|
| |
 |
  |
28 ìàé 2025
 | +1 |  |
|  |
28 ìàé 2025
| +2 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
| 0 | |
| |
![=]](/img/news-bord-shr.gif) |
|
  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28 ìàé 2025
WOUND COLLECTOR Sign Worldwide Deal With Wormholedeath Records
 Belgian death metal force, Wound Collector, has inked a worldwide deal with for the release of their sophomore album. More info coming soon!
Renowned for their audacious fusion of brutal death metal and avant-garde saxophone, the band carves a unique niche alongside acts like Nile and Imperial Triumphant, delivering relentless aggression with an unorthodox twist.
Formed in 2015 by saxophonist/composer Peter Verdonck (Thelema Trio, Ambrassband), Wound Collector merges technical death metal with haunting saxophone melodies, defying genre conventions. The current lineup – Guy Van Campenhout (7-string guitar), Stijn Deldaele (bass), and Nico Veroeven (drums) – continues to push boundaries, building on a legacy that includes 2020’s Depravity (featuring Aeon’s Tommy Dahlströhm) and 2023’s self-released EP Begging For Chicxulub.
The debut album, Eternal Bloodcult, was released in 2018 via Profane Records, cementing the band’s reputation for unrelenting intensity and innovation.
Having shared stages with Brujeria, Cattle Decapitation, and The Monolith Deathcult, the band continues to electrify audiences with their visceral live performances.
For more information about Wound Collector and updates, visit their official website here.
Check out the band’s Begging For Chicxulub EP here. | 0 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
HEART Guitarist NANCY WILSON Reflects On Songwriting For 1985 Self-Titled Hit Album – “I Guess We Were A Little Jealous Because We Didn’t Write Them Ourselves”
 Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson is featured in a new interview with Guitar World discussing the band’s 1985 reboot, when they made the jump from Epic Records to Capitol with their self-titled album. Following is an excerpt
Guitar World: Heart was your first album for Capitol, and it saw the band undergo a major makeover. Was that part of the conditions on which you signed the deal?
Nancy: “I think we’d reached the end of the average lifespan for most rock bands by that point. We decided that if we wanted to survive, we probably needed to find a new manager and a new record company and have some kind of major reset. We saw the chance to sign with Capitol as an opportunity to reinvent the band. I guess it was almost like the old saying, ‘When in Rome…’ If we wanted to fit in with the whole new MTV era, we had to adapt to survive.”
Guitar World: You had four big hits with songs brought in by outside writers. Was that strange for you as a band who normally wrote their own songs?
Nancy: “They were great songs – timeless, really – and, of course, they brought us huge success, and we’d already fully embraced the notion that we would have to commit wholeheartedly to Capitol’s plan for it to work. We actually spent a couple of days at Ann’s house, with Ron, going through numerous songs to see if there were any we’d be happy to record. ‘Alone’ is a particularly strong song that could have been recorded at any time over the decades. I guess we were a little jealous, though, because we didn’t write them ourselves (laughs).” | 0 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
| 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28 ìàé 2025
| 0 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
| +1 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
| +1 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28 ìàé 2025
| +1 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
DROWNING POOL Hopes To Release New Full-Length Album Later This Year; 'Sinner' 25th-Anniversary Tour In Works For 2026
 In a new interview with Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of Rock Interview Series, DROWNING POOL guitarist C.J. Pierce spoke about the band's recently released two singles, "Madness", which came out earlier this month, and "Revolution (The Final Amen)", which arrived in September 2024. "Revolution (The Final Amen)" was the first piece of music Pierce, DROWNING POOL drummer Mike Luce and bassist Stevie Benton completed with singer Ryan McCombs in 13 years.
"It's been great to write with Ryan McCombs again," Pierce told Rock Interview Series (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "It's been two years now. I can't believe it's been two years since we've been rocking out [with Ryan back in the band]. It was gonna be a couple of reunion shows. We had a big show with PANTERA May 5th two years ago. And that was like the thing that was, like, 'Yeah, let's bring Ryan back in.' And next thing you know, man, everyone's calling. They want us to play shows and do tours."
Regarding DROWNING POOL's plans to release a new full-length album, C.J. said: "We've been writing a lot of new songs together. It's just the fact that we've been touring so much, we haven't had that much time to get it together. So, we did put out 'Revolution' first, and then we didn't wanna make people wait too much longer, so we put out 'Madness' now. But what I'm doing now, I'm home from tour and these next couple of weeks I'm gonna finish putting together all the songs that we have and try to get everything else done so we can get a record out there before the end of the summer. It's kind of the goal right now — loosely based goal because life is life and things happen, but I actually have a block of time for the first time in two years to put together all the awesome ideas we've been all working on together as a band."
Asked what record label DROWNING POOL is on at the moment, Pierce said: "It's SBG Records, [founded by] Shan Horan. It's an independent label. We've been slowly working towards being independent. We are self-managed. Each one of us in the band take on a different role. And you've gotta take a hold of your career, man. A lot of stuff happened before COVID. I know COVID messed up a lot of stuff for a lot of bands and people, and us coming out of it, we just had to clean house and take control of our career, man. So it's been great, dude. It's been so awesome working with Shan, SBG, just everybody that's in our corner. We have a great team of people that we put together ourselves versus doing the label route. Again, SBG [is an] independent label, but we outsource all the pieces [and] parts to make it happen."
He continued: "There's different facets, major labels, independent labels and what they all entail in house and stuff like that. We've just been on major labels. The last one was Universal. And all the stuff, all the pieces and parts you need are in-house, but you never know how much love you're gonna get or not get within it.
"I hate talking business, man, because it's all about the rock and roll and music, but since we are independently managed, business is on our brain," C.J. explained. "You have to keep an eye on it as well, if you wanna get your music out there and your art out there. And that's all we wanna do, man — we wanna get our new music out there, we wanna put on shows and hang out with the fans and have a great time. That's exactly what we've been doing, and more of it so much so, because we're running the show now. So it's been great, dude, in partnership with Shan with SBG. They've been awesome. So, we finally have the right mix of people working with us."
Pierce went on to confirm that DROWNING POOL is planning to tour in 2026 in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the band's debut album, "Sinner", which was certified platinum within six weeks of its release in 2001, while the CD's first single, "Bodies", was one of the most frequently aired videos on MTV by a new band.
"We definitely wanna start [touring] here in the States and do all next year, promoting a lot of that," the guitarist said. "And hats off to [late DROWNING POOL singer] Dave Williams and do him right and do a lot of things that we haven't done that fans haven't heard. We have a lot of stuff we're putting together for the package and a lot of material that we still have with Dave Williams — and, again, respect to him — to get to the hardcore fans that like to hear it, just all that stuff out. So we're putting that together now. The solid plans haven't been laid out yet, but we will be doing the anniversary tour next year in the States, and then probably the following year go back to Europe and do it there as well."
Asked if DROWNING POOL would consider playing the entire "Sinner" album for the 25th-anniversary tour, C.J. said: "We're definitely gonna be doing that, and then more songs on top of that. The last song that we wrote with Dave was a song called 'Heroes Sleeping'. We've been talking about playing that live. We have a song called 'Break You', that song on 'The Scorpion King' soundtrack and stuff. So there's different things. We did [a cover of] 'The Game' for Triple H, MOTÖRHEAD's 'The Game', and it's something else we hadn't played live. So things like that that we haven't been able to do, all Dave Williams-oriented.
"I've been going through storage lately and there's a bunch of songs that we have that were finished demo-wise, but we never like got to like record 'em for real," Pierce revealed. "So I have a lot more material than I thought I had. So it's also gonna be fun to get out… We're gonna go through — Mike, Steve and myself — and pick out some choice songs that we think would be worthy to get out to the hardcore fans and maybe even possibly play those live. So, again, this is my dream list of what I'd like to do. We're gonna get together as a band, and we'll see all what works best for us for the tour."
The release of "Madness" came on the heels of DROWNING POOL's European tour with GODSMACK. The trek included stops in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Germany, the U.K. and more.
DROWNING POOL will play Inkcarceration festival 2025 on Friday, July 18 and Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk, Belgium in August. In addition, DROWNING POOL has announced a U.K. and Ireland tour with SPINESHANK and special guests (HED) P.E. in November.
McCombs played his first shows back with DROWNING POOL in March 2023 at Club L.A. in Destin, Florida and at the inaugural Throwdown At The Campground festival in Fruitland Park, Florida.
The longtime SOIL frontman, who has lived in Swindon, England since 2018, originally joined DROWNING POOL in 2005 and appeared on two of the band's studio albums, "Full Circle" (2007) and "Drowning Pool" (2010),as well as a live album, 2009's "Loudest Common Denominator". He rejoined SOIL after exiting DROWNING POOL in 2011.
McCombs is continuing to front SOIL and will carry on recording and performing with both bands.
After the release of "Sinner", DROWNING POOL reached out to an ever-greater audience with dynamic performances at Wrestlemania XVIII and Ozzfest during the summers of 2001 and 2002. Unfortunately, their streak of success was not to last. Shortly after rousing the crowd at Ozzfest in Indianapolis, Indiana, on August 3, 2002, vocalist Dave "Stage" Williams was found dead of natural causes on the tour bus.
Photo courtesy of O'Donnell Media Group | +3 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
| 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28 ìàé 2025
MARTY FRIEDMAN Has Nothing Against 'Flashy' Guitar Playing: 'I Just Wanna Be Excited By What I Hear'
 In a new interview with Bradley Hall, Marty Friedman explained why he isn't too keen on listening to guitarists who play fast just for the sake of it. The former MEGADETH guitarist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm not at all against anything flashy in the slightest. I just wanna be excited by what I hear. If something is very cool and fast and exciting at the peak of some really important part of the song, then I get chills or something. It's the placement of these things and the originality of it. And sometimes it doesn't even have to be original. Sometimes it can be a tired old lick, but put in the right place, it's just, like, 'Whoa, bravo.' You know what I mean?
"I've never been against flashy stuff ever, and I've never really changed my outlook on playing even from back in those days to now," he continued. "But I'm all for things having a definite meaning and a purpose. And so if something is in a place where it means something, then it hits you or at least hits me when I'm doing it enough to wanna do it. But if someone's, like, 'Here's my best licks one after another,' bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, 'it means kind of less than nothing because this is a bunch of shit that I practiced. You can see the person's life, you know what I mean? When you hear music, if you get a vision of someone sitting in front of a metronome, that's not very sexy, right? But if you hear a really cool passage and then it explodes in this very interesting turn of events that you didn't expect, that's the kind of flashy stuff that I really dig, and I've always been trying to chase that. And I'm sometimes hopefully successful, sometimes not, but that's what I'm going for."
Asked if he is familiar with Tim Henson, who is the lead guitarist of the progressive band POLYPHIA and is widely considered one of the hottest guitarists in the world, Marty said: "Oh, yes. I toured with them in Asia — and super band and super guitar playing. I really like a lot of what they're doing." As for other newer guitarists he likes, Friedman said: "My friend Ichika Nito is also just a drop-dead, fantastic guitar player and composer, the stuff he writes.
"I kind of, a long time ago, got over people being good guitar players," Marty added. "They have to come up with something musically that interests me, because, let's face it, there's good guitar players everywhere, but are they gonna come up with a nice piece of music and present it in such a way that I wanna sit down and listen to it? Technique is really kind of a given. But guys like Ichika Nito is great. Who else? There's just tons of guys that I'm probably slipping up. Mateus [Asato] from Brazil is just a super, super player. There's just a long list of guys and girls out there. Really good."
Back in June 2021, Friedman discussed why he hates being called a "shredder." He told Kylie Olsson's YouTube show "Life In Six Strings" at the time: "To me, it just sounds like someone just playing mindlessly fast. When I played in the really early part of my career and even now, sometimes things sound really fast because the choice of notes is so unusual that the notes go by and they make different clicks in your head when it's registering in your ears. If you play a succession of notes that people are used to hearing, you have to really play it fast, like two hundred beats per minute, for it to sound fast. Like, if you just play a scale up and down, it's gonna sound fast. But if you do unusual groups of notes and unusual subdivisions of notes and unusual melody note choices, it can be not even that fast at all and it'll just sound fast because so many things are going by that you're not used to; you're not accustomed to hearing these sequences of notes. So people think that, 'Oh, it's so fast,' because they try to play it and it's quite difficult. But there's a difference between speed and difficulty, for sure."
He continued: "It's a term that happens with a lot of young guitarists that doesn't exist in the real world. I think a lot of young guitarists, and myself included when I was a little kid, they're fascinated with things that they're unable to do, and one thing that they're not able to do is play really fast when you're a beginner. Your fingers just don't work that way, and your mind doesn't work that way yet. So when you see a guy across the street in his basement playing really fast, you're, like, 'How come I can't do that?', and it just becomes this holy grail for one-year-, two-year, three-year guitarists. And those are the people who are active [in online] chats and things like that, and those are the people who buy guitar magazines and buy lots of gear, those are the people that are keeping the industry of guitar alive, and those are the people who are fascinated by quickness of fingers and just really fast playing. But little do they know, playing slow is a thousand times more difficult than playing fast — it really, really is. Playing slow is where you can separate the men from the boys, so to speak… When you hear somebody play something slow, you can tell if they're any good right then and there; you can tell. When you hear something fast — even eight-year-old kids can play really fast and really clean and really accurately. So it's really an illusion, but it's the thing that keeps guitars selling. You've gotta have something that is like a holy grail for beginner people to get inspired by. So a lot of 'em hear this fast stuff and they're, like, 'I wanna do that so bad.' Okay. Now you've done it. You practiced for a couple of years. You've done it. Now what? I kind of don't like being lumped into that because there's a lot of people out there who just play really, really fast all the time, and to me, it just sounds like noise.
"Playing fast was interesting when I just picked up the instrument, but it certainly lost its interest quite quickly after you were able to do it," Marty added. "Then it became interesting [to play] interesting things on the instrument, creating interesting music. Now, it has really has nothing to do with speed, whether it be slow, medium, fast or anything in between, because music is of all tempos — every tempo is in music; every single tempo. But, again, that term is just something I don't like to be lumped into. But at the same time, if you love shredding and you think I'm a shredder and you love my music, we're bros. I still love you. It's all good. It's all terminology. It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is if you like the music or not. So you can call me anything, as long as you like the music. And even if you don't like the music, it is what it is."
Friedman's latest solo album, "Drama", came out in May 2024 via Frontiers Music Srl.
Marty's first major impact in music was in the game-changing guitar duo CACOPHONY, which he founded with equally enigmatic and now-legendary guitarist Jason Becker. He then spent 10 years as lead guitarist in the genre-defining thrash metal act MEGADETH before moving to Tokyo due to his love for Japanese music, language, and culture.
Following his move, he landed a starring role for a new TV comedy "Hebimeta-san" ("Mr. Heavy Metal") and its spinoff, "Rock Fujiyama", which ran for six seasons and propelled him into the living rooms of Japan's mainstream. He has since appeared in over 800 TV shows, movies and commercials, including a two-year campaign with Coca-Cola for Fanta, authored two best-selling novels and was the first-ever foreigner to be appointed as an ambassador of Japan heritage and perform at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Marathon.
At the same time, Marty has continued his career in music with several solo albums in addition to writing and performing with the top artists in Japanese music, racking up countless chart hits, including a No. 1 with SMAP, two No. 2 songs with MOMOIRO CLOVER, a No. 2 with SOUND HORIZON — just to name a few.
Friedman's autobiography, "Dreaming Japanese", arrived on December 3, 2024 via Permuted Press.
| +4 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
BEHIND STARVATION Sign To Inertial Music; Debut EP Coming In 2025
 Behind Starvation, a rising melodic death metal band from Northern Italy, has signed with Inertial Music.
Known for their fierce and modern take on melodic death metal, Behind Starvation blend aggressive riffs with melancholic melodies and emotionally charged lyrics. While deeply influenced by genre legends, the band brings their own contemporary vision, exploring themes of pain, transformation, and resilience with a powerful and fresh approach.
The band’s debut EP is scheduled for release in the last quarter of 2025. The first single will be unveiled in sSummer 2025. More details will follow soon.
“We would like people to enjoy the music we wrote freely, without expectations or prejudice, letting themselves be carried away by the emotions emerging from the songs, and in doing so, truly understand what we put into every single note and riff.” – Behind Starvation | 0 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
| 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28 ìàé 2025
| 0 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
| +1 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
TRIPTYKON's TOM GABRIEL FISCHER Finds It 'Difficult To Think Creatively' When 'There's Some Very Serious Issues In The World'
 During an appearance on a recent episode of the Iblis Manifestations podcast, former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST and current TRIPTYKON singer, guitarist and main songwriter Tom Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. Tom Gabriel Warrior) spoke about TRIPTYKON's plans to record its long-awaited fourth album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm always writing music. I'm always writing lyrics. I'm always making notes. I have tons of notes about the production of the next album. So it is happening, and we have played new music and we'll continue to create new music this year. And we have every intention to do it this year. And we'll release one or two songs as soon as possible, once we feel we have some songs that we can showcase without giving the entire album away. But it's still a process.
"The way the world is going on every level, I find it very difficult to just think creatively and act like everything's fine, and 'Yeah, let's do some music,'" he explained. "I think there's some very serious issues in the world right now, and it doesn't really help my creativity. Because for me to be creative, I need to have a sense of the future. It's a shitty word — it's actually a word I hate — but I need to have some sense of hope. I usually feel contempt for hope. Hope is like helplessness. You hope for something better, but you don't know. And I'd rather know or not know. But in this case… You write music for something, for something in the future. You want music to stand there and exist. But if there's a world in flames, a world with environmental problems, with humans killing each other, music is so irrelevant. There's serious problems in the world that should be addressed, and here we are, we're small musicians, that sometimes it's a bit difficult for me to just naively write music, 'Oh, hey, wow, that riff rocks,' when the world is self-destructing due to the inability of humans to learn from their own history. It makes it a bit difficult sometimes. So that's why the progress has been very slow. And I also had some issues in my private life in the past few years that interfered. But it is happening, and there are plenty of songs, some of which will be rejected, some of which will still grow. And there's also some ideas that I have for further songs. So it is happening."
Fischer added: "I have my own record company. And I'm not a young artist that has to do a new album every year to prove I can do it. So I've taken the liberty of taking my time. And, of course, what people maybe forget sometimes, the last TRIPTYKON album was 'Requiem (Live At Roadburn 2019)' that came out in 2020. It's not that long ago. And 'Requiem' is basically half a studio album. It's not just a live album; there's a lot of studio work on it. And then I did the TRIUMPH OF DEATH live album ['Resurrection Of The Flesh'], which was also quite an involved project. And I also did an album the aborted project NIRYTH that was never released. So I've been very active. I've recorded albums, not all of which, unfortunately, came out. So, this is what it is."
The next album from TRIPTYKON is scheduled to be released by longtime music industry partners Century Media Records/Sony Music Entertainment in 2025. For this purpose, the Swiss/German avant-garde extreme metal group (via its own label Prowling Death Records) signed a vastly enhanced licensing agreement with Century Media Records/Sony Music Entertainment on June 1, 2024. It is likely that an EP or onstage glimpses of TRIPTYKON's new music will precede the album.
Once the songwriting and arrangement sessions at the band's base in Zurich, Switzerland are concluded to the band's satisfaction, TRIPTYKON will relocate to guitarist V. Santura's own studios in Bavaria, Germany, to conduct recording and mixing sessions. The album will again be produced by V. Santura and Fischer.
TRIPTYKON 2025 is Tom Gabriel Warrior (voice/guitar),Vanja Slajh (bass),V. Santura (guitar/vocals),Hannes Grossmann (drums/percussion).
TRIPTYKON has released two full-length albums, a live LP, an EP, a single and two box sets in its 17 years as a band.
TRIPTYKON 2025 is Tom Gabriel Warrior (voice/guitar),Vanja Slajh (bass),V. Santura (guitar/vocals) and Hannes Grossmann (drums/percussion).
TRIPTYKON's previous album releases are "Eparistera Daimones" (2010),"Melana Chasmata" (2014) and "Requiem - Live At Roadburn 2019" (2020).
In 2023, Tom and the rest of TRIPTYKON played several concerts during which they performed a set of early CELTIC FROST songs celebrating the influential Swiss metal band that he co-founded more than 40 years ago.
Bassist Martin Eric Ain, who played with Fischer in both HELLHAMMER and CELTIC FROST, died in October 2017 after suffering a heart attack at the age of 50.
CELTIC FROST reformed in 2001 and released its comeback album "Monotheist" via Century Media/Prowling Death in 2006. The band broke up in 2008, with Fischer going on to form TRIPTYKON.
TRIPTYKON is managed by Miles Hackett and represented by Jörg Düsedau for Dragon Productions.
Iblis Manifestations is hosted by Shayan, a musician and fitness coach, born in Tehran, Iran after the Islamic Revolution. He grew up in a world of totalitarian religious extremism, under the rule of cultural and societal restrictions — defying which could lead to punishments of imprisonment or even death. He is known as the frontman and guitarist of the black/death metal band TRIVAX, which is now based in the United Kingdom. | +1 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28 ìàé 2025
| 0 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
| 0 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
| +1 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28 ìàé 2025
Ex-FEAR FACTORY Singer BURTON C. BELL Is Focused On Releasing Singles: 'Right Now There's No Solo' Album 'Planned'
 In a new interview with Andrew Haug, former FEAR FACTORY frontman Burton C. Bell spoke about his plans for new music after issuing two singles in 2024 — "Anti-Droid" and "Technical Exorcism" — and a cover of RAMMSTEIN's "Du Hast" in 2023. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Right now there's no solo record planned. We're just writing songs and releasing singles. When it comes to a point where we have enough songs to release a full-length, maybe an EP — we'll choose which one — but if I can get some support and some funding to make that happen, I will definitely release a full-length. But at this point, we're just writing songs and releasing 'em like hip-hop artists. It's the hip-hop template where they would just drop songs, singles, just here and there along the way, and then they would eventually release the record.
"I realized a while ago that when bands — mostly rock bands, other than hip-hop artists — when they released records, and they released a single before the record is dropped, and when the record dropped, there might have been another song, but the whole record gets lost by the wayside, just gone in the ether," he explained. "So all that work is just lost. And I'm thinking, well, why don't I just have people pay attention to one song at a time and then when we have enough songs we can release something and they can have 'em all together, plus some new stuff."
As for how the changes in the industry in the last three decades have affected his approach to putting out new music, Burton said: "One thing technology has been positive is that artists have been able to record their own music and release it on their own independently. The downside of that is there's way more artists nowadays releasing music, so it's harder to get noticed. But I am very fortunate and I'm grateful that I've had the 30-year career before this for people to see it already. They know my name already, so I've done the hard work. Now the harder work starts with dealing with social media."
Bell went on to say that there have been occasions where he felt limited by the musical restrictions of his former band. "Yeah, at various times," he said, before clarifying: "Not just in the band, but in my life in general. I felt that I wanted to experiment more than anybody else did, and I just wanted to move out of the box that we created for ourselves."
Burton also acknowledged that going solo at this point in his career comes with its own set of obstacles. "It's challenging, and is hard," he explained. "But we don't do things because they're easy; we do things because they are hard. And that creates the challenge. And I do feel that freedom. And that freedom is a sense of — I have a sense that I can go in any direction I feel. I can write any type of song I would like to write and I can go in any direction I wanna go. As long as I stay true to myself in creating music that I would love to hear, I think other people would love to hear it as well."
Bell played the first concert with his solo band on June 13, 2024 at 1720 in Los Angeles, California.
Backing Bell at his recent gigs have been guitarist Henrik Linde (THE VITALS, DREN),drummer Ryan "Junior" Kittlitz (ALL HAIL THE YETI, THE ACID HELPS),bassist Tony Baumeister (ÆGES) and multi-instrumentalist Stewart Cararas.
Bell's discography includes multiple live and recorded collaborations with BLACK SABBATH icon Geezer Butler and JOURNEY's Deen Castronovo (as G/Z/R); industrial maverick Al Jourgensen and MINISTRY; and guest vocal appearances with PITCHSHIFTER, CONFLICT, SOIL, STATIC-X, SOULFLY and DELAIN, among others. He's the vocalist of ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS and CITY OF FIRE and, of course, the co-creator of FEAR FACTORY and the only musician to appear on every FEAR FACTORY release from 1992 through 2024.
FEAR FACTORY created a sound that revolutionized extreme metal, defined in no small part by Bell's innovative scream/sing dichotomy and the influences he brought from post-punk and industrial. Songs like "Replica", "Linchpin", "Edgecrusher", "Fear Campaign", "Archetype", "Cyber Waste" and "Zero Signal" are modern metal anthems. "Demanufacture" (1995) and the RIAA gold-certified "Obsolete" (1998) are genre-redefining works heralded by fans and critics as essential albums. Orwell, Bradbury, "Blade Runner", and sophisticated sci-fi and fantasy works fed Bell's lyrics and concepts.
The band toured the world with METALLICA, SLIPKNOT, KORN, MEGADETH and OZZY OSBOURNE, taking bands like SYSTEM OF A DOWN and STATIC-X out as support acts in their early stages. After years of behind-the-scenes band member turmoil and legal issues, Bell left FEAR FACTORY in the fall of 2020.
The 56-year-old Bell had been largely inactive on the musical front since officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY in September 2020. At the time he said that he could not "align" himself with someone whom he did not trust or respect, an apparent reference to FEAR FACTORY founding guitarist Dino Cazares. Bell has since been replaced in the band by the Italian-born singer Milo Silvestro.
Earlier this month, Burton reflected on his decision to leave FEAR FACTORY in September 2020 after a 31-year run as the band's singer and pursue a solo career. He told the Post-Punk.TV podcast: "It was time for me to do other things. And here I am. Venturing out on my own is scary. Doing something solo is frightening. I'm, like, 'Am I doing the right thing?' As artists, we always question ourselves. [We hear] voices in our head. There's voices in my head that are, like, 'Oh my God. What the fuck are you doing?' But I've gotta follow my heart because my heart is directing me towards a path that I truly wanna be in, and that's the artistic path."
Bell continued: "Failure is something that, as artists, we experience on a daily basis. But you just can't let that failure dictate your life. You have to learn from it. And once you learn from that, it's, like, 'Okay, I did that wrong. This time I'll try it this way. And so I am moving forward with my solo career, writing music that, for me, fits my mantra.
"I came up with a mantra maybe a couple years ago," Burton added. "Now that I have a [solo] band that I'm working with on a daily basis, they have grown to understand me as well. And so this next [solo] song I'm about to release called 'Savages' on May 30th, we wrote together as a band. And it fits my mantra, which is 'heavy, groovy, dark and moody'. And I think that fits every aspect that I wanna do. It fits the criteria of every band that I've ever liked. I think it fits the criteria of every band I've been a part of. So what I'm doing now is an amalgamation of everything I've ever done. I'm taking it all, creating this nice little piece, and I'm releasing it, making something new for myself. And I think when people hear this new song 'Savages', and the next song, which is called 'Cold Lazarus', they [will be], like, 'Wow, that sounds familiar, but it's kind of new.' So it's, like, there you go. That's what we're doing."
Burton went on to say: "So I'm super excited about the future. I'm super excited about my tour coming up in June, going to Australia, and just very excited for what the future holds. I'm just staying creative. That's what it's all about. Being an artist is being creative, and creating art, whether it's writing music or photography, you're expressing yourself through your visions and from what you see and how the world affects you."
| +1 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
AVATAR Releases New Song 'Captain Goat', Announces November/December 2025 U.S. Tour
 Swedish metallers AVATAR — vocalist Johannes Eckerström, guitarists Jonas Jarlsby and Tim Öhrström, bassist Henrik Sandelin, and drummer John Alfredsson — have released a new song, "Captain Goat". The track's accompanying music video can be seen below.
"I think it will be very clear to people hearing 'Captain Goat' that the rules once again have changed," states Eckerström. "It will always be metal. It will always be AVATAR. We will never do the same song twice and we will always find ways to reinvent ourselves. It's the only way we know how to do this, and the only way to give ourselves a shot at being the best we have ever been. 'Captain Goat' uses the motif of Satan and the spirit's journey through the underworld as a meditation. It is a negotiation with the harsh state of being and finding acceptance as you navigate the ruthless darkness of life."
Regarding the accompanying visual, he furthers: "In the video, we find a way to play with that, shamelessly lending imagery from various myths, folklore, and legends. Besides, any day I get to see the boys undress for a part is a good day for all of us."
On the upcoming tour, AVATAR said: "Everything we have done is impossible. We set unattainable goals against insurmountable odds. We aren't supposed to be here, we just keep getting away with it.
"The past few years have been a dream. What we have done on stage and how many we have done it in front of, goes beyond anything we have the right to ask for. Any sensible person would submit to the fact that there is nowhere to go from here but down.
"We are not sensible people.
"What we have in store for you, what we are committing to achieve in this new era of AVATAR will put everything that has happened up until this point to shame. We have been given so much and we are only just starting to be able to return the favor. We don't deserve you, but when we are done with you this time, we will. The flame burns brighter than ever. When you come out and see us, you will understand. Don't miss it.
"This new era on U.S. soil will be joined by our friends ALIEN WEAPONRY and SPIRITWORLD. These incredible bands bring thunderous energy, raw power, and unforgettable performances every night. Let's be sure to give them the grand circus welcoming and show them exactly why YOU are the best of the best."
A special BLABBERMOUTH.NET presale will begin on Wednesday, May 28 at 2:00 p.m. ET and end on Thursday, May 29 at 10:00 p.m. local time. When prompted, type in the presale code "CAPTAIN" to access tickets before the general public. Check back here on Wednesday for ticketing links to individual shows. General on-sale will be Friday, May 30 at 10 a.m. local time.
Additionally, there are forthcoming tours supporting IRON MAIDEN and METALLICA, along with the band's biggest show ever in Mexico City.
AVATAR 2025 U.S. headline tour:
Nov. 05 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
Nov. 06 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory San Diego
Nov. 07 - Riverside, CA - Riverside Municipal Auditorium
Nov. 08 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
Nov. 10 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theater
Nov. 11 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
Nov. 12 - Boise, ID - Revolution
Nov. 14 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Union
Nov. 15 - Denver, CO - Fillmore
Nov. 17 - Minneapolis, MN - Fillmore
Nov. 18 - Madison, WI - The Sylvee
Nov. 20 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit
Nov. 21 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
Nov. 22 - Columbus, OH - KEMBA Live!
Nov. 23 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore Silver Spring
Nov. 25 - Huntington, NY - Paramount
Nov. 26 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
Nov. 28 - Allentown, PA - Archer Music Hall
Nov. 29 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Charlotte
Nov. 30 - Louisville, KY - Old Forester's Paristown Hall
Dec. 02 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theater
Dec. 04 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works
Dec. 06 - Tulsa, OK - Tulsa Theater
Dec. 07 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
Photo credit: Johan Carlén | +1 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
Legendary Rock Guitarist RICK DERRINGER Dies At 77
 Renowned guitarist and entertainer Rick Derringer died earlier this week at the age of 77, according to TMZ. Derringer's close friend and caretaker Tony Wilson revealed the news on Facebook that Rick passed away at 8:09 p.m. on Monday, May 26 at AdventHealth ICU in Ormond Beach, Florida surrounded by Rick's loving wife Jenda Derringer and Wilson.
Jenda told TMZ Rick died "peacefully" after being taken off life support Monday night. According to the site, Tony said Rick "underwent triple bypass surgery just two months ago but was doing well." Last night, as "he was getting ready for bed and reaching for his favorite pillow, he went into what he described as some sort of shock and later died at the hospital."
Former BLUE ÖYSTER CULT member Joe Bouchard took to his Facebook page to mourn Derringer's death, writing: "So sad to hear the passing of legend Rick Derringer. In our early days BLUE ÖYSTER CULT opened for Edgar Winter's WHITE TRASH with Rick on the lead. They taught us to really warm up before your set, because when they hit the stage they EXPLODED with tight high energy! Many decades later I was invited to sit in with Rick at Foxwoods. I played 'Hang On Sloopy' with Rick. I was in heaven. (ps: Rick wrote a great guitar book called 'Rick Derringer's Guitar Secrets'. I used that book in warm ups for years.)"
Legendary rock drummer Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL) wrote: " I woke up this morning to some sad news. My mentor and friend Rick Derringer has passed, DERRINGER was the first professional band I played in in 1976. Rick was a great guitarist and even more a teacher to me, recording, playing clubs and arenas. I went into the band with eyes wide open, ready to learn from a seasoned professional Rick. We recorded 3 albums together and played many tours, opening for AEROSMITH, BOSTON, FOGHAT and more. We even co headlined with JOURNEY on some gigs, we also had Tom Petty, THE RUNAWAYS open for us, it was an amazing experience working together with Rick. I will never forget him, he was a amazing songwriter, guitarists and friend, may he rest in peace."
Vinny's brother, VANILLA FUDGE's Carmine Appice wrote: "RIP. my good friend Rick Derringer. I will miss our talks. We made great music together. Jender i am so sorry. But he is with his lord and savior. He will be missed."
POISON's Rikki Rockett took to his Facebook page to write: "I didn't want to believe it, but it's true. Rick Derringer has passed away. [My band] ROCKETT MAFIA has recently added a cover of 'Rock 'N' Roll Hoochie Koo' that Rick popularized. I saw Johnny Winter perform it first. Love the drumming from none other than the amazing Bobby Caldwell (CAPTAIN BEYOND). RIP Rick. Thank you for your contribution to Rock 'N' Roll history!"
Dennis Dunaway, the original bass player from the ALICE COOPER group, wrote: "The ALICE COOPER group's very first gig in New York City was 6 nights with THE MCCOYS at Steve Paul's The Scene. Rick Derringer and his brother showed us around Times Square. Rick lived near our manager's Alive Enterprises office and he hung out there quite often. Rick played lead guitar on 'Under My Wheels'. Here's [a photo of] Neal Smith and I with Joe Bouchard and Rick at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Connecticut early 2000's. Rick will be remembered for his trail-blazing talent and his great stories."
Onesti Entertainment president and CEO Ron Onesti, who runs Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois, wrote: "We lost another hero. My good buddy Rick Derringer got his wings on Memorial Day. He called me from his bed a few days ago - we planned on his return to The Arcada. He said, 'I want nothing more.' I can't believe it. He is now in Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo Heaven. God bless him."
Derringer was just 17 when his band THE MCCOYS recorded the No. 1 hit "Hang On Sloopy" in the summer of 1965, knocking "Yesterday" by THE BEATLES out of the top spot. THE MCCOYS had enjoyed four years of successful touring, when Rick merged his talents with Johnny Winter in 1969 forming JOHNNY WINTER AND….
Following success with Winter, Rick produced Edgar Winter's platinum-selling album "They Only Come Out At Night". The LP featured the No. 1 Grammy-nominated hit "Frankenstein" and the perennial favorite "Free Ride". Rick and Edgar went on to become bandmates in the WHITE TRASH.
In 1976, Rick created the DERRINGER band. He released four albums and in 1983 returned to his solo career with the LP "Good Dirty Fun". Derringer continued to tour globally and opened for LED ZEPPELIN on the last two dates ZEPPELIN would ever play with the original members of the band.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Derringer appeared on numerous albums with such artists as Alice Cooper, Richie Havens, Todd Rundgren and STEELY DAN. Rick also recorded with Barbra Streisand, KISS, Bonnie Tyler and AIR SUPPLY. He co-wrote music and toured with Cyndi Lauper. Derringer discovered Weird Al Yankovic and won two Grammy Awards while producing six Weird Al albums. Derringer's productions (and guitar solos) of the Michael Jackson parodies, on the No. 1 hit "Eat It" and "Who's Fat", remain Yankovic's most successful recordings.
Derringer released over 25 albums, including several blues and jazz LPs.
So sad to hear the passing of legend Rick Derringer. In our early days Blue Öyster Cult opened for Edgar Winter's White...
Posted by Joe Bouchard on Tuesday, May 27, 2025
I didn't want to believe it, but it's true. Rick Derringer has passed away. Rockett Mafia has recently added a cover of ...
Posted by Rikki Rockett on Tuesday, May 27, 2025
I woke up this morning to some sad news. My mentor and friend Rick Derringer has passed, Derringer was the first...
Posted by Vinny Appice on Tuesday, May 27, 2025
The Alice Cooper group's very first gig in New York City was 6 nights with The McCoys at Steve Paul's The Scene. Rick...
Posted by Dennis Dunaway on Tuesday, May 27, 2025
| 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28 ìàé 2025
IN FLAMES Parts Ways With Drummer TANNER WAYNE
 Swedish metallers IN FLAMES have announced the departure of drummer Tanner Wayne.
Wayne, who was previously best known for his work with UNDERMINDED, SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS and CHIODOS, joined IN FLAMES in time for the band's summer 2018 tour.
Wayne stepped into IN FLAMES following the departure of Joe Rickard, who played on the band's 2016 album "Battles".
Earlier today, IN FLAMES released the following statement via social media: "It is with profound gratitude and appreciation that we announce our creative decision to part ways with Tanner Wayne. His dedication and musicianship over the past several years has left, and will continue to leave, a lasting mark on this band. We wish him nothing but the best.
"We appreciate your support and understanding at this time and hope to see you all on tour this summer."
IN FLAMES has not yet announced a replacement for Wayne.
Tanner made his live debut with IN FLAMES on July 4, 2018 in Brno, Czech Republic.
IN FLAMES is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Foregone", which was released in February 2023 via Nuclear Blast. According to a press release, the LP "combines the greatest aggressive, metallic, and melodic strengths of their landmark records with the seasoned songwriting of their postmodern era."
"Foregone" was the second IN FLAMES album with bassist Bryce Paul and Wayne, the first with ex-MEGADETH guitarist Chris Broderick, and the third with Grammy-winning producer Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, THREE DAYS GRACE). Mike Plotnikoff (ALL THAT REMAINS, WARBRINGER) engineered at Benson's West Valley Recording Studios. Joe Rickard (10 YEARS, STARSET, DIAMANTE),who played drums for IN FLAMES from 2016 through 2019, handled mixing duties.
In 2023, IN FLAMES parted ways with Paul and replaced him with Liam Wilson (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN).
Wilson made his live debut with IN FLAMES on June 7, 2023 at the Release Athens festival in Athens, Greece.
Press photo courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by In Flames (@inflames)
| 0 | |
| |
28 ìàé 2025
Watch: IRON MAIDEN Launches 'Run For Your Lives' Tour, Plays First Concert With New Drummer SIMON DAWSON
 British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN kicked off their "Run For Your Lives" world tour earlier tonight (Tuesday, May 27) at Papp László Sportaréna in Budapest, Hungary. The show marked MAIDEN's first live appearance with new drummer Simon Dawson, who replaced longtime drummer Nicko McBrain last December.
The "Run For Your Lives" world tour marks 50 years since bassist Steve Harris formed MAIDEN in late 1975 and to celebrate this, fans are promised a very special setlist spanning the nine studio albums from "Iron Maiden" to "Fear Of The Dark", with the band's most spectacular and elaborate show ever.
The setlist for the Budapest concert was as follows:
01. Murders In The Rue Morgue (first performance since September 2, 2005)
02. Wrathchild (first performance since July 2, 2017)
03. Killers (first performance since October 1, 1999)
04. Phantom Of The Opera (first performance since July 5, 2014)
05. The Number Of The Beast
06. The Clairvoyant (first performance since October 2, 2013)
07. Powerslave (first performance since July 22, 2017)
08. 2 Minutes To Midnight (first performance since October 15, 2019)
09. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner (first performance since April 2, 2009)
10. Run To The Hills
11. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (first performance since July 5, 2014)
12. The Trooper
13. Hallowed Be Thy Name
14. Iron Maiden
Encore:
15. Aces High
16. Fear Of The Dark
17. Wasted Years
Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen below.
The Budapest concert will be followed by 31 further stadium, festival and arena shows around Europe. With over a million tickets already sold, and most shows sold out, fans are advised that additional tickets will be made available closer to the show — and on the day — with the release of venue and production holds.
Earlier this month, MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood took to the band's web site to share a post titled "Put away your phones and get ready to Run For Your Lives!" in which he urged fans to experience the shows "in the moment" rather than on smaller screens at a later date.
"We really want fans to enjoy the shows first hand, rather than on their small screens," Smallwood wrote. "The amount of phone use nowadays diminishes enjoyment, particularly for the band who are on stage looking out at rows of phones, but also for other concertgoers.
"We feel that the passion and involvement of our fans at shows really makes them special, but the phone obsession has now got so out of hand that it has become unnecessarily distracting especially to the band. I hope fans understand this and will be sensible in severely limiting the use of their phone cameras out of respect for the band and their fellow fans."
"Run For Your Lives" world tour is one part of IRON MAIDEN's 50th-anniversary celebrations and will feature many fan "meet-up" events in the cities the band is playing. As was debuted successfully in Australia on the last tour, these will include Eddie's official pop-up dive bar which will be open for pre-show and post-show gatherings in 20 cities on the tour. They will be serving Trooper beer and Darkest Red wine, with food, exclusive merch and further entertainment. Details are available on ironmaiden.com. But please note the band will not be at these events. Additionally, there is both a feature-length documentary film coming to cinemas worldwide later this year, via Universal Pictures Content Group, and an official hardback book providing a magnificent visual celebration of 50 years of IRON MAIDEN, being published by Thames & Hudson. More details on both of these exciting releases will be announced soon.
Dawson previously played with Harris as a member of his BRITISH LION project.
McBrain played his last-ever gig with MAIDEN five months ago in São Paulo, Brazil.
The 72-year-old British musician, whose real name is Michael Henry McBrain, announced his retirement on December 7, 2024 in a statement on MAIDEN's web site and social media. He also said that night's concert at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil would mark his final show with the iconic heavy metal act.
Despite the fact that he was stepping away from touring, McBrain said that he would remain closely connected to IRON MAIDEN and continue to be involved in "a variety of projects" with the band, while also focusing on personal ventures and his existing businesses.
On December 8, 2024, IRON MAIDEN announced Dawson as its new touring drummer.
Budapest… we are here!
#IronMaiden #RunForYourLivesWorldTour #Budapest
Posted by Iron Maiden on Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Right at this very moment Iron Maiden are about to kick off their Run For Your Lives tour in Budapest. Lights are...
Posted by Metal Pilgrim on Tuesday, May 27, 2025
| +7 | |
| |
27 ìàé 2025
W.A.S.P.'s BLACKIE LAWLESS Hopes To Release His Autobiography In 2026
 In a brand new interview with Eonmusic, W.A.S.P. leader Blackie Lawless has said that new music is "on the back burner", but that his autobiography will surface soon. Lawless made his comments while speaking ahead of the shock rockers' 40th-anniversary "Album ONE Alive" tour, which hits Europe in June.
In the deep dive chat, the creative behind W.A.S.P. also talked about how grunge and Napster changed the face of music, how 1997's controversial "Kill Fuck Die" (also stylized as "Kill.Fuck.Die." and abbreviated as "KFD") album was one of the most creative periods of his career, and how follow-up "Helldorado" was the necessary detox to the darkness of its predecessor.
Speaking about the change in the musical landscape and how it affected the commercial success of "The Crimson Idol" (1992),Lawless said: " Well, the timing is everything, right? I remember from the time I started recording that record to the time I had done the promo and done, literally, two world tours to support it, I came home, and it was early '93, and I remember I picked up Billboard magazine, and I was looking at the Hot 100 singles, and in that list there was myself with 'Hold On To Your Heart', Sammy Hagar had a song, and MÖTLEY [CRÜE] had a song. The other 97 artists, I did not recognize one of the names, not a single one, and that stunned me because I thought there's been some sort of seismic shift that has happened in the time since I started making that record."
On how he now views the controversial "KFD", and his attempt to "out-[Marilyn] Manson Manson'; "I would say throughout the history of my career, that's the most creative record I've ever made. The imagery of that record is pretty remarkable. I can talk about it now as it's been so long, I can look at it with a more objective perspective, and I see it as if it was someone else; like some other artists that had done it, and I listened to it, and, like I said, I look at the lyrical imagery of it, and it's pretty it's pretty amazing. I mean, like I said, I think it's far and away the most creative record I was ever part of."
When Eonmusic interviewer Eamon O'Neill suggested follow-up "Helldorado" (1999) was seen in some quarters as an "overcorrection" and asked if it was a case of "damned if you do, damned if you don't", Blackie replied: "Well, you are correct in that sense. What you do is you make records that reflect who you are at the moment, and if you capture that. They're little snapshots in your life. So if the world sees it as an overcorrection, okay, fine, but you know, 'KFD' was a very, very dark record, and if that's what it takes to create that kind of artistry, I don't want to do it again, because to = have to go to that space and live there for the year that it takes to make that record? No, I don't want to go back there again. So 'Helldorado' was a rebellion, if you like, against what we had just gone through. It's like we don't want to go back to that place, we don't want to go back inside that pit, it's, like, "We're out. We're going to have a celebration.' And so that's really what 'Helldorado' was — it was a celebration of getting your freedom back, getting your life back..
On the possibility of new W.A.S.P. music, Blackie said: "Well, we were working on stuff a couple of years ago during COVID and then we did the European tour two years ago, and the whole thing happened where I broke my back. It was just one catastrophe after another, so the whole idea of recording at that point just got pushed way on the back burner, and we've been touring ever since. So yes, there are ideas rattling around, but you know, when you could suspect to see it, I really couldn't say."
It was then that he offered an update on his long-in-the-works autobiography, saying: "I'm working on a book too, so it's, like, you know, I've been kind of busy. It's about halfway done now, and I'm hoping [to put it out] sometime next year."
Back in October 2022, Lawless told Rockin' Metal Revival about the process of writing his autobiography: "When I sat down to start writing the book, it just poured out of me. And that was an interesting process, too, because, never having done that before, you always think of the… the first thing that comes to anybody's head is the things that stand out. But what I found that more than anything is it was a process of self-discovery, because if you look at any given event that may happen in your life that's significant — we all have those; those signposts that point us in one direction or another — it's one thing to write about it, but to get to the root of it, what you have to do is go back and do some real self-examination and say, 'Okay, what led me to this? And then what led me to that?' And so forth. And when you do that…
"It reminds me. I've heard stories of psychiatrists, when they tell people, if they've gone through something that's intense in their life or they've lost a loved one or something like that, write them a letter," he continued. "And I found that doing this is very much like that. Because I've never done the thing that the psychiatrists have said — fortunately, I've never been put in that position — but it reminded me of hearing what they were saying, because it ends up being a letter to yourself. And you discover some interesting stuff — the good, the bad, the ugly and all that. And it's quite a revealing process, because the person you are now is not the person you were when you were doing some of those idiotic things, or when something intense happened in your life that wasn't idiotic. But again, what led you from point A to point B to become that person, and you look back on it now and you go, 'Wow, look how I've changed.'
"Writing, whether it's lyrics or anything like that, you try to write them as multi-dimensional as you can because the listener, when they listen to it today, you want them in five years to be able to look at those same lyrics and see something totally different, because who they are in five years is not who they are right now," Lawless added. "So that's really what you're trying to do."
Lawless previously talked about his autobiography in May 2022 in an interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station. At the time, he said: "It's taken a whole lot longer than I thought it would, but it's been one of the most fun things I've ever done in my life. It's a tremendous amount of work because there's so many things, over the course of a lifetime, that you forget about, especially when you do what we do for a living. Anybody that does what we do, it's not like the average person out there where you go to work and you do your thing and you get into a routine. And there's nothing wrong with that; it's different.
"I've often said that I've already… because of the schedule and the way that any band has to do things — you're here today; you're somewhere else tomorrow — it's like you've already lived four or five of somebody else's lifetimes," he explained. "And because of the amount of intensity that goes into the same amount of space that everybody has. Twenty-four hours for somebody that does this is not the same as twenty-four hours for somebody that's in a routine. And it can get a little on the insane side.
"The first thing I did was interview everybody that I could think of and said, 'What are your memories of this?'" Blackie revealed. "So I got those. But then where I got the majority of it from was really going back in my own head. And the deeper I got into it, the more things I had totally forgotten about. Because, like I said, there's so many things that will happen in a given day that the only thing you remember is the most intense thing. But maybe the two or three other things that were just under it were just as intense, but you don't remember it. You remember being on the flight the time the guys got angry with a stewardess and stuffed her in the overhead bin, but you don't remember the two or three things that happened under that. That's a true story, by the way."
Asked what he has learned about himself from digging into his life while writing his book, Blackie said: "In the preface of the book, I write that this has been a process of discovery — both good and bad. I would say, after it's all said and done, that it's been far, far more good than bad, because what it's done for me, it's been like writing a script to a movie. And again, like I said, there's a lot of stuff you forget about. But also at the same time, what it does is it helps you connect the dots of your own life, of maybe things that you didn't really think about were connected, and you go back and you look at it and you go, 'This is as plain as the nose on my face. Why couldn't I have seen this before?' And there's been a number of incidences like that — just things that are personal that might not be something that you could share with anybody else, because it wouldn't make sense to them. But then again there may be things that are. So I'm hoping that when people read this, they'll see a lot of themselves in it."
As for whether fans can expect to see Blackie's book and a new W.A.S.P. album released simultaneously, Lawless said: "That was the plan to begin with, but the book is taking way much longer than I thought. We were talking about doing records and trying to get 'em right. Well, it's the same with this — I'm gonna do it once, and I want it to be right."
W.A.S.P. kicked off the North American leg of the "Album ONE Alive" tour on October 26, 2024 at Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California. The 39-city run made stops across North America in Vancouver, British Columbia; Toronto, Ontario; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Dallas, Texas; New York City; Orlando, Florida; and more before wrapping up on December 14, 2024 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California.
Along with bassist Mike Duda and lead guitarist Doug Blair, whose tenures in the band are 30 and 19 years respectively, W.A.S.P. is joined by longtime drummer extraordinaire Aquiles Priester.
Because of the extensive back injuries Lawless suffered during the European leg of W.A.S.P.'s 40th-anniversary tour, the band's previously announced 2023 U.S. tour was canceled.
W.A.S.P.'s massive European leg of the 40th-anniversary world tour wrapped on May 18, 2023 in Sofia, Bulgaria at Universidada Sports Hall.
W.A.S.P. wrapped up its first U.S. tour in 10 years with a sold-out show on December 11, 2022 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. This marked the 18th sold-out shows for the U.S. tour, which kicked off in late October 2022. W.A.S.P.'s performances included the return of the band's classic song "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)", which hadn't been played live in over 15 years.
W.A.S.P.'s latest release was "ReIdolized (The Soundtrack To The Crimson Idol)", which came out in February 2018. It was a new version of the band's classic 1992 album "The Crimson Idol", which was re-recorded to accompany the movie of the same name to mark the 25th anniversary of the original LP's release. The re-recorded version also features four songs missing from the original album.
W.A.S.P.'s most recent studio album of all-new original material was 2015's "Golgotha". | +4 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27 ìàé 2025
PAPA ROACH Shares Music Video For Acoustic Version Of 'Even If It Kills Me'
 California rockers PAPA ROACH have released a brand-new music video for an acoustic version of their global hit lead track "Even If It Kills Me" via their own label, New Noize Records/ADA. The original single reached No. 1 at U.S. Rock Radio, marking PAPA ROACH's 13th appearance at the top of the charts.
In a recent interview with the I-Rock 93.5 radio station, PAPA ROACH frontman frontman Jacoby Shaddix spoke about the lyrical inspiration for "Even If It Kills Me", which was released in late January. He said: "This one was started about two years ago, the music part of it, and I heard it first from the first musical just vibe with the strings. I was, like, 'It sounds cinematic. This sounds like it's about to be a journey we're taking the fans on.' So I hit the boys up instantly. I'm, like, 'Dude, I can't wait to get in the studio on this one.' Then life happens, and some stuff goes down. My older son went through this really traumatic heartbreak breakup. Just his whole world was leveled, and I watched my son just crumble. And that was a tough one. But to also have to go, 'Hey, man, there's some hard truths about life, and sometimes people aren't what they show themselves as, and there's two sides to people sometimes. And you got one, and then eventually discovered that other dark side of them and you were hurt.' And that was really hard for me to watch my son just fall to pieces. And that song was born from that moment of going, 'I wanna be able to help you, but I also know that you kind of gotta walk through the fire.' And knowing that, 'I'm not gonna leave you. I'm here for you, but I'm also gonna stand in that fire with you.' And I wanted to shoulder the pain. I wish I could, but sometimes we have to go through those moments in life that build character. Who are you? Can you get back up? Well, my son got back up."
In March, PAPA ROACH released a "reimagined" version of "Even If It Kills Me". The band and Joshua Landry again produced the track. "Even If It Kills Me (Reimagined)" was a fresh take on its heavier counterpart, showcasing the hit song in a new light, with a melodic arrangement and signature vocals delivered by Shaddix.
PAPA ROACH recently completed the European leg of the "Rise Of The Roach" tour. The trek saw PAPA ROACH bring its biggest-ever production and journey deep through their vast music catalogue, including a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the band's iconic breakthrough album "Infest". Special guests for the global tour were WAGE WAR in Europe and will include RISE AGAINST and UNDEROATH in the U.S.
In a separate interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, Shaddix was asked if fans can expect to see a new studio album from him and his PAPA ROACH bandmates in 2025. He responded: "Definitely. At some point [in 2025], there will be a new record. Probably not — it won't be till the end of the year at the soonest. But we're really proud of the stuff that we've done. And I think the fans will be surprised. The fans that are coming to the shows are gonna be surprised at what we're doing too. And so it's gonna be a good time.
"As we evolve the music and push things forward, you never know what's gonna happen in the studio," he added. "And I've gotta tell you, what happened in the studio this time around has been just exciting.
"We've had a really good run with our [last] album, [2022's] 'Ego Trip', and a lot of successes, especially here in America as well, as well as Germany, we've had some great successes on that record, and it's just been one of those records that our fanbase has been really excited about. And so we're taking that momentum and going back into the studio and creating again, it's been a really good feeling."
PAPA ROACH are two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock music. PAPA ROACH are not unfamiliar with calling attention to mental health and have been doing so since the seminal release of their first hit single "Last Resort". Since then, the band has gone on to create 10 studio albums, their most recent, "Ego Trip", on their own label New Noize Records.
| +2 | |
| |
27 ìàé 2025
FIREHOUSE Releases First Song With New Singer NATE PECK, 'Mighty Fine Lady'; Promises More Fresh Music
 FIREHOUSE has just released a new single called "Mighty Fine Lady". The song marks the band's first release with FIREHOUSE's new lead vocalist Nate Peck, 2023 "American Idol" golden ticket recipient from Season 21, who officially joined the group last May. He replaced late FIREHOUSE frontman C.J. Snare, who died on April 5, 2024 at the age of 64 following a lengthy battle with cancer.
In a new interview with The Hair Metal Guru, FIREHOUSE guitarist Bill Leverty reflected on Snare's illness and Peck's eventual addition to the band. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was about two and a half years before [his death that] C.J. was fine. Then he had some stomach pain. And we were playing at a gig in Milwaukee. And he walks over to me, kind of like when I'm starting the intro to 'Love Of A Lifetime' or something, and he's just, like, 'Man, I've never felt this bad.' And I'm going, 'You wanna stop and take a break?' And he said, 'No, I'll get through it.' Because he had the 'show must go on' vibe. Man, that guy was tough. So we finished the show and, and I'm, like, 'Man, maybe go get that looked at. And he said, 'Yeah, it'll probably go away.' We didn't know what it was. And then it didn't get any better. We had a little time off. So he went to the doctor — actually, he went to the emergency room. And they said, 'Yeah, you've got an obstruction, a bowel obstruction, so we've gotta remove that.' So [after] surgically removing it, he was back two weeks later singing. You'd never know that he had a scar from having that taken out — and he had gotten some really bad news with it, lab results and stuff like that. And he's, like, 'Look, I wanna keep this private. I don't wanna talk about it.' Let's not mention this. But it was very bad news. And biopsy lab results were not good at all. So that was his first surgery to have it removed. He had another major surgery that was a 12-hour procedure, and he was back singing in six weeks. And you would never know it. He had a scar [about 10 inches] long… And you would never know it with this guy. That's how tough he was. And then, that was about two years that he was doing great, and then he started getting sick again. And so he went in for a third surgery. And that's about the time when Robby Lochner [JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE] said, 'Yeah, I know you guys have a lot of shows on the books and you might need a substitute. And you've gotta check this guy out.' And I'd never heard of him. And I don't watch 'American Idol'. I shouldn't. I should now because… But I checked out Nate's Instagram and he's got all these songs that he sings from the greatest singers of all time, in my opinion. And he just knocks 'em outta the park. And he's just singing live. He got a camera here, and he's just singing into his microphone, and it's just awesome. And so I called him and I said, 'Hey, I'm Bill from FIREHOUSE. We've got a couple of shows coming up. Would you be interested in filling in for C.J.? C.J. should be back around July.' And he said, 'Oh, I would love to.' I sent him the song list. I said, 'Do you know any of our songs?' He says, 'No. I've heard 'Love Of A Lifetime' before, but I don't know any of the songs.' So I'm, like, 'Well, I'll send you the songs. And we'll be talking on the phone. And you can get ready by kind of practicing or whatnot.'"
Bill continued: "We didn't have any rehearsals with the guy. We had a long soundcheck that day of the New England Rock Fest, which was his first gig, and he just crushed it. I mean, he was really nervous, but he just nailed it. And I sent some video over to C.J., and I was talking to [C.J.] on the phone. He was, like, 'Man, that guy's good.' He goes, 'Bill, that's your guy.' And I was, like, 'Wow.' So the plan was for C.J. to come back in July. C.J. was feeling rough. He had lost a lot of weight. He was really weak. And we were, like, 'Look, man, when you're ready, come on out. We'll have Nate there too. And then you can get out, sing the first song or two, say 'Hey', introduce Nate and you guys sing a couple songs together. You go take a break, come back out, do an encore or whatever, and whatever you feel will do.' But unfortunately, C.J. had a sudden cardiac arrest. And I talked to him the day before. He said, 'Things are looking good, man. I'm, I'm gaining weight. Things are looking up,' is what he said. I said, 'Great.' And the next day he passed… I remember I got the phone call. We were in Texas, and we were connecting. And I said, 'Everybody, come on over here,' 'cause I had just gotten a phone call, and I told everybody that C.J. passed away last night. And we were just sitting in that airport going… We were not at all expecting that, ready for that. It was brutal. It really was."
According to Leverty, Snare gave FIREHOUSE his blessing to continue with Peck as the frontman. "The thing about him is he never wanted us to cancel a show," Bill said. "Even after he got sick, he didn't want us to cancel a show. Especially once we got Nate. Once we got Nate, he's, like, 'Okay, that guy can sound like FIREHOUSE. So, that's your guy.'
Asked if C.J. and Nate ever had a chance to speak to each other, Bill said: "Oh, yeah. All the time. They talked almost daily. C.J. gave him a lot of advice. And one of the things that he would tell Nate is that you're running a marathon, not a sprint. So keep that in mind. Don't come out and blow your voice out in the first song, 'cause you've gotta control yourself, hold it back a little bit, and take care of yourself. And Nate's followed his advice really well."
Regarding how "Mighty Fine Lady" came about, Bill said: "Well, Nate started it. He was, like, 'Send me a riff.' And I was, like, 'Well, okay.' So I'm down here [in my studio], and I dug up a riff or I came up with a riff that would be, I think, something cool that we could maybe do live and maybe turn into a song. And I sent it to him, and he sang on his little iPhone rig, and sent it back to me in a voice memo with the verse, what is the verse now. And I was, like, 'Man, that is so good and sounds so cool. Let me write some music that would be more fitting for a verse, because what you got is a melody and the lyrics are perfect.' So I sent him back something that was more like a verse. 'Cause he sang over the intro riff, and that intro riff on that song, that's the only time you hear that riff, which is kind of what started the song. The only time you hear it in that song is just right the intro. So I sent him back that verse, and he sang on that, and he's, like, 'Oh, yeah. I like that a lot better.' And I said, 'Okay. Now what you're singing about here is the hot chick. So we've gotta come up with something kind of a little classy to make it the hook or what the topic is about.' And we bounced a bunch of stuff back and forth and we came up with 'Mighty Fine Lady'. And we got a chorus together. And so then after the chorus, you kind of have a song, but you've gotta get little pieces to get from the verse to the chorus and little pieces to get from the chorus back to the second verse, and then a solo, and then a little bridge maybe, which we wrote. And he just came up with all these creative ideas and all these great melodies. So then I was, like, 'Well, the song's written,' and [drummer] Michael [Foster] lives an hour away, so he's coming over here playing drums as it's being done. He's putting in his cool stuff, that intro and everything. And so then, we're, like, 'Well, Nate, let's fly you here to Virginia to record it.' And I had him scheduled — he was gonna fly in on a Friday night. We were gonna record Saturday. He was gonna fly out Sunday. And Friday night we went to dinner and we're just hanging out. And I'm, like, 'All right, well, let's go back. You wanna just sing it through to get the rough idea together?' And he sang it through, and it was perfect. So I'm, like, 'Let's not mess with that.' The next day we went through it with kind of a fine-tooth comb and couldn't really find anything to nitpick about. We tried some other options on stuff and kind of fiddled with it a little bit. But it was done that first night, that first take he did. And the guy's just got all these really cool ideas and everything, and the natural way that he sings without even trying just has that bright tone that C.J. was kind of known for. And Nate's got it. To me, it's magic. And we're super fortunate to work with him."
Asked if there are plans for FIREHOUSE to write and record more new music, Bill said: "We would love to. And we're going to. We'll figure out what the next one is, and we'll crank it out. We won't let it out until it's done. It might take a little bit. But in the meantime, that's where you can get 'Mighty Fine Lady' is at firehousemusic.com. We don't have it on any of the streaming stuff as of right now. It'll eventually be up there. But, right now, if you support the band directly, there aren't a bunch of middlemen in there. And it's way better for us."
According to Leverty, completing "Mighty Fine Lady" "was a lot of work. But it was labor of love in putting it together," he said. "A lot of hours mixing it. I think I spent more time mixing it than I did recording everybody else put together, just because I'm not a mix engineer, but I want it to compete with our old stuff, I want it to compete with our third record too, which was mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, the greatest mix engineer out there — one of the greatest. And you want it to compete with the stuff that's out there now and to sound not too far removed, but we also want it to sound like our classic kind of vibe. So there was a lot of experimentation and a lot of work to get it to sound the way it sounds, and we're real happy with the way it turned out."
Peck performed an outstanding audition for "American Idol" judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Richie praised Nate's performance, saying: "That was brilliant... The best rock singer EVER that we've had. You've got it!" Perry looked to the sky and said: "Actually, he's SO good!" High praises from all three judges got him unanimous consent to move onto the next level of the competition. Peck ultimately decided to leave the show to pursue his career in music his own way: playing live music in Nashville's booming rock scene and guest singing with national artists like JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE.
Peck has been singing with FIREHOUSE since October of 2023.
Snare died was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in 2020 and took a hiatus from the band in 2023 to undergo abdominal surgery. However, his daughter is reported to have stated the official cause of death was cardiac arrest, according to TMZ.
In a statement on FIREHOUSE's social media, Snare's bandmates said he died "unexpectedly" despite his long illness.
They shared their "great sorrow" at losing their "brother… the rock and roll warrior.
"We are all in complete shock with CJ's untimely passing," they wrote.
"CJ was was arguably one of the best vocal talents of a generation, touring the world with FIREHOUSE non stop the past 34 years.
"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the entire Snare family, Katherine Little, friends, and all our beloved fans all over the world."
FIREHOUSE hasn't released a studio album since 2011's "Full Circle", which featured re-recorded versions of some of the band's older songs. The group's last collection of new material, "Prime Time", came out in 2003.
FIREHOUSE reached stardom during the early '90s with hits like "Reach For The Sky", "Don't Treat Me Bad" and "All She Wrote", as well as its signature power ballads "I Live My Life For You", "Love Of A Lifetime" and "When I Look Into Your Eyes".
At the 1992 American Music Awards, FIREHOUSE won the award for "Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist". They were chosen over NIRVANA and ALICE IN CHAINS.
Formed nearly four decades ago, FIREHOUSE's classic lineup consisted of Snare, Leverty, Foster and bassist Perry Richardson. Richardson left in 2000 and was replaced by Allen McKenzie in 2003.
Image credit: Melvin Zoopers
| +2 | |
| |
27 ìàé 2025
See PANTERA's Entire Performance In Philadelphia As Support Act For METALLICA
 The Jim Powers channel on YouTube has uploaded video of PANTERA's entire May 25 performance at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the support act for METALLICA. Check out the footage below.
Featured songs:
03:11 - A New Level
08:21 - Mouth For War
13:28 - Strength Beyond Strength
18:45 - Becoming
22:57 - I'm Broken
27:27 - Cemetery Gates (intro only)
28:18 - 5 Minutes Alone
34:27 - This Love
42:34 - Fucking Hostile
46:25 - Walk
52:35 - Domination / Hollow
56:20 - Cowboys From Hell
PANTERA recently announced a summer 2025 U.S. amphitheater tour. Produced by Live Nation, the journey will commence on July 15 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania and wind its way through over two dozen cities, coming to a close on September 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Support will be provided by Swedish heavy metal icons AMON AMARTH.
Featuring classic members, vocalist Philip H. Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown, alongside guitarist Zakk Wylde and drummer Charlie Benante, PANTERA's latest stretch of live dates continues the celebration of the lives of late founding members, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. The tour follows PANTERA's spring run of stadium shows with METALLICA and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES as well as a very special U.K. performance as part of BLACK SABBATH's and Ozzy Osbourne's historic final show alongside METALLICA, SLAYER, GOJIRA, HALESTORM, ALICE IN CHAINS, LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX, MASTODON and more.
PANTERA kicked off its 2025 European headlining tour on January 21 at Helsingin Jäähalli (Ice Hall) in Helsinki, Finland.
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 2024, 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 2024, 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."
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.
| +1 | |
| |
|
|
  |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shiraz Lane
