lilyral has uploaded video of ex-QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate's September 5 concert at Turock in Essen, Germany. Check out the clips below.

In a recent interview with Cassius Morris, Tate was asked if he has any desire to ever create with his former bandmates, including guitarist Chris DeGarmo, again. He responded: "Well, I think that we had 30 good years, which is phenomenal. Most bands make a couple of records. How many records did GUNS N' ROSES make? Three? [Laughs] We had 30 years of making music, and we gave it a really good run. We had a lot of success. I think we created some really memorable albums, some really memorable songs that will outlive us. And I don't really have a need to go back and try to recapture that with Chris or any of the other guys as well. I feel like it's time to do other things, and to just explore. And we gave that a great run. It was successful. We did great things. It's time to do other things now."

Asked if he keeps in touch with any of his former bandmates at all, Geoff said: "Um, not regularly, not regularly. But sometimes situations arise where we have to sort of deal with each other, and it's not unpleasant now. Enough time has gone by [and] the bridges have mended, I guess."

Regarding whether it is tough for him to keep having to talk about his split with QUEENSRŸCHE more than a decade later, Geoff said: "At first, it was very challenging because we had kind of a bitter breakup, and I guess I was very angry over how it was handled. But then I started looking at the personalities involved and realized, well, it really didn't have any other realistic outcome. It was gonna be what it was. But that was 12 years ago when the band split up. And so a lot of water is under the bridge now and I can be a lot more forgiving of people in their situations. But I've had to talk about it. I keep getting asked questions about it, that kind of thing, 'You ever gonna get the band back together?' that question all the time. And so I've tried to think about how to talk about it in a way that is honest and real for me, but yet not so volatile. 'Cause I could get very volatile about it and point fingers and express blame and I can be very cruel, but it doesn't really serve me to even entertain that idea. I really appreciate what we had and what we did. And I'm happy with that. Very happy."

Back in March 2023, QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton shot down Tate's claim that the original lineup of the group was offered an "obscene" amount of money for one reunion tour but that "a couple of people in the band turned it down." Michael told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk": "I don't know. I didn't hear about it. I never saw any offers. I know our management never saw any offers. So I have no idea about that."

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Fellow original QUEENSRŸCHE members Wilton, drummer Scott Rockenfield and bassist Eddie Jackson responded with a countersuit. The settlement included an agreement that Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson would continue as QUEENSRŸCHE, while Tate would have the sole right to perform the albums "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety live.

During a January 2022 appearance on "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Tate was asked if he is hopeful that a QUEENSRŸCHE reunion will happen someday. He responded: "I'm honestly not really expecting that to happen, basically because we've been offered just obscene amounts of money to get back together and do one tour — one tour and we'd never have to tour again. And a couple of people in the band turned it down; they're not interested in doing it. So that would really be, I think, the only motivation that would get everybody together was an obscene amount of money. But that didn't work, so [laughs] there's really no hope for it after that, I think… Money is not the motivator, and getting together for an artistic dream isn't a motivator either, so what do you have? You have nothing. Obviously, both camps are happy in the position they're at. I know for myself, I love my life — I love what I'm doing and I love traveling and playing music for people. And so far, I'm still kicking it, still happy and healthy."

Geoff went on to say that he is fine with the prospect of never returning to QUEENSRŸCHE and continuing to pursue his solo career and other projects for the rest of his time as a performing artist.

"We did hold it together for years and years and years," he said. "It was a really, really tightly run ship and it was very lucrative and we had a lot of great records and did a lot of world touring and made a lot of friends and played a lot of music together. And we had our time, and I'll aways be grateful for that time that we had. That was a time, and it doesn't mean that that time has to go on forever. There's new times to be had and there's more music to be made, there's more songs to be sung and more audiences to play music for."

Tate has gone back and forth on the subject of a reunion with QUEENSRŸCHE, telling The Rock Vault in November 2019 about the possibility of rejoining his former bandmates: "I think that would be something that makes sense, and I think it would be an interesting thing to do, if everybody could get in the same room and actually talk to each other." However, just eight months earlier, he dismissed the chances of a QUEENSRŸCHE reunion, telling Greece's "TV War" that he had "no interest in that. No. Not at all. [I have] absolutely no reason to," he said. "I don't need the money. That'd be the only reason to do it. Maybe if they paid me, like, 10 million dollars or something like that. [Laughs]"

He continued: "It was a good thing for a long time, and then it went really bad. And I just don't want that kind of negativity in my life. My life is so good, and I have such great friends and family. I travel the world and sing songs for a living. I mean, it's lovely. I have wonderful, positive people in my life, and to go back and be in that negative land again… aargh, I just couldn't do it. It's not worth it."

Tate previously described his time in QUEENSRŸCHE as "a strange, strange sort of relationship." He told The Metal Gods Meltdown: "We weren't really friends, you know — we were business associates. We had a wonderful entity that we shared called QUEENSRŸCHE, but it wasn't an equal sort of partnership as far as involvement goes. You know, so there wasn't a real camaraderie amongst everybody in the band… From my perspective and my involvement, it wasn't an emotional sort of brotherhood kind of thing that some people might think existed. That wasn't my reality with them."

In 2021, current QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre told "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" about the chances of Tate's return to QUEENSRŸCHE: "It's funny. I always hear, 'There'll definitely be an all-original lineup reunion. Every band does it.' And I'm thinking, if you knew what I know, I don't think that's gonna happen. And other than the optics of it, why? What's the point? We saw for 15 years what it sounded like."

In October 2021, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against guitarist Wilton and Jackson, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge. A few months later, Wilton and Jackson filed a countersuit against Rockenfield, accusing him of abandoning his position as a member of the band and misappropriating the group's assets to his own personal benefit. That dispute has since been settled out of court.

QUEENSRŸCHE has used former KAMELOT drummer Casey Grillo for touring and recording purposes since April 2017.

Exciting Update for Dutch and Greek Rockers!
Geoff Tate’s THE BIG ROCK SHOW tour 2024 is getting even bigger! An extra...

Posted by STAHL Entertainment on Wednesday, March 27, 2024

British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have shared a professionally filmed video of the song "Rapid Fire", recorded on July 21 at the Release festival in Athens, Greece. Check out the clip below.

JUDAS PRIEST recently announced leg two of its "Invincible Shield" tour with special guest SABATON. The all-time greats will take over new markets in North America this fall with an additional 23 performances.

Produced by Live Nation, the tour kicks off on September 13 at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec and makes stops in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Omaha, Nebraska; Spokane, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles, California; Phoenix, Arizona and more before wrapping up with three shows in Texas on October 22, 24 and 26.

JUDAS PRIEST kicked off the spring 2024 U.S. leg of the "Invincible Shield" world tour on April 18 at Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Connecticut.

"Invincible Shield" entered the U.K. chart at No. 2, just behind Ariana Grande's "Eternal Sunshine".

Prior to "Invincible Shield"'s arrival, PRIEST's highest U.K. chart achievement was with 1980's "British Steel", which reached No. 4.

PRIEST's 2018 album "Firepower" entered the chart at No. 5.

"Invincible Shield" was JUDAS PRIEST's fifth Top 10 album, after the aforementioned "British Steel" and "Firepower", as well as 2014's "Redeemer Of Souls" (No. 6) and the 1979 live album "Unleashed In The East" (No. 10).

"Invincible Shield" landed at No. 1 in Germany, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as No. 5 in France, No. 8 in Italy and No. 16 in Australia.

In a recent interview with Elena Rosberg of Radiocast BG, Rob Halford was asked about the significance of the album title "Invincible Shield" for a band like JUDAS PRIEST. He responded: "JUDAS PRIEST has been defending the faith of heavy metal, not just the music, but everything related to heavy metal, since we began. And as we were making this record, it's my job as the lyricist to find ideas, to find expressions, to find songtitles that convey not only the music that you're making as you create an album, but to give a title, a significant title, that sends a potent message, idea that says, 'This is JUDAS PRIEST, this is our music and this is an invincible shield.' So then, I remember the day when I'm sitting at my home in Phoenix and I'm on my laptop and a pencil, a pencil and some paper writing things down. And I go, I got the word 'invincible'. And then suddenly from nowhere… This is the joy of creativity. Artists will tell you, we don't know where these things come from. You have to grab them quickly, like lightning in a bottle. And then I think of the word 'shield', and I put the two together, 'invincible shield'. Like, 'Wow, this is JUDAS PRIEST. We're an invincible shield in heavy metal, what we've been doing for so long.' And then I go, 'Wait a minute, wait a minute. All of us, every single person on the planet, has an invincible shield inside of them.' And what I mean by that is we all are gifted by God to have this never-ending well of faith, this never-ending well of hope, this never-ending well of preservation, this never-ending well of sustaining ourselves, our families, our friends. Everything that we do together comes in the form of the power of an invincible shield. So that was a bonus. That was not only the title for the music, but it was also a title for everybody."

Halford added: "All of us have an invincible shield. When you think of some of the things that each of us have, in our lives, have had a challenge. We've had a dark moment, whether it's a medical issue, whether it's work, whether it's something very, very potent. But we've survived, we've pushed through. We look back now and we go, 'How did I get through that?' That's your invincible shield. That's the power that humanity has to survive in every aspect of what that word suggests. What does survive mean? It means many, many things. So the joy of having the title of the album be so expansive was just, again, another extra blessing. So there you have it. Invincible shield for JUDAS PRIEST and invincible shield for humanity."

When Rosberg asked Rob if it is "sometimes overwhelming" to have such "a great responsibility" as a person who is conveying certain messages to a large audience, Halford replied: "Yeah, it can be. It can be. You have to find a balance. You have to find a harmony. I love the power of words. Words can do many, many things. The way you choose words, the way you put words together, they can lift you up, they can bring you solace, that can bring you, again, hope, they can bring you all of these things. They can also bring negativity, they can also bring destruction, they can bring war, they can bring political angst and disruption in separating the light from the dark, the truth from the lies, all of these things can be made together by words. I love words. I love putting words together. So when I was writing 'Panic Attack', and I'm talking about the way that social media can be used in a very potent, and sometimes [negative ways through] disinformation, conspiracy theories. All of these attitudes, all of these emotions, all of these ideas come from words. They come from people speaking, they come from people sending instant messages, writing in various forums and quorums on the Internet. So, I think deeply about things like that, and I try to convey those personal feelings and ideas into songs that are still full of joy and power and excitement and energy and good feelings. And that's a tricky thing to do, because JUDAS PRIEST isn't a political band. We're not a socially motivated band. We don't speak out too much on these types of world affairs, world events, but I thought for this record, I'm gonna take a leap of faith, because our fans are smart, our fans are intelligent. They understand this world that we live in when we talk about that side of the social media, that side of the Internet, the double-edged sword of the internet, the good, the bad, the light, the dark, the yin, the yang. And it's turned out that 'Panic Attack' has been the most rewarding song for our fans that we've made.

"So, yes, there is a responsibility," Rob continued. "There's a responsibility from your creativity to do your very best, not to accept anything just for acceptance. Work really hard. We spend an enormous amount of time making these songs because we treasure them. They're gonna be here long after we're gone. So you want to leave something that will have the power to bring joy, have the power to bring passion, excitement, energy, have the power to bring some thinking about the song. What will people think about 'Panic Attack' a hundred years from now? I think about that. [Laughs] I think so deeply about so many aspects of what we're about in JUDAS PRIEST."

Halford added: "So, yes, responsibility. The ultimate responsibility is when you're on that stage. You're on that stage, you're pouring out your heart, you're pouring out your soul in your performance, and you have a responsibility to give every part of yourself at that show."

Dave Grohl has admitted to cheating on his wife and fathering a child outside of his marriage.

Taking to Instagram earlier today (Tuesday, September),the former NIRVANA drummer and current FOO FIGHTERS frontman wrote: "I've recently become the father of a new baby daughter, born outside of my marriage. I plan to be a loving and supportive parent to her. I love my wife and my children, and I am doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness."

He added: "We're grateful for your consideration toward all the children involved, as we move forward together."

Grohl — who is widely regarded as one of the nicest stars in the music business — has three daughters with his wife, model and TV producer Jordyn Blum, whom he married in 2003. His eldest daughter, Violet, is a touring member of FOO FIGHTERS.

Dave switched off the comments on his Instagram post, meaning fans could not directly react to his stunning revelation.

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Rikki Rockett says that Bret Michaels is no longer interested in touring with POISON next year.

Earlier today (Tuesday, September 10),the POISON drummer took to his official Facebook page to write: "I keep getting asked multiple times a day, 'Why isn't POISON touring in 2025 now?' Super simple answer, Bret doesn't want to."

Rikki's latest comments come less than three months after the 63-year-old musician, whose real name is Richard Allan Ream, wrote on social media that POISON would be touring in 2025." He added at the time: "As usual, there will be no backing tracks. Live, raw and uncut. Warts and all."

Seven months ago, Bret spoke about POISON's plans to regroup for more shows following the band's 2022 participation in "The Stadium Tour" alongside MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD and Joan Jett. During a February 25, 2024 question-and-answer session aboard the Rock Legends Cruise XI, he said: "When we go back, I think in 2025, it's always been, to me, all-original POISON. We'll have C.C [DeVille, guitar] and Bobby [Dall, bass] and Rikki and myself and go do another big stadium tour and arena tour in 2025."

Regarding his motivation for going back out on the road with POISON after spending most of his time touring with his solo band, Bret said: "We've known each other since we've been in junior high school… I wouldn't be here without Bobby or Rikki or C.C. And then, as you go along, we've been together a long time — still great friends. If anyone saw 'The Stadium Tour', that was a party. And when you're out there with that DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY and Joan, you're talking A-plus awesomeness. And we just came out and brought it.

"For me, what it is, we do about a couple of years solo, and then we'll go out and do 35 or 40 dates with POISON," he explained. "And we set it up, we schedule it."

POISON's long-delayed North American trek with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally planned for 2020 and later moved to 2021 and then to 2022.

In 2018, POISON completed the "Nothin' But A Good Time" tour with CHEAP TRICK and POP EVIL.

POISON's last album of new material was 2002's "Hollyweird". An album of covers, "Poison'd", followed in 2007.

Back in 2018, Dall said that POISON "should" be making a new studio album but claimed that he didn't know if it would happen. "I'm not going to bullshit you and say there's any [new music] in the process [of being made]," he told All That Shreds. "Would I like there to be? Yes. But, it's a matter of everyone having the time. Everybody in the band has other commitments. Some members have younger children than others. So between those two issues, it's difficult, and, you know, [there are] health issues as we get older. Should we be making a new record? Yes, definitely. But will it happen? I don't know."

In a 2017 interview, Rikki acknowledged that part of the reason the band hasn't been motivated to work on new music has been the fact that fans rarely show interest in hearing fresh material performed live when classic rock groups go on tour. "We could write the second coming of 'Talk Dirty To Me', and I don't know if people wanna hear it or not, and that's a frustrating thing; it really is," he said. "AEROSMITH was able to do it, but not everybody is. I mean, even THE ROLLING STONES have had problems with that in the last few years. So… I don't know. But I do think it's important to stay viable. For the 'über fans,' it's always a really, really good thing. And that's what you do it for — you do it for you, you do it for the real fans, the real true fans."

More recently, Rockett admitted that he and other members of POISON harbored some resentment toward Michaels, whose frequent tours as a solo artist caused the band to take a five-year break from the road.

"I think we need to get away from each other and do other things, but at the same time, I think he spent a little too much time away," Rockett said. "There's definitely some resentment, but not resentment like I want him to fail. I want him to do good. I just want POISON to be important too, and I would like [him] to put a little more energy into POISON."

I keep getting asked multiple times a day, “Why isn’t Poison touring in 2025 now?”
Super simple answer, Bret doesn’t want to.

Posted by Rikki Rockett on Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Sammy Hagar has released a video message thanking fans for their support on the recently completed "The Best Of All Worlds" tour.

For the trek, Hagar and his bandmates in THE CIRCLE — bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Jason Bonham — were joined by guitarist Joe Satriani and multi-instrumentalist Rai Thistlethwayte.

Bonham was forced to leave "The Best Of All Worlds" tour due to an unspecified family issue. The drummer was replaced at the last four shows of the tour by Kenny Aronoff, who had previously played with Hagar, bassist Michael Anthony and guitarist Joe Satriani in CHICKENFOOT.

In his message, which can be seen below, Hagar said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Hey now, everyone. It's been a week since I got home. I figured I'd give you a little summary, a little message about how great the tour was for me and the band.

"I can't express enough how impressed I was with the turnout and the vibe that everyone was laying down, singing the songs at the top of your lungs — every song. We thought we were playing deep tracks, and it turns out that you know those too. It was just one of the greatest experiences. So many of the shows sold out so quick, we could have did a bunch of multiples but I wanted to do as many cities as possible and I wanted not to overdo it. I wanted to see how my voice would hold up after all these years playing a two-hour-and-20-minute set, 24 songs. And physically, my body. And I can tell you right now, my voice held up fine. I was happy every night. And my body held up fine. I feel better than ever right now. I got in shape.

"Japan coming up. Get the birthday bash, Cabo and Vegas, under my belt and start making plans for next year."

Hagar continued: "I owe a lot to Joe Satriani, Rai Thistlethwayte, Jason Bonham, Michael Anthony, of course, and Kenny Aronoff for jumping in there and pulling it off. But really, without that band, 'The Best Of All Worlds' band, it wouldn't have been possible. I don't know any other guys that could have pulled it together, did it on that level and had as much fun with each other. It wasn't like hired guns, professional people said, 'Oh, they can do it, so I'll hire that guy.' No, we were friends out there, man, having the time of our lives. Every night we'd go, 'Oh, that had to be the best show of the tour so far.' Next night, 'Oh, maybe that one was.' What was your favorite show?

"I can tell you right now, I definitely wanna do it again and knowing how much I can do, it's gonna be less of a mystery and just as much of a party.

"I wanna thank everybody for coming out," Sammy added. "It was really, really special. I haven't felt that good about a show I've done for the fans in a long time. And you know I feel good about every show. But this show, 24 songs. We played 14 VAN HALEN songs that haven't been played for a long time. And Mike and I really felt we're the only ones who wanna carry that Van Hagar flag around. So y'all obviously wanna hear it 'cause you were there. We did it. I'm happy. I hope you are too. Thank you."

"The Best Of All Worlds" setlist consisted largely of VAN HALEN material, including the opening track "Good Enough", from 1986's "5150" album, as well as two songs from 1991's "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge", "Poundcake" and "Runaround", and a pair of David Lee Roth-era VAN HALEN classics, "Panama" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", as well as a section of "Jump". The rest of the set included Satriani's "Satch Boogie", the rousing rock-swing guitar instrumental that put him on the map in 1987 and helped propel his second album, "Surfing With The Alien", to platinum status. and several of Hagar's solo classics, such as "There's Only One Way To Rock", "Eagles Fly", "Heavy Metal" and "I Can't Drive 55".

Produced by Live Nation, the 28-date "The Best Of All Worlds" tour concluded on August 31 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Aronoff replaced Chad Smith in CHICKENFOOT's touring lineup from 2011 to 2012. Smith was forced to step away from CHICKENFOOT's touring activities due to his commitments with the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS.

CHICKENFOOT recorded two albums between 2009 and 2011 and toured across America but never performed any VAN HALEN material. More recently, Hagar and Anthony have played some of the VAN HALEN catalog with guitarist Vic Johnson and Bonham in SAMMY HAGAR AND THE CIRCLE.

Billy Morrison, Corey Taylor and Steve Vai have joined forces on "Incite The Watch", the new single and cutting-edge animated video from Billy's recently released solo album "The Morrison Project" via TLG / ZOID / Virgin Music Group. Today (September 10),a striking video for the song has been released. It depicts "flying superhero rockstars fighting against the corporate hordes and freeing music, creativity, and the enslaved masses!!" explains Billy. Watch the video — directed by Brett Boggs, whose credits include numerous Disney movies — below.

"Incite The Watch" is an intense, ominous rock track fueled by Taylor's gripping vocals and Vai's massive, virtuosic guitar solo. It was written by Billy, Erik Eldenius, Jeordie White and Taylor. The release of the single follows Billy's seismic No. 1 Active Rock song and smash video "Crack Cocaine" featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Steve Stevens and co-written by the three artists.

The "Incite The Watch" video was produced utilizing a revolutionary combination of artist-created character animation with a state-of-the-art application called CineTech to create AI-generated backgrounds and visual effects. This concept led to the advent of distinct, art-directed imagery on a tighter deadline. By utilizing human creativity with concept-driven CineTech imagery, the video has a unique look that matches the brilliance of the music and allows the listener to visually join the story.

Taylor said about his appearance on "Incite The Watch": "Billy and I have known each other for so many years and we've done many performances together, it was only a matter of time before we put together something original and fascinating. Alternatively, I've been a Steve Vai fan since I was 15, and never thought I'd ever get the chance to do something amazing with him. Enter the great Billy Morrison who got both Steve and I on 'Incite The Watch'! I'm so stoked to be a part of this album with so many great artists and I can't wait to see what happens next."

Added Vai: "Billy Morrison is always getting into some kind of intense and creative musical mischief, and this record is the evidence of that. When he sent me the track 'Incite', I was very eager to contribute to it. It is slamming and crushing, and the energy of the track is palpable. It's nice to be part of his mischief."

Morrison said: "The combination of Corey Taylor and Steve Vai on a Billy Morrison song is insanely exciting for me! This track started life as a piano riff from Erik Eldenius and once we had Corey's fantastic vocal on the song, there was only one man we wanted to tackle the three-key-change extra-long solo section — and luckily Steve said yes!

"'Incite' really feels like an opus — a journey. It twists and turns, hits some unexpected changes and sections and resolves into modern rock heaviness and I am extremely proud that the end result appears on 'The Morrison Project'."

"The Morrison Project" was released this past April, marking Billy's third solo album and first since 2015. The British guitarist, singer, and songwriter — primarily known as Billy Idol's rhythm guitar player for the past 15 years alongside lead guitarist Steve Stevens — has assembled an electrifying 12 songs with guest performances by Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Corey Taylor, DMC, Al Jourgensen, Steve Vai, Steve Stevens, Linda Perry, Tommy Clufetos, John 5 and more. The album was produced by Billy, mixed by Barry Pointer and mastered by Dave Donnelly. All the songs on the album — recorded in Los Angeles at various studios — were written by Billy in collaboration with his guests.

In a new interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, DEATH ANGEL frontman Mark Osegueda was asked to name the "craziest story" he told or "the oddest situation" he was put in trying to keep his association with Kerry King's solo band under wraps. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's so hard 'cause it just came up in so many different ways. And I guess the hardest, really, was just keeping it from the DEATH ANGEL guys while we were on tour, and that was really the most difficult part of it. 'Cause you're up late at night and we're listening to music together and I'd just been sitting on this news for so long. And we kind of share everything, but this, there was NDAs [non-disclosure agreements] in place that I just couldn't do it. So that was kind of the hardest bits. But eventually word started getting out — not from me, but from other people — and there would be some times on tour where someone from another band would come in, and I don't wanna say their names either, but they'd come in and say, 'Hey, I heard about you and Kerry,' in front of the DEATH ANGEL guys. I'd grab them, grab their arm and walk them outside and be, like, 'I don't know what you're talking about.' [Laughs] So, yeah, there were just some uncomfortable moments, if anything. Those would probably be the words I'd pick more than funny. [Laughs]"

Osegueda went on to say that he is still the frontman of DEATH ANGEL despite the fact that he has spent most of the last four months touring with the SLAYER guitarist. "Yeah. Oh, absolutely. I am the singer of DEATH ANGEL," he said. "Right now DEATH ANGEL's really gotta work on our new record. We're writing a new record. It's been five years, five and a half years since our last record, 'Humanicide', came out. So it's due time for us to get there so we can get back out on the summer festivals and tours now with bands that want us on their touring roster, at least, or the lineup just for the simple fact that we have a new record and there'll be newborn hype for the band again. So that's pretty much the gist of where we're at."

Last month, it was announced that DEATH ANGEL would "no longer be able" to support W.A.S.P. on the Blackie Lawless-fronted outfit's North American tour, dubbed "Album ONE Alive", this fall. Replacing them on the bill will be ARMORED SAINT.

When it was first announced that DEATH ANGEL was pulling out of the W.A.S.P. tour, the only reason given for the cancelation was "unforeseen circumstances", with no further information offered. However, DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll later shed some light on the circumstances that led to DEATH ANGEL pulling out of the tour, writing on his personal Facebook page "it's pretty fucking obvious" why his band was no longer taking part in the trek. "The word BETRAYAL comes to mind," he wrote, adding: "We knew there would be problems at some point but not so immediately."

Not long after DEATH ANGEL's tour dates with W.A.S.P. were announced, King's social media revealed that Kerry's band would play two shows in Mexico in early November — one concert in Mexico City as the support act for AMON AMARTH on November 6, and another gig as the support act for SLIPKNOT in Guadalajara on November 8 — in direct conflict with the W.A.S.P. tour, which was scheduled to launch in late October and conclude in mid-December. KERRY KING has since also confirmed appearances at three Good Things festival shows in Australia in early December.

This past May, Osegueda was asked during an appearance on the "Let There Be Talk" podcast with rock and roll comedian Dean Delray how he broke the news to his DEATH ANGEL bandmates that he was joining King's solo group. The singer said: "Oh, man. With this one, it's tough. I really had to respect the NDA [non-disclosure agreement I signed with Kerry's team]. I really did. And it was eating at me. 'Cause DEATH ANGEL has been touring consistently — we toured consistently when the world shut down [due to the coronavirus pandemic]. When the world reopened, we went right back out on the road. And this was all happening. I was starting to do these demos during the pandemic, and then, after that, I was regularly seeing Kerry to do more demos [for his debut solo album] when the world opened. And [Kerry's] record was done for a year before it came out. And I'd be on tour with DEATH ANGEL. And there were some nights where me and Rob were in the lounge, just me and him, drinking, listening to music and just laughing and talking like we do. And it just took everything in me [not to tell him what was going on]. It's so hard to not just say, 'Look, bro. Look, bro.'

"This is one of those things that just, like it or not, some people will think I'm an ass about it, but I just kind of really promised — I promised Kerry and I signed the NDA," Mark explained. "I promised everyone I wasn't gonna let anyone know. The only people who knew were my girlfriend, my girl, my mom and my sister. We didn't even tell my dad 'cause my dad has loose lips. So we didn't even tell him then. So those are the three people who knew. And, of course, people who were at the studio when we were recording, and shit like that, who were all NDA people as well. So it's fucked up, but I waited and let him know through e-mail same day that the [official] announcement [of Kerry's new band] happened [in early February 2024]. And then shortly thereafter I talked to Rob and Ted."

Elaborating on how he approached informing his longtime bandmates of his involvement with Kerry's new band, Mark said: "I said in the e-mail, 'Look, this is the toughest thing for me to tell you.' And how I worded it in one aspect to them was just pretty much, 'This is gonna be either the most surprising thing in the world to you or, slash, the most obvious thing in the world to you.' And I even said at the end, 'cause it was an e-mail to all the guys, and I just said, 'Take some time to really process all this before you respond, before we talk. Let all this kind of sink in, and then when come together, if you wanna talk to me, then we'll all talk.' And shortly thereafter, I talked to Ted and Rob. And they were still a little sideswiped, for sure — for sure. I could see it in their [faces]… We did a FaceTime kind of Zoom call, the three of us, and they were both definitely still in kind of a state of processing it. But by the end of the call, after we talked for about an hour, they were supportive, for sure, happy for me. And they both did say, 'Now that you mention it, man, it is kind of the most obvious fucking thing in the world.' [Laughs] But it was tough, man. I'm not gonna lie. It's tough, 'cause we've been through so much together — so much together — especially me and Rob. I mean, not to take away from… Shit, Ted's been in the band since 2001, and now Damien and Will have been in the band for well over a decade now. So it's crazy. But, of course, me and Rob, we've known each other since we were in the crib. So that it was a tough one. But now, [Rob is] very, very supportive. Before the first [Kerry King] show, I got a text from him saying, 'Have a fucking killer show, bro.' And all this stuff. The [Kerry King album] release day, he sent me congratulations on release day. Ted as well. So, they've [come] to accept it. And I think it's already brought a lot of attention to DEATH ANGEL. And it's gonna keep doing that. But it was tough."

Mark added: "I'm excited about everything. I'm excited about everything ahead. But, yeah, for sure, it was definitely a delicate situation. Even before it was happening, when I knew it was coming up, it was, like, 'I've gotta choose my words carefully.' It's tough. But now that it's out, I feel so relieved — so relieved — it's out. And since then, we've [DEATH ANGEL] toured South and Central America together recently, and that was the first tour we did since the [Kerry King] announcement and some [of Kerry's] songs have been released. So everyone got along great. And it's out. And it just feels so much better to be around the guys with them knowing. I just felt so odd them not knowing."

Asked by Delray if he made his clear in his initial e-mail that he was not quitting DEATH ANGEL, Mark said: "Yeah, absolutely. Well, first, I'm kind of yammering about the process of it, but I definitely said, 'I'm very much still the singer of DEATH ANGEL.' And, of course, when I was talking to Rob and Ted, Rob was, like, 'I was very happy to hear you say that.' Like, 'Of course, bro.'"

King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", came out in May via Reigning Phoenix Music. Joining King and Osegueda on the record are drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER),bassist Kyle Sanders (HELLYEAH) and guitarist Phil Demmel (formerly of MACHINE HEAD).

KERRY KING was the special guest on the recently completed LAMB OF GOD/MASTODON North American "Ashes Of Leviathan" co-headline tour. The six-week run launched on July 19 in Grand Prairie, Texas and wrapped on August 31 in Omaha, Nebraska.

Scorpions have released video of a full concert recorded in Berlin, Germany in 1991. Watch below.


Setlist:


"Bad Boys Running Wild"
"Hit Between The Eyes"
"I Can’t Explain"
"The Zoo"
"The Rhythm Of Love"
"Crazy World"
"Can’t Live Without You"
"Blackout"
"Dynamite"
"Lust Or Love"
"Big City Nights"
"Rock You Like A Hurricane"







Scorpions recently announced that they must cancel all upcoming date

Finnish melodic metallers, Sonata Arctica, recently released a music video for "Angel Defiled", lifted from their new album, Clear Cold Beyond, available via Atomic Fire. The band performed the song upon the "Faster Stage" at Wacken Open Air 2024. Watch professionally-filmed video below:





Watch the official "Angel Defiled" music video below:







Clear Cold Beyond is packed with strong songs and fuses the best of all periods of Sonata Arctica's multifaceted work: From high-speed anthems such as the aforementioned "First In Line" and "California" to emotion-laden tracks such as "The Best Things" and the closing title track, this record offers something for each and every Sonata Arctica fan.


Oder the album in the physical format of your choice, save it on your favourite DSP or order it digitally, here.





Clear Cold Beyond tracklisting:


"First In Line"
"California"
"Shah Mat"
"Dark Empath"
"Cure For Everything"
"A Monster Only You Can't See"
"Teardrops"
"Angel Defiled"
"The Best Things"
"Clear Cold Beyond"


Bonus Tracks (digipak + vinyl only):
"A Ballad For The Broken"
"Toy Soldiers" (Martika cover)


"California" video:





"Dark Empath" video:





"A Monster Only You Can't See" lyric video:





"First In Line":





Sonata Arctica will launch a European headline tour in September/October this year. Special guests on the whole run will be iconic Greek metallers Firewind, with German power metallers Serious Black warming up the crowds.


The lineup of the Nordic leg will be completed by Sonata Arctica's new RPM labelmates, Swedish symphonic metal act Tungsten, while Swedish power metal newcomers Final Strike will appear on the tour's opening night.





Dates:


September
11 - Norrtälje (Opalen), Sweden - Rimbo Kulturscen (with Final Strike only)
12 - Östersund, Sweden - Gamla Teatern*
13 - Trondheim, Norway - Tapperiet*
14 - Örnsköldsvik, Sweden - Nöje

Parlophone Records will release two very special IRON MAIDEN albums on November 15. Both are limited edition vinyl pressings to mark these historic albums and are true collector's items. They are both available to pre-order now.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of IRON MAIDEN's landmark album "Powerslave", a brand new edition will be released as the band's first-ever zoetrope picture disc, featuring unique zoetrope artwork and the 2015 remastered audio of the album. The original sleeve has been expanded and contains new artwork and exclusive "Powerslave At 40" liner notes from band founder Steve Harris.

Originally released in September 1984, IRON MAIDEN's fifth studio album "Powerslave" was another massive success for the band, charting all around the world including: U.K. No. 2, Switzerland No. 3, Norway No. 4, Germany No. 5, Sweden No. 5, New Zealand No. 11, Austria No. 15 Canada No. 21, U.S. No. 21 and Australia No. 26, achieving multiple gold and platinum discs. It features the iconic singles "2 Minutes To Midnight" and "Aces High" alongside fan favorites "Powerslave" and the epic "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner".

Almost exactly two years later, in September 1986, the band released "Somewhere In Time" and in honor of IRON MAIDEN embarking on the second leg of "The Future Past Tour", playing concerts throughout Australia, New Zealand, Japan, United States, Canada and Latin America, a new edition of the album — which features strongly in the live setlist — is being released on November 15. It will be available on yellow vinyl, packaged with an exclusive "The Future Past Tour" lenticular.

"Somewhere In Time" featured synthesizers for the first time in IRON MAIDEN's career and included the worldwide hit single "Wasted Years" alongside the likes of "Heaven Can Wait", "Caught Somewhere In Time", "Stranger In A Strange Land" and the legendary "Alexander The Great", all of which have been delighting fans on "The Future Past Tour". The album was another smash hit around the world, becoming a Top 10 hit in the UK, Finland, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand and more, and Top 20 in the US, Canada, Japan, Italy and beyond.

Both albums are beloved with fans and showcased the rapidly evolving ambition, sound and songwriting might of IRON MAIDEN as they were on the fast track to becoming one of the biggest metal bands on the planet; a position they have maintained to this day.

Photo credit: John McMurtrie
Introducing the Powerslave 40th anniversary Zoetrope vinyl!

In a new interview with Brocarde, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was asked if he has reached that point in his career where he no longer concerns himself with other people's opinions. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm working on it. I think that's actually the true meaning of happiness, if you stop thinking about — if you don't give a shit about certain things. I mean, you're supposed to give a shit about a lot of things, but at some point, if you're really secure in yourself, then you say, 'You know what? This is me, and deal with it.'"

Asked if he has ever gotten trolled by people on social media, Wolf replied: "Well, honestly, I stay away from it. I post the occasional stuff, but if I were to read every comment about everything that we do, I think it can spiral out of control and you can drive yourself mad because there's always gonna be somebody who says something nasty about you in this day and age, for sure. So I guess you've gotta believe in what you do and just put your best foot forward. And then let the chips fall where they may. Because you can't please everybody; that's a given."

As previously reported, ACCEPT will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025-2026. To mark this mammoth milestone, the band will ring in the band's golden birthday with a very unique anniversary tour at the end of 2025. An anniversary album will be released early 2026.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, ACCEPT is embarking on a spectacular world tour that will take fans on a musical metal journey through time. Fans can look forward to a unique stage show with surprise guests, all the classic hits from the band's history as well as rarely performed songs.

In spring 2026, ACCEPT will release a special album that covers the band's entire musical history. This anniversary album will contain a carefully curated selection of the best ACCEPT songs from the last five decades, re-recorded — partly with well-known surprise musical guests and colleagues, as well as with some rare tracks that have not been played so often before.

Over the past five decades, ACCEPT has sold millions of albums and inspired countless musicians. Their energetic live performances and iconic albums such as "Balls To The Wall", "Restless And Wild" and "Metal Heart" have left a lasting mark on the heavy metal genre. Hoffmann's guitar style and musical vision have made the band one of the most respected on the heavy metal scene.

After a hiatus in the band's career, Wolf was introduced to New Jersey singer Mark Tornillo in 2009. The chemistry and fit between them was so remarkable, ACCEPT reformed and almost immediately rose to global success with chart-topping albums. ACCEPT continues to be celebrated for each of their new records with Mark, who is now the longest-reigning frontman of ACCEPT, placing the Hoffmann-Tornillo partnership firmly in the Metal Hall Of Fame.

For decades, ACCEPT has been recognized as a guarantee of high quality and each of their albums has reached the top of the charts, delivering energy, melodies, killer riffs and an impressively powerful stage presence for 50 years.

ACCEPT's latest album, "Humanoid", was released on April 26 via Napalm Records. The LP was once again produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by critically acclaimed heavy metal producer Andy Sneap.

ACCEPT and KK'S PRIEST have joined forces for a North American tour. The run kicked off on August 31 in Los Angeles, California, visiting a slew of major cities in the USA and Canada — such as Toronto, Montreal, New York and Nashville — before coming to an end in San Francisco, California on October 7.

Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original lead singer, Udo Dirkscheider. He can be heard on ACCEPT's last six studio albums, "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017),2021's "Too Mean To Die" and 2024's "Humanoid".

SLIPKNOT's new drummer Eloy Casagrande has shared a drum-cam video of him performing the song "Scissors" on August 15 at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts. 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 five 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 nearly 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 kicked off the North American portion of the "Here Comes The Pain" tour. The band is 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, includes arena plays nationwide this summer. Highlights include 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 are confirmed as support on select dates.

In a new interview with Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco Bay Area radio station 107.7 The Bone, Kerry King was asked about the rehearsals he and his SLAYER bandmates will hold prior to playing their first reunion concert at the Riot Fest in Chicago, Illinois on September 22. The guitarist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I saw the e-mail today. I think it's six [or] seven days. But full stage rehearsal — everything. 'Cause we haven't played in five years."

Regarding where the rehearsals will take place, Kerry said: "It's a private facility. I don't know much about it. It's in Nowheresville, Pennsylvania, and I'm gonna be fucking stranded for a week. [Laughs] But we'll be burning shit every day [with pyrotechnics], so I'll be excited for a little bit."

When Blakk noted that Kerry wants to make sure that he doesn't miss the pyro cues after all these years, King said: "Yeah. And there'll be different ones. There's some things you've seen before, things you haven't seen before. It's definitely the biggest SLAYER show that I've ever seen on paper."

Kerry went on to say that although he "liked" the stage production on SLAYER's farewell tour in 2018 and 2019, "this is still bigger. But we're headlining big-ass festivals, so we've really gotta show up."

Asked how he will go about choosing a setlist for the upcoming SLAYER reunion shows, Kerry said: "I think I've already got it. It's tough. I worked on it — I probably made, like, three or four different ones before I landed on the one that I sent to everybody."

Asked if the setlist is something where SLAYER will "give everybody what they want, but still trying to have a couple surprises," Kerry replied: "That's fair [to say]. There's definitely a few songs I still have to learn, so… ['Cause] I haven't played [them] in a while."

SLAYER's three festival appearances in September and October will come five years after the completion of what was being billed as the band's final tour.

Last month, Kerry, who has spent the last few months touring with his solo band, told the Los Angeles Times about the SLAYER reunion dates: "I wasn't ready to hang it up, but there's really no point in going on with someone that doesn't want to do it anymore, because then you've got a half-hearted person onstage," referencing SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, who was the bandmember most anxious to retire from the stage. "We won the Super Bowl and we left. That's pretty cool. Now we've got these three anniversary shows. Will there be more? I don't know. Will we ever record again? Definitely not. Will we ever tour again? Definitely not. But a show here and there to make some people happy, I'm not against that."

Drummer Paul Bostaph, who was part of the most recent SLAYER touring lineup and will play alongside King, Araya and guitarist Gary Holt at the upcoming festivals, said he was surprised when the reunion dates were lined up.

"I'm, like, 'You're kidding, right?' I really put that to bed," Bostaph told the Los Angeles Times. "When something like that ends, I'm not going to do that to myself: Gee, someday it'd be great to get back together again. Life is life and this is how it is, and I'm moving on to whatever the next thing is. I put that to bed and then all of a sudden the call comes.”

Last month, Kerry was asked by Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio if he is looking forward to playing with SLAYER again. He responded: "I haven't seen — I've texted Gary off and on and Paul's with me all the time, so I'm looking forward to playing with Holt 'cause we were together, like, 10 years. But me and Phil [Demmel, KERRY KING guitarist] on this run are holding down the fort every bit as well as Gary and I did in SLAYER. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to the largeness of the stage. I'm looking forward to burning everything."

Regarding the fact that SLAYER is playing shows again five years after the completion of the band's final tour, Kerry said: "Yeah, at the end of the day, it wasn't bad blood. Tom was just done. And when Tom told me he was done, I went, 'Okay, well, I'm not gonna try to talk you into it,' because if you're trying to talk somebody into it, their heart's not in it. So it was over for me. And, of course, a month after we were done, offers come in because people think you're done. So what we retired from was touring. We never said we were done playing. We said, 'This is our final tour', and I don't think three shows constitute a tour. So if you wanna get technical, I think we're in the ballpark of being truthful."

In July, King told Metal Injection about the fact that SLAYER's upcoming reunion shows were announced just weeks after he told Rolling Stone magazine that a SLAYER comeback was unlikely. He said: "I turned [SLAYER reunion offers] down for the longest time. You can imagine we've been turning down offers since December 1st, 2019. And at that point, I thought, 'No, we're never gonna play again.' Tom retired. So it's written. And then offers keep coming, offers keep coming, the money goes up. And this one came around and it was when we were booking shows from my [solo] band, and I go to my manager. I'm, like, 'Are we talking about my band or SLAYER? What are we talking about here?' He's, like, 'SLAYER.' And I'm, like, 'Yeah, but that's done. We hung that shit up. I dropped the chains. Done.' But then it started getting to where this is really gonna be the five-year anniversary of [SLAYER's] last tour. And I went, 'That's kind of cool. Three shows, five-year anniversary. Okay.' That's about all I thought about it."

King continued: "The funny thing about this story is I didn't tell anybody in my [solo] band [that the SLAYER reunion shows were happening]. I'd never been in that situation. And the news dropped that we were doing three shows and everybody blows me up. I'm, like, 'Goddamn it.' 'It never occurred to me to tell you guys.' Never fucking occurred to me. It wasn't a secret. They can keep secrets. I know that. And I felt so bad. It never occurred to me. Paul knew, of course. But poor Phil and Kyle [Sanders, bassist in Kerry's solo band] and Mark [Osegueda, vocalist in Kerry's solo band], they all texted me and blew me up. I'm, like, 'I'm so sorry, man. It never occurred to me. This is what's up. This is what's gonna happen. If it happens again, it's gonna be the same thing. We're never gonna fucking make a record. We're never gonna fucking tour. This is my band.'"

Kerry went on to say that he doesn't rule out more SLAYER shows in the future beyond the three festival appearances this summer and fall. "I'm trying to be real and definitely say, hey, we're not gonna tour again," he explained. "And we're certainly not gonna record again, 'cause I have a means of doing that now with my band. [We're doing] three shows for now. And I say 'for now' because I know Europe's gonna come knocking, 'Hey, man, you guys played America. Come see us.' So it wouldn't surprise me if something like that happened, but it's certainly not on my books right now."

Earlier in July, Kerry told Guitar World magazine that he "was very surprised" when Araya agreed to play three SLAYER shows this year. "I made my comments [about SLAYER being finished] based on [Tom] not wanting to play anymore. As far as I was concerned, we were done and never going to play again. To be honest, I don't know what switched.

"We've been turning down offers to play shows for at least three years. So, one came up that, I guess, enticed Tom to the point where he wanted to roll the dice and try a couple. I don't know, but that's all it is."

Kerry added that he would be open to more SLAYER gigs in the future.

"There could be an instance where there's another one-off,” he said. "It just has to be the right offer at the right time, maybe someplace everybody loves to go. But touring, no, I don't see touring. But, you know, who's to say a one-off can't happen again?"

King previously told Total Guitar magazine about SLAYER's reunion shows: "It caught me off guard too. Do I wish the timing was different? Absolutely, but that's completely out of my hands."

King went on to say that fans shouldn't get their hopes up about a full-scale SLAYER reunion.

"Everyone thinks SLAYER are getting back together, but that couldn't be further from the truth," he explained. "We've been turning down gigs ever since we stopped. This one came and I thought, 'If we're ever going to do one, this could be cool because it's the five-year anniversary of our final tour.'

"We're not going to record anymore," he added. "That final tour was definitely our final tour. This is just a reason to have some fun the guys, play a few shows and then jump back in the coffin…"

In June, King was asked by Jonathan Clarke, host of "Out Of The Box" on Q104.3, New York's classic rock station, about how SLAYER's upcoming reunion shows came about. He responded: "I'll put it in the perspective everybody can understand. We've been turning down offers since beginning of 2020, pandemic and all. And then it started getting near the five-year anniversary of us stopping playing, so I'm, like, 'You know what? This is a three-show package. I think it would be fun to do.' It's kind of a five-year anniversary of our last tour. We're never gonna tour again — it ain't gonna happen. We're never gonna record again; that's not gonna happen either. But to do commemorative shows, I think that's kind of fun. I don't have to be married to it for a long time. Kids don't have to worry about it coming around on tour because we said we wouldn't. There's not a whole lot of weird diabolical shit going on here. I think people have just gotta say, 'Hey, it's anniversary celebration shows.' That's gonna be the end of it."

Kerry also discussed the SLAYER comeback in May in an interview with Andrew Daly of ClassicRockHistory.com. Asked for about his outlook on the reunion shows, he said: "It's not really much different at all. It's the same heads, same cabs, same pedals, same guitars. You know, there will be a lot of fire when SLAYER plays, and I think, yeah, those shows will just be fun. It'll be fun to play with Gary Holt for a few gigs; I haven't seen him in almost five years, so that will be cool. And it'll be cool to get together with Tom Araya and spit some hate out at people, but don't get used to this being a yearly event."

Earlier in May, King was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he thinks SLAYER's upcoming dates will have a positive or negative impact on the promotional efforts for his debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", which arrived on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music. He responded: "I see it both ways. We've [SLAYER] been turning down [reunion] offers for the last four years. Unfortunately, when the right offer came around, this one, it was right as my project was releasing. So there's certainly people, like my management and booking agents, who say, 'Oh, that's great. It's gonna boost your solo thing.' And I'm, like, 'Well, I don't know the business side of it, but it is what it is.' And every time I talk about it to journalists and magazines and stuff, I say, 'Listen, SLAYER is not gonna make another record. SLAYER is never gonna tour again.' May SLAYER do a one-off here or there? Maybe. I told my [solo] band when [the SLAYER reunion shows] came up, I'm, like, 'Listen, this is a blip on the radar to me. This isn't a solo project that's gonna recycle musicians every record cycle. You guys are with me till you don't wanna be.'"

Asked if he envisions SLAYER as the type of thing where the band will do one or two shows a year when a great opportunity comes up, Kerry said: "I'm not even talking yearly. I'm, like, every two years, every three years, every five years. I don't know. 'Cause I'm gonna be super busy with [my solo band] once 2025 rolls around."

On the topic of whether he has spoken to Araya since SLAYER's reunion shows were announced, Kerry said: "I'll tell you the truth, 'cause you know that's how I roll. No, we haven't. But you know what's weird about that? It's not weird. [Laughs]"

He continued: "We'll go probably rehearse off and on for a couple weeks [before the first show], 'cause even though me and Paul will be sharp from playing, playing with different people, you've gotta get sharp together."

Elaborating on his belief that SLAYER's comeback shows will not lead into a full-fledged reunion for the legendary thrash metal act, Kerry said: "The way I look at it, and when I tell you this, it puts it into perspective for a lot of people, I see it as three five-year anniversary shows of our last tour."

Five years after SLAYER played the last concert of what was being billed as the band's farewell tour and just weeks after the SLAYER guitarist unveiled the details of his solo project, Kerry and his longtime bandmates announced that they will play at the Aftershock, Riot Fest and Louder Than Life festivals in September and October.

King also talked about the SLAYER reunion while speaking to Revolver magazine about "From Hell I Rise". Asked if he had known about these shows well before they were officially announced, King said: "If you ask promoters, they're going to have another answer. If you ask booking agents, they'll probably have a third answer. But to me, it kind of came out of nowhere. Have we been getting offers the past few years? Yeah, we turn down offers every year, probably every month of every year. These three festivals are right around the five-year anniversary of our last tour, which I thought was kind of cool. So, I thought this might be the right time to test the water. It will be great to play for the fans again."

Regarding whether the upcoming SLAYER shows will steal some of the thunder away from the touring his solo band will do in support of "From Hell I Rise", Kerry said: "Well, time will tell, and my answer would be, 'hopefully not'. The funny thing is, it never occurred to me until the day the SLAYER announcement came, but Demmel said, 'Dude, is this real?' And I'm, like, 'It's just a few weekends and that's it.' Of course, Paul knew. But I didn't tell Phil, I didn't tell Kyle and didn't tell Mark — and I said to the guys, 'There's no master plan here.' I didn't want anybody to start getting cold feet. I said, 'This is a little moment in time, and yeah, KERRY KING is going to be touring, you know, hopefully later in the year, as well. But SLAYER is an entity and I'm just a person.' But hopefully, we drive on with the solo project."

King also spoke about the SLAYER reunion in an interview with U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. Admitting that the announcement of SLAYER's comeback "was not my favorite timing", Kerry said that the SLAYER reunion "is not going to translate into recording and it's not going to translate into touring. For me, it's three shows marking five years since our final shows, a fun, 'Hey, remember us from before the pandemic?' celebration."

Kerry also explained in more detail why he still has not spoken to Tom since the news of SLAYER's reunion was announced. "It's not like I'm angry with him or anything," King clarified. "We're very different people, and we evolved into business partners at the end of the day. He has very different interests from me, and very different outlooks. Does that make me hate him? No. But I don't need to talk to him every day… We just don't have much in common. When it comes time to rehearse, I'll have no problem showing up. We're professionals, and that's what we do."

The lineup for SLAYER's comeback will be the same as the one which last toured in 2019: Araya and King, along with Holt (also of EXODUS) and Bostaph.

Days after SLAYER's reunion was announced, Tom Araya's wife wrote on social media that she "harassed him for over a year" before he "agreed finally" to play more shows with the band. "We shared that news with SLAYER's awesome managers and they did the rest!" she explained. "So yes without Tom it wouldn't have happened.. without me BUGGING HIM it wouldn't have happened."

Both Gary and his wife Lisa Holt were among the hundreds of people who "liked" Sandra's Instagram post, with Lisa sharing three heart emojis in response to Sandra's message.

In a statement confirming SLAYER's return, Tom said: "Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we're on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans, and to be honest, we have missed that." King added: "Have I missed playing live? Absolutely. SLAYER means a lot to our fans; they mean a lot to us. It will be five years since we have seen them."

The same day that SLAYER's comeback was announced, Holt's wife Lisa Holt took to her social media to write: "Yes, it's true..and an exciting adventure for the band and fans !

"To all the people saying 'they are liars' 'they must have ran out of money' 'its not SLAYER without so and so' ..I have an idea for you all...DON'T GO.. and for all the people who did go to the final tour dates and enjoyed it...awesome!!

"This isn't a 'TOUR' it's some dates..and GREAT NEWS!!!" she added. "And everyone that thinks they know all the inside info..you can't possibly know. so just enjoy the fact that this amazing band will play some amazing shows this year...go or don't..nobody cares!!!!!"

SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, Kerry's wife Ayesha said that there is "not a chance in hell" that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances.

SLAYER's final world tour began on May 10, 2018 with the band's intention to play as many places as possible, to make it easy for the fans to see one last SLAYER show and say goodbye. By the time the 18-month trek wrapped at the Forum, the band had completed seven tour legs plus a series of one-off major summer festivals, performing more than 140 shows in 30 countries and 40 U.S. states.

All material for Kerry's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", was written by King, who was accompanied during the recording sessions by Bostaph, Demmel, Sanders and Osegueda. Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles last year was producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.

In a new interview with Brazil's Alma Hard, frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow of Canadian metal legends ANVIL was asked what inspired the lyrics for songs like "Truth Is Dying" and "World Of Fools" from the band's latest album, "One And Only". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Frustration with having to deal with stupidity of watching… Watch the news. Just sit back and observe the world, and it frustrates you. So how do you get that frustration out? Write it in a song. [Laughs]

"I don't understand this world in the sense that stuff that's right in front of you, and you're in denial that you're seeing it, hearing it, knowing what the truths are," he added.

Referencing the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks involving the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Lips said: "Everybody watched three buildings in New York City get demolished — perfectly demolished — by airplanes hitting it. But meanwhile, those buildings were built specifically — specifically — to withstand an airplane hitting it. But then you ask your question, how can the top 10 floors take out every floor all the way down to the bottom perfectly? How does that work? When there's no fire down there. The fire's all at the top. Why is the floor and all the support from that building giving out? Because it was detonated by set-off internal explosions all the way down the building, and that's why it fell perfectly. That's a demolition job.

"What does that mean? What does that mean?" he continued. "Well, it means a lot of stuff. And the world is going, 'It's okay. We believe the truth. The truth is two airplanes hit it and it just went down.' Well, no airplane hit the other building over on Building Seven. Why did that collapse? 'Oh, it had a fire.' Okay. Looked like a demo job to me. Completely flattened from a fire? How many fires do you see completely flatten buildings? Usually they're able to extinguish a fire and salvage a lot of things. This, nothing? Right to powder? Yeah, right. You watch an airplane apparently hitting the Pentagon — you can watch it on YouTube — and you're going, how the hell does an airplane fly like three feet off the ground without landing? Well, that's a good question, because it's not an airplane."

Lips went on to discuss the assassination of then U.S.-president John F. Kennedy, who was struck by two bullets — one in the head and one in the neck — while riding in a parade through downtown Dallas in November 1963. He said: "Hey, who killed President Kennedy? How many bullets was he hit with? They said one. You watch the video and you can see it, plain as day, he's been hit twice. What the hell? And no one does anything about it. No one says anything. Nothing changes. And then you've gotta ask yourself the question, even important than anything else: does knowing make any difference? Is the truth gonna even make any difference? No. It won't. It won't. It doesn't. All the false flag, the craziness that this world has been capable of — all along, all kinds of things. And it gives me a wealth of things to write about. So, that's part of what I do. I'm alive and it's my take on what I've seen and observed. That's what I do when I write music. And sometimes it's a way of actually cleansing myself."

Asked who he thinks is behind spreading these supposedly false narratives about what happened on 9/11 and with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Lips said: "That's a good question. I don't think that you can even begin to answer it, because it's only speculation. You can only guess. And even a guess, it doesn't mean anything. Even if they came out and divulged the fact that it was an inside job, well, who exactly inside and what was the motive? We already know what the motive was. What happened as a result of 9/11? The whole world changed. That was the motive. To change the world. And it did. Eventually, everything comes out in the wash, but not everything. Not everything. What they allow or what we even care about. Because I think if we cared more, we'd find out more things, because we'd be demanding it."

Earlier in the month, Kudlow lamented the fact that social media has given everyone the ability to speak their minds with reckless abandon and little consequence. He told Chris Akin Presents: "The worst thing that's caused this is the fact that everybody's got a soapbox to stand on, and all the voices are of equal volume. So the sensible people are at the same volume as the idiots, but not only are the idiots at the same volume, there's more idiots. So then what happens to the truth? It's lost in the stupidity, man. And it's up to you as the individual to somehow discern the difference — wipe the shit off the fucking gold to find the gold. Pardon all my expression, but sometimes it feels like that. You're looking for the information. Like, can all this garbage get out of the way so I can find out the facts?"

Addressing some of the specific conspiracy theories which have emerged on social media in recent years, Lips continued: "What has brought all this on is the craziness of the pandemic, and it comes down to the vaccine or no vaccine, it comes down to the 5G technology and then mixed with nanobots and you put all this shit together and the next thing you know, government has got remote controls on everybody who gets the vaccine because the vaccine's got nanobots in it, which is 'Star Trek' technology. And they can control you, so if you don't comply, they can put you to death just by pressing a button.

"And this was some of the garbage that was being spread around during the pandemic," he added. "You just think about what level of insanity is that. It sounds like a sci-fi novel. Like, come on. People have got too much time to sit around and think of crazy stuff. That's completely nonsense and you're making it up, making it up as you go. I mean, there are people that were saying that it's alien technology or alien disease, that COVID was put here by aliens. You name it. And what the problem is, and what I'm saying is, initially you've got social media where everybody gets a soapbox. Anybody can say anything about any subject, whether they know what they're talking about or not. And they do. [Laughs] And then because they didn't effectively check the facts or even read about what they're talking about, they're just parroting what somebody else parroted. And it's like a broken telephone, and the conspiracy gets even more cloudy and more crazy as it moves along."

ANVIL released its 20th studio album, "One And Only", on June 28 via AFM Records. The effort was recorded in the summer of 2023 with longtime producer Martin "Mattes" Pfeiffer and Jörg Uken at Uken's Soundlodge studios in Germany. The same production team was responsible for ANVIL's last four albums, "Anvil Is Anvil" (2016),"Pounding The Pavement" (2018),"Legal At Last" (2019) and "Impact Is Imminent" (2022).

ANVIL, a Toronto-based group, was formed in 1978 by childhood friends Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner. Both came from Jewish families and had been playing music together since their teens.

Though initially a four-piece band, ANVIL's current lineup includes Kudlow, Reiner and bassist Chris Robertson.

ANVIL gained popularity and new fans since the 2008 theatrical documentary, "Anvil: The Story Of Anvil", which is currently available on Netflix. The film focused on how ANVIL got together, and stayed together, through decades of hard work and setbacks.

In a new interview with Czech Republic's Project Backstage, Max and Igor "Iggor" Cavalera were asked about the decision to revisit SEPULTURA's earliest releases and re-record them under the name CAVALERA while maintaining a similarly named separate project under which they release new music, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY. Igor responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's actually a bit simple, but also it can be a bit confusing if you're just picking up the stuff and you're reading. But the way I look at it, and it makes sense to me, is that CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, me and Max, we write completely new songs, and then with CAVALERA, we are having these re-recordings and then performing them live. So they're not like completely different projects. They're the same project, but maybe just different faces of the same project. And in a way, at the end of the day, it's all Cavalera — from the beginnings of SEPULTURA, it's always been about me and Max. So Cavalera is the soul of the whole thing. And there's a bit of mutations in there, with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY [and] CAVALERA with the re-recordings and the live show. So it can be a bit confusing, but at the end of the day, it's quite simple."

Max added: "It's all from the same root. It comes from the same spirit that we had. And the most important thing, the coolest thing is that the spirit of the original SEPULTURA is here with CAVALERA. I think that is what the fans feel it most. And I think that is the greatest thing we have, is that what they wanted to feel is what we had in the soul and the spirit of the original SEPULTURA. And we're doing that with this — mostly with CAVALERA, because we get to play the SEPULTURA material. CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, we get to do new music, which we'll do in the future as well. We plan to keep rocking for a long time. Nobody has plans for retirement. That don't exist. I don't know what that is. We are rockers — lifers, as they say."

SEPULTURA fell apart in 1996 with the exit of Max after the rest of the Brazilian four-piece split with the vocalist/guitarist's wife Gloria as their manager. Max's brother, drummer Igor stuck around with the group for another ten years before leaving SEPULTURA and re-teaming with Max in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY.

In 2023, Max and Igor revisited their earliest SEPULTURA releases, "Morbid Visions" and "Bestial Devastation", and re-recorded them with bone-breaking intensity. Earlier this year, they entered the final chapter of their early-days trilogy by releasing a re-recorded version of SEPULTURA's "Schizophrenia".

The Cavalera brothers enlisted Travis Stone (PIG DESTROYER) on lead guitars. The full lineup would consist of more Cavalera alumni, as Igor Amadeus Cavalera (GO AHEAD AND DIE, HEALING MAGIC) once more brought his talents on bass to the fold.

CAVALERA's version of "Schizophrenia" was recorded from April 15, 2023 to June 5, 2023 at Focusrite Room in Mesa Arizona. Mixing and mastering was handled by Arthur Rizk (SOULFLY, GO AHEAD AND DIE, TURNSTILE). The original "Schizophrenia" cover artwork was restored in hand-painted watercolors by Eliran Kantor.

Although SEPULTURA has maintained a diehard fanbase in all parts of the world throughout the band's nearly four-decade history, Max-era albums "Roots" and "Chaos A.D." were by far SEPULTURA's most commercially successful, having both been certified gold in the U.S. for sales in excess of five hundred thousand copies.

In December 2023, SEPULTURA announced that it would celebrate its 40th anniversary this year by embarking on a "farewell tour" which will cover the entire globe.

SEPULTURA's current lineup comprises guitarist Andreas Kisser, vocalist Derrick Green, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and touring drummer Greyson Nekrutman, who officially replaced SEPULTURA's longtime drummer Eloy Casagrande in February.

Disorder Recordings presents Pariahs, the new EP from Chicago-based death/extreme metal act Contrition.


Formed following the demise of former act Doomsday, Contrition recorded their debut LP Broken Mortal Coil during the COVID-19 lockdowns, releasing the album in October of 2011. The band sees vocalist Jerome Marshall (Yakuza, Cobalt-live), guitarist/synth player Jeff Wilson (Chrome Waves, Deeper Graves, ex-Nachtmystium), bassist Jon Woodring (Bones, ex-Usurper), and drummer Garry Naples (Trouble, Novembers Doom, Wolvhammer) creating a monstrous onslaught auditory hostility where ‘90s death metal takes on the streetwise demeanor of a back-alley stabbing.


With three damaging new songs, Pariahs was recorded by Chris Lee Smith and Contrition, mixed and mastered by Jeff Wilson, completed with cover art by Andre Trindade, and features a guest solo on "Trauma Queen" by Sammy Duet (Goatwhore).




Jeff Wilson reveals, "Some things just don't work out as planned. We've been sitting on these songs for well over a year now. If it wasn't my hand injury, it was someone's other band touring, or another guy's work schedule, or another one of our projects in the studio. The delays were endless, and a full album just never came to fruition... That being said, the three songs we ended up with this time around are potent, they're abrasive, they're downright nasty; and that's just the way we like them."


Opening murder anthem “Not Today” is streaming below.


Pariahs wi

Dreamless Veil, featuring members of Inter Arma, Artificial Brain, and Psycroptic, will release their debut full-length, Every Limb Of The Flood, on September 20 via Relapse Records.


Today, the trio shares the album’s second single, “Saturnism”. Stream the single here, and listen below:







Pre-order Every Limb Of The Flood on LP/CD/Digital via Relapse.com here.


Dreamless Veil Is an extreme metal band composed of Artificial Brain guitarist Dan Garguilo, Inter Arma / Artificial Brain vocalist Mike Paparo and Psycroptic drummer Dave Haley.


The band's debut, Every Limb Of The Flood, is a blackened concept album that follows the travails of Grief, a character who awakens from extended debauchery and begins the slow and torturous process of trying to disappear completely.


Through tracks such as "A Generation of Eyes", "Saturnism", and "Cyanide Mine" Vocalist Mike Paparo and co. task the listener to consider what it would be like for an individual to fully disappear. Dreamless Veil delves into this murk through eight tracks - dramatic swells, melodic crescendos, and abrasive blast-beat poundings make way to more introspective moments ultimately resulting in pure horror.


Paparo explores the concept of corporeal disintegration with pained shrieks and disembodied bellows, resulting in one of the most unchained performances of his storied career. Lyrics for the record show, but don't tell. Dreamless Veil's concept alludes to misery leading to grotesquery - the opener "Dim Golden Rave" throws the listener into an ambiguous time and place: "Grief, spiritless, collapses against the filth-ridden street". The second track, "A Generation of Eyes" follows this narrative by invoking Neil Young, quoting him to the extent of "rust never sleeps." What ensues is a grief so powerful it decomposes from within. The end result manifests in the album closer "Dreamless" - the body is now fully discarded, hinting at a possible enlightenment through a horrible, gruesome process.


Sonically, Every Limb Of The Flood is a caustic, corrosive journey. Critically acclaimed drummer David Haley flexes some of his most creative drum work to date, dragging the listener through wild tempo changes, breakneck speeds that come to sudden halts, while guitarist Dan Gargiulo (Artificial Brain) interweaves disorienting guitar madness.  


Recorded by Brett Bamberger (Revocation) Every Limb Of The Flood was mixed by Gargiulo and mastered by Colin Marston (Gorguts, Krallice, and more.)





Every Limb Of The Flood tracklisting:


"Dim Golden Rave"
"A Generation Of Eyes"
"Saturnism"
"The Stirring Of Flies"
"Cyanide Mine"
"Every Limb Of The Flood"
"Glossolalia"
"Dreamless"


"A Generation Of Eyes":





Dreamless Veil Is:


Dan Gargiulo - Guitars, Bass, Synth and Vocals
Dave Haley - Drums
Mike Paparo - Vocals


(Photos by Julie Ferguson and Robert Brens)







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New KINGDOM COME vocalist Ezekiel "Zeke" Kaplan spoke to Big Talk Nation about how he landed the gig in the long-running rock band. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In December, around Christmas of last year, I was reached out to by somebody I know who happens to know a couple of the KINGDOM COME guys. And I guess they were looking for a new vocalist and he knew that I sang and he thought that I was a great fit. So he reached out to me. And then kind of on the spot the next day, he scheduled an impromptu audition with the manager and the members of KINGDOM COME. And I kind of had to learn 'Get It On' on the spot. And we jammed, we did a few tunes, and then shortly after that, I was reached out to, and they were, like, "Hey, there's all these songs that we want you to learn. And we think that you're our guy.' And it just kind of went from there. My first show with them was in March of this year."

Kaplan went on to say that he was "familiar" with KINGDOM COME "from a working at record stores for a long time. I remember filing their records and really cool font on the cover of the LP," he explained. "And I knew that those first two records were classics. I had heard the singles. I wasn't familiar with the whole albums. So I really acquainted myself with all the music within those weeks that I was prepping for these shows, and I learned that it's really, really cool, original classic rock-sounding stuff at a time when everyone was really cheesy, and they were kind of just very blues-oriented. And I really dug it, and it really it matched my voice a lot. I grew up singing a lot of classic rock, a lot of Roger Daltrey [THE WHO] and Robert Plant [LED ZEPPELIN] and all of that stuff. So I was able to hit those notes that are insanely difficult, honestly. [Original KINGDOM COME singer] Lenny Wolf is probably the most difficult vocalist I've ever had to sing. His range goes way beyond Plant, honestly. But — I don't know. I think I'm doing an okay job."

The new lineup of KINGDOM COME — featuring original guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier, and bassist Johnny B. Frank, along with the band's latest additions, Kaplan and drummer Matt Muckle — played its first two shows on March 15 at The Lamp Theater in Irwin, Pennsylvania and on March 16 at The Mercury Music Lounge in Lakewood, Ohio.

Regarding the response from KINGDOM COME fans to his first two gigs with the band, Kaplan said: "I have had really, really great feedback. I'm very happy with the feedback. There's been a lot of YouTube videos on the return of KINGDOM COME. And I've been reached out to a lot saying that this is the best that the band has sounded since the olden days with Lenny. So, certainly, it's a good ego boost. [Laughs] I'm very proud of what we have accomplished and how we sound after only a number of months of rehearsals and kind of really quickly getting the ball rolling."

Zeke added that KINGDOM COME has been working on new music, with tentative plans to premiere it when the band returns to the road later this month.

"So we pretty quickly went into the studio," he said. "There's some songs that Danny Stag and J.B. Frank wrote back in the day that they were planning on making KINGDOM COME material and it just didn't come to fruition. And we went back to the studio and worked on that stuff, kind of reworked it for a more modern sound, and I laid down the vocals for some of those tracks just very recently. And we're very excited to actually premiere them hopefully [in September] — that's the plan — at a show that we have planned."

Upcoming KINGDOM COME shows:

Sep. 18 - Buffalo, NY @ Iron Works
Sep. 19 - Columbus, OH @ Skully's
Sep. 21 - Belle Vernon, PA @ Vinoski Winery

In a February 2024 interview with "The Pennsylvania Rock Show", Muckle stated about KINGDOM COME's current formation: "We started rehearsing back in August in search of a new frontman. And we auditioned a bunch of guys and we found some great singers and maybe some that weren't so great. So we've been working a little bit to get this up and going, and so we found a new guy. He's amazing. His name is Zeke Kaplan, and he's from L.A. A 29-year-old kid, man. He's like [ex-MÖTLEY CRÜE singer] John Corabi on 'Hooligan's Holiday' meets [CINDERELLA's] Tom Keifer and he plays rhythm guitar. He's just an animal. And no one will ever replace Lenny, 'cause he was the best singer, to me, as a kid. When I had KINGDOM COME posters on my walls, I just knew he was special, man. I knew that dude was no joke. I think he's one of the best rock singers that ever walked on stage, in my opinion. But this new dude is killing it. We're super excited. And, yeah, we're ready to go play some shows do some touring."

In February, singer Keith St John announced his departure from KINGDOM COME after a five-year run with the band.

St John joined KINGDOM COME in 2018 after Wolf opted not to be involved in the group's reunion alongside drummer James Kottak, Stag, Steier and Frank.

St John's exit from KINGDOM COME came just a month after Kottak died at the age of 61.

Earlier in February, Stag, Steier and Frank launched a new web site at kingdomcomerockband.com where they revealed that they would carry on under the KINGDOM COME banner with the addition of Kaplan and Muckle.

Regarding the split with St John, KINGDOM COME wrote: "KINGDOM COME has decided to part ways with vocalist Keith St John in order to allow him to devote more time to BURNING RAIN, 'Raiding The Rock Vault', and his solo projects. We sincerely wish him only the best, and thank him for his invaluable contributions to getting KINGDOM COME back up and running again in 2018."

Kottak, who was open about his battle with alcoholism, died on January 9. No cause of death has been given.

KINGDOM COME had used a different drummer, SLAUGHTER's Blas Elias, instead of James for most of the band's shows in the last year and a half due to Kottak's deteriorating health.

KINGDOM COME's most recent touring lineup consisted of St John and Elias alongside Stag, Steier and Frank.

Kottak's daughter Tobi told TMZ her father passed away in Louisville, where he lived until 1987, although further details about the exact circumstances weren't immediately available.

In addition to SCORPIONS and KINGDOM COME, Kottak had toured with such bands as WARRANT and even DIO for a short run. James was also involved in various other projects, including the 1990s band KRUNK in which he sang lead vocals and played guitar.

Kottak was married to Athena Lee, the sister of MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee, from 1996 to 2010.

CASANDRA'S CROSSING, the new musical alliance between guitar legend George Lynch and powerhouse singer Casandra Carson, has released its second single, "Impatient". The track is taken from CASANDRA'S CROSSING's debut album, "Garden Of Earthly Delights", which will arrive on October 25 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Casandra comments on "Impatient": "'Impatient' was one of those songs that kind of wrote itself when it came to the lyrics and the melodies. I would let the music play and just sing along in the moment to see what would come out, and I found myself singing about the hardships of being in a long-distance relationship. Wishing that person was there to celebrate the good times, help you through the bad times, and holding off on experiences so you can enjoy them together once they're back, all require an insane amount of patience, and it's really difficult to sustain sometimes. If anyone in a long-distance relationship hears this song, I just hope they know that they're not alone."

The musical chemistry between these two talented artists has created a magnificent modern hard rock album that showcases Lynch's trademark riffage driven by the outstanding voice of Casandra Carson, who is set to be the next rock singing sensation.

About "Garden Of Earthly Delights", Casandra adds: "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever meet, let alone collaborate with such a legend as George Lynch! It was an absolute honor and pleasure to work with him on this record. George's tracks were so cool and inspiring, it was probably some of the most fun I've ever had writing lyrics and melodies. I truly couldn't be more proud of this album, and I'm so excited to finally share it with the rest of the world."

Lynch emerged from the 1980s hard rock scene with the Los Angeles-based group DOKKEN and went on to become a world-renowned guitarist. Aside from DOKKEN, he has also enjoyed great success with LYNCH MOB, the group he founded after leaving DOKKEN.

Lynch has gone on to become a prolific music creator, continuing with LYNCH MOB, releasing solo albums, and a wealth of collaborative efforts over the decades. Those include but are not limited to, KXM with Doug Pinnick (KING'S X) and Ray Luzier (KORN),THE END MACHINE with Jeff Pilson (FOREIGNER, ex-DOKKEN),Mick Brown (ex-DOKKEN) and Girish Pradhan (GIRISH & THE CHRONICLES),SWEET & LYNCH with Michael Sweet (STRYPER),ULTRAPHONIX with Corey Glover (LIVING COLOUR),and THE BANISHMENT with Joe Haze.

Carson is best known for her work fronting the Midwestern hard rock band PARALANDRA. Founded in 2013 with a strong DIY ethic, PARALANDRA found themselves on radio charts and festival stages in no time and by 2018 had a record deal, national tours supporting the likes of SALIVA, TANTRIC and DOKKEN, and even found themselves performing aboard the Kiss Kruise. The band remains active and their most recent studio album, produced by the legendary Michael "Elvis" Beskette, came out in April of this year.

"Garden Of Earthly Delights" track listing:

01. Stranger
02. Impatient
03. Closer To Heaven
04. Ring Me Around
05. Devastatiing Times
06. Waltzing Nites
07. Just Business
08. Mind Eraser
09. Run For Your Life
10. Wicked Woman
11. Kneel Before You

When the song "Stranger" was first released in August, Carson said: "'Stranger' was a really fun one to write to. I always wanted the lyrics to match the vibe of the music, and every time I listened to George's demo, I got 'War Of The Worlds' / alien-invasion vibes. I was second-guessing myself and thought it might be kind of dumb to write a song about that, so I asked my boyfriend his opinion, and he simply said, 'Why not? Show me your ideas so far.' He actually liked what little I had, and proceeded to help me write the rest of the song that night! Little did we know, it would end up being the first single. So thank you, Jaron Gulino!"

The remixed and remastered version of JUDAS PRIEST's classic debut album, 1974's "Rocka Rolla", will be released digitally in the U.S. and Canada on September 14. The CD and vinyl versions of "Rocka Rolla - 50th Anniversary: Remixed And Remastered 1974 - 2024" will arrive on November 22.

In 1974, before the eternal metal flame was ever lit, JUDAS PRIEST — singer Rob Halford, guitarist Glenn Tipton, bassist Ian Hill, guitarist K.K. Downing and drummer John Hinch — were simply five young musicians in their 20s from the Black Country an area of working-class towns in England excited to have signed a record deal. With limited funds, the band recorded during the less expensive night shift hours. The album "Rocka Rolla" was born during these sessions, under the guidance of producer Roger Bain who was brought in by the label and who had previously produced BLACK SABBATH.

JUDAS PRIEST learnt over time how to record an album, and the experience of working in a professional recording studio helped prepare them for the next album to come, one of the most definitive and foundational heavy metal albums of all time, "Sad Wings Of Destiny". But with "Rocka Rolla", the band was not there for the mixing, the mastering process or any final approvals — they didn't have a say when it was finished or how it ultimately sounded. Although the band felt positive about how the songs sounded in the studio, they were particularly disappointed when they received a finished copy of the album in the mail to listen to for the first time.

Halford recalls: "I took the record and I put the needle onto the groove and I sat back. And I just slowly started to deflate, deflate. I was so disappointed with the way it was sounding. All of us were — we'd all worked so hard to get to this place. And now this music that we know when we play live is roaring — the heavy metal is roaring even in those early primitive days — none of that was coming out of the speakers"

The band never had a future say in "Rocka Rolla" in the intervening decades — the re-releases and early-era compilations… but that was about to change.

During JUDAS PRIEST's "50 Heavy Metal Years" tour in 2022, something remarkable was happening behind the scenes. The label that originally signed JUDAS PRIEST in 1974, Gull Records, and its owner David Howells, decided to sell the masters and publishing rights for the two albums the label owned, "Rocka Rolla" and "Sad Wings Of Destiny", and David contacted Tipton's music publisher, Michael Closter of Reach Music Publishing.

After discussing this opportunity and collaborating with JUDAS PRIEST's manager Jayne Andrews, a compelling offer from Reach Music was made to Gull Records. Terms were accepted. An acquisition agreement was prepared, and after almost 50 years from the release of these albums, Reach Music and its label Exciter Records, in partnership with JUDAS PRIEST, was now the owner of "Rocka Rolla" and "Sad Wings Of Destiny".

The first order of business was to retrieve the original multitrack tapes from storage (which miraculously still existed and kept in usable condition for all these decades) — and to begin the process of resurrecting "Rocka Rolla" from these multitrack recordings...

With the task of delving back into time and putting the tapes of "Rocka Rolla" back on the recording studio console, JUDAS PRIEST put their full faith in Tom Allom, known in the JUDAS PRIEST world for producing the iconic "British Steel" and "Screaming For Vengeance" albums, among many others.

As Allom states: "What we did with the multitracks is quite unusual, to completely remix an album from that era, from scratch. So to clarify what we're doing, we're not adding anything musically. We're not re-recording any of the musical parts… We're remixing them, rebalancing them using the technology we have, the modern tools we have now, to sonically upgrade them, and make them sound more powerful."

The results of this remixed version are now available for posterity — the artist-approved version of "Rocka Rolla" is finally here for fans to add to their JUDAS PRIEST collection.

Halford says: "It's great to look back and see our future unfurl — from little metal acorns mighty metal oaks do grow. One small step for metal, one giant leap for metalkind — a lifelong metal journey began with these songs. This album lit the eternal metal flame — as real and fresh as ever five decades on.

He adds: "I'm just thrilled… because it just goes to show you when you get an expert involved in a project, it's likely that you have a second chance. And I think that Tom Allom is giving us a second chance here with the way that a lot of the elements were lost in 'Rocka Rolla'. And it's also nice, like a really nice feeling, especially to attach it to what will be a 50th-anniversary moment. It's just a beautiful feeling."

Tipton says: "This is where it all started for us and 50 years later, we have a great re-mixed and re-mastered version of the original...and the band are still going strong!"

Hill states: "Recorded during nighttime sessions to save costs, over a few weeks in June and July 1974, on a shoestring budget, 'Rocka Rolla' was always going to have its flaws! But walking into my local record store and seeing it on a shelf amongst all your idol's records was the proudest feeling in the world, and I thought, 'Whatever happens now, nothing can change that!' Now remixed by Tom Allom and remastered, 'Rocka Rolla' has finally got the production it deserved!"

Downing says: "At last! This! The first JUDAS PRIEST album can be listened to and enjoyed in the way it was always intended to be!"

"Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed & Remastered)" track listing:

01. One For The Road
02. Rocka Rolla
03. Winter
04. Deep Freeze
05. Winter Retreat
06. Cheater
07. Never Satisfied
08. Run Of The Mill
09. Dying To Meet You
10. Caviar And Meths

Photo courtesy of Chipster PR & Consulting, Inc.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, the hard rock powerhouse founded by guitar icon Zakk Wylde, has unleashed a brand-new single titled "The Gallows" via MNRK Heavy (formerly eOne Music). The track showcases the band's signature blend of bone-crushing riffs, soulful melodies, and a relentless energy that fans have come to expect. "The Gallows" is available across all major streaming platforms.

Wylde, renowned for his exceptional guitar prowess and commanding stage presence, continues to make a lasting impact with this latest release. "The Gallows" captures the dark, brooding essence of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's catalog while infusing it with a renewed intensity that reflects the band's evolution. "The Gallows" embodies the core of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY — raw power, emotional depth, and a commitment to pure, unfiltered hard rock and roll.

Wylde comments: "Berzerkers!!! Here's a new BLACK LABEL song called 'The Gallows'.

"What do you call a fake noodle??? An impasta!!!

"See You ALL at the Berzerkus on Saturday September 14th at Poconos Park, PA!!!"

"The Gallows" exemplifies what BLACK LABEL SOCIETY fans should expect, blistering guitar solos and lyrics that will spark the heart and soul of the heavy metal community.

This past April, Wylde confirmed to Scott Davidson of Chicago's Rebel Radio 92.5 FM that he and his BLACK LABEL SOCIETY bandmates were working on the group's next album. BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's twelfth studio LP will be the follow-up to "Doom Crew Inc.", which came out in November 2021 via MNRK Heavy.

Regarding where BLACK LABEL SOCIETY was in the recording process as of five months ago, Zakk said: "Actually, when I get done talking to you, I'm going to [my studio] Black Vatican. I'm tracking some more stuff today right now. So during the times I'm home, I'll be doing some recording and stuff like that for the next album. I've gotta pick my spot for when I'm home. Then [I] can do some recording, and then, before you know it, we're back out on the road again."

In a separate chat with Metal Mayhem ROC, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY drummer Jeff Fabb stated about the band's next album: "I don't know exactly when it's gonna be released, but I heard some time in the new year. So I would assume that we're gonna tour it. So we're working on it right now. Actually. I'm about to go to [Zakk's] house in the next few days and finish up a few more songs that he wrote. And then, yeah, that's pretty much it. We've got that show in September and then I would assume that we're gonna hit the road at some point."

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY will headline Zakk's inaugural music festival, Berzerkus, on September 14, 2024 at Poconos Park in Bushkill, Pennsylvania. Berzerkus will be co-headlined by outlaw country music's Cody Jinks. Also scheduled to appear are CLUTCH, RIVAL SONS, BLACK STONE CHERRY, ZOSO (the ultimate LED ZEPPELIN experience),THE ATOMIC PUNKS (a tribute to early VAN HALEN) and THE IRON MAIDENS (the world's only all-female tribute to IRON MAIDEN).

Three years ago, Wylde told the Morristown, New Jersey radio station 105.5 WDHA about the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY songwriting process: "The way it always goes, it's always the music first and then a melody. And then I've gotta find out something I wanna sing about. So then I'll write the lyrics. That's usually always the way it goes. And then, when it's all done, then the solos go on it. The painting's all done, and the solo is the frame that goes on the thing. So you can sit back and look at the whole thing. That's the way we pretty much always do it… I would just have a cup of coffee and just start writing riffs. You always get inspired by — for me, it's always Mount Riffmore, which is CREAM, MOUNTAIN, [LED] ZEPPELIN, [BLACK] SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE… If you're not getting inspired by the riffs those guys have created, it's just like… So I'll just go fishing and just start writing till you get to something you like."

Wylde formed BLACK LABEL SOCIETY in 1998 and has kept the band busy in between touring and recording with Ozzy Osbourne, whose backing group he first joined more than three and a half decades ago.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's "Order Of The Black" (2010) and "Catacombs Of The Black Vatican" (2014) both broke into the top five on the hard rock album charts.

Since first joining Ozzy, Zakk has played on all of the BLACK SABBATH singer's solo albums except for 2020's "Ordinary Man", including such classic efforts as "No More Tears" (1991),"Ozzmosis" (1995) and "Black Rain" (2007).

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is:

Zakk Wylde - vocals, guitar, piano
John "JD" DeServio - bass
Jeff Fabb - drums
Dario Lorina - guitar

Photo credit: Jen Rosenstein

Peaceville Records has announced a limited corona vinyl edition of the Darkthrone classic Transilvanian Hunger to celebrate the album’s 30th anniversary. 


Famously written and recorded over a period of just two weeks, Transilvanian Hunger features primitive guitar riffs over a monotonous drum beat creating a feel of hypnotic starkness bringing to mind the rawness of early Bathory. 


Originally released in 1994, during what is often deemed to be the peak of the "Second Wave" of Black Metal, over the years the album has become representative of the definitive ‘90s Norwegian black metal sound and style, often copied but never bettered, and also contains lyrics by Varg Vikernes on half of the tracks.