Новости : DARKSIDE.ru (2024)

KISS frontman Paul Stanley sat down with Rolling Stone to discuss his other band, Soul Station, and touch on KISS' End Of The Road tour. Following is an excerpt from the interview:

Rolling Stone: KISS drummer Eric Singer plays with you in Soul Station. Why did you think he’d be a good fit for this project?

Stanley: "I never thought of anybody else because I know how great a drummer Eric is. His musical vocabulary is so vast. He is a schooled musician who really understands not only the math of drumming, but the feel. It’s always funny how people get labeled — as a hard-rock drummer or whatever. A hard-rock drummer in this band would have been a disaster. But Eric’s roots, he’s played in big bands with his dad and he’s so much more than just a rock drummer."

Rolling Stone: Do you and Gene (Simmons) see KISS' End Of The Road tour resuming?

Stanley: "Totally. We were 120 shows into it and having a ball (when the pandemic began). I mean, most of the time when you lose somebody or the situation changes, you find yourself saying, 'Gee, if I had only known,' whereas here, you have a situation where we’ve come to the conclusion that we can’t continue (as a touring band). It’s not feasible. If we were wearing jeans and T-shirts, we could do this into our eighties or nineties, but we’re carrying around 40 and 50 pounds of gear for a couple of hours. There’s an age factor, which makes it more real for people who may have doubted the idea of the 'end of the road.' But that in mind, it gives us a night with people where we really get to share what we built together... so the End Of The Road, I don’t see it as bittersweet. I see it as sweet. And will there be tears? Sure. But oh, my God, look what we’ve been given. And from what the fans say, look what we gave them. It’s unlike other bands."

Read the complete interview here.

Paul Stanley’s Soul Station have released the official video performance for their newest track, “I, Oh I”. Written, arranged and orchestrated by Paul Stanley, “I, Oh I” is the first original song to be released from the band’s forthcoming album, Now And Then, out on March 19 via UMe. Watch below, and pre-order the new album here.

Now And Then is the first-ever full-length album from Soul Station: A band gathering some of today’s leading musicians to pay tribute to the greatest artists and songs from the R&B and soul catalog to keep this vital music current. While a surprise to many, Stanley’s early pivotal roots in this music has quietly turned this passion into a celebrated touring and recording band. Stanley’s 15-piece ensemble group has toured the U.S. and Japan, but it wasn’t until recently that they were able to get in the studio together and record Now And Then.

Stanley’s legendary band members include: Rafael “Hoffa” Moreira (guitar & backing vocals), Sean Hurley (bass), Alex Alessandroni (Musical Director, keyboards), Ely Rise (keyboards), Eric Singer (drums & backing vocals), RayYslas (percussion), Gavyn Rhone (backing vocals), Crystal Starr (backing vocals) and Laurhan Beato (backing vocals) and Jon Pappenbrook (lead trumpet).

The band is augmented by three string players and two horn players of the same stature enabling Soul Station’s wall of sound to be firmly rooted in the past while staking claim to both the present and future.

Tracklisting:

"Could It Be I'm Falling In Love"
"I Do"
"I, Oh I"
"Ooo Baby Baby"
"O-O-H Child"
"Save Me (From You)"
"Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)"
"Whenever You're Ready (I'm Here)"
"The Tracks Of My Tears"
"Let's Stay Together"
"La-La – Means I Love You"
"Lorelei"
"You Are Everything"
"Baby I Need Your Loving"

“Could It Be I’m Falling In Love”:

“O-O-H Child” video:

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LAMB OF GOD's Mark Morton has paid tribute former CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman Alexi Laiho, calling him "incredibly talented," humble and creative.

Laiho passed away on December 29, 2020 in his home in Helsinki, Finland. The 41-year-old had reportedly suffered from long-term health issues leading up to his death.

Morton, whose band had toured with CHILDREN OF BODOM, discussed Laiho's passing during an appearance on the latest episode of "The MetalSucks Podcast". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The thing with Alexi is, man, he was just such a genuine, sweet dude. He was very much a rock star — he looked cool, and he was the lead singer, and he was a shred guitar player, and he was just this cool European metal rock star, but his personality was so mellow. He was real genuine — just a genuinely nice guy, really easy to talk to, easy to be around."

According to Mark, Alexi once gave him a guitar lesson while LAMB OF GOD and CHILDREN OF BODOM were on the road together. "I was, like, 'Show me how to do some of that stuff,'" Morton recalled. "He was, like, 'What do you wanna know?' I was, like, 'I don't know. Show me something.' And he just sat down with me and showed me a couple of licks. He was just, like, 'It's not as hard as it sounds. You do this.' He was that kind of guy. And he loved American cars, he loved muscle cars — we had that in common. He had a couple of cool cars, and I had a couple at the time — we would talk about that kind of stuff. He was just a real dude, man — just a real genuine dude.

"I hadn't talked to him in — I don't know — two or three years, just 'cause we were doing our own thing or whatever," Mark added. "But I've just got nothing but good things to say about the guy. It was a big loss — a big loss. It was tragic. I hate it. 'Cause he was a good dude. Incredibly talented — incredibly talented and humble and creative. It's just sad. I hate it."

Earlier this month, Alexi's cause of death was revealed to be "alcohol-induced degeneration of the liver and pancreas connective tissue." Furthermore, Laiho had a co*cktail of painkillers, opioids and insomnia medication in his system at the time of his passing.

Alexi and drummer Jaska Raatikainen founded CHILDREN OF BODOM in 1993, and the band was one of the most internationally acclaimed metal acts in Finland up until their very last farewell concert in December of 2019. Last year, Alexi put together BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT, which recorded three songs and shot one music video, to be released in April.

Besides CHILDREN OF BODOM, Laiho had played in such acts as WARMEN, SINERGY, KYLÄHULLUT and THE LOCAL BAND. Awarded with a Metal Hammer Golden God and several other international prizes, the guitarist was also the main star, leading a group of one hundred guitar players at the Helsinki Festival in 2015 in "100 Guitars From Hel" — a massive concert piece he composed.

BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT made its live debut last October at Rytmikorjaamo in Seinäjoki, Finland. The 17-song show consisted entirely of CHILDREN OF BODOM material.

Paul Stanley says that he doesn't "really see a reason" for KISS to produce any new music before finally calling it quits at the end of its farewell tour.

KISS hasn't released a full-length disc of new music since 2012's "Monster", which sold 56,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous LP, "Sonic Boom", opened with 108,000 units back in October 2009 to enter the chart at No. 2. It was KISS's highest-charting LP ever.

Stanley, who is promoting the debut album from his SOUL STATION project, was asked in a new interview with USA Today if fans can expect to hear anything new from KISS prior to the completion of the group's "End Of The Road". He responded: "I don't really see a reason for it, to be quite honest. For the most part, when classic bands put out new albums, they're looked at and listened to and thrown away because they don't have the gravitas, they don't have the age that comes with something being a time capsule or being attached to a certain period of your life. I'm not alone in that. When you see any classic bands on TV or if there's a concert video, turn off the sound and I'll tell you every time they're playing a new song because the audience sits down.

"So it's odd to me that people always want you to do a new album, but then they go, 'That's great. Now play your hits.' So honestly, at this point, there isn't a real reward in it. There's much more of a reward in changing lanes — I'm still going forward. But in terms of recording more KISS material, I kind of go, 'Why?' I thought 'Modern Day Delilah' or 'Hell Or Hallelujah' were as good as anything I've written and as good as anything we recorded, but understandably, it's like new wine. It just hasn't aged. So I'd rather not try to roll a stone up the hill."

Paul had previously expressed uncertainty about the idea of making another KISS album in a number of other interviews, telling the "Loudwire Podcast": "If we're going to do an album, it would be because we want to do an album, not because of sales. I think we're living in a time, obviously, now where albums don't sell what they once did, so you either do it because it's a creative outlet and because it satisfies something in you, or not. If you're doing it purely for sales, then you're probably doing it for the wrong reason."

Paul's comments were echoed by his bandmate Gene Simmons, who said that he was "not incentivized" to release another KISS disc unless there are some major changes in the way music is consumed. He said: "The idea that you work your ass off and then someone with freckles on their face decides they want to download your music and file share — that's not what I work for. How'd you like to be a plumber, come over somebody's house and work all day to fix their plumbing and then when it's time to get paid, they say, 'No, I just wanted to say thank you.' No."

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but is now expected to last well into 2022.

KISS last performed this past New Year's Eve in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The concert broke Guinness world records for highest flame projection in a music concert and for most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert.

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Stanley and Simmons, alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 19

In a new interview with Kerrang! Radio, LINKIN PARK's Mike Shinoda spoke about how the band's multi-platinum-selling debut, "Hybrid Theory" helped break down the boundaries between music styles by combining different sounds within one album.

"It's part of the mission statement of LINKIN PARK," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We were called HYBRID THEORY — the band was called HYBRID THEORY before [the first LINKIN PARK] album [was released]. And we played a role in it. None of us would try and claim that we broke all the boundaries between genres, but we played a role in breaking boundaries between genres.

"It's funny, 'cause I think some of the new generation don't even know the way things were before bands like us, and then how albums like 'Hybrid Theory' and so on changed the way people looked at music," he continued. "They were born after that, and they got born into that just being the way things are — mixed genres is just the way you listen [to music]. 'Hey, what's your favorite type of music?' 'I like whatever.'

"When I was a kid, if somebody said, 'What's your favorite type of music?', you had an answer — it was rap [or] it was metal, [and] it was a specific kind of metal, and that was it. 'You listen to these things too?' 'No. f*ck those things.' It'd be that serious. And now people don't even think about it.

"I heard LED ZEPPELIN because BEASTIE BOYS sampled them," Shinoda revealed. "My first concert was PUBLIC ENEMY with ANTHRAX and PRIMUS. So those guys were paving the way for what was teaching me about blending genres. RAGE [AGAINST THE MACHINE] had just come out. It's crazy."

Last September, "Hybrid Theory" was officially certified 12 times platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of 12 million copies.

"Hybrid Theory" was issued in October 2000 and was a breakout success for the group, which had formed in 1996 and had played the Los Angeles club scene for several years. The album yielded four massive hit singles — "One Step Closer", "Crawling", "Papercut" and "In The End" — while going on to sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. alone.

LINKIN PARK singer Chester Bennington was found dead in his Los Angeles-area home on July 20, 2017 after hanging himself. LINKIN PARK headlined an all-star tribute concert for Bennington in October 2017 in Los Angeles but has not announced any future plans for recording or touring.

AXS TV recently sat down with legendary BON JOVI frontman Jon Bon Jovi to ask him questions submitted by fans. From how he builds a setlist, what advice he would give to his 18-year-old self, his favorite tour memory with Richie Sambora, get to know Jon a little more with this exclusive 12-minute interview below.

Asked how he goes about putting together a setlist for a BON JOVI concert, Jon said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Let's pretend that on an average night, there's 23 or 24 songs. 15 of 'em are gonna have to be the hits, which leaves me eight songs to play with. Four are probably gonna be new songs, which is gonna make the artist happy, and then two of 'em get to be the crazy album track or cover song that you just feel like getting your jukebox on. And that's pretty much what you're relegated to — simply because if I come to your town and I don't play 'Livin' On A Prayer' or 'It's My Life' or '[You Give Love A] Bad Name' again, you're gonna be disappointed. I don't wanna disappoint you.

"I remember when I was a kid seeing a couple of guys that I grew up listening to who ended up playing reggae versions of their classic hits, 'cause they were tired of playing 'em," he continued. "And I was at, like, a bingo hall watching 'em play. I was, like, 'I get why you're doing it, but this is the first time I ever got to see you, and I'm crushed.'

"So, [fans] wanna hear 'Prayer' and 'It's My Life' and 'Bad Name' and 'Wanted [Dead Or Alive]' the way they were written and recorded."

BON JOVI's latest album, "2020", was released last October via Island Records. Once again co-produced by John Shanks and Jon Bon Jovi, the record features the entire touring band — keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, bassist Hugh McDonald, guitarist Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley, and guitarist John Shanks.

Over an illustrious career spanning more than three decades since its formation in 1983, BON JOVI has earned their place among global rock royalty and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as well as the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. With over 130 million albums sold worldwide, and extensive catalog of hit anthems, thousands of concerts performed in more than 50 countries for more than 35 million fans, and ticket grosses well over $1 billion around the world in the last decade alone, BON JOVI is the consummate rock and roll band.

Italian technical death metal band, Hideous Divinity, have released the new track, “Acheron, Stream Of Woe”, via Century Media Records. The song is the debut track off their forthcoming LV-426 EP, out on April 23. Watch the lyric video, featuring the stunning cover artwork, below.

"’Acheron, Stream Of Woe’ marks another step in our sound progression. Just like James Horner’s original score, we searched for all the dramatic and dissonant elements our music could achieve. It has been a great time, both the songwriting and the studio time. We felt good, we felt at home”. Oh, and this time is about Aliens. Not a coincidence, for sure. A year has passed from the beginning of... all this. A year during which we all had to face our monsters. Very real ones. Enjoy,” states Hideous Divinity about the track.

The concept of the EP is a sub-narrative of the second Alien movie, directed by James Cameron.

Hideous Divinity adds, “We chose to concentrate on the story of Rebeca ‘Newt’ Jorden, the 6-year old girl rescued on the alien infested planetoid LV-426 by Ellen Ripley. We live the story from her point of view, a mixture of childhood’s happy life and memories cut off by the alien attack.”

The EP includes two brand-new Hideous Divinity tracks, “Acheron, Stream Of Woe” and “Chestburst”, and a smashing tech-death cover version of Coheed And Cambria’s “Delirium Trigger”. Like its predecessor, Simulacrum, the EP has been produced by Stefan Morabito at 16th Cellar Studio, who refined the bands signature sound consisting of bone-crushing riffs, superb drumming, and frightful vocals. Also, the EP features a stunning Alien-themed artwork by Colin Estrada.

LV-426 will be available as Ltd. CD Edition (Pocket Pack) and on all digital platforms. Pre-order the EP here.

LV-426 tracklisting:

"Acheron, Stream Of Woe"
"Chestburst"
"Delirium Trigger"

"Acheron, Stream Of Woe" lyric video:

Hideous Divinity is:

Enrico "H." Di Lorenzo (vocals)
Enrico Schettino (guitars)
Stefano Franceschini (bass)
Giulio Galati (drums)
Riccardo Benedini (guitars)

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Queensrÿche vocalist Todd La Torre has released a lyric video for "Critical Cynic", a track from his debut solo album, Rejoice In The Suffering, available via via Rat Pak Records. Order the album in various bundle configurations here, or digitally via iTunes here, and watch the new video below.

The song “Critical Cynic” is a driving track that showcases the many vocal styles Todd utilizes throughout the album. The chorus of the song also throws back to his Queensrÿche influence that fans have come to know him for. Todd’s songwriting partner Craig Blackwell delivers a punishing guitar riff and blazing solo behind La Torre’s vocals. The visually stimulating lyric video was produced by Wayne Joyner.

As global touring came to a sudden and unexpected halt earlier this year, Todd La Torre used his pandemic downtime to put the finishing touches on his debut solo album, Rejoice In The Suffering. Todd teamed up with longtime friend and collaborator Craig Blackwell and alongside producer Chris “Zeuss” Harris created a diverse heavy metal album that draws influence from different styles. Mixing and mastering was handled by Zeuss.

From the album's opening riffs of “Dogmata” to the vocal acrobatics that drive the album closer "Apology," it is apparent that Todd La Torre has a true love of heavy metal.

The deluxe version of the album features three bonus tracks: “Fractured,” “Set It Off” and “One by One.”

Rejoice In The Suffering tracklisting:

"Dogmata"
"Pretenders"
"Hellbound And Down"
"Darkened Majesty"
"Crossroads To Insanity"
"Critical Cynic"
"Rejoice In The Suffering"
"Vexed"
"Vanguards Of The Dawn Wall"
"Apology"

Bonus Tracks (Deluxe Version Only):

"Fractured"
"Set It Off"
"One By One"

"Hellbound And Down" video:

“Crossroads To Insanity” video:

“Vanguards Of The Dawn Wall” video:

"Darkened Majesty":

EPK:

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Of Bird And Cage, a metal music-driven game featuring artists from some of the biggest rock and metal bands, has just announced that incredibly talented cellist Tina Guo is joining the lineup. Guo shared a video expressing her excitement at joining the game, which can be seen below.

Of Bird And Cage, developed by Capricia Productions and published by All In! Games, will be released this coming spring. The exact date is to be announced.

The game is truly a new way to experience the power of heavy metal music like never before. The concept album is viewed through first-person gameplay and you - the player - shape the narrative. The dark and twisted game is specifically tailored to the music. Symphonic metal will lead you through a story of trauma, violence, and madness. The story is inspired by the classic tale Beauty and the Beast and features Gitta Barbot, a young drug addict who tries to escape the physical and mental prison of her captor Bres Lupus. Gamers can make quick choices that will have dire consequences and watch their actions reveal new paths while struggling to keep their sanity. Happy endings don't come easily here. But the soundtrack is one you'll love.

Gamers can also wishlist the game on Steam.

Featured artists:

Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses)
Rob van der Loo (Epica)
Ruud Jolie (Within Temptation)
Danny Worsnop (Asking Alexandria)
Casey Grillo (ex-Kamelot)
Rocky Gray (ex-Evanescence)
Mike Lepond (Symphony X)
Kobra Paige (Kobra and the Lotus)
Davidavi 'Vidi' Dolev (Subterranean Masquerade)
Arnold Nesis (Capricia Productions)

+ more to be revealed soon.

Don't just listen to the music - #PLAYtheMusic

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New York Post is reporting that Poison frontman Bret Michaels is finally unloading his longtime Scottsdale, Arizona estate, which he listed for $3.29 million in November. Michaels, 57, initially bought the desert oasis back in 2002 for $2.2. million.

Currently, a contingent offer has been placed on the home, but Michaels is considering other prospective buyers.

The five-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bathroom mansion boasts Southwestern-style architecture with wood-beamed ceilings and spectacular desert views. Sitting on a grand five-acre lot, the home and guest house spans a massive 7,400 square feet.

Read more, and see photos, at New York Post.

(Photo - Mark Mazzanti)

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Punk rock band RISE AGAINST is back with a provocative and dynamic new album, "Nowhere Generation", the group's first new studio effort in four years. On the upcoming release, the outspoken band points a finger at big business and politics for stacking the social and economical deck against Millennials', Gen Y's and Gen Z's pursuit of The American Dream. Musically, the album is blazing, aggressive punk rock; lyrically, the eleven songs were inspired in part by input from band members' young children and RISE AGAINST's community of fans. "Nowhere Generation" is set for a June 4 release and is RISE AGAINST's first with new label Loma Vista Recordings.

Said frontman Tim McIlrath: "Today there is the promise of the American Dream, and then there is the reality of the American Dream. America's 'historical norm' that the next generation will be better off than the one that came before has been diminished by an era of mass social, economic, and political instability and a sell-out of the Middle Class. The brass ring that was promised by hard work and dedication no longer exists for everyone. When the privileged climb the ladder of success and then burn it from the top, disruption becomes the only answer."

Also, today RISE AGAINST debuts the "Nowhere Generation" music video, a stark-yet-dynamic piece shot entirely in black and white that contributes to the cohesive cross-campaign theme of the album: the critique of mainstream pop culture and those at the top who actively work to suppress true equality for all. The video also provides a first look at the visual motif that is woven throughout all aspects of the Nowhere Generation project, such as the album packaging and the band's socials.

For the "Nowhere Generation" project, the band worked with the Grammy-nominated creative director Brian Roettinger (Jay-Z, FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE, NO AGE) to craft an impressive and truly inspired capsule of album offerings. Those include:

* CD in a soft pack jacket with a multi-page lyric booklet

* 12-inch, limited edition vinyl picture disc (exclusive to the band's webstore)

* Deluxe album edition with a distinctive spinning wheel gatefold jacket with die-cut front cover; a 12-page album art booklet insert, and a bonus 7" featuring two "Nowhere Session" versions of album standouts "Nowhere Generation" + "Broken Dreams, Inc."; special vinyl color variants for retail worldwide as well as the band's webstore.

* Standard vinyl format that includes a single sleeve, dorado paper-wrapped jacket, with lyric insert featuring metallic ink; multiple special vinyl color variants for select retailers as well as the band's webstore.

* Exclusive versions of the album, on vinyl and CD available at Target. A jacket with exclusive interchangeable inserts and special colored vinyl for the LP and a bonus "Nowhere Session" song on the CD.

RISE AGAINST — McIlrath, Joe Principe (bass), Brandon Barnes (drums) and Zach Blair (lead guitar) — recorded "Nowhere Generation" at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado, under the tutelage of Jason Livermore, Andrew Berlin, Chris Beeble and longtime producer/engineer Bill Stevenson (BLACK FLAG, THE DESCENDENTS). Stevenson has worked with the band on nearly all of their acclaimed releases since their sophom*ore effort, 2003's "Revolutions Per Minute", and is often described as RISE AGAINST's fifth member. "Bill is our not-so-secret weapon," Principe explained. "He really has helped shape the band; he gets what we want to do and will go with us when we think outside the box. He's the perfect producer for the style of music we play because he has an insane pop sensibility and the hardcore side to him as well."

In addition to the communal call to arms embedded in "Nowhere Generation"'s dynamic title track, there's the fast and furious anti-establishment manifesto "Broken Dreams, Inc.", the moody ballad "Forfeit", "Sudden Urge", a true nod to the band's rock'n'roll side with an overall punk-vibe, the simplicity of "The Numbers" with a melody that will stick in your head, and the surprise pop candor in "Talking To Ourselves", a standout song about wanting to be heard and wondering if anyone is listening. "It describes a lot of what RISE AGAINST does," says McIlrath, "to speak and scream when we feel there are things that are happening that aren't being addressed."

"When I was growing up," said Principe, "I listened to bands like 7 SECONDS, BAD BRAINS, MINOR THREAT and BAD RELIGION. All of those bands' music had a sense of hope with the world, a truly positive global view of what life can be. From the beginning, we've wanted RISE AGAINST to have that same positivity, to have our music be an inspiration for people to bring about change in their own lives, they just have to put forth the effort and speak up."

Photo credit: Wyatt Troll

Legendary rocker and spirits pioneer, Sammy Hagar, has joined forces once again with acclaimed chef and restaurateur, Guy Fieri, to create a new tequila: Santo Tequila Reposado. The duo teamed up previously in 2019 for the release of their Santo Tequila Blanco. Check out their announcement below.

Santo Spirit: "The moment you've all been waiting for! It's official - Santo Tequila Reposado is here! Head to our website now to buy yours and have a taste of what we think is the world's finest Reposado.

The Santo Family is on the road again too, celebrating the official launch of Santo Reposado. Follow along on our Instagram Stories (@santospirit) and get a behind the scenes look at the action!"

Sammy & The Circle have released their latest Lockdown Sessions video, this time performing "Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)". Watch below.

Says Hagar: "I always loved this song written and recorded by Moon Martin, and taken to the top by the one and only Mr. Robert Palmer. As we continue our @ Home Sessions, we hope be able to bring it to you live in 2021."

Sammy Hagar & The Circle recently released Lockdown 2020 - a collection of 11 tracks recorded virtually during the band's popular lockdown sessions which began during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Order the album via all digital platforms here.

Tracklisting:

"Funky Feng Shui"
"Won't Get Fooled Again" (The Who)
"Good Enough" (Van Halen)
"Three Little Birds" (Bob Marley)
"Whole Lotta Rosie" (AC/DC)
"For What It's Worth" (Buffalo Springfield)
"Keep A-Knockin'" (Little Richard)
"Right Now" (Van Halen)
"Don't Tell Me What Love Can Do" (Van Halen)
"Sympathy For The Human" (Sammy Hagar & The Wabos)
"Heroes" (David Bowie)

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The clip below features vocalist Robert Mason (Warrant, The End Machine), guitarist Ira Black (Of Gods & Monsters, Lizzy Borden), bassist Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot) and drummer Johnny Kelly (A Pale Horse Named Death, ex-Type O Negative) performing the Ozzy Osbourne classic "I Don't Know". The video was made as part of the David Z Foundation All-Star Fundraiser on Sunday March 7th, 2021.

The David Z Foundation fundraiser featured guest appearances and performances by Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), Ray Luzier (Korn), Jeff Scott Soto (Sons Of Apollo), Dave Ellefson (Megadeth), Doug Aldrich (The Dead Daisies), Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses), Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big), Charlie Benante (Anthrax), Eric Singer (KISS), Russell Allen (TSO), Chuck Billy (Testament), Alex Skolnick (Testament), Robert Mason (Warrant), Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson), Dug Pinnick (King’s X), Rudy Sarzo (Whitesnake), Phil Demmel (Vio-lence), James LoMenzo (John Fogerty), Debby Holiday, Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot), Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative), Jen Cella (TSO), Ira Black (Of Gods & Monsters), Matt Starr (Mr. Big), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Kat Dyson (Prince), the band Buckcherry, the band Candlebox and many more.

About the David Z Foundation:

The David Z Foundation is a non-profit organization created in memory of David Zablidowsky & dedicated to transforming lives through the magic of music.

Our goal is to nurture that creative musical spark that a child has and help turn it into a sustainable reality. We are currently running original music programming nationwide, including private instruction, rock band, songwriting, production, and music business. In addition, we prepare kids for the music world by pairing them up with professionals in the field and showcasing their creativity through the various events we produce. Our focus is on providing these services to those who need it most. We are also working on innovative ways to address the staggering issue of youth mental health through initiatives such as the Music Mentor Songwriting program. We also offer scholarships through partnerships with music schools such as School Of Rock, Brooklyn College, and various other local organizations around the country.

David Zablidowsky, better known as “David Z.” tragically died in a roadside accident in 2017 while on tour with Adrenaline Mob. David Z was an incredible musician with an accomplished and celebrated career. He performed on stages all over the world, gaining recognition for his extraordinary ability on the bass guitar. He was best known for the bands ZO2, The Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO), and Adrenaline Mob. David Zablidowsky was active in developing young people through music. To continue his legacy, the David Z Scholarship Fund has been created to offer education and financial need to young aspiring musicians.

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France's Pathfinders are ready to make first contact with the landing of their debut album Ares Vallis via label Music-Records on April 16, 2021. Preorder here.

Just like the NASA space probe "Mars Pathfinder" that their name is originated from, Pathfinders are embarking on an encounter of the metal kind. Entering the Ares Vallis, the band is rooted in a primary sound of groove metal, but introduces fans into an astronomical discovery of twelve tracks assembled with progressive, thrashy, djenty, and melodic tones.

The band adds:

"We are fascinated with space exploration, especially following recent odysseys to the red planet. We believe it may be the next step in humanity's evolution of uncovering what this universe holds. This is an album of us telling stories on adventures to and from Mars."

The band's lead single "Damned Earth" was released earlier this year, and it immediately crushes everything in its path, leading an assault with speed and breakdowns, along with a tinge of hardcore tendencies mixed with accelerating quantum force.

Fans of bands such as Lamb of God, Periphery, Parkway Drive, and In Flames will be intrigued to enter the undiscovered metal terrain that Pathfinders are offering up.

Pathfinders was formed in 2018 and consist of the Gaucher brothers Jérémy (Bass) and Romain (Guitar) with Jérémy Barthélémy (Drums), Benjamin Daguet (Guitar), and Clément Levy (Vocals).

Fun Fact: The album title Ares Vallis is named after an outflow channel on Mars, which appears to have been carved by fluids, perhaps water.

Tracklisting:

“Landing”
“Impostors”
“Damned Earth”
“Evolution”
“Precious Star”
“Explode Inside”
“Annihilate Them All”
“The Light”
“Pressure”
“Ghosts Of Mars”
“Bad Guardians”
“Peste Noire”

“Damned Earth”:

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London, UK rock outfit Black Orchid Empire will release Live In The Studio on April 16 via Long Branch Records. The live EP includes one song from each of their critically acclaimed full-length albums. These ferocious performances showcase the band's huge sound and machine-like tightness as the three-piece thrives in their natural environment - the recording and rehearsal space that gave birth to so many of their monstrous riffs.

Pre-order / pre-save Live In The Studio here. Fans can check out the music video for "Come In", below.

Black Orchid Empire guitarist and singer Paul Visser about the new EP: "Playing live in front of an audience is always an incredible experience, but much of our music was created in a more personal and isolated place. Filming three of our favorite songs in the room in which so many of them were written, thrashed out, and recorded was an amazing experience which we can't wait to share!"

Tracklist:

"Pray To The Creature"
"Come In"
"Motorcade"

"Come In" video:

"Pray To The Creature" video:

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Grammy-winning band GRETA VAN FLEET has released its latest single, "Broken Bells". It is the fourth track released from the band's forthcoming sophom*ore studio album, "The Battle At Garden's Gate", produced by Greg Kurstin (Paul McCartney, FOO FIGHTERS, Adele) and due out April 16 (Lava/Republic Records). "Broken Bells" is an anthem intended to inspire.

"'Broken Bells' is what the fetter of society does to impact a pure and innocent soul," said Sam Kiszka, bassist/keyboardist for GRETA VAN FLEET. "Our intention is to remove the obligation of generational synthetic expectations; break down these walls and not build new ones."

A bold evolution from the band's 2018 full-length debut "Anthem Of The Peaceful Army", "The Battle At Garden's Gate" came together primarily on the road or while in the studio after the runaway success of 2017's "Highway Tune" led to the band packing up, leaving home, and eagerly soaking up new experiences on an extended road trip around the world.

Over the past three years, GRETA VAN FLEET — vocalist Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka, bassist Sam Kiszka, and drummer Danny Wagner — played to hundreds of thousands of people across North America, Europe, Japan, Australia, South America and New Zealand. While driving to gigs, the first-time world travelers passed many unfamiliar sights, from the favelas in Sao Paulo to the Gold Coast of Australia and everywhere in between, meeting and enjoying conversations with fans and other musicians that opened up new worlds to them. To cap off the change-filled era, the quartet moved from Michigan to Nashville, immersing themselves in Music City's rich history. The melding of all these experiences opened their eyes to amazing new worlds of culture, history, philosophy and spirituality — and ushered in an entirely new way of looking at life and the approach to their music.

Accordingly, GRETA VAN FLEET poured everything they experienced into these new songs - the music reflects their spiritual and intellectual growth, increased awareness of the inequalities plaguing the modern world, and deep empathy for what other people are going through.

"We realized that while growing up, we had been shielded by many things, and we were unaware of a lot of things," says Wagner. "And then we were thrown out into this huge world, and it was a bit of a culture shock at first. But as we started to travel a lot, meet new and different people and experience different cultures, our definition of 'normal' changed."

"I suppose that everything has changed except what got us here in the first place," adds Sam Kiszka. "Everything — 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."

In general, the album's arrangements are spacious and leisurely, giving the music pleasing dynamics, as the band touches on all manners of rock 'n' roll. "The Battle At Garden's Gate" is cinematic, capturing the breathtaking energy of an exciting fight scene or the smoldering passion of a brooding, heroic protagonist saving the day. The new music also illustrates that the members of GRETA VAN FLEET are paving the way for a new generation of musicians — ones that use rock 'n' roll's foundational elements to build an entirely new sonic blueprint.

Sonically, "The Battle At Garden's Gate" also feels bracingly modern, an embodiment of genre-blended musical freedom. Recorded in Los Angeles with Greg Kurstin (FOO FIGHTERS, PAUL MCCARTNEY), the album is ambitious and expansive, marked by epic journeys such as the second single, "Age Of Machine", and the Top 5 rock hit "My Way, Soon", which boasts a towering chorus hook and rip-it-up-and-start-again lyrics.

Josh explains: "It's very dynamic, lyrically speaking. And that's the human experience. It's much more than pain or fear; it's also beauty. People need people, and love is important." Lyrically, "The Battle At Garden's Gate" muses about the influence of technology on modern life; the role conflict plays in the global sphere; the deceptive fulfillment of tangible riches; and philosophical questions about life, love and power.

"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, so a lot of contemplation occurred," Josh says, while Jake adds, "It's reflecting a lot of the world that we've seen, and I think that it's reflecting a lot of personal truth. What Josh does very well with the lyrics is telling ancient tales with a contemporary application."

For Josh, working with Kurstin provided the confidence he needed to push his songwriting into these vivid dimensions. "I'm always a little bit hesitant about my abilities as an artist; I think a lot of artists feel that way," he says. "But Greg hovering over me while I'm on the piano, taking an interest in what I was doing — that was really important for me."

That added confidence is obvious. Josh sounds commanding on each song, stretching his already-acrobatic voice to newer heights, while the instrumentalists fearlessly push themselves into new territory. Easy going organ and acoustic folk-rock riffs drive one song, while another ends in a torrent of guitar noise that rivals Neil Young's onstage guitar freakouts with CRAZY HORSE. "For all of us, the performances — and the aspects of them that are captured — preserve where we're at musically in time right now," Jake says.

The future is unwritten, and the sky's the limit for these curious travelers and truth-seekers. Josh says, "certainly after this, we've grown in so many ways. This album has taught us a lot, about life in general, about ourselves, about all of us, about the world we live in."

"The Battle At Garden's Gate" track listing:

01. Heat Above

02. My Way, Soon

03. Broken Bells

04. Built by Nations

05. Age of Machine

06. Tears of Rain

07. Stardust Chords

08. Light My Love

09. Caravel

10. The Barbarians

11. Trip the Light Fantastic

12. The Weight of Dreams

Dream Theater keyboardist, Jordan Rudess, has released a video for "Weightless", the opening track of his recently released new solo album, A Chapter In Time. Get the album here, and watch the new clip below.

Tracklisting:

"Weightless"
"I Surrender"
"Light As A Feather"
"The Quiet Mind"
"After The Storm"
"Once Upon A Time"
"Empty Streets"
"And Breathe"
"Into Sleep"
"Flying"
"Patterns Of Thought"
"Touching Light"
"Twilight Rain"
"Stellar Enigma"
"Beyond The Clouds"

"Weightless" video:

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On May 7, Artillery will release their tenth full-length, X, via Metal Blade Records. For a first preview of X, the new single, "In Thrash We Trust", can be heard below.

In the mid-1980s, Denmark's Artillery established themselves as being at the cutting edge of the thrash movement, and nearly forty years later, they continue to destroy. Returning with their tenth - and aptly titled - full-length X, they prove once again that they have not missed a step, delivering a record that's ruthlessly heavy, catchy and pure molten metal.

"We wanted to have the typical Artillery trademarks, like the riffs and hook lines in the usual combination together with aggression and melody. We always try to combine melodic thrash metal with elements from the heavy sounds of the 70s and the 80s, and this time with new elements in some of the songs," says guitarist Michael Stützer. "We don't have to push ourselves hard when we're writing a record because we love what we're doing."

Sadly, guitarist - and Stützer's brother - Morten Stützer passed in 2019, which understandably affected the band. Having played a big part in shaping Artillery's songs and appearing on every album up to 2018's riveting The Face Of Fear, his loss is a real blow. "It was tough, even if he did not play live with us since 2016, he was always supporting us. Morten was a unique musician and writer and a very humorous guy, and following his death was the first time ever I thought about stopping playing music. But, he always said that I had to go on with Artillery and continue playing if he was not there anymore. He will be missed so much." Admitting it was very strange entering into the writing process without him, the brothers typically playing off each other a lot, they still managed to pull things together, helped by the contributions of new guitarist Kræn Meier, who has been playing live with the band since 2017.

X was tracked in Medley Studio in Copenhagen, Denmark with producer Søren Andersen, who the band have worked with on every record since 2009's When Death Comes. As well as his production work, Andersen contributed some keyboards to "The Ghost Of Me", also adding some effects to a few other songs, and the band recruited their drivers/merch men to contribute some backing vocals on four tracks. With the record in the can, the band are able to start to look toward what is next, hoping the Coronavirus pandemic passes soon so that they can get back on the road, but now is also a good time for reflecting on what they have achieved at this point in their lengthy career. "It feels great and awesome to have been going for nearly forty years. I'm so glad, and I am so lucky that I can do what I love the most, making albums and touring for our awesome fans. If anyone had told me forty years ago that I would have made ten albums and played in over sixty different countries, I wouldn't have believed it."

The album can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:

- ltd. digipak-CD (incl. 2 bonus tracks)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- blood red / blue marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- viole(n)t blue marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- blue / red / white melt splatter vinyl (limited to 200 copies)

X tracklisting:

"The Devils Symphony"
"In Thrash We Trust"
"Turn Up The Rage"
"Silver Cross"
"In Your Mind"
"The Ghost Of Me"
"Force Of Indifference"
"Varg I Veum"
"Mors Ontologica"
"Eternal Night"
"Beggars In Black Suits"

"In Thrash We Trust":

Artillery lineup:

Michael Bastholm Dahl - vocals
Michael Stützer - guitars
Kræn Meier - guitars
Peter Thorslund - bass
Josua Madsen - drums

(Photo - John Mortensson)

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April 30 will see British thrash titans Evile release their brand new studio album, Hell Unleashed, via Napalm Records - the band’s first album in eight long years.

Since their formation in 2004, Evile have been turning heads and taking names, delivering four pure thrash offerings blended with an uncompromising death metal assault. Hell Unleashed, the long-awaited successor to their 2013 release Skull, will make no exception - but this time, the album features a new exciting lineup formation of Ol Drake on vocals/guitars and new member Adam Smith of RipTide as rhythm guitarist.

Following the recent release of the blistering album title track from Hell Unleashed, today, the band has released their second single - the sharp and hard-hitting new track “Gore”. With these raging riffs full of anger, Evile reach another dimension of pure evil, featuring the impressive backing vocals of American actor, comedian and musician Brian Posehn! Watch the new video clip for “Gore” in a worldwide premiere below.

Evile vocalist/guitarist Ol Drake comments: "Here it is! The second new Evile single from the upcoming album Hell Unleashed. This is a song about a topic that no other metal band has ever covered before; a serial killer. This song harkens back more to the first Evile album; it could easily be a track from our beginnings. It's heavy, it's fast, it has some great changes, and it will punch you in the face sonically. The overall message of this song/video is that these horrible individuals are hidden in plain sight. They could be our friends, family, or colleagues. We're also excited to welcome back the extremely hilarious and extremely metal comedian Brian Posehn. He was kind enough to provide us with some backing vocals in the chorus. Luckily, we only needed the one-word shouting, so we got a great collection of Posehn ‘Gore’s to sift through. Thank you, Brian! Turn it up LOUD, and enjoy ‘Gore’!"

One can be sure, Hell Unleashed is a raucous and masterful thrash metal attack! In just 41 minutes, the album unchains the unbridled forces of hell, catches some rousing demons of the past, and provides classical thrash metal with a contemporary yet hard-edged touch. The newly staffed four-piece strikes again on nine explosive tracks, leaving nothing but a hammering world of sound taken apart by thrash. Endangering guitar lines, which quickly build up to a furious thrash manifesto and attack the eardrum at breakneck speed, meet the merciless velocity Evile are known and loved for.

Hell Unleashed was produced by Chris Clancy at Backstage Studios, UK, and will not only feature explosive guest backing vocals from Brian Posehn, but also include a cover song.

Ol Drake adds: "This is the first album Evile have done to include a cover song in the tracklisting. I've been a big fan of death metal for a long time, and seeing as this album is on the more extreme side of thrash vocally and musically, we thought it was a perfect opportunity to cover Mortician's 'Zombie Apocalypse'. It has one of the greatest riffs in it! We're also very excited about the return of the legendary Michael Whelan (Sepultura, Obituary, Stephen King) as cover artist. He did the art for our second album and he's always a pleasure to work with."

In North America, Hell Unleashed will be available in LP format in black vinyl, as well as in limited edition red vinyl (limited to 200), CD Jewel Case and digital formats. A special Limited Diehard Edition is also available, including an LP in Red/White Splatter vinyl, as well as an exclusive Artprint and band logo patch (limited to 100).

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Paralysed"
"Gore" (feat. Brian Posehn)
"Incarcerated"
"War of Attrition"
"Disorder"
"The Thing (1982)"
"Zombie Apocalypse"
"Control from Above"
"Hell Unleashed"

"Hell Unleashed" video:

In just 41 minutes, Hell Unleashed unchains the unbridled forces of hell, catches some rousing demons of the past and provides classical thrash metal with a contemporary yet hard-edged touch. Evile are back – straight from the abyss!

Evile are:

Ol Drake - Vocals & Lead Guitar
Ben Carter – Drums
Joel Graham – Bass
Adam Smith - Rhythm Guitar

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SLEEPING WITH SIRENS has released two fresh covers of BLIND MELON's classic "No Rain" and Zella Day's haunting "Shadow Preachers" (via Sumerian Records), set to appear in the upcoming "Paradise City" soundtrack. Not only that, but SLEEPING WITH SIRENS fans can also catch frontman Kellin Quinn starring in "Paradise City" as Ralphie.

"Paradise City" premieres March 25 on Amazon Prime Video. Set in Los Angeles, "Paradise City" chronicles the lives of rock star and frontman of THE RELENTLESS, Johnny Faust, and a young rookie kid, Simon, who idolizes him as they collide through their broken homes built by the music business. The series was created by Ash Avildsen (Hit Parader, Sumerian Films), son of Academy Award winner John Avildsen ("Rocky", "The Karate Kid"), and is loosely based on his own life and estranged relationship with his father.

Watch the official trailer, which has clocked up a whopping 11.8 million views on YouTube, below.

"Paradise City" cast includes Bella Thorne, Andy Biersack, the late Cameron Boyce, Booboo Stewart, Olivia Culpo, Drea De Matteo, Perrey Reeves, Fairuza Balk, Ben Bruce, Mark Boone Junior, Brittany Furlan, Natalie Eva Marie, Amanda Steele, Kellin Quinn, and producer/rapper Hopsin.

SLEEPING WITH SIRENS release a deluxe edition of its sixth studio album, "How It Feels To Be Lost", last August via Sumerian Records.

"How It Feels To Be Lost" was heralded as a major return to the band's earlier, heavier form. Since its release in September 2019, "How It Feels To Be Lost" has been featured on flagship streaming playlists including Spotify's "Rock This" and "New Core", Amazon Music's "Rock Scene" as well as being included on Apple Music's "Breaking Hard Rock", Spotify's "New Music Friday" and "Kickass Metal" and Deezer's "Heavy New Rock".

POP EVIL has debuted its new single "Set Me Free" today along with announcing May 21 as the release date for its much-anticipated sixth full-length album, "Versatile", via Entertainment One (eOne). The release finds the Michigan rock heavyweights pushing their instantly distinctive sound to uncharted territories, expertly balancing the styles they've explored on recent tracks "Let The Chaos Reign", "Work" and "Breathe Again", of which the latter two have blasted on to the Top 10 Rock charts joining previous No. 1 hits "Waking Lions", "Footsteps", "Deal With The Devil", "Trenches" and "Torn To Pieces", which was certified gold by the RIAA in 2020. The new single "Set Me Free" is a reminder of the band's ability to be a bastion for perseverance and positivity which features colossal riffs coupled with a formidable performance from vocalist Leigh Kakaty.

"We are very excited to announce our sixth studio album is being released May 21," POP EVIL said in a statement. "'Versatile' is available for pre-order now! With this launch we are releasing a brand-new track from the album, 'Set Me Free', which embodies the challenging times the world has faced this past year. We are very proud and humbled to see our current single 'Breathe Again' trending Top 5 on the rock radio charts, and the video being embraced by our fans. We can't wait for you all to hear the rest of the album, as we feel it's our strongest to date."

POP EVIL — which consists of Kakaty alongside lead guitarist Nick Fuelling, rhythm guitarist Dave Grahs, bassist Matt DiRito and drummer Hayley Cramer — has built a new rock 'n' roll institution on its foundation of showmanship, raw relatability, and hard rock hooks, both forward-thinking and timeless.

POP EVIL's songwriting on "Versatile" zeros in on their juxtaposition of cinematic melody and heavy, unflinching groove. Deftly mixing fist-pumping anthems and timeless power ballads, POP EVIL delivers their most ambitious rebirth yet with a jaw-dropping and unpredictable album. "Versatile" sounds exactly like the name suggests. It distills the soaring melodies and driving riffs of POP EVIL's past and introduces an ambitious exploration of the future.

"Versatile" track listing:

01. Let The Chaos Reign

02. Set Me Free

03. Breathe Again

04. Work

05. Inferno

06. Stronger (The Time Is Now)

07. Raise Your Flag

08. Human Nature

09. Survivor

10. Worst In Me

11. Same Blood

12. Fire Inside

Beyond the success story told by the charts, the one million units of "total activity" across their catalog, and the over 600 million streams of their songs on major platforms, POP EVIL's greatest strength is the diverse group of people captivated by the band's relatable storytelling and undeniable catchiness. These are fans earned, city by city, on tours with a modern rock playlist's worth of genre titans.

"Versatile" will be made available on CD exclusively via Target, which will offer a two- disc deluxe edition. The second disc duplicates the track listing from their 2020 "#1's" LP; which was pressed on 180-gram opaque gold vinyl and featured all of the band's No. 1 singles up until now.

"Versatile" Target-exclusive CD second disc track listing:

01. Trenches

02. Deal With The Devil

03. Torn To Pieces

04. Footsteps

05. Waking Lions

Polish hurdy-gurdyist Michalina Malisz, who has been a member of the Swiss folk metal band ELUVEITIE since 2016, has released her cover version of the METALLICA classic "Nothing Else Matters". The official video for the track, which features a guest appearance by her ELUVEITIE bandmate Fabienne Erni, can be seen below.

Malisz has been blending the sound of the hurdy-gurdy with her favorite genres: metal, Celtic and cinematic music. Her previous covers include songs from IRON MAIDEN, SYSTEM OF A DOWN and NIGHTWISH.

According to Wikipedia, the hurdy-gurdy is a stringed instrument that produces sound by a hand crank-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to those of a violin. Melodies are played on a keyboard that presses tangents—small wedges, typically made of wood—against one or more of the strings to change their pitch. Like most other acoustic stringed instruments, it has a sound board and hollow cavity to make the vibration of the strings audible. Most hurdy-gurdies have multiple drone strings, which give a constant pitch accompaniment to the melody, resulting in a sound similar to that of bagpipes.

The original version of "Nothing Else Matters" was released as the fourth single from METALLICA's fifth, self-titled album, which came out in 1991. The song reached position No. 11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart as well as top-ten positions on many European charts.

"Nothing Else Matters" was featured as a playable track in the music video game "Guitar Hero: Metallica" and has been covered over 40 times by a host of different artists, including STAIND, Shakira, Bif Naked, Macy Gray, DIE KRUPPS, REV THEORY and APOCALYPTICA.

On March 12, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT released "Nature's Light", its eleventh studio album and the first in six years, via earMUSIC. Today, the band, founded in 1997 by award-winning vocalist Candice Night and legendary guitar icon Ritchie Blackmore, has revealed the disc's fourth single, "Second Element". The official music video for the song, produced and directed by Jeffrey Pickett, can be seen below.

According to Blackmore, "Nature's Light" is dedicated to the unique magic of renaissance faires. "I heard something that was a similar kind of melody, so I took that melody and gave it to Candice," he describes the inception of the song. "I said, 'This represents people going to a faire, a very ceremonial thing, with the King and Queen coming through.' and it needed to have the bombastic pageantry of celebration. A regal announcement that royalty was coming to town."

The ten new tracks make for a quintessential BLACKMORE'S NIGHT album. Once again, Blackmore and Night successfully mix the tradition of folk music and their love for the Renaissance era, inspired by the myths and legends of ancient times.

While the album is rooted in a traditional approach, fans of Ritchie Blackmore's unique style will not be disappointed. Heartfelt ballads, such as a brand-new version of "Wish You Were Here", set the scene for the magical tales on "Four Winds" and "The Twisted Oak". On the two instrumental tracks — "Darker Shade Of Black" and "Der letzte Musketier" — Ritchie's guitar brilliance shines through.

"Nature's Light" wasreleased on multiple formats. Among these is a strictly limited 2CD hardcover mediabook edition, including a bonus CD featuring a carefully selected set of BLACKMORE'S NIGHT's masterpieces from their extensive back catalogue. Furthermore, the album has become available as a CD digipak edition, a strictly limited heavyweight 1LP gatefold edition on yellow vinyl, a 180g 1LP gatefold edition on black vinyl as well as digital.

"Nature's Light" track listing:

01. Once Upon December

02. Four Winds

03. Feather In The Wind

04. Darker Shade Of Black (instrumental)

05. The Twisted Oak

06. Nature's Light

07. Der Letzte Musketier (instrumental)

08. Wish You Were Here (2021)

09. Going To The Faire

10. Second Element

Swiss/Dutch metallers BURNING WITCHES will release their fourth full-length album, "The Witch Of The North", on May 28 via Nuclear Blast Records. The official visualizer for the disc's first single, "Flight Of The Valkyries", can be seen below.

Following 2020's "Dance Of The Devil", which charted at #22 in Germany, and the "Circle Of Five" EP, vocalist Laura Guldemond, guitarists Romana Kalkuhl and Larissa Ernst, bassist Jeanine Grob and drummer Lala Frischknecht notably upped the ante on "The Witch Of The North", delivering their most dynamic, intricate and powerful album thus far. Perfectly mixed and mastered by V.O. Pulver and produced by German thrash titan Schmier (DESTRUCTION), the LP sees BURNING WITCHES stick to their irrefutable 1980s influences (JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, DIO, ACCEPT, WARLOCK, W.A.S.P., etc.) and inject irresistible energy and a refreshing vibe, topping it off with classic art by Claudio Bergamín (who illustrated JUDAS PRIEST's triumphant "Firepower"). From the epic title track to the album's catchiest anthem "We Stand As One" over to the ballad "Lady Of The Woods" and speedy riff attacks like "Thrall", "Flight Of The Valkyries" and "Nine Worlds", "The Witch Of The North" marks a new highlight in the band's career, with vocalist Laura brilliantly shifting from aggressive to seductive with ease.

"The Witch Of The North" track listing:

01. Winter's Wrath

02. The Witch Of the North

03. Tainted Ritual

04. We Stand As One

05. Flight Of The Valkyries

06. The Circle Of Five

07. Lady Of The Woods

08. Thrall

09. Omen

10. Nine Worlds

11. For Eternity

12. Dragon's Dream

13. Eternal Frost

BURNING WITCHES' first live performance with Guldemond took place in June 2019 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

The vocalist of the Dutch symphonic metal band SHADOWRISE, Guldemond was recruited by BURNING WITCHES following the departure of Seraina Telli.

A new BEARTOOTH song called "Devastation" can be streamed below. The track is expected to appear on the band's fourth studio album, tentatively due later in the year.

Last July, BEARTOOTH singer Caleb Shom*o told "Mosh Talks With Beez" about the writing and recording sessions for the band's new disc: "I worked on a lot of this album on the road — a whole lot of this record. We honestly could not have been luckier with the way our record cycle laid out.

"The 'Disease' tour in Europe was our last tour of the cycle, and that finished on March 6th, I believe. And then the next week, everything got shut down. So we already planned to kind of take most of this year off. We planned on not taking it all off, like we're probably gonna have to.

"I'd already worked on a ton of the record, just writing out on the road; I brought a studio rig out there. And that was great.

"When it first started, the whole lockdown thing, I just kind of emotionally shut down for a month," he continued. "But then I just kind of caught a second wind, and I've just been ripping through songs. It's pretty cool."

Asked if the BEARTOOTH songwriting "formula" is still present in the band's new material, Caleb said: "I think that something about the BEARTOOTH sound is sort of that formula. BEARTOOTH has a song structure — it's the classic pop structure of intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, out. But with this one, I've just been trying to amp up everything. 'Cause with the last record, I really wanted to go for that super-raw, live-rock-and-roll-in-the-old-school-studio and old-school-console sound, and it was rad, and I loved doing it. And it was proving to myself that I can make a real record without computers — well, [without] heavily relying on computers. But I don't know… I just kind of realized, like, you know what? That's what I learned as a producer. I came up in the era of mixing in the box and recording in the box, which means using plug-ins and emulations and things like that. I've just been kind of using that to try and push it a little further. The formula is still there, but I don't think it's in a bad way. I think it's the formula people want from a BEARTOOTH record.

"This one is just jacked," he explained. "Everything is amped up to 11. I am so, so pumped. Obviously, this is what you wanna think when you're making a record, but damn, this is the best one yet. Not even close. This is the heaviest record. This is my best work — the most proud I've been of these songs. It's wild. It's some heavy-duty sh*t."

Speaking about the musical direction of the new BEARTOOTH songs, Shom*o said: "The easiest way I've been trying to explain this record to people without giving too much away is if 'Disease' was AC/DC, this record is BLACK SABBATH. It's a lot more influenced in dark stoner rock, heavy power groove. Obviously, there's still a lot of fast [stuff] and some punk rock and all that, but I've really been exploring with the stoner metal side of guitars and guitar tones and doing different tunings and lots of fuzz and chaos and layering the f*ck out of my guitar tracks.

"The whole point, for me, of this mix and the sonics of this record is as big and loud and f*cking sonically devastating as I can possibly get it," he said. "So on a breakdown, for example, where on 'Disease' it would just be left guitar, right guitar, bass down the middle, this is literally… That little clip I posted [on Instagram ] is I think eight guitars, three bass tracks. Just experimenting — just doing dumb stoner sh*t and just trying my f*cking best. Yeah, that's the goal — is just sonic devastation, for sure."

BEARTOOTH's latest release was the folk- and country music-inspired "The Blackbird Session" EP, which came out in September 2019.

The band's third album, "Disease", was released in September 2018 via Red Bull Records. The disc was recorded at BlackBird studio in Franklin, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz (DEFTONES, KORN, FOO FIGHTERS).