Month: March 2021

British musician Andy James, who joined FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH last year as the replacement for the band’s longtime guitarist Jason Hook, spoke about how he landed the gig during a recent video chat with Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G. (FIREWIND, ex-OZZY OSBOURNE).

“I knew Charlie [Engen], the [current FIVE FINGER] drummer, ’cause we’d toured before with Angel Vivaldi, and he was the drummer for Angel and SCALE THE SUMMIT,” Andy recalled (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “We had that one song that we did that we all kind of jammed together at the end, so we got to play together and got to know each other on that. I was really stoked when he was announced as the new drummer for FIVE FINGER. And I guess they just kind of got talking.

“Zoltan [Bathory, FIVE FINGER guitarist and founder] is a big fan of guitar players in general — going on Instagram and seeing what’s new and who’s about,” he continued. “I think he’s always interested in seeing who’s around and what things are out there. And I think I came up in conversation at one point, and Charlie had told him that we knew each other. I think [Zoltan] was working with BUTCHER BABIES, trying to help them to further their career a little bit, and was thinking that maybe they could do with another guitar player. So he contacted me via Instagram, and we got chatting for a bit. I think it was really only a couple of weeks later after that I ended up in Hollywood anyway, in L.A. And then I met the [BUTCHER BABIES] guys and stuff, and then we went in the studio. And at that point, Zoltan came out to the studio and we hung out and stuff like that. So that’s pretty much how we met.

“I was about to embark on doing some bits and pieces with the BUTCHER BABIES, having done ‘Dimebash’, and that was kind of our first gig — ‘here’s our new bass player and new guitar player,’ ’cause they got a new bass player at the same time as well,” James added. “And then, right before going and actually doing a music video shoot for one of their songs, Zoltan contacted and was just, like, ‘Yeah, we might need you to come out and finish up the rest of our tour, ’cause we’ve had a bit of a kind of issue with Jason Hook’ — I think a health issue, stuff like that. So, yeah, ‘stand by’ kind of thing. And then literally the following day, there was like a fucking ticket waiting for me at LAX [Los Angeles International Airport]. So I was literally playing guitar in first class the whole flight back, because I was still learning the shit on the way to England — 17 songs, something like that. Obviously, I’d been a fan of the band, so I knew the music and everything, so it wasn’t a case of having to learn the arrangements — assuming that none of the stuff had ben changed that much for live, that part of it was kind of already in my head. But I had to just sit down and work out the physical aspect of doing some of their stuff.”

Andy went on to say that he was pleased things worked out the way they did. “I’m happy that it happened, but, obviously, it’s to the detriment of somebody else’s life and career,” he said, referring to Hook’s dismissal from FIVE FINGER. “But I think things just naturally move on, and this is just one of those things.”

James made his recording debut with FIVE FINGER on the song “Broken World”, which is featured on the second installment of the band’s greatest-hits collection, “A Decade Of Destruction – Volume 2”.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH’s latest album, “F8”, was released in February 2020. The follow-up to 2018’s “And Justice For None” capped a turbulent period for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH in which singer Ivan Moody finally got sober after a near-fatal struggle with addiction, while co-founding drummer Jeremy Spencer bowed out of the band due to physical issues.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH’s new disc was once again helmed by Kevin Churko, the Canadian record producer/engineer and songwriter who currently lives in Las Vegas, where he works out of his private studio, The Hideout Recording Studio.

During an appearance on the “No Sleep ‘Til Sudbury” podcast, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen revealed that his “favorite all-time band” is THE POLICE, the English rock group formed in London in 1977 by primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums). He said (hear audio below): “I think Sting was, and sometimes is, my favorite songwriter. He can walk the line of, actually, great songwriting and pop silliness. He can get a little blasé — he can do anything he wants from a songwriting point of view… ‘Every Breath You Take’ is one of the classic songs of all time. ‘Walking On The Moon’ had actually done something to me as well; it was a goosebump thing. As much as I wish I wrote ‘Every Breath You Take’, it’s ‘Walking On The Moon’ that sends shivers down my spine. And I think it was the sound of the band — the vibe of the whole thing. Everything about it. They were a true hybrid — they took the reggae thing and the rock thing and it came out in the punk era. It just had a bit more venom in it as well; it had a lot more fire than guys who normally… These guys were jazz guys — they all played in jazz bands before — but there was an absolute fire in the playing. Stewart Copeland is one of my favorite drummers of all time. When you put those three in together, magical things [happen]. Whenever I hear the band, it’s — again — goosebump time. I know I keep saying that, but THE POLICE do that every time I hear them play. I got to see them when they reformed, and, again, I thought it was magical. It’s my favorite band, so I would say that. But I do think Sting’s the most amazing songwriter. He can write a classic or he can write a silly pop song — or both.”

Back in 2012, Collen released a demo version of his cover of THE POLICE’s “Roxanne”, originally recorded during sessions for DEF LEPPARD’s covers album “Yeah!” The demo was recorded in early 2004 and was one of 24 songs DEF LEPPARD laid down for “Yeah!” The original version by THE POLICE (written by Sting) was released as a single in April 1978 and included on the band’s debut album, “Outlandos D’Amour”.

In a 2015 interview with Music Radar, Collen named 1981’s “Ghost In The Machine” as his favorite THE POLICE album, describing is as “a bit quirky, a bit weird and a bit reggae. It was a perfect moment in time. Like Prince, they were true artists — a hybrid of different styles, not stuck to just one thing… really open-minded.

“I find the more music you let in, the more you have to let out. THE POLICE were like that, and Sting’s definitely one of my favourite songwriters. Okay, he can get a bit ponce-y, especially these days. But he wrote these classic rock songs that were melodically superior.

“The rest of the band were great, too; they had this amazing chemistry. ‘Synchronicity’, their last one, was great, too, but I think ‘Ghost In The Machine’ is perfect… I loved the hybrid element, introducing reggae into it was killer.”

DEF LEPPARD’s “The Stadium Tour” with MÖTLEY CRÜE, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally scheduled to take place last summer but has been pushed back to this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“The Stadium Tour” is now scheduled to kick off on June 19, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee and conclude on September 12, 2021 in San Diego, California.

The last DEF LEPPARD studio album, a self-titled affair, came out in 2015.

Former ACCEPT guitarist Herman Frank has released an official lyric video for the song “Eye Of The Storm”. The clip, which was created by Hard Media, can be viewed below.

“Eye Of The Storm” is taken from Frank’s fifth solo album, “Two For A Lie”, which is due on May 21 via AFM Records. The disc was once again mixed by Arne Neurand at Horus Sound Studio in Hannover, Germany, while mastering duties were handled by Robin Schmidt at 24-96 Mastering in Karlsruhe, Germany.

“Two For A Lie” track listing:

01. Teutonic Order
02. Venom
03. Hate
04. Eye Of The Storm
05. Liar
06. Hail The New Kings
07. Just A Second To Lose
08. Danger
09. Stand Up And Fight
10. Open Your Mind

Frank’s band lineup is as follows:

Rick Altzi (MASTERPLAN, AT VANCE) – Vocals
Herman Frank (ex-ACCEPT, VICTORY) – Guitar
Mike Pesin (MAGISTARIUM, VICTORY) – Guitar
Michael Müller (JADED HEART) – Bass
Kevin Kott (AT VANCE, MASTERPLAN, HEAVEN’S TRAIL) – Drums

Herman joined ACCEPT in 1982 shortly before the release of the band’s “Restless And Wild” album and exited the group for the first time after the arrival of 1983’s “Balls To The Wall” LP.

When ACCEPT reunited for festival appearances in 2005, Herman handled second-guitar duties alongside founding axeman Wolf Hoffmann, with Stefan Schwarzmann sitting behind the kit.

Frank and Schwarzmann were involved in ACCEPT’s comeback with Tornillo and appeared on the reunited group’s first three studio albums: 2010’s “Blood of the Nations”, 2012’s “Stalingrad” and 2014’s “Blind Rage”.

Frank’s fourth solo album, “Fight The Fear”, was released in February 2019 via AFM.

Two years ago, Herman told All That Shreds about his decision to exit ACCEPT in December 2014: “It was just time to leave the band. Let’s put it this way: I wanted to do music the way I started to. I wanted to have my own band. I wanted my own music and just wanted to just play my own leads. Not to follow somebody’s guitar. I was getting too old for it. It’s fine to be a backup, but after a couple of years, it’s time for a different thing.”

Asked how it was different playing with current ACCEPT singer Mark Tornillo after performing with Udo Dirkschneider during the band’s early years, Herman said: “Mark is a really nice guy and really promising. It’s kind of a different voice and Mark really doubles Udo in his personal way. I prefer the style of Udo’s singing. He is original ACCEPT. There is this voice sticking in your head. On the new songs, which Mark sings for the first time in ACCEPT, it’s a different character, but it’s very good. You can’t compare them, really. They are a match for certain things, but they are quite different people. I do like them both. I couldn’t have the decision which one I would prefer. It would have been great if they would put a couple of albums with Udo and Mark together. That would be awesome.”

Former DEEP PURPLE and current WHITESNAKE singer David Coverdale has dropped another $400,000 from the asking price of his Lake Tahoe estate. Coverdale put the home on the market in April 2019 for for $9.85 million, but that price came down in April 2020 to $7.65 million and in November 2020 to $7.20 million. The home now sits at an even lower price of $6.8 million.

According to Zillow, the property is now “contingent,” which means a potential home buyer has made an offer that has been accepted and it has gone past the inspection phase, but there is still a contingency included in the purchase agreement that has not been cleared.

Found in Incline Village, a community on the north shore, the gated residence features high ceilings with exposed beams, wood and stone accents, three fireplaces, four bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms. The master suite features a step-up spa tub, multiple walk-in closets and a private deck.

“Every day for over 30 years, my family and I have loved and embraced our home,” Coverdale said of the property in a statement. “The stunning views from every window, the peace and tranquility, and the privacy…far away from the three-ring circus of the music business, yet a mere hours’ flight away from Los Angeles when work calls.”

Chase International, which holds the listing, has posted a video overview of the home on YouTube. Check it out below.

Last October, Coverdale spoke to Darren Paltrowitz about his decision to move out of his longtime home in Incline Village, Nevada and set up base in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

“After having 10 years of degenerative arthritis, after 12 years, or whatever the hell, having a really big house — four floors and absolutely impractical for elevators, at 7,000 feet — instead of fighting for it, as I did in my last divorce, I couldn’t do it anymore; I couldn’t deal with it,” David said. “And it’s just beautiful — postcards from God on a daily basis. It’s one of the most beautiful alpine lakes in the world. There’s no high-rise buildings. You’re not allowed to build above tree level. When people would fly in from Los Angeles, they’d be standing on the deck just biting off chunks of fresh air. But, yeah, it’s a glorious, glorious place.”

Asked what brought him to that area in the first place, the British-born singer, who has lived in America since the mid-1980s, said: “Well, it was tax. I’ve been a tax exile since I was 21 years old. When the ’87 album just started to go batshit, we had a seven-hour meeting in Los Angeles, and they were wooing me to Delaware or Miami. The music business, at that time, of course, was Los Angeles. So I said, ‘What the closest place…’ And funnily enough, at school, I’d done a school project of the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics. So I had heard of Lake Tahoe, but I was unfamiliar with the geographics of it. And the very first day I woke up — I arrived in the middle of the night. There was no streetlights — it was just pitch black. I think I finished a world tour and had a hive of wasps up my ass about something. And the next day I woke up still kind of pissed and grumpy, making a coffee. And I opened these drapes to this drop-jaw, stunning, gorgeous view, widescreen — just unbelievable. I got my coffee, and I walked down to this boat dock, and I sat there, and I felt like all this rusty armor of all the bullshit and the dramas and the soap operas that go on on tours just drop off and into the water. It was an extraordinary meeting. It was like those Hollywood moments of seeing this woman walking in slo-mo, and you suddenly, your drink’s paused, slo-moed halfway to your mouth, and it’s love at first sight and time stopped. That was that kind of moment, and it still is.”

Early last year, WHITESNAKE was forced to cancel its U.S. tour with SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE and NIGHT RANGER so that Coverdale could undergo surgery for bilateral inguinal hernia. Eventually, all of the shows were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

Coverdale, who turned 69 in September, had both his knees replaced with titanium in 2017 after suffering from degenerative arthritis. He later explained that he was in so much pain with arthritis in his knees that it hampered his ability to perform live.

WHITESNAKE had been touring in support of its latest album, “Flesh & Blood”, which was released in May 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Swedish heavy metal band LION’S SHARE has made a new song, “Under Attack”, available on streaming services and digital service providers.

LION’S SHARE singer Nils Patrik Johansson commented: “It’s about how complex everything is these days. It feels like we’re at war all the time and every day — not so much the old fashioned way with guns and bombs. These days we’re under virtual attacks with fake news, web criminality, terrorist attacks etc. We also have to deal with this brutal pandemic and the effects of climate change. We’re under attack, that’s for sure.”

In late 2018, LION’S SHARE released a new five-track EP, plus its complete catalog — remastered with new artwork — on streaming services and digital service providers for the first time. The band have since released a few more digital singles, some of which will and some of which won’t end up on the forthcoming full-length album.

LION’S SHARE guitarist Lars Chriss says: “We are aware our fans want a new album and the plan was to release one in 2020, but then COVID-19 came and put a stop to that. We had just started playing live again with a couple of headline shows in Germany in March and were gearing up towards a new album and tour. Since we think it’s very important to tour behind a new album, we just have to wait until things go back to ‘normal’ again. Until then, we plan to release a new single every two-three months and keep building our fan base”.

Both Johansson and Chriss remark that they have always worked very well together, and at this point it feels the most natural to keep LION’S SHARE as a duo, with friends helping out wherever needed.

The LION’S SHARE catalog features appearances by members and ex-members of KISS, MEGADETH, KING DIAMOND, HAMMERFALL, SYMPHONY X, CHIMAIRA, THERION, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, CANDLEMASS, etc. Mixers include top engineers such as Jens Bogren (ARCH ENEMY, OPETH, SYMPHONY X, AMON AMARTH), Niklas Flyckt (one-time Grammy Award winner and four-time nominee) and Ronny Lahti (ROXETTE, EUROPE, Glenn Hughes).

LION’S SHARE has toured with bands like MOTÖRHEAD, MANOWAR, DIO, SAXON, ICED EARTH, NEVERMORE, U.D.O., Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER) and has played many of the major rock and metal festivals.

“Under Attack” recording lineup:

Nils Patrik Johansson – vocals
Lars Chriss – guitar
Andy Loos – bass
Nils Fredrik Johansson – drums

Our cooped up correspondent pecks on death/thrash heroes and gives props to — am I reading this correctly — metalcore?
The post For Those About to Squawk: Waldo Pecks on The Crown and Pupil Silcer appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer has expressed his joy after “creating a close bond” with his newfound daughter.

Earlier today, the 60-year-old rocker took to his Instagram to go public with the discovery that he’d fathered a child.

“This is a big one,” he wrote. “I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell everyone. My daughter Sierra and I were blessed to find each other last summer. We’ve already spent a lot of time since getting to know each other and creating a close bond. She’s a beautiful, sincere person and I couldn’t be happier. I think she feels the same about me.”

He added: “The most wonderful thing about miracles is that they sometimes happen.”

Thayer, who married Amber Peek in 2006, was not previously known to have fathered any children. The couple has since split but reportedly remains on good terms.

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“End Of The Road” was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but is now expected to last well into 2022.

KISS’s current lineup consists of original members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, alongside later band additions, Thayer and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Last October, Tommy sold his home in Southern California for $2.7 million.

During the question-and-answer portion of “An Evening With Tommy Thayer” in February 2020 at the Outtakes Bar & Grill in New Hope, Minnesota, Thayer was asked what his plans are for after KISS completes its “End Of The Road” farewell tour. He responded: “I get asked that question a lot in interviews these days. I don’t really know. I’m sure most people here know we’re on the ‘End Of The Road’ world tour right now. I don’t really know exactly what my plans are at the end of this. KISS is not gonna go away, though, either. The band is not gonna tour, but the KISS music, the identities and the characters and the brand and the merchandise, that will all continue on. I think that KISS will continue on in some way. I can’t imagine it not.”

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Eddie Van Halen’s widow Janie Van Halen (née Liszewski) says that she is “doing the best” she can, five months after the legendary guitarist’s passing. In addition to mourning his loss, Janie has dealt with the deaths of her brother last June and her mother in November.

Janie, who is a ballroom dancer, discussed her grieving process while appearing on the “Tony & Dwight” on NewsRadio 840 WHAS this morning (Friday, March 5). She said (hear audio below): “I’m doing the best I can. I have okay days; I have sad, bad days; but you just have to kind of keep moving. And the things that I post [on social media] as inspiration for other people, I actually post for myself as well to kind of keep going, keep moving forward. My dance partner also had two losses almost at the same time — his dad, and then his sister’s boyfriend. So we kind of support each other in our loss and our grief. And it helps — it definitely helps. And then, obviously, my family members and friends — close friends. I do the best I can. It’s not so easy, though.”

Last November, Janie said that she would “finally” begin a therapy regimen to provide her with the “emotional support and help” she needed.

Eddie died in October at the age of 65. The legendary VAN HALEN guitarist passed away at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California. Janie was by his side, along with his son, Wolfgang, and Alex, Eddie’s brother and VAN HALEN drummer.

The following day, Janie took to her social media to write: “My husband, my love, my Peep,

“My heart and soul have been shattered into a million pieces.

“I never knew it was possible to cry so many tears or feel such incredible sadness.

“Our journey together has not always been an easy one but in the end and always we have a connection and love that will always be.

“Saying goodbye is the hardest thing I have ever had to do so instead I say so long, I will see you again soon in a place with no pain or sorrow.

“Please watch over Kody and I. We love you and miss you so very much.

“Love, your PooPee”.

Prior to tying the knot with Liszewski in 2009, Eddie was married for more than two decades to actress Valerie Bertinelli.

Janie is also a stuntwoman-turned-publicist who owns her own public relations agency High Profile Media.

Eddie died from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

The guitarist was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2000 and had tongue surgery. He later battled lung cancer and had been receiving radiation treatment in Germany. Things took a turn for the worse in early 2019 when Eddie got in a motorcycle accident. He was subsequently diagnosed with a brain tumor, and received gamma knife radiosurgery to treat the illness.
Listen to “Blessings Delivered. Johnny Golf. Janie Van Halen Rocks! Louie, too.” on Spreaker.