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Former DOKKEN and current FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson says that he doesn’t understand why so many people are defiantly skeptical of mask wearing.

While more than 500,000 Americans have died so far as a result of COVID-19, a number of people have come out against COVID-19 response measures, including lockdowns, physical distancing and mandatory mask policies, saying that they violate constitutional rights. Former president Donald Trump’s own skepticism of mask wearing contributed to a politicization of the issue, causing many of his followers to see mask mandates as an attack on individual freedom.

Asked in a new interview with Jamie Rodriguez where he stands on the issue of mask wearing, Pilson said (see video below): “I’m pretty cautious. I don’t understand the thinking of not wearing a mask at all. Even if you were unsure, wouldn’t you err on the side of caution? That’s kind of the way I look at it. If you really don’t believe this stuff, okay, but do your neighbors a favor. Do a little team thinking here, ’cause certainly all the evidence and science points to the fact that it helps. So I don’t understand why you wouldn’t. So I’m pretty cautious.

“My wife’s parents live down the street, and they’re in their 70s and 80s,” he continued. “So we try to be really careful around ’em, but we are around ’em without masks, ’cause we’re family. And that’s about it. We’re really good beside that.”

According to the latest scientific brief from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), face coverings can reduce the risk of coronavirus infection by more than 70%. Some people have even started “double-masking” to increase their odds of staying COVID-free, although very little scientific data points to any benefits or drawbacks of wearing more than one face mask.

Pilson and the rest of FOREIGNER are next scheduled to perform at the Frontyard Festival at Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, Florida on March 23 and March 24. The new purpose-built, live entertainment event is designed to re-engage artists and guests in a safe, socially distanced setting.

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Legendary rocker Alice Cooper has revealed to showbiz reporter Richard Arnold on Friday’s (February 26) episode of “Good Morning Britain” that he is scheduled to receive his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine this coming Tuesday, March 2.

“I can’t wait,” Alice said (see video below). “To me, I hate shots more than anything in the world. But this is one I’ll gladly get, just to get rid of [the virus].

“They do a lot of press on me getting my shot, because it encourages people to go ahead and do it,” he added. “I don’t know what they’d be afraid of. The shot doesn’t even hurt.”

Earlier in the month, AZCentral reported that Alice and his wife got the first COVID-19 vaccine after previously contracting the novel coronavirus.

In a video statement, the 73-year-old singer revealed that he and Sheryl Cooper received the vaccine at a facility in Phoenix. They got their shots through Team Rubicon, a nonprofit organization that pairs military veterans with first responders to help in times of need.

Arizona allows people 65 and over to make appointments to get the vaccine.

Last March, Cooper told Arizona Republic that he felt “less vulnerable” in his house than he does in a different hotel every day. “You don’t know who’s been there, what they’ve touched,” he explained. “When I was in Europe, I spent all day doing Purell, washing my hands. Every time you would touch something, you’d realize ‘Well, how do you know that wasn’t infected?'”

As to whether he was concerned about the possibility of contracting COVID-19, Cooper told Arizona Republic: “I’m not scared of this thing. … But you’ve got to consider everybody. You never know what the guy next door’s health problems are.”

Alice’s new studio album, “Detroit Stories”, was released on February 26 via earMUSIC.

Named for the city that launched the original Alice Cooper group on the road to success, “Detroit Stories” follows 2019’s “Breadcrumbs” EP as a modern-day homage to the toughest and craziest rock and roll scene there ever was.

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Ex-AMON AMARTH drummer Fredrik Andersson has apologized to his former bandmates for “the grievance” he has caused by publicly pleading for them to hand over what he believes is his “rightful share of the rights and publishing” to the AMON AMARTH recordings he appears on.

Andersson was fired from AMON AMARTH in March 2015, just as the band was preparing to enter the studio to begin work on its 2016 album “Jomsviking”. AMON AMARTH opted to enlist a session drummer, Tobias Gustafsson (VOMITORY, CUT UP), during the recording sessions for the disc, but hired Jocke Wallgren to join them on the road. Wallgren was named a permanent member of AMON AMARTH in September 2016.

On Wednesday (February 24), Andersson took to his social media to write: “This will be my final post on the AMON AMARTH issue, and it’s a positive one for me as I have come to a realization. I wrote to the members (got no reply) but want to close the book also publicly. As Einstein said, if you expect a different result you have to try a different approach.

“And for the longest time I expected the guys would change their minds or regret their decision. I have now come to terms that they won’t. They already made up their minds that they are right and are hell-bent on their position. It’s pointless to try to change their minds.

“Backstory: After [AMON AMARTH’s second full-length album, 1999’s] ‘The Avenger’ we had a deal that we would share everything equally. We shared all money equally so that it would never be a fight about who would have their songs on the album (on the avenger the split was 100% music to Olli [guitarist Olavi Mikkonen] and 100% lyrics to [singer Johan] Hegg). The idea was that the best material would always end up on the albums no matter who wrote it. Unfortunately most (not all) of my riffs and ideas were rejected, but with this deal it didn’t matter so much to me, and they were obviously rejected cause they were not good enough.

“Five years ago, after a year of fighting about royalty shares, publishing, rights and them asking for a non-disclosure, we sat down with our lawyers trying to come to an agreement. I tried to claim my 20%, but I could not prove which songs I had actually written – the drums are not legally part of the music -hence I lost my share of the rights and had my name removed as songwriter. They did offer me to keep my share of the songs I had written riffs for but being so few I told them to keep them too. I don’t regret that, but I have to confess I never expected them to actually go through with removing me. They did.

“Why I felt entitled to my share: I was never ‘hired’, I was asked to join the band when there was no income. There was no business. In fact the first five or so years in the band there was no income. The years 1999-2008 my average yearly income was $15000/year due to low income and lost income from my day-job because of time off for tours etc. No one in the band made big cash. This was the reason we could not record fate of norns together as a band; no one of us could afford to take three weeks off from work if we wanted to also tour on the album.

“In 2007 we registerred our business, and started ‘making it’ around 2008. (With an average $30.000 yearly income) The band progressively got bigger from there on bit we kept a rather low payout and invested alot of our earnings back into the band. One could argue that the shares I claimed would be compensation for lost income/lost pension during the early years. And one could argue that my share from those albums are pretty small compared to what the band makes now. But me and the other members obviously have different opinions about this. Their standpoint is that we never actually said that any member would get to keep their shares of the music rights if they are no longer in the band. This is true, we never did.
We also never said we WOULDN’T get to keep the shares after a departure. This is something I assumed. Both these facts are true, but they can’t co-exist. So, I will back down now.

“At one point I will know for sure as they will have to adjust their shares too if anyone else of the four members leaves the band or when they collectively retire. If they don’t it will be obvious that they just wanted to rip me off of my share. But time will tell if they will get to keep their 25% each -for life- (and 70 years after death). Being the youngest I guess I’ll outlive them. Until then, I give them the benefit of the doubt.

“So, with all that being said and my final airing of the issues; I apologize to the members and to the fans for the grievance I have caused fighting a lost case. It was wrong of me to assume I should get to keep my share. I’m now closing the book and I wish the band a continued great success.

“Please remember that my anger was never about losing my spot in the band, that has never been the case. I’m glad to not be in the band anymore, and I will gladly never be a part of it again. (Sorry to any fans wanting otherwise, but I think Jocke deserves all the attention he gets and I wish him all the best!)

“I’m only disappointed it ended the way it did, and realize it could have ended differently if I had admitted being wrong earlier. Albeit that would’ve been to an even greater economic loss for me.

“I will not, however, apologize for calling Johan Hegg a liar. The things he said about me in Sweden Rock Magazine are not true, and he has yet to apologize to me about it.”

In 2019, Andersson spoke to Greece’s The Gallery about the circumstances that led to his departure from AMON AMARTH, Fredrik said: “There had been some friction between me and the other members for quite some time. It seemed to me like they were ganging up on me, even if they never really truly let me in to be ‘one of them,’ not even in the early years. But at least back then we could hang out together and we called each other friends. In later years, and I can only guess, but perhaps they started to feel that since we were splitting all money equally, either I should be more grateful and do what they told me to or they simply started to think it was wrong that I should get equally paid. I don’t know. But in the end, whatever I did or say — it was wrong.”

He continued: “I specifically remember one of the last times I played in Greece. It was the last day of the tour, and we were flying home the next day. While I was warming up for the show, Olli came up to me and said my snare hits were not consistent enough. He said I played too soft during soundcheck and too loud during the show, or more specifically, he said the individual hits were either low or loud. Since I know for a fact this is bullshit, I got really pissed off. I might not be the most technical drummer, but if something, at least I’m consistent. I thought it was really untactical to come with these complaints five minutes before show, and it ruined the whole show for me. And there were lots of other occasions like this where they would just say I’m wrong about something, that my opinion were wrong or simply silly. It got very frustrating, and it built up to really strong friction.”

In a 2016 interview with Brazil’s “Wikimetal” podcast, Mikkonen stated about AMON AMARTH’s split with Andersson: “I don’t really wanna go into details regarding Fredrik, but, basically, we just separated. It’s kind of like a marriage that doesn’t work, and you get divorced. And that’s kind of what happened to our band.”

AMON AMARTH bassist Ted Lundström described Wallgren as “a super-solid drummer” who is “very professional” and “very on-the-spot all the time.” He added: “It is much easier to play if you have a drummer who is [tight]. It makes our lives easier.”

This will be my final post on the Amon Amarth issue, and it’s a positive one for me as I have come to a realization. I…

Posted by Fredrik Andersson on Wednesday, February 24, 2021

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Former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate was a guest on a recent episode of the “Hangin’ & Bangin’: Artists On Lockdown” online show, where he was joined by Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO), Carmine Appice (OZZY OSBOURNE, VANILLA FUDGE) and Denny Seiwell, a founding member of PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS. You can now watch the discussion below.

Asked which musicians — other than the members of his current band and the drummers on the “Hangin’ & Bangin'” panel — he would pick for his “all-star band”, Tate responded: “I played an acoustic show a couple of years ago, just me and Bumblefoot [former GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist Ron Thal]. And he is incredible. I love his guitar playing, and as a person, he’s just a gentleman. I really, really enjoyed playing with him. So I’d pick him on guitar. [Instead of a bass player] I’d probably take a keyboard bass, actually. So I’d probably take somebody like Claude Schnell [DIO]. ‘Cause Claude could play a mean left hand and take care of the bass parts and also do cool keyboard stuff too… Drummers… probably… What’s that kid that plays for DREAM THEATER? What’s his name?” When the rest of the panel said, “Mike Portnoy,” Geoff countered with, “No. The other guy.” Tate then added: “I’d probably take Portnoy, ’cause he’s so flamboyant. I like that about him.”

Last week, Tate announced around a dozen U.S. dates in late summer and fall as part of a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE’s “Empire” and “Rage For Order” albums.

For more information, including ticket links and links for meet-and-greet passes for purchase to meet Geoff and his band after the live shows, visit www.geofftate.com.

Early last year, Tate was forced to postone a number of his tour dates due to the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the globe.

Tate spent the first two months of 2020 performing the QUEENSRŸCHE albums “Rage For Order” and “Empire” in their entirety on the “Empire 30th Anniversary Tour”, which kicked off in January in Norway. Prior to that, Geoff celebrated the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE’s “Operation: Mindcrime” album on European and U.S. tours.

Tate’s post-QUEENSRŸCHE band OPERATION: MINDCRIME released three albums over three years as part of a trilogy: “The Key” (September 2015), “Resurrection” (September 2016) and “The New Reality” (December 2017).

In 2019, Geoff released the debut album from SWEET OBLIVION via Frontiers Music Srl. The project saw Tate teaming up with a stellar cast of Italian musicians led by Simone Mularoni, the mastermind of prog metal masters DGM. The second SWEET OBLIVION album, “Relentless”, will arrive on April 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. This time the production was handled by Italian metal maestro Aldo Lonobile (SECRET SPHERE, TIMO TOLKKI’S AVALON, ARCHON ANGEL).

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012.

Tate was replaced in QUEENSRŸCHE by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.

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MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx says that the band’s “The Stadium Tour” with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS will happen when it’s safe to go to concerts again.

“The Stadium Tour” was originally scheduled to take place last summer but has been pushed back to this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“The Stadium Tour” is now scheduled to kick off on June 19, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee and conclude on September 12, 2021 in San Diego, California.

Asked by a fan on Twitter on Friday (February 26) if there have been any updates on whether “The Stadium Tour” will go ahead this summer, Nikki responded: “Our concern is the safely [sic] of not only our fans but everybody involved in a tour. The bands, crews etc etc. As soon as we get the green light we’re excited to get out and tour.”

Last month, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen told the “Jeremy White Podcast” that he was “really confident” “The Stadium Tour” would take place in 2021 provided that the COVID-19 vaccine was successfully rolled out. “It’s the same way anywhere around the world,” he said. “You go, ‘Hey, are you coming to so and so?’ Well, I don’t know if we’re allowed to travel and whether we would be allowed on the plane or even in that country. So, it’s looking good — or not. We really don’t know. It really comes down to how everyone deals with approaching this pandemic and stuff.”

As of January 30, 2020, “The Stadium Tour” had already grossed $130 million from one million tickets sold, plus another $5 million worth of VIP seats, according to Billboard.

Tickets ranged from $150 to $400, not counting some varied pricing that reflected demand as part of “dynamic pricing.”

When it happens, “The Stadium Tour” will mark the CRÜE’s first live dates since wrapping its 2014/2015 farewell tour. CRÜE toured with POISON back in 2011 and DEF LEPPARD teamed up with POISON for a string of road dates in 2017 — but the upcoming jaunt marks the first time all four acts have hit the road together for an extended tour.

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of concerts and festivals have either been postponed or canceled, as social distancing and self-quarantining make performing live music and attending live shows all but impossible.

U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Americans to heed what federal, state and local officials are asking of them in order to curtail the spread and dampen the impact of the virus on the population.

Last month, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that theaters and other live entertainment venues could reopen “some time in the fall of 2021.”

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases gave an update on when he thinks the performing arts will be able to reopen during a virtual conference held by the Association of Performing Arts Professionals.

According to The New York Times, Fauci said that the country will have to reach an effective level of herd immunity, which requires vaccinating from 70 percent to 85 percent of the population, before theaters and other venues will be able to reopen.

“If everything goes right, this is will occur some time in the fall of 2021,” Fauci said, “so that by the time we get to the early to mid-fall, you can have people feeling safe performing onstage as well as people in the audience.”

Fauci went on to say that if vaccine distribution succeeded, theaters with good ventilation and proper air filters might not need to place many restrictions for performances by the fall — except asking their audience members to wear masks, which he suggested could continue to be a norm for the foreseeable future.

Photo credit: Dustin Jack

Hi David. Our concern is the safely of not only our fans but everybody involved in a tour. The bands, crews etc etc. As soon as we get the green light we’re excited to get out and tour.?? https://t.co/8S0dA5gVSk
— ? (@NikkiSixx) February 26, 2021

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DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Mangini recently joined Vater drumsticks to talk a bit about his background, his successful methods that are used in his books, DVD and teaching philosophy to help musicians improve all aspects of their playing and more. The one-hour chat, which was hosted by Dom Famularo, can be seen below.

Last month, Mangini said that he had finished laying down his drum tracks for DREAM THEATER’s next album. He wrote in a social media post about the effort: “I’ve not played on an album this energetically unrelenting, start to finish, since ANNIHILATOR. But the wild thing is the amount of vintage DREAM THEATER melody weaved on to that kind of energy.

“I’ve never tapped into more advanced uses of my old and new chops in musical ways because of a monumentally collaborative effort of five like-minded, organic/evolving individuals. Is it from the forced lockdown like other music I’ve heard released? Maybe. Is it from nobody individually or collectively trying to do anything specific musically except just play and be a daring 19-year-old again? Probably.

“I never say that any new album is better than another. It never seems to be to me after reading, ‘this is our best blah blah blah.’ What I’m communicating is exactly what it is about DT15 that sticks out as being significant and important to me. Better? That’s pointless given so many different tastes. Who cares. However, it’s really cool that the band and individuals can keep progressing at this career stage. But we’re supposed to given how we’re defined. Accordingly, there’s all the ‘familiarity’ one needs in this new music, but it’s definitely not the same old fills/chords/beats. Besides, what could be more boring than a defined ‘progressive’ musician not being creative, dynamic, and growing physically and creatively from album to album? That would be kinda like a poker machine spitting out the same hands game after game, year after year.

“Earning good mechanics is a great thing as it pertains to consistency and avoiding playing poorly. But A TRUE machine is a thing that doesn’t grow. That’s OK unless your thing, your claim, is to be a ‘progressive’ musician. We strive to ‘complete’ who we are even though nobody can fully ‘complete’ everything. No creative growth truly defines and = a ‘BOT’ so to speak. DT15 is no such thing and I’m excited to report back with so much joy.”

“Distance Over Time” marked DREAM THEATER’s first album for for Sony Music’s progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.

DREAM THEATER recently released its ninth career live album, “Distant Memories – Live In London”. Recorded at DREAM THEATER’s sold-out show at the Apollo Theatre in London, the live release documents the band’s popular world tour in support of “Distance Over Time” and the 20th anniversary of their seminal concept album “Metropolis Part 2 – Scenes From A Memory”.

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SION, the new project featuring former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones and modern guitar virtuoso/content creator Jared Dines, will release its debut single and accompanying music video, “The Blade”, on March 11. A short teaser for the track is available below.

Speaking about how their collaboration came about, Dines told Rock Feed: “Way back [in] 2018 was the TRIVIUM tour that I filled in for that Howard was on with his band LIGHT THE TORCH. And, of course, we met and we talked and we just kind of randomly started talking [about working together]. I think Howard mentioned, ‘Down the road, let’s maybe talk about doing something.’ And, of course, I was, like, ‘Yeah, that sounds awesome.’ So that’s kind of where it started. And then maybe just until [early 2020], I think [he] reached out and had said that [he] had some free time, and I had some free time, so we figured why not start now and start writing some songs. So that’s kind of how it started. It was just very casual, and it’s just been that way — very natural, and not, like, [with] any type of real plan.”

Regarding SION’s musical direction, Dines said: “I think there’s a lot of natural influence I have from bands like KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, AS I LAY DYING, et cetera, et cetera, because that’s the era I grew up on, so that’s kind of imprinted into my playing as it is. So it’s very natural for me just to flow out these very, you could call it KILLSWITCH ENGAGE-sounding songs, but that’s not the intent, what we were going for. But, yeah, they’re going to sound, when you hear them, of course, because of Howard and because of my influence and my style, they will be similar to that sound — just naturally. [KILLSWITCH ENGAGE’s third album, 2004’s] ‘The End Of Heartache’, of course, for me, was my favorite and what influenced me the most, so I would say it’s probably gonna sound more like that, as far as instrumentally. And whatever Howard wants to do with it, it’s gonna sound like Howard. It’s gonna sound like me and Howard, whatever that sounds like.”

Jones left KILLSWITCH ENGAGE in 2012 and battled manic depression and bipolar disorder before forming a new project, DEVIL YOU KNOW, with guitarist Francesco Artusato (ALL SHALL PERISH) and drummer John Sankey (DEVOLVED). Along with bassist Ryan Wombacher (BLEEDING THROUGH), they recorded and toured behind two well-received albums, 2014’s “The Beauty Of Destruction” and 2015’s “They Bleed Red”. In 2017, the band changed its name to LIGHT THE TORCH following a bitter dispute with Sankey, a part owner of the name.

Asked what made him get back into music after leaving KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, Howard told Heavy New York: “Honestly, I think it was because I was just kind of tired of doing nothing and I don’t do much else other than music. I felt like I needed to venture out because I was basically agoraphobic for three years. It’s kind of well known. I went off the grid. I didn’t have a cell phone for three years — I was gone. It felt, like, ‘Okay, maybe I should dip my toe in. I don’t have to do it full time. I don’t have to do what I don’t want to do.’ That’s all I was thinking. I started moving, I started doing things. It was definitely a struggle, especially for the first few years. I was, like, ‘What am I doing?’ There’s been few things in my life that has been consistent other than music. I just did it. It just took some time, then all of the sudden, the spark showed up. I fell back in love with what I was doing. I really can’t explain it. It just sort of happened.”

In a 2014 interview with Fishing World, Jones stated about his musical influences: “Well, just about anything I can listen to. AC/DC and KISS were the first bands that introduced me to heavy music. After that, I just absorbed anything I could get my hands on. Some favourites are FAITH NO MORE, HIM, ALICE IN CHAINS, PORTISHEAD … My taste is kind of all over the place.”

Jones makes an appearance on KILLSWITCH ENGAGE’s latest album, “Atonement”, contributing guest vocals to the song “The Signal Fire”.

Dines has redefined the very idea of a guitar hero online. His YouTube channel boasts a staggering 2.92 million subscribers and more than 700 million views. He also has collaborated with everyone from Post Malone to BREAKING BENJAMIN. His recorded output includes “Rest”, “Repose”, “Daddy Rock” and “Dissimilator”, to name a few. He made history as “the first YouTuber” to grace the cover of Guitar World magazine. Meanwhile, he teamed up with Music Man for a signature Stingray guitar.

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During a recent appearance on “The Dan Chan Show”, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson offered an update on the progress of the recording sessions for the band’s follow-up to 2016’s “Dystopia” album. He said (hear audio below): “The new MEGADETH album is almost done — rounding the corners into the ‘final final.’ It’s funny, ’cause we’d kind of been working on it for four years. Look, COVID, of course, last year changed the course of everything, and Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] went through throat cancer treatments the year before that, 2019. So, there have been some diversions. But at the same time, the record’s always been being worked on.”

He continued: “It’s funny — my view is that it’s probably kind of been in the works similar to ‘Dystopia’; we’re almost on the exact same timeline of when it’s gonna be finished, mixed [and] delivered. And, of course, as the world keeps attempting to open and then was shutting back down again, especially with live music, you always wanna try to release things around touring opportunities and promotional opportunities. So the fact that we’ve been able to work diligently on it and not sort of be boxed into a tour that would then get canceled or postponed, it’s actually been good. In hindsight, it’s all working out just fine.”

Asked if he would agree with Mustaine’s recent claim that the new MEGADETH album will probably end up being one of the top four records of the band’s career, Ellefson said: “Yeah, I think so. I mean, look, these records go through these different phases. It’s hard to talk about something until it’s done. It’s, like, [you say] ‘These are the best cookies ever,’ and they haven’t been in the oven yet. In fact, it’s funny — my wife made some cookies from some gluten-free dough, and they tasted God-awful, the dough. I’m a big cookie-dough guy — that’s one of my faults. And [I thought], ‘These are terrible.’ And then she baked them, and they tasted amazing. So apparently the flour in its unbaked version was not good, but once it was baked, it was delicious. So as recent as this weekend, I had that experience. So, again, to sit here and talk about what’s it gonna be like… Dave and I used to always say ‘nothing’s final until it’s vinyl’ back in the old days. So when something’s a work in the progress, I’d rather not boast about it — I’d rather just let the music do the talking. With that said, I’m confident it’s gonna be great ’cause we don’t usually put things out unless they’re [as good as they can be].”

Earlier this month, Mustaine said during an episode of his Gimme Radio program “The Dave Mustaine Show” that he was “almost done” recording the vocals for the new MEGADETH LP. He also said that he had just received “a really cool lyric” from Ellefson that he was planning to turn into a song. In addition, he revealed that the album will include an as-yet-undisclosed cover track.

Last month, Ellefson told the “Rock ‘N’ Roll Icons With Bode James” podcast the recently announced working title for MEGADETH’s upcoming album, “The Sick, The Dying And The Dead”, will likely end up getting changed before the LP is released.

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 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.

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Former MORBID ANGEL drummer Pedro “Pete” Sandoval has released an Instagram video in which he addresses some of the most commonly asked questions regarding his time with the legendary extreme metal outfit.

In the two-minute clip, which can be seen below, Sandoval — who was forced to leave MORBID ANGEL in 2010 after undergoing surgery for a prolapsed disc — says: “I’m here to ask you for a very special favor. I have received many questions, and I have been tagged in many posts and videos, MORBID ANGEL photos and stuff, and I’ve been asked about who’s my favorite singer or which era is my favorite one — the era with David Vincent or with Steve Tucker. Well, I wanna tell you that I love both eras. I had fun. I had a great time working with David Vincent, and I had a great time working with Steve Tucker as well. So, from ‘Altars Of Madness’ [1989] to ‘Heretic’ [2003], they’re all masterpieces for me. We worked hard [on] those albums. So I’m telling you my answer that I don’t have a favorite album, I don’t have a favorite era, I don’t have a favorite singer — I love ’em all. I had a great time in both eras with every album.

“[On] this site, please, I don’t wanna promote hate, arguments,” he continued. “This site is to promote my music, the things that I use for my music and help animals and stuff.”

Sandoval, who now lives his life as a born-again Christian, added: “And as far as the album released in 2011” — referring to MORBID ANGEL’s controversial “Illud Divinum Insanus” LP — “please don’t ask me any questions about it, because I have no comments about it — no comments at all, man. I stay what I am, I did what I did, and I am so happy and grateful that I did what I did with these guys.”

Former MORBID ANGEL bassist/vocalist David Vincent told Invisible Oranges in a December 2013 interview that “Pete has found Jesus,” which meant that Sandoval and MORBID ANGEL were no longer “compatible.”

Sandoval is continuing to record and tour with TERRORIZER, whose latest studio album, “Caustic Attack”, was released in October 2018 via The End Records.

In a 2011 e-mail chat with Brazil’s Som Extremo, Sandoval was asked for his opinion of “Illud Divinum Insanus”, which incorporated industrial and electronic elements into MORBID ANGEL traditional death metal sound. “No comment! I don’t play on that album,” he wrote. He was then questioned about what he thought he would have done different on “Illud Divinum Insanus” had he played on the record. “More exreme deathgrind metal and less DJ, boring awful typical I care less industrial experimental same as everybody boring bull!” he said. “This is not what MORBID has been all about! …Hmmmmmm, and I really care less…!”

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