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3 ñåí 2024
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3 ñåí 2024
Watch: PANTERA Joined By SEAHAWKS BLUE THUNDER Drumline For 'Walk' Performance In Seattle
 PANTERA was joined by the Seahawks Blue Thunder drumline for a performance of the song "Walk" during the band's August 30 concert at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington as the support act for METALLICA. Video of the collaboration can be seen below.
Back in January 2023, PANTERA and ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante performed "Walk" and ANTHRAX's "Indians" with the Seahawks Blue Thunder drumline at Lumen Field.
Seahawks Blue Thunder is a high-energy entertainment drumline which was established in 2004 at Lumen Field, performing throughout the stadium before, during and after games.
Not your typical drumline, Blue Thunder uses a variety of rhythms and visuals, incorporating rock and roll drumming alongside drum corps style, endearing them to Seahawks fans of all ages. Blue Thunder is also available for parades, parties and corporate event appearances.
Blue Thunder features guest drummers at rehearsals and game days as well as an occasional joint performance on a big stage. Some of the other more prominent guests included: Alan White (YES, John Lennon, George Harrison),Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),Will Calhoun (LIVING COLOUR),David Garibaldi (TOWER OF POWER),Byron McMackin (PENNYWISE),Mike Derosier (HEART),Steve Smith (JOURNEY),Yuri Ruley (MXPX),Scott Rockenfield (QUEENSRŸCHE),Matt Cameron (PEARL JAM, SOUNDGARDEN),John Tempesta (THE CULT, WHITE ZOMBIE) and Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER).
Posted by Mark Dooley DelaGarza on Friday, August 30, 2024
Seahawks Blue Thunder rocking out with Pantera. What a show!!!
Posted by Tina Melum Warns on Saturday, August 31, 2024
Pantera
Pantera with Blue Thunder at Lumen field 8/2024
Posted by Seth Pohlman on Saturday, August 31, 2024 | +1 | |
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3 ñåí 2024
JOHN COOPER Doesn't Care Who Uses SKILLET's Music At Political Rallies: 'I Believe In America Over Party'
 In a new interview with the On The Road To Rock podcast with Clint Switzer, John Cooper of Christian hard rockers SKILLET weighed in on the long list of musicians who have objected to Donald Trump using their songs at political rallies. Ahead of the 2020 election, that included Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Pharrell, John Fogerty, Neil Young, Eddy Grant, PANIC! AT THE DISCO, R.E.M. and GUNS N' ROSES. Earlier this year, Celine Dion has asked Trump to stop using "My Heart Will Go On", FOO FIGHTERS denounced his use of "My Hero" and Beyoncé blocked Trump from using her song "Freedom" in a campaign video.
Asked if he is "cool" with SKILLET music being used by politicians at their rallies, Cooper said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "This is my personal opinion, and this could change. I don't want somebody later to say, 'Well, you said blah blah blah.' My personal opinion at today, I don't care who plays my song at their political rally, because I believe in America over party. I believe in the foundations of this country. And plus, we have this thing called social media, and let's just say, hypothetically, let's say that you're running for president, and you're playing my song, and let's just say that I don't like your platform. I can always go on social media and say, 'Hey, I wanna make it clear, this dude may be using my song, and I'm happy for him to use it. It doesn't mean that I'm supporting his presidency, but I love America.' You can do that. There's a lot of ways you can go around it. Now, I do think there's a difference. Let's just say that you then wanted to use my song on one of your paid advertisements on a commercial. Now we're getting into something. But if you're playing my song at a political rally and you're walking out and my song's playing, I go, hey, you know what? Go America. It's the best country in the world, and we can disagree on some things."
In recent years, many musicians have fought publicly against the GOP's co-opting of their songs and their respective messages.
AEROSMITH, THE BEATLES, QUEEN, Elton John and THE ROLLING STONES, as well as the estates of Tom Petty, Prince and David Bowie have also objected to Trump's use of their music at rallies.
By contrast, Kamala Harris received approval from Beyoncé's team to use "Freedom" from her 2016 album "Lemonade" as part of her presidential campaign.
In August, Isaac Hayes's estate took legal action against the Trump campaign for its use of "Hold On, I'm Coming" at multiple Trump rallies over the last two years.
According to Billboard, the performing rights organizations BMI and ASCAP require political campaigns to obtain licenses to use songs in their catalogs, with a caveat in the license that allows songwriters to object to usage in a political campaign. At both ASCAP and BMI, members can request to withdraw their music from political-campaign licenses.
"How it works is that the blanket license gives the campaign authorization to play any one of BMI's 22.4 million musical works wherever campaign events/functions occur, but there is a provision built into this license so that if we receive an objection from a songwriter or music publisher about a particular song(s) being used in a campaign, we will remove that song(s) from the license," Jodie Thomas, a spokesperson for BMI, told Business Insider. "We will then notify the campaign that the song has been removed from their license and that they are no longer authorized by BMI to perform that song at any campaign events or functions moving forward."
In recent years, Cooper he has become more outspoken about what he sees as a serious threat to Christianity in America. He regularly uses his platform to address hot-button issues like sexual ethics, post-modernism, abortion and deconstruction from a biblical perspective.
In various interviews, John has said that he "always had faith in God" and that his mother was a "Jesus fanatic." He also claimed that he was willing to put his career on the line to take a stand for Christ.
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3 ñåí 2024
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3 ñåí 2024
Longtime DEVILDRIVER Guitarist MIKE SPREITZER Announces His Departure: 'I Have Decided It Is Time To Go My Own Way'
 DEVILDRIVER guitarist Mike Spreitzer has announced his departure from the band.
Earlier today (Tuesday, September 3),Spreitzer released the following statement via social media: "After 20 years of playing guitar for DEVILDRIVER, I have decided it is time to go my own way.
"Since around 2014, DEVILDRIVER gradually started to feel more like a part-time job. Our touring schedule is not what it used to be and I want to get back to being a full-time musician. In addition, the mere creation of my side project was met with a heavy amount of negativity from a specific individual that made things extremely uncomfortable for me.
"Ever since I was six years old I wanted to play in a metal hand and live the majority of my life on a tour bus with my friends traveling from city to city. Show up, set up, perform, leave, and repeat. I miss the camaraderie with my band and crew. I miss my bunk. I miss waking up and walking to a coffee shop with whoever would join me. I miss playing guitar all day in the dressing room before the show. I miss laughing my ass off every day with the guys. I miss the summer festival runs where I get to see all my friends from other bands that I have toured with over the last two decades. I miss the aroma of the venues. I miss the putrid smell of the bathrooms in a European dive bar. More than anything else, I miss the look of joy on everyone's face while you lovingly kick the crap out of each other in the crowd.
"I've waited patiently for DEVILDRIVER to become full-time again. I respectfully understand that since 2019 serious issues had to be dealt with that were out of anybody's control resulting in keeping the band off the road. We had a pandemic, there were family emergencies, and health issues that had to be addressed. But these dilemmas started in 2019. DEVILDRIVER became part-time long before this unfortunate chain of events. I would rather not sit at home waiting for this to become a full-time job any longer.
"In an attempt to fill the downtime. I started VERONA ON VENUS. It was never my intention to make VOV a priority over DEVILDRIVER. The only way I can see myself touring as much as I would like is by getting VERONA ON VENUS up and running or perhaps an opportunity to join another band.
"To all the DD fans out there, I love you with all my heart. You are some of the most dedicated humans I have ever met. The vitality in all of you has been the brightest light in my life. You filled my soul with happiness. l am forever grateful for every single one of you and will never forget your unwavering devotion.
"I wish Dez, Jon, Alex and Davier the very best."
In April 2004, DEVILDRIVER was about to embark on its first European tour opening for Swedish heavy metal band IN FLAMES. Two days before the tour began, then-DEVILDRIVER guitarist Evan Pitts was forced to withdraw from the tour due to personal reasons, leaving the band without a second guitar player. At the time, Jon Miller and Jeff Kendrick lived with Spreitzer when not touring with DEVILDRIVER. When Mike heard that Pitts would not be going on the European tour, he immediately offered to fill in temporarily for the duration of the tour. Shortly after DEVILDRIVER returned to its then-home base of Santa Barbara, Pitts had decided not to continue with the band and Spreitzer became a permanent member.
Since joining DEVILDRIVER in 2004, Mike has continued to tour with the band and contribute on the albums "The Fury of Our Maker's Hand", "The Last Kind Words", "Pray For Villains", "Beast", "Winter Kills", "Trust No One", "Outlaws 'Til The End: Vol. 1", "Dealing With Demons Volume I" and "Dealing With Demons Volume II". He has also written and recorded music for small movie projects, including the documentary "Tokyo Comedy Store" that has been featured on the Documentary channel in the United States. In 2009, Mike co-wrote three songs featured on the video game "MX vs ATV Reflex" soundtrack alongside Raymond Herrera, Christian Olde Wolbers and Jeff Kendrick. In 2012, Mike worked with London-based alternative rock band ESO and featured on their debut single, "We Are Watching You".
Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer (courtesy of Napalm Records)
I hope you all understand…
Posted by Mike Spreitzer on Monday, September 2, 2024 | +2 | |
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3 ñåí 2024
UDO DIRKSCHNEIDER Says Ticket Sales For His Upcoming 'Balls To The Wall' 40th-Anniversary Tour Are 'Unbelievable'
 In a new interview with Mark Kadzielawa of 69 Faces Of Rock, legendary German singer Udo Dirkschneider spoke about being able to perform classic ACCEPT songs with his DIRKSCHNEIDER project while still continuing to make new albums and tour with his long-running band U.D.O. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's, in a way, a good thing to have this. A lot of people always ask, 'Can you [play ACCEPT songs] again?' and blah, blah, blah. So, but, yeah, then I said, 'Okay.' But now it's more important for me at the moment [to play in North America] with U.D.O. So after the American and Canada tour [in September/October], we [DIRKSCHNEIDER] start in South America for the 40 years of 'Balls To The Wall' anniversary. And that will be also a long tour. I play the whole 'Balls To The Wall' album. And there are songs on that I never played with ACCEPT, and I think also ACCEPT never played these songs. And then, of course, we play the most classic stuff. And that will be a very interesting tour. Definitely."
He continued: "It's also good that we [will] have a break with U.D.O. We had a lot of touring and festivals behind us, and now America and Canada. And that was already planned for a long time — normally it was planned to go on tour already [with DIRKSCHNEIDER] this year, but then, of course, ACCEPT is also on a world tour. Then we said, 'Okay, we start then later.' And so far it looks already really, really good. The [ticket] pre-sales already for [DIRKSCHNEIDER's European tour] next year are unbelievable. So, what can I say? I'm happy I can do both. And, of course, another thing, now two members of ACCEPT are also on stage," he added, referencing the fact that former ACCEPT bassist Peter Baltes is also a member of both U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER.
Udo went on to say that fans can go see both ACCEPT and DIRKSCHNEIDER perform the classic material live. "Let's say ACCEPT is doing their own thing, and now I do the DIRKSCHNEIDER thing," he explained. "And so far the people like it and they were always asking for that. And so next year there will be a lot of [shows]. And already in November [of this year], we start in South America. And then we will see, That will be definitely next year until September, October, we are on tour with the 'Balls To The Wall' 40-year anniversary. And then the new album will come with U.D.O. In between [tours], we are working on the new album. And then another U.D.O. tour starts. So, here we go."
DIRKSCHNEIDER, which is completed by drummer Sven Dirkschneider (Udo's son) and the talented guitar duo of Andrey Smirnov and Fabian "Dee" Dammers, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of "Balls To The Wall", which was originally released in late 1983 and is the most commercially successful and best-known album by ACCEPT, by embarking on a full European tour in the spring of 2025.
Nine years ago — in 2015 — Udo announced that he would embark on a special tour during which he would perform ACCEPT songs one last time under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner before closing that chapter for good. Since then, the former ACCEPT frontman has continued to play ACCEPT material at select shows, including at the September 18, 2020 U.D.O. concert in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, which was released on DVD and Blu-ray.
When he first announced the original DIRKSCHNEIDER tour in 2015, Udo said that had "to make a clear break for myself — close the book and this is it. And I have the problem that people come to me and ask me to play more ACCEPT songs," he explained. "Other people ask me why I play ACCEPT songs at all, because there are [more than] fifteen U.D.O. records. I want to avoid such things and avoid the repeating questions concerning ACCEPT. I just can't stand that anymore. There is nothing more to be said. U.D.O. exists longer than ACCEPT. We have more records than ACCEPT."
While acknowledging that some ACCEPT fans want to hear the band's classic songs performed by the group's original singer, Dirkschneider explained that "you always have these comparisons [between how these songs are played by ACCEPT and U.D.O.]. I don't want this anymore either. [The current lineup of ACCEPT] also play 'Metal Heart', they play 'Balls To The Wall' and 'Princess Of The Dawn'. And then some people tell me, 'Oh, [current ACCEPT singer Mark Tornillo] is doing it better than you.' And I go, 'That's fine. Enjoy yourself.' But I don't want this anymore. And to avoid all of this in the future, I said, 'We are doing this one more time.'"
Dirkschneider said that his vow to never play ACCEPT material again came with one caveat. "If the band ACCEPT dissolves one day in the near future and I am still around with U.D.O., then there is a chance that I put ACCEPT songs back in the setlist," he said. "But currently there is ACCEPT, so go see them [if you want to see those songs performed live]. They are playing these songs."
Udo previously said the original plan was for DIRKSCHNEIDER to only "a few shows," and "then [the tour] got bigger and bigger [due to demand]." But, he added, "I don't want to complain about that."
Back in 2018, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann declined to comment on Dirkschneider's decision to embark on one final tour during which the singer would perform nothing but ACCEPT songs. "I have lots of thoughts about that, but I'm not gonna share 'em with you," he told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". "I'd rather not comment on that, because that seems so much 'back and forth,' and I think I should stay away from it… You can draw your own conclusions all day long, but I'm not gonna get into it; it's just not worth it.
"I get asked [about Udo] so many times, and, man, it's been so many years — it's such an old story by now," Wolf continued. "We've moved on way past that, and we've had [15] brilliant years [with Mark Tornillo], we're making cool albums; I think we're doing fine. So I don't spend any time thinking about it.
"I'm very proud of the history we have together and all that, but I'm just not gonna get into the current 'he said, she said' whatever — it's not worth it," Hoffmann concluded. | +1 | |
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3 ñåí 2024
Watch: ACCEPT Kicks Off North American Tour With KK'S PRIEST At Whisky A Go Go
 Legendary German/American metallers ACCEPT kicked off their "Full Metal Assault Tour 2024" with KK'S PRIEST on Saturday, August 31 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.
ACCEPT's setlist was as follows:
01. The Reckoning
02. Humanoid
03. Restless And Wild
04. Straight Up Jack
05. London Leatherboys
06. Dying Breed
07. Demon's Night / Starlight / Losers And Winners / Flash Rockin' Man
08. Princess Of The Dawn
09. Metal Heart
10. Teutonic Terror
11. Fast As A Shark
12. Pandemic
13. Balls To The Wall
ACCEPT and KK'S PRIEST's North American tour will visit 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.
In a recent interview with Metal Journal, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was asked why he and his bandmates decided to announce that they will embark on a 50th-anniversary tour in late 2025 when they still have plenty of touring to do this year in support of their latest album, "Humanoid". He said: "Things like that take time. People have asked me for the last two years: 'Are you gonna do an anniversary thing?' Everybody wants to know. So I finally said, 'Okay, we're gonna do it.' And it's gonna be massive, man. It's gonna be a huge surprise with all the guests that we're gonna have. And I think it's gonna be completely different from anything we've ever done before. So I think it's gonna blow people away. But that doesn't take away from this tour that we have coming up, because, first of all, it's gonna be another year or more before we even go on this next tour. So if you like the new album, 'Humanoid', and if you love ACCEPT, you've gotta see this tour, no matter what. It's gonna be definitely a highlight anyhow."
On the topic of whether there was any talk about possibly announcing a farewell tour to coincide with ACCEPT's 50th anniversary, Wolf said: "We've been doing it for a long, long time. And I honestly don't know how long I can do this. I mean, nobody knows what the future will bring, and it has crossed our mind, absolutely. So, it might be that we go off with a highlight like this and then just really say, 'Okay, this was it.' I don't know yet, to be honest."
Regarding whether former ACCEPT members Udo Dirkschneider (vocals) and Peter Baltes (bass) will be invited to take part in the 50th-anniversary tour, perhaps just in the form of a guest appearance at select shows, Wolf said: "Yeah, of course, of course. That doesn't mean they're gonna [show up]. We have to wait and see. Of course, everybody [is invited]. The door is always open for anybody to join us on this, because it's gonna be a retrospective of all the 50 years of ACCEPT, and whoever wants to participate is more than welcome. Yes, sure."
Asked if he will call Udo and Peter directly to ask them to participate in the tour or if he will wait for their call, a visibly irritated Wolf said: "Can you shut up already? You're not gonna get me to talk about it. I'm sorry, man. I know it's a nice try. Everybody wants to know these things."
Wolf also talked about ACCEPT's plan to release a special album in early 2026 that will cover the band's entire musical history. The anniversary LP will contain a carefully curated selection of the best ACCEPT songs from the last five decades, re-recorded — partly with well-known surprise musical guests and colleagues — as well as with some rare tracks that have not been played so often before. He said: "I can't tell you anything yet, because it's way too early. I can just tell you it's gonna be a massive thing. And I don't really wanna get into it yet because I'm not really here to talk specifics about it. It's still in the planning stages. It's gonna be amazing. I think it's gonna be some really big names that are gonna be participating in that. And you'll have to wait. Sorry. It's just too early."
As for whether ACCEPT has already "selected" the guest musicians who will appear on the album, Wolf said: "Yes, we have selected a lot of it. Not all of it, but we have selected a lot."
Over the past five decades, ACCEPT has sold millions of albums and inspired countless musicians. Their energetic live performances and iconic albums such as "Balls To The Wall", "Restless And Wild" and "Metal Heart" have left a lasting mark on the heavy metal genre. Hoffmann's guitar style and musical vision have made the band one of the most respected on the heavy metal scene.
After a hiatus in the band's career, Wolf was introduced to New Jersey singer Mark Tornillo in 2009. The chemistry and fit between them was so remarkable, ACCEPT reformed and almost immediately rose to global success with chart-topping albums. ACCEPT continues to be celebrated for each of their new records with Mark, who is now the longest-reigning frontman of ACCEPT, placing the Hoffmann-Tornillo partnership firmly in the Metal Hall Of Fame.
For decades, ACCEPT has been recognized as a guarantee of high quality and each of their albums has reached the top of the charts, delivering energy, melodies, killer riffs and an impressively powerful stage presence for 50 years.
Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for Dirkschneider, who was the band's original lead singer. Mark can be heard on ACCEPT's last six studio albums, "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017),2021's "Too Mean To Die" and 2024's "Humanoid". | +1 | |
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3 ñåí 2024
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3 ñåí 2024
BLACK VEIL BRIDES Wanted To Make A Record That Replicated, On Every Level, METALLICA's Black Album
 In a new interview with Rock Feed, BLACK VEIL BRIDES frontman Andy Biersack spoke about his band's collaboration with legendary METALLICA and MÖTLEY CRÜE producer Bob Rock on the 2014 album "Black Veil Brides". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Look, this is something that bands can't do, because a lot of bands are not in a position financially to be able to do this. We've been very lucky, where we said to our label, 'We want to make a record that replicates, on every level, on a sonic level, [METALLICA's 1991 self-titled album, also known as] the 'Black Album.' … So much so that we wrote all the record in the same room that they wrote the record in, in Burbank, with Bob in the room. We recorded all of the drums in the same room that they recorded in Burbank with Bob. We used the snare drum that was used. On Kempers — this didn't end up working out; we ended up making our own deal — but we tried on Kempers to steal the signal chain of their amps and use that for a tone, which ultimately didn't sound good. But we tried even that. We flew to Vancouver to record on the Little Mountain [studio] desk that they recorded that record on. They made a booth that was identical for me to what James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] had when he did vocals, using the same speakers and using the same handheld microphone. Bob — and I don't wanna give this away; this might be a secret — Bob gave me James's personal warmups to do every day. So, to this day, I have a CD of James Hetfield singing his warmups that he does every single day that I would do every day. I was still drinking, so I made the same hot toddy drink, I guess, that James made every day."
Biersack continued: "You have to understand, I was 23 at the time. So I'm just, like, everything. And then once that's all done, we went to the same room on the same mixing desk at Henson [studios] in L.A. and mixed everything in the same room. And the backup singers, we had the same exact backup singers come in and do harmonies. Like, we did it all. And the record was successful for us. It's a great record. I love it. We did not make the 'Black Album.' Spoiler alert — that didn't happen. But it was more about getting the opportunity to do that and to live out this dream. We would every day be, like, This is unbelievable,' like wish fulfillment to the millionth degree."
This past May, BLACK VEIL BRIDES released the title track from their "Bleeders" EP, inspired by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's "Sweeney Todd". The band paid tribute to the classic musical with a music video for the title track that is inspired by the musical's 2007 Tim Burton-directed film adaptation.
Released in June, the three-track EP, which included "Bleeders", a cover of "My Friends" from the Sondheim classic, and a cover of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday", was BLACK VEIL BRIDES' first release for Spinefarm.
In support of the American Red Cross, BLACK VEIL BRIDES recently hosted a virtual blood drive during the U.S. "Bleeders" tour, inspired by the "Bleeders" single.
Fans attending the tour were asked to present their proof of a blood donation to the American Red Cross (e-mail, app confirmation, donation photo, sticker, etc.) when they visited the BLACK VEIL BRIDES merchandise booth to receive an exclusive merchandise package, consisting of a signed poster, pin and patch. | +2 | |
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3 ñåí 2024
EXODUS's TOM HUNTING On His Health: 'Everything Is Good'
 In a new interview with Reality Check TV, EXODUS's Tom Hunting offered an update on his health, more than three years after he underwent a successful total gastrectomy during his battle with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach. The drummer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[I'm] doing good, doing great. With the health and cancer, everything, yes. Everything is good. They take pictures often. They don't see anything in there. So I just kind of go out there in the world and live my life."
Back in February 2023, Hunting told Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", about how he was first diagnosed with cancer: "The first thing that happened [is] I was losing weight and I didn't have hunger for food. It's hard to explain what that would feel like. In the past, I've had those kind of flareups and it was always due to anxiety or something. But this felt different. And it was lingering. I was going to see doctors. And they did a bunch of scans. They didn't see anything in the scans. All the blood work was good. And then they sent a camera inside there.
"I urge anybody who's having a gut problem, if [the problems] persist, they're gonna do a CT scan first. Tell them you want an endoscopy. That's the best test out there. It probably saved my ass, looking back."
Tom continued: "I was taking antacid stuff, like Pepcid and whatever. And I probably took that Zantac drug that they're talking about causing cancer. I brought that up to my doctors too. Zantac has a lot of the same stuff that your Pepcids and your other ones have in it too. And at the end of the day, you shouldn't have to take that shit for, like, a year. So, that was there. It was an esophageal type of cancer that showed up in what is called the cardinal region of my stomach; it was forming in there and causing me not to eat. I couldn't burp. That was another one. I had this tumor inside me, and I couldn't burp. And as soon as they gave me my first dose of chemo, before the surgery, something loosened up in there and I was able to burp. It felt so good. [Laughs]"
According to Hunting, he "ended up having two different kinds of cancer. They found a tumor inside my stomach," he said. "So then they do what they call a laparoscopic surgery, which they send two things inside of you. They make two cuts and they send a camera inside of you to physically explore the region and the outside region. And mine was in a weird spot; mine was in my stomach. So, okay, they wanted to check out the outside of the stomach lining — some crazy testing that they've gotta do. But it's all part of the process to make you a candidate for the surgery. When they did the laparoscopic [procedure] with me, it's two incisions, it's a camera that goes in and another tool that moves your organs out of the way for this camera to go do its job. So they found nodules of mesothelioma on my abdomen wall."
When asked if the doctors said there was anything in particular that caused his cancer, such as eating habits, lifestyle, living or working environments, genetics, or something else, Hunting replied: "I asked the specialist, I was, like, 'Did I do something to [cause] this? Did I do a brake job on my car and sniffed asbestos or some shit?' And he said it could have been anything. That cancer could have been just environmental, and it just happened.
"It's funny, 'cause had I not had the original cancer, I never would have needed a laparoscopic procedure to begin with, and they never would have found the mesothelioma," Tom explained. "But for a minute, when they were doing that test, what they thought they were looking at was the same type of cancer that they saw in my stomach. So there was a minute there where I was, like, stage four plus plus plus, like, 'Give him chemo. Keep him comfortable.' I wouldn't have been a candidate to even get any kind of surgery. So they found out it was a different type of cancer that was in my stomach. That makes you a candidate to get the surgery and the treatment after to try to knock out any nodules of mesothelioma that they would find in there."
Regarding his post-surgery recovery, Hunting said: "They took out 42 lymph nodes and my stomach and all this crazy surgery — like two surgeries in one surgery — and they didn't find one speck of cancer in one of the lymph nodes, which is, like, 'Holy shit.' If you're going through it, that's the fucking jackpot. The best three words you can hear are 'nothing to see'.
"Fortunately, it's been… After the surgery, I got six months, or five and a half months of immunotherapy, 'cause they found out that the chemo didn't affect the cancer like they wanted it to, so they did the surgery. It trains your immune system to go out and kill rogue cells that it finds. It's pretty high-tech shit. And I'm a beneficiary of that too."
Tom added: "Science is great. And I had a lot of good people to talk to along the way to help me out. And that's kind of where I'm at now. I wanna be that ear for somebody who's recently getting told that news.
"I'm thankful. And I'm definitely one of the lucky ones. Science is killer, and what they're able to do for people in my situation and others nowadays is leaps and bounds from what they could do even five years ago."
In December 2021, Hunting told the "Put Up Your Dukes" podcast that he wanted to use his experience as a cancer survivor to interact with others who may be going through a similar situation.
"I'm not qualified now, but I think in a couple of more months, they deem me qualified to talk to other people about this disease, and I'm gonna do it," he said. "'Cause I want people to know about it and I want people to get checked. Just going public with it — I don't do social media, but what I read on the EXODUS [sites] was, like, 'Hey, I'm having gut problems too,' and, 'I'm gonna go get checked out now.' I hope people get the answers they're looking for."
"I'm not saying those drugs that they give you for your gut are bad. They get you by. But if you're having what you think is a gut problem, tell 'em you wanna get scoped. 'Cause some of those scans and some of those tests, they won't pick up what's going on inside there.
"Since I'm on this journey, dude, they're fucking scanning me constantly," Tom added. "'Cause they wanna see how I'm reacting to what they're doing too. So it's all part of the science and the evolution of the science. If they can help me live — and I love my life — and I can help them develop the science to help the next batch of people who you know are gonna get this shit, that's a win-win."
Hunting rejoined his EXODUS bandmates on stage in October 2021 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.
A GoFundMe campaign to help Hunting with medical expenses had previously raised more than $114,000 — including $5,000 from Tom's former EXODUS bandmate, current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett, and $1,500 from FOZZY singer and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho.
EXODUS released its latest album, "Persona Non Grata", in November 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. | +4 | |
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3 ñåí 2024
MARTY FRIEDMAN Will Stay Out On The Road 'For A Long, Long Time' In Support Of His New Solo Album 'Drama'
 In a new interview with Rodrigo Altaf of Sonic Perspectives, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman spoke about his touring plans in support of his most recent solo studio album, "Drama". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We are right now in the process of planning out the tours. We've done a a couple festivals in Asia. We have a Tokyo show this week, a couple shows in Tokyo. But the world tour is probably gonna start later in the year, early next year. And we're gonna be on tour for a long, long time after that and hopefully hit Canada and play everywhere. We've already got some festivals for next year lined up. And now we're just kind of strategizing where the main tours are gonna happen. This is gonna be a big one. It's gonna be a big one."
Last month, Friedman announced 2025 U.S. tour dates in support of "Drama", out now on Frontiers Music Srl. The trek will kick off on January 25 in Las Vegas and wrap up on February 22 in Los Angeles.
Marty previously commented on the tour: "My three band members from Japan, Chargeeeeee, Wakazaemon and Naoki, have created the ultimate setting to perform music from all stages of my career. If you've seen us live before, you know what to expect. If not, you are in for a unique treat. You will remember my band's performances on this 'Drama' tour for a long time. Our last two USA tours have left an unforgettable impact on them. We are all beyond excited to cross the pond and play for my home country again!"
The dynamic acoustic duo of Nikki Stringfield and Patrick Kennison will perform as special guests for these dates.
Tickets, exclusive meet-and-greet VIP Packages, stage-played guitars and more are available at MartyFriedman.com.
Friedman's autobiography, "Dreaming Japanese", will arrive on December 3 via Permuted Press.
In a recent interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM, Friedman was asked if he is "putting it all out there" with the book. The 61-year-old musician, who has lived in Japan since 2003, said: "Yeah. The entire criteria of the book was things that I've never said in the media, things that I couldn't say in the media, private things and all of the inner interpersonal relationships in all of the bands that I've been in, all of the projects I've worked on. And it's almost like a spy-like double-agent look into the Japanese music business and the Japanese entertainment industry, because I came in completely as a foreigner, but I'm working within that industry as someone who is in Japan, lives in Japan, speaks Japanese, works on the Japanese projects. So I can kind of report to the rest of the world what it's really like from an American's perspective, which I think the publishers of the book found quite fascinating and I really drew that to a complete conclusion. But it's basically everything that no one knows about me. So if you're slightly interested, hopefully you will get a lot of very unexpected information out of it."
In May, Friedman was asked by "THAT Rocks!", the YouTube series hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson, why now is the right time for him to release his book. He responded: "I've always kept my private life completely out of media. Even in the Japan media, where I'm much more visible than in America, I've kept private things to myself and kept everything always about the topic at hand, whatever that be, whatever the program is about or whatever I'm releasing or whatever. So it's never really been terribly personal. But at the same time, every person has a deep personal story behind everything, and I've been working on an autobiography for years. And when it started to take shape and become something real, I started to look for publishers who were interested. And I found an absolutely excellent, excellent publisher that got excited about it. And when we started working on it, it, it just became this monster of a project, way beyond anything I'd imagined it being. And I think a lot of your fans are going to enjoy it because it's got so much deep details about the metal life that I've lived before I went over to Japan and the metal life now, but the real deep private relationship details between myself and all the other bandmembers from all my bands and all of the management things and life things that people don't see when they just see you on stage or they hear the records or they read the interviews. There's serious life stuff that you would only be comfortable talking about in a complete tell-all autobiography. And even then, I'm not even sure if I'm comfortable saying it, but I said, if I'm gonna do this, the main criteria is going to be all of this stuff is not stuff from interviews. And all of this stuff is gonna be stuff that's very private and very true."
He continued: "Of course I have no agenda at this age. The only thing I'm promoting is [my new solo album] 'Drama', which takes up about maybe four sentences of the autobiography. So the whole thing is just very deep and detailed into things that I think that no one really knows, because maybe I haven't really been that vocal about in the past."
After Florentine suggested that he could do the audiobook in English and Japanese all on his own, Marty said: "I could. I'm just so not into the idea of doing that. I dread the day when they say, 'Okay, we want you to do the audiobook.' 'Cause I listen to these books, and it just seems like a ton of work. I've done voiceover stuff for a lot of TV shows in Japan, and just one half-hour show takes friggin' forever. So, I'm just thinking, an entire book of, I think it's like 150,000 words, just dreading that. So I'm hoping that like A.I. can clone my voice and do it for me, 'cause I'm not looking forward to doing that work."
When Marty first announced his autobiography on May 13, he wrote in a social media post: "After an exhaustive and seemingly endless process, I'm beyond excited to let you know that I've just turned in the final manuscript for my autobiography, 'Dreaming Japanese'.
"I've always kept my private life completely out of the media, so with nervous excitement, I am thrilled to share the story about my upbringing, home life and career for the first time. You will enjoy the deepest dive into never before revealed details about my life in MEGADETH and the personal relationships within the band written with alarming clarity. Same goes for all of my other bands, from the very beginning.
"I outline the entire story why — and exactly how — I dropped living the high life in a multi-platinum band to start from scratch in Japan dreaming to play J-Pop, and how that spiraled into eventually exceeding even my loftiest goals, even becoming a government appointed Ambassador. It`s a complete immersion into my daily Japanese life as I guide you through the inner workings of the Japanese television industry and music scene, from my my unique and unprecedented perspective."
Friedman spoke about his autobiography in a recent interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET. He said: "We're in the last editing stages. All the content is done. It's extremely long. The point that we're at is that 'You got to cut out a lot of this.' We're cutting out things. It's hard because it is extremely long. It's too long. We're cutting out certain things, but what I can say about it is it is by far the most detailed account of anything I've participated in in my life. Any little subject has the deepest details about it. There are little details and very personal details. Of course, a lot of people want to know about MEGADETH. I made it very sure to give the most complete and honest account of all things that were never in any interviews. Interviews are usually where you're talking about a topic and in 'impress mode.' But I wanted to get personal and talk about how things affected me in every little situation. All that is in great detail, as well as the transition into Japanese television and being the only foreigner in a world of completely Japanese people, as well as the pros and cons of that. It has all of the very important details that you can't say in interviews, like private and personal things that don't usually come out. I tried to keep that as the criteria: Did I talk about this in an interview? If so, it got cut. It's all new stuff." | +1 | |
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3 ñåí 2024
NIGHTWISH Vocalist FLOOR JANSEN Perforns At Dutch Royal Palace, Shares Behind-The-Scenes Video - "It's Like A Time Machine In Here"
 Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen has shared a new video along with the following message:
"Step into a world where history meets the stage! Performing at the Royal Park concert series, I found myself in the heart of Paleis Soestdijk, where Dutch royalty once roamed. Imagine preparing for a show in Queen Juliana’s former living room—it’s like stepping back in time. The gardens, the grandeur, and the stories these walls could tell. Despite the weather's mood swings, the energy from the audience and the beauty of this place made it truly special. It was an unforgettable experience, blending the past with the present in the most enchanting way. Can't wait to do it all again!"
Nightwish will release their new album, Yesterwynde, on September 20. It marks the band’s tenth studio album, following on from the release of Human. :II: Nature. in 2020.
Yesterwynde will be available in a number of different vinyl variants, as a jewelcase, digipak, earbook and as part of a deluxe vinyl box set. Order the album here.
Yesterwynde tracklisting:
"Yesterwynde"
"An Ocean Of Strange Islands"
"The Antikythera Mechanism"
"The Day Of..."
"Perfume Of The Timeless"
"Sway"
"The Children Of 'Ata"
"Something Whispered Follow Me"
"Spider Silk"
"Hiraeth"
"The Weave"
"Lanternlight"
"Perfume Of The Timeless" video:
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3 ñåí 2024
BEHEMOTH Live At Summer Breeze 2024; Pro-Shot Video Of Full Performance Streaming
 On August 15, Behemoth performed at the 2024 edition of Germany's Summer Breeze festival in Dinkelsbühl. You can now watch professionally-filmed footage of the band's full set, courtesy of ARTE Concert.
Setlist:
"Post-God Nirvana"
"Once Upon A Pale Horse"
"Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer"
"Conquer All"
"Ov Fire And The Void"
"Cursed Angel of Doom"
"Christians to the Lions"
"Demigod"
"The Deathless Sun"
"Blow Your Trumpet Gabriel"
"Bartzabel"
"No Sympathy For Fools"
"Chant for Eschaton 2000"
"O Father O Satan O Sun"
Behemoth recently released a video trailer for "The Unholy Trinity" European tour, scheduled for April 2025. Find the clip below.
Says Behemoth: "Legions of Europe! It’s that time again… We are beyond thrilled to announce that we’ll be bringing together the blasphemous forces of Behemoth, Satyricon and Rotting Christ for ‘The Unholy Trinity’ European tour." 🔥
Tickets are on sale now. Dates are listed below. | +3 | |
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3 ñåí 2024
PERFIDIOUS – Savouring His Flesh Album Out In October; First Single Streaming
 Italian death metallers Perfidious have announced the forthcoming release of Savouring His Flesh, their first album in seven years. The album will be released October 25, 2024 via Time To Kill Records.
Preorder at timetokillrecords.com.
The first single, "In The Reign of Perpetual Agony", is now streaming.
The band comments: "Embark on a profound exploration of the human condition with our debut single. This track delivers a raw, unfiltered expression of old school death metal, staying true to its roots. Expect relentless riffs, thunderous drums, and guttural vocals. No compromises, just pure, unadulterated death metal.”
Perfidious create their own bludgeoning world of dizzying and pummelling death metal where they relentlessly whip up a maelstrom of old school riffs and drum patterns, taking influences from both the European and the American traditions.
Perfidious’ mission since their inception has been to revive the greatness and restless energy found in death metal of the past and combine it with something bolder and more intense. | 0 | |
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3 ñåí 2024
THY WILL BE DONE – New Single “Echoes And Narcissists” Streaming
 After the release of three new singles and much anticipation, Thy Will Be Done have unleashed another ferocious new track and music video, "Echoes & Narcissists" as well as the announcement of a new full-length album entitled, Pillar Of Fire, slated for a September 13 release date via the band’s own Eye.On Lion Recordings with KMG Distribution handling the world-wide distribution. It’s the band’s first studio-release in twelve years, and they recently released their entire back catalog on streaming platforms for the first time ever; all newly remastered by George Richter at Edestus Audio.
The music video for the new track, "Echoes & Narcissists" was once again directed by the visionary Chariot of Black Moth (Steve Von Till, Napalm Death) who worked with the band on their previous video and features live footage of the band, shot by Andrew Gargano and Nichol Coggins of 52Chill Productions. It’s a stunning fusion of Soviet montage theory and the mind-bending Kuleshov Effect, delivering an unforgettable journey that’s anything but ordinary.
“This song is coming from a perspective where one may see the rise in narcissism, vanity, and seemingly waining work ethic in contemporary society being largely attributed to the influence of social media and AI technologies”, says vocalist and lyricist J.Costa.
“Platforms designed to amplify individual visibility often encourage self-promotion and validation-seeking behavior.; an environment that can foster a culture of constant comparison and self-admiration, where personal ‘worth’ is frequently measured by likes and followers.”
As for the song title, J.Costa says,
“It’s a nod to the myth of Echo and Narcissus. A story that [allegorically] still has relevance today. Social media algorithms tend to create echo chambers by reinforcing users' existing beliefs and preferences, limiting one’s exposure to diverse perspectives and reinforcing self-centered viewpoints. Together, these dynamics could be contributing to a more narcissistic culture and hinder constructive dialogue. It may require a critical examination of how technology shapes one’s own social interactions.”
Thy Will Be Done is set to be one of the artists performing at the 10th Annual RPM Fest in Massachusetts along with Misery Index, Prong, Jasta, Bongzilla, and others on Saturday, August 31, in Montague, MA. | +1 | |
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3 ñåí 2024
ABERRATOR – Dark Descent Records To Release Beckoning Tribulation Debut
 Dark Descent heralds the first coming of Aberrator – a yet unknown entity devoted to the ancient arts of death metal mastery. Founded in 2022 between G.P and N.H from New Zealand – with P.F from Canada on session drums, Aberrator pull no punches, unleashing Beckoning Tribulation, a devastating full-length, straight out of the gate.
Influenced by the darkest of death metal and death/doom – particularly of US and Finnish origins – the band fit the Dark Descent roster like a key to a crypt.
“Beckoning Tribulation is a lens into the human condition, the inevitable decline due to the innate zealotry and hypocrisy within our species,” states N.H. “The triumphant proclamation of the death of god and the impending doom of mankind as it struggles within the vacuum this creates.”
The album comes clad in a masterful gravure/woodcut-style piece from the inimitable mind of Alex Shadrin from Nether Temple Design: “The artwork represents the above concepts. Betrayal hidden with the guise of civility; blades plunged into another’s backs to complete the ouroboros. Murder, | 0 | |
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3 ñåí 2024
PROPHETS OF ADDICTION Sign With BraveWords Records For Upcoming Face The Music Album
 At some point in your life you just have to take account for your actions and Face The Music. Prophets Of Addiction mainman Lesli Sanders has taken that to heart. Prophets Of Addiction’s fourth album, Face The Music is set for a release on October 25 via BraveWords Records. The first single, "Superhero", from the upcoming album will be released on September 27.
Kicking things off with the downright dirty “Flavor Of The Danger,” the listener is immediately clued in to what they’re getting with Face The Music, an album loaded with catchy late 70s inspired glam punk n roll riffs, powerful and emotionally resonant vocals and a clever lyrical output. “Let’s Get High” sees the band slide slightly into a melodic goth route ala Sisters of Mercy. The song isn’t a drug reference, but a “recollection of the excitement that a new record would bring as a teenager and after the long wait finally able to hear it for the first time,” says Sanders. The band’s take on the Rod Stewart classic “Maggie May” is nothing short of punk magnificence, The band had the opportunity to play the track for drum legend Carmine Appice, who played with Stewart from 1976 - 1982. Appice was so impressed that he asked, “would you mind if I send this to Rod?” The album’s lead single “Superhero” comes complete with a hook that won’t leave your head for days. “Superhero is a song I have been sitting on for a few years and wasn't going to record until the right musicians were put in place, realizing the potential. I finally found that group of musicians,” the frontman states.
Face The Music, Prophets Of Addiction’s debut for BraveWords Records was recorded between 2022 and 2023 in Seattle, WA and Las Vegas, NV and produced, mixed and mastered by Phil Soussan (bass player for Ozzy Osbourne, Billy idol and more).
Drummer Wayne Stokely says of the album, “We wanted to make a classic 70's style rock n' roll album without losing our raw and punky vibe, but with a modern 2024 production. There's not a lot of records out there like this one, so I think we achieved our goal. The songs speak for themselves,” while Sanders adds “this is the record I have been wanting to record for years. The feel is right, the musicianship is right, the songs are right and now the time is right for you all to give us your thoughts.”
Of the band’s signing with hotshot upstart label BraveWords, Sanders declares “We were looking for the right label and the search was extensive, the most important aspect to me was getting it out there for people to hear – otherwise, what's the point, right?” while Stokely adds, “I've known Tim and Giles for years now. Plus, I'm already signed to the label with another act so it seemed like a natural fit.”
Face The Music tracklisting:
"Flavor Of The Danger"
"Let's Get High"
"Slippin' Away"
"Walk The World"
"Maggie May"
"Superhero"
"I Want You To Know"
"Hollywood"
"Wasted Tears"
"Last One In The Bar"
"Take Me To Your Leader"
The Players:
Lesli Sanders: Lead Vocals, Guitars
Phil Soussan: Bass, Piano, Mandolin,Percussion, Backing Vocals
Wayne Stokely: Drums,Backing Vocals
Tchad Drats: Guitar, Ebow, Backing Vocals
G.G. Guitar, Backing Vocals
Terry Bratsch, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Steel, Backing Vocals
About BraveWords Records:
There is a serious void which desperately needs to be filled, hard-working and creative bands that have yet to find a partnership and a mutual vision with a professional team. The music-fuelled minds behind BraveWords Records, Brian Adams, Giles Lavery, Tim Henderson and Michael Brandvold, have built the ultimate home for an artist that will take you where you want to be. Collectively, with nearly 100 years of music industry experience under our belts, the BraveWords Records team will take care of all the crucial aspects of your project from global distribution (digital and physical), publicity and media coverage (web, radio, visual), social media blanketing and streaming opportunities (such as Streaming For Vengeance). Where most labels have forgotten the concept of actually marketing a release sensibly, BraveWords Records will construct a viable and comprehensive marketing plan, including visibility at BraveWords.com, which attracts a million visitors monthly. BraveWords Records has all senses on high alert as the music industry continues its never-ending transitioning, so the artist will always be aware of new opportunities to build their brand and strive for world domination. BraveWords will also have a focus on licensing film and TV content, both contemporary and retrospective across many genres. As artists and labels transition to the many new mediums available today for their work, BraveWords intends to stay ahead of the curve in providing and actively seeking opportunities for our roster of clients.
With the rapid spread of the world wide web, BraveWords.com was born in 2000 and quickly became the CNN of heavy metal. With its team of global writers and photographers, the site flourished with 24/7 updated news, features, reviews, audio and video steams.
For nearly 30 years, BraveWords wears their metal heart loudly on their sleeve, as they celebrate the greatest genre of music with the most dedicated and passionate fans on the planet!
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3 ñåí 2024
Watch TOMMY ALDRIDGE Perform WHITESNAKE's "Crying In The Rain" For Drumeo
 Drumeo has shared a new video along with the following message:
"Watch Tommy Aldridge perform 'Crying In The Rain' by Whitesnake. This track was originally released on Whitesnake's 1982 record, Saints & Sinners, featuring Ian Paice (Deep Purple) on drums. Five years later in 1987, the band re-released the song on their self-titled record featuring Aynsley Dunbar on drums."
In 2023, Drumeo shared an hour-long clip featuring Aldridge going through breakdowns on key Whitesnake and Ozzy fills. Find out what it was like working with Randy Rhoads ('You couldn't make it heavy enough for Randy'), and watch the Bonham fan perform some of his favorite tunes.
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3 ñåí 2024
STIX ZADINIA On Why STEEL PANTHER Hasn't Been Affected By 'Cancel Culture': 'We Built This Band On Being Irreverent'
 In a new interview with the "Everblack" podcast, drummer Stix Zadinia of California glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER — whose songs contain what some critics say are racist, misogynistic and lewd lyrics — was asked if he and his bandmates have been affected by "cancel culture", a term which describes efforts to shun, silence or demonetize people who express unpopular beliefs. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's a good question. And, actually, we get that question quite a lot now, or we have over the past couple of years. But no, we haven't had anybody come to us and go, 'Oh, guys, you can't do that.' And I think one of the main reasons for that is we're our own record company, we run everything, we are the merch company — we are truly 'do it yourself.'
"I think that we built this band on being irreverent, we built it on not giving a fuck, and people who are fans of our band generally, they celebrate that fact," he explained. "So I feel like there's a very conscious choice on our part to not follow the trend and not try to go be politically correct, 'cause that's the antithesis of our band. That wouldn't be organic and it wouldn't be natural for us. And the minute we start to do that, everybody who likes us for what we stand for and what we represent, which is freedom to say whatever the fuck you want, not hurt anybody, but just go be a freak, and the minute we do that, then the people who like us for that, they'd be bummed. They'd be, like, 'Oh, that's not my band anymore.' And we are forever grateful for people who are on the STEEL PANTHER bus. And to change the bus just because there's some people out there going, 'Oh, you can't say that. You're gonna hurt people's feelings' — fuck off. Don't listen."
Stix's bandmate, STEEL PANTHER singer Michael Starr, previously talked about cancel culture in a March 2023 interview with Canada's The Metal Voice. Asked if he and his bandmates had been affected by efforts to silence differing opinions and voices, he responded: "No, not really. I mean, I don't wanna say 'not really.' I would just say… I mean, the only pushback we got was for a plug-in that [STEEL PANTHER guitarist] Satchel designed called the 'Pussy Melter'. And it was on the TC Electronic web site and a girl guitar player saw it and she got extremely offended by it. And she wrote the company and they took the plug-in off because one person was upset with it. And so Satchel came up with the idea, and he said, 'Why don't we just make a fucking guitar pedal?' So we got into the guitar pedal business. Man, that thing flew off the shelves so quick. 'Cause people were trying to cancel us. We only made, like, I think, ten thousand of 'em or something — just a small order of 'em. Because it's expensive to get that capital to make 'em all. So we made, like, ten thousand and we made it a limited edition and it cut off at a certain number. And we sold 'em all in, like, two weeks. And so that [was a situation where] somebody tried to cancel us — like a subcategory of us — and it kind of backfired on them."
Starr went on to say that people who attend STEEL PANTHER concerts are fully aware of what they are going to see at the performances, including girls being invited girls up on stage to flash their breasts and single-entendre lyrics that seemingly objectify women and demean everybody.
"People that come to our shows, they know what to expect," Michael explained. "No one walks off the street and just goes, 'Oh, that looks like a fun show. I'm gonna go in.' And they buy a ticket and go in and go, 'Oh my God! I am so offended by them saying 'fuck',' or whatever. 'They said 'Asian hooker'. That's so racist.' People that come know what they're coming into. They know they're coming to a show where they're gonna laugh and hear some profane, politically incorrect humor. And if it's their first time [seeing the band], it's because their friend brought 'em. And people are pretty aware of what's going on. So I think everyone is there for the same party. So we really, really haven't experienced any of that [cancel culture]."
Starr added: "Our shows have been selling out on this tour. And I like to attribute it to how great my hair looks. But it's not that. It's more like people are sick of not being heard. And people are sick of fucking getting bullshitted and they want something that they can count on.
"You go to a sports game and, for the most part, you can count on it being an even match. The refs may fuck up a couple of calls. At the end of the day, at the end, somebody wins and somebody loses. There's truth to that. And when you come see us, at the end of the day, you're gonna get drunk, you're gonna laugh and you're gonna have a good time. You can't argue with that. And I think people really wanna just do that."
Three years ago, Satchel lamented the current stage of the world when asked about the future of comedy and entertainment during an appearance on the "2020'd" podcast. At the time, he said: "I know that wokeism is out of control and cancel culture is out of control right now, but people love to laugh and people love to be able to speak their fucking mind. And you can't be funny, I think, if you can't push the envelope a little bit and joke about shit that you're not supposed to joke about. And that's one of the things that is great about the differences in people — being able to joke about cultural differences. Because there's huge differences between black and white culture, there's huge differences between Asian culture and black culture, or gay culture and heterosexual culture. Gay guys are fucking hilarious; they're really funny. And I don't understand a lot of it, but they're funny as fuck. I'm not gay, so I don't suck dicks, but, to me, the whole idea of being gay is very funny, and there’s a lot of funny shit in that.
"Listen, stereotypes are stereotypes because they are fucking funny," he explained. "It's funny to joke about Asian people being bad drivers, 'cause there's a lot of 'em."
Satchel went on to say that STEEL PANTHER concerts provide a safe space for people to make fun of all situations and individuals equally without fear of offending someone.
"One of the things that I love about being in STEEL PANTHER, and one of the things I love about our shows, is that people who go to our show, and it doesn't matter whether they're white or black, or male or female, or gay or hetero, they go to our show because they love that they're in a place where everybody's… The playing field is level, because we make fun of everybody, and everybody can laugh at everything, and you don't have to worry about it," he said. "And you don't have to watch what you say because everybody can joke about everything. Everybody's in on it, so everybody has fun. And it really lets everybody let their guard down and everybody can have fucking fun.
"When you're out in public normally, most people are very aware of what they can and can't say in this day and age," he added. "And God, that gets fucking old after a while. Most people are just, like, 'Fuck, I just wanna cuss and make fun of a gay person for once. Come on.'"
STEEL PANTHER's sixth studio album, "On The Prowl", was released in February 2023.
In September 2022, STEEL PANTHER announced the addition of Spyder as the band's new bassist.
The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."
Sixteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.
Photo credit: David Jackson | +5 | |
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3 ñåí 2024
See DEEP PURPLE's Entire Concert In Holmdel, New Jersey During '=1 More Time' Tour
 Tito Santana has uploaded video of DEEP PURPLE's entire August 31 concert at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. Check it out below.
According to Setlist.fm, the setlist for the show was as follows:
01. Highway Star
02. A Bit On The Side
03. Hard Lovin' Man
04. Into The Fire
05. Guitar Solo
06. Uncommon Man
07. Lazy Sod
08. Keyboard Solo
09. Lazy
10. Show Me
11. Portable Door
12. Anya
13. Keyboard Solo
14. Bleeding Obvious
15. Space Truckin'
16. Smoke On The Water
Encore:
17. Green Onions (Booker T. & the MG's cover)
18. Hush (Joe South cover)
19. Black Night
During an appearance on the August 21 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan was asked if retirement is out of the vocabulary for him and his bandmates, more than seven years after they launched "The Long Goodbye" tour. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it is. That was a joke, actually, because it was the promoters. And someone said, 'We've gotta sell some more tickets.' And it's the good old standby, the farewell tour. So I said, Okay, we'll call it 'goodbye' tour, but let's call it 'the long goodbye', and let's make the emphasis on the word 'long',' so it's kind of an enigmatic phrase."
He continued: "There's no intention to stop. At the moment… I spoke to my manager the other day. I've got some solo project. He said, 'You're gonna have to put 'em back,' and I'm putting them back years. We're already booked to the end of '26, in the planning stage, in the diary, with all the projects we've got for DEEP PURPLE. So, yeah, years to come, hopefully."
Earlier last month, Gillan addressed the name of the band's current tour with YES, "=1 More Time" in an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock. Asked how close the end of the road — and, perhaps, DEEP PUPRLE — feels to him, the singer, who just turned 79, responded: "Well, you know what?! It was only recently that I heard somebody mention [the tour name]. I'd never heard that before. I'd never even spoken to anybody about it. No one asked me. That's rubbish. [Laughs] That's not the name of the tour. I think the tour is called 'Unleashed'. Not that it matters; it's a DEEP PURPLE tour and we're happy and whatever. But to answer your question: it is what it is. As soon as you start feeling unable to deliver at that level — of course, you adjust, of course, you adapt and make do the best you can. But when the energy level goes, that's time to stop because then it gets embarrassing and nobody wants that. But so far, so good. I think that's a much better title than what you just said. [Laughs]"
Last December, DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice, who turned 76 in June, was asked by Zoom when he and his bandmates will eventually retire from performing live. He responded: "We have never planned a date to stop working. We are realists. The guys are getting older, and there's gonna come a point where maybe one or two of us don't want to do it anymore or [it's] not physically possible for them to do it. But we don't think about that. We're still having a great deal of fun. A lot of people still enjoy what we do, and so long as those two things stay in harmony, we'll continue.
"I don't think we'll ever know what the last gig, what the last tour is," he continued. "I think it'll come and just smack us in the face. Unless there's a definite plan, which there isn't, to do something as a final bye-bye, I just think we'll just go, 'Sorry, guys. We're finished. We can't do it anymore. It's been wonderful.' But even then, I think if we stopped touring, there's no reason why we couldn't make more records. That's the easiest thing in the world. All you've got to do is have the ideas. That's the hardest thing in the world. But physically making a record is easy."
Paice added: "Touring only works if you enjoy it. You can't just enjoy the two hours a night when you're playing. You've got to be able to deal with the whole thing. You've got to be able to deal with a ten-hour flight, a hotel which is less than perfect, transportation which goes wrong. You've gotta deal with all that. And if you can, and still enjoy it, then why would you stop something that you got into as a kid 'cause it made you happy? And if it still makes you happy, why would you stop it?"
Paice's PURPLE bandmate Roger Glover expressed a similar sentiment about the band's final tour in a June 2023 interview with Rock Hard Greece. The bassist, who turned 78 last November, said: "I don't like the idea of announcing the last show: 'And here they are. This is their last show.' I mean, the stress involved in that would be ridiculous. Where would it be? When would it be? For me, the ideal ending for PURPLE is that we just carry on until it stops. No announcement. We're not gonna announce, 'This is the last one.' People would buy tickets: 'Oh, this is the last one.' It's an exercise in making money. It's not very good. I've never liked it. I'd rather go and play and play and play and play, and one day when something happens and one of us drops dead or gets really ill or whatever, [we say], 'Well, that's that.' And leave it at that."
In 2022, DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Don Airey, who turned 76 in June, told Rolling Stone magazine that there is no concrete plan for him and his DEEP PURPLE bandmates to stop playing live shows.
"We started the farewell tour in 2017. It was due to end in 2019," he noted. "But the thing is, when you're a musician in a band, you think you're in control of it, but you're not. The business is running you.
"Of course, there was so much demand for the band to continue from the promoters and agents that we said, 'Okay, we'll do one more year.'"
Regarding when he thinks DEEP PURPLE will finally call it quits, Don said: "The words of T.S. Eliot [the greatest English-language poet of his generation] come to mind: 'This is the way the band ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.' I think we won't know it's the last gig. We won't have a clue that this one is going to be the last one. That's how it's going to end. It's going to be no big scenario.
"I like what Buddy Guy said. He said, 'Musicians don't retire. They drop.' You do have thoughts about being in the garden and bouncing the grandchildren on your knee, but it's part of your blood system, playing and touring. It's an addiction. I hope I keep playing for a while yet."
In July 2022, guitarist Steve Morse officially left PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who is battling cancer. He has since been replaced by Simon McBride.
DEEP PURPLE's latest album, "=1", came out on July 19 via earMUSIC.
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3 ñåí 2024
ANGRA To Go On Hiatus Following 'Temple Of Shadows' 20th-Anniversary Tour
 Brazilian/Italian metallers ANGRA have announced on social media that they will be taking a hiatus from touring and recording next year. Before that, the band will be on an extensive tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their acclaimed album "Temple Of Shadows", considered one of the most important progressive metal albums of all time.
ANGRA said in a statement: "Dear fans and friends, it is with mixed emotions that we announce a sabbatical period in ANGRA's activities. After more than 11 years of intense dedication, composing, recording, and performing in various cities and countries around the world, we feel it is time to stop and recharge our batteries. This break is necessary so that we can return even stronger and more inspired.
"We know it will be hard to stay away from the stage as ANGRA, and we will miss the friendship and great relationship we have as a band. We are deeply grateful for the unconditional support and passion you have always shown for our music. Without you, ANGRA wouldn’t be what it is!
"Before we enter this hiatus, we have some special events planned. Soon we will release our acoustic DVD, recorded at the Ópera de Arame, which we are extremely proud of. In October and November, we will embark on an European tour, and between late 2024 and March 2025, we will embark on the 'Interlude' tour, where we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album 'Temple Of Shadows' and perform the greatest hits of our career. We invite all of you to join us at these final shows before the pause, so we can celebrate these unforgettable moments together.
"During this period, the band members will focus on other personal and professional projects. We will always stay close to our fans in one way or another through these endeavors. We will remain connected through social media and promise to keep you informed about our next steps. Stay tuned to angra.net for information on show dates and Meet & Greet packs. See you soon, and may music continue to unite us!"
ANGRA's latest album, "Cycles Of Pain", came out last November 3 via Atomic Fire Records. The LP was produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by longtime ANGRA partner Dennis Ward (D.C. COOPER, PINK CREAM 69, PLACE VENDOME) at the Sonastério & Elephant Office in Brazil, while mixing and mastering took place at The TrakShak in Karlsdorf, Germany. The artwork was designed by Erick Pasqua before Jonathan Canuto took care of layout duties.
The album also featured a range of guests, including appearances by Amanda Somerville ("Tears Of Blood"),Brazilian artists Lenine ("Vida Seca") and Vanessa Moreno ("Tide Of Changes - Part II" and "Here In The Now"),and Juliana D'Agostini on piano ("Tears Of Blood").
Formed in 1991, ANGRA's current lineup includes vocalist Fabio Lione (ATHENA XIX, ex-RHAPSODY OF FIRE, ex-VISION DIVINE) alongside Rafael Bittencourt and Marcelo Barbosa on guitars, Felipe Andreoli on bass and Bruno Valverde on drums.
Photo: Henrique Grandi
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3 ñåí 2024
DAVID LEE ROTH's "Black Sand" Gets New Animated Video Treatment
 The Mojo Dojo has released a new video for David Lee Roth's "Black Sand", featured on the DLR Band album from 1998. A message from animator Ramses Rios follows:
"Perhaps one of David Lee Roth’s greatest and most underrated tracks of his solo career, 'Black Sand' from the DLR Album is perfection. Matching the same type of vibe as 'Damn Good', Dave’s smooth voice and lyrical genius paired with Terry Kilgore’s guitar on this track is like combining JD & Coke.
"As you know, I am a die hard DLR fan. To me, DLR is not simply just legendary or my hero, like he is a hero to all. DLR is a lifestyle. My goal is to share my passion I have for illustration/art paired with tracks that many are unfamiliar with from Dave. You could say I’m trying to give a little life to these diamonds in the rough. This is how I became an ultimate fan, by receiving exposure to greatness.
"Just doing my small part in carrying this torch so that you all may enjoy DLR as much as I do."
Ramses Rios previously released a new video for Roth's "Mississippi Power".
"A very rare, but amazing track by David Lee Roth from the YFLM (Your Filthy Little Mouth) album (Non-LP track). It has been around for ages, but not many are aware of this gem the Diamond blessed us with. Dave has always had an incredible bluesy voice, and he hits it out the park every time. Enjoy this track if you have not already heard it. Illustration by myself - a little tip of the hat to the art portrayed on the YFLM booklet (Moon)."
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Featured Video
INFRARED - "Demon's Blood"
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3 ñåí 2024
Former JOURNEY Bassist ROSS VALORY - “Nightflower” Music Video Released
 “Nightflower” is the new music video by Ross Valory from the recently released album, All Of The Above (OID Music). The video was once again directed by Michael Cotten.
All Of The Above was produced by Valory and co-produced by Eric Levy and Jacob Stowe. The nine tracks on the album represent the full maturity of Valory’s musical gifts, cutting a broad swath through the instrumental territory the music travels. He plays keyboards, guitar, and, of course, many basses in a display of cultivated virtuosity acRoss a palette far broader than could be found in his work with Journey. He is stepping out from behind his bass and, for the first time in his more than half-century as a professional musician, representing his vision and his compositions.
Valory left Journey in 2020 and the band members worked out their issues in a peaceful mediated settlement. Valory, who spent most of his life as a member of Journey, has no regrets. He counts his blessings at having spent an amazing career with a remarkable group of musicians who succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
"Low Rider" video:
"Windmill" video:
"Wild Kingdom" video:
"Tomland" video:
(Photo - Jérôme Brunet)
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INFRARED - "Demon's Blood"
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3 ñåí 2024
ATREYU Shares 'Becoming The Bull' From Album Of Reimagined Greatest Hits 'The Pronoia Sessions'
 American metalcore stalwarts ATREYU have shared "Becoming The Bull", another track from their new collection of eight reimagined greatest hits and two nostalgic tribute covers, "The Pronoia Sessions". The digital release will begin streaming on October 25 while vinyl and CDs will hit streets on November 8.
On the new version of "Becoming The Bull", ATREYU frontman Brandon Saller comments: "We tried to give a new approach to this song. As with all the songs on this album, we wanted to breathe new life into every aspect of this song that to me sounds like a desert sunrise. Enjoy."
ATREYU is a band with a legacy seamlessly intertwined with formative experiences for a diverse legion of listeners worldwide. 'The Pronoia Sessions' deconstructs, recreates, and reshapes the Orange County, California, band's beloved anthems (and cover songs) as a haunting and hypnotic new collection. What began as an acoustic album evolved into a grand re-imagining of ATREYU classics.
The genesis stretches back to a series of acoustic performances at special events on the road. "We had the idea to do a show similar to NIRVANA's MTV 'Unplugged' as a one-off thing," explains Saller. "Then we thought, 'Why not spend some time on it in the studio?' And it built from there. 'How far can we push this?' It spawned from there and unexpectedly turned into this monster."
The band shared this about the upcoming release: "This album, to us, was something that initially came from the fans. During COVID, we started toying around with doing acoustic performances for the first time in our career. Since the release of 'Gone (Reimagined)', the outpouring of love and interest from our fans was overwhelming. It got us thinking...what if we didn't just make some of our classics acoustic, what if we took them to a whole new place? We feel with this album we have carved out a new home for these songs to stand on their own. They are new entities in our musical landscape.
"Making this album brought us such a sense of joy and creativity. It was as if the universe handed us this moment and it was meant to happen…hence, 'The Pronoia Sessions'."
"The Pronoia Sessions" track listing:
01. Becoming The Bull (reimagined)
02. Save Us (reimagined)
03. Ex's & Oh's (reimagined)
04. Right Side Of The Bed (reimagined)
05. Like A Stone (AUDIOSLAVE Cover)
06. Drowning (reimagined)
07. The Theft (reimagined)
08. Gone (reimagined)
09. Warrior (reimagined)
10. Mary Jane's Last Dance (Tom Petty cover)
Commenting on the first single, an emotional rendering of AUDIOSLAVE's "Like A Stone", ATREYU had this to say: "The covers on this album presented us with the opportunity to take some of our favorites and make them our own. The album has an overarching, somber feel. We wanted songs that would stay in that realm. 'Like A Stone' is one of the most iconic rock songs of our time. Chris Cornell's vocal is a treasure. We hope to have done right by his legacy."
ATREYU's riffs, hooks, melodies, lyrics, and passion are essential parts of a vibrant subculture's emergence across theaters, clubs, festivals, radio, and playlists. The artistic fearlessness powering landmark albums like "The Curse" and "Lead Sails Paper Anchor" is even stronger in 2024. "Becoming The Bull", one of the two gold singles released in 2007, takes on new life on "The Pronoia Sessions".
The songs reimagined on "The Pronoia Sessions" stretch back to 2004's "The Curse" ("Right Side Of The Bed") and 2006's "A Death-Grip On Yesterday" ("Ex's & Ohs", "The Theft"). Two of their biggest hits, "Warrior" and "Save Us", are reworked from 2021's "Baptize". And there are new versions of "Gone" and "Drowning" from their most recent release, 2023's "The Beautiful Dark Of Life".
In addition to their own songs, ATREYU offers dark takes on TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS' classic "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and the enduring, Chris Cornell-led AUDIOSLAVE ballad "Like A Stone".
The band says: "Let's see how we can take what exits already and turn it on its head. With some of the older stuff, the vocals have a more melodic approach, but with much of the same phrasing," Saller explains. "We've also incorporated more members of the band. Porter sings, like on 'Ex's & Ohs'. On 'Right Side Of The Bed', there's a saxophone solo instead of a guitar solo, and it's Dan playing the saxophone."
Unbound by false restrictions about anything sounding "too heavy" or "too pop," ATREYU remains a creative beacon of hope for the people shaken by the suggestion that "rock is dead." They've broken into the Top 10 in the Billboard 200 more than once; two of their albums are certified gold.
ATREYU's unquenchable appetite for creative achievement and pursuit of a shared catharsis on stage drove them to form the band as teenagers around the turn of the millennium. It pushed them beyond their do-it-yourself beginnings to massive festival stages (including two runs on Ozzfest),sold-out headlining tours, movie and game soundtracks, and appearances alongside fellow genre standard-bearers, including LINKIN PARK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, DEFTONES, SLIPKNOT and BRING ME THE HORIZON.
A bold chapter in the band's never-ending story of determination, "Baptize" was a definitive work for a new era. Like 2018's "In Our Wake" (which produced the band's biggest song of the streaming era, "The Time Is Now"),ATREYU recorded "Baptize" with producer John Feldmann. Guests included Jacoby Shaddix (PAPA ROACH),Travis Barker (BLINK-182) and Matt Heafy (TRIVIUM). Songs like "Warrior", "Catastrophe", "Save Us" and "Underrated" are massive, standing confidently in the band's catalog.
Breaking with music industry convention, the band's ninth studio album, "The Beautiful Dark Of Life", arrived first as a series of three four-song EPs, eventually collected all together with three more tracks. The band co-headlined with MEMPHIS MAY FIRE and toured with GODSMACK around the EPs.
Distorted Sound hailed the album as "a therapeutic exploration of the insecurities that plague many of us, taking the knowledge of that shared experience and wielding it to their own strength."
Adeptly combining the sounds of thrash, hardcore punk, and the new wave of Swedish death metal, ATREYU quickly evolved to a place where fans of everything from LINKIN PARK to LAMB OF GOD could come to the party. Adventurous, ambitious; ATREYU is best described plainly as a loud rock band.
As one prominent hard rock critic observed early in the band's career: "If you haven't figured out these guys are aiming for a bigger sound by now, you might want to try cleaning out your ears."
ATREYU is:
Brandon Saller - lead vocals
Dan Jacobs - guitar
Travis Miguel - guitar
Porter McKnight – bass | +1 | |
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2 ñåí 2024
PAUL DI'ANNO On Meeting BRUCE DICKINSON In Croatia: 'Everyone Thinks That We Hated Each Other, Which Is Bulls***'
 In a new interview with SDTV - Stonedead Festival, former IRON MAIDEN frontman Paul Di'Anno, who has been performing in a wheelchair as a result of serious health problems for most of the past decade, discussed the progress of his treatment, two years after he underwent major knee surgery in Croatia. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's improving a hell of a lot. The only problem is, and I'm sad to say, with my own country, it's a piece of shit over here [in the United Kingdom] for the NHS [National Health Service, a comprehensive public-health service under government administration]. It's broken completely. I go away, I get — with the lymphedema [a chronic condition that causes swelling in the body's tissues due to a compromised lymphatic system] thing I've got here, it's like it's all full of fluid. Two hours with a medical staff over in Croatia, it's gone down. Come over here [back to the U.K.], they don't even do that, lymphatic drainage [a gentle massage that targets the lymphatic system, which resides just beneath the skin]. Or they wrap you up in bandages. We just took them all off yesterday and put compression stockings on them. And they won't even put that on unless you go through all these channels. Fuckin' England, you're finished, mate."
Paul also reflected on his recent meeting with the singer who replaced him in IRON MAIDEN, Bruce Dickinson, in Croatia. Bruce, who was promoting his new solo album, "The Mandrake Project", performed with his solo band on July 13 at Hala Zagreb in Zagreb, where Di'Anno had been receiving treatment after undergoing his knee surgery.
Paul said: "[Our conversation was] private, so I say no more. Everyone thinks that we hated each other, which is bullshit. That's the press for you. But we've known each other, obviously, from when he was in SAMSON and all that. So, yeah, it's all good."
Di'Anno also discussed his meeting with Dickinson during a recent appearance on "The Neil Jones Rock Show" on TotalRock. He said: "Well, I can't tell you too much. I came out of the clinic I was in, 'cause I was going on stage that night, in Zagreb as well, doing signings basically, and I was gonna go up and do three songs with a MAIDEN covers band sort of thing. All I remember is my transport came to pick me up from the clinic. I'm, like, 'Where are we going?' So I went down to this open-air concert thing. And Bruce was on stage. I was like, oh, I'm clueless. That was my initial thought. Anyway, so after it was all over, I went backstage. All of Bruce's band came down to say hello and all that stuff. They said, 'We're gonna come down and watch you later on, in about an hour or two.' And then next thing I know, Bruce came in. We just gave each other a hug, shook hands and had a little chat, which is private, obviously. But, yeah, it's all good. But the press have put the bad things up about us, that we don't like each other, et cetera, et cetera. But, yeah, it's all good. He's had a little snipe at me over the years, and I'd snipe back occasionally, but yeah, it just kept it all interesting. Yeah, he's a great singer, man. Absolutely brilliant."
Asked if that was in fact the first time he and Bruce had actually met in the flesh, as had been reported, Paul clarified: "No, because, obviously, [we had met when he was] with SAMSON [before he joined MAIDEN] and all that."
In a recent interview with Joel McIver for Record Collector magazine, Bruce was asked when he first encountered IRON MAIDEN. He responded: "The first time I saw MAIDEN was at what was then the Music Machine in Camden. SAMSON [Bruce's then-band] were headlining because our management had bankrolled the gig and said, 'We want the top slot,' although we didn't really deserve it. That became obvious when MAIDEN came on, because the whole place was rammed. I'd heard rumors about how good they were, and I thought I'd better see them. When they came out, I thought, 'I've never seen DEEP PURPLE, but this is what it must have felt like to see DEEP PURPLE in their prime, rocking up a storm.'"
Asked what he thought of MAIDEN's then-frontman Di'Anno as a singer, Bruce said: "He was okay, but he didn't have a lot of flex to his voice. I thought his voice had come as far as it was going to get. I saw what the rest of the band were capable of straight away, and I remember thinking, 'Good God, I'd love to front that band.' And as soon as they finished playing, everybody in the venue left and we were headlining to about three people."
Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN before being replaced by Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.
In 2005, Di'Anno was asked by Classic Rock Revisited editor Jeb Wright about his previous comment that Bruce is a better singer for MAIDEN than he was. He said: "Yeah, I did admit that Bruce is a better singer for MAIDEN than me. I still do think that but only related only to the MAIDEN albums that were made after my first two initial MAIDEN classic albums. My feeling is that I could never have stamped my mark properly on the MAIDEN albums that came after 'Iron Maiden' and 'Killers' because Bruce's voice is much better suited to that material than my voice ever could be. However, that aside, I am not actually comparing our voices against each other either, as I feel as much as I could not sing Bruce's period of MAIDEN songs, Bruce definitely does not have — and never did have — the voice to replace me on the first two classic albums either. My voice is, and always will be, mega aggressive and that is what helped make those first two classic albums what they are. On the other hand, Bruce's high-pitched, and sometimes operatic voice, is what has helped give the later albums their different character. I will say this though: Bruce sounds incredible on many later MAIDEN tracks such as 'The Trooper', 'Number Of The Beast' and 'Two Minutes To Midnight' but let's face it — without meaning to sound arrogant here, just saying what everyone knows — when Bruce tries to emulate me on classics such as 'Remember Tomorrow', 'Running Free', 'Wrathchild', 'Killers' or anything from the first two MAIDEN albums, he just does not have the tools for the job as the aggression just isn't there. Your voice can often explain a lot about your background, and I think my voice shows the kind of rough, lower-class background I came from. Bruce's voice kind of gives an impression of a public schoolboy background."
In a 2022 interview with Sakis Fragos of Greece's Rock Hard magazine, Di'Anno addressed the circumstances that led to his departure from MAIDEN and whether it's true that it has something to do with his vocal performance. He said: "My record stands for itself. I've played more shows than IRON MAIDEN have ever played… They play a lot of concerts, but I played a hell of a lot more than they ever had. So it was nothing to do with my voice. It was nothing to do with that. I was just upset about certain things, which were private things in the band. And the way I dealt with them maybe was not right, but I dealt with them. And that's the end of it. And that's as much as I'm gonna say."
Pressed about whether it's true that he wasn't properly compensated for his work on the first two IRON MAIDEN albums, Paul said: "I have nothing to comment on that at all, because, to be honest with you, it's nobody's damn business. I got paid very well. I'm very happy with that. See, if I try to say, 'Oh, IRON MAIDEN didn't pay me enough money,' it's a bad reflection on IRON MAIDEN. And I'm not taking that. I got paid very well. They looked after me. End of story."
In December 2022, Di'Anno spent time in Split, Croatia recording an album with his new project called WARHORSE. The band was formed earlier that year by Di'Anno and two guitarists/authors, Hrvoje Madiraca and Ante "Pupi" Pupačić. The resulting LP was made available in July 2024 under the PAUL DI'ANNO'S WARHORSE banner.
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2 ñåí 2024
Watch: IRON MAIDEN Kicks Off 2024 Australian Tour In Perth
 British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN kicked off the 2024 Australian leg of "The Future Past" tour on September 1 at the RAC Arena in Perth.
The band's setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:
01. Caught Somewhere In Time
02. Stranger In A Strange Land
03. The Writing On The Wall
04. Days Of Future Past
05. The Time Machine
06. The Prisoner
07. Death Of The Celts
08. Can I Play With Madness
09. Heaven Can Wait
10. Alexander The Great
11. Fear Of The Dark
12. Iron Maiden
Encore:
13. Hell On Earth
14. The Trooper
15. Wasted Years
Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.
"The Future Past" tour, which includes songs from both IRON MAIDEN's most recent studio album "Senjutsu" as well as 1986’s seminal album "Somewhere In Time", alongside other fan favorites, played to over 750,000 fans at more than 30 sold-out shows across Europe in the summer of 2023. The band also performed in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver alongside their highly praised appearance at California's Power Trip festival last October which had Consequence stating: "IRON MAIDEN set the bar high at Power Trip" and The Desert Sun saying "IRON MAIDEN didn't disappoint and delivered a hard-hitting performance to open the festival on a high note." Featuring one of the most spectacular stage productions of the band's career, it has received rave reviews in every city and country that IRON MAIDEN visited.
In a recent interview with Australia's "Everblack" podcast, Steve Harris was asked if there is any new music from IRON MAIDEN on the way. The MAIDEN bassist responded: "No, not at the moment. There's nothing in the works at the moment. But that's not to say there won't be.
"Bruce [Dickinson, IRON MAIDEN singer] has only just done his solo tour. So he spent quite a long time just doing that. So, I don't know. Yeah. I mean, maybe we'll find time to cram [a new album] in somewhere. You never know."
MAIDEN's latest album, "Senjutsu", was released in September 2021 via BMG. The band's first LP in six years was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Harris. It features three tracks whose running time exceeds 10 minutes each.
For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.
In the U.S., "Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.
"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.
According to Billboard, "Senjutsu" logged the second-largest week of 2021 for a hard rock album in both equivalent album units earned and in traditional album sales.
"Senjutsu" topped the charts in several European countries upon its release, including in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.
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2 ñåí 2024
Watch METALLICA Perform "The Day That Never Comes" In Minneapolis; Official Live Video
 Metallica have released official live footage of their performance of "The Day That Never Comes", filmed at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 18. Watch below:
Metallica also played U.S. Bank Stadium on August 16. Watch "Hit The Lights" and "Shadows Follow" from that show, below:
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2 ñåí 2024
SERIOUS BLACK Launch Music Video For New Single "Take Your Life"
 In celebration of their 10th band anniversary, German power metal act, Serious Black, will unleash their forthcoming, sixth studio album, entitled Rise Of Akhenaton, on September 27 via AFM Records. A video for their latest single, "Take Your Life", can be seen below.
Band mastermind Mario Lochert comments: "For me personally, this song is something special, not just because my daughter Emilia sang in the 3-part children's choir. The song also describes my path in the music industry, when people laughed and said you crazy won't be able to do it. But at the end of the battle the dead are counted - these are the times when the heroes collide."
Ten years Serious Black, ten years of melodic power metal, with the license to create anthems. Since their founding in 2014 the band enthuses their fans not only with five studio albums to date (while their last offering, Vengeance Is Mine, charted at a phenomenal #16 in Germany), but also at frenetically acclaimed concerts and festival appearances around the globe.
To celebrate their decadal birthday in glorious style, Serious Black are currently not only gearing up for their upcoming tour with Sonata Arctica and Firewind, but of course also the release of their new offering, Rise Of Akhenaton.
All of the eleven tracks on their new album showcase, that Serious Black stylistically went back to their roots, but at the same time, due to the modern production by Mario Lochert und Bob Katsionis, Rise Of Akhenaton sounds more diversified than ever. The interim focus on progressive directives has now changed to more catchy arrangements. Anno 2024, straight, classic power metal - the style the band once got to be known for - reigns again.
"The return to what characterized us once, was already indicated on Vengeance Is Mine," Lochert recently said about the natural evolution of the band and adds, "Since his joining three years ago our singer Nikola Mijic has turned out to be a real jewel for us. Because of his expressive voice and his intuitive feeling for great melodies the songs got more clarity and a more direct pace."
Pre-order Rise Of Akhenaton here.
Tracklisting:
"Open Your Eyes"
"We Are The Storm"
"Silent Angel"
"Take Your Life"
"Shields Of Glory"
"When I'm Gone"
"United"
"Rise Of Akhenaton"
"Virtual Reality"
"I Will Remember"
"Metalized"
"Silent Angel" video:
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2 ñåí 2024
BORNBROKEN Celebrates Resilience With “How Strong You Are” Single
 Hailing from Montreal, Canada BornBroken, return with their potent third album Am I Invisible slated for release on September 20, 2024. They have already released the title track as a single and are now following it up with “How Strong You Are” – a motivational anthem that highlights personal strength, resilience, and self-belief.
The band comments:
“The song encourages listeners to take charge of their destinies and overcome life’s challenges with unwavering conviction. Featuring powerful guitar riffs and a driving rhythm, the track underscores the importance of inner voices and truth in the face of adversity. It is a call to action, reminding fans of their inherent strength and the importance of staying true to oneself amidst life’s battles.”
With lineup changes and their own personal challenges, BornBroken are a testament to resilience as they forge ahead with writing new, more challenging music, taking on new roles within the band and further developing their musicianship.
BornBroken are going back to more of a roots approach with these songs, as they have been focusing on the style of songs that made them get into metal in the first place. Almost like a homage to their idols. They are recommended for fans of Decapitated, Testament, and Machine Head.
Am I Invisible is an album that dives deep into the human experience, exploring themes of existential despair, personal strength, societal division, and the relentless march of time. With each track, BornBroken delivers a powerful message, wrapped in their signature blend of aggressive guitar riffs, dynamic drumming, and emotive vocals.
Those familiar with BornBroken will be surprised by the band's new direction, although the tried and true structure remains, it comes with a twist of lemon and a dash of spice. They are recommended for fans of Chimaira, Machine Head, Slipknot, Decapitated, and Testament.
The Am I Invisible album is available to preorder on Bandcamp. Pre-save the album here.
Tracklisting:
“Time Pays No Respect”
“Am I Invisible”
“Will You Remember”
“How Strong You Are”
“Conflicting Lies”
“Scabs & Scars”
“7 Mondays”
“Fold”
“Age Of Anger”
“The Day I Die Inside”
"How Strong You Are":
"Am I Invisible":
BornBroken Album Lineup:
Mike Marino (Bass)
Michael Decker (Vocals/ All Guitars)
Carlos Ojeda (Drums)
BornBroken live and Official New Lineup:
Mike Marino (Bass)
Michael Decker (Vocals/Guitar)
Carlos Ojeda (Drums)
Rob Henx (Lead Guitar) Newest member after recording
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Featured Video
INFRARED - "Demon's Blood"
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2 ñåí 2024
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