DEEP PURPLE Officially Announces 'Turning To Crime' Album, Shares '7 And 7 Is' Single

DEEP PURPLE’s next studio effort will be an album of covers titled “Turning To Crime”. Due on November 26 via earMUSIC, the LP will contain DEEP PURPLE’s versions of great rock classics and musical jewels — including songs originally recorded by Bob Dylan, FLEETWOOD MAC, Bob Seger, CREAM and THE YARDBIRDS — carefully chosen by each member of the band.

Produced by Bob Ezrin, “Turning To Crime” arrives only 15 months after “Whoosh!”, DEEP PURPLE’s 21st studio album, which received acclaim by critics who praised the creative strength of a band that continues evolving with every release, and prestigious chart achievements (third consecutive No. 1 in Germany, No. 4 in the U.K., and topped the U.S. Independent Album and Hard Music Albums charts).

The first single, “7 And 7 Is”, can be streamed below.

“Turning To Crime” track listing, according to FNAC:

01. 7 And 7 Is (LOVE)
02. Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu (Huey “Piano” Smith)
03. Oh Well (FLEETWOOD MAC)
04. Jenny Take A Ride! (MITCH RYDER & THE DETROIT WHEELS)
05. Watching The River Flow (Bob Dylan)
06. Let The Good Times Roll (Ray Charles & Quincy Jones)
07. Dixie Chicken (LITTLE FEAT)
08. Shapes Of Things (THE YARDBIRDS)
09. The Battle Of New Orleans (Lonnie Donegan/Johnny Horton)
10. Lucifer (BOB SEGER SYSTEM)
11. White Room (CREAM)
12. Caught In The Act [Medley: Going Down / Green Onions / Hot ‘Lanta / Dazed And Confused / Gimme Some Lovin’]

Last December, DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover revealed during a virtual meet-and-greet with Finnish fan Anssi Herkkola that the band was planning to enter the studio in 2021 to begin work on another album. Speaking about how he and the other members of PURPLE have been spending their coronavirus downtime, Roger said: “All this COVID situation has meant that we can’t tour. We’re twiddling our thumbs, really, for over a year, and the idea was to possibly go back in and do another album. And so we’re just working towards that. It’s so quick after we’d done the last album, [and] maybe that will spoil things, but we’re gonna try and do another album at some point next year. We’re experimenting with stuff.”

DEEP PURPLE’s latest album, “Whoosh!”, was released in August 2020 via earMUSIC. The LP was once again helmed by Canadian producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, PINK FLOYD, ALICE COOPER), who also worked on the band’s previous two studio albums, 2017’s “Infinite” and 2013’s “Now What?!”

Glover told Den Of Geek about the PURPLE songwriting process: “All our songs come from jamming. We don’t actually write songs, they just evolve as we play. The first writing session is usually a lot of fun. We just explore different rhythms and riffs and whatever, and then take a break to listen to them, and figure out which ones we really want to work on, and that’s the second writing session. And then we go to the studio and record them, but at this point, we rarely have finished vocals or lyrics. It’s usually when the album has been all recorded instrumentally that [singer] Ian Gillan and I go off on our own somewhere for a couple of weeks and we write the words. Sometimes he writes on his own, sometimes I write my own. Sometimes we write together. And that’s how it comes out.

He added: “You don’t go to a PURPLE session with anything like a finished song. You go with an idea, and we all work on it together. It’s got to be a collective. That’s the point of the band — it’s a collective. So, one person couldn’t write a DEEP PURPLE song. It takes five of us.

“We’ve always done it that way. It’s a strange way to write songs, I know. Most people write the songs before they go in the studio, we write them after we’ve been in the studio. But it was like that in ’69 when I joined the band. It’s been the same ever since.”

In the Den Of Geek interview, Glover also said that DEEP PURPLE has “always” been a democratic group. “It was right from when I first joined the band,” he explained. “We decided that whoever writes any particular idea, we all share, because we all contribute. The way we play is almost as much a part of the writing process as what the riff or the lyrics are. So we all shared everything. It didn’t last that way. When I left the band, and Gillan left the band, it changed. It changed up until when Steve Morse joined. When Steve Morse joined, we said, ‘Right, let’s share everything.’ It takes away stress, it takes away ego, it takes away jealousy, it takes away bad vibes. And I think we all share and we all write for it. We all work our bits. So that’s the way we do it, and it is a democratic band.”

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TOM MORELLO Says JANE'S ADDICTION 'Redeemed Hard Rock And Metal'

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello was the guest on the debut episode of the “Tuna On Toast With Stryker” podcast. During his appearance, Morello offered up some high praise for JANE’S ADDICTION, declaring that the Perry Farrell-fronted group “redeemed hard rock and metal music.”

Morello first discovered JANE’S ADDICTION in the late 1980s. “They had made ‘Nothing’s Shocking’, but ‘Nothing’s Shocking’ hadn’t come out,” Morello recalled. “And I snuck into a JANE’S rehearsal and I was a big fan of them.”

The future RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE rocker was floored by what JANE’S ADDICTION brought to the table. “They were it,” he declared. “Because what they did — along with a couple other bands, I’d credit SOUNDGARDEN and LIVING COLOUR on sort of a short list — is they redeemed hard rock and metal music. All of us who loved hard rock music but were somewhat embarrassed by the devil stuff and the groupie stuff and that, all of a sudden there were bands that were kicking my ass just as hard, just as hard as [BLACK] SABBATH and AC/DC and LED ZEPPELIN, but there was like an artistic and intellectual content and a poetic content to it. And so I was all in on JANE’S.”

Morello later recalled an instance when he and his previous band, LOCK UP, impersonated JANE’S ADDICTION at a JANE’S ADDICTION concert.

“The lights go down, the crowd roars, and out on stage comes me in a Dave Navarro wig,” Morello explained. His band would get though roughly half a song before the real JANE’S ADDICTION came out.

“I remember the feeling. I’d been to a lot of shows, but I remember the feeling that I got from the crowd,” he said. “There are bands that people like, there are bands that people love, and then there are bands that people believe in. And the intensity off of that crowd — it wasn’t for me, I was an imposter! But I felt that kind of, almost like religious intensity.”

“Tuna On Toast” is the brand new podcast launched by radio host Ted Stryker, best known for his 20-plus years on KROQ in Los Angeles. Every week, Stryker will be welcoming some of rock’s biggest names into his home for conversations about their life and career. Upcoming episodes will feature Mike Shinoda (LINKIN PARK), M. Shadows (AVENGED SEVENFOLD) and Finneas (solo artist/producer for Billie Eilish).

Photo credit: Eitan Miskevich

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NIGHTWISH Keyboardist TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN's Black Metal Project Releases 'Murktide And Midnight Sun' Single

Finnish cult black/epic metallers DARKWOODS MY BETROTHED, who feature in their ranks NIGHTWISH keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, have released the official lyric video for their latest single, “Murktide And Midnight Sun”. The track is taken from DARKWOODS MY BETROTHED’s upcoming full-length album, “Angel Of Carnage Unleashed”, which will be released on November 12 via Napalm Records. The LP sets free a unique blend of brutal, fast-driven black metal and epic anthems in which eerie screams merge with heroic clean vocals, monumental choirs and majestic keyboards along with gory stories of famine, war, plague and the inescapable brutality of Finland’s nature in the era of the Great Northern War (1700-1721). It features the old horde from the original 1993 lineup, now augmented by Holopainen as a full member of the band and Kai Hahto (also of NIGHTWISH) as session drummer.

“Murktide And Midnight Sun” showcases the epic, folk and Viking elements that are characteristic of the band’s sound. With a blend of Pasi Kankkunen’s clean warrior vocals, majestic choirs, heavy guitar riffs and Hahto’s pounding drums, DARKWOODS MY BETROTHED present a hymn of true black epic metal.

DARWOODS MY BETROTHED comments on the new single: “It was very important for us when choosing the singles off the new album to demonstrate the versatility of our sound: how we can put forward a blasting black metal carnage with tortured shrieks and follow that up with an epic anthem with clean vocals — and the two songs definitely sound like the same band. Epic songs and clean vocals have always been part of our trademark sound and ‘Murktide And Midnight Sun’ is absolutely one of the finest and catchiest epic anthems that we have recorded.”

This past August, DARKWOODS MY BETROTHED released the LP’s first evil-spitting single “In Evil, Sickness And In Grief”, along with a vicious lyric video.

DARKWOODS MY BETROTHED commented on the first single: “‘In Evil, Sickness And In Grief’ is our first new release since 1998. For the comeback after 23 years of silence, we chose a song that showcases everything that the band is about: murderous blastbeats, catchy riffs spiced with haunting melodies, vicious screams contrasted by clean vocals and choirs, majestic keyboards and eerily beautiful female vocals layers. These ingredients provide the musical canvas for a lyric that features a dialogue between a peasant soldier forcibly drafted to the Swedish army and the Slaughter’s Holy Angel of War, who demands such horrific deeds from the soldier that he ends up with a shredded soul.”

The new full-length contains eight songs written by the three musicians who founded the band in 1993: Pasi Kankkunen, Jouni Mikkonen and Teemu Kautonen (with substantial creative inputs from Holopainen). The lyrics are based on the human history of the Great Northern War of 1700-1721: how Finns experienced the many manifestations of the Angel of Carnage, sent by God to punish them for their sins.

Bassist Teemu Kautonen on the album: “The lyrics are based on the work of the renowned Finnish historian Teemu Keskisarja. His research inspired us both to carefully embed all lyrics in the appropriate historical context and to bring forth the human dimension by focusing on stories of individual people and how they experienced this perhaps darkest period of Finnish history.”

Vocalist/guitarist Pasi Kankkunen adds: “It was very important for us to have the original lineup on the comeback album. We also agreed right at the beginning of the process to share the songwriting in equal proportions — just as we did on the 1996 classic album ‘Autumn Roars Thunder’.”

The album opener “Name The Dead” sets off with atmospheric organ tunes but leaves no scope for weakness, as only a few seconds later storming drums, aggressive riffs and raging growls set the stage for everything that is about to come: brutal soundscapes spliced with epic accents! The second track, “In Evil, Sickness And In Grief”, pierces through the core with a poisoning vocal attack and contrasting operatic female background layers. “Murktide And Midnight Sun” marks folk and Viking reminiscence with its clean and catchy vocal presentation, grand choirs and mystic atmosphere, followed by the heavily stomping “You Bitter Source of Sorrow” and “Where We Dwell” with its haunting, all-consuming keyboard passages. “In Thrall to Ironskull’s Heart” showcases the multifaceted character of DARKWOODS MY BETROTHED with an almost balladic start, which evolves into an uptempo, epic journey into the Battle of Napue (1714). The title of the penultimate track “Massacre” conveys the track’s musical direction with precision: expect in-your-face blastbeats and gory lyrics. The final song, “Black Fog And Poison Wind”, unleashes a sonic monster once more, combining aggression, haunting soundscapes and evil melodies, before “Angel Of Carnage Unleashed” ends with the tunes of a soundtrack-like outro.

Guitarist Jouni Mikkonen comments: “Tuomas was featured as a session keyboardist on all previous albums. This time he was fully on board from the moment we decided to make this album and hence it was natural for him to become a full band member. He also made a substantial contribution to the creative process.”

“Angel Of Carnage Unleashed” track listing:

01. Name The Dead
02. In Evil, Sickness And In Grief
03. Murktide And Midnight Sun
04. You Bitter Source Of Sorrow
05. Where We Dwell
06. In Thrall To Ironskull’s Heart
07. Massacre
08. Black Fog And Poison Wind
09. Outro

DARKWOODS MY BETROTHED is:

Pasi Kankkunen – vocals, guitar
Jouni Mikkonen – guitar
Teemu Kautonen – bass, backing vocals
Tuomas Holopainen – keyboards
Kai Hahto – drums (session)

Photo credit: Antti Ilvonen

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CHEVELLE Cancels November 2021 Shows 'Due To Changing Circumstances'

CHEVELLE has canceled more than a dozen dates in November “due to changing circumstances beyond [the band’s] control.”

CHEVELLE has been touring in support of its ninth album, “Niratias”, out now via Epic Records. The initial trek kicked off on September 1 in Kansas City and ran through September 25 in Mankato, Minnesota. The tour was scheduled to resume on November 4 in Milwaukee before wrapping November 21 in Pittsburgh.

On Tuesday (October 5), CHEVELLE released the following statement via social media: “We regret to inform our fans that we are unable to move forward with our planned November tour dates. Due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become difficult to resume performances to the same scale our fans deserve. Touring is our life and performing live for our fans is the best part of our job. We are disappointed to not hit the road again but we are making good use of this time to write new music. We want to thank our fans for supporting ‘Niratias’ and we will see you back out there!”

Affected shows:

Nov. 04 – Milwaukee, WI – Eagles Ballroom
Nov. 05 – Fort Wayne, IN – The Clyde Theatre
Nov. 06 – Columbus, OH – Express Live! – Indoor Music Hall
Nov. 09 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
Nov. 10 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
Nov. 12 – Daytona Beach, FL – Daytona International Speedway
Nov. 13 – Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues – Myrtle Beach
Nov. 14 – Greensboro, NC – Piedmont Hall
Nov. 16 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
Nov. 17 – Richmond, VA – The National
Nov. 18 – Norfolk, VA – Norva Theater
Nov. 20 – Newport, KY – PromoWest Pavilion at Ovation
Nov. 21 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE

“Niratias” is one of CHEVELLE’s most provocative records to date. Teaming with longtime producer Joe Barresi (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE), CHEVELLE recorded throughout 2019 and 2020 and ultimately pieced together an inimitable body of work. The album artwork was designed by Boris Vallejo — the famed and award-winning artist is responsible for the posters used for films like “Knightriders” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation”, as well as iconic ’70s and ’80s science fiction novel covers and magazines (such as Heavy Metal).

Over the course of its career, the Chicago rockers have generated nearly half a billion streams, notched seven No. 1 hits, and sold out shows worldwide. Their catalog spans the double-platinum “Wonder What’s Next”, which boasts the double-platinum smash “The Red” and the platinum hit “Send The Pain Below”. “This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)” attained platinum status, while “Vena Sera” was certified gold. CHEVELLE has landed four Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200, including “Sci-Fi Crimes” (2009), “Hats Off To The Bull” (2011), “La Gárgola” (2014) and “The North Corridor” (2016). The latter two each captured the No. 1 slot on the Top Rock Albums chart.

We regret to inform our fans that we are unable to move forward with our planned November tour dates. Due to changing…

Posted by Chevelle on Tuesday, October 5, 2021

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Judge Says METALLICA's Lawsuit Over Losses From Postponed South American Tour During Pandemic Can Proceed

According to Business Insurance, a Los Angeles state court has refused to dismiss METALLICA’s lawsuit against Lloyd’s Of London for allegedly failing to cover the band for financial losses suffered when the legendary heavy metal act was forced to postpone six shows in 2020 because of the pandemic.

The California Superior Court said that it could not dismiss the lawsuit at this preliminary stage of the litigation because a “proximate cause” has not been established as to what caused the loss involved.

The lawsuit stems from the cancelation of METALLICA’s six-date tour of South America in April 2020. Just weeks prior to the tour’s scheduled launch, COVID-19-related travel restrictions were enacted in all parts of the world, giving METALLICA no choice but to postpone the dates.

According to METALLICA’s complaint, which was filed in June in Los Angeles Superior Court, the band’s standard “cancellation, abandonment and non-appearance insurance” policy with Lloyd’s Of London was denied by the insurer, which cited the policy’s communicable disease exclusion. The lawsuit calls the move “an unreasonably restrictive interpretation of the policy” and alleges breach of contract. METALLICA argued that Lloyd’s “cannot conclusively say that the Pandemic is the efficient proximate cause of the cancellations because there are other adequately alleged causes that are covered under the Policy,” the ruling said.

The complaint alleges “that travel restrictions, the duty to mitigate damages, the need to ‘flatten the curve’ and stay-at-home orders all caused the Shows’ cancellations,” the ruling said.

Shortly after METALLICA filed the lawsuit, a Lloyd’s representative clarified via a press statement: “Lloyd’s is not an insurance company, it oversees and regulates a market of independent insurers. For that reason, we have no information on any specific policy or lawsuit and in any event are not authorized to comment on matters in litigation.”

In its suit, METALLICA acknowledged Lloyd’s as “a market in which independent insurance underwriters join together syndicates to sell insurance, mainly through brokers, under the umbrella of the Lloyd’s brand name.”

METALLICA is seeking unspecified compensatory damages as well as a declaration of the rights and obligations of the parties.

This is not the first time Lloyd’s Of London has been involved in a lawsuit related to the cancelation of major rock concerts. Back in 2016, FOO FIGHTERS settled their lawsuit against the world-famous 335-year-old insurance market on claims related to several shows scrapped during the band’s 2015 world tour. Because it was dismissed with prejudice, the FOO FIGHTERS were barred from re-filing the case on the same claim. Terms were not disclosed.

Some of the FOO FIGHTERS shows were called off after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg on June 12, 2015, during a show in Gothenberg, Sweden. The injury resulted in the cancellation of seven shows. Three of those dates were mentioned in the suit. After his leg was treated, Grohl went on to perform 53 concerts, mostly while seated on a makeshift “throne” onstage.

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Quantum Leap – GUS G

At the risk of stating the obvious, GUS G is really, really good at playing the guitar. He shares that quality with the majority of those who release records like “Quantum Leap”: instrumental, shred-heavy affairs that, with all due respect, are aimed squarely at other people who also want to be able to play with the same degree of virtuoso flair. Fortunately, Gus G. is also a gifted songwriter, and so while this undoubtedly conforms to many of the same tropes and tricks that will delight fans of balls-out shred, it’s also an album that has melody and memorable ideas in plentiful supply. Much like Marty Friedman’s instrumental work, the Greek’s instincts are always to create something enduring, rather than just assault listeners with technical showmanship. You can hear that vividly in opener “Into the Unknown”, wherein the guitarist can hardly be accused of reining in his dazzling abilities, and yet its dizzying five minutes are as easy to whistle along to as any of the power metal anthems he has written as a member of FIREWIND (nine albums and counting!).

“Quantum Leap” is an album that promises to thrill those who worship STEVE VAI’s “Passion and Warfare” and JOE SATRIANI’s “Surfing with the Alien”, such is the way it skitters across a spectrum of melodic metal styles while still delivering hooks galore. But Gus G. is also a metalhead to his bones, and so even when surfing on a wave of gleaming AOR (“Quantum Leap”) or drifting serenely along in mellifluous prog mode on “Enigma Of Life”, these songs are always underpinned by muscular ensemble performances and a sense of vibrant, plugged-in bravado.

The album’s finest moments are wonderfully elegant demonstrations of prowess: “Judgement Day” is a rugged, lurching squall of murderous riffs with a killer, tear-jerker chorus; “Demon Stomp” is a steroidal glam metal beat-’em-up with some insane soloing from the man himself; “Force Majeure” is half power metal hurricane, half RUSH-saluting throwdown. And, as if to prove that “Quantum Leap” is both smarter than the average shred record and firmly at the cutting edge of things, “Night Driver” hops onto the downtempo synthwave bandwagon with genuinely blissful and cinematic results. The gleefully overwrought balladry of “Not Forgotten” is also, in spite of itself, weirdly compelling.

He can really play, this guy. Three-dimensional shred: it’s the way forward.

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Video Premiere: Blistering Joy – ‘Funeral for the Death of My Dreams’

Chaotic hardcore band Blistering Joy release video for “Funeral for the Death of My Dreams.”
The post Video Premiere: Blistering Joy – ‘Funeral for the Death of My Dreams’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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JOHN 5 On DAVID LEE ROTH's Decision To Retire: 'Thank You For The Music, The Memories'

John 5 says that he is grateful to David Lee Roth for the “great music” and “amazing memories.”

Earlier this month, the legendary VAN HALEN singer announced that he was ending his career with his upcoming Las Vegas residency during the first weeks of January. “I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” Roth told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “These are my last five shows.”

John 5, who got his first big break playing on Roth’s solo album, “DLR Band”, before securing stints with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, spoke about David’s decision to hang up his mic during a brand new interview with “The Jeremy White Podcast”.

“He’s been releasing songs that me and David had done every couple of months,” John 5 said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “And then there’s a song I really hope he releases. It’s called ‘Nothing Could Have Stopped Us’, and it is absolutely my favorite David Lee Roth. And not just because we worked on it together, but it is so good and so sincere.

“These are our superheroes, and they are human, and a lot of ’em are starting to retire. And I think that’s okay. They’ve given us so much great music and so many amazing memories. And if they wanna retire, they know. And I think it’s good for certain artists to say, ‘Oh, I’m gonna hang it up,’ and things like that. And instead of us being upset and mad about it, I just feel, like, ‘Thank you for the music, the memories.'”

Last fall, Roth included five previously unreleased songs in The Roth Project, an online comic narrated by the legendary VAN HALEN singer, with music from John 5 on guitar and bass, Greg Bissonette on drums, Brett Tuggle on keyboards, and Luis Conte on percussion. The tracks “Giddy-Up!”, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill”, “Alligator Pants”, “Lo-Rez Sunset” and “Manda Bala” were recorded several years ago at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California.

Two years ago, Roth was asked by Meltdown of the Detroit radio station WRIF if his LP with John 5 will be made available at some point. He responded: “It will. There’s been a revision of things, and I can start making real plans and start marching into the future. And, of course, you’ll start hearing that material. This is material that we wrote variously for me solo and for VAN HALEN, and it’s quite a bank of stuff.”

Roth, who was promoting his Las Vegas residency at the time, didn’t offer a possible time frame for the release of the record, explaining that his priority was “getting out on the road first. Let’s see the band, let’s show ourselves off, let’s travel all over the world.”

Back in 2015, John 5 told Guitar Player magazine that the sessions for his latest Roth album were remarkably relaxed. “I would just go to his house and I’d write these songs with him, and he would say, ‘Let’s go into the studio,'” John 5 explained. “So he would go to Henson studio and record these songs. They came out… They’re so good. They’re so good. And we’ve got Gregg Bissonette playing drums on it, and I played the bass, and they’re really great songs.”

The guitarist said that Roth’s vocals on the album sound “like nothing you’ve ever heard. It’s old VAN HALEN — sounds like ‘Could This Be Magic?’ or anything like that. It’s just that sound, that tone.”

In a 2014 interview, John 5 described the LP as “11 of the greatest songs you’ll ever hear, and it’s just me and Dave, and we had Gregg Bissonette play drums on it. And it’s unbelievable,” he said. “You know, just great, great songs.”

Roth’s series of shows at Mandalay Bay’s House Of Blues in Las Vegas will kick off with a New Year’s Eve performance, followed by four concerts in January 2022.

In March 2020, Roth postponed the final six shows of his Las Vegas residency due to the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the globe.

In February/March 2020, Roth performed as the opening act for the North American leg of KISS’s “End Of The Road” farewell tour.

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Ex-SKID ROW Singer SEBASTIAN BACH Performs Entire 'Slave To The Grind' Album In Cedar Park, Texas (Video)

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has just returned to the stage for a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band’s double-platinum, acclaimed album “Slave To The Grind”. The trek kicked off on September 25 in Waterloo, New York and will wrap in San Diego, California on December 17.

Fan-filmed video footage of Bach’s October 3 performance at Haute Spot in Cedar Park, Texas can be seen below.

During a September 23 appearance on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, Bach stated about the current tour (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We’re doing [the ‘Slave To The Grind’ album] in its entirety. We’ve already done it once. We did it at the Whisky [A Go Go in West Hollywood, California] back in 2018 one time. And it was really funny because we did the first SKID ROW album on the first night and ‘Slave’ on the second. The first night’s crowd was wall-to-wall chicks. [Laughs] I’m just being honest. The second night was wall-to-wall dudes. It couldn’t have been a more different crowd — dudes with hooks in their noses and long earlobes with weird stuff.

“When I read back-and-forth in the press, which we all do whether we want to admit it or not, Rachel [Bolan, SKID ROW bassist] once had a comment that when we put out ‘Slave’, we lost half of our female audience,” he continued. “And my immediate response to that was, ‘Dude, do you not remember the GUNS N’ ROSES tour?’, because there was a lot of females coming out to that one. But in retrospect, having performed the first album on a full tour, he is right — the appeal on songs like ‘Can’t Stand The Heartache’ and ‘Rattlesnake Shake’, chicks love those songs. And dudes love ‘Monkey Business’ and ‘Get The Fuck Out’ — dudes love it. So, hey, man, me and Rachel just agreed on something.”

According to Bach, he is performing the “Slave To The Grind” LP “in sequence except for one song. We are doing half of the song ‘Get The Fuck Out’ because half of the song, the lyrics are not acceptable in this day and age,” he explained. “Even though I argued, when I was recording that song, about the words in that song [being] extreme. But we’re doing half of it.”

Asked what the most challenging part of performing all of “Slave To The Grind” is for him, Sebastian said: “I’ll tell you, honestly — the ending of ‘Quicksand Jesus’. That is me pushing my voice and my melodies, my licks, that’s pushing it to the max. That’s really hard to do.

“I have to say this, that sometimes fans lose sight of the fact that making a record is not playing a show,” he continued. “Making a record, you’re standing completely still. You’re in an air-conditioned studio, and you can try as many times as you want to get the ultimate take that you want. That’s not the same thing as going out there and you get one shot, and that’s it. And if you’re not using tapes, too bad for you. If you mess up, everyone’s gonna know it.

“I’m not interested in going to a karaoke show; that doesn’t have any interest to me. So that’s just the way it is.

“I use effects sometimes, but I don’t use Auto-Tune or nothing.”

Last summer, Bolan told SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” that he and his SKID ROW bandmates would embark on a “Slave To The Grind” 30th-anniversary tour in 2021. “We’ll do the album in its entirety, and then we’re gonna do a bunch of stuff to coincide with it,” he said. “We’re pretty psyched, and the shows are booked. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that everything is gonna come to pass… It’ll be cool, to go out there and do ‘Slave To The Grind’ top to the bottom. That’ll be fun.”

According to Bolan, SKID ROW didn’t celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band’s self-titled debut album in 2019 because “the timing didn’t really work out. We had so much other stuff planned, and then all of a sudden, boom, it was here,” he explained. “Maybe down the road [we’ll celebrate it]. Maybe [for the] 40th [anniversary]. [Laughs]”

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY.

In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of Bolan and guitarists Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger.

SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.

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JUDAS PRIEST's RICHIE FAULKNER Suffered An 'Aortic Aneurysm' During LOUDER THAN LIFE Performance

JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner says that he suffered an “aortic aneurysm and complete aortic dissection” during the band’s performance at the Louder Than Life festival.

On September 27, one day after PRIEST’s appearance in Lousville, Kentucky, the British heavy metal legends announced that they were postponing the remainder of their U.S. tour so that Faulkner could be treated for a heart condition. The following day, his girlfriend Mariah Lynch, daughter of former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch, said that Richie was “stable and resting” after undergoing “major emergency heart surgery.”

Earlier today, Faulkner shared the following update with BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding his condition: “Maniacs… I’ve always been grateful for the opportunities I’ve been presented with. I’ve always considered myself THE most fortunate man ever — to be able to play my favorite music, with my favourite band, to my favorite people around the world…

“Today just being able to type this to you all is the biggest gift of all…

“As I watch footage from the Louder Than Life festival in Kentucky, I can see in my face the confusion and anguish I was feeling whilst playing ‘Painkiller’ as my aorta ruptured and started to spill blood into my chest cavity… I was having what my doctor called an aortic aneurysm and complete aortic dissection. From what I’ve been told by my surgeon, people with this don’t usually make it to the hospital alive…

“I was taken to nearby Rudd Heart & Lung Center and quickly went into what turned out to be a 10 ½ hour emergency open heart surgery. Five parts of my chest were replaced with mechanical components…..I’m literally made of metal now….

“It could have all ended so differently — we only had an hour’s set that night due to METALLICA’s performance after us — and it does cross my mind if it was a full set, would I have played until total collapse…? If it hadn’t happened in such a high adrenaline situation, would my body have been able to keep going long enough to reach the hospital…? The amazing Heart & Lung Center was 4 miles away from the gig site — if it had been further away…

“We can always drive ourselves crazy with these things but I’m still alive thankfully. Whatever the circumstances, when watching that footage, the truth is, knowing what I know now, I see a dying man…

“I’ve been moved to tears and humbled by friends, family, my fantastic band, crew and management and also you guys sending me videos and messages of love and support during the last week — I thank you all so much and although I have a recovery road ahead of me, as soon as I’m able to get up and running again, you’ll be the first to know and we’ll get back out there delivering the goods for you all….!

“One last thing maniacs, this came totally out of the blue for me — no history of a bad heart, no clogged arteries etc…my point is I don’t even have high cholesterol and this could’ve been the end for me. If you can get yourselves checked — do it for me please……

“Lots of love and see you down the front again soon…”

Produced by Live Nation, the rescheduled “50 Heavy Metal Years” trek kicked off on September 8 in Reading, Pennsylvania and was slated to run through October before concluding on November 5 in Hamilton, Ontario.

Faulkner joined PRIEST in 2011 as the replacement for original guitarist K.K. Downing.

Richie was once the guitarist in the backing group for Lauren Harris, daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris.

A number of Faulkner’s other colleagues also sent their well-wishes his way, including Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE), Joe Bonamassa, Gary Holt (EXODUS, SLAYER) and Paul Stanley (KISS).

“Get well soon Richie,” wrote Bonamassa. “One of the nicest, most talented and genuine people I have met in this business.”

Former WHITESNAKE and DIO guitarist Doug Aldrich wrote: “Just heard our brother Richie fell ill and is in the hospital… Prayers for a speedy recovery.”

Holt wrote: “Here’s wishing Richie a speedy recovery, get well soon brother, one of the greatest guitarists walking this earth, and nicest guy too.”

Faulkner and Lynch welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Daisy Mae, in July 2020.

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