Matt Sorum is celebrating the 17th anniversary of his getting sober.

On Sunday (November 24),the 64-year-old ex-GUNS N' ROSES and VELVET REVOLVER drummer took to his social media to write: "Woke up this morning at a very early hour which I do regularly now that I have my daughter Lou Ellington and with immense gratitude today marks 17 years of sobriety for me. In that 17 years there have been many twists and turns and ups and downs, but I'm proud to say I did it without drinking or doing drugs. Life on life's terms as we say.

"My days of drinking weren't all horrible as that would be a lie.
My early years in Hollywood and my times traveling the world were wild adventures that I wouldn't change a thing, but the partying did start to take hold of me and I suffered mainly in my personal life. Success was scary and most of all love and relationships scared me. Life in Rock N Roll is like a bubble that anything is acceptable. Bad behavior is recommended and growing up loving RNR, it was par for the course. I did it at the highest level no pun intended. Finally realizing that alcohol and drugs had a grip on me I struggled for years with 3 trips to rehab and multiple relapses. The thing that changed it all for me was turning my will and my life over to the care of God. That trust and faith takes care of me and my family and I have true happiness.

"Thank you to all those of you that have helped me on the most beautiful journey any man could wish for."

During a 2023 appearance on the "Black Oxygen Inspiration" podcast, Matt reflected on his time as the drummer for GUNS N' ROSES. He said in part: "It got scary. In retrospect, maybe, being a little bit older, I would have handled it differently, but it got a little bit out of control because it became so big. We were moving fast. There was a lot of people around us. There was a lot of — I can't say confusion, but… I don't know. I was starting to kind of get out of sorts because we were the biggest band in the world at that time. There was nothing bigger, and it was intense because there was a lot of people coming at you, like old friends, just like infiltrating. And thank God I didn't have a cell phone or text in those days. Like imagine like if you had a text."

He continued: "And I'll admit it. I fell into too much drinking. And the band was pretty famous for that. So, in a way, I felt obligated to do it because we were — and I've explained it before, I always said that I felt like a pirate on a pirate ship. There was just this sort of gang mentality amongst us, and I wanted to be part of the gang. I didn't have one tattoo when I joined GUNS N' ROSES. It's almost like when you're a kid in school and you're hanging with some other guys, this is how that feels. It's, like, 'Okay, I'm gonna go get the tattoos. I'm gonna drink.' I always drank. But my point is things got a little bit confusing only because it was just so big. And there was a lot of kind of Hollywood sycophants around, a lot of what I call — I used to call them spot welders. And some of it I liked. And it was weird, because… I'd say to any young musician that gets successful, watch out for your ego. Just be careful, because that's what happened. And it's cliché — it's very cliché."

Sorum added: "I talk to young bands and I say, 'Hey, man. How's it going? How's your head?' Success can be daunting — when you're very successful — because things just change. I mean, family — I wasn't as close to my family. I was enjoying the ride; I really was. But it was a little bit kind of rock and roll bubble. I was in this big bubble and we were rolling through the world. And I really felt like I just wanted to have every part of that adventure, but it started to kind of affect me musically. I started to enjoy the party a little bit more than the music. [Laughs] And in retrospect, I'd say to myself, would I do it any different? No. [Laughs] I think I would have maybe — with the way I am now as an older guy, the way when you learn through life how to react to things, I've learned a lot more about how to sort of deal with things that I didn't understand, if that makes sense."

Matt went on to say that it was important for him to be honest in his book about how he handled being in GUNS N' ROSES at the height of the band's commercial success.

"I don't want any people to believe that it was just squeaky clean," he said. "If they read my book, the train came off the tracks a couple times. But where I am now in my life is a completely different circle of the people I keep around me. I don't really have time for anyone that needs to — I don't know. It doesn't make sense. I'm very, very content. Like, people will say — this is a Hollywood thing — 'So, what are you doing lately?' I love that question because I'm, like, 'I've done plenty and I'm just chillin'.'"

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

Sorum was among the GUNS N' ROSES members who were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2012. He, Adler, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan attended the ceremony, while singer Axl Rose and founding guitarist Izzy Stradlin stayed home.

The musician, who has also played with THE CULT, VELVET REVOLVER and HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, is not involved with GN'R's hugely successful reunion tour, which features Rose, Slash and McKagan alongside drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus and second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Sorum's autobiography, "Double Talkin' Jive: True Rock 'N' Roll Stories From The Drummer Of Guns N' Roses, The Cult, And Velvet Revolver", arrived in May 2022 via Rare Bird Books.

Photo credit: Michael Segal

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In a new interview with the "Johnny Dare Morning Show", CREED frontman Scott Stapp spoke about what is has been like to reunite with his bandmates after publicly grappling with substance abuse problems and mental health struggles in the mid-2010s. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "This is very cliché, but it's so true. It's not how many times we fall. What makes a man or a woman is getting back up. We're all gonna get knocked down, no matter whether it's by our own choices or by life circumstances, but you've gotta keep getting up. And I think that doing that and having that will — it doesn't make me special; we all have it in us — to not let life defeat us, to keep getting up, I think it just continues to build a strength inside of you that ends up inevitably leading to good things happening. And hence me and the boys getting back together again and everything that's happening now. And then having this wealth of experience that I hope I can continue to share with people and let them know they're not alone and that, man, if I can do it, anybody can do it."

Stapp went on to say that he is enjoying performing now more than he ever has in the past.

"That's one thing that I've learned over the years, is just stay in the moment, stay in the present, appreciate these good things in life because they can all be gone tomorrow," he said. "And I think that's one thing that we've all learned in the band as well as in our personal lives, is to cherish relationships, nurture relationships, and don't take anything for granted because it can all be gone tomorrow, especially when good things are happening in your life."

As for how long he has been sober now, Scott said: "Oh, man. I have had two or three slips in 10 years. And so when I say slips, it's three or four hours and then I'm, like, 'What am I doing?' and then [get] right back on track. So, I say I've had three or four bad days in 10 years. So that's serious progress for me. And this whole thing, they say, it's about progress, not perfection. But needless to say, that's a win for me and I'm sober today. And I plan to be sober tomorrow. And so I just take it one day at a time and keep moving forward."

Asked if it is scary to walk out on that stage a hundred percent sober or if it is better than ever, Scott said: "No, I love it. I love it, man. I mean, you feel and see and process everything. And the energy that is happening up there between the audience and the band, to be in it and living it and experiencing it with a clear mind and a clear body and a healthy mind and a healthy body, it's the only way to do it, man. And it allows me to deliver the best performances of my life, in my opinion, and then also be fully present to engage in the audience and to seize moments as they come up. And I think it just makes for an unforgettable experience for all involved."

Scott previously discussed his sobriety last month in an interview with Stereogum. Asked if it is difficult staying sober on a cruise ship, like on the band's two sold-out "Summer Of '99" cruises earlier this year, he responded: "No, it's not. I create my own world. And I have my own, my entire situation laid out for me and a big 5,000-square-foot cabin. And I actually brought my sponsor out, just because he's my friend. Not because I was concerned about having a drink. But my sponsor was there with me, and I had a couple of friends with me. And that's what I do. I create my own environment, my own sober environment."

He continued: "Drinking, at this point in my life, it's not an option. That's where I'm at. I wake up every day and have notes on my phone that remind me throughout the day, drinking is not an option. And I stay in touch with my sponsor and try to surround myself with other people trying to stay sober. And in doing that, I've only had two or three slips in the last 10 years. Which is a tremendous amount of progress from where I came. And hoping the next 10 years there'll be no slips."

Back in 2019, Stapp credited his family with helping him achieve sobriety after years of abusing alcohol, Xanax and Percocet.

"My [then-]wife and my kids were critical in helping me get sober," he told Meltdown of the Detroit radio station WRIF. "It got to the point where it was either get sober or lose my wife and kids, man, and that's about the lowest rock bottom that I could possibly have gotten to. So they were critical."

According to Stapp, the rock and roll lifestyle "definitely" contributed to him "going down that wrong path. I just had so much in front of me, and being so naïve, walking into it, I just didn't know how to handle it, and it got a hold of me," he explained. "And around the same time, I had my first onset of depression. And you combine that with self-medicating, with alcohol and whatever else you can find, and it's a bad scenario, man. And it took me years to really find out what was going on. I had to get to the other side of it. And it's so nice to be … on the other side of a wild ride."

This past May, People reported that Stapp and his wife Jaclyn were headed for divorce after 18 years of marriage.

The 51-year-old rocker and Jaclyn are parents to daughter Milan and sons Daniel and Anthony, while Stapp is also dad to son Jagger with ex-wife Hillaree Burns.

CREED played its first two shows in 12 years in April as the headliners of the "Summer Of '99" cruise. The band performed aboard a second cruise, the "Summer Of '99 And Beyond", traveling from Florida's Port Canaveral to Nassau from April 27 to May 1. A full-fledged tour, also dubbed "Summer Of '99" tour, produced by Live Nation, kicked off on July 17 and wrapped on September 28. Another tour, "Are You Ready?", kicked off earlier this month and will run through December.

Photo credit: Matt Akana

DREAM THEATER's November 23 concert at Adidas Arena in Paris, France was filmed for future release on DVD and Blu-ray.

Earlier today (Sunday, November 24),DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy took to his social media to share a photo from last night's show and he included the following message: "Merci Beaucoup Paris!! You were everything we hoped for to capture this show/tour for our upcoming live release!

"It was one of those nights where all the stars aligned: great receptive & interactive audience, beautiful packed venue, just an amazing night in every respect…

"Look forward to releasing this magical evening at some point down the road…until then, we wrap up this historic 1st European leg this evening with a Sold Out show here in Amsterdam!"

The setlist for all the shows on DREAM THEATER's 40th-anniversary tour so far has been as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

Act I

01. Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper
02. Act I: Scene Two: I. Overture 1928
03. Act I: Scene Two: II. Strange Déjà Vu
04. The Mirror
05. Panic Attack
06. Barstool Warrior
07. Hollow Years
08. Constant Motion
09. As I Am

Act II

10. Night Terror
11. This Is The Life
12. Under A Glass Moon
13. Vacant
14. Stream Of Consciousness
15. Octavarium

Encore:

16. Act II: Scene Six: Home
17. Act II: Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On
18. Pull Me Under

During an October 24 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Portnoy, who rejoined the progressive metal legends in October 2023 after a 14-year absence, was asked if he and his bandmates were recording and filming any of the shows on the current 40th-anniversary European tour for a future release. He responded: "Yeah, we filmed and recorded the big O2, first night [of the tour in London], just mainly for posterity and for the archives. But we do have plans to film our show in Paris [on November 23] for a live Blu-ray and a live album.

"The thing is we're gonna be on the road till the end of next year, and the new [DREAM THEATER] album doesn't even come out till February, so this world tour is gonna kinda go through two phases," Mike explained. "The whole first phase, which would be the first six to eight months will be the 40th-anniversary reunion celebration, but at some point mid-next year, we're gonna transition into a full tour cycle supporting the upcoming album. So even with the live album we're gonna record in Paris [in November], that's probably one of two releases that we'll probably do because we're gonna wanna do a proper live release once we start playing the new album as well."

Asked what it was like to play his first show back with DREAM THEATER after 14 years, Portnoy said: "It was surreal. I've said this a lot of times already since the reunion was announced, but I have dreamt of that moment, being on stage with the guys for the first time in all these years, I dreamt about it hundreds of times through the last decade or so to, so to actually have gone through those emotions and to be up there and to have the Kabuki drop and there's 10,000 of the biggest DREAM THEATER fans all gathered in one place to celebrate not only the band's 40th anniversary, but to celebrate the reunion of this lineup, it was so emotional. I mean, people crying — everywhere I looked, there was people crying, people singing and celebrating. It was just surreal, it was emotional, it was glorious. And I was scared shitless, to be honest. I never get scared before shows, but it was nerve-racking, to be honest… I mean, because there was such such focus on this first show. And we knew there were people coming from all over the world to be a part of the opening night and to have that first experience. And there's nothing better than seeing the first show on the tour, too, and you don't know the setlist. So there's been no spoilers, and from song to song, you're just wondering what's gonna be next. But it was really incredible. Like I said, the most hardcore fans from all around the world wanted to be part of this first one to experience it. And the O2 is massive. I mean, that's where [LED] ZEPPELIN did their reunion show, and that's where GENESIS did their last show. It's London's Madison Square Garden, for all intents and purposes. And it was really one of the greatest nights of my life. I think it was not only a career highlight for DREAM THEATER, but it was a life highlight for all of us as well."

Portnoy co-founded DREAM THEATER in 1985 with guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung. Mike played on 10 DREAM THEATER albums over a 20-year period, from 1989's "When Dream And Day Unite" through 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", before exiting the group in 2010. Portnoy returned to DREAM THEATER in October 2023 after being replaced by Mike Mangini, who played with DREAM THEATER across five studio albums and accompanying world tours.

London marked the kick-off concert of DREAM THEATER's 2024-2025 40th-anniversary tour. The European leg of the trek — presented as "An Evening With Dream Theater" — will run through November 24 in Amsterdam, hitting cities in numerous countries along the way.

DREAM THEATER will release its sixteenth studio album, "Parasomnia", on February 7, 2025 via InsideOut Music. The LP marks the band's first release with Portnoy since 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings".

"Parasomnia" was produced by guitarist John Petrucci, engineered by James "Jimmy T" Meslin, and mixed by Andy Sneap. Hugh Syme returns once again to lend his creative vision to the cover art.

The first single, "Night Terror", is a musical thrill ride captured in the just shy of ten minutes listening experience. A music video for the song — directed by Mike Leonard — is now available.

Merci Beaucoup Paris!! 🙏🇫🇷 You were everything we hoped for to capture this show/tour for our upcoming live release!
It...

Posted by Mike Portnoy on Sunday, November 24, 2024

Eloy Casagrande performed with SLIPKNOT in his home country of Brazil for the first time on October 19 and October 20 at Knotfest Brasil 2024 at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil.

Earlier today (Monday, November 25),Eloy shared drum-cam video of the "Wait And Bleed" performance from the October 20 concert. Check it out below.

In an interview with Tone-Talk, SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root spoke about how Casagrande came to join SLIPKNOT and his impact on the band's overall sound. He said: "We didn't even try anybody else. Eloy's name came up. He contacted us, actually, about wanting to be a part of it and started sending a bunch of videos in. I think him and our bass player [Alessandro 'Vman' Venturella] might've had a little bit of a relationship before. I think they knew each other. They had mutual friends. And Vman's really in tune with a lot of really great, proggy, heavy musicians that are passionate about their instruments. And it just seemed like a no-brainer. And he's really respectful of the legacy of [SLIPKNOT's original drummer, the late] Joey [Jordison], and Joey was a huge influence on him. And he's so humble. The dude has so much humility. And you could tell he just lives and breathes his craft, to the point where I see his passion and it ignites my passion for my instrument. And Brazilians, South Americans in general, are so passionate about what they do. Our manager told me, he was out to dinner with four or five promoters from South America, and they were all really stoked. They're all, like, 'It's so good you've got a Brazilian drummer in SLIPKNOT now. We kind of feel like we've won the World Cup.' It's a cool feeling. And God, he just fits in so well. I don't know, man. I mean, there's a lot of things I can say about it. I'm just glad it happened when it did. And we're lucky to have him — we are really lucky to have that dude."

For its 2024 gigs so far, SLIPKNOT adopted a classic look, bringing back the 1999 red jumpsuits and elements of their early masks into their modern versions, tying into the fact that SLIPKNOT is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

After parting ways with Jay Weinberg last November, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer more than seven months ago, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption "Rehearsal."

The band explained in a statement that the split with Weinberg was a creative decision. Jay followed up with a statement of his own, saying that he was "heartbroken and blindsided" by his dismissal.

Weinberg has since joined SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and INFECTIOUS GROOVES.

Casagrande abruptly quit SEPULTURA six months ago, shortly before he was supposed to begin rehearsals for the band's recently launched 40th-anniversary farewell tour.

"February 6th, a few days prior to the first rehearsal, drummer Eloy Casagrande informed the band that he was leaving SEPULTURA to pursue a career in another project," the band said in a statement.

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA 13 years ago as the replacement for Jean Dolabella.

SLIPKNOT's latest album "The End, So Far", arrived in August 2022. It marked the band's the last full-length LP before the departure of both keyboardist Craig Jones, who left the group in June 2023, and Weinberg.

SLIPKNOT recently completed the North American portion of the "Here Comes The Pain" tour. The band was celebrating the 25th anniversary of its seminal debut album, "Slipknot", which catapulted the band back in 1999. The "Here Comes The Pain" tour, produced by Live Nation, included arena plays nationwide this past summer. Highlights included New York City's Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles's Intuit Dome, Austin's Moody Center and more with direct support from Kentucky's young and vibrant hardcore/metal forerunners KNOCKED LOOSE. ORBIT CULTURE and VENDED also provided support on select dates.

In the video below, OPETH guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt takes you through the band's entire new album, "The Last Will And Testament", with some interesting comments about how each track came to be.

"The Last Will And Testament" was released on November 22 via Reigning Phoenix Music/Moderbolaget. Speaking to United Rock Nations about his decision to include growling vocals in the recently released first single from the LP, "§1", Mikael said: "I wanted to try it out. I had been thinking, and we had been talking in the band that we should, maybe we could try and see what happens if we write something that's slightly heavier. And I felt I wanted to try and see if I could write music and fit that type of vocals on to new music. And I hadn't done that for many years… It's been a while. So I wrote a few parts and tried the death metal vocals, and it sounded awesome. Besides, it also provided a different voice to this character in the story. It became an asset that I haven't really had the need for, for the last four albums. But now it was an asset that actually could be beneficial for the whole concept, for the whole record. It sounded awesome too. I'm happy."

Last month, Åkerfeldt addressed the fact that OPETH fans have reacted positively to his return to growling vocals on "§1", telling "Coffee With Ola": "I don't have social media. Obviously, the record is not out yet, so I haven't read any reviews, but I'm on YouTube, believe it or not, every now and then, so I've seen some comments and videos, 'Oh, my god, OPETH is back. Mikael's back,' that type of thing. And yeah, there are some screams on there. And it's cool that they appreciate it. It's also slightly annoying."

Elaborating on why he finds it "annoying" that so much of the focus has been on the fact that he is growling on an OPETH album again, Mikael said: "I choose not to get upset. I'm an old guy. I decided I'm just gonna take in, like, 'You love it? You love that I do that stuff? Fine. I'm gonna be happy about it. But it's also, is that all we are? We've done four records in a row without that type of vocals, which people have liked, but it's been… It's so much focus on the screams, I almost feel like I wanna troll, just do a shit record, like really shit, obvious shit, with great screams and see what they think."

He continued: "But I'm really happy with the record. The screams sound really good. They fit this music and the concept of the record. So, all in all, I'm happy."

When host Ola Englund noted that there are "a lot" of growling vocals on "The Last Will And Testament", Mikael concurred. "Yeah, maybe it's 50-50, maybe more. But it was fun doing it again. I hadn't done it on an OPETH record for quite some time. 'Watershed' was the last [album] with that type of vocals. I wrote the songs. I started with the one called 'Paragraph One' ['§1']. So I tried some screams to see if it fit with the music, because I hadn't written music with the intention of having that type of vocal for a long time. So I didn't know if it was gonna work, but it sounded great to me. So I was, like, 'Okay.' Besides, it's a concept record and it gave a voice to that main character in the story. So that felt, like, 'Okay, I'm gonna try.'"

Regarding the concept for the new OPETH album, Mikael said: "People heard that first song, 'Paragraph One'. It starts with footsteps leading up to a door. A door opens and then off we go. And a patriarch, a father has died. He's a rich, conservative, stern old fucker who's passed away and the album starts when his children, his three children, arrive to attend the reading of his last will and testament, basically to see what they're, so to speak, getting. And then throughout the album, through his testament, all the lyrics are written as if they were written like a proper testament, with paragraphs, which explains the titles, or the lack of titles. And throughout the reading, he will reveal secrets about himself mostly, but many of these secrets will immediately affect his children and kind of turn their lives upside down. And then there's a twist to the story as well in the end."

"The Last Will And Testament" was written by Åkerfeldt, with lyrics conferred with Klara Rönnqvist Fors (THE HEARD, ex-CRUCIFIED BARBARA). "The Last Will And Testament" was co-produced by Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman (GHOST, THE HELLACOPTERS),engineered by Boman, Joe Jones (KILLING JOKE, ROBERT PLANT) and OPETH, with Boman, Åkerfeldt and the rest of OPETH mixing at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe Studios in Stockholm. The strings on "The Last Will And Testament" were arranged by Åkerfeldt and returning prog friend Dave Stewart (EGG, KHAN) and conducted by Stewart at Angel Studios in London. Not one to miss a beat, visual artist Travis Smith returns to the fold, crafting his 11th cover, a haunting "photograph" reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's infamous "Overlook Hotel" photograph. Miles Showell (ABBA, QUEEN) also revisits mastering and vinyl lacquer cutting at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Åkerfeldt rolls out the red carpet for storied flautist and JETHRO TULL mainman Ian Anderson. Not only do Anderson's signature notes fly on "§4" and "§7", he narrates on "§1", "§2", "§4", and "§7". Joining Anderson, EUROPE's Joey Tempest lends a backing vocal hand on "§2", while Åkerfeldt's youngest daughter, Mirjam Åkerfeldt, is the disembodied voice in "§1".

"The Last Will And Testament" is a concept album set in the post-World War I era, unfolding the story of a wealthy, conservative patriarch whose last will and testament reveals shocking family secrets. The narrative weaves through the patriarch's confessions, the reactions of his twin children, and the mysterious presence of a polio-ridden girl who the family have taken care of. The album begins with the reading of the father's will in his mansion. Among those in attendance is a young girl, who, despite being an orphan and polio-ridden, has been raised by the family. Her presence at the will reading raises suspicions and questions among the twins.

"The Last Will And Testament" is the darkest and heaviest record OPETH has made in decades, and it is also the band's most fearlessly progressive. A concept album recounting the reading of one recently deceased man's will to an audience of his surviving family members, it brims with haunting melodrama, shocking revelations and some of the wildest and most unpredictable music that Åkerfeldt has ever written.

The follow-up to 2019's widely acclaimed "In Cauda Venenum", "The Last Will And Testament" is set in the shadowy, sepia-stained 1920s. It slowly reveals its secrets like some classic thriller from the distant, cobwebbed past, with each successive song shining more light on the stated machinations of our dead (but definitely not harmless) protagonist. The emotional chaos of the story is perfectly matched by OPETH's vivid but claustrophobic soundtrack, which artfully winds its way towards a crestfallen but sumptuous finale. Masters of their own idiosyncratic musical domain, OPETH have never sounded more unique.

"The Last Will And Testament" is destined to be a milestone in OPETH's illustrious recorded history. The band's first out-and-out concept record, it features guest cameos from JETHRO TULL legend Ian Anderson and Joey Tempest, frontman with Swedish rock gods EUROPE. Only one of the album's eight songs has a title: closing ballad "A Story Never Told". The rest are simply labeled as numbered chapters in this slowly unfolding saga of deceit, recrimination and betrayal. Enigmatic, unsettling and immersive, "The Last Will And Testament" is a turbulent, prog metal tale like no other.

Making his recorded debut alongside OPETH's long-established lineup of Mikael Åkerfeldt, guitarist Fredrik Åkesson, bassist Martin Mendez and keyboard maestro Joakim Svalberg on "The Last Will And Testament" is new drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who joined the band in 2022.

In a cover feature for the latest issue of Fistful Of Metal magazine — a special thrash issue — ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante opened up about the band's long-awaited new album and why it's taking so long to complete the follow-up to 2016's "For All Kings". He told Oran O'Beirne: "It's always been a priority to finish the new ANTHRAX album. I don't want people to think that my involvement with PANTERA had anything to do with prolonging the completion of the new ANTHRAX album. It just came down to the fact that some of the material wasn't finished. We went back and redid some things we were not entirely happy with."

He continued: "You have to understand that some of these songs are pre-COVID, so we're going back on ideas from a long time ago. After we started layering all the parts of the new songs, it was a unanimous feeling that some of the stuff we were doing just felt out of date. So we decided to give it some time and revisit at a later stage. We are just trying to make this new record the best that we possibly can."

With a busy summer touring the PANTERA live shows now out of the way, he gave his afterthoughts on performing those classic songs and the overall experience of sitting behind the kit and playing Vinnie Paul Abbott's drum parts.

"It's awesome. I don't take any of this for granted," he said. "I feel extremely privileged that I'm in this role. I love those guys and my history with PANTERA, as a band, and also Vinnie and Dime [late PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott] goes way back. My relationship with Rex [Brown, PANTERA bassist] and Philip [Anselmo, PANTERA singer] is as important as it was with Dime and Vinnie."

Benante added: "There have been days on tour where we are all just hanging out and the stories will start to come out about the brothers and I can see Philip and Rex just light up when we're sharing memories of the guys. I really think this experience, for both Philip and Rex, is really what they needed, not only for the fans, but for those guys. This has been a very therapeutic experience for all of us, but especially for Rex and Philip."

When asked about adapting his style to the drum parts originally written and recorded by Vinnie Paul, Benante responded: "I've never told this to anyone before, but Vinnie told me numerous times that he'd taken pieces of my drumming and applied it to PANTERA. Vinnie was, like, 'You know that part on [ANTHRAX's] 'Spreading The Disease'? I took that idea for this track.' When he told me that, I was, like, 'Dude, are you serious?', and his response was, 'Absolutely.' So, now when I listen back, I can actually hear what he was talking about.

"And if Vinnie was still here, I'd be showing him some [of his] drum parts I've used on a few ANTHRAX tracks," Charlie admitted. "Some drummers have really big egos and they don't usually discuss things like that. The truth of the matter is, whatever you were listening to during the course of your life from a teenager to an adult, that style and flare in the music is inevitably going to be an influence. I've had Joey Jordison [late SLIPKNOT drummer] tell me the exact same thing that Vinnie told me, saying that he got some licks and ideas from my drumming for SLIPKNOT, and I'm totally honored when I hear that. I do the same thing and tell other drummers, 'Hey, I got this idea from your playing on this track.'"

Read the full interview in the latest issue of Fistful Of Metal magazine. Issue #17 is a "Thrash Attack Special" also featuring METALLICA, SODOM, BODY COUNT, XENTRIX, OPETH, KREATOR, TESTAMENT, MEGADETH, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, TANKARD, GAMA BOMB, SADUS, MERCYFUL FATE, 200 STAB WOUNDS, SLIPKNOT and many more.

Fistful Of Metal is available for order online, as well as through WH Smith (U.K.) and Barnes & Noble (America).

Thanks to Oran O'Beirne for providing BLABBERMOUTH.NET with the above quotes from his ANTHRAX feature

TOP 50 ALBUMS OF 2024!!! In the new FOM- hitting stores soon! What's your Favourite album of 2024?? Order the new magazine NOW!!! https://fistfulofmetal.co.uk/

Posted by Fistful Of Metal Mag on Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Scott Gorham has revealed the musicians he would like to join him in a reactivated THIN LIZZY. He's also said there's one LIZZY song that he would love to re-record with an all-star lineup, saying that he'd like to do it "just to see how it would sound with the new technology." The guitarist made his comments in a brand new interview with Eonmusic's Eamon O'Neill.

Scott recently said that "She Knows", from the 1974 THIN LIZZY album "Night Life" holds a special place in his heart, and in the Eonmusic interview, he went even further, stating: "That song is near and dear to me. That became the first song that Phil [Lynott, late THIN LIZZY frontman] and I wrote together on the first album that I'd ever done, and it became the opening track for that album."

It was then that Gorham revealed that he would like to revive the track recorded five decades ago, stating: "I'm really proud of that song, and also I would love to redo that song somehow, get another bunch of guys in there and just re-record that, just to see how it would sound with the new technology today and all that, to see what we could come up with."

When pressed on which musicians he imagines recording with, and whom he would like to see in a reactivated THIN LIZZY, he said, "There's a whole load of guys out there that are great," before going on to name some familiar players. "There's Vivian Campbell from DEF LEPPARD, Richard Fortus from GUNS N' ROSES," he said. "I've worked with both of those guys. Marco Mendoza, great bass player, so yeah, I mean, there's a ton of guys out there."

However, those waiting for LIZZY to take to the stage once more shouldn't hold their breath. "The problem being with all that is they all have day jobs," lamented Scott. "They've got to pay the rent, and I imagine their rent is pretty high. So with that kind of thing, I have to wait around, to wait to see when all the stars align perfectly, to get everybody lined up on that stage."

Read the entire interview at Eonmusic.

In 1974, the Californian musician moved to the United Kingdom and joined Irish rockers THIN LIZZY. Scott would perform on ten best-selling albums, including "Jailbreak", "Johnny The Fox", "Bad Reputation" and "Live And Dangerous", and on the hit singles "The Boys Are Back In Town", "Rosalie", "Dancing In The Moonlight (It's Caught Me In Its Spotlight)" and "Waiting On An Alibi".

This past April, Gorham unveiled six new works of art, with limited-edition prints available to purchase through the artist's web site. The Scott Gorham World site showcases the first six illustrative works from an archive the now-73-year-old guitarist started creating under the radar as an artist nearly 40 years ago.

Gorham was in BLACK STAR RIDERS for nearly a decade, having formed the band in 2013 with other THIN LIZZY members after deciding to write and record new music under a new moniker. BLACK STAR RIDERS' original lineup was completed by vocalist Ricky Warwick, guitarist Damon Johnson, bassist Marco Mendoza and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso.

BLACK STAR RIDERS announced Gorham's departure in September 2021, with Warwick saying in a statement: "We are very sad to see Scott go, but we discussed a very heavy world touring commitment on the new record and Scott decided he wanted to concentrate just on THIN LIZZY — and being the legend he is, none of us can blame him."

In a recent interview with Neil Jones of TotalRock, Gorham was asked if he is involved in any music projects at the moment. He responded: "Well, I'm not really working on anything really solid right now, unfortunately. I would really like to get back out, put just an absolute kick-ass THIN LIZZY band together and either tour England again or Europe or something like that.

"I don't think I'm ever going to lose that love for playing that music, just because all of us were so involved in writing it, rehearsing it, recording it," he explained. "And there was a lot of work that — well, everybody, every bandmember will know all the work that has to go into just being able to get out on the road.

"So, we'll see. Hopefully in the near future I'll have some sort of news and I'll get my butt out there and start playing again," Scott added. "So, that's really all I can say right now."

Gorham discussed his decision to leave BLACK STAR RIDERS in a February 2022 interview with "The Hook Rocks!" podcast. He said: "It was right in the beginning of the whole pandemic thing. I know Ricky wanted to do an album straight off the bat. And I said, 'Well, I can't and I won't get on a plane right now, for god's sakes. We've got this thing raging around all of us. It's kind of impossible.' And I did not wanna do an album by Zoom; I didn't even wanna contemplate on that. Plus, I did wanna start concentrating on THIN LIZZY, to get out there and show people these really great songs. So I thought it would be unfair to try to really put a hundred percent concentration and effort into one and then the other is kind of flailing there on the side. So I thought, well, I've done four albums with BLACK STAR RIDERS. I love 'em and I love the guys. I've proved the point with BLACK STAR RIDERS. Now it's time to concentrate a little bit more on THIN LIZZY and see what we can do. 'Cause there are so many really great musicians who want to be in this band called THIN LIZZY. They've listened to the songs their whole life, and to be able to get up on a stage and for real play the songs… It's really kind of heartwarming that I know that I can reach out and there's so many guys who wanna get up there and sit up there shoulder to shoulder with me, paying homage to Phil [Lynott] and Gary [Moore] and everybody else that was in the band. And it's not an easy thing as you would think to pick who's going to do it. It really is picking the right person for the right tour when we do THIN LIZZY."

In a new interview with Tone-Talk, veteran rock/metal bassist and songwriter Bob Daisley, who performed on — and wrote/co-wrote the lyrics/music for — a good portion of Ozzy's early solo catalog, was asked about the fact that he didn't get a mention during Osbourne's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction last month. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, to be honest with you, I didn't expect to be mentioned, only because of the dirty water that's gone under the bridge between us. And how [former Ozzy drummer] Lee [Kerslake] and I have been taken out of photographs, been taken out of films, had credits removed, had photographs removed, all that stuff. So, it was no surprise to me that I didn't get mentioned. But somebody used a good analogy about my situation with that, and that was in comparison with Elton John and Bernie Taupin, that all those songs were written, lyrically, by Bernie Taupin and Elton John wrote the music. And it was a similar situation with [me and Ozzy] — I wrote all the lyrics for those albums and songs."

Asked what he thought of Ozzy's speech at the Rock Hall, Bob said: "He looked unwell. He looked unhappy. And I don't get off on seeing people, regardless of who they are or what they've done, looking unwell or looking unhappy or whatever. He probably just went through the motions. But it's kind of what I expected. I didn't expect to be mentioned or anything. Regardless of how important my role was or what I created or helped to create or whatever, I really didn't expect to even get a mention… I mean, it would have been nice."

The 74-year-old Daisley, who has sued the Osbournes several times over unpaid royalties, added: "Amanda Peters is a female guitarist in Los Angeles that I will be working with next year. And she's a lovely person, very supportive and all of that. But she started up a petition saying that I should be inducted with Ozzy — if he's going in, then I should be, because [late Ozzy guitarist] Randy's [Rhoads] already in there. Then Ozzy was being inducted, and all the stuff that we did together. If anybody should be in there, Lee and I should be in there as well. And a lot of people did sign the petition, but it didn't get anywhere or do anything. It was a nice gesture on her part and all the people that that signed it. I felt nice. It was nice to see supportive people thinking that way."

More than three years ago, Bob spoke to Rolling Stone magazine about the controversial 2002 re-recordings of the drum and bass parts on OZZY OSBOURNE's classic first two solo albums, 1980's "Blizzard Of Ozz" and 1981's "Diary Of A Madman".

The tracks originally played by bassist Daisley and Kerslake on both albums were replaced on the reissue by Robert Trujillo (now in METALLICA) and Mike Bordin, respectively, after Daisley and Kerslake sued Ozzy and his wife/manager Sharon Osbourne over royalties. They were restored for the 30th-anniversary editions.

Asked how he felt when he learned that his parts on the first two Ozzy records had been re-recorded, Bob said: "To be honest with you, I thought it was pathetic. Someone sent me a copy of one of them, and I laughed. I thought, 'Is this a joke?' I just didn’t think it was done right. The thing is, you can't reheat a soufflé. You can't take the ingredients out of a cake and then try and bake it again. It happened once. We did various takes of each song and we used the parts where each of us shined the best. There might be five takes of 'Crazy Train' or four takes of something else, or eight takes of something else, and we picked the one that had the best vibe. And it was four people being recorded in a room together. You can't change that.

"And the fans hated them for it. It was, like, 'God, you've got no respect for the fans and everyone that spends money on this music.' They were hated for it. I'm just quoting what fans said, not me."

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio he was against the idea of replacing the original tracks when he found out about it. "Believe me, it wasn't my doing," he said. "I mean, I didn't know that was being done, 'cause Sharon was fighting all the legal things that were going down at the time. I said, 'What did you do that for?' And she said, 'The only way I could stop everything was if it went to that level.' And I said, 'You know what, whatever the circumstances were, I want the original thing back.' I mean, I wouldn't have done that."

Daisley told Rock Cellar in a 2012 interview that the 30th-anniversary reissues of both albums could have featured the material as bonus content. He explained, "I offered to supply tapes of our rehearsals and writing sessions, to go as proper bonus material. And I just said that I wanted a royalty out of it, because it's my stuff. But they wouldn't do it because they didn't want to give me a royalty — they just wanted to buy it."

Daisley said that he and Kerslake were fired because of disagreements with Sharon over a number of things, including refusing to do two shows in one day out of worry that Ozzy would blow out his voice.

According to the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA),1980's "Blizzard Of Ozz" has been certified quintuple platinum for shipments in excess of five million copies, while 1981's "Diary Of A Madman" has been certified triple platinum for more three million units sold.

Hachette Books has released the cover artwork for EXODUS and SLAYER guitarist Gary Holt's upcoming memoir, "A Fabulous Disaster: From The Garage To Madison Square Garden, The Hard Way", which is tentatively due on April 8, 2025. Check it out below.

In the book, which features a foreword by former EXODUS an current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett, Holt presents an entertaining, personal memoir detailing his "destruction-laden" life and the origins of the thrash metal scene from the San Francisco Bay Area to its world dominance.

Since exploding out of the Bay Area heavy metal scene in the 1980s, thrash metal has made its way to every corner of the globe, conquering worldwide charts year after year. As the guitarist and primary songwriter of EXODUS, and an originator of the subgenre and one of its fiercest proponents, Gary Holt watched as his peers — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER, ANTHRAX — soared to superstardom. As his fellow artists amassed millions of fans and record sales, EXODUS's albums received critical recognition and inspired generations of listeners but struggled to reach the same heights of success, as the band was plagued by years of bad management, bad luck, and bad decision-making.

In "A Fabulous Disaster", written in collaboration with Adem Tepedelen, Holt shares a deeply personal account of what it was like to "live fast, play fast, and crash hard" as thrash metal dominated the globe. Readers witness his highest of highs and lowest of lows as Holt and his bandmates juggle major label contracts, MTV-sponsored tours and festivals, growing addictions to alcohol and meth, and the departures of original members. In the throes of addiction, Holt's own fall from grace is swift: one year he's playing on the MTV "Headbanger's Ball Tour" with ANTHRAX and HELLOWEEN, and the next he's struggling to find minimum wage jobs as he battles drugs, divorce, and the impending collapse of his music career. Ultimately, after the tragic death of one of his closest friends and former bandmates — Holt realizes the only one who can save him is himself.

An "unadulterated odyssey through decades of insanity," punctuated by Holt's unique insight and knack for storytelling, "A Fabulous Disaster" is a thrill ride from start to finish. His story proves that redemption — even from the pits of rock 'n' roll excess — is always possible.

Tepedelen is an award-winning journalist covering metal for over thirty years for Decibel, Revolver, RollingStone.com, and many others. He's written and co-written numerous books, including "The Brewtal Truth to Extreme Beers" and "Mud Ride: A Messy Trip Through the Grunge Explosion" (with MUDHONEY guitarist Steve Turner).

Extreme metal legends, Cradle Of Filth, performed at Sala But in Madrid, Soain on November 23. Fan-filmed video of the entire show can be viewed below.


Setlist:


"Existential Terror"
"Saffron's Curse"
"The Forest Whispers My Name"
"She Is a Fire"
"Malignant Perfection"
"Summer Dying Fast"
"Heartbreak And Seance"
"Nymphetamine (Fix)"
"Born In A Burial Gown"
"Malice Through The Looking Glass"
"Creatures That Kissed In Cold Mirrors"




Encore:
"The Monstrous Sabbat (Summoning The Coven)"
"Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids"
"Scorched Earth Erotica"
"Her Ghost In The Fog"





Cradle Of Filth “By Order Of The Dragon” EU tour dates:


November
23 - Madrid, Spain - BUT
24 - Lisbon, Portugal - LAV Lisboa ao vivo
26 - Bilbao, Spain - Santana 27
28 - Lyon, France - La Rayonne
29 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
30 - Vaureal, France - Le Forum


December
2 - Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Rockhal
3 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Substage
4 - Berlin, Germany - SO36
5 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
7 - Leige, Belgium - OM
8 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013


Positioned firmly at the top of the extreme metal genre, Cradle Of Filth reign supreme as one of the most revered, formative and notorious names in the scene, and are responsible for breaking ground for many of today’s top metal artists with their trademark mixture of grim blackened heaviness, macabre theatricality and scintillating gothic style. The rule of Filth began in 1991, followed by the unleashing of 1994’s The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh – humble beginnings that expanded into cinematic classics like Cruelty And The Beast and Midian.
 
The band’s unyielding international touring schedule has garnered them a massive following both in the cult underground and at the top of the mainstream, defying trends while staying true to their roots. More recent offerings such as 2015’s Hammer Of The Witches and 2017’s Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness Of Decay continued to bolster the unremitting legacy of Filth, until the band, along

Sweden's Amaranthe have checked in with the following update:


"We're releasing the acoustic version of our single, 'Insatiable'. It's out on all the platforms you can think of!"


Guitarist Olof Mörck comments: “The cool thing with bonus tracks is that you can venture a little further away from what you would normally do musically. This time, we settled for a groovy blues/latin jazz version of ‘Insatiable’, in a guitar, piano and double bass trio format. Definitely not something you hear from Amaranthe every day, but we had a ton of fun making this - enjoy!”




Pick up the single here.





Amaranthe released their latest album, The Catalyst, via Nuclear Blast Records in February 2024. Order the album here.





Tracklisting:


"The Catalyst"
"Insatiable"
"Damnation Flame"
"Liberated"
"Re-Vision"
"Interference"
"Stay a Little While"
"Ecstasy"
"Breaking the Waves"
"Outer Dimensions"
"Resistance"
"Find Life"


"Interference" video:





"Re-Vision" video:





"Outer Dimensions" video:

The Metal Voice recently interviewed Body Count's guitarist, producer about the bands new album Merciless and he also spoke about his time producing Black Sabbath's Forbidden album (1995).



When asked about producing Black Sabbath's Forbidden and today's new remix of the album:

"Yeah it's pretty good actually. (Remix) I like it. I like it. BTW I'm on that (cover) my picture is coming out of the grave there with the hat. I'm right there with a hat turned backwards. So the band (Black Sabbath) didn't bring me in (to produce) Miles Copeland brought me in to do the record. So I went over there when I was between 20- 30 years old or something. I was like I'm going to bring Black Sabbath's sound up to date, they're gonna sound like Nirvana. Cozy Powell was the drummer and he came in with four drum sets and he played on each one for an hour. So he did this whole thing and I mixed the drums the way it was going to sound and he came in and he had a stopwatch. He was timing himself with a stopwatch. He said like Ernie I'm off right there. I'm like really? That's some interesting stuff I had never seen before, I'm from South Central so we didn't have stopwatches. (Laughs). So anyway we go through the whole thing and he listens to his drums and he hands me a tape and says. (You know I had his drums dried up a little bit and it wasn't the big massive sound that he had.) He (Cozy) says tomorrow make my drum sound like this, like okay I gotta figure this out now. (laughs) They wanted to change but they didn't want to change, they wanted to stay far from the course. So I wanted to change it a little more."



When asked how did he produce a legend like Tony Iommi?

"You don't, you just let him play. You get like Brian May (Queen) and Jeff Beck popping in the studio and you're saying to yourself why am I here? (laughs). He (Iommi) was a great guy. He was really nice to me and everything like that but the music didn't work out the way we wanted it to. But it was a good experience. It made me say to myself okay I'm accepted kind of in rock and roll. He was kind of in a place where they were kind of settled in what they were. So what I had the engineer put on the record and I played all through the record every song, I played guitar all the way through it. Then Tony came in the next day and said who played that last night? I said, I did. He said well I'm going to play my parts on it now, so it got him motivated to play more. So I thought that was kind of cool. Also he and Ozzy didn't get along (back then). I said you know you should do something with Ozzy cuz you guys are what it is. And after that he played OzzFest. Also at the studio (Producing the album) I got a cease and desist letter from Sharon (Osbourne) Tony (Iommi) said don't worry about that, she does that to everyone, she's just trying to scare you. I'm like well she's doing a damn good job. (Laughs)."




When asked about producing Tony Martin's vocals:

"Tony was good but you know the thing that Tony had to live with” He had to go against Ozzy and Dio and so he had to step into those shoes. So he had a thing. Tony would say well Dio would sung it like that. I'm like why are you gonna say that?


"When asked about his overall thoughts on Forbidden:

"It was a good record. If it wasn't Black Sabbath it would have been a great record but because it was Black Sabbath they had high expectations, it wasn't the record they expected. When people say it was a bad album whatever... I always say how many Black Sabbath records have you produced?"



Forbidden is the eighteenth studio album by Black Sabbath, released on June 5th, 1995. This recording saw the reunion of Black Sabbath's Tyr-era line-up from 1990, with the return of Neil Murray and

Memphis May Fire - Matty Mullins (vocals), Kellen McGregor (guitar), Cory Elder (bass), and Jake Garland (drums) - have released their new single, "Shapeshifter". A video for the song can be found below.


"Shapeshifter", available for streaming here, is the title track of the band's new album, out March 28 via Rise Records. Pre-order the album here.







Shapeshifter tracklisting:


"Chaotic"
"Infection"
"Overdose"
"Paralyzed"
"Hell Is Empty"
"Necessary Evil"
"The Other Side"
"Shapeshifter"
"Versus"


"Shapeshifter" video:

Jethro Tull's relationship with the Christmas season goes all the way back to the legendary band's early days. Now it's to be renewed for modern-day admirers and longtime fans alike, with the release of an expanded and remixed edition of 2003's The Jethro Tull Christmas Album via InsideOutMusic on December 6.


With the release just around the corner, the 2024 remix of the track "Jack Frost And Hooded Crow" has been launched on digital services. Newly mixed by Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief), you can listen to it below:







Under the title The Jethro Tull Christmas Album: Fresh Snow At Christmas, the bands 21st studio album has been remixed from the original masters by Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief), as well as being given the surround sound treatment in both Dolby Atmos & 5.1. The limited deluxe 4CD + Blu-ray book-set collection features all-new artwork, as well as live material, and includes the following across its 5 discs.


- CD1: Original Album Mixes
- CD2: 2024 Remixes by Bruce Soord
- CD3: Christmas Live At St. Bride’s 2008 (newly remixed by Bruce Soord)
- CD4: The Ian Anderson Band Live At St. Bride’s 2006 (previously unreleased)
- Blu-ray: Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound & High Resolution Stereo Mixes of The Jethro Tull Christmas Album, as well as High Resolution Stereo Mixes of both live recordings





As well as this, the album will be released on vinyl for the very first time, as a Gatefold 180g 2LP featuring the 2024 remixes. Pre-orders are available here.


The Jethro Tull Christmas Album included new interpretations of no fewer than seven Tull songs, including their first to be inspired by the holiday, 1968's much-loved "A Christmas Song". That Anderson composition, which opened with lyrics interpolated from "Once in Royal David's City", was the B-side of the band's first UK chart single, "Love Story".


"Some of the tracks are not necessarily Christmas songs; they're more seasonal so that gives a broader window," says Ian. "And then there are a couple of them that I quite often play in the middle of summer and say, 'It'll soon be Christmas - it's in the diary. So let's kick it off now.' And that's part of what I've done over the years since October of 1968 when I went into record 'A Christmas Song. 'So, yes - it goes back a long way."


"A Christmas Song" was joined on the album by reworkings of such pieces as Tull's 1976 festive hit "Ring Out Solstice Bells"; "Weathercock", first heard on 1978's Heavy Horses; and "Another Christmas Song", from 1989's Rock Island. Also among the re-recordings was J.S. Bach's "Bourrée", another longtime live favourite, inimitably imagined by Ian.

During an appearance on the November 20 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", KROKUS singer Marc Storace once again said that he has no regrets about turning down a chance to audition for AC/DC more than four decades ago.

The 73-year-old Maltese-born vocalist — whose band had opened for AC/DC in the past — passed on the opportunity to try out to replace the late Bon Scott in 1980.

In February of that year, Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning after a night of heavy drinking at a club in London, just days after attending a session with Malcolm and Angus Young where they began working on music for what became the "Back In Black" album.

"Back In Black" was the first album AC/DC released after singer Brian Johnson replaced Scott, and it went on to become the third-biggest-selling LP of all time.

Asked by "Trunk Nation" host Eddie Trunk to clarify if he ever actually auditioned for the singer position in AC/DC, Storace responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I get asked every time, but it's really a simple thing, a simple answer. I never auditioned for AC/DC. AC/DC never asked me personally to audition for them way back in the early '80s, right after Bon Scott, unfortunately, left us. I was only pulled to the side by the CEO of this production company in Birmingham who had just delivered the new KROKUS light show before our 'Hardware' tour in Europe. And I got pulled to the side because these guys also did the production for AC/DC and BLACK SABBATH and God knows who. And I said, 'Steve, do you really think at this stage I wanna leave KROKUS? Look, KROKUS is blooming.' My debut album, 'Metal Rendez-Vous' with KROKUS, went straight into the charts, went gold in Switzerland, and it got all the phones ringing. And our management, Free & Virgin Agency, at that time couldn't keep up with the traffic. And then we played for the first time in the USA, we played the Chicago Fest, and our manager-to-be, Butch Stone, turned up with John Kalodner, a big name in the show business. And we had these talks. After that, we played Reading Festival. And we went down like, pooh, really great. And then we did the 'Hardware' album and we were preparing to go out on the road. And I was full of excitement. And my heart was fully in KROKUS. So, having an offer to go and audition for a band that's lost their singer — I mean, okay, it's a band that I respected. But still, I thought, 'I'm gonna sit tight on the horse I'm riding. And I don't wanna step into nobody's shoes.' That's what I thought for myself. And I said, 'Sorry, Steve. I'm staying put.'"

Storace added: "So that was one story. And the other one, now, recently, when Brian Johnson had difficulties with his hearing [in 2016] and they almost nearly had to cancel these huge arena gigs, [there were] suggestions from fans, which I could see on the Internet, saying, 'Hey, now you've gotta take Storace.' 'Hey, Angus [Young, AC/DC guitarist],' all this. Of course it made me happy to see my name appear. Of course I felt like, 'Thank you very much for the respect from all the fans,' but at the same time, I understood fully that they were not gonna go for the singer of KROKUS because I sound too much like Bon Scott. And that was initially, I think, their decision why they took Brian Johnson. So, yeah, I mean, if they asked me the second time around, I would have given it a try, a good try, that's for sure, because in the meantime, all that time went by and my respect for AC/DC grew ginormous. And they are huge and they deserve it. And anyway, that's how it was. And now Brian's back on the saddle and I'm really happy about that. I'm really happy for Brian. He's great. He does a great job. And the two together, together with the band — okay, I miss Malcolm [Young, late AC/DC guitarist] on that stage and Phil Rudd [longtime AC/DC drummer], but, yeah, we move on. And at least they're keeping the ship afloat. And we need to have AC/DC. And I'm so happy that they're coming back and they're going to tour again. As long as we live, we need to have bands like that carrying the flag of rock and roll and hard rock."

Asked if he would sing for AC/DC if the band called him tomorrow and offered him the gig for a tour as the replacement for Johnson, Marc said: "Well, I'd certainly give it a try. I mean, let's be honest, I'd love to sing those songs and look at that audience out there. I mean, come on. Would I say no?"

Elaborating on why he turned down an opportunity to audition for AC/DC 44 years ago, Storace said: "If I was on a sinking ship, I would be the first rat to jump off, but I didn't wanna rat on my friends. My loyalty to KROKUS at the time was like wildfire. And for me, at that point, AC/DC the sinking ship. They just lost a great singer, a great songwriter, Bon Scott. I mean, come on. And so was I gonna take a risk? I didn't even think that far. It all happened like in the flash in my brain, all these different points and counterpoints. And it was, like, 'Hey, no, no. Steve, no, no. Thanks for the offer, but I'm gonna sit tight and KROKUS is gonna go places.'"

Eight years ago, Storace said that he would "certainly" accept an invitation to step in for Johnson after the AC/DC frontman was advised by doctors to stop touring or risk total hearing loss.

Marc admitted in a previous interview that he initially had some understandable reservations about being repeatedly compared to Scott, feeling he was being "branded as a copy of somebody who, at the time, I didn't even know that well." But he eventually started seeing things differently. "Today, I look at it as a big compliment. I think he probably had many of the same idols I had, and we were both gifted with the same vocal tonalities."

Back in 2000, Storace released an album with a project called DC WORLD in which he sang Bon Scott-era AC/DC songs. Audio samples from that effort can be heard in a YouTube clip below.

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Melodic / power thrashers Among These Ashes have revealed the official video for "The Undertow", a track from their forthcoming album, Embers Of Elysium.


The video was filmed and edited by Akuro Productions in Detroit, Michigan. It features Brooke Rousseau from Lady Luna And The Devil on harmony vocals.







Among These Ashes will release Embers Of Elysium December 6th via Alone Records. The album clocks in at over an hour of music and features 12 new tracks, plus a bonus song, from the band.


In discussing the new level reached on Embers Of Elysium, guitarist Richard Clark states that, "It is quite the leap for us in every aspect from Dominion Enthroned. Where Dominion was a full concept album, the first eight tracks on Embers Of Elysium are standalone, and the last four tracks are part of a fictional sci-fi/horror concept called Chronicles Of The Obsidian Reign. I can say with confident humility that every song on this album was crafted and delivered without compromise. The wide range of all of our influences is on display on this album. I think we executed it tastefully and with precision, and I hope it resonates powerfully with listeners."





Tracklisting:


"Embers Of Elysium"
"Serpents Among Rats"
"Faceless War Machines"
"Of One Blood"
"Stronger Than Death"
"Storm Within"
"The Undertow"
"The Enemy In I"
"Through Ethereal Voids"
"The Hybrid Bloodline"
"A Presence Unknown"
"The Obsidian Reign"
"The Undertow" (Bonus track feat. Brooke Rousseau)

Finnish progressive heavy psychedelic rockers Craneium are thrilled to announce they’ve officially signed with Majestic Mountain Records. To celebrate this exciting occasion, the band will release their brand-new single "Empty Palaces" this Friday, available on all digital platforms. In addition, the track's accompanying video can be seen below.


In a statement from the band, guitarist Martin Ahlö shared: “A friend of the band gifted us a book on old Egyptian magick, and some of the spells carried really empowering messages. It also inspired the themes that we explored a lot in our music at the moment: the inevitable decay of mankind’s empires and monuments at the hands of nature and time.”


Drummer Joel Kronqvist added, “We’re beyond excited to share a new single called ‘Empty Palaces’ with the world. This track is the perfect blend of our signature '90s edge mixed with the soulful, retro vibes of the '70s.”

Armored Saint, who is currently opening for W.A.S.P. across North America on their Album One Alive World Tour '24, has issued a live video for their song, "Chemical Euphoria".


The clip, which can be seen below, was filmed on October 29, 2024 in Seattle, Washington at The Moore Theatre.







"Chemical Euphoria" appears on Armored Saint's third studio album, Raising Fear, released in 1987 on Chrysalis Records. The original version can be heard below.





Remaining tour dates are as follows:


November
21 - Stroudsburg, PA - The Sherman Theater
22 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
23 - Charlotte, NC - The F

InsideOutMusic recently announced the signing of Italian instrumental, prog-metal fusionists, Asymmetric Universe, to a new worldwide deal.


The band, formed by brothers Federico Vese & Nicolò Vese, played some select live shows this past summer, including a rapturously received set at Arctangent Festival in the UK. Today the band are pleased to launch a brand new track titled "Opaco", Italian for ‘opaque’, and you can watch the video (directed by Edoardo Giuliani) below.







The band comment: "'Opaco' is the most technically challenging song we have ever composed. It’s inspired by the modern guitar style of bands like Animals As Leaders, Polyphia but with a genre-bending jazz sections inspired by Pat Metheny, Victor Wooten, Jacob Collier. We wanted to set aside the heavy arrangement of the previous song in order to sound like a jazz/metal quartet.”


Stream the track here.





Watch the video for the band's previous single, "Don’t Go Too Early":





Formed in 2018, with the goal of pushing the limit of modern prog and fusing disparate genres, they combine metal with jazz & ambient music, alongside chamber orchestration. In 2023, the band released their second EP The Sun Would Disappear As I Imagined All The Stars, which was mixed by Forrester Savell and mastered by Ermin Hamidovic. They also embarked on their first European tour as support to Australian progressive metallers Ne Obliviscaris, as well as opening for Caligula’s Horse in Italy.


Both brothers are mostly self-taught musicians, who have been heavily involved in comp

In a new interview with KROQ's Kevan Kenney, LINKIN PARK's Mike Shinoda spoke about the emotions and the experience navigating the release of the band's new album, "From Zero". It marks LINKIN PARK's first full-length effort since 2017's "One More Light", which was the last LINKIN PARK album before the death of lead vocalist Chester Bennington. "From Zero" features LINKIN PARK's new singer Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, who have joined returning members co-vocalist and main producer Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and DJ/visual director Joe Hahnin the band's new lineup. Guitarist Alex Feder is filling in for Delson at all LINKIN PARK concerts for the foreseeable future.

"It's really complicated," Shinoda said about the emotions surrounding LINKIN PARK's return (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "For me, two years ago it was very overwhelming, and I think the best thing that we did was to just basically let things happen in the order and at the timeline that they were gonna happen, let things happen organically and not push too hard. And I feel like what ended up evolving was we just naturally kind of found each other, we found this new lineup, we found Emily and Colin in particular, and the music just kind of came into focus based on what we were having the most fun doing."

When Kenney suggested that "From Zero" "sounds almost like a return to [LINKIN PARK's] roots", Shinoda said: "I love that there's such a strong LINKIN PARK DNA in the record. It does really feel like LINKIN PARK, but I think there's a part of it that's the old sound and part of that's every era of the band, to me, on the record."

Farrell chimed in: "I don't know if I know well what the LINKIN PARK DNA is. It's kind of like when you're too close to something, you just do it and then other people tell you. They almost interpret it and then you kind of say, 'Okay, cool. I'm glad that came across.' But I think in any and all of that creation of an album or working on new music or new stuff or when there's — I don't know — interstitials or whatever you might wanna call it, for me those things are just like us doing us and figuring that out and moving forward. And in this process, one of the things that was so fun and rewarding and cool and energizing was just how when we started gradually integrating Emily and Colin, it felt like LINKIN PARK. It just felt like it fit for me and for us. And those were the coolest moments in the entire process, was just feeling like things were kind of jelling and coming together and we were having a blast doing it the whole time. So at this stage being ready to finally have the album out, having people be excited about it, that feels great."

LINKIN PARK announced its new lineup during a September 2024 one-hour global livestream of a concert in Los Angeles showcasing Armstrong and Brittain.

Earlier in the month, LINKIN PARK announced a massive world tour across North America, Europe, Asia and South America. The trek will launch in January with three dates in Mexico before heading to Japan and a one-off show in Jakarta, Indonesia. Next spring and summer, LINKIN PARK will hit a number of cities the United States and end in November with a run throughout South America.

During LINKIN PARK's recent concert in São Paulo, Brazil, the band revealed that video of the performance, which was also livestreamed in full on Brazilian broadcast channel Multishow, will be central focus of a live documentary. A release date has yet to be announced.

Photo credit: James Minchin III