Month: March 2021

During an appearance on the latest episode of the “Lipps Service With Scott Lipps” podcast, Myles Kennedy was asked if ALTER BRIDGE is working on material for the follow-up to 2019’s “Walk The Sky” album. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We are not yet. I think everybody’s kind of hunkered down in their own solo project. I know Mark Tremonti [guitar] is in that world right now. Obviously, I’ve got [my second solo album coming out]. So I would say we’ll start thinking about that more towards the end of the year, early next year. Speaking for myself as a writer, I need to refill the creative well. Having done the ALTER BRIDGE record, and then the second solo record, I need to get those creative juices built back up again.”

Kennedy also once again confirmed that SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS are putting together ideas for a new album. “The back-and-forth process has been going on now for months,” he said. “So, lots of stuff in the works there. And we’ll just see what happens as far as a release and all that. Obviously, these are crazy times with the COVID.”

ALTER BRIDGE released a seven-song EP, “Walk The Sky 2.0”, last November via Napalm Records. The effort contains live versions of a few of the band’s favorites from “Walk The Sky” — “Wouldn’t You Rather”, “Pay No Mind”, “Native Son”, “Godspeed”, “In The Deep” and “Dying Light” — as well as one new studio track, “Last Rites”, which was written, recorded and completed entirely during the COVID-19 lockdown.

“Walk The Sky” was released in October 2019 via Napalm Records.

Myles will release his sophomore solo album, “The Ides Of March”, on May 14 via Napalm Records. Myles created the framework for the song ideas that would make up LP before calling up his cohorts from his “Year Of The Tiger” debut — longtime friend and drummer Zia Uddin and bassist/manager Tim Tournier. The three musicians then drove to Florida to record the album with longtime producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette.

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Over the course of a decade and two imperious studio records, WODE have steadily become one of the most revered names in British black metal. Consider that febrile potential, along with the unerring great taste of 20 BUCK SPIN RECORDS, and it comes as no surprise that “Burn In Many Mirrors” is an album of monstrous substance and style. Somehow even darker and heavier than 2017’s “Servants Of The Countercosmos”, the Manchester quartet’s third full-length bristles with the belligerence and frustration of these fucked-up times, with songs that erupt like existential threats from a thick fog of malevolence and nihilistic madness. Great, gruesome fun, in other words.

So muscular is WODE’s delivery that everything here feels as close to the warped end of death metal as it does to more traditionally blackened fare. Nonetheless, from the blistering wall of discord that ushers in “Lunar Madness” to the deceptively catchy “Vanish Beneath”, these songs generate their own, intangible atmospheres. Pitched at some hazy midpoint between the overtly melodic and the gleefully arcane, “Fire In The Hills” revels in progressive intent, while still delivering nastiness and power in generous quantities. An ululating drone heralds the arrival of an explosive blend of spidery, post-punk picking and rib-shattering, mid-paced heft, replete with an authentic, rasp-along chorus. In contrast, “Sulphuric Glow” is a sustained barrage of old-school death metal bludgeon and grim disdain, with a rock ‘n’ roll underbelly, some conspicuously ’80s-influence riffing and eerie, horror soundtrack organ flourishes.

“Burn In Many Mirrors” reaches an apex of efficacy with “Streams Of Rapture (I, II, III)”: nine minutes of barreling, muscular extremity, it transitions from flat-out fury to stately, doom-laden dirge, dense with the mounting tension of a gathering storm, but still with sudden, unexpected bursts of melody skewing and brightening the monochrome mood. The song’s final crescendo is an act of hands-in-the-air heavy metal majesty, and absolutely to be applauded. In fact, it’s those little moments of unexpected wrongness or audacity that set WODE apart from many of their underground peers. Discerning black metal fans will not struggle to find reasons to love “Burn In Many Mirrors”, but there is much more going on here than a simple honoring of arcane values.

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Aaron Lewis has confirmed that STAIND is working on its first studio album since 2011’s self-titled effort. Speaking to SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, the singer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I would certainly love to have it recorded and done by the end of this year, to be released next year. All of our plans that were kind of semi on the books and on the table, everything just had a year taken off of it [due to the pandemic]. We were gonna have a record come out sometime in 2020 or certainly in 2021, and there was a schedule that was on the table that, just like everything else, got burned to the ground as soon as [the lockdown] started.”

STAIND has released seven albums since 1995, the latest being the aforementioned “Staind”. The band has had a number of hit songs during its first two decades, including the Top 10 smash “It’s Been Awhile” from the No. 1 album “Break The Cycle”. Follow-up LPs “14 Shades Of Grey” and “Chapter V” also topped the Billboard chart.

In 2019, Lewis said that new STAIND material would likely sound “pretty brutal. It would be continuing back to how heavy we were to begin with, when ‘It’s Been Awhile’ and ‘Outside’ and ‘So Far Away’ and songs like that, that were radio songs, confused everything. ‘Cause if you came and saw us at a show, the show was a hell of a lot heavier than most of the songs that you would hear on the radio. And I would have to say that it would be going back in the direction of just heavy… I think I’ve got some pent-up stuff that would probably flow out quite nicely over some of Mike’s [Mushok] heavy riffs.”

As reported yesterday, STAIND will release its first album in nine years, “Live: It’s Been Awhile”, on May 7 via Yap’em/Alchemy Recordings. The “Live: It’s Been Awhile” album will be accompanied by “The Return Of Staind”, a two-part global streaming series in partnership with Danny Wimmer Presents. The series launches with STAIND’s “Live: It’s Been Awhile (From Foxwoods)” concert, which streams globally on May 1. The “Live: It’s Been Awhile” album and concert were recorded at the band’s comeback show at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut in October 2019. The never-before-seen concert celebrates the band’s reunion after a five-year hiatus.

STAIND will also perform its iconic multi-platinum 2001 album “Break The Cycle” in its entirety for a May 8 streaming event, exactly 20 years after the album’s release. The “20th Anniversary Of Break The Cycle, Performed In Its Entirety” takes place at Mill 1 in Open Square in Holyoke, Massachusetts, bringing the band back to their Western Mass roots. Please note, this is a fully virtual event, with no in-person attendance.

Both global streaming events debut at 2:00 p.m. PDT / 5:00 p.m. EDT / 10:00 p.m. BST / 11:00 p.m. CEST on their respective days and will be available on-demand for 72 hours.

Purchase tickets for one or both of the STAIND global streaming events at StaindLive.com. Fans can also purchase bundles and VIP experiences, including exclusive merchandise, a custom STAIND guitar autographed by the entire band, and a virtual meet-and-greet with the band.

STAIND played its first full live show in five years in September 2019 at the Louder Than Life music festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

The band was scheduled to support DISTUBED on “The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour” throughout North America last summer. The amphitheater trek has since been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

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FOO FIGHTERS, DEFTONES, PRIMUS and INCUBUS are among the artists who are scheduled to perform at the the 2021 edition of Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, which takes place September 2–5 on the Bonnaroo Farm, located just 60 miles southeast of Nashville in Manchester, Tennessee.

Tickets go on sale today at noon CT at www.bonnaroo.com/ticket. Options include General Admission (4-Day), GA+ (4-Day), VIP (4-Day), Platinum (4-Day), General Admission Camping & Parking, VIP Camping, Platinum Camping, and more. Once again, Bonnaroo is presenting an array of affordable options, with tickets starting at $35 down and accommodations available for as low as $99 per night. Car Camping Passes are priced at only $60 (plus fees) per car, not per person, allowing fans to both save money and reduce their carbon footprint by carpooling.

Hailed by The New York Times as the summer event that “revolutionized the modern rock festival,” Bonnaroo has drawn high-profile media attention and critical acclaim for two groundbreaking decades.

To celebrate the return of Bonnaroo and to commemorate the festival’s 20th Anniversary, Bonnaroo has created a one-of-a-kind NFT collection including a 1 of 1 special edition of the 2021 lineup poster. This is the first time a music festival has produced an NFT collection and Bonnaroo is so excited to partner with digital artist Archan Nair and premier NFT marketplace Makers Place. These digital works of art will be available exclusively on Makers Place on Saturday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m. CT. Bid on both still and animated versions of the 2021 lineup poster, as well as a special edition animated artwork dedicated to Roofus.

Throughout its 20-year history, Bonnaroo has evolved and innovated to make each and every event more enjoyable, with the safety of its fans, artists, and staff a top priority. Bonnaroo organizers as always will be in regular communication with local health and public safety officials and will continue to abide by relevant recommendations. As it approaches, Bonnaroovians will receive regular updates with the important information needed to plan their trip to The Farm, including any changes to policies and procedures they’ll need to know before entering the festival and campgrounds. Updates will be shared at www.bonnaroo.com, through Bonnaroo’s social media channels, and via the Bonnaroo email list.

“It’s exciting to see Tennessee stages come back to life in time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this internationally acclaimed festival,” said Gov. Bill Lee. “Fans are ready to gather together and celebrate their shared love of music once again. We welcome them back for a full Bonnaroo and what is sure to be a truly unforgettable event!”

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LAMB OF GOD has released the official video for ” Resurrection Man (Live)” from the “Live In Richmond, VA” DVD, which is part of the “Lamb Of God (Deluxe Version)”, out now via Epic Records. The clip was filmed in the band’s native Richmond, Virginia, for a September 2020 livestream.

“‘Resurrection Man’ has been a fun song to watch the fan reaction to and a fun one to play live for the first time,” says guitarist Mark Morton. “We wrote the music for that song quickly and spontaneously in pretty much an afternoon in our jam room. Willie freestyled the opening riff and we built from there. Sometimes it’s cool to just let stuff flow without overthinking things to death. I feel like ‘Resurrection Man’ is a great example of that.”

“Lamb Of God (Deluxe Version)” features the critically acclaimed 2020 release with two bonus tracks and a live version of the album, along with a DVD featuring the first of LAMB OF GOD’s two ultra-successful livestream events from the fall.

In addition to performing “Lamb Of God” in its entirety, the performance features an encore of four songs including “Ruin”, “Contractor”, “512” and the debut live performance of “The Death Of Us”, a new song the band wrote and recorded in quarantine for the “Bill & Ted Face The Music” movie and soundtrack. The DVD also includes a new director’s cut with bonus material. Digital copies will contain only Disc 1 and Disc 2. A separate vinyl edition of “Live From Richmond, VA” will also be available.

The first single from “Lamb Of God (Deluxe Version)”, “Ghost Shaped People”, has already received a response equal to the fervent reception the original release received last June, holding at No. 1 on the Metal Contraband metal radio chart for four weeks in a row.

“Lamb Of God”, the quintet’s first new album in five years, was met with universal acclaim upon release — not only among major rock journalists, but with all strata of metal fans around the world. But critics, media and the industry aside, perhaps the most telling statistic is the year-end U.S. Metal Radio chart, where the new album dominated at No. 1 by a massive margin (over 2,000 more spins than the album at No. 2). “Lamb Of God” spent nine weeks in the No. 1 spot and never left the top 10 since debuting on the chart in February. Metal Radio is the lifeblood of the U.S. metal world, largely staffed by college students and regional tastemakers, playing the music that they know their local metal fans want to hear.

“Lamb Of God” deluxe edition track listing:

Disc 1: “Lamb Of God” Original Album + 2 Bonus Tracks

01. Memento Mori
02. Checkmate
03. Gears
04. Reality Bath
05. New Colossal Hate
06. Resurrection Man
07. Poison Dream (feat. Jamey Jasta)
08. Routes (feat. Chuck Billy)
09. Bloodshot Eyes
10. On The Hook
11. Ghost Shaped People
12. Hyperthermic/Accelerate

Disc 2: “Lamb Of God – Live In Richmond, VA”

01. Memento Mori (Live)
02. Checkmate (Live)
03. Gears (Live)
04. Reality Bath (Live)
05. New Colossal Hate (Live)
06. Resurrection Man (Live)
07. Poison Dream (Live)
08. Routes (Live)
09. Bloodshot Eyes (Live)
10. On The Hook (Live)
11. Contractor (Live)
12. Ruin (Live)
13. The Death Of Us (Live)
14. 512

Disc 3: “Lamb Of God – Live In Richmond, VA” DVD

01. Memento Mori
02. Checkmate
03. Gears
04. Reality Bath
05. New Colossal Hate
06. Resurrection Man
07. Poison Dream
08. Routes
09. Bloodshot Eyes
10. On The Hook
11. Contractor
12. Ruin
13. The Death of Us
14. 512

Digital copies will contain only Disc 1 and Disc 2. A separate vinyl edition of “Lamb Of God – Live In Richmond, VA” will also be available.

“Lamb Of God – Live In Richmond, VA” vinyl track listing:

Side 1

01. Memento Mori
02. Checkmate
03. Gears
04. Reality Bath
05. New Colossal Hate

Side 2

01. Resurrection Man
02. Poison Dream
03. Routes
04. Bloodshot Eyes
05. On The Hook

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German metallers POWERWOLF will release their new album, “Call Of The Wild”, on July 9, 2021 via Napalm Records. A European tour in support of the effort will follow in October. Fans can not only expect brand new heavy metal anthems to be played and chanted along by thousands, but also the biggest and most epic production POWERWOLF has brought to the stage thus far, once again cementing their status as one of the most intense live bands.

“Wolfsnächte 2021” tour dates:

Oct. 01 – DE – Stuttgart / Schleyerhalle
Oct. 02 – CH – Zürich / Samsung Hall
Oct. 04 – ES – Barcelona / Razzmatazz
Oct. 05 – ES – Madrid / Riviera
Oct. 07 – FR – Paris / Zenith
Oct. 08 – UK – London / Roundhouse
Oct. 09 – BE – Antwerp / Lotto Arena
Oct. 10 – NL – Amsterdam / Afas Live
Oct. 12 – IT – Milano / Alcatraz
Oct. 13 – DE – Frankfurt / Jahrhunderthalle
Oct. 15 – DE – Munich / Zenith
Oct. 16 – DE – Oberhausen / König Pilsener Arena
Oct. 17 – CZ – Prague / Tipsport Arena
Oct. 18 – PL – Katowice – MCK
Oct. 20 – HU – Budapest / Arena
Oct. 21 – AT – Vienna / Gasometer
Oct. 22 – DE – Berlin / UFO im Velodrom
Oct. 23 – DE – Hamburg / Sporthalle

POWERWOLF’s seventh album, “The Sacrament Of Sin”, was released in July 2018 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2015’s “Blessed & Possessed” was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with KREATOR, DRAGONFORCE, SEPULTURA and PARADISE LOST, among others.

The story of POWERWOLF, beginning in 2004, reads like a true fairytale, but is the result of one of the most hard-working and entertaining live bands on the heavy metal planet. POWERWOLF has not only received plenty of gold and platinum awards to date, numerous releases have entered the official album charts at the pole position. With “Blessed & Possessed” (2015), POWERWOLF achieved gold status for the first time and stayed at the top of the charts for more than nine weeks, while the predecessor, “Preachers Of The Night” (2013) — as well as the incredible DVD, “The Metal Mass” (2016) — hit the official German album charts at No. 1. POWERWOLF’s holy mass in the name of heavy metal is unstoppable, their latest magnum opus, “The Sacrament of Sin”, again entered the album charts at No. 1. The accompanying “Wolfsnächte” tour, in which POWERWOLF headlined large venues with their phenomenal stage performances, became a single major triumph — as well as the numerous summer festival shows in which the crowds were thrilled and completely captivated by the ‘WOLF.

POWERWOLF is:

Attila Dorn – vocals
Falk Maria Schlegel – organ
Charles Greywolf – guitar
Matthew Greywolf – guitar
Roel van Helden – drums

Photo credit: Matteo Vdiva Fabbiani / VDPICTURES

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Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Swedish progressive metallers OPETH have been forced to push back their “Evolution XXX: By Request” European headline tour, originally planned for this October, to November 2022.

OPETH guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt comments: “So, we’re planning to celebrate a belated band-birthday, also known as BBB. How do we celebrate a thing like this, you ask? Well, we go to work. We are planning a very few select shows in 2021 where you basically have the collective choice of picking the songs for the setlist. Since we celebrate 30 years, we would love to play a song from each album we’ve done. All 13 of them. If you can help us and pick your choice of one song per album from the list, and then we’ll simply play the songs with the most votes. It’s been done before, but not by us. I am reluctant and nervous, but also excited to see what songs you will choose. I can’t really believe we’ve been around for 30 years, but there you go. So please help us. And be gentle. The final setlist will have 13 songs. One from each album. Your call…”

A new tour trailer made by Scott Robinson for Brace For Impact can be seen below.

OPETH’s latest album, “In Cauda Venenum”, was released in September 2019 via Moderbolaget / Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The LP landed at No. 13 on the U.K. chart and No. 5 on the German chart. The band’s previous effort, 2016’s “Sorceress”, peaked at No. 11 on the U.K. chart, while 2014’s “Pale Communion” entered the list at No. 14 and 2011’s “Heritage” landed at No. 22.

Regarding the decision to release “In Cauda Venenum” in Swedish, Åkerfeldt told Revolver: “Doing it in Swedish was just an idea that popped into my head, like, ‘Maybe I should fry my egg in the morning instead of boiling it.’ It wasn’t any deeper than that. And I figured the music climate has changed so much, does it really matter which language it’s in? That was it. And it didn’t have me writing more lyrics — it just had me writing more music. And the music didn’t sound more Swedish or anything like that. But it was a gateway that opened, and it was fun.

Mikael added that he is “not regretting” the fact that “In Cauda Venenum” was also recorded in English. “A lot of people [in the U.S.] are saying they only listened to the English version,” he said. “So I was proven right, in a way. I can say a thousand times that the Swedish version is the original version, but it’s up to people to choose. I can just hope that they check out both versions. But I do think the Swedish version is slightly better — only because it was first. It’s more innocent. With the English version, regardless of what you think about it, that’s me trying to copy a vocal line I had done in another language. So it’s less exciting to me.”

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Finnish melodic metal titans SONATA ARCTICA are a band with a unique sound, driven by different emotions and a touch of melancholy. Today, the band announces the release of its first acoustic album, perfectly titled “Acoustic Adventures – Volume One”, to be released in October 2021 through Nuclear Blast Tonträger Produktions Und Vertriebs Gmbh.

“This acoustic form of SONATA ARCTICA has been slowly brewing for years”, comments vocalist Tony Kakko and explains: “The first manifestation of it, besides the few acoustic versions of songs released throughout the years, was the ‘Acoustic Adventures Tour’ in 2019, which proved to be a great success, sparking an idea to get these songs also recorded and out on an album. Or two albums, at least for starters. Our songs have always been based on beautiful melodies, which makes it very easy to transform and rearrange them perfectly into the acoustic form as well. I should mention that many of the songs work so well dressed in acoustic garments.”

“Acoustic Adventures – Volume One” will be the first part, followed by a second acoustic record, to be released in 2022. “I hope you love these albums as much as we do. There are many, many songs we had to leave out of these ‘Volume One’ and ‘Volume Two’ albums, so nothing would please me more than adding few more volumes in the future,” smiles Kakko and adds: “Looking forward to seeing you on tour again as soon as possible!”

And this tour, dubbed the “Acoustic Adventures MMXXI” tour, is hopefully going to happen in autumn. It’s been a while since SONATA ARCTICA toured Europe, the last time being in 2019. To promote their “Acoustic Adventures – Volume One” release, the band will embark on a journey through 17 European countries. Support will be provided by Swedish hopefuls ELEINE, who will also be presenting an acoustic set.

Keyboardist Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg comments: “Since our ‘Talviyö’ world tour is more or less over, it’s time to look ahead for the next challenge, and since we’ve had so much fun with the acoustic stuff, we decided to make an album as well, and, of course, we will hit the road immediately after that to celebrate the release of it. As of now, we have managed to set up an extensive European tour, and we’re really looking forward to getting out there an play some music for all of you.”

Tour dates:

Oct. 21 – SE – Uppsala, Katalin
Oct. 22 – SE – Östersund, Gamla Teatern
Oct. 23 – NO – Trondheim, Byscenen
Oct. 24 – NO – Oslo, Parkteatret
Oct. 26 – SE – Gothenburg, Valand (Ordensalen)
Oct. 27 – DE – Hamburg, Fabrik
Oct. 28 – NL – Tilburg, 013
Oct. 29 – DE – Bochum, Matrix
Oct. 30 – NL – Utrecht, Pandora
Nov. 01 – UK – London, Islington Assembly Hall
Nov. 03 – FR – Paris/Vaureal, Le Forum
Nov. 04 – FR – Lyon, CCO
Nov. 05 – ES – Barcelona, Salamandra
Nov. 06 – ES – Bilbao, Santana 27
Nov. 07 – ES – Madrid, Mon
Nov. 09 – ES – Sevilla, Custom
Nov. 10 – ES – Murcia, Garaje
Nov. 11 – ES – Pamplona, Totem
Nov. 12 – FR – Toulouse, Le Metronom
Nov. 13 – FR – Nantes, Le Ferrailleur
Nov. 14 – BE – Sint-Niklaas, De Casino
Nov. 16 – DE – Nürnberg, Hirsch
Nov. 17 – CH – Pratteln, Z7
Nov. 18 – IT – Milan, Live Club
Nov. 19 – SLO – Ljubljana, Orto Bar
Nov. 21 – BG – Sofia, Music Jam
Nov. 22 – RO – Bukarest, Quantic Club
Nov. 23 – RO – Cluj-Napoca, FORM Space
Nov. 25 – AT – Wien, Szene
Nov. 26 – HU – Budapest, Akvarium
Nov. 27 – CZ – Zlin, Winter Masters of Rock
Nov. 28 – PL – Warsaw, Proxima
Nov. 29 – DE – Berlin, Columbia Theater
Dec. 01 – DE – München, Technikum
Dec. 02 – DE – Köln, Essigfabrik
Dec. 03 – DE – Passau, Zauberberg
Dec. 04 – DE – Speyer, Halle 101

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In the latest issue of Rock Candy magazine, editor Howard Johnson interviews the man who almost replaced legendary AC/DC frontman Bon Scott after the singer’s untimely death in 1980.

Steve Burton was an unknown vocalist in Birmingham, England, earning a living working as a roadie for a number of bands, including JUDAS PRIEST. Two roadie friends from Birmingham, Terry Lee and Keith Evans, were working for AC/DC — Terry as lighting director and Keith as Angus Young’s guitar tech. When Bon died on February 19, 1980, both suggested “Burtie” for the vacant vocalist’s slot.

“I went down to London to audition for the band,” Burtie confirms in the Rock Candy interview. “I got along fine with everyone and thought I did well, but for whatever reason, I didn’t get the gig, and it went to Brian Johnson, of course. But I must have made an impression on the band, because soon afterwards I got a call asking if I’d be interested in working with Angus and Malcolm Young’s nephew, Stevie. He was putting a new band together in Birmingham and Malcolm had told him he should get hold of me.”

Stevie and Burtie ended up forming STARFIGHTERS, and within three months, the band was offered the support slot on the U.K. leg of AC/DC’s “Back In Black” tour. Malcolm was so impressed with the group that he ended up working with STARFIGHTERS on a demo that led to the band signing to Jive Records.

“We played the last show of the tour at the Victoria Apollo Theatre in London,” recalls Burtie. “And as soon as AC/DC had finished their set, Malcolm came off stage, toweled himself down, threw his jacket on and jumped in the minibus with us. We went straight to Morgan Studios in Willesden and from 11 o’clock at night until nine the next morning, we recorded, with Malcolm helping us out. We did two songs, ‘Alley Cat Blues’ and ‘Rock ‘Em Dead’, and those two songs got us signed to Jive.”

STARFIGHTERS recorded two albums for Jive, “Starfighters” in 1981 and “In-Flight Movie” in 1982, but success proved elusive and the group soon split.

“I’d given up everything for the band,” says Burtie. “Because you know how it is. You’re on your way to stardom, you’re going to settle in America, all that stuff. I ended up working in my mate’s caff in Birmingham for two years flipping burgers.” The singer isn’t bitter, though, despite his former bandmate Stevie Young having gone on to replace Malcolm in AC/DC back in 2014.

“I’ve never been jealous of anyone’s success,” says Burtie. “Whatever happens in life you’ve got to carry on, whether it be playing in a band or shoveling shit all day.”

Read this, and many other fascinating stories — including how Ronnie James Dio nearly joined glam rock band SWEET — in issue 25 of Rock Candy.

Rock Candy is a 100-page, full-color bi-monthly rock mag, created in the U.K. It covers the sights, sounds and smells from the greatest era in hard rock music, the ’70s and ’80s. Put together by respected U.K. rock journalists Derek Oliver, Howard Johnson and Malcolm Dome — all frontline writers for the legendary Kerrang! magazine in the golden era — Rock Candy is available in print format with a free digital download version for anyone who buys the mag online at www.rockcandymag.com.

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