

"Tim was a one of a kind bass player. He inspired many, many bass players worldwide. He was as masterful at shredding as he was holding down a groove, and Tim introduced a new level of virtuosity into rock bass playing. No one played like Tim. He created bass solos that drove audiences to a frenzy every time he played one. And he played a different solo every night. He was the last of the legendary 60s bass players.

"Tim was a very intelligent person. So intelligent that we would call him 'Spock'. You could ask him anything and he would know something about it.

"I loved Tim like a brother. He will be missed very much in my life. I will miss calling him, cracking jokes together, talking music and remembering the great times we had together, and how we created kick-ass music together.

"Perhaps the only good thing about knowing someone close to you is suffering a serious illness, is you have an opportunity to tell them that you love them, and why you love them. I did that, a lot. I was touched to hear it said back to me. Nothing was left unsaid between us and I’m grateful for that. I highly recommend it.

"Rest in peace, my partner. I love you. See you on the other side."

Bogert played on VANILLA FUDGE's first five albums between 1967 and 1969 — "Vanilla Fudge", "The Beat Goes On", "Renaissance", "Near The Beginning" and "Rock & Roll" — before the group disbanded in 1970. Soon after, Bogert and Appice teamed up with guitarist Jim McCarty and vocalist Rusty Day to form CACTUS. In 1972, CACTUS split, and Bogert and Appice joined forces with guitarist Jeff Beck to form the power trio BECK, BOGERT & APPICE.

In 1999, Bogert was inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk Of Fame.

Billy Sheehan said in Bass Player magazine that "Tim was my biggest influence. He's also one of the first and best in many categories. The first VANILLA FUDGE album was one of the biggest bass breakthroughs of all time."


My true friend Tim Bogert died today.

He was like a brother to me. He was my friend for over 50 years.

Tim was a one...

Posted by Carmine Appice on Wednesday, January 13, 2021





RIP TIM BOGERT. I first saw Vanilla Fudge on a bill with the Yardbirds with Jimmy Page. Spectacular. I’d never heard 4 people play & sing as one. Tim was mind boggling on all fronts. Also when I saw Beck, Bogert&Appice. A powerhouse. https://t.co/fA1gjE9jgL

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) January 14, 2021








Tim Bogert—Grand Master. I love you, Tim. Thank you for your awesomeness, generosity, and kindness. I hope we meet again, my friend. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/PopNKwJJ07

— Billy Sheehan (@BillyonBass) January 14, 2021








“I saw the Fudge many times in that era and BB&A and BOC toured together. A great player and a great guy, Rest In Peace Tim Bogert.”

-EB pic.twitter.com/ZxZ1OGpIa8

— Eric Bloom (@ericbloomBOC) January 14, 2021








Rest in Peace to Tim Bogert, one of the world's greatest rock bass players.

— Anvil (@AnvilMetal666) January 14, 2021








So sorry to hear of the passing of bass legend Tim Bogert. One of the true pioneers of the instrument in the late 60’s/early 70’s with his work with Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and Beck Bogert Appice #RIPTimBogert pic.twitter.com/lptVZHnbqN

— Mike Portnoy ? (@MikePortnoy) January 14, 2021








I posted this photo last week in memory of EVH. Just got word that Tim Bogert has passed away. I wore the grooves out to my copy of Beck Bogert & Appice as a teen. Jamming with him and Ed was incredible and surreal. @eddievanhalen @WolfVanHalen @VanHalen pic.twitter.com/cSEtKZ1wv3

— Steve Stevens (@Stevestevens) January 14, 2021








⁦#TimBogert ⁩ R.I.P. You will be missed ???????✌?❤️

⁦@carmineappice1⁩ ⁦ pic.twitter.com/oAouo91kMO

— Paul Shortino ?? (@PaulShortino) January 13, 2021








Rest peacefully Tim Bogert. One of the greats. ???

— Tony Franklin (@FretlessMonster) January 14, 2021








I am deeply saddened by the passing of my first bass hero, Tim Bogert. My condolences to his band mates @carmineappice1 Mark Stein, his family and friends. Rest In Peace, Tim. pic.twitter.com/k9FQI7R7mZ

— Rudy Sarzo (@rudysarzo) January 14, 2021








We lost a true bass pioneer today. He influenced so many including my biggest heroes. He was my teacher and mentor when I first moved to the US. Rest In Peace Tim Bogert and thank you for everything. https://t.co/1ABRO5O3qC

— Bjorn Englen (@BjornEnglen) January 14, 2021








RIP to one of the most innovative and bad ass bassists to walk the planet... Tim Bogert of Vanilla Fudge, Beck/Bogert/Appice and Cactus. Cactus was a band Blitz & Menghi bonded over hence us covering their rendition of “Evil” on our “American Made” record. pic.twitter.com/cpDxJznpeA

— BPMD (@BPMDofficial) January 14, 2021

Ted Nugent says that President Donald Trump did not incite last week's Capitol riot and has blamed the violence on Antifa and Black Lives Matter.

Last Wednesday, Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, vandalized the building and assaulted police officers. One woman was fatally shot by police and three people died of apparent medical emergencies. A Capitol police officer died after responding to the mob.

Many top political figures have accused Trump of personally inciting the attack by repeatedly intimating that his followers should take action in order to demand legislators address his baseless claims of voter fraud. At a rally preceding the riot, Trump gave an inflammatory speech, urging the crowd to go to the Capitol, "show strength" and "fight much harder."

In the wake of the attack, Twitter permanently suspended Trump's account, citing "the risk of further incitement of violence."

Nugent discussed the Capitol riot fallout during yesterday's episode of his Internet show "Spirit Campfire". The outspoken conservative rocker said (see video below): "Donald Trump did not incite violence. I read his speech over and over again. Zero inciting of any violent or criminal behavior. He wanted to make a statement, just like Martin Luther King Jr., that many, many — millions — of Americans would go to our house, the Capitol in Washington, D.C. and make the unified statement [that] we believe in Donald Trump, we believe in the good deeds he has accomplished, and that we are fearful that the tsunami of evidence of a fraudulent, corrupt, manipulated voting orgy that you just can't say there's no evidence of fraud. An election by a guy" — referring to President-elect Joe Biden — "that never campaigned, that did not get more votes than Barack Obama; he did not get more votes than President Trump. The suitcases came out, and the people that were supposed to monitor the votes were thrown out of the room; there's footage of it. [Editor's note: This claim has been debunked.] There's sworn testimony and affidavits by people who were thrown out of the voting precincts, whose job it was to [monitor the vote counting]. I could go on.

"I think everybody knows that every possible deception was applied to the recent election, and Donald Trump wanted Americans who believe that, witnessed that and know that to make a peaceful protest out of the First Amendment," he continued. "And I am convinced equally to those statements I just made that Antifa and Black Lives Matter terrorists infiltrated that peaceful protest, and they are the ones who initiated the violence. [Editor's note: This claim has also been debunked.]

"Did some overzealous Trumpsters get out of hand? I don't believe they hurt anyone; I don't believe they damaged anything. And if they did, and if I see evidence to that end, I will admit it. Nobody's pure; nobody's soul is incapable of mistakes.

"But I believe that the bizarre, maniacal scramble to shut down this president, to shut down me, to shut down [conservative social media figure] Candace Owens is the most un-American manifestation of a culture of deprivation I think I've ever seen," Nugent added.

The presidential race ended with a victory for Biden with 306 electoral votes. Biden had received nearly 81 million votes across America — the most votes cast for any presidential candidate in history — compared to more than 74 million votes for Trump.

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."

SACRED REICH frontman Phil Rind has blasted the scores of Donald Trump supporters who swarmed the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday during a violent insurrection, leaving five people dead and forcing the Senate to evacuate.

Earlier today, Rind, whose band is known for its socially consious and politically aware lyrics, took to SACRED REICH's social media to write: "I can't believe how many people still don't get it. It's like a lot of you have never read our lyrics or understood them.

"We know that our political system is rotten to the core. No news there. But the dumb, racist assholes who invaded the Capitol did it to support the dumb, racist lying President. No other reason.

"They are not trying to save America, they are destroying it for a reality show TV host who will go down as the worst President in history.

"If you are part of the Trump cult feel free to unfollow. We couldn't give a fuck.

"If you can't see the white supremacy that permeates this country I suggest you open your eyes and take a hard look. Read the book 'White Fragility'. But if you dont see it, it's probably because you don't want to. Maybe you should go listen to 'One Nation'."

He added in a follow-up message: "If you can't see the difference between BLACK LIVES MATTER standing up for unarmed black people being shot by police for decades across this country and armed white nationalist domestic terrorists storming the Capitol to stop an election in support of a dumb, racist, lying President then by all means UNFOLLOW, UNLIKE, DON'T SUPPORT...WHATEVER.

"It doesn't matter.

"We stand for the truth. We support BLM, because BLACK LIVES MATTER AS MUCH AS WHITE LIVES.

"We support any and all that stand up to fascism no matter where it rears it's ugly head.

"We support the workers, the unions, the organizers, the activists fighting for working and oppressed people around the globe.

"We stand with the LGBTQ community and all marginalized people who have the right to be and live exactly as they choose.

"We oppose corrupt governments and the politicians who line their pockets at the expense of the people they are supposed to represent.

"Any fucking questions?"

This is not the first time Rind has spoken out against Trump. Last June, he called America's 45th president "a racist, narcissistic, lying conman" whose "act of leadership in our time of need is to run and hide." Five months earlier, he spoke about his disdain for Trump during an interview with Australia's "Scars And Guitars" podcast. He said: "I think he's in over his head. I don't think he's intellectually curious. I don't think he pays attention. He may have some broad ideas as far as just wanting to enrich himself and his friends. But I don't think he's really cut out for it or really knows what it's like to work or to pay attention to people or to listen or to read or any of the skills someone would need to try to do that job efficiently."

SACRED REICH's comeback album, "Awakening", arrived in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records. The band's first LP in 23 years marked SACRED REICH's debut release since the return of drummer Dave McClain.




pic.twitter.com/uOeA7gxCww

— Sacred Reich (@SacredReich) January 11, 2021








And finally... pic.twitter.com/mDnA2YiaIH

— Sacred Reich (@SacredReich) January 11, 2021

In a new interview with Australia's Heavy, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke about where his band fits in within heavy metal's various subgenres. He said (hear audio below): "I don't really ever know what to do with all these labels, to be honest. I don't even know we would be. I think, at this point, what are we? Classic rock? That sounds terrible, doesn't it? That always sounds like pretty boring rock. But I don't know what the hell we are. What are we? Traditional heavy metal?

"All I know is that we were the first metal band in Germany; that's what I would boldly state," he continued. "Because I don't think there was anybody before ACCEPT out of Germany — only Germany, of course — that would call themselves proudly heavy metal. I mean, there was always the SCORPIONS, but they were more like radio rock or hard rock, whatever they were. But they weren't certainly as hard as we were, or as metal. So I would say we were the first out of Germany. And what it is called nowadays with all these different subgenres, I have no idea."

Hoffmann is the sole remaining original member of ACCEPT, which he formed in 1976 in the town of Solingen, Germany with singer Udo Dirkschneider and bassist Peter Baltes.

ACCEPT's new studio album, "Too Mean To Die", will be released on January 29 via Nuclear Blast. The LP will be the group's first without 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 last year'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 magnificent studio sound of ACCEPT since 2010.

ACCEPT's last album, 2017's "The Rise Of Chaos", marked the band's first release with guitarist Uwe Lulis and drummer Christopher Williams, replacing Herman Frank and Stefan Schwarzmann, respectively.

ACCEPT's latest release was "Symphonic Terror - Live At Wacken 2017", featuring the band's performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.

Justin Hawkins of British rockers THE DARKNESS has confirmed to Dawn Osborne of TotalRock Radio that he and his bandmates have begun compiling ideas for the follow-up to 2019's "Easter Is Cancelled" album.

"The idea of the next record, for me, is I'm only writing stuff that I really, really am gonna have fun singing and playing," the frontman said (see video below). "So I just want it to be a really uplifting album. I don't want it be like one of these lockdown albums that is all about the situation. THE DARKNESS's job is to provide some kind of relief from the world and something uplifting that doesn't refer to the misery and the uncertainty and the suffering and all that we have had to endure. Our music should be aspirational and it should talk about the world I actually live in, where nothing like that really affects me. The only thing I miss is touring, but then once this is all finished, we'll be back out there and it'll be fine."

Justin, who presently resides in Switzerland, elaborated on his songwriting approach this time around, saying: "I love being emotionally honest at the risk of shooting myself in the foot [laughs] — really exposing the character defects and personality disorders that I have. I can't wait to explore and celebrate those, really.

"Some people think that music is cathartic, and you describe all this darkness that's inside you and then you feel better and your audience feels better because they feel less alienated because they realize that they're not the only people that feel like that. There's a bit of that about us, but at the same time, we've got to celebrate the parts of our personalities that are dysfunctional.

"I totally understand and appreciate the need for a greater emphasis on men's mental health and all that sort of stuff, but for me, without the madness, you can't create anything," he explained. "I think songwriters shouldn't be doing therapy; they should be writing songs.

"The other thing to remember is that when you write a song, if you write it quickly, you're capturing a moment in time. So the way you feel is expressed in the song itself, but then as soon as you've finished writing the song, you might not feel like that anymore. And you don't necessarily need to feel that way to be able to sing it later. As long as it's a great song, it doesn't matter.

"So, for me, when people say, 'Oh, are you happy or are you sad?', I always reject that question because I think the human experience is a whole spectrum of emotions," Justin added. "And it's not determined by events in your life. 'Cause you can feel great about the coffee that you're drinking but terrible about the loss that you've just suffered. Or your dog licks you in the morning and then shits on the carpet later on. You're gonna have anger, contentment, companionship and all these things that make you feel good, and also you're gonna have to deal with some actual shit. That's just an example of it. So you have a spectrum of emotions that you experience — a whole gamut of it. So when you write a song, make sure you're honest about how you feel when you write it, not what you wanna say with the song. Otherwise, it's less effective as a way of propelling or expressing something."

"Easter Is Cancelled" was released in October 2019. It became the band's fourth Top 10 album and topped the Official charts Top 40 Rock And Metal chart and the iTunes Rock chart, while receiving swathes of critical praise as the band continued to prove why they are one of the most beloved U.K. rock bands of our time.

During a recent appearance on the "My Planet Rocks" show on Planet Rock, URIAH HEEP guitarist Mick Box was asked if he plans to keep playing music until he physically can't play anymore. He responded (hear audio below): "I've still got the same passion for what I do — for playing guitar, for writing songs, for being with the band — the same passion I've always had. And I think that's my driving force.

"When you get on a little bit in life [laughs], I think your mantra changes, and my mantra is now 'health is wealth,'" the 73-year-old explained. "And as long as I've got my health, I'll continue to play and record and write songs as long as I can."

URIAH HEEP's latest album, "Living The Dream", was released in September 2018 via Frontiers Music Srl. The disc was helmed by the widely respected Canadian producer Jay Ruston, known for his work with STONE SOUR, ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER.

Box is the original guitarist and sole remaining founding member of URIAH HEEP. He, vocalist Bernie Shaw and keyboardist/vocalist Phil Lanzon have formed the nucleus of the band for more than 34 years and released 17 albums together.

URIAH HEEP debuted in 1970 with the release of one of hard rock's milestones, "Very 'Eavy, Very 'Umble", and has since sold in excess of 40 million albums worldwide. They constantly tour the world, playing up to 125 shows a year to more than 500,000 fans. The band's live set features the classic tracks from the '70s and is a musical journey from the band's beginnings to the present day.

URIAH HEEP is:

Mick Box - Lead Guitar/Vocals

Phil Lanzon - Keyboards/Vocals

Bernie Shaw - Lead Vocals

Dave Rimmer - Bass Guitar/Vocals

Russell Gilbrook - Drums, Percussion

After amplifying anticipation for its grand opening via their social channels, legendary British rock 'n' roll icons and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees DEF LEPPARD will officially unlock the "Def Leppard Vault" at LeppardVault.com today. The band has uploaded this innovative living and breathing digital museum with a treasure trove of history, including exclusive never-before-seen photos, products, video, audio commentary, interviews, and more. They will continue to personally curate and regularly update this online destination as a hub for their past, present, and future. It will grow with their career as they consistently add new artifacts and content throughout the next weeks, months, and years.

At the onset of the global pandemic, the quintessential musicians found themselves at home much like everyone else. For DEF LEPPARD, this pause allowed for a moment of individual and collective reflection. Soon, the band members began rummaging through their closets, basements, attics, garages, rehearsal space, storage units, and spare rooms. In the process, they uncovered countless artifacts collected over the course of 44 years since their 1977 formation. These items tell the story of the band from their perspective, so they decided to put them on display in a groundbreaking manner.

Together, DEF LEPPARD built the vault as a way to pull back the curtain behind their monumental, yet intriguing rise to rock superstardom.

About the "Def Leppard Vault", frontman Joe Elliott commented: "After months of digging through our personal rock and roll closets (and warehouses, no less!), we present you our history! Our historic vault will continually be updated with installments you may have seen with some gems I promise you've never heard or seen! It's a true backstage pass for any DEF LEPPARD or rock and roll fan! Please…step inside and walk this way!"

Brad Mindich of Inveniem added: "We are extremely honored to be trusted by the band to help them find, curate, and present their expansive history to fans in this new, digital environment. DEF LEPPARD's stories and artifacts are extraordinary, and their desire to want to create the 'Def Leppard Vault' so they can share their legacy directly with fans reinforces why they have been so impactful on music and culture for more than four decades. And the exciting part is that what fans will see starting today is just the beginning. There is so much more being discovered from the band and fans alike that will be added to the 'Def Leppard Vault' for months and years to come."

Bringing the "Def Leppard Vault" to life, the rockers personally share their stories with some of their most treasured items in exclusive audio and video vignettes as well.

Among its initial collections, "On The Road" spotlights photos, historical instruments, backstage passes, and tour itineraries. Capturing their unmistakable fashion, "Jacket Required" flaunts jackets and stage attire from the band's personal collection. "All I've Got Is a Photograph" presents driven photography and timeless promotional images. Plus, they included a retrospective track-by-track in celebration of the 25th anniversary of their first greatest-hits album "Vault". It boasts audio and video commentary courtesy of all five members.

Engaging fans to the fullest extent, the "Def Leppard Vault" also offers limited-edition reproductions of specific artifacts from the band's history for sale in addition to other exclusive pieces.

The last DEF LEPPARD studio album, a self-titled affair, came out in 2015.

DEF LEPPARD released a box set, "The Early Years 79-81", in March 2020 via UMC/Virgin. "The Early Years 79-81" box set represents the band's first two albums, "On Through The Night" (1980) and "High 'N' Dry" (1981), and was prepared in conjunction with Elliott who acted as executive producer on the set. The mastering was done by the band's long-serving sound engineer Ronan McHugh.

Eagle Rock Entertainment released DEF LEPPARD's "London To Vegas" in May 2020. This limited edition 2Blu-ray+4CD, 2DVD+4CD, DVD/Blu-ray+2CD and digital format release features two concert films: "Hysteria At The O2" and "Hits Vegas, Live At Planet Hollywood".

DEF LEPPARD's latest greatest-hits collection, titled "The Story So Far - The Best Of", was released in November 2018.




Step inside, walk this way... the Leppard Vault is now UNLOCKED! ? Sign up to open & Explore the band's history and artifacts at https://t.co/CL997nLfF2 ? pic.twitter.com/FTwLLk5b0N

— Def Leppard (@DefLeppard) January 13, 2021

KISS has uploaded a 30-second video of "pyro highlights" from the band's New Year's Eve performance in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Check it out below.

As previously reported, KISS's Dubai concert broke Guinness world records for highest flame projection in a music concert and for most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert.

"I can reveal that you achieved a grand total of 73," a Guinness representative told the band about the number of projections launched. "You are officially amazing." As for the height of the flame projections, the new benchmark is now "35 meters."

Landmarks Live Presents produced the $10 million spectacular, which was filmed with more than 50 4K cameras and 360-degree views and was held on a massive 250-foot stage at The Royal Beach at Atlantis. The show included "a million dollars' worth of pyro," according to frontman Paul Stanley.

KISS partnered with event company Tixr to beam the "Kiss 2020 Goodbye" show around the world.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons told The Oakland Press about the band's decision to play the Dubai concert: "We get offers all the time, thank goodness, and we've been saying no to everybody because it's just not safe — for us, for the fans. With this, we happened to be in the right place at the right time, and it all make sense. The folks in Dubai, which is a fascinating place, suggested something crazy and said, 'You can do anything you want here, no restrictions.' And we said, 'Wait a minute. You mean we can put on the biggest pyro show of all time, since Krakatoa and the Big Bang? You mean we're gonna be safe going over there?' They said 'yeah,' so there you are."

Landmarks Live creator, director and executive producer Daniel E. Catullo told KhaleejTimes.com that this wasn't his first time collaborating with the rock legends.

"I worked with KISS back in 2005 and I wanted to have a crack at doing a bigger show with them," he said. "Somehow, I developed a reputation of producing challenging shows, whether doing one with Andrea Bocelli at Palazzo Vecchio, the FOO FIGHTERS at the Acropolis or pulling off the biggest show of the year in the middle of a pandemic. Hosting the KISS show in Dubai was a logical step. The United Arab Emirates is among the world leaders in mitigating the spread of COVID and continues to effectively manage the pandemic given the government’s extraordinary response measures. It [made] sense for us to bring Landmarks Live to the UAE."

Catullo went on to say that working with KISS has been "a dream come true" for him. "To be able to capture them in such an explosive and record-breaking way will certainly be a highlight of my career," he said. "Logistically, this was the largest undertaking I've ever done, and during a pandemic made it all the more challenging. Our crew is comprised of over 400 people, most of whom are based in Dubai. It has been a very complex show to put together: almost five months of planning, hundreds of working crew, coordination with the Dubai government, major coordination with the band; this show will go down in the record books. We're also filming a documentary on how we are pulling this show off. We're doing the biggest production in KISS's history.

"The most arduous task has been developing a safe COVID compliance protocol amid the pandemic to ensure no virus transmission among the crew. The crew will essentially create a bubble for the show setup, particularly the few staffers who will be in direct contact with KISS. American Hospital is conducting daily testing. We have to take beyond-extraordinary measures to keep people safe."

Singer Ronnie James Dio joined BLACK SABBATH in 1979 which resulted in two back-to-back classic albums: "Heaven And Hell" and "Mob Rules". On those memorable albums, Dio's soaring tenor and gothic songwriting were the perfect foil for the band's bone-crushing mix of razor-sharp riffs, intense grooves, and dark imagery.

Rhino salutes the long shadow cast by this short-lived lineup with newly remastered versions of both albums expanded with rare and unreleased music. "Heaven And Hell: Deluxe Edition" and "Mob Rules: Deluxe Edition" will be released separately on March 5. Each album will be available on 2-CDs ($19.98), or a 2-LPs ($31.98). Due to space constraints, both vinyl editions include a selection of bonus material from the CDs. The music will also be available via digital download and streaming services the same day. A rare live version of "Heaven And Hell" and a previously unreleased live version of "The Mob Rules" are both available today as digital singles and can be streamed below.

Dio joined BLACK SABBATH for the first time in 1979 and quickly found kindred spirits in guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward. When "Heaven And Hell" was released in April 1980, the album was met with effusive reviews for the band's return to form on metal masterpieces like "Neon Knights" and the title track. The album reached #9 in the U.K. and #28 in the U.S., where it was also certified platinum.

"Heaven And Hell: Deluxe Edition" adds several bonus tracks that have never been released in North America, including versions of "Children Of The Sea" and "Die Young" recorded live in 1980 in Hartford, Connecticut. The set concludes with live rarities like "E5150" and "Neon Knights" that originally appeared in 2007 on the Rhino Handmade's limited edition collection "Black Sabbath: Live At Hammersmith Odeon".

To follow up "Heaven And Hell", the group returned to the studio in 1981 to begin recording "Mob Rules", with drummer Vinny Appice joining the band for the first time. Released in October 1981 and certified gold, the album was another SABBATH classic, including standouts like "The Sign Of The Southern Cross", "Turn Up The Night" and the title track.

"Mob Rules: Deluxe Edition" boasts an expansive selection of rare and unreleased recordings. Along with additional tracks from "Live At Hammersmith Odeon", the collection also includes a newly mixed version of "The Mob Rules". The cherry on top is an entire concert recorded in 1982 in Portland, Oregon. Highlights include stellar performances of "Neon Knights", "Heaven And Hell" and "Voodoo".

The Dio-fronted lineup disbanded in 1982 but reunited a decade later to record "Dehumanizer" and tour before going on hiatus again. The group came together again in 2006 to record three new songs for Rhino's era-spanning collection "Black Sabbath: The Dio Years". The collaboration led to a highly anticipated world tour in 2007 where the group was billed as HEAVEN & HELL. Their final album of new material, 2009's "The Devil You Know", again demonstrated the musical bond between the band members was unparalleled.

"Heaven And Hell: Deluxe Edition" 2-CD track listing

Disc One: Original Album (2021 Remaster)

01. Neon Knights

02. Children Of The Sea

03. Lady Evil

04. Heaven And Hell

05. Wishing Well

06. Die Young

07. Walk Away

08. Lonely Is The Word

Disc Two: Bonus Tracks

01. Children Of The Sea – Live B-Side Of "Neon Knights" *

02. Heaven And Hell – Live B-Side Of "Die Young" *

03. Lady Evil – 7" Mono Edit (unreleased on CD)

Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT (August 10, 1980)

04. Neon Knights *

05. Children Of The Sea *

06. Heaven And Hell *

07. Die Young *

Hammersmith Odeon, London (Dec 31, 1981- Jan 2, 1982)

08. E5150

09. Neon Knights

10. Children Of The Sea

11. Heaven And Hell

2-LP Track Listing

Side One

01. Neon Knights

02. Children Of The Sea

03. Lady Evil

04. Heaven And Hell

Side Two

01. Wishing Well

02. Die Young

03. Walk Away

04. Lonely Is The Word

Side Three

01. Children Of The Sea – Live B-Side Of "Neon Knights" *

02. Heaven And Hell – Live B-Side Of "Die Young" *

03. Lady Evil – 7" Mono Edit (unreleased on CD)

04. Neon Knights – Live 1980 *

Side Four

01. Children Of The Sea – Live 1980 *

02. Heaven And Hell – Live 1980 *

03. Die Young – Live 1980 *

"Mob Rules: Deluxe Edition" 2-CD track listing

Disc One: Original Album (2021 Remaster)

01. Turn Up The Night

02. Voodoo

03. The Sign Of The Southern Cross

04. E5150

05. The Mob Rules

06. Country Girl

07. Slipping Away

08. Falling Off The Edge Of The World

09. Over And Over

Bonus Tracks

10. The Mob Rules – Heavy Metal Soundtrack Version

11. Die Young – Live B-Side Of "Mob Rules" 7" *

12. The Mob Rules – New 2021 Mix **

Live At The Hammersmith Odeon London (31/12/81 - 2/1/82)

13. Country Girl

14. Slipping Away

15. The Mob Rules

16. Voodoo

Live At Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR, April 22, 1982

17. Intro **

18. Neon Knights **

Disc Two: Bonus Tracks

Live At Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR, April 22, 1982

01. N.I.B. **

02. Children Of The Sea **

03. Voodoo **

04. Black Sabbath **

05. War Pigs **

06. Drum Solo **

07. Iron Man **

08. The Mob Rules **

09. Heaven And Hell **

10. Guitar Solo **

11. Sign Of The Southern Cross/Heaven And Hell – Reprise **

12. Paranoid **

13. Children Of The Grave **

2-LP Track Listing

Side One

01. Turn Up The Night

02. Voodoo

03. The Sign Of The Southern Cross

04. E5150

05. The Mob Rules

Side Two

01. Country Girl

02. Slipping Away

03. Falling Off The Edge Of The World

04. Over And Over

Side Three

01. The Mob Rules – Heavy Metal Soundtrack Version

02. Die Young – Live B-Side Of "Mob Rules" 7" *

03. The Mob Rules – New 2021 Mix **

04. Sign Of The Southern Cross/Heaven And Hell – Reprise **

Side Four

Live At The Hammersmith Odeon London (31/12/81 - 2/1/82)

01. Country Girl

02. Slipping Away

03. The Mob Rules

04. Voodoo

* previously unreleased in North America

** previously unreleased

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor has released the official music video for his single "Samantha's Gone". This time around, Corey invited his friends to join him on-screen, including Tom Sandoval of Bravo's "Vanderpump Rules", actor Dean Cameron ("Summer School", "Ski School", "Straight Outta Compton"), STEEL PANTHER, plus actor Greg Grunberg, Ace Von Johnson, Travis Miguel and Jonah Nimoy.

About the visual, Taylor told Bravo's "The Daily Dish": "The video for 'Samantha's Gone' served two purposes: making fun of so-called 'indie rock' bands and getting all my friends together to hang out and have a good time. We all went back and forth between having fun and social distancing. Watching the first 'band' was great, then being fired from our OWN song in favor of STEEL PANTHER was the icing on the cake. [I] can't wait for everyone to see it!"

Taylor recently made history as he reached No. 1 at Active Rock Radio with his powerful single "Black Eyes Blue". The achievement put Taylor in a class all his own, making him the first artist in the history of the format to reach No. 1 with three separate projects, following chart-topping efforts from SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR.

"CMFT" made impressive debuts on charts around the world in October, entering at No. 1 on Billboard's Current Hard Rock Albums chart, while claiming No. 2 on Current Rock Albums, No. 6 on Vinyl Albums, and No. 9 on the Top Albums charts. Furthermore, "CMFT" landed Top 10 on the official album charts in Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, with Top 20 debuts in the United Kingdom, Finland and Japan (international chart).

Featured in Rolling Stone's "Fall Album Preview 2020," "CMFT" has been garnering widespread critical applause, with Forbes affirming, "Corey Taylor's singing is undeniably the best it's ever been. From SLIPKNOT's last album to his new solo material, Taylor is easily among the best sounding rock singers alive." Kerrang! raved, "Corey Taylor certainly couldn't have predicted how important a sense of uninhibited joy would be on his debut solo effort, it's just what 2020 needs — and, even more importantly, exactly what he delivers." The Daily Beast attested, "'CMFT' finds the singer broadening his horizons and showing off his considerable versatility," while Stereogum noted, "Corey Taylor's lived several lives in the span that it takes most of us to push through just one, and it's clear that he cherishes every experience he's had so far." New York magazine added that "CMFT" "bridges his vast tastes and influences, dabbling in punk rock, metal, reflective acoustic tunes, plaintive piano ballads, and hip-hop, with Taylor's power-house vocals and introspective lyrics acting as a guide."

"CMFT" is highlighted by the singles "Culture Head", "HWY 666", "CMFT Must Be Stopped" (featuring Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie), and the Active Rock radio hit "Black Eyes Blue". Taylor also hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Songwriters chart following the unprecedented debut of "Black Eyes Blue" and "CMFT Must Be Stopped", the latter of which has racked up more than four million YouTube views for its star-studded music video. Furthermore, Taylor debuted the pummeling "Culture Head" during WWE's NXT broadcast on the USA network, illuminating yet another facet of "CMFT" and showcasing the broad spectrum of this fiery and fearless rock 'n' roll opus, as Taylor touches on lifelong influences ranging from hard rock to classic rock, punk rock to hip-hop. 14-time world champion and EVP of global talent strategy and development at WWE, Triple H, also shared a WWE exclusive performance of Taylor and his band tearing through the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Ace Of Spades".

"CMFT" has been a long time coming for Taylor, with newly written tracks alongside some dating back to his teens. Recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas with producer Jay Ruston and his band — Christian Martucci (guitar), Zach Throne (guitar), Jason Christopher (bass), and Dustin Schoenhofer (drums) — the album traces a wild and exhilarating roadmap through Taylor's musical psyche.

FX has ordered "Pistol", a six-episode limited series about the legendary SEX PISTOLS guitarist Steve Jones, it was announced today by Nick Grad, president, original programming, FX Entertainment.

Based on Jones's 2018 memoir "Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol", the series from Academy Award winner Danny Boyle, who will also serve as executive producer and director, was created by Craig Pearce and written by Pearce and Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Jones, Boyle and Pearce serve as executive producers alongside Gail Lyon, Anita Camarata, Tracey Seaward, Paul Lee, Hope Hartman and Wiip. The series is produced by FX Productions and is set to begin production on March 7.

"It's great to be back in business with Danny Boyle, an exceptional artist responsible for so many great feature films and TV series," said Grad. "Steve Jones was at the center of the storm that shook the rock establishment and we're thrilled to have Danny and the rest of the creative team tell his story as a member of one of music's most notorious bands — the SEX PISTOLS."

"Imagine breaking into the world of 'The Crown' and 'Downton Abbey' with your mates and screaming your songs and your fury at all they represent," said Boyle. "This is the moment that British society and culture changed forever. It is the detonation point for British street culture...where ordinary young people had the stage and vented their fury and their fashion…and everyone had to watch and listen…and everyone feared them or followed them. The SEX PISTOLS. At its center was a young charming illiterate kleptomaniac — a hero for the times — Steve Jones, who became in his own words, the 94th greatest guitarist of all time. This is how he got there."

"The SEX PISTOLS changed music forever and Danny Boyle is the perfect director to tell Steve Jones's story fueled by raw creativity and destruction," said Paul Lee, CEO Wiip. "We're thrilled to be making this with our friends at FX.

Anchored by Jones's memoir, which offers a fascinating new perspective on one of rock's greatest ever stories, "Pistol" moves from West London's council estates, to Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's notorious Kings Road SEX shop, to the international controversy that came with the release of "Never Mind The Bollocks", which is frequently listed as one of the most influential albums of all time. Their single "God Save The Queen" was banned by the BBC and reached No. 1 on the U.K.'s NME chart, but appeared at No. 2 on the official U.K. singles chart, leading to accusations that the song was purposely kept off the top spot. For the only time in chart history, the track was listed as a blank, to avoid offence to the monarchy.

"Pistol" stars Toby Wallace ("Babyteeth", "Acute Misfortune") as Steve Jones, Anson Boon ("Crawl", "1917", "Blackbird") as John Lydon, Louis Partridge ("Enola Holmes", "Medici") as Sid Vicious, Jacob Slater as Paul Cook, Fabien Frankel ("The Serpent", "NYPD Blue") as Glen Matlock, Dylan Llewellyn ("Derry Girls") as Wally Nightingale, Sydney Chandler ("Don't Worry Darling") as Chrissie Hynde, Emma Appleton ("The Witcher", "Traitors") as Nancy Spungen, and Maisie Williams ("Game Of Thrones") as punk icon Jordan.

FX has ordered "Pistol", a six-episode limited series about the legendary SEX PISTOLS guitarist Steve Jones, it was announced today by Nick Grad, president, original programming, FX Entertainment.

Based on Jones's 2018 memoir "Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol", the series from Academy Award winner Danny Boyle, who will also serve as executive producer and director, was created by Craig Pearce and written by Pearce and Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Jones, Boyle and Pearce serve as executive producers alongside Gail Lyon, Anita Camarata, Tracey Seaward, Paul Lee, Hope Hartman and Wiip. The series is produced by FX Productions and is set to begin production on March 7.

"It's great to be back in business with Danny Boyle, an exceptional artist responsible for so many great feature films and TV series," said Grad. "Steve Jones was at the center of the storm that shook the rock establishment and we're thrilled to have Danny and the rest of the creative team tell his story as a member of one of music's most notorious bands — the SEX PISTOLS."

"Imagine breaking into the world of 'The Crown' and 'Downton Abbey' with your mates and screaming your songs and your fury at all they represent," said Boyle. "This is the moment that British society and culture changed forever. It is the detonation point for British street culture...where ordinary young people had the stage and vented their fury and their fashion…and everyone had to watch and listen…and everyone feared them or followed them. The SEX PISTOLS. At its center was a young charming illiterate kleptomaniac — a hero for the times — Steve Jones, who became in his own words, the 94th greatest guitarist of all time. This is how he got there."

"The SEX PISTOLS changed music forever and Danny Boyle is the perfect director to tell Steve Jones's story fueled by raw creativity and destruction," said Paul Lee, CEO Wiip. "We're thrilled to be making this with our friends at FX.

Anchored by Jones's memoir, which offers a fascinating new perspective on one of rock's greatest ever stories, "Pistol" moves from West London's council estates, to Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's notorious Kings Road SEX shop, to the international controversy that came with the release of "Never Mind The Bollocks", which is frequently listed as one of the most influential albums of all time. Their single "God Save The Queen" was banned by the BBC and reached No. 1 on the U.K.'s NME chart, but appeared at No. 2 on the official U.K. singles chart, leading to accusations that the song was purposely kept off the top spot. For the only time in chart history, the track was listed as a blank, to avoid offence to the monarchy.

"Pistol" stars Toby Wallace ("Babyteeth", "Acute Misfortune") as Steve Jones, Anson Boon ("Crawl", "1917", "Blackbird") as John Lydon, Louis Partridge ("Enola Holmes", "Medici") as Sid Vicious, Jacob Slater as Paul Cook, Fabien Frankel ("The Serpent", "NYPD Blue") as Glen Matlock, Dylan Llewellyn ("Derry Girls") as Wally Nightingale, Sydney Chandler ("Don't Worry Darling") as Chrissie Hynde, Emma Appleton ("The Witcher", "Traitors") as Nancy Spungen, and Maisie Williams ("Game Of Thrones") as punk icon Jordan

During a new appearance on "The Fred Minnick Show", ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian was asked if he thinks heavy metal "got a really bad rap in the mainstream culture" in the 1990s. He responded (see video below): "Yeah. But even more so in the '80s, when you had the PMRC — you know, Tipper Gore and housewives who decided that we were dangerous for the youth of America. That's when Dee Snider and Frank Zappa went to Capitol Hill and testified in front of Congress and all that, because they wanted to put warning stickers on albums — that whole thing. And the best part about it is that at the end of the day, there was some compromise made and the labels decided they would put content warning stickers on records, and that enabled us to sell more albums because every kid wanted the record with the content warning on it. So, thank you, social justice warriors, for enabling us to sell more records to kids that you were trying to protect them from us. They bought more of 'em."

Asked how he feels about the status of hard rock and heavy metal right now, Ian said: "I think it's super healthy — as healthy as it's ever been. You can't judge things anymore by album sales, 'cause people buying physical [product], people buying CDs, vinyl, it isn't what it used to be. And the streaming numbers for hard rock and heavy metal don't come anywhere close to the streaming numbers for pop or rap. But as far as ticket sales go, and going out on tour and all that, and just in general…

"Look, we've been doing this a long time, and the fact that I can still do this now — [2021] will be our 40th year as a band — I can still do this now and make a living at it, all these decades later, at a higher level than we did even in the '80s," he continued. "I can only judge it by the health of my band, where my band is at professionally, and things are really good... So that, to me, is a good barometer for what's going on with hard rock and heavy metal in general. So many new bands in metal have come through in the last 10 years, and then, of course, you've got the grandpas like us and — I was gonna say SLAYER, but they retired — us and MEGADETH and METALLICA. And even bands that I consider to be new bands, like SYSTEM OF A DOWN or LAMB OF GOD — all these guys who have now been around going on 20 [or] 30 years. I think it's really healthy.

"There's always gonna be a new generation of kids that are gonna look for an alternative to what's on the radio or what's on the television, and that's hard rock and heavy metal," Scott added. "It's kind of like the death business — funeral homes are never gonna go out of business; I don't think guitar-based bands are ever gonna go out of business."

ANTHRAX has been writing new material for the band's next release, expected later this year. The new album will follow ANTHRAX's 2016 release "For All Kings", the critically acclaimed 11th studio album that became ANTHRAX's highest-charting effort in two decades when it entered the Billboard 200 at No. 9.

David Ellefson says that MEGADETH "would be happy" to play more shows featuring the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal.

METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX played together for the first time in history on June 16, 2010 in front of 81,000 fans at the Sonisphere festival at Bemowo Airport in Warsaw, Poland and shared a bill again for six more shows as part of the Sonisphere series that same year. They reunited again for several dates in 2011, including the last "Big Four" concert, which was held on September 14, 2011 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Since then, METALLICA, SLAYER and ANTHRAX have played a number of shows together, including the 2013 Soundwave festival in Australia. They also performed at the 2014 Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

During a brand new interview with "The New And Improved Super Retro Throwback Reviews: The Audio Files", Ellefson was asked if MEGADETH would be interested in playing more "Big Four" concerts at some point in the future.

"METALLICA are the ones who run the show, so, obviously, we're very thankful they even considered it the first time," Ellefson said (hear audio below). "Obviously, they're a very big band, and we're proud of 'em in our genre, because they sit up there in the echelons of U2 and THE ROLLING STONES — I mean, the biggest of the big — and it's so cool that a thrash metal band would be sitting up in that ivory tower, if you will.

"Look, if they ever wanted to do it again, of course, we would be happy," he continued. "But now we have another issue, which is SLAYER is calling it a day. They've announced their farewell; I don't know when that's gonna end exactly. So I'm certainly glad we captured it when we did, because when METALLICA put that offer out to all of us to get together and do that, that really solidified all of us… they pulled us up to their level, which was really cool. That's kind of the ultimate kind of servanthood mentality — they came down to where we are and lifted us up to where they are.

"METALLICA, they've taken a lot of bullets for the transitions and things that they've done over the years, but, I mean, hey, man, they're still METALLICA and they've been the leader of our genre," Ellefson added. "Obviously, I'm glad Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] was in the band; we wouldn't have MEGADETH if Dave wasn't in METALLICA. So, on some level, we're all a branch in the family tree of METALLICA."

Mustaine recently said that he would be interested in playing a "Big Four" show where all the bands "got treated fairly" instead of METALLICA performing a longer set and getting more stage space than the other groups on the bill. "I would love to see it done in a way where we all played together, same amount of time, same kind of stage situation, but I don't think that's gonna happen. And it's cool, because SLAYER's gonna down in history, and they don't need the 'Big Four' to make them any more legendary than they already are. Nor do I."

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett said last year that he believed that the "Big Four" idea would be revisited again. He explained: "I see those shows as kind of like a celebration — a real celebration of each other, and a real celebration of the music that we all make, and a real celebration of the audience embracing [what] we've done. And why not have more of that?"

OVERKILL vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth was recently interviewed by "The Classic Metal Show". The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):

On OVERKILL's momentum in recent years, when they've released numerous critically acclaimed albums and delivered strong live performances:

Bobby: "I think that for the 30-plus years that we've been in this mix, we've been always trying to succeed at a high level and accomplish it, but I agree — there seems to be a great chemistry with this lineup, and it seems like we're getting great results. I can't attribute it to anything else but that — it just seems to work under these conditions, so why fuck with it if it's not broken?"

On whether he feels that consistently working rather than taking long breaks between albums has benefited the band:

Bobby: "That's a two-fold reason for that. One of the reasons is that it's a big part of our visibility. We're not on the top of the heap when it comes to this — we're somewhere in the middle still fighting for our space, and there's a lot to be said for fighting for your space. It keeps you honest. Because of that visibility and focus, records seem to fly out of us on kind of a regular schedule, and I think it works for us. I don't know if it helps the process or is directly responsible for the recent string of success or good chemistry, but for sure, it keeps us focused."

On how he's changed over the years:

Bobby: "The person evolves. It doesn't necessarily mean that the goal is any different, but I think the internal workings of myself are quite different. There's something really genuine and charming about youthful chaos when you're trying to get it on tape, but there's also obviously good results this many years later, to use the dirty word of mature and evolution, to say, 'Hey, I can still get that chaos on tape, but we can do it more so methodically as chaos for the sake of chaos.'"

On the group's new DVD, "Live In Overhausen", on which they perform their first and fifth albums, "Feel The Fire" and "Horrorscope", in their entirety:

Bobby: "First and foremost, we were contracted to do a DVD. There was anniversaries of these records, one being 30, one being 25. I remember sitting in a dressing room with D.D. [Verni] in a festival in Belgium, and we were having a drink and talking about this. He said, 'What about one?' I said, 'Well, what about two?' He said, 'Done.' We're real deep thinkers. [Laughs] I mean, the name of the band is OVERKILL — let's double it up. I remember that same day, one of the Nuclear Blast guys came by, and we said, 'Hey, we got this idea for the DVD,' and we presented it that way. His eyes bugged out and he said, 'Two? That's fucking great! Nobody does two!' I said, 'That's kind of the point.' It just seemed like the right thing."

On how it felt to revisit lesser-known material from those two albums:

Bobby: "The songs have come and gone from our set. There's like a classic OVERKILL — I guess it's four or five cuts that are always played throughout our career: 'Fuck You'; 'Elimination'; 'Rotten To The Core'; maybe a couple of others. But other songs drift in and out of the set, so I was familiar with ninety percent of this, as were the other dudes, because they have played songs like 'Blood And Iron' from 'Feel The Fire'. We do 'Nice Day For A Funeral' sometimes from 'Horrorscope'. But I think the hero of the day was Eddy Garcia. Eddy stepped in to do drums for this specifically because Ron Lipnicki, our drummer at the time, said, 'I can't do this. I can't make the trip.' So he was really the focus for all of us, because he had to learn both records. I think that us concentrating on him learning it only brought us up to speed even faster."

On the importance of maintaining a "street-level credibility":

Bobby: "I don't think it's anything that's a business plan. I think it's really just the kind of people we are. We were metalheads before we were OVERKILL, and I think that there's always been something very special about that. I think the longevity of this band or of the scene itself is that it's an undisposable [sic] scene, or undisposable band, or people with a great amount of fortitude, conviction and heart. That goes much beyond the band. I meet a lot of people that are very much like me, and as human beings, we like that — being around people you can identify with. We have a commonality. We like the same shit. We're the same kind of people. It's not overthinking it – it's not, 'We're bigger than the rest,' or 'We have to keep our mystique.'"

On why he thinks former guitarist Bobby Gustafson is so upset by the release:

Bobby: "You know, I don't really think I could speak on it. I'm obviously aware of it, and we've always wished Bobby publicly the best and said that he was instrumental in helping this band get off the ground. That goes without a doubt. But this is not my problem. I can only make this my problem. [Laughs] If it's not my fuckin' problem, then I don't care about it. I like saying this when it comes to certain things that come up that, to a very large degree, to why you and I are talking. It's only really a sidebar to it, and that's that we grew up in New Jersey and the New York area. We're second-generation Americans... and it was real simple, what you learned when you were a kid – work hard, and keep your fuckin' mouth shut. [Laughs] To some degree, it's why OVERKILL — or this version of OVERKILL — has never aired its dirty laundry in public. I'm always willing to deal with issues, but not in the public eye. I just don't think it's the right thing to do. It's been a pure band up to this point; I would rather keep it that way."

On the status of the group's in-progress new album:

Bobby: "We're up to 11 pre-production demos. I think that probably what I'm most excited about for this record is that Jason Bittner is now part of that chemistry. Jason has been a long-standing friend of ours. We've known him from way back when Tim Mallare was in the band. He's cut for this, and always has been cut for this. He's in the top echelon of this stuff. I mean, no slag on Ron Lipnicki — Ron was a great drummer, and I'm not saying that is going to be better, but this is going to be different, and that's one of the things I'm looking forward to. We notice all those differences within the band, all those nuances. I think that probably the biggest surprise for me on this record or the highest excitement of motivation is having a different guy behind the kit, and a guy who's more than qualified to do it who's not just doing it, but wanting to do it. I think that we have something special in the very near future. We're slated for the end of February 2019."

"Live In Overhausen" will be released on May 18 via Nuclear Blast.

In a new appearance on "The Radical With Nick Terzo" podcast, GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Richard Fortus spoke about how difficult it has been adjusting to the different musicians that have come through the band since he joined GN'R back in late 2001 or early 2002,

"I love Robin [Finck, guitar]. I loved his playing. I loved working with him. And, obviously, Tommy [Stinson, bass] is like my brother. We were all very tight. And then there was Bucket [a.k.a. Buckethead, real name Brian Carroll], who was just sort of out on his own. But it was very musical, and it was exciting to be a part of. He's a phenomenal talent. Man, he's pretty out there. And he definitely can be difficult to work with. I enjoyed working with him, 'cause he's very musical.

"It was a difficult dynamic to make three guitars work," Fortus said. "[Buckethead] did an excellent job, because he understood the dynamics of it and how the puzzle pieces have to fit together, and Bucket really understood that. Everything sort of has to have its place.

"When [Buckethead] left and Ron Thal [a.k.a. Bumblefoot] came in, it was a different dynamic, because I think Ron had been used to sort of doing his own thing, with his own band, so he didn't really get how that worked, or how to make it work. So it was difficult at that time."

Asked if it's fair to say that Axl Rose was the "ultimate musical director" or the "band leader" during the initial period after Richard joined GUNS N' ROSES, Fortus said: "A lot of it was Tommy, and he had sort of been somehow put in that role. And then Axl was always the final arbiter."

According to Fortus, it was a smooth musical transition when guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan officially returned to GUNS N' ROSES in 2015.

"I wasn't uncomfortable in any way," he said. "You're cautious at first — you don't wanna step on anybody's toes; everyone's sort of feeling each other out. Duff and I had worked together before and were friends. And it fell together really quickly and very naturally. I think we have so much musical background in common, as far as where we came from and the bands that we sort of grew up listening to and the progression of our musical interests — with the whole background in older music and then punk rock and our love for THE [ROLLING] STONES. As far as with Slash and I, it really came together very naturally and in a really easy way.

Richard went on to call Duff one of his "favorite" people. "[He's] really just a great dude," he said. "Just so much fun to hang out with and talk to. Very smart.

"This is sort of a dream scenario for me in that I'm playing with guys that all take it as seriously as I do and are as committed and dedicated," he added. "And that's really rare and awesome to be a part of."

Fortus admitted that the chemistry between Slash, McKagan and current GUNS N' ROSES drummer Frank Ferrer wasn't as immediate.

"I think that was the toughest fit, when those guys came back," Richard said. "For Duff — well, for both of them — sort of adapting to Frank and trying to get him to adapt to them. It wasn't as natural. But it has ended up working out well."

Fortus got his big break when his band PALE DIVINE opened for THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS. This led to Fortus forming the band LOVE SPIT LOVE with PSYCHEDELIC FURS frontman Richard Butler and Ferrer. In 2000, Fortus and Ferrer became touring members of the reformed PSYCHEDELIC FURS before Fortus hooked up with GUNS N' ROSES. Ferrer himself joined GN'R in 2006.

GUNS N' ROSES is now reportedly working on a new studio album — the first under the GUNS banner since 2008's "Chinese Democracy" and the first to feature Slash, Rose and McKagan since 1993.