Month: March 2021

According to The Republic reporter Jordan Morey, Jon Schaffer has been moved from the Marion County Jail, nearly eight weeks after U.S. Magistrate for the Southern District of Indiana judge Mark Dinsmore signed an order for the ICED EARTH guitarist to appear in D.C.’s district court.

The 53-year-old musician, who resides in in Edinburgh, Indiana, is facing six federal criminal charges after he was accused of spraying a police officer with a pepper-based bear repellant during the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Marion County Jail staff told The Republic Monday morning that Schaffer had been moved from the facility, but did not confirm his location. Indianapolis FBI special agent Steve Secor said Schaffer was still in Indiana as of Monday morning.

Last week, Schaffer’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the charges against the guitarist for his involvement in the insurrection. Court documents filed on March 9 request that he be released immediately under the claim that the government has violated the Speedy Trial Act, which establishes maximum time periods for different stages of a federal criminal prosecution. Since the Speedy Trial Act required the government to file an information or an indictment within 30 days of Schaffer’s arrest, the “complaint must be dismissed,” Schaffer’s attorneys wrote.

Schaffer waived his preliminary hearing as well as his rights to an identity hearing and production of a warrant in late January in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, court documents state. He was supposed to be transported by a United States marshal to Washington, D.C. where government lawyers and Schaffer’s legal team have mutually agreed to handle all proceedings.

Schaffer is entitled to a hearing on the issue of pretrial detention upon his arrival in D.C., court documents said.

Nearly eight weeks ago, government lawyers asked the judge to not offer Schaffer a bond when he goes in front of U.S. magistrate.

Schaffer must prove to the federal magistrate that he is not a threat to himself or the public before being released on bail. Others who have been charged for insurrection at the Capitol have been given bail but ordered to surrender their firearms, avoid contact with other alleged Capitol rioters and stay away from all state capitol buildings. Some other alleged rioters have been prohibited from using social media and participating in any political rallies.

Last month, a man resembling Schaffer was seen in newly released security footage from the U.S. Capitol riot that the House impeachment managers obtained and submitted as evidence for former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial. The clip in question, which was released by CNN on February 15, shows rioters charging through a breached entrance and engaging and pushing officers. Schaffer can be seen near the front of the mob, wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, a tactical vest and black leather fingerless tactical gloves, and pointing his finger while yelling at the officers.

Schaffer was photographed wearing an “Oath Keepers Lifetime Member” cap during the insurrection. The Oath Keepers describe themselves as an association of former law enforcement and military personnel dedicated to “support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” But the Anti-Defamation League describes it as “a large but loosely organized collection of right-wing anti-government extremists who are part of the militia movement, which believes that the federal government has been coopted by a shadowy conspiracy that is trying to strip American citizens of their rights.”

Schaffer had been held in the Marion County Jail since surrendering to police on January 17. He made his first court appearance the following day.

Just hours after the insurrection, ICED EARTH fans recognized Schaffer in a photo released by federal investigators.

Schaffer is believed to be one of at least 400 people who are being investigated by FBI officials over their roles in the insurrection.

More than 250 criminal cases have been filed so far. Charges include unauthorized access, theft, damage to government property and assault on law enforcement officers.

I was told this morning that Jon Schaffer has been moved from the Marion County Jail, but is not currently in Washington D.C. https://t.co/nOvXufKXt9
— Jordan Morey (@JordanAMorey) March 15, 2021

On Saturday, March 13, Zoltan Bathory, founding guitarist of platinum rock band FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, was awarded his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt by his instructors, four-time world champion and seventh degree red/black belt, master Royler Gracie, and fift degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Professor Mica Cipili.

Bathory is a lifelong martial artist often featured in martial arts magazines. He is also a judo black belt, a wing chun kung fu practitioner under grand master Randy Williams and earned his U.S. Army modern combatives close quarter combat instructor certificate under Professor John Simons III and Professor Iako Kalili.

Zoltan began his jiu-jitsu journey in 2008 after a training session with the legendary UFC Hall Of Famer Royce Gracie.

“I’ve been practicing judo since I was nine years old, but I was always interested in jiu-jitsu as i knew about the Gracie family’s open challenge (which later became the UFC),” Zoltan said. “Famous martial artists would travel to Brazil to fight them and the Gracies remained undefeated decade after decade. Many years later as an adult I finally had an opportunity to go to the source and train with probably the most recognized martial artist of all time next to Bruce Lee, the legendary Royce Gracie. After the session I asked him for a white belt and then began my jiu-jitsu journey. For a while, I would travel around the world with Royce’s brother Royler Gracie who is one of the most decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighters of all time. I’d partake in his seminars everywhere he’d go. Later I joined Professor Mica Cipili’s Gracie Las Vegas team which I’ve called home for the last 12 years.”

About keeping up with the training regimen despite his busy schedule, Zoltan said: “All of our security guys are jiu-jitsu black belts. It’s a requirement for the position so I can train while we are on the road. When I’m home, I train at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu academies in Las Vegas, and I also have a personal dojo in my house.”

Since its debut in 2007, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has become one of the most recognizable names in music. The band has amassed over 7.5 billion streams, 24 Top 10 singles, eleven No. 1 singles and has sold over one million concert tickets in just the past two years alone. Every record since the release of their first album, “The Way Of The Fist”, has been certified gold or platinum by the RIAA, and the band has earned numerous awards and honors.

Sammy Hagar and his CIRCLE bandmates have once again teamed up via the Internet, this time to record a version of “Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)” is a 1978 song, written and originally recorded by Moon Martin, and sung a year later by Robert Palmer.

In a statement accompanying the YouTube release of the CIRCLE version of “Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)”, Sammy wrote: “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 #FingersCrossed #DoctorOrders #TheCure #LiveRockAndRoll”.

SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE released their massively popular “Lockdown Sessions” as an album collection titled “Lockdown 2020” on January 8.

“Lockdown Sessions” began in March 2020, when the COVID-19 shelter-at-home order went into effect. With time on their hands and their upcoming tour in limbo, the band’s legendary drummer Jason Bonham challenged Hagar, Michael Anthony and Vic Johnson to record a warmup jam they’d been playing backstage before concerts for several years. Equipped with iPhones and their respective instruments, they each laid down their individual tracks from the den, music room, closet and even showers of their homes, and “Funky Feng Shui” and the band’s “Lockdown Sessions” were born.

“When we first start doing these lockdown sessions, it was only meant to stay in touch with the fans until we could get back out on the road again,” Hagar explained. “But as the weeks and months drew on, it also became a fun way to keep the band together, musically and creatively.”

Over the next eight months, their “Lockdown Sessions” became a hit with critics and fans alike, producing 10 tracks and reaching an online audience approaching 30 million. The sessions gave the band the opportunity to throw down raw and raucous compact covers of classic hits that they’d jammed to backstage but never planned to record, including THE WHO’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds”, AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie” and more. When plans for an album came to fruition around the holidays, the band came together to record one more track, a cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes” which they’d offer as an instant download or single purchase.

“With the addition of ‘Heroes’, it made sense to help those who are struggling from the effects of COVID-19,” Hagar said. “It probably wouldn’t have happened without it.”

On March 14, 2020, MANOWAR played its long-awaited first-ever concert in Mexico, headlining the Hell & Heaven Metal Fest in Mexico City. This historic event was recorded in highest definition, with over 15 8K and 4K cameras, a drone and immersive audio setup. The resulting footage will soon be released on Blu-ray, DVD and digital platforms under the title “Hell On Earth VI” (formerly “The Final Battle”). The latest trailer for the set is available below.

The band’s setlist was as follows:

01. Manowar
02. Brothers Of Metal Pt. 1
03. Blood Of My Enemies
04. Call To Arms
05. Hand Of Doom
06. Sons Of Odin
07. Swords In The Wind
08. Bass Solo
09. Battle Hymn
10. Thor (The Powerhead)
11. Kings Of Metal
12. Fighting The World
13. Hail And Kill
14. House Of Death
15. King Of Kings

Encore:

16. Joey’s Speech
17. Warriors Of The World
18. Black Wind, Fire And Steel

MANOWAR released a new EP, “The Final Battle I”, in March 2019. Parts II and III of the trilogy will arrive at a later date, inspired by MANOWAR’s adventures on the remainder of “The Final Battle”.

In 2019, MANOWAR recruited Anders Johansson as the band’s new drummer.

The Swedish musician made his live debut with MANOWAR in March 2019 in Brno, Czech Republic.

Johansson can be heard on “The Final Battle I”, which was initially made available in an exclusive pre-sale at the merchandise booth of the band’s “The Final Battle” world tour.

Former MANOWAR guitarist Karl Logan was arrested in August 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina and charged with six counts of third-degree exploitation of a minor. He was jailed after pleading guilty to two child-pornography counts.

A few days after Karl’s arrest was made public, MANOWAR issued a statement saying that he would no longer perform with the group. He has since been replaced by E.V. Martel, who previously played in a MANOWAR tribute band.

Alice Cooper was the featured guest on BBC’s “The Rock Show With Johnnie Walker” during the “Rock God” segment. Cooper picked legendary guitarist Jeff Beck and stated about his choice: “Jeff Beck, I think, is still the most creative guitar player out there — ever since THE YARDBIRDS and even before, maybe.

“We actually opened for THE YARDBIRDS when we were 16 years old, 17 years old. We were THE SPIDERS in Phoenix. And they couldn’t have been much older than us; they were probably 19 or 20. We were THE YARDBIRDS band in Phoenix — still in high school. And we got up on stage — [there were] a thousand kids there — and we played all THE YARDBIRDS songs. And they were in the back. And I could see Jeff and I could see Keith Relf and all the guys. Every time we finished a song, they’d give us a thumbs up, ’cause we were pretty good; we actually did their songs pretty good. And then they got on stage and blew us off the stage, because they were THE YARDBIRDS.

“I’d never seen anybody play guitar like that — so cocky,” he continued. “And at the time, you can imagine, he was showing off as much as he could and he was amazing. And the guitar looked like it had been dragged behind the bus for years — an old Telecaster with big chips out of it, and everything — and he made that thing sound like a Stradivarius. Since then, I’ve seen him play with Eric Clapton at Madison Square Garden. And, of course, I’m a friend of his. And on top of it, he builds ’32 Ford Roadsters. How do you beat that?

“Johnny Depp and I were both backstage here in Phoenix talking to him, and while he’s talking to us, he’s just noodling on the guitar. And what he’s playing should have been recorded, ’cause it was just, like, perfection.

“So, Jeff Beck, still going, still going strong, playing as good now as he ever has.”

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).

In a new interview with Metal Express Radio, Todd La Torre, who has fronted QUEENSRŸCHE for nearly a decade, spoke about the decline of the music industry as consumers value access over ownership and experiences over assets.

“Honestly, I hate the business,” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “I don’t like the business. I love the art, I like the people that enjoy the shows, but as far as the music business, I fucking hate it.

“When we did the 2013 [self-titled QUEENSRŸCHE] record, I remember Jimbo — James Barton; he was the producer and engineer on that 2013 album; he’s the guy that did ‘[Operation:] Mindcrime’ and ‘Empire’ and ‘Promised Land’ — he said, ‘Your record is a business card to get them to come to a live show.’ And I thought, ‘Wow!’ He was right, but I’m thinking you spent so much time writing lyrics, crafting music, getting the arrangements right — everything just right — tens of thousands of dollars to make, and then promotion and all this, and then somebody’s, like, ‘This fucking sucks.’ And it’s, like, what do you do? What music have you ever written or created and put yourself out there with such critique… Well, I wouldn’t even say it’s critiquing — it’s just criticism. There’s a difference between criticism and critique.

“But yeah, it’s become a joke,” he continued. “When [the file-sharing service] Napster started, everyone was, like, ‘Holy crap!’ And now, it’s, like, the records that we sell, the numbers — you can’t even compare ’em. An I think they should change the standards — what’s considered gold now. Unless you’re just the top sliver, the skimming of the water, those are the bands that are still — maybe they sell a million records or many millions of records. But I think now it’s, like, 1,500 streams equals one album purchase, which is, like… it’s pathetic.”

“The live aspect is fun, and the camaraderie with the guys in the band is great, ’cause we’re always joking and laughing and goofing around. But it’s tough,” Todd added. “If I weren’t in QUEENSRŸCHE and was able to earn what I earn, I would not be doing this. I wouldn’t be in a band trying to survive touring — I wouldn’t do it. For me, at my age… At 20, okay, maybe you’re full of that ambition and this big pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. For me, it’s not as important, that stuff. The music is important, but the fame and all that kind of stuff… Acknowledgment and some notoriety for your abilities is great. But other than that, it’s a really hard life.”

The original lineup of QUEENSRŸCHE — singer Geoff Tate, guitarists Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton, bassist Eddie Jackson and drummer Scott Rockenfield — achieved multi-platinum success with its 1990 album “Empire”, which included the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit “Silent Lucidity”. QUEENSRŸCHE underwent several lineup changes in the last 25 years, the most notable one being when then-CRIMSON GLORY vocalist La Torre replaced Tate in 2012.

To date, QUEENSRŸCHE has released three studio albums with La Torre: “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.

In a new interview with Noise11.com, CHEAP TRICK guitarist Rick Nielsen spoke about his long-running friendship with Australian hard rock legends AC/DC. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I had Angus [Young] and Malcolm [Young], and Cliff [Williams] came to my house in 1979. I was the first guy to ever take [late AC/DC singer] Bon Scott have Mexican food; he had a taco and Scotch. They were sweet guys. I mean, we loved them. They were just the ultimate. There’s a version of us doing ‘Johnny B. Goode’ with Robin [Zander, CHEAP TRICK vocalist] and Bon singing and Angus playing with us.

“The last time I saw those guys was right before Malcolm had died,” he revealed. “I went to see them on their last show of the tour; it was in Nashville. And the friend that I flew down with and myself were the only guys they allowed backstage. I walked in, and they said, ‘Hey, Rick, you’re still living in Rockford?’ ‘Yeah, I am.’ [Laughs] They’re sweet guys.”

CHEAP TRICK’s 20th studio album, “In Another World”, will be released on April 9 via BMG. Produced by longtime associate Julian Raymond, it marks CHEAP TRICK’s first full-length effort since 2017’s double-header of “We’re All Alright!” and “Christmas Christmas”.

In September, CHEAP TRICK released a cover version of David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel”. The track was engineered and produced by Jack Douglas.

Back in 2018, CHEAP TRICK released a single called “The Summer Looks Good On You” and followed it up with 2019 updates of Harry Nilsson’s “Ambush” and John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth”.

A career highpoint for the quartet was its 2016 induction into the Rock And Roll Of Fame, where it accepted its award before performing three of its hits — “I Want You to Want Me”, “Dream Police” and “Surrender”.

CHEAP TRICK’s current lineup includes three of its original members: Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson. Drummer Bun E. Carlos stopped touring with the band in 2010 and was replaced by Nielsen’s son Daxx.

“Echoes From The Void” is a fantasy graphic anthology series, comprised of 48-page deluxe comic books, each featuring two or more story adaptations from the EVANESCENCE catalog. Beginning with story themes based on songs from their upcoming March 26 release “The Bitter Truth” (BMG), and culminating in revisiting iconic material from throughout the band’s career, the project is comprised of a series of short stories created by an all-star cast of graphic artists, animators, illustrators, fine artists, screenwriters, novelists, and more.

Combining bandleader Amy Lee’s love of visual arts, fantasy-inspired graphics, and graphic novels with the narrative power of EVANESCENCE’s music, the series is being developed in close collaboration with Amy as she oversees the creative direction of the art and stories. “Echoes From The Void” begins as a five-issue series, with each issue containing stories based on two or more of EVANESCENCE’s songs, presented in a variety of visual styles and mediums. Issue #1, available in limited-edition, includes two stories inspired by the songs “Better Without You” and “Wasted On You”, from “The Bitter Truth”, with tales written by Carrie Lee South and Blake Northcott (“Arena Mode” saga, DC’s “Catwoman”). The issue will feature illustrations from Hugo Award-winning artist Abigail Larson and highly esteemed painter Kelly McKernan.

The first print edition of each issue will be released as a prestige format limited-edition collectible comic book, with cardstock covers, specialty foil treatments, glossy pages, and individual numbering. Each first printing will be limited to 3,000 copies priced at $18.95, and available to order from this location. The first issue is available to order now and ships in June 2021.

The art of “Echoes From The Void” will also be made available to purchase through a series of archival fine art prints, the first of which is illustrated by Kelly McKernan. Incorporating symbols and themes from across the band’s discography into an intricate traditionally painted work that also debuts a mysterious original character, the print features a blue tint glow in the dark base with a luminous pink UV active overlay, as part of an individually numbered 500-piece collection.

Swedish melodic death metal pioneers AT THE GATES recently completed work on their new album with producer Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden. The follow-up to 2018’s “To Drink From The Night Itself” was recorded in part at Studio Gröndahl in Stockholm, Sweden.

Speaking to MessedUp Magazine, AT THE GATES vocalist Tomas Lindberg stated about the upcoming effort: “We were very excited about [2014’s] ‘At War With Reality’ already before it was released, because it represented our comeback. No one was as excited about it as us, but some time later, I thought it was too slick, too well-produced. ‘To Drink From the Night Itself’ was a response to that and we wanted it to be dirty and gritty and have loads of classic death metal sounds on it, like a lot of reverb on the vocals and that stuff. It was a record for old-school fans. The upcoming album is somewhere in between, something that continues on the concept we started on the two previous albums where we incorporated much more of our proggy, krauty and avant-gardist influences. Just to give you the picture of how it sounds; one song goes by the nickname ‘the Goblin song,’ another we call ‘the Neu song.’ But I promise you we don’t take it too far — people wouldn’t listen to it if we did. [Laughs] When we were in the studio, we told Jens Bogren [producer] to keep the gritty sound and the attack from the last record and put the overall sound in between the comeback records. And it sounds awesome.

“When we did the Roadburn festival two years ago we did a special set with guest vocalists and string instruments and that stuff on stage and played songs we never played live before. All that was very inspiring because we realized we can do it today, the things we thought we could do as teenagers when we wanted to be the KING CRIMSON of death metal [laughs], but we weren’t good enough. After the Roadburn gig, we talked about incorporating more of those elements on record.

“Let’s say we’re super excited about how people will receive the record because there’s stuff on the album never heard on an AT THE GATES record before — a lot of weird things. [Laughs] For old fans, there’s at least five or six classic AT THE GATES songs on it, but it’s a quite diverse album.

“AT THE GATES have been around for such a long time by now that we don’t need to release records to please someone else — we want to do things we like ourselves. It’s still death metal, but it has evolved. We just want it to sell enough to get money to record the next album. [Laughs] ”

AT THE GATES guitarist Jonas Stålhammar recently told Italy’s Poisoned Rock about the music he and his bandmates have written for the upcoming effort: “It’s kind of progressing even more from the last album. It’s gonna be different than that one too, but still you know it’s AT THE GATES. It’s evolving even more. All of us are kind of on the same page with why should we do the same record over and over again.”

“To Drink From The Night Itself” was produced with Russ Russell (NAPALM DEATH, THE HAUNTED, DIMMU BORGIR) at Parlour Studios in the U.K. The follow-up 2014’s “At War With Reality” featured conceptual artwork created by Costin Chioreanu of Twilight13Media, who also worked with AT THE GATES on the band’s previous disc.

“To Drink From The Night Itself” was the first AT THE GATES album written and recorded without lead guitarist/primary songwriter Anders Björler, who departed in 2017. He has since been replaced by Stålhammar.

AT THE GATES 2021 is:

Adrian Erlandsson – Drums
Jonas Björler – Bass
Tomas Lindberg – Vocals
Jonas Stålhammar – Guitar
Martin Larsson – Guitar