JINJER Begins Recording Fourth Album

Ukraine’s modern metal juggernaut JINJER has entered the studio to start working on its fourth album on Napalm Records. The recording sessions are once again taking place at the Kaska Records Studios in Kiev, Ukraine with producer and good friend Max Morton.

Bassist Eugene Abdukhanov commented: “Those of you who keep an eye on us must have already heard that JINJER have been working on new material pretty much since the beginning of the pandemic. It is one of those situations where even the most negative and terrible predicament can sometimes have a positive outcome. Deprived of live touring, we managed to focus all our creativity and frustration and turn it into new songs which are, in my opinion, the best music we have ever written. It’s complex but yet catchy as hell, groovy but with such a palette of notes, sounds and most importantly: feelings… This new album might take the whole genre of extreme music to a whole new level and raise the bar of musicality even higher for this band and the metal scene in general.”

Check out video footage from the studio below.

JINJER’s latest live album “Alive In Melbourne”, was released in November via Napalm Records. The live album and the accompanying videos were filmed on March 5, 2020 during JINJER’s debut Australian tour, with the pandemic hot on the heels of their “Macro” world tour, which would sadly, along with the rest of the musical landscape, come to a screeching halt a week after the Melbourne set was captured for on film. Still, with JINJER’s sheer will, drive, determination and never give up attitude they were able to turn the madness of last year into a positive.

“Alive In Melbourne” features stunning artwork by gifted JINJER fan Gabriel Nicoletti and includes 17 tracks in total.

Photo credit: Alina Chernohor

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OF MICE & MEN's 'Second & Sebring' Single Certified Gold In U.S.

OF MICE & MEN’s fan-favorite single “Second & Sebring” has been certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for accumulating 500,000 certified units. The song appears on the band’s self-titled debut, released by Rise Records in 2010, and is that which launched the band’s meteoric rise in the metalcore scene.

According to the RIAA, one equivalent song unit is equal to a single digital song sale, or 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams.

“Modern metalcore is not a genre defined by notoriety or accolades but moreso defined by the audience appreciating and connecting with the stories we share about ourselves,” says OF MICE & MEN drummer Valentino Arteaga. “This is an incredible achievement made possible by our amazing fans who believe in the power of alternative music. Thank you for the continued support after all these years!”

OF MICE & MEN went on to dominate the decade, releasing “The Flood” (2011) and “Restoring Force” (2014), the latter of which charted Top 5 in the U.S. Overall, the band has gone on to sell over a million albums worldwide across their expansive catalog and has amassed over half a billion streams across DSPs. They’ve tallied over 200 million YouTube streams and over five million social media followers.

OF MICE & MEN has toured internationally for over a decade, sharing stages with the likes of LINKIN PARK, SLIPKNOT, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and BRING ME THE HORIZON, while appearing at major festivals globally.

OF MICE & MEN is currently releasing a series of EPs that will eventually comprise their next album. The first EP, “Timeless”, is out now. The single “Anchor” was the most played song on SiriusXM’s Octane channel last week.

Singer Austin Carlile left OF MICE & MEN in 2016 due to his ongoing battle with Marfan syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that afflicts the connective tissue holding the body’s cells, organs and tissue together.

Carlile originally exited OF MICE & MEN in 2010 after his doctor forbade him from touring to undergo heart surgery tied to complications with Marfan Syndrome. He returned in 2011, but his ailments didn’t cease, forcing him to depart the band for the second, and presumably final, time five years ago.

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ARMORED SAINT To Release DVD Of 'Symbol Of Salvation' July 2018 Performance In New York City

ARMORED SAINT’s July 13, 2018 performance of its classic “Symbol Of Salvation” album in its entirety at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City was professionally filmed and recorded, and will be released later this year. The live DVD was recently mastered by ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera and acclaimed mastering engineer Maor Applebaum.

When ARMORED SAINT’s “Symbol Of Salvation Live Tour 2018” was first announced in February of that year, ARMORED SAINT frontman John Bush said: “‘Symbol Of Salvation’! Arguably ARMORED SAINT’s most important record. These songs came out of us being dropped from Chrysalis Records and finding out about guitarist Dave Prichard developing leukemia. The songs took on a much more emotional meaning than any other previous record. We wrote songs of desperation like ‘Another Day’ and ‘Last Train Home’. Experimental tunes like ‘Tainted Past’ and ‘The Truth Always Hurts’. Classic SAINT rockers like ‘Reign of Fire’, ‘Dropping Like Flies’ and the title track.

“After Dave passed, the band regrouped with Phil and Jeff returning as the guitar tandem. It was a family again. Dave Jerden produced the record and this marked the beginning of Joey becoming the producer of the band.

“It’s going to be a memorable tour. Songs like ‘Burning Question’ and ‘Spineless’, we’ve never played live before. Come share it with us. Let’s make Dave proud.”

To further celebrate the legacy of this album, Metal Blade Records reissued “Symbol Of Salvation” on CD and LP in May 2018. The LP features a vinyl remastering from Patrick W. Engel as part of the “Metal Blade Originals” series. The CD includes four bonus tracks.

CD track listing:

01. Reign of Fire
02. Dropping Like Flies
03. Last Train Home
04. Tribal Dance
05. The Truth Always Hurts
06. Half Drawn Bridge
07. Another Day
08. Symbol of Salvation
09. Hanging Judge
10. Warzone
11. Burning Question
12. Tainted Past
13. Spineless >
14. Medieval Nightmares (Demo)
15. Get Lost (Demo)
16. Toungue and Cheek (Demo)
17. Pirates (Demo)

Vinyl track listing:

Side A

01. Reign of Fire
02. Dropping Like Flies
03. Last Train Home
04. Tribal Dance
05. The Truth Always Hurts
06. Half Drawn Bridge
07. Another Day

Side B

01. Symbol of Salvation
02. Hanging Judge
03. Warzone
04. Burning Question
05. Tainted Past
06. Spineless

You wanted the best and you……ooops someone already used that…anyway Armored Saint recorded in it’s entirety Symbol…

Posted by Phillip Sandoval on Sunday, March 21, 2021

Mastering the new Symbol of Salvation Live recording with Maor Applebaum for the soon to be released Live DVD. Stay tuned! Metal Blade Records Joey Vera GonzoSandoval.com Jeff Duncan Phil Sandoval John Bush

Posted by Armored Saint on Saturday, March 20, 2021

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SKID ROW To Begin Pre-Production With Producer NICK RASKULINECZ Tomorrow

SKID ROW has regrouped in Nashville, Tennessee to begin pre-production on some of its new material.

Earlier today, the band’s official Instagram was updated with a photo of bassist Rachel Bolan, guitarists Dave “Snake” Sabo and Scotti Hill and drummer Rob Hammersmith sitting at a Nashville-area bar, and it was accompanied by the following message: “Most of the boys are back in town! Due to the UK lockdown @zptheart will be here via video feed tomorrow when preproduction starts! @snakesabo16 @officialrachelbolan @scottihill @robhammersmith #newmusic #rock #music #follow”.

Earlier in the month, Sabo told the “Behind The Vinyl” podcast that SKID ROW was going to be working with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, DEFTONES, MASTODON, RUSH) on its latest sessions after previously collaborating several times with Michael Wagener, who also helmed the group’s 1989 self-titled debut and 1991’s “Slave To The Grind”. “We wrote a bunch of new songs, and Michael’s taking a breather,” he explained. “Nick had expressed an interest to work with us. Rachel’s become really good friends with him, living down there in Nashville. And he’s, like, ‘Let’s do some stuff together.’ So we figured it out where he’s got some space and we can get our asses down there and do some work for a couple of weeks and see what happens… I’m looking forward to it. Obviously, his reputation precedes him; he’s made some great records. And he has a great excitement about working on some of our new music. So I look forward to the experience.”

SKID ROW’s new LP will mark its first release with South African-born, British-based vocalist ZP Theart (DRAGONFORCE, TANK, I AM I), who joined the band in 2016 following the departure of Tony Harnell (TNT, STARBREAKER).

Unlike 2014’s “Rise Of The Damnation Army – United World Rebellion: Chapter Two” and 2013’s “United World Rebellion: Chapter One”, SKID ROW’s forthcoming release will be a full-length record.

SKID ROW previously collaborated with several outside songwriters on its new material, including Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR) and Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger of HALESTORM, a group that covered the title track of “Slave To The Grind” on its “ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP” in 2011. SKID ROW also worked with songwriter-for-hire Marti Frederiksen, who has previously collaborated with AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow.

SKID ROW’s 2020 “The Big Rock Summer Tour”, also featuring RATT, CINDERELLA’s Tom Keifer and SLAUGHTER, was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the globe.

Photo by: Chuck Arland

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EVANESCENCE's AMY LEE On 'The Bitter Truth' 'I Want People To Come Away From This Album Feeling Hope And Empowerment And Strength'

EVANESCENCE will release a new album, “The Bitter Truth”, on March 26 via BMG. The band’s first collection of original music in ten years can be pre-ordered as a digital version, CD, vinyl and a limited-edition deluxe fan box set featuring a bonus CD, journal, poster and special cassette of exclusive audio from the making of “The Bitter Truth”. Every pre-order will automatically come with downloads of already-released songs “Wasted On You”, “The Game Is Over”, “Use My Voice” and “Yeah Right”.

In the official biography accompanying press copies of the new album, EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee stated: “When we first set out to make our new album, ‘The Bitter Truth’, we had no idea of the pain and hardship that the world would soon face. While the planet suffered through the tragedies of COVID, racial injustice and economic upheaval, my band and I were dealing with the aftermath of our own losses, the unexpected passing of my brother, the sudden loss of a child by Tim’s [McCord, bass] family, and the virtual loss of our guitarist, Jen [Majura], who has been literally stuck in Germany, unable to travel to record with us in person in the studio.

“Somehow through all these challenges, a theme began to emerge for us as a band. Pushing through is better than giving up.

“After touring extensively on our orchestral album ‘Synthesis’, we knew we wanted to make new music. In between shows throughout 2019, we set aside time to create together. A few days at my house, a week in the woods, just making use of our time together and getting excited about the seeds that were starting to grow. By the end of that year, we had the foundations of several new songs and the beginnings of many more. After recording four songs with our old friend and producer Nick Raskulinecz in his Nashville studio early last year, we knew we wanted to make the entire thing together. The energy and creativity was electric. Then, all of a sudden, COVID stopped everything. The pandemic turned the world upside down, forcing the album to be done sporadically, and at times separately, throughout 2020. We had to think creatively about how to do pretty much everything from that point on. Almost like it was the first time. There was never question, though, of not continuing.

“We had something special in that room when we recorded those first four songs and they carried us through last year. It was a big leap of faith to just go for it with the album and not wait or hold back or have any certainty about when we’d be together again, but we just knew we wanted to release our music and connect with our fans. We needed that connection, perhaps even more than our fans needed us. We wanted to be something in the world that wasn’t a disappointment amid so much other bad news. We wanted to be part of the proof that life would go on.

“I never want us to repeat ourselves and I like to allow total freedom in the creative process, so we started experimenting with whatever felt good, taking it at times to a new level entirely, just everything coming from a real, honest place out of the love of music — nothing off limits. But all those rock shows we had been playing over the past few years really strengthened the roots of the band, and that sound and energy was cathartic. I’m who I’ve always been. Once again faced with darkness, I’m writing to heal. So here we are, naturally, making a brand new fiery chapter of the story we all love. This beautiful truth has been reconfirmed for me — it wasn’t just a phase the first time around, and I wasn’t wasting my time. These sounds come out of my heart when I’m being honest and I’m making music that feels like a reflection of myself. I’m proud and grateful to still have my band after all we’ve been through and all I’ve been through. As much as this album is an evolution, it also feels very full circle.

“The title, ‘The Bitter Truth’, speaks on one level to the world we live in today, in the belief that we must face reality, no matter how ugly or difficult that is, in order to move forward. But there is also an internal parallel: there can be no healing without first facing the pain. The bitter truth, for me, is that life is short and the choice is that I’m not going to waste it. Our mortality is fresh in our minds. This became fuel for our fire after the pandemic, the lockdown, through 2020 and making this album. We decided we weren’t going to let anything stop us. We weren’t going to wait around for the world to fix itself. We were going to put all our focus into finishing the album we started. Find new ways to keep on, make our own videos, whatever it took. This time has been hard, but having the music has been an incredible life-giving outlet for me and for all of us in the band. It was a place to pour our frustrations, our rage, our grief and our love to create a world we had some control over.

“Now for some typical bio stuff: They tell me that our first album, ‘Fallen’, is one of the Top 5 best-selling albums of the 21st century, and the biggest seller by both a band overall, and a rock act overall, if you’re keeping score. We’ve won two Grammys and earned one of the largest social media followings of any music act (thanks, guys!) Someone wrote that our single ‘Bring Me to Life’ has been a ‘pop culture touchstone’ for the past two decades. It’s still totally weird to me when it comes on over the speakers at the grocery store. These achievements and words of praise are nice but what’s more important to me is that our music continues to inspire people to create things. Writers have written books inspired by our songs, fans have created their own anime. Films, music, visual art, even vehicle design. I know what this means because of the artists that have inspired me too. What I’m most touched by is what has grown into an immensely powerful, passionate worldwide fanbase who have a genuine connection with the music — a sacred place where we come together. ‘The Bitter Truth’ is meant as a gift to you, reflecting hope out of the struggles we all face.

“I want people to come away from this album feeling hope and empowerment and strength. Something that inspires me a lot in life is people who have overcome great obstacles — survivors. I hope we can pass on the idea that even when things are impossibly painful life is worth living. Leaning into those darkest, most challenging moments, facing them and finding we’re not alone in them, makes us real. Makes us strong enough to take them on. And it brings us together, if we let it, in a deeper appreciation of the light… and the truth. Thanks for the memories. Now let’s go make some new ones.”

Photo credit: Nick Fancher

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OBITUARY Is 'Very Excited' About Songs For Next Studio Album: 'Fans Are Really Gonna Love' It

During an appearance on the latest episode of Italy’s “Heavy Demons” radio show, OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy confirmed that the band has used some of the downtime during the coronavirus pandemic to work on material for a new studio album. He added (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “As always, we are a band that does not put pressure on ourselves. We do not push the envelope. So we really just took our time and were writing songs as they came into our brain, but we did not try too hard; we wanted it to come naturally. So we are still writing the music. We’re very excited about the new songs. [They’re] very OBITUARY style, but just like a good red wine that’s been opened, it’s just getting tastier and tastier. Some of these riffs and some of these songs that we have for the new album fans are really gonna love. We stick to our roots. We are OBITUARY. We do not try to play a million miles an hour. We want it to be midtempo and groovy and heavy, and that’s really what we’re trying to deliver to our fans.”

Earlier in the month, OBITUARY announced a new two-part spring livestream series. The band will perform its favorite songs on March 27 and run through its classic third album, 1992’s “The End Complete”, in its entirety on April 3.

Tickets, t-shirts and bundles are available beginning this Friday, March 5 at 1 p.m. EST at www.obituarylive.com.

Last October, OBITUARY took part in a three-part “live stream concert series” featuring full-album performances of “Slowly We Rot”, “Cause Of Death” and rare classics. The first two streams — a “Slowly We Rot” set; and a “Cause Of Death” set — were live from the ESI Streaming Studio in Tampa, Florida. The third stream, featuring rare classics and special tracks, was broadcasted live from OBITUARY’s recording studio in Gibsonton, Florida.

OBITUARY’s latest, self-titled studio album was released in 2017 via Relapse.

Photo credit: Stefan Schippe

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TED NUGENT Denies Accusations Of Racism: 'I'm The Anti-Racist'

Ted Nugent has fired back at accusations of racism, saying that he is “the anti-racist” who has “paid homage and reverence to the black heroes of music” his entire life.

The outspoken conservative rocker made his comments just days after he revealed he recently lost a major sponsor of his award-winning “Spirit Of The Wild” television show over allegations of racism.

In a Facebook Live video on Saturday (March 20), Ted said: “Everybody who pays attention — not the ones who call me a racist, but the people who are actually honest and pay attention know that I have paid homage and reverence to the black heroes of music all my life, which means I’m the anti-racist. So if you find somebody who calls Ted Nugent a racist, you are looking at a subhuman piece of shit who lives a lie.”

He added: “I’m a living, walking, breathing passionate music lover that was in the eye of the music storm at the most important time in the history of music, coming right out of the electrification of the guitar by Les Paul. And how Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley and THE VENTURES and Duane Eddy and Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley took that black music, and we celebrated it in song.”

A board member of the National Rifle Association, Nugent has been accused of using racist language for decades, including in a 1990 Detroit Free Press interview where he defended the institution of apartheid in South Africa by stating “apartheid isn’t that cut-and-dry. All men are not created equal.”

Back in 2014, Nugent called then-U.S. president Barack Obama a “subhuman mongrel” in an interview with Guns.com. He later apologized “for using the street fight terminology of subhuman mongrel.” But he maintained that Obama was a “liar” violating the Constitution.

In his 2016 memoir, “18 And Life On Skid Row”, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach wrote about how Nugent, whom he considered to be one of his musical idols, allegedly went on a racist tirade on the set of the VH1 reality show “SuperGroup”, causing Sebastian to step into the role of unlikely hero to the African-American crew by walking out and going to the producer, refusing to continue working with the Nuge.

The following year, Nugent slammed Bach for his comments, saying: “He falls in the ‘inconsequential’ column. It’s true — the guy smokes so much dope. People like Sebastian Bach will literally listen to me praise Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley and Little Richard and James Brown and Wilson Pickett, they’ll listen to me praise these black artists and literally call it racist. I mean, how much dope do you have to smoke to be that stupid?”

He continued: “Literally, I’m the one during that TV show that pounded home that we cannot lose touch with our black founding fathers, that if you don’t have that groove of the black artists, if you don’t have the Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley and Little Richard and James Brown groove, your music is worthless. That’s what I drove home. And he would call that being a racist? This is funnier than Richard Pryor’s afro catching fire. I mean, how stupid can you get?”

“SuperGroup” followed five well-known hard rock and heavy metal musicians — Bach, Nugent, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian, ex-BIOHAZARD bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld and drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN, BONHAM, UFO, FOREIGNER) — over a twelve-day period during which they lived together in a Las Vegas mansion in order to create, plan and perform a live show together.

In a 2012 interview with Metal-Rules.com, Bach stated about Nugent: “To be honest with you, I think that Ted’s political beliefs and social opinions overshadow how great a guitar player he is. More people know Ted for his outrageous views and political viewpoints. His music is so great, but a lot of people are disgusted by him. They don’t like guns. People don’t like racism, but he says some things that are from the ’50s. People don’t think like that anymore; it’s not acceptable. It’s a shame because I love his music and he is funny as hell. He is so abrasive with his beliefs, it takes the fun out of it.”

Nugent told Radio.com in 2014 that Bach was “incredibly gifted” and “a gentleman for the most part,” but he called the former SKID ROW singer “weak.” Nugent explained: “[Sebastian] doesn’t understand the concept of the [body as a] Sacred Temple. He doesn’t understand accountability. He doesn’t understand — clearly — how his indulgences and his poisons ruin his life. And his relationships, and his marriage. And his musical capabilities. I love the guy and if he’s watching this, I love you, but when you’re the drunk Sebastian Bach, you’re nowhere near the Sebastian Bach that you are when you’re clean and sober. Case closed. That isn’t a Ted Nugent opinion, that’s scientific truism.”

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

Posted by Ted Nugent on Saturday, March 20, 2021

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SAVATAGE's JON OLIVA Battled COVID-19 For Two Months: 'I Wouldn't Have Wished It On My Worst Enemy In The World'

Jon Oliva, the American composer, multi-instrumentalist and singer who is best known as the founder of and keyboardist and lead vocalist for SAVATAGE, has revealed to “80’s Glam Metalcast” that he battled COVID-19 for two months last year. “I had it for eight weeks, and I wouldn’t have wished it on my worst enemy in the world,” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “I would not have wished it on anybody. It was brutal — it really was. It sucked. But I’m okay now. And I’m gonna be getting my vaccination here in the next week or so. And that’s it. So I lived through it. [Laughs] They don’t want me in Heaven. Christ doesn’t me up there because the first thing I’m doing when I get to Heaven is I’m punching Paul O’Neill [late TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA founder and SAVATAGE collaborator] and Criss Oliva [late SAVATAGE guitarist and Jon’s brother] in the face.”

Oliva also addressed the possibility of new SAVATAGE music in the not-too-distant future, saying: “Since [SAVATAGE’s] Wacken [reunion] show in 2015, Chris Caffery, me and Al Pitrelli, we’ve been trading song ideas for a possible SAVATAGE thing over the phone. I go, ‘Hey, this is great. This is great. This is cool.’ But I’ve been writing SAVATAGE material since 2003, and I could do a quadruple double album, if I wanted to. So, yeah, we’re trading off things, and we’re looking at that. And we’re working on a SAVATAGE live thing that we did in Cologne, Germany in 1997, and we’re putting that together for a livestream thing. And it’s really good. And I’ve been working on that. Al came down to Florida and we kind of beefed it up a little bit — not a lot, but just beefed it up a little bit, mixed some things.”

Jon went on to say that he would personally “love” to see SAVATAGE recurrected, adding that “it’s very possible.” He said: “If it’s gonna happen, we’ll make an official announcement, but we have been working together, just because with the pandemic and all that, we’re bored; there’s nothing to do. So we’ve been trading ideas through e-mails and on the phone. Me and Al wrote three or four things together. Me and Chris Caffery have worked on a few things together. What else are we gonna do? There’s nothing to do. So, yeah, we’ll see what happens.”

Oliva also revealed that he had been talking about a SAVATAGE comeback since before O’Neill died. “Paul and I had many meetings about it, and we were talking about, ‘Well, if we did do it, what would we call it, and how would we operate it?'” he said. “And I said to him, ‘Well, if we do it, we should call it ‘Still The Orchestra Plays’. And me and Zak [Stevens] should sing a lot of songs together and have certain songs, so it would be the two lead singers.’ And we’d feature all kinds of music — all the types of music. ‘Cause SAVATAGE was never really one sort of bag, especially when Paul got involved. From ‘Gutter Ballet’ on, it was all kinds of different things, which was great — I thought it was great. And which led to TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA.”

Back in 2016, Jon announced on social media that he suffered a stroke in April of that year. At the time, he said: “It was not as serious as it could have been, but it did leave me with some physical recovery challenges often associated with strokes.”

Despite his health issues, Jon said that he didn’t regret the way he had lived his life. He wrote: “I lived the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle since I was 18. It’s all I knew and I enjoyed the ride very much. But there comes a time in everyone’s life where you have to step back and make some life-changing decisions…which I have.”

Shortly after SAVATAGE’s reunion performance at the 2015 Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, Oliva revealed that felt better than he had in twenty years because he had “stopped drinking and eating” in preparation for the concert. He explained: “It’s my voice that’s freaking me out, because, even when I was in my late 20s, early 30s, doing songs like ’24 Hours Ago’ were always really hard to do. And, of course, I didn’t realize that it was all the drugs and alcohol I was doing. But, after doing that, getting my act together and stuff, singing ’24 Hours Ago’, it’s actually easy now. [Laughs]”

SAVATAGE’s last album release, “Poets And Madmen”, in 2001 was highlighted by Jon Oliva’s return as lead vocalist, replacing Zak Stevens, who left the band citing family reasons, and the departure of Al Pitrelli, who accepted an offer to join MEGADETH in 2000. Pitrelli did record solos for some songs prior to his departure. Another very limited U.S. tour followed, supported by FATES WARNING in the early shows, and then NEVERMORE for the remainder. Around this time, Jon chose Zak’s replacement in the form of Damond Jiniya (DIET OF WORMS). Damond performed Zak’s parts on tour, with Jon having an increased vocal role in proceedings.

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TWISTED SISTER Reunites (Virtually) To Pay Tribute To Late Drummer A.J PERO (Video)

The surviving members of the classic lineup of TWISTED SISTER — Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda and Mark “The Animal” Mendoza — reunited virtually on Saturday, March 20 for a special episode of Mendoza’s Internet TV show “22 Now”. The hour-and-a-half-long program was a tribute to the band’s late drummer A.J. Pero, who died exactly six years earlier at the age of 55 while on tour with the band ADRENALINE MOB.

A couple of weeks after Pero’s death, Snider spoke to TMZ about the loss of his friend. He said: “People ask me how I feel about A.J.’s passing, and, quite honestly, I’m going through a real period of anger right now about it. He was a great guy, and I loved him dearly. But he had a history of heart disease — his family did; his father died in his [50s] of heart disease — and A.J. never had himself checked out. And when they did the autopsy, he had 95 percent blockage, advanced heart disease. And he didn’t have to die. And I feel it’s, basically, irresponsible behavior on his part. He had two ex-wives and an ex-girlfriend of 19 years, four kids he left behind. And you have a responsibility, as a parent, as an adult, to get yourself checked out.”

Dee later defended his comments, saying on his podcast: “People die every day, and I don’t go as far as to speak out about the way they chose to go. You know, I spoke out about A.J. because I’m hurt, and his family is hurt, and world he left behind is in complete turmoil as a result of it.

“When we take actions, we always think, ‘Oh, it’s just affecting me. It’s just affecting me,'” he continued. “It’s the reality of the other people it’s affecting besides yourself. That’s where the problem lies. When you take yourself out, and you’ve got no family, and you’ve got no friends, and no one’s gonna shed a tear for you, that’s fine — that’s just about you. But when you pilot a plane into the mountain top and take everybody with you, it’s not just about you.

“So here I had an opportunity to remind people that, hey, heart disease is just that — it’s a disease. Don’t put your head in the sand and don’t pretend that there’s no problem when you know your whole family has a history of any sickness — of cancer, of heart disease, of prostate problems… of whatever it is. I mean, everybody should get checked out, but especially if you’re genetically predisposed. And when you have children, young children, like A.J. had, it’s not just about you… Especially when your estate isn’t in order, like A.J. Pero’s was not. And you don’t take care of yourself physically, and you die unexpectedly, and way too young, and you leave that kind of mess behind, I still say that’s irresponsible behavior. Irresponsible, like doing drugs… because he was drinking, he was smoking… I mean, not excessively. He was partying… not excessively. He was eating poorly. He was overweight. But is that any different than drinking yourself to death? Or doing drugs? Or killing yourself another way? Slowly killing yourself that way? When you know in your heart of hearts that there is a problem, or there is potentially a problem.

“Like I said on the TMZ thing, when they got him to the hospital, he was already gone,” Dee added. “He had a massive stroke on the tour bus, followed by a massive heart attack. They got him to the hospital, they autopsied him and they said, ‘If he had gotten here and he was still alive, he was too far gone for us to save him.’ And this is the day and age of heart transplants and stents and all kinds of… if you believe in drugs for these problems… all kinds of solutions for a relatively young man to not die of heart disease. All he had to do is get checked out and be monitored. That’s all it takes. So I saw an opportunity, on TMZ, to speak out, to say these things and maybe remind some people out there of their responsibility to their family, of their responsibility to their kids, to their loved ones. Not their band, not their fans.

“To see his girlfriend of nineteen years, who is not, like, accepted by his family. Nineteen years… But I guess… I’m not sure… She may have been ‘the other woman’ at one point or something… with a young daughter, having to go on the GoFundMe site and put up… try to raise money to pay her rent. ‘Cause she can’t get any money, ’cause she’s not legally married to him. And A.J. had no estate planning, so all of his assets are completely frozen. And until it’s all figured out — there was no will, there was no nothing — until it’s all figured out, we, as a band, can’t even funnel money to his girlfriend and his daughter, or his other children. Our hands are tied as well. So here she is on social media essentially begging for money to feed her child and pay the rent. That is just grotesque. It’s awful, it’s terrible. And that makes you angry at your friend, at your dear friend, A.J. Pero. It made me angry. [I wanted to say] ‘Dude, what did you freakin’ do? What did you do?’ The minute you start getting married, having kids, creating that responsibility to others — that’s exactly what it is: responsibility — you’ve lost your right — yes, you have lost your right — to be cavalier, or casual, with things like your health, and your estate, and your economics. I’m sorry — you have lost your right.”

TWISTED SISTER rose to prominence from the New York club scene in the early 1980s. Their biggest album, 1984’s “Stay Hungry”, contained the hits “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock”.

In addition to touring with TWISTED SISTER and ADRENALINE MOB, Pero also played with former and current members of IRON MAIDEN and DISTURBED in a band called THE FOUNDRY. He also hosted drum clinics and seminars.

Prior to last night’s virtual reunion, the four surviving members of TWISTED SISTER reunited for two days and nights in November 2019 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the band’s classic album “Stay Hungry”.

TWISTED SISTER called it quits in 2016 after completing a farewell 40th-anniversary tour. The band’s last-ever concert took place in November of that year — 20 months after the passing of Pero.

22 NOW | AJ Pero Memorial Show

Join Mark Mendoza as he sits with the rest of Twisted Sister for a special episode of 22 NOW remembering AJ Pero

Posted by Area 22 Productions on Saturday, March 20, 2021

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ECHO Releases Second Design In 'Kiss Poster Series' By FRANK KOZIK

Echo released the second design in its “Kiss Poster Series” with the legendary Frank Kozik on Friday, March 19.

“For this amazing opportunity, I wanted to combine the raw energy of a great comic book cover with the power of KISS and rock and roll,” said Kozik. “It being for a show in Japan, I naturally had to make the giant robots! This all in a style reminiscent of the era in which the show was actually performed.”

Kozik’s poster commemorating the legendary KISS performances from April 1, 2 and 4, 1977 in Tokyo, Japan, is the second design in the Echo “Kiss Poster Series”. This 11-color screen print measures 18″x24″ and is available in these limited-edition variations:

* KISS April 1, 2 & 4, 1977 Tokyo Japan (Gallery Edition) – 150 pieces / $60
* KISS April 1, 2 & 4, 1977 Tokyo Japan (Sparkle Foil Variant) – 75 pieces / $80
* KISS April 1, 2 & 4, 1977 Tokyo Japan (Lava Foil Variant) – 75 pieces / $80

Echo worked with Epic Rights, the band’s licensing agency, to execute this product launch.

For more information, visit www.EchoPrintGallery.com.

Echo is a division of Road Crates, Inc., a company founded in the summer of 2020. Working with a number of today’s hottest artists, its mission is to create well-crafted, high-end artwork for fans of all ages to enjoy.

Kozik has been described as “one of the rock world’s top poster artists.” Kozik has worked with NIRVANA, PEARL JAM, SOUNDGARDEN, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, and many other iconic bands throughout his storied career. Kozik used to run Man’s Ruin Records, a media outlet and record label and has published several books, including “Man’s Ruin: Posters And Art By Frank Kozik” and “Desperate Measures Empty Pleasures”. Kozik is one of the originators of the designer vinyl movement and currently is the creative director at Kidrobot.

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