Month: August 2021

Former METAL CHURCH vocalist Ronny Munroe has reflected on the recent passing of Mike Howe, calling it a “tragic loss.”

Munroe, who left METAL CHURCH in 2014 to “pursue other interests”, discussed Howe’s sudden death in a new interview with The Metal Voice.

He said: “What a tragedy. Quick story: I met Mike and hung out with him one time. Basically, I believe it was in 2006. He came out to Reno, and we shared the stage and we did ‘Date With Poverty’ together. After the gig, we all went out to a club and had some drinks and just sat and talked shop. And he was a sweetheart. I never heard anybody say anything bad about the guy.”

He continued: “What a tragic loss. But you never know what’s going on with people. I feel really bad for — I believe he has a couple of sons and a wife — he’s got a family — and that’s devastating. So I wish the family the best and I send my condolences out to all Mike’s family, friends and fans.”

Howe was found dead at his home in Eureka, California on July 26. According to TMZ, Howe’s official cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to hanging. A spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Dept. told the site authorities are calling it a suicide.

TMZ stated that cops in Eureka got a call just after 10 a.m. on July 26 reporting an unexpected death at a home. By the time deputies arrived, they found the 55-year-old dead at the scene.

According to police, drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the death and no controlled substances or paraphernalia were located at the scene.

Howe, who fronted METAL CHURCH from 1988 until 1994, officially rejoined the band in April 2015.

Prior to joining METAL CHURCH more than three decades ago, Howe spent two years fronting California metal act HERETIC.

Munroe first came to prominence in the metal world when he stepped into the role of frontman for the legendary band METAL CHURCH. During an audition for a project principal METAL CHURCH member Kurdt Vanderhoof was working on, Ronny was first put on Kurdt’s radar. After watching Munroe’s performance, Vanderhoof decided to resurrect METAL CHURCH with Ronnie on lead vocals. He would go on to sing four albums with the band, “The Weight Of The World” (2004), “A Light In The Dark” (2006), “This Present Wasteland” (2008) and “Generation Nothing” (2013). Ronnie would also wind up singing for Vanderhoof’s progressive rock project, PRESTO BALLET, further showcasing his vocal talents.

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In a new interview with Finland’s Janne Vuorela, DESTRUCTION frontman Schmier was asked if he and his bandmates have used the coronavirus pandemic to work on material for the follow-up to 2019’s “Born To Perish” album. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “For a long time, I wasn’t ready. And last year, I didn’t even try to think about a new album. But then the beginning of this year, I was kind of motivated. After the livestream, basically, I sat down and started writing new stuff. And then in February, we started to do the first demos and everything. And we’ve [been] going to the studio ever since now. At this moment right now, I’m gonna go to the studio tomorrow again to do the final mixes. So the new album will be done this summer — like, at the of August, the mixes are done. And we will also release a new single very soon. But the album is coming the beginning of next year. Our label said right away, this year there’s no more space for a new album; there’s so many other bands coming [out with new releases] this year. Everybody pushed back [their releases]. But we will release some singles this year, so the fans will know a new album is coming soon. We have written a lot of great songs, I think, and the first one will be out in about two or three weeks — on the 19th of [August].”

Regarding how difficult it is to plan a new album release while the pandemic is still going on, Schmier said: “The problem is that when you can’t tour, [releasing] a new album is kind of not very good. Because you wanna present the new songs to the fans, you wanna play them live. With ‘Born To Perish’, we could only do two European tours, and that’s it. We couldn’t go to the [United] States, to Asia, to South America, where we have the most fans. So it feels kind of weird. The next tour, we have to basically show two albums to the crowd — it’s not just one; it’s two albums we haven’t presented yet.

“For me, once I was in the studio again, writing with the guys new songs [and] recording, it felt like being a musician again — something that we were missing the whole last year when the pandemic was at full force and we started getting depressed about the future,” he continued. “And this year felt different. And I think the new album really had a big part of it for me, that I could feel it. We have to move on. You have to think positive, move forward. And it was good. So the new album really helped me through the pandemic. And now we’re gonna have some first shows also. We already had the first festival, and we’re gonna play six more now in August. Of course, you’ve gotta expect the unexpected, but on the other side, you’re trying to stay positive and look into the future. We know that there’s not gonna be real tours before next year. This year will be spontaneous gigs. We’ll try to play as much as possible. But we don’t expect full tours to happen this year.”

DESTRUCTION performed without founding guitarist Michael “Mike” Sifringer on July 16 at the Area 53 Festival in Leoben, Austria. Schmier later implied in a social media post that Mike had left the band and promised that a statement “explaining the situation” would follow sometime in August.

Sifringer is the only member of DESTRUCTION to have remained constant throughout the band’s career. Schmier appeared on DESTRUCTION’s first three albums before leaving the band and being replaced by POLTERGEIST vocalist André Grieder. André’s sole recorded appearance with DESTRUCTION was on the “Cracked Brain” album, which came out in 1990. Schmier rejoined DESTRUCTION in 1999.

DESTRUCTION will release a new Blu-ray and CD, “Live Attack”, on August 13 via Napalm Records. The 22-song release includes footage of the band’s nearly two-hour livestream concert from January 2021 at the legendary Z7 venue in Pratteln, Switzerland.

In May 2020, DESTRUCTION delivered a treat for fans stuck at home and unable to attend live shows: “Born To Thrash – Live In Germany”, the band’s first live album with the most lineup, was made available digitally on all streaming and download platforms.

“Born To Perish” was released in August 2019 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was recorded in January and February 2019 with V.O. Pulver (PRO-PAIN, BURNING WITCHES, NERVOSA) at Little Creek Studios in Switzerland and is the first DESTRUCTION album to feature Randy Black on drums and second guitarist Damir Eskic.

Damir is a Swiss guitar player of Bosnian decent who works as a guitar teacher, himself being a former pupil of Tommy Vetterli (CORONER). He also plays in a heavy metal band called GOMORRA and previously contributed three solos to DESTRUCTION’s 2016 album “Under Attack”.

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International blasters Eastwood will make any grindcore fan’s day.
The post Blast Worship: Eastwood appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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Egyptian death metallers Crescent tours six must-see places in Egypt. New album, Carving the Fires of Akhet, out now on Listenable.
The post Ismaeel Attallah’s (Crescent) Six Amazing Places In Egypt appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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To commemorate the 30th anniversary of METALLICA’s self-titled album, the Grammy-winning, 16-times-platinum-certified LP 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).

Much more than a mere tribute album, “The Metallica Blacklist” celebrates the enduring influence of this musical milestone with one of the most ambitious projects ever conceived by the METALLICA team: An unprecedented 50+ artists spanning an unbelievably vast range of genres, generations, cultures, continents and more, each contributing a unique interpretation of their favorite Black Album cut.

“The Metallica Blacklist” offers up new dimensions of the record whose gravitational pull first drew the mainstream to METALLICA — and provides new insights into the universal and timeless appeal that kept it there: the boundary-smashing influence these 12 songs have had on fans and musicians of all stripes. “The Metallica Blacklist”‘s 53 tracks find singer songwriters, country artists, electronic and hip hop artists sharing their love of these songs alongside punk rockers, indie darlings, icons of rock, metal, world music and many, many more… and for 50+ good causes: Profits will be divided evenly between charities of the artist’s choice and METALLICA’s All Within My Hands foundation.

“The Metallica Blacklist” is a fitting and limitless homage, one that features bands who’ve shared stages with METALLICA alongside artists who are younger than the original album. It’s a truly staggering, at times mystifying assemblage of musicians, dozens of whom have little to nothing in common other than the shared passion for the music that’s united them for this album: 1 Album. 12 Songs. 53 Artists. Unlimited Possibilities.

“The Metallica Blacklist” will be available in formats including digital, four-CD and a limited-edition seven-LP vinyl pressing. Pre-orders will instantly receive multi-platinum selling recording artist, songwriter, philanthropist and trailblazer Miley Cyrus’s version of “Nothing Else Matters” featuring Andrew Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo and Chad Smith, and Colombian-born rock/pop superstar, and winner of 20+ Grammy and Latin Music Grammy Awards Juanes’s interpretation of “Enter Sandman”.

All profits from “The Metallica Blacklist” will be split evenly between the All Within My Hands foundation and 50+ charities chosen by the artists who play on the album. All Within My Hands was founded by the band in 2017 as a way for the entire METALLICA family to give back to communities that have supported the band by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services.

“The Metallica Blacklist” features the following tracks:

* ALESSIA CARA & THE WARNING – Enter Sandman
* MAC DEMARCO – Enter Sandman
* GHOST – Enter Sandman
* JUANES – Enter Sandman
* RINA SAWAYAMA – Enter Sandman
* WEEZER – Enter Sandman
* SAM FENDER – Sad But True (Live)
* JASON ISBELL – Sad But True
* MEXICAN INSTITUTE OF SOUND FEAT. LA PERLA & GERA MX – Sad But True
* ROYAL BLOOD – Sad But True
* ST. VINCENT – Sad But True
* WHITE REAPER – Sad But True
* YB – Sad But True
* BIFFY CLYRO – Holier Than Thou
* THE CHATS – Holier Than Thou
* OFF! – Holier Than Thou
* PUP – Holier Than Thou
* COREY TAYLOR – Holier Than Thou
* CAGE THE ELEPHANT – The Unforgiven
* VISHAL DADLANI, DIVINE, SHOR POLICE – The Unforgiven
* DIET CIG – The Unforgiven
* FLATBUSH ZOMBIES FEAT. DJ SCRATCH – The Unforgiven
* HA*ASH – The Unforgiven
* JOSÉ MADERO – The Unforgiven
* MOSES SUMNEY – The Unforgiven
* J BALVIN – Wherever I May Roam
* CHASE & STATUS FEAT. BACKROAD GEE – Wherever I May Roam
* THE NEPTUNES – Wherever I May Roam
* JON PARDI – Wherever I May Roam
* SEBASTIAN – Don’t Tread On Else Matters
* PORTUGAL. THE MAN FEAT. AARON BEAM – Don’t Tread On Me
* VOLBEAT – Don’t Tread On Me
* THE HU – Through The Never
* TOMI OWÓ – Through The Never
* PHOEBE BRIDGERS – Nothing Else Matters
* MILEY CYRUS FEAT. WATT, ELTON JOHN, YO-YO MA, ROBERT TRUJILLO, CHAD SMITH – Nothing Else Matters
* DAVE GAHAN – Nothing Else Matters
* MICKEY GUYTON – Nothing Else Matters
* DERMOT KENNEDY – Nothing Else Matters
* MON LAFERTE – Nothing Else Matters
* IGOR LEVIT – Nothing Else Matters
* MY MORNING JACKET – Nothing Else Matters
* PG ROXETTE – Nothing Else Matters
* DARIUS RUCKER – Nothing Else Matters
* CHRIS STAPLETON – Nothing Else Matters
* TRESOR – Nothing Else Matters
* GOODNIGHT, TEXAS – Of Wolf And Man
* IDLES – The God That Failed
* IMELDA MAY – the god that failed
* CHERRY GLAZERR – My Friend Of Misery
* IZÏA – My Friend Of Misery
* KAMASI WASHINGTON – My Friend Of Misery
* RODRIGO Y GABRIELA – The Struggle Within

Two new instant-gratification tracks now available with “The Metallica Blacklist” album pre-orders: WEEZER’s take on “Enter Sandman” and Tomi Owó’s version of “Through The Never”. They can be heard below.

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Charleen McCrory, the widow of ZZ TOP’s Dusty Hill, has offered her first public comments since the bassist’s death.

On Monday (August 2), McCrory released a statement via ZZ TOP’s social media thanking fans, friends and colleagues for their “overwhelming outpouring of love” following the passing of her husband.

She wrote: “After 19 wonderful years of marriage that ended too soon, I’ve decided to step out into Dusty’s spotlight to thank all of his fans, colleagues and friends for the overwhelming outpouring of love for The Dust. It makes me hopeful he will not be forgotten.

“He was the kindest, most gentle and caring man a woman could ever hope to find in a lifetime. Many don’t believe in fairy tale marriages but Dusty and I truly lived one! We were inseparable.

“He wasn’t supposed to leave me or all of you. That wasn’t the plan he and I had. The plan was for another round of physical therapy, with a different approach, to help his chronic bursitis. The plan was he would return to the second leg of the tour in September.

“Early Wednesday morning my world and yours would lose a great musician and I would lose my greatest love. He woke me up and we talked and as he was sweetly chatting with me he suddenly stopped and he was gone in an instant. So, while I feel numb and lost and alone and in a million pieces, I know he will always be with me in my heart and soul and I will join him when the Lord calls me home to be with them. It is my hope you will always keep him in your hearts. He loved his fans and always remembered that without fans music is not heard. So, know he truly appreciated each and every one of you.

“Dusty was an avid tv and movie buff…always quoting lines and so I share an embellished quote from ‘This Is Us’ as my last love letter I send with him to his final resting place.

“My Sweet Dusty,

“The single most extraordinary thing I have ever done in my life is fall in love with you. The single most extraordinary gift I have ever received in my life was for you to ask me to marry you. I have never been seen so completely, loved so passionately and protected so fiercely.

“I will be with you again.

“Love you to infinity and back.

“Your wife, Chuck

“I will lay my husband to rest tomorrow. I would ask that you look to the heavens at noon and wish Dusty Godspeed.

“With great love, respect and appreciation to Dusty’s fans, colleagues and friends,

“Mrs. The Dust”

ZZ TOP played its first show following Hill’s death on July 30 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. illing in for Hill at the Tuscaloosa show was ZZ TOP’s longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis, who has worked with the band for more than two decades. According to the band, Francis will continue to play bass for ZZ TOP for the foreseeable future.

ZZ TOP canceled a show on July 28 in South Carolina after learning that the 72-year-old Hill had died at his Houston, Texas home.

Francis made his live debut with ZZ TOP on July 23 at the Village Commons in New Lenox, Illinois after Hill was forced to return to Texas to address a hip issue.

On July 21, ZZ TOP canceled its concert in Evansville, Indiana because of a “health issue within the band,” according to local news outlet Evansville Courier & Press.

ZZ TOP kicked off its latest tour three weeks ago in Manchester, Iowa. The trek, dubbed “A Celebration With ZZ Top”, will continue in August with dates in the South, Midwest and Far West.

When ZZ TOP announced the tour, Hill — who joined the band a year after its formation in 1969 — commented: “They shut the door right after our 50th-anniversary tour and now it’s back open. We’re excited to get out there and play our music for everybody.”

After 19 wonderful years of marriage that ended too soon, I’ve decided to step out into Dusty’s spotlight to thank all…

Posted by ZZ Top on Monday, August 2, 2021

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Drummer Pete Parada says that was fired by THE OFFSPRING for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Parada, who had been in THE OFFSPRING for nearly a decade and a half, claims to be following the advice of his doctor who said that he should not get the jab due to his pre-existing conditions.

Pete broke the news of his exit from THE OFFSPRING in a social media post on Monday (August 2). He wrote: “I’ve got some unfortunate and difficult news to share. I know many of my close friends and family would’ve preferred to hear this privately first — and I apologize for the public nature of my disclosure, but I don’t know how to have this conversation multiple times.

“Given my personal medical history and the side-effect profile of these jabs, my doctor has advised me not to get a shot at this time.

“I caught the virus over a year ago, it was mild for me — so I am confident I’d be able to handle it again, but I’m not so certain I’d survive another post-vaccination round of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which dates back to my childhood and has evolved to be progressively worse over my lifetime. Unfortunately for me, (and my family — who is hoping to keep me around a bit longer) the risks far outweigh the benefits.

“Since I am unable to comply with what is increasingly becoming an industry mandate — it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around, in the studio, and on tour. I mention this because you won’t be seeing me at these upcoming shows.

“I also want to share my story so that anyone else experiencing the agony and isolation of getting left behind right now — knows they’re not entirely alone.

“I have no negative feelings towards my band. They’re doing what they believe is best for them, while I am doing the same. Wishing the entire OFFSPRING family all the best as they get back at it!

“I’m heartbroken not to be seeing my road community, and I will miss connecting with the fans more than I can express in words.

“While my reason for not getting this jab is medical, I want to make sure I’m not carving out a space that is only big enough for me. I need to state, unequivocally, that I support informed consent — which necessitates choice unburdened by coercion.

“I do not find it ethical or wise to allow those with the most power (government, corporations, organizations, employers) to dictate medical procedures to those with the least power.

“There are countless folks (like me) for whom these shots carry a greater risk than the virus. Most of us don’t publicly share a private decision we made in careful consideration with our doctors. We know it’s not an easy conversation to unfold.

“If it looks like half the population is having a shockingly different reaction to these jabs than was expected — it’s probably because their life experiences have actually been shockingly different, and their reasons range from a conscientious risk/benefit analysis, to the financial inability to take time off work/lack of health care in the event of potential side-effects, to an understandable distrust in a system that has never prioritized the health or well-being of their communities.

“I hope we can learn to make room for all the perspectives and fears that are happening currently. Let’s avoid the unfortunate tendency to dominate, dehumanize and shout down at each other. The hesitant population is not a monolithic group. All voices deserve to be heard.

“In the meantime, I’m in the midst of launching a project and releasing some music with my daughter, so please stay tuned for all of that. I deeply appreciate your understanding and support as my family and I find a new way forward.

“Sending love to everyone who has been impacted by this pandemic, in all the ways lives have been lost and altered.”

Three months ago, THE OFFSPRING singer Bryan “Dexter” Holland spoke to Tom Power, host of “Q” on Canada’s CBC Radio One, about his band’s decision to encourage fans to receive their COVID-19 vaccines by reworking the chorus of their 1994 classic “Come Out And Play” to say “you gotta go get vaccinated.” The new version of the song was shared in March on THE OFFSPRING’s Instagram, featuring a snippet from the song’s music video with the reworked lyrics.

Holland said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I went to school for this. I feel like I have a little bit of a background in it, and I do think it’s a good idea [to get the COVID-19 vaccine]. And whatever you think about all this, the truth is that we’re not gonna get back to normal until people get vaccinated; that’s just the reality of it. So why don’t we just get this done with so that we can all go to shows again and do the things that we love to do. That was kind of the reasoning behind it. And I do feel like it’s the right thing to do. I felt strongly enough to put this out.”

Asked about the fan response to the new version of “Come Out And Play”, Dexter said: “There’s been a little bit of a mixed reaction. I was a little more surprised than I thought I would be… There were a lot of people that were surprisingly kind of angry about it. But that’s where we’re at — we are in maybe the most divisive period in our nation’s history, if not the world’s history, and this is kind of par for the course.

“On a scientific or factual level, it’s frustrating [to see people who are vaccine hesitant],” he continued. “On a personal level, I understand. People are unsure about certain things. And there could still be some sort of crazy side effect that we don’t know about. I think that’s unlikely, given how many millions of doses have been administered. But besides that, there’s all this conflicting information on the Internet. Again, another sign of our times where people are getting just bombarded with all this conflicting information, and it’s hard to know what to do sometimes.”

Although the COVID-19 vaccine was produced quickly because of the urgency of the health crisis and the number of clinical trial volunteers, Holland says the vaccine was not rushed, and it relies on years of research.

“With the vaccine, I know there’s a lot of belief out there that, ‘Well, these were developed too quickly,'” he said. “I think part of the story that’s not out there is that there’s a whole platform of technology that’s been developed over the last five years or so that was happening — the mRNA vaccines. They were working on this for flu vaccines over the last five — really, almost 10 years — but the last five years. So this great technology happened to be right on deck when this happened. And that’s what allowed it to be quickly adapted to the coronavirus. So it’s not as quick as everyone thinks.”

Holland has a Ph.D. in molecular biology and wrote his thesis on microRNA in HIV genomes. The 175-page research paper, titled “Identification of Human MicroRNA-Like Sequences Embedded within the Protein-Encoding Genes of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus”, had been published in PLoS One. Holland had received his Ph.D. from University of Southern California in 2017.

Released in 1994, “Come Out And Play” was THE OFFSPRING’s alternative radio and MTV breakthrough hit, kicking off a mid-to-late nineties streak of success, including albums “Smash”, “Ixnay On The Hombre” and “Americana”, which have helped the band shift more than 17 million albums to date, per MRC Data.

THE OFFSPRING’s tenth studio album, “Let The Bad Times Roll”, arrived on April 16 via Concord Records. The follow-up to 2012’s “Days Go By” was once again produced by Bob Rock, who also worked on the band’s previous two LPs.

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World-renowned guitarist/songwriter Mark Tremonti will release the fifth album from his solo band TREMONTI, titled “Marching In Time”, on September 24, 2021 via Napalm Records. The official music video for the LP’s second single, the title track, can be seen below. The song clocks in at 7:34 and tells the story of a father having a child during a global pandemic and how he prepares for life during that time — something Tremonti recently experienced in his own life.

Tremonti is no stranger to storytelling. Throughout his years with top-charting bands ALTER BRIDGE and CREED, and most recently his solo band, Mark has never strayed from his love of writing memorable songs. With “Marching In Time”, the band looks to continue this trend while exploring their love for heavy music, drawing from current events from the last year to form the basis of each song. While its predecessor, “A Dying Machine”, was an overall concept album seeped in darker sentiments and story, the vibe of “Marching In Time” is different — emerging as a charging rock/metal offering that takes the listener on 12 individual journeys.

From the driving drum beat of opener “A World Away” to the epic closer “Marching In Time”, the new album is a reflective look at the world around us today. TREMONTI’s unmatched musicianship bleeds through the album, showcased on tracks like “Thrown Further”, “In One Piece” and the thought-provoking “Would You Kill”. Alternatively, the band displays their softer side on pensive tracks “The Last One Of Us” and “Not Afraid to Lose”. Epic title track “Marching In Time” tells the story of a father having a child during a global pandemic and how he prepares for life during that time — something Mark Tremonti recently experienced in his own life — while upcoming single “If Not For You” shows the evolution of the TREMONTI sound in 2021.

“Marching In Time” was produced by longtime friend and collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette — the producer Mark has worked with exclusively since 2007.

“Marching In Time” track listing:

01. A World Away
02. Now And Forever
03. If Not For You
04. Thrown Further
05. Let That Be Us
06. The Last One Of Us
07. In One Piece
08. Under The Sun
09. Not Afraid To Lose
10. Bleak
11. Would You Kill
12. Marching In Time

TREMONTI will hit the road in advance of the release of “Marching In Time”, starting on September 3 in the U.S. with longtime friends SEVENDUST.

Photo credit: Scott Diussa

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