TED NUGENT Repeats Baseless Conspiracy Theories On First Anniversary Of U.S. Capitol Riot

Ted Nugent has once again repeated the baseless conspiracy theory that the riot at the U.S. Capitol was orchestrated by undercover FBI agents, Antifa and Black Lives Matter.

On January 6, 2021, supporters of former president Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, vandalized the building and assaulted police officers. Five people died, including a Capitol police officer, Brian Sicknick, and a 35-year-old Air Force veteran, Ashli Babbit, shot by police.

Many top political figures have accused Trump of personally inciting the attack by repeatedly intimating that his followers should take action in order to demand legislators address his baseless claims of voter fraud. At a rally preceding the riot, Trump gave an inflammatory speech, urging the crowd to go to the Capitol, “show strength” and “fight much harder.”

In the wake of the attack, Twitter permanently suspended Trump’s account, citing “the risk of further incitement of violence.”

Nugent discussed the Capitol riot fallout during a January 6, 2022 YouTube livestream marking the first anniversary of the tragic event. The outspoken conservative rocker said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I think January 6th, 2021 was a gift from God to further emphasize and prove just how rotten to the core, terminally dishonest, treasonously criminal the Democrat party is, especially this devilpunk who thinks he’s the commander in chief. Are you listening and watching this monster of an America-hating, freedom-hating prick? Are you watching and listening to this guy? ‘Well, that’s awfully harsh, Ted.’ Yes, it is extremely harsh because there are no gentle or civil terms to use to describe Joe Biden or Kamala Harris or, quite honestly, anybody in government right now.

“I articulated what today, January 6th, is and why it’s a gift from God for people who possess the most important attribute and responsibility of an experimenter in self-government, which only happens in the United States Of America. And that attribute, that power, that definitive independent spirit is called critical thinking. You’ve got to critically think about everything now more than ever, I’m sure. But here’s what critically thinking and the amassing of evidence and the identification of statistics, video footage, the statements by the enemies in the government.”

Ted continued: “Here’s what happened on January 6th, 2021. Trump held a rally in Washington, D.C., and the conservative families who… Unprecedented rallies throughout the campaign for President Trump. For the first time in the history of humankind, tens of thousands — I was there; I was there at the Trump rallies — ten, twenty, thirty, forty thousand people chanting for the first time in the history of politics globally, ‘We love you. We love you.’ Because he did so many great things for America. Securing our borders — not completely, but better than anybody. Negotiating energy independence, which, by the way — just an observation from the guitar player who didn’t go to college; [I was] too busy learning important stuff — energy independence is actually better than energy dependency. Which is why we heard ‘I love you’ at the Donald Trump rallies. Unprecedented attendance.

“So what happened on January 6th is that the families that supported Donald Trump — ‘We love you. We love you’; unprecedented numbers, unprecedented chanting — they decided to do a peaceful protest at the U.S. Capitol, but they were prodded on by this Epps prick, a government-fed instigator and agent provocateur,” Nugent said, referencing the baseless claim that riots were stoked by a Trump supporter from Arizona who was falsely portrayed by some right-wing media outlets as an undercover FBI agent. “On January 6th of 2021, the conservative families who wouldn’t break a window, wouldn’t hurt a soul, had no guns, had no violence, had not done any rioting or arson, unlike Seattle and Portland and Black Lives Matter and Antifa… But you know, when they went to the Capitol, they were provoked and prodded by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation — allegedly. And that’s where the violence erupted, that’s where the vandalism occurred, that’s where the criminality took place — at the hands of Democrat undercover punks wearing Trump regalia. Those weren’t Trump supporters that did the violence and the vandalism — that was Black Lives Matter and Antifa and Federal Bureau of Investigation agent provocateurs. It’s on film.

“I’ve had these debates with dirtbags, and some of the dirtbags are really close to me,” Ted added. “‘Well, you’re a maniac because you can’t see that those were Trump supporters breaking…’ No, it wasn’t. Those were Democrat and Federal Bureau of Investigation plants and agent provocateurs. In fact, the Trump supporters were saying, ‘Don’t breach the wall.’ ‘Don’t break the windows,’ ‘Don’t break in,’ ‘Don’t go in’ on film — the film that we’ve been allowed to see.

“So thank God for January 6th of 2021, because it was the Democrat gangsters that did all the violence and vandalism.”

FBI director Christopher A. Wray testified repeatedly to the Senate Judiciary Committee that there was no evidence that Antifa, anarchists or provocateurs who didn’t support Trump were involved in the Capitol siege.

More than 725 individuals have been charged with various crimes in connection with the deadly insurrection. Of those, 225 people were charged with assault or resisting arrest while more than 75 were charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon against police officers. 640 people were charged with entering a restricted federal building or its grounds and another 75 were charged with entering a restricted area with a deadly weapon.

As result of the insurrection, Congress was forced to temporarily halt its counting of the 2020 Electoral College votes, a process that ultimately certified the election of President Joe Biden.

Sicknick, who was sprayed with a chemical substance during the riot, later collapsed and died.

Babbitt, who was a vocal supporter of Trump, was shot once by an officer as she tried to climb through the broken glass window of a door to the lobby of the Capitol, which had been barricaded from the inside with furniture. Her family told news outlets after her death that Babbitt had gone to Washington on January 6 to protest Congress’s certification of President Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.

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No Corporate Beer Reviews: By Udder Means

Some of the best stouts out there are now aged in wine barrels, including To Øl’s tasty By Udder Means.
The post No Corporate Beer Reviews: By Udder Means appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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DISTURBED's DAVID DRAIMAN Returns To Twitter After Claiming He Would 'Never' Reactivate His Account On Platform

DISTURBED frontman David Draiman has officially reactivated his Twitter account after a nearly seven-year absence.

The 48-year-old Hawaii-based rocker said of his return: “Came back to @Twitter because I was tired of watching from the sidelines for the last number of years. Yes, the world of social media is still a relative cess pool, but I figured maybe it was time to jump back in, only this time, with a hazmat suit on…lol. Too much going on in the world that I care deeply about to not share it with everyone. Too many things to call out, to both celebrate and condemn. Too much manipulation, too many people attacking one another, too much tribalism, and obnoxious virtue signaling. Too many rageaholic keyboard warriors out there using what should be, and can be, a medium that brings us together, to only make us feel more divided. Not me. Just truth, no bullshit, no troll wars. I will do my damnedest to be a light in the darkness here.”

Draiman’s decision to reactivate his account comes seven years after he deleted his presence on Twitter and more than three years after he said that was “never returning” to the social media platform.

Back in 2018, Draiman, who once said that he spent more time on the Internet communicating with his fanbase than any other musician, told Loudwire that he was no longer able to keep in contact with his fans as much as he used to. “No, I can’t on the same level, by any means, and it’s unfortunate,” he said. “It’s also a matter of just pure numbers. Once it got to a point where I could no longer handle it in terms of sheer volume and size, it became a daunting thing — it became something that actually came between me and my wife; I spent so much time on it.”

He continued: “The water has been poisoned for quite some time as far as interaction is concerned. Social media has become a high school playground where the challenge is what idiot can come up with the best insult, and do you end up congratulating ’em for it. It’s really sad. Either that or people just pushing their own respective ideas on everyone, trying to shove everything down everybody else’s throats, and so much elitism and so much lack of camaraderie and lack of unity. It’s become a very, very ugly thing.”

Pressed about whether he had plans to one day reopen an official Twitter account, Draiman said at the time: “No, never. I’m never returning to Twitter.”

In August 2018, Draiman admitted to SiriusXM Octane that while he did not have an official presence on Twitter after he deleted his official account, he still used the platform “as a news tool. I still have a ‘shadow’ Twitter account,” he explained. “But I don’t tweet, I don’t spew anything. It’s just there for me to be able to get my news.”

Draiman had in the past battled with Twitter trolls who have harassed him about his sometimes-controversial views regarding Israel and its ongoing conflict with the Palestinians. Draiman has had frequent heated exchanges with followers on Twitter, some of whom believe that Israel is not blameless in the ongoing conflict with Palestinians.

Draiman, the son of Israelis and the grandson of Holocaust survivors, spent much of 2014 and early 2015 linking to articles by conservative and pro-Israel blogs and has often used his fame to speak out against anti-Semitism.

Last month, Draiman said that he had lost thousands of social media followers since publicizing his trip to Israel in November.

On November 30, Draiman lit a candle at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel at the Old City site of the terror attack that killed South African immigrant Eli Kay. He later claimed that he lost 4,000 followers after sharing photos of his “demonstration” at the Western Wall.

Although David — who has some 200 relatives living in Israel — had visited the country many times before, DISTURBED’s July 2019 show in Tel Aviv was the band’s first performance in the Jewish state.

DISTURBED’s song “Never Again”, from 2010’s “Asylum” album, was written about the Holocaust and calls out people who deny it.

Both of Draiman’s maternal grandparents were survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, while many others on his mother’s side were wiped out by the Nazis.

The United States Holocaust Museum has featured Draiman in its “Voices On Anti-Semitism” podcasts.

In recent years, Draiman spoke out against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which calls for economic pressure on Israel to end the occupation of Palestinian land, grant Arab citizens equal rights and recognize the right of return to Palestinian refugees.

Two and a half years ago, Draiman spoke to KAN radio, where he called BDS advocates “idiots” and “Nazis in suits.”

Came back to @Twitter because I was tired of watching from the sidelines for the last number of years. Yes, the world of social media is still a relative cess pool, but I figured maybe it was time to jump back in, only this time, with a hazmat suit on…lol.
— David Draiman (@davidmdraiman) January 7, 2022

Too much going on in the world that I care deeply about to not share it with everyone. Too many things to call out, to both celebrate and condemn. Too much manipulation, too many people attacking one another, too much tribalism, and obnoxious virtue signaling.
— David Draiman (@davidmdraiman) January 7, 2022

Too many rageaholic keyboard warriors out there using what should be, and can be, a medium that brings us together, to only make us feel more divided. Not me. Just truth, no bullshit, no troll wars. I will do my damnedest to be a light in the darkness here. ??
— David Draiman (@davidmdraiman) January 7, 2022

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Lullaby Versions Of YES From TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE ROCK STAR Out Now

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star, the company which creates “beautiful lullaby versions of your favorite artists,” has just released “Lullaby Versions Of Yes” via Roma Music Group.

“Lullaby Versions Of Yes” track listing:

01. Owner Of A Lonely Heart
02. Roundabout
03. I’ve Seen All Good People
04. Love Will Find A Way
05. Changes
06. Long Distance Runaround
07. Starship Trooper
08. Sweetness
09. Then
10. Closer To The Edge
11. Mood For A Day
12. Wonderous Stories

The song “Owner Of A Lonely Heart” can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star was born for the parent that wants to pass along their biggest passion to their child, music. Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star transforms popular music into instrumental lullabies perfect for babies, yoga or just relaxation. Now, parents can enjoy the music from LADY GAGA to METALLICA in soothing lullaby style. With over 135 titles to choose from, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star is the largest line of pop, rock, metal and jamband music lullabies in the world.

These aren’t novelty recordings. They are cute, they are soft but these are serious recordings. Roma Music Group, which releases Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star, is run by two music industry veterans who put the fidelity of these recording at the top of the priority list. Let’s face it, much like the brand name clothes you buy for your infant, this music is really for you. Whether you are raising a metal baby, rocker or hippie baby, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star has your music transformed from arena anthems into nursery classics.

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JOE BONAMASSA, BILLY GIBBONS, TAYLOR HAWKINS, STEVE LUKATHER Among Guests On All-Star Tribute To JOHNNY WINTER

Quarto Valley Records has set an April 15 release date for “Brother Johnny”, a tribute to the legendary blues guitarist Johnny Winter created by his brother Edgar Winter. The album is a powerful sonic journey, traveling the course of Johnny’s musical life, impeccably directed, as only his brother Edgar could.

Joining Edgar on the inclusive project is an impressive array of renowned musicians who knew, or were inspired by Johnny, including Joe Bonamassa, Doyle Bramhall II, John McFee, Robben Ford, Billy Gibbons, David Grissom, Taylor Hawkins, Warren Haynes, Steve Lukather, Michael McDonald, Keb Mo, Doug Rappoport, Bobby Rush, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Ringo Starr, Derek Trucks, Waddy Wachtel, Joe Walsh, Phil X and Gregg Bissonette.

The guitar-driven album celebrates the expansive styles Johnny was known for. The 17 tracks were carefully curated by Edgar and producer Ross Hogarth to represent Johnny’s evolution as an artist, honoring his great legacy while also incorporating a personal tribute from brother to brother, and for which Edgar penned two new songs.

The project has been years in the making; Edgar was first approached about it just after his brother passed away on July 16, 2014. Johnny had just played the Cahors Blues Festival in France, which was destined to become his last show. He had travelled to Switzerland where his next show was scheduled, but he passed away in his sleep at the hotel in Zurich before he ever got the chance.

Edgar reflects: “Many people immediately started trying to convince me to do a Johnny Winter tribute album. But I was totally devastated, and the timing just didn’t feel right to me. It wasn’t until after I completed the Rock ‘N’ Blues Fest, a tour we were meant to do together with our respective bands, that the idea of a tribute record started to take form.”

He continues: “I had naturally expected the whole thing to be canceled. But much to my surprise, the promoters begged me to go on with the tour as planned, asking me to headline. The first night, after playing ‘Frankenstein’, I closed the show with ‘Johnny B. Goode’, ‘Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo’ and ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, dedicating the end of the set to Johnny.

“I had anticipated the tour to be very emotional, perhaps sad, and possibly difficult, but playing those songs turned out to be a great source of strength and comfort to me. Everyone on the tour was so kind and supportive, getting up to jam, and it became a kind of tradition. There was such an overwhelming outpouring of love and respect for Johnny, I began to realize it was not just business people sensing an opportunity here; it was Johnny’s true, loyal, and devoted fans and our fellow musicians, many of whom are on this record, who wanted to see this happen as well.

“After the tour, and over the following years as talk of a tribute album continued, my wife Monique, whose intuition I trust more than my own, said, ‘I think you have to make this album, both for Johnny, for yourself, and for the world. You owe that acknowledgement to your older brother. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be where you are today. There’s no need to worry about it. If it’s meant to happen, it will.'”

Soon after Edgar met Bruce Quarto, founder, and owner of Quarto Valley Records. It was his boundless enthusiasm and devotion to classic rock, the blues, (and Johnny in particular) that convinced Edgar the time for this tribute album had finally come.

“Quarto Valley Records is honored to be releasing Edgar’s tribute to his brother Johnny,” said Bruce Quarto. “An album as remarkable in its musicianship as it is in the depth of feeling that comes through in each and every note of each and every song. The superhuman artistry and inspiration you hear in the new interpretations of some of Johnny’s signature songs, like ‘Hootchie Koo’ and ‘Alive And Well’, are matched only by Edgar’s original and very personal ‘End Of The Line’, which strikes a very human chord. The album is nothing short of a masterpiece. Enjoy!”

This announcement comes with the release of “Johnny B. Goode”, a perfect fit not only in name but in sentiment, and a song that remained a standard in Johnny’s sets right up to the very end. The opening rips right out of the speakers — that infamous guitar line along with Edgar’s smokin’ piano — followed by roaring vocals from Edgar and Joe Walsh. Joe does the vocal honors on this one, leaving his legendary guitar work for a personal favorite called “Stranger” (featuring Michael McDonald, with Ringo Starr on drums).

The signature guitar is masterfully delivered by fellow Texan David Grissom, who strikes the perfect balance between Chuck Berry’s classic riffs and Johnny’s wild Winter whirlwind of intensity. Edgar blows the house down with a Texas tornado of saxophone accompanied by thunder and lightning from Bob Glaub on bass, Gregg Bissonette on drums, and additional vocals by Phil X.

Edgar writes in his liner notes: “To this day, when I think of rock ‘n’ roll, i think of Chuck Berry and ‘Johnny B. Goode’. It’s not only Johnny’s story, but also every kid’s story who ever picked up a guitar, coming from humble beginnings with the idea of making it big someday. So of course, it has to be on this album.”

“Brother Johnny” was produced by Edgar Winter and Ross Hogarth. All the basic tracking was done at Capitol Studios. Most of the guest artist performances were recorded at Infinitespin Records, and as the pandemic progressed, were done at various guest artist’s studios. the record was mixed by Ross at his studio The Boogie Motel.

Edgar sums up reminiscing in his notes: “When I was very young, I can still remember thinking no matter how much time goes by, how old I get, what happens in my life, or how far I end up from home — there is one person in this world I know will always understand what I’ve been through, how I feel. And that person is my brother Johnny. As kids, we were inseparable, much closer than average brothers. Not only did we learn to play music together, but because we were both albino, we shared a unique personal perspective on life different than anyone else’s. So much has happened to both of us since then, but one thing will always remain the same… that bond, of brotherhood, of family, of music, and of Love. So, in his name, I dedicate this album. ‘Brother Johnny’.”

Edgar adds: “My deepest and most profound thanks to all the great, fantastic, amazing artists for their incredible heartfelt performances. You touched our hearts on behalf of Johnny and the Winter family.”

“Brother Johnny” will be available on CD, vinyl and digitally across all platforms.

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NICKO MCBRAIN On 'Belshazzar's Feast' Campaign For IRON MAIDEN's 'Senjutsu' Album: 'That Was A Great Piece Of Strategy'

In a recent interview with Lana Morgan of the 102.9 The Hog radio station, IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain spoke about how the “Belshazzar’s Feast” teaser campaign came to be prior to the release of the band’s 17th studio album, “Senjutsu”.

“With the release of [the LP’s first single] ‘The Writing Of The Wall’, the P.R. strategy, Sarah Philp [new media manager at MAIDEN’s management company, Phantom Music Management] came up with this idea,” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “She worked very closely with the team and Bruce [Dickinson, MAIDEN singer] and, obviously, Rod [Smallwood, MAIDEN manager] and Steve [Harris, MAIDEN bassist]. The rest of us weren’t really too in the mix, so to speak, because we let Steve and our management team run with everything. Only major decisions are run by all of the band, and that’s usually not the case because we don’t have to have major decisions made as a democratic band; Steve takes care of most of that sort of thing.”

Nicko continued: “That strategy, of where they came up with the flyers and little teasers and Easter eggs and people were going and becoming Sherlock Holmes to find out what was going on with ‘Belshazzar’s Feast’, that was a great piece of strategy. And that was probably the difference [between how this album was rolled out and how the previous MAIDEN records were marketed]. There was a lot more time, obviously. We had two years to work out what was gonna happen and when we would release the record. So that’s the only difference, really — the fact that there was a lot of lead-up time and getting everything right with the artwork… Nothing was really rushed. Not that in previous album releases there’s been rushes or anything like deadlines to meet. So that was the nice thing about this album. Unfortunately, due to this pandemic, yes, we all had to sit at home and work from home. And I’m sure the team found that maybe a little distressing. But I think everyone’s got used to Zoom. So that’s the one good thing, I think, that’s come out of this horrible pandemic for people that are still working, and they’re working from home.”

Dickinson talked about the “Belshazzar’s Feast” teaser campaign during an interview with The Festivals Hub last summer. He said: “I can’t take any credit for the teaser campaign. That was down to Sarah in our MAIDEN office. She came up with the idea because she is the goddess of all things social media and the Internet. Me? I have no social media presence whatsoever, and I love it because I get to sleep at night and not obsess over what idiots say about me. However, I do appreciate the modern world and it’s the way people feel the need to communicate. In the mad world of the pandemic, you can’t actually go around and physically meet people or have premieres. One of the ideas was to have a premiere of [‘The Writing Of The Wall’] video in theaters and have people tweet it and have it go viral, but that wasn’t going to happen. Strangely, there is a clue to the campaign at the beginning of the video which is the invitation to ‘Belshazzar’s Feast’ and that very nearly didn’t end up in the video because the video company, as much as I love them, forgot it. So, we got to the end of this great production and I watched the whole thing back and I went, ‘Uhh… we’re missing something, guys. There’s supposed to be an invite to this whole thing.’ That’s why this guy goes and follows the trail — he picks up the invite from the dead MAIDEN fan and that’s where everybody is going. If you don’t know that in the beginning of the video, it’s like watching ‘Star Wars’ without the ‘In a galaxy far, far way’ — the preamble in the beginning — it wouldn’t make any sense until halfway through the movie. So, you’ve got to have this in there. Mark Andrews and the ex-Pixar guys who were our executive producers on this said, ‘There’s a fix for this — maybe we put an invite sheet that falls to the floor.’ Originally, the kid was actually clutching it in his hand and this way you see it fall to the floor which is an easier fix for the animation. I said let’s do something simple in black and white like a handbill for one of those semi-legal rave parties where you get posters going up on concrete posts under roadways on things like that. So I made things up like ‘Heaven or Hell,’ ‘rain or shine,’ ‘live forever,’ which has a play on words and thought no more about it. Then we took that poster and turned it into the shirt and turned it into the beginning of what was in effect a kind of rave campaign on the Internet. With the clues that she put up, it was a proper Sherlock Holmes Easter egg hunt through the Internet. It was really cool. I was seriously impressed with what the team put together.”

“Belshazzar’s Feast” is the story of the writing on the wall in the Bible, and IRON MAIDEN teased the announcement of “The Writing On The Wall” by sharing a 14-second video message on social media where the “Belshazzar’s Feast” poster was removed from a wall to reveal the slogan “WOTW”, which fans had theorized referred to “Writing On The Wall”. A week earlier, Dickinson invited fans to a “Belshazzar’s Feast” event via a video message. Prior to that, he sported a “Belshazzar’s Feast” shirt in a TV interview with Sky News. During the conversation, he teased MAIDEN’s future plans, saying, “I can’t tell you what it is, but it’s right in front of you.”

A number of other MAIDEN-related graphics had featured the slogan “WOTW”. In addition, a “Belshazzar’s Feast” poster was spotted at the Download Pilot festival in June 2021 bearing the date “15/07” and the letters “IMXVII,” which fans believed at the time were a reference to IRON MAIDEN and 17 in Roman numerals.

“Senjutsu” came out in September. IRON MAIDEN’s first album in six years was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Harris.

For “Senjutsu” — loosely translated as “tactics and strategy” — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

“Senjutsu” bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band’s early classics like “Powerslave” and “The Number Of The Beast”. Nearly 90 percent of the LP’s 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015’s “The Book Of Souls” and 2010’s “The Final Frontier”, which both peaked at No. 4.

“Senjutsu” was MAIDEN’s 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.

According to Billboard, “Senjutsu” logged the second-largest week of 2021 for a hard rock album in both equivalent album units earned and in traditional album sales.

“Senjutsu” topped the charts in several European countries upon its release, including in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.

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Five For Friday: January 7, 2022

This year’s opening salvo of heavy comes with lives rounds of riffs from Nocturnal Graves, Darkened, Aethereus and more!
The post Five For Friday: January 7, 2022 appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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SKILLET Releases Title Track Of Upcoming Album 'Dominion'

Christian rockers SKILLET have released the the title track of their upcoming album, “Dominion”. The LP is due on January 14 via Atlantic.

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

“‘Dominion’ is about the celebration of freedom, a liberation from fear — to be who we want to be, say what we want to say, believe what we want to believe,” SKILLET frontman John Cooper says. “In some ways, it’s a reminder of the God-given rights that we were born with. It’s time to regain some sort of control over our lives and not be a slave to fear. I hope this record is going to make people feel empowered, inspired, uplifted and want to rock their faces off.”

“Dominion” track listing:

01. Surviving The Game
02. Standing In The Storm
03. Dominion
04. Valley Of Death
05. Beyond Incredible
06. Destiny
07. Refuge
08. Shout Your Freedom
09. Destroyer
10. Forever Or The End
11. Ignite
12. White Horse

SKILLET recently saw it RIAA certifications multiply yet again. Their latest milestones include the new triple-platinum status of their landmark album “Awake”, with three of its hit tracks also accumulating more certs as “Awake & Alive” goes double-platinum, “Hero” triple-platinum, and “Monster”, already one of the most-streamed rock songs in history with over four billion global audio streams, hits quadruple platinum status.

By 2019, SKILLET not only garnered a pair of Grammy nods and sold over 12 million albums worldwide, but they also took home a Billboard Music Award for the double-platinum “Awake”. Its breakout single, “Monster”, remains one of the most streamed rock songs of all time, with over three billion global audio streams.

2016’s “Unleashed” bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200. Hitting No. 1 on rock radio, the lead single, “Feel Invincible”, cracked 643 million global audio streams and went platinum. Meanwhile, the gold-certified “Unleashed” became their fourth consecutive album to receive either a gold, platinum, or double-platinum status.

Their 2019 release, “Victorious”, included the Top 10 rock radio hit “Legendary”, which lived up to its name with over 108 million streams. To date, nine original tunes earned RIAA recognition in tandem with high-profile syncs by everyone from WWE and Marvel to ESPN and NFL.

Photo by Jimmy Fontaine

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SLASH: 'A Lot Of Different Issues' Prevented IZZY STRADLIN From Taking Part In GUNS N' ROSES Reunion

GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist Slash says that “there were a lot of different issues” that prevented Izzy Stradlin from being involved with the band’s reunion tour.

While GUNS N’ ROSES’ “Not In This Lifetime” trek features the “classic era” lineup of Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and singer Axl Rose — with the occasional guest appearance by drummer Steven Adler — Stradlin has not taken part in any shows on the tour, with unconfirmed reports claiming that he turned down a five-figure fee to play with GUNS N’ ROSES at the April 2016 reunion shows.

Now, in a new interview with Classic Rock magazine, Slash has offered more information on the circumstances that led to Izzy’s absence from the trek. When Classic Rock writer Paul Elliott asked Slash if Stradlin ever explained why he didn’t want to be a part of it again, Slash said: “I haven’t really talked to him since then. There were a lot of different issues that I’m not really going to get into. We wanted it to work out, but we couldn’t seem to meet eye to eye on the whole thing. So it just never happened.”

More than two years ago, McKagan told Classic Rock that he doesn’t think Stradlin “ever wanted to” be part of the GN’R reunion. “We tried to make it work, but it just didn’t,” he explained. “And in a situation like this, you’re really in it, man. You either get on it or you don’t, because the train’s moving forward. The good thing is, Slash really likes playing with Richard Fortus [GN’R guitarist since 2002], and Slash is somewhat picky about that kind of stuff. They get on great as far as a two-guitar player relationship goes.”

He continued: “To be honest, I haven’t taken a lot of time to go back on the Izzy thing because we just move forward, and things are so good. And as I’ve found out many times in my life, things are supposed to happen as they happen.”

In 2018, Izzy blamed his non-involvement with the GUNS N’ ROSES reunion tour on the fact that he and the other guys in the band were unable “to reach a happy middle ground through the negotiation process.” He also previously claimed that he stepped away from the reunion because the band didn’t want to “split the loot equally.”

Rose told Brazil’s Globo TV in a 2016 interview that wasn’t optimistic about Stradlin rejoining his former bandmates. “I don’t really know what to say about Izzy,” Axl said. “It’s like you could have a conversation and think it’s one way and the next day it’s another way. And I’m not trying to take any shots at Izzy. It’s just his thing is kind of his thing, whatever that is.”

Stradlin, whose real name is Jeffrey Isbell, was born and grew up in Lafayette, Indiana, where he was high school friends and bandmates with singer William Bailey — later known as Axl Rose.

His first and only post-GUNS band, IZZY STRADLIN & THE JU JU HOUNDS, broke up in 1993 after recording one LP. He has since released 10 more solo albums between 1998 and 2010.

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TRIUMPH Gets Offers To Play Every Year, Says MIKE LEVINE

In a recent interview with “The Daily Derringer Podcast”, bassist Mike Levine of Canadian rock legends TRIUMPH was asked if the band’s 2008 reunion shows in Sweden Rock Festival and Rocklahoma were meant to be a warm-up for a more extensive tour if they were always intended to be the group’s final gigs. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “There was bad blood going on between [guitarist/vocalist] Rik [Emmett] and [drummer] Gil [Moore] and I. And we decided it had to stop because we had too much love for each other over the years. And it just made no sense that we couldn’t keep playing, or least be friends. So we decided, ‘What a good idea. Let’s go play some shows.’ So we got the call from Sweden saying, ‘Would you guys consider playing?’ They read that Rik and Gil and I were talking and getting along. And they called our agent and offered us a ton of dough to go over there and play, which we decided, ‘Eh, let’s do it. Maybe we can get a good buzz back in our musical lives.’ And talk about good routing — two weeks after that, we played in Oklahoma, a big outdoor show there. So you go, ‘Hmm, Sweden and Oklahoma. They really go together. What are we gonna do with the trucks?’ [Laughs]”

He continued: “But the shows went well. And we decided, ‘You know what? Maybe we should tour. Let’s go check it out.’ So the agents went to work and had a bunch of dates and buildings on hold. So it was, like, ‘That sounds pretty good.’ Except then the recession hit, and it was bad for music and touring and all that, and we had to table all the plans. And that lasted a couple of years. And in a couple of years, it was, like, we were a couple of years older, [and we thought], ‘Maybe it’s not such a good idea to go on the road.’ It’s a lot of work and it’s gonna cost a lot of dough, and six months of our lives just to get ready for it, not counting the life on the road again. So we decided, ‘Eh, let’s just table that and see what happens.’ So every year we get offers to go play, and every year we say, ‘Thanks but no thanks.’ So maybe one of these days we’ll do something.”

A DVD of the historic Sweden performance in 2008 was made available four years later.

Produced by Banger Films, “Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine” is a Crave original documentary that was previously described as “a celebratory, exhilarating thrill ride through the history of one of rock’s most unsung acts.” The film covers TRIUMPH’s humble beginnings as staples of the GTA circuit in the mid-’70s to their heyday as touring juggernauts, selling out arenas and stadiums all across North America with their legendary spectacular live shows — and way beyond.

TRIUMPH last performed at an invite-only event in November 2019 in front of 300 “superfans” at MetalWorks studio in Mississauga (a suburb of Toronto), Ontario, Canada. Levine, Emmett and Moore played a three-song set that marked TRIUMPH’s first performance in 11 years, as well as its first as a pure three-piece power trio in 31 years. The tracks played were “When The Lights Go Down”, “Lay It On The Line” and “Magic Power”.

Moore, Levine and Emmett formed TRIUMPH in 1975, and their blend of heavy riff-rockers with progressive odysseys, peppered with thoughtful, inspiring lyrics and virtuosic guitar playing quickly made them a household name in Canada. Anthems like “Lay It On The Line”, “Magic Power” and “Fight The Good Fight” broke them in the USA, and they amassed a legion of fiercely passionate fans. But, as a band that suddenly split at the zenith of their popularity, TRIUMPH missed out on an opportunity to say thank you to those loyal and devoted fans, a base that is still active today, three decades later.

Back in 2016, Moore and Levine reunited with Rik as special guests on the “RES 9” album from Emmett’s band RESOLUTION9.

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