All posts in Featured

Hear and acquire this Gravesend flexi disc EP, featuring an exclusive brand new track, available as part of the Decibel Flexi Series. Hurry, quantities are extremely limited!
The post Gravesend Premiere New EP, “From the Gutter… to the Grave,” via the Decibel Flexi Series! appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

In a new interview with Sean Hood of the FM99 WNOR radio station, SHINEDOWN singer Brent Smith was asked he thinks his teenage son will follow in his footsteps. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Absolutely not. My son could care less that his father is in a rock band — or any band for that matter.

“My son just made the basketball team at school, which he hustled, hustled, hustled all through the pandemic all this year. The kid has got some serious game, I will give it to him, and he’s very, very sports-centric.

“From the moment he was born, I never, ever — me and his mother — we never made it about me; we never made it about what I did,” he continued. “His teachers and what have you, they’re massively respectful of the situation. And I just never made it about me.

“Growing up, I always wanted him to pick his path; I want him to go in the direction that he wants to go. And it’s really a beautiful thing in a lot of ways, ’cause he’s his own dude; he’s his own guy. When I’m with him, we don’t talk about me; it’s all him.

“I’ve told him this before, and he understands it. I’m, like, ‘I can be your friend later. I’m your father. I’m your dad. I’m responsible for you. And I wanna give you encouragement. I wanna set you up with understanding the value of hard work, that your word should be bond, and to be honest and to be a gentleman.’ And I have to say he’s exhibiting all of those great traits. Because I want him to be a real man. I want him to understand who he is. Later on in life, he may be more interested in it or what have you, but I just try to never make it about me.

“He is very into basketball, very into the NBA, very into being in school,” Brent added. “He’s 13; he’s gonna be 14 in December this year, which is nuts. The other thing, too — I’m not the tallest guy in the world; I’m five [feet] eight [inches tall]. My son is 13 and he’s already almost a foot taller than me… It’s, like, ‘How’s it going up there, son?’

“My son is really respectful. It’s a very proud moment for me too. He’s in middle school, getting ready to go to high school next year. All of his teachers go out of their way to let me know that he’s extremely charismatic but he’s also not cliquey at all. He is friends with everyone. They’re always very open with me about how… His teachers have said, ‘He’s one of the most empathetic kids here.’ It doesn’t mean he’s a pushover. But people, they gravitate towards him. And that makes me feel good, man, ’cause I always want him to be respectful.”

Three years ago, Brent said that his “number one priority in life” was his son. “I think how my success is determined is by how much time I can give to my son,” he said at the time. “I keep it very private in the world that he lives in — like teachers at school, people around him, they don’t really know what his dad does, because me and his mother, who are really really good friends even though we’re not together anymore, have a respect for each other and she knows that I want him to have a childhood. I want him to have an upbringing that is healthy, not only physically and mentally but where he is not pigeonholed into one particular group because of who his dad is. That’s my success: making sure he has a childhood, making sure he gets everything he needs for himself, but also making sure he understands that he has to work for it. So, my success is bringing up my son and him being a great man when it’s time for him to become one. He’s so amazing on so many levels, so I measure my success by him.”

More than a decade ago, Smith credited his son, Lyric Santana Smith, with saving his life. “I stopped doing drugs,” he said. “I was immensely addicted to cocaine and oxycontin. I was being the clichéd rock star. Cocaine and oxycontin I got hooked on real bad, but my son saved me from my vanity and selfishness. I’m lucky to be alive. I wasn’t knocking on death’s door; I was in the room doing shots with death.”

In January, SHINEDOWN will embark on its 2022 North American tour, “Shinedown Live In Concert”. Kicking off in San Francisco on January 26, the upcoming 22-date outing will see the acclaimed quartet travel throughout the West Coast, Canada, and more, with stops in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, Seattle, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. POP EVIL and AYRON JONES will support on select dates.

Metallic hardcore outfit Brick by Brick is sick of a lot of things, but not this classic jam from Sick of it All.
The post Track Premiere: Brick By Brick – “Just Look Around” (Sick of it All Cover) appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

When a band has notched up more than four decades of active service, releasing 16 studio albums along the way, the time for cynicism has definitely passed. RUNNING WILD have put the hours in and achieved the kind of legendary status that only true survivors are able to earn. Pioneers of power metal and, go on then, pirate metal too, Rolf Kasparek’s enduring crew have little to prove, and a solid fanbase — particularly in northern Europe — that probably doesn’t want the band to veer off course and make a jazz-funk record. And if at this point a lack of creative ingenuity is the only criticism one can reasonably level at RUNNING WILD, the Germans are obviously doing everything else right.

Kasparek has been quoted as saying that he believed “Blood On Blood” to be his band’s finest album to date, and while he will struggle to find many diehard fans who concur with that assessment, RUNNING WILD’s 17th full-length undeniably delivers the goods. The opening title track is an exuberant, melodically direct anthem with plenty of gung-ho folkisms in the guitar work and a singalong chorus of considerable girth. “Wings Of Fire” is a more straightforward metal thumper, an expected development on any RUNNING WILD record, and here executed with as much power and commitment as ever. “Diamonds & Pearls” is more of the vigorous same, and an obvious future live favorite; “Wild & Free” is a ballsy hard rocker with strong ACCEPT vibes and the faint stench of whisky and leather. There is one moment of moderate exploration: closing epic “The Iron Times (1618-1648)” delves into the Thirty Years’ War between Lutherans and Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire, building something pleasingly opulent and grand from that source material, with several killer hooks and a dash of orchestral, big screen bluster.

The downside to “Blood On Blood” may only apply to non-diehards. This is a solid and enjoyable heavy metal record, but RUNNING WILD are still occasionally dependent on well-worn cliches (“Wild, Wild Nights” sounds like a perfunctory composite of several ’80s hair metal bangers) and production values that would have brought the house down in 1986, but which today sound self-consciously old school and lacking in the muscular cutting edge that the likes of JUDAS PRIEST and, again, ACCEPT have shrewdly embraced in recent times, with excellent results. For those who live and breathe this stuff, none of that will matter one tiny fuck. On this ship, the flag is still flying, and the sails still billow.

Rudy Sarzo will play his first show as the returning bassist for veteran rockers QUIET RIOT on November 6 at The Groove Music Hall in Woodford, Virginia. Joining him in the group’s current lineup are guitarist Alex Grossi, vocalist Jizzy Pearl and drummer Johnny Kelly.

Rudy was one of the members of QUIET RIOT’s “Metal Health” lineup. He played bass on the classic LP, which sold over ten million copies and spawned the hits “Cum On Feel The Noize” and “Metal Health” and on the follow-up record “Condition Critical”.

Sarzo appeared in the most notable music videos in the MTV age and toured with the band until 1985 and again from 1997 to 2003. During his years out of the band, Sarzo was a member of OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE, DIO, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, QUEENSRŸCHE and THE GUESS WHO.

With the move, longtime QUIET RIOT bassist Chuck Wright has graciously stepped aside to continue his recent solo efforts while heightening his role with his award-winning residency show “Ultimate Jam Night” at the legendary Whisky A Go-Go which all the members of QUIET RIOT fully support.

States Sarzo: “I’m excited to be back home and celebrate the QUIET RIOT legacy, which began 40 years ago next year with the recording of ‘Metal Health’, the first heavy metal album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard top 200 albums chart.”

Upcoming QUIET RIOT shows:

Nov. 06 – Groove Music Hall @ Dominion Raceway – Woodford, VA
Dec. 04 – Ridglea Theater – Ft. Worth, TX
Dec. 31 – Fremont Country Club – Las Vegas, NV
Mar. 26 – Mass Mutual Center – Springfield, MA
Apr. 01 – Clay County Fair – Auburndale, FL
Apr. 09 – Seneca Allegany Casino – Salamanca, NY
May 07 – United Wireless Arena – Dodge City, KS
May 14 – Johnson County Fairgrounds – Centerville, MO
Jun. 03 – San Bernardino Fairgrounds – San Bernardino, CA
Jun. 18 – Grand Stage Amphitheater – Urich, MO
Jul. 09 – Caesar Ford Park – Xenia, OH
Oct. 08 – Little Creek Casino – Shelton, WA

Sarzo discussed his return to QUIET RIOT in a recent interview with Adika Live!. He said: “My decision, in addition to [it] being [late QUIET RIOT drummer] Frankie’s [Banali] request that I return to the band, was a decision that I had to meditate on it, because it is that important. Not meditate whether it was the right decision to make or not — no, that wasn’t the point — it was to meditate about the timing of it. Because it could not be an abrupt decision that you drop everything you’re doing and you change the band.

“Regina [Frankie’s widow] and I, we sat and we talked about it, and we said, ‘Okay, the best thing to do is to let everybody fulfill their commitments.’ Because I have commitments to the band that I’ve been playing in for the last five years, THE GUESS WHO. And I wasn’t about to tell them, ‘Hey, I’m outta here, guys. Good luck.’ I’ve never done that. So I have commitments with them. And QUIET RIOT has commitments with [longtime bassist] Chuck Wright. And we felt that the only thing that we can do, really — [we felt] that all these commitments must be fulfilled so our agreements with everybody is fulfilled.”

Rudy went on to say that he has been “making the transition” and “embracing again the whole QUIET RIOT consciousness” by going “back and playing the songs” again. “And actually, it’s been wonderful because, I’ve gotta tell you, to be able to go back to something that you did 40 years ago with the musician I am today, I’m looking at the songs a little bit different, as far as my own contributions,” he said. “Of course, it’s not gonna be something that is gonna turn into completely something else, but there are certain note choices that I can improve on.”

As for what fans can expect to see when he returns to the road with QUIET RIOT, Rudy said: “At the core of the show is gonna be a celebration of the legacy of our bandmates. It’s our responsibility as the ones left behind that we must celebrate. It’s a must. So that is at the core of the show.”

Wright has served off and on with QUIET RIOT for nearly 40 years, appears on nine albums, and is known as the bassist for QUIET RIOT’s mega-hit “Metal Health” (Bang Your Head) and “Don’t Wanna Let You Go”. He was a contributing songwriter on 1986’s “QRIII” and appeared in the band’s video for “The Wild And The Young”, among others. Wright has been one of the band’s longest touring and recording members.

Julien’s Auctions has announced the preeminent headliners of “Icons & Idols: Rock ‘N’ Roll”, the world-record breaking auction house to the stars’ annual music event of the season on Friday, November 19 and Saturday, November 20, 2021 live in Hard Rock Cafe New York and online at juliensauctions.com. Nearly 1,000 sensational artifacts and memorabilia owned and used by some of the world’s legendary music artists of all time, including THE BEATLES, GUNS N’ ROSES, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Robert Plant, Elvis Presley, Trent Reznor, Keith Richards, Eddie Van Halen, U2, and more will be offered.

Hard rock and metal fans will bang their heads to the appearances of the original artwork for the cover of the 1983 QUIET RIOT album “Metal Health” hand-painted by Stan Watts ($20,000 – 40,000), and the original metal “asylum” mask that Watts wore to create the iconic image ($8,000 – 10,000).

Items from the world’s most dangerous band, GUNS N’ ROSES, will also rock the auction stage including the 1989 MTV VMA Moonman presented to the band for “Best Heavy Metal Video” for “Sweet Child O’ Mine” ($10,000 – $20,000), a satin printed GUNS N’ ROSES after show pass signed by the band members, black Tama kick drum skins stage used by Steven Adler during GN’R’s “Appetite For Destruction” 1988 tour and signed by the band and more.

One of the most epic rock classics ever recorded by one of rock’s seminal bands, “Kashmir” is LED ZEPPELIN’s sonic masterpiece, along with “Stairway To Heaven” and “Whole Lotta Love”. Handwritten lyrics of the song by lead singer Robert Plant on a sheet of The Whitehall Hotel letterhead stationery will be offered with an estimate of $200,000 – $300,000. The lyrics are a rendition for a live performance of the song with some differences from the recorded version released on their 1976 album “Pink Graffiti”.

Another rock iconoclast and now auction legend whose original artwork and handwritten ephemera are coveted as much as his instruments and memorabilia is one of rock and roll’s most signature artists of all time: Kurt Cobain. An illustration drawn in ballpoint pen on a sheet of notebook paper by the NIRVANA frontman depicting many faces and eyes and a flower signed by Cobain in the bottom right corner as “Kurdt Kobain” will be on offer. The drawing (estimate: $10,000 – $20,000) was previously on display at the Museum Of Pop Culture “Nirvana: Taking Punk To The Masses” exhibit in Seattle.

Other handwritten and drawn items include (each estimate: $4,000 – $6,000): a white tablecloth with a handwritten setlist of NIRVANA songs, “Teen Spirit”, “About A Girl” and “Come As You Are” and signed by Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and others; a handwritten setlist by Kurt Cobain on Sheffield University Students’ Union stationery, where the band performed the night before and a ticket to a NIRVANA performance at Calton Studios in Edinburgh, Scotland, on December 29, 1991; and a handwritten and signed setlist by Kurt Cobain from a concert at the East Ballroom of the University of Washington in Seattle on January 6, 1990 that includes the songs “Polly” and “Love Buzz”.

Other NIRVANA/Kurt Cobain items up for bid include “Illiteracy Will Prevail” from FECAL MATTER — the 1985 punk rock band formed by Kurt Cobain, Dale Drover (of the MELVINS) and drummer Greg Hokanson. The demo project on cassette features 17 unreleased tracks with notable demos that were later re-recorded and released under NIRVANA, including the song “Downer” which was later released on NIRVANA’s album “Bleach” (estimate: $3,000 – $5,000), a color photograph of Cobain at 15 years old in a snowy winter background, a signed NIRVANA concert ticket, signed denim vest and jacket and more.

Julien’s Auctions has shattered original estimates and broken world records with the sale of Kurt Cobain’s memorabilia and artwork, including: Cobain’s cardigan worn on “MTV Unplugged In New York” (sold for a record $334,000), his “In Utero” tour Fender Mustang guitar (sold for $340,000), his cardigan worn on his last photoshoot (sold for $75,000), a NIRVANA paper plate setlist written in Cobain’s handwriting which sold for a record $22,400; a self-portrait caricature drawing by Cobain of himself playing guitar signed “Kurdt Kobain Rock Star” (sold for over $281,000) and the Guinness Book Of World Record sale of Cobain’s “MTV Unplugged” 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic-electric guitar, which sold for $6 million making it the world’s most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.

Other exceptional highlights include: Keith Richards’s red with gold embroidery and rhinestone cropped jacket worn on the “Get Yer Yas-Yas Out” album, as well as on stage during the infamous Altamont concert, where an audience member was stabbed to death by the Hell’s Angels, and was featured in the Maysles Brothers documentary film “Gimme Shelter” ($8,000 – $12,000); U2 guitarist Edge’s concert used Gibson Les Paul Standard electric guitar ($50,000 – $70,000); Jim Croce’s Martin D-21 guitar ($40,000 – $60,000); an EVH Fender “Frankenstrat” guitar stage played by Eddie Van Halen signed by him and his brother Alex Van Halen, consisting of a guitar strap attached to screw eyes, bicycle reflectors on the back used to reflect the stage lights, five VAN HALEN 2012 guitar picks taped on the body and an image of Eddie printed on metal (the guitar was gifted to Kevan Hill, a childhood friend and first band mate of Eddie and Alex Van Halen in their first band, BROKEN COMBS, in 1964) ($30,000 – $50,000); a custom-made black 2007 Gretsch drum kit played by drummer Taylor Hawkins for FOO FIGHTERS accompanied by two FOO FIGHTERS Wembley Stadium fleece zip up sweaters, a backstage pass, two guitar picks and a pillow ($40,000 – $60,000).

“Julien’s Auctions is honored to present this extraordinary collection of historic and important music relics used by the pantheon of rock gods and pop music icons from the 20th century and 21st century at our annual two-day music event of the year,” said Darren Julien, president/chief executive officer of Julien’s Auctions. “The breadth and scope of these museum worthy collectibles represent not only the pinnacle of these legendary figures’ careers and their mythic performances but the impact of their artistry and the lives they lived on and off the stage that changed not only music but the world.”

ASHES OF ARES, the band featuring former ICED EARTH members Matt Barlow and Freddie Vidales, will release its third studio album, “Emperors And Fools”, on January 21, 2022 via ROAR! Rock Of Angels.

Nine years after forming ASHES OF ARES, Barlow and Vidales return with an LP that sees the duo take the darkness and aggression from their previous effort, “Well Of Souls”, to a higher echelon. The writing process began almost immediately after “Well Of Souls” was released. As usual, it was a true collaborative effort between the two, with ideas originating from one or the other, then evolving and being refined to what is presented on “Emperors And Fools”. The album flow is designed to keep the listeners on edge while bringing them from fast, heavy, pounding anthems to somber, melancholic, emotional pieces. The album ends with the eleven-minute long epic “Monster’s Lament” which features the long-imagined joining of forces between Barlow and another former ICED EARTH singer, Tim “Ripper” Owens.

“Emperors And Fools” will be released as a digipak CD, limited turquoise/black splatter vinyl (300 copies worldwide), limited red/black splatter vinyl (300 copies worldwide) and digital streaming and download format.

“Emperors And Fools” was produced by ASHES OF ARES, and mixed and mastered by Byron Filson at Villain Recording in Phoenix, Arizona. The cover artwork was created by Kamil Pietruczynik.

Track listing:

01. A City In Decay (intro)
02. I Am The Night
03. Our Last Sunrise
04. Primed
05. Where God Fears To Go
06. Emperors And Fools
07. By My Blade
08. What Tomorrow Will Bring
09. The Iron Throne
10. Gone
11. Throne Of Iniquity (CD-exclusive track)
12. Monster’s Lament

ASHES OF ARES is:

Matt Barlow – Vocals
Freddie Vidales – Guitars, Bass

Guests:

* Drums on all tracks by Van Williams
* Keyboard intro composed by Jonah Weingarten
* First solo “The Iron Throne” by Wiley Arnett of SACRED REICH
* Second solo “The Iron Throne” by Charlie Mark
* Second solo “Monster’s Lament” by Bill Hudson
* Guest vocals “Monster’s Lament” by Tim “Ripper” Owens
* Keyboards “Monster’s Lament” by Brian Trainor

Last December ASHES OF ARES released the 12-inch black vinyl EP, “Throne Of Iniquity”. Limited to 300 copies, the EP contained one new ASHES OF ARES song, “Throne Of Iniquity”, as well as two cover tracks, CHICAGO’s “25 Or 6 To 4” and KANSAS’s “Dust In The Wind”.

ASHES OF ARES’s second album, “Well Of Souls”, came out in November 2018 via ROAR! Rock Of Angels. It was the follow-up to ASHES OF ARES’s self-titled debut album, which was released in September 2013 via Nuclear Blast.

Three years ago, Barlow told “The Classic Metal Show” about ASHES OF ARES: “Sometimes it’s hard to escape the comparisons [to ICED EARTH], because my voice is still my voice no matter what, and I’m still gonna deliver things emotionally like I have before, so people are always gonna draw comparisons with ICED EARTH, and that’s fine; I’m completely cool with that. I’m proud of my time in ICED EARTH, proud of everything that I’ve done with them, proud of them right now, going on and kicking ass. So I don’t have any problem with that whatsoever — the comparisons. But that being said, I want ASHES to have its own identity as well. I think, again, as my writing partner, Freddie deserves that — he deserves to have his own identity in ASHES — and I think that’s really important; that’s what we’re striving to do. And also, hey, man, there’s already an ICED EARTH out there; they’re touring and they’re kicking ass, as I stated before. Why would I wanna do ICED EARTH stuff?”

MÖTLEY CRÜE may be responsible for blazing a path of hard rock and chaos for the past 40 years, netting seven platinum and multi-platinum albums alongside global album sales exceeding 100 million. But this spring, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee and Mick Mars come in from the cold to reveal their greatest accomplishment of all: protecting the world at all costs as covert government agents.

Uniting with Z2 Comics, the premier publisher of music-based graphic novels, “Mötley Crüe’s The Dirt: Declassified” unearths the classified exploits of these rock pioneers as they navigated an international web of moles, sleepers, spooks, and plants. Building from the New York Times bestselling book and subsequent Netflix movie “The Dirt”, Leah Moore (“Morrison Hotel”) documents the quartet’s twisting journey with interior art from John K. Snyder III (“Suicide Squad”, “Grendel”) and J.M. Beroy (“Deadman”, “Star Trek”). Armitano (“Batman Eternal”) joins with dossier art alongside cover artist Dan Panosian (“Canary”, “Slots”).

“Playing arenas overflowing with tens of thousands of fans was just a front for our true mission,” MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx explains. “The reality is that we were infiltrating [redacted] in a globe-hopping sprint to [redacted]. But that doesn’t even include the disaster at [redacted] or near fatal heist in [redacted]. We have a lot to say and it’s time the people knew.”

“MÖTLEY CRÜE remains the one group whose live show in the ’80s felt truly dangerous. Now that I know the truth about the band, it’s obvious why,” Z2 senior editor Rantz Hoseley says. “We’re proud to have gained the trust of these live wires to tell the secrets they’ve been forced to cover up for decades… we guarantee you aren’t ready for the madness and mayhem in this graphic novel.”

“Mötley Crüe’s The Dirt: Declassified” will debut exclusively on Z2’s webstore in April 2022, available in the following bundles:

– Standard Edition Softcover: $24.99
– Standard Edition Hardcover: $39.99
– Retail Exclusive Hardcover: $39.99
– Deluxe Edition Oversized Hardcover: $99.99
– Platinum Edition Oversized Hardcover: $299.99 (limited to only 999 units)

Deluxe Edition Oversized Hardcover contains:

* Oversized Hardcover Deluxe Edition graphic novel encased in butcher paper
* Operation C.R.Ü.E Lockbox slipcase
* MÖTLEY CRÜE UV Spy Pen (allowing you to reveal secret UV messages within the book)
* Four exclusive MÖTLEY CRÜE dossier art prints

Platinum Edition Oversized Hardcover contains:

* Oversized Hardcover Deluxe Edition graphic novel encased in butcher paper
* Operation C.R.Ü.E Lockbox slipcase
* Four MÖTLEY CRÜE Security Clearance Badges
* Four exclusive Mötley Crüe dossier art prints
* One MÖTLEY CRÜE UV Spy Pen (allowing you to reveal secret UV messages within the book)
* One MÖTLEY CRÜE Secret Dossier (A top-level security envelope of papers, spy photos and redacted imagery of Nikki, Tommy, Vince and Mick’s career exploits)
* One MÖTLEY CRÜE UV Spy Map of Los Angeles, CA

In a new interview with Metal Hammer magazine, Gary Holt once again reflected on EXODUS’s legendary New Year’s Eve gig in San Francisco with METALLICA, as the two bands rang in the year 1986 along with MEGADETH and METAL CHURCH.

“We stomped them into the dirt,” Holt said. “We were getting wasted after the show, and James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] was laughing and saying, ‘Haha, that’s the last time you guys’ll ever support us.’ And it was the last time we ever supported METALLICA.”

When Metal Hammer writer Dave Everley asked “The $64,000 question: no EXODUS, no thrash scene. True?” Holt replied, “Absolutely. I’ll own that. We created the violent scene.”

“The scene was rad,” Holt added. “You could go to a different club five nights a week and never see the same band twice. There wasn’t thrash metal competition, ’cause in the beginning there was only us and METALLICA. The first time I ever heard with them was when we played with them, and it felt like looking in a mirror. Later on, there was some competition. The bands were all friends, and we hung out together, but EXODUS owned [legendary San Francisco Bay Area club] Ruthie’s. Everybody was gunning for us, but nobody could take us.”

Holt’s latest comments echo those he made back in February when he told the “Alive & Streaming” YouTube series about EXODUS’s 1985 concert with METALLICA: “We crushed METALLICA. And look, I’m not gloating — we crushed ’em, and they knew it. It was their big homecoming. They just finished recording ‘Master Of Puppets’, and we came out, and we had more amps, we had a bigger riser. We came out looking like the headliners. And we were partying hard after, and James comes up, and we were just getting wasted. [And he said,] ‘That’ll be the last time you guys open for us.’ And it was. [Laughs] We never played with METALLICA again until in the recent decade, and that was, like, festivals somewhere.”

According to Holt, he still gets along great with all the members of METALLICA. “I love ’em to death, and I’ll always support ’em and always give them all credit where credit’s due,” he said. “I consider ‘Master Of Puppets’ the greatest metal album ever made. Nobody’s ever come up with anything close to it. Maybe close would be JUDAS PRIEST ‘Stained Class’. But I give ’em all respect. Even with ‘St. Anger’, I always said, yeah, if they made it sound right, it wouldn’t be so bad. [I saw a thing] on YouTube, some guy re-recorded the whole album, but did it with a proper drum sound and guitar sound, and the songs are killer… I never listened to ‘Lulu’, because I don’t want it to sully my opinion of the band I admire so much. [Laughs]”

“Lulu”, METALLICA’s controversial collaborative disc with Lou Reed, polarized fans around the world and earned the band some of the most scathing reviews of its career. The effort featured the late THE VELVET UNDERGROUND frontman’s spoken-word poetry and lyrics combined with METALLICA’s musical assault for a jarring experience that didn’t sound like anything METALLICA had ever attempted before.

EXODUS will release its new album, “Persona Non Grata”, on November 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap. For the third time in the band’s history, they returned to Swedish artist Pär Olofsson to create the album artwork.

“Persona Non Grata” is the follow-up to 2014’s “Blood In Blood Out”, which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers’ first release since the departure of the group’s lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve “Zetro” Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.