Eidola – Mutual Fear (guitar playthrough)

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NIGHTWISH Pays Tribute To Late CHILDREN OF BODOM Frontman ALEXI LAIHO At Oslo Concert (Video)

Finnish/British/Dutch symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH paid tribute to late CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman Alexi Laiho during their concert Sunday night (November 14) at Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway. While NIGHTWISH performed the song “The Greatest Show On Earth”, a photo of Laiho was displayed on the screen above the stage, a nod to the Finnish metal musician who passed away in December 2020 in his home in Helsinki, Finland. The 41-year-old had suffered from long-term health issues leading up to his death.

A video of NIGHTWISH’s Laiho tribute can be seen below.

Earlier this year, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen spoke to U.K.’s Metal Hammer magazine about his friendship with Laiho. He said: “We were really close about 10 of 15 years ago. We hung out a lot. I went to his place; he came to my place in Kitee. We shared a love of music, and also Donald Duck and board games — innocent, child-like things.”

Reflecting on how he reacted when he first got the news of Laiho’s death, Tuomas said: “We knew he was going through some troubles with his physical health, but when I got the phone call, I remember falling on my knees — like, ‘no way.’ It punched me big time.

“I really miss him. He was a wonderful personality. There was an innocence in him, a naivety when it came to music that I really respected.”

Alexi and drummer Jaska Raatikainen founded CHILDREN OF BODOM in 1993, and the band was one of the most internationally acclaimed metal acts in Finland up until their very last farewell concert in December of 2019. Last year, Alexi put together BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT, which recorded three songs and shot one music video, all of which were released posthumously.

Besides CHILDREN OF BODOM, Laiho had played in such acts as WARMEN, SINERGY, KYLÄHULLUT and THE LOCAL BAND. Awarded with a Metal Hammer Golden God and several other international prizes, the guitarist was also the main star, leading a group of one hundred guitar players at the Helsinki Festival in 2015 in “100 Guitars From Hel” — a massive concert piece he composed.

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DREAM THEATER Announces Rescheduled Dates For North American Leg Of 'Top Of The World' Tour

Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have announced the rescheduled dates for their recently postponed North American leg of the “Top Of The World” tour. The shows will now kick off in Mesa, Arizona on February 2 and run seven weeks before ending in Austin, Texas on March 21. The tour will also make stops in Los Angeles, California; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; New York City and Dallas, Texas, among others, and will mark the first live performances of music from DREAM THEATER’s latest release, “A View From The Top Of The World”. ARCH ECHO will be the opener on all dates in the United States and FALSET will be the opener on all of the dates in Canada. Information on tickets for all upcoming shows as well as VIP packages can be found at www.dreamtheater.net.

Dates for the first leg of the North American “Top Of The World” tour are:

Feb. 02 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Arts Center
Feb. 04 – El Cajon, CA – The Magnolia
Feb. 05 – Los Angeles, CA – Microsoft Theater
Feb. 06 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
Feb. 08 – Seattle, WA – Showare Center
Feb. 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Mavericks Center
Feb. 12 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theater
Feb. 15 – St. Louis, MO – Stifel Theater
Feb. 16 – Cincinnati, OH – Icon
Feb. 18 – Minneapolis, MN – State Theater
Feb. 19 – Milwaukee, WI – Miller High Life
Feb. 20 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
Feb. 22 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore
Feb. 23 – Akron, OH – Goodyear Theater
Feb. 25 – Boston, MA – Wang Theater at Boch Center
Feb. 26 – Quebec, QC – Grand Theatre de Quebec
Feb. 27 – Ottawa, ON – National Arts Center
Mar. 01 – Montreal, QC – Place Bell
Mar. 02 – Toronto, ON – Meridian Hall
Mar. 04 – New York, NY – Beacon Theater
Mar. 05 – Wallingford, CT – Oakdale Theater
Mar. 06 – Washington, DC – Warner Theater
Mar. 08 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met
Mar. 09 – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie
Mar. 11 – Raleigh, NC – Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
Mar. 12 – Atlanta, GA – Roxy
Mar. 13 – Nashville, TN – The Opry
Mar. 15 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando
Mar. 16 – St. Petersburg, FL – Mahaffey Theater
Mar. 18 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
Mar. 19 – Dallas, TX – Bomb Factory
Mar. 21 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater

Last month, DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie told The Metal Voice about the band’s decision to push back the tour: “It just came down to how comfortable we were with going out. We were getting kind of mixed messages from promoters and our agencies. Our management was looking into it across the board with people that were out there, tours that were going on, tours that had come down.

“When you put together a tour, the amount of money that’s put into a tour, it’s astronomical,” he continued. “And the kind of production that we go out with is pretty big; it’s pretty substantial. We were just getting a lot of indication that the bands that had been going out were out for a week or two and somebody within the band or the crew came down with COVID and then the whole camp had to be shut down up to 10 days. Well, that’s financially disabling for any tour of any magnitude, that you can just pull down a whole camp of, let’s say, 30-something people and the amount of money that’s generated while you’re out there. You’re talking 10 days where you’re just dead in the water.

“So it didn’t make sense to us. One, we were still concerned with our health, going out. And even though we’re all fully inoculated, so to speak, we were still concerned with one of us coming down, getting sick and not being able to proceed. And then the business side of things.

“I mean, if I wanna be completely honest with you, it wasn’t a unanimous decision,” LaBrie admitted. “There were three guys in the band that said, ‘No. We don’t wanna tour. We’re not going out.’ And there were two other guys in the band that said, ‘C’mon, let’s do it. Let’s go for it. We’re all for it.’ And that’s what it came down to — is that it was a majority vote that said, ‘No. We’re not about to go out.'”

James also addressed DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci’s recent comment that the the tour postponement was “unfortunate” and not a unanimous decision, with Petrucci and bassist John Myung being willing to return to the road as soon as possible and the other three guys opting to stay home.

“It comes down to sometimes you’re gonna have to agree to disagree, and granted, as he put it — I saw it; fans forwarded it to my site — as he said, he was frustrated,” James said. “Well, truth be known, we’re all frustrated that we’re not out there touring. That’s what we love to do — we love to be out. But some of us felt that we weren’t willing to take that risk and come down with this unfortunate virus. It just didn’t seem to me, and to the other two guys that were on the side of the fence that I was on, it didn’t make sense to risk it at this point. But everything is being rescheduled. It’s been postponed, and everything is coming back online in February. And I think we’re gonna be closer to not only more people being vaccinated but also herd immunity. So let’s see what happens.”

DREAM THEATER shared the news of the postponement in a statement posted on social media on September 27. The group wrote: “DREAM THEATER have made the difficult decision to move their October-December 2021 North American tour dates to early 2022. In light of current instabilities to touring that remain due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we feel confident that this is the right decision.

“Know that we are as disappointed as you are that we will have to wait a little longer to bring DREAM THEATER music to you live. We miss performing for you all and can’t wait until we can be on stage bringing our new album and fan-favorites to you.

“This was an extraordinarily challenging decision to make but needed to be done after taking into consideration the varying local mandates across North America. In an effort to present the absolute most complete and engaging DREAM THEATER experience that our fans around the globe have come to expect, we feel we are all best served to postpone all touring activities to early 2022.

“At this time, we ask that everyone hold on to their tickets as we are working frantically to finalize the reschedule of all of these dates. All shows are currently being re-booked to begin in February 2022. Please keep an eye on our website, and we’ll have a complete, updated itinerary shortly. All previously purchased tickets will be honored. Please consult your local point of purchase for any inquiries regarding refunds.

“We know that we all have eagerly awaited a return to normalcy, and the opportunity to enjoy live DREAM THEATER music together again. We apologize profusely but hope that everyone can understand the logic behind this decision.

“Playing music for our fans is all we ever want to do. We look forward to seeing each and every one of our fans as soon as possible. We wish it could have been sooner, but we are counting the days until we can see you all again.”

In October, Petrucci told Robert Cavuoto of Sonic Perspectives about the DREAM THEATER tour postponement: “Well, it’s an unfortunate decision. John [Myung] and I really wanted to tour, and are dying to tour — dying to get out there and support the [new DREAM THEATER] record. And unfortunately, we couldn’t convince the other guys that it was safe. So, it wasn’t a unanimous decision, unfortunately.

“It’s frustrating for me, because everything has opened up and concerts are going on, and theaters and arenas and clubs and everything is open,” he continued. “Bands are out there, and a lot of my friends are touring successfully. And there are ways to do it safely, which we were very prepared to do. But, like I said, we couldn’t convince the other guys it’d be safe, and so we had to push it off.

“I’m the type of person where I hate disappointing people, I hate disappointing our fans. So, it was definitely an unfortunate decision.”

“A View From The Top Of The World” was released on October 22. The seven-song LP marks the band’s second studio album with InsideOut Music/Sony Music. The artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). “A View From The Top Of The World” was produced by Petrucci, with engineering and additional production by James “Jimmy T” Meslin and mixing and mastering by Andy Sneap.

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OPETH Parts Ways With Longtime Drummer MARTIN 'AXE' AXENROT

OPETH has parted ways with longtime drummer Martin “Axe” Axenrot. The Swedish progressive metallers announced Axenrot’s exit from the group in a social media post earlier today. The band wrote: “Due to a conflict of interests, Martin Axenrot is no longer part of the OPETH collective. His replacement for the North American tour with MASTODON and ZEAL & ARDOR will be powerhouse drummer Sami Karppinen [THERION]. His first show will take place today (November 16) at Harrah’s Cherokee center in Asheville, NC.”

OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt added: “However sad it is to not have Axe in the band anymore, we’re not in a position to linger on anything that is going to hold us back. We need to soldier on.

“Needless to say, we’re incredibly thankful that Sami is helping us out, making this tour possible and all. On top of that, he’s quite outstanding, really!

“All of us wish the best for Axe in all and any of his future endeavors. He has been a incredibly important part of the band for many years now, and we’re all heartbroken it didn’t work out in the end. But that’s life, I guess…”

Axenrot officially joined OPETH a decade and a half ago as the replacement for Martin Lopez, who left the band in May 2006 after being plagued by illness and anxiety attacks, which forced him to miss several of OPETH’s tours.

Shortly after he first started playing with OPETH, Axenrot told Drummerzone about how he landed the gig: “During OPETH’s tour in the U.S., Martin Lopez got ill. The band temporarily used the services of Gene Hoglan [who is also featured in OPETH’s video for the song ‘The Grand Conjuration’] but needed someone else for their European trek. While they were still in the U.S., I received a phone call from singer Mikael Åkerfeldt whom I already knew from our mutual project BLOODBATH. Soon after we all met in OPETH’s rehearsal studio in Stockholm and here I am today.”

Back in 2007, Åkerfeldt slammed the “new breed of idiot OPETH ‘fans'” for questioning the abilities of Axenrot when compared to that of Lopez. Responding to a discussion on the band’s forum regarding Axenrot’s more “straightforward” playing technique compared to the “jazzy” style of his predecessor, Åkerfeldt wrote in an online posting, “Wow, looks like we got ourselves a new breed of idiot OPETH ‘fans’ on our tail, huh? Mindblowing guys…really!” He then added: “Axe is in the band now and we all fucking love playing with him.

“When somebody picks on [Martin’s] drumming I can’t help but to feel that that person is a deaf moron who knows nothing about music or drumming. I get defensive not only because I brought him in the band, but mainly because he’s a fucking fantastic drummer.”

Posted by Opeth on Tuesday, November 16, 2021

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SLIPKNOT's JAY WEINBERG On JOEY JORDISON's Death: 'We're All Affected'

In a new interview with Full Metal Jackie’s nationally syndicated radio show, SLIPKNOT drummer Jay Weinberg spoke about the recent passing of his predecessor, SLIPKNOT’s founding drummer Joey Jordison. Asked how Jordison’s death has changed his “sense of curating” Joey’s legacy, Jay said: “I think with Joey’s tragic passing, of course, we’re all affected. And I would never wanna speak for my older brothers who started this band with Joey, but certainly, it has been heavy. And I think, to me, the way of preserving Joey’s legacy, Paul’s [Gray, SLIPKNOT bassist, who died in 2010] legacy is really just committing my full self to the ethos and spirit of this band. They live through this music, without a doubt. So, to me, that’s the most true tribute we can give. As a collective to their memory, their art, their music, what they contributed to this world that has, and will forever have, a lasting impact is just to give all of ourselves to this music. To me, that’s the most tried-and-true way to honor those who have fallen.”

Joey’s family confirmed that he died “peacefully in his sleep” on July 26 of an unspecified cause.

Jay discovered SLIPKNOT when he was a pre-teen, through his father Max, who has been a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E STREET BAND since 1974. He was hooked immediately and was a huge fan of SLIPKNOT by the time he was invited to Los Angeles to try out as replacement for Jordison in 2014.

SLIPKNOT announced its split with Jordison in December 2013 but did not disclose the reasons for his exit. The drummer subsequently issued a statement saying that he did not quit the group.

In September, SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor called Jordison’s death “a damn tragedy. “He was way too young, and he was way too talented to lose him like this,” Corey added in an interview with SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”. “I know a lot of people wonder about the circumstances that led to him not being in the band anymore, and it’s, like, we’re not gonna talk about that, because I’d rather talk about his legacy, which is that he helped create this band that we all have fought to keep out there and keep going. Just the fact that he’s not here now, it’s still — I still can’t believe it,” Corey said.

The same year that he exited SLIPKNOT, Jordison launched the band SCAR THE MARTYR and later, VIMIC.

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METALLICA Announces 'The Metallica Black Box'

METALLICA has announced the opening of The Metallica Black Box. Debuting with The Black Album Exhibition, the Black Box will offer an unprecedented and ongoing deep dive into every era of METALLICA from the early 1980s garage days up to its present status as multi-platinum, stadium-filling hard rock standard bearers.

James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo will “unbox” their collections, pulling their favorite, most significant, and personally meaningful artifacts out of careful storage. Much more than a “gateway” to all things METALLICA, The Metallica Black Box, in collaboration with Inveniem and Definitive Authentic, will provide access to the memories and experiences of the band members themselves, as it transports those who enter to virtually every imaginable time and place along the METALLICA historical continuum. Features available exclusively in the Black Box will range from the virtual to the physical — from weekly livestream events to extremely limited signed memorabilia.

The Metallica Black Box launches with The Black Album Exhibition, featuring a collection of items curated to share in support of the 30th anniversary of the Grammy-winning, 16-times-platinum-certified 1991 album that not only gave METALLICA its first No. 1 album in no fewer than 10 countries, including a four-week run at No. 1 in the U.S., but remains unchallenged as the best-selling album in the history of Nielsen SoundScan, outselling every release in every genre over the past 30 years.

In the weeks, months and years ahead, The Metallica Black Box will venture progressively deeper into the METALLICA vaults. Its unfettered access will manifest in exhibitions and collections of rare artifacts and ephemera, never seen nor heard video/audio, and more — all dedicated to different facets of the METALLICA experience: the sounds, the visuals, the instruments, the culture and beyond. These collections will allow the METALLICA fan to experience the band’s story in a more personal way than ever before, providing behind-the-scenes insight into who METALLICA is, was and will be.

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Mortiis Talks New ‘Z.A.S.T. Zine Anthology,’ Early ’90s Extreme Metal Scene

Cult Never Dies publishes a Z.A.S.T. zine anthology. We chat with the former editor, one Havard “Mortiis” Ellefsen, all about it.
The post Mortiis Talks New ‘Z.A.S.T. Zine Anthology,’ Early ’90s Extreme Metal Scene appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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TED NUGENT Is Puzzled By GENE SIMMONS's Anti-Vaxxer Comments: 'I'm Gonna Call Him And Try To Fix Him'

Legendary rocker Ted Nugent has criticized Gene Simmons for calling unvaccinated people the “enemy.”

In an appearance on Talkshoplive’s Rock ‘N’ Roll channel last week, the KISS bassist and vocalist said that many people were turned away from the band’s recently completed Kiss Kruise because they were not vaccinated. All guests on the cruise, which was on a Norwegian Cruise Line boat, were required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“If you’re willing to walk among us unvaccinated, you are an enemy,” the 72-year-old Simmons said on November 10.

“This whole idea, this delusional, evil idea that you get to do whatever you want and the rest of the world be damned, is really terrible,” he added. “We’ve got to identify those people and bring them out into the open so you know who they are.”

Nugent, an outspoken conspiracy theorist who has refused to take the vaccine, responded to Simmons’s comments during an appearance on the “Joe Pags Show”. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I think [Gene has] been so bombarded. Remember, he lives in Los Angeles. Number one, I love Gene Simmons — he is a great man, rock solid in the asset column. But my own brother, who also spent most of his life in New York and L.A., they are so overwhelmed with lies and hate and misinformation. And when the people on the coast — and I mean overall; only the guilty need to feel guilty — but when they called someone a racist, they are the racist; when they call someone a child molester, it’s usually coming from a child molester. So you’ve gotta give ’em the benefit of the doubt. But the real shocker, I think, and you will agree, is that here’s Gene that speaks truth, logic and common sense most of the time — I really respect the man’s overview — but here’s a man who constantly references, and rightly so, that his mother survived the Holocaust where power-abusing monsters were forcing people to succumb. And then the Nuremberg trials [a series of military tribunals held after World War II to convict Nazis of their war crimes, including six million Jews and other minorities for medical trials] proved that no man, no human has a right to force any unwanted medicine or experiments, like this experimental drug, on people ever again. And here’s Gene Simmons, who is so powerfully educating people about the horrors of demonic Nazism and the Holocaust, and then he compartmentalizes it and literally falls into the chasm of power abuse. It’s much like a lot of my Jewish friends that are anti-gun and think that guns should be banned, which was what Joseph Goebbels and Hitler did.

“Joe, on an honest, intellectual level, I cannot explain it,” Ted told host Joe Pags. “I just know that I love Gene Simmons, and I’m gonna call him and try to fix him.”

According to the nonpartisan, nonprofit web site Fact Check, while vaccines reduce the probability of getting infected, they are not 100% effective, so there is a chance that an unvaccinated person could infect a vaccinated person — particularly the vulnerable, such as elderly and immunocompromised individuals. And, despite vaccination providing excellent protection against severe disease, a small proportion of vaccinated people still require ICU care.

More than 59% of the nation’s population are currently fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, while more than 68% have received at least one shot, according to data from the CDC.

More than 760,000 people have died from the coronavirus in the U.S.

Last month, Nugent appeared on “Off The Record” where he once again said that he won’t take the COVID-19 vaccine because the shots that are available in the United States were developed in less than a year are probably fake.

“It’s not a vaccine,” he said. “It’s an experimental shot. Now the FDA was forced to authorize it recently, but they were jabbing people with an experimental shot right up until that fake authorization.

“I don’t believe it’s a vaccine,” he reiterated. “Most of America doesn’t believe it’s a vaccine. The only ones that are taking it are either gullible or being forced because they’re gonna lose their job, lose their life and lose their livelihood.”

Asked what he would say to the people who believe it’s a worthwhile vaccine and it’s saving lives, Ted — who spoke openly about his battle with COVID-19 seven months ago — said: “I appreciate the opportunity to speak to the people that went ahead and got the jab. I speak their language. I will speak to them thusly: Baaaaaah,” he said, imitating a sheep. “Baaaaaah. Baaaaaah. Baaaaaah. They understand that.”

When senior Capitol correspondent Tim Skubick asked Nugent point blank if he believes that the millions of people who got the shot are “just stupid,” Ted replied: “Yup.”

In April, Nugent talked about the darkest days of his battle with COVID-19, saying that he had “never been so scared” in his entire life. The 72-year-old pro-gun activist, who had previously claimed the virus was “not a real pandemic,” said: “It was really scary. I didn’t think I was gonna make it. I literally couldn’t function for about 20 hours, and then they came and they rescued me… The six-foot-two, 225-pound headache [this time] was like nothing I have ever experienced. I mean, from my tip of my toes to the top of my hair, I literally was dizzy and weak and struggled to get up to go to the bathroom. And I would lay in the bathtub a couple of times a day with the water as hot as I could take it just to divert.”

Ted also said that he was being treated for COVID-19 by a group of doctors who made a video last year calling for the use of hydroxychloroquine to battle the novel coronavirus, despite warnings from public health experts. Nugent went on to detail his clinical management of COVID-19, saying he was taking hydroxychloroquine, “a proven drug for 65 years,” as well as ivermectin, “another proven drug.”

In the past, Nugent, a staunch Donald Trump supporter, had referred to the virus as a “leftist scam to destroy” America’s 45th president. He had also repeated a narrative pushed by conservative media and disputed by health experts that suggests the official death count from the coronavirus is inflated.

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THREE DAYS GRACE To Release New Single 'So Called Life'

THREE DAYS GRACE’s new single, “So Called Life”, will arrive on November 29. It will mark the band’s first release since THREE DAYS GRACE’s cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know”, which came out in July 2020.

Earlier this week, THREE DAYS GRACE announced more than a dozen U.S. dates for April and May 2022, including a number of headlining concerts and radio shows as the support act for GODSMACK. Tickets go on sale this Thursday, November 18 at 10 a.m. local time.

The official music video for THREE DAYS GRACE’s version of “Somebody That I Used To Know” was directed by Mike Filsinger.

In 2019, THREE DAYS GRACE extended its record for the most No. 1s in the 38-year history of Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart, with “Right Left Wrong” its 15th No. 1 single on the tally.

“Right Left Wrong” is featured on “Outsider”, THREE DAYS GRACE’s sixth full-length album and fifth consecutive Top 40-charting LP on the Billboard Top 200.

THREE DAYS GRACE’s other No. 1 singles include “Misery Loves My Company”, “Chalk Outline”, “World So Cold”, “Never Too Late”, “Just Like You”, “Animal”, “Pain”, “Home” and “Infra-Red”.

Hiding lyrics to our new single…here’s a start!
Oh gimme something to take the edge off
Something to kick the night off
Something to keep my mind off
This so called life#3DG4LIFE

Pre-save the new music ? https://t.co/Nphz1MY2GX

THANK YOU for all your support ???? pic.twitter.com/kgAWIHPe1n

— Three Days Grace (@threedaysgrace) November 9, 2021

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TOTO's 'Africa' Surpasses One Billion Streams On SPOTIFY

TOTO’s “Africa” recently crossed the threshold of one billion streams on Spotify. This accomplishment speaks to the continual discovery of the band’s repertoire, alongside the multi-generational fan base enjoying a composition that is nearing 40 years since the band’s album “IV” was released. Co-writer David Paich shares: “This surpasses a dream come true! Thank you to our family, friends and fans! ‘Africa’ is the result of a team effort in the studio – resulting in musical magic! And thanks to Spotify for helping TOTO connect with so many awesome listeners. I know my co-writer Jeff Porcaro would be smiling and celebrating this moment with us.” Cumulative Spotify streams exceed 3.3 billion plays.

TOTO will stage 18 appearances with JOURNEY in arenas across the United States. The run begins on April 7 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California and ends on May 11 at XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

TOTO recently released “With A Little Help From My Friends”, a recording of a special November 21, 2020 concert when guitarist Steve Lukather, singer Joseph Williams and Paich appeared with the new lineup of TOTO for a global event originating from Los Angeles. They were joined by bassist John Pierce, drummer Robert “Sput” Searight, keyboardist/background vocalist Steve Maggiora, keyboardist Dominique “Xavier” Taplin and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Warren Ham. This lineup marks the fifteenth incarnation of TOTO in consideration of band members or sidemen who joined or exited. In the DVD and Blu-ray versions of the set, a documentary is featured alongside the performance, which includes commentary from all members of the band that appeared that evening.

On February 26, Lukather and Williams presented separate solo albums via The Players Club / Mascot Label Group which charted in multiple territories across the globe. Both artists made significant contributions to the other’s recordings. Additionally, Paich performed on select tracks on Lukather’s “I Found The Sun Again” and Williams’s “Denizen Tenant”. The titles were released on LP and CD, and a limited-edition deluxe edition is available with the two titles bundled together.

This past June, Lukather confirmed to Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com that there are no plans for TOTO to record new music. “There’s not gonna be another TOTO record,” he said. “What we do is we continue doing what we do. Joe and I can make [solo] records and have some of the cats on it. And we can go out and play as TOTO. And if we get the audience, we pay off the people that sued us, and we go forward.”

Lukather continued: “I’m gonna dig in. I don’t roll over easily. I’ve taken a lot of punches over the last 45-plus years — whatever the hell it is; it’s a long time. So I can take a punch, man, and I’ve taken a whole lot of ’em on falsities. But that’s okay. It’s behind me now. I let it all go. Peace and love to everybody. I don’t carry around any hate. I’m, like, ‘Okay, life changes. I’m sorry.’ It broke my heart too. But it’s like getting over a divorce — you’ve gotta get back on the horse again and do it. And that’s what we plan on doing. There’s no malicious vibe or, ‘I’m gonna get even with anybody.’ It’s just such a waste of time. I’m 63 years old, man. I don’t wanna play the games anymore.”

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