Month: March 2021

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman will release his new studio album, “Tokyo Jukebox 3”, on April 16 via The Players Club/Mascot Label Group. The record, which was made available in Japan last October, is the third in a series that began with “Tokyo Jukebox” in 2009, and then “Tokyo Jukebox 2” following in 2011. The trilogy presents Friedman’s inspired performances to Japanese repertoire he’s chosen to cover. He shares: “I’ve been playing stuff from the first two ‘Jukebox’ albums live all over the world, and it’s taken on a life of its own. Especially in places like North and South America, Australia, Italy, France and even India. My fan base is very dedicated, and what I have found is that lots of new fans have been introduced to Japanese music and culture through me, which is very gratifying. On the tours it seems like aside from the dedicated guitar fans, the Japan fanatics have been noticeably growing, so now felt like the right time to do ‘Tokyo Jukebox 3’.”

The official visualizer for the song “Kaze Ga Fuiteiru” can be seen below.

Marty said: “While keeping intact the essence of Ikimono Gakari’s ‘Kaze Ga Fuiteiru’ melody that I loved, I tried to destroy it, reconstruct it and create five minutes of new music that might bring a tear or a chill, and decidedly lifts your spirits. Whether I accomplished that or not is entirely up to you, but when I just finished the recording of ‘Kaze Ga Fuiteru’, someone whose opinion I respect very much called it ‘grand and elegant,’ so I’ll go with that.”

Friedman put a lot of energy into selecting the right songs to cover for the album, He shares: “In Japan, you have to get permission to record and release cover versions, and that can be a very tricky and long process. So, the last thing I wanted to do was to ask permission to do a song, only to wind up not recording it for whatever reason. That would be very impolite. I spent several weeks choosing songs and demoing them to see whether I could create versions that I could get pumped up about, before I even approached any publishers. I came up with a short list of 20 songs, and from this chose about 15 that I knew I could really score with.”

Friedman has also included “The Perfect World”, which he wrote, recorded and originally released in 2018. This is the only track on the album with vocals. He reflects: “Back then I did the song with Jean-Ken Johnny from MAN WITH A MISSION on vocals, and that was used as the main theme for the Netflix series ‘B: The Beginning’. On the day of release, the song went straight to the top of the Japanese iTunes chart.” This recording is a new, fresh interpretation with Alfakyun, one of Japan’s premier female J-pop singers performing the vocals. As Friedman offers: “It’s really a self-cover, so it fits in with the idea of this being a covers album.”

Friedman has also included “Japan Heritage Theme Song”, another of his own compositions on which he worked with the Tokyo Philharmonic orchestra. He reflects: “I was asked by the Japanese government to compose an official song to be played at government sponsored events which celebrate Japanese heritage. This was a huge honor, and it was wonderful to be able to work with such a prestigious orchestra which, rather conveniently, my wife plays cello in. Doing this was a little different from what I am used to, because instead of playing a completed track to record company people, I had to face Japanese government officials. I recall looking at their stony faces after they heard it and sweating anxiously awaiting their reaction. Thankfully, they liked what I’d done. I felt this was a great, uplifting way to close the album.”

Much of the recording process was done at Power House Studios in Tokyo, with Friedman, who was also the producer on the project, joined by bassist Kiyoshi and drummer Anup Sastry. He shares: “Kiyoshi has been in my band for about six years now doing all my tours and recordings. She is a powerhouse, and I honestly have never seen anyone hit the bass as hard as she does, especially while keeping up with my kind of challenging music. Anup was a member of SKYHARBOR (an Indian/American progressive metal band) and has been on my last three albums. He is just plain phenomenal as well.”

The recording process started in January, 2020 and was due to end in March with a release in May. Then the pandemic struck, and everything was pushed back. Friedman had no firm deadline to finish the album within, and he took advantage of the time, reflecting on executing his vision without limitations. He offers: “I kept reworking the music, and improving everything. In the end, it took several months to get the album completed, but it was time well spent. I believe the music turned out so much better because I wasn’t under any deadline pressure.” The mixing was handled by Jens Bogren at his own Fascination Studios in Sweden. He’s a resource Friedman has the utmost confidence in offering, “Jens has mixed my last three albums and he’s one of the best in the business. He knows what I want, and I know he’ll get it for me.”

Friedman’s remarkable attention to detail on this album goes beyond the music. The cover image presents the guitarist dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono, with make-up that honors authentic tradition. He offers: “I have to admit that getting this done was a hellish process. It could easily have just looked like a dude in drag and therefore rather stupid. It does take a very serious attitude and approach to pull this off properly. If you look at the covers for the first two ‘Jukebox’ albums, I had on kabuki make-up. There was no photoshop used at all and that’s precisely why they came out so well. This time I brought on the absolute top professionals in the unique field of wardrobe and make-up, and I believe we’ve hit the bullseye. I am actually wearing two kimonos in the photo, as well as padding to fill me out a little like a sumo wrestler. You’d never believe I am this skinny rock dude from the East Coast of America!”

Friedman staged a live streaming concert on New Year’s Day 2021 to celebrate the “Jukebox” series. Plans to tour worldwide are in his sights, sharing: “Obviously, we have to wait and see what happens with international travel protocol. But I cannot wait to get back on the road again. I have really missed it terribly.” In the interim, he hopes the world enjoys the fruits of his labor of love on “Jukebox 3”, where Friedman takes J-Pop hits and offers his own charismatic interpretations of contemporary repertoire that includes LiSA’s “Gurenge” and Official Hige Dandism’s “Shukumei”, alongside Da Pump’s dance track “U.S.A.”, Sekai No Owari’s ballad “Sazanka”, and the vocaloid hit “Senbonzakura”. Japanese old-school standards, Zard’s “Makenaide” and Every Little Things’ “Time Goes By”, are also given Marty’s modern overhaul to round out the album’s track list to cover the full scope of his take on the Japanese music scene. In closing Friedman offers, “I am so happy with the way this turned out. And I am also grateful for how it’s been received so far. The reaction has been fantastic. It was joyful and cathartic to record, and I am delighted it’s now giving people such a fun diversion.”

PSYCHOSEXUAL, featuring former FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH drummer Jeremy Spencer on vocals as the Devil Daddy character, has dropped a new single, “Devil From Hell”. A distorted twang gives way to his dusky baritone as Spencer announces: “I have only one burning desire…to set this motherfucking world on fire” before exploding into a powder keg of a chorus.

“It announces we’re basically coming here to kill it as much as we can,” Spencer shares about the track. “I found my own way and made my stance. This is the best way to introduce the world to this band. We’re ready to make a fucking wave.”

The song will appear on the band’s forthcoming sophomore album, due out this spring.

Earlier this month, Spencer spoke to “Drag The Waters: The Pantera Podcast” about his decision to remove all the previously released music and videos from PSYCHOSEXUAL ahead of the arrival of “Devil From Hell”.

“When you make records, they’re like snapshots in time,” Jeremy explained. “We made the first thing pretty fast, and I just threw it out independently. And we had started the next record right away, and ‘Devil From Hell’ happened. And I’m, like, ‘Fuck, man. I really like this. I wish this would have been the first thing that we dropped.’ So it’s, like, you know what? Nobody even really knows much about the other music, which I do like, but I think this is more appropriate of where we kind of wanna debut; this is what I wanted to be the first thing. So it’s kind of like a reboot — we’re starting over. I’ll release the other music down the road again, but this second record will technically be our first. [Laughs]”

Regarding “Devil From Hell”, Jeremy said: “It’s a little different than the previous material that we’ve been working on. It’s a little heavier. We do all kinds of stuff — it’s not just metal or whatever; it’s kind of eclectic. But this one’s definitely a stomper. I’m pretty happy with it. The video turned out really cool too.”

Spencer, who handles lead vocals in PSYCHOSEXUAL, also addressed the negative reaction the band’s early music videos received from the FIVE FINGER fans, some of whom were turned off by the new project’s theatrical presentation and goth-flavored sound.

“That’s okay,” Jeremy said. “Not everyone’s gonna dig what you do. I mean, it’s how it is in DEATH PUNCH too; we would release stuff, and you get hated on. You can’t please everyone. We always made records for ourselves, and then you hope people like it. You can’t control it. And we were fortunate enough to have a large fanbase that did appreciate what we did. And I think we’ll find the audience for this as well. It’s not for everyone, but I’m doing what I love to do, and I’m a big fan of theatrics. I do like goth music, I do love metal. I’m gonna put it all in a blender, [and] it’s gonna be a lot of fun. And I hope that people wanna join us on the journey. And when we finally get to play freakin’ shows, hopefully people can come out and have a good time and see what we’re all about.”

PSYCHOSEXUAL released its debut album, “Torch The Faith”, last July. It was co-produced by Spencer and Shawn McGhee (DROWNING POOL) and released via Spencer’s 6eX Records. The debut premiered at No. 150 on the Billboard 200 chart, reaching No. 5 on the Hard Music Albums, No. 12 on Top New Artist Albums and No. 30 on Current Rock Albums.

PSYCHOSEXUAL’s last release was the covers EP “Songs To Stalk You By”, which came out last November. The EP reunited Spencer with former FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Jason Hook, who contributed solos on the KISS classic “Watchin’ You” and QUEENSRŸCHE’s “Gonna Get Close To You”. The recordings marked the first time the pair had worked together since both parted ways with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH.

Spencer, who sports a Mephistophelian mask as Devil Daddy, is joined in PSYCHOSEXUAL by guitarist Crucifer, bassist Astaroth and drummer Volac.

Jeremy, who co-founded FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH with guitarist Zoltan Bathory, left the band so that he could undergo back surgery in the fall of 2018 that required a significant recovery period.

Spencer’s replacement in FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is Charlie “The Engine” Engen. Engen made his recording debut with the band on the “F8” album, which came out in February 2020.

CHEVELLE drummer Sam Loeffler spoke to Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3 about his relationship with his brother, frontman Pete Loeffler. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Pete and I have been best friends since we were pretty young. I was probably 12 or 13, he was 11 or 12, somewhere around that, when we actually started really hanging out. Before that, you’re just kind of that typical little brother situation. We share a lot of interest too; that helps a lot. I think that makes all the difference.

“I’ll tell you what: I think the secret to any [band’s] longevity is just not breaking up,” he continued. “It’s a very stressful life, which most jobs are, but it’s stressful being together that compact for that long. And I think that’s why you have these bands that have been around forever that can’t stand each other, that can’t be around each other. Think about the band OASIS — those two guys [lead singer Liam Gallagher and songwriter/lead guitarist Noel Gallagher] have a legendary hate for each other. And it’s amazing and it’s funny and everything, but it’s sad too, because they can’t do their thing because they hate each other.

“We’ve toured with tons of bands that hate each other, and they just get in the bus and they do it, just because it’s their job, but they hate each other. So there’s not gonna [be too much] good coming from it in the future.

“I don’t know what the secret to that is, man,” Sam added. “Honestly, I don’t know. But stay together for as long as you can, and hopefully you can keep writing good music. But it is difficult, man. It is worse than a marriage, harder than a marriage. And I know, ’cause I’ve been married for almost 13 years, I think. The relationships on the road can just rub you sideways.”

CHEVELLE’s latest album, “Niratias” (Nothing Is Real And This Is A Simulation), was released on March 5. The follow-up to 2016’s “The North Corridor” was recorded throughout 2019 and 2020 with longtime producer Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE), CHEVELLE.

“Niratias” bowed in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. It debuted at No. 9, and was the first new release to chart within the Top 10 in over three weeks. In addition, “Niratias” achieved several other accolades. This week, the LP impressively debuted at No. 1 on several Billboard charts, including Rock Album, Alternative Album, Hard Music, Overall Album, Digital Album and Internet Album. “Self Destructor”, the album’s acclaimed lead single, also reached the summit of the Active Rock radio chart this week, marking CHEVELLE’s 12th No. 1 single at the format.

“The North Corridor” debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 album chart and produced a No. 1 Mainstream Rock single, “Joyride (Omen)”.

Gene Simmons has bought a new hilltop home in Malibu, California.

According to Dirt.com, the KISS bassist/vocalist and his wife, Canadian actress and 1982 Playboy Playmate Of The Year Shannon Tweed, purchased the three-bedroom, four-bathroom property on March 15 for $5.8 million.

The 3,700-square-foot house was built in 1975 and last sold in 2014 for $1.9 million. It has since been remodeled to include walls of glass embracing 360-degree vistas of the mountains and sea as well as an all-new pool with an inset spa and Baja shelf for sunbathing.

Last fall, Simmons put his Beverly Hills house on the market for $22 million, saying that he was moving to Washington State. He later relisted it for $25 million after it never sold and he reportedly invested a lot of money in making improvements.

“California and Beverly Hills have been treating folks that create jobs badly and the tax rates are unacceptable,” Gene told the Wall Street Journal in October. “I work hard and pay my taxes and I don’t want to cry the Beverly Hills blues, but enough is enough.”

Simmons also said that part of the reason he and his wife listed the two-acre property in Benedict Canyon because the home had become too big for the both of them since their children had grown up.

Last summer, Simmons put his hillside home in Laurel Canyon on the market for $2.2 million.

Gene and Shannon were married in 2011 after dating since 1975. They have two children, Nick, 32, and Sophie, 28.

Gene, Shannon and their kids all appeared on the reality TV series “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” from 2006 until 2012.

For the past few months, Gene has been vocal about people taking the COVID-19 outbreak seriously. He has also blasted Americans who are defiantly skeptical of mask wearing, saying that their refusal to follow the rules is putting all of our health at risk.

In its 48-year career, KISS has accumulated 23 gold and platinum albums — more than any other U.S. band.

An exclusive and mandatory stream of the highly anticipated debut full-length from rising English death metal rulers Celestial Sanctuary. Hear Soul Diminished in its entirety right now before its release this Friday.
The post Album Premiere: Celestial Sanctuary – Soul Diminished appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Alice Cooper says that JUDAS PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN deserve to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal groups like MAIDEN, PRIEST and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N’ ROSES in that band’s first year of eligibility.

Asked about TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider’s recent comment that the Rock Hall committee members are “arrogant elitist assholes who look down on metal and other bands that sell millions because we’re not their definition of cool,” Cooper told “The Mistress Carrie Podcast” (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Dee Snider deserves [to get in there]. I mean, Dee was not just a lead singer; he did some politics there, and he was also a spokesman, and he was just an all-around great guy.

“TWISTED SISTER didn’t sell a gigantic amount of records — they didn’t even make that many records — but they were effective,” he explained. “And part of the Hall Of Fame [criteria] is how much did you affect rock and roll. That’s why bands that were not really [huge]… Like Tom Waits — how many records did Tom Waits sell? I went in with him, and I really respect Tom Waits. I didn’t respect how many albums he sold; I respeced what he brought to rock and roll. So that’s kind of what they really go on.

“But there’s people, to me, where… I can’t understand why [American songwriter] Burt Bacharach’s not in the Hall Of Fame. He wrote as many hits as THE BEATLES. I can’t understand why a lot of people… A lot of my people did get it. Paul Butterfield got in, and Laura Nyro got in, and people like that that I thought were way on the backburner, but were really giants in what they were doing.

“So, yeah, I think IRON MAIDEN belongs in, I believe JUDAS PRIEST belongs in — bands that I cannot believe that they’ve overlooked,” Alice added. “But there’s a nominating committee, there’s a voting thing. I know who I voted for — I voted for the ones that I thought were most deserving to get in there. Not how many records they sold or how popular they were, but how much they contributed something new to rock and roll, or something really valid.”

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other “criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock ‘n’ roll,” which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn’t get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn’t get inducted until 2016.

PRIEST was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction last year, but failed to receive enough votes to make the class of 2020.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was previously on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

METALLICA’s “performance coach” Phil Towle, a former psychotherapist who was brought into the picture in January 2001 to help James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich repair their relationship with Jason Newsted, spoke to the METALLICA-centric podcast “…And Podcast For All!” about the bassist’s decision to leave the band 20 years ago. Asked if he thinks Jason “really legitimately wanted to quit” METALLICA or he “just wanted to shock” the other members “enough to where they would either change their ways or beg him to stay,” Towle said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Have you ever had a fight with your wife? When we’re fightning with our spouses or significant others or good friends or whatever, it’s hard. It’s easy to build up the animosity and the resentment when you’re feeling uncomfortable. And I think that Jason — this is my second-hand knowledge — but I think that Jason, coming off of [late METALLICA bassist] Cliff’s [Burton] reputation and the way that Cliff died so tragically, and that he was so instantly a replacement for Cliff, that he became what the guys would say a ‘whipping boy.’ He was the way that they grieved unhealthily. And Jason, because he was so — like anybody else — so grateful to be a part of the band, never felt like he could quite make it. He was hazed to the point where I think it blew because he’d had enough of something. And when we’ve had enough of something, then it’s hard to go to somebody and say, ‘Can we sit down and talk about this?’ No. It’s, ‘Fuck you.’ It’s a straight head-on… It’s, ‘This is what I’m pissed off about.’ So you have to ride that wave out. And because it was stunning, and because the band had certain resentments — the rest of the band had resentments — these are cumulative effects. And the fact that they never talked out — this is what Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] would say — the whole never really took the time to talk out the issues they were involved in, then this becomes an explosion. Then you have to pick up the pieces of it.”

Towle continued: “I don’t think [Jason] wanted to leave the band. I think he wanted to leave the reality of what existed. And this was the only way he could start to do something with it. And that triggered a whole bunch of things. That contributed to ultimately James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman], months later, going into rehab. It wasn’t the exact fact, but if you look at the overarching life of METALLICA and you see that they were trashing each other in Playboy magazine, in that interview, and you see then a month later they come in, or maybe two months later they come in — January of 2001, I think — and there’s this kind of animosity, that Jason is acting out. He’s the identified patient of the therapy, so he’s acting this act. And then the fight ensued.”

Newsted’s exit from METALLICA was documented in the band’s 2004 documentary, “Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster”, which followed the members of the group through the three most turbulent years of their long career, during which they battled through addiction, lineup changes, fan backlash, personal turmoil and the near-disintegration of the group while making their “St. Anger” album.

While initially helping METALLICA towards restoring band harmony, the film shows Towle attempting to increasingly insert himself into the band’s creative process, submitting lyrics for the album and even attempting to join them on the road.

“Some Kind Of Monster” also documented Hetfield’s spiral into alcoholism and decision to check himself into a rehab facility. Hetfield’s re-emergence from rehab is when the film really gets into gear, with the chief worry in his mind whether or not he could do METALLICA sober.

In a 2004 interview with The Kansas City Star, Towle spoke about being present when Newsted told the band he was leaving, though that scene isn’t in “Some Kind of Monster”. Asked how that went down, Towle said: “We’d been sitting around talking for about a half-hour when Jason says to me, ‘I want to talk to the guys. Will you excuse me?’ So I went into the other room in the suite. I could hear all this pain resonating from the room they were in, and after about 10 minutes, I went back in. Jason says, ‘I don’t want you in here.’ I said, ‘I was hired to be here, to work with you guys and your issues, and I can’t in good faith stay in the other room.’ There was silence. Then Lars says, ‘Let him stay.’

“They were all jarred so much that a family member for 14 years was leaving for various reasons. They said, ‘We gotta do something about this.’ Here’s what I offered: Rather than invest energy in being pissed at Jason, use this thing to explore the underlying issues of discomfort and conflict that led to his leaving.

“In a very dysfunctional family, Jason had the courage to stand up. He was the one who set in motion this process of calling everyone out. I’d read an old interview with METALLICA in Playboy in which the band members separately trashed each other. So now the conflict had come to a head.”

Towle also spoke about the scene toward the end of “Some Kind Of Monster” documentary where he and James and Lars get into it over Phil’s continued role with the band. Asked what happened there, Towle said: “The band was going through a moment of indecision about whether to continue with me and on what terms. I needed an answer. I said I gotta know because I’m thinking about moving out here. Off camera we had talks about continuing. So I really felt a little ambushed. I felt I’d had one understanding where I’d do it part time to resolve some issues.

“But it was also difficult for me to think about leaving. … I was with this one client every day for almost two and a half years. We started with two- and three-hour sessions, and then when things heated up as they made the album, I was in the studio every day. I just didn’t want to leave the process, the intimacy. And I thought we had a deal in place. But, you know, the thing to come out of that was Lars coming to James’s support. That really cemented things between them.”

Newsted was METALLICA’s third bassist, following Ron McGovney and the late Cliff Burton. Robert Trujillo took over in 2003 after Newsted’s exit.

Jason spoke in detail about the reason he left METALLICA in a 2013 interview with Scuzz TV. Newsted said that his eventual split with the group was over the way his then-side band, ECHOBRAIN, was handled. Newsted explained: “The management of METALLICA was very, very excited about ECHOBRAIN, wanted to take it out for me, wanted me to do ECHOBRAIN also, with METALLICA. They felt ECHOBRAIN was that good, the singer was that good, and it didn’t affect METALLICA because it was a totally different kind of thing, and I was in METALLICA; that would give it its pedigree already.”

Newsted continued: “They had told me, pretty convincingly, ‘This is a great record, we’ve been playing it around the office, that’s all I’ve been hearing, it’s fantastic, this kid has a great voice. Let’s do something with this.’ That’s what they told me, and then James heard about it and was not happy. He was, I think, pretty much out to put the kibosh on the whole thing because it would somehow affect METALLICA in his eyes, because now the managers were interested in something I was doing that had nothing to do with him.”

Newsted told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he never saw how ECHOBRAIN could have interfered with METALLICA. “I never felt that it was going to affect METALLICA in any way,” he said. “There was no way that it could. The monster and the integrity and the legend that METALLICA’s built, it would take a lot more than that to ever affect it.”

Newsted added, “The people that I had counted on for 15 years to help me with my career, help METALLICA, take care of my money, do all of those things, told me, ‘Your new project is fantastic, we’d like to help you with it.’ James heard about it, the manager calls me back a couple of days later — ‘Sorry we’re not going to be able to help you with that ECHOBRAIN thing.'”

Writer/award-winning educator/hardcore punk trailblazer Nancy Barile curates an eclectic, vivifying playlist to mark the release of her stellar new memoir “I’m Not Holding Your Coat.
The post Nancy Barile’s Soundtrack for Punk Rock Rebellion appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre spoke to Metal Edge Magazine’s “Another FN Podcast” about criticism his band receives from some fans for focusing too much on the band’s early catalog and not playing enough of its new material live. “People will say things like — the assholes out there — they’ll say, ‘Oh, QUEENSRŸCHE’s a nostalgia band,’ or, ‘They’re a legacy band,'” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “And you know what? If you’re a band back then, and you’re starting out and you say, ‘Oh, where will they be in five years?’ And then you’ve been there five years. And then you’re there in 10 years. And they say, ‘Well, are they gonna be here 10 years from now?’ And then you’re 10 years from now.

“That’s what you want — is that longevity; you’ve stood the test of time,” he continued. “Once you’ve stood the test of time, then people will be, like, ‘Oh, they’re a nostalgia band.’ But you know what? We sell memories. But we still write and create new records. And a lot of people will say to us, ‘Hey, we love ‘Take Hold Of The Flame’, we love ‘Jet City Woman’ and ‘Eyes Of A Stranger’ and ‘Empire’, but we’ve heard these songs for 30 years. Can you put some newer stuff into the set?’ They wanna hear the new stuff.

“I mean, there’s some bands that if they never write a new song, I’m fine with [it]. But if a band like SLAYER puts [out] a new album, I wanna hear it.”

La Torre went on to acknowledge that he and his QUEENSRŸCHE bandmates will never be able to please everyone. “If you just play all the popular songs, then the people are, like, ‘Wow. I guess you don’t believe in your new music, ’cause you’re not playing any of it,'” he said. “And so we’re, like, ‘No. We wanna play a handful of new songs, and we’re gonna give you deep cuts, and we’re gonna play stuff off the first five or six records too. So that big hit that you wanna hear, it’s probably coming later.’ But we are also not just resting on the laurels of the past; we are promoting new music, and we put a lot into that.

“But you know what? There is no shame in playing a song that takes you back to that sweet time in your car with your first girlfriend or boyfriend, and you’re hanging with your buddies, and time was on your side, and life was simpler,” Todd added. “That’s a such a good feeling — it’s like when you smell something, and it connects in your brain, and it takes you right back to a time. Music does the same thing. So I have no shame in someone saying, ‘Oh, they’re a nostalgia [act].’ Well, fucking nostalgia is amazing, and without it, the memories mean jack shit. So we sell memories, and we also give you new stuff. And not a lot of bands can say that.”

To date, QUEENSRŸCHE has released three studio albums with La Torre on vocals: “Queensrÿche” (2013), “Condition Hüman” (2015) and “The Verdict” (2019). Currently the band is writing new material for a fourth release for Century Media Records.

Todd’s debut solo album, “Rejoice In The Suffering”, was released on February 5 via Rat Pak Records. Todd created the LP with his songwriting partner Craig Blackwell and producer Chris “Zeuss” Harris.