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17 àâã 2024
DEFENCES Share New Single "Silence & The Sound"; Visualizer
 Future alternative metal greats, Defences, have released their new single, "Silence & The Sound", from their upcoming album Shadowlight, out November 8 via Long Branch Records.
Following strong support in the form of millions of streams across their catalog of releases, numerous UK tours with multiple sell-out headline shows, not to mention numerous festival appearances including Download, Takedown, Turbulence and Burn It Down - the band from Hertfordshire, UK now presents its label debut for Long Branch Records.
The band comments: "With this song sonically, we wanted to create a somewhat eerie soundscape, but with a juxtaposition feel-good Paramore-esque chorus. Ultimately the music itself ties in with the song’s theme of Cherry alone with her thoughts walking in nature, whilst going through a myriad of different emotions in the process. We also decided to feature the original voice notes of Cherry documenting her thoughts, which can be heard subtly in the final mix."
Watch the visualizer for "Silence & The Sound" below:
Defences comments about the album: “Shadowlight stems from a period of solitude and deep reflection, as we explore what it means to accept your inner darkness. Acknowledging, understanding and ultimately accepting it for what it is, learning how to sit with it or use it to change your outlook. The album sees all sides of this, tying in the parallel of the artistic process itself and what it is to create. To open yourself up to the possibility that you may not achieve what you believe in your core to be something you deserve, that you may not reach your potential. This cycle of disappointment and self-sabotage is commonplace, with nothing left but to chase a sense of absolution and validation forever out of reach."
Pre-order the album here.
Shadowlight tracklisting:
"The Curse"
"Gold In The Dark"
"Perish"
"Ego(Maniac)"
"Silence & The Sound"
"Breathe It In"
"Inspirit"
"The Almost"
"Greatness"
"Shadowlight"
"Perish" video:
"The Almost" visualizer:
In September, Defences will return to British stages with new material. Swarm6ix will be joining them as special guests.
Defences are:
Cherry Duesbury - Vocals
William Young - Keys, Vocals
Calum Wilmot - Guitar
Owen Hughes-Holland - Bass
Kyle Parke – Drums
(Photo - Fordtography)
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17 àâã 2024
KINGS OF THRASH Live In Melbourne, Australia; 4K Video Of Full Show Streaming
 Riff Crew are delighted to announce the release of a pro-shoot from the Kings Of Thrash 2023 Australian tour, featuring former Megadeth members David Ellefson and Jeff Young.
Kings Of Thrash performed at Max Watt's House Of Music in Melbourne on July 27. This tour featured the band playing the albums So Far, So Good... So What! and Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! in their entirety. Ellefson has described the video as the best live footage of Kings Of Thrash to date. Watch below:
Kings Of Thrash recently announced their "Anarchy In The UK" tour with special guests Andry and Hellgrimm. The tour is set to kick off October 24 and run through November 2. This tour will feature none other than Grammy Award winning bassist David Ellefson and guitarist Jeff Young, drummer Fred Aching and vocalist/guitarist Chaz Leon.
The tour promises an electrifying experience for fans as Kings Of Thrash makes its debut in the United Kingdom, paying homage to the birthplace of heavy metal. This tour holds special significance as it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the groundbreaking album Youthanasia, platinum (US) and gold (UK) a milestone in Ellefson's illustrious career.
"We are super thrilled to finally bring Kings Of Thrash to the UK, in many ways the origins of heavy metal," said David Ellefson. "Even more so, celebrating some highlights of the 30th anniversary of the 'Youthanasia' album. The UK has been such a fantastic supporter for more than 40 years of our music, so it'll be great to bring to our fans rare tracks and highlights of some of the most monumental albums in thrash metal history."
Says Jeff Young, “I can’t wait to get back to the UK! The last time I played there was with Megadeth in 1988 at Castle Donington for the “Monsters of Rock” festival, so this return trip is long overdue!”
In addition to commemorating the Youthanasia anniversary, the tour will also showcase select cuts from"Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good, So Far...So Good... So What!, and Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? promising an unforgettable experience for both longtime fans and newcomers alike.
The "Anarchy In The UK" tour will be a testament to Kings Of Thrash's enduring legacy and their unwavering commitment to delivering high-octane performances that captivate audiences worldwide.
Limited edition VIP upgrades, Stage Used basses, Best Of The West on CD digipack and LP will be available. For ticket information and tour updates, visit KingsOfThrash.com.
Dates are as follows:
October
24 - The Camden Underworld - London, England
26 - The Waterloo Music Bar - Blackpool, England
27 - Old Fire Station - Carlisle, England
28 - La Belle Angele - Edinburgh, Scotland
29 - Opium Live! - Dublin, Ireland
30 - Limelight 1 - Belfast, N.Ireland
November
1 - Corporation - Sheffield, England
2 - Academy 3 - Manchester, England
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17 àâã 2024
Finland's WHERE'S MY BIBLE Unleash New Single / Video "Rahko"; New Album Details Revealed
 Finland's Where's My Bible is set to release their long-awaited second full-length studio album, Kave, on September 11th via Inverse Records. The single "Rahko" is released today and a stunning music video can be viewed below.
Vocalist Jussi Matilainen comments:
"First of all, I need to explain what 'Rahko' means. It is a malevolent night spirit from Finnish mythology that paints the moon black. Imagine if the moon is the only lantern in the dark that keeps the beasts at bay. What happens when even that light is taken away?"
"'Rahko' and the other songs on the album are based on Finnish and Nordic mythology, which we use as metaphors. We focus on the dark aspects of the human mind and how they can take over. Rahko depicts the full power of the night’s horrors and the threat of dawn. The song gives a taste of what adrenaline-filled death/black metal from Where's My Bible offers while maintaining melodicism. It also feels dangerous to write such songs because I always strongly empathize with them while creating them and try to infuse the emotional state into the music. I am pleased with the result and the way I used my voice brutally and diversely. And all of this is just a glimpse into the song and the overarching theme of the entire album, which unfolds like a story. I would love to share it all with you, but we need to arrange an interview separately so I can elaborate on the whole concept in detail."
Guitarist Pasi Löfgren adds:
"'Rahko' was the second to last song I wrote on the album. I had a feeling that the album need's a fast and massive song where Jussi can also show off his talent. And when i started to record ideas at my home studio it was that magical moment as a composer when the whole song came out from one sitting as it is now."
Listen to "Rahko" on streaming services here.
Tracklist:
"Yö"
"Màni"
"Fenrir"
"Suden Hetki"
"Creator of Abyss"
"Waves"
"Musta Kuu"
"Kave"
"Deyr Sjalfr It Sama"
"Ghost From The Past"
"Rahko"
"Runo"
"Sòl"
"Aamu"
"Creator Of Abyss"
Photo by Teppo Ristola Photography
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17 àâã 2024
PAUL GILBERT's Guitars Stolen In Frankfurt, Germany - "Please Keep An Eye Out For Them; Here Are The Serial Numbers..."
 Mr. Big guitarist Paul Gilbert has shared the following message via Instagram:
"Stolem guitar alert! These four guitars were stolen in Frankfurt, Germany today (August 14). Here are the serial numbers. Please keep an eye out for them, and DM me, or write to paulvsgodzilla@paulgilbert.com if you have any information.
Again, a giant THANK YOU to Ibanez guitars for rushing some instruments to me so I can complete the Mr. Big shows. The guitars 'off the rack' are top quality, and I am rocking with full power!"
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Paul Gilbert (@paulgilbert_official)
Confirmed dates for Mr. Big's current European / UK leg of Mr. Big's The BIG Finish! Tour are as listed:
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17 àâã 2024
Watch LOUDNESS Perform At Tokyo's Crash Crisis 2024; Fan-Filmed Video
 On August 12, Japanese metal legends Loudness performed at Crash Crisis 2024 in Tokyo. Fan-filmed video of their entire set can be viewed below.
Setlist:
"Crazy Nights"
"Heavy Chains"
"Metal Mad"
"Yamato Damashii"
"Soul on Fire"
"Crazy Doctor"
"In the Mirror"
"S.D.I."
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17 àâã 2024
LACABRA Signs With M-Theory Audio; “Fractured” Single Streaming
 M-Theory Audio brings another promising new signing with Lacabra. The group’s new single “Fractured” is available on all digital platforms and also as a music video.
Their enthusiasm about the music and their future made this a no-brainer fit with M-Theory Audio, and they are excited to expose this band to the masses. Lacabra is primed for big things and a name to be reckoned with in the metal world.
“We are extremely proud and honored to be a part of the M-Theory stable,” says vocalist Lance Neatherlin. “Thank you, Marco and Scott for believing in us and we are beyond excited to see where the upcoming years take us on this insane journey! We would also like to give a huge thank you to our fans! Thank you everyone for their support and here’s to the future! Cheers!”
The Seattle based metal outfit Lacabra, which rose from a previous band Locisteller and out of the ashes of the Covid-19 pandemic, brings together the talents of Lance Neatherlin (Lead Vocals), Eric Snyder (Guitar/Vocals), Eric Weber (Bass), Michael Anthony (Guitar), and Richie Sather (Drums). The Locisteller line-up transformed into Lacabra minus founding member Didier Almounzi (Dragonforce, Destroyer 666).
Neatherlin and Snyder (also key members) knew this band was something special and couldn’t be wasted, thus went on to forge a more straightforward and punishing approach with the music.
All of them have been tried and tested in other bands, but it’s fair to say that in Lacabra they’ve caught lightning in a bottle. The band’s eclectic influences range from traditional heavy metal, dark wave, black metal as well as 1990’s melodic death metal, which they interweave seamlessly throughout their songs in a unique and purely original way.
Their live shows are crushingly heavy and intense with dueling lead guitars and stage presence that rival any band out there today. Their performances and unique sound have garnered them a reputation as a must-see band in the Pacific Northwest (US) and beyond, having shared the stage with bands such as Goatwhore, Crypta, Destruction, Swallow The Sun, Abigail Williams, Nervosa, and more.
The band just wrapped up a US west coast tour with French thrash outfit Anthares with a warm-up gig in Seattle coming up opening for Goatwhore before embarking on a French tour with tourmates Anthares overseas in October.
Armed with new management at Extreme Management Group, the band has many plans in the works, between tours and their debut album coming in early 2025 via M-Theory Audio. Stay tuned for updates.
Dates:
August
27 – Seattle, WA – Substation
October
10 – Redon, France – Danett Music
11 – Morlaix, France – MJC
13 – St. Herblain, France – AK Shelter
18 – Esquevilly, France – Le Barde Atomique
19 – Le Haillan, France – Salem
20 – Loriant, France – Pit Dog
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17 àâã 2024
Sweden’s CARNOSUS – Wormtales Out In October; “Within Throat, Within Heart” Video Streaming
 Progressive death metal band Carnosus will release new album, Wormtales, October 18 on CD digipak, gatefold vinyl LP, cassette, and digital formats via Willowtip Records. The release is the band's third overall and first for Willowtip.
Whispered among worms were the rumors of a new album by death metal outfit CARNOSUS. Heavier and darker, slithering its way from Sweden, comes Wormtales, a prequel to the critically acclaimed 2023 album, Visions of Infinihility. Wormtales contains some of the band's most impressive riffs thus far and once again lures the listener into the realm of infinihility.
Indeed, Visions Of Infinihility, the quintet's independently released second album, garnered loads of positive press, further amplifying the anticipation for Carnosus' Willowtip debut, Wormtales.
Carnosus was established in 2011. The band members all come from different subgenres within metal, resulting in a mixture of technical melodic death metal, thrash, progressive metal and a pinch of black metal influences scattered throughout.
Album preorders will be available on Friday, August 16.
Artwork by Timon Kokott:
Tracklisting:
“Birthless”
“Within Throat, Within Heart”
“Neglectikon”
“Yearnings Of A Rotten Spine”
“Worm Charmer”
“Harbinger Of Woundism”
“Paradoxical Impulse”
“Wound Of Wisdom”
“Cosmoclaustrum”
“Solace In Soil”
“Within Throat, Within Heart” video:
(Photo: Anders Larsson)
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17 àâã 2024
STRYPER's MICHAEL SWEET: 'We've Been Mocked From The Very Beginning'
 As part of the "1 Question With…" interview series, Michael Sweet of Christian metallers STRYPER was asked if the band's increasingly heavy and aggressive musical direction has been inspired by the fact that he and his bandmates have never fully embraced in heavy metal and hard rock circles, largely because of their Christian lyrics. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it does upset me often when you see a band come out or a person come out and speak about openly their faith, their belief, whether it's they're a Muslim or they're an atheist or they're Satanist or whatever it is. And [they get applauded for it]. But often when a Christian comes out, a Christian band like STRYPER or what have you, they get [criticized for it]. And it's just the way it is. And people that don't agree with that, they're clueless. Because it's out there everywhere for the world to see. Anyone with eyes and ears can hear it and see it. So, continue to deny that. It's truth.
"We've been mocked from the very beginning," he continued. "If we sang about girls or Satan, we would have been the cool kids. But we're not, because we sing about Jesus.
"METALLICA and SLAYER — no disrespect to those guys, I would never wanna be like those guys," Sweet added. "Not in a million years. Yeah, [METALLICA are] playing stadiums. Who cares? I didn't get in this for the money. I didn't get in this to play stadiums. I mean, obviously, there's a rush that comes with that when you play to a big crowd and it's electrifying. But my point is that's not what we're doing this for. So we don't long to be METALLICA or SLAYER, and we're not that style. I grew up on [IRON] MAIDEN and [JUDAS] PRIEST. That's metal to me. Those are the true metal bands. Classic metal with a great singer and great melody — not the other stuff. Again, this is my opinion. People will disagree with me. Perfect. Totally, that's the way it works. But, man, we're gonna keep being who we are. We have been for 40 years. I don't know how much more time we have left in us or [how many] years we have left in us. It could be another 10 or 15. And we'll just keep doing what we do."
Two and a half years ago, Michael claimed that STRYPER was never a "Christian" band despite the fact that the lyrics in a number of STRYPER songs explicitly point to Christ. During an appearance on an episode of the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast hosted by FOZZY frontman and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho, he explained: "I recently, in the past few yeas, said quite a few times, and it's really caused a stir, that we're not a Christian band. And people say, 'What?' But we're Christians in a rock band. And there's a difference.
"I look at PETRA as a Christian band, I look at SWEET COMFORT, I look at REZ BAND as Christian bands, 'cause they were Christians in a rock band," the STRYPER frontman continued. "And they were brought up in the church, for the most part. We weren't brought up in the church; we were brought up on the streets of L.A. playing Gazzarri's, Troubadour, Whisky, and we became Christians. And we just continued doing what we always did, but with a different message.
"So we're a rock band that's comprised of Christians," Sweet added. "We're really not a Christian band. But if people wanna call us a Christian band, that's okay. But I view us as just a rock band that decided to take a different path."
Michael went on to say that STRYPER's lyrics come from the heart and are not meant to be a marketing gimmick, as is the case with some of the band's more extreme counterparts.
"With a band like SLAYER — not just SLAYER but a number of other black metal bands… What's interesting is STRYPER, we read the Bible, we pray, we go to church, we believe in what the Bible says," Michael said. "So by doing so, so to speak, we practice what we preach. We're not perfect — in any sense of the word, we're not perfect — but we really do our best to represent Christ, represent God and all that God stands for. But it's funny when you hear about SLAYER, and you think Satanic band, pentagram, evil, and then Tom [Araya, SLAYER frontman] is going to church every Sunday with his kids. Which is great. But my point is it's a polar opposite of what they represent themselves as. STRYPER, on the other hand, you get what you get. We are what we are on stage and off stage. It's not like we're going to the satanic church after we get off stage."
Even though STRYPER's third album, 1986's "To Hell With The Devil", made Sweet and his bandmates the first contemporary Christian act to score a platinum album, the group has often felt unwelcome in Christian circles, with some members of the church feeling that Christianity and heavy metal are incompatible.
In a 2018 interview with the Detroit Free Press, Michael said: "We've never been accepted by either side. The secular side, the mainstream, they've never accepted us to this day. We're probably that band that everyone's going to go to whenever there's a time to mock. We'll be the band used for that in most cases. Now on the Christian side, we've never really had the full support of the Christian side because we don't fit into their little club. We're not wearing suits and ties and going to every church and preaching."
Formed 41 years ago, STRYPER's name comes from Isaiah 53:5, which states: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
STRYPER's albums include "To Hell With The Devil", "Second Coming", "No More Hell To Pay", "Fallen", "God Damn Evil", "Even The Devil Believes", "The Final Battle" and the band's upcoming effort, "When We Were Kings".
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17 àâã 2024
IMMOLATION: Official Book 'Into Everlasting Fire' Due This Fall
 Decibel Books has announced the publication of "Into Everlasting Fire: The Official History Of Immolation", a massive 400-page history of one of the most beloved bands in death metal history. Fans can pre-order their copy now, with an expected ship date in November.
Propelled by the dissonant harmonic acrobatics of guitarist Robert Vigna and the subterranean growl and slashing rhythms of bassist/vocalist Ross Dolan, IMMOLATION's core duo not only led death metal landmarks like "Dawn Of Possession" but piloted the band through music industry pitfalls of dubious record contacts, sketchy agents and the mid-'90s commercial collapse of the subgenre they helped perfect — and never abandoned.
For an exclusive preview of "Into Everlasting Fire", fans can read the first excerpt online, which takes readers back to early '90s as the death metal scene was about to explode, and IMMOLATION were about to sign to their first record deal with Roadrunner subsidiary R/C Records.
Ahead of this release, IMMOLATION fans can witness a special "First 20 Years" set at Decibel's 20th-anniversary show on August 31 at Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
"Into Everlasting Fire: The Official History Of Immolation" provides eyewitness accounts from ex-members, label owners, producers and fellow artists who were part of the band's relentless climb to the top of the modern death metal landscape. Penned by longtime extreme metal journalist Kevin Stewart-Panko ("Do You Have Anything To Declare?"),featuring a foreword by DEADGUY guitarist Keith Huckins, and boasting stunning new art from legendary IMMOLATION cover artist Andreas Marschall, "Into Everlasting Fire" is IMMOLATION's fully authorized, unprecedented look into the band's career via countless in-depth interviews, studio recollections, harrowing and hilarious road stories and dozens of exclusive photos.
"We are very excited and extremely proud to announce 'Into Everlasting Fire'," says the band. "It provides a unique glimpse into our world throughout the years as well as a glimpse into our scene from its earlier beginnings right up until the present. Kevin Stewart-Panko did an amazing job in assimilating almost 40 years of stories and memories into a book that will finally give our fans a unique look into IMMOLATION's long and rich history rooted in the beginnings of the death metal scene."
At over 400 pages (including a 16-page color image section) this gorgeous hardcover is available for pre-order now exclusively through Decibel Books.
Photo credit: Dennis Coleman
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17 àâã 2024
KERRY KING: 'People Are The Cockroaches Of The Earth'
 Neon Sunsets - The 80's Channel has uploaded a short video interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King conducted this past spring by two German kids. Asked about the lyrical inspiration for the song "Everything I Hate About You" on his recently released debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", and what he hates most about people, Kerry replied: "People are the cockroaches of the earth. We destroy everything we touch, basically.
"'Everything I Hate About You', I've been asked many times who that's about, and, really, it's not about anybody particularly," he added. "I mean, it's basically for every day of the week. Today I hate somebody different than I hated yesterday. So that's basically how that came about."
The SLAYER guitarist's solo band played its first concert as the support act for LAMB OF GOD and MASTODON on July 19 at the Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas.
The six-week "Ashes Of Leviathan" tour will wrap on August 31 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Joining Kerry in his new band are Mark Osegueda (vocals; DEATH ANGEL),Phil Demmel (guitar; MACHINE HEAD, VIO-LENCE),Kyle Sanders (bass; HELLYEAH) and drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER, TESTAMENT, EXODUS).
In early May, the KERRY KING band performed its first live show at Reggies in Chicago. In the days following, the band went from playing an intimate venue to performing at the huge U.S. festivals Welcome To Rockville (Florida) and Sonic Temple (Ohio).
KERRY KING launched a European tour on June 3 — King's 60th birthday – in Tilburg, The Netherlands. The trek combined headline shows in the U.K., The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Spain but also festival appearances such as Rock Am Ring, Hellfest, Tuska, Download, Sweden Rock Festival and many more.
"From Hell I Rise" was released in May. All material for the LP was written by the 60-year-old SLAYER guitarist. 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.
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17 àâã 2024
DAVID COVERDALE's Three Solo Albums To Be Made Available With Remixes, Remasters And Previously Unreleased Tracks
 David Coverdale, the powerful voice behind WHITESNAKE and former DEEP PURPLE frontman, sees his solo work shine brightly in a new collection featuring remixed, remastered and revisited versions of his solo albums "WhiteSnake" (1977),"NorthWinds" (1978) and "Into The Light" (2000).
"Into The Light: The Solo Albums" will be available from Rhino.com on October 25 as a six-CD boxed set. It comes packaged in a hardcover box featuring a 60-page book with rare photos, detailed liner notes, and a new interview with Coverdale. The newly remixed version of "Into The Light" will also be available separately as a double vinyl album presented in a gatefold sleeve. Additionally, the newly remixed version of "Midnight Blue" is available digitally today.
The upcoming boxed set features two versions of Coverdale's solo albums: one newly remixed to deliver a more dynamic sonic experience and a second remastered from the original recordings for those who want to revisit the classic sound. The remixed versions feature significant updates (particularly to "WhiteSnake" and "NorthWinds") and utilize cutting-edge audio separation software. The track "Time & Again" from "NorthWinds" benefited from innovative voice extraction technology, allowing for new string and piano arrangements that Coverdale has envisioned for decades.
Coverdale shares: "The remixes are modern, using new technology to squeeze the best out of them… Truly exciting to revisit and take care of any technical 'issues' I had with the tracks all those years ago."
"Into The Light", Coverdale's third solo album, boasts an impressive musical lineup that includes guitarists Earl Slick (DAVID BOWIE) and Doug Bossi, bassist Marco Mendoza (who later joined WHITESNAKE),legendary drummer Denny Carmassi (MONTROSE, WHITESNAKE),and keyboardist Mike Finningan (JIMI HENDRIX). The remixed version of the album expands the original with songs like "Let's Talk It Over" and "All The Time In The World". The collection also offers additional remixes, demos, and outtakes from the album, including "With All Of My Heart". Coverdale wrote the song for his wife and considers it one of the best he's ever written.
The set also revisits "NorthWinds" and "WhiteSnake", Coverdale's first two solo albums recorded immediately after leaving DEEP PURPLE. Both albums have been reimagined and re-sequenced for the upcoming collection. "NorthWinds" includes some new arrangements and additional tracks like "Sweet Mistreater" and "Shame The Devil, Tell The Truth", breathing new life into this classic. "WhiteSnake" features impossible remixes thanks to A.I. sound separation softwares, courtesy of technology that has only been available in the last couple of years.
The collection also unearths several unreleased demos from Coverdale's archives, including songs destined for future WHITESNAKE albums. "Lay Your Love On Me" would later appear as "Lay Down Your Love" on 2008's "Good To Be Bad", while "Crazy 'Bout Cha" evolved into "Whipping Boy Blues" on 2011's "Forevermore". The set even goes back to 1968 with demos Coverdale recorded as a teenager, including an early version of "Sunny Days", a track that would appear on his solo debut, "WhiteSnake".
While Coverdale originally released these albums as a solo artist, he now considers them WHITESNAKE albums. He says: "As I'm recognized as 'Mr. Whitesnake,' I thought, Why not? They're all WHITESNAKE albums to me…we've remixed them to stand proudly alongside any WHITESNAKE album."
"Into The Light: The Solo Albums" CD track listing
Disc One: Into The Light (2024 Remix)
01. She Give Me *
02. River Song *
03. Don't You Cry *
04. Love Is Blind *
05. Slave *
06. Cry For Love *
07. Living On Love *
08. Midnight Blue *
09. Too Many Tears *
10. Don't Lie To Me *
11. All The Time In The World *
12. Wherever You May Go *
13. Yours For The Asking *
14. Let's Talk It Over *
Disc Two: Into The Light (Additional Remixes)
01. Love Is Blind (Band Version) *
02. As Long As I Have You *
03. With All Of My Heart *
04. Wherever You May Go (Strings Version) *
05. Love Is Blind (Strings Version) *
Demos & Unfinished Symphonies
06. Lust *
07. Oh No! Not The Blues Again *
08. Into the Light Intro
09. Into The Light *
10. You Make It Hard On Me *
11. Would You Be Happy *
12. Fooling Yourself *
13. Make The Best Of It *
14. Veda of Cassandra Blues *
15. I Can See The Light *
16. Another Fallen Angel *
17. Itchy Finger *
Original Demos 1997
18. Crazy' Bout Cha (Original Version of "Whipping Boy Blues") *
19. If You Want Me *
20. Lay Your Love On Me (Original Version of "Lay Down Your Love") *
Disc Three: NorthWinds (2024 Remix)
01. Keep On Giving Me Love *
02. Sweet Mistreater *
03. NorthWinds *
04. Give Me Kindness *
05. Queen Of Hearts *
06. Only My Soul *
07. Time & Again (String Version) *
08. Say You Love Me *
09. Shame The Devil, Tell The Truth *
10. Breakdown *
11. Time & Again (Piano Version) *
12. Time & Again (Strings Only) *
Disc Four: WhiteSnake MCMLXXVII (2024 Remix)
01. Lady *
02. Blindman *
03. Goldies Place *
04. Time On My Side *
05. Peace Lovin' Man *
06. Sunny Days *
07. Hole In The Sky *
08. WhiteSnake *
09. Celebration *
Young Lad's Blues (1968 Home Demos)
10. Sunny Days (Original) *
11. Love Me In The Morning *
12. I Will Love You *
13. Moment In Time *
14. It Would Be Nice *
15. There Was A Time *
16. Why? *
17. I Still Love You *
Disc Five: Into The Light (Original Mix 2024 Remaster)
01. She Give Me
02. River Song
03. Don't You Cry
04. Love Is Blind
05. Slave
06. Cry for Love
07. Living On Love
08. Midnight Blue
09. Too Many Tears
10. Don't Lie To Me
11. Wherever You May Go
Disc Six: WhiteSnake (Original Mix 2024 Remaster)
01. Lady
02. Blindman
03. Goldies Place
04. Time On My Side
05. Peace Lovin' Man
06. Sunny Days
07. Hole In The Sky
08. Celebration
09. WhiteSnake
NorthWinds (Original Mix 2024 Remaster)
10. Keep On Giving Me Love
11. NorthWinds
12. Give Me Kindness
13. Time & Again
14. Queen Of Hearts
15. Only My Soul
16. Say You Love Me
17. Breakdown
Into The Light (2024 Remix)
2LP Track Listing
LP One: Side One
01. She Give Me *
02. River Song *
03. Don't You Cry *
04. Slave *
Side Two
01. Love Is Blind *
02. Cry For Love *
03. Yours For The Asking *
04. Midnight Blue *
LP Two: Side One
01. Too Many Tears *
02. Don't Lie To Me *
03. All The Time In The World *
04. Wherever You May Go *
Side Two
01. Living On Love *
02. With All Of My Heart *
03. Let's Talk It Over *
* Previously unreleased | +1 | |
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17 àâã 2024
LIVE Releases New Single 'Lady Bhang (She Got Me Rollin')'
 Iconic rock band LIVE has released a brand new single, "Lady Bhang (She Got Me Rollin')" featuring STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' Dean DeLeo on guitar.
"I'm so excited for our fans to hear LIVE's first new release in six years with 'Lady Bhang (She Got Me Rollin')'," says LIVE founder Ed Kowalczyk. "It was such a blast to produce this totally 'in-house' with LIVE's Zak Loy (lead guitar) and Nick Jay (keyboards) producing, with otherworldly rhythm section grooves by LIVE's Johnny Radelat (drums) and Chris Heerlein (bass)… and last but not least, the mystical slide guitar-stylings of the incredible Dean DeLeo of STP! We can't wait to play it onstage this summer with Dean as we share the stage for a nationwide tour with STONE TEMPLE PILOTS! Lyrically, it's that last cocktail before closing time, that final lap of a race that's gone on too long…the song is also a kind of thank you letter to the late Junior Kimbrough and his hill-country brethren for all the inspiration they have given me over the years with their unique and strikingly original blues music. Enjoy and see you on the road!"
Dean DeLeo adds, "Love the track and loved playing on it. Thank you for letting me be a part of it."
The multi-platinum selling bands join forces to celebrate the 30th anniversary of two of the most beloved albums of the 1990s, LIVE's "Throwing Copper" and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' "Purple". Fans of the iconic bands can expect a night of hit songs from those albums and much more, with a full set of music by each group spanning generations.
"Throwing Copper", the third studio album from LIVE produced by Jerry Harrison of THE TALKING HEADS, set alternative radio on fire with consecutive hit singles, including "Selling The Drama", "I Alone", "All Over You" and the unforgettable radio mainstay "Lightning Crashes", which was No. 1 at Modern Rock Radio for 10 consecutive weeks. "Throwing Copper" reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and went on to sell over 10 million copies.
LIVE has sold over 22 million albums worldwide and earned two number one albums: "Throwing Copper" and "Secret Samadhi". Their catalog is filled with such gems as "Lightning Crashes", "I Alone", "All Over You" and "Lakini's Juice", which live on today as classics on rock radio. "Throwing Copper" — which the band celebrated in 2019 with a new deluxe 25th anniversary edition via Radioactive/Geffen/Ume along with a global tour across major festivals, amphitheaters and arenas — produced the band's biggest single, "Lightning Crashes", which was No. 1 at Modern Rock radio for ten consecutive weeks. "Throwing Copper" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and eventually surpassed sales of 10 million albums sold, with Rolling Stone honoring the album with placement on their list "1994: The 40 Best Records From Mainstream Alternative's Greatest Year." "Secret Samadhi" (1997) immediately shot to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and eventually went double platinum. The release of the platinum-selling "The Distance To Here" (1999) turned LIVE into an international powerhouse and moved the band from arenas into stadiums. LIVE has been and remains today a global concert juggernaut. | +1 | |
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17 àâã 2024
FROZEN CROWN Share Video Unveiling New War Hearts Album And Merchandise
 Up-and-coming Italian power metal unit, Frozen Crown, are gearing up to unleash their new studio album and Napalm Records debut, War Hearts, out October 18. The band has shared a new video introducing the album. Check it out below.
Founded in 2017, Frozen Crown has garnered significant media exposure with their previous four albums and their massive hit, "Neverending”, which has gathered over 11 million views on YouTube to date. The fresh ten track offering marks their first as a six-piece band, capturing the essence of Frozen Crown's dynamic sound brimming with powerful riffs, unforgettable melodies, and raw energy.
The band recently revealed their driving single, "Steel And Gold”, featuring swift guitar riffs, relentless drums and a catchy refrain. Transporting the uplifting spirit to keep on fighting, the track is accompanied by an official music video that captures the band in a stunning castle ruin.
Giving a first impression of the youthful, raw and passionate approach to metal, get ready to experience their powerful live performances as the band heads out on tour with Kamelot in the fall of this year.
Frozen Crown comments the new single "Steel And Gold": "We're extremely excited to have the ‘Steel And Gold’ official video finally released via Napalm Records. This is the fulfillment of years of hard work, as well as a fresh start! This video doesn't deviate from the usual Frozen Crown style, it just consolidates it. Very often, our videos have been labeled as 'just a bunch of people having the time of their lives playing metal in some beautiful scenery... plus a lot of hair'. We must say, we totally agree!
This time, though, the beautiful scenery is the gorgeous "Castello dei Doria", in Dolceacqua, Liguria, in northwestern Italy, and the 'bunch of people’ is just one more person on guitar, adding firepower (and hair) to the ensemble. ‘Steel and Gold” is a song about loyalty, integrity and self improvement. It’s about remaining true to your ideals and about the search for unattainable perfection.”
Check out the official music video for "Steel And Gold" below.
Featuring all members on the recording for the first time, War Hearts symbolizes a fresh start and pays homage to the legendary Children Of Bodom with its album title, a band that inspired Frozen Crown's youthful, raw and passionate approach to metal. Addressing themes of self-improvement, awareness, personal growth and inner struggles, album opener and title track "War Hearts” is about fighting for your dreams in the darkest of nights and creates a powerful and uplifting message of always staying strong, making it through the storm as war angels. "I Am The Wind” features soaring choruses with dual vocals from frontwoman Jade and guitarist Federico, ingenious guitar riffs and perfectly blended drums, while the lyrics inspire listeners to let go like the wind and rise to shine again. To wrap up the album, tracks like "Edge of Reality”, inspired by the ’86 Highlander movie, and "Bloodlines”, referencing the Vampire: The Masquerade series of board and video games, showcase the band's colorful storytelling.
Frozen Crown on their new album: "War Hearts is our fifth album, but it's also the first one as a 6-piece band and the first one on Napalm Records. It’s also the first album where all members actually make their appearance on the recording. For these reasons, War Hearts represents a new beginning, a fresh start, and it may be considered the first episode of Frozen Crown "reboot”. We wrote and arranged this album acting like we had no history at all, never afraid to repeat some of our trademark stylistic features. On the contrary, we highlighted and gave more value to them, to make our new songs sound 100% like us. We worked hard on the material to cut away all the useless parts and make the songs as catchy and straightforward they could be, and to make them sound like quintessential Frozen Crown.”
War Hearts will be available in the following formats:
- Ltd. 1LP Gatefold Crystal Clear Black Marbled (Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive) - strictly ltd. to 200 copies
- 1LP Gatefold Translucent Red (Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive)
- Digisleeve
- Digital
Pre-order here.
War Hearts tracklisting:
"War Hearts"
"Steel And Gold"
"To Live To Die"
"Night Of The Wolf"
"On Silver Wings"
"Edge Of Reality"
"Bloodlines"
"I Am The Windv
"King Of The Sky"
"Ice Dragon"
"Steel And Gold" video:
Frozen Crown are:
Giada "Jade" Etro - vocals
Federico Mondelli - vocals, guitar
Fabiola Bellomo - guitar
Francesco Zof - bass
Niso Tomasini - drums
Alessia Lanzone - guitar
(Photo - Federico Mondelli, Alessia Lanzone)
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17 àâã 2024
TEMPLE OF DREAD Release "Sacrificial Dawn" Lyric Video
 Temple Of Dread unchain the brutal track "Sacrificial Dawn" as the next lyric video / single taken from the forthcoming album God Of The Godless, which is scheduled for release on October 4, 2024. Pre-orders can be placed now at this location.
Temple Of Dread comment: "Our second single 'Sacrificial Dawn' is about the Trojan War and about brave warriors who fall victim to the games and intrigues of the gods," guitar shredder Markus Bünnemeyer explains. "Troy... bloody Troy. The song is deliberately kept musically very simple. It is also very groove-driven and rhythmic in places. Once again, our good friend Marc Grewe from AsInHell and formerly Morgoth is supporting us with his vocals. Marc's screams are highly unique, so it is quite remarkable that even for us it's sometimes difficult to make out whether he or Jens is singing. What a brutal dream team!"
God Of The Godless artwork / tracklisting:
“Carnage Ritual”
“Spawn Of Filth”
“Black Scream”
“Sacrificial Dawn”
“God Of The Godless”
“Prophetic Misanthropy”
“Monstrosity Divine”
“Terminal Putrefaction”
“Demise Of Olympus”
“Carnage Ritual” lyric video:
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17 àâã 2024
DAYS OF JUPITER Sign To Reigning Phoenix Music; Release “Original Sin” Single
 After teasing fans for the past few days, Swedish hard rock/metal quintet Days Of Jupiter have announced that a new album is finally in the making, the first to be released through Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). To bridge the gap until their upcoming fifth studio album, tentatively set for release in early 2025, Days Of Jupiter give fans an early taste with their new single “Original Sin” today.
"'Original Sin' is hard hitting and intense with great melodies. It's a killer song with great energy and has quickly become one of our favourites, and we hope it will become one of yours. Are we all destined to be sinners?" the band add.
Days Of Jupiter create an intense, yet empathetic and thoughtful style of metal with a contemporary touch, making them a standout addition to the label's roster. They join a roster which includes many promising acts as well as some of the heavyweights of the scene.
"We are back! Yes, it has been a minute, but now we are back and we are very excited to announce that Days Of Jupiter have signed a worldwide multi-album deal with RPM. We are highly confident that RPM will be able to take us to another level and to spread our music all over the world. We think this is a fantastic combo!" the band admit.
RPM label strategist Nils Wasko adds, "We are delighted to welcome Days Of Jupiter at RPM! The band, with their exceptional singer Janne Hilli, have a truly talent on the microphone who, together with his band members, offers a load of melodic hard rock and alternative metal songs that will amaze fans all over the world. RPM will actively support Days Of Jupiter on this path and advance their career on a national and international level."
Days Of Jupiter are:
Janne Hilli | vocals
Marcus Lindman | guitars
Johnny Grenwald | guitars
Janne Karlsson | bass
Magnus Larsson | drums
(Photo: Robert Hilli / Editing: Jenny Pettersson)
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17 àâã 2024
Watch W.A.S.P. Drummer AQUILES PRIESTER Perform IRON MAIDEN's "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner"
 W.A.S.P. / ex-Angra drummer Aquiles Priester has shared the new video clip below featuring himself performing Iron Maiden's "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner" from the band's 1986 album, Somewhere In Time.
Priester: "A tribute to Nicko McBrain and Iron Maiden."
Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain suffered a mini-stroke in January 2023 and has been on the road to recovery ever since. Guesting on The Washington Tattoo, he recounted the experience and offered an update on his current health.
McBrain: "The first three months of a stroke is where you have the most recovery. After that, the next three months, it's a little less and then the three months after that, and so on and so forth. I'm over — almost a year and a half now, but it will be next week. What's the date? Yeah, ten days' time. So I'm still not back to where I wanna be. I can't do a 16-note roll going into 32nd-note rolls anymore. What happens is I can play eighth notes, like that kind of groove. I can do doubles, but when I try and play that 16th at that speed, instead of going up and down, it wobbles from left to right, when I start playing fast, when I try to play fast. So I've had to adjust my fills now. I mean, I don't play 'The Trooper' fill anymore because I can't get it. It's the speed of it. I can do everything slow, but I've had to make sure that as long as I can keep the groove of the song."
During a Q&A session at Bio Roy in Gothenburg, Sweden on February 25th, when asked about McBrain's ongoing recovery, Iron Maiden fromtman Bruce Dickinson offered the following:
"Honestly, what he did on the last (Iron Maiden) tour was nothing short of amazing. At the risk of going more into my medical history than you really (need to know), in February (2023)... both of my hips are worn out from jumping around on stage and fencing and doing stupid shit. So, I've got like metal ones, titanium, so it's not so heavy. They work great, and I'm running around and doing everything and doing all the stuff that I did before. It's exactly the same, no difference at all. So I had new one, a new right hip in February, and so all of that tour that I just did was all two months, three months after that. Nicko had a stroke almost at the same time. I'm wandering around going, 'Hey, look at me. I got rid of my walking stick and I've stopped taking paracetamol. Everything's fine....' and Nick just sent us a little e-mail going, 'Chaps, just so you know, I had a little bit of a stroke the other day.' I was, like, 'What the fuck?' And it wasn't a little bit of a stroke; it was a proper full-on. Lluckily, his wife got him to hospital, because it happened in his house. They knew exactly what to do, and they gave him this fairly new drug, which kind of, it's kind of like Control-Alt-Delete for strokes; it reboots your system and hopefully it comes back. And the answer is most of his left side all came back within a matter of hours, except his left hand. And Nick, that's his snare drum hand. So how he coped with that, it was just amazing."
"He started learning to drum again because he couldn't hold a stick. He couldn't hold a fork. In fact, when we were mixing (The Mandrake Project) in April in Florida, I invited him up to the studio. I thought he probably needed cheering up a bit, because we didn't start rehearsing until May, so he still had a month to go. So he came up to the studio, and the first thing I thought when I saw him was, 'Wow, you look sensational!' He was tanned and he was skinny; he lost a bit of weight. He goes, 'Yeah, I couldn't hold a fucking fork. I couldn't get out of bed last months.' So, he had not lost his sense of humor there. He explained to me everything he was doing to get his drumming chops back, and he acknowledged he won't be able to do everything that he did - not within a year or two years - but it will come back. He's working every day. He's got a little band and he's made them learn the Iron Maiden set. He's really, really determined because drumming's his life."
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16 àâã 2024
IRON MAIDEN's NICKO MCBRAIN On His Post-Ministroke Recovery: 'I'm Still Not Back To Where I Wanna Be'
 In January 2023, Nicko McBrain, who has been the drummer for the heavy metal band IRON MAIDEN since 1982, was at his home in Boca Raton when he suffered a stroke with partial paralysis. That was the beginning of a challenging journey of physical rehabilitation that followed rapid and precise treatment by stroke specialists at Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton, Florida's Boca Raton Regional Hospital, part of Baptist Health.
McBrain addressed his health issues during an appearance on a recent episode of The Washington Tattoo podcast. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It happened on January the 19th last year. I was actually having cataract surgery that day. And I guess there was a lot of stress and angst, with somebody messing with your peepers. And I was getting them both done at the same time. In the old days, I'd do one at a time just in case it didn't work. You'd be walking around blind in one eye, not both. And I had it on good authority that's the only reason they don't like to do, even today, both at the same time. But I had confidence in the surgeon, with the way they do it nowadays. And I said, 'Oh, can I get done both at the same time?' 'Yeah, no problem.'"
He continued: "Anyway. So I remember I was watching some tennis on the telly. I was up at six o'clock in the morning, which is unusual for me, 'cause I get up about 7:00, 7:30 nowadays. And I got up and I was a little bit anxious. And I lazed on the chaise lounge, and I went to sleep. About eight o'clock I thought, 'I'm gonna have a nap. I feel really tired.' And I woke up about 45 minutes later, and I'd had this stroke. And I thought it was pins and needles, but I couldn't feel the pins and needles. I picked my arm up, going, 'What's going on here?' And I could feel [the arm] but nothing was happening… And I let my arm go and it just dropped, and I'm, like, 'Oh, shit. Something ain't right.' And it didn't paralyze my leg, although my leg was wobbly. Which is a good thing, because my foot still worked. At least one saving grace — God gave me my right foot. It's not quite as good as it was, but… Anyway, I went to the doctors, or they took me to the hospital. I had a whole team of people work around me. It was like I was a superstar. And they didn't even know who I was. That's the sort of treatment that everybody gets when they have a stroke and they go to the Boca Baptist Hospital, [Baptist Health] Boca [Raton] Regional [Hospital]. They have a crew of, like, 12 people around you instantly, no matter who you are. And so after the MRI — they did a CT scan, then I went to an MRI. And [when] I came out, [Marc A] Swerdloff, my neurologist doctor, he had a plethora of students around him, and he had about six kids, young 'uns — I call them kids; they're probably all in their 20s or 30s. Anyway, he goes, you've had a stroke, Mr. McBrain, I went, 'Yeah, tell me something I don't know.' And he laughed. And he said, 'It's a TIA.' I said, 'Okay, so it's not a major stroke.' He said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'We've got this drug called TNK [tenecteplase],' which, what it stands for I've no idea. And he said it's a clot buster, and it prevents any further damage being done to your brain that may have or that has already occurred. He said, 'But there's a risk.' And I said, 'What's the risk?' He said, 'You could die.' I went, 'Okay. So what's the percentage of failure from people [treated with intravenous tenecteplase]?' It [was] seven to nine percent. He says, 'So if you have it, we have to put you in intensive care for 24 hours and monitor you every hour.' And I went, 'Well, okay, let's have it.' He says, 'Sign here.' And I'm right-handed, so I had to put a cross. And he said, 'Just make out as much as you can.' I sort of squiggled my name on a line. He gave it to me outside the MRI. About three hours later, I'm upstairs. And finally, I could move my thumb a little bit — the first thing I could move. I was in for two nights, and the day after I got out, I went for therapy, and I had three physiotherapies a week and OT, occupational therapy. My scapula had dropped and apparently my face was down here, although I could talk. So the only thing I had was a paralysis."
McBrain added: "The first three months of a stroke is where you have the most recovery. After that, the next three months, it's a little less and then the three months after that, and so on and so forth. I'm over — almost a year and a half now, but it will be next week. What's the date? Yeah, 10 days' time. So I'm still not back to where I wanna be. I've probably got… I can't do, I can't do… So if this is a tempo, I can't do a 16-note roll going into 32nd-note rolls anymore. What happens is I can play eighth notes, like that kind of groove. I can do doubles, but when I try and play that 16th at that speed, instead of going up and down, it wobbles from left to right, when I start playing fast, when I try to play fast. So I've had to adjust my fills now. I mean, I don't play 'The Trooper' fill anymore because I can't get it… It's the speed of it. I can do everything slow, but I've had to make sure that as long as I can keep the groove of the song, which is normally…"
Elaborating on how his stroke has affected his playing, Nicko said: "We had the rehearsal [for the spring 2023 MAIDEN tour] starting in April [of 2023], end of April. So I had that three months — March, February, March, April. I had 12 weeks of recovery, basically, before I went and had rehearsal. And, so today my routine now is I do the eight on eight to warm up and try and get my fingers working, but they're not… I'm at the stage now where I've peaked. I've noticed in some of the rehearsals — I play with the TITANIUM TART [side-project] band I've got, which are doing the same set that I'm playing with MAIDEN later this year; we're doing exactly the same set. I've got a couple of gigs coming up this weekend. We rehearse once a week. I've got a rehearsal tonight and tomorrow. So, I'm allowed to be out to try these things out. And they're not working. So, I've reverted back to what I was doing with the band last year, which was playing straighter on those kind of fills. [The song] 'Fear Of The Dark', I'm getting the triplets again and a couple of the hi-hats snap. Those kind of things. It's all about the tempo of the songs. When they're fast, I have a struggle. When they're slow, I can do it."
Three months ago, Nicko reflected on that fateful morning when he suffered a stroke in an interview with Baptist Health. He said: "It was about probably 8, 8:15. I had a sleep. I woke up about quarter to 9. And as I got turned over, my arm wasn't moving. And I thought, 'What's going on?' And I pulled my hand up. I could feel — I had sensation in my hand. And I thought, 'Well, where's the pins and needles? Why has it gone to sleep?' And I started to [squeeze my hand]. And I let my hand go, and it just dropped. And I thought, 'Uh oh.'"
Nicko went on to say that he didn't know if he would be able to recover from the stroke quickly enough to join his MAIDEN bandmates on a tour they had scheduled for that spring.
"I did honestly think that was it," he admitted. "Now I'm laying in the bed, and I'm trying to move, move my hand, at least my fingers or something, encourage my body to, 'Come on, you can do this. You can do this.' Because we had scheduled this tour two years prior. And we were starting in May, and we were gonna do rehearsals starting the last week of April. So I thought, 'Well, I've got three months to see if I can at least play again.' And even holding a drumstick, there was nothing there."
McBrain previously talked about his post-ministroke recovery last December in an interview with Metal Hammer magazine. At the time, he said: "Well, it was very, very difficult. When it first happened, I thought, 'This is it. I'm not going to be able to play. I've got a tour coming up in three months' time.' I had a lot of time for reflection in the hospital. My wife was really my bastion of strength and encouragement and she was with me throughout. I did a lot of strength exercises, a lot of stretches with weird weights that they have and I got my stamina back."
McBrain told Metal Hammer that his MAIDEN bandmates, especially bassist Steve Harris, were very supportive during his recovery.
"Through all this period of time I was in touch with Steve, obviously all the guys, and I'd have a bit of a chat with them on the phone and they were all very, very encouraging, and none more so than Steve," Nicko said. "He said, 'Look, the most important thing is that you get well and work on getting yourself together.'"
Last October, Nicko spoke about his latest health scare during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation Power Trip Special". Asked how the shows on MAIDEN's "The Future Past Tour" have been, Nicko said: "It's going great. It started off a little shaky for me, but as the time [went on] and the more shows we performed, I started to get a little bit more strength and they'd been really rocking out well. And the last couple of months have been fantastic."
The 72-year-old McBrain also talked about his recovery in more detail and touched upon how his health setback affected his drumming. He said: "[I'm] doing good [right now]. I'm still probably — I'd say I'm 85 to 90 percent back to strength, but I still have a little less dexterity with speed in my fingers. My fingers are the ones that — this is the last thing to strengthen up. But I had to change certain drum fills. Some fills that everybody knows me for on certain songs, I've had to improvise those at rehearsals to be able to actually play the songs. So now I'm starting to actually be able to kind of embrace it a bit more. And I can't do that live. I have to wait until we start doing some rehearsals again or whatever it is. But I'm definitely getting stronger. And I've had great support from [MAIDEN manager] Rod [Smallwood], the band, and all of the fans out there. They've been absolutely — they've shown me so much love, it's amazing."
When Nicko first went public with his stroke in August 2023, the drummer said in a statement that the episode left him "paralyzed" down one side of his body and "worried" that his career with the band was over.
McBrain's statement read as follows: "I hope this message finds you all well!
"The reason I'm writing to you all today is to let you know of a very serious health problem that I have been through. In January I had a stroke, thank the Lord it was a minor one referred to as a TIA. It left me paralyzed on my right side from my shoulder on down, of course I was very worried that my career was over but with the love and support from my wife, Rebecca and family, my doctors, especially Julie my OT (Occupational Therapist),and my MAIDEN family I was able to bounce back to somewhere near 70% recovered. After 10 weeks of intense therapy it was almost time to start rehearsals for our tour.
"I feel it's important to let you know about this now instead of earlier as I was mainly concerned with doing my job and concentrating on getting back to 100% fitness. I'm not there yet but by the grace of God I'm getting better and stronger as the weeks go by.
"Thank you all for a most wonderful and magical tour so far, you have all been so amazing.
"Well that's it from me. God bless you all, stay safe and well and I look forward to seeing you all somewhere in time. "
Smallwood added: "The rest of the band and l think that what Nicko has been able to achieve since his stroke shows incredible belief and willpower and we are all very proud of him. With this new and musically very complex set to learn ahead of him, he just got his head down and concentrated on recovery. We honestly did not know if he would be able to play a whole show until band rehearsals started in May and there was just so much support for him from the band and then genuine relief for all when we saw he was going to be able to do it!
"Nicko being Nicko he did not want to make a fuss and cause any distraction to the tour at the time but, now that he is sure he will soon get there, he thought you fans should know straight from him rather than by any rumours! We are all of course delighted he battled through this so well and look forward to many more tours together!"
Four years ago, McBrain was diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer and opened up about it in a single interview in 2021 but otherwise kept it mostly under wraps. The musician received his cancer diagnosis after undergoing an endoscopy at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University Of Miami Health System and the Miller School of Medicine. Within a week, McBrain's cancer was surgically removed and he now gets check-ups every few months to make sure the cancer hasn't returned.
McBrain, who had the cancer in a part of his vocal cords, isn't the first member of MAIDEN to beat cancer. Back in late 2014, IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson was diagnosed with throat cancer. The singer, who had a golf gall-size tumor on his tongue and another in the lymph node on the right side of his neck, got the all-clear in May 2015 after radiation and nine weeks of chemotherapy.
In a 2015 interview with Overdrive, McBrain admitted that he thought MAIDEN was over when it was discovered that Dickinson had a cancerous tumor. "Well, I'd be a liar if I didn't think for a minute that IRON MAIDEN [was] finished," he said. "[But] I thought more about the possibility of losing my friend than anything else, to be honest. Then later, I was thinking, 'God forbid if the worst ever happened, the legacy would be the last 16 albums.'"
McBrain, who is a dedicated Christian, continued: "I've got to be honest, I did question his mortality at one point and thankfully that didn't last long. Honestly, I got down on my knees and said a prayer, picked my thoughts up and got positive about it all, thinking to myself, 'If anyone can beat this, it's Bruce.' He's so positive about everything he's ever done in his life, or whatever he is about to do. Basically, I prayed for him and my prayers were answered, as well as everybody else that knows and cares for him."
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16 àâã 2024
GINGER EVIL – New Single “Dead On Arrival” Released
 Finnish female-fronted rock sensations Ginger Evil have unveiled their new single and lyric video, “Dead On Arrival”, out today via Frontiers Music Srl.
The band commented on the new track: “Writing ‘Dead On Arrival’ was a like making a puzzle; Tomi came up with verses and bridge, Veli brought in the chorus, Toni his cool drum beats and Ella finished the song with catchy melodies. When we had recorded the song, we realised straight away that we had a really cool kick ass song, which was like old school classic rock with a modern twist. A great empowering live song. We wanted to make a lyric video for it so it would be easier for people to understand what the song is about.”
Ginger Evil began as Moonshine Inc. in 2005, in a rehearsal room in Helsinki, Finland. After a couple of years of rehearsal and composing, a fruitless search for a singer meant the songs were put on ice.
Meanwhile, guitarist Tomi Julkunen and bassist Veli Palevaara continued gigging in Finland with The Milestones, including arena shows with Deep Purple and Whitesnake. In the aftermath of their fifth album, those Moonshine Inc. songs from a decade back emerged from hibernation, so the search began again for a vocalist.
The powerful voice of Ella Tepponen was known to Tomi and Veli from many theatre and music projects, and drummer Toni Mustonen was already familiar to everyone. Jamming together found a shared musical passion, and a group creative process soon flourished. Ginger Evil was born.
“From Foo Fighters to Fleetwood Mac," is how the band hears their music, with singer Ella bringing a whole new kind of twist to their rock expression. Everything was coming together. Music producer and film director Richard Stanley, known for his work with The Who heard demos of Ginger Evil and was inspired to write lyrics.
In early 2022 Ginger Evil signed a deal with Deadfall Artist/Band management and a half year later with Frontiers Music Srl. (Def Leppard, TOTO, Whitesnake, Journey). For recording the debut album “The Way It Burns” Ella brought in Teemu Aalto (Insomnium) as a producer, who also handled the final mixes with final mastering by Grammy-nominated Svante Forsbäck of Chartmakers (Rammstein, Volbeat, Sunrise Avenue, Apocalyptica).
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16 àâã 2024
Watch: PANTERA Joined By KIRK HAMMETT And ROBERT TRUJILLO For 'Walk' Performance In Minneapolis
 On Thursday, August 15, METALLICA's Robert Trujillo and Kirk Hammett joined PANTERA on stage for a performance of the song "Walk" during the Philip Anselmo-fronted act's show at First Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Fan-filmed video of their appearance can be viewed below.
According to Setlist.fm, PANTERA's setlist for the concert was as follows:
01. A New Level
02. Mouth For War
03. Strength Beyond Strength
04. Becoming
05. I'm Broken
06. Suicide Note Pt. II
07. This Love
08. Fucking Hostile
09. Walk (with Robert Trujillo and Kirk Hammett on backing vocals)
10. Domination / Hollow
11. Cowboys From Hell
Encore:
12. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit
On Monday (August 12),First Avenue tweeted out news of the PANTERA club show, which took place the night before the reformed band — consisting of classic-lineup members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass),along with Zakk Wylde (guitar) and Charlie Benante (drums) — opens for METALLICA at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
In a new interview with StarTribune.com, Hammett was asked about the reformed PANTERA, which has been supporting METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024. The new PANTERA lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who in 2021 said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.
Kirk said: "I think it's a great thing. It's a tribute to the brothers keeping their legacy alive. And it's a great thing for PANTERA fans. Even though it's not the original PANTERA, you still get to see Phil and Rex, and Zakk and Charlie are doing a damn good job."
Back in March 2023, about five months before PANTERA played its first show as the support act for METALLICA on the latter band's "M72" tour, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich discussed his views on the PANTERA comeback in an interview with Revolver. He said: "I think that the idea that they're out celebrating the music and the magic of PANTERA is ... I know there's been a lot of talk in the community about whether people support that or not. But I'm the type of person, if Glenn Hughes wants to go out and play a DEEP PURPLE set, I'd support that.
"I'm always in favor of people following their musical and creative ambitions; so this PANTERA reunion, I think, is good," he added. "And obviously having Charlie up there is great. I saw a video from one of the Mexico shows that felt like they were in the pocket. It'll be fun to have them out."
Speaking about METALLICA's relationship with PANTERA, which dates back to before Anselmo had even joined the band, Ulrich said: "We met the brothers on the 'Ride The Lightning' tour and became friends with them. This was in Dallas in — what — 1622 or something? It was about 400 years ago. We obviously loved both of them, and they had a posse down there, and we would see them whenever we came through Texas. We watched the band evolve over the years from more rock vibes into that creative, unique force that they became. So, we've had a relationship with them for decades and decades."
After Dimebag was murdered in December 2004, Ulrich released a statement in which he said that he was "fortunate enough to meet both Darrell and his brother in Dallas on tour" in 1985. He went on to say: "The first thing me and my friend did as soon as that tour was over was to head straight back to Dallas and hang out with Darrell and Vinnie for a long time, 'cause they were the coolest mutherfuckers that we had met after criss-crossing the states for three months. That was the beginning of a friendship that was anchored in love, respect, fun, outrageousness, music, booze, sweat, late nights, early mornings, hangovers, headaches, pounding eardrums, sore bodies... the list goes on."
He added: "Darrell and his brother were the cornerstone of musical adventures that were always groundbreaking, pushing boundaries, challenging to themselves and to their fans, respected by their peers and always true musicians' musicians."
During a May 2023 appearance on SiriusXM's "Metal Ambassador" podcast, METALLICA's James Hetfield stated about Dimebag: "Well, what a blessing to have been in his life and him in my life. And yeah, some of those early days, just traveling down there to the Dallas area and meeting with those guys and just hanging out. Yeah, Dimebag introduced me to the solid state amp, I remember. He had this fricking amazing crunch going on. I was, like, 'What is that?' You know? So, uh, yeah. [We] inspired each other. He inspired me as well. No doubt."
Up until his passing, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.
Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.
Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his other home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.
PANTERA🤘🏻😝🤘🏻
Posted by Matt Jacobs on Thursday, August 15, 2024
MOSH PIT CAM!!! I came out of mosh pit retirement to rock it one more time for the special one-off Pantera gig at First...
Posted by Matthew D. Vinge on Thursday, August 15, 2024
Pantera at First Avenue & 7th St Entry ! A hell of a fucking night!
Posted by Chuck Pittman on Thursday, August 15, 2024
Trying to retain a little youth, I saw Pantera tonight at First Avenue before they play US Bank Stadium with Metallica...
Posted by Bruce Colebank on Thursday, August 15, 2024
Pantera's performance at First Avenue in Minneapolis was exceptional. It was truly an unforgettable experience for those...
Posted by John Tusha on Thursday, August 15, 2024
I can't even describe the history I witnessed tonight at the main room. Tickets sold out in 4 minutes. So I grabbed a...
Posted by Carl O Rehbein on Thursday, August 15, 2024
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16 àâã 2024
OBITUARY To Celebrate 30th Anniversary Of 'World Demise' With Full-Album-Performance Livestream
 Florida death metallers OBITUARY will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their fourth album, "World Demise", by performing it in full during an in-studio livestream.
Says the band: "We are super excited and want to invite all our fans around the World to join us September 7th & 8th (5pm EST) as we celebrate the 30 year anniversary of World Demise as we go 'LIVE' from RedNeck Studio in Florida and bring you Back-to-Back Nights of OBITUARY Classics and 'World Demise' Full Album Performance!!"
The first night (September 7) will serve as the final rehearsal for OBITUARY's U.S. tour with SEPULTURA while the second night (September 8) will consist of the "World Demise" full album performance.
For more information, visit obituarylive.com.
OBITUARY's latest studio album, "Dying Of Everything", came out in January 2023 via Relapse Records.
In 2022, Decibel Books released "Turned Inside Out: The Official Story Of Obituary", the fully authorized biography of OBITUARY. The book was written by David E. Gehlke, author of "Damn The Machine: The Story Of Noise Records" and "No Celebration: The Official Story Of Paradise Lost".
Last year, OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy told Kerrang! magazine that the extended hiatus he and his bandmates went on in 1997 was a positive experience.
"Hindsight is 20/20," he said. "At the time we didn't know if that break was going to be one year, two years, six years or whatever it was. But, looking back, it was fantastic for us to step away and recharge, to get away from the music industry and that scene at the age that we were. And we were gone for long enough that we were hungry again when we got back onstage. It's weird to look back at how long ago that was. Our 'second career' has lasted longer than a lot of bands' entire existences."
Photo credit: Tim Hubbard
Obituary celebrating 30 years of World Demise with a Full Album Performance “Studio Stream”
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Posted by Obituary on Thursday, August 15, 2024
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16 àâã 2024
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16 àâã 2024
FALLING IN REVERSE Releases 'Prequel' Music Video
 FALLING IN REVERSE has released the music video for the song "Prequel". The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Popular Monster", out now through Epitaph Records.
The LP, which was produced by FALLING IN REVERSE frontman Ronnie Radke and Tyler Smyth, is the band's first full-length since 2017's "Coming Home".
Elsewhere, the smash single "All My Life", which features a guest appearance by award-winning country music mega-star Jelly Roll, shows absolutely zero signs of slowing down. The track continues to dominate the radio and streaming space. It's a twangy banger that established itself as the feel-good hit of the summer, thanks to its seamless blend of FALLING IN REVERSE's supremely catchy and in-your-face hard rock and Jelly Roll's down-to-earth charm and heartfelt country drawl. Bonding over their shared roots, modest upbringing and rebellious spirits, the collaboration between Radke and Jelly Roll tells a story of resilience through the ups and downs of life. Southern-fried riffs, soaring guitar solos, and singalong choruses make "All My Life" a crossover smash. The song has parked itself at No. 1 at Active Rock radio for 5 straight weeks and No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs chart for 7 straight weeks. The track is also building at Alternative radio — it's currently at No. 26 on the chart, a testament to the song's universal appeal.
FALLING IN REVERSE's summer 2024 headline tour, "The Popular MonsTOUR II: World Domination", kicks off this weekend, on August 18, and will roll through 7,000-12,000-capacity venues, with support coming from BLACK VEIL BRIDES, DANCE GAVIN DANCE and Tech N9Ne. Jeris Johnson appears on select dates.
As all previously announced U.K. dates have either sold out or were upgraded due to overwhelming fan demand, the group has announced new UK dates today. The December 16 show, dubbed "Ronnie's Birthday Bash", marks the band's largest headlining show to date, with a venue capacity of 20,000. The freshly announced dates will include support from ASKING ALEXANDRIA, OUR LAST NIGHT and Tech N9ne.
FALLING IN REVERSE have long made anthems that provoke and inspire. Unnervingly ahead of the pack and yet always decisively right on time, their mix of bombastic declarations and intimate confessions connect with diverse crowds worldwide. The rule-breaking, genre-busting, hellraising band delivers raw emotion with double and triple entendre like Molotov cocktails thrown at pop culture. Since 2017, the band has continued to explode by leaps and bounds. The catalog has clocked billions of streams, several gold and platinum certifications, recognition from top tier press such as Pitchfork, Billboard, The New York Times and Forbes, and several No. 1 radio singles.
"Popular Monster" —both the double-platinum song and now the album of the same name — couldn't have come from anyone else but Radke.
Both Kerrang! and Revolver magazine counted the charismatic Las Vegas-born frontman and bandleader among "the greatest living rock stars" and the album arrives armed with no less than three RIAA-certified gold singles ("Zombified", "Voices In My Head" and "Watch The World Burn"),the double-platinum title track, a reimagined nü-metal classic, and six brand new anthems of furious metal, melody, and hip-hop. Let's not forget the aforementioned, bona fide country crossover with "All My Life" and "Ronald", the delightfully wicked collaboration with Tech N9ne and Alex Terrible of SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL.
FALLING IN REVERSE's catalog has accrued over 6 billion streams. The catalog streaming remains robust at 45 million per week. Over on TikTok, the band has a stronghold, with 6 billion video views, with 4.5 million creations and a 1.8 billion creator reach. | +1 | |
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16 àâã 2024
ALL THAT REMAINS Shares Official Music Video For New Single 'No Tomorrow'
 ALL THAT REMAINS has released the official Tom Flynn-directed music video for the song "No Tomorrow". The track marks the third new single from the Massachusetts-based metal outfit, following the arrival of "Divine" in May and "Let You Go" in June.
In a recent interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", ALL THAT REMAINS singer Philip Labonte spoke about the band's plans to release a new studio album. He said: "We've got some music out, and there's a full-length record coming eventually. And I say eventually, just because I don't wanna give anybody any kind of heads up about when it will come out. 'Cause we're not gonna tell anyone. When it comes out, it's just gonna show up. So, we're not gonna do the big pre-order, blah, blah, blah. It's gonna be, 'Hey, go to Spotify or go to iTunes and listen right now.' But there's a full-length coming. And it'll be well worth the wait. And I hope that ALL THE REMAINS fans that have gotten a taste of the new stuff with [recently released singles] 'Divine' and 'Let You Go', hopefully they're as excited about more new music as we are."
Asked who produced ALL THAT REMAINS's upcoming album, Phil said: "The record is produced by Josh Wilbur. Josh is well known for his work with LAMB OF GOD. He's worked with MEGADETH. He's worked with TRIVIUM. I think he worked with KORN. He's done all sorts of metal records. He did 'The Order Of Things', which is our record that came out in 2015. And Josh and I work tremendously well together. I feel extremely comfortable with his opinions and when we're writing, we'll get together and we'll write the lyrics and stuff together. And his opinion is something that I put a lot of value in it. And I really think that he knows his stuff when it comes to getting not only the sounds that ALL THAT REMAINS looks for, but also helping me to tell the story that I'm trying to tell. A lot of times when we're writing, he'll just be like, 'Well, what's this about?' And he'll ask me to tell him the story behind the song. And he'll just start typing as I'm telling it. And he'll be, like, 'All right, cool. I think we got the first verse here.' And then we'll go ahead and he'll pick lines or words, things that I said, and he'll put them together in a way that looks cool. And then we'll go ahead and we'll adjust it a little bit. I'll change this line or move that around. And he's really, really great at getting the real spirit of what I'm trying to say out of me. And I feel real comfortable telling him really personal things because of that. So, like I said, he did 'The Order Of Things', but he also did 'Victims Of The New Disease', which came out in 2018, the last record we did with [late ALL THAT REMAINS guitarist] Oli [Herbert]. So, yeah, he's a great friend, a great producer and I couldn't be happier to work with him again. He's wonderful."
Released in June, the "Let You Go" video was also directed by Tom Flynn (I PREVAIL, AS I LAY DYING, LAMB OF GOD) and can be seen below.
"Divine" marked ALL THAT REMAINS' first original new material since the passing of Herbert. "Divine" also ushered in a period of rebirth for ALL THAT REMAINS, which is, for the first in its career, 100 percent independent and will be releasing future material on its own label — All That Remains Records.
When "Divine" was first made available, Labonte said in a statement: "It's been a long time since ALL THAT REMAINS released new music. A lot has changed...in both the band, ALL THAT REMAINS, and in the world around us. When we lost Oli in 2018 it was hard to envision a path forward, six years later and I am proud to share 'Divine' with you. ALL THAT REMAINS has new life, and that is thanks to the fans for their years of support. We would not be here without them."
Six months ago, Labonte spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for follow-up to 2018's "Victim Of The New Disease" album during an interview with Rock Feed. He said at the time: "Right now I'm sitting in one of the dressing rooms at Henson [Recording Studios] in Los Angeles. It's a historiful place [being the former headquarters for A&M Records and the location of A&M Recording Studios]. I mean, Charlie Chaplin's lot is here. Studio A, they did 'We Are The World' in. They mixed [METALLICA's] Black Record here. They mixed [Dr. Dre's] 'The Chronic' here. So I'm in this awesome place with all this history.
"This is our second trip here doing drums," he continued. "We did four songs the first trip and that was in June [of 2023]. And now we're doing four more, and then we've got another session booked in March to finish up the drums. And that should be the last of actual tracking. Everything should be done. We might have some odds and ends, like maybe some solo stuff and noodley stuff. But we should be done tracking by the middle of March."
Regarding why it has taken six years for ALL THAT REMAINS to complete a new album, Phil said: "It has been a long time coming because — well, I mean a million reasons: because of COVID, because we had some legal actions with our label. We're no longer on a label. We're self-releasing it. So we're self-financing. We're gonna own it, which is a huge milestone. We had a great agreement with our label. We were supposed to have another record, but they let us go and they let us venture out on our own, which was awesome. I've got tons of love for Fearless and Concord Music Group and stuff, 'cause they let us do our thing. So that's awesome. And we're gonna get it out as soon as we can. We don't want to rush it."
Labonte added: "We started the sessions [for the new album] — really, the first time that I got together with Josh Wilbur, who's producing it. Josh Wilbur, you guys know him from TRIVIUM, from LAMB OF GOD, from a ton of [other bands]. He's worked with us [before]. He did [2015's] 'The Order Of Things', he produced that one, he mixed 'Victim Of The New Disease', so we've got a lot of history with him. But he's here [in Los Angeles], and we started with him — I think it was 2021, is actually when we started with him. He came out the first time and started working on some riffs and some ideas. And then we got our first like real song together in February of last year, where I got with Josh and wrote lyrics for a song. It was actually a song that Jason [Richardson, ALL THAT REMAINS guitarist] wrote the whole thing and kind of gave it to us."
Speaking about the addition of Richardson, who replaced late ALL THAT REMAINS guitarist Oli Herbert nearly six years ago, Phil said: "He's super creative, so it's a ton of fun. And this being his debut with us, we wanted it to be right. Not only is it the first record that we've put out without Oli Herbert, which took us a long time to kind of get used to the idea and figure out what that means and what it looks like and all kinds of things that had to happen since Oli passed away. But this being the first record that comes out with Jason, we want it to be right. There's not gonna be any half-assed [songs] on this at all. There's not any deep cuts — nothing at all. Right now we're eight songs in and there's zero deep cuts. Every single song that we've got, if someone else was, like, 'Oh, let's put this one out as the first single,' it'd be fine. That would work as a first single. And that's a big, big deal. Usually you'll hear three or four songs or five and you're, like, 'Yeah, we've got some killer songs on this record. We've got six great songs.' And there's 10 or 11 songs on the record and you're, like, 'Yeah, these other ones are cool, but we didn't have the time to do with them what we wanted. They didn't quite come out the way we want, and the record label wants to have this many songs on the record, so we don't have time to…' blah, blah, blah. 'We've got a deadline.' So you end up making compromises, and because we're doing it ourselves, putting it out ourselves and we've got a career and we're super fortunate that people still listen to our music and we've still got people out there that support us, so we can take the time to deliver the record that the fans deserve."
In July 2023, longtime ALL THAT REMAINS drummer Jason Costa announced his departure from the group, citing "deeply personal" reasons that "have nothing to do with any drama or anything within the band."
Jason was the featured drummer on the last six ALL THAT REMAINS albums: "Overcome" (2008),"For We Are Many" (2010),"A War You Cannot Win" (2012),"The Order Of Things" (2015),"Madness" (2017) and "Victim Of The New Disease" (2018). He is notable for being one of the few heavy metal drummers to play solely with the "traditional grip."
Back in March 2022, Costa left ALL THAT REMAINS' U.S. tour in order to "deal with some personal matters." He was temporarily replaced by Anthony Barone, who had previously played with BENEATH THE MASSACRE and SHADOW OF INTENT.
Earlier last year, ALL THAT REMAINS's breakthrough album "The Fall Of Ideals", was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States.
In 2022, ALL THAT REMAINS embarked on "The Fall Of Ideals" 15th-anniversary tour.
"The Fall Of Ideals" was reissued in November 2021. The best-selling title features such fan favorites as "This Calling", "Six" and "The Air That I Breathe".
Oli was found dead on October 16, 2018 at the edge of the pond on his Stafford Springs, Connecticut property. He was reported missing by his wife about 3 p.m., and his body was found by police face down at the edge of the pond where the water was only a few inches deep. The medical examiner's office conducted an autopsy showing that Oli had three prescription drugs in his system — the antipsychotic olanzapine, the antidepressant citalopram, and Ambien. It also said: "Mr. Herbert's past medical history is reportedly significant for marijuana use."
ALL THAT REMAINS and MUDVAYNE are supporting MEGADETH on a 33-city, nationwide tour, "Destroy All Enemies", this summer. Produced by Live Nation, the trek kicked off in Rogers, Arkansas on August 2 and will run throughout the month before wrapping in Nashville, Tennessee on September 28. | +3 | |
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16 àâã 2024
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16 àâã 2024
DARK TRANQUILLITY Shares Music Video For 'Wayward Eyes' Single From 'Endtime Signals' Album
 Swedish melodic death metal pioneers DARK TRANQUILLITY have released the official music video for "Wayward Eyes", the fourth single from their latest album "Endtime Signals", which is being made available today (Friday, August 16) via Century Media Records.
Notably, "Endtime Signals" not only marks the thirteenth studio album of the band, but also their tenth album collaboration with Century Media Records. Building on the success of previous releases such as "Atoma" (2016),which climbed up to No. 2 in the Swedish album charts, and "Moment" (2020),which earned the band a Swedish Grammis award, the band is set to continue to redefine and deliver a top-tier musical experience with "Endtime Signals".
In March, DARK TRANQUILLITY released the visualizer for the LP's first single, "The Last Imagination".
"Welcome to the world of DARK TRANQUILLITY once again," the band said. "It's been a while since 'Moment' and we've gone through quite a lot in order to end up where we find ourselves today. But as we can reveal the first single from the upcoming 'Endtime Signals', the feeling is that of pride, accomplishment, and a fair bit of relief."
The band continued: "Going back to what we fundamentally feel is the core of DARK TRANQUILLITY, with a partly new lineup, has been a tremendous experience. It gave us the opportunity to re-evaluate and view what we have built from a new and exciting perspective. This resulted in a focused and intense writing period where we have discovered aspects of our music anew and taken certain elements of it further than before. Joakim Strandberg Nilson has delivered above and beyond in terms of drumming, with Christian Jansson following through in fierce and precise fashion. This has driven the writing and recording process to feel challenging, different and inspiring in the best way possible."
Discussing the album as a whole, the band offered: "Thematically. the album deals with where we are heading, what has truly and fundamentally changed in us and how we find ways to cope with it. It has been hard finding that spark of positivity lately and there is a sense of grief running through the course of the album. Not only in the sense of mourning what we have lost on a personal level, but also where our sacrifices have taken us. 'The Last Imagination' in particular takes this to its logical conclusion and talks of what we leave behind and how hard it is for us to grasp that our significance might not be what we imagined.
"The breadth of the album is something we have worked hard at and we believe that this first song gives an indication if not a full picture of what is in store. There is ferocious speed, grinding brutality and haunting melodies of devastating loss to come. This is us making good on our promise to ourselves and our continuing mission."
"The Last Imagination" stands as a beacon of DARK TRANQUILLITY's unparalleled artistry: The band delves into the depths of the human experience and reflects on the impermanence of life, with a profound lyrical narrative and captivating melodies. This single challenges listeners to confront the finality of their stories, unheard and untold.
Accompanying the release, Niklas Sundin, former guitarist and longstanding collaborator of the band, has crafted captivating visual elements, including the visualizer for "The Last Imagination".
Released in May, the video for the LP's second single, "Unforgivable", came into being while the band was on the road. Shot during the band's tours in Turkey and Mexico, the clip is a manifest of DARK TRANQUILLITY's live energy and presence, and a dedication to their loyal fans all over the world.
Stanne said: "Shot during our recent tours of Turkey and Mexico, the 'Unforgivable' clip showcases the band in its true element. From the intense drums of Joakim Strandberg Nilsson to the thunderous bass of Christian Jansson, the song is propelled forward at a pace not heard from the band in many years. Ripping guitars hold the structure fast as the electronic elements further emphasize the urgency and desperation of the track. A fresh surge of creativity and renewed vigor sparked this song that lyrically draws strength from frustration and helplessness in the face of oppression."
The album release date, August 16, was strategically chosen: It is no coincidence that the album reveal collides with the infamous Summer Breeze in Dinkelsbühl, Germany and DARK TRANQUILLITY's performance at the festival. As a special celebration for the reveal of their new album, the band will give a burning live performance, playing and partying into the release of "Endtime Signals" live on stage.
DARK TRANQUILLITY is:
Mikael Stanne - Vocals
Johan Reinholdz - Guitar
Martin Brändström - Electronics
Christian Jansson - Bass
Joakim Strandberg Nilsson - Drums
Photo credit: Alessandro di Martino
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16 àâã 2024
MARILYN MANSON Shares Music Video For 'Raise The Red Flag'
 Marilyn Manson has released another new song, "Raise The Red Flag". Available now for streaming and on limited edition maxi single CD (Nuclear Blast Records exclusive),the anthemic track is accompanied by a music video directed by Bill Yukich.
"Raise The Red Flag" maxi single CD is limited to 3,000 copies worldwide and ships now.
The track is the second piece of music to be issued by the shock rocker, following the arrival of "As Sick As The Secrets Within" earlier in the month.
"It's time to beat up the bullies/And wash the bullseye off my back," Manson sings in "Raise The Red Flag"'s chorus. "My red flag is your white one soaked in blood."
Marilyn performed "As Sick As The Secrets Within" live for the first time during his headlining concert on August 3 at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Manson returned to the stage August 2 for his first live performance since before the pandemic at the kick-off concert of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's summer arena tour. The show at Hershey, Pennsylvania's Hersheypark Stadium marked Manson's proper gig since the completion of his fall 2019 headlining tour.
Joining Manson on his current tour is his new touring band, consisting of returning members Tyler Bates on guitar and Gil Sharone (ex-THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) on drums, alongside the latest additions, Reba Meyers (CODE ORANGE) on guitar and Matt Montgomery (a.k.a. Piggy D.; ex-ROB ZOMBIE) on bass.
Released on August 3, "As Sick As The Secrets Within", which was recorded and co-produced with collaborator Tyler Bates, marked Manson's first release via his new deal with Nuclear Blast Records.
The news of a partnership with Nuclear Blast came in May, just weeks after rumors suggested that Manson had already completed work on a new album.
Prior to the arrival of "As Sick As The Secrets Within", Marilyn hadn't released new music since his 2020 "We Are Chaos" LP.
Manson's 30-date arena/amphitheater tour as the support act for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is slated to wrap up on September 19 in Houston, Texas.
Over the past three years, Manson has been embroiled in a series of court battles and has been accused by several women — most notably "Westworld" star Evan Rachel Wood — of sexual, emotional and physical abuse.
Manson, who has denied all the allegations, has countersued a number of his alleged victims and judges have dismissed several of the abuse lawsuits against him.
The 55-year-old musician, whose real name is Brian Warner, has been off the road since the final August 18, 2019 date on the "Twins of Evil: Hell Never Dies" joint tour with Rob Zombie.
In 2022, Marilyn confirmed he was dropped by his record label, Loma Vista Recordings, and talent agency CAA after he was accused of sexual assault.
Manson has consistently denied sexually assaulting or abusing anyone, claiming that his "intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners".
Manson's first release through Concord imprint Loma Vista was "The Pale Emperor" in 2015.
"We Are Chaos" debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart.
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16 àâã 2024
AVENGED SEVENFOLD's JOHNNY CHRIST On GOJIRA's Performance At Olympics Opening Ceremony: 'That Was So Cool'
 AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ has weighed in on GOJIRA's performance at last month's Olympic Games opening ceremony.
GOJIRA performed a surprise rendition of "Ah! Ça Ira", a popular song during the French Revolution, alongside opera singer Marina Viotti as well as a number of beheaded figures representing the slain Queen Marie Antoinette.
But the fiery display angered some Christians online, who quickly branded it "satanic". Even the controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate accused the West of "worshipping the devil".
Christ discussed GOJIRA's performance during a recent episode of his Internet TV show "Drinks With Johnny". He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That was so cool. I watched it. I didn't expect it. [I was] watching it with my wife. We watch every opening ceremony together. And it's always cool. You see the country coming together, all the artists of the country, they get a team together and they're, like, 'We're gonna show all the art and history of us.' And I think they did a great job."
He continued: "I was in the other room and I heard metal being played, I was, like, 'What the fuck?' I walk out and I see this amazing performance happening on the parliament house or whatever castle that was. And I'm, like, 'Wait a minute. That's fucking GOJIRA. I know those guys. That's fucking GOJIRA right there.' And I was very happy for them. I was, like, 'That's fucking cool.' And then, of course, 30 seconds later, I was, like, 'Why the fuck haven't I been up there doing anything like that yet?' Fuck, dude. I'm moving to France. Fuck this."
Circling back to GOJIRA's performance, Johnny said: "It was so cool. And they did a cool job of — it didn't feel like it was, 'Oh, now we're just gonna go to metal and it's gonna feel completely out of place at the rest of the ceremony.' No, they still kept it. And with them hanging off the side of it, getting that shot, showing everything, going to the different windows and stuff, I thought it was really well done."
Asked in a recent interview with Rolling Stone about Tate's criticism that GOJIRA's performance was "satanic", GOJIRA frontman Joseph Duplantier said: "It's none of that. It's French history. It's French charm, you know, beheaded people, red wine, and blood all over the place — it's romantic, it's normal. There's nothing satanic. [Laughs]
"France is a country that made a separation between the state and religion during the revolution. And it's something very important, very dear to the foundation of republican France. We call it laïcité. It's when the state is not religious anymore, so therefore it's free in terms of expression and symbolism. It's all about history and facts. We don't look too close closely at symbolism in terms of religion."
Asked if he and his GOJIRA bandmates thought much about the responsibility of representing metal on the world stage, Joseph said: "I try not to think too much about that because it continues to blow my mind. [Laughs] The Olympic Committee could have asked literally anybody to play. I'm thinking of bands like METALLICA or AC/DC that are household names and powerhouses in our genre that we all revere and are our heroes. We never considered ourselves the biggest band in the world that would be worthy to play the Olympics or anything like that. It's so weird.
"The way I think about it is it's a challenge in 2024 to give hope to people, to show something original. People have seen everything from landing on the moon to A.I. So it was a challenge for Paris and the Committee to express something fresh, new, and original [by booking us] and also show what France is all about.
"At least for our part, the fact that metal and opera had never been seen together on TV and in front of so many people before is a statement for the country of France. It's saying, 'Hey, look. We're still pushing the boundaries in the world.' So congrats to France for putting this together."
Regarding who picked the song "Ah! Ça Ira" for GOJIRA, Joseph said: "That wasn't us at all. That was the team of young people and composers and designers that decided the whole theme. We were in the dark when it came to the whole ceremony; we were just concentrating on that picture and that moment of Marie Antoinette. We didn't know how it was going to look or how it would fit in with a whole performance. I didn't know Lady Gaga or Celine Dion were going to be there. We were in [the Olympic Committee's] confidence, and we weren't allowed to tell our people that we were going to do this. We didn't know what was going to happen at all. We just went back and forth with the composer of the Olympic ceremony, Victor le Masne. He threw us a tempo and a guideline. And then we did our thing."
GOJIRA is considered a standard-bearer for French rock and bringing French rock to an international audience. Metal Hammer declared GOJIRA "metal's most important band" in 2016.
GOJIRA has been nominated for a Grammy Award three times — twice in 2017, for "Best Metal Performance" and "Best Rock Album" ("Magma") and once in 2022 for "Best Metal Performance".
GOJIRA's latest album, "Fortitude", entered Billboard's Top Albums chart at No. 1 in May 2021, while also claiming the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Current Albums, Current Rock Albums and Current Hard Music Albums tallies. The release also marked a career high debut on the Billboard 200 for GOJIRA, arriving at No. 12, with several career high chart positions and Top 10 debuts in countries around the globe including: France (No. 2),United Kingdom (No. 6),Australia (No. 3),Germany (No. 8),Belgium (No. 2),Netherlands (No. 4),Denmark (No. 3),Portugal (No. 4),Finland (No. 2) and Norway (No. 10).
Furthermore, GOJIRA concluded a month-long fundraising initiative in support of the indigenous-owned NGO The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) who advocate for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Working with the social good-focused digital platform Propeller, the charitable campaign raised over $300,000 through an auction and raffle of one-of-a-kind items from the band and their friends in METALLICA, TOOL, SLIPKNOT, SLAYER, Slash and more. All proceeds were donated to APIB to support their work aiding the indigenous tribes of the Amazon who have suffered immensely — victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment.
Recorded and produced by Joseph Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA's Ridgewood, Queens, New York headquarters — and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE),"Fortitude" is GOJIRA's first album in five years and the follow-up to 2016's Grammy-nominated LP "Magma". A collection of songs urging humanity to imagine a new world and then make it happen, "Fortitude" has been earning widespread critical praise with Rolling Stone naming it one of their best albums of April 2021 and remarking "It's all the rage of death metal mixed with the conscience of punk rock and the musicality of progressive rock." NPR hailed "Another World" as "an apocalyptic banger," and Paste called "Into The Storm" a "much-needed revolutionary anthem." Stereogum declared, "hearing this band operating at their peak is a life-affirming thing," while Revolver attested "Fortitude" "could spark a revolution."
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16 àâã 2024
REPENTANCE Releases Lyric Video For 'Light It Up'
 Chicago, Illinois-based metallers REPENTANCE have released a lyric video for the track "Light It Up". The clip, which was created by Andrea Mantelli, can be seen below.
REPENTANCE vocalist Adam Gilley says about the song: "'Light It Up' is a great live song with all the elements needed to make it a heavy hitter. It’s about the dismantling of a corrupt kingdom imploding from the inside out. Exposing the truths that lie behind closed doors and giving a voice back to the people."
As previously reported, REPENTANCE will provide direct support for the Swedish metal act ORBIT CULTURE on August 19 at Majestic Theater in Detroit, Michigan and August 20 at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago, Illinois.
REPENTANCE is promoting its sophomore album, "The Process Of Human Demise", which came out last September via Noble Demon. According to a press release, the LP "combines aggressive riffs, powerful vocals, and thought-provoking lyrics, creating a captivating musical journey through the depths of human emotions and the struggles of existence." Produced by Alex Lackner at Accelerated Sound (with mix/master by Chris Collier at CMC21 Productions),the record's pristine production quality perfectly captures the band's raw energy and intensity.
"The Process Of Human Demise" features 12 brand new tracks, including guest contributions from the likes of TRIVIUM's Corey Beaulieu and FEAR FACTORY's Milo Silvestro.
Formed in 2018 by former SOIL and DIRGE WITHIN guitarist Shaun Glass, REPENTANCE released its critically acclaimed debut album, "God For A Day", in 2020, followed by the EP "Volume I – Reborn" (2021).
In a 2020 interview with Live Life Thru Music, Glass stated about his musical influences: "As a kid, I grew up on the classics like KISS, JUDAS PRIEST, DIO, etc. But then I heard harder stuff like RAVEN, METALLICA, SLAYER, VENOM and that really helped shape my style of riffing. I think the listener can hear these influences in REPENTANCE but without blatantly recycling their songs. Everyone has their obvious influences, I guess. It's how you shape them into your own style that is key."
REPENTANCE is:
Adam Gilley - Vocals
Shaun Glass - Guitar
Eric Burns - Guitar
Eric Karol - Bass
Brandon White - Drums
Photo by Alex Zarek | 0 | |
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16 àâã 2024
MESHIAAK Return With New Track "Year We Turned Violent"; Lyric Video Streaming
 After a four-year hiatus, Meshiaak is back and ready to take the metal world by storm with a blistering new track. The dynamic duo of Dean Wells and Danny Camilleri are reunited and more electrifying than ever, bringing you their latest powerhouse single, "Year We Turned Violent".
In a spectacular return, Meshiaak has dropped an official lyric video for the track, capturing the raw energy and ferocity of their original sound. This new song promises to deliver the same intensity and innovation that fans loved in their critically acclaimed debut album, Alliance Of Thieves, and its follow-up, Mask Of All Misery.
Joining forces with Dean and Danny are the original bassist, Nick Walker (from Alliance Of Thieves), and the pounding rhythms of David Godfrey (from Mask of All Misery). Together, they’re bringing you a relentless, no-holds-barred anthem that will surely ignite mosh pits and headbangs alike.
Don’t miss out on this epic return—check out the new song and official lyric video for "Year We Turned Violent" now. Headbang, rock hard, and stay tuned for more from Meshiaak as they gear up for what promises to be an explosive new chapter.
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16 àâã 2024
KIRK HAMMETT On METALLICA's 'M72' Tour: 'This Is Definitely The Largest Production We've Ever Brought Out'
 In a new interview with Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett was asked if the band's "M72" tour still feels fresh to him considering it launched nearly a year and a half ago. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It still feels fresh because we only play so many shows a year. So, I mean, we haven't really been out long enough for any sort of burnout factor to come up. And a lot of times, sometimes it's like four or five months in between times we're on that stage. And so every time we come up to it, I always get a sense of familiarity, and, like, 'Oh, shoot. I gotta get used to the stage all over again. But definitely I'm not burnt on it yet."
Regarding how much METALLICA's live show has changed from the last two times he and his bandmates performed in Minnesota, Hammett said: "Well, in typical METALLICA fashion, things are just getting bigger and bigger. And so this is definitely the largest production we've ever brought out. I mean, the stage is in the middle of a stadium and it's enormous. What can I say? There's four drum kits on it. There's a huge snake pit. It's a completely different vibe from the last two times that we were here."
In support of METALLICA's latest album, "72 Seasons", the band has been playing two-night, no-repeat shows in each city — first in Europe, then in North America, back in Europe, and now once again in North America — as part of the "M72" tour. Each concert sees METALLICA performing on a massive ring-shaped stage, with the Snake Pit in the center, and four drum sets which are equally spaced out around the circular stage so drummer Lars Ulrich can get closer to the audience at various points in the show.
METALLICA will play at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Friday, August 16 and Sunday, August 18.
Touring alongside METALLICA are PANTERA, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, MAMMOTH WVH and ICE NINE KILLS. For this weekend's Minnesota shows, the Friday lineup features PANTERA and MAMMOTH WVH, with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and ICE NINE KILLS playing on Sunday.
A number of METALLICA-themed events will take place on Saturday, including bowling, axe throwing, films about METALLICA, "Name That Tune" competitions and a performance by AND ONE FOR ALL, in between the METALLICA performances.
METALLICA will close out the 2024 touring season with four shows in Mexico City at the end of September.
According to Billboard, METALLICA's production travels in 87 trucks — 45 for the band and its setup, plus two groups of 21 each for the steel stage and towers. There are 130 people in the band's crew, plus 40 steelworkers, local hires and truck drivers.
METALLICA's manager Cliff Burnstein told Billboard that between 80% and 90% of fans at each concert attend both shows.
The "M72" tour launched in late April 2023 in Amsterdam.
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Defences
