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SLIPKNOT’s “Unsainted” single was certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) on October 7 for accumulating 500,000 certified units. According to the RIAA, one equivalent song unit is equal to a single digital song sale, or 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams.

“Unsainted” is taken from SLIPKNOT’s latest album, “We Are Not Your Kind”, which came out in August 2019. The disc sold 118,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Furthermore, the album made an impact worldwide with No. 1 debuts in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Japan, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal and Finland, as well as Top 5 debuts in Germany, France, Norway, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain and New Zealand.

“We Are Not Your Kind”‘s sales in the U.S. were boosted by a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with SLIPKNOT’s summer 2019 tour.

SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root told Kerrang! about “Unsainted”: “Before we even started writing this record, Clown had been like, ‘I want to get a choir.’ He was thinking in terms of a children’s choir, like a PINK FLOYD ‘The Wall’ kind of thing, but we ended up getting a regular choir, and they took a version of the melody line from the original guitar line that started the demo song, which is a variation of the chorus riff. The choir did what they did, and to me it turned out to be pretty epic. I heard someone compare it to ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ by THE ROLLING STONES, and I think that’s a pretty ambitious comparison, but I’ll certainly take it. [Laughs].”

SLIPKNOT recently canceled all of its previously announced summer 2020 tour dates, including the “Knotfest Roadshow”, Knotfest UK and Knotfest At Sea, due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

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BRAVE THE COLD, the new project led by longtime NAPALM DEATH axeman Mitch Harris, has released the music video for its second single, “Blind Eye”. The track is taken from BRAVE THE COLD’s debut album, “Scarcity”, which is being released today (Friday, October 2) on all digital outlets worldwide via Mission Two Entertainment. Limited-edition, colored vinyl and CDs will be available December 11. The album was produced by Logan Mader (MACHINE HEAD, SOULFLY).

“We’re all excited about BRAVE THE COLD’s ‘Scarcity’ digital release today!” exclaims Harris on the debut of his new album. “To kick it all off, we have a cutting-edge video courtesy of legendary Polish director Marek Skrobecki.”

“Blind Eye” and its Gregorian chants kicks off “Scarcity” as the album itself can be described as a “precursor to prophecy.”

Fronted by Harris and rounded out by MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren, BRAVE THE COLD is a two-piece formed in 2018 as the two metal conglomerates focus their energies into a new level of aggression. The culmination is “Scarcity”, an eleven-track collection of ferociousness breathing much-needed life into the heavy metal scene of 2020. The disc was produced by the Logan Mader, who has previously worked with GOJIRA, FEAR FACTORY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and W.A.S.P., among others.

BRAVE THE COLD’s glitchy, byzantine death metal doesn’t just shift gears — it whips, stutters and jumps sideways into heavyweight dimensions. The entire “Scarcity” theme is a well-researched, scenic debate combining dystopian views ranging from anti-elite, anti-media, anti-division, anti-oppression, end of days philosophies, post-apocalyptic poetry, mind control, economic instability, educational infiltration and global political deceit that compromises our spirituality of one collective voice. This is a global agenda that was a long time coming. It’s a reflection on how government can create urgency out of necessity.

Harris has been taking a leave of absence from NAPALM DEATH since late 2014 to focus on his family life.

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GODSMACK’s “Bulletproof” single was certified platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) on September 24 for accumulating 1 million certified units. According to the RIAA, one equivalent song unit is equal to a single digital song sale, or 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams.

“Bulletproof” was released February 28, 2018 as the first single from GODSMACK’s latest album, “When Legends Rise”; the track was previously certified gold in the U.S. and was also the most-played song at rock radio in 2018. The song shows the band — Sully Erna (vocals, guitar), Tony Rombola (guitar), Robbie Merrill (bass) and Shannon Larkin (drums) — doubling down on their combination of tightly wound riffs, rhythmic fury, naked emotions and pushed-to-the-edge vocals, all fired up with melodic precision and tight songcraft.

“The plan from the beginning of this cycle was to try and step outside our comfort zone and explore new sounds and melodies in hopes of reaching new fans, without alienating our core audience,” Erna says. “‘Bulletproof’ really set the tone and paved the way for how well that vision has been executed.”

“Thanks first and foremost to our fans for making this song a smash!” Larkin adds. “That it was received so well motivates us and makes us super proud. Hitting platinum in this day and age is a big deal to us, and a ray of light in this otherwise dreary year of pandemic. Thanks also to Paul [Geary, GODSMACK’s manager] and everyone at Shelter Music, all the folks at BMG, John Branigan at WME, and our producer Erik Ron. The team is strong, the future is bright.”

“It is indisputable that GODSMACK is one of the few truly great core artists at rock radio,” says Nick Attaway, VP of radio promotion/BMG. “Earning four consecutive No. 1 singles from ‘When Legends Rise’ proves that they are on top of their game. Not only did the first single ‘Bulletproof’ go platinum, but it will forever be the most played song at rock radio for 2018.”

Originally released April 27, 2018 via BMG (the band’s debut on the label), “When Legends Rise” marked GODSMACK’s first album in four years. The smash album earned career milestones for the group: four No. 1 rock tracks (an accomplishment that makes GODSMACK one of only four rock acts to achieve this), and a record 11th No. 1 singles in the band’s career with the album’s fourth single “Unforgettable”.

“Unforgettable” follows three previous No. 1 singles from “When Legends Rise”: “Under Your Scars” and “When Legends Rise” plus “Bulletproof”. “When Legends Rise” entered the Billboard Top 200 album chart in the top ten (No. 8), with four No. 1 placements on other charts: Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Music Albums, Top Independent Albums and Top Alternative Albums.

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Former OZZY OSBOURNE and URIAH HEEP drummer Lee Kerslake has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 73 years old.

“It’s with the heaviest of hearts that I share with you that Lee Kerslake, my friend of 55 years and the best drummer I ever played with, lost his battle with cancer at 03:30 this morning,” Kerslake’s longtime URIAH HEEP bandmate Ken Hensley wrote on social media. “He died peacefully, praise The Lord, but he will be terribly missed.”

URIAH HEEP guitarist Mick Box wrote on Facebook: “Lee was one of the kindest men on earth, as well as being a brother he was an incredible drummer, singer and song writer! He had a passion for life bar none and was much loved by the fans, as well as anyone who crossed his path!”

In January 2019, Kerslake was inducted into the Hall Of Heavy Metal History in Anaheim, California. During his induction, Kerslake was presented with two platinum discs for his work with the BLACK SABBATH frontman. The presentation was filmed for Kerslake’s documentary.

Lee was a member of Ozzy’s band in 1980 and 1981 during the Randy Rhoads era, performing on the singer’s first two solo albums.

During an interview with The Metal Voice in December 2018, the drummer revealed that after all these years, he just wanted platinum album certifications for both “Blizzard Of Ozz” and “Diary Of A Madman”, so he can feel some acknowledgement for his work before he dies.

“I really wrote a nice letter to them and I hope they will come to terms with it and say yes,” he told The Metal Voice of his appeal to Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne.

Kerslake had since been granted his wish as Ozzy shared a photo on social media of Lee sitting on a sofa and holding the “Blizzard” and “Madman” platinum discs, a handwritten letter from Ozzy placed on his chest.

“I’m so glad that Lee Kerslake is enjoying his Blizzard and Diary platinum albums,” Osbourne wrote in an accompanying caption. “I hope you feel better. Love, Ozzy”

According to the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA), 1980’s “Blizzard Of Ozz” has been certified quintuple platinum for shipments in excess of five million copies, while 1981’s “Diary Of A Madman” has been certified triple platinum for more three million units sold.

Kerslake and bassist Bob Daisley had been embroiled in a legal battle with the Osbournes for many years, which had taken a massive financial toll on the drummer.

“I went belly-up bankrupt when I lost the case to Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne in the courts,” Lee told The Metal Voice. “It cost me hundreds of thousands and I had to sell the house and then started to get ill. I never managed to get back up, but a platinum certification on my wall for these albums would be fantastic and it would say I helped create those albums.”

Kerslake and Daisley were fired before “Diary of A Madman” was released and in the process had their names removed from the album. Bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Tommy Aldridge are credited in the album’s liner notes and featured in the photo on the inner sleeve. The tracks played by Kerslake and Daisley on both albums were replaced on a reissue (by current METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo and FAITH NO MORE drummer Mike Bordin) after the duo sued Ozzy and Sharon over royalties. Daisley and Kerslake’s original performances were restored in the 2011 reissues of the albums.

In the December 2018 interview, Kerslake told The Metal Voice that his prostate cancer had spread to the rest of his body. “I have now have bone cancer, which is a nasty one, so the doctor gave me about eight months to live,” he said. “But I’ve been fighting all the way. Five years ago, they gave me four years to live, and so that gives you an idea.”

He added that he was remaining positive. “I’m fighting it and there’s no telling what can happen,” he said. “They might have a new drug come out, and I’ll experiment with it if it keeps me alive… All this time I have had this terminal cancer, but I have defied it because the music kept me fighting.”

Kerslake had been working on the aforementioned autobiographical documentary as well as a new album called “Eleventeen”.

Lee was one of the kindest men on earth, as well as being a brother he was an incredible drummer, singer and song…

Posted by Uriah Heep on Saturday, September 19, 2020

RIP LEE KERSLAKE. Lee was a dynamo of a drummer who drove Uriah Heep through their heyday like a Crazy Train. He propelled Ozzy’s original band the same way. When last in London he came to visit although ill. A lovely man who fought cancer to the end with a smile. Rest My Friend https://t.co/P1sqpxrtp5
— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) September 19, 2020

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BEHEMOTH frontman Adam “Nergal “Darski has urged his fellow Poles to vote in the country’s presidential election on Sunday.

Conservative incumbent Andrzej Duda is widely expected to win the first round of the election, but faces stiff competition from liberal Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski of the center-right opposition party Civic Platform, which governed from 2007 to 2015. Trzaskowski, a liberal supporter of LGBT rights, has surged in opinion polls. (According to a poll conducted last year, 65 percent of Poles are against gay marriage and 73 per cent against adoption by same-sex couples.) Trzaskowski is considered the leading candidate among the nine hopefuls running against Duda.

Earlier today, Nergal took to his Instagram to write: “Presidential elections tmrw my fellow Poles! EVERY fuckin’ vote counts and can make a difference! Personally, I think 5 years of massive embarrassment and continuous incompetence of current president and its party is ENOUGH. I vote for FREEDOM and want my voice to echo across the Universe!”

Poland’s election was originally scheduled for May 10 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

For the past five years, Poland has been governed by Law And Justice (PiS) party, commonly described as a “right-wing” party.

Duda on Wednesday (June 24) became the first foreign leader to visit U.S. President Donald Trump since the coronavirus pandemic led to global lockdowns.

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Presidential elections tmrw my fellow Poles! EVERY fuckin’ vote counts and can make a difference! Personally, I think 5 years of massive embarrassment and continuous incompetence of current president and its party is ENOUGH. I vote for FREEDOM and want my voice to echo across the Universe!???
A post shared by Adam Nergal Darski (@nergal69) on Jun 27, 2020 at 5:04am PDT

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A high-end version of the A4 includes an ash top, Fishman Fluence pickups, and a 2-band EQ.

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