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Five years after announcing that he would embark on a special tour during which he would perform ACCEPT songs one last time under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner before closing that chapter for good, former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider is continuing to play ACCEPT material at select shows, including at the September 18, 2020 U.D.O. concert in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, which will be released on DVD and Blu-ray later this month. Asked in a new interview with Canada’s The Metal Voice why the ACCEPT tracks are still finding their way into the U.D.O. setlist, Udo said (see video below): “In the beginning, I said, ‘With U.D.O., I don’t play any ACCEPT songs.’ But for this concert [in Plovdiv], the promoter was really begging: ‘Is it possible to play some ACCEPT songs?’ And we said, ‘Okay.’ And in the end, we did five songs — the classic stuff, of course. It’s the same with the [upcoming U.D.O.] tour in America. The tour in American and Canada was confirmed already. Now we have to wait for new dates, and I think it will happen in 2022. The promoter in America, he said, ‘You don’t play any ACCEPT songs with U.D.O.?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, normally we don’t do it.’ [And he said] ‘But you cannot do a tour in America and Canada without [playing] ‘Balls To The Wall’.’ I said, ‘Yes, I can do that. No problem.’ He said, ‘Why not? It’s not a big deal. People wanna hear that.’ I mean, I don’t have a problem to play ‘Balls’ and maybe two more other ACCEPT songs.

“After three years of DIRKSCHNEIDER, playing every night only ACCEPT stuff, and on the other side, I have 16 U.D.O. albums, and the seventeenth is coming up,” he explained. “So that was the point to say the people heard enough now of ACCEPT, it’s done, and now I concentrate on U.D.O. and I don’t need to play any ACCEPT songs; there’s another band that can play ACCEPT songs.

“I was just talking also in another interview today, and they said, ‘Who gives a fuck about this? The people wanna [some ACCEPT songs].’ Not 50 percent of the setlist, but they wanna hear the classic stuff, like ‘Metal Heart’, ‘Balls’, ‘Fast As A Shark’ — stuff like that. And I said, ‘Yeah. We will see. I don’t know yet.’ But at the moment, I don’t have to think about it, so at the moment, there’s nothing going on.”

Udo went on to confirm that U.D.O. will “definitely” play some ACCEPT songs if the band’s North American tour materializes in 2021 or 2022.

When he first announced the DIRKSCHNEIDER tour, Udo said that had “to make a clear break for myself — close the book and this is it. And I have the problem that people come to me and ask me to play more ACCEPT songs,” he explained. “Other people ask me why I play ACCEPT songs at all, because there are [more than] fifteen U.D.O. records. I want to avoid such things and avoid the repeating questions concerning ACCEPT. I just can’t stand that anymore. There is nothing more to be said. U.D.O. exists longer than ACCEPT. We have more records than ACCEPT.”

While acknowledging that some ACCEPT fans want to hear the band’s classic songs performed by the group’s original singer, Dirkschneider explained that “you always have these comparisons [between how these songs are played by ACCEPT and U.D.O.]. I don’t want this anymore either. [The current lineup of ACCEPT] also play ‘Metal Heart’, they play ‘Balls To The Wall’ and ‘Princess Of The Dawn’. And then some people tell me, ‘Oh, [current ACCEPT singer Mark Tornillo] is doing it better than you.’ And I go, ‘That’s fine. Enjoy yourself.’ But I don’t want this anymore. And to avoid all of this in the future, I said, ‘We are doing this one more time.'”

Dirkschneider said that his vow to never play ACCEPT material again came with one caveat. “If the band ACCEPT dissolves one day in the near future and I am still around with U.D.O., then there is a chance that I put ACCEPT songs back in the setlist,” he said. “But currently there is ACCEPT, so go see them [if you want to see those songs performed live]. They are playing these songs.”

Udo previously said the original plan was for DIRKSCHNEIDER to only “a few shows,” and “then [the tour] got bigger and bigger [due to demand].” But, he added, “I don’t want to complain about that.”

Back in 2018, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann declined to comment on Dirkschneider’s decision to embark on one final tour during which the singer would perform nothing but ACCEPT songs. “I have lots of thoughts about that, but I’m not gonna share ’em with you,” he told SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”. “I’d rather not comment on that, because that seems so much ‘back and forth,’ and I think I should stay away from it… You can draw your own conclusions all day long, but I’m not gonna get into it; it’s just not worth it.

“I get asked [about Udo] so many times, and, man, it’s been so many years — it’s such an old story by now,” Wolf continued. “We’ve moved on way past that, and we’ve had 10 brilliant years [with Mark Tornillo], we’re making cool albums; I think we’re doing fine. So I don’t spend any time thinking about it.

“I’m very proud of the history we have together and all that, but I’m just not gonna get into the current ‘he said, she said’ whatever — it’s not worth it,” Hoffmann concluded.

Indonesian thrashers Spellforger murder the front row on new song “Lord of Possession”. Streaming faster and louder only at Decibel!
The post Track Premiere: Spellforger – “Lord of Possession” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Joe Bonamassa is known for “always being on the road.” This time he’s bringing the concert into the homes of fans around the world in an epic pay-per-view performance from the live music capital of the world — Austin, Texas. On April 1 at 9 p.m. ET, he’ll perform a specially curated set from Austin City Limits Live, alongside “Late Night With David Letterman”‘s Anton Fig on drums and legendary bass player Steve Mackey, as a rare three-piece blues rock power trio.

Austin is one of the first spots Joe originally performed as a three-piece, years ago at legendary Antone’s, and is the city that saw the rise of guitar visionary Stevie Ray Vaughan. Austin City Limits Live, known as “music’s best address,” is a national landmark and was awarded “Best New Major Concert Venue” by Pollstar when it opened. It has been home to some incredible artists over the years such as B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Santana, Paul McCartney, Peter Frampton and Bonamassa himself as well as many others. ACL Live is a world-class stage to perform at and no doubt, Bonamassa will bring his incredible power to the stage, making his own mark on its history.

This event especially goes out to the fans, who via social media, have made their stamp on the evening, selecting their favorite Bonamassa tunes from his unparalleled, extensive catalogue of 24 No. 1 studio albums and countless productions, to create a very special setlist. It will be a new and exciting celebration of some searing hits from his earliest influences as well as amazing original compositions embodying the guitar mastery that he’s best known for. This highly curated set will more than delight longtime super fans as well as captivate new ones.

Livestream tickets and packages are available to purchase at this location.

There are a variety of pricing levels available for fans worldwide to be a part of this special “audience.” Tickets to the livestream event starts at $30. Fans may also purchase a $44.99 package that includes a limited-edition commemorative t-shirt, or upgrade to the Deluxe package for $64.99 which also features the Ultimate Video Collection, a one-year all pass for Bonamassa’s on-demand service which includes 17-plus concert releases from Joe Bonamassa, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION and ROCK CANDY FUNK PARTY — available at any time on most devices.

As part of this unique concert event, fans also have the option to purchase a Commemorative VIP ticket giving them an experience they will never forget. VIP ticket holders will have their photo and name featured in the livestream credits and DVD credits as a virtual audience member.

Joe Bonamassa is one of the most celebrated performing musicians of today. Hailed internationally as one of the greatest guitar players of his generation, Guitar World has honored him as “the world’s biggest blues guitarist.” The two-time Grammy-nominated artist has almost single-handedly redefined the blues-rock genre and brought it into the mainstream. Joe recently received his 24th No. 1 album on the Billboard Blues chart with the studio album “Royal Tea”, a nod to his British heroes, recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios.

Amidst the pandemic, Joe performed the “Royal Tea” album in entirety before its release last September at the iconic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville with over 17,000 virtual tickets sold, reaching 44 different countries. The event also raised over $32,000 for Bonamassa’s Fueling Musicians program, presented by his non-profit Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation (KTBA). Now Joe is ready to hit the stage again for an even more exciting, fan-curated experience at Austin City Limits Live. Each ticket purchase for the livestream will include a $1 donation to Fueling Musicians.

Bonamassa has been working hard to raise money for musicians affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The Fueling Musicians program is an emergency relief fund designed to support musicians by providing immediate cash payments for essential living expenses of $1,500 to help them stay afloat and get back on the road again when it is safe. To date, they’ve raised over $380,000 and distributed the money to over 230 artists. In fact, they’re getting checks delivered to some folks who have yet to even receive their support from the government stimulus. As someone who has spent the majority of his life on the road, Joe knows the clear and evident impact of the crisis on his entertainment community.

While much of the applause Bonamassa receives should be credited to his sheer talent, some part of his success needs to be attributed to Joe and his business partner for having the foresight and ability to become some of music’s savviest entrepreneurs. Bonamassa, now 43, and his partner Roy Weisman have together devised a 360-degree independent business model that has survived and thrived during one of the music industry’s most uncertain eras, particularly considering the challenges created by the current pandemic.

In addition to the livestream, Bonamassa has announced a select run of live, limited capacity, safe and socially distanced in-person shows for March and April through Macon, Georgia; Clearwater, Florida; Austin, Texas; and Huntsville, Alabama.

Mar. 27 – Macon, GA – Macon City Auditorium (sold out)
Mar. 29 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
Mar. 31 – Austin, TX – ACL Live
Apr. 01 – Austin, TX – ACL Live
Apr. 03 – Huntsville, AL – Mark C Smith Concert Hall (sold out)

Alice Cooper has commented on the abuse allegations leveled against his onetime tourmate Marilyn Manson.

A month ago, “Westworld” actress Evan Rachel Wood named Manson as the previously anonymous abuser she referenced while testifying before the California Senate in relation to the state’s Phoenix Act, which extends the statute of limitations on domestic violence from three years to five. On February 1, Wood claimed in a social media post that Manson “groomed” and “horrifically” abused her for years. After she shared her accusations, at least half a dozen other women came forward with their own allegations against the singer. The women claimed to have endured “sexual assault, psychological abuse, and/or various forms of coercion, violence, and intimidation” at the hands of Manson.

Asked in a new interview with NME for his opinion on the allegations against Manson, Alice said (see video below): “It’s funny about Marilyn in that I know Marilyn — when we toured together, we got along very well. I never noticed that streak in him, if it’s there. I always believe in the word — still allegations are still allegations.

“First of all, here’s a prime example: Johnny Depp,” Cooper continued, referencing the actor whose ex-wife Amber Heard wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Post which implied he was violent towards her. “Johnny Depp and I are best friends. I’ve never seen him lift a finger against anybody. He’s one of the most gentle people. And all of his former girlfriends and wives say the same thing. So it’s really hard to believe that all of a sudden he’s gonna turn into this monster. And I know the guy — I’m with the guy on tour all the time. He’s one of the most gentle, harmless people I’ve ever met. Now I don’t know Marilyn, though, as well as I know Johnny. So what happens in the bedroom is entirely a mystery to me for what’s going on with Marilyn. [Laughs]”

Last month, the 52-year-old Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, released a statement denying the abuse allegations leveled against him, writing on Instagram: “Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality. My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.”

In the days since Wood came forward with her allegations, Manson was dropped by his longtime manager Tony Ciulla, his label, Loma Vista Recordings, as well as the talent agency CAA, which provides representation for individuals across various mediums. Future scenes of “American Gods” and “Creepshow” featuring Manson have also been pulled.

In a new chat with Ray Shasho of BBS Radio’s “Interviewing The Legends”, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was asked which artist — dead or alive — he would like to perform or collaborate with if he got the chance. He responded (hear audio below): “Probably Eddie Van Halen. And I don’t say that just because [he recently] passed. [VAN HALEN is] a band that MEGADETH never played with. And they were such an influential band for me. And even as a bass player, Eddie was an influence on me. And I don’t play guitar like him at all. When I play guitar, I probably play more like Rudy Schenker [SCORPIONS] or Malcolm Young [AC/DC] or something. I’m not a lead guitar player — I admit that. I just love his approach to things — just kind of shoot from the hip, play from the heart.

“I really admire how [VAN HALEN bassist] Michael Anthony played bass to Eddie’s guitar playing,” he continued. “There was a simplicity that anchored it. Eddie used to really sing Michael’s praises back in the day about just being such a great solid bass player. And while that doesn’t get a lot of spotlight, it doesn’t get headlines… While Eddie was getting the headlines, I always admired that he spoke highly about Michael and his ability to just sort of anchor the band down.

“That would be a fun experience, to have played with [Eddie], even just for an afternoon.”

MEGADETH is continuing to record its 16th studio album for a tentative late 2021 or early 2022 release.

The early sessions for the LP took place in 2019 with co-producer Chris Rakestraw, who previously worked on “Dystopia”.

“Dystopia”, whose title track was honored in the “Best Metal Performance” category at the 2017 Grammy Awards, marked Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro’s recording debut with MEGADETH.

MEGADETH’s current lineup is rounded out by founding guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine and 46-year-old Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based drummer Dirk Verbeuren, who had played with SOILWORK for more than a decade before joining MEGADETH.

Ellefson’s solo band released its covers album, “No Cover”, last November via earMUSIC (Europe) and Ward Records (Japan)

EVANESCENCE will release a new single, “Better Without You”, this Friday, March 5. It is the next single from the band’s upcoming album, “The Bitter Truth”, which will arrive on March 26 via BMG.

EVANESCENCE has just released a digital puzzle for fans to solve in order to hear a snippet of the new song; check it out here. Everyone who solves the puzzle will receive a free “Better Without You” ringtone and will be entered for a chance to be the first fan in the world (along with a guest) to hear the full song along with a private question-and-answer session with singer Amy Lee.

“The Bitter Truth” is EVANESCENCE’s first album of original music in ten years, and its songs have already earned accolades from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Elle, Billboard, and many more.

Fans can pre-order a “The Bitter Truth” 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”, and “Use My Voice”, as well as “Yeah Right”.

“The Bitter Truth” is an epic, guitar-driven collection inspired by the (often-bitter) realities of the 21st Century and our world. The already-released songs have received early accolades from Elle, Billboard, SPIN, American Songwriter, and more, and showcase the “ferocious and hymnal” (The New York Times) sound that made EVANESCENCE a household name, as well as the drama and powerhouse vocals that made Amy Lee “one of rock’s definitive voices” (Rolling Stone).

EVANESCENCE’s new music was produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who also worked on 2011’s self-titled LP.

On the topic of “The Bitter Truth” album title, Lee previously told Rock Sound: “As the lyrics had started to form, and just my feeling in this moment in general, there’s a big theme of disillusionment for me. Just growing up and seeing that fairy tales aren’t really real. And it’s hard to be a grownup — it really is. Because somebody else isn’t in charge, we really have to be able to make our own decisions, find out our own information, protect ourselves. People die — we’re all going to. There’s no magic castle. So that sounds like a lot of doom and gloom when I say it, but there’s a choice to accept that truth and live in it and embrace it and choose to live and choose to live in a moment, and the choice to just give up. And there’s a struggle there, but my choice is most definitely to take that pill.”

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor is featured in “Live The Madness”, the new music video from MOONSHINE BANDITS, the American country rap group composed of Dusty “Tex” Dahlgren and Brett “Bird” Brooks. The clip, which can be seen below, also features Corey’s wife Alicia Taylor, a professional dancer and a member of the all-girl dance group CHERRY BOMBS.

“Live The Madness”, featuring Corey on guest vocals, is taken from MOONSHINE BANDITS’ latest album, “Fire”, which came out in 2020.

Since their formation in Los Banos California in 2003, the MOONSHINE BANDITS have continued a campaign of crossover genre-bending musical mayhem that appeals to the eclectic, color-outside-the-lines tastes of listeners, a.k.a. The Shiners, and they fiercely refuse to have their tastes confined and filed into categories.

The MOONSHINE BANDITS have crisscrossed the country performing hundreds of shows a year, ventured into branding their own beef jerky and moonshine, collaborated with some of the music business’s most prolific artists, outshined in the face of record industry roadblocks, earned a fiercely loyal fan following, and embrace the unconventional. It’s all part of a journey filled with good, bad and even some ugly, but ultimately the MOONSHINE BANDITS philosophy is summed up by Tex and Bird’s joint statement: “We always felt there aren’’ stops or boundaries if you pave your own lane.”

In a new interview with Greg Prato of Songfacts, legendary BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi was asked to name the definitive song from the band’s Ozzy Osbourne era. He responded: “I always relate to ‘Black Sabbath’. And ‘Iron Man’. A lot of people say ‘Paranoid’, but the song was written as a filler for the album — it was never intended on being anything else. But it became a single because it was a short song, and because it became what it did, most people knew us because of ‘Paranoid’ in them days.”

During the same chat, Iommi also talked about how he came up with the classic “Iron Man” guitar riff. He said: “I was in a rehearsal room, and Bill [Ward, drums] started playing this boom, boom, boom. He started doing it, and I just went [sings bending string bit before the song’s riff] and came up with this thing and thought, ‘That’s cool.’ Bill kept playing it, and I just went to this riff.

“Most of the riffs I’ve done I’ve come up with on the spot, and that was one of them — it just came up. It went with the drum, what Bill was playing. I just saw this thing in my mind of someone creeping up on you, and it just sounded like the riff. In my head, I could hear it as a monster, so I came up with that riff there and then.”

The 73-year-old Iommi, who was diagnosed with the early stages of lymphoma more than nine years ago, revealed last month that he received the COVID-19 vaccine.

Tony is the third member of BLACK SABBATH to get a COVID-19 vaccine, after singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler.

Iommi is currently promoting the upcoming deluxe editions of BLACK SABBATH’s “Heaven And Hell” and “Mob Rules” albums.

Tony revealed his cancer diagnosis in early 2012, shortly after SABBATH announced a reunion tour and album. He underwent treatment throughout the recording of the disc, titled “13”, and the subsequent tour to promote it.

The BLACK SABBATH guitarist successfully underwent an operation in January 2017 to remove a noncancerous lump from his throat.

“13” was the first album in 35 years to feature Osbourne, Iommi and Butler all playing together.

In February 2017, SABBATH finished “The End” tour in Birmingham, closing out the quartet’s groundbreaking 49-year career.

“The End” was SABBATH’s last tour because Iommi can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

In a new interview with the “Guitar Villains” video podcast, legendary guitarist Steve Vai revealed that he recently underwent hand surgery as a result of an injury he sustained while working on his upcoming “acoustic vocal” record. “I was doing this fun thing, and I had to put my thumb in this really weird position,” he explained (see video below). “And I had to kind of hold this chord really for a long time — I was meditating on it. And I knew it was a hard position, and I just kept sitting there and playing it and playing and playing, and 20 minutes later, I’d kind of come out, and I [felt pain in my hand]. So I kind of sprained this, and then, all of a sudden, I developed trigger finger… My wife said, ‘Don’t show anybody,’ ’cause they did that operation and they cut in there, and the guy’s fooling around with everything in there, and it’s really bizarre. But it’s all fine — it’s something very simple that they can fix. But I won’t be able to play for a while.”

Last month, Vai told “The Cassius Morris Show” that he also had a shoulder operation which further affected his playing ability.

“Before [the trigger finger surgery] happened, my shoulder was screwed up and I couldn’t use this [picking] hand, so I was playing with one hand,” he said. “So I did a little song with one hand, [and] I’m gonna work on trying to get that out.”

In addition to the “acoustic vocal” album, Steve is also reportedly working on three new instrumental guitar records — the first two with clean and dirty tones, respectively, and the third with all “drop-tuned eight-string stuff.” He is also planning a new “Generation Axe” live release, as well as additions to his orchestral record series, “Sound Theories”.

In September 2019, Vai released a Blu-ray edition of his 2015 live DVD, “Stillness In Motion”, via his personal record label Light Without Heat, distributed by The Orchard. The release features Vai’s complete performance at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on October 12, 2012.

As a virtuoso guitarist, composer and producer, Vai has sold over 15 million albums and won three Grammy Awards. Vai has toured the world with Frank Zappa, ALCATRAZZ, David Lee Roth, WHITESNAKE and the “G3” tour. He appeared in the acclaimed movie “Crossroads”, and also established the Make A Noise foundation. Vai owns the Favored Nations Entertainment record label, and has created music for blockbuster films, best-selling video games, national sports franchises, and corporate brand initiatives.