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5 сен 2024
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5 сен 2024
RICHIE FAULKNER Praises NUNO BETTENCOURT's Rise' Guitar Solo
 In a new interview with Ken Vantour of Let's Rock, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner was asked if hearing the guitar solo in EXTREME's song "Rise", which has been described by Guitar World magazine as "one of the 21st century's finest", makes him try harder to up his game. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think there's always an element, always has been, especially since I've joined PRIEST. You go from becoming a mediocre guitar player in a cover band to a mediocre guitar player in a real band. You know what I mean? So you've gotta think, like, 'Well, I can't do that stuff anymore. What am I gonna say? What's my fingerprint gonna be — a literal fingerprint? What's my voice gonna be?' So Nuno, Glenn [Tipton], K.K. [Downing]… I remember [PRIEST's] first 'Epitaph' tour, we were out with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and THIN LIZZY. So it was Scott Gorham, Damon Johnson, Zakk Wylde. How can you not raise your game or try to…? They raised the bar and you've gotta keep it there and keep it up there. And Nuno [Bettencourt, EXTREME guitarist] is no exception."
Faulkner continued: "We were just out with [EXTREME] — we played a couple of shows with them in Europe. And I watched from the side of the stage. And we were on right after them. So we have to go and get our [outfits] on, our leather and studs. So I couldn't watch the whole show. And I wanted to see the 'Rise' solo, but they put it at the fucking end of the show, so I couldn't see the solo. And that's what I wanted to see. But we met up with them after, and Nuno was very complimentary."
Circling back how he gets inspired by watching other guitarists play, Richie added: "I think everyone's got their own fingerprint, whether you like it or not. Even if you consider yourself a mediocre guitar player, you've got something that no one else has got, and that's my saving grace, anyway. You've got your own voice somewhere in there. But yeah, those guys always raise the bar. I was at a Joe Bonamassa gig last night, and Joe, along with Nuno, one of the best guitar players in the world, bar none. He knows his audience, he knows his band, he knows his instrument. And I've known Joe for a while now, maybe 15 years now, and he never ceases to amaze me. The mastery — you walk away from there and you wanna get back in the studio and it fires you up to raise the bar, to do better. That's what inspiration is — it's pure inspiration. That never ends, really.
"So, yeah, Nuno — without a doubt, without a doubt."
"Rise" was the first single to be shared from EXTREME's latest studio album, "Six", which arrived in June 2023 via earMUSIC.
Nuno played "Rise" live with his bandmates for the first time on May 1, 2023 during EXTREME's concert aboard the Monsters Of Rock cruise.
"Rise" has seen unprecedented success following its debut on March 1, 2023 alongside a fiery music video which has received nearly five million views to date. The critically acclaimed song has earned praise from international top tier media outlets, including Consequence, Classic Rock, Music Radar and Guitar World, in addition to accolades from such fellow musical peers as Brian May (QUEEN) and radio personality Howard Stern while peaking at No. 3 on the classic rock charts.
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5 сен 2024
See PANTERA Perform At Seattle's Lumen Field As Support Act For METALLICA
 Fan-filmed video of PANTERA's August 30 performance at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington as the support act for METALLICA can be seen below (courtesy of FirstRowConcert).
Prior to launching a five-date U.K./Ireland run in late February 2025, the reformed PANTERA, consisting of classic-lineup members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass),along with Zakk Wylde (guitar) and Charlie Benante (drums),will kick off a European tour on January 21, 2025 in Helsinki, Finland and hit cities in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland before concluding that portion of the trek on February 15 in Paris, France.
The five-show U.K./Ireland run will launch at the OVO Hydro arena in Glasgow on February 18 before continuing the following night (February 19) at First Direct Arena in Leeds, a gig at the 3Arena in Dublin on February 21, making a stop at BP Pulse Live in Birmingham on February 23, and concluding at London's OVO Arena Wembley on February 25.
In a recent interview with Sweetwater, Brown spoke about the decision to tour with a reformed version of PANTERA. The lineup has reportedly been given a green light by the estates of PANTERA's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. Rex said: "The last show, man, I had a creepy, like a cold — something came by me. It felt like there was a cold feeling. And I've gotten this a couple of times before. When we were down recording with Charlie — me and Charlie just went down [in late 2022], put up eighty to a hundred hours of tape before Zakk [started rehearsing with us]. Zakk was still on the road. So we wanted to get the bass and the drum real tight, and we had this scratch guitar player. I felt that same chill. And, to me, they're angels. And I think you know who they are. Those guys, I think they're looking down, or they're looking around us, with us, and I think they're digging what they're seeing, man. I really do. And that's the only kind of way I can look at it, and get as close as we can with Charlie and Zakk. And God, it's getting really, really good. And there's so much more potential to get even tighter."
Speaking about the opportunity to perform PANTERA's music to new generations of fans who never saw the band before, Rex said: "There's a lot of memories in this band that are hard to put down. And losing the brothers, I just never in a million years thought that something like that would happen. Here we are 22 years later, and to see these new fans' faces. You've got one kid sitting there, or man, woman or child crying, and you have this other guy just going, 'You did it right.' It's just amazing."
In April, Rex spoke to American Musical Supply about how touring with PANTERA in 2024 is different from how it was in the band's heyday. He said: "This is a completely different thing, man. We have Charlie and Zakk now, and they're just — number one, they've been great friends of ours for all these years. We get along extra super cool. Charlie and I went down, probably put about eighty, hundred hours on tape of all the songs we were gonna do for the set, and others that we would want to do. Charlie and I worked on this for six months before we ever got into a rehearsal room. That's just how good friends we are. Charlie has been one of my best friends for years. So, this is another band. It's hard to fill the shoes of the brothers. At the same time, this has become a really tight unit. And Zakk just puts the extra… Dime was a very unique guitar player, and he was my best friend, and it's good to see those boys up on the screens and with us. And that's what this is about tonight, for me."
Regarding how he and the rest of the current PANTERA lineup have balanced honoring the band's legacy with any new creative goals they might have, Rex said: "There's many ways that we wanna keep this legacy alive, 'cause the music is still played all over. We have a whole new generation of fans that, they probably wouldn't have heard this stuff if we weren't playing out here playing these shows. And so, that generation of fans — let's say the 15-to-18-year-old kids that come out — they'll shortly have children, and that keeps that new generation alive. And Phillip even says it in the set, the parents of the '90s, which I'm a parent of the '90s, it's a very important statement in the set because it's about the gratitude.
"We're not doing this for ourselves; we're doing it for the name and the brand PANTERA," he continued. "And by God, this music needs to be heard again. It does. It needed to for a long fucking time. And that's what we're here doing tonight… It's just wonderful to be able to do this and pay homage to my music, the riffs that I wrote, or the riffs that Dime wrote, or the patterns that Vinnie played, and for what Phil came up with — tremendous impact on this music."
Also in April, Rex told Rolling Stone Australia about performing with PANTERA in 2024: "Two of our beloved brothers that just aren't here anymore man, that's life, you know? They're just not with us man. That's just fate; it's the way the ball rolls, dude."
He added: "This is no tribute band — Philip and I get to play these songs of ours that we haven't played in 23 years. And to be able to do that and connect with the enormity of what's happened is just extraordinarily fucking insane, you know?"
Regarding PANTERA's latest additions, Rex said: "We knew who would fit and who wouldn't. We knew what the obstacles were in front of us, and we knew after… I'll put it this way — Charlie and I came down in September [2022] before we played that [first] show in December [2022], and we have probably one hundred hours of tape of us playing every fucking PANTERA song that I could remember. And so, you know, me and Charlie lockin' in like that… the drummer and the bass player, that's your foundation. So when Zakk came in, there were certain things we had to go over and over and over, to get tight. And today, this band is about as tight and about as badass as I fucking want. You know what I mean, and that's all I'm gonna say on that."
"But, man, this band is on fuckin' fire, and I couldn't be happier, man," he added. "I just can't explain that as much as I need to, I could not be happier."
Rex previously told AndrewHaug.com that he was "absolutely" open to writing new music with the reformed version of PANTERA. "Yeah, I could tell you more but I'm not going to," he teased.
Earlier in the chat, Brown talked about what is has been like to go out and perform as PANTERA to a whole new generation of fans.
"You can't see it on the YouTube. You can't feel that vibe until you actually come to the show," he explained. "And we haven't been doing interviews just for the fact we want people just to come to the show. It's not about anything prior past or present that I wanna talk about today — just the show tonight.
"We're pinching ourselves over these new fans that have never seen this before, and it's a whole another generation that we either didn't know a) that were out there, b) that were still listening to us, and the turnout has just been unbelievable," Rex continued. "Of course, at first you had the naysayers and all that stuff, and as we played gig by gig, it's made us tighter. And I've been trying to rehearse this band as much as I can within schedules, and we'll just go down for no fucking reason and just jam. That's what makes a band tight."
The reformed PANTERA is headlining a number of major festivals across North America, South America and Europe and staging some of its own headline concerts. They are also supporting METALLICA on a massive stadium tour in 2024.
It was first reported in July 2022 that Anselmo and Brown would unite with Wylde and Benante for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.
Asked how it feels playing those "timeless" songs again, Rex told AndrewHaug.com: "You just said it — they're timeless. So getting to play them again is a… These were a big part of Philip and I's songs too. Of course, respect to the brothers. I think that looking down on us and giving us a big — and they're with us. It's just uncanny. That's the glue. Those guys are hanging around with us.
"Look, I'm not some crazy old man, man. I know that we're here for reasons," Rex added. "And this time he gave us a heavy load, and we have come through in spades. And I'm very proud of Charlie and Zakk and Phillip for stepping up… All of us [were very close back in the day]. We were intertwined. There was a close-knit family of friends — Jerry Cantrell and all those guys, ALICE IN CHAINS. We were all brothers and we all had each other's backs — even as fucked up as we got. We're fine now, I'll put it that way. But it's just such a different time and we're older men and can appreciate this more. And I feel 25 years younger, man. It's just insane."
Addressing complaints from some fans that Brown and Anselmo are going out and touring under the PANTERA name even though Dimebag and Vinnie Paul are not involved, Rex said: "I don't call it anything. I call it PANTERA. The show itself is a celebration of the lives of all four of us. Two are sadly not with us, and we cannot bring them back. God, do I want them back. But that's just not possible. So we're doing the best thing that we can to keep our music alive. And I think they're smiling down and saying, 'You guys are doing all right, man.' And they're with us. And I'm not shittin' you."
Asked what his initial thoughts were when he was first approached about relaunching PANTERA as a touring act, Rex said: "Philip and I talked for several months before. He got on the phone and said, 'Hey, man, you wanna do it? I didn't have — maybe a six-second… not a hesitation, but just to wrap my head around the full gravity of the enormity of it. I went, 'Okay, I've got a couple of questions.' And, man, ever since that call we've worked really, really hard to get this thing going. And we've jumped over a lot of mountains."
Up until his passing in June 2018, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.
Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.
Vinnie, who was Dimebag's brother, and Anselmo had not spoken since PANTERA split in 2003. But the relationship got even more acrimonious when Vinnie suggested that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag's killer.
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5 сен 2024
Watch NERVOSA's Entire Bloodstock 2024 Show; Pro-Shot Video
 Thrash metal mavens, Nervosa, performed at Bloodstock Open Air 2024, in Walton-on-Trent, England on August 9. Professionally-filmed video of the band's entire set can be viewed below.
Setlist:
"Seed of Death"
"Death!"
"Kill the Silence"
"Perpetual Chaos"
"Venomous"
"Masked Betrayer"
"Jailbreak"
"Guided by Evil"
"Endless Ambition"
After their set, Nervosa vocalist / guitarist Prika Amaral and drummer Gabriela Abud spoke wtih Bloodstock TV’s Oran O’Beirne about the band's latest lineup changes, new music, and Sepultura’s retirement. The complete interview can be seen below; an excerpt has been transcribed as follows:
Prika Amaral: "All the girls that played in Nervosa were good for a certain period, and then things changed, like everything in our lives... But this time for me particular it was completely different because I have to start to sing; something that I never did before. Everything came up last minute, so I had to learn very quick. It's a huge challenge, because also I had new members in the band. So, it's many things to manage. So, this was a really big challenge for me. That's why it was the difference. Like, wow! Now I felt the difference of the lineup change."
Nervosa is about to embark upon their first ever headline tour of the US and Canada, beginning August 29. On the road for nearly a month-and-a-half, the tour will visit major locations such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Brooklyn, Montreal and Chicago - including seven total stops in Canada - coming to an end in mid-October. The tour will feature support from Lich King and Hatriot. Get your tickets here.
Nervosa's Prika Amaral about the upcoming North American tour: "We're excited to be coming to North America with an awesome lineup of new wave thrash metal. We have waited so long to get back and will be bringing a very special show for you all! Don't wait, get your tickets & VIP now. It's our jailbreak!"
Tour dates:
August
31 - Iowa City, IA - Wildwood
September
1 - Lincoln, NE - Cosmic Eye
2 - Denver, CO - HQ
4 - Salt Lake City, UT - Aces High Saloon
5 - Boise, ID - The Shredder
6 - Vancouver, BC, Canada - The Rickshaw Theater
7 - Seattle, WA - El | +1 | |
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5 сен 2024
Canada’s RED CAIN Releases Elden Ring Inspired Single “Firestarter”
 A year after their break-out third album, 2023's Näe'bliss, which had its single "Fisher King" nominated by Calgary's YYC Music Awards for "Metal Recording of The Year", power prog storytellers Red Cain return in 2024 with their first taste of new music.
Entitled "Firestarter", this first single of 2024 is loosely based on the lore of the action role-playing game Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. The band spent a lot of their time this year playing this fantastic release.
Elden Ring is not only a brilliant game and a visual masterpiece, but also a storytelling phenomenon that deliberately has lore gaps to let fans and players create their own stories and interpretations of the lore. This strongly resonates with Red Cain's approach as musicians, as they always write music for their fans to read in unique ways and weave into their mythology.
"Firestarter" is also a new statement for Red Cain, as they continue to embrace a modern sound and reinvent their songwriting. You will hear a lot more groove and synth backing on this one, along with the same anthemic hooks, technical riffs, and vocal layering they are known for. | 0 | |
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5 сен 2024
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5 сен 2024
DANHEIM Sign to Season of Mist, New Music Coming
 With roaring drums, ancient melodies, and the timeless whisper of Norse gods, Season of Mist proudly announces the signing of DANHEIM, the groundbreaking Nordic folk project helmed by Danish producer and musician, Reidar Schæfer Olsen.
Danheim, a titan of the Nordic folk scene, melds Viking age inspiration with an authentic Nordic ambiance, delivering a sound experience steeped in dark mythology and evocative storytelling. Reidar shares his heartfelt excitement:
“I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to work with Season of Mist. This partnership allows me to protect my creative work while giving me the freedom to focus entirely on making music that speaks to the spirit of my Viking heritage. Soon, you’ll be able to experience my music in new ways—through CDs, Vinyl and exclusive merchandise. I’m also excited to start working on new single releases and a new album under their banner.“
Danheim already stands as a colossus in the realm of Nordic folk with a staggering one billion streams and more than 585,000 dedicated YouTube subscribers. Known for tracks that transport listeners back to the Viking era, Danheim’s music has also been featured prominently in the hit TV series Vikings. His collaboration with Season of Mist promises new horizons, with upcoming singles and a brand-new album on the horizon, while remaining tethered to the soul of ancient Scandinavian lore.
More information:
Danheim is a Nordic folk/Viking-inspired project from the Copenhagen-based Danish producer Reidar Schæfer Olsen, a man with 10 years of experience in electronic and ambient music. He focuses on Nordic Folk and Viking-age inspired music with an authenticity or mood. His music is often composed of ideas and stories based on the darker side of the Viking period, inspired or consisting of Nordic Mythology, old Danish folklore and a vivid imagination.
Danheim hit 1 billion streams across streaming platforms in 2022. He has 585,000 subscribers on YouTube and has music featured in multiple seasons of the popular TV show Vikings.
Singer-songwriter Reidar Schæfer Olsen, (born in 1985, Brøndby, Denmark), transitioned to focus on music in the early 2000s and has been composing music almost continuously ever since, alongside doing radio shows and starting the indie label Fimbul Records.
With a passion for songwriting running through his veins from an early age, Reidar Olsen’s Viking-inspired music and dark melodies have broadened the Nordic folk genre and inspired millions of listeners around the world, bringing them back in time with a blend of his imagination and creativity. | 0 | |
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5 сен 2024
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5 сен 2024
VOLBEAT Frontman MICHAEL POULSEN's Death Metal Project ASINHELL Plays Final Concert Of 'Impii Hora' Touring Cycle
 ASINHELL, the new death metal band featuring VOLBEAT's Michael Poulsen, Marc Grewe (INSIDIOUS DISEASE, ex-MORGOTH) and Morten Toft Hansen (RAUNCHY),played the final concert of its 2024 run of shows on August 31 at the Næstved Metalfest in Næstved, Denmark. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.
Grewe has since taken to his social media to write: "Our show in Næstved marked the last show of the ASINHELL'Impii Hora' touring activities…
"I would like to thank my brothers Jacob, Flemming, Morten and Michael for an incredible ride throughout the last months, as well as our incredibly professional and hard-working crew, who made these last 3 months such a smooth and memorable experience…
"Only one year ago nobody would have thought that this would actually happen, as ASINHELL wasn't initially meant to be a touring band… but YOU… the fans and OSDM supporters made it actually possible…very humbled and thankful for that…I am pretty sure we'll meet again".
ASINHELL made its live debut on May 30 at Pumphuset in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Næstved Metalfest was the final show of ASINHELL's European tour in support of the band's debut album, "Impii Hora", which arrived in September 2023 via Metal Blade. The trek included festivals as well as intimate club shows.
Joining ASINHELL on the road were legendary Danish producer Jacob Hansen (ex-INVOCATOR) on bass as well as Flemming C. Lund of THE ARCANE ORDER on lead guitar, making the band's first live incarnation the same lineup that performed on "Impii Hora".
When ASINHELL's tour was first announced, Poulsen said in a statement: "It's time to bring the ASINHELL show to live (life)! Can't wait to go out and share the metal and horns with you all. See you ghouls out there very soon."
Added Grewe: "ASINHELL was never planned as a live band, but after the overwhelming reactions to our debut album, 'Impii Hora', we all had the same impulse: 'we have to bring the songs to the stage!' So here we are, and it's going to be fantastic to be sharing the stage with my good friends Michael, Morten, Jacob and Flemming. They are incredibly talented musicians, and it will be an honor for me to unfold the power of our songs full throttle in smaller clubs as well as the biggest festival stages I never dared to dream of playing… I really hope to meet a lot of you guys out there in June and enjoy a good dose of OSDM together… see ya in the pit!"
Morten Toft Hansen said: "I am excited to get out there and play the songs live. I'm sure the shows are gonna be full of fun and energy and it's gonna be great to meet some of our new fans out there."
For more than 20 years, vocalist/guitarist Poulsen has been spearheading Danish rock and roll machine VOLBEAT, releasing eight full-lengths, selling millions of albums, and filling stadiums worldwide. Before fronting VOLBEAT, however, Poulsen formed death metal band DOMINUS, which recorded four fast, brutal albums in the mid-'90s.
When Poulsen was putting together songs for VOLBEAT's 2021 album "Servant Of The Mind", he wrote a bunch of death metal riffs and saved them on his phone. Then, when he was done with the VOLBEAT record, he reopened the rusty gates to Armageddon and started putting together songs for "Impii Hora", which is a tribute to Poulsen's favorite old-school groups. The songs are rooted in crushing riffs yet injected with strong guitar hooks and shout-along refrains.
While Poulsen sings in VOLBEAT and sang for DOMINUS, he didn't want to front ASINHELL. So, in March 2022, he called his old friend, ex-MORGOTH singer Marc Grewe (also of INSIDIOUS DISEASE) and invited him to join the party.
In a recent interview with Shawn of "The Rockstar Radio Show" on 96.3 The Blaze, Poulsen stated about how the idea for ASINHELL came about: "As you probably know, you know, I started out as a death metal musician. Back in the days, I had a band called DOMINUS and we managed to release four albums on a Danish little label back in the day. So, yeah, it goes way back to where I was tape trading in 1990s. So it's been a lot of inspiration since then. So, you know, it kind of goes like 33 years back to where I started. I was very early out playing death metal — yeah, I think I started playing death metal when I was 16, 17 or something, and I started listening to extreme metal when I was about 13. So that kind of music has been there from the very beginning as a young kid. And I knew that when I ended DOMINUS, it was because the journey I was going into was a style of a lot of different styles that I couldn't combine in the death metal music. So I formed VOLBEAT where there was not so much rules about what you could do or what you could not do. So, as you can hear in the VOLBEAT music, there's a lot of different styles, but in ASINHELL, it definitely takes you back to all the stuff that I was, and still [am] listening to, as a young boy discovering extreme metal."
He continued: "For a long time, people have been asking me when I'm gonna return to death metal, and I said, 'I have no idea,' because the time that I'm using on VOLBEAT, it's a lot of time touring. We are constantly on the road and we are writing and being in the studio. So it was very difficult for me to answer a question like that. But when the pandemic came and I wrote [the] 'Servant Of The Mind' [album] for VOLBEAT, there were other riffs that came up where I said, 'Those riffs I'll put aside and keep them for another project when there was time for doing that. And that became the ASINHELL project.
"When we did 'Servant Of The Mind', we recorded a song called 'Becoming', and that was kind of a tribute to ENTOMBED and my good friend L.G. Petrov [late ENTOMBED singer]. And we all know that story, that L.G. passed away 'cause of cancer. Some days before he passed away, he was trying to call me. And the first time he called, I couldn't pick up. I was somewhere in a supermarket at the register paying for my groceries. And then later on he called me, but that was during the night, so I never pick up my phone during the night. And next thing I hear that he passed away. And so I was really bummed about that. And we kind of just then dedicated the VOLBEAT song 'Becoming' to L.G. and we put on this amazing BOSS pedal that makes this ugly, beautiful Swedish death metal sound. And I just got really inspired by that. And I told my guitar tech if he could find that pedal and then order it on the net and then I would probably start maybe working on some riffs. And the same day we talked about that, I was about to take my morning run and my iPod, just by coincidence, starts on ENTOMBED and I'm hearing L.G. screaming [singing], 'I'm full of hell.' And for me, that was a call from L.G., and I said to myself, 'This time, you're fucking picking up, Michael.' You are starting now. This is the time. And, actually, I wanted to call the band FULL OF HELL, but I quickly find out there was another band by that name. So I said, 'Okay, well, what do I do now?' So I changed it to as ASINHELL."
As for how he recruited his ASINHELL bandmates, ex-MORGOTH singer Marc Grewe (also of INSIDIOUS DISEASE) and RAUNCHY drummer Morten Toft Hansen, Poulsen said: "I was so inspired, and I live 10 minutes away from my drummer Morten, who has a daughter that's six years old, as my daughter [is], and they are hanging out together and having a good time. And Morten, now and then, he's active in his own band called RAUNCHY. They do not play live shows that much, but he still has his drums in the garage. And I kindly asked him if he wants to put some drums on a death metal project I had in mind. And he was totally up for it when I said, 'It's gonna be in the vein of DEATH, BOLT THROWER, AUTOPSY, GRAVE, ENTOMBED.' And that was totally his alley. So, he said, 'Where are we gonna rehearse?' And I said, 'Right here where we are standing.' And he said, 'In my garage?' 'Yeah, why not? Let's imagine that we're kind of 16, 17 years old again.' We didn't have money for expensive rehearsal rooms or anything that we have now. So I said, 'Let me just bring an amp and I'll turn it all to 11. No P.A. system, nothing. Just your drums. Don't mic it up. It's just an amp, and let's just do some riffing. I've got songs at home.' And it turned out that every Friday me and Morten would be jamming for two hours, and every Friday I came with a new song, and suddenly we were just looking at each other, like, 'Okay, we actually have songs for a whole album here.' And I ended up calling my good friend up, Marc Grewe, which was the former singer of legendary German [band] MORGOTH. I always thought that Marc had the best death metal voice in the scene, together with Chuck Schuldiner from DEATH. And for many years we talked about doing something together when the time was right. And I called him up and I said, 'You know what? I actually have our whole album. Are you ready?' [And he said], 'Hell yeah, I'm ready. Let's get to it.' I did some demo vocals on some of the recordings. And I asked Marc, 'How do you want me to record?' [And he said], 'Ah, just put your phone in the garage and press 'record' and then send it to me on your phone.' I said, 'Okay, it's gonna sound like a fucking mess.' [And he said], 'Yeah. That's how it should be like.' [Laughs] He said, 'That's how we did it back in the day with MORGOTH. We just put a ghetto blaster, a tape recorder in the rehearsal room and just pushed 'record' when we did rehearsal recordings.' [And I said], 'Yeah. Okay. Then that's how we're gonna do it.' So me and Morten made a lot of noise in that garage and I was putting down some demo vocals [for] Marc to get some inspiration. So I was just screaming and yelling down in my phone. And he said, 'Yeah, it's perfect. We could even release it like that.' [And I was, like], 'Yeah. Wait a minute.'"
According to Michael, two other guest musicians appear on the "Impii Hora", both of whom will be familiar to fans of VOLBEAT.
"We ended up using Jacob Hansen, our producer, as the bass player on the record, because he was there in the studio anyway. And I said, 'I'm not gonna play the bass. Let's do it different.' And so we just asked Jacob if he was into it, and he said, 'Yeah, I would love to.' So very quickly Jacob put down the bass. And I've been knowing Jacob since the INVOCATOR days, where he was active in INVOCATOR. So suddenly, having a great lineup with Marc from MORGOTH and Jacob from INVOCATOR, Morten from RAUNCHY — it was great. And then Morten said, 'Since we have this huge inspiration from DEATH, you should hear how Flemming [C. Lund], my good friend from THE ARCANE ORDER, is playing guitar. He can do those kind of DEATH solos. I knew Flemming from back in the days when I had that DOMINUS band. So I checked Flemming out and his solos in THE ARCANE ORDER, and I was blown away. And I gave Flemming a call and I asked him kindly if he was into it. And he totally understood where we were going with this, so he was very excited about it. So, yeah, he put down those solos."
Michael was equally excited to get ASINHELL's debut LP released via Metal Blade, a label which has consistently been at the forefront of the metal scene, from releasing the earliest material from METALLICA and SLAYER on the classic "Metal Massacre" compilations through to seminal releases from CANNIBAL CORPSE, GWAR, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, AMON AMARTH and many more.
"Brian Slagel from Metal Blade, he heard the songs and he was very, very, very into it, and he said, 'I would love to actually release this.' And for me, that was a dream come true," Michael said. "The legendary Brian Slagel from Metal Blade — we all know the story. So that was a dream come true. I remember being a young kid, tape trading and trying to get a record deal, but then so many years after, actually then ending up on Metal Blade with a new project called ASINHELL, that's beautiful. So I'm very excited about it and very proud of the record."
🔥Our show in Næstved marked the last show of the Asinhell „Impii Hora“ touring activities…I would like to thank my...
Posted by Marc Grewe on Tuesday, September 3, 2024 | +1 | |
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5 сен 2024
See Pro-Shot Video Of AMON AMARTH Performing 'Twilight Of The Thunder God' At 2024 BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR
 Professionally filmed video of AMON AMARTH performing the song "Twilight Of The Thunder God" on August 11 at the Bloodstock Open Air festival in Catton Park, Derbyshire, United Kingdom can be seen below.
In a recent interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, AMON AMARTH frontman Johan Hegg was asked if he and his bandmates have commenced work on the follow-up to 2022's "The Great Heathen Army" LP. He responded: "To be honest, we've been starting to talk about a new album, but we haven't started working on it yet. So we don't really know. That's the simple answer."
He added: "I've been working on some lyrical ideas. I know the [other] guys have some musical ideas, but we haven't started putting anything together yet. So it's just really in its infancy. So there's really nothing to say."
"The Great Heathen Army" was released in August 2022 via Metal Blade Records. The LP was recorded with acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap, who previously worked with the band on 2013's "Deceiver Of The Gods" and 2016's "Jomsviking" albums.
This past spring, AMON AMARTH returned to U.S. and Canadian stages on the "Metal Crushes All Tour 2024" produced by Live Nation. The 24-date journey included a raid at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver as well as arena stops in Portland, Vancouver, Quebec City, Asheville, Tampa, and Anaheim. Support was provided by special guests CANNIBAL CORPSE along with OBITUARY and FROZEN SOUL.
Hegg previously stated about "The Great Heathen Army": "Overall 'The Great Heathen Army' is one of the heavier albums we've made. There are some dark and heavy songs that are really powerful and in your face, but we obviously have some trademark melodic AMON AMARTH songs on there as well and a few surprises too. It's a really well-balanced album. It sounds great. Andy Sneap is awesome. It was great to be able to work with him again."
Guitarist Olavi Mikkonen added: "We've been away making new music and we're back with new darker, more death metal-sounding album. If 'Berserker' was our 'heavy metal' album, then 'The Great Heathen Army' is our 'death metal' album. But with that said, it's still very much contemporary AMON AMARTH, but perhaps style-wise we have gone back to our roots a little bit."
Formed in 1992, AMON AMARTH became modern metal greats the hard way. Ruthlessly dedicated to creating new music and taking it out on the road, the Swedes steadily built a formidable reputation as a ferocious live band and, as the years passed, were increasingly recognized for their recorded achievements too. Since the dawn of the millennium, AMON AMARTH has been unstoppable.
Breakthrough releases like 2006's "With Oden On Our Side" and its now-legendary follow-up, 2008's "Twilight Of The Thunder God" further cemented their popularity throughout the metal world, while the band's stage show evolved with each successive tour, transforming into one of modern metal's truly great spectacles. 2019's "Berserker" brought with it an epic, history-making trek across North America with fellow Swedes ARCH ENEMY, AT THE GATES and GRAND MAGUS and saw multiple sell-outs.
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5 сен 2024
Scotch Whisky Ballantine’s Honors ELTON JOHN, JOHN LENNON With True Music Icons Limited Editions
 Ballantine’s, the world’s second most popular Scotch whisky*, has revealed new additions to its True Music Icons collection, this year paying tribute to two of the most influential musicians of all time: Elton John and John Lennon.
The iconic artists, renowned for their unparalleled contributions to global music culture, inspired the collectable design for the iconic Ballantine’s Finest bottles, which will be available across the globe from this month.
This second release in the True Music Icons series follows the success of the inaugural collection last year, which paid homage to rock and roll legends AC/DC and Queen. This second edition comes hot on the heels of Ballantine’s celebrating a decade of its True Music platform, building on its rich heritage in music culture by celebrating artists who forge their own path, stay true to who they are, and do things their own way.
The new duo of limited-edition bottle designs has been perfectly crafted to capture the essence of the legendary musicians. Whilst one honours Elton John as one of the most iconic solo artists in history, known for his chart-topping hits, exceptional songwriting, and significant influence on popular culture, the other equally stunning bottle celebrates John Lennon, a writer and musician who changed history with his music. Both with The Beatles and as a hugely innovative solo artist, he challenged what rock music could be by constantly exploring and reinventing musical genres, while introducing the idea that music could be a vehicle for social and political change.
The editions also celebrate the friendship between Elton John and John Lennon, which culminated in John Lennon’s single release of ‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night’, featuring Elton John, and their legendary performance together at Madison Square Garden exactly 50 years ago, in 1974.
Each bottle showcases the unique personalities of these two music legends and is a testament to Ballantine’s ongoing commitment to championing global music culture, offering whisky lovers and music fans alike collectable products and unforgettable experiences. The True Music Icons John Lennon Edition bottle design incorporates Lennon’s official logo, famous self-portrait sketch and iconography, reflecting his multifaceted artistic legacy, whereas the Elton John Edition is inspired by his legendary live performance at Dodger Stadium in 1975, with the design featuring a holographic version of his ‘E’ star logo mirroring the artwork on his Diamonds Greatest Hits collection.
Paul-Andre Vacheron, Global Marketing Director for Ballantine’s at Chivas Brothers, commented: “Ballantine's has a rich heritage
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5 сен 2024
Poland's THAW To Release Fading Backwards Album In October; "The Great Devourer" Single Streaming
 Poland's experimental black metal five-piece, Thaw, reveals details of its new studio album and follow-up to Grain" from 2017. Titled Fading Backwards, the album is set for release on October 25 via Agonia Records and will be accompanied by a tour of Poland. The song "The Great Devourer" serves as the album's lead single, available for streaming below.
Thaw is thrilled to announce the release of their new album, marking their long-awaited return after years of hiatus. The album, featuring six tracks, is the quintessence of the band's musical identity, showcasing their unique sound in a new light.
The musical layer on Thaw's new album truly captures the essence of the band, combining vibrant sounds with heavy, low-tuned guitars. These powerful sounds are further enriched with noisy electronics, adding depth and character to each track.
Most of the music were recorded live, giving the tracks a rawness and authenticity, and then carefully overdubbed to achieve the optimal sound. However, it is not just the instruments that define this album. The approach to the vocal parts is completely new.
The entire album was recorded at the renowned Monochrom Studio (Behemoth, Entropia), where Thaw could fully exploit their artistic potential, creating sounds that are both powerful and full of subtle nuances.
Thaw, known for their relentless pursuit of new forms of expression, proves with this album that their musical journey is far from over. The new record is not only a return to their roots but also a step forward, showing that the band still has a lot to offer.
"We are happy and excited that the new Thaw album will finally see the light of day," comments Thaw. "We know that the process of writing and recording this latest album took a significant amount of time. However, we are satisfied with the final result and are eager to see the world's reaction to what will soon be presented to all of you."
Fading Backwards was mixed and mastered by Haldor Grunberg and Krzysztof Kurek at Satanic Audio (Pestilence, Azarath, Behemoth). The cover artwork was designed by Artur Masternak.
Formats:
- Digipak CD
- Color in color LP
- Marble LP
- MC
- Digital
Clothing:
- T-shirt
Pre-order here.
Tracklisting:
"The Great Devourer"
"A Place Where Repetition Dwells"
"Wartenberg Wheel"
"In The Laughter and the Stride"
"Dissociate Me/Spreader Bar"
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5 сен 2024
STRYPER's MICHAEL SWEET Says He Has 'Never Been A Big METALLICA Fan': 'It'd Be Hard For Me To Name One Song'
 In a new interview with Robert Cavuoto of Myglobalmind, STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet was asked if he went to see METALLICA when the legendary metal outfit performed in his home state of Massachusetts recently. Michael responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I didn't, man. And I'll be honest. I'll tell you. I've gone on record to say this. I respect METALLICA. I get why everyone else loves METALLICA. And they've obviously — they're legendary. I've never been a big METALLICA fan. I don't listen to METALLICA. It'd be hard for me to name one song. Maybe I could name one or two songs. I'm just not a big METALLICA fan. I don't get excited about that style of metal. I get excited about [JUDAS] PRIEST style of metal, [IRON] MAIDEN style of metal. Even PANTERA, which, obviously, you hear a lot of METALLICA's influence on PANTERA. But I get excited about that. We played with PANTERA in Mexico and there's an energy, man, that's just indescribable. And we played with METALLICA before, too, back in the day, when Dave [Mustaine] was still in the band. So I know about METALLICA, and it's not like I'm not educated. And I've heard them. I've seen them. Of course. But I don't know. There's just something about METALLICA that just doesn't do it for me personally. But hey, man, God bless 'em. Amazing, legendary band who has proven to be a force."
STRYPER's new album, "When We Were Kings", is due on September 13 via Frontiers Music Srl.
STRYPER's 40th-anniversary tour will begin this fall. The dates kick off September 11 in Greenville, Tennessee and conclude November 16 in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
STRYPER's 40th-anniversary tour will be a celebration of both classic hits and new-era fan favorites, including outfit changes and an exciting new show production. In most cities, this will be a two-set "evening with"-style show.
Formed 41 years ago, STRYPER's name comes from Isaiah 53:5, which states: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
STRYPER's albums include "To Hell With The Devil", "Second Coming", "No More Hell To Pay", "Fallen", "God Damn Evil", "Even The Devil Believes" and "The Final Battle".
Michael is joined in STRYPER by his brother Robert Sweet (drums),Oz Fox (guitar) and Perry Richardson (bass).
STRYPER's "To Hell With The Amps: The Unplugged Tour" kicked off in late May. For the first time ever, the Christian rockers staged a full tour where they performed their hits and fan favorites acoustically.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Michael Sweet (@michaelsweetstryper) | +5 | |
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5 сен 2024
GRAVENOIRE Stream Debut Album “Devant La Porte Des Étoiles”, Out Today
 In the shadows where the ancient and the arcane coalesce, GRAVENOIRE rises, shrouded in mist and whispers of forgotten rites.
The band is an assembly of black metal luminaries: RMS Hreidmarr (Anorexia Nervosa, Bâ’a), Maximillien Brigliadori and Emmanuel Zuccaro (Bâ’a) and Vicomte Vampyr Arkames (Ad Inferna, ex-Seth). Their debut album, Devant La Porte Des Étoiles is an unflinching homage to raw and visceral ’90s black metal.
Devant La Porte Des Étoilescomes out today, August 23, and you can listen to all six mystical songs by listening to the full album stream on Black Metal Promotions YouTube channel.
Order your journey into the shadows here: https://orcd.co/gravenoiredevantlaportedesetoiles
Formed in 2022, Gravenoire channels an uncompromising vision, meticulously crafted in the crucible of live rehearsals, devoid of digital taint. From the incantation of the instrumental Pavens to the desolate hymn Granit, every track serves as a ritualistic tome, scrawled with rebellion, mysticism, and an insatiable desire for transcendence.
Tracklist:1. Pavens (1:27)
2. France de l’Ombre (5:53) [WATCH]
3. Ordo Opera Cultura (4:03) [LISTEN]
4. Aux Chiens (4:18)
5. Granit (5:21)
6. Gravenoire (4:11)
Total runtime: 25:16
Cover Art: Aude Sine
GRAVENOIRE was formed in early 2022 by Maximilien Brigliadori (BÂ’A, Diablation, former Hyrgal), Emmanuel Zuccaro (BÂ’A, Verfallen, former Hyrgal), Vicomte Vampyr Arkames (Diablation (former Seth / Ad-Inferna) and RMS Hreidmarr (Glaciation, BÂ’A, former Anorexia Nervosa / The CNK), with the clear intention of reconnecting with their past and a somewhat uncompromising vision of 90s Black Metal.
The band’s first album, “Devant La Porte Des Étoiles“, was recorded live on rehearsal, with no tracking, no triggers, no click track, no artifice. No compromise with reality, for it is through it and by it that we foresee other dimensions.
GRAVENOIRE is not, however, merely nostalgic or backward-looking; it’s a project deeply rooted in its native lands, in their popular as well as spiritual and mystical traditions, drawing its essence from sacred places, cosmic architecture and primordial telluric forces. “The cosmos is a revolving door”.
Line-up:
Maximilien Brigliadori – Guitars, Bass Guitar
Emmanuel Zuccaro – Drums, Keys
Vicomte Vampyr Arkames – Vocals
RMS Hreidmarr – Vocals
Recording Studio:
Gravenoire Rehearsal Room, Location Unknown
Production Credits:
Produced & Engineered by Gravenoire
Mixed & Mastered by Arnaud Ménard at Sicarius Productions | 0 | |
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5 сен 2024
DECIMATOR Sign with Wormholedeath for Crushing New Album “Til The Enemies Are Gone”
 Prepare for sonic warfare! Australian heavy metal juggernaut Decimator has inked a deal with Wormholedeath Records for the release of their earth-shattering album “Til The Enemies Are Gone”, dropping on October 4th, 2024.
Decimator, founded by Lance Holland-Keen and Mike Le Macchia in January 2021 out of their mutual love for thrash and old-school metal, originates from South/West Sydney, Australia. Despite navigating COVID lockdowns and lineup changes, the band played their inaugural live show in September 2022 with Lance on guitar and vocals, Mike on guitar, Bon Lowe on drums, and John Montibeler on bass.
Shortly after their debut, John faced a medical issue, leading to Kim Ross briefly filling in before Coen Winchester joined permanently, mastering the set in just one month. The lineup of Lance, Mike, Bon, and Coen went on to perform shows in October and November 2022. By December, Ethan Reeves replaced Mike on guitar.
Their album “Til the Enemies Are Gone” was recorded in a day session at Powell Lane Studios, Coogee, NSW, Australia in September 2023, yielding nine tracks. Originally intending “Warriors” as their debut single in 2022, the band opted for “Killdozer” as their 2024 release, featuring songs composed by a lineup that initially performed together only once.
Embracing a DIY ethos akin to old-school metal, Decimator’s album explores themes of human emotion, suffering, mental health, loss, historical references, and contemporary events through Lance’s lyrics.
The band returns to the studio in July for a double single, featuring an early composition and a new recording of “Warriors.” They plan to record a full album of fresh material in late 2024/early 2025 for release in early 2025, showcasing the current four-piece lineup exclusively.
Tracklisting:
Burn The Truth
The Rock
Legions
Phantoms
Blackened Skies
The Blade
Decimator
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5 сен 2024
ANOMALIE Streaming “Perpetual Twilight” Single From Upcoming Riverchild Album
 Austrian post-black metal act Anomalie will release their fifth full-length album Riverchild on November 1 via AOP Records. First single “Perpetual Twilight” is streaming below.
Riverchild was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Victor Santura at Woodshed Studio in Bavaria, Germany.
Born and raised along the rural shores of the Danube River, the element of water has always had a shaping impact on Marrok's perception of nature and life in general. Throughout the new Anomalie album Riverchild, he drew a musical portrait of an entity still present around this immense stream which had always nurtured and taken lives equally, a force able of spending hope and wisdom but also possesses the strength and wrath to destroy and destruct.
Comparable to the multiple faces of a colossal river like the Danube, the music on Riverchild provides a diverse range of facets taking the listener on a journey full of profound and honest emotions expressed through aggressive outbursts of pure black metal dissonance as well as fragile moments of introspective calmness. Anomalie once again asks for focus and patience, but offers a wider range of rewarding layers than ever before.
Album formats:
-Digipak
-Black double vinyl in gatefold cover
-Glacial River double vinyl in gatefold cover (limited 99)
-Digital
Preorder at the AOP Records webshop.
Cover art by Misanthropic Art:
Tracklisting:
“Mother Of Stars”
“An Unforgiving Tide”
“Perpetual Twilight”
“Heart To Beat”
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5 сен 2024
AMORPHIS – Relapse Records Releases Collection Of Rarities
 Relapse Records has released a collection of rare tracks from Amorphis titled Rarities 1991 – 2001.
The 12-track set features EPs and rarities spanning the Finnish legends’ early years. The album is available digitally, CD, and light blue vinyl.
Order on Bandcamp.
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5 сен 2024
ACCEPT's WOLF HOFFMANN Marries Violinist AVA-REBEKAH RAHMAN; Photos
 Congratulations to Accept guitarist Wolf Hoffmann, and violinist Ava-Rebekah Rahman, who recently tied the knot in a "secret" ceremony.
Accept shared the news earlier today via social media, writing: "HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to our guitar legend Wolf Hoffmann and violinist Ava Rahman on their marriage!!
"Their love story began on stage, where they fell in love on stage during the Accept Symphonic Terror tour and the 2 had a musical and personal chemistry that shook their worlds forever! Last week they tied the knot in a secret Bengali Tantric wedding ceremony.
"Join us in wishing them a lifetime of joy, prosperity, love and wild beautiful music!
"You can Follow along as Wolf and Ava share their music, journey and life as a musical couple on their newly launched SM platforms!"
Facebook: WOLF & AVA
IG: @wolfandavaproject
TikTok: @wolf&ava
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5 сен 2024
KK'S PRIEST Releases Music Video For 'The Sinner Rides Again'
 KK'S PRIEST, which features former JUDAS PRIEST members K.K. Downing (guitar) and Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals),alongside guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE),has shared the official music video for the track "The Sinner Rides Again". The song is taken from KK'S PRIEST's sophomore album, "The Sinner Rides Again", which came out in September 2023 via the Austrian label Napalm Records.
KK'S PRIEST and German/American metal legends ACCEPT kicked off their joint North American tour on August 31 in Los Angeles, California, visiting a slew of major cities in the USA and Canada — such as Toronto, Montreal, New York and Nashville — before coming to an end in San Francisco, California on October 7.
KK'S PRIEST added two PRIEST classics to its setlist on KK'S PRIEST's recent European tour: "Sinner" and PRIEST's version of the Joan Baez song "Diamonds And Rust".
KK'S PRIEST's first-ever U.S. headlining tour, which featured support from L.A. GUNS and BURNING WITCHES, launched on March 7 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and concluded on March 24 at Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania.
KK'S PRIEST made its live debut on July 6, 2023 at Downing's KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.
K.K. formed KK'S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his offer to rejoin the band for their 50th-anniversary tour. It followed a couple of celebrated stage appearances, first with former MANOWAR guitarist Ross The Boss in the summer of 2019, then with a one-off lineup that included former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former PRIEST drummer Les Binks later that year.
KK'S PRIEST released its debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.
Downing spent four months writing and recording "Sermons Of The Sinner" and, along with new ideas, he even resurrected a few archived riffs from the 1980s.
Downing was reunited with JUDAS PRIEST for a performance at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in November 2022 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.
Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, nearly three decades his junior.
In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band's 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.
In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."
Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.
Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.
Photo credit: Sam Singer (courtesy of Napalm Records / Freeman Promotions)
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4 сен 2024
FILTER Shares Animated Music Video For 'Burn Out The Sun'
 FILTER has released the official music video for the song "Burn Out The Sun" featuring animation by Mark Lupo. Check it out below.
"Burn Out The Sun" is taken from FILTER's latest album, "The Algorithm", which came out in August 2023 via Golden Robot Records.
Prior to "The Algorithm"'s arrival, FILTER frontman Richard Patrick was asked by Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station what fans will really enjoy about the record. Richard said: "I think people are gonna like the heaviness. I love music that makes me just wanna get up and run or drive a car really fast or something like that. But I think people, they're gonna feel like the way they did during 'The Amalgamut' or 'Title Of Record' or 'Short Bus'. It reminds me of the first three records that we did on Warner Brothers. And those are definitely some great years. So it kind of reminds me of that. 'Cause I took a real heavy hand in production — I really, really, really made sure that I was happy before anybody. For the past 10 years, I've really relied on producers and songwriters and stuff like that, which I love, I love working with them, but this year I bought a computer and I sat there and recorded everything on my own with the exception of two or maybe five songs where I asked for outside collaboration… I really did apply myself and I made sure that it sounded like old-school FILTER."
Asked if the throwback to old-school FILTER was intentional or if it just turned out that way, Richard said: "I think it just naturally kind of went that way. 'Cause I'm not a big planner of what I'm gonna do. I don't navigate through, like, 'Oh, it's getting too much like this' or 'It's getting too much like that. Stay on target, stay with the plan.' I try and go with the flow on the record and see what it wants to be. And then when I'm done, [I] come up with the title and the visuals and everything like that."
In June 2023, Patrick told Michael Presti of the 99WNRR radio station that "The Algorithm" reminded him of FILTER's third album, 2002's "The Amalgamut". "It's kind of a little bit of a return to 'The Amalgamut'," he said. "It's so bombastic. There's so many bangers on this record. And 'The Algorithm', it's a little bit more a part of the times."
Regarding the lyrical inspiration for "The Algorithm", which previously had the working title "They Got Us Right Where They Want Us, At Each Other's Throats", Richard said: "I'm still bitching, but I'm not as outwardly bitching; I'm not taking sides as much on this record. I'm bitching and I'm talking about liars and cheaters and thieves. It's just that I'm not literally calling everybody out, like I did on the other two songs that came out," referencing 2020's "Murica" and "Thoughts And Prayers".
Patrick explained why "Murica" and "Thoughts And Prayers" did not appear on "The Algorithm", saying: "[Those two songs were] supposed to be on a whole record called 'Murica', but I decided those two songs just kind of live on their own, and they kind of reference each other," he explained. "And then when I started working on this new collection of songs, I just figured it was a whole new record."
Circling back to the topics covered on "The Algorithm", Richard said: "I'm still complaining politically, but I'm just not so outward. There's another thing — a friend of mine is drowning from alcoholism, and I talk about him in a couple of the songs, a song called 'The Drowning'. But most of it is just me kind of reflecting on humanity and just kind of saying, 'Are you checking yourself on this? Are you watching how we're behaving?' 'Cause our government and the way we are behaving as a [whole] is just the bitchiest, juvenile shit I've ever seen. It's just ridiculous."
Originally conceived in 2018 as a collaboration between Patrick and fellow FILTER founding member Brian Liesegang, the band's new album was given a tentative title, "ReBus", as a nod to FILTER's 1995 debut, "Short Bus", before being changed to "They Got Us Right Where They Want Us, At Each Other's Throats" and later to "Murica" and then back to "They Got Us Right Where They Want Us, At Each Other's Throats". Patrick eventually settled on "The Algorithm".
FILTER is currently on the 2024 leg of the "Freaks On Parade" tour with ROB ZOMBIE, ALICE COOPER and MINISTRY.
Photo credit: Chapman Baehler | 0 | |
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4 сен 2024
MASTER BOOT RECORD Unleashes "CPU" Single; Hardwarez Album Due In October
 "CPU" is the latest single from Master Boot Record (MBR). The track comes by way of Hardwarez, the forthcoming third full-length from the Rome, Italy-based electronic metal project, set for release on October 11 via Metal Blade Records.
Hardwarez sees multi-instrumentalist and MBR mastermind Vittorio D'Amore (aka Victor Love) aurally exploring the duality of technology and humanity in nine intense and incandescent tracks. The LP, which follows 2022's Personal Computer and 2020's Floppy Disk Overdrive, comes from the expansive mind of Love, an Italian producer who emerged from the underground as an anonymous project in 2016 to create the soundtrack for the cyberpunk point-and-click adventure game VirtuaVerse. The project seamlessly evolved into a standalone entity, releasing over fourteen albums in just a few years.
To create Hardwarez, the technologist worked by live streaming his desktop on YouTube while composing new music. Everything is programmed via MIDI. "The very first song I wrote is actually also the first single, 'CPU,'" he says. "Even though the other songs on the album have a quite different style, the type of riffing and the different melodic section of this track worked as a base to upgrade the sound before moving forward." "CPU" is also where Love decided to test the real guitar overdubs and was inspired by the results.
"While the early compositions happened during live streams, I added rhythm guitar overdubs off the records in the final stages," Love continues. "This synergy with the synth guitars creates a massive and powerful sound in the studio, just as it does during our live performances. Shreddy also recorded the lead guitars along the chiptune leads adding a lot of attack and an unique energy to the solo sections.The overall production level is much higher than previous releases, contributing to a new, upgraded signature sound.
"With this album the 486DX-33MHz-64MB becomes sentient through human augmentation. For we may become better humans with their help, but machines still need us to shine."
Stream Master Boot Record's "CPU" below.
The album title merges the term "Hardware" with "warez," also known as The Scene, more commonly known as the scene of cracks and pirated software which has been influential to Love in terms of crack and keygen music. While Love also organically began listening to electronic music, acid techno, industrial and synth pop, he also "grew up in the '90s through all the grunge, nu-metal and industrial scene."
Old-school metal as well as '80s and '90s movies and video games - and music from these - also play a role in Love's musical DNA. His years of music and computer fanaticism is all manifested in Master Boot Record and Hardwarez. "What I'm doing with this album and to an extent with previous ones, is to mix the sounds of cracks, keygen, demoscene and video game-inspired chiptune with heavy metal and classical music using hardware and computers to produce it."
Hardwarez will see release on CD and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants:
- Hard Disk (US)
- Computer Terminal Green (US)
- 180g Black (EU)
- Ride The Lightning (EU)
- Collector's Dream (EU - Ltd. 200)
Pre-order Hardwarez here.
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4 сен 2024
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4 сен 2024
SCORPIONS Guitarist MATTHIAS JABS Says 'Bad Accident' Resulted In Broken Hand And Foot
 Last month, German hard rock legends SCORPIONS were forced to cancel their previously announced tour dates in their home country due to an injury sustained by guitarist Matthias Jabs. Jabs's injury requires surgery and subsequent rehabilitation.
Earlier today (Wednesday, September 4),Matthias released the following statement about his condition: "Dear fans and friends, as you might have heard already, I had a bad accident in my rented summer house. I fell down the stairs with 16 steps and broke my left pinky twice and I also broke my left heel. I had surgeries on both, hand and foot, by the best specialists I could find in Hamburg. Now it is time to heal and start the physical rehabilitation for a speedy recovery.
"I will try everything to be able to play guitar again on stage as soon as possible.
"I am sorry to tell you, that the shows in September won't be happening, but I am very optimistic that we will see us again very soon.
"Rock n Roll forever, Yours Matthias".
The following concerts are affected:
Sep. 11 - Nuremberg, Germany @ Arena Nurnberger Versicherung
Sep. 13 - Hamburg, Germany @ Barclays Arena
Sep. 15 - Leipzig, Germany @ Quarterback Immobilien Arena
Sep. 18 - Cologne, Germany @ LANXESS Arena
Sep. 20 - Frankfurt, Germany @ Festhalle
The cancellation hits the SCORPIONS hard, as they were in the final stretch of their "Love At First Sting" world tour. They deeply regret this decision and apologize to the more than 40,000 fans who have already purchased tickets, as well as to the event organizers.
The band said in a statement: "We deeply regret, especially Matthias Jabs, that due to the accident of our friend and SCORPIONS lead guitarist, the five concerts on our German tour cannot take place in September as planned and we will work closely with the tour organizer to announce new information as soon as possible. We kindly ask for your understanding from all our fans, all the Rock Believers in Germany who were looking forward to the shows with us."
Ticket holders will receive further information directly from their point of purchase.
SCORPIONS' only continuous member has been guitarist Rudolf Schenker, although singer Klaus Meine has appeared on all of the band's studio albums, while Jabs has been a consistent member since 1978, and bassist Paweł Mąciwoda and drummer Mikkey Dee have been in the band since 2003 and 2016, respectively.
SCORPIONS' latest album, "Rock Believer", was released in February 2022. The LP was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.
Liebe Fans und Freunde, wie ihr vielleicht schon gehört habt, bin ich in unserem gemieteten Ferienhaus auf Sylt die...
Posted by Scorpions on Wednesday, September 4, 2024
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4 сен 2024
KROKUS Frontman MARC STORACE Returns With New Single 'Rock This City'
 STORACE, Swiss rock legend Marc Storace's eponymous band, returns with a new single, "Rock This City". Out today via Frontiers Music Srl, the track is accompanied by a new visualizer video which is available below.
Commenting on the single, Marc had this to say: "'Rock This City' is about a relationship gone wrong saved by a young man's ability to snap out of his negative state of mind to win back the love of his life. A great song for our live shows!"
Maltese-born-Swiss musician Marc Storace started his exceptional musical career in 1970, with the Swiss cult progressive band TEA, which became a very successful band and with whom he released five LPs. Marc gained attention for his frontmanship and high-pitched raunchy vocal tone.
In 1979, Marc became the voice of KROKUS, the most successful hard rock band from Switzerland. After their first album with Marc, "Metal Rendez-Vous", KROKUS played several world tours, sold over 15 million records, and won many gold and platinum awards.
After the group disbanded, Marc formed the band BLUE, who released their self-titled album in 1991, including the widely known hit "You Can't Stop The Rainfall".
In the 1990s and 2000s, Marc acted in two feature films ("Anuk" and "Handyman") and reached gold status with various KROKUS formations and three LPs. With many guest appearances such as on "Rock Meets Classic", SWEET 50th anniversary, Ken Hensley live in Switzerland, "Schubert In Rock", and on Manfred Ehlert's albums "Amen" and the rock opera "Test", Marc remained present with his fans.
In 2008, fans were surprised by the news that the original KROKUS formation would be touring again. The success was tremendous: tours in USA, Japan, Europe and South America as well as two new studio LPs, which, in turn, earned platinum status. In December 2019, KROKUS played a farewell concert at the sold-out Hallenstadion in Zurich.
At the beginning of 2021, Marc started working on his solo career as STORACE and at the end of 2021, he released his first solo album "Live And Let Live". In the middle of the pandemic, Marc started his first tour in Switzerland accompanied by the album's studio band. Since May 2022, Marc has been performing with his new band and rocking the stage like never before.
STORACE is:
Marc Storace - Vocals
Dom Favez - Rhythm Guitar
Serge Christen - Lead Guitar
Patrick Aeby - Drums
Emi Meyer - Bass
KROKUS has been playing sporadic shows in recent years, including the Riverside Aarburg festival in August 2023.
In September 2022, KROKUS played a special concert on the steps of the St. Ursus Cathedral in Solothurn, Switzerland. In addition, Solothurn honored the band with a "Stone Of Honor" on its 2000th anniversary. KROKUS also returned to the "holy ground of rock" in Switzerland, the Hallenstadion in Zürich, on May 6, 2023.
Four years ago, KROKUS postponed what was supposed to be the band's last-ever concerts in USA and Canada due to the coronavirus pandemic that was sweeping the globe.
When KROKUS first announced its decision to embark on a farewell tour in September 2018, the band explained in a statement: "KROKUS shows have always been special and should stay that way. That's why we decided to stop when it's still really good. That's how the fans should remember us."
Formed in 1975, KROKUS has sold over 15 million records, toured the world, and received gold and platinum discs in the USA and Canada. KROKUS was also the first Swiss band to sell out Hallenstadion and has received a diamond disc for selling one million albums in Switzerland alone.
In the course of its career, KROKUS has rocked over 2,000 shows on five continents, countless cities, unique locations, crazy gigs, and loyal fans.
English rock journalist Malcolm Dome quite rightly said: "If you look at the long-term output of this band, KROKUS is clearly one of the best hard rock bands of the last 40 years."
Photo credit: Frank Kollby
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4 сен 2024
Ex-NIGHTWISH Bassist/Vocalist MARKO HIETALA Unveils New Single 'Frankenstein's Wife'
 Former NIGHTWISH bassist/vocalist Marko Hietala is back with a mesmerizing new single, "Frankenstein's Wife", a tragic love song that blends dark humor with haunting melodies. Released today, this rock hymn is a journey into the gothic world of a mad scientist's desperate attempt to reanimate the love of his life.
With its Tim Burton-like gothic qualities, "Frankenstein's Wife" is both eerie and enchanting. The song showcases Marko's signature storytelling, combining a great guitar riff and haunting keyboards that build into a chorus you can’t help but sing along to.
Hietala comments: "I like to write my romance mixed with insanity and splatter. What it tells about me is anyone's guess, but it sure is a classic combo for legends. Hope you like the song too!"
Producer and guitarist Tuomas Wäinölä adds: "Production-wise, 'Frank' includes some personal favorite moments catching the vibe of the great Alice Cooper albums 'Trash' and 'Hey Stoopid'. I love that theatrical arena rock sound with broad tempos, big guitar riffs and synths and some gang backing vocals."
The music video, premiering alongside the single, brings this darkly romantic tale to life in a visually stunning way, adding layers of depth to an already unforgettable song.
In September, Hietala will join ex-NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen on a European tour and fans will have the chance to see those two iconic voices reunited on stage once again. Both acts will play their own sets and will also join together for some songs.
Hietala announced his departure from NIGHTWISH in January 2021, explaining in a statement that he hadn't "been able to feel validated by this life for a quite a few years now." He has since been replaced by bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN),who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences.
This past March, Hietala was asked by Brazil's Ibagenscast if he would consider taking part in a reunion of the band's classic lineup, either for a tour or fresh material. He responded: "Hmm, I would consider it. But I think that the organization there would have to be looked very carefully into it and some of it would have to be dismantled. Because the business side and how the people there work, they are one of the big reasons why I left."
He continued: "In all the bands that I've been [in], I found out that I'm probably the most kind of courageous person there is and therefore also I have the inner strength to be the most honest and most fair and the one who upholds the justice between the people and taking care of everyone most. And that is something that I saw, the last years, were lacking. So, these kind of things would have to be taken care of. But I mean, [NIGHTWISH] was a big part of my life and I always, always backed up the music that we did because I love to do music that is versatile and ambitious with a lot of all kinds of atmospheres of all the world, from sensitive and soft into the big and pounding metal and all that. So, musically, I have no regrets at all. I'm happy and proud to have been a part of it. But, yeah, the organizational situation and the attitudes and who talks to whom and about what, those are things that I would totally dismantle and make into a transparent situation."
In an August 2022 interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Hietala revealed that he went through a dark period in his life, which included depression, insomnia, anxiety and an eventual attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. Speaking about how he eventually came to the realization that exiting NIGHTWISH was the right thing to do, Marko said: "It was a long process. Of course, the COVID year that was there, where I had a lot of time for soul searching, it obviously gave me the last incentive that I need something else, that if I just continue with this I'm just gonna get sicker and sicker. But, of course, it's a process.
"I've been chronic depressive since 2010 [or] 2011, so I've been on a permanent medication ever since," he revealed. "Sometimes you get used to the meds [and] you will need more. We did raise [the dosage] during the years also, but it just didn't work. And now that I started to do… I had psychotherapy for over four years now, and then I also talked to psychiatrists and some doctors and did that also in Spain. Then my psychiatrist here in Finland said that I should do these ADHD neuropsychological tests, which I then did in Spain. And, okay, I got it."
Hietala reiterated that he "had been thinking about" leaving NIGHTWISH "for a while" before making the final decision. "Because I had a lot of weight. And I tend to… With the attention disorder, it tells me that when there are lots of trouble, then the disorder makes it into a real chaos," he explained. "There's a shitload of stuff coming and going and no peace anywhere. And for a year or two, I was already waking up every night at three o'clock to bad dreams and anxiety. So I'd say that the whole process probably started already with my former divorce [in 2016]. That was a very sad time when you think about your kids and your broken homes and all that. And then, when I started to get clear from that, then there were, well, all kinds of things. I don't really wanna go any deeper to what kind of things I'd gone through, but I'd gone through enough."
Acknowledging that making NIGHTWISH's latest studio album, 2020's "Human. :II: Nature.", was a "difficult" experience for him, Marko denied that his mental state at the time resulted in a diminished role for him on the final LP. "I think the original idea was to have that… we'll do a couple of [solo vocal appearances], or one solo for me and Troy [Donockley], and the rest Floor [Jansen], and then the harmonies; that was the idea originally for that," he said. "So I don't know if it affected. I think it was sort of as planned. But at that time I already had serious trouble with concentrating and serious trouble with a constant black cloud over my head."
In July 2022, Hietala told Finland's Iltalehti that he had not kept in touch with NIGHTWISH since his departure or followed the activities of his former band.
In May 2021, Holopainen said that Hietala's decision to leave NIGHTWISH "came as a bit of a surprise." He told Finland's Kaaos TV: "Marko informed us in December [of 2020 that he was leaving the band]. And even though he has been very open about his state and problems during the past years, it still came as a bit of a surprise for us. So it was a really tough pill to swallow. And for a few days, I was actually quite confident that there's no coming back, that this is it. I remember talking to Emppu [Vuorinen], the guitar player, and we were, like, 'You think this is it?' 'Yeah, I think this is it.' I mean, enough is enough. So much has happened in the past. Something that broke the camel's back, as they say. Then, after some time had passed — a few days — we started to think that it's been such a ride of 25 years, with so many ups also, that this is not the way to end it."
Tuomas elaborated on NIGHTWISH's reasons for carrying on, saying: "I think we still have something to give, and that's the main point. The music is still there. We felt that there's still so much music that needs to come out from this band that, 'Okay, let's give it one more shot.' And then finding the new bass player was really easy."
He added: "It's not like we do this just because we need to do it and there's nothing else to do. On a personal level, I feel that there's still so many stories and melodies that I want to share with the world with one lineup or another, so that's why you want to continue and keep on going.
"I've said this a million times, that a lineup change is the ultimate energy vampire, and that's how it really felt and still feels."
In June 2021, Jansen spoke about Hietala's exit from the band in an episode of her "Storytime" YouTube video series. She said: "That was a very sudden surprise that, of course, was not fun at all. But we understand — I understand — it was a necessary thing for him to do. And from there, we had to think of how to continue without him, and that also, in preparations towards the virtual show, that was a huge challenge."
In December 2020, Hietala was crowned the winner of the fall 2020 season of "Masked Singer Suomi" — the Finnish edition of the popular masked singing contest. He was disguised as Tohtori — the Doctor.
Photo credit: Andrea Beckers (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)
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4 сен 2024
QUEEN Guitarist BRIAN MAY Suffers Minor Stroke
 QUEEN guitarist Brian May has revealed he recently suffered a minor stroke.
Although the episode initially left the 77-year-old rock legend unable to use his left arm, he has since regained enough movement to be able to play music again.
"The good news is that I can play guitar after the events of the last few days," he said in a video posted earlier today (Wednesday, September 4) on his web site. "I say this because it was in some doubt because that little health hiccup that I mentioned happened about a week ago, and what they called it was a minor stroke. All of a sudden — out of the blue — I didn’t have any control over this arm. So it was a little scary, I have to say."
May was rushed to Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley, Surrey where he received "the most fantastic care and attention; blue lights flashing the lot, very exciting."
Brian went on to say that he did not want to go public with his minor stroke at the time "because I didn't want anything surrounding it. I really don't want sympathy. Please don't do that, because it'll clutter up my inbox, and I hate that. The good news is I'm okay. I'm just doing what I’m told, which is basically nothing. I'm grounded, I'm not allowed to go out, drive, get on a plane, I'm not allowed to raise the heart rate too high. But I am good."
May's stroke came four years after he had a "small" heart attack. At the time, he said was shocked to realize he wasn't as healthy as he thought, and he was "very near death". He discovered three arteries were "congested and in danger of blocking the supply of blood to my heart", and subsequently had surgery to fit three stents — tiny tubes to hold open blocked arteries.
Four and a half years ago, May had to be hospitalized after he tore his buttocks "to shreds" while gardening. As a result, he developed severe sciatica and suffered what he later described as a "small heart attack" from the medication. May then had a bad reaction to his heart attack medication and nearly died. More recently, Brian underwent cataract eye surgery.
He later said that he believed that coronavirus may have played a role in his heart attack because of the way the virus thickened the blood. As a result, he said he was living a "ridiculously careful" life with actress wife Anita Dobson — whom he credited with saving his life.
"She was incredible," he told the Daily Express back in 2020. "I couldn't do anything and she just kind of nursed me, so I will forever be in her debt; she did an incredible job on me."
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4 сен 2024
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4 сен 2024
OPETH Shares Guitar Playthrough Video Of New Single By FREDRIK ÅKESSON
 In celebration of OPETH's new single, "§1", hitting one million streams on Spotify, the band has released a guitar playthrough video of the track by guitarist Fredrik Åkesson. Check it out below.
"§1" is taken from OPETH's upcoming album, "The Last Will And Testament", which will arrive on October 11 via Reigning Phoenix Music/Moderbolaget.
Asked in a recent interview with Bloodstock TV's Oran O'Beirne if "§1", which contains growling vocals from OPETH guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt, is representative of the entire record, Mikael said: "Yeah, I think so. Maybe. I mean, in that sense, yeah. There is some screams on the other songs — not all of them, but on some of the other songs. Good screams, I must say. It's a very restless record. Somebody said claustrophobic. And it's not a very happy record. It's very — I mean, every metal band says the word 'dark', but it's… restless, it is my best, to sum it up. We don't linger on anything. It's just like an explosion of ideas. It's like TikTok."
Regarding the "The Last Will And Testament" album title, Mikael said: "Yeah, well, it is a concept record that basically starts with the… The whole record is about the reading of the last will and testament of this main character that's passed away — a rich, old fuck. Conservative, old, stern, noble patriarch who passed away, and the record starts when he summoned his three children to go through with solicitors, his last will and testament."
Asked how he came up with the concept for the new OPETH album, Mikael said: "It's not completely my idea. I got interested in the topic even on the last record. There's a song on there called, the English title was 'Universal Truth' — I think we did a video for that one — which also dealt with kind of those types of, like how blood's not always thicker than water, how money can drive family members into chaos. So I got interested in that topic. And also along comes the TV series 'Succession', which is, I'm not sure if you've seen it, but a great TV series about a power struggle between siblings taking over after their Murdoch-type father."
He added: "It's interesting. And it also helps me if I have a theme of sorts if I'm gonna write lyrics. Otherwise, I end up writing stuff, I don't even know what they mean."
OPETH's fourteenth album was written by Åkerfeldt, with lyrics conferred with Klara Rönnqvist Fors (THE HEARD, ex-CRUCIFIED BARBARA). "The Last Will And Testament" was co-produced by Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman (GHOST, THE HELLACOPTERS),engineered by Boman, Joe Jones (KILLING JOKE, ROBERT PLANT) and OPETH, with Boman, Åkerfeldt and the rest of OPETH mixing at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe Studios in Stockholm. The strings on "The Last Will And Testament" were arranged by Åkerfeldt and returning prog friend Dave Stewart (EGG, KHAN) and conducted by Stewart at Angel Studios in London. Not one to miss a beat, visual artist Travis Smith returns to the fold, crafting his 11th cover, a haunting "photograph" reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's infamous "Overlook Hotel" photograph. Miles Showell (ABBA, QUEEN) also revisits mastering and vinyl lacquer cutting at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Åkerfeldt rolls out the red carpet for storied flautist and JETHRO TULL mainman Ian Anderson. Not only do Anderson's signature notes fly on "§4" and "§7", he narrates on "§1", "§2", "§4", and "§7". Joining Anderson, EUROPE's Joey Tempest lends a backing vocal hand on "§2", while Åkerfeldt's youngest daughter, Mirjam Åkerfeldt, is the disembodied voice in "§1".
"The Last Will And Testament" is a concept album set in the post-World War I era, unfolding the story of a wealthy, conservative patriarch whose last will and testament reveals shocking family secrets. The narrative weaves through the patriarch's confessions, the reactions of his twin children, and the mysterious presence of a polio-ridden girl who the family have taken care of. The album begins with the reading of the father's will in his mansion. Among those in attendance is a young girl, who, despite being an orphan and polio-ridden, has been raised by the family. Her presence at the will reading raises suspicions and questions among the twins.
"The Last Will And Testament" is the darkest and heaviest record OPETH has made in decades, and it is also the band's most fearlessly progressive. A concept album recounting the reading of one recently deceased man's will to an audience of his surviving family members, it brims with haunting melodrama, shocking revelations and some of the wildest and most unpredictable music that Åkerfeldt has ever written.
The follow-up to 2019's widely acclaimed "In Cauda Venenum", "The Last Will And Testament" is set in the shadowy, sepia-stained 1920s. It slowly reveals its secrets like some classic thriller from the distant, cobwebbed past, with each successive song shining more light on the stated machinations of our dead (but definitely not harmless) protagonist. The emotional chaos of the story is perfectly matched by OPETH's vivid but claustrophobic soundtrack, which artfully winds its way towards a crestfallen but sumptuous finale. Masters of their own idiosyncratic musical domain, OPETH have never sounded more unique.
"The Last Will And Testament" is destined to be a milestone in OPETH's illustrious recorded history. The band's first out-and-out concept record, it features guest cameos from JETHRO TULL legend Ian Anderson and Joey Tempest, frontman with Swedish rock gods EUROPE. Only one of the album's eight songs has a title: closing ballad "A Story Never Told". The rest are simply labeled as numbered chapters in this slowly unfolding saga of deceit, recrimination and betrayal. Enigmatic, unsettling and immersive, "The Last Will And Testament" is a turbulent, prog metal tale like no other.
Making his recorded debut alongside OPETH's long-established lineup of Mikael Åkerfeldt, guitarist Fredrik Åkesson, bassist Martin Mendez and keyboard maestro Joakim Svalberg on "The Last Will And Testament" is new drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who joined the band in 2022.
In a recent interview with Marcus Schleutermann of EMP, Åkerfeldt was asked how "The Last Will And Testament" is different from other OPETH albums. Mikael said: "I don't know. It's weird. That's not really different for us, I guess. But I'm doing some of the screams again, which I haven't done for a long time. And there's some guests on there. Ian Anderson from JETHRO TULL is on there doing spoken word and playing flute. And Joey Tempest [of EUROPE] is on it. But, yeah, it's a concept record. Somebody said it sounds claustrophobic. It's a claustrophobic-sounding record. And there's a lot of ideas. It's a restless record. There's not meandering stuff happening all the time. Even I don't really know the songs yet. But, of course, I would say that, but I think it's good — it's a good record."
Regarding Joey's contributions to "The Last Will And Testament", Mikael said: "Tempest doesn't sound like Tempest on [EUROPE's biggest hit] 'The Final Countdown'. I had him over at my house. I asked him, 'Could you sing a few lines?' 'Let's push the record button,' he said. At the time I didn't have the lyrics ready, so I was, like, 'I'm sorry. I have to record it from somewhere else.' But he's really going for it. He sounds amazing. I mean, I'm a big EUROPE fan, being Swedish. I love them. And I think for him to be on this record, it's a bit different by his standards because it doesn't really sound like a EUROPE record at all."
Asked if he and Joey are friends, Mikael said: "I guess. I guess we're friends. Yeah. He sent me a text one day. It's, like, 'What's up?' And I was, like, 'Hey, Joey Tempest.' And we met at festivals, and he invited me over to his house. I mean, we know the EUROPE guys. Fredrik, one of his best friends is [John] Norum, the [EUROPE] guitar player. So, we're good friends with the whole band. But, yeah, Joey Tempest, we hang out every now and then."
On the possibility of a OPETH/EUROPE joint tour, Mikael said: "We talked about it, but it's hard to know… Ultimately, we make the calls for who we gonna tour with. For instance, we gonna tour in North America soon with TRIBULATION, and they're friends. And then we're going to tour in Europe with GRAND MAGUS, which is also friends. And EUROPE, we have talked about touring together, but it's hard to know if people like that package or not. I'm not sure… I think [EUROPE] would have to play after us then, because you don't want to go up after 'The Final Countdown'."
Asked if the songs on "The Last Will And Testament" all stand on their own or if they are all connected in some way, Mikael said: "They are connected lyrically, but also to a certain extent that one song bleeds into the other, which I always liked anyways. It's basically the reading of a testament. So it's like paragraphs. There are no real songtitles on there. It's a bit odd by our standards even. But you could, of course, extract any song from — we don't have to play the whole record."
OPETH will embark on a North American tour this fall. The trek, which will kick off on October 11 in Milwaukee, includes stops in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, New Orleans, Austin, Denver and more. | +1 | |
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4 сен 2024
DIAMOND HEAD's BRIAN TATLER Is 'Really Enjoying' Playing With SAXON: 'It's Fantastic'
 In a new interview with SDTV - Stonedead Festival, DIAMOND HEAD's Brian Tatler spoke about how he came to join SAXON in early 2023 as the replacement for the latter band's founding guitarist Paul Quinn. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "A few years ago, DIAMOND HEAD signed to the same label as SAXON and the same management, which was Adam Parsons. Then in 2022, I was asked if I would stand in for Paul, because he had COVID. And they said, 'Would you do Steelhouse Festival on the weekend? Would you be prepared to learn the set?' So I did that. And then Paul was okay, he recovered, so he was okay to do the gig. But they said, 'Thank you for learning the set and all that.' And then, of course, they knew then that, 'Oh, okay, he'd learned the set. He's interested.' So then I started to think to myself, 'Oh, I wonder if they might ask me again. Paul might even leave the band one day.' So I started thinking about it. 'What if they asked me to join? What would I say?' And I thought 'Yeah, I'd say yes.' And so about six months later, I got a phone call on in March 2023 and Adam Parsons said, 'Paul's leaving the band. Would you be interested in taking over and learning the songs, doing all these festivals that we've got lined up and we've got a tour with JUDAS PRIEST?' 'Of course. Yes, please.' So I did. And then I had a bit of time to learn the stuff properly, and then we had a couple of rehearsals. And away you go. And the first gig was in Athens opening for DEEP PURPLE. So, fantastic."
Regarding what it has been like touring all over the world with SAXON in the past 14 months, Tatler said: "Obviously, I'm very excited to do it and it's all fresh to me. It's great to play with new people. I think it's good to have a challenge as well and learn new material, play with different people, rather than be stuck in a rut. So maybe I just bring a kind of enthusiasm that I'm loving it. And it's great fun. I'm really enjoying it."
He continued: "I always thought maybe a big band would come knocking one day, 'cause it seemed to be taking a long time for DIAMOND HEAD to reach the top of the ladder. But I didn't know who it was gonna be or if it was ever gonna be… I said yes immediately, and I'm happy to do it. It's fantastic. I really enjoy it. This'll be my 80th gig tonight with SAXON and I've really enjoyed it. I can honestly say every single gig we've done so far has been great."
Tatler made his live debut as SAXON's new guitarist on July 7, 2023 at the Rockwave festival in Athens, Greece.
Brian has joined fellow guitarist Doug Scarratt, bassist Nibs Carter, drummer Nigel Glockler and singer Biff Byford for shows and studio recordings but will continue to be a member of DIAMOND HEAD.
In March 2023, Quinn thanked fans for their "outpouring of love and respect" after his announcement that he was "stepping back from touring".
As a result of Quinn's decision, SAXON canceled its April 2023 South American tour as well as the appearance at the Monsters Of Rock cruise.
SAXON's 24th studio album, "Hell, Fire And Damnation", was released in January via Silver Lining Music.
In a December 2023 interview with Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules, Byford talked about his working relationship with Tatler. Biff said: "He's great, actually, Brian. He's a legend as well, isn't he? He's sort of up there with Paul Quinn, I suppose. Especially with METALLICA covering some of [DIAMOND HEAD's] songs, he's a bit of a riffmeister. So I suppose we're replacing one riffmeister with another riffmeister. So, I think that works really well. But it's nice working with him. He's a pretty cool guy, and he's got some great ideas. I don't think DIAMOND HEAD heard the riff of [SAXON's new song] 'Madame Guillotine' [from 'Hell, Fire And Damnation']. I think that was a fairly new riff. I think maybe they heard the riff that he had for [the] 'Hell, Fire And Damnation' [title track], but I don't think DIAMOND HEAD would have written a song like 'Hell, Fire And Damnation', if you know what I mean. It would have been a different title, different lyrics, different melody. So, it's good working with him. He wants to write great music. That's what's great about Brian. He really cares about writing a great song, which is great." | +2 | |
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4 сен 2024
Former LAMB OF GOD Drummer CHRIS ADLER Launches SHALLOW RISING
 Former LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler has joined forces with vocalist Alex Villarreal, guitarist Tim Ossenfort, bassist Taylor Brandt and keyboardist Tim King in a new modern American rock band called SHALLOW RISING.
SHALLOW RISING came to life one winter in a cold basement in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, where Ossenfort started writing demos and sharing them with his friend Adler. The duo initially met at a recording session in Nashville, becoming good friends and later working together on a hardcore project.
Ultimately, they decided to take these new demos to a studio in Los Angeles, accompanied by Taylor Brandt. After some work it became obvious what was missing, and they added Tim King onto the team. King, Brandt and Ossenfort had all previously toured the country together extensively. Finally, Ossenfort reached out to Alex, another longtime friend, and the new group spent the next year rewriting their songs.
In a recent interview with "The Liquid Conversations" host Shawn SixX, Adler stated about how SHALLOW RISING came together: "Well, it's been an interesting process to not only remove myself from those bands that I felt were amazing and I loved everything about doing them, but it was, in the end, pretty unhealthy. So getting myself out of that, and I had this really strange random opportunity to do a project in Nashville, just like as a session player. And so I go there, as most guys do as session players, you just show up and do what you're supposed to do. And I met Tim Ossenfort, and he and I just got along, like, we just vibed correct. There was something about the wavelengths of friendship that made sense, and we've kept in touch since. He reached out to me and said, 'Hey, I got this thing going on with a bunch of dudes, and I'd love to have you involved. Let's go to L.A. and record some drums.' So I go to L.A., and in my mind, it's like, 'Well, clearly they want death metal drums. I guess that's what I'm supposed to be doing.' So I go there and he's playing me the tracks and I go in and record 'em, and then we get to, like, song three, and I'm, like, 'This is not really death metal.' This is like — I don't want to call it 'friendly,' but it's a different animal than what I thought I was hired to do. So we kind of changed, or at least in my mind, changed the perspective and just talked about it for a good while and kind of made it into something that I think is wildly different than what I've ever done and really special. It is something that has a lot of heart… It has all the elements of all that we love about metal, but it also really carries like a positive message and a lot of love, which is something clearly I've been missing for a long time. So it's been a real pleasure to not only find the friendship with Tim, but to do something a little bit outside of what is expected."
In June 2020, Adler addressed his exit from LAMB OF GOD, saying that "everybody parted on good terms. I left my drum throne in good hands with Art [Cruz, current LAMB OF GOD drummer], who has been a friend. I think I met Art when he was 17 years old — I've got a picture of me and him standing outside the bus when he stood there waiting for an autograph. So he and I have been friends for a long time. And, obviously, the guys in the band are not only family," referring to the fact that his brother Willie plays guitar for LAMB OF GOD, "but became great friends over 25 years. And it was quite a career that we had. It didn't end — I don't think anybody from either side would say it ended really particularly well in that I think we all hoped and dreamed and wanted all the same thing but just couldn't seem to get ourselves on the same page, for whatever reason.
"As much as I loved doing what I was doing, it certainly seems like it was kind of a good time to maybe step away," he added. "And I think everybody wins in that regard. And I wish the best for them, and I'm sure they do… You have to speak to them — I'm not sure — but I hope they do for me.
"I didn't leave because I didn't want to be involved with music or play the drums. [And] I didn't leave the band because I was wanting to do something too heavy or too light or anything like that. It was just kind of a mutual crossroads… The shoe didn't fit anymore on either side.
"I'm happy to have had been a part of it. I think if I was [still] in that band, I would be pushing even further than what we've ever done before."
Taylor Brant - Bass, Tim Ossenfort - Guitar, Alex Villarreal - Vocals
Posted by Shallow Rising on Friday, August 30, 2024
Chris Adler on drums
Posted by Shallow Rising on Friday, August 30, 2024
Posted by Shallow Rising on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 | +1 | |
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Enmy
