MICK SWEDA On His Latest Exit From BULLETBOYS: 'I Feel A Huge Sense Of Relief Every Time I Leave This Band'

Original BULLETBOYS guitarist Mick Sweda, who recently exited the band, along with drummer Jimmy D’Anda, discussed his departure from the group in a new interview with Waste Some Time With Jason Green.

Asked if he informed singer Marq Torien about his decision to exit the group after BULLETBOYS’ canceled December 16 concert at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California — a gig that went ahead as a Torien solo performance — Mick said: “I think that [Marq] pretty much expected that that was gonna happen. Who’s to say that this wasn’t part of a plan, in the beginning, that at the first opportunity he was going to find a way to go back to having his subservient musicians playing. I don’t know. It’s hard to say. And frankly, it doesn’t interest me at all at this point.

“Frankly, I feel a huge sense of relief and a sense of weight lifted off my shoulders every time I leave this band [laughs], because it can be nerve racking and stomach churning,” he continued. “And there’s no need for it in my life at this point. I’ve got plenty of other things I could be doing. So that’s what I will be doing.”

Sweda went on to say that he “always felt like” he “was spending more time doing damage control” than he was enjoying his time as a member of BULLETBOYS.

“It’s funny, people are, like, ‘Well, dude, just go play music. Why can’t you guys just get together and you go out and have fun and play music.’ Well, were it so easy,” he added.

“The shows were great. We were having a great time. People were responding,” he said. “It seemed like there was a potential for an upward trajectory. And as soon as — and these aren’t my words; this is somebody who’s very close with us and observing it… It’s, like, ‘When you guys are in a room, everything seems to be great and you’re having fun. As soon as everybody gets apart, that’s when the voices in people’s ears start speaking and the noise starts to have an effect. And, really, that’s the way it was — as soon as we finished the gig, that’s when everything started to slide downhill.”

Sweda previously opened up about his departure from BULLETBOYS in an interview with “This That & The Other With Troy Patrick Farrell” earlier in the month. Speaking about why the reunion of BULLETBOYS’ original lineup didn’t last more than two years, Sweda said: “You go into these things with what I’d describe as hope but it’s kind of qualified hope. You know that there’s a shelf life, you know that there’s a ‘use by’ date, or at least ‘best use by’ date, and you just hope it doesn’t come too soon. And for me, frankly, it came too soon. I was really looking forward to the year and all the shows we had booked and looking forward to going out and having a great time this summer. We were thinking that the [aborted] Whisky show [on December 16] would be something that would sort of pull us together after a tough 2021 and something that might sort of create bond that would carry over, and alas, that was not to be. We had a couple of guys that were really important to the functioning of the band, namely the manager and the drummer, that decided that they didn’t wanna move on and be a part of it. So, essentially my decision was made for me at that point.”

Regarding the personal differences that ultimately caused the reunited BULLETBOYS to fall apart, Mick said: “It’s very difficult to explain. I know there’s a lot of external noise, I know that there are voices whispering in everybody’s ear, and once everybody gets away from that buzz [from playing together], it starts to set in. I’m not gonna speak for anybody else, but you start wondering what’s happening. And then you hear something happened and somebody did this or somebody did that or said this, and it all just starts manifesting in this… I suppose it is insecurity, I suppose it is distrust. And for me, I have to be able to trust the guys in my band; I have to be able to know that somebody isn’t gonna go behind someone else’s back and say something or do something. And that just starts to dissipate, I suppose, with the time away. It’s funny — when you get back together, all of that just sort of subsides into the background because there’s a bigger goal in mind and a bigger picture; you want to achieve that and you don’t wanna let everybody down. So it’s easy to overlook that. But there comes a time where it just feels like it’s toxic and poisonous, and nobody needs that in their life, especially at our age.”

Sweda went on to say that he has had no direct conversations with Torien since he made the decision to leave BULLETBOYS. “I didn’t have to speak with Marq,” he explained. “The way that played out pretty much spoke volumes for me, and there was nothing else to be said. My understanding is that he’s already looking at putting together a group of fellows to go out and do there dates. My big concern is that when people see Jimmy’s picture or see my picture out there, I just want them to know that that is not gonna be the case and they’re not gonna see the original band. And there’s no guarantee that that artwork and those photos won’t be out there representing the gigs as such. So as long as everybody knows what ticket they’re buying and what to expect, I’m okay with that.”

When Sweda first discussed his exit from BULLETBOYS during a January 3 Facebook Live stream, he said: “In the past, I know it’s been brought up that anybody who isn’t in BULLETBOYS has quit on the fans. And that may or may not be something you’ll hear in interviews or whatever. And trust me, it has nothing to do with quitting on fans and everything to do with just not wanting to travel down a path that is fraught with strife and distrust and bitterness and everything else.

“It’s really, at this point in our lives, imperative — at least for me; I’ll speak for myself here — that I just remove all forms of toxicity,” he explained. “And I’m sure all of you understand it just can’t be a part of my life anymore. And the fact that we were all original and having some good shows and having a great time playing the shows — there’s no doubt about that; I had a wonderful time and I was looking forward to doing it all of 2022 — but once it gets to a point where it’s poisonous, you can’t have it in your life…

“I’m grateful that everybody understands, and I apologize to you. I was really looking forward to this being a nice run, being a nice year and finding a way to make our way through it. But that is not to be.”

The original BULLETBOYS lineup made its live return in December 2019 with a sold-out performance at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

Aside from one show in 2011, original BULLETBOYS members D’Anda, Sweda, bassist Lonnie Vencent and Torien had not performed together since 1993.

BULLETBOYS formed in 1988 at the very peak of the Los Angeles glam metal movement. As a collection of talented musicians, BULLETBOYS were able to quickly capture the attention of music fans around the world. Unlike other rockers of the day, the BULLETBOYS possessed more hard rock-blues fusion than pure hair metal. Thanks to comparisons to the likes of AEROSMITH and VAN HALEN, talent scouts came running and the band quickly received their first major label contract.

BULLETBOYS’ self-titled debut was released in 1988 via Warner Bros. and peaked at number 34 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned two hit singles, a cover of the O’JAYS classic “For The Love Of Money” and “Smooth Up in Ya”, both of which charted on the Mainstream Rock chart and saw regular airplay on MTV. BULLETBOYS went on to release two more albums, 1991’s “Freakshow” and 1993’s “Za-Za”, before splitting up.

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GENE SIMMONS On MARVEL COMICS Legend STAN LEE: He Will Be 'Forever Loved And Missed'

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons has paid tribute to Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee, saying he will be “forever loved and missed”.

On Friday (January 7), Simmons took to his Twitter to share a photo him with Lee, and he included the following message: “I miss Stan Lee. We would meet over the years and talk about life and comics. I’ve always been a fanboy and used to torture Stan’s Sec’y Flo Steinberg to let me speak to Stan…Stan sent me this before he sadly passed, in his handwriting! Forever loved and missed!”

Lee died on November 12, 2018 at the age of 95 after being rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Lee was born as Stanley Lieber in Manhattan on December 28, 1922. He went to work as a teenager at Timely Comics, the forerunner of what briefly became Atlas Comics and then Marvel. Working his way up to editor and writer, Lee and artist Jack Kirby changed the face of comics and pop culture forever in 1961 when they created the superhero team The Fantastic Four.

From that point on, Lee — along with Kirby and other artists like Steve Ditko — launched one iconic character after another, including Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Avengers, the X-Men, Daredevil, Black Panther, Doctor Strange and many more, all existing together in a shared universe that became known as the Marvel Universe. The comics, books, movies, games and TV shows that have sprung from the work done by Lee, Kirby and others are now the basis of a multi-billion-dollar multi-media empire owned by Disney.

Lee’s characters were groundbreaking in that they were flawed, vulnerable and insecure, subject to family fights, financial difficulties and other normal human problems and issues. The stories also addressed concerns of their times such as racism and war.

Many other rock musicians were inspired by Lee’s stories and characters. Rob Zombie wrote, “Marvel comics was one of the best things I remember about being a kid. Thanks for everything. What would we have done without you?”

Alice Cooper said in a statement on his Facebook page: “Apart from being a hero in the comic world, Stan was so much fun to be around. He had a regal air about him. He was gracious to his fans too – he knew who he was to people and seemed to love every minute of it. Of course MY absolute favorite thing about Stan Lee is that when he had me drawn for the comics, it was with great abs. Thanks for that Stan!”

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett offered, “Stan Lee was a visionary and a pioneer. I owe a lot to him for personally shaping my childhood fantasy worlds, my appreciation for art on all levels, & for teaching me humanness and humility through his wonderfully insightful stories.”

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor said simply, “Heartbroken. Thank you for making me believe in heroes,” while BAD WOLVES guitarist Doc Coyle remarked, “RIP Stan Lee. A true legend.”

Lee had been ill in recent years and lost his wife of 69 years, Joan, in July 2017. He is survived by a daughter, Joan “J.C.” Lee, along with the universe, characters and stories that will endure for generations to come.

I miss Stan Lee. We would meet over the years and talk about life and comics. I’ve always been a fanboy and used to torture Stan’s Sec’y Flo Steinberg to let me speak to Stan…Stan sent me this before he sadly passed, in his handwriting! Forever loved and missed! pic.twitter.com/KKNYAfidHx
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) January 7, 2022

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NITA STRAUSS Says Some Of The Collaborations On Her Upcoming Album Will 'Really Surprise' Fans

Nita Strauss, the Los Angeles-based guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, spoke to “Heather & Wickett” of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3 about the progress of the writing and recording sessions for her follow-up to 2018’s “Controlled Chaos” solo debut. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It’s really cool for me to step out of what I was comfortable doing as a guitar player. I was really happily in this instrumental guitar role and I sort of just got pushed into the deep end of the pool kicking and screaming. And we couldn’t be happier. The song with David Draiman [DISTURBED] is everything that we could have hoped for. We are, I believe, currently the highest-charting single by a female solo artist ever at rock radio, which is crazy to think about.

“It’s just been a crazy journey,” she added. “And some of the collaborations we have coming up for the album will really surprise you guys, some will be maybe people that you would expect, but all of it is, I think, just gonna be a really cool next step for me as an artist.”

Last month, Nita told the 105.5 WDHA radio station that her next solo LP would be split “half and half” between instrumental and non-instrumental cuts, “so six instrumental tracks and six tracks with guest vocalists,” she said.

In early December, Nita told “The Mistress Carrie Podcast” about her decision to make the upcoming LP half vocal songs and half instrumental: “I did feel, and the label and everybody agreed, it’s still important for me to keep my identity as a guitar player and not just branch off too much and go, ‘Okay, well, now it’s just guests.’ Let me still have a little of what makes me me, which is the instrumental shred stuff. And the instrumental pieces that I’ve written on this record are, I think, better than anything I did on the first one — definitely more… I don’t know if it could be more emotional but they’re very emotional pieces of music and I think a little better crafted this time around. So I think all the songs in general are more well thought out, better put together this time around. And I do have some of my absolute favorite [singers guesting on it]. I have three amazing powerhouse female vocalists on this album so far. And there are still a couple of things T.B.D. [to be determined]. And then we should be ready to release next spring.”

In October, Nita shared “Dead Inside”, her first new music since the release of her critically acclaimed debut solo album “Controlled Chaos” in 2018. The track is her first-ever solo collaboration with a vocalist, the aforementioned David Draiman, frontman of Grammy-nominated rock icons DISTURBED.

Strauss has been playing with Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker’s former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.

Nita released “Controlled Chaos” to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it “a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt”, and Guitar World stating “‘Controlled Chaos’ is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss’s many strengths”. To date the album has clocked up 6.7 million streams worldwide, with music videos for singles “Our Most Desperate Hour”, “Pandemonium”, “Alegria” and “Mariana Trench” generating over 3 million YouTube views.

As well as performing with Cooper, Nita has also played with R&B star Jermaine Jackson, early MTV darlings FEMME FATALE, video game supergroup CRITICAL HIT and popular tribute band THE IRON MAIDENS.

In April 2020, Nita launched “Rock Guitar Fundamentals” — a three-module online guitar teaching program suitable for learners of all levels. The course is available at www.iwanttoplayguitar.com.

Nita’s live show is mostly instrumental in nature, combining originals with covers.

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Ex-DEATH Guitarist JAMES MURPHY On Last Month's CHUCK SCHULDINER Tribute Concerts: 'I Didn't Play Very Well'

On December 11-12, 2021, former DEATH members played two shows commemorating the 20th anniversary of the passing of the band’s mastermind Chuck Schuldiner at Brass Mug in Tampa, Florida. James Murphy (guitar) and Terry Butler (bass) performed DEATH’s classic third album, “Spiritual Healing” (1990), in its entirety under the LIVING MONSTROSITY banner, while Steve DiGiorgio (bass), Bobby Koelble (guitar) and Kelly Conlon (bass) joined forces as SYMBOLIC to play songs from “Human” (1991), “Individual Thought Patterns” (1993), “Symbolic” (1995) and “The Sound Of Perseverance” (1998).

In a new interview with Heavy Culture, Murphy stated about playing the two concerts: “On the nights, I didn’t feel all that incredibly good. I actually felt a little bit better the first night than I did the second. I was suffering a little bit dehydration and a little bit lack of preparation. [Laughs] Honestly, I don’t think that I performed very well at all, but I think people were happy just to see me on stage.

“I had 16 years of rust to clean off — the gears were caked with rust,” he explained. “I had not played live in front of people since, I think, 2005 at the ‘Roadrunner United’ [Roadrunner Records] 25th-aniversary concert in New York City. That’s well documented — it’s on DVD and also just on the Internet. So, if anyone watches that, well, that’s the last time before these shows that I played live at all. So it was fun but I didn’t play very well. Also, I was a bit dehydrated, which, on the second night, caused me to get really shaky on stage and a little bit… It doesn’t feel good. But I think people enjoyed it — despite all my awful mistakes that I made.

“I apologized to the other guys [in LIVING MONSTROSITY] afterward, but they were the same — they were just, like, ‘Oh, man. Don’t worry about it. People were just happy to see you play live,'” Murphy added. “It seems like that’s true because that’s largely what people say. But I think people are very generous and forgiving of my mistakes and my clams [missed notes] considering how long it’s been since I played live.”

LIVING MONSTROSITY lineup:

* James Murphy (DEATH; guitars on “Spiritual Healing”)
* Terry Butler (DEATH; bass on “Spiritual Healing”)
* Gus Rios (GRUESOME; drums)
* Matt Harvey (GRUESOME, EXHUMED; guitar, vocals)

SYMBOLIC lineup:

* Steve DiGiorgio (DEATH; bass on “Human”, “Individual Thought Patterns”; CONTROL DENIED – bass on “The Fragile Art Of Existence”)
* Bobby Koelble (DEATH; guitars on “Symbolic”)
* Kelly Conlon (DEATH; bass on “Symbolic”)
* Dirk Verbeuren (MEGADETH, SOILWORK – drums)
* Max Phelps (EXIST; guitars and vocals)
* Leo Lozano (SYMBOLIC; guitars and vocals)

Originally released in 1990, “Spiritual Healing” marked a new turn in the DEATH discography, one which ushered in cleaner production, a new level of boundary pushing musicianship and songwriting skills that were previously unimaginable from a metal band. “Spiritual Healing” sets the standard for riffs, insane time changes and, of course, Schuldiner’s masterful guitar solos. Reissued in 2012 as a double CD housed in super deluxe packaging featuring brand new liner notes from Murphy and Butler, Chuck’s sister Beth Schuldiner and VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen, Disc 1 featured a completely new remaster of the original album and Disc 2 contained 16 previously unreleased rehearsal, outtakes and studio instrumentals.

In addition to the two-disc edition, a limited-edition (2000 machine-numbered copies) triple-CD digipak was made available exclusively from Relapse.com. The third CD featured a never-before-released live set recorded in 1990 featuring the “Spiritual Healing” DEATH lineup. An iTunes deluxe edition was also released containing five additional previously unreleased pre-“Human” rehearsal tracks not available on either of the CD versions.

Schuldiner died on December 13, 2001 after a battle with pontine glioma, a rare type of brain tumor.

In recent years, DEATH’s storied catalog has undergone a meticulous reissue campaign via Relapse Records.

Relapse released the first-ever fully authorized DEATH tab book, featuring 21 classic songs tabbed out for guitar from the band’s entire discography. The book, which includes traditional notation as well as tablature, also comes with a digital download of all tracks.

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Posted by Kristen Belletto on Tuesday, December 14, 2021

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DEADLAND RITUAL Feat. GEEZER BUTLER, MATT SORUM, STEVE STEVENS: Why Supergroup Called It Quits

During an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL, VINCE NEIL) spoke about the status of DEADLAND RITUAL, the supergroup he started a few years ago with bassist Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH), drummer Matt Sorum (GUNS N’ ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) and singer Franky Perez (APOCALYPTICA).

“I think it’s done, although there was a lot of material that was written that I hope will see the light of day in some form or another,” the guitarist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “I’m still friendly with all those guys.”

As for what caused DEADLAND RITUAL to come to and end after only releasing two songs, Stevens said: “It was really difficult. We were about to sign a deal. We went out and toured Europe. We’re all seasoned musicians and we’re used to a certain lifestyle, and here we were having to open. We did a number of festival dates and small club dates. Initially, everyone said they were willing to do that, willing to get in the trenches. When reality hit and there was crappy food and crappy hotels and all that kind of stuff, I think people lost interest.”

Steve went on to praise the musical chemistry between the members of DEADLAND RITUAL, saying: “From the first day of rehearsal, to walk in there and play against the sound of Geezer Butler, man, I would have paid just to be there. Incredible. For bass players to have such a unique and profound influence on music, those records and that sound that I grew up with, and there I am playing against it, the hair stood up on my fucking arms. I mean, it was incredible. And [he’s] such a gentleman. And the rhythm section of him and Matt was undeniable.”

Last March, Butler told “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” that DEADLAND RITUAL was “dead.” He explained: “The virus put the final nail in the coffin. We had 12 or 13 songs written. We were about to go into the studio [in] March [2020], and everything closed down. Matt left the band. And Steve has got, I think, a lung condition or something, so he couldn’t leave the house ’cause of the virus. And we just didn’t revive it. You never know — we might do it next year or something. I don’t know.”

A few hours after BLABBERMOUTH.NET published Geezer’s comments, he took to his Twitter to write: “I would like to clarify a recent interview remark I made, concerning DEADLAND RITUAL, and Steve Stevens. I was referring to the start of the pandemic, how it stopped us from going into the studio to record. I said Steve wouldn’t leave his house because of a lung condition.”

He continued: “I was told Steve had a respiratory problem & didn’t want to risk getting Covid. I totally agreed. Anyway, I want you all to know that Steve is up and about and has no ‘lung condition’. In fact he played at this past Super Bowl. #lockdown #COVID19 @Stevestevens #clarification”.

DEADLAND RITUAL released two songs, “Down In Flames” and “Broken And Bruised” in late 2018 and early 2019. Both tracks, which were produced by Greg Fidelman (METALLICA, SLIPKNOT), were made available via Sonik Riot Records/AWAL powered by Kobalt.

For its live performances, DEADLAND RITUAL’s setlist consisted of several original tracks alongside classic songs from the members’ previous bands, including BLACK SABBATH’s “Symptom Of The Universe”, “Neon Knights” and “Sweet Leaf”, VELVET REVOLVER’s “Slither” and BILLY IDOL’s “Rebel Yell”.

Geezer previously said that he initially had no plans to join another band after SABBATH completed its “The End” farewell tour.

“Well, I retired after the last SABBATH show,” he said. “I just traveled and did everything that I wanted to do when I was retired for a year. And then I got fed up watching the TV every day. And I started writing stuff again, ’cause that’s what you do. I’ve been doing it for 50 years, so it’s in your blood. You can’t just stop, especially when it’s your hobby as well. And I just got back into writing stuff. I was planning on doing another solo album, a GZR thing. And I got a few songs together for that. And then Matt got in touch with me about DEADLAND RITUAL.”

Asked what appealed to him about being in a band again, Geezer said: “It’s what I’ve known since I started when I was 16; I was in a band. When you’re doing solo stuff, it’s just you writing stuff. There’s nobody to bounce off, and I really missed that. It’s good to have people saying, ‘That’s good. That’ll work.’ Or, ‘That’s not so good.’ And I missed having that. The guitarist that I worked with in GZR, he’s just moved to the East Coast and he’s got other things on his plate at the moment. With DEADLAND RITUAL, everybody’s local, so it’s easy to get together. And you don’t have to plan months in advance to do an album or write songs. If I feel like writing a song today, I call up Steve, go around to Steve’s house, and we try something.”

DEADLAND RITUAL made its live debut in May 2019 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.

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MICHAEL LANG, WOODSTOCK Organizer, Dies at 77

Michael Lang, a musical concert promoter, producer and artistic manager who is best known as the official producer of Woodstock Music Art Festival in 1969, died Saturday night (January 8) at the age of 77.

Lang died of complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at Sloan Kettering hospital in New York City, a representative said.

In 1968, after promoting a series of concert events in the Miami area, Lang (together with Marshall Brevetz) produced the 1968 Miami Pop Festival, which drew around 25,000 people on its first day with acts such as Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, John Lee Hooker, Arthur Brown and BLUE CHEER. After he moved to Woodstock, New York, and met Artie Kornfeld, a respected recording artist and composer, the two developed the concept for a major festival event to celebrate the 1960s social movements and planned to open a recording studio in Woodstock. With Kornfeld and partners John P. Roberts and Joel Rosenman, Lang set Woodstock into motion and it was held on Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969. Lang later served as a consultant to THE ROLLING STONES before establishing Just Sunshine Records and the Michael Lang Organization. He has produced albums for and managed dozens of acts, including Billy Joel, Joe Cocker and Rickie Lee Jones. Additionally, Lang produced the Woodstock ’94 and Woodstock ’99 festivals.

“Woodstock offered an environment for people to express their better selves, if you will,” Lang told Pollstar in 2019. “It was probably the most peaceful event of its kind in history. That was because of expectations and what people wanted to create there.”

Lang is survived by wife Tamara and his five children, Shala, Lariann, Molly, Harry and Laszlo.

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DEVIN TOWNSEND Recalls 'Screaming In A Wall Of Chicken' While Working At Restaurant

In a recent interview with the “Breaking Absolutes With Peter Orullian” podcast, Canadian singer, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend was asked if he ever had any formal training to help him effortlessly flip between orthodox choral singing techniques and guttural screaming. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I never wanted to be a singer — ever. When I was younger, I just wanted to play guitar. And then when we looked for singers, when we went hire singers as kids — when we were teens — they were just the worst of us; almost without fail, they were just terrible people. And I remember thinking, ‘Okay, well, I’ll just sing until I can find somebody.’ And I had many jobs as a teen too — I worked in dozens of restaurants or stainless steel fabrication or surboards or industrial bakeries — just endless jobs in which I had menial tasks to perform, but usually on my own. And so in that scenario what I would typically do is sing. And although I had a certain degree of facility when it came to pitch — I don’t have perfect pitch; maybe I’ve got a degree of relative pitch, but I could sing in tune, is the bottom line. So starting from that, I was able to sing along to the records that I was listening to while I was at these jobs. The one that was the most, I guess, memorable for me is I worked as a prep cook at this restaurant. So you cut up the chicken, then you cut up the squid, or whatever the thing it is, and then you have to go to the walk-in freezer to organize it. You put the dates on it, and you’re in there for 30 to 40 minutes at a time. But it’s this soundproof sealed room. And I think I was so insecure about singing based on just not wanting to appear like some of these characters that I had run into as a kid, I thought, ‘Well, this could be an opportunity to practice it.’ So I would just go into a walk-in cooler and just scream in a wall of chicken. And then eventually, when I started making demos, I sang on it. And that was no more of a goal for me than just a practical problem-solving exercise.”

Devin continued: “Then I got signed to Relativity, and then Steve Vai heard that, after I had been signed, and contacted the A&R guy and said, ‘I would like him to sing.’ And I’m thinking, ‘Oh, shit. I just wanna play bass or play guitar or something.’ And I certainly credit Steve for helping me in many ways when it comes to learning what I want to do, and also what I don’t want to do, to a certain extent. But he was very proactive in teaching me certain things about singing. Then I had experiences after that where I worked with somebody who had been in a very famous band, and he said, ‘Well, if you’re gonna sing, you’re gonna wanna maintain your voice. And in order to do that, here’s some exercises.’ And then here we are 30 years later, and I’m a singer, I guess.”

Last month, Devin released a new album, “The Puzzle”. The LP is accompanied by five-part documentary. In the first installment of the series, dubbed “Making The Puzzle”, he details his creative process and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected it.

Unlike most of Devin’s recent musical output, which has been made available via Sony’s leading progressive music label imprint InsideOut Music, “The Puzzle” was released through Devin’s own label.

Devin’s next release will be the “Lightwork” album, due in spring the spring. The effort was recorded with producer GGGarth Richardson at his The Farm Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Three years ago, Townsend said that he “still can’t listen” to “Sex & Religion”, the 1993 album he made with Vai. Released under the band name VAI, the disc saw the legendary guitarist joining forces with a band of “monster musicians” — including drummer Terry Bozzio and bassist T.M. Stevens — to create an effort that was radically different from 1990’s “Passion And Warfare”. The band split up after the album was finished, and Vai subsequently toured only with Townsend and several session drummers and bassists.

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SKILLET's JOHN COOPER: 'Pandemic Of Fear' Is 'Much More Alarming And Deadlier' Than COVID-19 Pandemic

John Cooper, the frontman for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band SKILLET, spoke to Brutal Planet Magazine about the lyrical inspiration for the group’s upcoming album, “Dominion”. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “So much of what the album is about is facing the challenges that are inside. In other words, there are challenges from outward. Me and you and everybody listening, we do not have the power to end COVID. Me and you don’t have the power to end the economic stuff that’s happening or inflation or the fact that some people — I don’t know — may be losing their jobs, for whatever reason that may be; we don’t have the power to do anything about that. But we do have the power to control what happens in our hearts and in our minds. And I think that that’s one of the things that really fueled the fire for me.

“I, of course, recognize that the [COVID-19] pandemic is real, I recognize people are dying, people are suffering, but in my view, what I consider to be a pandemic of fear, a propaganda of absolute fear, I find that to be much more alarming and deadlier than the actual pandemic itself,” he continued. “That’s not downplaying the pandemic — I just see that in people that I know; I see that in my friends; I see that in some of my family.

“A few months back, I read on the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site], for instance… A lot of people don’t know this… I was reading the risk factors to die from COVID. So not to get COVID, but what are the highest risk factors to die from it if you were to get it. The number one risk factor most people know is obesity. That sucks; it’s just the way that it is. Most people know that. But the second highest risk factor for dying from COVID is fear — fear and anxiety-related illness. That’s remarkable to me, yet we are being told every single day fear, fear, fear, and I see it in people.

“I just wanna encourage people… I’m not encouraging you to break protocols for anything, I’m not saying the pandemic isn’t real, but don’t give in on the inside,” Cooper added. “You can’t do anything about the outside, but you can do something about the inside. So this is a record that I hope encourages people to defy that impulse to be afraid.”

“Dominion” is due on January 14 via Atlantic. Produced by Kevin Churko (PAPA ROACH, DISTURBED, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) with songs written by John Cooper, Korey Cooper, Kevin Churko and Kane Churko, the effort was created 100% remotely between the band’s tour dates, home studio in Wisconsin, and the Churkos’ studio in Las Vegas.

Last November, the Memphis, Tennessee-born Cooper, who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, said that COVID-19 vaccine mandates are “much more about tyranny than they are actually keeping people safe.”

During the summer, Cooper, who is unvaccinated against COVID-19, opened up about his reluctance to wear masks, saying: “The issue of the mask wearing, to me, is nothing more than theater. It is making me jump into an unreality, something that I do not believe, just to acquiesce to either the overlords — overlords meaning government, Big Tech [Editor’s note: A name given to the five largest and most dominant companies in the information technology industry of the United States — namely Google (Alphabet), Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft], big business, big media, whatever — to acquiesce to what they want me to do. Even though I know that it’s not true, but I’m gonna play the game. And every time I put my mask on, I know that I’m doing something that I do not believe in. In other words, I’m being forced to lie… I’m being forced to jump into something I don’t believe, and I’m living by a lie — I’m living by a lie that this mask is actually gonna keep me safe from all harm. To acquiesce to the government, which says that I’m believing something that I know that I don’t believe. So now I’m basically living in a fantasy world. That frightens me. And every time I put that mask on, that’s basically what I think. I know I’m doing this, I know it’s show, I know it’s theater, I know my overlords don’t even believe in it, because if they did, they wouldn’t be breaking all of their own rules.”

Wearing face masks and coverings is recommended, or in some places mandatory, in public spaces to help stop the spread of COVID-19. But anti-maskers think government orders requiring face coverings in public spaces or those put in place by private businesses violate their constitutional rights.

Studies have shown that masks limit the spread of the coronavirus by blocking respiratory droplets that can travel through the air when someone coughs, sneezes or even just speaks. There is also strong evidence to suggest that masks help protect others from catching the virus from the person wearing the mask.

In various interviews over the years, John has said that he “always had faith in God” and that his mother was a “Jesus fanatic.” He also claimed that he was willing to put his career on the line to take a stand for Christ.

Last April, Cooper told the “Undaunted.Life: A Man’s Podcast” that it was perfectly fine for Christians to play rock music. “I would say that music is created not by the Devil; [it is] created by the Lord,” he said. “All things were created by God. So instead of thinking that the Devil owns a genre of music, I would say capture that music and bring it back into subjection under the Lordship of Christ.”

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Hear Snippet Of Title Track Of SCORPIONS' 'Rock Believer' Album

SCORPIONS have shared a snippet of their next single, “Rock Believer”. The full track will be released on Thursday, January 13 at 7:00 a.m. PT / 10:00 a.m. ET. The single’s cover art was designed by Klaus Voormann and can be found below.

“Rock Believer” is the title track of SCORPIONS’ 19th studio album, which will be released on February 25.

Two months ago, SCORPIONS released the official music video for “Rock Believer”‘s first single, “Peacemaker”. The track features music courtesy of guitarist Rudolf Schenker and bassist Pawel Maciwoda and lyrics by singer Klaus Meine.

Asked in a recent interview with Chile’s Radio Futuro what fans can expect to hear on “Rock Believer”, Meine said: “Well, you can expect an album that is dedicated to all the rock believers in the world. And we’re very excited after all these years. We thought, when you think about all the touring we did the last 10 years, after the release of ‘Return To Forever’ in 2015, the time was right to go back into the studio, to write new material, to write new songs and check out if the creativity is still working. The big aim was, the goal was to make a rock album — to make an album with lots of attitude, power and focus on the good old times and really enjoy the music and have some fun with the music. And that feels really good.”

Speaking about the “Rock Believer” album title, SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker said: “Look, we are around the world since 50 years or more. And when somebody can say he’s a rock believer, then this is us. And of course, we meet our rock believers in front of us, our audience.

“So many people said rock is dead. It’s not dead,” he continued. “It’s always coming back — sometimes, okay, more stronger [or] less strong — but in the end, it’s great to play around the world in over 80 countries we’ve played so far, and all rock believers. It was always great to share the music with them together and be in connection with them. I mean, that’s so amazing and so fantastic, that we are very happy to come out with a new album. And yeah, let’s see what’s happening.”

Asked if “Peacemaker” is representative of “Rock Believer” as a whole, Klaus said: “It is an uptempo rock song, and this album really rocks. There are some heavy songs on the album, like when you think about ‘China White’ and ‘Animal Magnetism’, there’s a track on the record that is really in the best way of those songs. There are many uptempo songs and, believe it or not, there are even faster songs than ‘Peacemaker’. [Laughs] There’s also a very beautiful ballad on the album, and I’m sure there are fans out there especially love the SCORPIONS ballads, and they will enjoy this record as well very much. ‘Peacemaker’ is the appetizer for what the album is all about. It rocks.”

“Rock Believer” was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

“The album was written and recorded in the SCORPIONS DNA with core Schenker/Meine compositions,” said Klaus. “We recorded the album as a band live in one room, like we did in the ’80s.”

SCORPIONS’ new album will mark their first release since 2017’s “Born To Touch Your Feelings – Best Of Rock Ballads”, which was an anthology of new and classic material.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

Meine previously told Talking Metal that the goal with using Fidelman to produce “Rock Believer” was to bring “the old vibe from albums like ‘Blackout’, ‘Love At First Sting’ or even ‘Lovedrive’. We try to focus on those albums and this attitude,” he said. “If we get there, who knows — it’s so many years later. But it’s the spirit and it’s the whole vibe around this album. This time, the focus is on the harder songs.”

According to Meine, SCORPIONS’ new LP features “no outside writers at all,” unlike 2015’s “Return To Forever”, which was largely co-written by the album’s producers, Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen.

SCORPIONS will kick off their “Rock Believer” world tour in March in Las Vegas where the band will play nine shows as part of their residency at Planet Hollywood Hotel. Afterwards they will cross the Atlantic to Europe where they will play six concerts in France and six shows In Germany supported by Wolfgang Van Halen’s new band MAMMOTH WVH.

SCORPIONS’ last full-length collection of new recordings was the aforementioned “Return To Forever”, partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the ’80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS’ longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

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QUEENSRŸCHE Begins Recording New Album

QUEENSRŸCHE has entered the studio to begin recording its new album for a tentative late 2022 release. Helming the effort once again is Chris “Zeuss” Harris, who previously worked with the band on 2015’s “Condition Hüman” and 2019’s “The Verdict” LPs.

Earlier today, Zeuss took to his Instagram to share a photo of QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Casey Grillo’s drum kit, and he included the following caption: “RŸCHE under way.. @caseyjgrillo”

This past November, QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre told Canada’s The Metal Voice about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band’s new album: “We have all the songs that we’re gonna be recording. We’re gonna press record at the very beginning of January.”

Regarding the musical direction of the new QUEENSRŸCHE material, Todd said: “It doesn’t sound like ‘The Verdict’. It’s its own new kind of thing. We really kind of just focused more on melodic hooks. I don’t think we went in thinking, like, ‘Oh, we need to sound old school or new or this.'”

He continued: “You know what we did on this record… Every other time, each guy would kind of submit their own song ideas and then we would kind of work on that. But what we did on this record was, other than Eddie [Jackson, bass] — Eddie has a couple of songs that are really cool that he wrote and then showed us kind of when they were pretty much done. And then Michael [Wilton, guitar] kind of wrote some interesting chords — still staying within the keys and everything. But we all got in a room with our producer [Chris ‘Zeuss’ Harris] here [in Florida], and we literally started from scratch. Like, ‘Michael, what do you got?’ [And he would] come up with a riff. And Casey would sit on the drums, or I would sit on the drums. We were all actually in a room and just tried it like the good old days. So this record was totally like that — the whole thing pretty much, minus one or two songs. And even that changed a little bit.

“I just burned a CD of all the demos to play in my car when I’m out driving around,” La Torre added. “And it’s cool. I hope people will like it. I think they’re really good songs.”

In early 2021, Wilton told The Metal Voice about the new QUEENSRŸCHE material: “Our producer, Zeuss, if this is any indication, he says it sounds like QUEENSRŸCHE … I think we’re just going with our gut right now. You don’t wanna take too many drastic chances in this day and age. So I think it’s more of a continuation of ‘The Verdict’, maybe, in some sense. We’re riding that wave. It’s been good to us. [Laughs]”

In October, Wilton confirmed that returning guitarist Mike Stone will likely contribute guitar solos to the band’s next studio album.

Since late May 2021, Stone has been handling second-guitar duties in QUEENSRŸCHE, which announced in July that longtime guitarist Parker Lundgren was exiting the group to focus on “other business ventures.”

Stone originally joined QUEENSRŸCHE for the 2003 album “Tribe” and stayed with the band for six years before leaving the group.

For the past five years, Grillo has been filling in for QUEENSRŸCHE’s original drummer Scott Rockenfield, who stepped away from the band’s touring activities in early 2017 to spend time with his young son.

In early October, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against the band’s fellow original members Wilton and Jackson, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge.

QUEENSRŸCHE recently pulled out of SCORPIONS’ rescheduled “Sin City Nights” Las Vegas residency in order to support JUDAS PRIEST on the “50 Heavy Metal Years” North American tour dates in March-April 2022. The tour will kick off on March 4 in Peoria, Illinois and conclude on April 13 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

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