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A video of ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS vocalist Myles Kennedy discussing his new solo single, “In Stride”, and performing it live for the first time at the legendary Fox Theater in Spokane, Washington can be seen below. The track is taken from Kennedy’s sophomore solo album, “The Ides Of March”, which will be released on May 14 via Napalm Records.

During his time at home due to all touring being canceled, Myles created the framework for the song ideas that would make up “The Ides Of March”. He then called up his cohorts from his “Year Of The Tiger” debut — longtime friend and drummer Zia Uddin and bassist/manager Tim Tournier — and the three musicians drove to Florida to record the album with longtime producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette.

From the slide guitar riffs of the album opener “Get Along” to the pensive blues style of closer “Worried Mind”, it is clear that Myles has crafted a formidable follow up to his debut solo album. While “Year Of The Tiger” was more of an acoustic exploration through Myles’s mind, “The Ides Of March” finds him strapping on his electric guitar and pushing himself as a guitarist/songwriter. Tracks like “A Thousand Words”, “Wake Me When It’s Over” and “Moonshot” showcase the diverse musical arrangements that have garnered Myles fans globally across all of his projects. The epic “The Ides Of March” clocks in at over seven minutes, and Myles, Tim and Zia showcase their musical chops on the track.

The first single, “In Stride”, opens with Myles showcasing his slide playing before delivering a lyrical message to “take it all in stride.” The video for “In Stride” marks a return by Stefano Bertelli (who created the recent “Native Son” video for ALTER BRIDGE) and shows an animated Myles as he takes the end of the world in stride.

“Chill out. That pretty much sums it up,” explains Myles about the single. “The lyric paints a picture of a survivalist preparing for an impending zombie apocalypse. It was inspired by the first wave of lockdowns as everyone was buying vast amounts of toilet paper and supplies. I started to ask myself if it might be wise to try and gain some perspective and not overreact… keep calm and carry on.”

“The Ides Of March” track listing:

01. Get Along
02. A Thousand Words
03. In Stride
04. The Ides Of March
05. Wake Me When It’s Over
06. Love Rain Down
07. Tell It Like It Is
08. Moonshot
09. Wanderlust Begins
10. Sifting Through The Fire
11. Worried Mind

In November, Myles told Kylie Olsson about how “The Ides Of March” compares to “Year Of The Tiger”: “It dawned on me last night as I was listening [to the new album], I was, like, ‘You basically made a rock record.’ [Laughs] I don’t know if I went into it with that intention initially. And I feel like it definitely is still a continuation of the overall style that was established for the solo project on ‘Year Of The Tiger’. There’s a fair amount of acoustic instrumentation; there’s a lot of lap steel [guitar]. I love the lap steel; I just love the way you can make it weep — it’s got a very vocal quality. But then I realized there’s just a lot of guitar and a lot more solos — you know, guitar geek stuff that I enjoy.”

A month earlier, Kennedy told Terrie Carr of the Morristown, New Jersey radio station 105.5 WDHA that it was a joy to reconnect with Uddin, Tournier and Baskette for the making of the new LP. “Oh, yeah, it was great,” he said. “It was great, because we actually drove [to the studio in Florida]. So Zia, my drummer, who, we’ve played together for the last 30 years, off and on, since we were in high school. He’s, in my opinion, one of the greatest rock and roll drummers alive; he’s so good, it’s mind-boggling. So we started driving. We left Spokane, with the gear in tow. And then we met Tim about halfway. I think we met somewhere in Tennessee, maybe. Then we after driving to Orlando, we all quarantined. Zia did his drums and then he went home, and then Tim finished up. He hung around for a little while. And then I was there for, I think, seven weeks with Elvis.”

He continued: “It’s a fun environment. We all love each other dearly. I’m serious when I say this: we’re a bunch of middle-aged children. I mean, it’s as if we’ve taken a time machine and we’re in the seventh grade. And the humor is ridiculously silly. I don’t even know how to articulate how ridiculous it gets when you put all of us in a studio together. [Laughs]”

Myles’s tour in support of “Year Of The Tiger” featured music from the album as well as selections from Myles’s work with ALTER BRIDGE, THE MAYFIELD FOUR and SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS.

Photo credit: Chuck Brueckmann

Rob Zombie recently connected with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to discuss his artistic inspirations and history with WHITE ZOMBIE. Rob also talked about his relationship with Ozzy Osbourne and the unusual first encounter they had together. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about Osbourne, Rob said: “Ozzy’s great. I’ve known Ozzy for a long time. We toured together for the first time maybe 20 years ago, but I met him before. The first time I met Ozzy was really weird. I went to his house — I don’t remember why — and that was where I met him, at his house. And I thought, ‘Oh, there’s gonna be a bunch of people. My manager will be there, [Ozzy’s wife] Sharon will be there.’ And it ends up with just me and Ozzy by ourselves; I just met him. And he’s, like, ‘Oh, Rob. I wanna play you my new record.’ So he puts on his new record. I think he’s gonna play one song maybe. He plays the whole album, looking directly at me, singing most of it. And I’m simultaneously thinking, ‘This is awesome,’ and, ‘This is so uncomfortable, I don’t know what to do.'”

Rob’s latest comments come more than a decade after he said that he buried the hatchet with Ozzy over the way two of his bandmembers — bassist Rob “Blasko” Nicholson and drummer Tommy Clufetos — were hired away by Osbourne for Ozzy’s touring band. Nicholson was hired by Ozzy in 2006 while Clufetos left in 2010, leaving Zombie in desperate need of a drummer.

In a 2010 interview with the Artisan News Service, Zombie stated about his musicians being hired away by Ozzy: “I think there’s ways to do things and I think there’s ways to not do things and I think the way they’ve chosen to do things is not how I would do things; I think it’s kind of rude. I mean, if my guys that I have wanna go play with other people, that’s fine; I don’t own them. But I think there’s ways to do things in a respectful way and there’s ways to just be shitty, and I feel that the way things have gone down lately has been pretty shitty… I’m just happy because every time I’ve lost somebody, I’ve gotten somebody ten times better, so I’m thankful for that. So if somebody’s band wants to be made up of my cast-offs, enjoy.”

Zombie and Ozzy have been friends for a long time. They collaborated on a song called “Iron Head” for Zombie’s second solo album, 2001’s “The Sinister Urge”, and Zombie directed a video for Ozzy’s 2001 single “Dreamer”. Zombie has also toured with Ozzy several times.

Legendary Peaceville founder Hammy diagnosed with hereditary dilated cardiomyopathy. Here’s how you can help.
The post Peaceville Founder Paul “Hammy” Halmshaw Terminally Ill, JustGiving Campaign Launched appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

’70s classic rock legends CACTUS will release their new album, “Tightrope”, on April 2 via Cleopatra Records. The effort will be made available on digipak CD, a deluxe 2LP set with a gatefold jacket and colored vinyl, and, of course, digital platforms everywhere.

CACTUS came to be known as “the American LED ZEPPELIN,” a moniker they owned by virtue of their explosive blues rock stylings, subdued yet undeniably brilliant musicianship, not to mention their energetic and vivacious stage presence which made them a staple of arena rock venues around the globe. Now the band has returned with a smashing new album called “Tightrope” that strikes a delicate balance between powerful, driving rockers and more complex, heady album tracks. Still led by iconic drummer Carmine Appice alongside longtime members Jimmy Kunes on vocals and Randy Pratt on harmonica, “Tightrope” is, according to Appice, “one of the best CACTUS albums we’ve ever done. From playing to production and songs, we really took a step up.” They are joined by new lead guitarist/vocalist Paul Warren (ex-Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Joe Cocker) and James Caputo on bass. “Tightrope” will also give longtime CACTUS fans a reason to cheer as it includes special guest appearances from original CACTUS guitarist Jim McCarty and singer Phil Naro.

Track listing:

01. Tightrope
02. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
03. All Shook Up
04. Poison In Paradise
05. Third Time Gone
06. Shake That Thing
07. Primitive Touch
08. Preaching Woman Man Blues
09. Elevation
10. Suite 1 & 2: Everlong, All The Madmen
11. Headed For A Fall
12. Wear It Out

CACTUS has had a long and turbulent history. Formed in 1970 from the ashes of VANILLA FUDGE by Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert, the initial lineup also featured McCarty and vocalist Rusty Day. (Appice and Bogert had originally planned a new band with Jeff Beck which was put off until 1973, because of Beck’s near-fatal car crash in 1969.) Jim McCarty had come from MITCH RYDER & THE DETROIT WHEELS and was playing with THE BUDDY MILES EXPRESS. Tim and Carmine also found vocalist Day in THE AMBOY DUKES with Ted Nugent. Together, the four musicians formed CACTUS, named after the peyote cactus, which provided a key ingredient in mind-altering drugs.

While CACTUS saw success from the start and soon built a loyal fan base, by early 1973, the band had collapsed mainly due to lack of real support from its label, and the fact that Beck was now ready play with Carmine and Tim. It would not be until 2006, three decades after the tragic death of Rusty Day, that the group reformed with Pratt and Kunes. When Tim Bogert was forced into retirement after a serious motorcycle accident, Pete Bremy jumped in both in CACTUS and VANILLA FUDGE.

BEHEMOTH frontman Adam “Nergal” Darski has confirmed to Summa Inferno that he and his bandmates are working on material for the follow-up to 2018’s “I Loved You At Your Darkest” album. “Things are happening, let’s put it that way,” he said (see video below). “We’re working hard, but we’re in no rush, because, for now, there’s really no light [at the end of] the tunnel yet. And I don’t wanna spoil anything, but I honestly don’t think any touring is happening this year. I wish it would, but it’s not. That’s my guess. I hope I’m wrong. But if I’m right, expect new music in ’22. Maybe [the new album from Nergal’s folk side project] ME AND THAT MAN will be released later this year, which would make sense, and it’s gonna be followed by the next BEHEMOTH album. But we’ve got some aces up our sleeves. And even if there’s no new music, we’re celebrating three decades — 30 years — anniversary with BEHEMOTH, and, obviously, we’ll celebrating that with some awesome stuff. So, yeah, stay tuned.”

The majority of Darski’s interview with Summa Inferno focused on his recent conviction for offending religious feelings by a court in Warsaw. The charges stemmed from an image the Polish musician posted on social media showing a foot stamping on a picture of the Virgin Mary.

Darski was ordered to pay a fine of 15,000 złoty (approximately $4,000) and court costs of almost 3,500 zloty (approximately $942). However, since Darski has contested the judgement, the case will now go to trial.

Last month, BEHEMOTH extended and expanded its contract with Nuclear Blast, which will now distribute the group’s music worldwide outside of its home country. The band originally signed with Nuclear Blast Europe prior to the release of 2009’s “Evangelion”, but their next album will be their first to be released by the label outside of the Old Continent.

Formed in 1991 by then-teenage Darski, BEHEMOTH shattered the glass ceiling of the European metal underground thanks to a combination of aggressive worldwide touring, fiery and theatrical live performances, visually captivating music videos and unwaveringly intense music. Albums such as Decibel magazine Hall Of Fame inductee “Demigod” (2005) and 2014’s “The Satanist” — hailed by Metal Hammer as the greatest extreme metal album of the 21st Century, and one of two BEHEMOTH records to achieve gold-certified status in Poland — pushed blasphemous blackened death metal to heights previously thought unattainable. Those releases provided the group with no shortage of fierce ammunition to conquer all audiences in its path, whether in support of childhood heroes such as OZZY OSBOURNE, SLAYER and DANZIG; on some of metal’s biggest festival stages around the globe; or more recently, in European arenas alongside fellow subversives SLIPKNOT.

“I Loved You At Your Darkest”‘s “Wagnerian satanic metal” was praised as “glorious” in a four-star review by The Guardian.

HELLYEAH’s self-titled debut album was officially certified gold on February 25 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies.

The RIAA developed its gold and platinum awards program in 1958 to honor artists and create a standard by which to measure the commercial success of a sound recording. The program trademarked the gold record and formalized the industry practice of presenting awards to artists for music sales achievements.

Presently, the RIAA awards a gold honor for 500,000 units sold, a platinum honor for 1 million units sold and a diamond award for more than 10 million units sold.

In the streaming age, each permanent digital album or physical album sale count as 1 unit for certification purposes, 10 permanent track downloads from the album count as 1 unit for certification purposes, and 1,500 on-demand audio and/or video streams from the album count as 1 unit. For songs, 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams count as 1 unit for certification purposes.

HELLYEAH was formed in 2006 by NOTHINGFACE guitarist Tom Maxwell and bassist Jerry Montano, MUDVAYNE singer Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett, and former PANTERA and DAMAGEPLAN drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott.

Montano left a week after the release of the band’s self-titled debut album in 2007 and was replaced by Bob “Zilla” Kakaha, who had played with Abbott in DAMAGEPLAN.

Prior to the recording of HELLYEAH’s fourth album, “Blood For Blood”, the band parted ways with Tribbett and Kakaha. They were replaced by Kyle Sanders, a former member of BLOODSIMPLE and the brother of MASTODON’s Troy Sanders, and Christian Brady, respectively.

HELLYEAH’s latest effort, “Welcome Home”, was released in September 2019 via Eleven Seven Music. The disc marked HELLYEAH’s final effort with Abbott, who passed away nearly three years ago.

STONE SOUR drummer Roy Mayorga stepped in as Vinnie Paul’s replacement for the touring activity in support of “Welcome Home”.

Drummer Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO, UFO) recently spoke to Metal Godz Radio about how he has been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. He said: “I haven’t lost any friends to [the virus]. I don’t know anybody who’s passed away from it. My daughter just had it last month, but she’s recovered; she’s back at work.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and reading when this thing first broke out. I thought, ‘Is this a freakin’ bad movie or what? [Or] a joke?’

“It’s been really frustrating, as it probably is for a lot of musicians, but there was nothing going on for months,” he continued. “But the past couple of months, I managed to do a couple of albums. There’s a friend of mine, Stuart Smith, who has a band here in L.A. called HEAVEN & EARTH, and he called me up, and we’ve just finished up an album. And then, a couple of weeks after that, another friend of mine, Kevin Goocher, was has a band, OF GODS & MONSTERS, with Ira Black on guitar and Bjorn Englen on bass. He said, ‘Do you wanna do the album?’ [And I said] ‘Yeah, of course. I’ve got nothing else to do.’ Nah, there’s some really great songs on that. So this last couple of months has been a bit busy, which is good, ’cause there was nothing going on for months.

“I think a big part of the problem with all this is the Internet, ’cause of the amount of — excuse my French — bullshit that’s out there,” Simon added. “So you’ve just gotta pick and choose what you wanna think, what you wanna read and believe, and what you don’t. How much of what you are being told is most likely true? What have you experienced that was false?

“There’s stuff out there that you read, and it’s from a so-called reliable source. And it looks like one, but it’s just a load of propaganda. And it’s somebody’s idea — it’s not fact. And then you’ve got Facebook, where they’ve got fact checkers. And then you’ve got Disney being rated R, ‘The Muppet Show’. It’s just insane.”

Wright, currently of DIO DISCIPLES and also known for his work in DIO, RHINO BUCKET and UFO, lasted in AC/DC for six years. Wright, a then-unknown drummer whose first credits included Manchester, England metal outfit A II Z, joined AC/DC in time for the touring cycle for “Flick Of The Switch” and played with the Australian rockers throughout the ’80s before leaving to join DIO in 1989.