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17 дек 2019
SEVENDUST's MORGAN ROSE Checks In From Hospital: 'I'm Ready To Figure Out What's Wrong'
 SEVENDUST drummer Morgan Rose is undergoing surgery for an undisclosed ailment which caused the cancelation of the band's U.K. shows as the support act for ALTER BRIDGE and SHINEDOWN.
On Wednesday (December 11), SEVENDUST announced that it was pulling out of the tour because Morgan was "sick" and "under doctor's orders not to leave the country." The trek was scheduled to kick off on December 14 at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham and conclude on December 21 at The O2 in London.
Earlier today, Rose posted a hospital selfie on Instagram and included the following message: "Hey guys. So sorry for the delay in making a statement myself. Been a rough few days. First of all, thank you so much for all the thoughts and prayers. I'm humbled by all the attention. A little uncomfortable to be be honest. Lol. I'll be on my way into surgery any minute. Honestly I'm a little scared, but I'm ready to figure out what's wrong. Hopefully this will give us some answers. I'm sure I'll be out of commission for awhile after this. But someone will pass along some updates, without me knowing they're doing it. I love you guys so very much. (Excuse the dramatic hospital bed selfie. God bless everyone."
Earlier this week, Trevor Omar, who works for Rose's official clothing line, Alien Freak Wear, issued an update on the drummer's condition, saying that Morgan was "in the hospital and stable" and asking fans to keep Rose in their "thoughts and prayers."
SEVENDUST is still slated to play three "Acoustic Xmas" shows in Florida and Georgia at the end of the month.
In a 2018 interview with CrypticRock.com, Rose admitted that he no longer parties as hard as he once did while on the road with SEVENDUST. "We are not the way that we used to be as far as the self-inflicted damage we put on ourselves with extracurricular stuff," he said. "Some of the guys are in tip-top shape. Me, I tend to have a few more beers or cocktails maybe than the other guy, but I get my rest."
SEVENDUST guitarist Clint Lowery recently said that the band has "pretty much wrapped" the recording process for its new album, tentatively due next summer. The follow-up to last year's "All I See Is War" was once again tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who has previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH, among others.
View this post on Instagram
Hey guys. So sorry for the delay in making a statement myself. Been a rough few days. First of all, thank you so much for all the thoughts and prayers. I’m humbled by all the attention. A little uncomfortable to be be honest. Lol. I’ll be on my way into surgery any minute. Honestly I’m a little scared, but I’m ready to figure out what’s wrong. Hopefully this will give us some answers. I’m sure I’ll be out of commission for awhile after this. But someone will pass along some updates, without me knowing they’re doing it?. I love you guys so very much. (Excuse the dramatic hospital bed selfie?♂). God bless everyone. ??????❤️❤️❤️
A post shared by Morgan Rose (@morgan7d) on Dec 13, 2019 at 4:02am PST  | +4 |  |
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17 дек 2019
CHILDREN OF BODOM Plays Final Show With RAATIKAINEN, SEPPÄLÄ And WIRMAN In Helsinki (Video)
 Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM played the final show with drummer Jaska Raatikainen, bassist Henri "Henkka T. Blacksmith" Seppälä and keyboardist Janne Wirman last night (Sunday, December 15) at the Black Box in Helsinki Ice Hall. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert, dubbed "A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom", can be seen below.
Last month, Raatikainen, Seppälä and Wirman issued a statement saying that they would leave CHILDREN OF BODOM after the Helsinki gig.
"After almost 25 years with BODOM, thousands of shows and 10 albums, it is time for Henkka, Janne and Jaska to step back and change direction within their lives," the group said.
However, according to Finnish music magazine Soundi, it has since been revealed that the rights to the CHILDREN OF BODOM name are held by AA & Sewira Consulting Oy, the company owned by Raatikainen, Seppälä and Wirman. On June 28, the trio filed an application with the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland, and their application was subsequently granted for a five-year period starting on October 1. As a result, Alexi Laiho, who is CHILDREN OF BODOM's singer, guitarist and main songwriter, isn't authorized to use the band's name without permission from Wirman, Raatikainen and Seppälä.
Laiho admitted to Helsingin Sanomat that there have been tensions in the BODOM camp for quite some time.
"The original decision [to end the band in its current form] came when the other guys said they just couldn't do it anymore," he said. "There were family reasons for it. I respect their decision. I myself have a wife and stepdaughter in Australia, and my wife understands my lifestyle. I'm pretty much gone [most of the time], but always I come back and I give them my all. Nothing is more important to me."
According to Laiho, things came to a head when CHILDREN OF BODOM performed in Russia in October.
"We fought a lot within the band, and I can honestly admit that those fights were mainly my fault," he said. "They always started with some misunderstanding."
Relations within the band apparently got so bad during the Russian tour that it looked as if CHILDREN OF BODOM would break up right there and then. But cooler heads prevailed, and the group decided that the upcoming shows in Finland would be their last with the current formation.
Laiho admitted to Soundi that "it might not be a good idea" legally to continue with the CHILDREN OF BODOM name. "It may be that the name of our new lineup needs to be tweaked a bit in some direction. Or maybe it could be just BODOM or the name of one of our songs. But it must be a name that suggests that it is the same [group]."
A possible loss of the CHILDREN OF BODOM name has not prevented Laiho from putting together a new lineup. He and guitarist Daniel Freyberg have already chosen a new drummer and bassist, whom Laiho described to Soundi as "incredibly talented young guys who look very good on stage." He also said that the new band will likely start gigging next spring. "The new lineup will be a fresher version of the current one," he told Helsingin Sanomat.
For his part, Wirman told Soundi that he would not have anything further to say about BODOM's current status beyond what he and his bandmates already said in their joint statement.
"We will not comment further on this subject at this time," he said. "More information will come once the gigs in Finland have been played."
Alexi said that he has "quite mixed feelings" about the end of CHILDREN OF BODOM's current lineup. "Of course, there is a bit of sadness, since we've been a band for a really long time. We have had more good times than bad times. On the other hand, I also feel relieved. I'm pretty fucking excited that I get to play with the new guys. The thrill of playing with a new lineup seems to quell the sadness."
CHILDREN OF BODOM's latest album, "Hexed", came out in March via Nuclear Blast Records.
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17 дек 2019
NICKO MCBRAIN And TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS Perform IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST Classics At Rock N Roll Ribs 10th-Anniversary Celebration (Video)
 On Saturday, December 14, THE MCBRAINIACS, the band featuring IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain, performed at the 10th-anniversary celebration for Rock N Roll Ribs, the barbecue restaurant owned by McBrain and close friend Mitch Tanne, in Coral Springs, Florida. Joining THE MCBRAINIACS on stage for five songs was former JUDAS PRIEST and ICED EARTH singer Tim "Ripper" Owens.
Owens played the following tracks with THE MCBRAINIACS:
01. Wrathchild (IRON MAIDEN)
02. Flight Of Icarus (IRON MAIDEN)
03. Living After Midnight (JUDAS PRIEST)
04. You've Got Another Thing Comin' (JUDAS PRIEST)
05. Breaking The Law (JUDAS PRIEST)
Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.
A barbecue joint with a musical bent, Rock N Roll Ribs showcases its love for smokey Southern cooking with food like barbecued pork and chicken and clever takes on MAIDEN songs, like "Run to the Hills" wings.
"It's not just MAIDEN fans that come in," McBrain said about the restaurant in a 2010 interview. "We do get a lot of pilgrimages, people come in and look at all the stuff on the walls, but most people that come in always come out satisfied. And it's not major expensive. A rack of ribs is [$20], and you get a pound and a quarter to a pound and a half of ribs."
Asked if he has always been a BBQ fan, McBrain told Broward Palm Beach New Times in a 2013 interview: "Yeah! You know, I'm a Brit, and we don't have a very long summer, so it's very few and far between people get out and do a barbie in the backyard. Touring around America, I always used to love buying a rack of baby backs and some cole slaw and French Fries, and that was my main BBQ experience, the baby backs. Then a friend of mine taught me how to make the ribs we make in the restaurant, and I started to make some sauce, and it was very successful and people liked it, and that's where Rock N Roll Ribs was born, really. It was a dream we had and it finally came into fruition. I've got to be honest, it's not a business that's making a lot of money for us, but we make a lot of people smile and a lot of people happy. I'm very happy, it's great! I love it when I meet people and they say things like, 'these are the ribs I've ever had,' or, 'Your pulled pork is to die for,' and it warms the cockles of me heart!"
Rock N Roll Ribs
4651 State Rd. 7 (US441)
Coral Springs, FL 33073
954-345-RIBZ (7429)
www.rocknrollribs.org
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17 дек 2019
Watch MISFITS Perform At Wells Fargo Arena In Philadelphia
 The reunited MISFITS performed last night (Saturday, December 14) at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.
The initial comeback performance by MISFITS members Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only and Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein took place at the 2016 Riot Fest. The estranged bandmates played together for the first time since 1983 and were backed by former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo and guitarist Acey Slade.
Since then, the original lineup of the MISFITS has reunited for scattered dates, with the previous one taking place in October at Madison Square Garden.
This past June, Danzig told Full Metal Jackie that "there's not gonna be many more" MISFITS shows, explaining that he and his bandmates wanted to "make each event special." He said: "We just kind of got back together and just decided we'd do it here or there, and just not make it a grind kind of tour. So people should see it while they can, because I know next year I go out with DANZIG again for Europe and may do some dates here in the States."
Legal papers recently uncovered by MetalSucks have suggested that Danzig only reunited with the MISFITS to end his decades-long legal battle over the band's trademark and profits.
Prior to the Riot Fest concerts, Glenn, Jerry and Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein last performed together on October 29, 1983.
The original MISFITS band broke up in 1983, and Only brought forth a new version of the MISFITS in 1995. Various members have come and gone, but Only, along with BLACK FLAG's Dez Cadena, has kept some form of the MISFITS in the recording studio and on the road for most of the last two and half decades. | +2 | |
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17 дек 2019
KISS - Pro-Shot Footage Of “Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll” In Morioka
 Check out pro-shot footage of KISS performing “Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll” at Morioka Takaya Arena in Morioka, Japan below:
Find the band's tour itinerary here.
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17 дек 2019
WHO BROUGHT THE DOG Release Official Video For "Dark Side Mary"
 In 2018, The New Black guitarist Fabian "Fabs" Schwarz took a bold step out of his comfort zone by launching a solo project dubbed Who Brought The Dog. The independently released debut album, Welcome To The Man Cave, was a far cry from anything he had recorded before in that he consciously kept his metal roots locked away while experimenting with a rock sound that found its way into the realms of indie, blues, alternative, funk, jazz, punk and even pop. Comfortable as a multi-talented musician and vocalist but concerned about having lyrics of matching calibre, Fabs enlisted the help of Canadian heavy metal journalist, Carl Begai (BraveWords), a partnership that ultimately shaped the musical direction of the album. This collaboration continued through 2019 as Who Brought The Dog found its footing as a live act with drummer Philipp Klinger and guitarist Benjamin Haupt, resulting in a new and equally schizophrenic album, No World Order. It was released on October 4th via MDD Records.
Check out the official video for "Dark Side Mary" below.
"'Dark Side Mary' is a tribute to a real person, someone who is without question the biggest Star Wars nerd in the galaxy. That said, there are intentional references to the classic films / characters in the lyrics. Call it praise to the ultimate fan."
Another labour of love for Fabs and Carl, No World Order features 10 songs that follow a similar path to the debut and expand on the Who Brought The Dog sound. Lyrically based in the world of real people and real situations - and in the case of "Who Brought The Dog", a shameless tribute to the project - the songs are based on a solid rock foundation with Fabs building on it in unexpected directions. Combining jazz-oriented grooves with Bollywood soundbytes ("When The World Stops Turning"), an AOR big band vibe ("Saviour To None"), or dance club beats gone rock ("Dark Side Mary"), these are just a few examples of the "no fear" attitude that makes Who Brought The Dog stand out in a cluttered music scene.
Heading into 2020, Who Brought The Dog will take things to the next level with official videos and more live shows. The songs earmarked to bring the Fabs' new music to the world - "Celebretard", "No World Order" and "The Music Man" - showcase various facets of his musical personality, from quirky fun, to straight ahead rock, to provocatively dark. No matter the respective musical direction of the 10 songs on the album, however, there is never a dull moment.
As cliché as it sounds, it's best to go into No World Order expecting the unexpected, which is what the world needs right now.
Tracklist:
"Who Brought The Dog"
"Choking On Your Halo"
"Dark Side Mary"
"No World Order"
"Celebretard"
"The Music Man"
"Saviour To None"
"Your Careless Spark"
"In Case You Missed It"
"When The World Stops Turning"
"Who Brought The Dog"
"No World Order"
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17 дек 2019
SVART CROWN – New Single, Video Streaming For “Exoria”
 French extreme metallers, Svart Crown, are back with a new single and video, a new album, and a tour. The album, Wolves Among The Ashes, will be released on February 7. Check out second single, "Exoria", below.
Wolves Among The Ashes is certainly their most mature and diverse album to date. This new set of songs promises a deep and introspecting journey, from freezing black metal vibes to post-modern apocalyptic death metal.
Across tortured and bleak landscapes, the French quartet is exploring the most sombre and psychotic traits of humanity, from the telluric plea of "Thermaggedon" to the powerful vision of their new monolith "Living With The Enemy", slithering through sexual innuendo on "Art Of Obedience" or channeling spirituality on "Down To Nowhere". With its message both poignant and thoughtful, "Wolves Among The Ashes" is a true devil in sheep's skin and a new exciting milestone in Svart Crown's history.
Wolves Among The Ashes will be available in the following formats, and can be pre-ordered here.
- Limited CD Digipak
- Gatefold black LP + CD
- Digital Album
- Gatefold red LP + CD
- Gatefold clear LP + CD
Tracklisting:
"They Will Not Take Our Death In Vain"
"Thermageddon"
"Art Of Obedience"
"Blessed Be The Fools"
"At The Altar Of Beauty"
"Down To Nowhere"
"Exoria"
"Living With The Enemy"
"Exoria" video:
"Thermageddon" video:
Upon release of the new album, Svart Crown will set off to a European tour with label mates GosT. They will also play a release show in Toulon (FR) and you can expect them to play a couple of festivals during next Summer.
Tour dates:
February
8 - Toulon, France - L'Hélice (Release show)
February (with GosT)
25 - Vienna, Austria - Viper Room
26 - Budapest, Hungary - Room 41
27 - Prague, Czech Republic - Modra Vopice
28 - Warsaw, Poland - Hydrozagadka
29 - Wroclaw, Poland - Pralnia
March (with GosT)
2 - Leipzig, Germany - Naumann’s / Felsenkeller
3 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
5 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Beta
6 - Hamburg, Germany - Logo
7 - Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie
8 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Stroomhuis
10 - Nancy, France - L’Autre Canal
11 - Paris, France - Petit Bain
12 - Nantes, France - Le Ferrailleur
14 - Liège, Belgium - Reflektor
15 - London, England - Underworld
July
24 - Revištské Podzámčí, Slovakia - Gothoom Open Air
Svart Crown are:
JB Le Bail (vocals, guitars)
Clément Flandrois (guitars, vocals)
Nicolas “Ranko” Muller (drums)
Julien Negro (bass, vocals)
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17 дек 2019
NOVENA Streaming New Single “Disconnected”
 U.K. prog metal/rock act Novena have released the track “Disconnected” (Single Version) along with an accompanying video. Stream/download “Disconnected” here.
Comments the band, "In writing Secondary Genesis, we were saying to ourselves, 'What could this be?' With our new album, we are saying 'This is who we are.' After three years of working hard to define, write, and record a new album, we are enormously excited to share our debut LP with the world. It acknowledges all of the experimental roads we explored on Secondary Genesis, and refines them, focuses them, and directs them. This new record incorporates all of the heavy catharsis, fragile melody, rich harmony, and grand storytelling of the EP, but takes it further and casts the net wider. Still, our aim was to write and tell heartfelt stories, both true and fictitious. In doing so, we've created something that we're proud to share with you and hope you'll enjoy. We're enormously excited to be working with Frontiers today and in the future; to share a label with a number of our favourite bands is a dream. Expect so much more from us in the coming years - on record, online and in person. Today is just the beginning. Tomorrow is the eleventh hour. The rest is just the space between."
Novena’s music moves from the profound to the profane, from the fragile to the unforgiving, and from the introspective to the utterly destructive, exploring a plethora of different genres along the way. Despite this, every song has a solid and personal identity, with choruses that dare the listener to try and forget them.
Novena exploits fully the world class skills of their talented line-up: from Ross Jennings’ (Haken, Mike Portnoy's Shattered Fortress) unmatchable voice, to Gareth Mason’s (Slice The Cake) inimitable poetry; Dan Thornton’s (ex-Haarp Machine, ex-No Sin Evades His Gaze) blistering guitar work, to Cameron Spence’s (Ravenface, Eevah) invariably musical drumming, deeply rooted in pop idiom, and unlike anything else in the modern prog scene; from Moat Lowe’s (Slugdge, ex-NSEHG) expressive and versatile bass playing to Harrison White’s (Theatrical Director and Composer) complex and nuanced compositions. Novena delivers something greater than the sum of its parts.
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17 дек 2019
BONDED Feat. Former SODOM, SUICIDAL ANGELS Members Release Second Single “Suit Murderer”
 Bonded, the new group featuring former Sodom members Bernd “Bernemann” Kost (guitars) and Markus “Makka” Freiwald (drums), will release their debut album, Rest In Violence, on January 17 via Century Media Records.
Bonded, who also feature second guitarist Chris Tsitsis (ex-Suicidal Angels), bassist Marc Hauschild and vocalist Ingo Bajonczak (Assassin) in their lineup ranks, have created nothing short of a highly versatile and hard-hitting thrash metal debut together with producer Cornelius Rambadt (Sodom, Disbelief, Onkel Tom) at the Rambado Recording Studio in Essen, Germany.
The second single off Rest In Violence is being unveiled today with the track “Suit Murderer”. Check out the video clip directed by Nico Schiesewitz / Vizo Films below.
Bonded commented as follows: "We proudly present you our new single ‘Suit Murderer’. This brutal old-school thrash-attack is a straight and explicit lyrical statement to confront politicians, big business-bankers (a.k.a. ‘the men in power’) with their own ruthless and inhuman ways! So better fasten your seatbelts, get ready to fight for your rights and resist 'em all! We hope you enjoy the video-clip, which was again produced by Nico Schiesewitz / VIZO-Films. Stay bonded for more news and tunes soon..."
Rest In Violence also showcases Overkill’s Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth as guest vocalist as well as former Kreator bass-player Christian “Speesy” Giesler on the album’s title track and the release comes with artwork by Björn Gooßes / Killustrations (Aborted, The Crown, Carnal Forge), which can be seen below.
The album’s limited first-pressing edition CD will come with O-Card packaging, a sticker and two inserted bonus tracks: “The Beginning Of The End” and “To Each His Own”. The album is also available as LP on 180gr. vinyl, both on black vinyl as well as in the following limited coloured editions:
- 200x copies White vinyl - CM Distro & Webshop
- 200x copies Dark Green vinyl - Nuclear Blast
- 100x copies Red vinyl - BONDED liveshows
Pre-order the album here.
Rest In Violence tracklisting:
"Godgiven"
"Suit Murderer"
"Rest In Violence"
"Je Suis Charlie"
"The Rattle & The Snake"
"No Cure For Life"
"Where Silence Reverberates"
"Galaxy M87"
"Arrival"
"The Outer Rim"
"Suit Murderer" video:
"Je Suis Charlie" video:
“Godgiven” (pre-production):
Live dates:
January
17 - Oberhausen, Germany - Thrash Speed Burn Festival
March
21 - Essen, Germany - Endzeit Festival
Lineup:
Ingo Bajonczak - Vocals
Bernd “Bernemann” Kost - Guitar
Chris Tsitsis - Guitar
Marc Hauschild - Bass
Markus “Makka” Freiwald - Drums
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16 дек 2019
DESTRUCTION Frontman On RALPH SANTOLLA: 'He Was One Of The First Really Skilled Lead Players In Death Metal'
 Andrew McKaysmith of the "Scars And Guitars" podcast recently conducted an interview with frontman Schmier of German thrash veterans DESTRUCTION. You can listen to the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET) .
On new second guitarist Damir Eskić:
Schmier: "Damir, he's been a friend of the band. We met some years ago when he supported DESTRUCTION the first time with his band, and his girlfriend is the guitar player of a band called BURNING WITCHES, they're an all-female heavy metal band which I produced. We had a lot of contact in the last three or four years. He also played some leads on the last DESTRUCTION album, 'Under Attack'. We always knew he's a fantastic player. He was always somehow, I always admired him, but we never had the idea to ask him about joining DESTRUCTION. We were looking for a guitar player for a while, actually. We wanted to wait for the right guy, the right moment. Damir was the right guy at the right moment. He's somebody that we knew. He's an outstanding player. Now that we had finally the balls to change to a four-piece again because we were talking about it for many years. It was a big step for us. We were just sure that he's the right guy to fill in those big steps because we didn't know how the fans would react. For us, it was an important step to finally write an album with two guitars again, and also for upgrading the live situation. Being a trio was great, but now with a second guitar, the band sounds wicked."
On the benefits of having a second guitar player:
Schmier: "It has a lot of pluses. First of all, when you compose songs with two guitars, you have more possibilities. You can double leads; you can do more harmonies. When you compose with one guitar and you always have the perspective of playing live as a three-piece, you will never give it all. You will always hold back on some ideas. You will always hold back on harmonies and possibilities. I was fed up with this. I was like, 'I want to compose a DESTRUCTION out of the thought where we can really do everything.' Of course, for the live situation, two guitars, there's more power, of course, there's more harmonies. Also, we're able to do double-harmony solos again, which we already did in the '80s, so that's always a great 'a-ha' effect when you're live and the guitar players unite and the double har money lead is great. We always wanted to have this again. It's a plus on many levels. Also, Damir, he's a fantastic lead player. He's a shred-god. He adds a lot of little shredding details to the band."
On the 2018 passing of former DEATH, DEICIDE and OBITUARY guitarist Ralph Santolla:
Schmier: "Ralphie was a character. He was a crazy person. He always liked to party. He maybe partied too hard. That's a [price] you sometimes have to pay when you party too hard in life. I was very sad last year that he wasn't in a band anymore; he wasn't in an active band anymore because he was such a great player. His background was always more the '70s stuff like RAINBOW and SCORPIONS. He loved all of those '70s players, but he brought this stuff into death metal. He was one of the first really skilled lead players in death metal back in the day. He was always funny, also, and had a very black humor. Every time we played in Florida, he came to the shows and brought his great humor and great entertainment to the shows. It was very sad for me to see; I think the fact the tragic ending had to do with everything involved in his music business. When you kind of don't play in a band anymore and you're used to it and you stay home all the time, and you see all your friends touring and you don't, and you're such a passionate musician as him. That was really something that killed him also in a mental way. I was talking to him often and he was always hopeful for a new project. It never really happened. It's very sad because Ralphie was one of a kind. He was one of the guys you met, you meet him once, you'll never forget him."
"Born To Perish" was released on August 9 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was recorded in January and February 2019 with V.O. Pulver (PRO-PAIN, BURNING WITCHES, NERVOSA) at Little Creek Studios in Switzerland. | +10 | |
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16 дек 2019
BABYMETAL Releases Music Video For 'Da Da Dance'
 Japanese pop-metal band BABYMETAL has unveiled a new video for the track "Da Da Dance". Filmed across various shows during the group's "Metal Galaxy" world tour, the clip includes footage from BABYMETAL's first-ever U.S. arena show at the Forum in Los Angeles on October 11.
"Da Da Dance", which features a guest appearance by guitarist Tak Matsumoto from B'Z, is taken from BABYMETAL's third studio LP, "Metal Galaxy". The effort hit No. 19 in the U.K. official album chart, No. 1 No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, becoming the first Asian act to land at No. 1 becoming the first Asian band to top the chart, and No. 18 on the German chart.
In the U.S., "Metal Galaxy" earned 28,000 equivalent album units (of which 27,000 were in album sales) in its first week of release. The album also topped the Hard Rock Albums chart.
"Metal Galaxy" entered the all-format Billboard 200 chart at No. 13. The group's previous disc, 2016's "Metal Resistance", peaked at No. 39.
Five years and two albums removed from their viral single "Gimme Chocolate!" that saw hundreds of millions of streams across the world, the release of "Metal Galaxy" proves beyond a reasonable doubt that BABYMETAL has staying power. With this release, the band has achieved its best performing album to date by more than doubling U.S. album sales accompanied by its highest charting positions worldwide.
"Metal Galaxy" was released on October 11 via earMUSIC/Edel. The follow-up to 2016's "Metal Resistance" is based on the concept of "The Odyssey Of Metal Galaxy".
"Metal Galaxy" contains 14 songs, including four singles that were released prior to the LP's arrival: "Pa Pa Ya!!", "Starlight", "Distortion" and "Elevator Girl". The album expresses light and darkness, emotions like duality and ambivalence, and "new metal" created by various chemical reactions as other entities evolved and expanded in this album.
Just like the sun and the moon changes the appearance of this world with its daylight and moonlight, with evermore new type of various sound, BABYMETAL's music paints the metal galaxy in different colors.
The album includes five songs that feature guest appearances from worldwide musicians who were perfect to the character of each song. Vocalist Joakim Brodén from SABATON is featured on "Oh! Majinai". Guitarist Tim Henson and Scott LePage from POLYPHIA are featured on "Brand New Day". Vocalist Alissa White-Gluz from ARCH ENEMY is featured on "Distortion". Rapper F.Hero is featured in "Pa Pa Ya!!" The guest musicians add more colors to the odyssey of the metal galaxy.
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16 дек 2019
ROB HALFORD, JOE BONAMASSA, EXTREME, NITA STRAUSS Perform At ALICE COOPER's 18th Annual 'Christmas Pudding' (Video)
 Renowned as one of Phoenix's signature holiday events, Alice Cooper's 18th annual "Christmas Pudding" fundraiser brought together Michael Bruce, Neal Smith and Dennis Dunaway from the original ALICE COOPER band, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford, legendary guitarist Joe Bonamassa, Cooper's HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES bandmate Johnny Depp, Cooper guitarist Nita Strauss and EXTREME's Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt for an evening of music and mayhem.
Prior to this year's event, Cooper told SanTan Sun News: "Every year, I try to get an entirely different lineup. I thought, 'Who haven't we had on the show?' Bonamassa is going to be great. He's one of the greatest guitar players of all time. Rob Halford, the guys from EXTREME, the original ALICE COOPER band, Jim Breuer, GARY MULE DEER, Mark Slaughter, and we invited Nita Strauss and her boyfriend, who plays the drums. They have an album out. She was just voted one of the best female guitarists in the world. She's going to come up and do a couple songs.
"We make it very loose," he added. "Everybody can sit in with everybody. I've invited Johnny Depp. He's been to the 'Pudding' five or six times. If he wants to drop in, he can."
Cooper and his former bandmates reunited for "No More Mr. Nice Guy", "Be My Lover", "Under My Wheels", "I'm Eighteen" and "School's Out" while Cherone and Bettencourt played EXTREME's "Get The Funk Out", "Hole In My Heart" and "More Than Words". Halford sang a five-song set of some of PRIEST's greatest hits — "Heading Out to the Highway", "Diamonds & Rust", "Breaking The Law", "Living After Midnight" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming" — with the "Christmas Pudding" house band SIXWIRE.
Proceeds from the December 14 event at the Celebrity Theatre directly benefit the free music, dance, arts, and vocational programs for teens at Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Centers.
Cooper explained to Fox 10 Phoenix: "You get a kid interested in something other than what is going on in the street, and you know what is going on in the street a lot of bad stuff. It takes their whole attention and they might be thinking, 'I might join that gang' or 'I might run away,' but they say, 'Wait a minute. I might want to play guitar or play drums or an art class that's for free.'" | +2 | |
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16 дек 2019
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Part Ways With Guitarist JOSH KLINGHOFFER, Welcome Back JOHN FRUSCIANTE
 RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS have parted ways with guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and have been rejoined by John Frusciante.
Klinghoffer was in the CHILI PEPPERS for a decade, playing on the band's last two studio albums, 2011's "I'm With You" and 2016's "The Getaway".
In a statement announcing Klinghoffer's departure, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS called him "a beautiful music who we respect and love."
"The RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS announce that we are parting ways with our guitarist of the past ten years, Josh Klinghoffer," the band said.
"Josh is a beautiful musician who we respect and love. We are deeply grateful for our time with him, and the countless gifts he shared with us."
The group added: "We also announce, with great excitement and full hearts, that John Frusciante is rejoining our group."
Frusciante joined RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS following the death of founding guitarist Hillel Slovak in 1988. This lineup recorded two highly successful albums that brought the group mainstream popularity: "Mother's Milk" and "Blood Sugar Sex Magik". Sadly, Frusciante fell into a deep heroin addiction that caused him to leave the band while touring to support "Blood Sugar Sex Magik". Frusciante rejoined CHILI PEPPERS six years later, playing on 1999 album "Californication", 2002's "By The Way" and 2006's "Stadium Arcadium" before quitting the band again in September 2009.
Frusciante last performed with RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea at a 2016 benefit concert.
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A post shared by Red Hot Chili Peppers (@chilipeppers) on Dec 15, 2019 at 12:28pm PST
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16 дек 2019
BRET MICHAELS Joined By *NSYNC's JOEY FATONE And CHRIS KIRKPATRICK For POISON's 'Nothin' But A Good Time' (Video)
 Bret Michaels was joined by *NSYNC singers Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick on stage Friday night (December 13) at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood's Winterfest in Hollywood, Florida for a performance of the POISON's 1988 hit "Nothin' But A Good Time".
Kirkpatrick later shared a photo from the side of the stage, writing on Instagram that he managed to check an item off his bucket list with the surprise jam.
"Got to sing 'nothin but a good time' with one of my favorite rock stars of all time @bretmichaelsofficial !" he said.
These days, Michaels splits his touring time with his solo band and POISON, which will be heading out with MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD and JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS on their joint stadium tour in 2020.
"It's 100% gratitude with positive attitude," Michaels recently told CantonRep.com. "I am thankful to be on that stage. To play music and travel and get to meet people, this is what I live to do. The fact that I've got to do this for so long, I'm blessed. I still have that same passion, energy and attitude as when I started as a teenager in my basement and garage."
Michaels spent much of the late 1990s and 2000s appearing on reality television shows such as VH1's "Behind The Music" (1999), "The Making Of A Rock Star" (2001) and "Nashville Star" (2003). From 2007-2009, he also starred on "Rock Of Love With Bret Michaels", in which 25 women competed for the chance to be Michaels's girlfriend.
Some of Michaels's solo hits include "Custom Built", "Rock My World" and "Jammin' With Friends".
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Got to sing “nothin but a good time” with one of my favorite rock stars of all time @bretmichaelsofficial ! Bucket list ✔️
A post shared by Chris Kirkpatrick (@iamckirkpatrick) on Dec 14, 2019 at 8:06am PST | 0 | |
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16 дек 2019
Watch BRUCE DICKINSON's Spoken-Word Performance In Dublin
 Fan-filmed video footage of Bruce Dickinson's one-man speaking show on December 13 at National Stadium in Dublin, Ireland can be seen below. The performance, dubbed "What Does This Button Do?" after the IRON MAIDEN singer's autobiography of the same name, featured a comedic routine as well as an unscripted question-and-answer session with fans.
Dickinson told the New Zealand TV show "The Project" about his speaking tour: "The show I do, basically, it's a one-man show. And it morphed out of being initially promo for the book. The publisher said, 'We're gonna rent a little theater and you just do some readings,' and I thought, 'Well, that's kind of dull, really.' So, years ago, when I was an undergraduate in college, my then-girlfriend persuaded me to go and see a one-man show by a guy called Quentin Crisp. So I had to be dragged along: 'Oh, who is this guy?' Anyway, it was absolutely brilliant. And one of the things he did in the second half was he took cue cards from the audience who wrote questions down, and he basically came and did almost like an improv thing where he answered the questions. So I thought that would be nice to do. So I sort of constructed this show, as it were, and just winged it. And it was so good, they asked me back to do the Edinburgh [International Book] Festival. And then the next thing after that was I've ended up doing a bunch of them in Scandinavia, and I'm now doing Israel and Greece and more shows in Scandinavia and everything else. So, all of a sudden, I've got myself this little extra gig."
"What Does This Button Do?", landed at No. 10 on the New York Times "Hardcover Nonfiction" best sellers list. It was released in the U.S. in October 2017 via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
"What Does This Button Do?" is Dickinson's third book. He has previously published two satirical novels, "The Adventures Of Lord Iffy Boatrace" about the English upper classes and "The Missionary Position" about televangelism.
Dickinson joined IRON MAIDEN in 1981, replacing Paul Di'Anno, and made his recording debut with the band on the 1982 album "The Number Of The Beast". He quit the band in 1993, pursuing several solo projects, and rejoined in 1999.
Dickinson, who turned 61 in August, has several other interests beyond music. He is a licensed commercial pilot and owns an aviation company. He has also done some acting and brewed beer.
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16 дек 2019
Watch QUEENSRŸCHE Perform In Jackson, California
 Fan-filmed video footage of QUEENSRŸCHE's December 13 concert at Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort in Jackson, California can be seen below.
QUEENSRŸCHE's latest album, "The Verdict", was released in March via Century Media Records. The disc was produced, mixed, and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, ICED EARTH, HATEBREED) at Uberbeatz in Lynwood, Washington; Planet-Z in Wilbraham, Massachusetts; and Watershed Studio in Seattle, Washington.
The current QUEENSRŸCHE lineup features two original members, bassist Eddie Jackson and guitarist Michael Wilton, along with singer Todd La Torre and guitarist Parker Lundgren.
"The Verdict" marks QUEENSRŸCHE's third full-length release with La Torre, following the departure of Geoff Tate in 2012.
For the past two and a half years, drummer Scott Rockenfield has been taking time off from QUEENSRŸCHE's touring activities to spend time with his young son, who was born in early 2017. Filling in for him is former KAMELOT drummer Casey Grillo.
La Torre, who has played drums since the age of 13, laid down the drum tracks on "The Verdict".
Wilton told Guitar World about "The Verdict": "We wanted a harder edge on this album. Our fans expect it from us. 'The Verdict' has all the elements of our style — hard rock, progressive and metal. It's all there. We've rebuilt the band, and more of our fans are seeing and hearing us. We lost our chemistry with Tate and have moved on happily without him. When [Chris] DeGarmo [guitar] left the band, we weren't writing as a band anymore. Now we are creating music as we did during our early days, and firing on all cylinders."
Added Lundgren: "We pushed the envelope on this album. We wanted to bring a progressive element into the heaviness of whatever song we are playing. We're all very proud of how exciting and hard rocking the album turned out, and I think our fans, both old and new, will enjoy it very much." | 0 | |
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16 дек 2019
Former IRON MAIDEN Singer PAUL DI'ANNO: 'I Nearly Died Four Years Ago'
 Former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno says that he is lucky to be alive after developing a deadly infection several years ago.
Di'Anno has battled a number of health issues in recent years. He reportedly underwent an operation in 2016 to remove a "rugby ball-sized abscess" on his lungs and required a knee-replacement operation on both knees after getting involved in several motorcycle accidents over the years. As a result, Di'Anno was forced to sit down while performing at his most recent shows.
In an interview with the Spanish web site Mariskalrock.com conducted by Jason Cenador, the vocalist spoke about his health problems and discussed his plans for the future.
"I nearly died four years ago," Paul revealed. "I had sepsis in Argentina. I was very, very sick. I just about made it home to England and then straight to hospital. I've been in and out of the hospital for four years now. I had operations done on both legs. I [haven't been able to] walk for four years. It's been very, very tough for me at the moment. Because of the sepsis, I keep getting infections, so they can't do the operations on my legs and stuff like that when they want to do them. And it's been very difficult. At the moment, I've only got one knee. The other knee has been taken out, but there's no new knee put in, so it's been a cement thing. But I wanna play, obviously, but I can't do that until I'm fixed. I haven't stopped playing music, and I've got no plans to retire — I wanna keep playing — but I need to get well."
Elaborating on his recovery process, Di'Anno said: "I'm not getting better and better — not yet, until I've had both of my knees operated on. The next operation is gonna be to take my left knee out and then put a replacement straight away, which then I've gotta do rehab to try to stand up on that one leg. And then I can sort of move about on crutches after a while, which would be fantastic. I may have to sit down on the stage, but if I can get up on one leg, it makes it easier for flying and things like that. I still may have to travel around on a wheelchair a bit, but if I'm playing on stage in a wheelchair, at least I can hop about on the crutches and then maybe sit down and sing. But I caught another infection two weeks ago, which they will not operate on you while you've got an infection. Unfortunately, this is gonna be the rest of my life, because of sepsis. I was so lucky. The sepsis really hits you hard, and on the London plane home from Argentina, everyone was saying to me, 'Hello, sir. Are you okay? Are you okay?' And I'm, like, 'Yeah, why don't you fuck off and leave me alone?' sort of thing. I didn't realize I was actually dying. And when I actually got home and I collapsed on the floor, I had my cell phone with me. I was on my own, 'cause my wife and kids were over in America. I got the ambulance people. They came down and they kicked my door in and took me to the hospital. I spent eight months in that hospital... And you've got 45 minutes to pump you full of antibiotics or you'll die. I just about made that. Eight months recovery there, then into a care home for another three months, and then I moved into this new house of mine, which is adapted for wheelchair users at the moment... And then it's been unlucky with the infections; otherwise I would have been up and running by now. But they won't operate on me for two years, with sepsis, because you have to make sure it's completely clear of you. And now I've got this other thing called MRSA, which you get from being in hospital, which is unfortunate. But, anyway, at the moment, I'm clearing out very well, so I'm waiting for the next call I get, which will be for surgery, and get things done".
Pressed about whether he is optimistic that he will be able to return to the stage someday, he told Mariskalrock.com: "Yeah. Fuckin' damn right. If I can't play music, I might as well fuckin' kill myself. So, yeah, I'm fine. As I said, once they have taken the left knee out and then put the replacement one in, I've got rehab to do. And the rehab will be learning to stand up and use crutches and move around with one leg, 'cause the other one, it's a very complicated operation on the right leg... I'm waiting for the surgeons to call me in. This operation will take about three hours to put the knee in, and then it's all rehab, rehab, rehab to strengthen my leg and [be able] to stand up on that one leg, 'cause the other one, I can't put it down on the floor, 'cause it's only got cement inside of it. There's no knee in the right one either, so that will be taken out. That one is a complicated operation — about nine hours. But this first one, if I can stand on crutches and get used to it after… I'll be in hospital for two weeks, and then it's all rehab, rehab — strengthen the left leg up, so I can hop about on the crutches and move around. It makes it easier for me to fly, and then I can go on stage. I may have to sit down on the stage in a chair, but at least I can go back on stage… And then, when they do the right leg, then I'll be all right to do everything. It's gonna take time. Unfortunately, it's two years where they will not operate on anything 'cause of the sepsis. And that's a two-year gap. And now all these infections are fucking me up."
Di'Anno was also asked if he has used the time away from the road to work on new music. He replied: "We've been writing. My head is not in the right frame of mind at the moment, 'cause I must concentrate on getting well. It's not just the knee; it's the infection, which makes you feel really sick. You're in pain 24 hours a day. It's not easy. Even doing these interviews, where all you wanna do is just try and get some sleep. I'm lucky if I get two hours of sleep every day or every night... Yeah, we've been writing a bit. I've got a few ideas here and there, but, as I said, I can't concentrate fully because I wanna get myself well… My main concern is to get back on stage. I wanna play — I wanna play, I wanna play. It's driving me fucking mad not doing anything and not being able to go out. I can't even go out the house at the moment in case I get an infection again. So I'm pretty much a prisoner in my own home at the moment. So my major concern at the moment is to get my legs fixed up. And once I've gotten them fixed up, then the infections will get less and less, which will be great, and then get out on tour. Touring is first — touring is always number one. And then we'll consider what we're doing with albums and stuff like that after. I'm not gonna put myself under pressure like that. The main pressure is to get well"
Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN before being replaced by Bruce Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.
In March 2011, Di'Anno was sentenced to nine months in a U.K. prison after he falsely collected government benefits by claiming he suffered nerve damage to his back that prevented him from working.
Di'Anno completed his first North American tour in early 2010, 17 years after he was deported following a prison term for guns and drug offenses.
Special thanks to Jason Cenador and Mariskalrock.com for providing the audio of the original interview which formed the basis for this article.
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16 дек 2019
THE WHO's 'Who' Is Band's Highest-Charting Album In U.K. In 38 Years
 THE WHO's latest album, "Who", entered the U.K. chart at position No. 3, becoming the band's highest-charting U.K. LP in 38 years.
"Who" is THE WHO's first set of new material since 2006's "Endless Wire", which debuted at No. 9 in November of that year.
THE WHO's 1981's LP "Face Dances", which also entered the chart at No. 3, peaked at No. 2.
THE WHO has released 12 studio albums and topped the chart just once, with "Who's Next" from September 1971.
THE WHO has one of the greatest rock legacies in music history — they're one of the all-time great live bands, have sold over 100 million records worldwide and scored nine U.S. and 10 U.K. Top Ten albums and 14 U.K. top 10 singles in a career spanning six decades.
The songs on "Who" cover a myriad of subjects, including the Grenfell Tower fire, musical theft, spirituality, reincarnation, the power of memory and "an old rock star that has lost his marbles." Singer Roger Daltrey rates it among their strongest.
"I think we've made our best album since 'Quadrophenia' in 1973," he said. "Pete [Townshend, guitar] hasn't lost it — he's still a fabulous songwriter, and he's still got that cutting edge."
Added Townshend: "This album is almost all new songs written last year, with just two exceptions. There is no theme, no concept, no story, just a set of songs that I (and my brother Simon) wrote to give Roger Daltrey some inspiration, challenges and scope for his newly revived singing voice.
"Roger and I are both old men now, by any measure, so I've tried to stay away from romance, but also from nostalgia, if I can. I didn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. Memories are okay, and some of the songs refer to the explosive state of things today.
"I made new home studio demos of all these songs in the summer of 2018 using a wide collection of instruments old and new. We started recording as THE WHO in March 2019, and have finished now in late August just in time to make some vinyl — maybe even some cassettes — ready for release in November."
Two songs on the record — the epic "Ball And Chain" and string-laden "Hero Ground Zero" — got their world premiere when the band played with a 40-piece orchestra to a packed Wembley Stadium. Spring 2020 will see the band embarking on a U.K. tour featuring an orchestra.
Photo credit: Rick Guest / courtesy of NEC Group
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16 дек 2019
GHOST To Record One Song In January For Special Project
 GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge has confirmed to Finland's Kaaos TV that he has commenced the songwriting process for the band's fifth album. "I have been in the studio a couple of days to record a few demos," he said in a new interview (hear audio below). "I started that already in the summer, just to feel that, 'Okay. I've started.' After New Year's, I'm gonna go into the studio. First, I'm gonna record one song that's gonna be part of something that we will know of in the year from now. So that's the first thing. And that's basically one singular song for something, and that's gonna be just to sort of get the rocks off a little. Because that way, you can go into a new studio, maybe — you can try something like that. You can try that new amp that you wanted to try, and that's more like an experiment. So, as soon as I'm done with that in January — that's gonna be the first or second week in January — after that, I'm just gonna start full time, Monday through Friday, being in the studio writing. And that's what I do up until May last. And June 1st, I'm gonna be in some other studio with preferrably the drummer that I've been using for the last 10 years for most of my recordings, and hopefully then we're gonna start recording the drums for all these 15 songs — something like that — I'm gonna write. Some of them are written, some of them are in bits and pieces, and some of them I don't know yet."
Asked if he will make a conscious effort to record the kind of album that can be performed live in arenas, Forge said: "I do take that into consideration, because I wouldn't go into the studio now and make some sort of weirdly paced noise-slash-prog album. No, I wouldn't do that, because that is not the forum that we're playing in. I set out already on [GHOST's 2010 debut] 'Opus Eponymous' to write songs that would sound great on a live stage, because I wanted it to be big rock music — I wanted it to sound like a rock band that you wanted to see on a stage. So making a new fifth album means that I'm gonna continue writing songs that will sound great on [an arena stage]."
He continued: "There are certain things that you pick out when you're playing bigger halls — that really fast songs usually don't work very well. Because they don't sound very good — it's big and echoey and boomy, so it works better if it's a normal pace. And I think most bands do that. You can pretty much hear that on any METALLICA or any IRON MAIDEN sort of band, that once they took the step from playing theaters and clubs and they started playing arenas, the music, they started slowing it down.
"I like to compare what I do to being a chef or having a restaurant or in the cinematic world," he added. "But if we compare it to the gastronomic world, where we're talking about making food and selling it, it's kind of like the difference between cooking for a friend at home and when you're cooking for the people. You have to have a different [approach]; otherwise you're gonna fuck that up. And you have to plan it in a different way. Some people might consider that 'bending over' or something. I don't — I find that that's what you do when you're playing… I wanna write cool rock music that I'm gonna perform on a stage. And you want it to feel good. It's like writing jokes — what's the point of writing jokes if they're not funny?"
Forge also clarified some of his recent comments about GHOST following the footsteps of IRON MAIDEN and METALLICA, two bands that he thinks made the jump into the big leagues with their fifth LPs, 1984's "Powerslave" and 1991's self-titled effort (commonly known as the "black album"), respectively.
"What I wanna make clear is that I'm not saying — what some people thought was that I'm gonna make 'Powerslave' or the 'black album,'" he said. "That's not what I said. I said that we are right now — if you look at the circumstances, we are pretty much in a very similar position as they were before writing 'Powerslave' or the 'black album,' because they had taken the band to a certain point where it's sort of a make-or-break deal… I do feel that in order to elevate to not only [playing arenas] again but potentially doing something bigger, you need to deliver an album that is according to certain energies or whatever. When you get to a certain point in terms of public attention, when you release a record on a certain momentum, the expectations of that record from a public point of view is at a certain level. And that does not mean the amount of riffs you have or how good it is — it just means what kind of impact it does. How many people will, on release week, have an opinion on your record? And as of right now, for every record, it has been growing. So every time that we release something, more and more people think something about it. So upon releasing the next record, upon the momentum that has been built on this album cycle and all the previous ones, it's bigger than it ever has been before… And in many cities, countries, markets — whatever you wanna call 'em — we have now gotten into people's heads that if you wanna go see GHOST, we're gonna play at your ice hockey arena. So it's important that when you release a new record on that level that it still feels like that. 'Oh, GHOST just had a new record out. Of course we're gonna go see them at that dome.'"
Earlier in the year, Forge told Revolver that GHOST's latest album, 2018's "Prequelle", was "a little ballad heavy" and its follow-up will lean more in the direction of 2015's "Meliora" without repeating the same ideas.
Forge founded GHOST more than a decade ago and has written almost all of the group's music, while also performing for years in costume as first Papa Emeritus and now Cardinal Copia. His real name was a mystery for much of that time and still does not appear on GHOST LPs.
"Prequelle" debuted in June 2018 at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart.
GHOST's most recent North American tour wrapped on October 26 in Glens Falls, New York.
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16 дек 2019
METALLICA: Pro-Shot Video Of 'Nothing Else Matters' Performance From Warsaw
 Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Nothing Else Matters" on August 21 at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, Poland can be seen below.
Earlier this month, Billboard reported that METALLICA was the highest-ranked hard rock act on the magazine's year-end Boxscore chart, with a combined gross of $177 million from 46 reported concerts during the band's ongoing "WorldWired" tour. The band sold 1.7 million tickets around the world during the 12-month time frame that determined the chart's rankings.
METALLICA will headline five major North American festivals next year, all of which are produced by Danny Wimmer Presents. The events are Epicenter, Welcome To Rockville, Sonic Temple Music + Arts, Louder Than Life and Aftershock. The band will play two separate headlining sets at each stop, with a unique setlist for each performance, resulting in 10 different shows.
These shows will be METALLICA's only U.S. festival appearances of 2020. The quartet will play on Friday night and Sunday night at each event.
To mark the 20th anniversary of METALLICA's first performance with the San Francisco Symphony, which resulted in the live "S&M" album and video, the band re-teamed with the symphony in early September for two shows for the grand opening of Chase Center, the new home of the Golden State Warriors.
A film of the concerts, called "S&M²", arrived in theaters worldwide in October. | +6 | |
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16 дек 2019
IRON MAIDEN Bassist STEVE HARRIS Talks BRITISH LION's New Album - "It's More Representative Of Who We Are Live" (Audio)
 Rockin Metal Revival recently caught up with Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris to discuss the forthcoming British Lion album and the band's upcoming US tour.
Harris on the new British Lion record: "It's more representative of who we are live. We went in straight after touring to record those (new) songs and we'd been playing those two particular songs ('Lightning' and 'Spitfire') live, so they sound very similar to how we play them live. They are representative of where we are now and, I think, of the last few years of us playing live as a band. Obviously with the first album we hadn't played live at that point so it was difficult to create what we'd be doing. We've evolved as a band and this is the result of it."
Listen to "Steve-Harris-Interview2019" on Spreaker.
Explorer1 Music (E1) recently announced a new collaboration in the US with their release of Iron Maiden bassist and founder Steve Harris’ second album with British Lion, the ‘up close and personal’ side project he devotes his time to, outside of his Maiden activities, which will be followed by an 18-date U.S. tour (details below).
The Burning features 11 new songs and will be released worldwide on January 17 in digipak CD, double gatefold vinyl and digital download formats.
British Lion comprises vocalist Richard Taylor, guitarists David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie, Steve Harris on bass & keyboards and drummer Simon Dawson. Recorded, engineered and mixed at Barnyard Studios by Tony Newton and produced by Steve Harris, The Burning is crammed with powerful hard rock melodies, with two songs “Lightning” and “Spit Fire” being made available for immediate download from tomorrow with all album pre-orders at this location.
“Lightning” is also available to listen to now ahead of the digital release tomorrow. Find the song below.
Richard Taylor says: “We’ve been working on The Burning for the past couple of years and everyone is really pleased with the results. We started playing some of the songs live on recent tours and got a fantastic reaction from our fans so we are really excited to be sharing this album with the world. We’re also looking forward to heading out on the road again and seeing everyone at the shows.”
Paul Woolnough, CEO and Co-Founder of Explorer1 Music says: "Explorer1 offers a completely new turn-key solution for touring and recording artists such as British Lion in today's fast-changing industry. After watching the band evolve over the last couple of years and recently launching E1, it seemed the perfect time to partner and collaborate on the US release of The Burning’and British Lion's touring activities. I am proud to welcome Steve and the rest of British Lion into the E1 family and look forward to working together for many years to come."
Tracklisting:
"City Of Fallen Angels"
"The Burning"
"Father Lucifer"
"Elysium"
"Lightning"
"Last Chance"
"Legend"
"Spit Fire"
"Land Of The Perfect People"
"Bible Black"
"Native Son"
"Lightning":
The Burning is a follow-up to British Lion’s 2012’s eponymous debut album, Steve’s first ever musical venture outside of Iron Maiden which was pronounced both “brilliant” and “a big hearted ferocious triumph” by the music press. The band have since been tirelessly honing their live show performances with club tours every year and festival dates whenever time allows, building and establishing a firm and dedicated fan-base, reaching 24 countries across the globe so far, and now with their first ever Stateside tour on dates below.
Steve says: “It’s great for us to finally come to America to play some shows around the release of the new album there through Explorer1 Music. The E1 team have been extremely pro-active and we’re delighted to be working with them on both the record and the tour.”
Tickets available here https://britishlionuk.com/. Every ticket to the British Lion US Tour includes a digital download of the new album. Support at all shows will be The Picturebooks.
Dates:
January
18 - Orlando, FL - Ace Café
19 - Tampa, FL - Brass Mug
20 - Pensacola, FL - Vinyl Music Hall
22 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
24 - San Antonio, TX - The Rock Box
25 - Dallas, TX - Trees
26 - Memphis, TN - Growlers
28 - Nashville, TN - The Cowan
29 - Joilet, IL - The Forge
31 - Cleveland, OH - The Odeon
February
1 - Lexington, KY - Manchester Music Hall
4 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
5 - Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbits
8-13 - Monsters Of Rock Cruise
15 - Fort Lauderdale - Revolution Live
17 - Savannah, GA - Victory North
18 - Greensboro, NC - The Cone Denim
19 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club
20 - New York NY - Gramercy Theatre
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15 дек 2019
Listen To New CARCASS Song 'Under The Scalpel Blade'
 British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS have released a new digital single, "Under The Scalpel Blade", The track, which was previously made available to deluxe Decibel magazine subscribers, can now be streamed below.
"Under The Scalpel Blade" is taken from CARCASS's upcoming seventh studio album, which is due out in 2020 on Nuclear Blast. The disc will be the follow-up to CARCASS's acclaimed comeback album, "Surgical Steel", which arrived in 2013.
Says CARCASS frontman Jeff Walker: "It's always difficult trying to decide what new song to expose people to, especially given an absence of nearly seven years. With that in mind, here's a slow throwaway number we cobbled together. And NO, the title was NOT plagiarized from the DISORDER album of the same title, before you ask!"
CARCASS will perform "Under The Scalpel Blade" live when it headlines the closing night of this year's Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Los Angeles at the Observatory. Tickets for the fest on December 13-14 — also featuring performances from POSSESSED, NAILS, VIO-LENCE, GATECREEPER, SCHAMMASCH, EVOKEN, INTRONAUT, XIBALBA, SPIRIT ADRIFT and more — are still available.
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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15 дек 2019
GONE IS GONE Feat. MASTODON, AT THE DRIVE-IN, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE Members: Listen To New Song 'No One Ever Walked On Water'
 GONE IS GONE, the project featuring MASTODON's Troy Sanders, AT THE DRIVE-IN's Tony Hajjar, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's Troy Van Leeuwen and guitarist-keyboardist Mike Zarin, has released a new song called "No One Ever Walked On Water". Check it out below.
"No One Ever Walked On Water" is the first new music from GONE IS GONE since the release of "Phantom Limb" in November 2017 as part of a seven-inch red vinyl single for Record Store Day's Black Friday.
GONE IS GONE's debut album, "Echolocation", entered Billboard's Heatseekers Chart at No. 3 back in January 2017.
Hailed by Clash as "a crisp, compact document, one laced with energy and sweeping songwriting," "Echolocation" was produced by the band and mixed by Ken Andrews (BECK, A PERFECT CIRCLE).
GONE IS GONE was formed by multi-instrumentalist Mike Zarin and Hajjar, who previously collaborated on various film trailer projects for Sencit, Zarin's music production, licensing and supervision company. Together they've put together a wildly diverse sound production resume that includes trailers for the Internet-breaking television series "Stranger Things", Christopher Nolan's 2010 sci-fi thriller "Inception", multi-Emmy-winning television series "Game Of Thrones" and the Marvel Comics blockbuster film "X-Men Apocalypse", to name but a few. They brought in Troy Van Leeuwen, known for his work with QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, FAILURE, A PERFECT CIRCLE, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL and SWEETHEAD, who, in turn, brought in Troy Sanders from multi-Grammy nominees MASTODON. | +3 | |
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15 дек 2019
NITA STRAUSS Releases Music Video For 'Alegria'
 Nita Strauss, the Los Angeles-based guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, has released the official music video for the song "Alegria". The track is taken from her first solo album, "Controlled Chaos", which was released in November 2018 via Sumerian Records.
Nita recently confirmed that her second solo LP "is very much on the way." The disc is tentatively due in late 2020.
This past September, Nita told Heavy1 TV that she wrote the majority of "Controlled Chaos" while she was on a previous tour with Alice Cooper, adding that she was "falling right back into the pattern of writing my album on days off. I've got my Pro Tools rig out here, so I'm just writing and recording. And we'll do some more clinics, do some more solo touring, do some more touring with Alice, and then I'm hopeful for a second album release in late 2020."
Asked if she will do any singing on her upcoming LP, Nita said: "No. I want people to enjoy it. So I'm not gonna sing."
Earlier this year, Nita told the Long Island, New York radio station 94.3 The Shark that she didn't have any reservations about putting out an album of instrumentals with "Controlled Chaos".
"Everyone said that I had to put out some tracks with vocals — that was the vast consensus among the people in the industry," she recalled. "And I have to say I'm really glad that Josh [Villalta, Nita's longtime boyfriend and manager] and I stuck to our guns and I put out the album I wanted to make. Maybe I could have made more money if I would have made it more marketable, maybe I could have had more success and [gotten airplay] on bigger radio stations and what have you, but it wouldn't have been the album I wanted to make."
The 11-track "Controlled Chaos" was a challenge to Strauss and an opportunity for her to reconnect with what inspired her to start playing guitar when she was just 13 years old.
"I started playing guitar because of instrumental guitar music," she said. "All my real heroes made instrumental albums. All my own career has been spent playing in bands, but I never forgot that dream of what inspired me to pick up the guitar in the first place."
"Controlled Chaos" reached No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart and No. 6 on the Hard Rock Albums chart.
Nita's live show is mostly instrumental in nature, combining originals with covers.
Strauss has been playing with Alice Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker's former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger. | +7 | |
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15 дек 2019
THEORY OF A DEADMAN: Official Visualizer For 'Say Nothing' Title Track
 The official visualizer for "Say Nothing", the title track of THEORY OF A DEADMAN's seventh studio album, "Say Nothing", can be seen below. The disc will be released on January 31 via Atlantic Records.
On "Say Nothing", THEORY OF A DEADMAN — Tyler Connolly (lead vocals, guitar), Dave Brenner (guitar, backing vocals), Dean Back (bass) and Joey Dandeneau (drums) — is speaking up through undeniable anthems rooted in scorching songcraft, experimental vision, rock 'n' roll attitude, and clever pop ambition. Recorded in London with producer Martin Terefe (Jason Mraz, Yungblud), the album features timely lyrical commentary on many issues that our society is grappling with today. Domestic violence, racism, the divisiveness in American politics and more are explored on the 10-track album, which finds THEORY's finger on the pulse of the current climate threaded together with a message that's both a cautionary warning and a hopeful wish for our collective future.
"I look at the record as a microcosm of our current era," says Brenner. "It's a reminder to look inward at what's happening and what we're becoming. I hope everyone dives into the words. At the same time, music is still an escape. Maybe we can give the world a little solace and encourage everyone to treat each other better."
Peeling back the layers of THEORY's depth and breadth like never before, "Say Nothing" is a continuation of their musical and thematic evolution, displaying the band's powerful storytelling in full force and introducing fresh sounds and sonics. Album opener "Black Hole Of Your Heart" features orchestration set to an arena-ready beat punctuated by creaky guitar. A pilgrimage to Abbey Road Studios inspired the song "Ted Bundy", a first-person account about a terribly troubled man who can't properly love; not even the most beautiful woman can fill that void and change him. "Strangers" strikes a chord with its provocative prose that holds a mirror up to the state of American politics. Elsewhere, a gospel choir kicks off "Quicksand", adding yet another dimension to "Say Nothing"'s aural palette.
"Say Nothing" track listing
01. Black Hole Of Your Heart
02. History Of Violence
03. Affluenza
04. Say Nothing
05. Strangers
06. Ted Bundy
07. World Keeps Spinning
08. Quicksand
09. White Boy
10. It's All Good
Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine | +2 | |
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15 дек 2019
TOOL: Unboxing Video For 'Fear Inoculum - Expanded Book Edition'
 TOOL's "Fear Inoculum", the Los Angeles-based band's chart-topping, record-breaking, critically acclaimed and, until now, physically sold-out fifth album has just been made available as an expanded book edition.
An unboxing video for "Fear Inoculum - Expanded Book Edition" can be seen below.
The new iteration of "Fear Inoculum" includes 5 x 3D lenticular cards with exclusive graphics, an expanded 56-page booklet with additional never-before-seen art, a download of the groundbreaking immersive visual experience (video), "Recusant Ad Infinitum", and a CD.
Quite possibly the era's most highly-anticipated album, TOOL's fifth album, which arrived on August 30, was met by lengthy lines at retailers as music lovers clamored to get a copy of the groundbreaking, limited-edition physical release. The now-sold-out version features a 4" HD rechargeable screen with exclusive video footage ("Recusant Ad Infinitum"), charging cable, 2-watt speaker, a 36-page booklet and a digital download card. The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 and earned heaps of critical praise with NPR saying, "'Fear Inoculum' was worth the 13-year wait," Revolver proclaiming the album "a masterpiece to be dissected for years to come" and Consequence Of Sound saying the release finds "TOOL in peak performance."
This past summer, the "Fear Inoculum" title track became the longest song to ever land in the Billboard Hot 100. The TOOL cut has a running time of 10 minutes 21 seconds, 24 seconds longer than the previous record holder, David Bowie's "Blackstar".
"Fear Inoculum" shifted approximately 270,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 248,000 of those in traditional album sales. | +3 | |
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15 дек 2019
Video Premiere: SUICIDE SILENCE's 'Feel Alive'
 California based extreme metal titans SUICIDE SILENCE have released the official music video for the song "Feel Alive". The track is taken from the band's sixth studio album, "Become The Hunter", on February 14, 2020 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SEPULTURA, HATEBREED) at The Omen Room and mixed by Josh Wilbur (TRIVIUM, LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA). Ted Jensen (PANTERA, DEFTONES, SLIPKNOT) mastered the album at Sterling Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The artwork for the album was created by Adrian Baxter.
Like the previously released videos for "Meltdown" and "Love Me To Death", the "Feel Alive" clip was directed by Scott Hansen of Digital Thunderdome.
"Become The Hunter" track listing:
01. Meltdown
02. Two Steps
03. Feel Alive
04. Love Me To Death
05. In Hiding
06. Death's Anxiety
07. Skin Tight
08. The Scythe
09. Serene Obscene
10. Disaster Valley
11. Become The Hunter
SUICIDE SILENCE's latest, self-titled album came out in February 2017 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The CD was produced by Ross Robinson, who has previously worked with KORN, SLIPKNOT, LIMP BIZKIT and SEPULTURA, among others, and was mixed by Joe Barresi (KYUSS, MELVINS, TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE).
The controversy over the album's sound — featuring a more melodic and clean singing style, in the vein of acts like DEFTONES and KORN — caused one disgruntled fan to launch a petition to stop the record coming out.
SUICIDE SILENCE's performance at the December 2015 benefit show in support of Mental Health America Of Los Angeles (MHLA) at The Observatory in Santa Ana was released this past July as the album "Live & Mental" via Nuclear Blast.
"Live & Mental" was produced by the band while mixing was handled by Josh Gilbert (WOVENWAR, AS I LAY DYING). The cover photos were shot by Jerry John Nicholl.
Photo credit: Hristo Shindov
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15 дек 2019
Video Premiere: SONS OF APOLLO's 'Fall To Ascend'
 "Fall To Ascend", the new Christian Rios-directed 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 will be released on January 17, 2020 via InsideOut Music/Sony. Produced by The Del Fuvio Brothers (Portnoy and Sherinian), "MMXX" will be 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 the year, 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."
In touring news, the band's headlining "MMXX" world tour will launch January 24 in Pomona, California and will take them around the world throughout the new year. They have also just announced European tour dates for March 2020.
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15 дек 2019
KISS Joined By X JAPAN's YOSHIKI For Two Songs At Tokyo Concert (Video)
 X JAPAN drummer Yoshiki joined KISS on stage during the legendary rockers' December 11 concert at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan to perform two songs: "Beth" and "Rock And Roll All Nite".
A few minutes after KISS left the stage following the completion of the band's regular set, Paul Stanley re-emerged and told the crowd: "Today is a very special day for us. We're going to play with a good friend and the biggest rock star we know in Japan. Do you know who we're talking about? Yoshiki! Yoshiki will do us the honors. He will play piano for us."
The crowd erupted in cheers as Yoshiki took a seat at the piano for a rendition of KISS's most classic ballad "Beth", featuring drummer Eric Singer on lead vocals. Yoshiki then took Singer's spot behind the drums to close the show with KISS's party anthem "Rock And Roll All Nite".
Yoshiki, who has often cited KISS as an influence, previously covered the band's "Black Diamond" on the 1994 tribute album "Kiss My Ass".
The X JAPAN leader will reportedly perform with KISS again at the latter band's December 17 show at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka.
KISS kicked off its Japanese tour on December 8 at Xebio Arena in Sendai. The show was KISS's first as a four-piece since the band was forced to cancel its tour of Australia and New Zealand after Stanley was diagnosed with a bad case of the flu.
KISS's current lineup consists of original members Stanley and bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and Singer (on and off since 1991).
Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, drummer Peter Criss and lead guitarist Ace Frehley, KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup. | +3 | |
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15 дек 2019
WE SELL THE DEAD Feat. IN FLAMES, Ex-FIREWIND Members: Music Video For 'Black Sleep' Title Track
 WE SELL THE DEAD's sophomore album, "Black Sleep", will be released on February 21, 2020 via earMUSIC, bringing a riveting mix of dark and raw heavy metal with catchy songs about death as an integral part of life and living. The band has shared the video for the disc's title track. Check it out below.
"The term 'black sleep' is, of course, a metaphor for death," the band explains. "'Eternal sleep' is a somewhat more frequently used term, but we wanted an expression that sounded both sinister and soft at the same time. Because it is a quite beautiful thing — this short life of ours. Blink and it's over. And, most importantly, death is not the enemy. Indifference and life without meaning are. We are all going to die, eventually, all of us, sometime sooner or later. Life isn't about sitting and waiting for that to happen. Life is about taking what you've got and squeezing the most out of it."
WE SELL THE DEAD began in 2016 with Niclas Engelin (IN FLAMES, ENGEL) and Jonas Slättung (DRÖMRIKET). They were quickly joined by their old friend Apollo Papathanasio — the frontman for FIREWIND and SPIRITUAL BEGGARS — on vocals. Gas Lipstick, the drummer for the first album and a former member of HIM, has been replaced by ENGEL drummer Oscar Nilsson due to logistical circumstances. In addition, Petter Olsson joins the band as a full-time member on keys and thereby perfectly rounds out the quintet.
"Black Sleep" track listing:
01. Caravan
02. Across The Water
03. Black Sleep
04. Carved In Stone
05. The Light
06. Hour Of The Wolf
07. River In Your Blood
08. Nightmare And Dream
09. Scars In My Heart
10. Shallow Grave
WE SELL THE DEAD is:
Niclas Engelin - Guitar
Jonas Slättung - Bass
Apollo Papathanasio - Vocals
Oscar Nilsson - Drums
Petter Olsson - Keys
Photo credit: Vincent Laine | +6 | |
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Sevendust
