Month: March 2021

Ted Nugent has expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of face masks during the pandemic and has mocked those who wear them, despite that both the CDC and World Health Organization have urged their universal use.

In a Facebook Live video recorded earlier today, Nugent said: “Some lady stopped me the other day at the hardware story, and I wasn’t wearing a mask. ‘Cause I have a permit. Here’s my permit to not wear a mask. [Extends middle finger to the camera] Because the mask thing is a lie. Oh my God. Who doesn’t know this? When you wear a heavy-duty mask during the winter and you breathe, you can tell that your breath ignores the mask. [Laughs hysterically] Who doesn’t know this shit?

“But anyhow, this lady said, ‘I’m so glad you’re not wearing a mask, Ted, because you’re much too pretty to cover that pretty face.’ And I went, ‘Yeah, no shit.’,” he added.

Ted, who moved to Texas from Michigan in 2005, also once again repeated the unsubstantiated claim that last year’s presidential election was a fraud. He said: “We’re gonna somehow get a fair election. We’re the shit-kickers who believe in God, family, country, individual rights that we will finally get our votes counted.

“Joe Biden didn’t win jack shit,” he continued. “Joe Biden could apply for a job to shovel shit from a dog kennel and he wouldn’t get the job. He doesn’t know how to hold the shovel; he doesn’t know the difference between shit and dirt; and he wouldn’t know where to get rid of the shit.

“Joe Biden is a zombie,” Nugent added. “Watch this poor, pathetic, demented, lifetime-power-abusing punk try to form a sentence. Are you kidding me? Who looks at Joe Biden and goes, ‘That’s the leader of my country.’

“And by the way, the Biden family — you soulless monsters subjecting Joe Biden to public ridicule every day by allowing him to make a complete ass of himself. Worse than Joe Biden is his family and his fellow Democrats who don’t flinch pushing the man forward to make an idiot and an ass of himself every day for public ridiculte in his demented, braindead, soulless condition.”

Leading up to the election, Nugent teamed up with Donald Trump Jr. on the campaign trail.

Ted has called Trump “the greatest president in our lifetime,” and has said that the billionaire real estate mogul represents “the heart and soul of the best American families out there.”

In December, Nugent said that he would refuse to be vaccinated against the new coronavirus and he railed against pharmaceutical companies and their development of the vaccine. Four months earlier, he repeated a narrative pushed by conservative media and disputed by health experts that suggested the official death count from the coronavirus was inflated.

A board member of the National Rifle Association, Nugent has drawn intense criticism for his controversial past remarks, including telling then-president Barack Obama to “suck on my machine gun.” He also made inflammatory remarks about Hillary Clinton, calling her a “devilbitch” who “hates everything good about America.”

In a lengthy Facebook post in 2016, Nugent said Obama and Clinton should be tried for treason and hanged over their handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.

In 2019, Nugent defended Donald Trump after the then-U.S. president was accused of making racist remarks about Democratic congresswomen from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Posted by Ted Nugent on Friday, March 12, 2021

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In a new interview with “The Jeremy White Podcast”, ex-VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony was asked if he would consider joining his former bandmate singer David Lee Roth on stage at one of his solo concerts to perform a few of the group’s classic songs. He responded (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “When he did his residency stuff in Las Vegas out here — ’cause it turned out I couldn’t it anyway; I think we had something going on with THE CIRCLE — but I was actually going to show up and see about going up on stage and jamming with Dave. ‘Cause I’ve got no beef with any of the guys about any of that stuff. At this point in the career and my life, it’s, like, hey, I’ll play it all. I’m sure if it came up, if it was the right situation, let it happen.”

VAN HALEN and Anthony had not been on good terms for more than a decade, with Anthony not invited to join the reunion with Roth that began in 2007. The subsequent two tours and studio album, “A Different Kind Of Truth”, featured Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang on bass.

Anthony took a pay cut and signed away all of his rights to the band name and logo in order to participate in VAN HALEN’s 2004 tour, which featured Sammy Hagar on vocals.

Last November, Wolfgang’ revealed that Eddie had contemplated a “kitchen-sink tour” that would have included Anthony, as well as vocal turns from both Hagar and Roth. There was even talk about bringing back Gary Cherone, who sang with VAN HALEN on one poorly received album, 1998’s “Van Halen III”.

In early 2019, rumors were rampant that the classic-era lineup of VAN HALEN would reunite for the first time since 1984. It has since been revealed that a health setback involving Eddie was responsible for the tour not materializing.

The rumors originally started with Roth, who hinted to Vulture that VAN HALEN would be playing stadiums with Anthony back in the lineup.

In a February 2013 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Roth spoke about the touchy subject of Anthony potentially replacing Wolfgang in VAN HALEN. He said: “Ed has his own vision, I’m assuming. We haven’t really been able to speak about it and it’s a disappointment, just as not having a chance for a reunion of the original band. Clearly, vocals are every bit as much a component of success as a rhythm section or a guitar solo… What we have at our fingertips is arguably one of the greatest high tenor voices ever — that was in Michael Anthony. In our tiny little corner of the universe, that voice is as identifiable as the high voice in EARTH, WIND & FIRE, as identifiable as the high voice in the BEACH BOYS. VAN HALEN is an indelicate house blend of both — that’s intentionally.”

Eddie died in October at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

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Steve Vai has announced the plan to launch a Patreon page on April 1. Fans can expect at the very least an exclusive one-hour question-and-answer session and more for a $5.00 monthly commitment. Plans on the first event on Patreon will be forthcoming in the coming weeks.

Vai has just released “Alien Guitar Secrets” episode #9 via YouTube where he discusses his recent surgeries, recuperation, and share tips on protecting one’s hands, insights on avoiding injury, thoughts surrounding the importance of posture, and listening to one’s body. He also presents a never-before-seen performance video of the new composition “Knappsack” on his Ibanez Onyx Black PIA guitar. The recording is now available for digital download and on all streaming services.

Alongside the monthly question-and-answer session, the plan is to periodically provide access to exclusive listening parties of any new releases, guitar technique tips and inspirational quotes. “Alien Guitar Secrets” and “Under It All” streams, guest interviews, updates on new news and various other surprise and delights will be shared with the community via Patreon. Recently Vai had undergone both shoulder (cuff) and trigger finger surgery for his left thumb. In this episode, he shares a broad spectrum of insights which all support on-going health and being conscientious of physicality as a musician. As he shares, “Medicare with Steve Vai.”

The series “Alien Guitar Secrets Live” focuses on the guitar, music, his career and the business aiming to offer insights that enlighten perspectives for their own worlds. He breaks down various songs from his catalog to show techniques, and discusses anything from writing, recording, publishing, promoting, and touring. The second, “Under It All: Hard Questions”, enables Vai to engage in more esoteric life principles and topics where no question is off limits. Many of his filmed interviews include his perspective on deeper subjects, and comment boards frequently allude to a broad interest in further exploration of his personal thoughts. Whether sharing detail on his observations surrounding life, the creative process, spirituality or the human condition, “Under It All” will delve into opinion that’s led by the free form forum.

Last year, he offered: “For the past three to five years, I have been bouncing around in my mind the idea of launching these two webinars, but was waiting for an organic opportunity, and it seems the world lockdown situation was the right time. I had no idea of knowing how these would be received, but the moment I went live, within minutes there were thousands and thousands of people logged in and the comments were tremendously encouraging. It was quite the shocker to get this kind of response, and quite humbling at the same time.

“My goal in these webinars is not to talk about myself so much, but to answer people’s questions that I may be able to assist with an answer based on my own experience.”

As Steve Vai looks toward the next move in his broadening online presence, the guitarist, composer and producer states: “The pandemic changed much of the way many of us conduct our business, especially musicians. Although live performances have been down, there have been many other ways in which communicating with the fans has exploded. With this in mind, I’m excited to give more attention to online formats such as Patreon where I can communicate with those interested and offer unique items and experiences that keep us connected.”

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DISTURBED’s “The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour” has been officially canceled. The amphitheater tour, with very special guest STAIND and BAD WOLVES, was originally slated to take place last summer but was rescheduled to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

Earlier today, DISTURBED released the following statement: “Disturbed Ones – It is with great disappointment that we must announce the cancellation of ‘The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour’ dates that were rescheduled for this summer.

“We, like all of you, were very much looking forward to rocking out together again, after a year’s delay. We’ve waited to see if we could play the shows and by now, we had hoped there would be more clarity and a clearer direction as how to make this possible.

“Unfortunately, as the tour takes us to different cities and states with a variety of unclear restrictions, it becomes unfeasible to move forward. We felt waiting any longer and canceling last minute, especially after you all have waited this long, would be unfair.

“For those who purchased tickets, there is nothing further you need to do – refunds will automatically be issued at your point of purchase.

“We want to thank all our fans for your wonderful support, and we look forward to the time when we can all be together.

“The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour” was supposed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of DISTURBED’s seminal album “The Sickness”. On this tour, the band was expected to perform songs off the album, as well as tracks from its most recent studio release, “Evolution”, and its extensive catalog.

In March 2020, DISTURBED frontman David Draiman confirmed that the band wouldn’t perform its “The Sickness” in its entirety on “The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour”. “No, we won’t do the entire album, but we’re going to do a ton of ‘Sickness’ material, deeper cuts, stuff people haven’t heard us play off the record for a while, and definitely a huge portion of material will be ‘Sickness’-oriented,” the singer told Billboard.com.

“You can’t, unfortunately — or fortunately, depending on how you look at it — as a band at our level, at this point of our career, you can’t just go out and play one record because everybody came on board at different stations,” the explained. “They want to hear what they fell in love with. There’s definitely new production elements that we’re toying with, that are elements that we’ve maybe used during ‘The Sickness’ era, but that we’re doing in a new and more provocative way. That’s about all I can say.”

In 2010, DISTURBED celebrated the tenth anniversary of the release of “The Sickness” by reissuing it with exclusive b-sides and expanded artwork, as well as a first-time-ever vinyl edition.

Released on March 7, 2000, “The Sickness” is DISTURBED’s best-selling album to date, thanks to such hit singles as “Stupify”, “Voices” and “Down With The Sickness”.

Disturbed Ones – It is with great disappointment that we must announce the cancellation of The Sickness 20th Anniversary…

Posted by Disturbed on Friday, March 12, 2021

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Former TNT singer Tony Harnell has released his cover version of the JUDAS PRIEST classic “Before The Dawn”. The official lyric video for the track is available below.

In a message accompanying the YouTube release of the song, Harnell wrote: “There’s really no way to put into words the impact that @robhalfordlegacy and @judaspriest had on me and my decision to make music my life, but I’ll try.

“It all started when my junior high school buddy Ed Gotti gave me my first PRIEST album ‘Stained Class’ in 1978 when I was just 15 years old. It blew my head apart. I listened to it every day, several times a day, it was my sonic bible that year. Of course I immediately went to the record shop and found ‘Sin After Sin’, ‘Sad Wings’ and ‘Rocka Rolla’. I fell pretty hard for ‘Sad Wings’ as well. And I was the first in line to buy ‘Hell Bent For Leather’ when it came out later that same year and for me, it was the THE most bad ass album I’d ever heard or seen! That cover! I literally played the 8 track to death in my first car when I was just 16.

“What always struck me about Rob was his versatility. All the colors and textures in his voice, the use of various tones from beautiful to brutal and his ability to convey so many emotions in one single phrase. And of course his superhuman range and pure voiced stratospheric notes.

“I surfed nearly every morning and listened to these albums to and from the beach singing full blast and honing my craft, but I didn’t know this at the time. I was literally training my voice without even thinking that’s what I was doing. I was just in a musical trance. Next to surfing it was all I cared about and all I thought about and JUDAS PRIEST was driving my obsession.

“On the midst of all this heavy music there was this beautiful song ‘Before The Dawn’. I just loved singing along to it so much. I performed it in my storyteller set on tour in Norway in September 2019 and it went over so well I figured at some point I’d record it. So here it is. With absolutely beautiful guitars from my brother @haape and a wonderful mix by my friend @rwikmark”.

Last month, Harnell, who has been in and out of TNT several times throughout the group’s four-decade existence, told That Metal Interview that there is a chance he will make another studio album with TNT at some point in the future. “I think there is hope for that,” he said. “And Ronni [Le Tekrø, guitar] and I have always also wanted to do music together outside of that, so I think both things are possible. It just depends on… Right now, we’re trying to make some early, very tentative plans, but it’s very hard with COVID going on at the moment.”

Harnell’s most recent split with TNT took place in October 2017, less than a year and a half after he rejoined the group. He later described his relationship with TNT in an “Unphiltered” interview as “a very long marriage. I’m here [in New York], they’re there [in Norway] — they’re across the pond really far away. It’s a very difficult situation to be in without having a very unified business organization, and no matter what I did, I could not get the thing unified. We were just on two totally separate not only continents physically, but mentally, psychologically, we were on two different continents as well.”

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The reunited expanded classic lineup of German power metallers HELLOWEEN will release its new, self-titled album on June 18 via Nuclear Blast. The disc’s first single, “Skyfall”, will arrive on April 2.

The cover artwork for “Helloween”, which can be seen below, was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

The “Pumpkins United” lineup features returning singer Michael Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen alongside current singer Andi Deris, guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Daniel Löble.

Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, the new HELLOWEEN LP was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg (where everything started in 1984). The same recording console used for such HELLOWEEN albums as “Master Of The Rings”, “Time Of The Oath” and “Better Than Raw” was utilized to record the band’s new material. The effort was mixed at the Valhalla Studios of Ronald Prent (IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, RAMMSTEIN).

Said Löble: “This record is the coronation of the ‘Pumpkins United’ journey. I have always been fascinated by the different character traits and facets of HELLOWEEN’s history. For example, the legendary voices of Michi, Andi and Kai. To enjoy them now together on one record, under one flag, is the ultimate HELLOWEEN experience.”

“Skyfall” begins with a bang. The epic track describes an alien landing on earth and a dramatic chase, while Kiske, Deris and Hansen duel with each other in a truly breathtaking manner. Produced by Martin Häusler, it is the most elaborate video clip in the history of the band. Portrayed via truly cinematic 3-D animation, this clip is a real high-end experience.

Bauerfeind said: “After 30 years with different lineups of the band, I really thought I was well prepared for another extreme challenge, but I was wrong. My expectations were highly exceeded in every way with this super-sized package of creativity.”

Musical dexterity aside, it is also the immense passion of the band that defines HELLOWEEN. Weikath describes it thusly: “It is the incomprehensible encounter of seven musicians who are working as friends and even family who have created something that no one would have thought could be possible. It is like awaking from a sleep but still being in an incredible dream.”

Hansen reflects: “Being in the studio with my old companions after 30 years away was very emotional for me. But at the same time, it was a completely different experience with the ‘new’ boys. The collaboration of different songwriters, each of them strong characters in their own right, has made the album very special. A unique mix which draws from all chapters of the band’s history.

“HELLOWEEN is a big part of my life and I am looking forward to celebrating the songs live for and with our fans!”

Grosskopf agrees: “For me, being one of the last ‘survivors’ who played every note from the beginning, it was a fantastic experience and a very emotional process. I think everyone can hear it on this album. I love it.”

HELLOWEEN’s new album saw the legendary German power metallers going “back to the roots,” with the band recording fully analogue and Löble playing the drum kit previously used by HELLOWEEN’s original drummer, the late Ingo Schwichtenberg, on the legendary “Keeper Of The Seven Keys” recordings.

The album pre-order will kick off on March 26.

Track listing:

01. Out For The Glory
02. Fear Of The Fallen
03. Best Time
04. Mass Pollution
05. Angels
06. Rise Without Chains
07. Indestructible
08. Robot King
09. Cyanide
10. Down In The Dumps
11. Orbit
12. Skyfall

“Skyfall” will be available on CD, digitally and in two different vinyl versions.

Single 1: Vinyl, CD, digital:

“Skyfall” (single edit) + “Skyfall” (exclusive alternative vocals mix). Both are exclusive single versions and will not be on the album. Around 20 minutes playing time.

Single 2: Vinyl only

“Skyfall” (single edit) + “Indestructible” (exclusive album track). This is a strictly limited version of the new single with one exclusive album track.

The “Pumpkins United” tour marked the first time Kiske had played live with HELLOWEEN since 1993. Hansen, who departed HELLOWEEN in 1988, had been joining the band onstage on various tours and festival appearances throughout the years. The set featured several duets with Kiske and his replacement, Deris, along with many rarely played songs, including “Kids Of The Century”, “Rise And Fall” and “Livin’ Ain’t No Crime”. Hansen — who fronted HELLOWEEN until late 1986 — sang a medley of several early HELLOWEEN classics, including “Ride The Sky”, “Judas”, “Starlight” and “Heavy Metal (Is The Law)”.

HELLOWEEN’s European “United Alive World Tour Part II”, which was originally scheduled to take place in September and October will now take place next year.

The “Pumpkins United” lineup of HELLOWEEN already released one new song — aptly titled “Pumpkins United” — in October 2017.

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According to TMZ, Gene Simmons has relisted his house in the Benedict Canyon area of Los Angeles for $25 million. The KISS bassist/vocalist previously put the home up for sale back in October for $22 million, but it never sold and he reportedly invested a lot of money in making improvements.

When Gene originally put the house on the market, he told The Wall Street Journal that he and his wife, Shannon Simmons, were moving to a 24-acre estate in Washington, near Mount Rainier, to escape the tax burden of living in California.

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

Gene bought the house in 1984 for $1.35 million and reportedly put as much as $12 million into the property over the last three and a half decades. In addition to a 16,000-square-foot mansion, there is a swimming pool with a 60-foot slide, a tennis court and parking for 35 cars.

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

Gene and Shannon, a former Playboy Playmate Of The Year in 1982, were married in 2011 after dating since 1975. They have two children, Nick, 31, 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.

Gene Simmons Selling Renovated Beverly Hills Mansion for $25 Million https://t.co/qNKEWEAvyE
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 12, 2021

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North America’s only monthly metal magazine celebrates 200 issues via a FREE streaming event featuring new and exclusive sets from Midnight, Khemmis, Full of Hell, Horrendous and Wake.
The post Decibel’s 200th Issue Show Extremely Ex-Stream Line-Up Announced! appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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Ace Frehley recently checked in with AXS TV to show viewers a few of the pieces in his rock and roll memorabilia collection. From a specially made and aged replica of his 1959 Les Paul guitar (don’t worry, he has 12 of them) to his favorite vintage piece of art, the KISS founding member joins AXS TV on its version of “show and tell,” “Rock & Tell”.

Last December, Frehley told Talking Metal Live that he would begin recording his next all-original album “after the New Year.” The record will be the follow-up to “Spaceman”, which was released in October 2018 via eOne.

According to Ace, he has spent the last few months building a full-fledged recording studio at his new house in New Jersey. “It’s not the first studio I’ve ever built,” he said. “If you remember, in the ’70s, when I lived in Connecticut, I spent $800,000 building a studio underground next to my home. But studios are nothing new to me, and I design ’em wherever I go; wherever I live, I always have a place to work. But the new place I’m in now has a 3,000-square-foot basement, so I’ve got plenty of room. The beauty of it is because of this virus, everybody’s supposed to stay home,” he continued. “Well, I don’t have a problem staying home now, because I work from my house anyway.”

Asked if he is already writing music for his next solo album or if he is planning to begin the process once the studio has been completed, Ace said: “I’ve been writing all along. Plus, I have tracks that I’ve already recorded that I have to revisit and decide whether they have a chance to make it on my new studio record — [if they] have to be rewritten or [they’re] just good the way they are. And I’ve got people sending me song ideas constantly… So, little by little, it’s an ongoing process, and it evolves as it goes.”

Earlier last year, Frehley told Canada’s iHeart Radio that he has “only written about three songs” for his next LP, and he added they were “not finished.” He said: “Now that I’m [living] on the East Coast [after moving to New Jersey from Southern California], my engineer only lives an hour from me, Alex Salzman, who worked with me extensively on this last record, and he played a lot of bass guitar as well, So it’s gonna be even easier, ‘Origins Vol. 3’ and the next [original] record.”

Frehley’s latest release was “Origins Vol. 2”, the sequel to his 2016 collection of cover songs that inspired the former KISS guitarist.

“These albums are becoming fun,” he told iHeart Radio. “I just re-signed with eOne, and they want an ‘Origins Vol. 3′ after the next studio record. But it’s become a really fun process. It’s much easier than doing a studio record where you have to write the material yourself. I’m basically just taking other people’s material that influenced me as a kid and putting my stamp on it.”

“Origins Vol. 2” featured cover versions of THE BEATLES’ “I’m Down”, DEEP PURPLE’s “Space Truckin'”, LED ZEPPELIN’s “Good Times Bad Times”, THE ROLLING STONES’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, THE KINKS’ “Lola” and THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE’s “Manic Depression”, among others. A cover of the 1975 KISS tune “She” also appeared as a bonus track. Guests on the set included CHEAP TRICK’s Robin Zander, Lita Ford and former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons co-wrote two tracks on “Spaceman”, “Without You I’m Nothing” and “Your Wish Is My Command”, the latter of which also features Simmons’s bass playing.

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