FOZZY frontman and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho joined STRYPER on stage during the "Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager At Sea: Triple Whammy" cruise at the end of October to sing a cover version of the JUDAS PRIEST classic "Breaking The Law". Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.
Back in July 2020, STRYPER's Michael Sweet came to Jericho's defense after Sebastian Bach accused FOZZY's lead singer of using pre-recorded vocal tracks during live performances. At the time, Sweet wrote on his social media: "You know it's funny, @chrisjerichofozzy doesn't have anything to prove as a singer, a wrestler or a person. He's achieved success and made quite the name for himself. He's about as active as anyone I know and is also a great guy with a big heart. He's also my friend. @stryper had him up on stage to perform with us at @hobanaheim and I was honored to have him sing on one of my solo songs a few years back as well.
"My point? Chris is a very talented individual and a grounded human being. He doesn't need validation from anyone. He's made his mark and will continue to do so. He was at my wedding in 2010 and we had our own 'sing off' on the dance floor to the @bonjovi classic, 'Living On A Prayer' - Remember this Chris? Good times.
"Anyway, I just wanted to say that Chris is the man, and a good one at that. Love ya buddy".
In 2012, Jericho brought up STRYPER while discussing his faith in an interview with Beliefnet, which is described as "a large multi-faith e-community that aims to provide a free forum for religious information and inspiration, spiritual tools, and discussions and dialogue groups." He said: "I basically got into Christianity through Christian rock, which is another reason why music has always been important to me; it was through STRYPER. And Michael Sweet and I have become really, really good friends.
"When I was in high school, it was ambition and fate. And my ambition was to play bass guitar in a Christian metal band. And I vividly remember having a deam that I was in STRYPER. And here I am, whatever it was — 20, 25 years later — on stage singing with STRYPER. It blew my mind. It blew my freaking mind, man. I even said that on the microphone: '25 years ago, I had a dream that I would be playing in STRYPER, and now I am.'
"I have been a Christian for years and years and years," he added. "That's how I've been able to get this far — by always having God have my back. And I haven't always been the best of Christians, but at the end of the day, I know who the boss is. And he has granted me two wishes, to where if I died tomorrow, how many [other] people can say they've done this, and the answer is zero. How many people have been a world champion in the WWE and had a record that was No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers charts? I mean, there might be a novelty thing, but for a real band, I think I'm the only one; I think I am."
Hot on the heels of the first-ever commercial release earlier this year of a rare acoustic set from 2001, "Unplugged In Boston", metal giants MEGADETH have another treat in store for fans: a monster, fully electrified and electrifying concert extravaganza filmed in Argentina 2005 to a stadium full of 25,000 adoring fans. Due on November 26, "A Night In Buenos Aires" finds founder/vocalist Dave Mustaine leading his band of metal magicians — guitarist Glen Drover, drummer Shawn Drover, and bassist James MacDonough — through several of MEGADETH's best-loved tracks, including "Symphony Of Destruction", "Tornado Of Souls" and "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due", plus tracks from the then-brand-new album "The System Has Failed".
The concert is being released on all formats, including digital, on CD as a two-disc gatefold wallet, and in a deluxe three-LP vinyl set that comes in a variety of colors from 180-gram black to purple splatter to clear, red and blue, as well as a deluxe multi-media box set that includes a Blu-ray, a DVD and two CDs. Each release comes with a complete set of liner notes written by Mustaine reflecting on this historic and memorable live performance.
For a sneak preview of this killer live album, just check out the group’s phenomenal version of the longtime fan favorite "Holy Wars…The Punishment Due", which has been released today on all digital stores and on YouTube in a clip from the Blu-ray.
Track listing:
01. Blackmail The Universe
02. Set The World Afire
03. Wake Up Dead
04. In My Darkest Hour
05. She-Wolf
06. Reckoning Day
07. À Toute Le Monde
08. Hangar 18
09. Return To Hangar
10. I'll Be There
11. Tornado Of Souls
12. Trust
13. Something That I'm Not
14. Kick The Chair
15. Coming Home (To Argentina)
16. Symphony Of Destruction
17. Peace Sells
18. Holy Wars...The Punishment Due
19. Symphony Of Destruction (Alternate Version)
MEGADETH played its first show with bassist James LoMenzo in nearly 12 years on August 20 in Austin, Texas at the opening concert of "The Metal Tour Of The Year".
LoMenzo joined MEGADETH in 2006 and appeared on two of the group's studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame". He was fired from the band in 2010 and replaced with returning original MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson.
In addition to MEGADETH, LoMenzo has played with Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde and WHITE LION. For the past eight years, LoMenzo has been performing with iconic rocker John Fogerty.
MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine has yet to reveal who played bass on the band's new album after Ellefson's tracks were removed from the LP following his dismissal from the group in late May.
Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.
The last three shows of "The Metal Tour Of The Year" — in Toronto, Laval and Quebec City — were postponed to spring 2022 due to restrictions in the Quebec province and international logistical issues.
Sweden's Black Lion Records has checked in with the following update:
"We are super happy to announce the signing of German death metal group, Credic.
Credic is a five-piece melodic death metal juggernaut from Stuttgart that sounds like the early Gothenburg scene taking a stroll through the sonic netherworld of Stranger Things. The band was brought to our attention from our promotional department All- Noir and we instantly felt that this was something very fitting both musical style wise but also storywise. So it's with great pride we welcome them into Black Lion Records.
Credic's sound is perhaps best linked to bands such as Amorphis and Dark Tranquillity, but the band takes things much deeper path. You might wanna call it arcade death metal or not: This is a first, not only in the cosmos of melodic death metal.
We cannot imagine a better place to unleash this beast and put all our trust in the hands of the mighty Black Lion Records."
Credic has issued the following statement:
"We’re more than stoked to reveal that a new era in our career begins. Inspired by the sounds from Gothenburg in our early days we come full circle back to Sweden where we found the home for our upcoming album."
Ross Jennings, vocalist and co-songwriter for internationally renowned progressive metallers, Haken, will release his debut solo album. A Shadow Of My Future Self on November 19th via Graphite Records. He has released an official video for the new single, "Catcher In The Rye". Check it out below.
In contrast to his prog metal day job, Ross has a major soft spot for American AOR, mainstream 90’s arena rock and indie pop. All of which have influenced the direction of A Shadow Of My Future Self.
Of the song, Ross says "'Catcher In The Rye' is probably my favourite piece on the album for a number of reasons. It came to me as I was making final decisions on which songs to put on the album and which order etc… and as if something tapped me on the shoulder as if to say "you’re album isn’t done” another song just came to me. It’s an all too familiar tale of the songs that take 15 minutes to write… this was one of those!
Musically 'Catcher In the Rye' is somewhat of a cross between ‘Everybody’s Talkin’ by Harry Nilsson and Elbow’s ‘Sad Captains’, most evident in the inclusion of a brass solo performed by Norwegians ‘Blasemafian'. Vikram Shankar performed my piano ideas deliciously, adding some Bruce Springsteen-esque influence to the choruses too. I’m more than proud to wear those influences on my sleeve here.
The lyrics aren’t based on the famous novel J.D Salinger, but the song does share its title because it was the last book a late friend of mine lent to me before sadly passing away. The lyrics are about how much I miss him, touching on some memories we had and the ones we never made. I deeply feel like this song was his gift to me from the great beyond which is why it’s such a special one for me.
After several unfortunate cancellations and schedule clashes with various film-makers, in the end I was forced to get creative and shoot the video myself. Despite not being the initial vision for the video, this ended up being a far more fitting visual companion than what I had in my head. I fortunately have some film-making experience but most importantly I had the last minute help of Kyros’ Shelby Logan Warne to edit my footage, and she absolutely amazingly brought it all to life. Amidst the stress of deadlines, sometimes you just have to have faith and trust that things will work out for the best."
A Shadow Of My Future Self finds Ross on a musical journey fans have not heard him explore professionally before, writing very personal songs in what can only be described as a love letter to Ross’s extensive record collection and eclectic musical upbringing that were the foundation to his musical inspiration. This album in question starts on the fringe of a country road, navigates indie pop, anthemic rock, power ballads, and culminates in some epic prog.
Ross has the following to say about the project: “Despite my history, I rarely regard myself as a metal singer, so I was in desperate need to scratch a long time itch and make a record that appeals to the broader spectrum of my musical palette. With A Shadow Of My Future Self, I unashamedly wear my influences on my sleeve but this is the kind of music I always imagined I’d be making before I took the path less traveled into prog metal… Needless to say, this is somewhat more accessible and radio-friendly stuff!”
LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe joined French progressive metallers GOJIRA on stage last night (Monday, November 1) at Knotfest Iowa at at The National in Richmond, Virginia to perform the song "Adoration For None" live for the first time. Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below (courtesy of David Fritzson).
Blythe, who had previously played the track "Backbone" with GOJIRA in late September at Knotfest Iowa, co-wrote and appeared on "Adoration For None" on GOJIRA's 2008 album "The Way Of All Flesh".
Earlier this year, Blythe praised GOJIRA's seventh studio LP, "Fortitude", to Metal Hammer magazine, saying that is "succeeds in achieving what very few metal albums do: without sacrificing a single ounce of earth-shattering heaviness." He added that GOJIRA has once again "raised the bar that defines this genre."
Blythe had previously said that he had "publicly supported [GOJIRA] from the second I first heard them."
"Fortitude" entered Billboard's Top Albums chart at No. 1, while also claiming the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Current Albums, Current Rock Albums and Current Hard Music Albums tallies. The release also marked a career high debut on the Billboard 200 for GOJIRA, arriving at No. 12, with several career-high chart positions and Top 10 debuts in countries around the globe including: France (No. 2), United Kingdom (No. 6), Australia (No. 3), Germany (No. 8), Belgium (No. 2), Netherlands (No. 4), Denmark (No. 3), Portugal (No. 4), Finland (No. 2) and Norway (No. 10).
Devin Townsend performed as the Friday headliner (August 13th) at the 2021 edition of Bloodstock Open Air at Catton Park in Derbyshire, UK. Check out pro-shot video of Strapping Young Lad's "Almost Again" from the show below.
Townsend recently announced that he has been invited by Dream Theater to join them on their upcoming European Top Of The World Tour as their very special guest.
Townsend comments: "Hey all, Devin here. As absurd as it may sound in this day and age, I am (cautiously) pleased to announce a tour with Dream Theater. Over the past few years, I've found myself in the company of those cats, and I think they're good people and of course, a monster band. I look forward to playing things from the multiple new releases coming up, as well as from my entire catalog. It's a tour that will be sure to yield great musical moments, and confusion for all. Thanks for the opportunity, DT. See you soon with DT featuring DT.
Also, I know so many of you have been understanding and patient as we reschedule the headline shows from more than a year ago. It has been chaos on every level, but its beginning to see the dawn as dates as being proposed. Please hang on just a little longer and we'll have information for you soon.
This does mean that most of the European Lightwork headline shows will now be rescheduled to a later date. Tickets already purchased will remain vaild. Please check with your ticketing vendor for their refund policy.
Headline shows in Dublin, Glasgow and London are unaffected. More info and ticket links can be found here."
Frontiers Music Srl signed Kandia, an alternative metal band from Portugal, to a multi-album deal in late 2020. The band have released their new single, "Fight Or Flight". Watch a video for the song below:
"Fight Or Flight" is the new single from Kandia's upcoming studio album, Quaternary, out in January via Frontiers. Pre-order here.
Tracklisting:
"Anthropocene"
"Obliterate"
"The Flood"
"Fight Or Flight"
"Until The End"
"Turn Of The Tide"
"Pbp"
"Deathwish"
"Murderers" Feat Jorgen Munkeby
"A New Dawn"
"Holocene"
Berlin-based progressive metal act, The Ocean, have released "Jurassic / Cretaceous", the second video from their upcoming live album, Phanerozoic Live, set for release on November 26. Watch below.
The live album is a showcase of two live events performed by The Ocean - Live In Bremen (Part I) and Live At Roadburn Redux (Part II), and will be released by Metal Blade Records digitally worldwide. Fans eager for physical copies can pre-order the album in various formats at Pelagic Records, here.
Tracklisting:
Phanerozoic Part I - Live in Bremen:
"The Cambrian Explosion"
"Cambrian II"
"Ordovicium"
"Silurian"
"Devonian"
"The Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse"
"Permian"
Phanerozoic Part II - Live At Roadburn Redux:
"Triassic"
"Jurassic | Cretaceous"
"Palaeocene"
"Eocene"
"Oligocene"
"Miocene | Pliocene"
"Pleistocene"
"Holocene"
"Jurassic | Cretaceous" video:
"Devonian" video:
In early 2021 with no end of lockdowns in sight, The Ocean decided to thank their fans for the support with two streaming concerts, performing both Phanerozoic albums in their entirety: Phanerozoic I was streamed live from Pier 2, a big hall in the port of Bremen, Germany on March 25, 2021. With more than 1,500 tickets sold, it was the most successful show of the popular "Club 100" streaming events series thus far.
The day after this event, the band rehearsed and recorded Phanerozoic II in its entirety. This performance aired on April 16th as part of the digital edition of Roadburn Festival (this year aptly named Roadburn Redux). Both shows couldn't have been more different: where the first part boasts with a pompous, mesmerizing lighting production on a big stage, the second part is quite the opposite: intimate, almost cozy, focused on musicianship rather than performance. "We wanted to give people two totally different experiences", says band leader Robin Staps. "In Bremen, we had the chance to record a proper live show, the way people know us. We played facing towards the front of the stage, to an invisible crowd, essentially to a huge empty room… but we knew people were watching, even if we didn't see them. There was the same rush of adrenaline right before going on stage as you get before going on any stage, maybe with a little extra anxiety added, because knowing that so many people are watching you without being able to see them yourself was super weird."
The fans response to these special events was another testimony to how much The Ocean connect with their crowd at home in this very intense way was an experience that was "oddly beautiful and frustrating in equal measure," according to Staps. Now as restrictions begin to lift worldwide, The Ocean are more than ready to show fans in-person the power of Phanerozoic Live, with select shows starting this December.
Touch was the first band to play at the inaugural Monsters Of Rock Festival at Castle Donington in 1980, along with Rainbow, Scorpions, Judas Priest and Saxon. A live version of their hit, "Don't You Know What Love Is", appeared on the compilation LP Monsters Of Rock, documenting the performances at the festival.
Touch's first album was released on Atco Records and their first singles, "Don't You Know What Love Is" and "When The Spirit Moves You", charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Their follow-up album was recorded in 1982 and produced by Todd Rundgren, The record never came out and Touch disbanded thereafter.
The original band recently reformed after almost 40 years to create the new album, Tomorrow Never Comes, out now. Today, the band releases a music video for the song, "Trippin' Over Shadows". Check it out below, and get the new album here.
Tomorrow Never Comes tracklisting:
"Tomorrow Never Comes"
"Let It Come"
"Swan Song"
"Try To Let Go"
"Fire and Ice"
"Trippin' Over Shadows"
"Frozen Ground"
"Lil Bit of Rock N Roll"
"Glass"
"Scream at the Sky"
"Wanna Hear You Say"
"Run For Your Life"
The Dead Daisies are currently on their UK tour, the first since 2018. The band have released the first in a series of weekly recap videos from their Like No Other UK tour. Watch below:
UK tour dates, with special guests The Quireboys (all dates but Cardiff) and Gun (Cardiff only):
November
3 - O2 Academy - Bristol, England
4 - O2 Academy - Oxford, England
6 - The Waterfron - Norwich, England
7 - Rock City - Nottingham, England
10 - Shepherd’s Bush Empire - London, England
11 - Tramshed - Cardiff, Wales
Tickets here. Find The Dead Daisies' complete tour itinerary here.
Mad Margritt has just released a new video for their song, "Thief In The Night". The track is from the band's new album, Mad Margritt: Best Of 1999-2021. The CD is being released on November 19th via Perris Records, while the digital download is available now on all streaming services including iTunes, Amazon and Spotify.
Mad Margritt: Best Of 1999-2021 is a collection of songs from the band's previous CDs, beginning with 1999's In The Name Of Rock, all the way up to Love, Hate And Deception, which came out in 2016. It also includes three new tracks: "Thief In The Night", "Rock The Block" (which the band performed earlier this year on the HGTV show Rock The Block- Season 2), and a song that was recorded in 2005 called "Lonely:, which was previously only available for purchase at shows.
Tracklisting:
"Thief In The Night"
"The One You Love To Hate"
"Never Enough"
"Liar"
"It's Time I Told You Goodbye"
"I Can't Get Enough"
"Don't Say A Word"
"Loaded Gun"
"Animal"
"Lonely"
"Nothing Can Keep Me Away"
"Cold Sweat"
"One Look In Your Eyes"
"Anyway (That You Want Me)"
"Rock The Block"
Catch Mad Margritt live at the following shows:
November
12 - Roccos - Jasper, GA
20 - 278 South - Hiram, GA
26 - Rock N Taco - Roswell, GA
December
11 - Shawn O'Brians Roadhouse - Jackson, GA
18 - Bankhead Grill - Carrollton, GA
KISS Kruise X, which was due to sail from Miami to Harvest Caye, Belize & Roatan, Honduras from October 30th - November 4th, 2020 aboard Norwegian Pearl, kicked off on October 29th and concludes on November 3rd.
On November 2nd, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick and current KISS drummer Eric Singer - one half of the Revenge line-up - performed "Domino" from that album on the Kruise. Check out the fan-filmed video below.
Mike Brunn, who runs the The Rock Experience with Mike Brunn, has shared footage from KISS Kruise X featuring Kulick joining the band on stage for "Tears Are Falling" and "Heavens On Fire". Check it out below.
Shortly after the release of their most successful album to date, Judas (#2 in the German album charts), Lord Of The Lost deliver their next highlight with the BluRay/DVD/CD release of their almost two-hour Sinister Summer livestreaming concert under the name The Sacrament Of Judas, on December 10. Now, the Hamburg based band has yet another highlight to offer - the Trve Western Version of "Viva Vendetta".
Backed by the most elaborately produced music video in the band's history so far, Lord Of The Lost go one better and release "Viva Vendetta" as an authentic soundtrack to the completely Western-style video. A musical recreation of the famous Ennio Morricone soundtrack style, the band creates an unmistakably honest western flick that couldn't have hit the mark more precisely, proving that they are quite capable of venturing into new territories without losing their personal trademarks.
Chris Harms on the new version: "As we are confronted with more and more hate on the internet that comes with our increasing success, we see more often that we are ‘too dark’ for the rock scene, ‘too colorful’ for the gothic scene and ‘not hard enough’ for the metal scene. We’re told we look way ‘too gay’ and are ‘not true', whatever that means. We love to dance between the chairs, and will never voluntarily sit in just one of them, ergo that's perfectly fine for us. As is so often the case, things get rolling for us spontaneously through crazy ideas. During an extremely entertaining discussion about the dusty meaning of 'trueness', we realized that there is nothing 'truer' for a western video than an authentic-sounding western soundtrack variant of the song. And so, we spared no expense or effort, and with extreme attention to detail, created the Trve Western Version of 'Viva Vendetta'."
The Sacrament Of Judas will be available on December 10 in a limited edition format exclusively via Napalm Records Mailorder, as well as the band’s store as a digipack including BluRay, DVD and 2 CDs.
"Priest"
"For They Know Not What They Do"
"Born With A Broken Heart"
"2000 Years A Pyre"
"Viva Vendetta"
"The Heartbeat Of The Devil"
"The Gospel Of Judas"
"Euphoria"
"A World Where We Belong"
"Your Star Has Led You Astray"
"In The Field Of Blood"
"And It Was Night"
"My Constellation"
"Loreley"
"Morgana"
"Drag Me To Hell"
"Die Tomorrow"
"One Day Everything Will Be Okay"
"Dry The Rain"
"Prison"
"Six Feet Underground"
"Sex On Legs"
"La Bomba"
"Ordinary World"
Lord Of The Lost are:
Chris Harms - vocals, guitar, cello
Pi Stoffers - guitar
Class Grenayde - bass
Gared Dirge - piano, synthesizer, percussion, guitar
Niklas Kahl - drums
Fan-filmed video footage of MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP's October 30 concert at KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, Untied Kingdom as part of his 50th-anniversary "Immortal" tour can be seen below.
The setlist was as follows:
01. Ascension (MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST)
02. Cry For The Nations
03. Doctor Doctor (UFO cover)
04. Sleeping With The Lights On (MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST)
05. Assault Attack
06. We Are The Voice (MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST)
07. Looking For Love
08. Warrior (MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST)
09. Into The Arena
10. Red Sky
11. In Search Of The Peace Of Mind (SCORPIONS cover)
12. Lights Out (UFO cover)
13. After The Rain
14. Armed And Ready
15. Sail The Darkness
16. Rock You To The Ground
17. Drilled To Kill
18. Rock Bottom (UFO cover)
19. Shoot Shoot (UFO cover)
20. Let It Roll (UFO cover)
21. Natural Thing (UFO cover)
22. Too Hot To Handle (UFO cover)
23. Only You Can Rock Me (UFO cover)
Earlier this year, Michael Schenker released a new MSG (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) album, "Immortal", via Nuclear Blast. The LP was predominantly recorded at the Kidroom Studio in Germany, with Michael's longtime partner Michael Voss, who co-produced the album and also sings on two tracks.
"Immortal" continues the tradition of the previous two MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST records "Resurrection" and "Revelation" and features a big list of friends and guests. The album's main vocalist is the Chilean-born talent Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW), along with Michael Voss (MAD MAX), Scheepers and Joe Lynn Turner (ex-DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW) singing on two tracks each. Besides Michael Schenker himself, the album was recorded with Steve Mann (keyboards), Barry Sparks (bass, DOKKEN), as well as the three drummers, Bodo Schopf, Simon Philipps (ex-TOTO) and Brian Tichy (ex-WHITESNAKE). The latest addition to the record was keyboard player Derek Sherinian (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, SONS OF APOLLO, DREAM THEATER), who plays on the album's opening track, featuring German power machine Ralf Scheepers on vocals.
In a recent interview with Dead Rhetoric, Schenker stated about Romero: "He can sing like anybody, and that's why I think Ritchie Blackmore wanted him [for RAINBOW]. He can sing like Joe Lynn Turner, Graham Bonnet, Ronnie James Dio. [Romero] will be the right person for me [for the 50th-anniversary tour]. Ronnie will be the main singer, to be the perfect person for the 50th anniversary of Michael Schenker live."
British heavy metal legends SAXON will release their 23rd studio album, "Carpe Diem", on February 4, 2022 via Silver Lining Music. Comprised of 10 titanic tracks bristling with seel-clad riffery and pround intent, the Barnsely, U.K.-born band draw on a variety of integredients from the career to forget what is their most dynamic release in many a year.
"It all starts with the riff," says frontman and co-founder Biff Byford. "If the riff speaks to me, then we're on our way. It's a very intense album, and that's all down to the fact that the essence of a great metal song is the riff that starts it, and this album has loads of them."
Unleashing today the title track's roll-back attack, this is SAXON at their purest and most definitive; aggressively parading the pure metal flag and imploring fans old and new to gather and celebrate the very best of both SAXON and the genre itself.
"In Latin, it means 'seize the day' and I think it's a great thing to say," continues Biff. "It's what the Romans used to say to each other on a regular basis, apparently. Never having met one, I wouldn't know. But we're gonna do the 'Seize The Day' world tour, the album's 'Carpe Diem', this song's called 'Carpe Diem (Seize The Day)', and it's such a powerful thing to say."
Produced by Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, EXODUS, ACCEPT) at Backstage Recording Studios in Derbyshire with Byford and Sneap mixing and mastering, "Carpe Diem" strikes the ear as one of the most essential British metal statements of the last few years and not lacking in pace or bite, an album which will ignite the joy in stalwart supporters and attract a whole new legion to the SAXON fold.
"We want every album we make to go platinum," says Biff defiantly. "We never make an album that we don't expect to be fantastic because there are no laurels around here, and as a band, we're always trying to do something a little bit new, a little bit daring. I love fast metal like 'Princess Of The Night' and '20,000 Feet', and I try and bring that style of SAXON into the music now, but in a more modern style. We don't sound like an old band on records because we're not sitting back on our past success, we're always trying to make a great album."
The genesis of "Carpe Diem"'s fierce intensity lies in two extremely significant life events.
"It's been a difficult two years," offers Biff with considerable understatement, "because I had the heart attack back in September 2019, so things went a bit pear-shaped for the band. And then COVID hit two or three months later, but luckily, we started writing and recording this album before COVID. We did the drums in Germany and we did the guitars in various places. I was doing a lot of writing while I was in the hospital bed, and we spent quite a long time writing and arranging the ideas that we all had. I do think it's a very intense album, and maybe some of that intensity comes from the frustration of not being able to do anything in the COVID period."
"Carpe Diem" track listing:
01. Carpe Diem (Seize The Day)
02. Age Of Steam
03. The Pilgrimage
04. Dambusters
05. Remember The Fallen
06. Super Nova
07. Lady In Gray
08. All For One
09. Black Is The Night
10. Living On The Limit
Produced by Andy Sneap and Biff Byford
Album mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap
Guitars recorded by Andy Sneap at Backstage Recording Studios, Derbyshire (U.K.); vocals recorded by Seb Byford at Big Silver Barn, York (U.K.); drums recorded by Jacky Lehmann (Audiosound) at Velbyproductions, Grünenplan (Germany).
All lyrics by Biff Byford. Backing vocals by Seb Byford
Swedish black metal act Rimfrost recently reunited after their split in 2019. The trio worked hard during the brightest months of 2021 to rev up the engine and dismount the breaks, and is now ready to go full throttle with two new tracks that depict the story of a killer. “Killer Instinct”, the first of those singles, can be heard below.
Rimfrost informs: “When we started to write music for the comeback, we really didn’t know what we wanted to write about, but we quickly felt that we wanted and that we should continue on the horror path from ‘Expedition: Darkness’ since we all are huge horror fans, especially, we all share some extra love for '70s-'80's slasher / zombie horror.”
“After some discussions back and forth, we decided to create our own storyline that runs over two singles with our own made-up killer with inspiration from Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees, Leatherface, and all those classic killers. The story starts with ‘The Rise Of Evil’ (to be released later) and ends with ‘Killer Instinct’. It all ended up as ‘The Rise Of Evil: Killer Instinct’, and we are very happy and proud of how it all turned out!”
NONPOINT has released the official Francesca Ludikar-directed music video for its cover version of "When Doves Cry". The single was originally released by PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION in 1984 and was one of the hit singles from the album "Purple Rain".
Vocalist Elias Soriano says: "Our fans throughout the years have always had a quiet romance with the songs we like to cover. Seeing that our biggest showing in that category, our cover of Phil Collins's 'In The Air Tonight', was a suggestion from a friend and fan of the band, we thought it only fitting we let all our fans have a chance to throw their hats in the ring this time. So in the middle of a global pandemic, we threw up a bracket-style voting tournament with a list of contenders from METALLICA to DMX. As fans voted over a few weeks, it was exciting to watch it go from 16 songs to the final two, METALLICA's 'Nothing Else Matters' vs Prince's 'When Doves Cry'. When they chose Prince, the real work began. We went through version after version. We knew we had to do it justice in the biggest way we could as tribute to Prince and still make it NONPOINT. I'm happy to report from initial response among the few who have heard, it is exciting and we look forward to our fans singing it for years to come."
Dr. Fink of PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION reacted by saying: "I just listened to 'Doves' and thought it was great! NONPOINT's revision of 'When Doves Cry' by PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION rocks like a champion bullfighter slaying a prized bull!"
In September, NONPOINT rescheduled just under a dozen shows on its current tour after "multiple members of the band" tested positive for COVID-19.
NONPOINT has toured with major acts like DISTURBED, PAPA ROACH, MUDVAYNE and SEVENDUST, to name a few. They have also been featured on the main stages and support stages of iconic festivals like Soundwave, Rock Am Park, Rock Am Ring, Ozzfest, Rock On The Range, Welcome To Rockville and many more.
In June, NONPOINT released the music video for "Ruthless", the title track off the band's upcoming EP. The single was made available through the group own label 361 Degrees Records LLC and was this year's featured track on AEW's "Blood And Guts" on TNT.
NONPOINT launched its independent record label 361 Degrees Records LLC in January of this year. They filmed the process of starting the label and making new music in a docu-series titled "A Path To Independence" that can be seen on the band's YouTube and official web site.
KISS performed the songs "She's So European" and "We Are One" live for the first time ever during the band's first indoor show aboard the ongoing "Kiss Kruise X". Also included in the group's setlist were rarely played tracks "Take It Off" and "Uh! All Night".
The full setlist was as follows:
01. Psycho Circus
02. Take It Off (first performance since 1995)
03. Watchin' You
04. Firehouse
05. She's So European (live debut)
06. Lick It Up
07. We Are One (live debut)
08. Cold Gin
09. Uh! All Night (first performance since 1986)
10. I Love It Loud
11. Say Yeah
12. War Machine
13. Black Diamond
14. Detroit Rock City
15. Rock And Roll All Nite
Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.
This year's edition of KISS's annual "Kiss Kruise" event kicked off on Friday, October 29. Fans need to be vaccinated to attend, bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons told The New York Post a few days ago.
KISS has already announced the 2022 edition of the "Kiss Kruise". "Kiss Kruise XI" will set sail from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada, Mexico from October 29, 2022 to November 3, 2022.
On Saturday (October 30), KISS's second Las Vegas residency was canceled, with fans who already purchased tickets via Ticketmaster having been notified that the shows are no longer taking place.
The cancelation came a day after Rolling Stone magazine published a story in which a group of KISS roadies suggested that the lack of COVID protocols enforced on the band's "End Of The Road" farewell tour led to the death of a longtime guitar tech, 53-year-old Francis Stueber. Stueber died of coronavirus in his Detroit hotel room on October 17, just two days after being quarantined.
The crew members claimed the tour didn't take strict enough safety measures, including not testing everyone regularly. In addition, some crew members allegedly disguised their illness and/or faked vaccine cards.
"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but is now expected to last well into 2022.
KISS's current lineup consists of original members Simmons and Paul Stanley (guitar, vocals), alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).
Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, drummer Peter Criss and lead guitarist Ace Frehley, KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.
This past weekend, David Ellefson performed live for the first time since being fired from MEGADETH, taking the stage at the Chiller Theatre convention at the Hilton Parsippany in Parsippany, New Jersey.
The 56-year-old bassist, who was promoting his found-footage horror film "Dwellers" at the event, joined THE DEAD ELVI, the Chiller Theatre house band which performs original music and serves as the backup group for musical guests on Saturday nights, to play a cover version of the Alice Cooper classic "I'm Eighteen".
Fan-filmed video footage of Ellefson's appearance with THE DEAD ELVI can be seen below.
Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH six months ago, just days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter. At the time, Ellefson released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he "groomed" an underage fan. He also filed a report with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of him by unknown offenders. In the report, Ellefson admitted that he had been exchanging sexual text messages with a Dutch teenager, who captured a video of several of their virtual "masturbating encounters" without his consent and shared them with friends. (According to Ellefson, the woman was 19 at the time of their first virtual sexual encounter.) Ellefson, who lives in Scottsdale, first became aware of the video on May 9, when the claim "David Ellefson of MEGADETH is a pedophile" appeared on Instagram. Ellefson told police he was notified on May 14 by MEGADETH that the band would be parting ways with him. Three days later, he was fired.
Two days after MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine announced Ellefson's latest departure from the band, the bassist released a follow-up statement in which he vowed to file a "defamation lawsuit" against the person who "illegally posted a very private video" of the bassist and made "false allegations" against him. He also said he was working with the police in Scottsdale "in their investigation into charges regarding revenge pornography to be filed against the person who posted the video. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Ellefson wrote. He went on to say that he was "taking this time to be with my family" and wished his "bandmates" the best with their tour.
Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.
Ten long years after their last studio album, Don't Talk Science, legendary hard rock band VICTORY has announced their return to the scene with a brand new album, entitled Gods of Tomorrow, which will be out on November 26, 2021 through powerhouse label AFM Records!
The iconic band, formed in 1984, is one of the most distinctive hard'n'heavy acts and - beside Scorpions, Accept and Helloween - one of the most successful German groups, played countless arena and festival shows all over the world and released ten chart-breaking records to date. After several line-up changes and years on hiatus, in 2003 VICTORY announced their reunion. Don't Talk Science, released in 2011, was the latest record to feature the nucleus of the original line-up. But guitarist Herman Frank, who was also a longtime member of Accept, never gave up the idea of continuing with VICTORY once more. Newborn, heavier and stronger than ever, this Fall they will finally return, featuring a high class line-up consisting of Frank on guitar, vocalist Gianni Pontillo, guitarist Mike Pesin, Malte Frederik Burkert on bass and drummer Michael Stein.
VICTORY‘s exceptional talents prove that they can be the gods of today and also of tomorrow, but one can be sure, these new, thirteen album tracks will take you on a wild ride of unexpected power and classic rock grandeur!
After previously- released singles, "Cut To The Bone" as well as the album title track ( which came with 2 killer video clips ), the band has just premiered a brand new single alongside a music video! Incredibly energetic and soulful at the same time, the song "Love & Hate" describes the inner turmoil of a toxic coexistence. Power and the abuse of power - delivered in VICTORY's hard rock brilliance, culminating in an extremely catchy chorus.
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