|
| |
 |
  |
6 àâã 2024
ANTHRAX's JOEY BELLADONNA: 'I Love Classic Rock'
 In a new interview with Wacken TV conducted at this weekend's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna spoke about his love for classic rock. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "At home, I [sing] constant music like that. I mean, all across the board. It could be CHICAGO, TOTO, STEELY DAN, EAGLES, JOURNEY, and then I can do [Ronnie James] Dio all night and [BLACK] SABBATH… I like covering a lot of stuff. I have my own Joey's Jukebox [show] right now, and over the last couple of years I've put 780 tracks together, and I can do four to six hours, or even more, of just different types of music. I'm telling you, it could go all over the place, where I'll never be in a band to learn all those types of songs. And I mixed and put them all together and I just sing for hours of this stuff and it's a blast. And I get to do great music. I love classic rock. It could even be more of a blues, too — ZZ TOP and THE ALLMAN BROTHERS, or wherever. I can shift from side to side and do all kinds of stuff."
Touching upon the limitations on his singing within ANTHRAX, Joey said: "I don't really have a chance to really dig too deep with ANTHRAX, 'cause our stuff is a little — it's widespread fast and it's hard to sing over some of it to get a melody. So I'm always fighting to get something that would be really sharp and extra, extra good for a song that really is difficult to sing over. 'Cause we have a lot of words to a lot of the stuff."
Asked which classic rock songs are his personal favorites to sing, Joey said: "Anything that has an upper range of where I can take it on fully. That's why that some of the JOURNEY stuff is really… 'cause it's, top-notch tenor type of thing, like KANSAS and YES and FOREIGNER and BAD COMPANY and LED ZEPPELIN and stuff like that. I've always loved singing along to that kind of thing. And anything that really has a lot more depth to it in range. Something that's very low sometimes doesn't give me a chance to take on a nice upper tenor, should I say."
Last month, it was announced that Belladonna had launched a new project called JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK! paying homage to the great bands and their songs from the 1960s through the 1990s.
Joining Joey in his new project is the Dutch classic rock band THE CLARKS, which, for decades, has been known as the most successful rock and roll cover act from The Netherlands, with TV performances and live shows under their belt in all over Europe, USA, India, Indonesia and South Africa.
Belladonna performed by chance with THE CLARKS at the 100th-anniversary event of bus and coach company Royal Jan De Wit on December 8, 2023 in Haarlem, The Netherlands, and they had an instant sensation which brought them together in JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK!
JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK! will make its live debut on August 3, 2024 at the world-famous festival Wacken Open Air in Germany. A club tour will take place in December in The Netherlands.
In the past, Belladonna had played drums and sung for a classic-rock covers band called CHIEF BIG WAY. The upstate New York-based group performed versions of songs from JOURNEY, AC/DC, ZZ TOP, BOSTON, CHEAP TRICK, FOREIGNER, PINK FLOYD, VAN HALEN, COLLECTIVE SOUL, THE WHO, THE DOORS, SHINEDOWN and BON JOVI, among others. Belladonna has also played sporadic shows with his JOURNEY tribute band called BEYOND FRONTIERS.
 | +2 |  |
|  |
6 àâã 2024
BUCKCHERRY's Eleventh Album Will Arrive 'Probably' Before Summer 2025
 In a new interview with the "Everblack" podcast, BUCKCHERRY frontman Josh Todd spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to the band's 2023 album "Vol. 10". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We already got record eleven written. We have a few more songs that we've gotta… We're about three songs short, and we'll get that done. And we're gonna record in November. And we'll have our eleventh record out next year sometime, probably before the summer."
"Vol. 10" came out in June 2023. The 11-song LP featured 10 new BUCKCHERRY originals and, as a bonus track, a cover of the Bryan Adams classic "Summer Of 69". The album was produced by Marti Frederiksen and recorded at Sienna Studios in Nashville. The album was released in North America by Round Hill Records, in Japan by Sony Japan, and by Earache Records for the rest of the world.
Frederiksen previously produced 2021's "Hellbound" as well as BUCKCHERRY's fourth album, "Black Butterfly", and co-wrote "Sorry", among other songs, with the band.
Last November, BUCKCHERRY released a new holiday song called "Tell 'Em It's Christmas".
BUCKCHERRY previously released another holiday song, "Christmas Is Here", back in 2010.
In the summer of 2020, BUCKCHERRY recruited JETBOY's Billy Rowe as its new guitarist. He joined the group as the replacement for Kevin Roentgen, who left BUCKCHERRY in July of that year.
In 2019, BUCKCHERRY enlisted Francis Ruiz as its new drummer. He joined the group as the replacement for Sean Winchester, who exited BUCKCHERRY after laying down the drum tracks on "Warpaint". | 0 | |
| |
6 àâã 2024
New MERCYFUL FATE Bassist BECKY BALDWIN: Meeting METALLICA's LARS ULRICH Was 'A Real Full-Circle Moment'
 In an interview with Guitar World magazine, new MERCYFUL FATE bassist Becky Baldwin was asked what the most surreal moment has been of her career so far. The Birmingham, England-based musician responded: "Probably the MERCYFUL FATE thing. And the show we did in L.A. Dave Grohl came and was hanging out backstage. I just didn't expect him to be much of a massive MERCYFUL FATE fan. But I've got this video of him in the audience singing along, and it's so cool. And then afterward I got to meet him, and that was just a very surreal moment. I also got to meet Rob Halford [JUDAS PRIEST], another great musician. I never thought these things would happen."
She continued: "I was just in Denmark. METALLICA were playing in Copenhagen, and some of the band members are based over there. So I flew over to meet them. We went to see METALLICA and we got to meet Lars [Ulrich] at the end because he's a big MERCYFUL FATE fan. So he was happy to have us there at the show, and this was a real full-circle moment. I was, like, 'Oh my god, you're in my favorite band ever.' And he's, like, 'You're in my favorite band.'"
Becky also talked about her involvement with a METALLICA tribute band in her native United Kingdom. She said: "I dep for them whenever their bass player is away. A couple of years ago, their bass player was really busy and so I did quite a lot of shows. Whenever they need me, I'm happy to step in."
Regarding what it's like to play basslines originally written and recorded by late METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton, Becky said: "Cliff is a very unique player. And I think the more you study his basslines, the more you can see and hear his background in learning piano before he learned bass. So you can see that he'll use different kinds of arpeggios and scales. Whereas I think most of the songwriting was coming from other members of the band that I don't think had that kind of approach. But when he came to add his own mark on it, you can hear that he's applying theory and adding maybe more creative chromatic bass guitar riffs than the other members would present to him. Then he'd be, like, 'Okay, I want to make this make more sense in a musical way, because that's how my brain works.' And that's kind of how I like to write basslines as well. I've always studied Cliff Burton's work as much as possible, so it was really nice to play with a tribute band and be able to take another deep dive into those songs."
This past February, Becky spoke to That Metal Interview about her recent addition to MERCYFUL FATE as a permanent member. The Birmingham, England-based musician previously toured with MERCYFUL FATE in the fall of 2022 as the temporary replacement for Joey Vera who was unable to make the dates due to a scheduled conflict with his longtime group ARMORED SAINT.
Asked how it feels to be a member of MERCYFUL FATE now, Becky said: "It's great. It's just really nice to feel settled into the position now. I did those couple of runs of shows back in 2022, and, of course, it was great to do those, but always being able to see the end in sight and knowing that the next show is probably going to be Joey coming back in to do the live shows. And so now I just feel — I don't know — like a sigh of relief almost that I know that I did a good job doing that first tour and that I feel welcomed and just that my role is stable. I guess before I just wanted to do a good job and make a good impression. And not because I wanted the job permanently — of course, I wanted it, but I never thought that that would be an option. But just to know that such a band that I have so much respect for that I would do a good job, and to know that I did that, because they want me back. It's just very reassuring."
As this past January's Metal Hall Of Fame gala at the Delta Marriott Garden Grove in Garden Grove, California, Becky was asked by The Metal Voice if her addition to MERCYFUL FATE as a permanent member has been in the works for a while. She responded: "I guess the idea was floating around for a while, but it's quite recent still, the news that I was going to be permanent in MERCYFUL FATE. But I guess, as any band does when you've got a lot coming up and there's some kind of — I don't wanna say insecurity within the band, because it's not that; it was just kind of, like, a question about how busy Joey was, and I guess it was kind of in the back of their minds. And the way that the fans reacted when I did the tour was very positive. So it was a natural progression, I guess. But yeah, it all just kind of came about very, very recently in terms of being solidly, like, 'Yes, this is what's happening. And you are gonna be a full-time member of MERCYFUL FATE.'"
Regarding how she came to play for MERCYFUL FATE originally, Becky said: "I think the main person for bringing me into the picture was Hank Shermann. So he was the person who suggested me when they started looking at, like, 'Okay, well, actually, this whole list of male bass players that we're looking through, it doesn't have to be a guy. Who else do we know? Should we start looking somewhere else? Because there aren't any women on this list, and maybe that could be a thing, that could work out for MERCYFUL FATE.' And then I was kind of at the top of Hank's list. And then when he showed King and the rest of the management and stuff some of my videos, it was literally the weekend of Bloodstock [Open Air] festival in the summer of 2022. And they were, like, 'Okay, let's go. Let's go to Bloodstock. And she's gonna be at Bloodstock festival. Let's ask her there.'"
Asked if she is looking forward to perhaps contributing to the songwriting in MERCYFUL FATE as well, Becky said: "I think the songwriting is still gonna be very much King Diamond and Hank Shermann kind of heading up most of that, but definitely writing bass lines. I've studied all of Timi's [Hansen, original MERCYFUL FATE bassist] bass lines very meticulously now, and so I really feel like I can bring some of that into the new bass lines for the next record."
Pressed about whether MERCYFUL FATE's legacy scares her, with "their history of all this satanic stuff," Becky responded: "No, not really. I mean, I guess just their legacy in itself is scary. It's such a big thing. It was such a big part of my life growing up that it's all just very daunting, I guess. And trying to get it right is daunting and scary. But the satanic stuff, no, not really. [Laughs]"
When Becky's addition to MERCYFUL FATE was first announced earlier in January, she said in a statement: "It is a great honor to now be a permanent member of MERCYFUL FATE. I can't wait to join the recording of the new album.
"When I joined as a stand-in on the 2022 U.S. tour, the acceptance and encouragement from the fans was exceptional. A huge thanks to the band, team and fans for the warm welcome. See you in Chile and Brazil this coming April."
After playing the piano as a child, Becky picked up the bass guitar as a teenager and began performing with bands at school. In 2009 she moved from Trowbridge to Bristol to study at BIMM Bristol and became closely involved in Bristol's music scene. Becky holds a BA Honours degree in Professional Musicianship and now lives in the birthplace of heavy metal — Birmingham, U.K.
Becky is an energetic live performer and efficient recording musician who specializes in fingerstyle bass guitar playing, and rock and metal genres. Since 2012, Becky has performed approximately 100 gigs per year, offering her skills for a wide variety of bands (including covers and original bands, genres ranging from metal to folk, urban, funk, pop, jazz and more.) Music has taken Becky all over Europe and into the USA for touring and recording sessions.
Becky is a co-founder of specialist private tuition company Bristol Rock Centre, which runs a teaching and rehearsal studio in Mangotsfield. She has aided exam board Rockschool in the writing and proofing of tuition/exam books including "Let's Rock Bass", the "Popular Music Theory" collection and the 2014 Vocal syllabus. She has led workshops with Bristol Rock Centre and Rockschool, and has given lectures at BIMM Bristol, ACM Birmingham and Access Creative College. Becky has received tuition from top musicians such as Stuart Clayton (CARL PALMER band),Damon Minchella (OCEAN COLOUR SCENE, PAUL WELLER) and Jim Barr (PORTISHEAD, GET THE BLESSING).
Earlier in January, it was revealed that MERCYFUL FATE and Vera had "mutually" decided to part ways.
In 2019, it was announced Vera would be replacing Hansen for the band's summer 2020 European festival appearances due to Hansen's cancer diagnosis. Hansen passed away in November 2019 and MERCYFUL FATE's 2020 summer festival appearances were rescheduled for 2021, and then to 2022.
MERCYFUL FATE's North American tour, which featured support from by KREATOR and MIDNIGHT, followed the band's headlining performance at the 2022 edition of Psycho Las Vegas.
MERCYFUL FATE is currently working on a new album and recently gave fans a taste of the new material when they debuted a song called "The Jackal Of Salzburg" in Germany in June 2022 as well as at Psycho Las Vegas. The band's current lineup is rounded out by Mike Wead on guitar and Bjarne T. Holm on drums.
MERCYFUL FATE was formed in early 1981 in Copenhagen, Denmark by vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann. They were later joined by guitarist Michael Denner and bassist Timi Hansen, and soon thereafter drummer Kim Ruzz would join to complete the band lineup. The band recorded two demos in 1981 and later signed with Rave On Records in Holland for the recording of their successful self-titled EP, released in November of 1982. The "Mercyful Fate" EP was soon in heavy rotation around core metal radio stations, launching a new breed of heavy metal with their unique sound.
The band joined Roadrunner Records in 1983 and their debut full-length, "Melissa", was recorded and released that same year. The following year, MERCYFUL FATE returned to the studio to record their now legendary "Don't Break The Oath" full-length, released in September of 1984.
MERCYFUL FATE embarked upon a two-month U.S. tour in support of the record, which took them across the States several times sharing the stage with the likes of MOTÖRHEAD and EXCITER. The shows had created a brush fire within the metal community. The band reaped recognition globally, closing the year with a five-date tour in Germany with MOTÖRHEAD, GIRLSCHOOL, HELIX and TALON.
MERCYFUL FATE's first concert of 1985 was in their hometown of Copenhagen at an old movie theater with a large capacity. The show sold out and their stage show exhibited a new level of distinction. The night was a huge victory and a new highlight for the band. By April of 1985, however, MERCYFUL FATE decided to part ways for each to pursue new challenges. The KING DIAMOND band was born and reaped critical acclaim the following years with five studio albums on Roadrunner Records. KING DIAMOND has since signed with Metal Blade Records and is going stronger than ever before.
In the summer of 1992, MERCYFUL FATE decided to reunite and penned a new deal with Brian Slagel and his label, Metal Blade Records. "In The Shadows" was released in 1993 and was an instant triumph furthered by a sold-out U.S. tour.
MERCYFUL FATE has gone on to release another five studio albums and have toured Europe, the U.S. and South America multiple times. The highlight of 1999 was their critically acclaimed album "9" which was followed by a European tour with METALLICA, where King Diamond and Hank Shermann joined the band onstage several times for the medley "Mercyful Fate" which METALLICA had recorded on their "Garage Inc." double tribute album the year prior. Tours in the U.S. and in South America followed, marking the band's last live performances for over a decade. MERCYFUL FATE then went on hiatus, but made a brief appearance when members joined METALLICA onstage in 2011 for their 30th-anniversary show in San Francisco, California.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Becky Baldwin (@beckybaldwinbass)
| +2 | |
| |
![=]](/img/news-bord-shr.gif) |
|
  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 àâã 2024
EPICA's Next Album Will Be Band's 'Most Epic' Release So Far
 In a recent interview with Spain's Mariskal Rock, EPICA singer Simone Simons spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the follow-up to 2021's "Omega" album. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think that there should be a single by the end of the summer-ish. That's that's our plan. And the album should be released [in] 2025.
"I just wrote with Mark [Jansen, guitar] and Rob [Van Der Loo, bass] also yesterday that I'm so happy with the songs, I'm so proud how everything turned out and it's gonna be another amazing EPICA album.
"We added a couple of new elements, but also went back to the roots, the old EPICA," she continued. "And yeah, I just can't wait for people to hear this.
"I loved 'Omega' and we toured so much with 'Omega' and had wonderful experiences, but then when you reach the end of a touring cycle, you start to get itchy and feel, 'Okay, now it's time to do the new album. Can we do it as good or maybe even better than the last album?' That's always the thing we strive for, ways to renew ourselves a little bit. And we feel a very strong spiritual connection also that it's our ninth album. So there's gonna be themes around the symbolic meaning of nine, the number nine."
Elaborating on the musical direction of EPICA's next album, Simone said: "The songs are heavy. There's a beautiful ballad, a very cinematic song, very uptempo, very doomy, melancholic and amazing, amazing power riffs. It's the most epic EPICA, I think, so far. Yeah, I think so. I mean, I'm feeling it. I'm very happy with it. I'm proud of it. And they are going to start recording the orchestra now next week. They're flying to Prague; that's where we record the orchestra. And I will be recording my final vocals as well."
In November 2022, EPICA released "The Alchemy Project" through Atomic Fire Records. The EP was co-written and performed with diverse guests ranging from extremists like FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, Niilo Sevänen (INSOMNIUM) and Björn "Speed" Strid (SOILWORK) along with melodic masters like Tommy Karevik (KAMELOT),keyboard legend Phil Lanzon (URIAH HEEP) and Roel Van Helden (POWERWOLF) to a once-in-a-lifetime song with Simons, Charlotte Wessels and Myrkur.
Just one day after the release of its anniversary reissues "We Still Take You With Us" and "Live At Paradiso", EPICA celebrated 20 years of existence live in September 2022 at 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands, the same place where they played their first show (supporting ANATHEMA) back in 2002.
EPICA was formed by Jansen after leaving AFTER FOREVER in 2002, and the band quickly gained attention outside their home country, taking big steps towards becoming the leading symphonic metal superpower they have long proven to be. After their ambitious debut "The Phantom Agony" (2002) and the surprisingly eclectic sophomore work "Consign To Oblivion" (2005),the road took them to new heights via their first concept masterpiece "The Divine Conspiracy" (2007) and their global breakthrough "Design Your Universe" (2009). 2012's opus "Requiem For The Indifferent", 2014's bedazzling "The Quantum Enigma" and "The Holographic Principle" (2016),cemented their reputation as not only one of the hardest-working metal bands in the business but also as one of the best. With "Omega", the final part of the metaphysical trilogy they began with "The Quantum Enigma", they reclaimed the throne without so much as the blink of an eye, amassing three million-plus streams during the first week of the album's release.
Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe
| +1 | |
| |
6 àâã 2024
ACCEPT's WOLF HOFFMANN Says UDO DIRKSCHNEIDER And PETER BALTES Are 'Welcome' To Take Part In 50th-Anniversary Tour
 In a new interview with Metal Journal, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was asked why he and his bandmates decided to announce that they will embark on a 50th-anniversary tour in late 2025 when they still have plenty of touring to do this year in support of their latest album, "Humanoid". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET) "Things like that take time. People have asked me for the last two years: 'Are you gonna do an anniversary thing?' Everybody wants to know. So I finally said, 'Okay, we're gonna do it.' And it's gonna be massive, man. It's gonna be a huge surprise with all the guests that we're gonna have. And I think it's gonna be completely different from anything we've ever done before. So I think it's gonna blow people away. But that doesn't take away from this tour that we have coming up, because, first of all, it's gonna be another year or more before we even go on this next tour. So if you like the new album, 'Humanoid', and if you love ACCEPT, you've gotta see this tour, no matter what. It's gonna be definitely a highlight anyhow."
On the topic of whether there was any talk about possibly announcing a farewell tour to coincide with ACCEPT's 50th anniversary, Wolf said: "We've been doing it for a long, long time. And I honestly don't know how long I can do this. I mean, nobody knows what the future will bring, and it has crossed our mind, absolutely. So, it might be that we go off with a highlight like this and then just really say, 'Okay, this was it.' I don't know yet, to be honest."
Regarding whether former ACCEPT members Udo Dirkschneider (vocals) and Peter Baltes (bass) will be invited to take part in the 50th-anniversary tour, perhaps just in the form of a guest appearance at select shows, Wolf said: "Yeah, of course, of course. That doesn't mean they're gonna [show up]. We have to wait and see. Of course, everybody [is invited]. The door is always open for anybody to join us on this, because it's gonna be a retrospective of all the 50 years of ACCEPT, and whoever wants to participate is more than welcome. Yes, sure."
Asked if he will call Udo and Peter directly to ask them to participate in the tour or if he will wait for their call, a visibly irritated Wolf said: "Can you shut up already? You're not gonna get me to talk about it. I'm sorry, man. I know it's a nice try. Everybody wants to know these things."
Wolf also talked about ACCEPT's plan to release a special album in early 2026 that will cover the band's entire musical history. The anniversary LP will contain a carefully curated selection of the best ACCEPT songs from the last five decades, re-recorded — partly with well-known surprise musical guests and colleagues — as well as with some rare tracks that have not been played so often before. He said: "I can't tell you anything yet, because it's way too early. I can just tell you it's gonna be a massive thing. And I don't really wanna get into it yet because I'm not really here to talk specifics about it. It's still in the planning stages. It's gonna be amazing. I think it's gonna be some really big names that are gonna be participating in that. And you'll have to wait. Sorry. It's just too early."
As for whether ACCEPT has already "selected" the guest musicians who will appear on the album, Wolf said: "Yes, we have selected a lot of it. Not all of it, but we have selected a lot."
Over the past five decades, ACCEPT has sold millions of albums and inspired countless musicians. Their energetic live performances and iconic albums such as "Balls To The Wall", "Restless And Wild" and "Metal Heart" have left a lasting mark on the heavy metal genre. Hoffmann's guitar style and musical vision have made the band one of the most respected on the heavy metal scene.
After a hiatus in the band's career, Wolf was introduced to New Jersey singer Mark Tornillo in 2009. The chemistry and fit between them was so remarkable, ACCEPT reformed and almost immediately rose to global success with chart-topping albums. ACCEPT continues to be celebrated for each of their new records with Mark, who is now the longest-reigning frontman of ACCEPT, placing the Hoffmann-Tornillo partnership firmly in the Metal Hall Of Fame.
For decades, ACCEPT has been recognized as a guarantee of high quality and each of their albums has reached the top of the charts, delivering energy, melodies, killer riffs and an impressively powerful stage presence for 50 years.
ACCEPT and KK'S PRIEST will join forces this fall 2024 for a North American tour. The run will begin on August 31 in Los Angeles, California, visiting a slew of major cities in the USA and Canada — such as Toronto, Montreal, New York and Nashville — before coming to an end in San Francisco, California on October 7.
Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for Dirkschneider, who was the band's original lead singer. Mark can be heard on ACCEPT's last six studio albums, "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017),2021's "Too Mean To Die" and 2024's "Humanoid".
| +4 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
Ex-BLACK SABBATH Singer TONY MARTIN Is Open To Doing Something With TONY IOMMI Again
 In a new interview with Niclas Müller-Hansen of RockSverige, former BLACK SABBATH singer Tony Martin was asked if he would be open to doing something with Tony Iommi again in the future. He responded: "I would, and I've already said that if he felt like doing something I'd be up for it. I don't think Tony is really… What's the word?… I think he's come to the end of his need to do things. He doesn't need to do this stuff. As you get older, and he had that problem with the cancer thing, he's definitely not interested in touring, really. He could do the odd appearance, but he doesn't need to, so I don't know. I'd like to, but it's one of these things… Whilst everybody's still alive, there's always a possibility. I mean, they could still get Bill Ward back in the band and start again, in theory. Once people start passing along, you can't sort of do that anymore. I've already said that I wouldn't mind doing something if they were interested. We'll see how it goes."
As for whether he was involved with putting together the "Anno Domini 1989-1995" box set of the Martin-era SABBATH recordings, which was made available on May 31 via Rhino, the singer said: "No. I had nothing to do with putting it together. They did tell me that they were going to do it and I put a few suggestions forward of what we could possibly have on it. Some of the missing material that I've got that hadn't been used before, but they couldn't do that because of the contract thing so they couldn't really have anything considered 'new BLACK SABBATH' so they had to concentrate on what they already had. They did tell me, but they did it all themselves, Iommi and his engineers, and they did a really good job with it. I went round to his house a few months ago and just sitting there listening it was, 'Bloody hell, sounds really good.' And even 'Forbidden', they remixed it and that sounds like it's grown up, become an adult. They sound like SABBATH songs should sound now. It's more guitar based and slightly less keyboard, but it's SABBATH-y sounding."
BLACK SABBATH released six albums with Martin on vocals: "The Eternal Idol" (1987),"Headless Cross" (1989),"Tyr" (1990),"Cross Purposes" (1994),"Cross Purposes Live" (1995) and "Forbidden" (1995). Eventually, Martin and his "Forbidden"-era bandmates were ousted when Iommi reunited with SABBATH's fellow original members.
For the "Anno Domini 1989-1995" box set, which comes with either CDs or LPs, Iommi has remastered the albums "Headless Cross", "Tyr" and "Cross Purposes" and even remixed "Forbidden".
"There's some great stuff with Tony Martin," Iommi told DPA in a recent interview. "The funny thing is, though, when we had that lineup together, it was difficult because people wouldn't quite all accept it at the time.
"I financed that whole project, the touring and buses and everything else. I paid for it personally," he said. "I really enjoyed the band, I enjoyed the stuff we were doing."
Several albums make their vinyl debut in the LP version of "Anno Domini", while the CD version contains three exclusive bonus tracks: the B-side "Cloak & Dagger" and the Japan-only releases "What's The Use" and "Loser Gets It All". A booklet comes with the set featuring photos, artwork, and liner notes by Hugh Gilmour. The collection also contains a "Headless Cross" poster and a replica concert book from the "Headless Cross" tour.
"Anno Domini" picks up BLACK SABBATH's story in 1989, two decades and multiple lineup changes into the band's groundbreaking career as metal originators. At the time, membership had solidified around riffmaster and founding member Tony Iommi, legendary drummer Cozy Powell (JEFF BECK, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE),singer Tony Martin, and longtime BLACK SABBATH collaborator and keyboardist Geoff Nicholls (QUARTZ, BANDY LEGS).
The group originally released "Headless Cross" in 1989 on I.R.S. Records, the first of four albums SABBATH recorded for the label. Praised by fans and critics alike, the band's 14th studio release produced three singles: "Devil And Daughter", "Call Of The Wild" and the title track. Bassist Neil Murray (WHITESNAKE, GARY MOORE) joined for the "Headless Cross" tour and stayed to record SABBATH's next album, 1990's "Tyr". Named for the Norse god of war, the album explores similar mythological themes in songs like "The Battle Of Tyr" and "Valhalla". On "The Sabbath Stones", the band channels Old Testament fire and brimstone into a classic bruiser.
In 1992, following a successful world tour, this incarnation of BLACK SABBATH was put on hold when the band reunited temporarily with Ronnie James Dio. Two years later, Martin and Nicholls were back in the studio with Iommi to record 1994's "Cross Purposes". The band was completed with the addition of founding SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bobby Rondinelli of RAINBOW.
The "Tyr"-era BLACK SABBATH lineup reunited in 1995 when Powell and Murray returned to record "Forbidden". It was the band's 18th studio album, and its last for nearly 20 years. (In 2013, Iommi, Osbourne and Butler released BLACK SABBATH's final studio album, "13".) "Forbidden", produced by Ernie C of BODY COUNT, the hard rock band fronted by rapper/actor/SABBATH fan Ice-T, who appears on the song "Illusion Of Power". Since its release, sonically improving the album has been one of Iommi's pet projects.
He explained: "I was never happy with the guitar sound, and Cozy was definitely never happy with the drum sound… So, I thought it would be nice to do it for him in a way." He adds, "I just felt that, without changing any of the songs, there was an opportunity to go back and bring out some of the sounds and make it more what people would expect SABBATH to sound like."
In January 2022, Martin reflected on his time with SABBATH during an appearance on "The Ron Keel Podcast", saying: "It doesn't haunt me. It's not a bad thing. I've got a lot to be grateful for. SABBATH is the reason why you, and the world, knows about my voice. So there are things to be grateful for. It was hard work for me. I'm 12 years younger than the rest of the guys, so even just circle of friends was different — they're hanging out with Ian Gillan and Brian May, and my best friend is Dave down the road. So that was a gap. And also the experience — they were way ahead of me in experience, at least 12 years further up the road from me, and I never could quite catch them up; they will always have that much more experience than me. So that was hard work."
He continued: "When I first got the gig, it was actually 1986 that I was put on standby when they were with Glenn Hughes on the 'Seventh Star' album. And I don't know what the issues were, but something went wrong with Glenn and they put me on standby. That scared me to death, 'cause it's Glenn Hughes. I can't sing like Glenn Hughes; nobody can sing like Glenn Hughes. Only Glenn Hughes can sing like Glenn Hughes. So that was really scary. Then they got Ray Gillen in. Then he left — he left to join BLUE MURDER with John Sykes, so they called me again and said, 'You'd better come down to the studio and try this out.' And they gave me one song, which was 'The Shining' off 'Eternal Idol', and then two days later said, 'Okay. You've got the job. You've got a week to finish the album.' So right from the start it was scary — it was huge; suddenly being the frontman of BLACK SABBATH was just ridiculous. And yeah, the whole association with me and my voice lasted 11 years."
Seven years ago, Iommi told I Heart Guitar that "it's a shame" that "it took a lot for people to accept" Martin as SABBATH's vocalist. "It's taken all these years later for people to say, 'Oh blimey, that was a good band with good singing.' So it took a long time to get people to really realize how good it was."
In a 2012 interview with Über Röck, Martin said that he was "surprised" to see Iommi criticizing him in the guitarist's "Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath" book (referring to the Martin period, especially the touring phase following the release of "Cross Purposes" in 1994, Iommi lambasted his former singer as "unprofessional" and having "no stage presence"). Martin said: "I mean, they never said anything to me. Surely, if you've got a problem, the first person you should say something to is the person that's in the band with you... It sounds like a really stupid thing to say, as they didn't say anything to my face — and, if that's the case, then more fool them for not saying anything, because, you know, we could have fixed it. I said to them, endlessly, that if there was anything they wanted changed, done differently, just to say and we could fix it, but clearly, they didn't, they hadn't got the guts to, obviously, and to write about it in a book afterwards seems a bit daft to me. I'm not bitter about it, but it is surprising... It seems a bit stupid to say that after the event." | +7 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 àâã 2024
HANSI KÜRSCH: New BLIND GUARDIAN Music 'Is Not Too Far Away'
 In a new interview with Portugal's Caminhos Metálicos, Hansi Kürsch of German metallers BLIND GUARDIAN spoke about the band's plans for the rest of 2024 and early 2025. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, '25 we are considering at the moment. '24, from the planning, is over. So, we are going to finish the festivals in August, and there are some more in Germany after we play Portugal. And after that there's a break, basically. And hopefully that will take us to at least May '25 until we start considering playing live again. Then, of course, we have to come up with a different set of songs in comparison to what we did this year, always keeping in mind that we play the classical stuff. There is no need for us not to play 'The Bard's Song'. And, yeah, then, of course, it is very essential for us to come up with a regular new album. I doubt that we are able to finish everything in '25, when we do touring as well. But these are different times, and we may just pop out a few songs before we even release an album. But eventually, at one point, there will be new BLIND GUARDIAN music, and that is not too far away."
Two months ago, Kürsch told MetalMasterKingdom.com about the progress of the songwriting sessions for BLIND GUARDIAN's next studio album: "We started songwriting a while ago, but I think we skipped all the ideas we've had. We do that from time to time, because if the span in between the real songwriting and the ones we did before is so big, then it doesn't make sense to keep on working on these songs because you do not get back into the mode, and so it's better to just put them aside. And some of this stuff really got forgotten over the years, and we never touched it again. So, we will start from scratch zero right now. We are still in the mode of 'live band' [due to all the touring we have done]. So I would expect the next songs to be heavy — heavy and aggressive."
Asked if the next BLIND GUARDIAN album will be musically similar to 2022's "The God Machine", Hansi said: "That's difficult to say, because 'The God Machine' is more of a production result than it is in the songwriting itself. The songwriting is not too different from what we did on [2015's] 'Beyond The Red Mirror', but the way we treated the songs in the studio is so different. So the result turns out to be, obviously, differently impressive to people. I would say, yes, we go for individual [songs]. With the lyrics, I am more focused on this than having a conceptual album. When having a conceptual album, you may go musically in one direction also. So we go freestyle."
This past February, Hansi was asked by Australia's Metal Roos if he thinks there will be "a shorter turnaround time" for the band's next studio album, considering that "The God Machine" was the first regular studio LP from BLIND GUARDIAN in seven years. He responded: "I'm pretty sure it's going to be…. I'm not sure how it will look like exactly. We did the re-recordings for 'Somewhere Far Beyond' for the anniversary album, and we did the live recordings in 2022, so this is something certainly to come up very soon. But we're talking about new material. That is still on hold then, because after that we do some acoustic playings, which we also worked on because we had to kill some time. And then, yeah, after Wacken [Open Air] and after these shows we're going to play within this year, we keep our focus on regular songwriting. And I don't know — I would be very surprised to find out that there's no new BLIND GUARDIAN album before '27, which is an accomplishment already, but I'm hoping for either late '25 or '26."
Asked how he and his BLIND GUARDIAN bandmates keep their songwriting fresh after all this time, Hansi said: "You gain a bit of expertise over the years. This is helpful. And then in addition, it's a passion on one hand, it's a profession on the other hand, which makes it a bit easier. And the excitement is still there. I believe maybe that's the central point in BLIND GUARDIAN. Everyone is feeling completely relieved because we have accomplished so much. But everyone is also focused because we build up a market in [a country like] Australia and we still see a development into the right direction. So that's encouragement, motivation, and we have plenty of that. What I have to say is I don't see the moment where we are running out of ideas."
BLIND GUARDIAN's "The God Machine" North American 2024 tour commenced on April 18 at The Fillmore in Silver Springs, Maryland and made its way to Dallas, Seattle, and Toronto before the final performance at Milwaukee Metalfest on May 17. Joining the band as support was NIGHT DEMON.
"The God Machine" was released in September 2022 via Nuclear Blast. The cover artwork for the CD was designed by Peter Mohrbacher.
Prior to "The God Machine"'s arrival, BLIND GUARDIAN's latest release was the all-orchestral album "Twilight Orchestra: Legacy Of The Dark Lands", which came out in November 2019 via Nuclear Blast. To create the concept, lead guitarist André Olbrich and Kürsch worked alongside German bestselling author Markus Heitz, whose novel "Die Dunklen Lande" was released in March 2019. The book is set in 1629 and contains the prequel to "Legacy Of The Dark Lands".
BLIND GUARDIAN's previous "regular" studio album, "Beyond The Red Mirror", was issued in 2015. It was the band's first LP since 2010's "At The Edge Of Time", marking the longest gap between two studio albums in BLIND GUARDIAN's career. It was also the group's first album without bassist Oliver Holzwarth since 1995's "Imaginations From The Other Side".
BLIND GUARDIAN's core trio consists of Kürsch, lead guitarist André Olbrich and rhythm guitarist Marcus Siepen. Drummer Frederik Ehmke has been with the group since 2005.
Drummer Thomen Stauch played on BLIND GUARDIAN's first seven albums before being replaced by Ehmke. Frederik made his recording debut with BLIND GUARDIAN on 2006's "A Twist In The Myth".
Photo credit: Dirk Behlau | +1 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
VELVET REVOLVER - 20th Anniversary Of Contraband Celebrated With Double Vinyl Re-Release Feat. Bonus Cover Songs
 Velvet Revolver's debut album, Contraband, originally released in 2004, mixed elements of hard rock, grunge, and alternative to create a sound that was truly groundbreaking. The collaboration between iconic musicians—Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum of Guns N' Roses, alongside Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots and Dave Kushner—brings a fusion of unparalleled talent and experience. Featuring hits "Fall To Pieces", "Slither", and "Dirty Little Thing", the 20th anniversary edition of the album will also include an acoustic version of "Fall To Pieces" along with five covers.
The 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Velvet Revolver's Contraband will be released on September 13, 2024. Pre-order your copy now at this location.
Tracklisting:
Side A
"Sucker Train Blues"
"Do It For The Kids"
"Big Machine"
"Illegal I Song"
"Spectacle"
Side B
"Fall To Pieces"
"Headspace"
"Superhuman"
"Set Me Free"
"You Got No Right"
Side C
"Slither"
"Dirty Little Thing"
"Loving The Alien"
"Fall To Pieces" (Acoustic)
"Bodies" (Sex Pistols cover)
Side D
"Surrender" (Cheap Trick cover)
"No More, No More" (Aerosmith cover)
"Negative Creep" (Nirvana cover)
"Money" (Pink Floyd cover)
"Slither" video:
"Fall To Pieces" video:
"Dirty Little Thing" video:
| +1 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
GOJIRA's JOSEPH DUPLANTIER To Take Part In Peaceful Protest Demanding Release Of Ocean Conservationist PAUL WATSON
 GOJIRA frontman Joseph Duplantier will take part in a peaceful protest on August 12 in front of the parliament in Copenhagen, Denmark to demand the release of U.S.-Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson.
Watson — founder of the Sea Shepherd activist group and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation — has been held in custody in Greenland since July 21. He is facing potential extradition to Japan on an international arrest warrant related to charges of breaking into a Japanese vessel in the Antarctic Ocean in 2010, obstructing the boat's business and causing injury as well as property damage.
A renowned anti-whaling activist, Watson's lifelong dedication to defending marine wildlife and exposing illegal whaling practices is now under threat. Extraditing Paul to Japan, where he faces a harsh justice system, would jeopardize his safety and send a chilling message to environmental activists worldwide.
Earlier today (Sunday, August 4),Duplantier released a video message on social media and included the following announcement: "Denmark! I will be in Copenhagen on August 12 to demand the release of our friend Captain Paul Watson, global environmental Hero, co-founder of Greenpeace, founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and more recently 'Neptune’s Pirates'. Paul is held captive by Denmark and scheduled to be extradited to Japan where he would spend the rest of his life in jail, because of his efforts to protect marine wildlife around the world's oceans.
"We need to get him out of this situation immediately. His work is the perfect example of constructive 'Civil Disobedience'. He's only trying to slow down activities that are illegal in the first place.
"Whaling has been banned by international laws since 1986. In his own words 'IF THE OCEANS DIE, WE DIE'. Paul also said 'I DO WHAT I DO BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO'. He sees the importance of this fight for the Oceans and ultimately the survival of life on earth. This sums up why we need to stand for him before it's too late.
"The decision of his extradition will be made on August 15 (in less than 2 weeks). We intend to be there and rally as many people as possible to sway the minister of Justice and the Prime Minister's decision.
"Regardless of the outcome, Paul Watson will undoubtedly go down in history as a Hero, and this crucial chapter will be remembered as well as the people who supported him in this difficult situation.
"You can meet me in person in front of the parliament in Copenhagen on August 12 at 11:11am or show your support online by relaying the information about our peaceful protest.
"Will you join me in this fight? I'm counting on you! Wherever you are!
"For Paul, for the Oceans, Joe Duplantier / #gojira #freepaulwatson".
In addition to Duplantier, other supporters of Watson have campaigned for his release and for Denmark not to honor the Japanese extradition request.
The Captain Paul Watson Foundation has called the arrest warrant "politically motivated."
Watson's son Tiger wrote in a social media post: "I love my father. Please let him go, Denmark."
French president Emmanuel Macron has also come out publicly against Watson's extradition.
Throughout GOJIRA's entire career, Duplantier and his bandmates have consistently been involved in environmental activism, bring various issues to the forefront through songs like "Global Warming" and "Toxic Garbage Island" and the number of campaigns they advocate for on their official web site.
In 2021, GOJIRA released the official music video for the band's song "Amazonia" in which the group showcased the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest and how the current crisis is affecting its indigenous communities.
"Amazonia" originally appeared on GOJIRA's latest album, "Fortitude", which came out in April 2021 via Roadrunner Records.
Proceeds from "Amazonia" benefit the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) who advocate for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon who have suffered immensely — victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Gojira Official (@gojiraofficial)
| +2 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 àâã 2024
| 0 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
| 0 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
PAUL BOSTAPH On SLAYER Reunion Shows: 'I Never Saw That Coming'
 In a new interview with Niclas Müller-Hansen of RockSverige, SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph was asked if he was as surprised as Kerry King apparently was about the announcement of three SLAYER reunions shows for later this summer and early fall. He responded: "Yeah. I mean, Kerry knew it before I did, but yeah. I got the phone call and I never saw that coming. Really, when it was done in 2019, I went, 'That's all. That's it.' I'm not going to sit there and go, 'I hope it happens again.; I'm, like, 'It's done. Time to move on.' It was a fun ride while I was there and a great band, but then, all of a sudden, I get that phone call and I was, like, 'Huh?'"
He continued: "It'll be great. It will be great to jam with Tom [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] and Gary [Holt, SLAYER guitarist] and Kerry, which I'm doing anyway [in Kerry's solo band], but just playing SLAYER songs. It's SLAYER, so what's not to really like about it, unless you don't like SLAYER. [Laughs] But yeah, I was surprised about it."
Asked if there was one song that he struggled with more than others when he first started playing with SLAYER, Paul said: "A lot of them. I'm not going to say that I sat down and started playing, like, 'Oh, I know how to play this stuff.' Literally, I had to dissect Dave's [Lombardo, original SLAYER drummer] playing, because for me to even… When I got the call for the audition, and if I come in and can't play the songs the way they should sound, I'm not going to get the gig. It doesn't matter how good of a drummer you are. You've got to give the band what they want, and I'm all about that. It took me a long time and I dedicated a lot of time to it. I had ten days and over those ten days I walked around with headphones on and it was all I listened to. I had like a Sony Walkman with a cassette in it and for each song I had to learn I had the live version taped twice and I had the studio version taped twice and it was all I listened to all day long and I would rewind and fast forward and rewind and fast forward. Some of them were easier because the structure of the song was easier, but it was no fooling around. Dave's drum fills are no bullshit. That's his style and I was doing my own thing and I never tried to… I've played cover tunes with people for fun, but never, like, 'Okay, you're going to get this opportunity to play with this band with one of the most iconic drummers in heavy metal and by the way, you probably should play his drum fills like he does…' I play them the way I play them as close to the way he plays them as possible, but there's only one of him. There's only one Dave Lombardo and there's only one of me and there's only one of everyone else, which is a good thing."
He continued: "Man, if I had to say which one was the hardest one — oh, man. That's a really good question, because there were so many of them that took me some effort to get right. 'Silent Scream' was not an easy one. That was a great one. I wanted to play that one, but they didn't even bring it up. One day I went, 'Can we play 'Silent Scream'?' and they went, 'Wow, we haven't thought about that one.' That was one because there's fast double bass. I was influenced by that song for the FORBIDDEN song 'Infinite'. I heard Dave do double bass and I was, 'I want to do a song like that.'"
Last month, King told Metal Injection about the fact that SLAYER's upcoming reunion shows were announced just weeks after he told Rolling Stone magazine that a SLAYER comeback was unlikely. He said: "I turned [SLAYER reunion offers] down for the longest time. You can imagine we've been turning down offers since December 1st, 2019. And at that point, I thought, 'No, we're never gonna play again.' Tom retired. So it's written. And then offers keep coming, offers keep coming, the money goes up. And this one came around and it was when we were booking shows from my [solo] band, and I go to my manager. I'm, like, 'Are we talking about my band or SLAYER? What are we talking about here?' He's, like, 'SLAYER.' And I'm, like, 'Yeah, but that's done. We hung that shit up. I dropped the chains. Done.' But then it started getting to where this is really gonna be the five-year anniversary of [SLAYER's] last tour. And I went, 'That's kind of cool. Three shows, five-year anniversary. Okay.' That's about all I thought about it."
King continued: "The funny thing about this story is I didn't tell anybody in my [solo] band [that the SLAYER reunion shows were happening]. I'd never been in that situation. And the news dropped that we were doing three shows and everybody blows me up. I'm, like, 'Goddamn it.' 'It never occurred to me to tell you guys.' Never fucking occurred to me. It wasn't a secret. They can keep secrets. I know that. And I felt so bad. It never occurred to me. Paul knew, of course. But poor Phil [Demmel, guitarist in Kerry's solo band] and Kyle [Sanders, bassist in Kerry's solo band] and Mark [Osegueda, vocalist in Kerry's solo band], they all texted me and blew me up. I'm, like, 'I'm so sorry, man. It never occurred to me. This is what's up. This is what's gonna happen. If it happens again, it's gonna be the same thing. We're never gonna fucking make a record. We're never gonna fucking tour. This is my band.'"
Kerry went on to say that he doesn't rule out more SLAYER shows in the future beyond the three festival appearances this summer and fall. "I'm trying to be real and definitely say, hey, we're not gonna tour again," he explained. "And we're certainly not gonna record again, 'cause I have a means of doing that now with my band. [We're doing] three shows for now. And I say 'for now' because I know Europe's gonna come knocking, 'Hey, man, you guys played America. Come see us.' So it wouldn't surprise me if something like that happened, but it's certainly not on my books right now."
Earlier last month, Kerry told Guitar World magazine that he "was very surprised" when Araya agreed to play three SLAYER shows this year. "I made my comments [about SLAYER being finished] based on [Tom] not wanting to play anymore. As far as I was concerned, we were done and never going to play again. To be honest, I don't know what switched.
"We've been turning down offers to play shows for at least three years. So, one came up that, I guess, enticed Tom to the point where he wanted to roll the dice and try a couple. I don't know, but that's all it is."
Kerry added that he would be open to more SLAYER gigs in the future.
"There could be an instance where there's another one-off,” he said. "It just has to be the right offer at the right time, maybe someplace everybody loves to go. But touring, no, I don't see touring. But, you know, who's to say a one-off can't happen again?"
King, who is currently touring with his solo band, previously told Total Guitar magazine about SLAYER's reunion shows: "It caught me off guard too. Do I wish the timing was different? Absolutely, but that's completely out of my hands."
King went on to say that fans shouldn't get their hopes up about a full-scale SLAYER reunion.
"Everyone thinks SLAYER are getting back together, but that couldn't be further from the truth," he explained. "We've been turning down gigs ever since we stopped. This one came and I thought, 'If we're ever going to do one, this could be cool because it's the five-year anniversary of our final tour.'
"We're not going to record anymore," he added. "That final tour was definitely our final tour. This is just a reason to have some fun the guys, play a few shows and then jump back in the coffin…"
In June, King was asked by Jonathan Clarke, host of "Out Of The Box" on Q104.3, New York's classic rock station, about how SLAYER's upcoming reunion shows came about, five years since the completion of what was being billed as the band's farewell tour. He responded: "I'll put it in the perspective everybody can understand. We've been turning down offers since beginning of 2020, pandemic and all. And then it started getting near the five-year anniversary of us stopping playing, so I'm, like, 'You know what? This is a three-show package. I think it would be fun to do.' It's kind of a five-year anniversary of our last tour. We're never gonna tour again — it ain't gonna happen. We're never gonna record again; that's not gonna happen either. But to do commemorative shows, I think that's kind of fun. I don't have to be married to it for a long time. Kids don't have to worry about it coming around on tour because we said we wouldn't. There's not a whole lot of weird diabolical shit going on here. I think people have just gotta say, 'Hey, it's anniversary celebration shows.' That's gonna be the end of it."
Kerry also discussed the SLAYER comeback in May in an interview with Andrew Daly of ClassicRockHistory.com. Asked for about his outlook on the reunion shows, he said: "It's not really much different at all. It's the same heads, same cabs, same pedals, same guitars. You know, there will be a lot of fire when SLAYER plays, and I think, yeah, those shows will just be fun. It'll be fun to play with Gary Holt for a few gigs; I haven't seen him in almost five years, so that will be cool. And it'll be cool to get together with Tom Araya and spit some hate out at people, but don't get used to this being a yearly event."
Earlier in May, King was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he thinks SLAYER's upcoming dates will have a positive or negative impact on the promotional efforts "From Hell I Rise", which arrived on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music. He responded: "I see it both ways. We've [SLAYER] been turning down [reunion] offers for the last four years. Unfortunately, when the right offer came around, this one, it was right as my project was releasing. So there's certainly people, like my management and booking agents, who say, 'Oh, that's great. It's gonna boost your solo thing.' And I'm, like, 'Well, I don't know the business side of it, but it is what it is.' And every time I talk about it to journalists and magazines and stuff, I say, 'Listen, SLAYER is not gonna make another record. SLAYER is never gonna tour again.' May SLAYER do a one-off here or there? Maybe. I told my [solo] band when [the SLAYER reunion shows] came up, I'm, like, 'Listen, this is a blip on the radar to me. This isn't a solo project that's gonna recycle musicians every record cycle. You guys are with me till you don't wanna be.'"
Asked if he envisions SLAYER as the type of thing where the band will do one or two shows a year when a great opportunity comes up, Kerry said: "I'm not even talking yearly. I'm, like, every two years, every three years, every five years. I don't know. 'Cause I'm gonna be super busy with [my solo band] once 2025 rolls around."
On the topic of whether he has spoken to Araya since SLAYER's reunion shows were announced, Kerry said: "I'll tell you the truth, 'cause you know that's how I roll. No, we haven't. But you know what's weird about that? It's not weird. [Laughs]"
He continued: "We'll go probably rehearse off and on for a couple weeks [before the first show], 'cause even though me and [SLAYER drummer] Paul [Bostaph, who is also in Kerry's solo band] will be sharp from playing, playing with different people, you've gotta get sharp together."
Elaborating on his belief that SLAYER's comeback shows will not lead into a full-fledged reunion for the legendary thrash metal act, Kerry said: "The way I look at it, and when I tell you this, it puts it into perspective for a lot of people, I see it as three five-year anniversary shows of our last tour."
Five years after SLAYER played the last concert of what was being billed as the band's farewell tour and just weeks after the SLAYER guitarist unveiled the details of his solo project, Kerry and his longtime bandmates announced that they will play at the Aftershock, Riot Fest and Louder Than Life festivals in September and October.
King also talked about the SLAYER reunion while speaking to Revolver magazine about "From Hell I Rise". Asked if he had known about these shows well before they were officially announced, King said: "If you ask promoters, they're going to have another answer. If you ask booking agents, they'll probably have a third answer. But to me, it kind of came out of nowhere. Have we been getting offers the past few years? Yeah, we turn down offers every year, probably every month of every year. These three festivals are right around the five-year anniversary of our last tour, which I thought was kind of cool. So, I thought this might be the right time to test the water. It will be great to play for the fans again."
Regarding whether the upcoming SLAYER shows will steal some of the thunder away from the touring his solo band will do in support of "From Hell I Rise", Kerry said: "Well, time will tell, and my answer would be, 'hopefully not'. The funny thing is, it never occurred to me until the day the SLAYER announcement came, but Demmel said, 'Dude, is this real?' And I'm, like, 'It's just a few weekends and that's it.' Of course, Paul knew. But I didn't tell Phil, I didn't tell Kyle and didn't tell Mark — and I said to the guys, 'There's no master plan here.' I didn't want anybody to start getting cold feet. I said, 'This is a little moment in time, and yeah, KERRY KING is going to be touring, you know, hopefully later in the year, as well. But SLAYER is an entity and I'm just a person.' But hopefully, we drive on with the solo project."
King also spoke about the SLAYER reunion in an interview with U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. Admitting that the announcement of SLAYER's comeback "was not my favorite timing", Kerry said that the SLAYER reunion "is not going to translate into recording and it's not going to translate into touring. For me, it's three shows marking five years since our final shows, a fun, 'Hey, remember us from before the pandemic?' celebration."
Kerry also explained in more detail why he still has not spoken to Tom since the news of SLAYER's reunion was announced. "It's not like I'm angry with him or anything," King clarified. "We're very different people, and we evolved into business partners at the end of the day. He has very different interests from me, and very different outlooks. Does that make me hate him? No. But I don't need to talk to him every day… We just don't have much in common. When it comes time to rehearse, I'll have no problem showing up. We're professionals, and that's what we do."
When Kerry's solo project was first announced, King told Rolling Stone that he was almost positive he and Tom would never resurrect the band. "I can pretty much a hundred percent say no because I have a new outlet, and it's not SLAYER, but it sounds like SLAYER," King said of a potential SLAYER reunion.
The lineup for SLAYER's comeback will be the same as the one which last toured in 2019: Araya and King, along with Holt (also of EXODUS) and Bostaph.
Days after SLAYER's reunion was announced, Tom Araya's wife wrote on social media that she "harassed him for over a year" before he "agreed finally" to play more shows with the band. "We shared that news with SLAYER's awesome managers and they did the rest!" she explained. "So yes without Tom it wouldn't have happened.. without me BUGGING HIM it wouldn't have happened."
Both Gary and his wife Lisa Holt were among the hundreds of people who "liked" Sandra's Instagram post, with Lisa sharing three heart emojis in response to Sandra's message.
In a statement confirming SLAYER's return, Tom said: "Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we're on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans, and to be honest, we have missed that." King added: "Have I missed playing live? Absolutely. SLAYER means a lot to our fans; they mean a lot to us. It will be five years since we have seen them."
The same day that SLAYER's comeback was announced, Holt's wife Lisa Holt took to her social media to write: "Yes, it's true..and an exciting adventure for the band and fans !
"To all the people saying 'they are liars' 'they must have ran out of money' 'its not SLAYER without so and so' ..I have an idea for you all...DON'T GO.. and for all the people who did go to the final tour dates and enjoyed it...awesome!!
"This isn't a 'TOUR' it's some dates..and GREAT NEWS!!!" she added. "And everyone that thinks they know all the inside info..you can't possibly know. so just enjoy the fact that this amazing band will play some amazing shows this year...go or don't..nobody cares!!!!!"
Three weeks before SLAYER's reunion was announced, Kerry told Rolling Stone that he didn't foresee SLAYER coming back together for the foreseeable future.
"Will SLAYER tour again? I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. Could SLAYER play a show again? I'm sure there's a scenario," King said, adding that he hadn't spoken to Araya since that final show. "Am I looking for it? No, I'm just getting ready to start my [solo] career. So if that happens, it happens. But I'm going to be doing this for the next 10 years at least."
SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, Kerry's wife Ayesha said that there is "not a chance in hell" that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances.
SLAYER's final world tour began on May 10, 2018 with the band's intention to play as many places as possible, to make it easy for the fans to see one last SLAYER show and say goodbye. By the time the 18-month trek wrapped at the Forum, the band had completed seven tour legs plus a series of one-off major summer festivals, performing more than 140 shows in 30 countries and 40 U.S. states.
All material for "From Hell I Rise" was written by King, who was accompanied during the recording sessions by Bostaph, Demmel, Sanders and Osegueda. Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles last year was producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.
| +6 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 àâã 2024
Drummer JASON BITTNER Announces His Departure From OVERKILL
 Jason Bittner has announced he has played his last show with New Jersey thrashers Overkill and will shift his focus to Shadows Fall and his new band Category 7. Bittner joined Overkill in 2017 and played on the studio albums The Wings Of War (2019) and Scorched (2023).
Bittner says in a statement:
"On August 1, 2024, I played the Vagos Metal Fest in Portugal, and it was the last show I will play in the band Overkill. For a while now I have been juggling a few different bands along with Overkill, and I knew at some point something would have to give since I simply can’t be three places at once. Over the course of this last year, my schedule has reached that breaking point.
"At this time Shadows Fall is working towards completion of our new material that will take us back out on the road sometime in 2025, as well as our fall shows we have booked for the rest of this year celebrating 20 years of The War Within.
"Compounded on top of this is my new band, Metal Blade recording artists Category 7 whose album just hit the shelves last month and will start touring soon through 2025. All of this adds up to something having to 'take a break', so as of today I no longer play drums in Overkill so I can concentrate solely on the bands that I am a full member/owner of.
"Now don’t worry – they currently have another great drummer already learning the material, and he will be ready to do battle for the upcoming tours. I would like to thank EVERYONE in the Overkill extended family for 7 1/2 years of laughs, killer shows, and fun around the globe.
"All our crew members throughout my run, our agents Dolores Lokas and Mike Monterulo, my tech Animal for always having my back (Shake and Bake), as well as all of our crew past and present, the SKULLKRUSHERS (much love Jurgen), and all the fans who supported my tenure in the band, I love you all, thank you, and will miss you on the European and King Diamond tours… but I’ll see you out there with Shadows Fall and Category 7."
| +5 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
LORDI Releases New Standalone Single 'Made Of Metal'
 Merging the worlds of heavy metal music and cutting-edge technology, Finnish hard rock legends LORDI unleash their ferocious new single "Made Of Metal", inspired by the OnePlus Nord 4 smartphone's world first all-metal unibody design in the 5G era.
Taking metal to its extremes, the song fuses chainsaw-sharp guitar riffs, stinging keys, and industrial strength drums to create a Richter-scale rhythm which commands the banging of heads. Lyrics speak to the track's technological inspiration; "Steel hard and screamin' look at me" and "Charged up with power to prevail" reference the OnePlus Nord 4's all-metal unibody design and future-proof capabilities, while at the same time celebrating the brand's love of all that is metal. The anthemic chorus of "Never settle, I am made of metal" delivers an iron-clad earworm that drills itself into the listener's brain.
Alongside the song's release, the frightening five-some of LORDI have starred in a behind-the-scenes film. The short film follows the band in the studio as they grapple with the novelty of the first all-metal phone in the 5G era and the staggering capabilities that come with it. The star of the show, LORDI leader Mr. Lordi, erupts in rage at the existence of plastic throughout the film, vanishing a plastic bottle within a selfie in a single swipe using the OnePlus Nord 4 "AI Eraser 2.0". The tagline of "Never Settle, Made Of Metal" rings true as the band unleashed the powerful track, fiercely thrashing their instruments using the phone itself.
Mr. Lordi comments: "M-E-T-A-L. We love metal, and so do OnePlus, which is why we jumped at the challenge of writing and producing a song inspired by world's only metal unibody phone of the 5G era. We never thought anything could be more metal than us, but the all-metal OnePlus Nord 4 proved us wrong. We can't wait for our fans to lose their heads to the hellraising new track, all while celebrating the most metal collaboration of all time. Can we say it one more time for people at the back? M-E-T-A-L!!!!!!!!"
In a recent interview with Chaoszine, Mr. Lordi spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for LORDI's follow-up to 2023's "Screem Writers Guild" album. He said: "We recorded the new album mainly before the tour started. And that was in March, I guess. So, like 99.9 percent of the album was recorded before the tour. Then we had that one percent to record after the tour, and we did. So it's already done, mixed and mastered. And hence why we are doing the new costumes and masks now."
Asked if he and his bandmates had a clear vision of where they wanted to go with the new material, Mr. Lordi said: "Kinda. I wanted to continue on the same track, in a way, so it's clearly a sister album or brother album to the 'Screem Writers'. But some people have said that it's a little bit harder, it's a little bit more… there's a little bit more balls. It's not as 'hair metally' as 'Screem Writers'. To me, it sounds, yeah, okay. I think that's a fair analysis of that. So, there are some songs that are a little bit harder… Because I thought it's the same, but some songs are a bit harder, some a little bit more metal than any of the songs on the 'Screem Writers', I guess."
Regarding when fans can expect to hear the first single from LORDI's upcoming album, Mr. Lordi said: "I do not know that, no. I don't know. I don't know. But my guesstimate is, I would say the last quarter of the year, probably. Yeah, [and the full album will arrive] at the beginning of 25, somewhere there."
LORDI caused a sensation by winning the 2006 Eurovision with "Hard Rock Hallelujah", which in turn made the band's third release, "The Arockalypse", a hit throughout Europe. On the back of their Eurovision win, they scored a lucrative series of promotions including LORDI-branded cola, boiled sweets and credit cards; and played live at the MTV European Music Awards. A square was renamed in LORDI's honor in the Lapland city of Rovaniemi; a LORDI-themed postage stamp was issued in Finland and the group starred in its first film, called "Dark Floors".
With their monster-movie stage persona, LORDI seemed a most unlikely choice to represent their country in the Eurovision Song Contest. So you can imagine how many people were shocked when the group not only claimed top honors, but also earned the most points in the venerable event's history.
In the days following LORDI's Eurovision win, Reuters reported that nearly 200,000 Finns signed an online petition to express their dismay after tabloid magazines published pictures of the bandmembers out of their trademark monster suits.
Even though Mr. Lordi and his bandmates had asked media not to run pictures of them out of character, two Finnish tabloid magazines went ahead, sparking an online backlash from the group's fans.
Last September, Mr. Lordi was asked in an interview with Czech Republic's Backstage TV if it's hard for him and his bandmates to maintain their anonymity after all these years. The 50-year-old musician, whose real name is Tomi Petteri Putaansuu, said: "[It's] really fucking easy, actually. It's not difficult at all anymore. Here's the thing: the mainstream media is not interested in us anymore, which is a fucking good thing. Because after Eurovision for a couple of years, that was a fucking pain in the ass. But it's not difficult for me at all. Not one tiny bit, because I have never been on social media my whole life — not one second. I've never been on Facebook or fucking, what are these fucking Twitters and shit, you know, Instagrams. I'm not there and I won't be there. I hate that whole thing. So easy for me. [Laughs]"
Back in 2017, Mr. Lordi admitted to MariskalRock that he was initially comfortable about LORDI's connection to Eurovision. "There was a time a couple of years ago — well, more than a couple — when I really, really, really hated that everybody's always asking about the goddamn Eurovision; there was a time," he said. "Nowadays I have come to terms with it. It's, like, okay, I'm actually proud that we are part of Eurovision history and I am proud that Eurovision is part of this band's history. I mean, it is a big part of our awareness. Because the awareness of the band would be so different, it would be so much smaller, without that one TV show ten years ago."
He continued: "I absolutely don't regret that — absolutely not. Because I have nothing bad to say about Eurovision itself, but the problem that we have had in the years is the people who actually don't know anything else except for the fact that we were on Eurovision. And that is a big stamp to get out of — it's like a fucking tattoo, you have a fucking tattoo on your forehead that says 'Eurovision.' And that is something that really, really, really drove me nuts some years ago; I was really struggling with that.
"I have come to terms with it — it's all right; I mean, it's cool," he said. "I am proud of it. And every May, when there's a new Eurovision, I know that my phone will start ringing and people will ask my opinions and then we get requests: 'Do you wanna come to this country's semifinals? Do you wanna come here?' And for years we said, 'No, we don't wanna. We don't want to.' But now, we're, like, 'Fuck it! Let's do it. What the hell?' I mean, c'mon, it's all fun, and it's part of our history, and the Eurovision, they really want us to come there, because, let's face it, we are one of those winners that people still remember."
"Screem Writers Guild" came out in March 2023 via Atomic Fire Records.
Photo credit: Eero Kokko | 0 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
See PANTERA Perform At Gillette Stadium As Support Act For METALLICA
 Fan-filmed video of PANTERA's August 2 performance at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts as the support act for METALLICA can be seen below.
Prior to launching a five-date U.K./Ireland run in late February 2025, the reformed PANTERA, consisting of classic-lineup members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass),along with Zakk Wylde (guitar) and Charlie Benante (drums),will kick off a European tour on January 21, 2025 in Helsinki, Finland and hit cities in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland before concluding that portion of the trek on February 15 in Paris, France.
The five-show U.K./Ireland run will launch at the OVO Hydro arena in Glasgow on February 18 before continuing the following night (February 19) at First Direct Arena in Leeds, a gig at the 3Arena in Dublin on February 21, making a stop at BP Pulse Live in Birmingham on February 23, and concluding at London's OVO Arena Wembley on February 25.
In a recent interview with Sweetwater, Brown spoke about the decision to tour with a reformed version of PANTERA. The lineup has reportedly been given a green light by the estates of PANTERA's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. Rex said: "The last show, man, I had a creepy, like a cold — something came by me. It felt like there was a cold feeling. And I've gotten this a couple of times before. When we were down recording with Charlie — me and Charlie just went down [in late 2022], put up eighty to a hundred hours of tape before Zakk [started rehearsing with us]. Zakk was still on the road. So we wanted to get the bass and the drum real tight, and we had this scratch guitar player. I felt that same chill. And, to me, they're angels. And I think you know who they are. Those guys, I think they're looking down, or they're looking around us, with us, and I think they're digging what they're seeing, man. I really do. And that's the only kind of way I can look at it, and get as close as we can with Charlie and Zakk. And God, it's getting really, really good. And there's so much more potential to get even tighter."
Speaking about the opportunity to perform PANTERA's music to new generations of fans who never saw the band before, Rex said: "There's a lot of memories in this band that are hard to put down. And losing the brothers, I just never in a million years thought that something like that would happen. Here we are 22 years later, and to see these new fans' faces. You've got one kid sitting there, or man, woman or child crying, and you have this other guy just going, 'You did it right.' It's just amazing."
In April, Rex spoke to American Musical Supply about how touring with PANTERA in 2024 is different from how it was in the band's heyday. He said: "This is a completely different thing, man. We have Charlie and Zakk now, and they're just — number one, they've been great friends of ours for all these years. We get along extra super cool. Charlie and I went down, probably put about eighty, hundred hours on tape of all the songs we were gonna do for the set, and others that we would want to do. Charlie and I worked on this for six months before we ever got into a rehearsal room. That's just how good friends we are. Charlie has been one of my best friends for years. So, this is another band. It's hard to fill the shoes of the brothers. At the same time, this has become a really tight unit. And Zakk just puts the extra… Dime was a very unique guitar player, and he was my best friend, and it's good to see those boys up on the screens and with us. And that's what this is about tonight, for me."
Regarding how he and the rest of the current PANTERA lineup have balanced honoring the band's legacy with any new creative goals they might have, Rex said: "There's many ways that we wanna keep this legacy alive, 'cause the music is still played all over. We have a whole new generation of fans that, they probably wouldn't have heard this stuff if we weren't playing out here playing these shows. And so, that generation of fans — let's say the 15-to-18-year-old kids that come out — they'll shortly have children, and that keeps that new generation alive. And Phillip even says it in the set, the parents of the '90s, which I'm a parent of the '90s, it's a very important statement in the set because it's about the gratitude.
"We're not doing this for ourselves; we're doing it for the name and the brand PANTERA," he continued. "And by God, this music needs to be heard again. It does. It needed to for a long fucking time. And that's what we're here doing tonight… It's just wonderful to be able to do this and pay homage to my music, the riffs that I wrote, or the riffs that Dime wrote, or the patterns that Vinnie played, and for what Phil came up with — tremendous impact on this music."
Also in April, Rex told Rolling Stone Australia about performing with PANTERA in 2024: "Two of our beloved brothers that just aren't here anymore man, that's life, you know? They're just not with us man. That's just fate; it's the way the ball rolls, dude."
He added: "This is no tribute band — Philip and I get to play these songs of ours that we haven't played in 23 years. And to be able to do that and connect with the enormity of what's happened is just extraordinarily fucking insane, you know?"
Regarding PANTERA's latest additions, Rex said: "We knew who would fit and who wouldn't. We knew what the obstacles were in front of us, and we knew after… I'll put it this way — Charlie and I came down in September [2022] before we played that [first] show in December [2022], and we have probably one hundred hours of tape of us playing every fucking PANTERA song that I could remember. And so, you know, me and Charlie lockin' in like that… the drummer and the bass player, that's your foundation. So when Zakk came in, there were certain things we had to go over and over and over, to get tight. And today, this band is about as tight and about as badass as I fucking want. You know what I mean, and that's all I'm gonna say on that."
"But, man, this band is on fuckin' fire, and I couldn't be happier, man," he added. "I just can't explain that as much as I need to, I could not be happier."
Rex previously told AndrewHaug.com that he was "absolutely" open to writing new music with the reformed version of PANTERA. "Yeah, I could tell you more but I'm not going to," he teased.
Earlier in the chat, Brown talked about what is has been like to go out and perform as PANTERA to a whole new generation of fans.
"You can't see it on the YouTube. You can't feel that vibe until you actually come to the show," he explained. "And we haven't been doing interviews just for the fact we want people just to come to the show. It's not about anything prior past or present that I wanna talk about today — just the show tonight.
"We're pinching ourselves over these new fans that have never seen this before, and it's a whole another generation that we either didn't know a) that were out there, b) that were still listening to us, and the turnout has just been unbelievable," Rex continued. "Of course, at first you had the naysayers and all that stuff, and as we played gig by gig, it's made us tighter. And I've been trying to rehearse this band as much as I can within schedules, and we'll just go down for no fucking reason and just jam. That's what makes a band tight."
The reformed PANTERA is headlining a number of major festivals across North America, South America and Europe and staging some of its own headline concerts. They are also supporting METALLICA on a massive stadium tour in 2024.
It was first reported in July 2022 that Anselmo and Brown would unite with Wylde and Benante for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.
Asked how it feels playing those "timeless" songs again, Rex told AndrewHaug.com: "You just said it — they're timeless. So getting to play them again is a… These were a big part of Philip and I's songs too. Of course, respect to the brothers. I think that looking down on us and giving us a big — and they're with us. It's just uncanny. That's the glue. Those guys are hanging around with us.
"Look, I'm not some crazy old man, man. I know that we're here for reasons," Rex added. "And this time he gave us a heavy load, and we have come through in spades. And I'm very proud of Charlie and Zakk and Phillip for stepping up… All of us [were very close back in the day]. We were intertwined. There was a close-knit family of friends — Jerry Cantrell and all those guys, ALICE IN CHAINS. We were all brothers and we all had each other's backs — even as fucked up as we got. We're fine now, I'll put it that way. But it's just such a different time and we're older men and can appreciate this more. And I feel 25 years younger, man. It's just insane."
Addressing complaints from some fans that Brown and Anselmo are going out and touring under the PANTERA name even though Dimebag and Vinnie Paul are not involved, Rex said: "I don't call it anything. I call it PANTERA. The show itself is a celebration of the lives of all four of us. Two are sadly not with us, and we cannot bring them back. God, do I want them back. But that's just not possible. So we're doing the best thing that we can to keep our music alive. And I think they're smiling down and saying, 'You guys are doing all right, man.' And they're with us. And I'm not shittin' you."
Asked what his initial thoughts were when he was first approached about relaunching PANTERA as a touring act, Rex said: "Philip and I talked for several months before. He got on the phone and said, 'Hey, man, you wanna do it? I didn't have — maybe a six-second… not a hesitation, but just to wrap my head around the full gravity of the enormity of it. I went, 'Okay, I've got a couple of questions.' And, man, ever since that call we've worked really, really hard to get this thing going. And we've jumped over a lot of mountains."
Up until his passing in June 2018, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.
Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. 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, who was Dimebag's brother, and Anselmo had not spoken since PANTERA split in 2003. But the relationship got even more acrimonious when Vinnie suggested that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag's killer.
| +3 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 àâã 2024
Watch: HAGAR, ANTHONY, SATRIANI And BONHAM Perform VAN HALEN Classics In Clarkston, Michigan
 Silver Stallion Videos has uploaded video of Sammy Hagar's entire August 2 show of his summer 2024 tour at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan.
For "The Best Of All Worlds" tour, Hagar and his bandmates in THE CIRCLE — ex-VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Jason Bonham — are being joined by guitarist virtuoso Joe Satriani, who has recorded and performed with Hagar and Anthony in the band CHICKENFOOT, and multi-instrumentalist Rai Thistlethwayte.
As has been the case with the all "The Best Of All Worlds" concerts so far, the set in Clarkston consisted largely of VAN HALEN material, including the opening track "Good Enough", from 1986's "5150" album, as well as two songs from 1991's "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge", "Poundcake" and "Runaround", and a pair of David Lee Roth-era VAN HALEN classics, "Panama" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", as well as a section of "Jump".
The rest of the set included Satriani's "Satch Boogie", the rousing rock-swing guitar instrumental that put him on the map in 1987 and helped propel his second album, "Surfing With The Alien", to platinum status. and several of Hagar's solo classics, such as "There's Only One Way To Rock", "Eagles Fly", "Heavy Metal" and "I Can't Drive 55".
Featured songs:
* Good Enough 0:00
* Poundcake 5:01
* Runaround 11:21
* There's Only One Way To Rock 17:36
* Judgement Day 24:15
* Panama 28:30
* 5150 32:54
* Summer Nights 40:29
* Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love 47:31
* Top Of The World 51:42
* Best Of Both Worlds 56:23
* Satch Boogie 1:01:54
* The Seventh Seal 1:06:41
* Right Now 1:13:36
* Why Can't This Be Love 1:20:04
* Eagles Fly 1:28:12
* Mas Tequila 1:34:31
* Heavy Metal 1:41:08
* I Can't Drive 55 1:45:45
* Helter Skelter 1:53:55
* Big Foot 1:56:24
* Jump 1:58:43
* When It's Love 2:02:07
Produced by Live Nation, the 28-date "The Best Of All Worlds" tour will conclude on August 31 in St. Louis, Missouri.
During an appearance on the July 18 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Hagar spoke about the summer 2024 tour, which kicked off on July 13 at the 20,000-capacity iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida. Asked about Satriani's approach to performing the material originally written and recorded by Eddie Van Halen, Sammy said: "Oh, I gotta tell you, Joe is a scholar. I can't tell you how good of a musician Joe Satriani is. He's as good as any musician on the planet. He's got his own style. It's a little different than Eddie's. Eddie was a genius musician too, but he had a different style and he had his thing. Joe's got his thing. Joe went in the closet. Well, not in the closet — he went into the woodshed, and since the announcement [of the tour on 'The Howard Stern Show' last November]… I threw a couple songs at him and said, 'Hey, why don't you just learn this song or that song?' And then Stern laid songs on us, that we're going, 'Well, shoot, we didn't think about those. Joe, do you know that one?' He goes, 'Oh, I'll try it.' He's that good. So now he's dialed them in."
Hagar continued: "What [Joe has] done, for any of you guitar players out there that wanna come and see what Joe's doing, or wanna criticize Joe or wanna praise Joe, whatever you want to do, he has taken the essence of Eddie's guitar solos and parts and he plays the necessary parts to make sure it sounds just like the record, the way it's supposed to. The solo on a song like 'Jump' — I hate to use that one 'cause it's not my song, but we do 'Jump'; we do a piece of 'Jump' on the encore. We do a five-song encore that's got a little bit of 'Jump' in it. And when he plays that solo, he plays it like the record. And then he'll go off in the middle somewhere. He'll do a little tiny thing. He'll do little things that says, 'No, this is Joe Satriani playing Eddie,' but he's doing Eddie right. No one could complain. He's hitting all the right notes that make the essence of what Eddie invented. And he puts his own heart and soul into it, which makes it so much different and so much better, in my opinion, than a guy just mimicking him exactly. And his tone is different. It's kind of like Eddie's, but I don't know — Joe's just so good. I don't know how he's doing this. I really don't know how he's doing this."
Regarding the setlist for the tour, Sammy said: "This setlist is deep, brother. We're playing two hours and 20 minutes. We're only playing like five of my songs, one CHICKENFOOT and one MONTROSE. The rest is VAN HALEN. Get out of here, man. That's a hour and a half, about a buck 40 of VAN HALEN. In VAN HALEN, we didn't play as many songs as we're playing, 'cause Eddie did a big 20-minute solo, Al [Alex Van Halen] did a 20-minute solo, Mike did a 15-, 20-minute solo, and I did 'Eagles Fly' by myself. So, you add that together, we did about 12 songs."
As for how the tour has been going so far, Hagar said: "Honest to God, I haven't felt like this about a show since walking off the stage at some of the greatest VAN HALEN shows in my life. And I'm telling you — I'm not just saying that, I'm not trying to hype nobody, and 90 percent of these shows are sold out, so it's not like that. It's from the bottom of my heart. Mike and I walk off stage so exhausted — 2:20 in Atlanta the other night; we played two hours and 20 minutes — and I just haven't done that. I just haven't had this deep of a setlist. I haven't had this big of a production. I don't know. I've been having fun, but now I've stepped it up and Mike and I, like I said, we look at each other every night walking off stage, and we hug backstage for about 20 minutes. It's just fantastic. The whole band is — they came to the party. Joe came to the party. Jason came to the party. Rai came to the party. The people are happy, we're happy, and I just never felt like this walking off stage since VAN HALEN. I can say that. I can honestly say that."
Hagar and Anthony previously worked with Satriani in the supergroup CHICKENFOOT. They recorded two albums between 2009 and 2011 and toured across America but never performed any VAN HALEN material. More recently, Hagar and Anthony have played some of the VAN HALEN catalog with guitarist Vic Johnson and Bonham in SAMMY HAGAR AND THE CIRCLE.
Hagar mended his relationship with Eddie Van Halen months prior to the legendary VAN HALEN guitarist's October 2020 passing.
Sammy, Eddie, Alex Van Halen and Michael last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S. summer tour. In exchange for taking part in the tour, Anthony reportedly had to agree to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the band name and logo.
Eddie Van Halen died in October 2020 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed. | 0 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
See OPETH's Entire Performance At Romania's ROCKSTADT EXTREME FEST
 Fan-filmed video of OPETH's entire August 3 performance at the Rockstadt Extreme Fest in Râșnov, Romania can be seen below.
Featured songs:
00:51 The Grand Conjuration
12:15 Demon Of The Fall
22:29 The Drapery Falls
35:47 In My Time Of Need
41:35 Heir Apparent
52:33 Ghost Of Perdition
1:04:49 Deliverance
OPETH's new album, "The Last Will And Testament", will be released on October 11 via Reigning Phoenix Music/Moderbolaget.
OPETH's fourteenth LP was written by vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt, with lyrics conferred with Klara Rönnqvist Fors (THE HEARD, ex-CRUCIFIED BARBARA). "The Last Will And Testament" was co-produced by Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman (GHOST, THE HELLACOPTERS),engineered by Boman, Joe Jones (KILLING JOKE, ROBERT PLANT) and OPETH, with Boman, Åkerfeldt and the rest of OPETH mixing at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe Studios in Stockholm. The strings on "The Last Will And Testament" were arranged by Åkerfeldt and returning prog friend Dave Stewart (EGG, KHAN) and conducted by Stewart at Angel Studios in London. Not one to miss a beat, visual artist Travis Smith returns to the fold, crafting his 11th cover, a haunting "photograph" reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's infamous "Overlook Hotel" photograph. Miles Showell (ABBA, QUEEN) also revisits mastering and vinyl lacquer cutting at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Åkerfeldt rolls out the red carpet for storied flautist and JETHRO TULL mainman Ian Anderson. Not only do Anderson's signature notes fly on "§4" and "§7", he narrates on "§1", "§2", "§4", and "§7". Joining Anderson, EUROPE's Joey Tempest lends a backing vocal hand on "§2", while Åkerfeldt's youngest daughter, Mirjam Åkerfeldt, is the disembodied voice in "§1".
"The Last Will And Testament" is a concept album set in the post-World War I era, unfolding the story of a wealthy, conservative patriarch whose last will and testament reveals shocking family secrets. The narrative weaves through the patriarch's confessions, the reactions of his twin children, and the mysterious presence of a polio-ridden girl who the family have taken care of. The album begins with the reading of the father's will in his mansion. Among those in attendance is a young girl, who, despite being an orphan and polio-ridden, has been raised by the family. Her presence at the will reading raises suspicions and questions among the twins.
Making his recorded debut alongside OPETH's long-established lineup of Mikael Åkerfeldt, guitarist Fredrik Åkesson, bassist Martin Mendez and keyboard maestro Joakim Svalberg on "The Last Will And Testament" is new drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who joined the band in 2022.
OPETH will embark on a North American tour this fall. The trek, which will kick off on October 11 in Milwaukee, includes stops in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, New Orleans, Austin, Denver and more. | 0 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
ZAKK WYLDE Says DIMEBAG's 'Writing' Puts Him In Same League As EDDIE VAN HALEN, JIMI HENDRIX And RANDY RHOADS
 In a new interview with Joshua Toomey of the Talk Toomey podcast, Zakk Wylde spoke about the decision to tour with a reformed version of PANTERA, also featuring surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass),alongside Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) on drums. The lineup has reportedly been given a green light by the estates of PANTERA's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott.
Asked what goes through his mind when the curtain falls down as he and his bandmates launch into the opening riff of "A New Level" every night, Zakk said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, it's awesome. I love every second of the show — from the beginning to the end, man. Obviously, when we're doing 'Floods', I get pretty choked up doing that one, especially the end bit, the outro of Dime's, 'cause it's just me by myself. I don't see the video screens that are behind me, but, obviously, when I've seen the footage of it, it's just, like, 'Wow.' There's just pretty much not a dry eye in the house on that one. Yeah, I definitely get choked up doing that one, when we do 'Floods'.
"Everybody in the camp, everybody's just all great people," Zakk continued. "I mean, we've all known each other — the fellows in the band, we've known each other, but as far as the whole camp and the crew, we've all known each other from various tours and things. So it's like one gigantic family out there. So, I mean, the whole vibe, it's just a beautiful thing."
Regarding whether there were any PANTERA songs or parts that took him longer to figure out than the rest, Zakk said: "What I just found really awesome was Dime's… I mean, the reason why we're still talking about Dime's greatness and everybody, and all the guys that we love, whether it's King Edward [Eddie Van Halen], St. Rhoads [Randy Rhoads], Jimi Hendrix, I mean, all the guys, it's what they wrote. Aside of Dime's great technique and how amazing he was and how fast he could play and everything like that, it's what he wrote, just like with Randy and Eddie and everybody. I mean, all the guys that we love. But Dime's writing, like his chord choices and everything like that, it's just, like, 'Oh, wow. That's definitely really cool.' So, a lot of unexpected pre-choruses and things like that. It's, like, 'Oh, wow. I wonder what made him go there,' like really interesting chord choices. But, yeah, for sure.
"Going through, learning the whole catalog and learning deeper cuts and everything like that, I was, like, 'Wow. This one's pretty cool,'" he continued. "I mean, even the pre-chorus to 'Walk' or just the opening riff — a lot of a lot of the chord choices would end up becoming… They're dissonant, where that's obviously what Dime's going for, is the dissonance, whereas opposed to something would be like if it was a more ear-pleasing chord choice, but it would sound routine, and you could just tell Dime was going for… 'No, that's what everybody expects us to go. So, let's go here. Everyone expects us to make a left turn. So, let's make a right.' So, it's, like, oh, 'Wow, that's definitely interesting.' So, yeah, that's what I found, learning all the material and everything like that. So, for sure. So that, to me, is what puts Dime in that league with all the guys we love, whether it's Jimi Hendrix, whether it's Eddie and Randy. It's his writing."
This past April, Zakk told Ultimate Guitar about touring with the reformed PANTERA: "I feel [Dimebag] all the time. Even when we were getting ready to do the [PANTERA tour in 2022], [the early] rehearsals, and they were just figuring out how we were gonna do this, there'd be signs all over the place, whether [it was] a license plate that would be, like, '333' [three being Dimebag's favorite number], or I'd run into like a Dimebag license plate in the middle of nowhere. It was just, like, him just pushing this thing along, willing it to happen. So he's just always around. When we were in New York, just like signs, when we just did [a headlining show at] the [Madison Square] Garden [in February 2024], my wife Barbaranne was, like, Check this out.' Something came up and it just reminded us of Dime, and I was like, 'Wow, that's crazy.' Or we would look on our phone and it would be '333'. It's just these signs everywhere. And I could see Dime just doing it, going, 'I hope these idiots realize it's me sending these signs.' [Laughs]"
The reformed PANTERA is headlining a number of major festivals across North America, South America and Europe and staging some of its own headline concerts. They are also supporting METALLICA on a massive stadium tour in 2024.
It was first reported in July 2022 that Anselmo and Brown would unite with Wylde and Benante for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.
During a recent appearance on "Drinks With Johnny", the Internet TV show hosted by AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ, Zakk was asked how he, Philip, Rex and Charlie all "came together to decide that this was the right time, the right group to pay homage to the mighty PANTERA". The guitarist said: "Well, BLACK LABEL [SOCIETY] and DOWN, we did some shows together in 2014, we did a tour, and it was great. 'Cause I've known Phil [who also sings for DOWN] and Pepper [Keenan, DOWN guitarist] and all the guys, and Jimmy Bower [DOWN drummer], Father Bower Power, over there for a while. It was just a bunch of friends going out doing shows together. And we did some PANTERA stuff then, and then Father Rex came out and we jammed 'I'm Broken' and stuff like that, and it was a lot of fun. And it's always been rumored for years. I just said that's always on the fellas. Me and Charlie are buds, and we'll be here to support our friends, whatever they wanna do. So when Phil called me up one day, he was, like, 'Zakk, you wanna get together and do this? We're thinking about me, Rex and Charlie and yourself, and we'll go out and pay tribute to Dime and Vinnie.' I was, like, 'Of course. I always said I would be there for you guys when you felt the time was right to do it.'"
He continued: "But, yeah, we just got together and did the rehearsals down in New Orleans and then we've been rolling ever since. We just did the [Madison Square] Garden and everything like that, with LAMB OF GOD and the guys and everything like that. So it was great. So just looking out every night and seeing people taking a trip down memory lane, the people that have seen the original PANTERA… When Phil says every night, he's just, like, 'How many people, this is their first time ever seeing PANTERA?' And all the younger people that never got a chance to see 'em [raise their hands]. It just really is a beautiful thing.
"I always say it every night, when we were playing the Garden, it's just like if Dime and Vinnie were right there on the side of the stage, I'd go, 'Look at what you guys created.' So it's really special. I think it's just a beautiful thing every night paying honor and tribute to Dime and Vinnie every night, Phil and Rex and Dime and Vinnie, this thing that they created that brings so many people joy. So, I just think it's a beautiful thing every night."
Zakk previously discussed his involvement with PANTERA in a February 2024 interview with Chuck Armstrong of Loudwire Nights. At the time, he said: "Everybody in the whole camp, it's all great people. And it's crazy, because we've known each other for years, but you end up knowing, even with the crew and everything like that, all these people you've known for years — I mean, people that I've been with when I started with Ozzy [Osbourne] and everything like that. So, it's just a great time out there, man, for sure. And then, obviously, celebrating Vinnie and Dime every night, it's just awesome.
"The beautiful thing about music is, all the bands that we love, whether it's ZEPPELIN or [BLACK] SABBATH, THE ALLMAN BROTHERS or Elton John or PANTERA or whatever, everybody has their connection to that music," he continued. "That's the most powerful thing about music. I mean, you hear stuff, it just transports you back to when you were 13 years old, 14 years old, where you were and what you were doing when that music was going on. So, for so many people — it's amazing 'cause Phil always does it at like almost every night, he's just, like, 'How many people saw PANTERA back in the day?' And everybody, obviously, you have all the PANTERA faithful. And then he goes, 'How many people, this is their first time seeing PANTERA?' It's mind-blowing. I mean, I'd say it's almost like 60-40, 70-30 sometimes, where it's, like, 'Wow. That is amazing.'
"I never got a chance to see ZEPPELIN back in the day, so to see… When I went and saw the [Jimmy] Page and [Robert] Plant thing with the orchestra and everything, that was just amazing, because I never got a chance to see them back in the day. So, just the power of the music, to see it live was just… I saw 'em at Brendan Byrne Arena [in East Rutherford, New Jersey in April 1995] when we were working on [Ozzy Osbourne's 1995 album] 'Ozzmosis'. I got tickets and we went down to the gig that night, and it was amazing — 'cause I never I never got a chance to see it back in the day. So, it's pretty much the same, 'cause I know I was getting chills when I was watching it. So, yeah, it's a beautiful thing, man."
Zakk was also asked if he would be open to working on new material with PANTERA. He said: "Nah, I don't think so. Whenever Phil says that and all the younger kids are screaming and yelling, when they put the house lights on and everyone's got their fists up in the air 'cause that's the first time [they're seeing PANTERA live], I just look at like Vinnie and Dime, if they were on the side of the stage, and go, 'See what you guys created.' So it's just, like, yeah, it's awesome. It truly is, man. But, no, I don't think [the plan is] to record [as PANTERA]. I mean, it'd be like if [Eric] Clapton was playing with [drummer] Mitch [Mitchell] and [bassist] Noel [Redding], honoring Jimi [Hendrix], they're not gonna go in and record [and call it] THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE with Eric Clapton. [Laughs] I don't think anything like that. Obviously, if we were ever to do anything, it would be under a different name. Like Jimmy Page, if he was playing with Paul Rodgers and everything, it's THE FIRM; they're not going out as LED ZEPPELIN."
Up until his passing in June 2018, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.
Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. 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, who was Dimebag's brother, and Anselmo had not spoken since PANTERA split in 2003. But the relationship got even more acrimonious when Vinnie suggested that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag's killer.
| +2 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 àâã 2024
POP EVIL's Upcoming Album Will Be Band's 'Heaviest Record, Without A Doubt', Says LEIGH KAKATY
 In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, POP EVIL singer Leigh Kakaty was asked if he and his bandmates have "a lot" of new music written and demoed for the follow-up to 2023's "Skeletons" album. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, there's a lot, a lot of it, a lot of new stuff. We're at that cool stage where we have enough for an album easily, but we're really trying to be picky, man.
"Making albums now, personally, it's such a blessing and it's something that may not be around much longer," he continued. "So if we're gonna do it, [we want it] to hit big, whatever that means to us. And big doesn't have to mean necessarily a number one. It has to mean something that we can really elevate our live show with. And I think, obviously, there's an old-school part of the catalog that's still there, and we respect it. We wanna play it as much as possible, but at the same time, we're really looking forward to the future and how we can shape that and juggle all that. I mean, this is album number eight now we're working on, and all the success we've had, how to juggle all these songs that we wanna play, still continue to play, adding new ones and, of course, the songs that we're just tired of that we wanna rest for a little bit and maybe come back to in the future. So it's a bit of a challenge. It'll be interesting. It's a new dynamic for me personally and for POP EVIL, but it's one we look forward to. And Joey [Walser, bass] and Blake [Allison, drums] have been at the center of trying to make this live show the best as possible, and can't wait to really dive into the next album when we can really hopefully make some movement on putting the best POP EVIL show live forward. So we're looking forward to that."
Regarding the lyrical inspiration for the new POP EVIL music, Leigh said: "The albums that we've done in the past, other than 'Onyx', I've really shied away from just my own personal takes on things. I tried to make them a little more vague, but this album, I'm really soul searching, man. It really felt like when you strip everything back, what's left? And it's me. I started this band by myself in a garage years and years ago, and to be still here is awesome and it's great, but there's still lots to say, and I really thought that the fans owe an opportunity for me to get a lot of stuff that's just been burning on my chest, not just since the last record but just since the beginning of my experience in this business and where my head's at and try to take a chance and an opportunity to personally heal, to move forward. So it feels like 'Onyx', to me, all over in a way. There's a lot of darkness that's been built up. I mean, even probably from the pandemic as well. And then just some things I wanted to get out. And I think you're gonna get a little more personal… You're gonna hear it in the lyrics, man. There's a lot of struggle, there's a lot of grind, and you're gonna get that. And the band's been very supportive to just kind of let me go, from a lead singer perspective, and just kind of let me go on this journey. They've been very supportive. And it's been really… I've never really been in the position before with the band that would let me do that. So, with the guys now, we're all closer than ever. It's, like, hey, they get it, man. They get it. And they understand the game and the business, and they want me to just push my boundaries a bit. And so we pushed. And I can't wait for the fans to hear this. And hopefully it's going to be a good part of healing for me. And most importantly, it's going to add to a lot of extra healing for our fanbase and new fans coming on board as well."
When Meltdown noted that a lot of successful bands find it difficult to write about their struggles when they are no longer poor and have sold a lot of records, Leigh said: "The success for bands, at least in our era, is not quite like that. So, there's still a lot of struggle. There's still a lot of scraping, counting every penny. And not just for me, but for other bandmembers, for crew. So we've had success. So, I mean, there's frustration in that. There's frustration in people that have been around us throughout the years and how their goals have changed and ours have stayed the same. There's frustration. You're not mad at it personally, but there's a consequence in that, and there's a consequence not only for us, but for our family.
"I can only speak from my perspective, and I'm, obviously, the owner and the frontman and the singer and whatever it is," he continued. "I think that it's important, for my own personal healing, to be a better frontman for our fans, and moving forward, you have to kind of address that and let that go. And hopefully not worry about tomorrow. I'm not worried about the ninth album. I'm not worried about the tenth album. I'm worried about this album. And I really wanna make this the best effort. And to be honest, the true goal of any success, for me, has always been bettering yourself. We already did seven albums. I don't wanna go back and do those. We already did that. I've already toured on those for the past two years. And, of course, the first album we've toured on for almost 20 years now. So it's, like, you don't wanna go back to those places 'cause some of those places can be dark and they're not always good memories. So you don't wanna go back and do some of these songs. Maybe there'll be a time — hopefully there'll be a time where you can go back and you can add certain songs to playlists or maybe remake, remaster certain songs. We definitely talked about it. But you've gotta be ready for that. I've gotta be ready as a person to just really take on that feat and be able to sing those every night, and just even let my mind go there. Obviously, time will tell. Anything's possible, but right now it just feels like the best version of POP EVIL is still on the horizon. And this is certainly by far, again, the best POP EVIL record. I feel like a broken record; I say it every record. And if you're a true POP EVIL fan, you're gonna really see the growth. The way that we're able to incorporate metal certainly is way different than the first album. Being a radio band or a band that has really been embraced by radio, metal and heavy, heavy, heavy metal, especially, wasn't getting played. We weren't in a position when we started to be able to take more of the 'evil' side of POP EVIL, right? It was more the pop side or the mainstream or the melodic side of POP EVIL. But now it's a little different. Things are changing. With these festivals that are here in America, the metal infusion with rock, it's exciting to kind of go down some of these paths that we've wanted to go down our whole career. But we weren't doing it, whether it was us, whether it was the producers, whether it was just the timing. But this album, there's a lot of darkness again, very similar to 'Onyx', the third album. And we're looking forward to it, man."
Asked if the upcoming POP EVIL album will be "heavier" than the stuff he and his bandmates have done in the past, Leigh said: "[It will] absolutely [be] the heaviest POP EVIL record, without a doubt. Hands down. So it'll be interesting for what fans say on that. But the players, they're just different. When you put some of the same guys, you put in Joey and Blake, it's just a heavier band. I mean, it's just different. Joey and Blake come from metal and heavier rock and roll backgrounds. That's what the guys can play, so that's what we play. So that's kind of where it's at. And I think there's a darkness just where we're at in our career. It's, like, okay, sure, we've had success, but we feel like we've got a lot to prove, man. We really look at this, like every album since probably COVID, like, 'Hey, we're starting over.' Sure, I mean, we're grateful that we have [a huge catalog of songs to play], and we play certainly a lot of them, but it would be awesome to get to a place where we can pick and choose the old songs that we wanna play, cause people are more familiar with the newer stuff. Who knows? Time will tell, but certainly that's every band's dream, to always play the new stuff. You don't wanna play the old stuff all the time. But, again, we feel like there's a lot of music still left to write and we've got a lot still left to say. So, with that said, here we are. We're rolling. And one album, one song at a time, but we certainly are excited about this next chapter of POP EVIL and certainly what these songs are starting to sound like and the way they're coming together. It's exciting, man. We're stoked."
Last month, Kakaty was asked by "The Dark" rock music program on 94 Rocks KFML if he and his POP EVIL bandmates still like putting out full-length albums or if they are starting to think about maybe focusing on singles going forward. Leigh said: "Well, we're still a little old school with putting out an album. It's selfish, right? I grew up with albums, so putting out an album, especially as an artist perspective, it's still the dream. When you get it done and you open the booklet, you smell it, and seeing your visions come to fruition, there's still something very appealing about that. And certainly it's whatever your record label wants you to do. And for POP EVIL, it's make an album. So as long as we get to make albums, I wanna go all in. But if it was me, yeah, I'd make singles. It's more fun for me personally, 'cause I don't have to… Trying to put together a collection of work, it can be very daunting. It's very hard. It's very challenging. And then all these great songs, especially if you're only pushing one to three to four of them, somewhere in that vein, depending on how many singles get pushed, what do you do with these other great songs? So streaming has at least given bands an opportunity to have songs that don't even — some hit harder than singles… Every band's different with their journey, and whatever works best for you to be able to pay your bills so you can continue to do that, I'm all about it. But for us, for POP EVIL — obviously, I can't speak for other bands; I can speak for me — we're in a blessed position to make albums. So until we are not able to do that, we're gonna try to make the best albums that we can for our fans. But, yeah, if it was up to me, I have no problems making singles. I don't care. It doesn't matter to me. As long as I'm able to make the art that I'm trying to make in the way, at the highest level I can, it's a win for me. It still doesn't make it any less stressful. One song or 10, you still want it to be the best of the best, and you're still gonna stress in that way."
He continued: "But, yeah, man, it's interesting how it's changing. We're in this time or this kind of moment in music history that, we're shaping it now. It's so weird. It's not like it was even when we started, so it'll be interesting. Hopefully we're doing our part to pave the way for that next set of bands to come up, which is our kids' generation to come up, and hopefully it's a little bit more figured out and a little more ironed out where they can take what we did and hopefully it's a little more enjoyable, their road, with the hard work that we've put out here now. So we'll see."
This past May, Kakaty was asked by Rocking With Jam Man if he was "shocked" by the recent departure of the band's drummer Hayley Cramer. The U.K.-based musician, who joined the Michigan rockers in 2016, announced her exit from POP EVIL in a social media post last December. Leigh said: "[It was] shocking, for sure. We all go through things that we're going through personally. And she's got her family, she's got her friends and she's from another country, so there's a lot of variables for her and reasons for her, why she probably didn't wanna be here anymore. But definitely to lose a band member is always shocking for me. But you've gotta go on. Our personal families, everyone's counting on the band to provide. And the fans wanna see you keep going, so we just knuckle up and face adversity. You've gotta just meet it head on and keep going."
Asked how new POP EVIL drummer Blake Allison is adjusting to the band, Leigh said: "Blake's been incredible. I mean, he's learned the whole catalog in about two months. So to have Blake here, he's been so helpful to POP EVIL on and off the stage for the past three or four years now, so now to have him in the band hopefully as long as we can keep him is an honor. And he's just such an incredible talent on and off the stage. And we're looking forward to seeing how long we can run with this lineup now."
When Hayley announced her exit from POP EVIL, she wrote in a statement that "reached a point" where she wanted "to branch out and find new paths and adventures - into the unknown!"
Cramer joined POP EVIL in May 2016 as the replacement for Josh "Chachi" Marunde, who exited the group in April that year.
"Skeletons" was released in March 2023 via MNRK Heavy. | 0 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
Watch: MARILYN MANSON Performs His New Single 'As Sick As The Secrets Within' Live For First Time
 Marilyn Manson performed his new single "As Sick As The Secrets Within" live for the first time during his headlining concert Saturday night (August 3) at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland. Fan-filmed video of the entire show is available below.
Featured songs:
* Cruci-Fiction In Space 03:02
* Disposable Teens 08:09
* Angel With The Scabbed Wings 11:25
* Say10 15:32
* This Is The New Shit 20:10
* Great Big White World 24:44
* Deep Six 29:49
* Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge 35:16
* mOBSCENE 40:01
* Interlude 43:45
* Tourniquet 45:46
* The Dope Show 50:46
* As Sick As The Secrets Within 54:54
* Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) 1:00:45
* The Love Song 1:05:43
* The Beautiful People 1:09:07
* Coma White 1:15:34
Marilyn Manson returned to the stage Friday night (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 Friday (August 3),"As Sick As The Secrets Within", which was recorded and co-produced with collaborator Tyler Bates, marked the shock-rocker'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.
Tonight's Marilyn Manson The Fillmore Silver Spring 8/3/24 set list
"Coma White" was the last song of the night.
Posted by Rock N Roll Experience on Saturday, August 3, 2024 | +4 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
THE PRETTY RECKLESS Shares Pro-Shot Video Of TAYLOR MOMSEN's Onstage Bat Encounter
 THE PRETTY RECKLESS has shared professionally filmed video of the band's performance in Spain where singer Taylor Momsen was bitten by a bat.
Momsen and her THE PRETTY RECKLESS bandmates were opening for AC/DC in Seville on May 29 when she noticed that the crowd was trying to get her attention. "You guys are pointing at something, and I don't know what you're saying," she can be seen saying with a shrug before turning around and looking down at her thigh where the bat had attached itself just above the hem of the dress. She then returned to the mic and exclaimed: "There's a fucking flying bat on my leg right now. Can someone help me, please?"
The incident occurred during a performance of the song "Witches Burn", and the odd timing was not lost on the singer. "I must really be a witch," she joked from the stage. Momsen told the crowd the bat was "fine" after it was removed from her leg, adding, "He's going to be my new friend."
Taylor later wrote about the incident on Instagram, saying: "During 'Witches Burn' of all songs… a BAT flew onto me and clung to my leg. In the moment I was performing and had no idea until the incredible crowd kept screaming and pointing. He was cute, but yes, he bit me," Momsen added, explaining that she required "rabies shots for the next two weeks."
"Thanks to all the staff at the hospital who dubbed me #batgirl after seeing it on the local news that morning… that's one for the books!!!!"
Another video that Momsen posted showed the singer walking backstage after the show reacting to the incident, saying the bat "held on for dear life" and that it "scared" her in the moment.
Momsen and her band are opening for AC/DC on the legendary hard rockers' spring/summer 2024 "Power Up" tour. The show in the Spanish city was the third date of the 24-stop European trek.
Poking fun at the otherwise bat incident, Momsen also posted a photo of herself posing next to a "no bats" sign taped on to some of AC/DC's stage equipment.
"Ok… so @acdc has the best crew ever," Momsen wrote in the caption. "Love you guys!!!"
Ok…this perspective freaks me out a little bit 😳🦇 #Batgirl part 4…it’s not old news to me until the rabies shots are over… #wtfpic.twitter.com/ifTcIP1qWJ
— Taylor Momsen (@taylormomsen) June 3, 2024
ROCK AND ROLL MOMENT…in Sevilla Wednesday during “Witches Burn” a BAT 🦇 clung to my leg…in the moment I was performing and had no idea until the crowd kept screaming and pointing…yes he bit me…so rabies shots for the next two weeks 😖thanks the staff at the hospital who… pic.twitter.com/h53nw4mP8b
— Taylor Momsen (@taylormomsen) May 31, 2024
| 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 àâã 2024
STONE WHISKEY Releases Title Track Of New Album, Scream For Rock
 Are you ready to scream? Well reach down into your belly and get ready to let it all out with Stone Whiskey and their brand new album, Scream For Rock.
Produced by Anthony Focx (Aerosmith, Buckcherry, Ace Frehley), Scream For Rock will be available on August 16th via Kivel Records. Pre-orders can be placed now at this location.
Watch the video below for a brief message from main Stone Whiskey screamer, Alan Rueda, then hear the title track from their new album.
Make sure to catch Stone Whiskey live on August 24th at The Mountain Music Festival in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It's going to be one hell of a party!
For further details, visit Stone Whiskey on Facebook.
| 0 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
Why Does JUDAS PRIEST's SCOTT TRAVIS Hold His Drumsticks Upside Down? He Explains
 JUDAS PRIEST has shared a new video in which drummer Scott Travis explains why he holds his drumsticks upside down. He says (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It is wrong, isn't it? Well, that's a good question. So, many, many years ago, two of my favorite drummers, Neil Peart of RUSH and Tommy Aldridge, who's played Ozzy [Osbourne] and a bunch of other bands, WHITESNAKE, I noticed they were always playing — so they would have the butt end on the left hand, which is normally the snare, and then they would play the tip on the ride cymbal for clarity. So I kind of stole that idea, and then I just figured that if it works on this hand, it's good enough on this hand, and when you have to buy your own drumsticks, which I used to do, they last longer, because, obviously, that's thicker than that. That's what she said. And so that's where it got started, really."
Two years ago, Travis told "Drumtalk", the video podcast by German drummer and videographer Philipp Koch, about the fact that the intro to the title track of JUDAS PRIEST's 1990 album "Painkiller" has become one of the most iconic drum intros of all time: "Me personally, I always loved the drum intro of certain songs. We all know 'Rock And Roll' by LED ZEPPELIN and 'Walk This Way' by AEROSMITH, and, of course, 'Hot For Teacher', which is VAN HALEN. So, anyways, I grew up like that, always understanding that, 'Man, if ever I could come up with a signature drum intro — no guitars; just drums — and make it really impactful.' And sometimes I get emotional, now that I've been playing for so long, that I was able to come up with something."
He continued: "[I recently saw a video featuring] 'Top 15 drum intros'. And, of course, it's subjective. I don't know who made the list; I think it was some rock magazine. So, naturally, I watch it, and it had 'Where Eagles Dare' [by IRON MAIDEN], it had 'Rock And Roll', and number two was 'Painkiller'. And I was, like, 'Oh my God. Thank you so much.' And number one, which I'm happy to take a backseat, was 'Hot For Teacher' — Sir Alex Van Halen. If I'm second place to old Alex, then, man, that's fantastic. Again, that's one opinion and one little something someone made up. But nonetheless, I didn't make it, so I'm happy that people appreciate 'Painkiller' and it has become a signature JUDAS PRIEST song, which I never in a million years would have imagined that."
Back in 2020, Travis told Invisible Oranges that he wrote the "Painkiller" intro at Miraval Studios in France in early 1990 as producer Chris Tsangarides and engineer Patrice Roullion were testing microphone placements.
"We were set up at the studio… Studio Miraval in Nice, France," Travis recalled. "The drums are all set up and they're in a big room and then, of course, the control room is at the other end of the studio. I used to just go and warm up first thing in the morning and just work on the next song we were gonna do the next day, and just start playing it with my own headphones on. It was just a cool place — very comfortable to just go and play whatever you wanted. I knew we were gonna be working on the 'Painkiller' song and it was meant to be a fast-paced upbeat song. And I was just messing around doing the intro type stuff."
He continued: "I don't know what those notes I play with my feet [are called]… between my feet and my hands. Technically, it's four with the feet, one with the hand. So it's not a quad but I don't know, septuplet, quintuplet... Shows you how educated I am on drumming, right? [I was] just out there messing around, doing a flurry of things like that, exercises and whatnot. I had the 'Painkiller' idea in my head and they really liked what I was doing and they said, 'Hey, just do some more of that, some stuff like that.' And I just kind of whipped it up…
"As a young drummer or just as a drummer, period, I always… I don't wanna say dreamt because that sounds corny, but I always was hoping that I could come up with a signature drum intro, and I think every drummer wants that. Rarely does a drummer get to do an intro and especially one that really sticks. Given the fact that it exists now, I'm kind of blown away. It's cool."
Scott's long and very influential drumming career has also included acclaimed work with FIGHT and RACER X.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Judas Priest (@judaspriest)
| +8 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
Wacken Open Air 2024 Highlight Recap Video Streaming
 Capping off Wacken Open Air 2024, festival organizers have shared a highlight reel along with the following message:
"A huge and loud thank you goes out to you – the most awesome fans, bands, crew, authorities and people here in the north. Watch some of the most beautiful performance and audience shots of Wacken Open Air 2024!
See you in Wacken - rain or shine!"
All W:O:A live-performances released on WackenTV can be found here.
| +5 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 àâã 2024
JOHN BUSH: 'METALLICA Is A Band That Never Rests On The Laurels Of What They've Done'
 Former ANTHRAX and current ARMORED SAINT singer John Bush, who was offered an opportunity to join METALLICA in the early '80s but turned it down, was asked in a new interview with The Dan Chan Show what he thinks of METALLICA's recent musical output. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "METALLICA is a band that never rests on the laurels of what they've done. They're always taking chances, they're always doing different things, they're always expanding on their style and pushing the boundaries of the listeners, whether it's doing the orchestra stuff or doing a record with Lou Reed or making just a metal, powerful, thrashing record. The live performances — I want to see him at SoFi Stadium here [in Los Angeles], and it was phenomenal. It was really cool how they have these four different sections — they actually took this arena and yet when they were all together playing, it felt like you were almost watching them in some small room. It was amazing.
"When you're a band like METALLICA, everybody's expectations are so grand all the time," he continued. "And the reality is you're not always gonna hit the bullseye on everything, especially if you're willing to take chances, which they are. And I really commend that, because it would be easy to just kind of play it safe. And they never do. So I really respect them on that level.
"When I heard 'Lux Æterna' [the first single from METALLICA's latest album, '72 Seasons'], it sounded rad," Bush added. "It just sounded like them. It was really powerful. It's a great tune. And I was, like, 'Wow, it's cool.' And it just sounds fresh.
"James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] is one heck of a singer and just an awesome vocalist. And so, what are you gonna do? They're METALLICA."
Back in December 2021, Bush spoke about his decision to turn down an opportunity to join METALLICA in an interview with Waste Some Time With Jason Green. He said at the time: "I've been talking about this for many years now. I'm always gonna be completely super flattered about the fact that I was asked to join METALLICA back in the early '80s. It just was never meant to be my destiny, is what I always say. There's no other singer that should have been the singer of METALLICA other than James Hetfield. That was meant to be, and that's kind of the way I see it. Like I say, I'm always flattered that I'm always connected to the history of that band — it's a huge feather in my cap, so to speak — but at the end of the day, it just was not my destiny to be the singer of METALLICA. I had a different fate in store."
Bush also talked about joining METALLICA on stage on December 7, 2011 for the second of four intimate shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of the band's 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only. "Yes, that was very cool," he said. "That was an awesome experience. We did that at the Fillmore in San Francisco. It was the 30th-anniversary shows that METALLICA did, which were really, really cool. They had all these various guests coming on stage with them at the time — everyone from Ozzy [Osbourne] to King Diamond to Lou Reed to Marianne Faithful; a lot of people associated with METALLICA through the years. And ARMORED SAINT, we got to open for [METALLICA] that one particular show — one of the four — and then that was the day that I actually came on stage and sang 'The Four Horsemen' with them, which was an incredible experience. And the whole thing was really, really awesome — just a beautiful thing to be a part of. So I always have that as a great memory in my life. We had a couple of friends that were there that came with us, and my wife was there. And we had a lot of fun doing that. Like I said, I'm really flattered that METALLICA thought of me as a person that was good enough to be in their band. But, like I said, it just wasn't meant to be something that happened for the rest of the band's career."
Another singer who was being considered for the frontman position in METALLICA was Jess Cox of Newcastle, England's TYGERS OF PAN TANG.
Bush later said in an interview: "METALLICA did ask me to join, but I said no for all the right reasons. People must think that's crazy, but you have to remember the scene then. METALLICA was nobody. ARMORED SAINT was hot; you have to remember that. Also, I was very tight with the [ARMORED SAINT] guys, back to elementary school in fact. ARMORED SAINT was getting interest from all kinds of places, and we had a lot of people starting to turn up at shows."
He continued: "METALLICA came to see SAINT at a gig in Anaheim, at The Woodstock in 1982. I heard they were interested in asking me to join, which they did later. The thing was that METALLICA was this new kind of thing, and nobody back then. I don't care what they say now; nobody could have predicted what would happen. I didn't know the guys either, so there was no real interest. It was great to be asked — in fact, a lot of people asked — but ARMORED SAINT was really strong.
"Some time after 'Kill 'Em All' had come out, I heard the same thing again, but I never understood that because James was singing great then and he was doing a great job. I understood the lack of confidence back in '82 but not for 'Ride The Lightning'. James owns that record."
In a 1989 interview with Metal Forces, drummer Lars Ulrich talked about what METALLICA could have sounded like had Bush ended up fronting the group. He said: "Only a couple of days ago, we were actually sitting around talking about how it would be now if John Bush had joined the band. Obviously, it's impossible to know how different it would have been, but I can't imagine METALLICA without James Hetfield up there growling into the microphone, fucking curved over and everything. It's really weird to think about it. I mean, nothing against John Bush — I think he's a great vocalist — but ... Well, thank God it didn't happen."
Photo credit: Rob Shotwell
| +5 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
FROZEN CROWN Share U.D.O. European Support Tour 2024 Video Diary
 Italian power metallers Frozen Crown, have shared a new video along with the following message:
"Some months ago we were invited to play as special guests on the North European leg of U.D.O.'s Touchdown tour and it was amazing! This is some of the footage we gathered from our phones and cameras. Featuring all the awesome U.D.O. musicians as well as lots of snow, ice and FOOD!"
Frozen Crown inked a worldwide contract with Napalm Records in June 2023. The five-piece was founded in 2018, and have since become one of the most influential Italian metal bands in the current scene.
So far, Frozen Crown have released four albums - The Fallen King (2018), Crowned In Frost (2019), Winterbane (2021) and this year’s Call Of The North - which have brought the band huge media exposure, millions of streams and video views, and big European tours with the likes of Dragonforce and Nanowar Of Steel, as well as two headlining tours in Japan.
Their current album, Call Of The North, is Frozen Crown’s most mature work so far, showcasing the best of the band’s unique power metal style infused with classic heavy metal, melodic death metal and speed metal influences, all topped with bombastic production highlighting opulent orchestrations and harmonies.
Frozen Crown on the signing: "We're happy and honored to join the Napalm Records family and we're ready for our next big step together. Since we founded this band in 2018 we worked hard incessantly, day after day, not only trying to put our best in our studio albums and live, but also managing the band all by ourselves, conquering every single little accomplishment with our DIY attitude, always keeping loyal to our (extremely) small entourage. Thanks to the support of our lovely fans, Frozen Crown eventually grew bigger, and got to a point where we were not able to handle it all by ourselves anymore. At the same time, we knew we needed more firepower to push the band further and bring it to the next level. And speaking of firepower, Napalm Records was just the best record label to start this new chapter with... We're excited beyond words to be part of the best metal label in the world, and we can't wait to start working together on our new album, joining forces with this huge team of professionals."
Sebastian Muench, Senior A&R Napalm Records, adds: “Frozen Crown are simply one of the most creative power metal bands to emerge in the last five years. Their previous releases, Winterbane and Call Of The North, are brilliant. We look forward to working with Frozen Crown to reach the next level in their career.”
Frozen Crown are:
Giada “Jade” Etro - Vocals
Federico Mondelli - Vocals, Guitar
Fabiola Bellomo - Guitar
Francesco Zof - Bass
Niso Tomasini - Drums | 0 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
GENE SIMMONS - Fan-Filmed Video Of Entire Rattvik, Sweden Show Available
 KISS legend Gene Simmons and his solo band performed at the Dalhalla Amphitheatre in Rattvik, Sweden on July 29. Fan-filmed video of the entire show can be viewed below
Setlist:
“Deuce”
“War Machine”
“Almost Human”
“Are You Ready”
“Shout It Out Loud”
“House Of Pain” (Van Halen)
“I Love It Loud”
“Christine Sixteen”
“Communication Breakdown” (Led Zeppelin)
“Cold Gin”
“Ace Of Spades” (Motörhead)
“Weapons Of Mass Destruction”
“Parasite”
“Never In My Life” (Mountain)
“Calling Dr. Love”
“Rock And Roll All Nite”
Upcoming Gene Simmons Band tour dates are listed below. For ticket links, head here.
August
4 - Ronda - Utrecht, Holland
6 - Turbinenhalle - Oberhausen, Germany
8 - den Atelier - Luxembourg, Luxembourg
9 - Nirwana Tuinfeest - Lierop, Netherlands
11 - Alcatraz Festival - Kortrijk, Belgium
13 - Porta Ferrada Festival, Guixols Arena - Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain
14 - La Riviera - Madrid, Spain
16 - Cinzella Festival, Ex Capannone Montecatini - Taranto, Brindisi, Italy | 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 àâã 2024
KAMELOT Guitarist THOMAS YOUNGBLOOD Names SAVATAGE, CRIMSON GLORY And SAIGON KICK As Influences - "Seeing Them Live And Then Expanding Beyond Florida Gave Me Inspiration"
 A new career-spanning interview with Kamelot guitarist Thomas Youngblood has been posted on the band's official website. Following is an excerpt.
Q: Who are the biggest influences from your youth?
Thomas: "I grew up watching local bands Savatage (Avatar) and Crimson Glory, also Saigon Kick. Seeing them live and then expanding beyond Florida gave me inspiration. Of course, I also loved Maiden, Priest, Rush and others. I loved Segovia on classical guitar, too. I wanted to use that in Kamelot from day one. After the first album, I also got into New Age and that was something I needed to add to Kamelot. Also, before I even played guitar, I played saxophone. One day, I got the album Switched on Bach, that was the first classical fusion I had ever heard. This was before the internet remember (laughs)."
Q: When you first started the band, you must have had a certain vision oe set of goals in mind. How clonesly was the actual evolution and experience of the band aligned with your initial vision?
Thomas: "Every step has been an evolution and a milestone, and overall I am happy with every album. The latest album, The Awakening, has surpassed all previous ones in chart placements (Top 2 USA, Top 10 Germany) but we still have many goals to achieve with the band. Our shows have become something I am proud of and we want every fan to walk away hoping for the next visit. Our goal is for bigger than ever productions and events, we plan to make the show an even more immersive experience."
Read the complete interview here.
Kamelot will bring their glorious Awaken the World Tour 2024 to Europe this October, starting in Utrecht (NL). The multinational icons founded and led by mastermind and guitarist Thomas Youngblood just announced new dates in 17 cities across 11 countries!
Kamelot are ready to enchant and stun fans once again with their internationally top-charting melodic metal pinnacles, accompanied by powerful and unique special guests like rising modern symphonic metallers Ad Infinitum and power metal heroes Frozen Crown — both Napalm Records labelmates. As bonus support, enchanting symphonic metal rose Blackbriar will also grace the stage.
This massive, enchanting symphonic metal tour promises legendary moments to remember, chock full of musical diversity and hard-hitting melodies. The tour will begin on October 12, 2024 in Utrecht (NL) and will cross all over Europe and the UK, coming to an end on November 3, 2024 in Manchester (UK).
Tickets are available at kamelot.com/tour.
Thomas Youngblood on the upcoming tour:
“KamNation get ready for our return to Europe and first taste for the UK of the Awaken The World Tour!! We are incredibly excited about this package, all of the support bands have been on my wish list for a while now. I am sure we will have amazing memories for the fans and all the band members after this landmark tour in Europe and the UK!”
Melissa Bonny of Ad Infinitum adds:
“We are excited to join Kamelot on this exciting European tour and even more so with the participation of our friends and tour mates from Blackbriar. Completed by Frozen Crown, this package promesses an epic experience for all the fans of symphonic and melodic metal who will join the party!”
Frozen Crown state:
“We are delighted to announce we're joining Kamelot on their European tour 2024. This is a super exciting news for us, not only because of the privilege to open for one of the bands that influenced our music and lyrics. But also cause we get to share the stage with Ad Infinitum and Blackbriar as well, making this our first "full Napalm" tour after joining our new label. We can't wait to be part of this! See you guys on the road in October!”
René of Blackbriar comments:
“We've got exciting news to share with you! We'll join Kamelot's 'Awaken The World' tour this year as a special guest alongside Ad Infinitum and Frozen Crown! This tour will take us to many new and familiar countries, and to say that we're looking forward to this feels like an understatement. Kamelot is a band we've been looking up to for so long, and we feel honored to join them on their tour. We've never had the pleasure of meeting them before, just as we never met Frozen Crown, and we can't wait to do so! We did have the pleasure of being tour buddies with Ad Infinitum last year, and we're looking forward to continuing these unforgettable times! We can't wait for these new adventures, see you on the road!”
Dates:
October
12 – Utrecht, Netherlands
13 – Munich, Germany
15 – Berlin, Germany
17 – Bratislava, Slovakia
18 – Zlin, Czech Republic
19 – Ljubljana, Slovenia
20 – Milan, Italy
22 – Bilbao, Spain
23 – Madrid, Spain
25 – Lyon, France
26 – Pratteln, Switzerland
27 – Oberhausen, Germany
29 – Hamburg, Germany
30 – Antwerpen, Belgium
November
1 – Wolverhampton, UK
Kamelot lineup:
Tommy Karevik - Vocals
Thomas Youngblood - Guitars
Oliver Palotai - Keyboards
Sean Tibbetts - Bass
Alex Landenburg - Drums
Photo by Nat Enemede | 0 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
SLASH Performs “Oh Well” With TASH NEAL Live At The Gibson Garage
 Watch Slash’s exclusive live performance of “Oh Well”, off his new blues album, Orgy Of The Damned, at the Gibson Garage in Nashville, Tennessee with Tash Neal on vocals. This private event marked the beginning of the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, a blues tour showcasing Slash's latest work. Experience the magic of soulful melodies and electrifying performances that capture the essence of the blues.
Check out previous video of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone":
Slash recently launched a "making of" video series in support of his new album, Orgy Of The Damned. Episode 4 is now available. Watch the segments below:
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
A vibrant homage to the blues, Slash’s star-studded blues album and sixth solo album of his career overall, Orgy Of The Damned is a collection of 12 dynamic songs that revitalize the blues with a stripped-down approach. In the spirit of collaboration, on Orgy Of The Damned, Slash handpicked the album’s diverse guest vocalists, which include Gary Clark Jr., Billy F. Gibbons, Chris Stapleton, Dorothy, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Brian Johnson, Tash Neal, Chris Robinson, and Beth Hart. The acclaimed guitarist reteamed with producer Mike Clink and reunited with two of his bandmates from his Blues Ball outfit in the '90s, bassist Johnny Griparic and keyboardist Teddy ‘ZigZag’ Andreadis, and brought on drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal who round out his blues band in the studio and on the road.
For Orgy Of The Damned, everything was played live in the room, with an emphasis on improvisation which resulted in a collection of energized songs that are vital and raw. Highlights include “Oh Well” with outlaw country star Chris Stapleton’s gritty vocals on the beloved early Peter Green/Fleetwood Mac tune, and the Howlin’ Wolf-penned first single “Killing Floor” an electrifying collaboration with Brian Johnson of AC/DC on vocals, and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith on harmonica. “Hoochie Coochie Man,” - written by Willie Dixon and made famous by Muddy Waters - showcases the album’s the in-the-moment nature and unrestrained energy with ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons stepping in on guitar and vocals, Gary Clark Jr. joins in for a rowdy take on Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads”, and Beth Hart stuns on the twanging and soulful rendition of T. Bone Walker’s “Stormy Monday”. Some of the songs, like Steppenwolf’s “The Pusher”, Charlie Segar’s “Key To The Highway,” and Albert King’s “Born Under A Bad Sign”, had been performed by Slash’s Blues Ball, while others, like Stevie Wonder’s “Living For The City”, were long-time favorites for Slash.
Order Orgy Of The Damned here.
Orgy Of The Damned tracklisting:
“The Pusher” feat. Chris Robinson (vocal and harmonica) Written by Wayne Hoyt Axton
“Crossroad Blues” feat. Gary Clark Jr (vocal, rhythm guitar, and solo) Written by Robert Leroy Johnson
“Hoochie Coochie Man” feat. Billy F. Gibbons (vocal, rhythm guitar, and solo) Written by Willie Dixon
“Oh Well” feat. Chris Stapleton (vocal) Written by Peter Alan Green
“Key To The Highway” feat. Dorothy (vocal) Written by Charles Segar, William Broonzy
“Awful Dream” feat. Iggy Pop (vocal) Written by Sam (Lightnin’) Hopkins, Clarence Lewis, C Morgan Robinson
“Born Under A Bad Sign” feat. Paul Rodgers (vocal) Written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones
“Papa Was A Rolling Stone” feat. Demi Lovato (vocal) Written by Barrett Strong, Jesse Norman Whitfield
“Killing Floor” feat. Brian Johnson (vocal) Written by Chester Burnett *Special guest Steven Tyler on harmonica.
“Living For The City” feat. Tash Neal (vocal) Written by Stevie Wonder *Special guest background vocals: Jenna Bell, Jessie Payo
“Stormy Monday” feat. Beth Hart (vocal) Written by T-Bone Walker
“Metal Chestnut” Written by Slash
"Papa Was A Rolling Stone" video:
"Oh Well":
"Killing Floor" video:
Slash has curated an all-star Blues lineup for the first-ever S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Blues Festival which stands for Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality N’ Tolerance to bring fans together to celebrate the spirit of the Blues, and to perform with other Blues artists he admires who share his love of the genre. Slash’s S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival artists include Warren Haynes Band, Keb’ ‘Mo, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Robert Randolph, Samantha Fish, Eric Gales, ZZ Ward, Jackie Venson, and Larkin Poe. On all dates, SLASH will perform alongside his Blues band featuring bassist Johnny Griparic, keyboardist Teddy ‘ZigZag’ Andreadis, drummer Michael Jerome, and singer/guitarist Tash Neal. For all S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Blues Festival dates, visit SerpentFestival.com.
The S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival is designed with maximum social impact in mind and Slash has chosen five nonprofit organizations to directly benefit from touring proceeds to help lift marginalized communities and support mental health initiatives that share his restorative focus of elevating lives for the benefit of all. Through PLUS1.ORG, the S.E.R.P.E.N.T Festival will donate a portion of the proceeds from every VIP package, as well as every Ticket sold, directly to NAMI the National Alliance on Mental Illness, The Equal Justice Initiative, Know Your Rights Camp, The Greenlining Institute, and War Child. Details on all S.E.R.P.E.N.T Festival VIP packages can be found at this location.
S.E.R.P.E.N.T Blues Festival 2024 North American Dates:
August
4 - New York, NY - Pier 17 $
5 - Bethlehem, PA - Musikfest +
7 - Cary, NC - Koka Booth Amphitheatre +
8 - Atlanta, GA - Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park ^
10 - Clearwater, FL - The Sound at Coachman Park ^
11 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre +
13 - Huntsville, AL - The Orion Amphitheater +
14 - Franklin, TN - FirstBank Amphitheater +
16 - Bentonville, AR - The Momentary ^^
17 - Grand Prairie, TX - Texas Trust CU Theatre ^^
* Warren Haynes Band, Samantha Fish, and Eric Gales
** Keb’ ‘Mo, Samantha Fish, and Jackie Venson
# Keb’ ‘Mo, ZZ Ward ,and Jackie Venson
$ Keb’ ‘Mo, ZZ Ward, and Robert Randolph
^ ZZ Ward and Robert Randolph
+ Larkin Poe, ZZ Ward, and Robert Randolph
^^ Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, ZZ Ward, and Robert Randolph
| +1 | |
| |
5 àâã 2024
FELLOWSHIP – The Skies Above Eternity Album Out In November
 Fellowship will release the new album The Skies Above Eternity on November 22 through Scarlet Records.
Fellowship was the absolute power metal revelation of 2022 with their magnificent debut album The Saberlight Chronicles; after successfully bringing their positive vibes live in Europe and Japan, and hitting the American stage for the first time as headliners of the Mad With Power Fest on August 2, the English band is now ready to take things to the next level with their sophomore record.
Once again recorded by Richard Campbell at Orpheus Studio, mixed and mastered by Alexander Backlund and Ricardo Borges at Fascination Street Studios, and graced by a stunning artwork courtesy of the Hungarian maestro Peter Sallai, The Skies Above Eternity is a journey into a new side of the Fellowship sound.
Darker, and more dynamic, but still retaining that classic Fellowship sense of joy, this album tells a new story that delves into a deeper sense of melancholy with themes of helplessness and resistance, asks us to find joy in the darkest of places through its uplifting, powerful choruses, and reminds us that with each new day comes new hope – because sometimes all it takes to find it is looking up at the skies above you.
Drawing additional influence from Japanese power metal and delivering non-stop bangers from start to finish, this might just be the work that catapults Fellowship all the way up to the stars!
The Skies Above Eternity will be released in the following formats:
- digipack CD
- vinyl LP: 350 marbled silver (retail exclusive), 150 marbled purple (mailorder exclusive)
- digital
Artwork by Peter Sallai:
Tracklisting:
“Hold Up Your Hearts (Again)”
“Victim”
“The Bitter Winds”
“Dawnbreaker”
“Eternity”
“King Of Nothing”
“World End Slowly”
“A New Hope”
“Memories On The Wind”
Fellowship:
Matthew Corry - vocals
Brad Wosko - guitar
Sam Browne - guitar (studio-only)
Ed Munson - bass
Callum Tuffen - drums
(Photo: Andy Griffin)
| +1 | |
| |
|
|
  |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anthrax
