Month: August 2021

Iconic singer, songwriter, guitarist, and ALICE IN CHAINS co-founder Jerry Cantrell has announced a North American tour, beginning on March 24, 2022, in support of his soon-to-be-released solo album, “Brighten”. Tickets go on sale on Friday, August 27 at 10 a.m. local time.

The trek kicks off at the legendary First Avenue in Minneapolis and will wind its way across the country hitting major cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and Los Angeles, to name a few.

Tour dates:

Mar. 24 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
Mar. 26 – Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre
Mar. 28 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
Mar. 29 – Toronto, ON – History
Mar. 31 – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre
Apr. 02 – Atlantic City, NJ – Music Box @ Borgata
Apr. 03 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre Of Living Arts
Apr. 05 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
Apr. 06 – Boston, MA – Big Night Live
Apr. 08 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live
Apr. 09 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
Apr. 10 – Charlotte, NC – Fillmore
Apr. 12 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues
Apr. 13 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
Apr. 15 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
Apr. 17 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
Apr. 19 – New Orleans, LA – Fillmore
Apr. 21 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
Apr. 22 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theatre
Apr. 23 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
Apr. 25 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
Apr. 27 – Denver, CO – The Summit
Apr. 28 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
May 01 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
May 02 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
May 04 – Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades
May 05 – Los Angeles, CA – Belasco Theatre
May 07 – Las Vegas, NV – House Of Blues
May 08 – San Diego, CA – House Of Blues

Late last month, Cantrell returned with “Atone”, the first single from “Brighten”. The song’s accompanying video was creatively directed as a group effort by Jerry; photographer/musician Jim Louvau; singer/guitarist Greg Puciato; visual artist Jesse Draxler; and photographer Tony Aguilera.

Asked in a recent Instagram Live question-and-answer session with fans how he chose “Atone” to be the first single and opening track from the new LP, Cantrell said: “When you make a record, you have a body of work, and generally it’s pretty easy, out of everything that you have, to figure out where you wanna start and where you wanna end. So ‘Atone’ was always a strong contender. My partner on the record, [film composer] Tyler Bates, and [longtime engineer] Paul Figueroa both felt pretty strongly about that song as an opener as well. So when it came to track listing, I was kind of bouncing back and forth, and it just felt right. It’s got an attitude that kind of sets the tone for the whole body of work. It’s an interesting song. I think it was one of the first tunes that I showed Tyler when we were kind of gathering material. And when I played that riff, he was, like, ‘Man, that’s cool.’ And I’m, like, ‘Man, I’ve been carrying this riff around for years, and I haven’t figured out a way to make it into a complete song that’s as good as the riff and the chorus idea that I had.’ The other thing that he thought was really interesting was the fact that it’s in an open tuning, which is normally a major tuning and used for kind of blues slide-type stuff, but it’s pretty minor sounding.”

Jerry co-produced “Brighten” over the past year with Bates and Figueroa. They welcomed a dynamic cast of supporting players, including drummers Gil Sharone and Abe Laboriel, Jr. (Paul McCartney), pedal steel master Michael Rozon, Vincent Jones on piano, Wurlitzer, and organ. Other rock legends added to the fun of this LP, including Duff McKagan (GUNS N’ ROSES) on select bass tracks, Greg Puciato (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) handling all of the background vocals and Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) overseeing the mixing of “Brighten”. Together, they recorded eight originals and the LP closes with an approved-by-Elton John cover of his classic “Goodbye” as the finale.

Jerry’s upcoming effort will mark his first full-length release since “Degradation Trip”, the epic solo album he made in 2002 with future METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo and FAITH NO MORE drummer Mike Bordin.

Cantrell announced the new LP’s completion in an Instagram post in March.

Jerry’s career outside of ALICE IN CHAINS has consisted of two solo albums and contributions to major film soundtracks.

Cantrell’s first solo album, “Boggy Depot”, was released in 1998, followed by his second album, the aforementioned “Degradation Trip”. In addition to his solo artist work, Jerry has released music on soundtracks for several films, including “Spider-Man”, “The Cable Guy”, “John Wick 2”, “Last Action Hero” and “The Punisher”.

ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with William DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, “Rainier Fog”, in August 2018.

Wendy Dio, widow and longtime manager of Ronnie James Dio, spoke to Canada’s The Metal Voice about the upcoming career-spanning documentary on the life and times of the legendary rock icon. It is the first documentary about Dio to be fully authorized by the artist’s estate. BMG is both financier and executive producer of the film.

“I [just saw the first cut of it],” Wendy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET. “Last week they were in town from New York, and we were going over a lot of stuff. It was amazing. They did a great job. I cried my eyes out. And the girl from BMG and my publicist, we were all crying. It was very emotional. They did a very, very good job on it. We moved a few things around, edited a few things. But I think it’s gonna be really good… It’s done really well. Mick Wall [author of Dio’s recently released autobiography] is excellent in it — him and [SiriusXM radio personality] Eddie Trunk are excellent. They both kind of go back and forth as kind of the moderators in it, and they did an excellent, excellent job. Lita Ford does a great job. Rob Halford does an amazing job. Glenn Hughes… It’s different to the book — totally different to the book. But it’s so interesting and so touching.”

Earlier in the month, Wendy told SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” about what fans can expect to see in the documentary: “There’s a bunch of stuff from [old] Super 8 [tapes] and some other stuff. There’s fantastic interviews with all kinds of different people about when they were working with Ronnie or what they were doing at the time, maybe supporting Ronnie. It’s totally different to the [recently released Dio] book. And I’m very interested to see this cut. I’m excited, actually, to see it. And I think it’s gonna be great.”

In October 2019, Wendy told the WSOU radio station that the documentary “will go from Ronnie’s childhood all the way through [to the end of his life]. I think they interviewed Jack Black, and I think they interviewed all of Ronnie’s bandmembers and Doug Aldrich and, I think, Jeff Pilson. They were getting ready to go to Arizona to interview Rob Halford and Lita Ford. And then they were going into England to interview Tony Iommi. They already did Geezer [Butler]. So there will be very interesting stories from different people. I think it’ll be a great thing, and it’ll show people a lot of things that people have never seen before.”

Ronnie James Dio passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer, who was recording and touring with BLACK SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL prior to his illness, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

Dio’s autobiography, titled “Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography”, was released on July 27 via Permuted Press.

“Time to play ‘Renegade’!” The smash hit by legendary and multi-platinum rockers STYX has become the adopted theme song of the Pittsburgh Steelers that’s heard during the third quarter at every home game as part of a video compilation of defensive plays. It helps to boost the energy of both players and fans. As soon as those renowned opening words are sung, “Oh Mama…,” the crowd knows what’s coming and is instantly exhilarated.

Now, that connection between STYX and Steeler Nation gets even more solidified, as they team up with Voodoo Brewing Co. to bring fans their latest creation, Oh Mama, a traditional golden American lager especially brewed for their fans in the Steel City.

Sold as a four-pack of 16 oz. cans or as 50-liter kegs, Oh Mama is currently available at Voodoo’s corporate pubs and franchised locations, online for Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C home delivery, Tavour via their app (using the code “renegade”) for other states throughout the U.S., and in the greater Erie, Pennsylvania (Allegheny Beverage) and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Vecenie’s) areas. Folks can be on the lookout for it at their favorite watering hole or grocery store (including Giant Eagle where it’s already available) and they can request it at a bar near them.

STYX’s Tommy Shaw said: “Hello Friends! We are excited to announce that STYX, in partnership with Voodoo Brewing Co., is bringing our Oh Mama beer to a frosty mug near you. We think you’re gonna love it as much as we do. Cheers!!!”

Added STYX’s James “JY” Young: “As we have our tradition with ‘Renegade’ and the Steelers, we are excited to announce our Oh Mama beer. We look forward to bringing a part of Steeler tradition to our fans that they can enjoy from home.”

Inspiration for the beer’s name and artwork comes from one of the band’s signature hits, “Renegade”, which is regularly played at Heinz Field as an adopted theme song for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. The band has also sung the national anthem and performed “Renegade” at many Steelers games in recent years.

The love for “Renegade” at all Steelers games started at a playoff game against the Cleveland Browns on January 5, 2002. The Steelers were down 24-7 well into the third quarter. During a commercial break, a crew member at Heinz Field (home of the Steelers) decided to play “Renegade” in an effort to get the fans riled up and boost the momentum of the team. It was a moment that helped the team come back to win the game 36-33 and subsequently change Steelers history.

“Voodoo Brewing Co. has always had a strong connection to music, not only playing it for our beers as they ferment, but also in most of the beer brands we’ve created and our good vibes Beer Festival,” says Voodoo CEO Matteo Rachocki. “When approached by Tommy and his team about a beer, we jumped at the opportunity to collaborate on something authentic to Pittsburgh, while also paying homage to a legendary rock band! We couldn’t be happier with the result, and we’re stoked to share this amazing product, not only on a national scale, but specifically through our local Pittsburgh market and our mutual connection with the city and its sports teams.”

“This beer was long overdue,” continues Joshua Rothstein from Primary Wave, Tommy Shaw’s music publisher. “We’re thrilled to make it happen.”

STYX released its 17th album, “Crash Of The Crown”, was released in June via Alpha Dog 2T/Ume.

American doom/deathrock outfit Hour Of 13 unveil new album, “Black Magick Rites,” via Shadow Kingdom Records. Streaming only at Decibel!
The post Full Album Premiere: Hour Of 13 ‘Black Magick Rites’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

ALTER BRIDGE guitarist and TREMONTI frontman Mark Tremonti has praised the debut album from MAMMOTH WVH, the solo band of former VAN HALEN bassist Wolfgang Van Halen.

Wolfgang played bass on TREMONTI’s “Cauterize” and “Dust” albums and was part of TREMONTI’s touring band in 2013.

Speaking about the overwhelmingly positive response to “Mammoth WVH”, Mark said: “I couldn’t be happier for [Wolfgang]. The record’s awesome, and it put a big smile on my face when I heard it. I see how people are reacting to it. It’s just great.

“Wolfgang is the nicest guy in the world, and he’s had to deal with his last name, positive or negative,” he continued. “And the positive because it’s one of the greatest bands ever, but negative in a way where it’s, like, how can you not think of your father when you hear that name? So it’s been a big step for him to get out there and to do it on his own. He’s done it in such a good way that people are responding to it. I’ve not seen anything negative about it. And I’ve seen everybody fully get behind it. I wanted to see what he’d be like as a frontman, ’cause he’s aways been, with us, kind of more of a quiet guy on stage rocking out, but never up on the mic singing [lead]. That’s one of the toughest things — when we get back on the road, is getting that frontman jargon down, when you’re talking and you’re communicating with the crowd. That’s not something you can practice at home, and that’s something that he seemed like he stepped right into perfectly well, from the footage that I’ve seen.”

MAMMOTH WVH’s tour as the support act for GUNS N’ ROSES is scheduled to conclude in early October with a two-night run at the Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood, Florida.

MAMMOTH WVH’s touring lineup features Wolfgang on guitar and lead vocals, Frank Sidoris (SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS) on guitar, Jon Jourdan on guitar and vocals, Garrett Whitlock (TREMONTI) on drums, and Ronnie Ficarro on bass.

MAMMOTH WVH’s self-titled debut album was released on June 11 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

TREMONTI’s fifth album, “Marching In Time”, will be released on September 24 via Napalm Records.

The legendary doom metal vocalist (The Skull, ex-Trouble) passes away at 62 due to COVID-19-related complications
The post R.I.P. Eric Wagner (1959-2021) (The Skull, ex-Trouble) appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

The new issue of Classic Rock magazine celebrates 30 years of METALLICA’s self-titled LP, better known as the “Black Album,” with new interviews with both the members of the band and some of the album’s famous fans. Among the other musicians paying tribute to the effort is KISS frontman Paul Stanley who shared what the album means to him.

“How could you not be a METALLICA fan?” he asked. “Eric Carr [former KISS drummer, who died in 1991] was the one that brought METALLICA into our realm, and he did that quite a bit earlier, in the early, early days of METALLICA. But in terms of becoming a worldwide phenomenon, I would have to say the Black Album was what did that.

“‘Enter Sandman’ — that song really flicked a switch, it changed something. It retained the grit, the passion and the rawness of what they had done until that point, but it managed to package it in a way that had a more widespread appeal. It wasn’t a coincidence that Bob Rock produced that album. He became the go-to guy for bringing out the most commercial aspect of a band’s sound, whether we are talking METALLICA or THE CULT.

“But the most important thing when you are a band or a creative person is to do what you want,” Stanley added. “Kudos to METALLICA for that. Where they’ve gone since the Black Album, and factoring in their beginnings, is nothing less than amazing. Their appeal became massive, in capital letters, because it crossed boundaries. That’s always a great plus.”

The Black Album is one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed records of all time. Its 1991 release not only gave METALLICA its first No. 1 album in no fewer than 10 countries, including a four-week run at No. 1 in the U.S., its unrelenting series of singles — “Enter Sandman”, “The Unforgiven”, “Nothing Else Matters”, “Wherever I May Roam” and “Sad But True” — fueled the band’s rise to stadium headlining, radio and MTV dominating household name status. The album’s reception from the press was similarly charged, building over the years from the top 10 of the 1991 Village Voice Pazz & Jop national critics poll to becoming a constant presence in the likes of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. The album’s impact and relevance continue to grow — as proven by one indisputable fact: The Black Album remains unchallenged as the best-selling album in the history of Nielsen SoundScan, outselling every release in every genre over the past 30 years.

To commemorate its 30th anniversary, the Grammy-winning, 16-times-platinum-certified Black Album is receiving its definitive re-release on September 10 via the band’s own Blackened Recordings. Remastered for ultimate sound quality, The Black Album remaster will be available in multiple configurations including 180-gram double vinyl LP, standard CD and 3 CD expanded edition, digital, and limited-edition deluxe box set (containing the album remastered on 180-gram 2LP, a picture disc, three live LPs, 14 CDs (containing rough mixes, demos, interviews, live shows), 6 DVDs (containing outtakes, behind the scenes, official videos, live shows), a 120-page hardcover book, four tour laminates, three lithos, three guitar picks, a METALLICA lanyard, a folder with lyric sheets, and a download card).

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY will release itss 11th studio album, “Doom Crew Inc.”, on November 26 via Entertainment One (eOne). The album will be available digitally on CD and vinyl plus a deluxe edition that includes vinyl, CD longbox, cassette and more, pre-order now. Today, the band released the music video for the LP’s first single, “Set You Free”.

The 12-track album is both a tribute to the band’s “first to bleed, last to leave” road crew and a salute to the legion whose support, stretching back to 1998, rivals that of the KISS Army. The stomping, heavy, bluesy, recklessly unhinged hard-rock-metal quartet are part invading horde, and part traveling carnival — summoning caffeine-fueled cacophony on records and the stage.

The songs are odes to celebration and mourning, the soundtracks to jubilant evenings and bewildering days recorded in Zakk Wylde’s home studio, the Black Vatican. On this album, Zakk trades solos and twin-guitar parts with Dario Lorina, backed by the rumble of longtime bassist John “J.D.” DeServio and powerhouse drummer Jeff Fabb.

“We incorporated Father Dario even more into the solos, doubling with me and being more involved in that regard,” said Wylde. “It really, truly is a two-guitar album, more so than ever. A twin guitar band, whether it’s THE ALLMAN BROTHERS or JUDAS PRIEST, with harmony lines, unison lines, and trading off solos. It stemmed from the live shows, where we’d both go into the crowd and extend songs like ‘Fire It Up’.”

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY will hit the road this fall on the “Doom Trooping Over North America” tour starting October 1 in Sacramento at Ace Of Spades with openers OBITUARY and PRONG through November 28 ending in Albuquerque at the Sunshine Theater. The band will then finish up the tour from December 27-31 with PRONG and ARMORED SAINT.

“Doom Crew Inc.” track listing:

01. Set You Free
02. Destroy & Conquer
03. You Made Me Want To Live
04. Forever And A Day
05. End Of Days
06. Ruins
07. Forsaken
08. Love Reign Down
09. Gospel Of Lies
10. Shelter Me
11. Gather All My Sins
12. Farewell Ballad

Photo credit: Justin Reich

VIO-LENCE singer Sean Killian has blasted Harald Oimoen as a “coward” after the former D.R.I. bassist said that he had “no sympathy” for adults who refuse vaccination against COVID-19 and then become sick.

On Sunday (August 22), Killian revealed that he been hospitalized with COVID-19 after contracting he virus “from a friend who was unaware he was carrying it.” The 57-year-old musician, who battled stage four liver cirrhosis five years ago, added that his “lung capacity at this time is diminished” and indicated that he “will have a recovery period that will take some time.”

A short time later, Oimoen, who is perhaps best known as one of the photographers behind the 2012 photojournal book “Murder In The Front Row” which chronicled the 1980s San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal scene, took to his Facebook page to write: “Hmmmmm …. I really don’t wanna piss anybody off …. however the vocalist of a very popular local legendary ( almost !) thrash band just contracted the virus !! He is a totally anti vaccination kinda guy !”

He added: “I have absolutely no sympathy for anyone who gets the virus but refuses to get vaccinated !!! Kinda ironic and perfect punishment for being soooo ignorant !!”

Harald’s comments prompted a quick response from Killian, who shared Oimoen’s post and added in an accompanying message: “This is what Harold Oimen [sic] just posted about me. When an individual’s mind is so poisoned by the need to confirm their affiliation with a group that they use others misfortune to do it says a lot about that person. I considered Harold a friend once but no longer. If he had any integrity he would have contacted me directly and we could have had an open conversation. We have known each other for decades. Your a coward Harold don’t ever consider yourself my friend again. When you see me in public, and you will, avoid me like a storm sent from Hell because that is what you’ll be facing.”

Oimoen’s post also drew reactions from several other members of the Bay Area metal community, including Killian’s bandmate, VIO-LENCE drummer Perry Strickland, who wrote: “We all stand by our choices !and Sean ! 100 [percent]”

Former TESTAMENT bassist Greg Christian also chimed in, writing: “In my humble opinion, I don’t think this needed to be said. Regardless of the irony. He’s a human being, and an old friend – with fragile health to begin with. Why would you want to gloat or take pleasure in him getting sick? What if, God forbid, he were to end up dying from this? How would you feel about this post then? I know, it’s social media. I get it. But this whole social media experience is making us all callous. It is what it is, but hey we really should at least try to not celebrate when people we know catch a potentially dangerous disease. Ya know?”

Sean’s public revelation that he was infected with the virus came on the day that former TROUBLE singer Eric Wagner — who was also reportedly unvaccinated — died after a battle with COVID pneumonia.

Unvaccinated people are more likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 than people who are fully vaccinated.

Infectious disease experts have said that large-scale outbreaks among unvaccinated people are being fueled by the highly contagious delta variant.

Killian underwent a successful liver transplant surgery in March 2018. The year before, Killian was diagnosed with stage four liver cirrhosis, which was caused in part by a genetic condition called hemochromatosis.

Hmmmmm …. I really don’t wanna piss anybody off …. however the vocalist of a very popular local legendary ( almost…

Posted by Harald Oimoen on Sunday, August 22, 2021

This is what Harold Oimen just posted about me.
When an individual’s mind is so poisoned by the need to confirm their…

Posted by Sean Killian on Sunday, August 22, 2021