Musclebound metal superhero Thor may have finally met his match! In a fantastic new animated video, perfectly timed for the Halloween season, the metal deity is kidnapped by a dark, mysterious figure who turns out to be none other than the dreaded “Queen Of The Spiders,” as heard about on Thor’s newest album, this year’s Alliance!
The evil seductress traps our hero in a hellish lair while her spidery minions creepily crawl over webs in an apparent attempt to feast on the legendary metal singer. With twists and turns aplenty, the video is a dazzlingly inventive showcase for both the superb design skills of Brazilian animator Steve Cavalcanti of Tivo Studios as well as the classic metal stylings of Thor that is sure to get your spine tingling this Halloween season!
Be sure to check out Alliance, which features stellar guest appearances from the likes of W.A.S.P.'s Chris Holmes, Raven vocalist John Gallagher, Danko Jones, Anthrax's Neil Turbin, Ross “The Boss” Friedman and many more.
Order the CD and vinyl here. Order/save the digital edition here.
Tracklisting:
“We Need Musclerock” feat. John Gallagher (Raven)
“Niflhel (Realm Of The Dead)” feat. Björn Strid (Soilwork)
“The Ultimate Alliance” feat. Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.), Ross “The Boss” Friedman (Manowar), Nina Osegueda (A Sound Of Thunder) & Fang VonWrathenstein (Lords Of The Trident)
“Ode To Odin” feat. Dan Cleary (Striker)
“We Will Fight Forever” feat. Neil Turbin (Anthrax)
“Because We Are Strong”
“Rock Around The World” feat. Danko Jones
“Queen Of The Spiders” feat. Frank Soda (The Imps)
“Power Hungry”
“Bounty Hunter” feat. Frank Meyer (The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs) & Dennis Post (Warrior Soul)
“Battlements” feat. Trevor William Church (Haunt)
“Thor vs. The Juggernaut (War Of The Gods)” feat. Sean Peck (Death Dealer)
“Generation Now” feat. Joey Killingsworth (Joecephus & The George Jonestown Massacre)
“After The Laughter” feat. Martin Gummesson (Thundermaker)
“Good Stuff” feat. Al Harlow (Prism)
“Congregate” feat. Joey Roads & Sheldon Byer (Roadrash)
“We Will Fight Forever” (Reprise)
Fan-filmed video footage of QUEENSRŸCHE's October 23 performance at Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie, Washington can be seen below.
For the past four and a half years, Casey Grillo has been filling in for QUEENSRŸCHE's original drummer Scott Rockenfield, who stepped away from the band's touring activities in early 2017 to spend time with his young son.
As previously reported, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against the band's fellow original members Michael Wilton (guitar) and Eddie Jackson (bass) two weeks ago, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge.
In the complaint, which has been obtained by BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Rockenfield claims that he took paternal leave of absence from QUEENSRŸCHE in February 2017 after his fiancée experienced complications during the birth of their son and had to have an emergency Cesarean delivery. According to the drummer, his leave of absence was approved by the members of QUEENSRŸCHE and he was to retain an equal one-third interest in all QUEENSRŸCHE companies (QR Companies), including Tri-Ryche Corporation, Melodisc LTD., Queensryche Merchandising, Inc., EMS Music, LLC and Queensryche Holdings, LLC.
Scott alleges that or about October 11, 2018, Wilton and Jackson purportedly "voted to dismiss Rockenfield from the QR Companies due in whole or in part to his taking of approved family leave. Rockenfield was informed of his purported dismissal from the QR Companies in a letter dated November 3, 2018."
Rockfenfield also claims that Wilton and Jackson did not include him in the recording QUEENSRŸCHE's latest album, "The Verdict", "despite his availability and willingness to participate."
The drum tracks on "The Verdict" were laid down by QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre.
Last week, QUEENSRŸCHE's Michael Wilton confirmed that guitarist Mike Stone will likely contribute guitar solos to the band's next studio album.
Since late May, Stone has been handling second-guitar duties in QUEENSRŸCHE, which announced in July that longtime guitarist Parker Lundgren was exiting the group to focus on "other business ventures."
Stone originally joined QUEENSRŸCHE for the 2003 album "Tribe" and stayed with the band for six years before leaving the group.
Preshow with Queensrÿche! Shoutout to 102.5 KZOK: The Classic Rock Station’s Waldo for hanging with the guys before they hit the stage tonight!
CANDLEBOX frontman Kevin Martin had the audience at the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, Arizona on its feet Thursday night (October 21) when he welcomed 12-year-old TikTok star Vedder Gabriel on stage to perform the band's hit song "Far Behind".
Martin and Gabriel had met previously on Instagram, which later led to a rockin' TikTok duet that caught the attention of thousands of fans. Martin quickly invited Gabriel on stage to perform the song, which led to a standing ovation.
Gabriel, who was named for Eddie Vedder, was only seven years old when he was plucked from the audience by Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto to join him on "Night Of The Hunter" at 30 SECONDS TO MARS's inaugural Camp Mars music festival in Malibu, California. He has since sung "Tennessee Whiskey" with Chris Stapleton, "Know Your Enemy" with GREEN DAY, "Dead And Bloated" with STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and "Last Time For Everything" with Brad Paisley, among others.
Asked in a 2018 interview with the Arizona Republic how Vedder manages to find himself on stage as often as he does, his father said: "He's fortunate. He's crawling up me higher to see and every cell in his body is screaming every word to every song."
His mother concurred, saying: "Even when he was that little, if he knew he was going to a concert, he would find the set list somehow and master the songs. He would listen to them and try to remember them."
Vedder himself explained it: "I learn all their music and all their songs and if they need me, I'm ready."
Gabriel is actually Vedder's middle name but it's become his stage name.
CANDLEBOX is currently wrapping up its fall tour in support of its latest album, "Wolves".
Halloween couldn't kick-off properly this year without a Halloween Sock Puppet Parody video; This year, Alice Cooper gets the sock puppet treatment with a spin-off of the track "Feed My Frankenstein" from the 1991 album "Hey Stoopid". The video features a "Frankensock" rocking the lead guitar, fashioned from what we assume is the body parts of other clothing garments. The video stylizes Cooper from wardrobe down to signature stage stunts, such as a guillotine cutting the sock puppet's head off.
Director Brady Tulk and producer Johnny Zero-Forever teamed up with musical talent RIVETHEAD to knock it out and this video certainly does not sock.
Sock Puppet Parody has created many tributes to bands such as METALLICA, SLIPKNOT, and more. The outfit is currently in pre-production for a long-awaited season three which will begin filming early 2021 and includes a dozen new parody acts.
Back in 2019, Tulk told VoyageDallas about Sock Puppet Parody: "It's a YouTube series that takes iconic bands and turns them into sock puppets. Our team does not cut corners. We not only create the music from the ground up, but we strive to stay true to the last detail. We research the band thoroughly to pay a tribute to the artists and we film it with the best production value we can. We take the concept of the song and apply sock related lyrics.
"We have caught the attention of the bands theirselves, from SLAYER posting our video, to PANTERA's Vinnie Paul making a cameo, to getting a seal of approval from SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor."
Regarding how Sock Puppet Parody was conceived, Tulk said: "I met a producer named Johnny Zero on the RIVETHEAD set. We eventually went to a concert together and saw the iconic band STATIC-X and the frontman, Wayne Static, had his hair in foot-long spikes and his long beard braided. Johnny and I knew STATIC-X would make for a fantastic sock puppet re-creation. We teamed up and decided to not just do one video, but do six episodes to see if they catch on. We knew there was something special about the concept, and we wanted to see how people would react.
"The pivotal moment for Sock Puppet Parody was when we uploaded a SLAYER parody to our YouTube channel. That day we were posted by numerous metal magazines with thousands of fans leading up to the band posting our video to their Facebook. In one day, over one hundred thousand people saw our video. It was an unbelievable experience.
"Since then, Johnny and I have been cultivating our audience and growing the brand."
Cleopatra Records has announced the signing of synthwave act PRIEST featuring former members of Grammy Award-winning Swedish rock act GHOST. Hailing from the same icy darkness of the Scandinavian inland that birthed GHOST, PRIEST consists of a trio of musicians — vocalist Mercury, who was known as Water when he played bass for GHOST, keyboardist Salt, formerly known as GHOST keyboardist Air, and programmer/ keyboardist Sulfur — who came together in 2017 and started releasing their own unique brew of electronic music that bears little sonic resemblance to their former band yet still shares the same creative DNA. But whereas GHOST borrowed their theatrics from old school horror and '80s rock, PRIEST comes steeped in cyberpunk and industrial music.
Cleopatra owner Brian Perera states: "We've been living in this genre since the '90s so we have a pretty good feel for when bands do it right, and as soon as we heard PRIEST, we knew they were something special. We see an extremely bright future ahead for the band and are thrilled to be partnering with them to make that happen."
PRIEST concurs, saying: "Signing with such a legendary label like Cleopatra will probably be the biggest step in our career. With great knowledge of the genre we're in, we can't think of a better match for PRIEST. Our next album is by far the best yet and we can't wait to unleash it to a wider and more diverse audience."
Watch for PRIEST's new full-length album, produced by another GHOST alumni Simon Söderberg (GHOST guitarist and producer/engineer of debut album "Opus Eponymous") as well as a full-scale U.S. tour in summer 2022.
Last year, PRIEST released a new album called "Cyberhead", the follow-up to its debut, "New Flesh". "Cyberhead" was the first album since original singer Tom Åsberg (also known as Ginger Khan) left the band to pursue other projects. PRIEST mastermind Linton Rubino has taken over on vocals, which are performed by a masked character they call Mercury.
Back in 2017, GHOST leader Tobias Forge was sued by four former members of the band after being dismissed by the group's founder the previous December. They accused the singer of cheating them out of their rightful share of the profits from the band's album releases and world tours. The lawsuit was filed in the district court of Linköping, Sweden, where GHOST was originally based. It claimed that a partnership agreement existed between Forge and the four former members, all of whom performed anonymously in the band as Nameless Ghouls. As a result of the lawsuit, Forge was forced to reveal his identity after years of performing in a mask as Papa Emeritus. He has maintained that "no legal partnership" ever existed between him and the other members.
In May 2018, Linton, who played bass live in GHOST from 2013 to 2014 in the role of the Nameless Ghoul Water, blasted the band's latest album, "Prequelle", saying he was "ashamed to have been part of that" and calling the music "a joke" and "mainstream shit."
Fan-filmed video footage of LAST IN LINE's October 22 performance at Penn's Peak in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania can be seen below.
Formed in 2012 by drummer Vinny Appice, guitarist Vivian Campbell and bassist Jimmy Bain — Ronnie James Dio's co-conspirators and co-writers on the "Holy Diver", "Last In Line" and "Sacred Heart" albums — LAST IN LINE's initial intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio's early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein.
LAST IN LINE's debut album, "Heavy Crown", was released in February 2016, landing at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Initially, the release had been preceded by tragedy when Bain unexpectedly passed away at the age of 68 on January 23, 2016. LAST IN LINE, honoring what they knew would be Bain's wish to keep the band moving, brought in Phil Soussan and committed to sustained touring in support of the album before beginning work on the follow-up release, 2019's "II".
This past June, Soussan spoke to Metal-Net.com about the progress of the writing and recording sessions for LAST IN LINE's third album. The LP is tentatively due in 2022 via an as-yet-undisclosed record label.
"I've been quite motivational with the band," Phil said. "I'm trying to keep things happening. We wanted to work on a few different aspects [during the pandemic]. I find things that we could do… We had some considerations with LAST IN LINE. I was trying to plan a streaming show. We were not able to do it because Vivian [Campbell, LAST IN LINE and DEF LEPPARD guitarist] has some preexisting health issues and he's not really able to travel until we have some assurance that he's going to be healthy and able to do so. So, out of respect, we tried to do some other things. We have a TV show, which was like a Zoom chat show that we would do occasionally, and that was fun. And we also had to go about getting a new record deal — we were changing labels — so that's something we're in the process of doing, and we're getting pretty close now. But part of that was writing a third record. So we've been hard at work trying to write a third record and even record that third record while we've been in different locations around the world. And, obviously, this band works as a unit in every sense of the word, so it's a real handicap not being able to be in the same room as everybody and trying to make it happen."
In February, Appice told Metal From The Inside that former DOKKEN and current FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson, who produced both "II" and 2016's "Heavy Crown", is not involved with the upcoming LAST IN LINE album. "We made a change," he said. "Actually, the guy who mixed the last record, Chris Collier — he's great; he's working with KORN — he recorded this record. And we're kind of producing it ourselves, between all of us.
"Jeff is great — Jeff's a great producer, and [he has] great ideas and stuff, but we just felt that we could probably do what we wanna do now that we're a band, we've been on the road, and we know what we wanna hear," he explained. "But it's coming out great. The stuff sounds fantastic.
"And yeah, I've been through a lot with Jeff Pilson. I've known him for years. He's a great guy. He's like my brother."
Also in February, Soussan told the "Pat's Soundbytes Unplugged" podcast that the band was working on "a very, very special song that we're gonna be putting out fairly soon. I can't tell you any more than that, but it is something in the interim between us coming out with a new album, or releasing a new album, and now," he said. "So we'll do this as a video single."
As for the musical direction of the new LAST IN LINE material, Phil said: "The songs are another progression from the last album — the difference between 'Heavy Crown' and 'II', and now 'II' and whatever this next album is gonna be called; we don't know yet, by the way. But it's definitely evolved even more; it's gone into even more of an evolution, but we are always trying to keep the characteristics of LAST IN LINE there. I mean, you can't shake those things — you can't shake Vinny's drumming, you can't shake Vivian's playing. And I'd like to say the same thing about myself, and, of course, Andrew."
Some of the early recording sessions for LAST IN LINE's third album took place in January 2020 at Steakhouse studio in North Hollywood, California.
Germany's WDR Rockpalast has shared Thundermother's August 26th livestream show from the Ausbesserungswerk in Wedau. Check out the entire show below.
Setlist:
"Whatever"
"Dog From Hell"
"Into The Mud"
"Back In 76"
"Hellevator"
"Heat Wave"
"Deal With The Devil"
"Rock'n'roll Heaven"
"Shoot To Kill"
"Revival"
"Mexico"
"Give Me Some Lights"
"Thunderous"
"Driving In Style"
"We Fight For Rock'n'roll"
Thundermother recently made the following announcement:
"After two years and one album we have now together with Majsan decided to go our separate ways. She has done an incredible job and really made a mark in the TM history, and for that we are forever grateful. We wish her nothing but the best in her future projects. Love Emlee, Filippa, and Guernica."
Personally from Majsan: "I wish to see a Thundermother world domination and I can't wait to get a ticket and see them from a crowd position. All my love to the girls!"
Vancouver, British Columbia technical death metal outfit Atrae Bilis presents an official video for “Open The Effigy”. The song is found on the band’s debut LP, Apexapien, which saw release earlier this month through 20 Buck Spin.
Directed by RZ Cinema (Archspire, Comeback Kid), the new video showcases Atrae Bilis in a high-energy performance setting. “Open The Effigy” captures the band at its vehement core. In this chapter of the Apexapien story, a ceremonial trepanation shifts the terrestrial unto morbid clairvoyance. Tune in and writhe, as “skull and steel bathe in herbs, initiate the opening of the gold leaf effigy.”
Atrae Bilis’ Apexapien was recorded by Matt Roach at Rain City Recorders, engineered by Matt Roach and Christian Donaldson with assistant engineering by Emily Ryan and Jonathan Mazzeo and drum technician Alex Glassford. The record was mixed and mastered by Christian Donaldson (Cryptopsy, Despised Icon, Beneath The Massacre) and completed with stunning cover art by Eliran Kantor (Atheist, Bloodbath, Hate Eternal, Sodom, Kreator), layout and design by Dan Fried, and photography by Rob Zawistowski.
Apexapien is available now on CD and cassette at the 20 Buck Spin webshop and through all digital providers. The vinyl version will see release on December 3rd.
The band also announces the departure of bassist Brendan Campbell, and now encourages interested applicants to connect with them: “Brendan is no longer handling bass duties and the Atrae Bilis circle is now open. To be clear, the band is firing on all cylinders and this transmogrification has not impeded songwriting or bookings. Positive, proactive and professional initiates are encouraged to contact the triumvirate's management at atraebilis@gmail.com."
On Apexapien, the follow-up to the 2020 Divinihility EP, angular, blackened dissonance, exhilarating experimental progressivism, and crushing guttural savagery merge into a cacophony of violently discordant death metal, all held together with a strict focus, discipline, and astonishing percussive momentum. Thoroughly modern in scope and mercilessly severe in execution, the heinous battering inflicted on Apexapien establishes Atrae Bilis at the vanguard of a new breed of forward-looking death metal bands not content to simply pay tribute to or completely abandon the genre’s towering progenitors.
American-Canadian alternative metal outfit, Set The Sun, have released the second single from their soon-to-be-announced debut EP. The track, titled "New Condition" features guest vocals from Michael Lessard of The Contortionist, and explores familiar territory to the ideas expressed in the band's first single, "Invisible".
Speaking about Lessard's contributions to "New Condition", the band says: "We have always admired Michael's voice and unique style, and we felt that he would be a perfect complement to the song. He added the perfect emotion to the song, and we're thrilled to have him on it."
The creative duo at the heart of Set The Sun, known only as Arc & Eris, wrote and recorded the upcoming record during last year's COVID-19 lockdown, which would inspire them to delve into subjects ranging from isolation, division amongst communities, misinformation, and unspoken conflict. On "New Condition", the band seeks to confront the uncomfortable truths of how much pain and confusion can be inflicted through the constant distortion we often subject ourselves to through our own technology.
Expressing the onus behind "New Condition", Set The Sun comments, “All of us are surrounded by information and disinformation at all times. It can be overwhelming and maddening, and we wanted this video to embody what that feels like."
On "New Condition", Set The Sun once again welcomes Thomas Freckleton of Silent Planet into The Collective, with Freckleton playing bass on the track. The band is also grateful to have collaborated with Clint Lowery of Sevendust, who co-wrote "New Condition" with Arc & Eris.
Watch the video for the first single "Invisible" (feat. Ryan Clark):
Michael Schinkel's Eternal Flame present their official video for the single, "Rage”. The track is taken from the band’s upcoming album, Gravitation, out on October 29 via ROAR! Rock of Angels Records. Watch the clip below.
Gravitation will be released as trifold digipack CD and digital streaming and download formats. Order the album here
Tracklisting:
"Awakening"
"Rage"
"Hard Times For Dreamers"
"Love Returns"
"Damien"
"No Way To Hide"
"I’m Gonna Miss You Tonight"
"Strange Game Called Love"
"Stay In The Middle Of The Night"
"Higher Fire"
"Fallin"
"Hungarian Dance #5"
"Rage" video:
Michael Schinkel's Eternal Flame lineup:
Michael Schinkel – All Guitars and Vocals
Helmut Kohlpaintner – All Keyboards and Backing Vocals
Thomas Keller – Bass & Vocals
Tommy Wagner – Drums & Vocals
Supreme Unbeing is a mysterious 5-piece metal band led by vocalist/prophet Zac Red, with his fellow prophets D.Vine (Lead Guitar), D.Sciple (Rhythm Guitar), Unknown (Bass) and Al Mytee (Drums). Although the band just recently transformed from animated characters into real flesh and blood entities, their impact has been felt in the physical domain since the release (October 2020) of their debut full-length album Enter Reality.
Highly demanded, Supreme Unbeing have released the first, daunting and ominously sounding, single, "Face Of Evil", from their upcoming, second, full-length album, Enduring Physicality (to be released 5.5.22). Supreme Unbeing sees their songs as important messages to the people of the Earth, and yet again has an important message to share through the song.
“This song is about self-proclaimed kings, tyrants, societal leaders… and your friends. Whether you have your own life-agenda or not, they’ll manipulate and rob you of your free will to get what they want with their – as the song goes – ever-changing Face Of Evil. Humans are dual in nature, it’s nothing to be ashamed of, we all have a good side and an evil side, which side, and face, you decide to show at any given moment is yours to balance carefully on this grand stage. How do you want to be remembered?,” says Zac Red.
Not much is known about the people behind the band, but their animated videos for singles "You’ll Never Make It" and "Animals" have been wildly successful leaving the bands following to expect the same type of visual presence in their new music video for Face Of Evil, which also released today, staring Swedish actor Dragomir Mrsic (known from “Snabba Cash”, and “Edge Of Tomorrow” where co-starred along Tom Cruise).
“When the band asked me to play the leading role in their video, I immediately accepted, the bands messages are too important to ignore. Besides, my naturally looking evil eyebrows made me feel at home with the character in the video," says Dragomir Mrsic.
Mixed and mastered by Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann, singer/guitarist of German metal outfit Orden Ogan, the track is available today on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and all major streaming services.
“A smile is always there to greet us. A smile will always hide the truth,” concludes Zac Red of Supreme Unbeing.
Red Fang have done it again. Celebrating the spooky season, the four band members mark their “demise” the only way they know how, via one of the year’s cleverest music videos. Watch “Rabbit in Hives” below.
“When I showed up at the funeral shoot I had no idea that all of these rock luminaries from the Pacific Northwest would be lavishing such heartfelt praise on the corpse of our band. It was an honor to say the least. It’s nice to know that when our number is up we will be missed!,” said Bryan Giles of the Ansel Wallenfang directed clip. Wallenfang also directed the band’s “Why” video, documenting the sad story of pizza parlor mascot Arnie Von Party.
Portland’s heavy music community comes out in force in the five-minute clip. Guests include members of High On Fire, Yob, Ils, Gaytheist, Lord Dying, and Danger Ehren. Bend, Ore.’s Boneyard Beer provide the magical, re-animating brew that insures Red Fang’s future into the new year.
Arrows, the Portland-based band’s first album in five years and fifth album overall, arrived in June. Physical orders are available via Relapse’s webstore here, while digital downloads and streaming links can be found here.
Arrows album cover, artwork by Orion Landau.
Tracklisting:
"Take It Back"
"Unreal Estate"
"Arrows"
"My Disaster"
"Two High"
"Anodyne"
"Interop-Mod"
"Fonzi Scheme"
"Days Collide"
"Rabbits In Hive"
"Why"
"Dr. Owl"
"Funeral Coach"
"Why":
"Funeral Coach":
"Arrows" video:
Red Fang is:
Aaron Beam (bass/vocals/guitar/keyboards)
Bryan Giles (guitar/vocals),
John Sherman (drums)
David Sullivan (guitars)
Fan-filmed video footage of DOKKEN's Octoebr 21 concert at The Canyon in Agoura Hills, California can be seen below.
DOKKEN recently announced a seven-date fall 2021 tour of California. The trek kicked off in Agoura Hills and will conclude with a pair of shows at the legendary West Hollywood venue Whisky A Go Go. The Whisky dates will see DOKKEN reunited with guitarist George Lynch.
Tour dates:
Oct. 22 - The Canyon - Santa Clarita, CA
Oct. 23 - The Canyon - Montclair, CA
Dec. 03 - Sycuan Casino - El Cajon, CA
Dec. 04 - The Canyon at Oxnard PACC - Oxnard, CA
Dec. 17 - Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA*
Dec. 18 - Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA*
* With special guest George Lynch
Lynch previously rejoined DOKKEN on stage in July in Ashland, Virginia and in Moline, Illinois as well as in early June at the Live United Live Music Festival in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.
DOKKEN's classic lineup — Lynch, Don Dokken, , Jeff Pilson and Mick Brown — reunited for a short Japanese tour in the fall of 2016. The trek marked the first time in 21 years the four musicians had hit the road together.
A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band's reunion tour, "Return To The East Live (2016)", was made available in 2018. In addition to the Japanese performance, the set included footage from the classic lineup's only U.S. show in September 2016 at Badlands in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as well as newly recorded acoustic reworkings of "Heaven Sent" and "Will The Sun Rise". Also featured on "Return To The East Live (2016)" was "It's Just Another Day", the first DOKKEN track featuring the group's classic lineup since 1997's "Shadowlife".
Since completing the Japanese reunion dates, DOKKEN has continued to perform with the group's current lineup — including bassist Chris McCarvill, guitarist Jon Levin and drummer BJ Zampa (HOUSE OF LORDS).
DOKKEN is currently working on material on a new studio album, tentatively due next 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".
BREAKING IN A SEQUENCE, the Huntington Beach, California-based alternative hard rock/metal band featuring former KORN drummer David Silveria, has released a new single called "Twine". The official visualizer video for the track, which was produced and mixed by Chris Collier at Mint Potion Studios in Santa Clarita, California and CMC21 Productions in Las Vegas, Nevada, can be seen below. The clip was created by Clint Collins of Clintodarko.
BREAKING IN A SEQUENCE said in a statement: "We released this strictly for our fans to have something new before the end of the year. This is just a taste of things to come for our new EP. Stay tuned..."
Joining David in BREAKING IN A SEQUENCE are bassist Chris Dorame, guitarists Joe Taback and Mike Martin and singer Rich Nguyen.
"Twine" marks BREAKING IN A SEQUENCE's first new music since the band's debut EP, "Acronym", which came out in January. That EP has since been streamed over 560,000 times on Spotify.
"Acronym" included BREAKING IN A SEQUENCE's cover of FAITH NO MORE's "Midlife Crisis" and was accompanied by a frame-for-frame recreation of the iconic '90s classic video. Director Matt Zane replicated the live performance shots using similar color composition and color shift effects, and utilized modern editing techniques and cuts to recreate the original mood and atmosphere.
BREAKING IN A SEQUENCE made a big splash with its first two singles "Pity" and "Change Your Mind", which came out in January 2019. "Pity", the edgier track of the two, peaked in the Top 25 on the Billboard (BDS) Indicator chart and Top 10 on the Foundations (SMR) chart.
Silveria previously told OC Weekly about BREAKING IN A SEQUENCE's musical approach: "We definitely have our own unique sound, but at times there are hints of the early sound of KORN. I feel this band is a new fresh sound on the rock scene that is lacking right now. We have a new sound for sure, but we aren't reinventing the wheel."
Nguyen described his lyrical themes as "both personal and abstract. Every song I write has two meanings; mine and your interpretation," he explained. "I try to write my lyrics vague enough for people to relate to and form their own opinions. However, if you know me personally, you may be able to figure what I'm talking about, maybe."
JUDAS PRIEST and Rufus Publications have published the first-ever official book documenting the band's extensive history over the last 50 years. Titled "Judas Priest - 50 Heavy Metal Years", the book has been put together by David Silver, Ross Halfin and Jayne Andrews.
This huge, 648-page coffee table book chronicles the history of the world’s foremost heavy metal band using hundreds of previously unseen, unpublished photographs from rock's greatest photographers including Halfin, Neil Zlozower, Mark Weiss, Fin Costello, Oliver Halfin and many more. With a linking text by renowned journalist Mark Blake, the book explores the bands exciting history on stage and off in a unique photo documentary designed to excite fans and devotees of true heavy metal the world over. Current bandmembers have all contributed to the book, with written pieces detailing their love and passion for the band, making this an extraordinary artefact for their legions of followers. The book features an exclusive cover by Mark Wilkinson, who has worked with the band for many years now.
Halfin says: "I've photographed JUDAS PRIEST from 1978 until now, and of all the bands I've worked with, they are one of the most enjoyable to me. You have to love the mighty PRIEST."
PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton comments: "We spearheaded the visual image of metal, breathing new life into it, and it has been captured forever in the pages of this book."
JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford's autobiography, "Confess", arrived in September 2020 via Hachette Books.
Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing released his autobiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", in September 2018 via Da Capo Press.
Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Singer Rob Halford joined the group in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Founding guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Richie Faulkner.
PRIEST's current touring lineup consists of Hill, Halford, guitarists Andy Sneap and Faulkner, and drummer Scott Travis.
Asked by VintageRock.com if writing his autobiography provided him with a sense of closure concerning his time in JUDAS PRIEST, Downing replied: "Yeah, I think so. I guess it's the same with any long-term relationship — whether it's a husband or wife, or father or son or whatever — you spend enough time together, and idiosyncrasies show up. I guess there was no particular right or wrong — some people have more tolerance than others, and it takes a bloody miracle really to stay together for 40 years. Someone has to give. And it has to be give-and-take. But inevitably, it becomes a bit of an imbalance, and I like to think that democracy is always the best policy. And there wasn't enough of it there, I don't think."
Last year, Halford was asked by Sea Of Tranquility about the reason for Downing's relative absence from "Confess". He replied: "We did not steer of any avoidance, per se. We just talked about every aspect that we felt was important and useful to the book itself. So there was never, 'Oh, we won't talk about that person.' There was never any kind of dismissiveness for whatever reasons. So I think there's my answer."
FOZZY debuted a brand new song, "Purifier", during its September 18 concert in Flint, Michigan and has been performing it live ever since. Fan-filmed video footage of the band blazing through the track at several of its recent shows — including Flint — can be seen below.
Back in July, FOZZY debuted another new song, "The Vulture Club", during its concert in Iowa City, Iowa. The band also performed its latest single, "Sane", live for the first time.
Last month, FOZZY guitarist Rich Ward was was forced to sit out several of the band's shows for personal medical reasons. FOZZY still performed in his absence as a four-piece.
In May, FOZZY dropped a video for its first new song in two years, the aforementioned "Sane", which hit one million views in its first two weeks. This first-of-its-kind video was filmed on the longest wooden roller coaster on the planet today.
This past February, FOZZY singer — and wrestling superstar — Chris Jericho told Detroit's WRIF radio station that the band's follow-up to 2017's "Judas" album would "continue with the momentum that [the] 'Judas' [title track] started for us [four] years ago."
In the summer of 2020, Chris revealed that FOZZY's next LP will contain 12 songs, including one cover.
Ward and producer Johnny Andrews once again did "the lion's share" of the songwriting for the new LP, which was recorded primarily in Atlanta, Georgia.
In addition to producing "Judas", Andrews previously co-wrote FOZZY's "Lights Go Out" track back in 2014. He has also written songs with the likes of ALL THAT REMAINS, THREE DAYS GRACE and HALESTORM.
In November, FOZZY appeared in its first global live streaming event from Madison Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.
FOZZY is Chris Jericho (vocals), Rich Ward (guitars, vocals), Frank Fontsere (drums), Billy Grey (guitars) and P.J. Farley (bass).
Progressive metal masters DREAM THEATER have released a music video for the song "Awaken The Master". The track is taken from the band's 15th studio album, "A View From The Top Of The World", which came out on October 22 via InsideOut Music/Sony Music. The artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR).
The "Awaken The Master" clip is a frenetic, high-definition CGI marvel from long-time collaborator Wayne Joyner. It also marks the first recorded use of an eight-string guitar by DREAM THEATER's John Petrucci. The track was the last one recorded for the album and clocks in at an impressive nine minutes and 47 seconds — making it the third longest song on "A View From The Top Of The World".
Petrucci said: "It's the last song we wrote. It's also the first time I've used my eight-string guitar, which was fun for me. Back in the day when we were writing 'Awake', I'd always wanted to play a seven-string. So, I ordered myself one. I wanted to be inspired again by the instrument without any pre-conception. I used it, and I wrote in my style on the eight-string. It was actually a prototype! 'Awaken The Master' purposefully starts with guitar only. [Bassist] John Myung wrote the lyrics. Recently, I heard him say, 'The master was your heart.' He was referring to awakening your heart. It's one of the heavier songs on the record due to the range of the instrument."
DREAM THEATER — comprised of James LaBrie, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, John Myung and Mike Mangini — was in the middle of a sold-out world tour in support of their last release "Distance Over Time" and the 20th anniversary of "Scenes From A Memory" when a global pandemic brought the world to a stop. The musicians found themselves at home, with LaBrie in Canada and the rest of the group in the States. As fate would have it, they'd just finished construction on DTHQ (Dream Theater Headquarters) — a combination live recording studio, rehearsal space, control room, equipment storage, and creative hive. With LaBrie in Canada, he initially wrote with the band via Zoom on a monitor in DTHQ. In March 2021, he flew down to New York, quarantined, and recorded his vocals face to face with Petrucci.
Petrucci recently stated about the "A View From The Top Of The World" title: "Honestly, titling records is a funny thing because sometimes it comes really quickly — sometimes it even comes before — and sometimes it's really hard trying to come up with, 'What is the title that's gonna reflect what this album is all about?' This one, it was difficult. There was nothing that was really coming to mind. The things that were were… I don't know. It's hard to be original. Things you used or it just didn't quite do it.
"I remember the discussions we were having [were] that the music was really powerful; it was dark, but it was also positive; there's a lot of energy; there's a lot of spirit," he continued. "So, what would kind of encapsulate that? Eventually, one of the songs on the album is the epic 'A View From The Top Of The World', the title track. I had a list of dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens [of titles]… And then one day I just kind of saw that, and I was, like, 'You know what? That's pretty damn DREAM THEATER-y as a title.'
"Like anything that we do, I just pose it to everybody and say, 'What do you guys think of it?'" John added. "I think the time when you know that it is the title, or it is the decision, whatever it may be, it's when everybody kind of comes back, like, 'Yes. That's so cool.' I remember everyone was, like, 'That's such a positive title. That's cool. Love it. Thumbs up.' Blah blah blah. And you know. Then you're, like, 'Okay, cool.'"
"A View From The Top Of The World" was produced by Petrucci, with engineering and additional production by James "Jimmy T" Meslin and mixing and mastering by Andy Sneap.
DRAGONFORCE has launched a new video for "Strangers", a song from 2019's "Extreme Power Metal" album. The clip was filmed before the pandemic with a large-scale production with director Roboshobo (a.k.a. Robert Schober) in Los Angeles, California.
"Strangers" is described as "a tribute to everything '80s, featuring Steve Vai's WHITESNAKE/David Lee Roth-era guitars and band delivering the "ultimate glam metal cheese."
Guitarist Herman Li comments: "This video takes place in the same '80s world as our last video ('Troopers Of The Stars'), with the same cast and the same director. When Roboshobo pitched the concept, I was immediately into it.
"I'm a huge fan of the glam rock-era of music — I love the showmanship, the guitar solos, and the endearing cheesiness. And the players of that time were amazing, like Steve Vai, Warren DeMartini and Reb Beach; I think sometimes the playing gets lost, and people just remember the crazy outfits. So, this video is a loving tribute to that era — while also being authentic...
"Roboshobo told us to get some cool-looking guitars to fit the theme of the video, and the night before the shoot, I was panicking because we still hadn't found any. So, I texted Steve Vai and told him we were doing a glam rock video. He said, 'come on over', and when I got there, he had pulled out THE guitars he used with WHITESNAKE and David Lee Roth. I remember seeing these guitars in magazines as a kid, so it was incredible to get to use them on set — I almost cried when he handed them to me!
"Besides the guitars, I think we all looked really hunky in our costumes, especially our hair! For a minute, I was even considering getting a perm...I know people may think we're not taking ourselves seriously enough, but I think given the state of the world, sometimes it's just nice to kick back and have a laugh with your mates. That was definitely the vibe on set — we could barely keep a straight face watching the playback.
We're also releasing super-limited merch we did in collaboration with the artist Teenage Stepdad at: dragonforce.com/shop. It definitely captures the feeling of the era!"
To coincide with this video launch, DRAGONFORCE has announced a headlining North American tour for 2022, featuring BATTLE BEAST and SEVEN SPIRES as support.
DRAGONFORCE adds: "We are so excited to be playing in the USA and Canada again. We've spent the last year and a half waiting to get back on the road to finish the 'Extreme Power Metal' world tour. We've also got some new surprises. DRAGONFORCE always says more is more, so expect an even bigger, crazier show!
We're also thrilled to be bringing some incredible bands with us. BATTLE BEAST gives an amazing performance every time, and SEVEN SPIRES is one of the best young bands out there. We can't wait to see everyone in the crowd and at our VIP!"
Tickets go on sale Friday, October 29 at 10 a.m. local time.
DRAGONFORCE with BATTLE BEAST, SEVEN SPIRES tour dates:
Mar. 07 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory *
Mar. 08 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory *
Mar. 09 - Roseville, CA - Goldfield Trading Post *
The clip below features Billy Idol and longtime guitarist Steve Stevens performing a virtual set on 88.5 WXPN's Free At Noon in Los Angeles, CA. Thee performance took place on August 27th and they performed the classics "White Wedding", "To Be A Lover" and "Rebel Yell", and new song "Bitter Taste".
Billy Idol recently released a lyric video for "Rita Hayworth", the opening track of his new 4-song EP, The Roadside, out now via Dark Horse Records. Watch the new clip below.
Available on CD, vinyl, and limited edition blue vinyl, the EP can be pre-ordered here.
Tracklisting:
"Rita Hayworth"
"Bitter Taste"
"U Don't Have To Kiss Me Like That"
"Baby Put Your Clothes Back On"
On October 22nd, Queen drummer / vocalist Roger Taylor wrapped up a 14-date UK solo headline tour at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London. Taylor and his band performed several Queen songs during the show including "These Are the Days of Our Lives", "Under Pressure", "I'm In Love With My Car" and "Radio Gaga", but the high point came when guitarist Brian May hit the stage for a cover of Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" and Queen's "A Kind Of Magic". Fan-filmed video is available below.
Канада
Thor![=]](/img/news-bord-shr.gif){kind=small}
США
Швеция
Германия
?
Великобритания
