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18 май 2025
DUFF MCKAGAN: 'The First Few Dates' Of The 2025 GUNS N' ROSES Tour 'Have Been Awesome'
 GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan has shared the first video update from the band's 2025 world tour, which kicked off on May 1 at Incheon, South Korea's Songdo Moonlight Festival Park. The concert marked the band's first live appearance with new drummer Isaac Carpenter, who replaced Frank Ferrer, the longest-serving drummer in GUNS N' ROSES' storied run, in March.
Duff said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " These first few dates of the GUNS tour have been fucking awesome, starting in Korea, which I'd never played before, in Seoul, which was super cool. I really, really like that country. I like how they roll. It's fucking awesome. The crowd was amazing. Back to Tokyo…
"I'm writing now for [1980s U.S. rock magazine] Hit Parader," he continued. "Hit Parader's relaunching, so the first issue is [coming out] June 1st. And I'm a columnist for the new Hit Parader, so we'll see how that goes. But I wrote an article — hopefully it's okay — about sort of the rock and roll history of Tokyo and Japan. And then with my own experiences dating back to 1988, to now. Tokyo right now is so fresh in my mind 'cause I just finished the column.
"Yeah, while I was in Tokyo this time, my wife [Susan] and daughter Mae were there and a couple of her friends. So we did some fun stuff. But I had a Fender event at the only Fender store in the world. It's a three-story, very impressive store, right in Harajuku, where my favorite kind of punk rock clothing shop is. It's called Jim Sinn. It's in Harajuku. It's right by the Fender store. They've become friends of mine over the years. They love Susan. We've made that our pilgrimage to that punk rock clothing store. Then at the Fender event, I had Isaac come and play. Instead of me just playing bass and having like a clinic, I had Isaac come, and he played drums and we played little bits and pieces of a bunch of GUNS songs. And it was super fun. Playing Taiwan again was great. Taipei's a great city. We are now in Bangkok, and more to come on that."
GUNS N' ROSES's "Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things" tour will next hit Europe in late spring and early summer, concluding on July 31 in Germany.
Frank first joined GUNS N' ROSES during a show in June 2006, helping anchor the rhythm section during subsequent tours, including their recent outings featuring the reunited trio of singer Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan. Ferrer's last show with the band took place November 5, 2023 in Mexico.
Ferrer laid down drums tracks on five songs on GUNS N' ROSES' most recent studio album, 2008's "Chinese Democracy". He also appeared on the live portion of 2022's "Hard Skool" EP, with former drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia appearing on the studio tracks and GUNS' ROSES' 2023 singles "Perhaps" and "The General".
For more than 40 years, Duff has been an unstoppable creative force, spanning a multitude of bands, tours, collaborations, and writings. Starting at just 15, McKagan has been a part of such diverse and influential bands as THE VAINS (1979),THE FASTBACKS (1980),THE LIVING (1982),THE FARTZ (1990),10 MINUTE WARNING (1993) and LOADED (1998),along, of course, with his historic role as founding member of both GUNS N' ROSES and VELVET REVOLVER. In addition to his prolific musical efforts, McKagan is The New York Times best-selling author of 2011's "It's So Easy: And Other Lies" and 2015's "How To Be A Man: (And Other Illusions)", and the co-host (with Susan Holmes McKagan) of the popular "Three Chords & The Truth" radio show, airing in North America on SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard (Ch. 38). In addition, "Three Chords & The Truth" airs weekly on stations around the globe, including Denmark's myROCK, the U.K.'s Planet Rock, Finland's Radio Rock, Ireland's Nova, Norway's Radio Rock, Sweden's Rock Klassiker, Germany/Switzerland/Austria's Rock Antenne, Iceland's x977 and Poland's Antyradio.  | +2 |  |
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18 май 2025
DORO PESCH On Performing Live: 'I Treat Every Single Concert Like It Could Be The Last'
 In a new interview with Gastão Moreira of Brazil's KazaGastão, German metal queen Doro Pesch spoke about her love of performing live for her fans. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The best is when I hear them sing 'All We Are' or 'Burning The Witches' and when I feel like there's a deep connection and when I can see in people's eyes there's something going on. When I feel that I can touch their metal heart, oh, that's the best. And here in Brazil, it's so high, the feeling is so — I mean, it's the best."
Asked how she "keeps the joy" in her performances after having played more than 3,500 concerts in her life, Doro said: "Ah, that's easy — because of the fans, because of the people. When I see the fans, when I see the people at small gigs or big festivals, it doesn't matter, but when I can feel and see the good energy, when I know they are happy, they're happy to see me and I immediately feel welcomed. And then I can sing better, I can jump higher, I can sing louder. It's a total high. And I always feel motivated and inspired — every single concert. And I treat every single concert like it could be the last. And it's always an adventure, every single gig. I never got tired of one song or one gig. It was always something fresh and new. Even 'All We Are', we played it since 1987, every gig, every concert, and it's still one of my favorites because I see the reaction. And, yeah, it's still like it would be a totally brand new song. So it's easy to be motivated when you're having fun and when you see the people."
As for what keeps her motivated to record new albums, Doro said: "Yes, I think it's now 20 or 21 [studio] records [that I have in my catalog], plus all the live records and DVDs, Blu-rays. We are working just now on our new DVD of the 40-year anniversary. It was a big show in Wacken and one time in my hometown, where I come from, Düsseldorf, Germany. And [we had] many guests. It was awesome. So we are still working on it. And, yeah, when I can write a new song, then I always feel like, 'Ah, maybe the fans will like it.' I get so excited. And you can never write the same song, but I love anthems. When I see people singing along, that makes me feel, ah, so great. And the headbanging stuff, that's always good. And ballads as well — I love ballads because people get little tears in their eyes. They get very emotional. So every song is sacred to me."
On March 31, Doro received a lifetime achievement award in her former hometown of Düsseldorf. The award was presented to the singer in a grand, ceremonial setting by Klaus Meine, frontman of the legendary rock band SCORPIONS.
The award honored Pesch's groundbreaking career, which began in the 1980s with her band WARLOCK. As one of the first women to break into the male-dominated heavy metal scene, she established herself as a lasting force in the international music industry. With over ten million albums sold and more than 3,500 concerts across 60 countries, the Düsseldorf native is among the most successful female rock musicians of all time.
Doro's latest album, "Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud", was released in October 2023 via Nuclear Blast.
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18 май 2025
ALICE IN CHAINS' SEAN KINNEY Offers Update On His Health: 'I'm Going To Be Fine And I'm Going To Live'
 ALICE IN CHAINS drummer Sean Kinney has shared an update on his health, less than a week after the band canceled all of its previously announced May 2025 concerts.
ALICE IN CHAINS announced last Friday (May 9) that the band was scrapping its headlining shows as well as any festival appearances. The decision came after a previous gig was called off on May 8 because Kinney experienced medical complications.
Earlier today (Thursday, May 15),Kinney released the following statement via the ALICE IN CHAINS social media: "THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE WTF?
"Firstly, to everyone who came out to the Mohegan Sun show and was affected by the short-notice cancellation, and to everyone who had tickets to come see the band at one of the other shows, thanks for your understanding. It's not lost on the band and myself that you spend money, make plans and alter your schedules to come and see us, and it's deeply disappointing to have had this happen.
"I was very much looking forward to getting back out there and playing with the band again, and it's been a difficult but necessary decision to make. I don't personally utilize social media and I'm not particularly fond of my health issues being made public, but I understand that people are concerned.
"When the doctors advised me against playing in the short-term, I quickly went through The 5 Stages of Grief:
1. Denial (I'm fine)
2. Anger (F*** this - I'm still going to play)
3. Bargaining (What's it gonna take for me to hear a better diagnosis?)
4. Depression (This sucks)
5. Acceptance (This sucks, but okay)
"I finally concluded that medical doctors with many hard-earned degrees on their walls might know a bit more about health than a musician with some shiny spray-painted records on his wall.
"The outpouring of love, concern and well wishes has been both extremely humbling and very much appreciated.
"The good news is that I'm going to be fine and I'm going to live. The bad news (for some of you?) is that I'm going to be fine and I'm going to live."
One day after scrapping a concert at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut due to Sean's health, the band released a follow-up statement saying: "After careful consideration and following the advice of medical professionals, we have made the decision to cancel our upcoming festival performances and the ALICE IN CHAINS headline shows.
"While we were all eager to return to the stage, Sean's health is our top priority at this moment.
"Although the issue requires immediate attention, his long-term prognosis is positive.
"We sincerely appreciate your understanding and support during this time."
When the Uncasville show was called off on May 8, ALICE IN CHAINS said in a social media post that "Sean experienced a non-life-threatening medical emergency" after the band's soundcheck earlier that evening."
No additional information is currently available on Kinney's condition or medical issue.
The Connecticut show would have been ALICE IN CHAINS' first full concert since an April 2024 appearance at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas.
ALICE IN CHAINS was scheduled to appear at a few festivals this month, including the MMRBQ in Camden, New Jersey (May 10),Sonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio (May 11) and Welcome To Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida (May 16). They had also lined up several other headlining shows, in Nashville, Tennessee (May 13) and Dothan, Alabama (May 15). ALICE IN CHAINS is also on the bill for the final BLACK SABBATH/Ozzy Osbourne show on July 5 in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
In a recent interview with "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, ALICE IN CHAINS singer William DuVall was asked where things stand with him and his bandmates at the moment. He responded: "Well, we're excited for these dates we have coming up in May. We're excited to get out there and see everyone. We are in regular contact and communication, and so we'll just have to see what comes after May. I really wouldn't wanna say anything more than that. But we're excited about these shows in May. We're really looking forward to it."
In the last four years, ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell has released two solo albums, 2021's "Brighten" and 2024's "I Want Blood", and has toured extensively in support of both efforts, performing material spanning his solo career and ALICE IN CHAINS.
ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, "Rainier Fog", in August 2018.
Prior to joining ALICE IN CHAINS, DuVall was a member of punk rock bands AWARENESS VOID OF CHAOS, NEON CHRIST, BL'AST! and FINAL OFFERING. DuVall's long musical history also includes COMES WITH THE FALL and Cantrell's solo work.
Cantrell befriended the members of COMES WITH THE FALL in the early 2000s, playing shows with the band on the West Coast, then enlisting the musicians to tour with him as both opening act and backing group in support of his album "Degradation Trip".
DuVall appears on the last three ALICE IN CHAINS albums: 2009's "Black Gives Way To Blue", 2013's "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" and the aforementioned "Rainier Fog".
An update from Sean
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18 май 2025
BUCKCHERRY's JOSH TODD Says He Meditates And Exercises Every Day For His Mental Health
 In a new interview with Neeka Rogers of Metal Nation, BUCKCHERRY frontman Josh Todd was asked If there are some things that he does for his mental health, for balance, for his self-care, so that way he doesn't burn out. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, first and foremost, a lot of people know this — I've talked about it many times — I've been sober from drugs and alcohol for over 30 years now. 30 years — that's insane. And knowing what a horrible drug addict and alcoholic I was. So part of that, and part of all the work I've done on myself through Alcoholics Anonymous and programs and putting pen to paper and doing inventories and turning over to power greater than myself and working with others and making amends, all those things really helped me with my mental health. Because alcoholism — the 'ism' is between your ears. Drinking and using is just a symptom of the problem. The problem is between your ears. Your mind is different than others. So, now, the daily maintenance is about, I meditate every day. I'm still very active in Alcoholics Anonymous. I work with a lot of other men that are trying to do the same thing, stay sober, and just keep myself in check with inventories and stuff like that."
Elaborating on the importance of meditation when it comes to his mental health, Josh said: "Yeah. I feel the effects of not meditating right away. And I'm running to it. And one other thing I do for my mental health is I exercise every day. And that is really good. And when I started exercising, it was only because I knew that when I started sweating, I felt better — I felt much better. So, I've always done that my whole life. And that's a big part of it."
Asked if spending time in nature is something that is beneficial to reducing his stress and anxiety, Josh said: "I love nature. I read [the book] 'The Seven Spiritual Laws Of Success' by Deepak Chopra. Part of it is spend 10 minutes a day in nature and just sit there and watch the trees. Watch how the sun moves through the trees. See if there's any animals around. So I do that all the time, especially when I'm at home, I have a King Charles Cavalier [dog] at our house. He is the light of my life. His name's Lion. And so every day when I'm home, we go in the backyard and we sit there together and we feel the sun and we just observe nature for 10 minutes. I don't have my phone with me, and we just sit there and do that. That's a big thing. And I do it out on the road too. I'll just step outside the bus and just take it all in and get away from the rat race for a second."
BUCKCHERRY will release its eleventh album, "Roar Like Thunder", on June 13.
As with 2023's "Vol. 10" and 2021's "Hellbound", "Roar Like Thunder" was recorded in Nashville at Sienna Studios and helmed by producer and songwriter-for-hire Marti Frederiksen, who has previously collaborated with AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow, among many others. All 10 tracks were written by Todd, BUCKCHERRY guitarist Stevie Dacanay (a.k.a. Stevie D.) and Frederiksen.
"Roar Like Thunder" will be released in North America by Round Hill Records, in Japan by Sony Japan and in the remainder of the world by Earache Records.
"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".
In November 2023, 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".
The 20th-anniversary deluxe edition of the double-platinum BUCKCHERRY album "15" on physical and digital formats arrived on January 17 via Endurance Music Group. Originally released in 2005, the album featured the four-times-platinum single "Crazy Bitch" and the two-times-platinum single "Sorry". The deluxe edition was issued in North America on a two-vinyl-LP format featuring the album's 11 original songs as well as four bonus tracks recorded in 2005 and three newly recorded acoustic tracks by Todd and Dacanay. | +2 | |
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17 май 2025
DAVID ELLEFSON Says How A Band Splits Its Money Is 'An Important Discussion' For Musicians To Have Early On
 Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and ex-FEAR FACTORY singer Burton C. Bell made their first-ever co-panelist appearances together on the latest Support Life And MusicSLAM Summit episode, hosted by Jack Mangan. The topic was musician infighting, a subject familiar to both of them, on the heels of highly public, contentious departures from their star-making marquee bands.
Reflecting on where things started to go downhill in MEGADETH, Ellefson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The '90s were a good decade for me career-wise, but toward the end of the '90s, there was a lot of transitions, new managers coming in, divide and conquer. I literally had a manager sit in my living room one day and say, 'You know, Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist] is Bruce Springsteen; you guys [the rest of MEGADETH] are just the E STREET BAND.' And my wife was ready to throw a fucking frying pan at his head. It's, like, 'Get the fuck out of my house.' The guy who'd been there for, like, a year comes in and says that. And that really was the beginning of the divide and conquer of MEGADETH; it really was. That was a dividing moment that we never — we didn't survive it, and we never came back from it. And all it takes is sometimes an outside ear to come in and start chirping, an outside voice to come in and start chirping in the right ear. And sometimes those are unsurvivable equations that are hard to come back from. And that was on the [controversial] 'Risk' album. So there it is. That was as we were going into the 'Risk' album. So this isn't a feeling; this is a fact of what happened from that leadership regime."
David also discussed ways for musicians to deal with "abusive" behavior in bands, saying: "Well, look, I think when you walk into any room, any situation, if you're honest with yourself, you know what you're walking into. If your bullshit detectors are up, you know, like, 'Yeah, this could be a problem.' 'Oh, that was an off-color comment.' 'Hmm, I saw something go down that I don't think was so cool.' And we can sweep it under the rug, we can pretend, 'Well, maybe it didn't happen.' Or 'maybe this will get better over time.' I'm here to tell you it won't. So if it looks like a duck, it walks like a duck, it talks like a duck, I promise you it's a duck. So, if you see that happening early on… because our personalities, especially by the time we're starting musical ventures and artistic ventures… Let's assume we're adults. We've been on the planet for a few years, and who we are generally tends to come out. And these personality types, whether you're reserved, passive aggressive, super aggressive, abusive, whatever it may be, if you see the very tip of that iceberg, just assume that there's an iceberg down below the surface. And I think, look, how do you deal with it? Well, look, in a past band, we had a drug and alcohol counselor come in to help us to learn how to talk to each other as we were getting sober. METALLICA made a movie about this stuff. I know another pretty famous band that they do check-ins 30 minutes before they go on stage. They check in what's going on in their personal lives, their professional lives, 'Is there anything we need to work on on the show? And then they come off stage and they sort of debrief. So there's sort of like a briefing before you go on stage to go into the mission, and then there's a debriefing after the mission. And these are healthy groups. Because what we realize — things don't stay the same. People are allowed to change, they're allowed to grow, and I think that's one of the hardest things when you're in a career group, for instance, is we change. People grow up, they change their lifestyle, maybe they get married, they have children. Now you're on the road. We're growing as people too. So, it isn't like we just walk into it and this is who we are forever. There's a lot of changes that happen, and the more we can support each other and be supportive to each other, I have found the better chances of success. Again, as much as my past group had a very publicly kind of tumultuous reputation. I will say we also took the time — especially during the '90s — where we really took the time to try to heal each other and give each other the space, whether it was sobriety, whether it was things at home that we were dealing with. We took the time to really be supportive for each other, and I think that's why we had such a great career during that decade."
Ellefson went on to say that most people's personalities are set early in their lives, making it even more important for musicians within a band to communicate with each other openly about business matters.
"We are who we are," David explained. "Add fame, add money, add all those things, while those are not necessarily evil in and of themselves, those things put into someone who — and it's happened to me too. In my early years, drugs and alcohol and success and all this sort of stuff, at a time in our business when this stuff was kind of celebrated… As they said, if you remember the '80s, you weren't there. So, there was a lot of that. There's another thing too, and that's the creative side, which is who is sort of the creative force of the group? Is it the whole group? Does the band get in a room together and write? Does one or two people do — are they sort of the creative force? I read Geddy Lee's book and he talks about how early on [the members of RUSH] just decided, I think it was by album two or three, they just decided, 'Let's just split everything equal. No matter who wrote it, let's split it equal.' And that just took that money discussion off the table. And I've been in groups like that, where that always works the best. Now look, it always works the best on the first album, 'cause everybody's trying to bring it together. And then sometimes by albums two and three, you go, 'I'm doing more work than him,' or somebody says, 'I'm doing more work than you,' these kind of things. So money is a hot-button topic in a creative world. So all of a sudden money comes in, some publishing, songwriting… And certainly if someone, maybe their role isn't the writer and someone else has this talent to write, it's by that person's talent that all of it is happening, that suddenly the band is rising, the merchandise is selling, you're performing to more people, the records are selling. So I think having those discussions upfront about, 'Hey, how are we splitting the money here?' It's an uncomfortable conversation. I think it's for sure an important one. When the check shows up, that's not the time to be talking about how we're splitting the money. As soon as you make a dollar, you're in the music business, 'cause your commerce has changed hands. So have that discussion before the money shows up, because I'm telling you, in that discussion, you will be able to tell very clearly who is gonna behave in a certain way, whether it's ten dollars that showed up or ten million that showed up. They will behave the same, because it's all about their behavior at that time. And even how you behave, because you can't control always what other people are gonna do. How do I look at that? What is that in my life? So I think that's an important discussion to have right upfront as well."
Ellefson was originally in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, when the group briefly broke up because MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine suffered severe nerve damage that left him unable to play.
Mustaine reformed MEGADETH 21 years ago. Originally setting out to record a solo album, Mustaine enlisted studio musicians to play on what ultimately became MEGADETH's 2004 "The System Has Failed" comeback album, subsequently recruiting former ICED EARTH bassist James MacDonough to take Ellefson's place for the album's touring cycle.
Ellefson sued Mustaine in 2004 for $18.5 million, alleging that the MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist still owed him substantial merchandise and publishing royalties. In January 2005, the case was dismissed in court, and five years later, Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH.
In his first book, Ellefson admitted that he became a salaried employee upon his return to MEGADETH 15 years ago. He told Metal-Rules.com in an interview: "Going from being a co-founding owner to just a sideman musician was initially why I didn't come back in 2004. I was not happy with the participations that were presented to me. In recent times, coming back, I found great joy in doing music with a lot of other people in other settings that helped me fall back in love with playing music. Now I can come back into or go into musical situations and be able to be there for a purpose and level of pay. Being a sideman absolves you from being involved in all the other stuff. At this point in my life, I would rather leave that stuff on the sidelines. Like American Express says, 'membership has its privileges,' being a sideman has its benefits. In my case, it helps retain a friendship too. In order to have a friendship, I had to give up some ownership."
In his 2004 lawsuit against Mustaine, Ellefson claimed that he "attempted to resolve his differences with Mustaine on an amicable basis and offered to continue to perform with [MEGADETH]." However, his "offers were met with verbal abuse, threats, lies and continued invective from Mustaine." Ellefson also said that Mustaine — a veteran of at least 17 drug rehab stints, according to the bassist — resented Ellefson, a former drug addict, for having kicked his own habit. According to Ellefson's court papers, the battle of the band spread to the Internet when Mustaine posted on Megadeth.com that Ellefson was trying to extort him.
Mustaine gave his version of why the 2004 reunion with Ellefson didn't pan out in a message posted on the MEGADETH web site. In lengthy essay, Mustaine claimed that Ellefson missed several deadlines to accept his offer, which included 20% of the artist royalties on "The System Has Failed", none of the publishing royalties and a $2,500-a-week salary while the band was on the road.
Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH nearly four years ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.
Photo credit: Maciej Pieloch (courtesy of Napalm Records)
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17 май 2025
KERRY KING Says He Wanted Musicians In His Solo Band To Be In His 'Age Group'
 In a new interview with Nick Bowcott of Sweetwater, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King spoke about how he chose the musicians for his eponymously named solo band. Joining the 60-year-old musician in the group are drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER),bassist Kyle Sanders (HELLYEAH),guitarist Phil Demmel (formerly of MACHINE HEAD) and vocalist Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL). He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wanted, first and foremost, it to be a friend of mine, in my age group. I don't have anything against people like… I don't even have an example, 'cause I don't pay attention that much, but somebody my age getting in a band with somebody 25. I've got nothing against it; I just didn't wanna do that. I wanted us to look like a cohesive group of people. And first and foremost, it was a friendship. No divas, no drama backstage. We get done playing, and if somebody messes up, we'll all make fun of 'em. [Laughs] It's a good environment, man. I'm having a fucking blast."
Regarding what advice he would give to young musicians who would like to follow in his footsteps, Kerry said: "Well, after being decades in the same band, and it became work, it becomes a business. You're not the same person you were when you were 20. People grow up, they grow different. Now that I've been able to do this, the importance of playing with your friends and being in a fun environment is more important than I gave it credit for. Of course, practice, get good people, but at the end of the day, get people you dig being around and who like the same music, because if you don't like the same music, that's gonna be a problem down the line. [Laughs] But, yeah, for me, my number one thing I talk about in interviews is I've got my friends [playing in my band]. And they all happen to be good. [Laughs]"
King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", came out in May 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music. All material for the LP was written by the SLAYER guitarist. The LP was recorded in 2023 at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles with producer Josh Wilbur, who had previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.
Last month, Kerry told Igor Miranda of Rolling Stone Brasil about his plans for a sophomore solo album: "I made up two songs since I've been home from this U.S. run [in late February]. So we keep working on stuff. We haven't played together yet, but we have stuff to work on when we get together.
"What the plan is, is whenever [the] cycle [for 'From Hell I Rise'] is done, and right now that looks to me like October, Paul and I have always talked about going straight from playing live, taking maybe a week off and go right in the studio to keep your tour chops, so you're firing on all cylinders — you don't gotta practice to get good; you're already good — and get in there and record it. So, ideally, in my perfect world, it would be done this year and then just hand it to the record company and say, 'Put it in line, whenever you want it to come out.'"
Asked if he would like to "maybe explore some different influences, like going a little more into punk rock" on the next album, Kerry said: "I don't know. I think punk was pretty well covered on ['From Hell I Rise'], from 'Everything I Hate About You' to 'Two Fists', two very different punk styles. So it wouldn't surprise me if that shows up 'cause it's part of my history. And I think, overall, my thought would be just make an extension from what 'From Hell I Rise' is, just keep doing [things the same way], see what the next 10 or 12 [songs] sound like."
King kicked off his first-ever headlining tour on January 15 at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California. The trek, which featured MUNICIPAL WASTE as special guest and ALIEN WEAPONRY supporting, wrapped at House of Blues in Las Vegas on February 22.
King authored all the lyrics on "From Hell I Rise", mainly for logistical reasons. "I finished everything before Mark knew he had the gig," he explained. "But that's not to say he will or won't write on record two." Circumstances dictated that King sing on all "From Hell I Rise" demos. "I did scratch vocals on everything," King said, adding, "I'm not a singer. I'm a guitar player. I've got conviction when I sing, but I have no range, and I need some distortion to help me out a little bit. There was always, 'I got this if whatever we're looking for doesn't work.' Luckily, we didn't have to go that route."
Last year, Kerry said that he knew people would compare "From Hell I Rise" to SLAYER. "I'm not afraid of that because I think it stands up to anything we've done in our history, musically, performance-wise," he said. But he was quick to add: "There will be people complaining, 'Why does it sound like SLAYER?' And 'why doesn't it sound more like SLAYER? That's just what people do."
In early May 2024, the KERRY KING band performed its first live show at Reggies in Chicago. In the days following, the band went from playing an intimate venue to performing at the huge U.S. festivals Welcome To Rockville (Florida) and Sonic Temple (Ohio).
KERRY KING launched a European tour on June 3, 2024 — King's 60th birthday – in Tilburg, The Netherlands. The trek combined headline shows in the U.K., The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Spain but also festival appearances such as Rock Am Ring, Hellfest, Tuska, Download, Sweden Rock Festival and many more.
The SLAYER guitarist's solo band played its first concert as the support act for LAMB OF GOD and MASTODON on July 19, 2024 at the Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas. The six-week "Ashes Of Leviathan" tour wrapped on August 31, 2024 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Photo credit: Andrew Stuart
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17 май 2025
PAUL STANLEY Praises DAVID LEE ROTH's Return To Live Stage: 'I Loved It'
 KISS's Paul Stanley has praised David Lee Roth's return to the live stage, saying he "loved" the "whole thing".
The legendary VAN HALEN frontman played his first full concert in more than five years Saturday night (May 3) at the 2025 edition of the M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. His 75-minute set consisted of classics by VAN HALEN, in which he was accompanied by a band that included guitarist Al Estrada and four backing vocalists.
The following day, Stanley took to his X account to write: "I watched Diamond Dave's return at M3 Festival and LOVED IT! Looks Great. Great staging. Great band. Great vibe. The whole thing was cool. Back-up posse too. Check it all out on YouTube. Welcome Back Dave!! @DavidLeeRoth".
The 70-year-old Roth opened the M3 concert with "Panama" and went on to play "You Really Got Me", "Dance The Night Away", "Runnin' With The Devil", "Jamie's Cryin'", "Hot For Teacher" and other VAN HALEN classics before closing with "Jump".
At one point during the show, Roth joked onstage that his M3 performance marked "the end of my first retirement" — a reference to his announcement in late 2021 that he was calling it quits. "How many retirements did Rocky have? Nine?" Roth added.
Prior to M3, Roth's most recent performance was a private corporate gig for Home Depot in 2023.
David performed as the opening act for the February/March 2020 North American leg of KISS's farewell tour, but did not make any appearances on the rescheduled KISS shows which kicked off in August 2021 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons explained Roth's absence from the trek by telling Rolling Stone at the time: "[Roth] took being a frontman way beyond anything. And then, I don't know what happened to him … something. And you get modern-day Dave. I prefer to remember Elvis Presley in his prime. Sneering lips, back in Memphis, you know, doing all that. I don't want to think of bloated naked Elvis on the bathroom floor."
Apparently irked at Gene's comments, Dave took to Instagram to share an image of a young boy wearing shades and extending the middle finger to the camera along with the words "Roth to Simmons:" Dave posted the image 18 times.
Simmons later clarified his original statement, telling US Weekly that his words were misconstrued.
"I am so sorry and ashamed, actually, that I hurt David's feelings," Gene said. "I'm the guy, actually, that saw [VAN HALEN] at a club [in the 1970s], signed them to my production company, flew them to New York, produced their first 24-track 15-song demo and championed the band. And, actually, we took David out as our opening act on the [KISS 'End Of The Road'] tour. And in the course of an interview… You hear me talking — I just sort of stream of consciousness… I don't mean to hurt people's feelings, and every once in a while, diarrhea of the mouth comes out."
He continued: "I read that quote, and somehow the way they put it together… I think I said something like, 'Nobody touched David in his prime — not Robert Plant, not Jagger, not anybody… He was the king.' And then somehow there was a segue to Elvis bloated on the ground and fat and naked and I don't wanna see that. I wasn't talking about David, but that doesn't matter. What matters is I hurt David's feelings, and that's more important than the intent. So I sincerely apologize for that. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. It reminds me of the guy that gets out of a truck and says, 'Hey, I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to run you over.' Well, what the fuck's the difference? You've been run over."
Asked if he thought the reason Roth felt so slighted by his comments was the fact that he respected Gene and valued his opinion, Simmons responded: "I don't know. Nah. I don't think anybody gives two shits about what I think, and that's the way it should be — treat everybody sort of on an equal plane. This is gonna get me in trouble too — even the Pope poops every day. You know, this kind of the humanity of it all. I'm not better than you; you're not better than me. And feelings — that includes the Pope, who's a good guy and everything — feelings are human. And anybody can hurt your feelings. I mean, you can be the king of anything, and a kid can come over and say, 'Eh, you stink,' in front of everybody else, and it can hurt your feeelings.
"So, for that I'm really sorry about. I never meant to hurt his feelings. But in the way the words came out, yeah, I could see where that was the impression. Not my intention."
In a January 2020 interview with Eric Blair of "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show", Stanley was asked what the best part was of having Roth opening for KISS. Stanley said: "Well, Dave's got so many great songs. All the VAN HALEN catalog is terrific, and that's what he's doing. So, people get to hear all those great songs, and it was something that really appealed to us."
Simmons has repeatedly taken credit for "discovering" VAN HALEN and flying the band to New York to record a 15-song demo at Electric Lady Studios, with Gene at the production helm. But he ended up not working with the group after his KISS bandmates and manager, Bill Aucoin, expressed little interest in his demos. "I gave the demo back to the band, told them I had a tour to go on and afterward I would try to get them a record deal, but until then, I tore up our contract and set them free," he said. "It didn't take them long to get on Warner Bros."
Earlier this week, Roth announced nearly two dozen summer 2025 solo tour dates. The 21-date trek is scheduled to launch on July 22 in Paso Robles, California and conclude on September 14 in Napa.
Roth originally left VAN HALEN to pursue a solo career following the success of the band's album "1984", but he returned for a stint in 1996 and then took over as VAN HALEN's frontman again from 2007 until 2020, although the band had not toured since 2015.
In recent months, Roth has been releasing solo versions of several VAN HALEN classics, including "Jump", "Unchained", "Everybody Wants Some!!", "You Really Got Me", "Dance The Night Away", "Panama" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". The tracks were laid down on May 3, 2022 during a session at Henson Recording Studio in Hollywood, California. Joining Roth in the studio were Al Estrada on guitar, Ryan Wheeler on bass and Francis Valentino on drums. A total of 14 songs were recorded in two hours. The music and the vocals were tracked live with "no samples" and without the pitch-correction technology Auto-Tune.
In January 2022, Roth canceled the remaining farewell shows he was set to play in Las Vegas after he vowed to retire from performing live.
In a statement, event organizers said the cancelations were made "due to unforeseen circumstances related to COVID and out of an abundance of caution for those working and attending the shows."
I watched Diamond Dave’s return at M3 Festival and LOVED IT! Looks Great. Great staging. Great band. Great vibe. The whole thing was cool. Back-up posse too. Check it all out on YouTube. Welcome Back Dave!! @DavidLeeRothpic.twitter.com/74mK1KV4jc
— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) May 4, 2025
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17 май 2025
FILTER's RICHARD PATRICK: 'Streaming Has Taken A Massive, Massive Toll On Our Industry'
 In a new interview with the Columbus, Ohio radio station 99.7 The Blitz, FILTER frontman Richard Patrick spoke about how the music industry has changed in the 32 years since the band's formation. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Streaming has taken a massive, massive toll on our industry. [FILTER's debut album, 1995's] 'Short Bus' was written and recorded and we made the record for, like, three or four hundred thousand dollars. Now we make records for 20 grand, 40 grand. We are streamlined. Everyone has their own computer, a studio system with preamps and compressors and stuff like that, but they're all in our bedrooms. So I'll send the song to Jonny Radtke [FILTER guitarist] to have him do overdubs or Bobby Miller [FILTER bassist] to have him play bass. And then I'll take the song, as it is when it's completed, to a studio with my drummer, and we'll record eight songs in a day drum-wise in Stag Street [a studio in Burbank, California]. And that usually, just that right there was, like, 50 grand to do drums back in '95. So we've had to learn how to save money, be thrifty. And that's the difference."
Richard continued: "And other things, like movie soundtracks. We made so many movie soundtracks back in the '90s — 'Demon Knight', 'The Crow: [City Of Angels]', [the song] 'Jurassitol', we did 'Trip Like I Do' with THE CRYSTAL METHOD for the 'Spawn' soundtrack. And those paid a lot of money, so those made a lot of bills go away. But now there's no soundtracks anymore. It's not like the old days.
"Everyone's, like, 'What's the difference between now and then?' It's really the business — the business has completely changed," Patrick explained. He went on to say that because recording technology has evolved so much, "a lot of really great people are not being paid what they deserve — engineers. I've had to learn how to become an engineer," he said. "I'm recording myself in front of my computer, in my studio, and I have a big microphone and a bunch of preamps and stuff like that. And I sit there and record it, and I'm the only one there. There used to be like a guy behind the glass, someone running a tape machine. It was a big operation. And hats off to the next gen, like Billie Eilish, her and her brother Finneas with a laptop making amazing music. Same with Rezz. She's amazing. I love her. So it's all good. It's just different. But creatively, it's awesome to be in this world with technology being so freeing."
Last month, Richard told Kevin McKay of Florida's 99Rock WKSM radio station that he is currently working on the follow-up to FILTER's 2023 album "The Algorithm", tentatively titled "The Antidote".
Patrick recently wrote a song called "The Gunslingers Of Redemption" and composed all the music for writer-director Brian Skiba's just-released western "Gunslingers".
Richard had previously composed soundtracks for several films, including "Dark Crimes" (2016) and "Last Rampage" (2017). He also contributed to the soundtrack for "The Last Rampage" with his brother, Robert Patrick. In addition, he has composed music for TV series like "Comedy Kitchen".
"The Algorithm" came out in August 2023 via Golden Robot Records.
Originally conceived in 2018 as a collaboration between Patrick and fellow FILTER founding member Brian Liesegang, "The Algorithm" was given a tentative title, "ReBus", as a nod to FILTER's 1995 debut, "Short Bus", before being changed to "They Got Us Right Where They Want Us, At Each Other's Throats" and later to "Murica" and then back to "They Got Us Right Where They Want Us, At Each Other's Throats" and eventually "The Algorithm".
Photo credit: Chapman Baehler
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17 май 2025
GENE HOGLAN Says DARK ANGEL Played A 'Crushing' Show As A Four-Piece At Brazil's BANGERS OPEN AIR Festival
 California thrash metal pioneers DARK ANGEL performed as a four-piece at the Bangers Open Air festival in São Paulo, Brazil on May 3 after an alleged airline mishap forced guitarist Eric Meyer to miss the show. Speaking to The Adventures Of Pipeman about the circumstances that led to Eric not being to make the gig, DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That show in São Paulo was very notable for the fact that our guitarist, Eric Meyer, he missed his first flight and they canceled every other flight after that. So we had to play the show as a four-piece. And our guitarist, Laura Christine [Hoglan's wife], boy, she stepped up."
He continued: "We found out in rehearsal [that Eric was probably not going to make the show], 'cause we were at rehearsal in São Paulo. We had one day to rehearse, 'cause I was coming directly from Europe, straight down there. And so we had one night of rehearsal. We're finding out at the time. We got the text thread going, and Eric's, like, 'I ain't gonna make this flight.' He had already missed the flight the night before, and the next flight is in the process of getting canceled. Both Laura and I are pretty seasoned travelers, so she was the one that's saying, 'Hey, when they're delaying this flight, when they just pushed it back and then pushed it back again,' she's, like, 'Hey, they're gonna cancel that flight. Get on it, tour manager.' We tried our best to get Eric — they tried every single thing they could, and it just turned out Eric was not gonna be able to make it. And so right then and there, right at rehearsal, she kind of put everything on her shoulders and said, 'Look, okay.' She just kind of figured out all Eric's parts on the fly. Songs where he does the intro, okay, well, she's doing it now. She's just working it all out as we're going."
According to Hoglan," the show was so crushing, it was so amazing. You can see the YouTubes, you can see just all the elements of the show," he said. "It was so tight, so killer, so crushing. It was never gonna be a disaster. It could have been a little thin, missing two guitars. Our soundman, A.K., one of the best in the business, if not the best metal soundman in the business, he made us sound crushing. Laura did great, Ron [Rinehart, DARK ANGEL singer] did great, Gonz [DARK ANGEL bassist Mike Gonzalez] did great, I did whatever it is I do, and the show came out fantastic. Such a great challenge to, 'Okay, we've gotta be a four-piece. We've done that before 30-something years ago, but we'll try it again and we'll see how it works.' And we got a different element of that fourth piece. So it all worked out great. That was incredible. That was a really exciting show. Check it out on YouTube. It turned out really good."
The day after the São Paulo show, Eric took to his Facebook page to write: "All of our LEGIONS OF DARKNESS in BRAZIL!! THANK YOU for giving DARK ANGEL such a warm welcome!!! As you may have heard, the airlines completely FUCKED ME on this one."
He added: "I was truly gutted that I wasn't there. This was the FIRST time I've not played a show with [DARK ANGEL]. And, it REALLY HURT. I am looking forward to seeing ALL THE BRAZILIAN METAL FANS NEXT TIME!!!!"
Last month, DARK ANGEL released "Extinction Level Event", the title track of the band's first new album in 34 years, which is due later in 2025 via Reversed Records. The LP was recorded and mixed at the Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, executive produced by Hoglan, produced and engineered by Rob Shallcross and mixed by Mike Fraser.
The "Extinction Level Event" title track was written by guitarist Jim Durkin a decade ago, long before he suffered from severe liver disease, and, to the surprise of everyone, passed away in 2023.
"Jim Durkin left us with this badass tune," Hoglan said in a press release in April. "It is so DARK ANGEL and I'm just so excited about it. We made it the lead-off song on the record, not as a tribute to Jim or because of sentimental reasons — like, 'Here is the song that Jim left us' — but because it's just a totally killer song. He wrote it ten years ago, and by today's standards it's still ball-crushing."
The "Extinction Level Event" artwork and layout was designed by Cain Gillis, with concepts by Hoglan.
Earlier in April, Hoglan told the "Everblack" podcast about "Extinction Level Event": "It's a pretty ferocious record. I'm stoked with it. It took long enough for it to come out, but now that we're getting closer to the release, things are starting to get closer to finalized with it."
Durkin died on March 8, 2023 at the age of 58. An original member of DARK ANGEL, Durkin played on the band's first three albums — 1985's "We Have Arrived", 1986's "Darkness Descends" and 1989's "Leave Scars" — before departing the group in 1989. He was part of DARK ANGEL's lineup when the band reformed in 2013, and had been playing with them, on and off, ever since.
Prior to his death, Durkin had been sitting out some of DARK ANGEL's gigs. He was replaced at the shows by Christine, who has since joined DARK ANGEL as a permanent member.
DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — the aforementioned "We Have Arrived" and "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — "Leave Scars" and "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992. | 0 | |
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17 май 2025
RONNIE ROMERO On Upcoming Second ELEGANT WEAPONS Album: 'It's Gonna Sound Like An Evolution Of The Band'
 In a new interview with J.J. Caithcart of Different Stages Radio, singer Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW, MSG) spoke about the status of the sophomore album from ELEGANT WEAPONS, the band led by JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When I joined the band, the [first] album was recorded already. They had a different singer, so the songs were there. I just needed to listen to the songs and the previous singer and then try to record on my own way, but [there was] still a lack of personality of my voice in that way. But this time we were working together with [producer] Andy Sneap and with Richie Faulkner, the three of us, working on the lyrics, working on the vocal lines, working on the harmonies, working all together. We spent a lot of time in the studio together doing all this work, the vocal production."
Regarding the musical direction of the new ELEGANT WEAPONS material, Ronnie said: "It is an evolution of the band. We have this stable lineup with Christopher Williams from ACCEPT and Dave Rimmer from URIAH HEEP. They recorded the album already also. So, it is more ELEGANT WEAPONS than the first one, I would say. The songs are great. There is a few great songs that — I was talking with Richie yesterday and I said, 'Every day I like a different one.' It's, like, today I like this one very much, and then I listen to the album again and now I like this other one because it's a different thing. But, yeah, I think it's a great album. And it's gonna sound like an evolution of the band, for sure."
Asked if there is "a target" release date for the second ELEGANT WEAPONS album, Ronnie said: "Not really. I just finished the vocals, like, two weeks ago, and since the guys [Richie and Andy] are doing the JUDAS PRIEST tour now, I guess they'll come back from the tour and they stop for a little bit. They're gonna finish the production and then we will see."
Last month, Faulkner told Igor Miranda of Brazil's Rolling Stone magazine about the status of ELEGANT WEAPONS: "We are almost finished recording the second record. We were recording vocals a couple of weeks ago. So it's nearly finished. We don't know when it's gonna be released because, obviously, we've got commitments with PRIEST and other bands. But it's great. Obviously, it's me, Ronnie Romero, and it's like an evolution, the second time around, because the band is solidified. It's Christopher Williams on drums, Davey Rimmer on bass and Ronnie and myself. So it feels like an evolution of the band. So we're excited to get it finished and get it out to you guys. But it's almost done. So, watch this space."
Last October, Faulkner told Clint Switzer of On The Road To Rock about ELEGANT WEAPONS: "Ronnie's fantastic. Again, he's one of those guys, he's not only a singer, he's a frontman. He fronts the band. There's a lot of people I know, they've got great voices, but it takes a frontman or frontwoman, front person to do that job. So Ronnie's definitely got that.
"We did some dates [in 2023] in Europe, which was fantastic," he continued. "We did some dates with PANTERA, which was nuts. You can imagine opening up for them."
Richie went on to say that he never intended ELEGANT WEAPONS to just be a one-album project. "That's what it was about, really. It wasn't about the one record recorded during COVID; it was about a band that goes on," he explained. "We've all got our different things, obviously — PRIEST, ACCEPT, Ronnie's got his stuff — but we wanted it to be a proper band with multiple records doing live dates, which we've done. But it's just, obviously, when PRIEST are out, ACCEPT are out, URIAH HEEP are out at the moment as well, when we find a window in between for that, then we'll look at releasing the second record. So, that's an exciting thing to think about, too."
In 2023, Richie told Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global that he plans on focusing on ELEGANT WEAPONS full-time once PRIEST has officially called it a day.
"PRIEST music is gonna be around a lot longer than we are," he said. "It's legendary music. They're genre-defining musicians and it's a genre-defining band. It will be around for a long time. But none of us gets out of this alive. That's just the reality of it. So if one day that call comes in and that's the last tour or the last album, whatever it is… I mean, I joined the band on what was the farewell tour. Luckily it wasn't, and we're still here 12 years later. [It's] fantastic. But at the time, I think I would have been silly not to consider what I was gonna do after the band, because of the circumstances of the tour. It was a farewell tour — it was [supposed to be] the last tour — so what am I gonna do after? So it's always been in the back of my mind. And this is a band that seems natural to me to continue with if that call ever came in."
ELEGANT WEAPONS made its first two festival appearances in June 2023 at Hellfest in Clisson, France and at Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium.
ELEGANT WEAPONS' debut album, "Horns For A Halo", was released in May 2023 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was recorded with bassist Rex Brown (PANTERA, DOWN) and drummer Scott Travis (JUDAS PRIEST) and was helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, EXODUS and MEGADETH, among many others.
ELEGANT WEAPONS played additional shows in Europe through July 2023. The trek included performances with PANTERA, festival appearances and headlining shows. | 0 | |
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17 май 2025
CLUTCH To Reteam With Producer GENE 'MACHINE' FREEMAN For Next Studio Album
 Maryland rockers CLUTCH have reteamed with Grammy-winning producer Gene "Machine" Freeman (LAMB OF GOD, KYNG) for the recording sessions for their next studio album, tentatively due in early 2026. Freeman previously worked with CLUTCH on 2004's "Blast Tyrant", 2013's "Earth Rocker" and 2015's "Psychic Warfare" LPs.
In a new interview with That Fuzzing Rock Show, CLUTCH frontman Neil Fallon revealed that he and his bandmates are "currently working on the next record… Actually, we're gonna start our very first pre-production week this coming Monday with Machine," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).
Fallon went on to say that CLUTCH might "play a new song or two" on its upcoming June 2025 tour, "because it's always best to practice them in front of a live studio audience because that's a much more demanding proving ground than the studio…
"There's something to be said about things that you could do in a studio that are fun and irreplicable live to some degree, but it's easy to paint yourself into a corner," Neil explained. "And then you can't do that unless you're bringing 80 other people on tour with you, and we don't wanna do that. So, we'll see. I'm excited to play some of these songs."
Two months ago, Neil told the Mark And Me podcast about the progress of the songwriting sessions for CLUTCH's follow-up to the "Sunrise On Slaughter Beach" album, which was released in September 2022: "Yeah, we're writing now. It's taken longer than I think we would've liked to have, but to be honest, we toured a lot in the past three years, like really grounded down. When you come home from tour, you don't wanna turn around the next day and say, 'Let's get together and write a song.' Gotta take a bit of a break. And we took off maybe four weeks and then got back together. And we get together maybe once, twice a week for four or five hours. But again, it's, like you gotta write a lot of garbage to get to the good stuff. And it seems the less premeditated it is, those are the songs that end up as part of the canon, almost the accidental songs. Those are the ones that seem to be the best."
This past March, CLUTCH announced the second leg of the "Full Ahead Flank MMXXV" North American tour. Support on the trek, which will launch on July 30 in Little Rock, Arkansas, will come from BLACKTOP MOJO and THE INSPECTOR CLUZO.
The first leg of "Full Ahead Flank MMXXV" will take place in June, with special guests TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN and Nate Bergman.
CLUTCH has been writing new music on and off around its touring commitments, preparing for what will be the band's fourteenth studio LP. Although CLUTCH previously announced it was working with producer Tom Dalgety once again, those plans appear to now have been abandoned.
Fans keen for the latest tidbits should sign up to CLUTCH's newsletter, News From The Doom Saloon, via their official web site. Its recent instalment exclusively revealed two working titles for new songs: "Church Of The Mountain Wolf" and "Wild Kingdom".
CLUTCH shares more in common with THE GRATEFUL DEAD, RUSH and THE ALLMAN BROTHERS than their heavy riffs and heady twists-of-phrase might suggest. Because like those bands, the supporters who adore CLUTCH are there for the experience, community, and authentic connection. To love CLUTCH is to feel a sense of ownership, membership, and belonging.
Seneca Valley High School classmates Neil Fallon (vocals),Tim Sult (guitar),Dan Maines (bass) and Jean-Paul Gaster (drums) share an unshakeable musical and personal bond now three decades strong. Shaped by the same region which birthed BAD BRAINS, MINOR THREAT and RITES OF SPRING, CLUTCH crafts hyper-literate and libertine jams informed by hardcore fury and fuzzy, athletic, stoner rock.
Live shows over the years include tours with SLAYER and SYSTEM OF A DOWN and more recent co-headlining treks with DROPKICK MURPHYS, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and MASTODON. Like SLAYER or IRON MAIDEN, CLUTCH outlasted rock bands anchored to "hit songs" and the pressure of replicating them. The foursome from Germantown, Maryland, isn't bound by trends. Across thirteen studio albums and assorted releases since 1991, they've earned a reputation as one of the best around.
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17 май 2025
L.A. GUNS' TRACII GUNS: METALLICA's 'JAMES HETFIELD Has Ended Up Being The Bravest Man In Rock'
 On a new episode of the "Talk Louder" podcast, hosted by veteran music journalist "Metal Dave" Glessner and lifelong hard rock/metal vocalist Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS),L.A. GUNS guitarist Tracii Guns expressed his appreciation and respect for METALLICA frontman James Hetfield. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think James Hetfield has ended up being the bravest man in rock. Because I've known James, musically and personally, from a distance, but when we see each other, it's, like, 'Whoa, what's up, bro?' We're not good friends, but we respect each other. And they came to the very first L.A. GUNS release party here. Those guys have been around L.A. GUNS. And I always liked METALLICA.
"We had a weird exchange once in New York when [L.A. GUNS' 1989 album] 'Cocked & Loaded' was coming out and [METALLICA's] 'Black Album' was coming out [in 1991]," he continued. "Somehow we ended up alone at the Scrap Bar in New York. It was like a Tuesday night and there was nothing else to do. We were both there doing press; he was doing press for his album. And I came in, and he was the only person in there, and the bartender. So I went, 'Hey, man.' He goes, 'Tracii Guns.' And right away I knew he was wasted. I knew he was gone. I knew he was off his tree. And I go, 'I have a cassette of your new album.' He's, like, 'You don't like METALLICA.' I go, 'Yeah, I do. This is a fucking great record.' He goes, 'Well, I got the CONTRABAND record [early 1990s supergroup featuring Guns]. He goes, 'Fucking great playing, but those songs are shit, bro.' I'm, like, 'Yeah. Cool, man. Whatever.' And he just started getting kind of amped up, and I'm, like, 'I'm gonna talk to you later.' 'Where are you going?' 'I'm not gonna sit here and just listen to you be mad at me.' He goes, 'I'm not mad at you.' 'You sure sound like you're mad at me.' He goes, 'Whatever.' He was just drunk. I left. So, years go by. I'd see him every now and then. I saw him at Download festival when Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] didn't show up, and we talked for a few minutes, and I saw Kirk [Hammett, METALLICA guitarist]. And there's always been this cool kind of vibe between me and those guys. But then I saw that he opened up his heart in public. And he started talking about the demons that he has dealt with and how long. You go play stadiums and you go to the grocery store in your neighborhood. So it's a big shift. And how he used to deal with things."
Elaborating on what impressed him about the way Hetfield confronted his issues, Guns said: "It is very difficult for a man to talk about those things with his friends, let alone talk about that sincerely in public, especially being the singer of fucking METALLICA. So I have even more respect for James now than ever. I just think he's so bold and so brave. And although I think it's a shame what happened to his relationship, relationships don't last forever. But I really gotta give him massive kudos, man. Just, like, way to go, dude. And that healing process. A lot of people are, like, 'Oh, he's a millionaire. Who feels sorry for a millionaire?' It's, like, dude, what does that got to do with…? Money doesn't solve everything internally… And he got sober. That's tough. That's hard shit to do, man. And on top of it, he wrote all that great music and those songs. I don't say this very often, but God bless that fucking dude. What a badass."
Back in November 2021, Tracii was asked by the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire" to pick a METALLICA song so that it could be played on the show after the interview. Tracii said: "Oh, man. 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' is always the one, but let's just do 'Whiplash'. It just doesn't get any gnarlier. There's something about that song. It's so young. Unbelievable… It has this thing… It's what I like about the early L.A. GUNS and even some of the newer stuff, is that incorporation of… When the metal hits a certain tempo, and it's not necessarily the speed of the tempo, it's the way the tempo is played, it's mistaken for kind of a punk edge. And I think MAIDEN had it too on the early records. And I always loved that song more than other METALLICA songs, 'Whiplash'."
L.A. GUNS' latest album, "Leopard Skin", was released on April 4. It marked the first fruit of L.A. GUNS' reunion with Cleopatra Records, a label known for its diverse roster and innovative approach to music production.
Not only is "Leopard Skin" hot on the heels of 2023's "Black Diamonds" album, but is also L.A. GUNS' fifth studio effort in seven years, since the core team of Guns and singer Phil Lewis reunited in 2017.
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17 май 2025
LAMB OF GOD's MARK MORTON On Writing His Memoir: 'I'm Not Really Ashamed Or Embarrassed Of Anything'
 In a new interview with Mexico's Summa Inferno, LAMB OF GOD's Mark Morton spoke about his decision to open up about some of the most personal details of his life while putting together his memoir, "Desolation: A Heavy Metal Memoir", which came out in June 2024 via Hachette Books. Co-written with Ben Opipari, the book explored both Mark's life in music and his tumultuous path through addiction and into recovery. The guitarist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think I just made a decision. Once I decided to write that book, I really didn't look over my shoulder much at all. I think the challenge was deciding to do it, and then once I flipped that switch and said, 'Okay, I'm gonna write this book and tell this story,' I just told the story.
"I'm not really ashamed or embarrassed of anything," Morton added. "It's my life, you know what I mean? So, hopefully people find something they relate to in it or find some kind of spirit in the book, if they take the time with it. And if not, that's cool too. It's my life, so it just kind of is what it is. It's not good, bad, better or worse; it's just what happened."
During a July 2024 appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, Morton was asked what the most surprising thing was that he discovered about himself in the process of writing "Desolation: A Heavy Metal Memoir". Mark said: "Yeah, that's an interesting question. I went into this wondering, I went into the book project wondering if it would be cathartic or therapeutic or this process of self-discovery, as you alluded to. I'm not sure that it was, Jackie. I think the big takeaway for me… I essentially wrote the book just to see if I could do it, and it wound up being a mountain of work. And it was kind of — the joke was on me, because, yeah, I could do it, but it was a monumental project. But also, I think the big takeaway for me was just this sense of relief and gratitude that I had gotten past so much of the stuff that happens in the book.
"My life has by no stretch been a sob story," he continued. "There's a lot of just absolutely thrilling things that I've been fortunate enough to be a part of, and there's a lot of humor in the book, but there's some tragedy and some trauma as well. And so for me to be sitting where I'm sitting now and being able to reflect on that informs all of those experiences with a sense of hope. And I'd like to think that's one of the takeaways of the book, is that there's always hope and there's always a chance to get better."
When Full Metal Jackie noted that it must have been "a tough line to walk" in terms of how much of his "personal tragedies and low points" he wanted to share in the book, Mark concurred. "Yeah, it's a scary thing to try and balance how much you wanna let go of," he said. "'Cause there's some really, really personal stories in here. And those can be handled a lot of different ways, and you can go for shocking or you can go for guarded; there's a lot of different angles you can take with some of those stories. And that was a learning process for me. I'd never written a book. And I barely read books, frankly. When I do, they're usually rock memoirs. So I had some point of reference. So I think I had to learn that as I went.
"The big thing I found was to just be genuine and to try to tell those stories with a sense of respect, not only for the experience that I had, but for people who may have had a similar experience," Mark added. "So to try and be respectful of people who have lived through similar things as I have, but to also be genuine and not wear things as a badge or water things down to take the weight out of them, just to be authentic with it."
In a separate LiveSigning discussion with Opipari to promote "Desolation: A Heavy Metal Memoir", Mark revealed that the "hardest" chapter for him to write for the book was the one about the passing of his daughter. In 2009, Morton's baby, Madalyn Grace Morton, died the day after she was born after developing an infection during delivery. He wrote about the loss on the song "Embers" which came out on LAMB OF GOD's 2015 album, "VII: Sturm Und Drang", and in an essay that Noisey published.
Regarding why that chapter was especially difficult for him to write, Mark told LiveSigning: "It's not because I discovered anything new about that situation. I just think that I struggled to honor it and word it just right. And I remember telling you, 'I don't want a lot of notes on this one.' That was one of the things I was, like, 'If there's grammatical stuff…' I spent some time with that one. I was in a really bad mood those few days. So, in that sense, it just drummed up stuff. It's not something I bury. It's not something I forget. It's not something I wanna commodify either. I didn't want this to be a book about that, but I can't tell my story without touching on that. So it was more about finding the balance of all those things and kind of making it feel like I honored that, but didn't exploit it and told my authentic version of that. And I think that's what we did."
Morton also talked about the chapter that was "the most fun" for him to write, saying: "I really, really enjoyed kind of going through all the memories of the BURN THE PRIEST era of LAMB OF GOD and then the early LAMB OF GOD stuff and just really trying to characterize what an absolute just cyclone of chaos and idiocy we were back then. And that was fun to explore and to revisit. And even with the stuff before that, like my high school bands, I did a lot of checking in with folks and seeing if I was remembering this right. I even — when I talk about some of the early LAMB OF GOD days when we were playing, like, squats and warehouses in Philly and that kind of underground punk metal scene that we were a part of down there, I had a guy that I spoke to — he had reached out via one of my social media platforms and was saying he was at certain shows that I was kind of referencing as a touchstone from that point in time. And we got on the phone and I just checked my memory of that show versus his, and he gave me some real insight. And that was pretty cool. I thanked him in the book."
"Desolation" was described by the publisher as "the story of Morton's lifelong quest for clarity and self-acceptance, and shows how the pressures of career success and personal battles eventually came into conflict with Morton's dedication to the creative process. Intertwined with addiction, self-destruction, and the path to eventual surrender and recovery, Morton also reveals the greatest personal tragedy of his life: the death of his two-day old daughter, plunging Morton further into hopelessness. Surrounded by bandmates living their wildest dreams, Morton wanted nothing more than to disappear, ingesting potentially lethal cocktails of drugs and alcohol into his system on a daily basis.
"And yet, amidst the harrowing heartbreak, there were moments of triumph, hope, and incredible personal connection. Morton developed close relationships with his bandmates and crew members, sharing experiences that have made for some strange and hilarious tales. He's also gained a greater sense of purpose through interactions with his fans, who remind him that his work reaches people on a deeply personal level. Through the highs and the lows, Morton learns how to find presence and gratitude where he once found fear and resentment, a process that he considers a gift of spiritual awakening.
"'Desolation' is, at its core, about Morton's journey as a musician navigating self-doubt, anxiety and the progressive disease of addiction, and ultimately finding relative serenity. Perfect for fans, new and old, as well as anyone who has ever been tested and brought to their limits, "Desolation" is a highly satisfying, full-throttle investigation of the human experience."
When the book was first announced, Morton commented: "Initially, I started writing this book just to see if I could do it. But as the writing process unfolded, it quickly took on much more meaning. Unpacking my story, I was able to observe events in my life with an objectivity that I hadn't experienced while I'd lived them in real time.
"Through a lens of hindsight and recovery, I made friends with my past and found value in my most difficult days," he continued. "I hope that by offering my experiences, I can create a point of connection and commonality. There are a lot of fun stories in here and a few really sad ones. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to share them."
Morton co-founded LAMB OF GOD, which was initially called BURN THE PRIEST, in 1994.
In 2019, Morton released his debut solo album, "Anesthetic". A follow-up effort, "Without The Pain", came out in April via Snakefarm.
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17 май 2025
JOHN MOYER Looks Back On His 2004 Audition For DISTURBED: 'I Didn't Want Any Special Treatment'
 In a new interview with Bass Magazine, DISTURBED bassist John Moyer reflected on how he joined the band in 2004 as the replacement for DISTURBED's original bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "So, in 2004, the band had already had out 'The Sickness' and the 'Believe' record. And they parted ways with their bass player, I believe in October of 2003. And I kind of knew the guys. I had played in a band called THE UNION UNDERGROUND and we had done some touring on Ozzfest together. So I initially had hit them up and I said, 'Listen…' And my band UNION UNDERGROUND also broke up in October of 2003. It was weird. So I hit 'em up and I said, 'Man, I heard you guys lost your bass player. I lost my band. If you guys need someone temporarily or you're looking for someone more permanent, please keep me in mind.' I didn't really hear anything from them. And then I knew some managers in the business and so I asked them to kind of reach out to the DISTURBED camp and let 'em know that I was interested. And nothing really took. So then the holidays pass. January, February, I'm hearing through the grapevine that they're auditioning some select few bass players, guys who I know. So I made a couple of phone calls and I talked to some dudes, and it was, like, 'Yeah, I auditioned. I don't think I'm gonna get the gig, though.' Blah, blah, blah. So I'm thinking, 'Okay, good. There's still a chance.' But I'm still not getting the call. So then DISTURBED decided to — and it was the most amazing thing — they held an open audition. Anyone can show up. They did one in L.A. and one in Chicago. And they were two weeks apart. So, I chose to go to the Chicago one so I could make sure I learn the songs properly, what they wanted, and just have a little more time.'
John continued: "So the L.A. [open audition], I think it was about a hundred people who showed up, stood in line, and I don't think there was any callbacks from the L.A. auditions, minus some people who they personally knew. And then I went to the Chicago auditions, and it was a scene, man. There was three hundred people in line. I was, like, number seventy, something like that. A lot of great players — touring musicians. And I didn't tell the guys I was there. I had their phone number. I could have told them. And I saw their manager. When the manager walked the line, I hid my face. And the reason for that was I didn't want any special treatment. I wanted to show these guys I was willing to jump through any hoops they wanted. I was willing to stand in whatever line. I was willing to make any sacrifice to get the gig. And that's always how I've treated my musical life and anything I've done — I've always put in the work, and I'm not afraid to. So, I stand in line. It's like an hour before we get in. Now people are starting to recognize me from my UNION UNDERGROUND days. And people are coming back, 'Hey, will you sign this?' I'm, like, 'Yeah, I'll sign it. Shut up.' And then I get in line, and there was three songs we had to learn. It was 'The Game', 'Prayer' and I forgot what the third one was. But Dougie Thomson, who was part of DISTURBED's management, who would eventually become my manager, hands me a tuner. And he goes, 'All right, John. Your song is 'The Game'.' I'm, like, 'Okay.' So I walk in. The guys see me. David's [Draiman, DISTURBED singer], like, 'John, what are you doing here, man?' [I said] 'I'm here for the gig, just like everybody else, dude.' I said, 'It's a really cool thing you're doing. There's a lot of good people out here, a lot of good players, and they're really excited about this. And I appreciate having the opportunity.' So, I stood on a stage. They kind of sat there sort of 'American Idol' style. And I tore into the song and played it in front of them — like a minute and a half, 30 seconds, a minute. The music stops. I said, 'Guys, thank you very much.' I put my bass in the case. And I said, 'You've got a lot of good people waiting out there. I'm gonna get outta your hair.' And I kind of walked out, kind of 'leave 'em wanting more' mentality. And my heart was racing, though. I played it cool, but my heart was racing. And I already knew where the exit was too. Before I got on stage, I had my exit planned. I'm, like, 'I'm gonna walk out that door. I'll put my bass right there. I'm gonna play the song.' So I did exactly that. I walk out. And their manager, Jeff Battaglia, the other part of the management team, chases me out. [In his] thick Chicago accent, 'Hey, John. Wait. Where are you going? Where are you going?' I'm, like, 'Oh, I just did my thing.' 'Well, the guys really like you. Why don't you come back tomorrow?' So, tomorrow was — I was flying out. And I didn't have a whole lot of money at the time, to be honest. I just looked at the manager and I was, like, 'So you want me to change my flight and come tomorrow?' But I had to change my flight. I just kind of looked at him and he goes, 'You want the gig or not?' [Laughs] I guess I want the gig. It was no big deal. So I came back the next day, and this time I jammed with the band. I remember the first song we did was 'Prayer'. And I couldn't help but notice a little smirk on Dan's [Donegan, DISTURBED guitarist] face when we started playing. And I think that's when I knew I had the gig. And then one thing led to another, and they invited me back out, which is a whole other story for another time. The other bandmembers like telling the other story. And then a week later they flew me back out and we had dinner and they gave me the gig."
Prior to joining DISTURBED, Moyer played in rock bands THE UNION UNDERGROUND and SOAK, both major label acts hailing from Texas. He has also toured and/or recorded with ADRENALINE MOB, ART OF ANARCHY and ex-QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate.
While he is still capable of playing finger-style, Moyer prefers picking because it has a more aggressive feeling.
In 2011, John released a bass instructional video titled "Modern Metal Bass" for Rock House Publishing.
DISTURBED was rejoined by Fuzz at the March 8 concert at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois during "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour". Produced by Live Nation, the tour celebrates 25 years of DISTURBED's seminal debut album which launched the band into public consciousness and is one of the most important and influential heavy metal albums of all time. Each night features two sets of music, opening with DISTURBED playing the five-times-platinum "The Sickness" in full, followed by a full set of greatest hits. Fuzz played with DISTURBED for "The Sickness" portion of the set in Chicago, while Moyer handled the bass duties for the rest of the show.
Fuzz played on the first two DISTURBED albums, the aforementioned "The Sickness" and 2002's "Believe", before being fired in 2003 after more than six years with the band.
A short time later, Draiman told MTV.com about Fuzz's departure: "I don't want to drag anyone through the mud, there were just personality conflicts. It wasn't a relationship that could continue anymore, and we had to go our separate ways. When you're in a band, chemistry is very important. But we wish him all the best. We bear him no ill will."
Regarding how Moyer was chosen to replace Fuzz, Draiman told Launch Radio Networks in a 2005 interview: "He showed a lot of guts. You know, he came to the tryouts and waited in line with everybody else on his own dime, without an invitation. That said a lot. That he knew the material and played it well said a lot. That we vibed well together onstage — you know, all those things involved, and when we added them up and compared them to the rest of the potential candidates, he won."
Photo credit: Travis Shinn | +1 | |
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Guns N' Roses
