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Progressive metal masters DREAM THEATER have released a music video for the song “Awaken The Master”. The track is taken from the band’s 15th studio album, “A View From The Top Of The World”, which came out on October 22 via InsideOut Music/Sony Music. The artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR).

The “Awaken The Master” clip is a frenetic, high-definition CGI marvel from long-time collaborator Wayne Joyner. It also marks the first recorded use of an eight-string guitar by DREAM THEATER’s John Petrucci. The track was the last one recorded for the album and clocks in at an impressive nine minutes and 47 seconds — making it the third longest song on “A View From The Top Of The World”.

Petrucci said: “It’s the last song we wrote. It’s also the first time I’ve used my eight-string guitar, which was fun for me. Back in the day when we were writing ‘Awake’, I’d always wanted to play a seven-string. So, I ordered myself one. I wanted to be inspired again by the instrument without any pre-conception. I used it, and I wrote in my style on the eight-string. It was actually a prototype! ‘Awaken The Master’ purposefully starts with guitar only. [Bassist] John Myung wrote the lyrics. Recently, I heard him say, ‘The master was your heart.’ He was referring to awakening your heart. It’s one of the heavier songs on the record due to the range of the instrument.”

DREAM THEATER — comprised of James LaBrie, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, John Myung and Mike Mangini — was in the middle of a sold-out world tour in support of their last release “Distance Over Time” and the 20th anniversary of “Scenes From A Memory” when a global pandemic brought the world to a stop. The musicians found themselves at home, with LaBrie in Canada and the rest of the group in the States. As fate would have it, they’d just finished construction on DTHQ (Dream Theater Headquarters) — a combination live recording studio, rehearsal space, control room, equipment storage, and creative hive. With LaBrie in Canada, he initially wrote with the band via Zoom on a monitor in DTHQ. In March 2021, he flew down to New York, quarantined, and recorded his vocals face to face with Petrucci.

Petrucci recently stated about the “A View From The Top Of The World” title: “Honestly, titling records is a funny thing because sometimes it comes really quickly — sometimes it even comes before — and sometimes it’s really hard trying to come up with, ‘What is the title that’s gonna reflect what this album is all about?’ This one, it was difficult. There was nothing that was really coming to mind. The things that were were… I don’t know. It’s hard to be original. Things you used or it just didn’t quite do it.

“I remember the discussions we were having [were] that the music was really powerful; it was dark, but it was also positive; there’s a lot of energy; there’s a lot of spirit,” he continued. “So, what would kind of encapsulate that? Eventually, one of the songs on the album is the epic ‘A View From The Top Of The World’, the title track. I had a list of dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens [of titles]… And then one day I just kind of saw that, and I was, like, ‘You know what? That’s pretty damn DREAM THEATER-y as a title.’

“Like anything that we do, I just pose it to everybody and say, ‘What do you guys think of it?'” John added. “I think the time when you know that it is the title, or it is the decision, whatever it may be, it’s when everybody kind of comes back, like, ‘Yes. That’s so cool.’ I remember everyone was, like, ‘That’s such a positive title. That’s cool. Love it. Thumbs up.’ Blah blah blah. And you know. Then you’re, like, ‘Okay, cool.'”

“A View From The Top Of The World” was produced by Petrucci, with engineering and additional production by James “Jimmy T” Meslin and mixing and mastering by Andy Sneap.

Two of the most iconic names in music history are taking over Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for one epic weekend this February. The weekend kicks off on Friday, February 25, 2022 with an unforgettable performance from one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, METALLICA, who will be joined by GRETA VAN FLEET. Then, one of most popular recording artists and respected entertainers in the world, Billy Joel, will perform at the stadium on Saturday, February 26, 2022.

METALLICA presale tickets will be available to legacy fan club members at 9 a.m. PT and general fan club members at 11 a.m. PT on Tuesday, October 26. American Express card members can purchase Billy Joel tickets before the general public beginning Tuesday, October 26 at 10 a.m. PT. Raiders presales begin Thursday, October 28 at 9 a.m. PT for Billy Joel and 10 a.m. PT for METALLICA. Live Nation, Ticketmaster and Allegiant Stadium customers will have access to presales beginning at 11 a.m. PT for Billy Joel and 12 p.m. PT for METALLICA on Thursday, October 28. All presales will end Thursday, October 28 at 10 p.m. PT. Tickets for both shows go on sale to the general public Friday, October 29 at 10 a.m. PT at ticketmaster.com.

Last month, METALLICA’s Lars Ulrich said that it was “way too early” to talk about a new studio album from the band. The 57-year-old drummer touched upon a possible follow-up to 2016’s “Hardwired… To Self-Destruct” while speaking to SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”. Asked if there is a new METALLICA LP in the works, Lars said: “We’re on that path. I don’t know if it’s cohesive enough to call a record, but we’re dipping our toes. We’ve been trying to stay busy. We did the drive-in thing last summer. We did an All Within My Hands event in November. We did ‘[The Late Show With Stephen] Colbert’. We’re doing ‘[Jimmy] Kimmel [Live!]’ tomorrow. We’re engaged. And we are creating at some level. It’s way too early to talk about a record or a timeline or anything. But we’re staying busy. And it’s exciting to just think of the possibilities. Right now we’re so rejuvenated and just ready to get back in.”

Earlier this year, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield told “The Fierce Life” podcast that he and his bandmates had written “quite a few songs” during the coronavirus quarantine. “We’ll see how many we like first, and then we’ll put ’em out,” he said. “We’re pretty selfish that way; we like what we write as well.”

This past July, guitarist Kirk Hammett told Classic Rock magazine that he and his bandmates have been staying creative during the pandemic. “We’ve tried to make the most of the COVID year and a half, and we’ve been pretty successful,” he said. “We’ve got together remotely and worked, and we’ve got together [properly] and worked. Things are moving really well. I would say that the music we’re coming up with is very appropriate for the times.”

“Hardwired… To Self-Destruct” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 291,000 copies in its first week of release.

SKID ROW’s most beloved, iconic, and previously hard-to-find releases from the late ’80s and early ’90s are being released in a brand new box set that is an instant “must-own” for both diehard fans and collectors.

The box set highlights the band’s global domination and documents the glory days of the hard rock scene.

“The Atlantic Years 1989-1996” LP and CD box set arrives on December 3, 2021. Pre-order any of the multiple formats here.

SKID ROW was one of the most successful acts of the era. Their self-titled debut, released in 1989, achieved five times platinum certification in the U.S., along with platinum status in Australia, triple platinum status in Canada, and it also went gold in the U.K. The follow-up, 1991’s “Slave To The Grind”, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It went on to achieve a double-platinum certification in the U.S. and went platinum in Canada, while rising to gold status in Australia. Over time, the band enjoyed a string of Top 10 singles, including the power ballads “18 And Life” and “I Remember You” from the self-titled release, while “Monkey Business” and “Wasted Time” from “Slave To The Grind” also achieved radio success.

This box set marks the first time that all of these important and definitive releases will be available in one limited edition collection.

The collection includes 180-gram audiophile vinyl 7 LPs, including the band’s multi-million selling, worldwide-charting first three studio albums, plus the “B-Side Ourselves” EP and the live EP “Subhuman Beings On Tour!!”, which was previously only available on CD in Japan. It is now being made available globally and on vinyl for the first time ever. All five albums are also newly remastered.

The five-album, seven-LP side-loading box set includes:

* Skid Row
* Slave To The Grind (2xLP)
* B-Side Ourselves
* Subhuman Race (2xLP)
* Subhuman Beings On Tour!!

This five-album, CD side-loading box set includes:

* Skid Row
* Slave To The Grind
* B-Side Ourselves
* Subhuman Race
* Subhuman Beings On Tour!!

Sebastian Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY.

In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarists Dave “Snake” Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger.

SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.

SKID ROW is continuing work on its long-awaited new album for a tentative early 2022 release. The band is recording its new album in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with FOO FIGHTERS, STONE SOUR, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, RUSH and ALICE IN CHAINS, among many others.

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.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian says that “being vaccinated helped minimize” his “symptoms and suffering” after he tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Last week, SYSTEM OF A DOWN was forced to postpone two shows in Los Angeles to next February after Serj was diagnosed with the disease.

On Sunday, Tankian took to his social media to write: “I am overwhelmed and extremely grateful for the outpouring of love and concern from friends and strangers alike. I am doing well and hoping to be clear of all symptoms soon. I believe that being vaccinated helped minimize my symptoms and suffering.

“We have many in our community who are resistant to the vaccine. I do understand and am not someone who takes sides on this issue. I think every medical situation requires proper understanding of the patients gender, age, medical history and preconditions. Vaccines should be not different and their side effects taken into serious consideration. The health industry cannot operate as a one size fits all on anything anymore. It’s medically irresponsible. That said I’m happy I along with my elder parents are vaccinated.

“Thank you again for all the love.”

SYSTEM OF A DOWN’s two shows at the Banc Of California stadium with KORN, HELMET and RUSSIAN CIRCLES were initially slated to take place in May 2020, and were rescheduled to May 21 and 22, 2021 and then once again to October 22 and 23, 2021.

Also originally scheduled to appear was FAITH NO MORE, but the band pulled out of the shows in September, saying frontman Mike Patton was unable to perform as hoped due to mental health issues, partially exacerbated by the pandemic.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, but has only managed to record two songs in the last 16 years, “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz”. Released last November, the tracks were motivated by the recently erupted conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN’s ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they have raised over $600,000.

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STEEL PANTHER singer Michael Starr says that the band has yet to secure an official replacement for longtime bassist Lexxi Foxx.

Although STEEL PANTHER played several of its recent shows with a bassist named Rikki Dazzle, Starr insists that he and his bandmates are still on the lookout for someone “permanent.”

Earlier today, Michael took to his Instagram to share the following message: “After getting 432 texts this morning regarding my last post about Rikki Dazzle being our permanent bass player, I went back and had my assistant read me the actual headline. I must have been super stoned, but to be clear: We are still in the audition process. Rikki killed it hard and he will be hard to beat, but when we finally decide who the permanent guy or girl is, we will make an official announcement. Until then, stay high and rock hard.”

Earlier this month, Lexxi — whose real name is Travis Haley — told Rocking With Jam Man that he hadn’t spoken with his former bandmates since his exit. “I still talk to the singer a little bit; I have in the past,” he said. “But I think that those scars and I think that the departure, the way that it went down, I think there’s some sore spots. But that’s tough for me to talk about.

“That was something that I’m very proud of — to be that character for such a long period of time, and to play with those cats,” he continued. “They’re all amazing musicians. And I just think that it is different to not have that [in my life] — I’d been in character for so long — but I have to say it’s a little refreshing as well.”

When STEEL PANTHER first announced Lexxi’s exit in July, the band jokingly said that Foxx “started his side business, ‘Sexy Lexxi’s Prettiest Pets,’ to bring in money for Botox during the lockdown.” After realizing that “his love for making pets pretty was greater than his love for being pretty himself,” he chose “to hang up his mirror and focus on his newfound passion: making ugly dogs pretty,” the group wrote in a statement.

Back in December 2018, Lexxi sat out a STEEL PANTHER tour after being admitted to “sex rehab.” The real reason for his absence was never officially disclosed.

During an appearance on a recent episode of the “2020’d” podcast, STEEL PANTHER guitarist Satchel stated about Lexxi’s departure: “We didn’t want him to quit. Nobody wanted him to quit, including a lot of fans. I’m sure a lot of fans are very sad that he left. But he’s the guy who left the band. I think he’s got his own things he’s dealing with, and he just wanted to go and do that. So, I don’t know… I can’t answer for Lexxi Foxx. But we will all miss Lexxi Foxx, and we all wish him the best in everything that he does. But we didn’t fire him; he quit the band. So we’re gonna have to move on and get somebody else who’s younger and foxier and doesn’t need as much Botox,” referencing the drug doctors have been using for years to treat wrinkles and facial creases.

Formed in 2000, STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.

The group’s music has been described as “VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets ‘Wayne’s World’, complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive.”

Thirteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from ’80s metal covers to originals.

Haley, who was an original member of STEEL PANTHER, recently announced the formation of his new band HOLLYWOOD GODS N’ MONSTERS with longtime friend and television celebrity from MTV’s “Pimp My Ride”, Diggity Dave.

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FOZZY debuted a brand new song, “Purifier”, during its September 18 concert in Flint, Michigan and has been performing it live ever since. Fan-filmed video footage of the band blazing through the track at several of its recent shows — including Flint — can be seen below.

Back in July, FOZZY debuted another new song, “The Vulture Club”, during its concert in Iowa City, Iowa. The band also performed its latest single, “Sane”, live for the first time.

Last month, FOZZY guitarist Rich Ward was was forced to sit out several of the band’s shows for personal medical reasons. FOZZY still performed in his absence as a four-piece.

In May, FOZZY dropped a video for its first new song in two years, the aforementioned “Sane”, which hit one million views in its first two weeks. This first-of-its-kind video was filmed on the longest wooden roller coaster on the planet today.

This past February, FOZZY singer — and wrestling superstar — Chris Jericho told Detroit’s WRIF radio station that the band’s follow-up to 2017’s “Judas” album would “continue with the momentum that [the] ‘Judas’ [title track] started for us [four] years ago.”

In the summer of 2020, Chris revealed that FOZZY’s next LP will contain 12 songs, including one cover.

Ward and producer Johnny Andrews once again did “the lion’s share” of the songwriting for the new LP, which was recorded primarily in Atlanta, Georgia.

In addition to producing “Judas”, Andrews previously co-wrote FOZZY’s “Lights Go Out” track back in 2014. He has also written songs with the likes of ALL THAT REMAINS, THREE DAYS GRACE and HALESTORM.

In November, FOZZY appeared in its first global live streaming event from Madison Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

FOZZY is Chris Jericho (vocals), Rich Ward (guitars, vocals), Frank Fontsere (drums), Billy Grey (guitars) and P.J. Farley (bass).

DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie has set “Beautiful Shade Of Gray” as the title of his new solo album, due on May 20, 2022 via InsideOut Music. Unlike previous LPs “Elements Of Persuasion” (2005), “Static Impulse” (2010) and “Impermanent Resonance” (2013), which were written and recorded as a collaboration with LaBrie’s songwriting partner for over a dozen years, Matt Guillory, the new effort was tracked with Scottish musician Paul Logue, bassist and founding member of the multinational melodic metal band EDEN’S CURSE.

In a new interview with “The Everyman Podcast”, LaBrie once again explained how his collaboration with Logue came about. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I sang on one of [EDEN’S CURSE’s] songs back in 2010 called ‘No Holy Man’; so I guest on that. And I really liked Paul’s writing. To me, Paul’s writing was more from a classical era — like the ’70s; that classic rock approach. And I had a lot of ideas in that vein.

“Paul and I actually bumped into each other — you think fate isn’t there with you; holy shit… The day after we finished the show — DREAM THEATER in Glasgow [on] February 23rd [2020]. I’m waiting for my flight on the 24th to go to London and then Toronto, and Paul walks by me and he goes, ‘James!’ I’m, like, ‘Oh my God!’ He goes, ‘You know I was at the show last night.’ He kept trying to e-mail me on my old e-mail address. And he goes, ‘Listen, let me know. You wanna get together? You wanna do some writing?’ And I said, ‘I’d love to.’ At the time, I said, ‘I don’t know. Some freaky shit’s going on. You’re hearing about this virus?’ ‘Yeah. Yeah.’ [I said] ‘We’ve gotta go to Asia, then we’ve gotta go to freakin’ South America and North America and all that.’ I said, ‘So we’re probably not gonna be done till October, but why don’t we start writing then? Or why don’t we start throwing ideas back in the meantime, and I can even be on the road and working on it?’ And he goes, ‘Great.’ All of a sudden, the world closes down. So we got on it… It was probably… Everything closed down March 15th, I believe, and by March 20th, him and I were already passing ideas back and forth.”

Elaborating on the songwriting process for “Beautiful Shade Of Gray”, LaBrie said: “We started as, we said, ‘Let’s just keep it real raw and acoustic-based — that’ll be the fundamental of this album,’ and then it kind of morphed into more of an ensemble, so [with] keyboards… Marco Sfogli is playing lead guitar on all the tracks. Paul is playing all the rhythm acoustic guitars and bass. And then [my son] Chance [LaBrie] is doing drums. Christian Pulkkinen is the keyboard player, who’s a fantastic keyboard player, piano player. All the lyrics, except one, I penned.

“It was really interesting how it came together, whether I’d be throwing [Paul] a riff or I’d be throwing him a melody idea that became a chorus to one of the songs or verses,” he continued. “And then he’d throw me back his ideas musically. And we slowly but surely put it all together. We had everybody fully involved. And it came out fantastic. The label is really stoked about it. It has that kind of ZEPPELIN-esque feel to it, but still the modern-day aspects of it as well are there. So it’s great.”

Released in August 2013 via InsideOut Music, “Impermanent Resonance” sold around 2,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 198 on The Billboard 200 chart. The follow-up to “Static Impulse” saw Guillory not only taking the leading role in composing the material, but also handling all of the keyboards and background vocals. The album’s lineup was intact from the previous recording, featuring Marco Sfogli from Italy on guitar, Ray Riendeau (HALFORD, MACHINES OF LOVING GRACE) on bass and Swedish drummer Peter Wildoer (DARKANE, MAJESTIC), who was a finalist in the DREAM THEATER drum auditions. Additionally, former SOILWORK guitarist Peter Wichers came into the fold to contribute songwriting and studio guitars.

In 2014, LaBrie released a digital EP, “I Will Not Break”, via InsideOut Music. While the opening title track was the album version taken from the “Impermanent Resonance” release, two other songs were previously only released physically as digipak bonus tracks, one tune was an alternate mix version, and two other songs were special demo versions, all previously only released physically as bonus tracks on the digipak and the Japanese edition for the “Static Impulse” album in 2010. The last three tracks were special dub step / electronica remixes of “Static Impulse” songs, previously unreleased. The remixes were done by U.S.-based DJs Jason Miller, Mutrix and NeonGenesis. The cover artwork for the EP was once again designed by Gustavo Sazes of Abstrata.net (ARCH ENEMY, KAMELOT).

TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French spoke to Brazil’s Wikimetal about the fact that in today’s day and age when anyone and everyone floods the musical market, it becomes increasingly hard for one band, artist or songwriter to stand out in the flow to be heard and earn a living by making music.

“First of all, the good news is anybody can make a record,” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “But the bad news is anybody can make a record. And so there’s so much out there that how do you rise above the noise? That becomes the issue. Now, we happen to have two songs — ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ and ‘I Wanna Rock’ — that have raised above the noise to the point where they are standard bearers in the world of popular music, in much the same way that JOURNEY’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin” is just a standard bearer. Whether you like them or not, that’s not the point — it’s a standard-bearer song. QUEEN ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’, these are standard bearers — these are massive hits that people sing in stadiums.

“Very much the mentality of Europe and South America as it pertains to stadium-sounding anthems is one of the reasons why TWISTED SISTER is successful today,” he continued. “Even though our music is played in American football stadiums and baseball stadiums, it is almost tailor made for South America and Europe, because in South America and Europe, at soccer games, everyone puts their arms around each other and they sing these songs. So this is one of the ways that our songs become standards. But also we license them for movies and commercials and soundtracks.

“In the ’60s, counter-culture groups were offended by corporations: ‘We’ll never give our music to Chevrolet. We’ll never give our music to Ford. We’re never gonna do that, because that’s beneath us. We’re not part of the corporate stuff.’ Well, nowadays, I’m saying, what we’re saying, [is] anything we can do to get our music out there is important — any avenue,” French added. “It just so happens licensing music is the last bastion of real money in the music industry, because it’s old-time money. The way they pay you is just the way they’ve been paying you for the last 30, 40, 50 years. It’s not like streaming or anything else — you get real money. So the benefit of it is twofold — one is you get paid a lot; and the other side of it is you get broadcast a lot.

“So, if you would ask a 10-year-old kid do they know TWISTED SISTER, maybe they don’t. You start singing ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’, the kid’s gonna be singing ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’. So if our consolation prize is that our music is standardized around the world, and young kids know it and it shows up in commercials and TV shows, then you know what? That doesn’t suck. That’s a good thing. So that’s what we’re lucky in possessing — between ‘I Wanna Rock’ and ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ — two international anthems that are standardized.”

“We’re Not Gonna Take It” has been used in commercials for hotel chain Extended Stay America, Claritin, Walmart, Stanley Steamer and Yaz birth control.

The song’s lyrics say in part “Oh you’re so condescending/Your gall is never ending/We don’t want nothin’/Not a thing from you.”

“We’re Not Gonna Take It” was first released as a single (with B-side song “You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll”) on April 27, 1984. The “Stay Hungry” album was released two weeks later, on May 10, 1984. The single made No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, making it TWISTED SISTER’s only Top 40 single, and the song was ranked No. 47 on VH1’s “100 Greatest ’80s Songs”.

“We’re Not Gonna Take It” was written solely by singer Dee Snider. As influences for the song, he previously cited the glam rock band SLADE, the punk band SEX PISTOLS, and the Christmas carol “O Come, All Ye Faithful”.

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 TWISTED’s longtime drummer A.J. Pero.

French’s new “bizoir” — part memoir and part business primer — “Twisted Business: Lessons From My Life In Rock ‘N’ Roll”, was released last month via RosettaBooks.

In a new interview with Jon Marchewka of Rock In The FastLane, former ACCEPT and current U.D.O. frontman Udo Dirkschneider was asked what he would like his legacy to be. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I always try to be normal. I’m not a typical rock and roll star, [sporting] sunsglasses and [telling people], ‘Hey, man…’ I try to be a normal, normal person. But what I [know] is that I inspired a lot of bands — with ACCEPT and also now with U.D.O. That makes you proud that you did something in this business — inspired other musicians, and also really well-known musicians. And that was really, like, ‘Woah! Okay.’ That makes you proud. And then you know that you did something in this business. So, that’s it for me. It’s, like, okay, thank you very much.”

U.D.O.’s latest album, “Game Over”, was released on October 22 via AFM Records.

Last year, U.D.O. collaborated with Das Musikkorps der Bundeswehr, the military band of the German federal armed forces, on an album called “We Are One”, which was released in July 2020 via AFM Records/Soulfood Music.

U.D.O.’s current lineup includes Udo’s son and drummer Sven Dirkschneider, bassist Tilen Hudrap and guitarists Andrey Smirnov and Dee Dammers.

Udo’s DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG project, in which he is joined be fellow former ACCEPT members Peter Baltes (bass) and Stefan Kaufmann (guitar), recently released a new single and video, “Every Heart Is Burning”.

DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG, which is rounded out by Udo’s son Sven Dirkschneider (drums), Manuela Bibert (vocals) and Mathias Dieth (guitar), issued its debut single, “Where The Angels Fly”, in September 2020. A second single, “Face Of A Stranger”, followed in April. On August 27, all three songs were released as the “Arising” CD, a 12-inch vinyl and a download.