KORN has recruited J.R. Bareis to fill in for James “Munky” Shaffer while the guitarist is recovering from COVID-19.

Bareis, who is also in the band LOVE AND DEATH with KORN guitarist Brian “Head” Welch, previously stepped in for Shaffer in August 2019 when Munky was forced to miss several KORN shows due to the impending birth of his child.

Bareis played his first concert of 2021 with KORN last night (Thursday, September 9) at USANA Amphitheater in Salt Lake City, Utah. Fan-filmed video footage of the show can be seen below.

Last year, Welch told Ultimate Guitar about J.R.: “He’s 25 years old. He started with me at 15 years old on the road. and I’ve known the kid since he was little. I’m kind of inspirational to him because I’m older, I’ve done so much, and he’s kind of looked up to me. He’s so talented that I want to bring out more from him.”

Shaffer was second member of KORN in a month to test positive for COVID-19. In early August, singer Jonathan Davis came down with the disease, forcing the postponement of six dates and cancelation of two on KORN’s current U.S. tour.

Last week, Davis said that he was still struggling with COVID-19 after-effects, nearly three weeks after it was announced that he tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

At some of KORN’s recent shows, Davis has been taking a seat on a custom throne near the drum riser due to lingering effects of his bout with COVID-19. In video footage of KORN’s August 27 concert in Tinley Park, Illinois — his first gig back after revealing his positive diagnosis — Davis could be seen walking slowly around the stage, coughing and appearing to take a minute to catch his breath. According to TMZ, Davis also took occasional hits from an oxygen tank set up near this throne.

Bareis is not the only session musician who is playing with KORN right now. Bassist Roberto “Ra” Díaz (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) is filling in for Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu on KORN’s current tour after Fieldy announced in June that he would sit out the trek in order to “heal” after “falling back” on some of his “bad habits.”

This week’s round of new releases includes high-profile entries from Metallica, Andrew W.K, Mastiff and more!
The post Five For Friday: September 10, 2021 appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

AS I LAY DYING singer Tim Lambesis has commented on the departure of guitarist Nick Hipa.

Late last month, Hipa confirmed his exit from AS I LAY DYING, explaining that he can no longer justify being part of “a superficial pursuit” of the “story and meaning” that the band’s 2018 reunion was built upon.

Although Hipa’s exit was originally rumored in August 2020, neither he nor his bandmates had publicly spoken out about the split until he took to his Instagram on August 31 to write: “At this point though, it has been well over a year since I have distanced myself from [AS I LAY DYING] on a personal and professional level. In that time they have only given fans merchandising posts and show announcements. This sort of activity highlights and reinforces our differences.

“Respectfully, I left because the story and meaning we built our reunion upon decayed considerably over time. What primarily endures is a superficial pursuit I cannot justify supporting or being part of. This is not an indictment on any who choose to remain or be involved. There is tremendous good that can be accomplished through singular focus on the power of music. However to my memory and recent experience, it comes at the cost of tolerating behavior which at times mistreats, disrespects, and hurts other people. I do not have it in me to walk that road again.

“The talent and unshakeable ambition of the band is undeniable. They will continue to release successful music and do great business. On a human level, I hope everything else fares well for them.”

Earlier today (Friday, September 10), Lambesis took to his Instagram to share a few photos of him and the rest of AS I LAY DYING with Hipa, and he wrote in an accompanying message: “Being able to have different opinions or priorities but to still deeply care for another person’s wellbeing is something that’s often lost in our current climate. I just want to say that I truly wish Nick Hipa the best in his next chapter of life, and I’m thankful he wishes me/AILD the same.

“I’ve wanted to focus on music for past few years because it takes me back to why I started AILD in the first place 20 years ago. I look forward to writing new music and seeing many of you on tour again soon!”

Lambesis was famously convicted in 2014 for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against his estranged wife.

In May 2014, Lambesis was sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to paying a San Diego police officer posing as a hitman $1,000 to kill his wife. Approximately two and a half years later — on December 17, 2016 — he was discharged from a California detention facility and was transferred to the Division of Adult Parole Operations.

In June 2018, AS I LAY DYING played its first show with Lambesis in five years and released a new single. Lambesis also owned up to his crimes in a long apology on the band’s Facebook page after his release.

In September 2019, AS I LAY DYING released its seventh full-length album, “Shaped By Fire”, via Nuclear Blast.

The return of AS I LAY DYING raised some questions, particularly since Hipa categorically denounced the band’s disgraced frontman as a “sociopathic narcissist in definite need of rehabilitation” in a social-media post back in 2014.

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OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni spoke to Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com about the progress of the recording sessions for the band’s new album. He said: “We’re recording it right now. A good portion of it’s done. It keeps getting moved, frankly, depending on the COVID situation, when we can tour. At first, we thought, ‘What difference does it make whether we tour or not? Just put a record out.’ And then we thought, ‘We really wanna put out the music and then bring it to the people.’ That’s the fun. It’s not just putting it out and just saying, ‘There you go’; it’s then being able to tour it and bring it and put it out there. So right now, we have a tour set for March here in the States, and then in April and May in Europe next year. The plan is to maybe have a record with that, with both those tours. So we have to kind of see how that goes with the touring part and with the record part. If the record’s done, maybe that makes sense to do. But if they pull the tours from us again, maybe we delay a little bit more; maybe we don’t at that point and we say, ‘Okay, let’s just move on.’ I’m not a hundred percent sure. But for the most part, it’s done. We’re just kind of recording, putting finishing touches on it. I mean, it’s gotta be mixed and all that, but we’re working on the cover right now with our artist. So it’s moving along.”

Last November, Verni told MetalAsylum.net that the band’s new LP would be mixed by Colin Richardson. “He did a couple of records for us, and he’s great,” Verni said.

Richardson previously worked with OVERKILL on 1997’s “From The Underground And Below”, 2000’s “Bloodletting” and 2003’s “Killbox 13”.

In June 2020, OVERKILL singer Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth told A&P Reacts that the band’s new songs were “a natural progression from ‘The Grinding Wheel’ [2017] and ‘The Wings Of War’ [2019]. I think when we had done the ‘Ironbound’ record [2010], it almost became like a trilogy in there — it was kind of like ‘Ironbound’, ‘The Electric Age’ [2012] and ‘White Devil Armory’ [2014], and they seemed to be the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost kind of a thing,” he said. “I think we kind of broke the mold a little bit with ‘The Grinding Wheel’, and then I think a little bit more with ‘The Wings Of War’. And on this one, I see it way more. And what I mean by that is that we’ve used other tools from our toolshed in the past, and that’s the slow grind that is coupled with that fast gallop. So it feels like a natural progression, but maybe two records ahead of what ‘The Wings Of War’ is. And that’s probably as objective as I can be.”

OVERKILL spent most of 2019 and early 2020 touring in support of its 19th studio LP, “The Wings Of War”, which was released two and a half years ago. The disc was recorded at Gear Recording Studio in New Jersey, SKH Studio in Florida and Jrod Productions with engineering handled by Verni and guitarist Dave Linsk. The album was produced by the band while Chris “Zeuss” Harris took care of the mixing and mastering. Travis Smith (NEVERMORE, OPETH, SOILWORK, DEATH) was again enlisted to create the artwork for the album.

“The Wings Of War” marked OVERKILL’s recording debut with drummer Jason Bittner (SHADOWS FALL, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM), who joined the band in 2017.

KING’S X frontman Doug “dUg” Pinnick will release his fifth solo album, “Joy Bomb”, on October 15 via Rat Pak Records. Pinnick’s first solo album of new material since 2013’s “Naked” features thirteen brand new tracks.

“‘Joy Bomb’ is a collection of tunes I’ve been writing for the last two years,” Doug says. “The pandemic has made me go deeper into myself and how to deal with everything and everyone in a new way. These songs are all about truth the way I see it, and I’m thankful that at 71 I can still make music that hopefully matters. ‘Joy Bomb’ is my latest offer.”

From the charging rhythms of album opener “Jon Boy” all the way through the barnstorming closing track “Making Sense Of The Bones”, Doug proves that age is nothing to him and provides an album packed with the groove, swagger, and soul that he has honed and perfected over his extensive career. Doug’s ability to combine a multitude of his influences into one seamless offering is on full display, tapping into everyone from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE to Sly Stone to BLACK SABBATH. “A Long Way From Home”, “Like A Wolf” and “The Poison” show why Doug is still one of the best in metal and rock, while “I Can’t Fight This Feeling”, “Social Distancing” and “Long Live Love” exemplify his ability to think outside the box and expand his range.

“Joy Bomb” track listing

01. Jon Boy
02. A Long Way From Home
03. Key Changer
04. Equally Divided
05. I Can’t Fight This Feeling
06. Like A Wolf
07. Social Distancing
08. Love And Fear
09. Long Live Love
10. Slaves
11. The Poison
12. Making Sense Of The Bones
13. Like A Wolf (Reprise)

Pinnick is known first and foremost as the soulful singer and bassist for hard rockers KING’S X. Throughout the band’s lengthy and legendary career, KING’S X released twelve albums and influenced the likes of PEARL JAM, SOUNDGARDEN, DREAM THEATER, PANTERA, and many more. Throughout the early 21st century, Pinnick remained the “go-to singer” of rock — as evidenced by his appearance on recordings by first-rate rockers including Jeff Ament, Eric Gales, George Lynch, Ray Luzier, and many more. Doug has issued other solo albums under his own name, including 2005’s “Emotional Animal”, 2006’s “Songs From The Closet”, 2007’s “Strum Sum Up”, and 2013’s “Naked”.

New York death metal pioneers SUFFOCATION will release a live album, “Live In North America”, on November 12 via Nuclear Blast Records. The official music video for the first single, “Funeral Inception”, featuring photographs taken by Jason Carlson, can be seen below.

SUFFOCATION created the template for the brutal death metal genre in the early 1990s. Landmark albums such as “Effigy Of The Forgotten” and “Pierced From Within” also went on to inspire the birth of the tech-death and slam death metal genres. With the departure of original vocalist Frank Mullen, the band marks an end of an era with a live album recorded live during his last North American tour. Mixed and mastered by Christian Donaldson (BEYOND CREATION, CRYPTOPSY), this release plays like a “best of” and is the perfect farewell to one of the most influential singers in extreme music. The artwork for the album was created by Jon Zig.

SUFFOCATION guitarist Terrance Hobbs comments: “We couldn’t be more excited to bring our fans our new live CD ‘Live In North America’ featuring Frank Mullen’s last performances with SUFFOCATION. We couldn’t think of a better way to wish Frank a fantastic farewell into retirement for all his contributions to this band as a great frontman, influence, and friend — and to also share this farewell with the fans, new and old, who have been there for us over the decades. We hope the fans will hold Frank’s last recorded live tour with us close to your hearts as we do. As another chapter from SUFFOCATION closes, we are more than ready and anxious to bring you more new music and classic death metal in the upcoming months and years. So keep your eyes and ears open, stay heavy and play it loud…. see you all on the road!”

“Live In North America” track listing:

01. Thrones Of Blood
02. Effigy Of The Forgotten
03. Funeral Inception
04. Pierced From Within
05. Surgery Of Impalement
06. Dismal Dream
07. Jesus Wept
08. As Grace Descends
09. Liege Of Inveracity
10. Breeding The Spawn
11. Catatonia
12. Souls To Deny
13. Infecting The Crypts

In a 2019 interview with Heavy New York, SUFFOCATION bassist Derek Boyer stated about Mullen’s departure: “Frank knew for a long time that he was going to be out. But he kind of just got it to the point where this was a good time for him to make it an official farewell run. I think ‘…Of The Dark Light’ was an intentional last record for him. He just knew when the time was right, he was going to step down, it was just ‘…Of The Dark Light’ was the record that was his last record.”

For the last several years, SUFFOCATION has been using fill-in vocalists to accommodate Mullen’s work schedule and aversion to long bouts of touring. According to Boyer, SUFFOCATION is “not done” playing shows and will continue to make albums now that the frontman has made his exit official. “Frank, we knew he’s been talking about being done for a while,” Boyer said. “It’s one of those things you’re definitely going to get another record out of the band. It’s been tough jumping through hoops with ‘Who’s going to do this?’ We have Ricky Myers from California, who’s been doing a lot of the stuff for us. He’s doing really well right now. You’ll be seeing SUFFOCATION coming through your town. That’s not going to stop. You’ll see another record. We’re not going to skip a beat. Frank is awesome. He’s going to be missed, but the band is still a driving force.”

“…Of The Dark Light”, was produced by the band and tracked at Full Force Studios with longtime engineer Joe Cincotta (OBITUARY). Mixing and mastering was handled by world-renowned producer/engineer Chris “Zeuss” Harris (HATEBREED, ARSIS, SUICIDE SILENCE). Cover artwork was created by Colin Marks (ORIGIN, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, KATAKLYSM).

Canadian noiserockers Tunic need only a couple minutes to thoroughly assault your senses.
The post Video Premiere: Tunic – ‘Apprehension’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

SPIN is celebrating 30 years of METALLICA’s self-titled LP, better known as the “Black Album,” by asking 30 artists to share what the effort means to them. Among the musicians paying tribute to the record is GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist Slash, who said: “I think any METALLICA album is a given for a hard rock/metal record collection. They are the pinnacle of that style of music, and they were among the first bands to revolutionize that particular style and sound. But the Black Album crossed over in a way that made them a household name and they achieved that while maintaining their sonic integrity, songwriting and attitude. They took their signature style and recorded an album that became universally accessible, but still fucking cool. That is no small feat and maybe something that artists like METALLICA might not even want to do — but it happened on this record. For them, the Black Album’s legacy will live on forever.”

The Black Album is one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed records of all time. Its 1991 release 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., its unrelenting series of singles — “Enter Sandman”, “The Unforgiven”, “Nothing Else Matters”, “Wherever I May Roam” and “Sad But True” — fueled the band’s rise to stadium headlining, radio and MTV dominating household name status. The album’s reception from the press was similarly charged, building over the years from the top 10 of the 1991 Village Voice Pazz & Jop national critics poll to becoming a constant presence in the likes of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. The album’s impact and relevance continue to grow — as proven by one indisputable fact: The Black Album remains unchallenged as the best-selling album in the history of Nielsen SoundScan, outselling every release in every genre over the past 30 years.

To commemorate its 30th anniversary, the Grammy-winning, 16-times-platinum-certified Black Album is receiving its definitive re-release on September 10 via the band’s own Blackened Recordings. Remastered for ultimate sound quality, The Black Album remaster will be available in multiple configurations including 180-gram double vinyl LP, standard CD and three-CD expanded edition, digital, and limited-edition deluxe box set (containing the album remastered on 180-gram 2LP, a picture disc, three live LPs, 14 CDs (containing rough mixes, demos, interviews, live shows), six DVDs (containing outtakes, behind the scenes, official videos, live shows), a 120-page hardcover book, four tour laminates, three lithos, three guitar picks, a METALLICA lanyard, a folder with lyric sheets, and a download card).