Новости : DARKSIDE.ru (2024)

San Diego'sMonarchwill be unleashing their sophom*ore album, Future Shock,tomorrow, Friday, April 16, and before this electrifying thrash thriller hits the moshpit, the band has teamed up withBraveWordsfor its full stream premiere.

Says the band: "Future Shock hits hard on a lot of levels, there are the riffs, the solos, the speed, the heaviness, the melodies, great memorable lyrics, the dynamic range of our creativity we think was truly expressed, and yet we still managed to sound like ourselves. We all just really look forward to sharing it with everyone. At the time of this release, the world is still battling the COVID-19 virus in parts of the world and we think it will be a welcome escape from having to worry so much right now. We should all be cautious of course, but we can't make our lives not worth living."

Listen to the album below:

Future Shock by Monarch

Compared to their first, very DIY album, 2017's Go Forth... Slaughter,Monarch's next escapade, Future Shock,was done professionally at Clarity Recordings in El Cajon, California, and is a big step forward for the band both musically and sonically. It explores the entire spectrum of the band's creativity, with each song varying in sound, but maintains a cohesive feeling. The overall concept of the full length is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally, and locally by organizations of the United Nations system, governments, and major groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment.

Future Shock can be pre-ordered on CD / Vinyl here.

Tracklisting:

“Blast The Seed”
“Khaos Warrior”
“Future Shock”
“Nuclear Warfare”
“Shred Or Die!”
“Multiverse”
“Fatal Vector”
“Collison Of Bones”
“Swarm Of The whor*net”
“Metal Soul”

"Nuclear Warfare" video:

“Future Shock” video:

(Photo – Astrid Anaya)

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Swedish story teller trio, Pressure, will release their debut concept album, Path Of A Shadow, on May 7. A single and video, "No One Can Hear You", will be available on release day.

Are you bold enough to endure the journey of your own pressures? This album takes you, the listener, on an adventure that is based on your life. Your shadow, the one that has been following you throughout it all tells your story as he has seen it through his dark but fiery eyes.

The introduction of the "story metal" concept is something Pressure has done well, with every track being a story within a bigger story about life’s pressures and how the shadow beside you is always around.

From beginning to end, Path Of A Shadow will intrigue your conscious mind and you will realize things about yourself that you either did not know or was too afraid to tell. You will be left on the edge waiting for the next guitar riff as well as raw yet rigid and harmonious vocals.

Who are Pressure you ask? Well if you had to tag them with a genre the one that fits best is melodic rock, but they’re so much more than that. Hailing from Stockholm and with vocalist Olof Jönsson you can always guarantee soaring, athletic and committed vocals. Together with a twin guitar sound coming from songwriter and lead guitarist Simon “Siirpo” Forsell and Emil Salling.

Their work often focuses and embraces the pressures felt from everyday existence. Their lyrics ably demonstrating that there are two sides to every story - the good and the bad. Every song has a double meaning and they truly see music as a tool to handle the different pressures thrown at us from the modern world.

Tracklisting:

"Path Of A Shadow"
"Vad Du Ser"
"Ingen Som Hör Dig"
"Osårbar"
"Nere Men Inte Död"
"Ännu Mer"
"Skuggan"
"Komm Her"
"Var Är Du Nu"
"What You See"
"No One Can Hear You"
"Untouchable"
"Beaten But Not Dead"
"The Shadow"
"Where Are You Now"

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Finnish melodic metal band Dead End Finland have released a new single entitled "Beyond The Distance" via Inverse Records. It will be included on a new EP due to be released in late 2021.

Guitarist / bassist Santtu Rosén comments: "'Beyond The Distance' is the second single from our upcoming release. It will be released in the spring ravaged by the corona today (April 15th). Where our previous album dealt more objectively with the state of the whole nation and the prevailing world situation, the theme of our new album is clearly more personal. The song to be published tells the story of how one is forced to first touch the bottom to be able to strive towards the surface. A kind of power song, if you will."

Check out Dead End Finland's official Facebook page here.

"Wounded & Bleeding"

Line-up:

Mikko Virtanen - vocals
Santtu Rosén - guitars & bass
Miska Rajasuo - drums
Jarno Hänninen - keys

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In a new interview with the "Cobras & Fire" podcast, legendary guitarist George Lynch was asked for his opinion of the label "hair metal," the pejorative term which was coined in the late 1990s as a way to disparage acts thought to have been all flash and no substance. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Generally, it's not a genre that you look at too seriously. It was the one that allowed me to have a career. So I respect it in that sense; it's what got me here. There are bands from that genre that I really, really like — RATT being one; I like RATT. I love their songs, and I love Warren [DeMartini, RATT guitarist], and I just like what they do, and what they did back then. So, I don't know — there's a few things that I like about it. But generally, I'm a product of the '60s and '70s, and that's where my heroes are from — from those eras."

The use of the term "hair metal" became widespread after grunge gained popularity at the expense of 1980s metal.

One musician who has been very vocal about his dislike of being called "hair metal" is Sebastian Bach. Last July, the former SKID ROW frontman said that "being labeled something that I never set out to be labeled gets under my skin. It's a pain when people try to rewrite history," he tweeted. "Believe me none of us ever set out to be in a hair metal band that did not exist in the 80s".

That was not the first time Bach reacted negatively to the term "hair metal." In a 2012 interview with The New York Times, he famously said: "I am the man who put the hair in hair metal. I also headlined Broadway musicals. I acted in millions of TV shows. I didn't get to star in 'Jekyll And Hyde' on Broadway because of my haircut. My voice has gotten me everything in my life, not my hair."

More recently, TESLA bassist Brian Wheat said that he found the term "hair metal' "condescending. What does f*cking hair have to do with the music?" he said in an interview with "The Cassius Morris Show". "Should we be called 'co*ck metal' because we all have big dicks? Seriously, it's, like, 'hair metal' — what does that have to do with [anything music-related]? It's condescending. It's a putdown. It's almost like saying, 'Well, the music's not valid. They just had good hair.' That's what it's like.

"I don't like it," he reiterated. "Just talk about the music, because that's what what matters. Not about the hair. If you wanna call it anything, call it '80s metal — call it 1980s rock. 'Cause that's what it was — it was rock that came out of the '80s and early '90s. THE BLACK CROWES came out a year later than TESLA, and they're not called a hair metal band.

"Why call us a hair metal band when all we were doing was imitating AEROSMITH?" Wheat added. "I think we're very parallel to an AEROSMITH. I think, personally, if you can't go see AEROSMITH and you wanna see a good version of AEROSMITH, go see TESLA. They're very similar. I mean, Jeff Keith looks like Steven Tyler; he sings like Steven Tyler."

In a new interview with Cuartel Del Metal, GOJIRA guitarist/vocalist Joseph Duplantier has commented on the fact that some people have compared the band's new song "Amazonia" to SEPULTURA's "Roots" album. Asked how much of an influence SEPULTURA has been on GOJIRA's sound, Joseph said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "How much? From one to 10? A solid seven, whatever that means. I could say 10 also, because I love them so much. But SEPULTURA is massive in the history of our band, for some reason. I discovered 'Arise' first, and I was pretty blown away — it was so dark and so fast and so technical. It was right after I discovered the band DEATH and MORBID ANGEL, and then SEPULTURA. And I was absolutely blown away by their craft. And then, I had a few bands in high school, and I started to get together with my brother. We were playing at home, sometimes after school, and then we decided to form our own band. We dropped our other bands, got together, and 'Chaos A.D.' came along. And we were absolutely blown away — absolutely blown away. And [it was] easy to play too — it's simple riffs. They stripped down everything to the core… I mean, oh my God. They said it all with this album."

As for what he thinks when people compare "Amazonia" to SEPULTURA, Joseph said: "I go, 'Yup.' And it's a compliment, and there is no shame here. And we ripped them off, but we didn't do it on purpose. But we realized it right after. We were, like, 'Oh, that sounds like SEPULTURA. Ahhh, whatever.' It's a tribute to SEPULTURA — how about that? It's about Brazil. It's about the Amazon. It's tribal."

"Amazonia" is taken from GOJIRA's new album, "Fortitude", which is due on April 30 via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2016's "Magma" was recorded and produced by Joseph Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA's Ridgewood, Queens, New York headquarters — and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE).

Proceeds from "Amazonia" will benefit the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) who advocate for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon who have suffered immensely — victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment.

GOJIRA initially laid the foundation for "Fortitude" last year with the surprise release of the 2020 single "Another World".

The artwork for "Fortitude" was created by Joseph Duplantier.

Fast-rising St. Louis-based black metal export, Stormruler, recently announced the impending release of their infernal, fantasy battle-inspired full-length offering, Under The Burning Eclipse, on May 28 via Napalm Records, alongside the release of an epic first music video for the opus “Reign Of The Winged Duke”. Today, the band is following up with a second new track - the searing, dynamic "Of Hollowed Souls & Distant Flame" - along side a brand new lyric video.

Stormruler about the new single: "'Of Hollowed Souls & Distant Flame' is the final song we composed for the record, and we felt it was a good second single to represent the band's direction. Lyrically, it invokes a feeling of being liberated, from both physical and mental shackles."

Stormruler - featuring the dark lyrical genius and deft skill of guitarist/vocalist Jason Asberry and drummer Jesse Schobel - have built a noteworthy subterranean following since their formation, leading to their recent signing with Napalm Records. Combining unrelenting black metal atmosphere and vision from varying metal genres with a brutal, modernized twist of inspiration, careful listeners may just be able to identify themes from some of their favourite stories, games and more…

Featuring 19 tracks alternating between ominous instrumental ambience and incendiary black metal riffs and fury, the album tells harrowing tales of war, death, victory and defeat, and delivers an unmatched, hellscaped auditory experience. Creeping in like menacing sonic smoke, instrumental ambient intro track “Shine Of Ivory Horns” launches directly into opener “Reign Of The Winged Duke”, instantly careening into a cascade of pummeling drums and charred riffa*ge.

Under The Burning Eclipse evenly ebbs and flows between warning mystical atmosphere and ghastly action, evident on the likes of blackened headbobbers “Age Of Steel & Blood”, “Dawn Of The Eternal Fire” and unrelenting 8+ minute title epic “Under The Burning Eclipse”. Standout burner “Of Hollowed Souls & Distant Flame” looks to the north with archaic screams and memorable, colossal progressions, while combat-ready tracks like “At The Cliffs Of Azure City” incorporate ruminations of classic heavy metal combined with scorched, war-torn percussion.

The album traverses desolate musical peaks and valleys before closing with the otherworldly brutality of “Fear The Old Blood” – a non-stop onslaught of black metal attack – and ambient, acoustically-driven finisher of olde “Fields Of Mortal Shame”. Under The Burning Eclipse is a solid hour of fantasy-laden, grim fables transfixed in blackened scourge. Fans of extreme metal will not want to miss this debut offering from the mighty Stormruler!

Stormruler adds about the album: “We sought to take all of the elements we love about black and death metal and make the album we always wanted to hear. Early on, we formulated the idea to compose interludes between the songs to segue the moods, yet maintain a cohesive nature. As long-time fans of dark fantasy and historical warfare, it seemed like the proper path lyrically.”

Under The Burning Eclipse will be available in North America in the following formats:

- CD Digipack
- 2LP Gatefold Vinyl Black
- Limited DieHard Edition: 2LP Gatefold Vinyl Orange/Black Splatter + Slipmat & Logo Patch (Napalm Mailorder Only - only 200 copies worldwide)
- 2LP Gatefold Transparent Orange (Napalm Mailorder Only - limited to 300 copies worldwide)
- Digital Album

Pre-order here.

Under The Burning Eclipse tracklisting:

"The Shine Of Ivory Horns"
"Reign Of The Winged Duke"
"The March Onto Golden Lands"
"Age Of Steel & Blood"
"Culling Of The Blood Moon"
"Blood Of The Old Wolf"
"Journey To The Unknown"
"Under The Burning Eclipse"
"Prithee, Chosen"
"Of Hollowed Souls & Distant Flames"
"An Empire Of Ash & Dust"
"At The Cliffs Of Azure City"
"Illuminating The Ancient Sky"
"Dawn Of The Eternal Fire"
"A Message From A Foreign King"
"Mark Of The Valkyrie"
"Blood Ritual"
"Fear The Old Blood"
"Fields Of Mortal Shame"

"Reign Of The Winged Duke" video:

Stormruler is:

Jesse Schobel - Drums
Jason Asberry - Vocals & Guitars

(Photo - Chris Bauer)

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Greek modern metal five-piece, Scar Of The Sun, is poised to reach the next level with the release of their otherworldly third full-length, Inertia, out May 14 via Napalm Records. The band has dropped the second single and official video for the album’s title track.

After unveiling their hard-hitting first offering, “I Am The Circle”, Scar Of The Sun delivers their next smashing anthem with its catchy chorus, poised to stick in the listener’s mind forever. Taking off with an instrumental intro, “Inertia” evokes full aggression - raising a voice for everything that is about to come and lyrically dissecting the idea that those who run the world want society to be numb. The song is visually underlined and smartly grasped by an impressive music video, shot and directed by Achilleas Gatsopoulos.

Scar Of The Sun on the video for “Inertia”: “It's absolutely breathtaking to watch your emotions and words that you put on paper being materialized and visualized in such a magnificent way! The work of Achilleas Gatsopoulos exceeded our expectations for one more time! Achilleas perceived and depicted the whole Inertia album lyrical concept and he managed to fit it in a four minute masterpiece of a video. We hope everyone will enjoy it as much as we do!”

Achilleas Gatsopoulos adds: “Picking up from where the album cover left off, the band's trademark Jugendstil/Dieselpunk/Ancient Minoan design elements were combined with an Expressionist Film approach in order to breathe life into the intricate illustration and manifest the lyrical concepts into visual form.”

Vocalist Terry Nikas on “Inertia”: “The opening track of the album is a surprise attack! An amalgam of good old Swedish death metal with modern colors, it’s the aggression you didn’t expect at all!”

Watch the official music video for “Inertia”:

On Inertia, Scar Of The Sun utilizes scientific terminology to transmit their impassioned messages of difficult trials and social awareness lyrically, conveying an overarching theme that reflects one of society’s heaviest burdens – that financial gain has flourished at the expense of humanity and the livelihoods of everyday people.

Terry Nikas about the album: “Third strike, this album is our punch to the world disarray! The most aggressive album we’ve done so far indicates our current intentions! The main concept of Inertia deals with how financial interests act against the lives of everyday normal people, no matter where you come from, since profit knows no ethics and nationalities. We become lab rats and we struggle in our everyday life while at the same time that extreme minority that runs the financial interests see people like numbers and value our lives like ants. These are matters that concern and annoy me and I had to get them out of my chest.”

Instrumental intro “Hydrogen” stirs things up before kicking in with hard-hitting title track “Inertia”, evoking a truly thunderous verse and, propelled by blasting drums, leads into an undeniably catchy chorus, while the “Quantum Leap Zero”-trilogy conveys very intense and dramatic events that occured in Greece in 2015: Suppression, rise/revolution and huge defeat in the end. Beginning with “Quantum Leap Zero I: Torque Control”, Scar Of The Sun unveils a whole new instrumental facet of the record, splicing their soundscapes with distinctively desolate vibes. “Quantum Leap Zero II: Transition To Turbulence”, on the other hand, calls for an untamed storm to annihilate everything, followed by atmospheric “Oxygen”, smashing “The Fallible Experiment” and poignant trilogy-closer “Quantum Leap Zero III: Thrust”. Inertia ends with “Anastasis” (Greek for “resurrection”), an intense track about the terrible pain of losing someone you love. With this closer, Scar Of The Sun manages to put agony into words and turn this palpable despair into emotive music.

Inertia was recorded and mixed by singer and songwriting mastermind Terry Nikas at Zero Gravity Studios in Athens, Greece and mastered by the legendary Jens Bogren (Opeth, Katatonia, Dimmu Borgir) at Fascination Street Studios, Sweden.

Inertia will be available in the following formats:

-1LP Gatefold Transparent Green + Black Marbled
-1LP Gatefold Black
-Shirt & Digpack Bundle
-CD Digipack
-Full Digital Album

Pre-order here.

Inertia tracklisting:

"Hydrogen"
"Inertia"
"I Am The Circle"
"Quantum Leap Zero I: Torque Control"
"Quantum Leap Zero II: Transition To Turbulence"
"Oxygen"
"The Fallible Experiment"
"Quantum Leap Zero III: Thrust"
"Singularity Collapse"
"Zenith To Minos"
"Anastasis"

"I Am The Circle" video:

Lineup:

Terry Nikas - vocals
Alexi Charalampous - guitars
Greg Eleftheriou- guitars
Panagiotis Gatsopoulos - bass
Thanos Pappas - drums

(Photo - Cristina Alossi)

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FEAR FACTORY has released its first new song in over five years, "Disruptor". The track will appear on the band's upcoming album, "Aggression Continuum", due on June 18 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The "Disruptor" video — created by Finland's Riivata Visuals — is also available, along with the "Aggression Continuum" cover art, designed by LIGHT THE TORCH guitarist Francesco Artusato.

Guitarist Dino Cazares comments: "This record is one of my proudest achievements and I'm really excited for it to finally be released. There were a lot of personal struggles, sacrifices, and legal issues involved with this record which almost didn't see the light of day, but through passion, determination, lots of hard work and not giving up the fight, it’s finally ready for the world to hear. I felt that I needed to prove myself once again as I always try and make each record better than the last. Listen, and understand! This album is pissed! It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear and it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are hooked. You must fight to survive in the 'Aggression Continuum'."

"Aggression Continuum" features guitarist, songwriter and co-founder Dino Cazares; drummer Mike Heller; and former vocalist, lyricist, and co-founder Burton C. Bell. It was produced and engineered by Damien Rainaud (DRAGONFORCE, ONCE HUMAN), with keyboards by Igor Khoroshev (ex-YES), and programming on two songs from longtime collaborator Rhys Fulber (FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY). "Aggression Continuum" was mixed by A-list rock and metal producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, TRIVIUM), who also mixed FEAR FACTORY's previous album, 2015's "Genexus".

"Aggression Continuum" track listing:

01. Recode

02. Disruptor

03. Aggression Continuum

04. Purity

05. Fuel Injected Suicide Machine

06. Collapse

07. Manufactured Hope

08. Cognitive Dissonance

09. Monolith

10. End Of Line

Last September, Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he "cannot align" himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.

Bell's exit from FEAR FACTORY came more than two weeks after Cazares launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist him with the production costs associated with the release of FEAR FACTORY's long-awaited new LP.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.

"With FEAR FACTORY, it's just constantly been, like, 'What?!' You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I've done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I'll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward."

Pressed about whether there is any chance of a reconciliation with FEAR FACTORY down the line, Burton said: "I'm done. I haven't spoken to Dino in three years. I haven't spoken to Raymond [Herrera, drums] and Christian [Olde Wolbers, bass] in longer than that, and I have no intention to. I'm just moving forward with my life."

In October, Dino issued a statement in which he said that the door for Burton to come back to FEAR FACTORY wouldn't "stay open forever." The guitarist also revealed that Burton "lost his legal rights" to the FEAR FACTORY name "after a long court battle" with Herrera and Olde Wolbers. "I had the opportunity to do something right, and I felt that obtaining the name in full was the right thing to do for the both of us, so after nearly four years we can continue as FEAR FACTORY, to make more records and to tour," he said. "That is why it is sad to hear that he decided to quit and, in my opinion, for whatever issues he has it seems like it could've been worked out."

In explaining his reasons for starting a fundraising campaign, Cazares said that all donations would go toward covering newly incurred production costs involved with the making of the new FEAR FACTORY LP, including re-recording the drums, guitars, bass and keyboards, as well as production by Damien Rainaud and Cazares, and mixing and mastering by Andy Sneap. Burton's original lead vocals, which were recorded in full in 2017, remain on the new version of the album.

FEAR FACTORY's fundraising campaign marked the first public activity from the band since it completed a 2016 U.S. headlining tour on which it performed its classic second album, "Demanufacture", in its entirety.

Bell's ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS project released its second full-length album, "Apocrypha", last October via Dissonance Productions.

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Dutch death metal veterans PESTILENCE will release their ninth album titled "Exitivm" on June 25 via Agonia Records. The official music video for the LP's first single, "Morbvs Propagationem", can be seen below. The clip was filmed by Grupa 13 production house (KREATOR, BEHEMOTH, AMON AMARTH), with costumes by Prepostevolution.

Back in 1986, in the small town of Enschede in the Netherlands, near the German border, a true metal phenomenon was born. More than three decades later, not only is PESTILENCE alive and well, but about to once again reaffirm its place in the extreme metal pantheon, with "Exitivm", which is Latin for "total destruction."

As controversial as he can be to some, nobody will ever deny the band's undisputable driving force, Patrizio "Patrick" Mameli, and his constant ability to reinvent himself. Unlike most of the bands in the scene, PESTILENCE just keeps evolving. From the raging thrash leanings of their cult 1988 debut "Malleus Maleficarum" to the jazz-infused versatility of 1993's "Spheres" or 2009's "Resurrection Macabre" frontal assault, not to mention the fans' favorite and Scott Burns-produced "Testimony Of The Ancients" from 1991, he never did the same record twice. No matter who playes with him on any PESTILENCE album, Mameli always gets the best out of the musicians he is working with. But first and foremost, the man has a one-of-a-kind vision, instantly recognizable style and yet always stretching musical boundaries. And it's never more true than on "Exitivm".

After a vast reissue campaign in between 2015 and 2018 and an acclaimed new album "Hadeon", the band got seemingly stopped in their mission to conquer the death metal scene in early 2020, like everybody else, by the global pandemic, going as far as forcing some of the band's "Hadeon" lineup members to drop the towel. But what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, and instead of letting that whole situation drag him down, Mameli chose to do the exact opposite and write the best and darkest album possible to date. And he just did that. With its ambitious lyrical concept about "global domination," "induced mental illness," "inner and outer demons" and malicious external entities, "Exitivm" is propelling the band one again to the forefront of the death metal movement with yet another original and brilliant artistic overhaul.

Mind you, as soon as you're past the very cinematic introduction "In Omnibvs", you're instantly caught up by "Morbvs Propagationem" whose intense riffing will take back to the "Testimony" days. Except that their core sound has been revived, with now extra layers of ominous soundscapes ingeniously suggesting an atmosphere of suspence and horror, boosted by Mameli's jazz-fusion impressive solo works and a renewed sense of urgency. This rejuvenation, with emphasis on "new musical landscapes but also sick and twisted riffs," as stated by Mameli himself, is no accident, though. Not only has Mameli been extremely inspired by the turmoil humanity had to face since March 2020 but with a lineup once again, entirely based in the Netherlands and made up of only super-seasoned players — besides former DEW-SCENTED and CREEPMIME bassist Joost Van Der Graaf and BLEEDING GODS' Rutger Van Noordenburg on lead guitar, former GOD DETHRONED drummer Michiel Van Der Plicht joined last year — PESTILENCE is more than ever a band where everybody feeds off of each other's musical talent.

With the exception of the drums — tracked by Van Der Plicht himself at his home studio — "Exitivm" was recorded over a period of two months in between June and August 2020 at Pitchnote Productions. The album was produced, like all PESTILENCE albums, by Mameli and is co-produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Jory Hogeveen (SHINIGAMI and ANCIENT RITES).

"Exitivm" will be available in various formats, including supra-limited picture, pin-wheel, "firebreath" and clear vinyl versions. The cover artwork once again brought the band's iconic sphere and was done by Michal "Xaay" Loranc, known for his various cover for NILE, GOD DETHERONED and EVOCATION and who previously worked on "Hadeon".

"Exitivm" track listing:

01. In Omnibvs (Intro)

02. Morbvs Propagationem

03. Deificvs

04. Sempiternvs

05. Internicionem

06. Mortifervm

07. Dominatvi Svbmissa

08. Pericvlvm Externvm

09. Inficiat

10. Exitivm

11. Immortvos

12. Personatvs Mortem (Outro)

PESTILENCE lineup:

Patrizio Mameli - vocals, lead guitars

Rvtger Van Noordenbvrg - lead guitars

Joost Van Der Graaf - bass

Michiel Van Der Plicht - drums

Photo credit: Marc Van Peski

Japanese pop-metal band BABYMETAL played 10 shows at Tokyo's famed Nippon Budokan venue earlier this year as part of the group's tenth-anniversary celebration. The shows, which marked the final chapter of the "Metal Resistance" era, kicked off with two dates in January (19 and 20) and four concerts in February (16, 17, 19 and 20).

It had been seven years since BABYMETAL last headlined at the Nippon Budokan. At that time, BABYMETAL had broken the record for youngest female artist in history to headline at the prestigious Japanese venue. It had been approximately a year since they last performed in Japan at Makuhari Messe over a total of two days.

The setlist for the final performance "Doomsday - X" featured a total of 13 songs focused on BABYMETAL's greatest-hits album titled "10 Babymetal Years" album, which was released in December 2020. The production fully utilized the unique layout of the 360-degree venue with the stage set in the center of the venue, allowing fans to enjoy the performance from any seat.

After the tenth and final performance, BABYMETAL announced that they will be having a world premiere of the online version of "10 Babymetal Budokan", which will feature special edits of their footage from the 10 performances they successfully finished at the Budokan. The world premiere will stream on Saturday, June 26 at 9:00 p.m. JST.

Make sure to check out BABYMETAL's official web site as details were revealed at 9:00 p.m. JST today about more information on the world premiere. Tickets are also now on sale, so don't miss your chance to experience "10 Babymetal Budokan" together with fans from all over the world.

Ten songs are featured on ten special editions of "10 Babymetal Years", including a Regular Edition released on CD and vinyl; First Press Limited Edition A, containing a Blu-ray with all 16 of BABYMETAL's music videos on it; First Press Limited Edition B, which comes in a special vinyl-size CD cover containing ten newly taken photos of Su-metal and Moametal; and First Press Limited Edition C, which includes a Blu-ray featuring 10 Legend Movies, a special video of ten songs chosen by fans in the 10 Legend Songs Tournament. Members of the BABYMETAL fan club, The One, can also purchase The One Edition A, which includes a karuta battle set (Japanese playing cards); and The One Edition B, which comes with the "Chronicle Set", featuring a video containing interviews with the bandmembers. Also being made available are the Su-metal Edition, Moametal Edition, and Kobametal Edition, each of which comes with all three different Prophet Cards included in all the other editions mentioned and each with unique serial codes. These three bandmember editions also contain ten songs chosen respectively by each member of their personal favorite tracks the band has released. A special X Edition will arrive at a later date and will come with a mystery item that "Only The Fox God Knows", which will serve as the final piece of the puzzle to "10 Babymetal Years".

A book about the first ten years of BABYMETAL, "Bessatsu Kadokawa Souryoku Tokushuu", was released in Japan in October. It contains a long interview with Su-metal and Moametal as well as never-before-heard stories from band producer Kobametal from BABYMETAL's decade-long history, photos taken from live shows, a discussion between Demon Kakka and Kobametal, and much more.

BABYMETAL's third studio album, "Metal Galaxy", was released in October 2019 via earMUSIC/Edel. The follow-up to 2016's "Metal Resistance" is based on the concept of "The Odyssey Of Metal Galaxy".

"Metal Galaxy" hit No. 19 in the U.K. official album chart, No. 1 No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, becoming the first Asian act to land at No. 1, and No. 18 on the German chart.

In the U.S., "Metal Galaxy" earned 28,000 equivalent album units (of which 27,000 were in album sales) in its first week of release. The album also topped the Hard Rock Albums chart.

"Metal Galaxy" entered the all-format Billboard 200 chart at No. 13. The group's previous disc, 2016's "Metal Resistance", peaked at No. 39.

"Metal Galaxy" contains 14 songs, including four singles that were released prior to the LP's arrival: "Pa Pa Ya!!", "Starlight", "Distortion" and "Elevator Girl". The album expresses light and darkness, emotions like duality and ambivalence, and "new metal" created by various chemical reactions as other entities evolved and expanded in this album.

The album includes five songs that feature guest appearances from worldwide musicians who were perfect to the character of each song. Vocalist Joakim Brodén from SABATON is featured on "Oh! Majinai". Guitarist Tim Henson and Scott LePage from POLYPHIA are featured on "Brand New Day". Vocalist Alissa White-Gluz from ARCH ENEMY is featured on "Distortion". Rapper F.Hero is featured in "Pa Pa Ya!!"

In 2018, BABYMETAL announced the departure of Yuimetal, who was formerly one of the members of the Japanese group's core trio. She exited the band, explaining in a statement that she would go on to pursue a solo career as Mizuno Yu.

Italian metallers LACUNA COIL will release a new live album, "Live From The Apocalypse", on June 25 via Century Media.

"Live From The Apocalypse" is the fruit of an unprecedented time. Unlike previous live efforts the Italians, under the yoke of the pandemic, cleverly devised a way for their devoted fan base to hear and see them on stage by organizing a special livestream event performing their latest album, "Black Anima", in its entirety, in September 2020. This very special show will now be released on vinyl and CD as well as a digital album. The physical album formats come with a bonus DVD featuring the footage of the original live stream.

With "Bad Things", LACUNA COIL releases a very special single, as the original studio version has only been available as an Amazon exclusive track. As of now, the live version is available on all digital platforms. You can watch the video to "Bad Things" taken from the bonus DVD below.

"Live From The Apocalypse" will be available in the following formats:

* CD+DVD digipak

* Gatefold 2LP+DVD and LP booklet

* Digital album

The vinyl version will be available in the following colors and limitations:

* Black vinyl, unlimited

* Neon yellow, limited to 300 copies worldwide, available at CMDistro EU

* Red vinyl, limited to 200 copies worldwide, only available at EMP

* White vinyl, limited to 300 copies worldwide, only available at the band's official store

* Silver vinyl, limited to 300 copies worldwide, only available at Century Media U.S.

* Orange vinyl, limited to 300 copies worldwide, only available at Revolver

"Live From The Apocalypse" track listing:

01. Anima Nera

02. Sword Of Anger

03. Save Me

04. Now Or Never

05. Reckless

06. Through The Flames

07. Apocalypse

08. Black Feathers

09. Under The Surface

10. The End Is All I Can See

11. Veneficium

12. Black Dried Up Heart

13. Bad Things

14. Layers Of Time

15. Black Anima

16. Save Me (Apocalypse Version)

By all accounts, this was no ordinary gig. Even though LACUNA COIL was in its hometown of Milan — at the famed Alcatraz Club — there were no fans to greet them. No roar of anticipation; no claps of adulation; no interaction with the people who had become deeply involved in and had a profound love for LACUNA COIL's music and live shows over two-plus decades. The livestream energy was different. It had to be. With hearts on their sleeves, cameras rolling, and the world tuning in online, LACUNA COIL brought "Black Anima: Live From The Apocalypse" to life.

"On one hand, it felt awkward to play for a huge empty room," says vocalist Andrea Ferro. " But on the other hand, it felt great to finally reconnect with our fans at home and with the people working behind the scenes. A lot of people enjoyed the show — it was definitely a one-off event loaded with a lot of emotions and feelings. 'Live From The Apocalypse' is an opportunity to offer a new release to our fans while the COVID-19 crisis is still a real thing, affecting them and us. The live album represents a unique moment in our career (and life) that will be forever remembered as that one time when we literally 'rose from the Apocalypse.'"

Last month, LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia told The Pit's podcast "Last Words" that she and her bandmates have not used the coronavirus downtime to work on new music. "To be honest, no, because we didn't want any of our music to be connected with this period, because it wasn't something that we wanted to talk about," she explained. "Of course, unconsciously, it will be inspiring us for the next record, because everything everything you live translates into music and lyrics unconsciously.

"The thing is that when you write a new record, it's because you're inspired by something," she continued. "But if you don't travel, if you don't live experiences, if you don't meet new people and [see] new cultures, I find it hard to find inspiration only through movies and — I don't know — series on TV. I need to live to be inspired, and the same for the guys [in the band]."

Cristina went on to say that she and the rest of LACUNA COIL have previously used negative personal experiences as fuel for their songwriting. "I feel really inspired when something bad is happening, but at least something is happening, and I'm living it," she said. "But this [pandemic] situation is really static."

In February, LACUNA COIL took part in an initiative dubbed "L'Ultimo Concerto?" (Last Concert) to highlight the increasingly uncertain future of music venues. Instead of delivering live performances as part of a scheduled free virtual stream on February 27, each of around 130 Italian artists was filmed taking the stage at a different venue and then standing there in silence as a way of commemorating the one-year mark since the first Italian venues closed.

Grammy Award-winning four-piece GRETA VAN FLEET performed the song "Heat Above" on Wednesday night's (April 14) episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

The "Kimmel" appearance marks the fourth national late night show GRETA VAN FLEET has performed on. The band previously appeared on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" in December 2020, performed two songs on "Saturday Night Live" in January 2019, and played "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in July 2018.

"Heat Above" is taken from GRETA VAN FLEET's sophom*ore LP "The Battle At Garden's Gate", which will arrive on April 16 via Lava/Republic.

"'Heat Above' is theatrical, eloquent, and exaggerated," explains the group. "This is a dream in the clouds, a moment of peace in the storm. Thematically, we are dead center in the cult of Heaven, surreal, strange, alive and free."

"The Battle At Garden's Gate" reflects heavily on the group's personal and spiritual growth, as well as deepening empathy for the struggles and inequalities others are experiencing.

"We realized that while growing up, we had been shielded by many things," describes drummer Danny Wagner. "As we started to travel a lot, meet new and different people and experience different cultures, our definition of 'normal' changed." Bassist Sam Kiszka adds, "I suppose that everything has changed except what got us here in the first place…our perception of the world, perception of life itself, what it means to be an artist, what it means to be part of a beautiful, gorgeous society. We've gained a larger understanding of why we're all here."

"The Battle At Garden's Gate" was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Greg Kurstin (Paul McCartney, FOO FIGHTERS, Adele). "There was a lot of self-evolution happening during the writing of this album that was prompted by experiences I had, experiences we all had," explains vocalist Josh Kiszka. "It's reflecting a lot of the world that we've seen, and I think that it's reflecting a lot of personal truth," says guitarist Jake Kiszka.

"Certainly after this, we've grown in so many ways," Josh explains. "This album has taught us a lot, about life in general, about ourselves, about all of us, about the world we live in."

Formed in Frankenmuth, Michigan back in 2012, GRETA VAN FLEET consists of three brothers, vocalist Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka, bassist/keyboardist Sam Kiszka, as well as drummer Danny Wagner. Together they have gone on to sell one million concert tickets across multiple continents, perform on "Saturday Night Live" and "The Tonight Show", top the Billboard U.S. Mainstream Rock and Active Rock charts with their debut single "Highway Tune" in 2017, and win the Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album" in 2019 for their debut full length album, "From The Fires".

In a new interview with The Pit's MoshTalks Cover Stories, former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo discussed the importance of staying authentic and following your heart when it comes to making music.

He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "If the Internet existed back when SLAYER released their very first album, we would have been destroyed. 'Oh, what is this?' … So, today, these days, you have to go with the approach of how we did it back then — we didn't care. We thought it was heavy; we thought it was brutal and evil. It was dark. It had a certain feel to it. And it made all of us happy; it had our stamp of approval.

"What we were listening to at the time created a bar," he continued. "It's, like, 'Okay, we've gotta come up with something like this or better. And we always wanted to do something better and different.

"I think, really, musicians and bands, listen to yourselves. Don't listen to anyone [else].

"And another thing is bands that feel, 'Oh, no. Our fans won't go for that, because our fans only like us to do this style.' Well, then there's no growth. You're gonna grow stagnant. It's just not gonna evolve if you don't venture out and try new things.

"I feel like part of longevity is being as creative as you can be," Lombardo added. "Like, for example, when SLAYER released 'Reign In Blood', we did the exact opposite on 'South Of Heaven'. It was a little bit slower — although there were some fast songs, but we touched on slower rhythms. We shifted things. And the sound was a little bit different as well. And then 'Seasons [In The Abyss]' came out, and it was different. You have to do that, man. Otherwise… I don't know. Maybe it works for some bands, but for me personally, it feels good when you try different styles, different approaches to music."

Lombardo, who splits most of his time between crossover pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, horror-punk icons MISFITS and hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS, was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other bandmembers. He has since been replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001.

The 56-year-old musician, who was born in Havana, Cuba but emigrated to Southern California with his parents when he was a toddler, finally got a chance to visit his former homeland in May 2018 when SUICIDAL TENDENCIES played two shows in Cuba. The concerts at Centro Cultural Club Bariay in Holguin and at Salon Rosado De La Tropical in Havana marked the first time Dave had ever performed in the Caribbean nation.

Ex-GREAT WHITE singer Terry Ilous says that he was "completely taken by surprise" by his dismissal from the band.

Ilous, formerly of '80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after replacing touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and 2017's "Full Circle", before Terry was shown the door in July 2018 and replaced with Mitch Malloy.

Ilous discussed his exit from GREAT WHITE during a new appearance on Waste Some Time With Jason Green. Asked if the release of his 2017 solo album, "Gypsy Dreams", created any tension between him and the rest of the band, Terry said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I started working on that album in 2016. And I always told the band I was working on the album. There was nothing to hide. Why would anybody have a problem with a bandmember releasing a solo album, especially if it's not the same type of music anyway? I come from the school where it's good to do other things; you have to branch out. I've worked with a lot of different musicians… I've worked with a lot of different people in my career — as a backup singer or voiceover or whatever — so, for me, it was no big deal. And I asked the band's permission, I said, 'Is it okay?' And they said, 'Yeah, yeah, you can do your own thing.' [And I said] 'Great. Fantastic.' So we are in 2016. I do a GoFundMe kind of thing, to raise money for the album. And all of a sudden, toward the end of 2016, the band says to me, 'GREAT WHITE's gonna do a new album.' I'm, like, 'Oh, really? Okay. So let's get ready to write.' So I went back and started writing songs and everythiing. At the same time, I was finishing my own album. And then I made an announcement, my album's gonna come out May 15th, and the band has a meeting with me and says, 'You can't release your album.' I'm like, 'Why?' 'Well, you can't release your album because we're gonna release our album at the end of the month.' I'm, like, 'What should I do?' 'You can't release it.' And that was it. So that created a big stigma in the band, a big issue, especially because the band I was working with [for my solo album consisted of] mostly Latin people. So it was a problem, I'll put it this way, and that started to create issues between myself and the guys in the band. Not everybody in the band, by the way, but some people in the band were upset about that."

According to Ilous, he always made it a point to tell people that his primary focus was GREAT WHITE and not his solo career. "I was doing a lot of interviews, and I always said one thing, I said, 'I am the lead singer of GREAT WHITE. My priority is GREAT WHITE,'" he said. "I always made sure to say that, 'cause sometimes people can misinterpret what you wanna say. So I said, 'No. I am the lead singer of the band GREAT WHITE. My priority is GREAT WHITE. I'll be touring with GREAT WHITE. And if the band is not touring, then I will be doing that on my own. And that's it.' And that is the truth. But apparently someone got upset. I was touring, and eventually one day, I received an e-mail saying, 'Thank for for a great service. You're a great singer. Have a good life.' And that was it."

Terry said that he "had no idea at all" that he was going to be replaced. "Last time [I played with GREAT WHITE], we did a string of sold-out shows," he recalled. "In fact, one of the last shows we did was actually on a Thursday in Wisconsin. We did a summer fest, and there were 10 thousand people [there]. The crowd went crazy — 10 thousand people going nuts. And that day I sang so well. You know, sometimes you sing better than other days — that's the way it is as a singer — but that day I was really good. Not to be pretentious, but I was happy. I was, like, 'Ah, man. Great performance.' Friday and Saturday, we did two other shows — one in Las Vegas. We did a show with SLAUGHTER, and everybody gave me a big hug. 'Hey, brother, see you next week.' That's the last time I talked to anyone in the band. On Monday morning, I get an e-mail… The leader of the band, Mark [Kendall, guitar], sent me the e-mail, but it [was] on behalf of everybody in the band. 'We think that you should be replaced by somebody else. And we wish you the best.' The e-mail was polite. 'Good luck to you. You will have no problem finding another band. Please don't say bad things about us. We will never say bad things about you.' And that was it."

Regarding his initial reaction to the e-mail, Ilous said: "I was surprised — I was a little surprised — because I said, wait a minute, I did three albums. I helped rebuild the brand. I gave my best for nine years. When I joined the band, I was not getting paid very well, and I said, 'I'm gonna do it anyway, because I wanna prove to myself, and I wanna prove to those guys I can do it.' So I did what I could do. I would have loved to get a phone call, at least, or maybe a meeting with the band, and said, 'Hey, it's not working out. Can you work on this? And maybe we'll give you another chance.' 'Okay.' I think it's fair — when you're a dedicated worker, and you do all that stuff, I think it's fair. You need a second chance. But second chance for what? I didn't do anything wrong. It's not like I had sex with any one of their wives. I'm not that type of person."

Terry went on to say that there were some personal differences within GREAT WHITE, but not enough to create a major issue when he and his then-bandmates were living in close proximity to one another on the road.

"For me, I was always in GREAT WHITE," he said. "I would say to myself, 'GREAT WHITE is GREAT WHITE. I love the band. I love the music, and I'm happy to be in the band.' I didn't expect anything. I knew I had an issue with one guy in the band, like a lot of people have issues with the same guy in that band. But I knew that. And I didn't think the guys would decide to say, 'Screw Terry, and let's get somebody else.' I didn't expect that at all. I was completely taken by surprise, to say the least. I was beside myself. But I didn't post anything negative. I didn't make stupid comments online; I didn't do anything like it. I said, 'Well, it is what it is. They have somebody else. I don't wish him anything bad,' which I would never do anyway."

Ironically, the first time Malloy performed with GREAT WHITE was on the Monsters Of Rock cruise in 2018, just a few short months before Terry was fired from the band. At Terry's invitation, Mitch got up on stage and joined GREAT WHITE for a rendition of their cover of Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy".

"I'm the one who introduced Mitch to the band," Ilous recalled. "And I will never forget that day. I introduced Mitch to the band, and Mitch tried to upstage me on stage. I'm a stage performer, but I don't need to overdo things. It's like sex. Music is sex — the same thing. You don't need to try all different positions to please your partner. You do what you do, and that's it. But I realized that Mitch was trying to go crazy on stage, one side to the other, to prove that he was a great performer. And I have nothing against Mitch, by the way; I wish him the very best. But I said, 'Okay. Good for him.' I didn't expect that… It's okay. They did what they had to do. And honestly, to this day, I don't wish them anything bad at all. Even Mitch — I'm happy he's got the gig. It's not his fault. He just got hired."

Ilous relocated to Hollywood, California from Lyon, France in 1986, forming the metal band XYZ along with friend and bassist Pat Fontaine. Ilous quickly became a favorite on Sunset Strip scene in the late '80s before getting signed to Enigma/Capitol. After selling over 1.5 million records worldwide and touring with artists such as FOREIGNER and ALICE COOPER, Ilous continued to release albums well into the 2000s, along with film, songwriting and television work.

In 2009, Terry was contacted to play a handful of dates with GREAT WHITE, and within a couple of years, the lineup was made official. GREAT WHITE immediately headed out on an extensive year-long tour, followed by a new album, "Elation", in 2012 that was highly praised by the media and fans alike. "Full Circle" arrived five years later.

In May 2019, Kendall told the "Music Mania" podcast that he and his bandmates felt that Malloy was a more suitable vocalist for GREAT WHITE than Ilous. "We feel like Mitch is a little bit better fit, not only image-wise but vocally," he said. "He delivers the songs in a way that's just more like the original. We don't wanna reinvent the songs. When we write new stuff, that's a different story. But you wanna deliver the hits well. People come down to hear that."

Live Nation Entertainment, the world's leading live entertainment company, and Veeps, the artist-first livestream platform run by co-founders Joel and Benji Madden of the band GOOD CHARLOTTE, today announced they have started equipping more than 60 concert venues across the United States to offer turnkey livestreaming. This new Veeps setup gives any artist playing at one of these venues the ability to livestream their event with the flip of a switch to fans across the world.

Artists are at the center of what Live Nation and Veeps do. By setting up more than 60 venues for livestreaming, both companies are doubling down to help artists expand revenue on the road where they make a living while providing creative opportunities to connect with more fans. The companies selected venues that are already regular tour stops, giving artists lots of flexibility to choose when and where they want to add the element of streaming to a show.

Live Nation promotes 40,000 concerts and 100+ festivals in a typical year, and its network of physical shows provide a unique opportunity for livestreaming. Combined with Veeps' industry-leading technology, artists will be able to offer fans even more ways to enjoy live concerts, including virtual admission to sold-out shows, access to events happening around the world, exclusive content, and things like backstage and front row viewing angles.

A wide variety of venues will be optimized for livestreaming — from iconic clubs and theaters to amphitheaters. Some of the venues that will be first to go live include The Fillmore in San Francisco and Philadelphia, House of Blues in Chicago and New Orleans, The Wiltern in Los Angeles, and a number of amphitheaters including Shoreline Amphitheater in California and The Gorge in Washington.

The Wiltern is already set up, and will be debuting a series of 10 streamed shows on Veeps, dubbed "From The Wiltern", starting May 7, 2021. Tickets for each show are $15 and are on sale now at thewilternseries.com. Full lineup and onsale info listed below.

"Amongst artists, it's often said that the one side of our careers that truly belongs to us is touring. To help an entirely new touring vertical become readily available to artists is such a huge win for our community and we couldn't be happier. It's the exact type of thing that shows what our partnership with Live Nation can really mean for artists," said Joel Madden. "Now, with the flip of a switch, every artist playing in these venues can make their show a global event. We've already seen how livestream shows drive engagement across every other area of an artist's business and the added ticket revenue will allow them to re-invest in their art and make what they're offering their fans even better. It's a real dream come true for us at Veeps and our mission to help empower artists in their careers."

"Artists and fans are eager to get back to shows, and livestreams will continue to unlock opportunities for them to connect more than ever before," said Michael Rapino, president and CEO, Live Nation Entertainment. "Veeps is the best at what they do, with Benji and Joel tapping into their own experience as artists to help other artists thrive, and we look forward to bringing this innovative idea to life in these iconic venues."

Ticketed livestreams are helping artists engage with some of their most passionate fans, even if the show is happening halfway around the world. In 2020, Veeps helped put over $10 million directly into the pockets of artists through tickets bought to livestream shows. Artists like Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Brandi Carlile and Patti Smith turned to Veeps in a bid to connect with fans, raise money for charity, and bring in income for themselves and their crew.

The additional livestreams this equipment rollout will enable will also create jobs for the production crews that help bring them to life and give fans the opportunity to watch their favorite artists even if the show is sold out or hundreds of miles away.

As we get closer to returning to concerts in person, Live Nation and Veeps plan to continue equipping venues for livestreams, providing artists with valuable tools and fans with even more ways to enjoy live music well into the future.

"From The Wiltern" concert livestream lineup:

* Breland - May 7

* JP Saxe - May 14

* Young Thug - May 21

* Lany - May 28

* Waterparks - June 4

* Lucky Daye - June 11

* Young M.A. - June 18

* Eyedress - June 25

* Freddie Gibbs - July 2

* Chase Atlantic - July 9

Veeps is a direct-to-fan experiential platform, custom-built for artists, by artists. Founded in 2017 by Benji and Joel Madden, it is the music industry's leading, premium live-streaming platform. In 2020 Veeps hosted hundreds of live-stream shows that helped artists make millions of dollars in revenue and today, in partnership with Live Nation, Veeps continues with a mission to power artists in the most critical early stages of their development, all the way through the biggest, most important moments of their careers.

In a brand new interview with "Lipps Service With Scott Lipps", Dee Snider was asked if thinks TWISTED SISTER will ever play live again, nearly five years after the band completed its farewell tour. The singer responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've been on the same page with this. I would absolutely reunite with the guys for a song or two for a charity or for a moment. If [American talk show host Jimmy] Fallon called up and said — he's a big TWISTED fan — 'Hey, would you guys come on [my] show and do one of your Christmas songs?' or whatever, I would love to. Go out and do a 90[-minute] or two-hour set as TWISTED SISTER again? I don't see that happening."

He continued: "I'm getting a pretty great response [as a solo artist]. I broke into the Top 20 with my last [solo] album, 'For The Love Of Metal', which shocked the hell out of Taylor Swift and Kanye [West]. 'What's that old white guy doing up here?' And I'm, like, 'I don't know. I don't know what happened. But people like the new record.'

"It took quite a bit to find my place in the [metal] community [as a solo artist], so I'm staying the course now."

Last June, guitarist Eddie Ojeda also didn't completely rule out a TWISTED SISTER reunion, telling Talking Metal: "I never say never, because you never know. It depends on the situation. You always miss it, no matter how much you've done it.

"The whole comeback — we were back together for 14 years, and we did a lot of shows in the last 14 years, and we were headlining all the shows," he continued. "We were bigger now than we were in the '80s. So it was a great time.

"I think it just got to the point where we just felt — maybe it was like [the American sitcom] 'Seinfeld': go out on a high note. But as far as that goes, THE WHO blows everybody away — they are the biggest liars of all time. [They played their farewell tour in 1983] and they [are] still touring. Forty tours later, and they're still saying, 'We mean it this time.' So if anybody's gonna complain, they'd better talk to THE WHO first."

In 2016, TWISTED SISTER embarked on one final trek, titled "Forty And f*ck It", in celebration of its 40th anniversary. These shows featured the band's "core lineup" of Snider, guitarist Jay Jay French, Ojeda and bassist Mark Mendoza, along with drummer Mike Portnoy. The band's last-ever concert took place in November of that year — 20 months after the passing of TWISTED's longtime drummer A.J. Pero.

TWISTED SISTER's original run ended in the late '80s. After more than a decade, the band publicly reunited in November 2001 to top the bill of New York Steel, a hard-rock benefit concert to raise money for the New York Police And Fire Widows' And Children's Benefit Fund.

Two years ago, French said that he was that "blissfully retired" from playing music. "I walked off stage at the last show in Mexico, and I gave all my guitars away to my crew," he told the "Neil Jones Rock Show". "I said, 'Guys, thank you. It's been great. See you later.' I never looked back. We didn't even meet in the lobby and have a drink. I was off stage in a golf cart with my wife on the way to the hotel. I was on a plane and out of here."

French said that he played nine thousand shows with TWISTED SISTER and he "loved every bit of it." But he understood when people told him that they don't believe the band is completely retired.

"I never said we weren't coming back," he explained. "We retired for a while. And I said, 'No, I'm not gonna say never.' We could. Maybe there's a charity [event that we could play at]. Maybe there's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I doubt it, but maybe. Whatever. It could happen. But at this point in my life, I don't think about it."

During an appearance on a video podcast hosted by Todd Kerns, the bassist of SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS, former HANOI ROCKS singer Michael Monroe offered an update on the status of the long-in-the-works documentary about his life. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's gonna be finished hopefully by 2022. [It's gonna be] the whole story of my life, pretty much, based around the 10 years [I spent] in New York. But it starts with the beginning of HANOI, and [it's] really a documentary of my life and me. So that's in the works. But it's the kind of thing you only make once in your life, so I wanna make sure it's [done properly].

"People always say, 'What about making a movie with actors?' It's always kind of corny when people act as somebody," he continued. "But after the documentary is made, then I don't care anymore. But I wanna make it as great as possible. 'Cause it's a fascinating story, even if I say so myself.

"We already interviewed Slash and Duff [McKagan from GUNS N' ROSES] and Chris Shiflett [FOO FIGHTERS] for the original version, but we're gonna now start over and make it a documentary movie that's not only about all my accomplishments. Of course, it's great to have all these cool, great names say things about me that describe my character. But, really, make it a fascinating story, so people who do not give a sh*t about me or even rock and roll will be interested in watching."

Even though HANOI ROCKS was formed in Finland, their trashy, hedonistic, decadent hard rock/pop-metal boogie influenced many Los Angeles acts, including GUNS N' ROSES and MÖTLEY CRÜE.

HANOI ROCKS originally broke on to the hard rock scene in the first half of the 1980s, becoming one of the first Finnish bands to make an international impact. HANOI ROCKS's career was subsequently derailed after the 1984 death of drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley, who was killed in a car accident caused by MÖTLEY CRÜE's Vince Neil. Internal tensions and the commercial disappointment that was 1985's "Rock & Roll Divorce" led to Monroe leaving the band that year, thus putting an early end to HANOI ROCKS.

Monroe's latest solo album, "One Man Gang", was released in October 2019 via Silver Lining Music. Recorded and mixed by Petri Majuri at E-Studio in Sipoo, Finland over three weeks in March 2018, the 12-song record was mixed that following autumn with Monroe and bandmates Rich Jones and Steve Conte on production duties.

The Monroe band's all-star lineup features former HANOI ROCKS and NEW YORK DOLLS bass player Sami Yaffa, who has played with Michael since the '80s, and drummer Karl Rockfist (who has played with notable acts such as DANZIG). On guitar are Rich Jones (formerly of the Ginger Wildheart band) and Steve Conte (best known as the guitarist who filled the void left by Johnny Thunders in the NEW YORK DOLLS, as well as playing guitar with many other name acts such as Suzi Quatro, Eric Burden and many more).

CRO-MAGS frontman Harley Flanagan has blasted the upcoming reissue of the band's 1986 debut album, "The Age Of Quarrel", saying that he and the other musicians who appear on the LP "have never been paid a dime" since the record's original release.

Earlier this month, it was announced that "The Age Of Quarrel", will be re-released as part of this year's Record Store Day Drops, set for June 12 and July 17 at independent record stores nationwide.

Coming on July 17 via Rock Hotel/Astor Place is a vinyl version of "The Age Of Quarrel", limited to 3,600 copies, featuring all 15 songs from the original LP, which was released on then-independent Profile Records in September 1986. It was subsequently re-released by Another Planet in 1994, along with CRO-MAGS' second album, 1989's "Best Wishes", on the same disc.

Earlier today, Flanagan issued the following statement via his publicist: "The band members who played on 'Age Of Quarrel' will not be paid and have not been consulted about this release and have never been paid a dime since its original release in September 1986 or its re-release by Another Planet in 1994. The rights are contested and the players will not see anything from this.

"We have been working for months to try to officially re-release 'Age Of Quarrel' and 'Best Wishes' and to have each person who played on the two albums paid equally for their contribution; something that has never happened before. Nobody has ever been paid, been given any accounting, or even given a copy of the contract, we were not even represented by counsel when we signed.

"We are still working to resolve this so all the players are finally paid for their work on these historic albums. It is not over yet, but If these albums are re-released without a resolution the CRO-MAGS and those who played on these albums will be f*cked over once again by the same people who robbed us in the beginning. My legal team and I are working hard to resolve this so that there can eventually be a proper reissue where me and John, Parris, Doug, Mackie and Pete Hines are all finally paid for our work."

CRO-MAGS' latest EP, "2020", received a digital release last month. The record itself is unintentionally 20 minutes and 20 seconds, and plays out more like a time-capsule look into the dumpster fire known as the year 2020.

CRO-MAGS feature Flanagan pulling double duty with bass and lead vocals, guitarists Gabby Abularach, Rocky George (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, FISHBONE), and drummer Garry "G-Man" Sullivan.

The history of the CRO-MAGS is integral to the history of hardcore, its evolution from punk and the development of alternative music genres such as hardcore, cross-over, thrash metal, post punk and grunge, to name a few. Numerous iconic bands from METALLICA to GREEN DAY, and individuals such as Dave Grohl have credited CRO-MAGS with having had a primal influence on their development.

Born out of the violence and depravity of the Lower East Side of New York in the late '70s and early '80s, the CRO-MAGS was the brainchild of a very young Flanagan (at the time 14 years old) when still playing with THE STIMULATORS. By 1982/83 he wrote and recorded the very first CRO-MAGS demos consisting of four songs that would become the blueprint for "The Age Of Quarrel". He wrote all of the music, played each instrument and sang. Before long, he connected with Parris Mayhew and the two started writing music and auditioning band members.

In 2019, Flanagan reached a settlement with singer John Joseph and drummer Mackie Jayson regarding ownership of the CRO-MAGS name. Flanagan is now performing under the name CRO-MAGS while Joseph and Jayson are performing as CRO-MAGS "JM"

In a new interview with Marci Wiser of the 95.5 KLOS radio station, former VAN HALEN singer Sammy Hagar was asked if he was part of the discussions about whether to keep or change the band's name after he was recruited to front VAN HALEN following the mid-'80s departure of David Lee Roth. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, we were all in a room. And I think [head of Warner Bros.] Mo Austin said, 'Why don't we be careful here…?' Our managers and lawyers and the president of the record company and the band was all in a room when we asked for permission for me to join the band — it was official. Everybody came and said, 'We wanna have a meeting.' And we were in the studio and we played 'Why Can't This Be Love' [song from the 1986 album '5150']. And Mo Austin went, 'Oh, I smell money' — he thought it was just the greatest. But anyway, so then he said, 'Did you guys ever think about maybe changing the name to, like, VAN HAGAR or something?' And I know what they were thinking, because they thought, 'If this doesn't work, at least you can go back with VAN HALEN again. But if you're VAN HALEN and it don't work, now you've ruined VAN HALEN.' So they were trying to preserve, I think, the VAN HALEN name. And Eddie Van Halen — Eddie Van Halen; no one else — said, 'f*ck that.' He said, 'This is VAN HALEN with a new singer.' And everybody said, 'Okay. Word. Gospel.' Boom."

Asked if he was on board with the decision to keep the VAN HALEN name, Sammy said: "I was a hundred percent on board with it. It was VAN HALEN with a new singer. I would have been embarrassed to be VAN HAGAR. I would have said, 'Let's just change it back to [VAN HALEN's original name] MAMMOTH' or something — go back to the beginning."

Hagar recorded four studio albums with VAN HALEN — "5150", "OU812", "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" and "Balance" — all of which topped the U.S. chart.

In a 2020 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, VAN HALEN's longtime producer Ted Templeman admitted that he also initially had reservations about Hagar joining the band. "I wanted them to change the name," he said. "When I first sat down with Sammy and his manager, I said, 'Call it something else if you're going to be in the band. It's just not VAN HALEN without Dave to me.'"

Hagar, Eddie, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S. summer tour. In exchange for taking part in the tour, Anthony reportedly had to agree to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the band name and logo.

In early 2019, rumors were rampant that the classic-era lineup of VAN HALEN would reunite for the first time since 1984. It has since been revealed that a health setback involving Eddie was responsible for the tour not materializing.

Eddie died last October at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California.

The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

Ex-VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony was interviewed for a recent episode of "Steve Gorman Rocks!", a Westwood One five-hour weeknight program for classic rock stations, hosted by the former drummer and founding member of THE BLACK CROWES.

Recounting the first time he met Sammy Hagar prior to the singer joining VAN HALEN as the replacement for David Lee Roth in 1985, Anthony said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'd obviously seen Sammy play a few times. I never actually paid too much attention. Yeah, his stuff [was] great. I liked the MONTROSE stuff. Obviously, he had his solo stuff going on. But the first time I actually met him, I was in the studio at Ed's [Van Halen, VAN HALEN guitarist] house, the 5150 studio, and Sammy, I guess, was on a break. He had cut all his hair off. And he comes walking into the studio. I was sitting there in the studio, and he comes walking in. And I go, 'That's not Sammy Hagar. He's the guy with long hair.' And we instantly became friends."

Asked how long it took for him and the other members of VAN HALEN to realize that Hagar was going to be the band's the new singer, Anthony said: "We played probably for about 10 minutes tops, and we knew that we had something happening. We had a couple of songs that would end up on the '5150' record; I think they were 'Good Enough' and… There was another one; there was a couple of them that were pretty much written. And we played it for him, and we said, 'Just sing. Just sing something.' And there were bits that he actually sang that ended up — and I kid you not — on the album. The chemistry was just such, like, 'Wow!'"

According to Anthony, not everybody was instantly sold on the idea of Hagar replacing Roth in VAN HALEN. "We had everybody — [our record label] Warner Brothers, our management, our lawyers — going, 'Oh my God. David Lee Roth's gone.' They thought that that was such a strong identity," he said. "Warner Brothers wanted us to change the name of the band. I remember Eddie and Alex [Van Halen, VAN HALEN drummer], we were at Warner Brothers, and they were yelling, going, 'Hey, hey, this is our last name. This is our careers. And we're VAN HALEN.'"

Hagar recorded four studio albums with VAN HALEN — "5150", "OU812", "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" and "Balance" — all of which topped the U.S. chart.

In a 2020 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, VAN HALEN's longtime producer Ted Templeman admitted that he also initially had reservations about Hagar joining the band. "I wanted them to change the name," he said. "When I first sat down with Sammy and his manager, I said, 'Call it something else if you're going to be in the band. It's just not VAN HALEN without Dave to me.'"

Hagar, Alex, Eddie and Anthony last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S. summer tour. In exchange for taking part in the tour, Anthony reportedly had to agree to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the band name and logo.

In early 2019, rumors were rampant that the classic-era lineup of VAN HALEN would reunite for the first time since 1984. It has since been revealed that a health setback involving Eddie was responsible for the tour not materializing.

Eddie died last October at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California.

The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

Van Halen Bassist Michael Anthony Talks with Steve!

? TONIGHT! ? Michael Anthony's talking about the first time he played with Sammy Hagar as new frontman of Van Halen, plus much more! Don't miss the interview tonight on Steve Gorman Rocks!

Posted by 102.3 The Wolf on Thursday, April 8, 2021

FEAR FACTORY will release its first new song in over five years, "Disruptor", on Friday, April 16. The track will appear on the band's upcoming album, "Aggression Continuum", due later in the year via Nuclear Blast Records.

A short teaser for the "Disruptor" video — created by Finland's Riivata Visuals — can be seen below. Also available is the "Aggression Continuum" cover art, designed by LIGHT THE TORCH guitarist Francesco Artusato.

Last September, singer Burton C. Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he "cannot align" himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.

Bell's exit from FEAR FACTORY came more than two weeks after guitarist Dino Cazares launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist him with the production costs associated with the release of FEAR FACTORY's long-awaited new LP.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.

"With FEAR FACTORY, it's just constantly been, like, 'What?!' You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I've done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I'll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward."

Pressed about whether there is any chance of a reconciliation with FEAR FACTORY down the line, Burton said: "I'm done. I haven't spoken to Dino in three years. I haven't spoken to Raymond [Herrera, drums] and Christian [Olde Wolbers, bass] in longer than that, and I have no intention to. I'm just moving forward with my life."

In October, Dino issued a statement in which he said that the door for Burton to come back to FEAR FACTORY wouldn't "stay open forever." The guitarist also revealed that Burton "lost his legal rights" to the FEAR FACTORY name "after a long court battle" with Herrera and Olde Wolbers. "I had the opportunity to do something right, and I felt that obtaining the name in full was the right thing to do for the both of us, so after nearly four years we can continue as FEAR FACTORY, to make more records and to tour," he said. "That is why it is sad to hear that he decided to quit and, in my opinion, for whatever issues he has it seems like it could've been worked out."

In explaining his reasons for starting a fundraising campaign, Cazares said that all donations will go toward covering newly incurred production costs involved with the making of the new FEAR FACTORY LP, including re-recording the drums, guitars, bass and keyboards, as well as production by Damien Rainaud and Cazares, and mixing and mastering by Andy Sneap. Burton's original lead vocals, which were recorded in full in 2017, will remain on the new version of the album.

FEAR FACTORY's fundraising campaign marked the first public activity from the band since it completed a 2016 U.S. headlining tour on which it performed its classic second album, "Demanufacture", in its entirety.

Bell's ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS project released its second full-length album, "Apocrypha", last October via Dissonance Productions.

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Cyhra / Red Wolf guitarist Euge Valovirta has posted another playthrough / track breakdown, this time taking us through the Deep Purple classic "Highway Star" using a signature Ritchie Blackmore ENGL amplifier.

Valovirta: "With and without the BOSS SD-1 & JHS Bonsai (TS-9), and compared to a Marshall JCM800 2203 & 1987X. With passive & active pickups. Tokai Strat & my signature ESP. Thanks to MusiX for the loan of the amp!"

Red Wolf's debut album, Sessions Vol. 1, was released in October 2020. They have released an official video for the song "Hypocrite". Check it out below.

It all started in Spring 2020, during the COVID – 19 lockdown, when Euge Valovirta (Cyhra) had received compliments and questions about the songs he had used on his YouTube channel’s videos which were just 1-2 minute clips of cool riffs basically written for a particular video about a certain amp, effect pedal, etc.

Around the same time Adde Larsson, with whom Euge had played several Cyhra shows since he had filled in for Alex Landenburg, called Euge that he really likes Euge’s solo album, Easy Does It, and if he ever plans to record another he’d like to be the drummer on that.

Since all of their main band’s tours were cancelled, they had plenty of time so they decided that Euge will complete the aforementioned clips into full songs at his home studio in Helsinki, Finland and Adde will then record drums on them in his hometown Gothenburg, Sweden. When the demos of the songs were finished Euge decided that the songs require vocals and someone to finish the writing process with him and the first guy he thought who’d be perfect for the job was Samy Elbanna (Lost Society) and Samy replied immediately, without hearing a single song, that he is in.

Around the same time, Euge thought that he wants his old bandmate from Suburban Tribe Janne Joutsenniemi (Stone, Suburban Tribe) to play bass on the songs and Janne also replied immediately that he is in. Janne also growls on the album which he hasn’t done since Stone’s last album Emotional Playground (1991).

After the drums were done Euge, Samy and Janne recorded their parts at their home studios and by early July the recordings were finished, without the guys meeting once during this time, and the mixing started at IYP studios in Gothenburg, Sweden by Matthias Törngren.

Euge Valovirta: “All of this happened very naturally & effortlessly and this has been probably the easiest album writing & recording process that I’ve ever been a part of and I’m really happy how everything turned out. 'Crossing The Line' was the first song we completed and it set the direction for the rest of the album. It’s working title was 'JCM800' ‘cos it was written for my YouTube channels’ – video about my all time favourite amp; Marshall JCM800 2203 which I used on the album, naturally."

Samy Elbanna: "As a person who always has enjoyed creating and doing as much as possible, this was an absolute dream to be a part of! This has been without a doubt one of the funniest and most organic projects I’ve ever had the honor to participate! Great songs and a great group of guys, what could be better?!"

Janne Joutsenniemi: "I haven’t played or sung for a while so this was a nice change for me to rock out with the guys, even from a distance since everybody played their parts on their own for obvious reasons. I haven’t even met or talked with Adde but it was really fun to play the bass on top of his drums and my playing fitted naturally to his playing. I can hear hear the fresh and enthusiastic touch in everyone’s playing and everything was done in the spur of moment since we had no time or need to analyze and rehearse things any further. It was straight forward full speed ahead, trusting your own intuition and that’s what music is all about."

Adde Larsson: "Having been working together with Euge as a stand in drummer for Alex Landenburg in Cyhra for about 2 years and with a bunch of shows and tours under the belt together, me and Euge have really hit it off and he has become a very good and dear friend of mine. When this opportunity rose to do this project together there was absolutely nothing that would stop me in my tracks to take the change and join! To also be playing with Samy and Janne in the same band was a massive extra privilege and a surprise to say, especially knowing what they have achieved in their individual careers! It makes me very humble and excited to be a part of this machine and it’s just simply awesome and honouring to be a part of this all."

Tracklist:

"Crossing The Line"
"The Road"
"The Point Of No Return"
"Running In Circles"
"The Devil Inside Of Me"
"Hypocrite"
"Watch It Burn"
"Coming For You"
"Face Of God"
"I Am The Night"

"Crossing The Line"

"The Road"

Red Wolf is:

Euge Valovirta – guitar
Samy Elbanna – vocals & guitar
Janne Joutsenniemi – bass & vocals
Adde Larsson - drums

Check out the band's official Facebook page here.

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Bulgarian dark metal band Velian has released an official lyric video to its new single. Titled “Star Of Mine”, the track be part of the band’s upcoming second full-length album, which is due to be released this year.

The track was recorded in the band’s own recording studio and the audio production (mix and mastering) were done by the Velian’s guitar player Dilian Nedev. The video was made by Velian’s vocalist, Ivan Ivanov – art, edit and effects.

(Photo – Viktoriya Vucheva)

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Escapement is the result of vocalist Johnny Ray (3 Headed Snake) and keyboardist Alex Nasla (Witherfall, Helion Prime) meeting on the famous 70k Metal Cruise and throwing musical ideas off of each other during pandemic boredom.

After a few months of reworking the songs and adding creative touches, they are ready to show off their debut single “Feed” and the music video for it. For the production of the video, Nasla flew to Florida and they shot alongside Loren Whitaker (drums), Chris Massie (guitars), and Brandon Delpino (bass), it was directed by Thomas Crane of Kill Devil Films. It is a slow driving heavy sludgy ballad with haunting vocal melodies, atmospheric keys, technical solos, and huge choruses. Escapement share some details on the conception of the single:

“It was the first song that Nasla and Ray worked on together. It started out small and took many months because of both of their busy schedules, but eventually, it grew, Ray sent the original song to Nasla who wrote keys for it. At that point, Ray had a wild idea to actually have Nasla fly to Florida, and work on a video together with Thomas Crane. It organically came together and was a great success! We believe fans will be refreshed by the heavy riffs, mixed with catchy memorable choruses and amazing solos.”

Escapement is a force of lyrical/vocal prowess, atmospheric yet technical keyboard work, dark and heavy guitars, and banging drums and 2021 will have lots to come from the act. There are more songs in the works, including more videos and a full length down the road. Escapement says that fans can expect scores of new tunes over time.

Memorable, intricate, and anthemic, Escapement brings a new dynamic to progressive metal that is recommended for fans of Nevermore, Gojira, and Alice in Chains.

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One the most prolific and acclaimed drummers in modern tech-metal, Hannes Grossmann has issued the first single from his upcoming solo album, To Where The Light Retreats. New single and video for “The Sun Eaters” is streaming below. To Where The Light Retreats will be released independently on June 1. Preorder on Bandcamp.

The highly renowned drummer is best known for his work in numerous bands, most notably the likes of Nercophagist, Obscura, and Alkaloid. Speaking about the new single "The Sun Eaters", Hannes states:

"I am beyond thrilled to present the first song off my new album. It took a lot of work writing, recording and mixing it, but the effort paid off eventually. As a solo artist I aim to create fresh ideas which at the same time carry the spirit of a sound I started with Obscura back in 2009. But the most important thing for me is having fun with it. On this song and also on the rest of the album, I had some help from my very talented Alkaloid bandmates. It's mind-boggling how Danny Tunker (Alkaloid guitarist) recreated the guitar solo I wrote almost note-by-note without even a sweat."

Tracklisting:

“The Great Designer”
“The Sun Eaters”
“The Symbolic Nature Of Terms”
“In The Glacier’s Eye”
“Dhaulagiri”
“Death And The Vast Nothing”
“The Fountain”
“Memento”

“The Sun Eaters”:

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Apocalyptica and BowlCircus offer a historic livestream concert from BowlCircus Flamingo, a modern bowling center in Finland. Experience how the cellos sound on bowling lanes below:

Apocalyptica have released an official video for their recently released new single "White Room" featuring Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach). The song is available on all platforms. Listen to it here, and watch the new video below.

Apocalyptical recently stated: "We were really looking forward to this release. Doing a cover of such a legendary song, originally by Cream, was great fun and having Jacoby Shaddix as featuring artist is a big pleasure for us! We hope you like the song just as much as we do! Produced by Howard Benson at West Valley Recording Studios in Woodland Hills, California and mixed by Chris Lorde-Alge, we tried to give this all-time classic a new interpretation together with our friend Jacoby Shaddix."

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BLACK SABBATH was embroiled in a protracted legal battle with its former manager in 1975 when the band started recording its sixth studio album, "Sabotage". The group felt sabotaged at every turn — hence the album's title — but that feeling helped fuel the intensity of the new music they were making. In spite of the distractions, the band created one of the most dynamic — and underappreciated — albums of its legendary career.

BMG pays tribute to the patron saints of heavy metal with a collection that includes a newly remastered version of the original album along with a complete live show recorded during the band's 1975 tour. "Sabotage: Super Deluxe Edition" will be available on June 11 as a 4-CD set and a 4-LP set that includes the same music on 180-gram vinyl plus a bonus 7-inch with the single edit for "Am I Going Insane (Radio)" and "Hole In The Sky" on the flipside, with artwork replicating the very rare Japanese release of the single. The newly remastered version of the original album will be available via digital download and streaming services on the same day.

Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward recorded "Sabotage" in London and Brussels and co-produced the album with Mike Butcher. The eight songs were released first in the U.S. in July 1975, and then in the U.K. that September. Certified gold in America and silver in the U.K., "Sabotage" earned positive reviews for hard-hitting tracks like "Hole In The Sky" and "Symptom Of The Universe", as well as more experimental music like "Supertzar", which featured harp, mellotron, and the English chamber choir.

"Sabotage: Super Deluxe Edition" introduces 16 live tracks (13 of which are previously unreleased) that were recorded in 1975 during the quartet's U.S. tour for the album. The performances include songs that span the group's career, from the title track to its 1970 debut "Black Sabbath" to "Spiral Architect" and "Sabbra Cadabra" from its previous album, "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (1973). "Sabotage" is represented as well with live takes of "Hole In The Sky" and "Megalomania".

The music is accompanied by in-depth liner notes that tell the story of the album through quotes from band members and the music media along with rare photos and press clippings from the era. Also included in the package is a 1975 Madison Square Garden replica concert book and "Sabotage" 1975 tour color poster.

"Sabotage: Super Deluxe Edition" CD track listing:

Disc One: Original Album Remastered

01. Hole In The Sky

02. Don't Start (Too Late)

03. Symptom Of The Universe

04. Megalomania

05. Thrill Of It All

06. Supertzar

07. Am I Going Insane (Radio)

08. The Writ

Disc Two: North American Tour Live '75

01. Supertzar/Killing Yourself To Live *

02. Hole In The Sky

03. Snowblind *

04. Symptom Of The Universe

05. War Pigs *

06. Megalomania

07. Sabbra Cadabra *

08. Jam 1 including guitar solo *

09. Jam 2 including drum solo *

10. Supernaut *

11. Iron Man *

Disc Three: North American Tour Live '75

01. Guitar Solo including excerpts of Orchid and Rock 'n' Roll Doctor *

02. Black Sabbath *

03. Spiral Architect *

04. Embryo/Children Of The Grave *

05. Paranoid *

Disc Four

01. Am I Going Insane (Radio) – Single Edit

02. Hole In The Sky

LP One: Original Album Remastered

Side One

01. Hole In The Sky

02. Don't Start (Too Late)

03. Symptom Of The Universe

04. Megalomania

Side Two

01. Thrill Of It All

02. Supertzar

03. Am I Going Insane (Radio)

04. The Writ

LP Two: North American Tour Live '75

Side Three

01. Supertzar/Killing Yourself To Live *

02. Hole In The Sky

03. Snowblind *

Side Four

01. Symptom Of The Universe

02. War Pigs *

LP Three: North American Tour Live '75

Side Five

01. Megalomania *

02. Sabbra Cadabra *

Side Six

01. Jam 1 including guitar solo *

02. Jam 2 including drum solo *

03. Supernaut

LP Four: North American Tour Live '75

Side Seven

01. Iron Man *

02. Guitar Solo including excerpts of Orchid and Rock 'n' Roll Doctor *

03. Black Sabbath *

Side Eight

01. Spiral Architect *

02. Embryo/Children Of The Grave *

03. Paranoid *

7" Single

01. Am I Going Insane (Radio) – Single Edit

02. Hole In The Sky

* previously unreleased

Photo credit: Sam Emerson