Over the last year, Scardust have been teasing a “Secret Project” on their social media channels, asking their fans to guess what the secret is about. Today, the secret is finally revealed. A magical fairy tale or heavy progressive complexity? Why not both?
"We didn't have to think too much about this one, our fans did it for us,” explains singer Noa Gruman. “Over the years, they have called us ‘Disney Metal’ on so many occasions while describing our music, we felt like we owed it to them and to the rest of the world!"
Scardust is proud to present "Evolution Of The Disney Princess - But She's METAL". A journey through the years, chronologically representing the different Disney princesses, backed up with the band's heavy and complex instrumentation, Noa's versatile singing, and the epic Hellscore choir. All this goodness is brought to life in a complementary one-take video, emphasizing the evolving medley concept.
Between writing and recording their next album, and while touring again after the pandemic pause, Scardust were able to put this project together and even document the entire process. A recording VLOG can be found below, and soon after the video release, a behind-the-scenes video will pop up as well. Additionally, the song is available for streaming and download on Bandcamp and various other digital platforms.
Scardust’s last album, Strangers, was released in late 2020 and despite the world’s Covid setback the Israeli quintet persevered through the challenges presented to them and recorded and released a phenomenal effort described by Dead Rhetoric as “captivating from start to finish.” Their sophomore record, Strangers, presented a unique concept album built of complementary song pairs working from the outside in resulting in something fresh which received strong critical and fan approval. Seven music videos were presented and the band played shows in their native land, as well as various spots throughout Europe culminating with an appearance at Wacken Open Air Fest.
Noa Gruman is also recognized as a verifiable talent and has also been a featured guest lead vocalist on albums from noteworthy artists including Therion, Amorphis, Orphaned Land, Gloryhammer, Mike LePond, Winterhorde, and Subterranean Masquerade.
Frontiers Music Srl recently released the debut album, We Belong To The Stars, from Sweden's Ginevra, a new group comprised of vocalist Kristian Fyhr (Seventh Crystal), guitarist Magnus Karlsson (The Ferrymen, Primal Fear), bassist Jimmy Jay (H.E.A.T.), and drummer Magnus Ulfstedt (ex-Eclipse, Nordic Union).
Order here, and watch a new video for "Masquerade" featurning Chez Kane below.
Ginevra came to be after Kristian Fyhr sent Serafino Perugino, Frontiers Records President, some songs he had written for consideration to be used on future Frontiers' label projects. One particular song, "My Rock N' Roll" jumped out at Perugino and he asked Fyhr if he would be interested in fronting a new band that would craft an entire album in a musical direction illustrated in that song, which was substantially different from Fyhr's main band Seventh Crystal. The final results brought Ginevra's sound under the same big umbrella of excellent Nordic melodic hard rock like H.E.A.T, Eclipse, Crowne, and the like, but without necessarily sounding like those bands. Ginevra is hooky and melodic, but mostly heavier and more guitar/riff oriented than traditional melodic rock. Perugino thought that Magnus Karlsson, who contributed to the songwriting for the album as well, seemed the perfect fit to play guitar for Ginevra and when approached about participating, he was keen on the idea.
With a powerful vocalist like Fyhr and a monster guitarist like Magnus Karlsson, whose resume speaks for itself, a top notch rhythm section needed to join the fold. Jona Tee, whom Frontiers has worked with as a musician and/or producer on releases from New Horizon, Crowne, and Temple Balls, recommended his H.E.A.T. bandmate Jimmy Jay for the bass position and he was the perfect fit. For the drum stool, Magnus Ulfstedt, who has played with Eclipse, Nordic Union, and Jimi Jamison, was asked to join the band and complete this excellent Swedish foursome.
Kristian Fyhr first came to the label's attention with Seventh Crystal, the other band he is lead vocalist for. Seventh Crystal's 2021 debut album, Delirium was a real breath of fresh air in the melodic rock scene considering the band managed to acknowledge the traditions of the genre, while also bringing in modern hard rock elements. Fhyr has also contributed to the songwriting of recent albums from the label, including Giant's Shifting Time. The pairing of Fhyr's vocal and songwriting talents with Karlsson's stunning guitar playing and songwriting has birthed something truly special and melodic hard rock fans can look forward to yet another gem from the ever fruitful Swedish hard rock scene.
Tracklisting:
"Siren’s Calling"
"Unbreakable"
"Apologize"
"Masquerade" Feat. Chez Kane
"Break The Silence"
"Brokenhearted"
"We Belong To The Stars"
"I’ll Be Around"
"Falling To Pieces"
"The Fight"
"My Rock’n’roll"
"Masquerade" feat. Chez Kane video:
"Apologize" visualizer/b-roll video:
"Unbreakable" video:
"Siren’s Calling" video:
Lineup:
Kristian Fhyr - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards
Magnus Karlsson - Guitar, Keyboards
Jimmy Jay - Bass
Magnus Ulfstedt - Drums
Additional musicians:
Chez Kane - Vocals on "Masquerade"
Alessandro Del Vecchio - Keyboards
Produced, mixed & mastered by Alessandro Del Vecchio
Executive Producer / A&R - Serafino Perugino
Black Hole's new album, Whirlwind Of Mad Men, was released last month via Rockshots Records. The band have released the video below, a symphonic metal tribute to Iron Maiden's classic tune, "Fear Of The Dark". The cover features former Helloween guitarist, Roland Grapow.
Formed in the East of France, Black Hole is a collective of musicians who play and perform for the pleasure and passion of metal above all. Their new album Whirlwind Of Mad Men follows their two EPs Victim Of Illusion (2000), Children Of The Sun (2006), and their first full-length 2018's Lost World (Via Nocturna). Since their inception Black Hole has supported bands like Nightwish, Rage, Evergrey, John Oliva's Pain, Firewind, Circle II Circle, Jeff Scott Soto, Nightmare, Vulcan, Killers, Shakra, Tankard along with performing on multiple festivals in France (Foire aux Vins, Festival Fracass), Germany (Regio Jam), and Belgium (Devil's Rock for an Angel).
Their sophomore full-length Whirlwind Of Mad Men navigates between heavy and power metal with melodies carried between the vocals and guitar solos along with being supported by solid rhythmic parts and great orchestral pieces which give intensity to the compositions. The diversity of all the songs allows listeners to travel through various atmospheres and contexts. The album's goal is to give feelings of power while mastering strong emotional moments.
The new album also features new member Christophe (keyboards/orchestrations), adding more epic and orchestrated tracks. A collaboration that promises to be more interesting than their previous record Lost World. Mixing and mastering were helmed by Roland Grapow (ex-Helloween, Masterplan) who also added a guitar solo on the album's cover track of Iron Maiden's "Fear Of The Dark".
"We are very happy to be releasing this powerful symphonic metal album. We have worked hard to deliver a high-quality product. The lyrics, the moods, the symphonic arrangements, and the performances of each individual give a special resonance to this record. The overall sound and the sound of each instrument has been an essential point throughout the genesis and we are proud of the finished product. The visual side is not to be outdone. The high-quality artwork represents well the universe of the themes and the general atmosphere of the album. We hope that fans will take as much pleasure to listen to it as we did to conceive it," adds the band.
“Chasing The Kraken”
“Walking With The Devil”
“Dark Horizon”
“Whirlwind Of Mad Men”
“Legend Of Justine”
“My Precious Dream”
“Never Surrender”
“Breaking The Rules”
“Line Of Sight”
“My Friend”
“Deliverance”
“No Return”
“Fear Of The Dark” (Iron Maiden cover)
“Dream On” (Aerosmith cover)
AXS TV has shared the video below, in which Sammy Hagar takes a drive through NorCal where he tastes some vino at the Mountain Winery and catches up with Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Later, Sammy and Billy are all smiles while they jam out to the ZZ Top staple, "Waitin' For Te Bus".
Sammy Hagar & The Circle's new album, Crazy Times, is available now via UMe. Order here.
Tracklisting:
"Intro: The Beginning Of The End"
"Slow Drain"
"Feed Your Head"
"Pump It Up"
"Be Still"
"You Get What You Pay For"
"Crazy Times"
"Funky Feng Shui"
"Father Time"
"Childhoods End"
"2120" (bonus track)
"Father Time" - Acoustic Demo (bonus track)
The grand finale of Atrocity's Okkult trilogy will be available early next year. The new album, Okkult III, will be released on January 20 via Massacre Records. Pre-order here.
Guest musicians on the Okkult III album include: Elina Siirala (Leaves’ Eyes, Angel Nation), Zoe Marie Federoff (Cradle Of Filth, Catalyst Crime), Robse Dahn (Equilibrium), Misstiq, Jonah Weingarten (Catalyst Crime, Pyramaze) as well as Igor Górewicz.
Check out the new single, "Malicious Sukkubus", featuring Elina Siirala and Zoe Marie Federoff below. Watch for the official video to surface later today.
Killer production by Alexander Krull at Mastersound Entertainment. Striking horror sound effects provided by Emmy Award-winning Canadian sound designer Katie Halliday (Saw, Stranger Things, Star Trek: Discovery).
The lyrical concept about the dark side of human history, obscure stories and mysterious places is spun further on Okkult III. "We look deep into the mental abysses of the serial killer Józef Cyppek from Szczecin, Poland, in the 1950s ('Cypka'), experience the great conspiracy of the Schwarze Reichswehr after World War I ('Born To Kill'), dive into the world of modern ghost conjuring ('Faces From Beyond') and into the occult machinations of the Vatican and the Order of the Knights Templar ('Bleeding For Blasphemy')," says Atrocity.
Okkult III is the culminating conclusion of the Okkult trilogy, and a self-proclaimed German death metal masterpiece.
"Desecration Of God"
"Fire Ignites"
"Born To Kill"
"Bleeding For Blasphemy"
"Priest Of Plague"
"Malicious Sukkubus" (feat. Elina Siirala & Zoe Federoff)
"Lycanthropia"
"Faces From Beyond"
"Cypka"
"Teufelsmarsch" (feat. Robse Dahn & Misstiq)
The Rolling Stones recently announced the release of GRRR Live!, the definitive live hits album from the band’s career. Out on February 10 via Mercury Studios/Universal Music, the album will be available in various formats; 3LP black, 3LP coloured white (Indies exclusive) 3LP red (d2c exclusive), 2CD, DVD + 2CD, BluRay+ 2CD. The Blu-ray and digital versions will include Dolby Atmos.
"It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)" from the upcoming release is available for streaming here. Watch the official video below:
The Rolling Stones have announced a new online concert event celebrating the release of GRRR Live!. The concert will take place February 2 at 8PM GMT / 8PM Eastern / 8PM Pacific / 8PM AWST (February 3).
Recorded on the band’s 50 & Counting Tour, the GRRR Live! concert featured guest appearances by The Black Keys ("Who Do You Love?"), Gary Clark Jr & John Mayer ("Going Down"), Lady Gaga ("Gimme Shelter"), Mick Taylor ("Midnight Rambler") and hometown hero Bruce Springsteen ("Tumbling Dice"), and proved to be one of the most memorable shows in the band’s history. It has not been available to fans since it originally aired on pay-per-view in 2012.
The GRRR Live! experience will bring this history-making concert to fans around the world on RollingStonesNewark.com via interactive video company Kiswe’s global live streaming technology. The concert features some of the greatest songs of all time including "It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)", "Honky Tonk Women", "Start Me Up", "Gimme Shelter", "Sympathy For The Devil" and "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction". Unlike viewing performances on other platforms, Kiswe Live allows the fans to be part of the experience. Fans from all over the world will be able to upload short video selfies of themselves to celebrate the band, the performances, see themselves on the screen and be seen by others across the globe, alongside the performance.
The best live band in the world deserve the ultimate live greatest hits album and GRRR Live! is it, The Stones at their best! The album is available to pre-order here and features some of the greatest songs of all time including "It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)", "Honky Tonk Women", "Start Me Up", "Gimme Shelter", "Sympathy For The Devil" and "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction".
The Rolling Stones celebrated their golden anniversary in 2012 & 2013 by embarking on the 50 & Counting Tour, a 30-show itinerary for North America and Europe. On December 15, 2012, the band took the stage at Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center for the final of four shows in the New York area.
Since its original airing on pay-per-view in 2012, this show has not been available to fans until now. The concert has been re-edited and the audio has been remixed. Three songs from the December 13 show (also in Newark) will be available as bonus features on the DVD and Blu-ray: "Respectable" (with John Mayer), "Around And Around", and "Gimme Shelter".
GRR Live! tracklisting:
CD1:
"Get Off Of My Cloud"
"The Last Time"
"It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)"
"Paint It Black"
"Gimme Shelter" (with Lady Gaga)
"Wild Horses"
"Going Down" (with John Mayer and Gary Clark Jr)
"Dead Flowers"
"Who Do You Love?" (with The Black Keys)
"Doom And Gloom"
"One More Shot"
"Miss You"
"Honky Tonk Women"
Band Introductions
CD2:
"Before They Make Me Run"
"Happy"
"Midnight Rambler" (with Mick Taylor)
"Start Me Up"
"Tumbling Dice" (with Bruce Springsteen)
"Brown Sugar"
"Sympathy For the Devil"
"You Can’t Always Get What You Want"
"Jumpin’ Jack Flash"
"(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction"
SEPULTURA was joined by Philip Anselmo (PANTERA),Scott Ian (ANTHRAX, MR. BUNGLE) and Matt Heafy (TRIVIUM) during its performance Sunday night (December 18) at Knotfest Brasil at Sambódromo Do Anhembi in São Paulo, Brazil. Anselmo belted out vocals on the track "Arise", Ian played guitar for "Cut-Throat", and Heafy handled both guitar and vocals on "Slave New World". Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen below.
SEPULTURA's setlist was as follows:
01. Isolation
02. Refuse/Resist
03. Means To An End
04. Cut-Throat (with Scott Ian)
05. Propaganda
06. Dead Embryonic Cells
07. Agony Of Defeat
08. Slave New World (with Matt Heafy)
09. Arise (with Philip Anselmo)
10. Ratamahatta
11. Roots Bloody Roots
SEPULTURA played right before the reformed PANTERA at this year's Knotfest Brasil, which marked the latter band's fourth concert without bassist Rex Brown.
The Knotfest Brasil gig took place six days after Rex confirmed that a positive COVID-19 test forced him to miss PANTERA's performance at Knotfest Chile in Santiago on December 11. Filling in for him at Knotfest Brasil gig — and other recent shows — was CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.
Joining surviving members Brown and Anselmo in PANTERA's reformed lineup are guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).
SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser discussed PANTERA's comeback in an interview with Ireland's Overdrive. Speaking about the pushback by some fans over the fact that Anselmo and Brown are touring under the PANTERA name, he said: "I think it's so stupid that people try to judge the fact that there are gonna be some live shows. It's just so stupid. Their music is so fantastic, and there are countless bands all over the world that are jamming their songs every single day. Phil and Rex are gonna be doing it, and the actual family of the brothers are behind it, supporting it. So, how some people have negative things to say about it, it's something I just don't understand. The existing bandmembers, the existing crew, the family of Vinnie and Dime are all behind it, so, what's the problem? It's an amazing gathering of friends with Charlie and Zakk — they have a long history with that band. It's gonna be a big party, and I'd love to be part of it. In fact, we're gonna be playing with them at some festivals, and I'm very excited about that.
"Look, it's never gonna be the same, but people need to understand that even if the brothers were still alive, it would be different," he explained. "So my advice is, relax, go out with your friends, see the show, and sing '5 Minutes Alone' with Phil Anselmo. [Laughs]
"I don't understand what these people are complaining about. Just enjoy yourselves."
SEPULTURA recently completed the fall 2022 "Quadra" European tour with SACRED REICH and CROWBAR.
SEPULTURA comprises Kisser, singer Derrick Green, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and drummer Eloy Casagrande.
SEPULTURA was formed in Belo Horizonte by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, who are no longer with the band.
The reformed PANTERA played its fourth concert without bassist Rex Brown Sunday night (December 18) at Knotfest Brasil at Sambódromo Do Anhembi in São Paulo, Brazil. Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen below.
The Knotfest Brasil gig took place six days after Rex confirmed that a positive COVID-19 test forced him to miss PANTERA's performance at Knotfest Chile in Santiago on December 11. Filling in for him at Knotfest Brasil gig — and other recent shows — was CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.
PANTERA's setlist for the Knotfest Brasil concert was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:
01. A New Level
02. Mouth For War
03. Strength Beyond Strength
04. Becoming
05. I'm Broken
06. 5 Minutes Alone
07. This Love
08. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit
09. Fucking Hostile
10. Planet Caravan (BLACK SABBATH cover)
11. Walk
12. Domination / Hollow
13. Cowboys From Hell
On December 12, Brown released the following statement via PANTERA's social media: "I caught a very mild strain of Covid, but because of our own protocols, I simply do not wanna risk getting my brothers or the crew sick!! I'm feeling better & am on my way to a speedy recovery. Merry Fckn Christmas & see you all next year!"
On December 11, Chilean radio station Futuro reported that Brown flew from Bogotá, Colombia, where PANTERA performed at Knotfest Colombia on December 9, back home to the United States to quarantine, thereby missing the remainder of the PANTERA shows in South America.
Joining surviving members Brown and Anselmo in PANTERA's reformed lineup are guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).
The new PANTERA lineup made its live debut on December 2 at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest and also performed on December 6 at Monterrey Metal Fest in Monterrey, Mexico.
It was first reported in July that Anselmo and Brown would unite with Wylde and Benante for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.
The band will headline a number of major festivals across North America and Europe and stage some of their own headline concerts. They will also support METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.
According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who last year said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.
Up until his passing, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.
Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.
Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his other home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.
Repost from @igormirandasite
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Algumas fotos do show que o tributo ao Pantera (já que eles dizem não ser...
British metal sextet, Bury Tomorrow, performed upon the Ronnie James Dio Stage at Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival 2022. Professionally-filmed footage of the band performing "Life" can be viewed below:
The band's forthcoming seventh album, the aptly titled The Seventh Sun, will be released on March 31 via Music For Nations. Pre-order or pre-save it here.
Tracklisting:
"The Seventh Sun"
"Abandon Us"
"Begin Again"
"Forced Divide"
"Boltcutter"
"Wrath"
"Majesty"
"Heretic"
"Recovery?"
"Care"
"The Carcass King"
"Boltcutter" video:
"Abandon Us" video:
Additionally, the band has announced its spring 2023 headline tour of North America. All dates are below. The tour marks the first time the band has toured North American since 2010 and it is a welcome return.
Dates:
May
2 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echoplex
3 - Tempe, AZ -The Marquee
5 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
6 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live
7 - Houston, TX - House of Blues Bronze Peacock
9 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Hell)
10 - Charlotte, NC - The Underground
11 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East
12 - Indianapolis, IN - Hi-Fi Annex
13 - Chicago, IL - Park West
14 - Detroit, MI - El Club
16 - Toronto, ON - The Velvet Underground
17 - Montreal, QC -Fairmount Theatre
19 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs
20 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
LIneup:
Kristian Dawson - Lead Guitar
Daniel Winter-Bates - Vocals
Davyd Winter-Bates - Bass Guitar
Ed Hartwell - Rhythm Guitar
Adam Jackson - Drums
Tom Prendergast - Keyboards/Vocals
Drummer Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, SLAYER, ANTHRAX) has uploaded the latest in his "Big Four" drum-cover series: MEGADETH's "Wake Up Dead". The clip, which can be seen below, follows his previously released videos for SLAYER's "Killing Fields", METALLICA's "Blackened" and ANTHRAX's "A.I.R.".
The 52-year-old Dette played as a full-time member of SLAYER from 1996 to 1997 and as a touring member in 2013.
In a 2013 interview with Metal Rules, Dette revealed that he collaborated with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King on some of the early ideas for what became the band's final studio album, 2015's "Repentless", before he was replaced by a returning Paul Bostaph. "I actually started working with SLAYER after we had gotten back from Australia [in early 2013]," he said. "We started working for demo and music for their new record. And then obviously what happened with Jeff [Hanneman, guitar] passing away, that changed some things. But it was definitely moving in that direction for me to be working with SLAYER [again]. But as I said there are just some things that changed with that once Jeff passed away, and I think, ultimately, they felt more comfortable with Paul Bostaph, just because Paul had been in the band for longer. I think it was not going to be as much of a shock to their fans, because first Dave is gone, and now Jeff is gone, the band, it's now down to two original members. So if Paul makes them feel more comfortable and at home, then more respect to him and I wish them the best with that."
King confirmed that he worked with Dette early on in the songwriting process for "Repentless" before deciding to re-hire Bostaph instead. "We pursued it," Kerry said in a 2015 interview. "We got back from Australia. I did demos with Jon Dette, I did demos with Paul — the same two songs, under the same circumstances; they each had, like, 24 to 36 hours to learn 'em — and just see where it went. And Tom [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] and Jeff [Hanneman, SLAYER guitarist] both decided Paul, and in hindsight, that was the right choice."
Dette originally joined SLAYER in 1996 when Paul Bostaph left to work on his side project THE TRUTH ABOUT SEAFOOD. Dette performed with SLAYER at the 1996 Ozzfest to promote the band's covers album, "Undisputed Attitude".
Prior to joining SLAYER, Dette appeared on TESTAMENT's "Live At The Fillmore" album, which came out in 1995.
In recent years, Dette had played sporadic shows with ANTHRAX as a temporary replacement for Charlie Benante, who had been undergoing physical therapy in his battle with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Dutch heavy rockers WITHIN TEMPTATION have released the official music video for their new single, "The Fire Within". The clip was filmed during the band's recent "Worlds Collide" European tour with EVANESCENCE.
WITHIN TEMPTATION stated about the track: "Back in 2019 we wrote 'The Fire Within', but it's never made its appearance on an album. However, to brighten up your festive December mood some more, we've decided to release it as a standalone song! Enjoy!"
Speaking to Riff X's "Metal XS", WITHIN TEMPTATION vocalist Sharon Den Adel elaborated on how "The Fire Within" came together. She said: "We recorded it during corona times. And we release it now for the game with IRON MAIDEN, [our collaboration with] the 'Iron Maiden: [Legacy Of The Beast' mobile] game. This is a song that didn't make it for the next album. So we like the song, but it has a different kind of vibe to it. And it's about keeping things real. 'The fire within' [is] the thing that drives you, the thing that you feel the most. That's what the song is about."
"The Fire Within" seven-inch single features both the single version and instrumental version of the track. Due on January 20, 2023, it is available for pre-order as a limited edition of 666 individually numbered copies on orange-colored vinyl at the WITHIN TEMPATION music store.
In recent years, WITHIN TEMPTATION shifted its focus from releasing albums to releasing a series of singles, enabling the bandmembers to indulge themselves in their creative processes thus delivering freshly inspired music. The group has released "Entertain You", "The Purge" and "Shed My Skin", singles that have all thrilled their fanbase, had great critical reception in Europe, peaked in the Top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator charts and topped the official German charts. In July, WITHIN TEMPTATION also released the official Jeb Hardwick-directed music video for the band's most recent single, "Don't Pray For Me". It was the fourth single of the band's independent releases and will lead up to WITHIN TEMPTATION's next studio album.
In an interview with Barbara Caserta of Linea Rock, Den Adel spoke about WITHIN TEMPTATION's new approach to making its music available. She said: "We already decided before we had the pandemic to do it this way. A lot of music scenes already do this — music genres, actually — but in the rock [world], we still do a lot of the traditional way of releasing albums. And we just wanted to try this out. And then the pandemic happened, and everybody started doing the same thing. Which is a good thing, because you live in the moment and you write something and you release it… So this is really how we feel at the moment, and it's what we re reflecting with our music, I think. It's a good thing."
Regarding the differences between recording and releasing singles and concentrating on making full-length albums, Sharon said: "We put a lot of time extra now into every single, where normally this is the maximum of singles that we release, and we're gonna release more. So I think there's more time spent to it. But it's scattered all over a time, so it's really sometimes difficult to get back into the flow of writing again; that's the negative side of it. So it has its positive and negative sides. And with a whole album, it takes sometimes two years when you've written a song that it finally gets released, and it already feels outdated sometimes. So now it's really [easy to give each track] a fast release."
This past August, Den Adel told EMP about the WITHIN TEMPTATION songwriting process: "The thing is we've been around for such a long time that we try to be inspired by new bands that we hear and implement it with our own kind of sound and try to stay updated with the sound that is sounding more modern nowadays and what is more 'in' nowadays. Not to be going along with new sounds but something that sounds refreshing and inspiring to us. And that keeps us going and makes it fun for us to make still music. We've been around almost for 25 years, even longer — now I really feel old — but, anyway, you need it; you need to evolve. So there's no formula, but it's more every time looking what inspires you. And it can be anything."
WITHIN TEMPTATION's last album, "Resist", was released in February 2019 through Spinefarm Records, the specialist hard rock label of Universal Music Group.
"Resist" featured guest appearances by PAPA ROACH's Jacoby Shaddix, IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén and ARID's Jasper Steverlinck.
Former NEWSTED members Jessie Farnsworth (guitar, vocals) and Jesus Mendez Jr. (drums) have launched a new band called UNDERLORD.
UNDERLORD's debut EP, "Groundbreaker", features six tracks and was mixed and mastered by Anthony Focx (AEROSMITH, "Guitar Hero - Metallica", NEWSTED),whom Farnsworth and Mendez previously worked with on the NEWSTED "Metal" EP.
"Groundbreaker", which features artwork by Mark DeVito (METALLICA, MOTÖRHEAD, NEWSTED) is available on all major digital outlets. Physical CD copies are available via the UNDERWORLD Bandcamp page.
A video for first single "In My Blood" was released on December 9 and can be seen below.
UNDERLORD's lineup is rounded out by bassist Kevin Michael Thomason.
Jessie and Jesus recorded and toured with ex-METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted in the band NEWSTED from 2012 to 2014, appearing on both the aforementioned "Metal" EP and the "Heavy Metal Music" full-length album, which came out in 2013.
Six years ago, Jason explained his decision to shelf NEWSTED, telling Billboard: "I was trying to take on too much stuff at once. You can only do so much and make it work right. I won't call it over 'cause I did write a whole 'nother record, but it just hasn't been put together. It hasn't been recorded all the way. It's not ready for the people. That's something that's just on the backburner right now."
In addition to Newsted, Farnsworth and Mendez, NEWSTED's lineup included Mike Mushok (STAIND) on guitar.
Jason in February 2014 canceled an appearance at Australia's Soundwave festival with NEWSTED, citing "private and personal circumstances." The cancelation followed more than a year of intense touring and promotional activity surrounding the release of the "Metal" EP and the "Heavy Metal Music" album, both of which were positively received by the critics and fans alike.
Jason left METALLICA back in 2001 but was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, along with guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett, and the man who replaced him, bassist Robert Trujillo, in 2009.
Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE have shared the official music video for their song "No More Tears To Cry", taken from the deluxe version of their latest, self-titled album, which arrived in August via Spinefarm/Search & Destroy. This extended release features four brand new tracks, plus "Stitches", a song previously only available as a Japanese exclusive. Following the CD and digital releases, a vinyl pressing launched on November 11.
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE stated about "No More Tears To Cry": "The song is a dark but colorful story about dealing with mental health struggles. Musically the track is very different from the other tracks on the album and has a lot of surprises on there, including slide guitar..."
This past summer, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE frontman Matt Tuck spoke to "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, about the band's decision to pursue a more technical, aggressive direction on its self-titled album, which originally arrived in November 2021. The LP was written beginning in September 2019 with longtime producer Carl Bown, who co-produced the band's 2015 album, "Venom", and produced and mixed 2018's "Gravity".
"It just felt like the time was right," Matt explained. "It was just something that, when we wrote a couple of the key tracks that opened the door to letting the album what it is now, it just felt like the time was right.
"We came off the back off 'Gravity', which was not a technical record. For us, that album was all about emotion, it was all about the story, it was all about the vocal performances and the lyrical content," he continued. "And it was more an emotive, personal kind of album. And this time around, it became clear, after we kind of found those couple of key tracks, that this album was very different — it was very technical; it was very in your face; it was very aggressive. And we just loved that they had that contrast, and it just had its own identity and had its own moment in time in the band's catalog now. And yeah, I think because we hadn't kind of shown that skillset for a long time — since 'Venom' — and having starved ourselves of writing in that way, in a sense, that as soon as we did, it was just like four or five years' worth of stuff was just kind of flooding out. It was just a natural thing, and we just rode the wave, and the more we kind of rode it, the more technical and aggressive the songs were becoming. And it was great. It just put a smile on our face that we could showcase the heavier, more technical side of the band."
In December 2021, Tuck was asked by NME whether he thinks BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's next album will be a mixture of "Gravity" — which he had previously described as "probably our most mellow/experimental record" — and the self-titled LP. He said: "It really depends. In a year's, two years' time, whenever we decide to kind of get involved with that, we're just gonna do what we do — we're gonna see what comes out, what feels natural, what makes us happy, what makes us scared, what makes us motivated. And coming off the back of 'Gravity' and this album, we're just gonna that whole process of confidence and no-fear attitude into the writing process, and as soon as we start smiling and high-fiving, that's when we'll know we're on the right track."
"Gravity" saw BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's catalog surpass one billion streams in the U.S. That accomplishment solidified BULLET's status as one of the most elite bands in the hard rock scene.
Former Sodom guitarist Andy Brings has shared an unreleased video performance from his private collection of the band performing "Bombenhagel" live at the Philipshalle in Düsseldorf, Germany on the Christmas Metal Meetings Tour ´93. Along with Sodom, the tour featured Motörhead, Kreator, Entombed, Depressive Age and Skew Siskin.
Sodom released their fifth album, Tapping The Vein, on August 1st, 1992. Back in August, Brings celebrated the record's 30th Anniversary with the following message:
"Happy birthday Tapping The Vein! Thirty years ago today, my very first album ever came out, and for many fans around the world it is one of the absolute highlights in the Sodom discography. This makes me very proud.
This anniversary marks 30 professional years for me, as well as a path traveled, which has been quite unique in shape and diversity. This makes me a little bit more proud because I took it on my terms, no matter what price I had to pay for it.
To the next 30 years!"
On June 5th, Sodom made an unhrehearsed surprise appearance at Rock Hard Festival 2022 in Gelsenkirchen. Celebrating the 30th anniverasary of their Tapping The Vein album, the band performed three songs with Andy Brings (Double Crush Syndrome), who was a band member at that time.
Setlist:
"Body Parts"
"One Step Over The Line"
"Wachturm"
Tapping the Vein is the last Sodom album to feature original drummer, Christian "Witchhunter" Dudek.
Tracklist:
"Body Parts"
"Skinned Alive"
"One Step Over the Line"
"Deadline"
"Bullet in the Head"
"The Crippler"
"Wachturm"
"Tapping the Vein"
"Back to War"
"Hunting Season"
"Reincarnation"
Former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo has collaborated with his wife on a "love song" called "The Gift".
Earlier today, the 57-year-old Cuban-born musician shared an Andy Wallis-created video for the track via his YouTube channel, and he wrote in an accompanying message: "A romantic love song for the holiday season, written by my wife and I."
"The Gift" was written and recorded by Paula and Dave Lombardo and was mastered by John Golden of Golden Mastering.
During a recent question-and-answer session with the readers of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, Lombardo was asked if he would have joined SLAYER guitarist Kerry King's new band had he been approached about it. He responded: "I knew that was coming. I am, right now, working on too many other projects and I wouldn't be able to accept. New DEAD CROSS, MR. BUNGLE… the pandemic put a lot of stuff on hold, so we need to play some catch-up there. Besides that, he's got Paul Bostaph [playing with him], and I don't think he would have the need to ask me."
Lombardo was also asked if he would play with SLAYER again if the band reunited and wanted him to be part of the lineup. He said: "I don't think that's ever going to happen. But, yeah, I'd listen to whatever it is they had to say. That's it. You can't go any further than that."
Lombardo, who has spent most of the recent years between crossover pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, horror-punk icons MISFITS, hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS and MR. BUNGLE, was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other bandmembers. He was later replaced by Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001.
Shortly after his dismissal, Lombardo said that he discovered that 90 percent of SLAYER's tour income was being deducted as expenses, including fees to management, costing the band millions and leaving them with about 10 percent to split four ways. While he and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya hired auditors to figure out what had happened, Lombardo said he was never allowed to see any of the information obtained.
SLAYER played its last-ever show in November 2019 at The Forum in Los Angeles.
Former KISS guitarist, Bruce Kulick, has released the new video below, along with the following message:
"This years annual Christmas song is from a Holiday movie classic called White Christmas. We love the song 'Snow', and it's always an ear worm for us around the Holiday season. We hope you enjoy this unique performance of this great song. Happy Holidays from Bruce and Lisa Kulick."
Finnish rockers, Leaflet, will release their sophomore album, Something Beyond, this coming January via Rockshots Records. The album follows their debut album Outta Door released through VR Label Finland in 2017.
Today, the band releases the album's title track. Stream the song here, and watch a visualizer below.
Says the band: "'Something Beyond' was the last song to be written for this album and it also ended up being the title track. It deals with battling your inner demons and therefore is an extremely personal song. When we went recording this song we only had the bare minimum of the song finished with hardly any vocals and lyrics. Luckily it ended up as one of the strongest performances on the album!"
The band comments on Something Beyond: "With this album, we are definitely showing that rock music is alive and pumping! The album is full of catchy metal-influenced rock tunes that would fit perfectly in the heavy rotation of every rock radio station. The album has a lot of variety within the songs and we got a diverse selection of singles as well. Three very different singles trying to represent the entire album as well as possible. As singles, we got one heavy and hard-hitting tune, one straightforward and super catchy tune, and one fast-paced in-your-face type of tune. You should check out them all to see what you think! "
Formed in 2013, Leaflet is a four-piece hard rock band from Turku, Finland. Their music can be described as metal-infused American-style hard rock and while you might hear echoes of bands like Alter Bridge or Shinedown they have their own unique Nordic flavour. “Our musical cocktail is a blend of many things. Although we love the ‘80s, we are trying to keep our hard rock fresh and not follow the retro route”, the band says.
The band has performed on Finnish festivals such as Kuopiorock and Saaristo Open Air along with touring across their home country to support their debut album. They also spent time on the road in the Baltics with Willie & the Goodsouls in 2018 again playing clubs and festivals.
In 2019, Leaflet released “Johnny Two-Face” as a single through VR Label Finland followed by an ambitious music video shot in both Turku, Finland, and Tokyo, Japan. After a couple of years of silence due to the pandemic, the band is now back with their second album “Something Beyond” to be released by Rockshots Records in January 20, 2023, sounding stronger than ever.
The reformed PANTERA played its third concert without bassist Rex Brown Thursday night (December 15) at Vibra in São Paulo, Brazil. Newly uploaded 4K video of the show can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube channel chriskato76).
The São Paulo gig took place three days after Rex confirmed that a positive COVID-19 test forced him to miss PANTERA's performance at Knotfest Chile in Santiago on December 11. Filling in for him at the São Paulo gig — which was co-headlined by JUDAS PRIEST — was CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.
PANTERA's setlist for the Vibra concert was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:
01. A New Level
02. Mouth For War
03. Strength Beyond Strength
04. Becoming
05. I'm Broken
06. 5 Minutes Alone
07. This Love
08. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit
09. Fucking Hostile
10. Planet Caravan (BLACK SABBATH cover)
11. Walk
12. Domination / Hollow
13. Cowboys From Hell
On Monday, Brown released the following statement via PANTERA's social media: "I caught a very mild strain of Covid, but because of our own protocols, I simply do not wanna risk getting my brothers or the crew sick!! I'm feeling better & am on my way to a speedy recovery. Merry Fckn Christmas & see you all next year!"
Last Sunday, Chilean radio station Futuro reported that Brown flew from Bogotá, Colombia, where PANTERA performed at Knotfest Colombia on December 9, back home to the United States to quarantine, thereby missing the remainder of the PANTERA shows in South America.
Joining surviving members Brown and Anselmo in PANTERA's reformed lineup are guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).
PANTERA is next scheduled to play another show in São Paulo — on Sunday, December 18 at Knotfest Brasil.
The new PANTERA lineup made its live debut on December 2 at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest and also performed on December 6 at Monterrey Metal Fest in Monterrey, Mexico.
It was first reported in July that Anselmo and Brown would unite with Wylde and Benante for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.
The band will headline a number of major festivals across North America and Europe and stage some of their own headline concerts. They will also support METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.
According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who last year said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.
Up until his passing, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.
Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.
Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his other home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.
Swedish hard rock outfit, Nestor, choose to reunite and reinvent the iconography of rock, and brought back its glory in 2021 with their debut album Kids In A Ghost Town. Originally formed more than three decades ago in 1989, the unbreakable bond of Nestor is back for good and is shining brighter than ever. As the year is coming to an end, Nestor wants to thank their fans for their incredible support throughout their journey. Gaining millions of streams on Spotify and hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube has made them the hottest newcomers of modern rock.
The band's heartwarming recap video, set to the lively and emotional tune of "These Days", pays tribute to their dedicated fans. The five-piece expresses their gratitude for the support they received from their fans during this year’s festival performances, as well as shows with rock legends KISS, Alice Cooper, and H.E.A.T. Their recap video captures these very precious moments with their fans at Nestor Fest 2022 and Sweden Rock Festival.
Nestor and singer Tobias state on their incredible journey: "How can we even try to summarize this last year? Amazing, fantastic or just a simple thank you? We agreed that words are not enough so we put this little gem together instead. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Hope to see you on the flip side.”
"A FanfareFor The Reliable Rebel" (Intro)
"On The Run"
"Kids In A Ghost Town"
"Stone Cold Eyes"
"These Days"
"Tomorrow" feat. Samantha Fox
"Signed In Blood"
"Perfect 10 (Eyes Like Demi Moore)"
"I Wanna Dance With Somebody"
"A Losing Game"
"We Are Not OK"
"Firesign"
"1989"
"It Ain't Me" (edited)
"Signed In Blood” video:
Nestor is:
Jonny Wemmenstedt - guitar
Mattias Carlsson - drums
Tobias Gustavsson - vocals
Marcus Åblad - bass
Martin Frejinger - keyboards