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25 ôåâ 2020
SCORPIONS Flashback: "Fly To The Rainbow " From Tokyo's Sun Plaza Hall, 1979 (Video)
 German rock legends, Scorpions, continue to release classic live footage. Below you can watch the band perform "Fly To The Rainbow " at the Sun Plaza Hall in Tokyo, Japan in 1979.
Scorpions will be taking over the Las Vegas Strip later this year with their exclusive headlining residency show. Promoted by Live Nation and Caesars Entertainment, Scorpions “Sin City Nights” kicks off Saturday, July 4 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Scorpions will be joined by special guests Queensrÿche.
“We are very excited to come back to Vegas in July 2020 for a nine show residency at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino’s Zappos Theater,” said Klaus Meine. “We’re looking very much forward to share some wild ‘Sin City Nights’ with all of you on the famous Strip … Let’s get ready for the Sting!!!!”
The nine performances on sale are:
July: 4, 8, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25.
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25 ôåâ 2020
Coronavirus Outbreak Forces Cancelation Of TESTAMENT, EXODUS And DEATH ANGEL Concert In Italy
 The February 25 concert in Milan, Italy featuring TESTAMENT, EXODUS and DEATH ANGEL has been canceled due to a fast-spreading outbreak of the new coronavirus.
The three bands, who are currently on the road in Europe as part of "The Bay Strikes Back 2020" tour, will perform in Zurich, Switzerland on Monday (February 24) and Barcelona, Spain on Thursday, February 27.
Several cities and towns across northern Italy were in lockdown Monday as authorities battled to contain the virus.
More than 200 cases of the virus have been confirmed in Italy, where the death toll rose to five. People have been banned from leaving infected areas, and police have been ordered to fine anyone caught entering or leaving certain towns.
The bulk of the cases are in the northern region of Lombardy, whose capital is Milan.
Officials have not yet tracked down the first carrier of the virus in the country. "We still cannot identify patient zero, so it's difficult to forecast possible new cases," Angelo Borrelli, head of the country's Civil Protection agency, said at a press conference.
There are now 79,339 cases of the virus, named COVID-19, in 30 countries and 2,619 deaths, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization.
View this post on Instagram
We’re sorry to announce that the show in Milano, Italy has been CANCELED, due to an outbreak of the coronavirus. But the show must go on! Tonight we’re in Zurich, Switzerland! See you in the pit!
A post shared by Death Angel (@deathangelofficial) on Feb 24, 2020 at 7:57am PST | +3 | |
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25 ôåâ 2020
Watch GEOFF TATE Perform Acoustic Version Of QUEENSRŸCHE Classic At iRock Radio
 Video footage of former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate performing an acoustic version of the band's classic song "Jet City Woman" at Studio 64 at iRock Radio can be seen below.
Tate is performing the QUEENSRŸCHE albums "Rage For Order" and "Empire" in their entirety on the "Empire 30th Anniversary Tour", which kicked off last month in Norway.
1986's "Rage For Order" introduced a much more polished look and sound for QUEENSRŸCHE. The album featured keyboards as prominently as guitars, and the group adopted an image more closely associated with glam rock or glam metal than with heavy metal (of which glam metal was a subgenre). A video was filmed for the song "Gonna Get Close to You", originally recorded in 1984 by DALBELLO.
Released in 1990, "Empire" included the hit ballad "Silent Lucidity", which reached No. 9 on the Billboard singles chart, helped propel "Empire" to No. 7 on the album chart and earned two Grammy Award nominations.
Tate told MisplacedStraws.com that he will take the "Empire 30th Anniversary Tour" to "as many countries as I can and playing the album in its entirety, which I've never done before. So that'll be real fun. In fact, I think there's some songs on that album that I've never, ever played live before, so it'll be a treat — for me, as well, I think, for the audience too," the former QUEENSRŸCHE singer said. "I'm really looking forward to that."
Tate told Eonmusic that one song from "Empire" that was rarely performed live is "Anybody Listening?" "When QUEENSRŸCHE was together, we never really put that song in our set," he said. "We just had a hard time playing it, for some reason; it just never jelled or felt right. And I'd really like to play that song again, and play it right."
In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Original QUEENSRŸCHE members Michael Wilton (guitar), Scott Rockenfield (drums) and Eddie Jackson (bass) responded with a countersuit. The settlement included an agreement that Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson would continue as QUEENSRŸCHE, while Tate would have the sole right to perform the albums "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety live.
Tate has been replaced in QUEENSRŸCHE by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.
Geoff recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of "Operation: Mindcrime" on European and U.S. tours.
Tate's post-QUEENSRŸCHE band OPERATION: MINDCRIME released three albums over three years as part of a trilogy: "The Key" (September 2015), "Resurrection" (September 2016) and "The New Reality" (December 2017). | 0 | |
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25 ôåâ 2020
ENEPSIGOS Premiere New Track "Confess"
 Norwegian black metallers Enepsigos have premiered their new track "Confess". The track hails from the band's second album, Wrath Of Wraths, set for international release on March 27th via Osmose Productions.
Despite Enepsigos' 2017 debut album, Plague Of Plagues, having been enthusiastically welcomed by fans of traditional black metal, the band itself always felt that the album did not really go far enough in establishing what Enepsigos, and its music, was all about. But now, with Osmose Productions set to release Enepsigos' sophomore album, Wrath Of Wraths, on March 27th internationally, all that is about to change. Because, according to the band, Wrath Of Wraths is "a manifestation of what Enepsigos really is, and will be. Dark, disgusting, twisted, ritualistic, and violent."
With intro and interludes by Alexander Wolf and V.I.T.H.R, vocals, guitars, and bass for Wrath Of Wraths were recorded at the Bergegarda Studios in Norway, while drums were recorded at the Beastcave Studios in Italy. Mixed and mastered by Tore Stjerna at the Necromorbus Studios in Sweden, and with artwork by Benjamin Vierling and additional inlay artwork by Nestor Avalos, the tracklisting for Wrath Of Wraths is as follows:
"Shields Of Faith"
"Confess"
"Seventh Seal"
"The Whore Is The Temple"
"Cups Of Anger"
"Water And Flesh"
Wrath Of Wraths will be available on CD, digipack, black and limited-edition white vinyl, and digital formats.
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25 ôåâ 2020
The History Of Frontiers Music Srl, Part 1: Building Frontiers; Video
 Frontiers Music Srl have launched a video series detailing the label's history. In the first video, Head of Business Affairs, Mario de Riso, delves into the beginnings of the label. Watch below:
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25 ôåâ 2020
SÓLSTAFIR Start Recording Seventh Full Length Album
 Icelandic rock giants, Sólstafir, have now entered the studio to start the recording of their seventh full length, which will be released later this year via Season Of Mist. The recordings take place at the mighty Sundlaugin Studio (Iceland), where Svartir Sandar, Ótta, and Berdreyminn were also recorded by producer Birgir Jón Birgisson (Sigur Rós, Alcest, Damien Rice).
Vocalist Aðalbjörn Tryggvason comments on the recording: "This time around we wrote most of the songs on guitars instead of pianos and organs as we have done a lot in the past. Therefore some songs are pretty heavy, even some are fast, faster than we have been for years."
Moreover, Sólstafir will be co-headlining Fire In The Mountains MMXX Festival 2020. The fest, which is presented by 2020's featured curator Ivar Bjornson (Enslaved), will take place from July 10-12 at Heart Six Ranch in Teton Wilderness, WY. The full lineup, tickets, lodging, camping packages, and more can be found here.
Fire In The Mountains MMXX guest curator Ivar Bjornson’s (Enslaved) comments on having Sólstafir as this year's “On Wings Over Utgard” showcase featured artist: “Getting Solstafir to be part of this already magnificent and somewhat unreal line-up is a dream come true. I have followed them throughout the years and they are mind-bogglingly fantastic on record, but live… they surpass that intangible limit of what should be possible for four guys and their instruments. It becomes a ceremony, a gathering of energy and a collective trip into a wonderful unknown of light, darkness and the shadowed realms in between. All while grooving like a flock of wild bison thundering across the plains...”
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25 ôåâ 2020
ABYSMAL DAWN Release 360° Visualizer For New Song "The Path Of The Totalitarian"
 Los Angeles-based death metal masters, Abysmal Dawn, have released "The Path Of The Totalitarian", the second single from their forthcoming fifth studio album, Phylogenesis. A 360° visualizer for the song can be found below.
In addition to the album announcement, Abysmal Dawn will be hosting an exclusive listening party along with MMA Fighter/Pro Wrestler Josh Barnett on Thursday, April 16 at 10 PM at Cha Cha Lounge in the band's hometown of Los Angeles. There will be chances to win an ESP guitar and Season Of Mist swag. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. You can RSVP here.
Phylogenesis will be released on April 17 via Season Of Mist, making it the band's debut to the label. The album can be pre-ordered here.
The artwork for Phylogenesis, which was created by Par Olofson, can be found below along with the tracklisting.
Tracklisting:
"Mundane Existence"
"The Path Of The Totalitarian"
"Hedonistic"
"A Speck In The Fabric Of Eternity"
"Coerced Evolution"
"True To The Blind"
"Soul-Sick Nation"
"The Lament Configuration"
"Flattening Of Emotions" (Death cover)
"The Path Of The Totalitarian" visualizer:
"Hedonistic" lyric video:
Lineup:
Charles Elliott: guitars, vocals
Eliseo Garcia: bass, additional vocals
James Coppolino: drums
Vito Petroni: guitars
(Photo - Rodrigo Fredes)
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25 ôåâ 2020
CRIMSON SHADOWS To Release The Resurrection EP In March; "Betrayed By Thy King" Music Video Teaser Streaming
 Canadian melodic power/death metal quintet, Crimson Shadows, return with their powerful new digital EP, The Resurrection, set for release on March 13 via Napalm Records. The EP features a reimagining of the band’s 2007 track, “Betrayed By Thy King”, as well as blistering covers of Stratovarius’s "Against The Wind" and DragonForce's "Blackfire".
This marks the new age of Crimson Shadows. The Resurrection EP is available for pre-order here. Check out a teaser for “Betrayed By Thy King” below.
The Resurrection EP introductory track, “Betrayed By Thy King”, begins softly with intricate guitars emphasized by metallic accents before skyrocketing into a racing power metal-influenced extravaganza! Pleasing harmonic melodies surround a chorus that will have listeners singing along in no time. The band’s skill is evident as they attack their cover of “Blackfire” and pay homage to power metal greats DragonForce, leading up to prominent EP closer “Against The Wind”, originally performed by Stratovarius.
Crimson Shadows states: "This EP is our "Resurrection". We journeyed back to the music and bands that inspired us in our youth and put together two covers, Stratovarius's 'Against The Wind' and DragonForce's 'Blackfire'. These bands brought us together as musicians and brothers to build Crimson Shadows to what it has become. We also made the decision to re-record the song 'Betrayed By Thy King' from our 2007 EP to better express these influences and how they came to be a part of our music and to reintroduce our fans to our earlier material.”
The Resurrection EP tracklisting:
“Betrayed By Thy King“ (Re-Recorded Version)
“Blackfire“
“Against The Wind“
“Betrayed By Thy King” teaser:
Crimson Shadows is:
Jimi Patrick Maltais - Vocals
Ryan Hofing - Guitar
Greg Rounding - Guitar/Vocals
Cory Hofing - Drums
Alex Snape - Bass
(Photo - Michael Baker)
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25 ôåâ 2020
RITUAL DICTATES - Former 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, REVOCATION Members Debut "Give In To Despair" Lyric Video
 Picking up on inspiration from their respective previous bands Allfather and Angel Grinder, ex-3 Inches Of Blood members Justin Hagberg and Ash Pearson (drummer of Revocation) are continuing down the heavy metal path while fusing their eclectic influences of black, grind, death metal and classic rock into interesting new places with their latest act, Ritual Dictates
Give In To Despair, the first full length offering by Ritual Dictates, was recorded in Vancouver and will be released through Artoffact Records on April 3rd. Today BraveWords is premiering the lyric video for the song ”Give In To Despair" below:
Mixed by Jesse Gander (Bison, Anciients, Japandroids) and mastered by Jason Corbett (Actors), ”Give in to Despair” sees Hagberg and Pearson produce a savage onslaught of varied compositions. With guests musicians including Danko Jones, Shawn Haché (Mitochondrion, Auroch and Night Profound), and Shane Clark (formerly of Bison and 3 Inches of Blood), “Give In To Despair” stays true to the metal form, while offering diverse styles that Ritual Dictates has made their own.
From Justin: “The lyric video for ‘Given to Despair’ was made by Toronto musician and designer Nick Sewell, who hit the nail on the head with our ‘aged, dusty and primitive karaoke video’ idea. The artwork for the Given to Despair EP cover was done by Vancouver artist Megan Richter. It is the twelfth illustration in her ‘Megel” series inspired by the late American pop artist Patrick Nagel. The cover layout was designed by Rheanna Fancypants of Vancouver, who also designed the Ritual Dictates logo and sigil.”
Give In To Despair backlisting:
“It's About Goddamn Time (The Hours Of Folly Part One)”
“Dominance and Will”
“Given to Despair”
“Obsolete Instinct”
“Last Phase of Life”
“Poisonous Proclamation”
“Aperiam in Porta”
“Extinction”
“Indivisible Mind”
“What Cannot Be Altered Must Be Endured”
“Terror of Time (The Hours of Folly Part 2)”
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25 ôåâ 2020
THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA Release Two New Video Trailers For Upcoming Aeromantic Album
 The Night Flight Orchestra are set to take off with the release of their intergalactic new album, Aeromantic, on February 28 via Nuclear Blast. The band have released two new trailers for the album, which can be seen below:
Following is an excerpt from BraveWords' exclusive interview with The Night Flight Orchestra frontman Björn "Speed" Strid about Aeromantic, due to be published soon.
On pushing the band's AOR / glam rock sound up a level on Aeromantic compared to previous album, Sometimes The World Ain’t Enough:
"We never really discussed it. As I said before, we never really stop writing, so that takes away the pressure that we feel with Soilwork or Arch Enemy when it comes time to make a new album. Normally you book studio for six weeks or something, do the album, do press, go on tour for a year and a half, and then take a break. We never really take a break. We go home and then do stuff with our other bands, and in between the Night Flight Orchestra is always writing music. We'll book a weekend here and there, record two songs, and then repeat the process when we can. It never really stops. It's a constant flow, so we never really discuss what we're going to do for the next album."
"We're building up a huge vault of songs. For example, the song 'Dead Of Winter' was written for the previous album - or better said, written by th etime we were doing that album - and everybody loved the song, but we couldn't make it fit. We knew we were going to pick it up sooner or later, and when we did Aeromantic it fit right in. It's hard to explain how it all comes together but we could have released a double album."
Watch for the complete feature, coming soon.
Aeromantic was recorded at the Nordic Sound Labs using the same drum kit that was used during the recordings of ABBA's 1980 mega album, Super Trouper. Pre-order Aeromantic in various formats here.
Aeromantic tracklisting:
"Servants Of The Air"
"Divinyls"
"If Tonight Is Our Only Chance"
"This Boy's Last Summer"
"Curves"
"Transmissions"
"Aeromantic"
"Golden Swansdown"
"Taurus"
"Carmencita Seven"
"Sister Mercurial"
"Dead Of Winter"
"Transmissions" video:
"Divinyls" video:
(Photos - Emelie Lager)
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25 ôåâ 2020
OZZY OSBOURNE On Track To Land Highest-Charting Solo Album In U.K. With 'Ordinary Man'
 Ozzy Osbourne is on track to land his highest-charting solo album in the United Kingdom ever with his latest effort, "Ordinary Man".
Released on Friday (February 21), the LP is currently at No. 2 on the the U.K.'s midweek Official Albums Chart Update.
Ozzy's previous highest-charting solo album in the U.K. was 1980's "Blizzard Of Ozz", which entered the survey at No. 7. Two other Osbourne LPs cracked the the Top 10: 2007's "Black Rain" and 1986's "The Ultimate Sin", both of which reached No. 8.
Ozzy had topped the U.K. album chart twice with BLACK SABBATH: with 1970's "Paranoid" and the band's 2013 reunion LP, "13".
The release of "Ordinary Man" was preceded by a trio of new Ozzy classics. Epic rocker and first single "Under The Graveyard" tallied over 15 million streams and 5.3 million YouTube views on the music video. Premiered just last month, the title track and cinematic ballad "Ordinary Man" (featuring Elton John) eclipsed seven million streams. Meanwhile, the metallic burner "Straight To Hell" (featuring Slash) scored 6.9 million streams and 4.2 million YouTube views on the music video.
"Ordinary Man" marks Osbourne's first new solo music in almost 10 years. Recorded in Los Angeles, the album features producer Andrew Watt on guitars, Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) on bass and Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) on drums. Beyond the core band, "Ordinary Man" features a who's-who of Ozzy friends and collaborators, including Elton John, Slash, Post Malone and Tom Morello.
"It was a lot of fun to do though it's a lot different from my other albums," Ozzy said. "We recorded it quickly, which I haven't done since the first BLACK SABBATH album. This made it a different process, which I actually enjoyed.
"It all just came together," Ozzy explained of the guest stars. "Slash is a dear friend of mine, as is Elton. When I was writing 'Ordinary Man', it reminded me of an old Elton song and I said to Sharon, 'I wonder if he would sing on it?' We asked, and lo and behold, he agreed and sings and play piano on the song."
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25 ôåâ 2020
BRIGHTON ROCK Guitarist GREG FRASER's STORM FORCE Release Official Video For "Dirty Vegas"
 Brighton Rock guitarist Greg Fraser recently launched his new band, Storm Force, featuring himself, vocalist Patrick Gagliardi, drummer Brian Hamilton, and bassist Mike Berardelli. The debut album, entitled Age Of Fear, was released on January 25th. Check out the new video, "Dirty Vegas", below.
The band will make their live debut on April 24th at the Warehouse Concert Hall in St. Catharines, Ontario. Tickets are available here.
Go to this location for event details.
The tracklist is as follows:
"Because Of You"
"Age Of Fear"
"Breathe"
"Ember Rain"
"Ride Like Hell"
"Dirty Vegas"
"More Than You Know"
"Marshall Law"
"Different Roads"
"Ringside"
Storm Force is the explosive new band that fans of classic hard melodic rock have all been waiting for. Led by Canadian rock legends Brighton Rock founder and lead guitarist Greg Fraser and featuring one of today’s most powerful and versatile lead vocalists in Patrick Gagliardi (formerly of Surface Tension), their debut record produced by Darius Szczepaniak (Black Crowes, Sum 41, Big Sugar) combines colossal, crushing melodic rock with hook-laden ballads and massive choruses reminiscent of vintage Cinderella, balanced by classic rock sensibilities of acts like The Who and Van Halen.
The group hails from Niagara Falls, Canada and is rounded out by the blistering one-two punch rhythm section of ex-Panik and Step Echo drummer Brian Hamilton and sought-after session musician and touring bassist Mike Beradelli.
Storm Force’s groundbreaking new record is the result of a rich blend of rock influences spanning Triumph, UFO, Thin Lizzy, Foreigner, and so many more, and will be available on Escape Music worldwide. You can pre-order your copy now from The Music Shop.
"Beacuse Of You"
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25 ôåâ 2020
MIKE PORTNOY Defends Paid Meet-And-Greets: 'It's A Matter Of The Artists Actually Finding A Way To Make A Living'
 In a recent interview with Metal Godz Radio, former DREAM THEATER and current SONS OF APOLLO drummer Mike Portnoy spoke about the importance of having a large-enough fanbase to where artists are able to give their music away for free or at little cost and still survive financially due to ticket and merchandise sales.
"I thank God that I've been doing this for over 30 years, and I have an audience, 'cause, luckily, they kind of support what I do," he said (see video below). "But I can't imagine starting off in this environment. I mean, the Internet's a great way to get your music out there — you have social media and Instagram and YouTube, and all these ways to get your music out there — but in terms of making a living off of it, nobody gets paid anymore. It's a shame, because I can imagine how many great, young, talented artists and musicians there are that are going to never be able to blossom and fulfill their full potential, because they're gonna get scared away by not being able to make a living off of it, and that's a shame."
He continued: "I mean, it's great that you can access music at any time anywhere in the world — Spotify is very convenient — but it doesn't pay the artists. So artists now have to think of new ways to make money. And a lot of bands have to do these paid meet-and-greets and things like that, and people look at it like the artists being greedy, but no — it's a matter of the artists actually finding a way to make a living.
"If you were an electrician, I wouldn't expect you to come to my house and fix my electricity without getting paid for it," he explained. "You have a wife and kids, and a mortgage to pay for. It's no different for musicians — this is how we make our living, and if we're not getting paid for it, we can't do it, and people don't expect that.
"Today's kids, they feel this entitlement that they should get all their music for free, so, unfortunately, I have to sell drumsticks and drum heads at the merch stand in order to pay for my family. That's the stone-cold reality of where the music industry is at in 2020."
Asked if he as any advice for artists looking to have a career in music in this digital age, Portnoy replied: "I hope that young musicians don't get discouraged by the fact that it's harder to make a living off of it these days. I would hope that young artists will still follow their heart and still persevere by any means necessary to survive. And I'll be curious to see how music develops in the next 10 to 20 years. But my advice to young musicians out there is follow your heart, don't give up. It's gonna be harder than ever. And follow your heart and make the best music you can and get it out there. I guess you can't rely on record sales anymore, you can't rely on record companies anymore. So take advantage of the fact that you have the ability to do it yourself, and make the most of it."
Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER 35 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI).
SONS OF APOLLO's second studio album, "MMXX" (pronounced: 20/20), was released on January 17 via InsideOut Music/Sony.
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25 ôåâ 2020
GEOFF TATE Says QUEENSRŸCHE Wasn't More Successful Due To Lack Of 'Consistency'
 During a recent interview with Finland's Kaaos TV, former QUEENSRŸCHE vocalist Geoff Tate discussed the making of the band's multi-platinum 1990 release, "Empire".
"Honestly, it didn't feel any different than any other album we'd made at the time," Tate said. "We always called our albums experiments, because you never know what's going to happen when you get everybody contributing to the album or certain groups of people together, like the production team you hired to help you make it. You don't know what's going to happen or what you're going to come up with. Hopefully, you strive for some sort of level of professionality and quality, but you never really know."
Tate said that the album's runaway success — bolstered in no small part by the hit power ballad "Silent Lucidity" — led him to question why the band's music was being so well received. "When something connects with people," he explained, "you start asking questions like, 'Why did this connect [more] than other albums we've done, which are equally as interesting?' The only reason I can really come up with is [that] we had an amazing record company at the time. EMI was a gigantic international conglomerate with millions and millions of promotional dollars to put behind their records. I remember the promotional budget for 'Empire' was $6 million, which is just unbelievable. I think the last record I issued, the promotional budget was, like, 1,000 euros... If you have enough promotional dollars to put at something, then you have a much better chance of reaching more people with what it is you're doing — and if it's a catchy song that catches on with people, it's a snowball kind of effect."
With their post-"Empire" releases, the band never achieved a similar degree of success. "I think it's probably due to [a lack of] consistency," he said. "If you look at bands like IRON MAIDEN, they don't really change much. They really make a similar-sounding record each time. QUEENSRŸCHE was very diverse, and it's hard to market something that's completely changing all the time. I think that probably contributed to it. I have no complaints — I'm very comfortable in life, and I'm happy with my choices. Looking back on it, if we were perhaps more consistent with our records [and] came out with a new record every year, and it was pretty much the same kind of record each time, I think we would have gone a different route. Our records were very diverse and different, and there were always experimentations. In a lot of people's minds, you listen to an album like 'Operation: Mindcrime' and you get really into it, and then you hear an album like 'Promised Land', and you go, 'Wait a minute — is this the same band?' A lot of people have told me that when 'Promised Land' came out, they didn't get it. They didn't understand it because it was about things that they were a few years from experiencing, so we were kind of ahead of our audience... After you've had some life experience and you've had disillusionment and suffered losses, then you can understand an album like 'Promised Land'... Some bands are on the cutting edge of things, the cutting edge of trends. They're just maybe one step of their audience, so if you get into that position, a lot of times you lose people along the way, but then sometimes you gain them back, years later."
Tate kicked off his current tour — in which he celebrates the 30th anniversary of "Empire" by performing it live in its entirety — on February 5 in Tampere, Finland.
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25 ôåâ 2020
DEFTONES Are Mixing New Album
 DEFTONES drummer Abe Cunningham has confirmed to Australia's Mixdown that the band's follow-up to 2016's "Gore" album is currently being mixed for a tentative late 2020 release.
"It's cool, man," Abe said. "We did things a little bit differently this time. We stretched everything out over the course of a couple of years, rather than blasting through in one go. The process has been mixed with about a year-long break, that we all agreed upon. Being rested and taking that time off really made us appreciate what we're doing even more. When we're all laughing and smiling and coming up with stuff together, just like when we were 17... it's a beautiful thing."
Last year, DEFTONES singer Chino Moreno told NBC San Diego that he and his bandmates were "kind of enjoying our time making" the group's next album.
"It's been a cool process," he said. "We get together, we work for a couple of weeks, whether that's just making noise and coming up with ideas and then everybody just goes home and comes back to work on 'em a little bit more."
DEFTONES will embark on a North American headlining tour this summer. Support on the Live Nation-produced 20-date trek, which will kick off on July 27 and conclude on September 5, will come from GOJIRA and POPPY.
DEFTONES have released eight studio albums to date and have sold over ten million albums worldwide. The band is Moreno, Cunningham, guitarist Stephen Carpenter, keyboardist/samplist Frank Delgado and bassist Sergio Vega.
DEFTONES' second annual "Dia De Los Deftones" took place last November at Petco Park in San Diego, California. This all-ages festival lineup also included CHVRCHES, GOJIRA, JPEGMAFIA, HUM, YOUTH CODE and BRUTUS. | +6 | |
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25 ôåâ 2020
AEROSMITH Release Winter 2020 Recap Video From Deuces Are Wild Las Vegas Residency
 "Sin City! We started off 2020 by letting the music do the talking!," states a message from Aerosmith, introducing this Winter 2020 recap video:
Aerosmith return to Las Vegas for another run, beginning May 20. For tickets, VIP packages and more visit Aerosmith.com/tour.
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25 ôåâ 2020
PAUL STANLEY Says KISS Can 'Absolutely' Continue Without Him And GENE SIMMONS
 Paul Stanley has once again said that he believes KISS can carry on without any original members.
More than a year ago, the legendary rockers launched their second farewell tour, dubbed "End Of The Road", which is scheduled to end in July 2021. Joining founding members Stanley and Gene Simmons in the band's current lineup are Tommy Thayer on guitar and Eric Singer on drums. Thayer and Singer are replacements for original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, respectively.
Asked by Sioux City Journal whether he thinks KISS could one day exist without him and Simmons, Stanley said: "There was a time when people said, 'KISS has to be the original four members.' Well, those people are 50 percent wrong. And all of this is conjecture. I'm not walking away from what Gene and I have built over 45 years. I'm of the mindset that teams don't fold because their star pitcher or star hitter is gone. There's an amazing pool of talent out there. Can it continue? Absolutely."
It was back in 2005 that KISS manager Doc McGhee first told the New York Times that the group had "been toying with the idea of recruiting an entire band to don the band's famous makeup." McGhee said: "KISS is more like Doritos or Pepsi, as far as a brand name is concerned. They're more characters than the individual person. I think [new members] have a legitimate chance to carry the franchise."
Four years ago, Stanley spoke about how he would go about finding someone to replace him in KISS. He said: "Honestly, I think all the KISS tribute bands are great, but none of them have a good 'Paul.' So I'd like to see somebody who incorporates what I've done with a lot of the things that inspired me. And it's not a matter of a puppet being me; it's somebody who comes in and contributes and adds something new to it while still following the template that's been set."
Frehley said in 2016 that the idea that KISS could continue without any original members was "the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard [Stanley and Simmons] make." He added: "I think the only reason they make those statements at this juncture is to try to validate the fact that they have two other guys in the band that aren't the original members. So they're trying to rationalize to the fans, 'Well, you know, we replaced Peter and we replaced Ace, and eventually we're gonna replace ourselves. That's like Mick Jagger saying, 'Yeah, after me and Keith [Richards, THE ROLLINGS STONES guitarist] die, THE STONES will continue on with two other guys.' I mean, it's a joke."
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25 ôåâ 2020
SONS OF APOLLO: 'Asphyxiation' Lyric Video
 "Asphyxiation", the new lyric video from SONS OF APOLLO — featuring former DREAM THEATER members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-GUNS N' ROSES), Billy Sheehan (THE WINERY DOGS, MR. BIG, DAVID LEE ROTH) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-JOURNEY, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN'S RISING FORCE) — can be seen below. The song is taken from SONS OF APOLLO's second studio album, "MMXX" (pronounced: 20/20), which was released on January 17 via InsideOut Music/Sony. Produced by The Del Fuvio Brothers (Portnoy and Sherinian), "MMXX" was made available as a standard CD package, limited-edition 2 CD package (which includes instrumental mixes and a cappella excerpts), 2 LP + CD package, and on all digital formats.
"MMXX" track listing:
01. Goodbye Divinity (7:16)
02. Wither To Black (4:48)
03. Asphyxiation (5:09)
04. Desolate July (6:11)
05. King Of Delusion (8:49)
06. Fall To Ascend (5:07)
07. Resurrection Day (5:51)
08. New World Today (16:38)
"Stylistically, we have followed the same path as the debut," outlines Portnoy. "But we feel that it has come out stronger, simply because we know one another better. 'Psychotic Symphony' was the first time the five of us had worked together, so there was bound to be an air of experimentation happening. Now, we can draw on having the experience not only of recording that album, but also of touring together a lot. And now there is clearly a lot more obvious chemistry going on."
"We did 83 shows on the last tour," adds keyboardist Derek Sherinian. "And it was so worthwhile, because we came out of it with a stronger bond, and that is certainly reflected in what we wrote."
The writing process began at the start of 2019, as Portnoy, Sherinian and guitarist Thal got together. "The three of us were at my home studio in Pennsylvania," explains Portnoy. "And it took about three weeks to get all the music written. That was a very smooth process. The last time, it certainly must have felt a little weird for Bumblefoot to be writing with Derek and me, because we were strangers to him. Now, we know one another better and that helped things push along."
"Because we all have our home studios, it meant everyone could record there as and when they had opportunity," continues Sherinian. "We all had the luxury of being able to take our time to get all the parts done, which was a huge help in the way the album's come out. I suppose in all, it took about eight months to record everything."
The lyrics were written by Soto, who also came up with the melody lines with input from Sherinian. "While Jeff was left to come up with the words on his own, as the melody lines are part of the music, it made sense for me to be involved with that part," says the keyboard player.
There are eight tracks on "MMXX", with variations in length totaling 60 minutes. "The final song is 'New World Today', which is 16 minutes long," says Portnoy. "This one has elements similar to 'Opus Maximus' and 'Labyrinth' on the previous album. It has some insane, brilliant instrumental moments, which I am sure the fans will love."
"We wanted to do something epic here, as we did with 'Opus Maximus' last time around," adds Sherinian. "You have to remember that Mike and I come from DREAM THEATER, where we never bothered about how long a song was. So, for us doing a 16-minute track is not a problem."
The album title was inspired by a simple chronological fact. "This will be released in mid-January 2020," says Portnoy. "That means it will be one of the first releases in what is a new decade. So I came up with the idea of calling it '2020', except having it written in the Latin form of 'MMXX'." And the album's artwork has been created by Thomas Ewerhard (who was responsible for the cover design of "Psychotic Symphony"), which inevitably reflects the title. As Portnoy explains, "For the first record, we had a mythological feel. This time around though, there's a much more futuristic style to what we've got. It has a very 21st century appeal. And the band crest is more polished, cleaned up and a lot more modern than last time, when it had an old-fashioned look."
"Each member of this band has their own signature sound on their instrument," adds Sherinian. "And when you put all of this together what you get is a wonderful five-headed beast. It makes this a sonically special band, which is definitely what comes across on 'MMXX'. You can hear odd time signatures and amazingly crazy performances here. Overall, we've been satisfyingly more adventurous this time than we were before, and I know people are sure to love what we've done." | +8 | |
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25 ôåâ 2020
CARCASS To Release New Album In August
 CARCASS will release its new album on August 7.
The British extreme metal pioneers revealed the projected arrival date for the follow-up to 2013's "Surgical Steel" in a Facebook post earlier today.
The group wrote: "New album? August 7th."
No further details about the LP have yet been made available.
Last December, CARCASS released a new digital single, "Under The Scalpel Blade", The track was initially made available to deluxe Decibel magazine subscribers.
"Under The Scalpel Blade" is expected to appear on CARCASS's upcoming seventh studio album, which will be released on Nuclear Blast.
CARCASS guitarist Bill Steer told the WSOU radio station back in April 2018 that he and his bandmates demoed "close to 50 minutes' worth" of new music in late 2017. He added: "We're not gonna stop; we're gonna keep on writing so that we've got quite a lot of material and we can pick the best stuff for the album."
Steer also talked about the departure of second guitarist Ben Ash and addition of Tom Draper (POUNDER, ex-ANGEL WITCH, PRIMITAI). He said: "Well, I guess going back to what I was saying about five years of touring off one album, I think it's taken a toll on every one of us in one way or another. Ben was brought into the band as a live guitar player. We'd finished the album, we were booking shows and we needed to get out there with a second guitar player. This feels like an eternity ago, but we did have a Swedish friend of Jeff's [Walker, bass/vocals] who was in the frame, and then very near… it was quite near the knuckle for us, he kind of pulled out and said, 'Look, I can't do this for various reasons.' So then this frantic search began, and Ben came into the picture. And then we were off. And a lot of touring and a lot of travel [followed]. But, yeah, I gather he's quite keen to get back to some of the stuff he was doing beforehand, which is a lot of teaching, pretty much. And [Tom], our [new] second guitarist, he's a guy I've known for years. He would have been in the frame immediately [after 'Surgical Steel' was recorded], but as time would have it, it didn't work out, 'cause he'd moved with his wife to the U.S.A. It's early days, but [Tom's] been fantastic. He's taking it very seriously. He's been so methodical with how he's learned everything, and he's very self-critical. So, yeah, he's a cool guy to have around."
Draper, who is from the United Kingdom but currently resides in California, made his live debut with CARCASS in March 2018 at the Netherlands Deathfest at 013 in Tilburg.
"Surgical Steel" sold around 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 41 on The Billboard 200 chart.
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25 ôåâ 2020
STRYPER - Fan-Filmed Live Video From Monsters Of Rock Cruise 2020 Posted
 Decibel Geek TV and a YouTube user going by the handle "thepatester" have posted video from Stryper's set on the Monsters Of Rock Cruise 2020, which travelled from Fort Lauderdale to Belize and back from February 8th - 13th. Check out the footage below.
The band's setlist on the night was as follows:
"Yahweh"
"The Valley"
"Calling On You"
"Free"
"More Than A Man"
"Surrender"
"Honestly"
"In God We Trust"
"All For One"
"Soldiers Under Command"
"To Hell With The Devil"
Stryper frontman Michael Sweet recently announced his upcoming Tour 1987 solo tour with former TNT singer, Tony Harnell.
Sweet has issued the following update: "Hi everyone. Michael here. I'm excited to officially announce that I'm going on tour this spring, full-band electric, with my good friend Tony Harnell, and special guest Moriah Formica! Our first round of dates are listed below. More dates to come...."
Get tickets here. VIP Meet & Greet packages will be available soon.
Tour dates:
May
14 - Charlotte, NC - Amos'
15 - Hopewell, VA - The Beacon Theater
16 - Rocky Mount, VA - The Harvester
20 - Niagara Falls, NY - Evening Star Concert Hall
22 - Teaneck, NJ - Debonair Music Hall
23 - New Bedford, MA - The Greasy Luck
24 - Ottawa, ON - The Brass Monkey
26 - Toronto, ON - The Rockpile
28 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theater
29 - Chesterfield, MI - Diesel Concert Lounge
30 - Versailes, OH - BMI Speedway
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25 ôåâ 2020
HEXVESSEL Debut "Billion Year Old Being" Music Video
 Psychedelic forest folk-rockers, Hexvessel, will release their new nature-mystic opus, Kindred, via Svart Records on March 20. Pre-order the album here, and watch a video for the opening track, "Billion Year Old Being", below.
Blues-laden psych-rock and progressive structures harken back to King Crimson, giving way to dark earthen balladry reminiscent of early Nick Cave and the doom-laden atmospheres of Dead Can Dance. The band returned to their original studio in Tampere, Finland, where they recorded their cult classic No Holier Temple, which fused Hexvessel’s folk roots with an occult undercurrent, with the new album mastered by John Davis (The Killers / Gorillaz / Led Zeppelin / Lana Del Rey) in the UK. Through ‘Kindred’s’ 10 song rites of passage, Hexvessel cover Coil’s Fire Of The Mind live from a mental institution and delve into the Druidic sacrificial swamps with songs like Bog Bodies, which conjures the deep Lynchian night with muted trumpet and foggy rhodes piano. Adorned by cover artwork by artists Thomas Hooper (who has worked for Neurosis, Converge and Doomriders) and Richey Beckett (who has created work for Metallica, Foo Fighters, Robert Plant), ‘Kindred’ is an album which calls you on a journey, both intimate and richly enlightening.
Kindred is Hexvessel’s fifth album, and a return to Svart Records, where they released their debut album Dawnbearer to critical and cult acclaim 10 years ago. Hexvessel was formed by English/Irish singer/songwriter Mat McNerney in 2009 after he moved to Finland. Also known for his work with Beastmilk (now known as Grave Pleasures), The Deathtrip, guest spots with Carpenter Brut and Me & That Man and his earlier work with Norwegian black metal bands Code & Dødheimsgard, McNerney is a both highly eclectic and critically acclaimed musical artist. Across the years, it is McNerney’s work with Hexvessel which has been his most brave, exploratory, honest and impossible to categorise, unique and idiosyncratic in a world all of their own.
Tracklisting:
"Billion Year Old Being"
"Demian"
"Fire Of The Mind "
"Bog Bodies"
"Sic Luceat Lux"
"Phaedra"
"Family"
"Kindred Moon"
"Magical & Damned"
"Joy of Sacrifice"
"Billion Year Old Being" video:
"Demian" video:
(Photo - Saara Kujansuu)
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24 ôåâ 2020
OZZY OSBOURNE On His Tour Cancelation: 'I'll Go Out There When I'm Ready, And I'm Not Ready Yet'
 Ozzy Osbourne spoke to The Sun about the cancelation of his 2020 tour dates while he seeks out treatment for his Parkinson's disease and related issues.
He said: "I had to pull out because I might only be able to do a couple of shows. I'll go out there when I'm ready, and I'm not ready yet.
"The recovery has been so goddam slow. I've never been this laid up in my life and, believe me, I've done some stupid things.
"I've recovered from alcoholism, drug addiction, all of the above. Then I tripped over [and fell at home in Los Angeles], and that's it."
After scrapping his tour plans for 2019 while he recovered from spinal surgery and pneumonia, Ozzy had begun rescheduling the dates for his "No More Tours 2" run this year in support of his new album, "Ordinary Man".
But the recent revelation that he has PRKN 2, a form of Parkinson's disease, and is heading to Switzerland for extended treatment, has led the legendary metal icon to put his live activities on hold again.
"When I first found out I had Parkinson's, I thought, 'Fuck!', but then I thought, 'It could be worse, I could be dead.' The fact is . . . what am I going to do about it? With the time I've got left, I don't want to sit around being miserable.
"Everybody would like to be me for a weekend. I've had a great life."
Of his diagnosis, Ozzy said: "It's like, 'Dun, dun, duuuuun . . . Ozzy's got Parkinson's.' But I actually have a thing called PRKN 2. It's not mainstream Parkinson's like Michael J Fox's, but a milder form, I'm glad to say. It affects regular things — like if you get a cold, it could be the Parkinson's. Or if I get a stiff leg, I think, 'Is it the Parkinson's?' What I have makes ordinary living a bit more complicated."
"Ordinary Man" comes out today (February 21) and is Ozzy's first solo album in 10 years.
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24 ôåâ 2020
Reunited VIO-LENCE To Record New EP
 Reunited San Francisco Bay Area thrashers VIO-LENCE are about to sign a deal with an as-yet-undisclosed record label to release a new EP.
The news of VIO-LENCE's return to the studio was broken by guitarist Phil Demmel in a recent interview with the "Talk Toomey" podcast.
Speaking about his plans for the coming months, Demmel said (hear audio below): "I'm writing a new VIO-LENCE record. We're about to sign a deal to do a five-song EP. So we'll see how that goes and when that can come out."
Last month, VIO-LENCE parted ways with guitarist Ray Vegas. His temporary replacement for VIO-LENCE shows starting in late February will be former OVERKILL guitarist Bobby Gustafson.
VIO-LENCE released three studio albums between 1988 and 1993. The group reunited soon after Demmel left MACHINE HEAD in late 2018.
VIO-LENCE performed its first comeback concert in April 2019 at the Oakland Metro in Oakland, California and spent the last year playing select shows in the U.S. and Europe.
The band's current touring lineup consists of Demmel, Gustafson, vocalist Sean Killian, drummer Perry Strickland and bassist Deen Dell.
Although MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn was part of VIO-LENCE's classic incarnation and played on the band's debut album, "Eternal Nightmare", he wasn't contacted about doing the comeback shows.
Demmel told Australia's Heavy magazine about VIO-LENCE's comeback: "This whole thing kind of started slow, right after I quit MACHINE HEAD and did a little bridge thing with SLAYER [filling in for Gary Holt]. Sean reached out about doing a couple of shows, and I was pretty floored, because he wasn't looking too good the last time I saw him. [Editor's note: Killian received a liver transplant in 2018.]… My only concern was Sean, and how he was physically. I think that all the other things could be put into place, but there's no VIO-LENCE without Sean Killian. [It was about] making sure that he was going to be good, and be able to pull it off. I didn't want to go out there and just kind of prop him up and have him just be going through some — not midlife crisis, but some sort of thing that he just wanted to do. I wanted it to be quality, because we've always put on a pretty quality product whenever we got together and jammed."
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24 ôåâ 2020
WOLFHEART Release "Ashes" Lyric Video; Wolves Of Karelia Album Out In April
 Finnish heavy melodic death metal unit, Wolfheart, are back with their most commanding offering yet. The four-piece Nordic machine returns with their new full-length, Wolves Of Karelia, on April 10 via Napalm Records.
Just as wildlife itself maintains harmony with a violent clash of beauty and unpredictability, Wolves Of Karelia explores the band’s previously coined genre of “winter metal” – smoothly bridging a traditional approach of extreme genres with tracks like the breakneck epic “Reaper”, while maintaining atmospheric and acoustic elements on songs such as the bludgeoning wall-of-sound “The Hammer” and grandiose “Horizon On Fire”. Crowned by the deeply stunning instrumental interlude “Eye Of The Storm”, Wolves Of Karelia could easily go down in metal history as Wolfheart’s most intense record.
In celebration of the announcement of Wolves Of Karelia, Wolfheart has shared a lyric video for their new single, “Ashes”. Watch the video and get a first taste of Wolves Of Karelia, below.
Tuomas Saukkonen states: ""Ashes" is the last song of the album and grand finale of the main theme which is Winter War. More precisely the end of the war. The first dawn when the guns and cannons went silent. I was listening to a lot of stories told by veterans of that day. Most heartbreaking and grand was a story of veteran who lost his best friend in the war and his body was never found until just recently in the Russian woods by a team who still tries to find remains of the fallen heroes left behind. He waited 80 years to know the fate of his friend.”
The album’s lyrical and musical content is inspired by the Winter War waged between Russia and the band’s native country, Finland, which took place during the winter of November 1939-March 1940. Finland ultimately managed to stop the Russian troops from invading their country. Wolfheart mastermind and frontman Tuomas Saukkonen was inspired by the personal stories of local veterans, conveying the tales of what they experienced and survived from their perspectives. Somber, frostbitten and heroic, Wolves Of Karelia portrays these tales with stunning musical precision.
“I was born in a small village right on the Russian border, about 15km to the border zone from our family farm,” says Tuomas. “There is a hill with a cannon pointing towards Russia where we used to play as kids and the famous WW2 sniper "White Death", aka Simo Häyhä, was from the neighboring village… so you could say the history of the war is well remembered in that area. We had 32 tanks against their 3,000 and 114 planes against their 3,800… we had less than 350,000 soldiers against their one million, and yet, still we speak Finnish.”
Wolves Of Karelia will be available in the following formats:
- 4 Page Digipack
- Digital Album
- Shirt & Digipack
- Black LP Sleeve
- Silver LP Sleeve - limited to 100 copies
Pre-order here.
Wolves Of Karelia tracklisting:
"Hail Of Steel"
"Horizon On Fire"
"Reaper"
"The Hammer"
"Eye Of The Storm"
"Born From Fire"
"Arrows Of Chaos"
"Ashes"
"Ashes" lyric video:
Formed in 2013 by frontman Tuomas Saukkonen in Lahti, Finland, Wolfheart initially began as a solo project after he disbanded all of his other projects to begin again with a fresh sound and concept. The project’s debut album, 2013’s Winterborn, consisted of just Tuomas performing all instruments. After being joined by bandmates and releasing three additional acclaimed albums – 2015’s Shadow World, 2017’s Tyhjyys and their 2018 Napalm Records debut Constellation of the Black Light – Wolfheart is back to take another bite out of the scene with Wolves Of Karelia, their strongest album to date.
Wolfheart is:
Tuomas Saukkonen: Guitar, Vocals
Joonas Kauppinen: Drums
Lauri Silvonen: Bass, Backing Vocals
Vagelis Karzis: Session Guitar
(Photo - Valtteri Hirvonen)
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24 ôåâ 2020
Listen To New IN THIS MOMENT Song 'Hunting Grounds' Featuring DED's JOE COTELA
 IN THIS MOMENT has released a new song called "Hunting Grounds". The track, which features a guest appearance by Joe Cotela of DED, is taken from IN THIS MOMENT's upcoming album, "Mother", which will be released on March 27 via Atlantic. The disc, which was once again recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada with producer Kevin Churko, features guest appearances by Lzzy Hale (HALESTORM), Taylor Momsen (THE PRETTY RECKLESS) and Joe Cotela (DED).
"Mother" track listing:
01. The Beginning (interlude)
02. Fly Like An Eagle
03. The Red Crusade (interlude)
04. The In-Between
05. Legacy
06. We Will Rock You (feat. Maria Brink, Lzzy Hale, Taylor Momsen)
07. Mother
08. As Above So Below
09. Born In Flames
10. God Is She
11. Holy Man
12. Hunting Grounds (feat. Joe Cotela)
13. Lay Me Down
14. Into Dust
Guitarist Chris Howorth told the 99.7 The Blitz radio station about "Mother": "It's kind of an extension of [2017's] 'Ritual'. And the reason we thought of 'Mother'… It's a lot of different things, but a lot of the fans call Maria [Brink, IN THIS MOMENT singer] 'mom,' for one. They're always, like, 'Maria's my mom' and 'Mother Maria' and all this. That was always kind of there. We were actually even talking about it for the last album, but I felt like maybe we weren't ready for it yet. But it's also 'mother' in the sense of 'Mother Earth,' the creation of life — all these things that mother has such significance for. Mother is kind of connected to everything. So, in all that sense, it's really cool and it gives us a lot to pool from. And Maria's a mom; she was raised by her mom; everybody has a mom, in some sense. So, that whole concept is kind of what we were going for. With the extension of 'Ritual', the album before, and some of the imagery with that, the ritualistic, pagan kind of feel."
IN THIS MOMENT recently announced a spring 2020 headlining tour, dubbed "The In-Between Tour". Support on the trek will come from BLACK VEIL BRIDES, DED and RAVEN BLACK.
Originally formed by Brink and Howorth in 2005, IN THIS MOMENT released its debut album, "Beautiful Tragedy", in 2007. Their 2014 album "Black Widow" landed at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on the Hard Rock Albums chart. | +5 | |
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24 ôåâ 2020
Listen To EXHORDER's New Single 'The Man That Never Was'
 Just days away from kicking off their U.S. tour with OVERKILL, thrash metal legends EXHORDER have debuted a brand-new single "The Man That Never Was". The groove-laden, face-melter was recorded during the sessions for the band's recently released album, "Mourn The Southern Skies", their first in nearly three decades. Fans can stream the track now and pick up a limited-edition seven-inch vinyl, featuring the b-side live version of "Legions Of Death" recorded live from Saint Vitus in New York, on the upcoming tour.
With a crushing, mid-tempo attack and a spitting vocal assault, "The Man That Never Was" gives a nod to EXHORDER's punk and hardcore roots. Once again, the band carries forth its mission as more of an experience than just another metal band. Hoax, conspiracy, hypocrisy, and treason fuel the lyrics into the classic rage that EXHORDER set out with in the mid-eighties. Even kings and queens have to live in fear…
EXHORDER's first album in 27 years, "Mourn The Southern Skies", was released last September via Nuclear Blast Records. The band now features founding members Vinnie La Bella (guitar) and Kyle Thomas (vocals) along with Jason Viebrooks (HEATHEN) on bass, Marzi Montazeri (ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS) on guitar and Sasha Horn (FORBIDDEN) on drums.
"Mourn The Southern Skies" was recorded by Duane Simoneaux at OCD Recording And Production and mixed and mastered by producer Jens Bogren (AMON AMARTH, OPETH, SEPULTURA) at Fascination Street Studios in Sweden.
EXHORDER released two albums in the early 1990s through the Roadrunner label — 1990's "Slaughter In The Vatican" and 1992's "The Law" — before breaking up, with Kyle going on to form FLOODGATE and also briefly appearing live as the vocalist for TROUBLE, which he later joined on a full-time basis (and is still a member of).
EXHORDER is cited by many as the originator of the riff-heavy power-groove approach popularized by PANTERA.
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23 ôåâ 2020
KORN's BRIAN 'HEAD' WELCH: JONATHAN DAVIS 'Started Falling In Love With Heavy Music Again'
 In a brand new interview with Two Doods Reviews, KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch was asked how he and his multi-million-selling bandmates manage to make music that is still relevant and full of angst, nearly three decades after the group's inception. He replied (hear audio below): "Well, there's a lot of other things in life that can wrong. And when you have money, it's not like everything's perfect. Like, our latest record, our singer's [Jonathan Davis] wife passed away during the writing of the record, so that's where we got the angst for the last record [2019's 'The Nothing']. The couple of records before that, when I just rejoined and everything, it was him really getting his aggressions out on the fact that she was very sick and she was a massive addict. Then we was writing songs a lot about that. The dude is tortured soul, man. I'm telling you. In order to be Jonathan Davis, he needs to go through all this trauma. But all of us in life go through shit, so that's what we've done with our band — is process pain."
Welch also elaborated on the writing process for "The Nothing", saying: "Going in with the music was the same thing — we go in and we just start. We get in a room and start jamming and come up with riffs. Like I said, our singer's wife passed away and then things changed. I wouldn't say the writing of the music changed, [but] I think the purpose of the record was changing, and it was just really, really heavy. And we didn't even know when we'd get started back into it. But I would say that's what made it different. And another thing cool is that Jonathan started falling in love with heavy music again. 'Cause he went through his different styles that he liked and whatnot. And I don't know — he's come back around. And I'm a heavy guy — I love heavy, heavy music. And so does Munky, the other guitar player, so we were quite happy and quite pleased to hear him saying that he wants to go back in that direction."
This past September, "The Nothing" debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart with 33,000 equivalent album units earned (of which 29,000 were in album sales) in its first week of release. KORN tied VAN HALEN for the fifth-most top 10s on the chart among rock bands; ahead of them: THE ROLLING STONES, with 37, THE BEATLES (32), DAVE MATTHEWS BAND (16) and SANTANA (16). "The Nothing" is KORN's 14th Billboard 200 top 10 album.
"The Nothing" was released on September 13 via Roadrunner/Elektra. The follow-up to 2016's "The Serenity Of Suffering" was once again produced by Nick Raskulinecz.
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23 ôåâ 2020
SAXON's BIFF BYFORD Releases Music Video For 'Scarborough Fair' From 'School Of Hard Knocks' Solo Album
 Legendary SAXON frontman Biff Byford has released the official music video for his new solo single "Scarborough Fair". The song is taken from Byford's first solo album "School Of Hard Knocks", which is being released today (Friday, February 21) via Silver Lining Music.
"The new single 'Scarborough Fair' is a Yorkshire folk song about the town on the east coast of England," explains Byford. "Apart from the song, Scarborough is also famous for its medieval market and takes its name from a Viking chief called Scar, I believe. We shot the video on a freezing early morning... Enjoy!"
"Scarborough Fair" was famously covered by SIMON & GARFUNKEL. Byford and OPETH guitarist Fredrik Åkesson's arrangement breathes new life into the legendary song.
With his roots firmly in the north of England, Biff has earned the right to be considered The Heavy Metal Bard Of The North and his debut album reflects the man and his personality, his loves and his musical versatility.
"School Of Hard Knocks" features Byford on vocals (and a spot of four-string thunder) along with Åkesson on guitars, drummer Christian Lundqvist and bass player Gus Macricostas. The album also features guest appearances by Phil Campbell (MOTÖRHEAD), Alex Holzwarth (RHAPSODY OF FIRE and TURILLI/LIONE RHAPSODY), Nick Barker (VOICES), Dave Kemp (WAYWARD SONS) and Nibbs Carter (SAXON). The album was produced by Byford, recorded by Jacky Lehmann at Brighton Electric Studios in Brighton (U.K.) and mixed at Queen Street Studios in Stockholm (Sweden) by Mats Valentin.
"School Of Hard Knocks" fulfils Byford's long-standing wish to explore rock 'n' roll a little more. The album is a personal journey highlighting his life and his passionate interests, from the history of the Middle Ages to growing up in the industrial North. A classic, masterfully constructed old-school British hard rock album, "School Of Hard Knocks" embraces a variety of musical genres.
Byford recently announced his first-ever solo tour dates. The tour begins in the U.K. in April and continues to Europe in May. The show, in the form of "An Evening With...", will be split into two halves. The first features Biff in conversation with Don Jamieson (American comedian and star of VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show") on all aspects of his life and career. After the break, Biff and his band will play some new songs, covers and, maybe, a SAXON song or two.
Biff says: "It's a show I've wanted to do for a long time and one which I don't think has been done in hard rock before. It'll be something different and a lot of fun." | +7 | |
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23 ôåâ 2020
METAL CHURCH To Release 'From The Vault' In April
 West Coast metal veterans METAL CHURCH will release "From The Vault" on April 10 via Rat Pak Records. This latest release is a special edition compilation album that features 14 previously unreleased songs from the Mike Howe era, including four newly recorded studio tracks including a redux of the band's fan favorite classic "Conductor", The remaining tracks are compiled from various recordings in the band's history and include five tracks from 2018's "Damned If You Do" recording sessions, three cover songs and two live tracks, "Agent Green" and "Anthem To The Estranged", which was recorded at the famous Club Citta, Kawasaki, Japan on the "Damned If You Do" world tour. Tracks 1 through 4 were mixed and mastered by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (KXM, WHITESNAKE, PRONG, KORN) and tracks 5 through 14 were mixed and mastered by Kurdt Vanderhoof.
Howe comments: "This album is for the fans and has some really cool unreleased tracks on it, I think METAL CHURCH fans everywhere will really enjoy it."
Also available for pre-order is a limited-print 22-page comic book "Return Of The Fake Healer" featuring the artwork of Midwest comic book illustrator Andrew Owens. The comic book also comes with an additional compilation CD which features a mix of "XI" and "Damned If You Do" tracks as well as two previously unreleased mixes of "Killing Your Time" and "Needle & Suture".
"From The Vault" is available for pre-order in numerous configurations here.
Track listing (Deluxe USA Version)
New Studio Tracks
01. Dead On The Vine
02. For No Reason
03. Conductor [redux]
04. Above the Madness
B-Side Tracks From The "Damned If You Do" Sessions
05. Mind Thief
06. Tell Lie Vision
07. False Flag
08. Insta Mental
09. 432hz
Cover Songs From The Vault
10. Please Don't Judas Me [NAZARETH cover]
11. Green Eyed Lady [SUGARLOAF cover]
12. Black Betty [RAM JAM cover]
Live Tracks From The Vault
13. Agent Green [Live In Japan]
14. Anthem To The Estranged [Live In Japan]
Bonus Tracks
15. Killing Your Time (Wizard mix) [digital and comic CD version only]
16. Needle & Suture (Metal mix) [digital and comic CD version only]
17. The Enemy Mind ("XI" bonus track) [digital download version only]
18. The Coward ("XI" bonus track) [digital download version only]
METAL CHURCH is:
Mike Howe - Vocals
Kurdt Vanderhoof - Guitars
Stet Howland - Drums
Steve Unger - Bass
Rick Van Zandt - Guitars
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23 ôåâ 2020
THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX – Tee Pee Records Announces 20th Anniversary Reissue Of Debut Album
 New Jersey's The Atomic Bitchwax are celebrating their 20th anniversary with the re-release of 1999's self-titled classic. Newly remastered, these CDs and LPs (pressed on clear purple vinyl) are available through the Tee Pee webstore and at TAB shows throughout this year. Order here.
The Atomic Bitchwax will hit the road this March on tour with Weedeater and The Goddamn Gallows. Find a complete last of dates below.
The band has recently wrapped up recording their new album, which is set for release at the end of May. Stay tuned more details.
Tour dates:
March
3 – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery
4 – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere
6 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
7 – Boston, MA – Sonia
9 – Youngstown, OH – Westside Bowl
10 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
11 – Detroit, MI – The Sanctuary
12 – Iowa City, IA – Wildwood
13 – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s
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Scorpions
