Author: planetsixstring

A supergroup formed by vocalist Bjorn “Speed” Strid and guitarist Daniel Andersson of SOILWORK and joined soon after by bassist Sharlee D’Angelo (MERCYFUL FATE, ARCH ENEMY) on paper has the makings of a devastating display of heavy metal forces joining together. Beginning with their 2012 debut record “Internal Affairs”, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA surprisingly soon became well-renowned for its catchy tributes to the power-pop, arena-rock, and movie soundtracks of the early 1980’s. In 2021, their formula may no longer have the surprise factor of earlier efforts, but their sixth album, simply titled “Aeromantic II” in the wake of 2020’s “Aeromantic”, showcases a band that has well-honed the beats of their chosen sound for another serving of feel-good power-rock odes to nights in search of love and adventure.

The group re-establishes that sense of comfort food from the onset with “Violent Indigo”. The song’s opening guitar licks are reminiscent of the title card from a movie released in the 1980’s by defunct production studios such as Touchstone Pictures. The track very quickly becomes another showcase for the arena-level choruses, catchy guitar hooks, drum fills and synth solos that prove to be the main drivers for the next 50 minutes. The influences that have driven the band up to this point are still omnipresent, perhaps even more so than ever on “Aeromantic II”. The underlying keyboard work of “Change” plays like a super-charged version of the 1983 GENESIS hit, “That’s All”. D’Angelo’s bass lines on “I Will Try” evoke the spirit of TEARS FOR FEARS’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”. Strid channels the best performances from the singers that topped the charts in ’84, belting it out like RICK SPRINGFIELD, especially so on the album-closing “Reach Out”.

The true beauty of THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA though is that for all of the moments that their ’80s-influence pastiche could potentially cross over the line into irredeemable cheese, these are musicians that have well mastered the ability to both craft a great pop song and still undeniably make it rock. Drummer Jonas Källsbäck once again gives a stadium-worthy performance behind the kit. Andersson and fellow guitarist Sebastian Forslund long ago established their chemistry and ability to deliver axe work that merges the power of the shred with a pop sensibility, and new keyboardist John Lönnmayr very capably steps into the seat vacated by longtime stalwart Richard Larsson emerging very quickly as a valuable force. Lönnmayr shines with solos that are equally as flashy as those performing from the front of the stage, combing his talents with the guitar duo on standout moments for many of the album’s tracks. Lönnmayr’s keys stand alongside a catchy bit of funk-rock guitar to elevate the sense of triumph that powers “Midnight Marvelous”, provide an even bigger boost of adrenaline to “How Long”‘s already energetic chorus, and boost the dance-floor conga-rock of “You Belong To The Night”.

It’s a testament to the chemistry that THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA have developed — and the strong musicianship that backs that chemistry — that what on the surface initially came off as a fun diversion has not worn out its welcome a decade later. “Aeromantic II” is the sound of a band that hit the ground running in executing its vision and still has many miles left on its shoes years later.



Nikki Sixx says that MÖTLEY CRÜE originally invited VAN HALEN’s David Lee Roth to share the bill with them and DEF LEPPARD on “The Stadium Tour” but that David passed. “I don’t open for bands that I influenced,” the CRÜE bassist says Roth told him, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Back in October 2019, Roth reflected on the influence of VAN HALEN on bands that followed, telling KKLZ’s “The Mike & Carla Morning Show”: “Hair bands were the imitations of VAN HALEN. Yeah, it is true, and spandex was what they came up with as something visual. I started off in leather, with the same haircut that Bono and [Bruce] Springsteen and the guys in METALLICA had. A famous haircut — if I had that same haircut today, it’d have its own Instagram. But VAN HALEN was a ’70s band — we started off in 1972, and our first two albums were in the ’70s. We sold our first 10 million records before the ’70s were over. We spawned a whole lot of imitators who resorted to gimmickry and trade crap. It’s easier to imitate a haircut and a kind of pants and to exhibit bad behavior.”

“The Stadium Tour”, which also features POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, was originally scheduled to take place last summer but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus crisis.

When it happens, “The Stadium Tour” will mark the CRÜE’s first live dates since wrapping its 2014/2015 farewell tour. CRÜE toured with POISON back in 2011 and DEF LEPPARD teamed up with POISON for a string of road dates in 2017 — but the upcoming jaunt marks the first time all four acts have hit the road together for an extended tour.

As of January 30, 2020, “The Stadium Tour” had already grossed $130 million from one million tickets sold, plus another $5 million worth of VIP seats, according to Billboard.

Tickets ranged from $150 to $400, not counting some varied pricing that reflected demand as part of “dynamic pricing.”

Roth performed as the opening act for the February/March 2020 North American leg of KISS’s farewell tour, but is not making any appearances on the rescheduled KISS shows which kicked off on August 18 in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

In March 2020, Roth postponed the final six shows of his Las Vegas residency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Velvet Underground: A Documentary Film By Todd Haynes – Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack”, a 2CD and digital soundtrack that features both well-known and rare VELVET UNDERGROUND tracks, will be released on October 15 via Republic Records/UMe. Curated by the documentary’s director, Todd Haynes, and music supervisor Randall Poster, the album is the official soundtrack for the critically acclaimed Apple original documentary “The Velvet Underground”, which will be released in theaters and premiere globally Friday, October 15 on Apple TV+.

Featuring some of THE VELVET UNDERGROUND’s most well-known tracks, rarities and songs that influenced them, “The Velvet Underground: A Documentary Film By Todd Haynes – Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack” serves as the perfect introduction to the band and companion piece to the film. The soundtrack features such VELVET UNDERGROUND favorites as “Sunday Morning”, “All Tomorrow’s Parties”, “Pale Blue Eyes”, “I’m Waiting For The Man” and “Sweet Jane”, as well as the mono version of “Heroin” and the rare cut “Foggy Notion”. Also featured are live versions of “After Hours” and “Sister Ray”, Nico’s “Chelsea Girls”, and the tongue-in-cheek novelty song “The Ostrich” by THE PRIMITIVES, an early band formed by Lou Reed and John Cale.

“Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack” also features tracks by artists who influenced THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, including a live version of “Road Runner” by Bo Diddley; “The Wind”, a doo-wop classic by THE DIABLOS featuring Nolan Strong; and the previously unpublished La Monte Young composition “17 XII 63 NYC The Fire Is A Mirror (excerpt)”, performed by THE THEATRE OF ETERNAL MUSIC.

“The Velvet Underground: A Documentary Film By Todd Haynes – Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack” track listing:

Disc 1

01. Venus In Furs – THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (5:12)
02. The Wind – THE DIABLOS (3:05)
03. 17 XII 63 NYC The Fire Is A Mirror (excerpt) – THE THEATRE OF ETERNAL MUSIC (6:21)
04. Heroin [mono] – THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (7:14)
05. Road Runner (Live) – BO DIDDLEY (4:14)
06. The Ostrich – THE PRIMITIVES (2:25)
07. I’m Waiting For The Man – THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (4:40)
08. Chelsea Girls – NICO (7:27)
09. Sunday Morning – THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (2:56 )

Disc 2

01. Sister Ray (Live) – THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (19:03)
02. Pale Blue Eyes – THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (5:40)
03. Foggy Notion – THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (6:59)
04. After Hours (Live) Version 1 – THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (2:56)
05. Sweet Jane – THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (4:09)
06. Ocean – THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (5:14)
07. All Tomorrow’s Parties – THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (5:53)

Ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing, who left JUDAS PRIEST a decade ago, spoke about his former group in a brand new interview with Let’s Rock. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “When I quit and my voice wasn’t being heard and I was very frustrated in 2010, we all agreed to end the band. We were about to embark on the ‘Epitaph’ tour, which was the final farewell tour. We were ending the band. I just decided I didn’t wanna go forward to do the final tour, because I didn’t think I would enjoy it, and I wanted to enjoy it, because things were not right in the band. Everything had come to a head, and it was ugly; it wasn’t right. And I wanted my voice to be heard, so that I could go and enjoy the farewell tour of the band. But if that wasn’t gonna happen, I jumped ship. It was the end. They didn’t tell me they were gonna carry on for another 10 years… Because we all agreed it was the end. I told them I wasn’t gonna do the farewell tour. We had all the press releases, everything, about the end of the band. It was gonna be the end of the band, however long the tour was gonna be. And my replacement was coming in to do the farewell tour, and that was it. Those guys told the world that I retired from the band. But we were all retiring. I’ve got the press statements here on file. We were all retiring. And they didn’t tell the world that I changed my mind a couple of months later, and I was speaking to Ian [Hill, PRIEST bassist] about doing the tour, and had him send me the setlist over. They didn’t tell the world that either. But they still sent out the press release, ignored my intentions of doing the tour.

“I was the one that was very loyal — loyal, always loyal — to JUDAS PRIEST. Because in 2010, Rob [Halford, PRIEST singer] did a tour with his own band, playing JUDAS PRIEST songs, and he did release two studio albums. All of this was getting more than I can take, and that’s what happened.

“Anyway, lots of water under the bridge,” Downing added. “There’s a big story still to be told. I hope the fans can find it in their hearts to believe that the set of circumstances was not what was supposed to happen. History was changed, and it’s been changed since, with the opportunity of me potentially being able to step back into my role. I’ve been denied that. The media have been denied that, [as well as] the fans, and the history has been denied that.”

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band’s upcoming 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as “a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music,” while the second was “angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties.”

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was “a key reason” he wasn’t invited to rejoin PRIEST after Tipton’s decision to retire from touring.

Last year, Downing announced the formation of KK’S PRIEST, in which he is joined by former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim “Ripper” Owens, guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE), bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK’S PRIEST’s debut album, “Sermons Of The Sinner”, will be released on October 1 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records. The LP’s first single, “Hellfire Thunderbolt”, came out in May. The title track followed in June.

In a brand new interview with HardDrive Radio, SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith spoke about what it has been like for him and bandmates to play live shows during the pandemic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Finally being able to get back out with SHINEDOWN, man, it was emotional. It really, really was. These eight shows, they were massive — they were, like, big attendance; everything was sold out.

“Obviously, people know what transpired,” he continued. “We were in the middle of rehearsals, and then Barry [Kerch, drums] tested positive for COVID in the middle of rehearsals. We were able to get our good friend Dustin [Steinke] from SIXX:A.M. to come in and fill in for Barry for three shows until Barry had a negative test. Once again, Barry was fully vaccinated in April of this year, so it kind of is what it is. We got [Barry] back out there and then just stayed really meticulous with the protocol. We’re still having to do behind the scenes… The outfit, we kind of create our own bubble. The crew stays with the crew. The band stays with the band and the crew. Days off, we don’t kind of go out with anybody else; we kind of stick together. No one right now is able to go into any kind of big areas where there’s a bunch of people without a mask, just because we’re still in the middle of this. Because if one of the bandmembers tests positive, we’re in a bad situation.

“So we’re just trying to be meticulous about everything going into this next run, which is longer than what we just did,” Brent added. “It’s five weeks — a lot of big, big shows. The focus is just being smart, staying healthy, doing what we need to do. Because we don’t need to go backwards. We’ve gotta push forward. You’ve got take responsibility for yourself also, man. You’ve gotta stay healthy. You’ve gotta stay up on things. You’ve gotta give yourself as much as you can. Especially in the industry right now — it’s your responsibility. If you’re a band or you’re an artist that’s touring right now, we’re still in the middle of all this. So you’ve just gotta go through the protocol, man.”

SHINEDOWN has spent the last few months recording its seventh studio album for an early 2022 release. The follow-up to “Attention Attention” is being recorded at a new studio in Charleston, South Carolina spearheaded by the group’s bassist and producer Eric Bass.

SHINEDOWN’s film “Attention Attention”, a cinematic experience of the band’s 2018 studio album of the same name, will premiere worldwide on Friday, September 3. Available on digital and cable VOD via Gravitas Ventures, “Attention Attention” is a visual journey that brings to life the story of SHINEDOWN’s acclaimed chart-topping album, their sixth full-length, which has accumulated more than 622 million global streams, debuted Top 5 on the Billboard 200, simultaneously hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative, Top Rock and Hard Rock Albums charts, and led to five iHeartRadio Music Award nominations. This sonic and visual work of art was directed by Bill Yukich (BEYONCÉ, METALLICA, WIZ KHALIFA) and features theatrical performances from the band, Melora Walters (“Magnolia”, “Big Love”, “PEN15”), and Francesca Eastwood (“Old”, “Twin Peaks”, “Fargo”), among others.

Former W.A.S.P. lead guitarist Chris Holmes will release his new studio album, “Unbearable Influence”, on September 26. A pre-order for the LP is available at Bandcamp.

Holmes joined W.A.S.P. in 1982 and remained with the group until 1990. In 1996, the guitarist returned to W.A.S.P. and stayed with the band until 2001. Chris has not played with W.A.S.P. since.

Last October, Chris said that he would never consider returning to W.A.S.P. unless the band’s leader, Blackie Lawless, agreed to pay him the publishing royalties that he allegedly owes him. He told Canada’s The Metal Voice: “A lot of people think I made money from W.A.S.P. I’ve never gotten my royalties, or even my songwriting. All the stuff that I wrote, I’ve never gotten paid one penny. And you know whose fault it is? It’s my my fault for not knowing the business, how it is. I trusted somebody.

“After every album, when the album is done, how they split up the publishing with the publishing contracts, the publishing companies — that’s where the money comes from,” he continued. “I was never told about when that meeting was. Because the other guys in the band never wrote — I was the only one [other than Blackie]. So I’m the only one that they have to screw over to get all the publishing. So I was never told. Then when I dug into it in about 2006 or [2007], I went into Sanctuary Music, had a lawyer go in to find out where all my publishing is, and I was written in as a session player into all the records. And if you don’t know about it, and you’re not told, and you don’t see, you don’t know. So I trusted Blackie Lawless about that. And when I found out, it really kind of yanked me wrong. It yanks me wrong — it makes me see he was sticking a knife in my back from the first day, from the first album, and not telling me, and being my best friend.”

As far as Holmes is concerned, Lawless is solely to blame for him not getting his due from the W.A.S.P. records that he was involved with.

“If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t be where he’s at — I guarantee you that,” Chris said. “And then he screws me like that. It’s all right. It’s been a long time. It’s something that I will never, never get over. I’ll take that to the grave with me. I’m pissed thinking about it.

“Anyway, that’s the kind of person he is. Everybody thinks, ‘Wow! He’s got the greatest…’ Yeah, he’s got an outrageous voice, Blackie, yeah, but he turns his back on his bandmembers real bad — he screws ’em. I’m the only guy in the band that ever came back to get screwed twice, which I did. I came back for ‘Kill.Fuck.Die’, and I was promised half publishing on that album. Didn’t get crap. Knowing that I couldn’t get in to see what was written in the contracts, of course. That’s why I wrote the song ‘Two Faced Mother Fucker’. It’s about him. It’s on ‘Shitting Bricks’. And I’ve got one on the new album. It’s called ‘The Truth’. It says, ‘You can’t handle the truth.’ It’s on my new [album]. I’m gonna write a song about him on every album.”

Addressing the possibility of his return to W.A.S.P., Holmes said: “Everybody asks me about a W.A.S.P. reunion. Sure, I’d love to play a W.A.S.P. reunion — if he pays me my publishing. If it doesn’t, then he can have a reunion with Randy Piper, Johnny Rod and [Steve] Riley and everybody else. I’m not gonna play it. It’s not worth it.

“I came back to W.A.S.P. in ’95. I got screwed again,” he added. “Screw me once, screw me twice — you’re not gonna screw me a third time.”

The documentary film “Mean Man: The Story Of Chris Holmes” was made available this past January on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD. It was written and directed by French filmmakers Antoine De Montremy and Laurent Hart.

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IMO a legitimate, valid case can be made for the assertion that IRON MAIDEN is the greatest heavy metal band of all time. Six years have passed since the release of the English band’s last album, 2015’s “The Book of Souls”, and the legendary act returns now to close the longest gap between albums with “Senjutsu”, an ambitious double album. In short, the album is absolutely magnificent. It’s one that remains true to the band’s core sound while simultaneously facilitating the band’s ongoing, unyielding musical curiosity and creativity.

True to the band members’ recent public claims, “Senjutsu” includes some material that will surely surprise many longtime listeners. The opening, title track, for instance, projects a downtrodden, dreary energy atypical of the triumphant heavy metal band. It’s hard hitting and enjoyable but very distant from IRON MAIDEN’s familiar sound. The synths lend to the darker aura, and drummer Nicko McBrain’s tribal crawl creates an unsettling tension hinting at but never actually offering release.

Thoughtful sequencing augments the album’s experience. In this case, the title track’s tension is broken by the second track, “Stratego”. This song is ripe with that ever-so-characteristic IRON MAIDEN gallop, helmed by the rhythm section of McBrain and bassist extraordinaire Steve Harris, and driven by the adroit work of guitarists Dave Murray, Janick Gers and Adrian Smith. While the one and only Bruce Dickinson is known for his over-the-top, soaring pipes, as he has aged, he hasn’t lost the power and command in his voice by any means. It’s more the case that he appropriately colors the songs, matching calmness and intensity accordingly. As such, his monstrous voice is suggestive and teasing throughout “Stratego”, only coming to full bloom during the song’s massive chorus.

The featured single and video for “The Writing On The Wall” has brought the song and album considerable attention. But it was a curious choice considering the bold move to embrace some pseudo country elements, which are tastefully and playfully tapped into, but the song is lackluster overall. To be clear, this measure of quality is relative, for the track is still head and shoulders above the bulk of what we hear today in the realm of heavy metal.

IRON MAIDEN is regularly self-referential throughout “Senjutsu”, but not in a pejorative way. These winks toward the past tie things together holistically. “The Parchment” is clearly reminiscent of “Powerslave” regarding the high energy and Middle Eastern-style melodies. It’s one of several Steve Harris written songs on the album that start off with softer, acoustic intros. Each one of these is distinct, however, and these intros are merely similar compositional units that make sense within the scope of Harris’s increasingly cinematic songwriting approach. The latter quarter of “The Parchment” is quite exhilarating, though it takes too long to arrive at that point so late in the song.

“Senjutsu” is a musical marathon exceeding 82 minutes and divided into 10 songs. Considering that the regular nature of verse-chorus-verse is thrown out the window, it’s difficult to connect with some songs, even after repeated listening sessions. But with that said, there is so much detailed, nuanced material to enjoy that numerous full play-throughs seem mandatory. “Senjutsu” truly is a “grower,” so to speak. Will today’s short-attention-span listeners have the patience for it?  We’ll have to wait and see, but longtime fans, younger ones and curious onlookers alike would be wise to pick the album up. “Senjutsu” is a modern gem from one of the greatest heavy metal bands ever, if not the absolute greatest.



Legendary German hard rock band SCORPIONS was honored at the European Culture Prize (Europäischer Kulturpreis) gala this past Saturday, August 28 at Bonn Opera House in Bonn, Germany. The event, which was held in the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven, was dedicated to the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine and guitarist Rudolf Schenker accepted the award in person. They later shared a couple of photos from the event on social media and wrote in an accompanying caption: “What an honour to receive the wonderful EUROPEAN CULTURE AWARD 2021 in Bonn / Germany … Thank you so much …it was truly a Night to remember”.

The European Culture Prize is awarded to personalities, initiatives, artists, politicians or institutions for outstanding services and achievements about Europe and its people. The ceremony is held annually in different European cultural cities, and the prize sponsor is the European Cultural Forum in Dresden.

SCORPIONS recently completed work on their new album for a tentative early 2022 release. The LP was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

SCORPIONS’ new album will mark their first release since 2017’s “Born To Touch Your Feelings – Best Of Rock Ballads”, which was an anthology of new and classic material.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

SCORPIONS’ last full-length collection of new recordings was the aforementioned “Return To Forever”, partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the ’80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS’ longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

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