Month: March 2021

YouTube user “Resident Angel” has uploaded professionally filmed video footage of former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate taking part in an intimate acoustic performance on February 13 at the Everett Theatre in Everett, Washington. The socially distanced event operated at 25% capacity which equated to about 100 people in total watching the show inside the venue. Check it out below.

Last month, Tate announced around a dozen U.S. dates in late summer and fall as part of a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE’s “Empire” and “Rage For Order” albums.

Early last year, Tate was forced to postpone a number of his tour dates due to the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the globe.

Tate spent the first two months of 2020 performing the QUEENSRŸCHE albums “Rage For Order” and “Empire” in their entirety on the “Empire 30th Anniversary Tour”, which kicked off in January in Norway. Prior to that, Geoff celebrated the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE’s “Operation: Mindcrime” album on European and U.S. tours.

Tate’s post-QUEENSRŸCHE band OPERATION: MINDCRIME released three albums over three years as part of a trilogy: “The Key” (September 2015), “Resurrection” (September 2016) and “The New Reality” (December 2017).

In 2019, Geoff released the debut album from SWEET OBLIVION via Frontiers Music Srl. The project saw Tate teaming up with a stellar cast of Italian musicians led by Simone Mularoni, the mastermind of prog metal masters DGM. The second SWEET OBLIVION album, “Relentless”, will arrive on April 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. This time the production was handled by Italian metal maestro Aldo Lonobile (SECRET SPHERE, TIMO TOLKKI’S AVALON, ARCHON ANGEL).

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012.

Tate was replaced in QUEENSRŸCHE by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.

The show at the Everett theatre is now SOLD OUT.
Thanks to everyone who bought a ticket.

You can still get your…

Posted by Geoff Tate on Friday, February 5, 2021

Throughout March and April, some of the world’s greatest guitarists will come together to raise money and celebrate the music of legendary guitarist and composer Jason Becker, who has been living with ALS for over 30 years and continues to compose and record music.

The virtual event, hosted in part by DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li, will include three components:

1) A livestream telethon-style fundraiser on Twitch: special guests will appear on Herman Li’s Twitch channel to play, jam and participate in fan-generated challenges with all money raised going directly to Jason’s medical trust. Over $13,000 has been raised so far. Visit Jasonbecker.com or twitch.tv/hermanli for a full schedule of livestream guests.

2) Artists will donate signed guitars, merch and other rare items which will be sold via a special Reverb shop to benefit Jason. Details to be announced.

3) Three of Jason’s most important guitars will be auctioned off later this year, including the guitars seen on the covers of “Perpetual Burn”, “Speed Metal Symphony” and the original “Numbers” guitar played by Eddie Van Halen. Details to be announced.

Musicians participating in the fundraiser include:

Marty Friedman
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Steve Lukather
Mark Tremonti
John Petrucci
Kiko Loureiro
Tosin Abasi
Nita Strauss
Orianthi
Devin Townsend
David Ellefson
Michael Angelo Batio
Guthrie Govan
Tim Henson
Alex Skolnick
Albert Lee
Matt Heafy
Zoltan Bathory
Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal
Satchel
John 5
Gus G
Nili Brosh
Jason Richardson
The Dooo
Jared Dines
Ola Englund
Steve Terreberry
Tyler Larson
Cole Rolland
Thomas McRocklin
Rusty Cooley
Mattias IA Eklundh
Sam Totman
Chris Broderick
Lari Basilio
Sophie Lloyd
Federico Mondelli and Fabiola Bellomo
Alex Lee
Stevie Salas
Elliot Easton
Mika Tyyska
Daniel Dekay
N&M Creation

Event co-organizer Herman Li says: “I’ve been a huge fan of Jason Becker since I was young, and it’s one of the biggest honors of my life to be able to help organize this tribute and rase money for him. I still have a Jason Becker poster in my studio in London. It’s been very inspiring to see everyone coming together to celebrate Jason.”

Becker says: “I am so grateful for all the love and support everyone has given to me and my family. As far as selling my guitars being sad, and that I shouldn’t have to do it, I just want you to know that isn’t how I feel. It makes me happy to see others playing my music. I feel good about passing on my guitars, thinking they mean something to others. I can’t play them now, but other folks can. That’s a good thing. And I want myself and my family not to have to worry about money, if possible. Thank you for all the love. I send it right back to you.”

Visit Jasonbecker.com or twitch.tv/hermanli for a full schedule of livestream guests.

Becker’s story is one of brilliance, talent, determination, adversity, and, ultimately, triumph. A child prodigy on guitar, Jason rose to prominence as a teenager when he was one half of the technical guitar duo CACOPHONY, with his great friend Marty Friedman. In 1989, at only 19 years old and after wowing audiences all over the world, the young virtuoso became the guitarist for David Lee Roth, following in the huge footsteps of Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai. He wrote and recorded on Roth’s third solo album, “A Little Ain’t Enough”, and was poised for superstardom when a nagging pain in his leg was diagnosed as Motor Neurone Disease (MND), also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, the same condition Stephen Hawking lived with for over five decades. It is a fatal condition with a life expectancy of maybe five years. Maybe.

That was more than 30 years ago. He lost the ability to play guitar, walk, talk, and breathe on his own. But never lost his will to live or his desire to create music. Communicating through a series of eye movements with a system developed by his father, Jason spells out words as well as musical notes and chords. He imparts his musical vision to his team who then can input the notes into a computer, edit the parts to his exacting standards, and then generate charts for session musicians. His inspiring music and life story have been the subject of countless news articles and magazine cover stories.

Becker’s latest album, “Triumphant Hearts”, was released in December 2018 via Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group. The disc features guest appearances by a who’s who of six-string gods, including Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Neal Schon, Steve Morse, Paul Gilbert and Joe Bonamassa.

ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS vocalist Myles Kennedy spoke to Terrie Carr of the Morristown, New Jersey radio station 105.5 WDHA about the overwhelmingly positive response to “Distance”, the debut single from MAMMOTH WVH, the band led by his friend Wolfgang Van Halen. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It’s very exciting. And it’s nice when you’ve been having discussions with people, and then they see it, and they’re, like, ‘Yeah.’ I mean, it’s true — he’s just this force of nature; he can do it all.

“Yeah, I’m absolutely thrilled for him. And I’m really happy to see how — it’s given me faith in humans again. After his father [legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen] passed away and everybody just poured in with so much love for the guy, and then he releases this beautiful song, and it’s found its place in the world. It’s a beautiful cycle of just good, positive energy.

“So, yeah, I’m super proud of Wolfie. And he’s gonna have a good run.”

“Distance”, which Wolfgang wrote while his late father battled cancer, was not originally intended to be on MAMMOTH WVH’s upcoming self-titled debut album, but due to the overwhelming response, it has been added as a bonus track. All of Wolfgang’s proceeds from “Distance” are being donated to Mr. Holland’s Opus.

“Mammoth WVH” will be released on June 11 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

“Distance” is an open letter to Wolfgang’s father, declaring “no matter what the distance is, I will be with you.” The accompanying music video for the song is created from a collection of family home movies through the years and offers an inside look in to one of music’s most notable personalities. Chronicling the family through the years, the video ends with a touching voicemail left from Eddie to his son.

Myles will release his sophomore solo album, “The Ides Of March”, on May 14 via Napalm Records. Myles recorded “The Ides Of March” with his cohorts from his “Year Of The Tiger” debut — longtime friend and drummer Zia Uddin and bassist/manager Tim Tournier — along with longtime producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette.

Puck Hcky, the hockey-based fashion brand, has announced a new relationship with GWAR to deliver a new collection of items.

Matt Marini, CEO of Puck Hcky, said: “Are you kidding? How insane is it that we have had requests from all over the planet to hook up with GWAR on some hockey jerseys? How could we say no? Well, we couldn’t… we were given no choice! We love it that both humans and non-humans have asked us for these!”

Berserker Blothar of GWAR added: “Drop the gloves and get ready to see blood on the ice! Wear your GWAR hockey jersey with pride and show support for Antarctica’s home team, the mighty GWAR!”

The Gwar X Puck Hcky collection includes pro-level quality hockey-themed items like crested hockey jerseys, with more to come soon.

The collection has just dropped and is available at www.puckhcky.com.

Rob Zombie’s “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Conspiracy Theory” has landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart with first-week sales of 26,000 copies in the U.S.

The Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales.

Six of Zombie’s previous solo studio albums have also reached the top 10: “Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser” (No. 5 in 2016), “Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor” (No. 7, 2013), “Hellbilly Deluxe 2” (No. 8, 2010), “Educated Horses” (No. 5, 2006), “The Sinister Urge” (No. 8, 2001) and “Hellbilly Deluxe” (No. 5, 1998).

20,000 of “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Conspiracy Theory”‘s first-week sales came from physical album sales, with digital albums registering 6,000.

“The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy” is the third consecutive effort to feature Zombie and guitarist John 5 alongside bassist Piggy D. and drummer Ginger Fish.

Regarding the “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy” album title, Rob said: “I like to try to think of an album title that you’ve never heard before — even though it’s probably one that you cannot remember. ‘Cause nothing bothers me more than when I see the same title on multiple records. I’m, like, ‘C’mon, man. There’s a lot of words out there.’ And I don’t just string crazy stuff together, even though it sounds like it… I spend a long time on the title, and it changes constantly. When I first start the record, I don’t know what anything is gonna be called, I don’t know what it’s gonna sound like. And then as the record starts forming, I start coming up with multiple titles, or ideas for titles. And then, by the time the record’s done, I usually have what I think might be the title. And everyone’s, like, ‘What’s the title? What’s the title?’ And I’m, like, ‘Ehhh… I don’t know yet,’ even though I do know. And then I start messing around with the artwork, and then I’ll change the title again, because I’m, like, ‘Oh, now that doesn’t look like that. It doesn’t fit.’ So, as random as it may all seem, I spent a lot of time trying to [find the right title for the record]. And hopefully, when you’re done listening to the record, what may sound like nonsense before you hear the music, after you’ve heard all the music, you can think to yourself, ‘Well, of course, the only thing this album could have been called is ‘The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy’.”

On the topic of why it took such a long time to release “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy”, Rob told Consequence Of Sound: “The record has been completely finished for a long time, because what happened was the whole record was completely finished before I made [my latest movie] ‘3 From Hell’. I thought, ‘Okay, we’re going to finish this record, and then we’ll go on tour’ — because movies take so long to get funded and up and running, but then suddenly I had the funding for ‘3 From Hell’. So I’m like, ‘Okay, I’ll just shelve the album right now.’ But we did do some more touring ’cause I did another ‘Twins Of Evil’ tour, but I was like, ‘The tour is just one summer. I don’t want to put out the record. We’re not really there yet. We’ll just, we’ll just hold it.’ And then we were all ready to do a tour and release the record and the whole big thing, and then pandemic hit. So I was, like, ‘Oh crap. Well now we can’t do it.’ So we shelved it again, but we had never made an official release date, so no one knew we were shelving it. And then after just being stuck for so long with this pandemic that seems like it’s never going to end, I was like, ‘Let’s put this out.’ People are stuck at home, they’re listening to music. It’s frustrating. I don’t want to sit on this thing for freaking five years. So that’s why we decided to put it out.”

As for his earlier statements that both he and John 5 made declaring “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy” the best Rob Zombie album yet, Rob said: “It can be a very hollow statement because everybody says that [when they release a new album] — what are they supposed to say? But I feel the last three records have really been on an upward trajectory. When you have a career that’s long — it started in 1985 — you kind of have peaks and valleys, not just sales-wise or whatever, but just even creativity-wise. You kind of tap into a vein of something, and then that kind of expires and you’re like, ‘Oh, where are we going now? I don’t want to just like keep repeating ourselves.’ And sometimes you get stuck. Even if you’re still making good records, you don’t feel inspired.

“The ‘Venomous Rat’ record was the record that felt re-inspired,” he continued. “It was the record when Ginger Fish joined the band, and it seemed like for the first time we had a solid band. Up until then, there was always somebody coming or going, and it really fucks with the chemistry of the band. Even if the new person is a great person and they’re an amazing musician, sometimes the chemistry is not there. So, that’s why I think the last three records have really locked into a vein of, ‘Okay, this is who we are and what we do, and it’s really been working.’ So, I think that’s why we felt that way about the new record.”

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

With the likes of NIGHTWISH, WITHIN TEMPATION, EPICA and BEYOND THE BLACK doing big and even bigger things, symphonic metal hardly needs an injection of fresh blood at this point and is doing far better than anyone could have predicted 25 years ago. But even though logic dictates that there is only so much room at the top, IMPERIA have become increasingly impressive over the years and, with “The Last Horizon”, now sound very much like heavyweight contenders.

Neither in thrall to the pop-metal detours of their high-profile Dutch peers, nor to the classic, textbook symphonic metal bombast, the band’s signature sound incorporates everything from brooding, PARADISE LOST-style gothic chug, to flat-out musical theater euphoria, but with robust melodic sensibilities and the ludicrous vocal talents of Helena Iren Michaelsen holding everything together. Married here to some of the best songs IMPERIA have penned to date, it’s a formula that loudly blurs the line between familiarity and originality, quite possibly bringing the ceiling down in the process, such is the floor-disturbing oomph ingrained in its crystal-clear production.

Michaelsen is the star of the show, as ever, and it’s her death-defying versatility that sells these songs as she switches from pure and gently soulful to spiky and rough-hewn, before (nearly always) transforming into a powerhouse soprano for those all-important crescendos. She’s an absolute powerhouse throughout “The Last Horizon”, bringing sweetness and disarming clarity to the melodic rock thud of “Where Are You Now” and a sense of overwhelming drama and dream-like wonder to “My Other Half”. On the heavier, crunchier likes of opener “Dream Away” and the dark and doomy “To Valhalla I Ride”, IMPERIA bring an old-school succinctness to bear on otherwise rich and multi-layered material, with Michaelsen audibly reveling in the bluster. Even better, “I Still Remember” is a gleaming colossus of a power ballad: embellished with wistful, folk-tinged ephemera, blessed with a Herculean chorus and delivered with stately force, it’s a jaw-dropping showcase for the singer in particular. Elsewhere, “I Send You My Love” delivers a genuine curveball, mutating from skittering electronics and a glowering, sub-bass pulse to reverb-drenched piano reverie.

Six albums in, IMPERIA have more than earned the right to scuttle up the symphonic metal ladder a rung or three. “The Last Horizon” delivers the goods while setting this band apart from the overblown pack in lots of subtle and enticing ways.

Proponents of death metal — including musicians, fans and everyone in between — have a tendency of taking themselves too seriously. Sure, a serious demeanor and outlook go hand in hand with some of the darker and occult-obsessed bands, but when many take the grimacing look and spirit to an extreme, the try-hard nature actually backfires. On the flip side, joke bands might be funny the first time around, but once you’ve heard the joke, it’s not funny the second time. Midwestern upstarts SANGUISUGABOGG strike an interesting balance, however. The gore-obsessed death metallers are openly having a good time, and their over-the-top themes are oftentimes tongue-in-cheek. And yet their music is cleverly constructed, significantly unique, and most certainly memorable. The act’s debut full-length, “Tortured Whole”, is likely to make waves across the extreme metal underground globally.

Death metal bands mystique was facilitated back in the day by their names traveling across the pages of fanzines, “proper” print magazines, tape trading and then with webzines at the onset of the internet. But with the internet snowballing its way through and over every avenue of life, the mystery of death and black metal bands was destined to history. SANGUISUGABOGG have fully embraced the fact that technology allows us to listen to and read about bands while scrolling through our smart phones. Balls deep in social media memes, their frontman, Devin Swank, has even been open to lyrical and song title input from fans via his Facebook page.

MORTICIAN may be one of the best reference points in that SANGUISUGABOGG similarly forwards a down-tuned, horror-obsessed death metal that includes extremely low vocals, evidenced as early as the lyrically and musically disgusting opener “Menstrual Envy”. But there is much more at hand. The riffs are decidedly inclined toward classic American death metal bands, while the delivery is much more contemporary, and in many ways comparable to slam. Founding guitarist Cameron Boggs actually cites Memphis hip-hop as the source for the band’s groove-oriented tendencies, a quality that’s definitely evident early on the track “Gored In The Chest”. The Ohio band’s appreciation of nineties American death metal shines through as the song progresses with a mid-tempo surge setting the stage for swirling riffs that should satiate old-school death metal fans.

Interludes like “Pornographic” fit into the album’s sound and sequencing, providing much needed breaks within the bludgeoning that would otherwise feel too monotonous, relatively speaking. The rhythm section, drummer Cody Davidson and bassist Ced Davis, provides a solid foundation throughout. Davidson proves himself to be the album’s anchor, guiding the band with his fluid tempo shifts that entirely turn the course and provide a dramatic appeal on songs like the title track and the eloquently entitled “Dick Filet”.

SANGUISUGABOGG is the next big thing in death metal. They aren’t necessarily doing a lot that we haven’t heard before, but their presentation and delivery of familiar sounds is unique and expressed with a passion that’s contagious. “Tortured Whole” is the breath of fresh air that death metal needed. This isn’t DEICIDE circa 1990, but for fans of brutal death metal of any era, “Tortured Whole” is an absolutely savage album that’s worth digging into.

JUDAS PRIEST’s Rob Halford has just received his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

On Monday (March 22), the 69-year-old singer, who lives in Phoenix, Arizona, took to his social media to share a photo of him holding his “Vaccination Record Card” while sitting in his car, and he wrote in an accompanying message: “‘done’ #heavymetal #ink #tattoo #metal #motivation #boost #selfcare #maniacs #staypositive #community #defender #you #me #us #love #family #friends #fans #one #world #peace #respect #all”.

A recent poll from the Pew Research Center showed that more than two-thirds of U.S. adults plan on getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

The poll, released earlier in the month, found that 69 percent of adults say they are going to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

The Pew poll showed that 19% of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, 32% say they will definitely get the vaccine and 17% say they will probably get it.

The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has estimated that about 70-85% of Americans would need to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity.

America’s two main vaccines have shown 95% efficacy against the coronavirus.

As of late January, the CDC discovered that only 11 per 1 million people experienced severe reactions from the Pfizer vaccine, and only 2.5 per 1 million people who received the Moderna dose.

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, which became available in the United States earlier this month after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave it emergency use authorization, was tested with new variants of COVID-19, and has shown to be effective against them; Pfizer and Moderna were tested prior to the emergence of these variants.

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In a new interview with Atlanta’s Rock 100.5 radio station, Alice Cooper was asked which band he would sing for if he wasn’t fronting his own outfit. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I think probably the FOO FIGHTERS. Only because they’re exactly… When they do my songs, they do it exactly like the band. I mean, it’s amazing. I’ve done a bunch of things with the FOO FIGHTERS, and a lot of their influence was Alice Cooper. The guys in the band, they said they learned how to play listening to our early albums. So when I go up on stage with the FOO FIGHTERS, they nail my songs — they do ’em exactly the way they should be done. So I’d probably be in that band, if they ever needed a really sick lead singer.”

He went on to praise the musicianship in FOO FIGHTERS, saying: “First of all, they’ve got the two best drummers. People keep forgetting that Dave Grohl… The first time I saw NIRVANA, I looked right past the first two guys, and I said, ‘Who’s this drummer?’ ‘Cause he was really good; he stuck out. And I said, ‘If that band ever breaks up, I’m going for that drummer.’ … I went up and did a couple of songs with [FOO FIGHTERS drummer Taylor Hawkins’s] band also. And he is really something. Hawkins is the Energizer bunny.”

Alice’s new studio album, “Detroit Stories”, was released on February 26 via earMUSIC.

Named for the city that launched the original Alice Cooper group on the road to success, “Detroit Stories” follows 2019’s “Breadcrumbs” EP as a modern-day homage to the toughest and craziest rock and roll scene there ever was.

“Detroit Stories” was recorded with producer Bob Ezrin, mostly in Royal Oak with Detroit musicians and featuring a mix of original material alongside covers of songs by Bob Seger, the MC5, Mitch Ryder’s DETROIT and OUTRAGEOUS CHERRY.

Cooper recently said that his next studio album will be the first to feature the current lineup of his solo band: Tommy Henriksen (guitar), Nita Strauss (guitar), Ryan Roxie (guitar), Chuck Garric (bass) and Glen Sobel (drums).