BangerTV has released the video below, along with the following message:
"Leave it to Exhorder to bring such grit and thunder to a cover that it sheds new meaning onto a Motörhead classic. Their version of 'Sacrifice' is so heavy, the lyrics of unreciprocated love from an angry God to a violent humanity never sounded so biblical. If you want to mosh and headbang in your room to Löve Me Förever: A Tribute To Motörhead, this is the track that’ll leave the place in shambles. Lemmy was himself a war historian, but this tribute is a nuclear war on waxx. Humanity has made countless mistakes over the centuries, but 'Sacrifice' puts us back in the favor of the Gods. 'Sacrifice' and Löve Me Förever: A Tribute to Motörhead are now available on all digital streaming platforms."
Previous messages from BangerTV follow:
"Motörhead was the perfect rock and roll trio. They were a tight knit pack, each member just as wild as the next. The Gods of rock and roll have invested Psycho Waxx with the power to anoint a new trio with the same crown that once fit Lemmy and company, but the speed demons in Midnight prefer to keep their hoods. That’s right, every Psycho’s favorite gang of marauders cover Motörhead’s 'Dirty Love' on Löve Me Förever: A Tribute To Motörhead. This isn’t Midnight going soft on everyone, singing about romance for once, this is Midnight making love dangerous again by penetrating your earholes raw. Midnight are Motörhead’s bastard spawn made from dirty love with the devil. It’s tracks like these that rev the “motor” in Motörhead up in the first place, pure sonic uppers from start to finish."
"Motörhead's 'Ace Of Spades' is one of rock and roll’s most beloved and sacred anthems. Covering the bombastic ode to gamblers everywhere is a heavy crown to bear for any musician up for the task. That’s why when Psycho Waxx proposed this sacred rite, it was asked of Psycho Las Vegas’ most prestigious alumni and metal heavyweights. Rockers whose cred cannot be questioned were challenged to make this legendary piece of music sound fresh, heavy and ring true to Motörhead fans all over the world. With honoring Lemmy’s legacy always being at the forefront of Psycho Waxx’s mind, they hereby present you with the opening track off Löve Me Förever: A Tribute To Motörhead, the one and only 'Ace Of Spades' as performed by Phil Anselmo, Gary Holt, Nick Oliveri, Dwid Hellion, Chuck Garric, Sacha Dunable, Kelley Juett, Kyle Juett, Tom Polzine and Zach Wheeler.
"Every rock and roll all-star featured on the song contributes a different offering in worship of Lemmy. Phil Anselmo’s jagged molasses vocals bounce off Dwid Hellion’s demon howls while Gary Holt’s signature shredding gives the track an extreme outlaw’s metallic edge. If you hear that desert rock vibe with a hardcore kick in it, you got Nick Oliveri to thank for that. Kelley and Kyle Juett from Mothership contribute the space rock rhythms that blast this message off through the atmosphere to deliver it straight to Lemmy. Zach Wheeler and Tom Polzine contribute Howling Giant’s crushing rock and roll to keep the track grounded close to the Earth, adding that massive, unmistakable groove. Sprinkle in Sacha Dunable’s awesome virtuosity on guitar and Chuck Garric’s legendary bass and you have a recipe for one of the greatest covers in rock and metal history.
"Psycho Las Vegas is a place where gamblers go to vision-quest between wheelin’ and dealin’ and now, Psycho Waxx has provided them the soundtrack for an unforgettable looting spree. There’s not a damn thing the world can do to stop a Psycho with a plan anymore. Bombers, rockers, gamblers, Gonzos and Psychos, join us in this grand celebration of the life of Lemmy Kilmister and the music of Motörhead. Get your copy of Löve Me Förever: A Tribute to Motörhead today and let the Earth tremble so loudly that the angels in heaven and devils in hell can’t help but acknowledge and remember the spirit and vision of Lemmy Kilmister."
Pre-orders of lavish Oxblood 2LP vinyl available now at the PsychoWaxx Bandcamp, here.
QUEEN's Brian May has joined 10CC founder Graham Gouldman to mark historic first images to be delivered from James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) with new music track "Floating In Heaven".
The most powerful telescope ever launched into space, the James Webb Space Telescope, launched December 2021 and which entered orbit in January 2022, finally becomes operational this week.
Intended to succeed Hubble as NASA's flagship mission in astrophysics, the NASA space agency has scheduled the first official JWST science images release event for Tuesday, July 12.
With a well-renowned passion for astronomy, having earned a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College, London, in 2007 and a "science team collaborator" with NASA's New Horizons Pluto mission, May notably launched his track "New Horizons" from NASA headquarters on New Year's Day 2019 to mark the flyby of the distant object Ultima Thule. May now teams with fellow space science enthusiast Gouldman to recognize this discovery moment with new music.
"Floating In Heaven", written and performed by Gouldman and featuring May on guitar and vocals, had a special digital and streaming release on July 12 to coincide with the highly anticipated release of first pictures brought to earth by the JWST.
The track has come with a specially created new video which premiered on Tuesday on QUEEN's official YouTube channel.
Talking of his fascination with space exploration, May says: "There is nothing more exciting in a world of exploration than going to a place about which you know nothing. The sky's the limit for what we could find out."
May's most widely recognized space-related song, of course, dates back to his earliest days with QUEEN: his song, "39", the story of a group of space explorers who return home to find that, during their one year of travel, a century had passed on Earth, first appeared on QUEEN's 1975 "A Night At The Opera" album. May continues to routinely perform the song in the band's live concerts.
International metal group VENUS 5 made its live debut this past Saturday, July 9 at the Zurbarán Rock Burgos festival in Burgos, Spain. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.
VENUS 5's self-titled debut album was released last month via Frontiers Music Srl.
VENUS 5, which has been called by some the "heavy metal version of SPICE GIRLS," is composed of five singers: Italy's Greta Di Iacovo (a.k.a. Herma; also of SICK N' BEAUTIFUL, another Frontiers recording artist),Slovenia's Karmen Klinc, Serbia's Jelena Milovanovic, Sweden's Tezzi Persson (also of INFINITE & DIVINE, another Frontiers recording artist) and Albania's Erina Seitllari. Each vocalist is an outstanding singer in her own right, so the combination of the five together produces stunning results.
Born from an idea dreamed up by Serafino Perugino, Frontiers president and head of A&R, VENUS 5 is primed to be one of the most fresh and exciting new musical prospects to emerge from the European rock and metal scene in recent years. Assembling the vocalists and musicians required a tremendous amount of time and energy as the right talent had to be in place to work together cohesively and with true chemistry. After all, this many lead singers in one band is a daunting task, but the end result is that five outstanding vocal stars in the making were brought together from different musical environments with the vision of creating a monster album.
Of course, many people will see five women and instantly make references to this being a "metal version" of pop projects, but please make no mistake, the vocal talents of the singers and the music is front and center. Musically, the songs are a team effort by producer Aldo Lonobile (SECRET SPHERE, TIMO TOLKKI'S AVALON, SWEET OBLIVION) and his team of writers, including Jake E. (CYRHA, ex-AMARANTHE) who co-produced the vocals, Stefan Helleblad (WITHIN TEMPTATION, who also plays guitars on the album),and Per Aldeheim (DEF LEPPARD, H.E.A.T., STANFOUR).
Karmen said: "Recording this album was one of the best experiences for me. The whole team got along so well, everyone was very professional and relaxed at the same time. With the girls, we basically became like sisters and I think that's the kind of energy you can also feel on the album. I think the album is a true masterpiece, and everyone can find something for their taste on it. It's very powerful, emotional, energetic, joyful and motivational. It has something that really moves you in any possible way. After all, isn't that what music's all about?"
Herma stated: "At the beginning, when we spoke about the VENUS 5 project, one thing that we aimed for was to respect and enhance each girl's personality. This was something that once we met, was undeniably impossible to avoid - you can feel each of our energy in the songs and in the videos and I personally think that this is the most interesting fact about the band. There are so many shades of color in this album — and not only in our hairstyles, as some of you might joke about! ;)"
Tezzi said: "I was quite nervous going to Italy to meet up with the rest of the girls, but that feeling vanished instantly when we met. Everything just felt so natural and easy and they truly are a fantastic group of girls. We bonded immediately. The songs have a "popish" metal vibe to it with melodies that get stuck in your head. I'm really happy about this album."
Jelena said: "It's been an amazing experience getting to be a part of this thing. Us five, we saw each other and the connection was instant, the respect was instant. Everybody was so talented and genuine, crazy! I feel like the vibe you get from this album is different and probably heavier than you expect, so give it a play, be surprised!"
Erina stated: "Being part of the band is totally awesome! Since the first moment we met, I felt a spark with each one of the girls! The album sounds great. It's rock n' roll dude!"
"Venus 5" track listing:
01. Lioness
02. The Simulation
03. Nothing But A Heartache
04. Bride With Blackened Eyes
05. Monster Under Your Bed
06. Inside
07. Tom And Ms. Amy Lee
08. Because Of You
09. We Are Dynamite
10. Save You
11. Bury Me
VENUS 5 recording lineup:
Vocals:
Greta Di Iacovo (a.k.a. Herma)
Karmen Klinc
Jelena Milovanovic
Tezzi Persson
Erina Seitllari
Guitars:
Stefan Helleblad
Aldo Lonobile
Gabriele Robotti
Bass: Dann Arisi
Drums: Alfonso Mocerino
Keyboards, Piano and Electro arrangements: Antonio Agate
SKID ROW has released "Tear It Down", the second single from the band's upcoming studio album, "The Gang's All Here", which will arrive on October 14 via earMUSIC. The official music video for the song will premiere today (Wednesday, July 13) at 9:00 a.m. PDT / 12:00 noon EDT.
Commented SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan: "'Tear It Down' is about breaking down barriers, because coexisting isn't about building walls, it's about getting rid of them."
The video, produced by Take 2 Productions / Rosey Media, was filmed in SKID ROW's former home state of New Jersey and perfectly captures the raw and gritty nature of the band's music.
SKID ROW recorded most of "The Gang's All Here" in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with FOO FIGHTERS, STONE SOUR, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, RUSH and ALICE IN CHAINS, among many others.
In May, SKID ROW shared the music video for "The Gang's All Here" title track.
"By the fans, for the fans!" was the mantra for "The Gang's All Here" video, as SKID ROW called upon its loyal and dedicated fanbase to help create the video by submitting live footage and photos from SKID ROW's recent 2022 concerts, as well as behind-the-scenes rehearsal moments. The video is a testament to the power SKID ROW has both on and off stage, as well as the chemistry within the band and with their fans.
"'The Gang's All Here', for me, represents the brotherhood of this band," said guitarist Scotti Hill. "And with the addition of [new singer] Erik [Grönwall], our bond is more solid than ever. Our fans have always been part of the family, so when it was time to shoot a video, we handed the camera work over to them. After all, they have the best perspective to capture the excitement of a SKID ROW show."
"The Gang's All Here" track listing:
01. Hell Or High Water
02. The Gang's All Here
03. Not Dead Yet
04. Time Bomb
05. Resurrected
06. Nowhere Fast
07. When The Lights Come On
08. Tear It Down
09. October's Song
10. World's On Fire
Grönwall joined SKID ROW in January as the replacement for ZP Theart, who had been in the group for more than six years. Theart played his final gig with SKID ROW in February before being officially given the boot.
Grönwall was a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T. with whom he recorded four studio albums — "Address The Nation" (2012),"Tearing Down The Walls" (2014),"Into The Great Unknown" (2017) and "H.E.A.T II" (2020) — before exiting the group in October 2020.
Grönwall was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021. Six months later, he announced that he was cancer free after receiving a bone marrow transplant in August. "Some anonymous wonderful human being somewhere in the world donated his/her blood cells so that I could get a second chance at life," he told Headbangers Lifestyle in January. "Sometimes I can just get tears in my eyes when I think about it. It's so beautiful that one person who is not connected to me in any way wanted to do that for me. He/she doesn't know that the blood cells were for me. It's completely anonymous."
Last September, Grönwall released his cover version of "18 And Life" via all streaming platforms.
In 2018, Grönwall debuted in the U.S. for 10 million viewers in NBC's live broadcast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". Along with John Legend, Alice Cooper, Sara Bareilles and others, Erik played the key role of Simon Zealotes.
Bolan recently told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about Grönwall's addition to the band: "Just the way he does things and his work ethic is one I've never seen other than the four of us that are already in the band. He just doesn't stop until he gets things absolutely right. Whether it's his version, what he thinks is right, or what we think is right, he works hard — he works hard. And you can see why he had the success he did overseas because he's a really, really hard-working singer that takes care of his instrument and that takes pride in his craft."
Rachel also reflected on SKID ROW's first live performance with Grönwall, saying: "Honestly, dude, from the minute he opened his mouth… His timing is impeccable. We knew it was gonna be cool. And each show has gotten even better, 'cause we're learning each other's rhythm on stage. When I walked away from that show, I said to Erik, I go, 'This was show one. I cannot wait for show one hundred. It's gonna be amazing.'"
Bolan previously talked about how Erik came to join SKID ROW during an appearance on an episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation L.A. Invasion", recorded just hours before SKID ROW's first performance with the Swedish singer. "We toured together. H.E.A.T. was on tour with SKID ROW. What year was that? '18? And we'd hear him every night from the dressing room," he said. "And a couple of times, I was, like, 'Man, listen to this guy sing. He's phenomenal.' And then, I forget who told me, someone that was with us, 'Yeah, he won 'Idol' in Sweden.' And I was, like, 'Man, he's got pipes.' And I was listening. Then I went behind the monitor board a couple of times. And in my head, I'm, like, 'Wow! When SKID ROW has some downtime, I'm gonna get in touch with this dude and start a side project with him.' And obviously, that never happened. But as time went on and we got to the point to where we were with ZP and stuff, Erik was our first… I told Snake, I go, 'We've gotta check this guy out.' And along with Snake and the rest of the guys, and Nick, our producer, Nick Raskulinecz, were, like, 'He's the guy, man. Send him some songs.' So we sent him some songs that we were recording, just with a guide vocal on it, and it came back about 24 hours later, and we were, like, 'All right. He's the guy. Get him on a plane. Let's do this.'"
Critically acclaimed fan-favorite American violinist, songwriter, and dancer Lindsey Stirling has released the music video for her song "Love Goes On And On". The track, which features a guest appearance by EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee, is taken from Stirling's 2019 album, "Artemis".
Back in 2017, Stirling guested on "Hi-Lo", one of two new songs that were included on EVANESCENCE's "Synthesis" album. The set was a reimagining of some of EVANESCENCE's best-loved tracks. In support of the LP, Stirling and EVANESCENCE teamed up for a U.S. tour, a trek which saw Stirling join the band onstage for a cover of Ozzy Osbourne's classic "No More Tears".
Asked how Amy ended up guesting on "Love Goes On And On", Lindsey told The Morning Call: "Well, when we worked together for 'Hi-Lo', she had been, like, 'Okay, thanks so much for being on my album. I loved working with you. Please let me know if I can return the favor for your album someday.' And I put that in my back pocket — like, 'I'm going to take you up on that.' And when I was working on this song and did the instrumental version, the song just needed something more. I knew it was — it's like a super epic song and it just needed something more, and I couldn’t think of anyone else besides Amy Lee. Her voice on this song would just be so cool. Of course, when I reached out, she was so sweet and excited to be on it. And added so much to the song. There were no lyrics when I sent it to her. I just had been, like, 'I want you to sing 'Ahhs' and 'Ooos' and she sent back all these lyrics. And I'm, like, that's feakin' awesome. So yeah, it really transformed, it was rally collaborative and she really brought her own to the song. And it's really fun to do live. That song live is just so fun."
Lindsey told the Arizona Republic in a 2018 interview: " I loved EVANESCENCE [in high school]. And I still do. To this day, I have so much respect for Amy Lee. And getting to watch her perform every night, she's such an incredible powerhouse. I feel like I have a lot to learn from her and what she's done."
Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON have released a music video for the song "More Than I Could Chew". The clip, which was directed by Zev Deans, who has previously helmed videos for BEHEMOTH, GHOST, GOJIRA and more, nods to classic psychedelic horror with its bright color palette and tense take on the story of the Garden Of Eden.
In the visual, Lisa Saeboe assumes the role of Eve, while Brenden McGowan inhabits a ghastly Lucifer. As this timeless fable of temptation and lust plays out for nearly seven minutes, the bandmembers perform awash in ruddy colors. Brann Dailor and Troy Sanders lock into an earthquaking call-and-response as thunderous as the track's sonic ebb and flow. Guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher weave a dark yet melodic texture in and around the rhythm to color and complete the expressive track. The clip reaches a harrowing climax in tandem with one last exhale of distortion.
MASTODON will support GHOST of the next North American leg of the "Imperatour". The trek will see the Grammy Award-winning Swedish theatrical rock band headlining 19 arenas across the U.S. and Canada (plus an appearance at Virginia's Blue Ridge Rock Fest),kicking off August 26 at San Diego's Pechanga Arena and running through September 23 at the Resch Center in Green Bay. Additional support on all dates (with the exception of Green Bay which will feature support from CARCASS, and the Blue Ridge Rock Fest) will come from SPIRITBOX.
MASTODON was one of the "Best Metal Performance" nominees at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, which was held on April 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The progressive metallers were nominated for their song "Pushing The Tides", the first single from their latest album, "Hushed And Grim", which came out in October.
The follow-up to 2017's "Emperor Of Sand", "Hushed And Grim"was recorded at West End Sound, which is located inside of Ember City, the rehearsal facility that members of MASTODON manage in Atlanta. Helming the effort was Grammy-winning producer/mixer/engineer David Bottrill, who has previously worked with MUSE, DREAM THEATER and TOOL, among many others.
The "Hushed And Grim" artwork was created by longtime MASTODON collaborator Paul Romano, who also designed the sleeves for "Crack The Skye", "Blood Mountain", "Leviathan" and more.
"Emperor Of Sand" debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. That LP was nominated for the 2018 Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album," and its opening track, "Sultan's Curse", won the Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance."
The "classic" lineup of the Swedish heavy rock band SISTER SIN played its second show in seven years on July 8 at the Sauna Open Air festival in Tampere, Finland. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.
Although the SISTER SIN reunion was announced back in December 2019, the coronavirus pandemic delayed the band's return to the live stage until June 18 when the group performed at Backstage Rockbar in Trollhättan, Sweden.
SISTER SIN's 2022 lineup consists of Liv Jagrell on vocals, Jimmy Hiltula on guitar, Andreas Strandh on bass and Dave Sundberg on drums.
Jagrell announced the SISTER SIN reunion after revealing that her post-SISTER SIN outfit LIV SIN was "taking a little bit of a break" following the departures of guitarist Chris Bertzell and bassist Tommie Winther.
SISTER SIN announced its split in November 2015, saying in a statement that the band's "relentless" touring and recording schedule took its toll and "the motivation for some members just wasn't there anymore." However, the group left the door open for a possible comeback, saying: "It is our hope that the flame will burn once again and hopefully resurrect this Swedish bastard sometime in the future. Time will tell…"
Seven years ago, Liv told Sleaze Roxx about the end of SISTER SIN: "We toured too much and we got burned out. That's the simple answer. They just felt like they did not want to do this anymore. [In 2015], we had been out for almost four months or something so it's a lot of time away from family. It's a lot of time away from friends. And also just to survive in the business is hard, so I think we maybe worked too hard in the last years."
SISTER SIN's fifth studio album, "Black Lotus", was released in October 2014 via Victory.
LIV SIN released two full-length albums, "Follow Me" (2017) and "Burning Sermons" (2019),as well as one EP, "Inverted" (2018). This past April, LIV SIN returned with a new single, "The Process", via Mighty Music. A new LIV SIN full-length album is expected to be released in 2023.
George Lynch rejoined DOKKEN on stage this past Saturday night (July 9) at the Uncle Sam Jam in Woodhaven, Michigan to perform three of the band's classic songs: "Kiss Of Death", "When Heaven Comes Down" and "Tooth And Nail". Two-camera video of his appearance can be seen below (courtesy of Singular Vision Productions).
For much of the past couple of years, Lynch has been performing the same three songs with DOKKEN at various shows in the U.S. Asked in a January 2022 interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" what the experience has been like for him, George said: "It has been [fun], actually, more than I would have thought. I would have thought there… 'Cause Don [Dokken, DOKKEN leader] and I had had animosity towards each other at a couple of different levels over the decades. And it's kind of a weird thing, when you think about it. And sometimes, it is uncomfortable for me, because when I show up, I have to sit there, and, of course, they're playing the songs that I wrote. And the [current DOKKEN] guitar player, Jon [Levin], is a wonderful guy; we're friends. But they're doing my whole thing, and then I walk out.
"I think it comes down to, we're entertainers, and if I'm gonna spend my time crying about anything, I'm just gonna hurt myself and the fans, and that doesn't do anybody any good," George continued. "And so I try to keep positive about the whole experience. And it has been, actually, good for everybody. The fans love it. I love doing it because the easiest thing I can do is play DOKKEN songs — songs that I helped write 35, 40 years ago that I can play in my sleep with one arm tied behind my back and go out and enjoy it and not have to work that hard and just really enjoy what I'm doing, enjoy the moment. And it's the path of least resistance. A lot of these other projects I do, they're not as easy of a sell. When I'm doing a KXM project or whatever it is, I sometimes have to work at it a little bit — I do have to work at it a bit harder. What is this supposed to be? How am I supposed to write? How am I supposed to look? How am I supposed to sell this? With DOKKEN, I don't have any of those issues or concerns because all the work's been done, we've already established what we are and I know what to do. So it's really, like I said — the path of least resistance sometimes is the right one."
As for why he only performs three songs with DOKKEN as opposed to playing the entire set, George said: "Well, that's probably an economic issue on Don's side. I mean, Don owns the name of the band. It works on me on all levels at this point, and obviously it works for Don, so if it's not broken, why fix it? And I don't know… I would just be speculating that he's concerned maybe that something could pop up if he gets in bed with me and then now he doesn't have what he's built over all these years. So there's that. And maybe financially it would be not as — I don't know — not as [much of] a positive outcome for him. I'm not sure; we haven't talked about it. But what we're doing now works. Obviously, what you just brought up is something that everybody's thinking about, but, hey, it's not up to me to decide. But I certainly feel that would probably make sense [for me to play the whole set]; I could see that making sense. I'm already there — why don't I just go out and finish playing the rest of the songs that are part of my legacy? People would like that. There's a lot of different ways to think about that. There's what we do as a business, and I'm not ashamed of that. I don't think it's a bad thing to talk about the business side of music. It doesn't take away from the art; it doesn't take away from the creative part of it. Those are two different sides of the same coin. We all need to make a living. But you have to have that balance of appreciating and producing music that you love and that people enjoy, and at the same time, it has to make sense financially. So I'm not sure which one that is, as to why we're not back together on a more complete basis, where I'm playing the whole set, but I've got a feeling it's probably financial."
Asked if there has been any talk of the classic DOKKEN lineup reuniting once again to write and record new music, George said: "We have [talked about it], and the opportunity has come up every couple [or] few years. And we had offers, and they're good offers. But it's tricky at this point in all our careers, when we've all kind of established ourselves on other paths, to bring us all together. And even though the offers are good, it's not enough to make us all just stop what we're doing in our tracks and re-route our careers to do that. Every time it comes up, we always run into these obstacles. They're not anybody's fault in particular, but it just seems like an impossibility."
In October 2016, the classic lineup of DOKKEN — Don, George, Jeff Pilson (bass) and Mick Brown (drums) — reunited to play the Loud Park festival in Japan. Fortunately for fans outside of Japan, cameras were there to capture the performance and Frontiers Music Srl issued "Return To The East Live 2016" in April 2018. In addition to the Japanese performance, the set featured footage from the classic lineup's only U.S. show in September 2016 at Badlands in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The package also included a new song called "It's Just Another Day", the first DOKKEN track featuring the group's classic lineup since 1997's "Shadowlife", and two acoustic re-workings of classic tracks.
Since completing the Japanese reunion dates, DOKKEN has continued to perform with the group's current lineup — including bassist Chris McCarvill, Levin and drummer BJ Zampa (HOUSE OF LORDS).
DOKKEN recently finished recording a new studio album, tentatively due later this year via Silver Lining Music, the label owned by Thomas Jensen, one of the founders of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival. It will mark the group's first disc since 2012's "Broken Bones".
Over the past several years, Lynch has appeared on recordings by THE END MACHINE, KXM, ULTRAPHONIX and SWEET & LYNCH. He released his first-ever full-length instrumental album, "Seamless", last August via Rat Pak Records.
Fan-filmed video of EXODUS's July 10 performance at the Masters Of Rock festival in Vizovice, Czech Republic can be seen below.
Last month, it was announced that EXODUS guitarist Lee Altus would be unable to join his bandmates on their European tour this summer due to "family concerns." Filling in for him is Brandon Ellis of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER.
EXODUS singer Steve "Zetro" Souza touched upon Altus's absence from the trek in a video update on his Zetro's Toxic Vault YouTube channel. He said: "Our guitar player Lee Altus won't be making this leg of the tour. It's gonna be Brandon from THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. He's going to be filling in on guitar. For Lee, there's some family issues that Lee needs to take care of for himself, so he's going to be staying back [home]. He isn't going anywhere. Sometimes these things happen. Family things happen. You can't always put [the band] first."
Souza went on to say that he and his EXODUS bandmates are "looking forward to playing with Brandon."
"We knew that [Brandon] would nail it, and it's kind of been something that has been in the works for a little while so he's actually had time to learn the music and really get into it," the vocalist explained. "So it's gonna be really good.
"We're not gonna cancel. We're gonna keep going. It's gonna be EXODUS.
"For everybody in Europe, you are going to get an awesome EXODUS show," Souza added. "That's all I can say. It's gonna be heavy."
When Altus's absence was first announced on June 22, EXODUS released a statement via social media in which the band said: "EXODUS regretfully announce that Lee Altus will not be joining us on our upcoming European tour. Family concerns dictate he remain close to home and being so far away from home is not possible. EXODUS stand strong with Lee and will destroy in his behalf, and he will rejoin us for the upcoming tours such as the fall leg of 'The Bay Strikes Back'. We stand behind our brother in everything and he will be back! Joining us on this trek is none other than Brandon Ellis of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER so let’s welcome him like one of the EXODUS family! Brandon is one of the sickest guitarists alive and he is going to kill it for certain! See you soon in Europe and the UK!"
Brandon added: "I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to get on stage with the legendary dudes of EXODUS and crush some open air fests and clubs this July and August. I wish Lee the best and will cover his stage right post with honor and respect!"
EXODUS is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Persona Non Grata", which came out last November via Nuclear Blast Records.
"Persona Non Grata" was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap. For the third time in the band's history, they returned to Swedish artist Pär Olofsson to create the album artwork.
"Persona Non Grata" is the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' first release since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.
Last July, EXODUS drummer Tom Hunting underwent a successful total gastrectomy in his battle with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach. He rejoined his bandmates on stage in October at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.
EXODUS tapped John Tempesta to play drums for the band at Psycho Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada in August and at Full Terror Assault in Cave In Rock, Illinois in September while Hunting was recovering from surgery. Tempesta was a member of EXODUS from 1989 until 1993 and played on the band's albums "Impact Is Imminent" (1990) and "Force Of Habit" (1992).
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.
ARCHITECTS will release a new studio album, "The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit", on October 21 via Epitaph. The announcement comes with the release of lead single "Tear Gas", which is described as "an arena-ready anthem packed with industrial stomp."
"The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit" will be ARCHITECTS' tenth studio album and is the follow-up to last year's critically acclaimed "For Those That Wish To Exist".
The ARCHITECTS members barely had time to celebrate success when they began the process of writing the songs that make up the new record.
The LP was produced by Dan Searle and Josh Middleton, with additional production from Sam Carter at Middle Farm Studios and their own HQ, Electric Studios in Brighton.
ARCHITECTS were buoyed by finally being back in the room together after their last album was made mostly remote due to COVID restrictions, and the result was something altogether more "free, playful and spontaneous," the band's drummer and songwriter Dan explains. Frontman Sam Carter agrees: "This one feels more live, more exciting and more fun — it has that energy. We wanted it to be a lot more industrial and electronic."
Layers of electronic and industrial elements infuse the album with a blast of energy that sets the cinematic moodscape for the 11-track ride. There is more than a passing nod to the band's post-rock influences as well as now-familiar fist-pumping anthems such as "When We Were Young" and the aforementioned "Tear Gas".
"The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit" track listing:
01. Deep Fake
02. Tear Gas
03. Spit The Bone
04. Burn Down My House
05. Living Is Killing Us
06. When We Were Young
07. Doomscrolling
08. Born Again Pessimist
09. A New Moral Low Ground
10. All The Love In The World
11. Be Very Afraid
Upcoming ARCHITECTS tour dates:
Sep. 06 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
Sep. 08 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave Hall
Sep. 09 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theater
Sep. 10 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
Sep. 12 - Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe - Old National Centre
Sep. 13 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
Sep. 15 - Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theater
Sep. 16 - Toronto, ON @ Canada Rebel
Sep. 17 - Montreal, QC @ Canada Mtelus
Sep. 20 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues - Boston
Sep. 21 - New York, NY @ Terminal 5
Sep. 22 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore - Philadelphia
Sep. 23 - Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore - Silver Spring
Sep. 25 - Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life Festival
Sep. 26 - Norfolk, VA @ The Norva Theater
Sep. 27 - Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz - Raleigh
Sep. 29 - Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
Sep. 30 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
Oct. 01 - St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
Oct. 03 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater - Dallas
Oct. 04 - San Antonio, TX @ The Aztec Theater
Oct. 06 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
Oct. 07 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo by Microsoft
Oct. 09 - Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival
Nov. 05 - Leeds, UK @ First Direct Arena*
Nov. 06 - Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro*
Nov. 08 – Dublin, IE @ 3Arena*
Nov. 09 - Belfast, IE @ SSE Arena*
Nov. 11 - Birmingham, UK @ Utilita Arena*
Nov. 12 - London, UK @ 02 Arena*
Nov. 14 - Cardiff, UK @ Motorpoint Arena*
Nov. 15 - Bournemouth, UK @ International Centre*
* Support for BIFFY CLYRO
ARCHITECTS is Dan Searle, Sam Carter, Alex Dean, Adam Christianson and Josh Middleton.
On July 9, SKY Arts aired professionally filmed video of IRON MAIDEN's June 11 performance at this year's edition of the Download festival in the United Kingdom. Check out the clips below.
As has been the case on all the shows of the 2022 leg of MAIDEN's "Legacy Of The Beast" world tour so far, the band opened the set with "Senjutsu", the title track of its latest studio album, and followed it up with two more songs from the same LP, "Stratego" and "The Writing On The Wall".
Other tracks aired during MAIDEN's performance included "Revelations", "Blood Brothers", "Sign Of The Cross", "Flight Of Icarus", "Fear Of The Dark", "Hallowed Be Thy Name", "The Number Of The Beast" and "Iron Maiden".
MAIDEN also played two encores, consisting of "The Trooper", "The Clansman", "Run To The Hills" and the closing track of the night, "Aces High".
The full setlist was as follows:
01. Senjutsu
02. Stratego
03. The Writing On The Wall
04. Revelations
05. Blood Brothers
06. Sign Of The Cross
07. Flight Of Icarus
08. Fear Of The Dark
09. Hallowed Be Thy Name
10. The Number Of The Beast
11. Iron Maiden
Encore:
12. The Trooper
13. The Clansman
14. Run To The Hills
Encore 2:
15. Aces High
Prior to the "Legacy Of The Beast" kick-off concert on May 22 in Zagreb, Croatia, IRON MAIDEN hadn't performed live in two and a half years — since the completion of its South American tour in October 2019.
Earlier this year, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson confirmed that the band is planning to stage a tour where it will perform its new album, "Senjutsu", in its entirety. The 63-year-old singer told the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast: "The plan we've got — it's not really a secret; I think everybody else has chatted about it — we will, I hope, we've talked about doing the entire ['Senjutsu'] album start to finish, but not this time around. And we all appreciate that that is something that really diehard fans will probably love and other people will go, 'Hmmm, I'm not gonna go see that.' So the answer is you play smaller venues so that they sell out with just your diehard fans. 'Cause it's a musical thing to do — it's a musical thing."
Dickinson went on to clarify that the 2022 leg of MAIDEN's "Legacy Of The Beast" tour, which is scheduled to hit North America in September and October, will once again focus primarily on a decades-spanning setlist of fan favorites.
"The 'Legacy Of The Beast' tour, people have all paid their money to see the 'Legacy Of The Beast' show, with Spitfires and flamethrowers and Icarus and everything that goes with," he said. "So they're gonna get all that. But the first three tracks are probably gonna be the first three tracks on the ['Senjutsu'] album. 'The Writing On The Wall' they already know, so everybody should know the first three tracks. And I just think [the] 'Senjutsu' [title track] is just such a great opening song — so dramatic. And then once you've done that — and we'll have a stage set to go with it — once you've done that, you're back to the kind of 'Legacy' world at that point. But I think 'The Writing On The Wall' is gonna be a great song — I mean, a crowd singalong song. You can imagine that. It'll be fantastic."
Addressing the fact that MAIDEN infuriated some fans by forcing them to sit through the band's then-new, 75-minute "A Matter Of Life And Death" album on tour in 2006, denying the crowd the greatest hits they'd come for, Bruce said: "Nobody has to buy a ticket. If you don't wanna go [see us play an entire new album live], you don't buy a ticket. It's gonna be plain as the nose on your face. This is gonna be what they're gonna do. So given that, don't complain that they did what they said they were gonna do."
Clocking in at a hefty 82 minutes, "Senjutsu" came out in September. It marks MAIDEN's second consecutive double album behind 2015's "The Book Of Souls" which is the longest MAIDEN album, with a running time of 92 minutes.
IRON MAIDEN's first album in six years, "Senjutsu" was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve 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.
"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.
Professionally filmed video of SEPULTURA's entire July 10 performance at the Exit festival in Novi Sad, Serbia can be seen below.
Featured songs:
0:00 Intro (Policia by Titas)
1:43 Tribal intro
3:25 Arise
6:46 Territory
12:27 Frontman Derrick Green dedicates concert and tour to family of guitarist Andreas Kisser whose wife recently died. He also introduces current touring guitarist Jean Patton
13:52 Means To An End
19:00 Capital Enslavement
22:54 Kairos
27:18 Propaganda
31:54 Sepulnation
36:40 Cutthroat
39:50 Choke
44:00 Convicted In Life
48:30 Troops Of Doom
52:17 Agony Of Defeat
58:14 Slave New World
1:01:35 Refuse/Resist
1:07:00 Ratamahatta
1:10:06 Roots Bloody Roots
1:14:44 Outro (Phil Collins, "Easy Lover")
In a recent interview with the "Pollution Nocturne" radio show conducted at this year's Plane'r Fest on July 2 in Rhône-Alpes, France, SEPULTURA frontman Derrick Green was asked when fans can expect to see a follow-up to the band's 2020 album "Quadra". He responded: "It's really difficult to say what we'll do for the next album because we're just starting to tour for this album. So there's quite a bit of touring we need to do this year, till the end of the year, and then next year as well before we even start to think about going in the studio again. So I think our focus is really based on touring right now for 'Quadra'."
As for how it feels for him and his bandmates to be back on the road after a two-year pandemic-related break from touring, he said: "It feels great to be back. To play live music is everything to us; it really is a big part of our lives. And being away from it for so long was strange at first, but I think it made us stronger in a lot of ways. We were able to determine what we really enjoy in life, what we take note of what really matters in our lives. So that break actually helped in ways. Now being here playing, it feels unbelievable; it feels like something that was missing but now it's back; that piece that was missing is now there again."
Late last month, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser left the band's current European tour due to what was at the time being described as a "family emergency." In early July, it was revealed that Andreas's wife had died after a year-and-a-half battle with colon cancer. He is being temporarily replaced on the road by Jean Patton of fellow São Paulo, Brazil-based heavy metal act PROJECT46.
This is not the first time Kisser has sat out SEPULTURA shows since he joined the band three and a half decades ago. Back in December 1991, Kisser was unable to perform due to an arm injury and was temporarily replaced on a European tour by KORZUS guitarist Silvio Golfetti.
SEPULTURA comprises Kisser, 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.
David Lee Roth has released a new solo song titled "Pointing At The Moon". The accompanying music video for the track, which includes some of Roth's artwork, can be seen below.
Back in 2020, Roth included five previously unreleased songs in The Roth Project, an online comic narrated by the legendary VAN HALEN singer, with music from John 5 on guitar and bass, Greg Bissonette on drums, Brett Tuggle on keyboards, and Luis Conte on percussion. The tracks "Giddy-Up!", "Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill", "Alligator Pants", "Lo-Rez Sunset" and "Manda Bala" were recorded nearly a decade ago at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California.
Asked in a new interview with Darren Paltrowitz — host of the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" — if he gets a "notice" every time one of the previously unreleased songs from his Roth sessions is officially made available, John 5 said: "I don't get a notice, which is funny. I just find out on Blabbermouth or something. But there's a song that I just can't wait for Dave to release. It's called 'Nothing Could Have Stopped Us' and it's about VAN HALEN. It's my favorite song that I've ever done with Dave, and it is beautiful. I don't know why he's not releasing that one yet. And I just can't wait for people to hear that one. 'Cause it's about VAN HALEN. It's just absolutely wonderful. I just am really looking forward to him releasing that one."
John 5 went on to talk about the recording sessions for the unreleased Roth record, saying: "We had a great time. We had a blast — a lot of laughs, a lot of fun. I'm just so happy that I had that cool working vibe with Dave that we can just jump into the studio anytime and knock out some songs. And I'm very lucky 'cause not a lot of people get a chance to do that with Dave.
He added: "We were all in there together — I remember we were just all in there together. And that's how it was. We were all just doing it together — kind of like the old days, and he wanted to do it like that. And it really was a lot of fun. We had so much fun doing it. And it's one of my fondest memories."
In August 2021, John 5 told AL.com that the rest of the unreleased Roth record is in the same vein as the songs that have come out, which have a singer/songwriter sound. "[Dave] wanted to do this kind of a more California sessions type of thing," the guitarist explained. "And he's such an artist, I was, like, 'Whatever you want to do, I'm there for you.' So it is that kind of vibe. But there's a lot of multi tracks and different acoustic parts that all work together. It's kind of orchestrated, if you will."
John 5 got his first big break playing on Roth's solo album, "DLR Band", before landing stints with Marilyn Manson and now Rob Zombie. His latest sessions with the iconic VAN HALEN frontman apparently took place at least eight years ago, with John 5 unveiling a snippet of the album during an interview with Masters Of Shred back in May 2019.
Three years ago, Roth was asked by Meltdown of the Detroit radio station WRIF if his LP with John 5 will be made available at some point. He responded: "It will. There's been a revision of things, and I can start making real plans and start marching into the future. And, of course, you'll start hearing that material. This is material that we wrote variously for me solo and for VAN HALEN, and it's quite a bank of stuff."
Roth, who was promoting his Las Vegas residency at the time, didn't offer a possible time frame for the release of the record, explaining that his priority was "getting out on the road first. Let's see the band, let's show ourselves off, let's travel all over the world."
Back in 2015, John 5 told Guitar Player magazine that the sessions for his latest Roth album were remarkably relaxed. "I would just go to his house and I'd write these songs with him, and he would say, 'Let's go into the studio,'" John 5 explained. "So he would go to Henson studio and record these songs. They came out… They're so good. They're so good. And we've got Gregg Bissonette playing drums on it, and I played the bass, and they're really great songs."
The guitarist said that Roth's vocals on the album sound "like nothing you've ever heard. It's old VAN HALEN — sounds like 'Could This Be Magic?' or anything like that. It's just that sound, that tone."
In a 2014 interview, John 5 described the LP as "11 of the greatest songs you'll ever hear, and it's just me and Dave, and we had Gregg Bissonette play drums on it. And it's unbelievable," he said. "You know, just great, great songs."
Link in bio pic.twitter.com/oOzh1a1s8z
Fan-filmed video of former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens's July 2 performance at Manifesto in São Paulo, Brazil can be seen below. Owens's set included the song "Hellfire Thunderbolt" from KK'S PRIEST, his new band with founding PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing, which has yet to play its first live show.
Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 after being discovered when the band's drummer, Scott Travis, was given a videotape of him performing with the PRIEST cover act BRITISH STEEL. JUDAS PRIEST at the time was seeking a replacement for Rob Halford. He recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Halford in 2003.
KK'S PRIEST also includes guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE), bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).
KK'S PRIEST's debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", was released last October via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.
Last September, Owens spoke to Couch Riffs about the "cheesiness" factor that is present in much of the lyrical content in heavy metal, including in KK'S PRIEST. He said: "Sometimes I'll go, 'Ah, God. I've gotta sing that' or 'I've gotta do that.' But you have to add that to it because you still have those people and we still listen to that stuff and we still do it. JUDAS PRIEST, you look at that band, and not everybody in the band is in their 70s now, but there's 70-something-year-old grown men up there in those leather outfits. And some people go, 'Oh my God.' Well, but that's JUDAS PRIEST.
"You know what, though? Cheesiness, it doesn't bother me because cheese got me nominated for a Grammy and pays my bills," he continued. "But it's not a bad cheesy. I mean, all music is. You look at rap music, and how cheesy is that, in their way, where they're throwing money around and they're wearing these outfits.
"What I said about heavy metal, which is cool, we can write about anything. Sometimes it's cheesy.
"The weirdest thing is we got attacked for KK'S [PRIEST] stuff: '[The song] 'Brothers Of The Road', that's cheesy. That's so cheesy. Cliché, terrible lyrics.' I'm, like, how is it terrible lyrics? It's about brothers on the road who are rocking.
"I write a lot of 'normal life' songs — I write [about] what's going on in the world, what's going on in my life, what's going on in somebody's life. I tend to lean more towards that. But then I'll always throw in songs about a vampire or a zombie or an alien.
"Listen, writing about dungeons and dragons is cheesy to me; writing about brothers of the road isn't cheesy," Tim added. "But everybody looks at it different, and that's kind of it. But I look at all these musical genres, and there's cheesiness in all of it. It's just what it is.
"Listen, I record a lot of songs now. When COVID hit, that's how I made my living. I got really lucky. All of a sudden, I started recording songs for people all over the world every day in my studio at the house, and some of 'em can't get any cheesier. I mean, some of 'em are just as cheesy as they come. Some of 'em talk about sex and taking the women. And I'm, like, 'Oh my God. I'm 54 years old, and I'm talking about taking some girl home to my room, and we're gonna do it.' I'm, like, 'Oh…' I remember going to my girlfriend and going, 'Check these lyrics out.' But I'm, like, 'Well, they're gonna pay me to do it, so I'm gonna do it.'"
Trollfest released their ninth full-length studio album, Flamingo Overlord, via Napalm Records on May 27. Put on your dancing shoes, grab your sax & enjoy this saxophone playthrough for the album track, "Dance Like A Pink Flamingo":
Flamingo Overlord begins with the insanely catchy “Dance Like A Pink Flamingo” - the unforgettable track made world-famous with the band’s zany performance at Eurovision qualifier Melodi Grand Prix earlier this year - clearing the way for the bar anthem “All Drinks On Me”, which keeps the energy and drinks flowing before venturing into “Twenty Miles an Hour”. The track continues the party with a groovy funk flavoured sound, featuring a rap and saxophone solo that will leave listeners going bonkers! “Flamingo Libre” will soon whisk you away and have you dreaming of tropical drinks and magical nights, while “Pina Colada” stands as a much-needed summer anthem best suited for blasting while convertible cruising. Flamingo Overlord closes with the mysterious “Bob Venke”, telling the unlikely story of the mighty Flamingo Overlord's quest for world domination.
Flamingo Overlord is available in the following formats in various territories:
- 1LP Gatefold Pink
- 1LP Gatefold "Flamingo Feather" Marbled Vinyl Limited Edition (limited to 300)
- 1CD Digipak
- 1CD Digipak + Shirt Bundle
- Digital Album
"Dance Like A Pink Flamingo"
"All Drinks On Me"
"Flamongous"
"Twenty Miles An Hour"
"The Flamingorilla"
"Flamingo Libre"
"Piña Colada"
"Rule The Country"
"The Way You Earn Your Drinks"
"Overlords Have Feelings"
"Bob Venke"
Frontiers Music Srl announces the upcoming release of new Danish hard rock band Taboo's self-titled debut album, on September 9.
Taboo features vocalist Christoffer Stjerne, who also fronts the band H.E.R.O., and guitarist Ken Hammer, who rock fans around the world will recognize as a founding member of the beloved hard rock institution Pretty Maids. Based out of Copenhagen, Denmark, Taboo's songs are stuffed with classic heavy riffing and super melodic hooks with a dose of modernity.
A new single and music video, "Bleeding" is out today. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Taboo on CD, Limited Edition Color Vinyl, & Digital here.
Guitarist Ken Hammer has made a name for himself during his lifelong career with Pretty Maids, not only as a founding member, but also as a cornerstone in the songwriting. Pretty Maids is a band known to hard rock fans around the globe for over four decades, but Ken is ready to branch out and try a new musical path with Taboo.
Christoffer Stjerne might seem to be a relative newcomer to hard rock fans outside of Denmark, but he has made a big name for himself with his band H.E.R.O. The band has released three albums, topped the radio and sales charts in Japan, and played numerous shows around the world. He is also a full-time producer, songwriter, and engineer, working with rock and pop artists from around the world.
Taboo's album was self-produced and engineered, but mixed and mastered by the Danish metal legend Jacob Hansen (Pretty Maids, Volbeat, etc.).
Christoffer and Ken have assembled a live band and are currently booking live dates for later this year and into next. Be sure to follow the band on social media to keep up to date on announcements about shows and the release of more singles from the upcoming album.
Taboo tracklisting:
"Flames"
"Bleeding"
"Learning To Breathe"
"Demons"
"Into The Sun"
"Powerless"
"It’s About Time"
"See You Again"
"Sensational"
"Daydream"
"In My Head" (Bonus Track)
"Bleeding" video:
"Flames":
LIneup:
Christoffer Stjerne - Vocals, Various Instrumentation
Ken Hammer - Guitars, Various Instrumentation
The new lineup of GEORGE LYNCH AND THE ELECTRIC FREEDOM performed yesterday (Saturday, July 9) at the Uncle Sam Jam in Woodhaven, Michigan as the support act for DOKKEN. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.
Last month, George Lynch announced that he had recruited Ray West (SPREAD EAGLE) to sing for GEORGE LYNCH AND THE ELECTRIC FREEDOM. Also joining the legendary DOKKEN axeman in the band are Jimmy D'Anda (BULLETBOYS) on drums and Rob DeLuca (Sebastian Bach, UFO, SPREAD EAGLE) on bass.
Speaking to Andrew Daly of WWMusic about how he enlisted West for the project, Lynch said: "Well, I've known about Ray for a while because he was good friends with [former LYNCH MOB singer] Oni [Logan]; they kind of came up together. In the pre-LYNCH MOB days in Florida, Oni and Ray had a lot of history, and they were kind of at the same level, but Oni hit a little harder than Ray did as far as making an impact and making a name for himself. But it's really interesting because they're kind of out of the same mold. So, with Ray, he is just a great fit for the band, you know? And so what happened was Rob DeLuca has been in the band for a while as the bass player, so when we lost [singer] Andrew [Freeman] to GREAT WHITE, Rob said, 'Hey, you should check out Ray.' And I hadn't even thought of it, but Rob said, 'Check him out. He might be a natural fit. And so I did, and he really is. I mean, I probably couldn't have designed a better fit in a laboratory.
Asked what he feels Ray will bring to the table, George said: "Well, LYNCH MOB has been a revolving door for sure. At this point, there have been more people that have been in this band than haven't been in this band. [Laughs]. And so it hasn't always been the perfect guys that I would have liked to handpick. It's almost like, and I don't want this to sound negative in any way, but it's always been more of a matter of convenience at times. It's like this: when you get a different member of the band, be it a drummer, singer, bass player, or whatever — and this happens with a lot of people I've played with — it doesn't always click. But I think what is a little different about Ray is that it's like I'm putting myself back in time.
"When we formed LYNCH MOB initially back in '89, the world was our oyster. We had worldwide tryouts and we really took our time because we wanted to just hit it hard right out of the box. Without all the hype and expectations, I think I have a little bit of a sense with Ray that he could have been that other guy instead of Oni. And that's not to say there was anything wrong with Oni; it's more a testament to Ray, that I think he could have easily been the guy back then.
"Honestly, I can't think of any weak spots with this guy. There are some guys who can't cut it in the studio, or they can't do it live because they're not much of a frontman. You see some guys who don't write lyrically, or they're not a poet in that way. Some guys just don't have the chops for melodies; they just don't have a sense of that. Or they can write lyrics, but they're not poets. There are all these different things, and stylistically, yeah, you might have a guy that's just a monster machine, but he's got no soul, and he lacks that thing that really fits with the legacy of the music. So, with all those things, for me, you have to put that all together, and again, I think with anybody else that has ever come through the door, toured, and done record, I've enjoyed every minute of that, and I appreciate everybody that I've played with. Through the years, it's been a wonderful experience and adventure, but I think Ray is kind of like the cap on the end of the bookshelf. I mean, of course, you never know, and I guess nothing's forever, especially in this band. [Laughs]. We could be having this conversation again six months from now, and maybe the turnstile turned again, and we had to get a new guy. I am not anticipating that, but I've learned well enough that with this band, you just never know. But for the moment, I'm really appreciating the fact that we hooked up, and that we're going to do this, and I'm very excited. I know Ray's very excited too. He's over the top and we are too, and I think that's a little bit infectious.
"When you become a little bit older like me, it starts to become a little bit harder to get around. The result is it takes me a little bit more to get my motor going, so it's kind of like, 'Well, we've had thirty-five guys in this band. Okay, this is number thirty-six. Let's see.' But, you know, I really am genuinely excited, and we're always excited about having new guys and getting fresh blood. But this one is even more of an exceedingly animated thing for us because I think Ray is gonna bring some new life into our whole little world here. And we are planning on doing a record; we just signed up to do another album. It will be through Frontiers [Music Srl], and this will be my first official ELECTRIC FREEDOM record."
It was only six months ago that Lynch introduced the previous GEORGE LYNCH AND THE ELECTRIC FREEDOM lineup at a concert at Count's Vamp'd in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lynch, D'Anda and DeLuca were joined at that gig by Freeman. At the time, Lynch wrote on social media that he "finally put together" his "perfect band."
In August 2021, Lynch spoke to Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio about what it has been like to play select shows around the country with his newly christened touring entity GEORGE LYNCH AND THE ELECTRIC FREEDOM. He said: "It's liberating, actually, to be quite honest with you. To have a new band and a new name and a name that — I mean, just the power of the name, 'cause with the new name, which is GEORGE LYNCH'S ELECTRIC FREEDOM, it really is electric freedom. I didn't even think of it that way, but [then-ELECTRIC FREEDOM bassist] Michael Devin and I were were talking the other day on the way home, and we were, like, 'This really defines the band.' And it really does. Because we're plugged in, we do a lot of kind of just off-the-cuff improvisation during our show, which you don't see very much in rock and roll anymore — not since the '70s. And we're big fans of that; that's what we were raised on. So it's, I think, more alive and vital than your kind of average thing where you go see a band and they're playing songs they wrote 35 years ago. And sure, it's great — you wanna hear the songs, and that's all good. But these guys have been flogging these songs for decades. I've been doing that too. And that's not what I'm about. I mean, I can do it. But I like to bring the audience another perspective and another dimension to what can happen onstage, and that is the creative moment in real time — experiencing that and witnessing that, and for me to play that and the band to play that... And I think the crowd appreciates that. And not just at the moment, but more in retrospect, when they think about it. They think, 'Wow, actually, that was pretty cool.' Every time you come see my band, it's gonna be different. It's gonna be different members [and] we're gonna play different material."
In early 2021, Lynch offered a lengthy explanation for why he was ending LYNCH MOB during an interview with George Dionne of Metal Express Radio. Addressing questions about why it took him three decades to call it quits with LYNCH MOB, George said: "When we first formed the band in '89, the name had sort of already been around. While I was in DOKKEN, it's what I called our little group of guitar fans — I had picks made; it was kind of a little subculture within DOKKEN. When we started working on developing and building the band after DOKKEN broke up, that was just the name that we always thought we'd use, 'cause it was a perfect fit — it's my name, and it describes it pretty well. And, of course, the negative connotations were always there, and I was aware of 'em, but not as aware as I probably should have been. [Laughs]
"I had made numerous attempts over the decades to kind of let that name go and had walked that back for multiple reasons — usually because of business considerations," he continued. "For instance, if you try to go out on a tour and not use the name, promoters aren't gonna be happy with you changing it. People aren't gonna know who you are. They're not gonna show up, because what's THE GEORGE LYNCH EXPERIENCE, or whatever you call it. Or record labels are not interested, because it's a brand that they can count on and sell a certain many albums or whatever.
"For instance, the LYNCH MOB record 'Smoke This' that came out, I think, in '99 or 2000, that was not supposed to be a LYNCH MOB record; that really wasn't anything to do with LYNCH MOB. At the end of the day, after the record was done and we were delivering it to the label, they insisted on using that name as insurance. And if I hadn't agreed to that, we wouldn't have had a record. That's the kind of pressure I'm talking about.
"But then, with the onset of everything that's happened in the last year, I didn't have that kind of pressure anymore," George added. "I could take it or leave it at this point. And I didn't really feel comfortable with it; I didn't feel comfortable with the name. 'Cause I'm a very progressive person politically, and it just so flies in the face of everything I believe in, and it makes it hard. It makes it hard to have relationships with people and explain yourself, and I got tired of rationalizing it. I think the music is bigger than that, and it's had a great run.
"Another reason, too, is the band fell apart again. The band has fallen apart so many times, I can't even count. And it was just, like, 'No more Oni [Logan, vocals], no more Brian Tichy [drums], no more this guy, no more that guy. Oh, great. Now what do I do?' It's, like, 'Okay, build another band from scratch, call it LYNCH MOB?' No. How about just build something new? It gives me a lot more freedom to basically play anything I want live… I can go out and play everything from my catalog — new, old, covers, jams, you name it, and go deep and have fun and change it up every night."
Oni first hooked up with LYNCH MOB in 1990, but exited the group after the release of its first album, only to rejoin the outfit in the late 2000s.
Logan is featured on five of LYNCH MOB's eight albums, including 1990's "Wicked Sensation", as well as 2009's "Smoke And Mirrors", 2014's "Sun Red Sun", 2015's "Rebel" and 2017's "The Brotherhood".
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE kicked off its long-delayed "Public Service Announcement" tour Saturday night (July 9) at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin.
The band opened its first show in 11 years with "Bombtrack", a song from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's classic 1992 debut album, and closed the set with "Killing In The Name". Other tracks performed during the concert included "Bulls On Parade", "Guerrilla Radio", "Sleep Now In The Fire", "Wake Up", "Testify" and a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost Of Tom Joad".
The setlist was as follows:
01. Bombtrack
02. People Of The Sun
03. Bulls On Parade
04. Bullet In The Head
05. Testify
06. Tire Me
07. Wake Up
08. Guerrilla Radio
09. Without A Face
10. Know Your Enemy
11. Calm Like A Bomb / Sleep Now In The Fire
12. War Within A Breath
13. The Ghost Of Tom Joad
14. Freedom / Township Rebellion
15. Killing In The Name
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's comeback tour will continue through mid-August. The massive trek features support from RUN THE JEWELS.
The current tour marks the first time the reunited rap-metal quartet has hit the road together since 2011.
This past January, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE postponed the start date of the U.S. leg of its "Public Service Announcement" tour to this summer. The North American leg of the trek was originally slated to begin in March 2020 before it was rescheduled several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 19 RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE shows that were supposed to take place between March 31 and May 23 will now take place in early 2023.
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE last played together at L.A. Rising and has resisted calls for a reunion, with vocalist De La Rocha previously believed to be the lone holdout. Guitarist Tom
Morello and his fellow RAGE bandmates Tim Commerford (bass) and Brad Wilk (drums) have since teamed up with PUBLIC ENEMY's Chuck D. and CYPRESS HILL's B-Real in the similarly styled PROPHETS OF RAGE.
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE recorded three original studio albums and one set of covers before breaking up in 2000. The group reformed in 2007 but only played sporadic gigs and never a full tour.
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