Committed to bringing concerts back in the best ways, today Live Nation Canada announced that it will be rolling out protocols requiring all artists and fans to either show proof of COVID vaccination or a negative COVID test to enter shows at Live Nation Canada’s fully owned and operated venues, where permitted by law. Live Nation Canada said it will have the policy in full effect nationwide no later than October 4, 2021, though many shows will likely implement these protocols sooner as they look to make the switch as soon as possible. Additionally, beyond October 4, all Live Nation Canada employees will need to be fully vaccinated in order to work at or visit venues or offices.

As the global leader in live entertainment, Live Nation has been doing shows around the world throughout the summer. Vaccination and testing have proven to support the safe return of concerts at full capacity, and Live Nation Canada is advocating that the industry at large adopt similar health check requirements at this time. Live Nation has already implemented this model at events and festivals across the U.S. and U.K., including Lollapalooza, Latitude, Camp Bestival and Wilderness. Data has continued to show the approach successfully allows everyone to enjoy live music, while also inspiring more people to get vaccinated. For example, at Lollapalooza 90% of the festival’s 400,000 attendees showed up fully vaccinated, with 12% of those fans reporting that Lollapalooza was their motivation for getting vaccinated.

“Live Nation and the live music industry are about uniting people, and vaccines are one of the greatest tools for making sure that everyone can continue to enjoy live music together,” said Wayne Zronik, president business operations, Live Nation Canada. “We’re confident this is the right move for everyone coming out to shows, including artists, fans, crew, and our staff.”

While studies have shown outdoor environments are inherently low risk, Live Nation will still be rolling out the protocols at outdoor venues and festivals out of extra precaution. Live Nation Canada’s owned and operated venues include Budweiser Stage (Toronto), History (Toronto), The Danforth Music Hall (Toronto), Commodore Ballroom (Vancouver), Midway (Edmonton), and The Velvet Underground (Toronto). Live Nation is also sharing best practices for artists to request these policies at third-party venues where Live Nation promotes shows but does not control protocols.

As each event approaches, ticket purchasers will receive updates via e-mail with the important information needed to plan their visit to Live Nation Canada’s events.

PRIMAL FEAR has scrapped its previously announced shows for 2021 and 2022 “due to a serious illness issue.”

The German metallers announced the cancelation in a social media post earlier today. They wrote: “Dear fans and friends of PRIMAL FEAR. We deeply regret to inform you that due to a serious illness issue the band has to cancel all shows booked for 2021 and 2022. At the moment we are not able to foresee when the band will be able to continue what the love the most: playing shows.

“Please stay with us and we gonna inform you as soon as we have news. Stay healthy!”

This past April, PRIMAL FEAR released a five-track single called “I Will Be Gone”. Also made available was the official music video for the title track, featuring a guest appearance by former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen.

PRIMAL FEAR’s 13th studio album, “Metal Commando”, was released in July via Nuclear Blast. The LP was produced by bassist Mat Sinner and mixed by Jacob Hansen.

PRIMAL FEAR is:

Ralf Scheepers – vocals
Mat Sinner – bass, vocals
Alex Beyrodt – guitars
Tom Naumann – guitars
Magnus Karlsson – guitars
Michael Ehré – drums

Dear fans and friends of Primal Fear. We deeply regret to inform you that due to a serious illness issue the band has to…

Posted by Primal Fear on Thursday, August 19, 2021

Multi-platinum Grammy Award-nominated rock band SKILLET has announced its long-awaited, first single in over a year, “Surviving The Game” (Atlantic). The track will be sent to active rock radio and available on all DSPs as well as the Skillet.com webstore on September 15.

Produced by Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, PAPA ROACH, DISTURBED) and written by John Cooper, Korey Cooper, Kevin Churko and Kane Churko, the track is one frontman John Cooper describes as a rally cry for the future and getting through the tough times the world is and has been experiencing.

“Our new song, ‘Surviving The Game’, makes me feel like a bull about to come out of the gate,” he says. “Within the first 30 seconds of the song, you’re taken on a journey that begins with uncertainty and trepidation and leads to an explosion of energy and life. That sums up how I see the future.

“This has been a tough season, and we are not yet through the storm. We need hope, we need grit, and we will survive. I hope that when people hear ‘Surviving The Game’, it will be the song they’ve been waiting for.”

“Surviving The Game” is the first single from a to-be-announced full-length studio project coming this fall, which will follow SKILLET’s track record of two RIAA-certified multi-platinum albums, two gold albums, five RIAA-certified multi-platinum singles, and four gold singles.

This fall, SKILLET will headline 24 shows with ADELITAS WAY as main support as well as EVA UNDER FIRE. The trek, dubbed “The Aftermath Tour”, kicks off September 12 in Chicago and runs through October 22 in St. Louis. A limited quantity of VIP packages is available as well, which include a ticket, preshow question-and-answer session and trivia contest hosted by SKILLET, and exclusive merchandise.

SKILLET is one of the best-selling rock bands of the 21st century. The two-time Grammy Award-nominated Pandora Billionaires Club members have an undying spirit that has humbly asserted and affirmed them as one of this generation’s most successful rock acts.

By 2019, they 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

Revisiting Axewitch’s 1984 album Visions of the Past.
The post The Lazarus Pit: Axewitch’s ‘Visions of the Past’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Max Cavalera says that SOULFLY will debut a brand new song called “Filth Upon Filth” on its upcoming U.S. tour, which is scheduled to kick off tomorrow (Friday, August 20) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The Brazilian-born musician and his bandmates have spent the last few months working on the follow-up to 2018’s “Ritual” at Platinum Underground in Phoenix, Arizona with producer Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, POWER TRIP and CODE ORANGE.

In a new interview with Chris Annunziata again of “The Metal Teddy Bear Experience” show, which airs on the 90.3 WMSC radio station, Max stated about the upcoming SOULFLY disc (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We’re still tracking right now. So the record is not gonna come out till next year. It’s a little bit of a long process. Because of COVID and everything, it had to be done a little bit differently. Actually, we’re gonna play one song called ‘Filth Upon Filth’ on this tour. It’s a killer song. It reminds me of old SLAYER; it sounds like SLAYER ‘Hell Awaits’ era meets SOULFLY, which is always a good thing.

“We still need to record drums,” he continued. “Right now we just really have the songs written — all the riffs. So we’re still building the music. But we did have one full song, which is ‘Filth Upon Filth’, and we get to play that on the next tour, which is great. So people do get a taste of the new record, which I think is amazing — to be able to give them a taste.”

Asked if there is an overall lyrical theme on the new SOULFLY album, Max said: “Some of it [is] dealing with, actually, the spiritual world and things like that, which is really cool. I think it’s always been kind of a SOULFLY theme anyway. There’s a song called ‘Spirit Animal’ that’s really cool. And there’s gonna be a couple of guests. I’m not gonna say who they are right now; I don’t wanna spoil the surprise. But, again, there’s gonna be some special guests singing on this record.

“[There isn’t gonna be] an overall theme,” he clarified. “It’s not gonna be a theme album like maybe [SEPULTURA’s] ‘Roots’ was more like a tribal theme kind of record. This is more like a [mixture of subjects]. There’s a song about the environment and how we’re destroying the earth and all that, called ‘The Damage Done’. And that came out really good. So, yeah, [it’s] just my way of writing. It’s pretty simple. I don’t try to get fancy with it. I know what I do. It’s like my riffs — I know how to do them. I don’t try to fancy them up. That’s how they are — they’re simple but direct, and they work. And that’s what I love about it.”

This past April, Max told Chris Enriquez of Saint Vitus Presents: Age Of Quarantine that Rizk took the new SOULFLY project “super seriously. He said, ‘Hey, Max, I don’t wanna do just another SOULFLY record. I wanna do the best SOULFLY record,'” he recalled. ‘I was, like, ‘All right. I take the challenge. Let’s do it, man.'”

As for the musical direction of the new SOULFLY material, Max said: “It’s full-on. I think it’s got kind of like the best of all the years. I think it’s a compilation Max Cavalera record of the whole 50 years. [Laughs] That’s what it feels like — it’s got old stuff, it’s got middle stuff, it’s got very SOULFLY vibes. It’s got a lot of groove. It’s got a lot of fast stuff.”

In December 2020, Max told the “Sappenin’ Podcast With Sean Smith” about the songwriting process for the new SOULFLY album: “The cool thing about Zyon, the way he plays drums, is he’s a bit like a wild animal — he has no restraint, man, and he just unleashes on the drum kit. Pure, pure brutality power drumming, and I love that. So that takes me back to a lot of the early records that I like — a lot of the old ENTOMBED stuff and CARCASS and NAPALM DEATH; out-of-control shit. So I think we have that kind of spirit going on on a lot of the new tracks.”

Earlier this month, SOULFLY parted ways with longtime guitarist Marc Rizzo due to personal differences. A permanent replacement guitarist has yet to be announced. FEAR FACTORY’s Dino Cazares will play guitar for SOULFLY on the upcoming U.S. tour. The 33-date trek will make additional stops in New York, Chicago and Austin before concluding in Tempe, Arizona on September 25.

In June 2020, SOULFLY released a new digital EP, “Live Ritual NYC MMXIX”. The effort was recorded at The Gramercy in New York City on February 11, 2019 while SOULFLY was on tour in support of its most recent full-length album, “Ritual”. The audio for the EP was mixed and mastered by Charles Elliott (ABYSMAL DAWN) from Tastemaker Audio. Cover artwork was comprised of live photos taken by Rodrigo Fredes.

“Ritual” was released in October 2018 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2015’s “Archangel” was produced, recorded and mixed by Josh Wilbur (KILLER BE KILLED, LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA).

Former JUDAS PRIEST frontman Tim “Ripper” Owens, who recorded two studio albums with the band before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003, was asked by the “Thunder Underground” podcast if he would like to hear Rob perform any of the songs from his era of the group live with PRIEST on the band’s upcoming 50th-anniversary tour. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Well, absolutely. I don’t see why they wouldn’t. I think songs like — oh, ‘Burn In Hell’ he would make sound so good. All these songs are tailor-made for him. There’s nothing that’s different. We’re both very similar-style singers. I may have a little more [Ronnie James] Dio in me or something. But, yeah, ‘Burn In Hell’ would be great. And even them doing ‘Bloodsuckers’ would be great, because it was about the court case. But I think ‘Burn In Hell’, because that’s the big one. I think it would be awesome to hear him sing it. I think it would be great.”

Last year, Halford told “The SDR Show” that he had not yet listened to the albums JUDAS PRIEST made with Owens. “Those two PRIEST records, it’s not just because it’s not my voice, because that would be a silly thing to say; Tim is a very good friend of mine,” he said. “I think it’s just that with connecting with music, particularly with PRIEST, I know my place and I know where I wanna be. And so there’s never really been a sense of [wanting to listen] to those records. Having said that, though, numerous times I’ve been asked would I ever do a song from ‘Jugulator’, would I ever do a song from ‘Demolition’. Well, absolutely, I would, because those two albums are just as valid as everything else in the PRIEST catalog. So who knows? That day may yet come.”

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 after being discovered when the band’s drummer, Scott Travis, was given a videotape of him performing with the PRIEST cover act BRITISH STEEL. JUDAS PRIEST at the time was seeking a replacement for Halford.

In 2019, Owens told Ultimate Guitar that he believes his era of JUDAS PRIEST is largely overlooked. “Yeah, I think it definitely deserves more [attention],” he said. “I mean, they don’t do anything. [Laughs] It’s kind of amazing that they just totally erased it that they won’t play… I mean, ‘Burn In Hell’ [off ‘Jugulator’], the crowd would like to hear ‘Burn In Hell’.

“They don’t have to give me a tribute or anything, but it would be nice to play a song from… You know, that was a pretty big thing, I did two studio records, two live records, and a DVD, starting from ’96 to 2004. So it’s kind of crazy that it’s just been erased and they won’t even play a song from it live, because it is JUDAS PRIEST.”

In October 2019, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner said that “Hell Is Home” is one of his favorite songs from the Owens era. The PRIEST guitarist, who joined the band in 2011 as the replacement for K.K. Downing, offered his opinion during a live video chat. He said: “I was listening to the Ripper albums the other day, and ‘Hell Is Home’ is such a great track. It’s really heavy and the vocal melody is really great. I think Ripper sings it really well. It’s probably one of my favorite PRIEST songs of the Ripper era. ‘Hell Is Home’ — I really like that.”

NINE INCH NAILS has scrapped all of its previously announced shows for 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Trent Reznor-led band shared the news of the cancelation in an announcement on social media earlier today (Thursday, August 19).

“It is with great regret that we are canceling all NIN appearances for the remainder of this year,” the statement reads.

“When originally planned, these shows were intended to be a cathartic and celebratory return to live music. However, with each passing day it’s becoming more apparent we’re not at that place yet.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment and look forward to seeing you again when the time is right.

“Ticket buyers for the September 21 and 23 shows in Cleveland, please refer to your point of purchase for ticket refund information.”

NINE INCH NAILS was also scheduled to make several festival appearances, including at such Riot Fest, Louder Than Life and Welcome To Rockville.

Several hard rock and heavy metal artists have canceled shows or whole tours as the concert industry is rethinking its approach to live shows while the delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading nationwide.

A number of venues around the country have already instituted policies requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to attend shows.

Ticket buyers for the September 21 and 23 shows in Cleveland, please refer to your point of purchase for ticket refund information. pic.twitter.com/XYboGA7FBw
— nine inch nails (@nineinchnails) August 19, 2021

In the latest episode of “Icons”, Gibson TV sits down with MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine. In this hour-long intimate look into his musical journey, Dave lets viewers in and shares very personal stories about his childhood, his time with METALLICA, and the enduring legacy of MEGADETH. Rare photos and footage from Dave’s storied career and tumultuous life paint a picture of a man who has overcome so much and yet never, ever lost his absolute love of playing guitar and creating music.

Recalling how he spent the bus ride back from New York to California after being fired by METALLICA in 1983, Mustaine said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “The ride home from New York was long. I knew it was gonna be long. The ride out [to New York] was long. The ride out was dangerous,” he said, referencing the incident when METALLICA almost died in Wyoming while traveling cross-country en route to meet Megaforce Records founder Jonny Zazula in New Jersey. “The ride out was bad. Because of the crash in Wyoming, I think that that’s what made me the guy that had to go. And I don’t know. I probably was destined to leave before that because of, you know, the word ‘destiny’ and the fact that there was just so much talent and so much personality between the four of us. I don’t know that we could have survived. There was destined to be some kind of an explosion at some point.

“Leaving METALLICA, a lot of the things that they did, watching them have their success, it could have been anything,” he continued. “They could have quit metal and started making Twinkies and I would have been jealous because we were friends and then, all of a sudden, we’re not friends anymore. And all I know is that I wanna keep doing what we’re doing together because we make people happy and the four of us get to drive around like we’re something special. And I never felt special before in my life until now. But we have this guitar, we’ve got this band, and now I feel like I’m somebody.

“I’m glad to say that our friendship today is so much different from that moment, those moments, those days, those times, those people,” Mustaine added. “We’re all different. We’re dads. We’re older now. And I think that probably was the most shocking and hardest thing to tolerate or to accept at the end, was that when the band stopped, I kind of felt like I stopped. I know that’s not true. But what’s a young kid at the time to think. I had no mentors, I had no one talking [to me through] my life and saying, ‘You’re gonna get through this, and you’re gonna be so much happier for it.’

“I did a lot of soul searching on the way home,” he said. “Did I wanna play guitar? Did I wanna keep doing this? ‘What am I gonna do? I got it. I’m gonna make a band that’s more metal than METALLICA. And I need to come up with a name that’s more metal than a band that has ‘metal’ in their name. So what can I come up with?’ And I just figured, ‘Well, I’ll wait for that for a little bit.’ And I started writing lyrics.”

In a 2009 interview with Norway’s Lydverket, Mustaine said that he was “so hurt” by getting kicked out of METALLICA for allegedly drinking too much. “I said, ‘What?! No second chance, no warning? C’mon, we all drink. C’mon.'” he recalled. “And [they were like], ‘No, that’s it. You’re gone.’ And I was like, ‘All right.'”

Mustaine also went on to claim that an altercation with METALLICA frontman James Hetfield led to his being fired from the band.

“I was selling pot,” Dave said. “When I would go play in concert, people knew that my pot was sitting in my apartment just saying, ‘Go ahead and keep me company.’ So I was broken in on. People stole everything that I had; all my stash. And I figured, screw this. I’m gonna get some dogs to stay in the apartment when I leave. So I got two dogs and I took one of them up to a rehearsal one time and she put her paws up on Ron’s [McGovney, METALLICA’s then-bassist] car. And James kicked it right in the side. And I was like, ‘What did you do?’ [And I was like] ‘It’s a dog, it’s what they do. You don’t kick animals.’ So we went into the house, and we started arguing some more. And I ended up punching him in the face and I think that was the root of why I lost my job.”

In a 2009 interview with the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas radio station 97.1 The Eagle Rocks, Hetfield said that it was “so odd” to hear Mustaine still talking about his exit from METALLICA. “It is very Dave, and that’s him,” James said. “And no matter what band he was in or whatever… I mean, Dave is not in this band for a reason, and this is the reason. It’s super-simple. He was in the band for 11 months and it goes on and on and on and on and on. I don’t know any other band on this planet that there was a member in the band for a short amount of time and they’ve still got this big chip on his shoulder. It’s insane…. You know what?! He’s in love, and that’s fine, ’cause we love him back.”

Back in 2016, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett told the “Word Of Wheeler” podcast that he understood Dave’s continued resentment toward his former bandmates over the way he was dismissed from the group. “I’ve always seen Dave as someone who was just really, really sad, really angry, really frustrated about his situation with METALLICA, and he never could let that go,” he said. “And, you know, I’ve always shown a lot of empathy for him, understanding that he was just pissed off. It’s the equivalent of the woman of your life leaving you. I mean, really. When your band kicks you out… I’ve never been kicked out, but I can imagine it’s a horrible experience, especially if it’s a band that you feel really passionately about. So I can understand Dave’s plight over all these years. But I will also say that when we did these 30th-anniversary shows at the Fillmore [in San Francisco], and we invited Dave to play on all those ‘Kill ‘Em All’ songs, man, it felt so good to have him playing on stage. It felt perfectly fine for me to, while Dave was playing the guitar solos, for me to go over to James and play the rhythm parts with James, and it wasn’t a big deal at all. And I could see from the look on Dave’s face and just from his whole attitude that it was super-cathartic for him. And I could see how it was helping him. And so I just took it all in stride. And it’s interesting, because since then, I think, Dave’s relationship with us is a little bit better now. I’d like to think that that whole thing just kind of healed some scars that needed to be healed.”

After Hammett’s comments about Mustaine were reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET and other music sites, Dave took to his Twitter to respond. He wrote: “I have tremendous respect for @KirkHammett and I appreciate his take on this. he is almost 100% accurate…almost. I wish him the best.”

In a September 2011 interview with Artisan News, Mustaine appeared to concur that his onstage reunion with METALLICA went a long way toward healing the wounds from the way his tenure in the band ended. Dave said: “When we [played a cover of DIAMOND HEAD’s] ‘Helpless’ [as part of a ‘Big Four’ jam] one night, I walked over to say hello to Kirk on the stage and he said, ‘Do you wanna take the solo?” and I said, ‘Yeah.’ [Laughs] But we forgot to tell anybody on the stage or [running] the sound out front that I was gonna do the solo, so the song’s playing along and Kirk’s playing rhythm full blast, and I’m sitting there going you can’t hear what I’m doing. At least we knew what had happened. It was kind of a symbolic passing of the torch back to me and it was a nice gesture. I think that that helped Kirk and my relationship improve a bit.”

In a September 2004 interview, Mustaine famously stated, “I really don’t care about Kirk — he stole my job, but at least I got to bang his girlfriend before he took my job. How do I taste, Kirk?”

Mustaine did not play on any METALLICA albums and did not attend their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2009.

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich later explained to The Plain Dealer that Mustaine was not included because “you’ve got to kind of cap it somewhere. Dave Mustaine never played on any METALLICA records. No disrespect to him. But there [were] half a dozen other people that were in the lineup in the early days. We thought . . . the fair thing to do would be to include anybody that played on a METALLICA record.” He added: “Dave Mustaine was in the band for 11 months, predominantly in 1982… I’m not trying to play it down. I have nothing but respect and admiration for his accomplishments since.”

With NINE INCH NAILS cancelling all 2021 tour dates, including this year’s Riot Fest, the festival is unveiling a wave of announcements bound to excite anyone planning on attending. In addition to three major headliner additions, festival organizers are announcing a second batch of Riot Fest Late Night shows this Friday, September 20, which will go on sale later that day.

Anyone who purchased a three-day or single-day Sunday ticket will now gain access to the festival’s Preview Party on Thursday, September 16, free of charge. Performing Thursday will be Morrissey, who will curate a selection of special guests to perform exclusively on Thursday. Plentiful vegetarian options will be offered by food vendors; Morrissey’s tradition of no-meat at performances will be honored across Douglass Park for the entire day on Thursday, September 16. On Sunday, September 19, SLIPKNOT will close the night out on the Riot Stage, bringing one of the most iconic metal acts ever to Riot Fest for the first time.

Tickets for the Riot Fest Thursday Preview Party have, until now, only been available to those who kept their 2020 tickets for 2021; in a move benefiting local Chicago charities, tickets for Thursday will go on sale today at 12:00 p.m. CST, with all proceeds benefiting the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (additional charities to be announced).

“I got so excited putting together this Thursday lineup… we’ve never done anything like this before,” festival founder Michael Petryshyn shared. “So we wanted to open the gates to everyone in a fair way, while still respecting our loyal fans who received free Thursday passes for keeping their tickets through thick and thin. Giving Thursday’s ticket proceeds back to our Chicago community feels like the perfect win-win scenario. It makes our Thursday Preview Party feel extra special: it’s now a gift to our whole community, whether you’re there or not.”

These additions join a jam-packed lineup that includes SMASHING PUMPKINS, COHEED AND CAMBRIA, Lupe Fiasco, RUN THE JEWELS, FAITH NO MORE, DROPKICK MURPHYS, PIXIES, Machine Gun Kelly, DEVO, MR. BUNGLE and a plethora of bands spanning genres. A limited number of single-day tickets are on sale now; refunds for Sunday ticket holders will be available for a short period of time, if they choose to not hold onto their ticket and gain Preview Party access.